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Tuesday 7 October 2014

October is HORROR month (with Neil Gaiman)! (PLUS CONTEST!)

Right now, I'm sitting at my desk with a sheet strung across the window. I'm staring at the start of two books, either of which may be THE book 2 of my two book contract.

I'm pretty sure that it's actually a surprisingly blue-skied day outside (I honestly have no idea), but I've cocooned myself in my study to work on Book 2 of my contract, trying to learn how to be consistent in the project when things keep coming up that are so talented at being distracting. (October is so good at being interesting, people!) The biggest of which is a HUGE contest happening over on the YA Scream Queens Blog! It's an absolute extravaganza!


This distraction is totally worth your time if you like
SWAG, SIGNED BOOKS, ARCS, PRIZES, GIFT CARDS & MORE!



Some fun things for you to do this October:



I challenge you all to find a truly scary book this month, and to pass it on. Give books AND candy and spread the gleeful terror! I'm already getting started!


Thursday 18 September 2014

On Janet Reid, THE SHARK

This is not the face of evil.


Fish are our friends...


Like many, I subscribe to Janet Reid, the Shark, and her brilliant blog. I have done for years. Why do I do this? Why do I always open every single email from my subscription to her blog? I am represented by a literary agency I absolutely adore, I think Polly and Sarah are two of the best things to ever happen to me, and I have now found a perfect home for my little book in Little, Brown Books For Young Readers and Orion alongside amazing names like Leigh Bardugo, Holly Black and Marcus Sedgwick. In theory, I don't "need" to read her blog . . .  So why do I keep reading what she has to say with such thirst?

Because she takes the time to guide writers, despite her busy schedule, and she does it with genuine feeling. She will, in one blog post, reprimand a writer for being so silly and tell other agents to do a better job at treating writers like human beings. I love that! Every time I read one of her hilarious blog posts, it's apparent that she knows that there are actual people with feelings behind the queries and enquiries she gets. She seems to really understand the (neurotic) writer and his/her mentality. How much pressure we put ourselves under. How hard we work (and agonise) over the tiniest little detail—like what exactly an agency website means when their submission guidelines say to provide a "brief synopsis" . . .

Writer brain: Brief? A brief synopsis   . . .   But brief like the pitch paragraph? Or do they mean like a page long?  . . .  Or three? . . .  Should I break down the whole book? Or just the main bits?  . . .   Maybe brief means five pages, or ten   . . .   or half?   . . .    Maybe I should google it. Oh, wait  . . .  Google says it could mean any of those things. Oh shit. They'll reject me if I don't follow submission guidelines   . . .    but they haven't said if they want the brief synopsis in the body of the email or attached  . . .   if I attach it, will they delete it? But what if they hate long emails  . . . I've blown it! I knew it! I haven't even sent it and it's all OVER  —


            and on and on and on......


Janet Reid understands this. Her sharkiness gets it. For all aspiring writers out there, I would check out her blog. Have a read, hang out for a while. If you have a question, post it there (or look for the answer if someone else has already posted your question). She'll help you keep your crazy in check before you head on out into the wider world. The people who post in her comment boxes are usually pretty lovely too, and we can always use more of that in our world.

Ms. Shark, thank you for being a refuge in a sea of Scary. And for your snark, which is awesome.

Dawn, out.

Tuesday 29 July 2014

On Gratitude

Recently, my dream of becoming a published author, one I have nursed and nurtured for many long, difficult years, became something that wasn't merely a hope, but something that I'll have to wait for. Something certain, real, and so very much alive. I still can't believe it!!! 

And I am so thankful.



I think that people spend a lot of time complaining. Once upon a time, I did it too. Maybe we do it because we're afraid? Or maybe we do it because we're bored? Maybe we're not pushing ourselves hard enough or maybe we're just being way too hard on ourselves. Whatever that reason is, though, I think if we replaced a lot of the things we say, think and do with gratitude, we'd see a whole new kind of world. An amazing world where there is enough to go around. Where we are partners and not competitors. Where the biggest issue of the day is which victory we want to celebrate louder! 

I want to be thankful for my life. For every beautiful or harrowing thing that happens to me. And I am. 

I want to give a shout-out to the people that inspire me. Most of you know who you are, but those who don't, I'm sure I'll find a way to show you. Thank you for what you do, every day. I want to be like you! :) 


Monday 21 July 2014

The YA League Writing Retreat: Shenanigans Part 1

The thing about getting a group of people together who have been friends for ages (but who have never actually met in person) is . . . the "writing retreat" definition becomes kind of . . . fluid.

Everything that has happened since we landed in Scotland:

1. A-holes.





First, a squeal scream of delight, followed by a group hug. And another group hug. And another group hug. While people in the airport were all:


teehee. She said "ass".



Meanwhile, we were:


Shut up, we're fabulous!

2. NOVELTY!





3. DUCKS.

Ducksducksducksducks!!! Feeding ducks is funny as all hell, especially when the seagulls get pissed and jump on the ducks backs.


We do this a lot. 


4. Moooooovies. (*cough* Pitch Perfect *cough*)




With us watching it:




5. Plotting.

I am an evil genius.


6. Unfortunately, around 3am, sleep forces:





We are having a blast here on our retreat! :D 

Wednesday 16 July 2014

The Awesome That Was YALC

Last weekend, author Kat Ellis (she penned Blackfin Sky, which is amazing. No seriously, read it. Now. Go now. You won't regret it, I promise!) and I headed down to the London Film and Comicon for the fringe event within it: The first ever Young Adult Literary Convention.


Saturday

Kat and I arrived bright eyed and bushy tailed on Saturday, to be greeted by thousands of cosplayers all over, from Xena (I KNOW OMG) to Heisenbergs and Maleficents. It took a little while to find the YALC area, because we were swimming through all the awesome, trying not to get distracted by too many shiny things, but once we found it, it was a sweaty (seriously, it was hot. Really, really hot), wonderful, incredible *insert all the adjectives here* day.

Stolen from Kat's blog about the event (link)

We caught the second half of the "Going Graphic: from novel to graphic novel" panel with Marcus SedgwickEmma VieceliIan Edgington, Sarah McIntyre (chairing). It was so interesting to hear the four talk about the differences between working on graphic novels versus novels, and the kind of effort it takes to adapt the latter into the former. 







Again, stolen from Kat (love you Kat... don't kill me...!)
After a rest (okay, a lazy lie down in the hotel to stave off heat stroke...), we headed over to the "Heroes of Horror" panel, with Charlie Higson, Derek Landy, Darren Shan, Will Hill and Rosie Fetcher (Chair). This panel was HUGELY entertaining (these men are all awesome and completely cheeky!). Each spoke about their ideas of horror, adult vs young adult, and it was definitely one of my favourite panels.  



After that, it was time for the young adult author party, a private event for authors and publishers, and I feel to lucky to have been invited! I met so many incredible authors there: Holly Black, who gave me a high-five on my book deal (she had a magical hand in it by once telling me at a signing in Liverpool that I would one day make it), Cat Clarke, who gave me the nicest hug (and who is the nicest person I have ever met, including her wife. They are so cute you guys!), and the Queen of Teen, James Dawson, who also gave me a hug (And who recommended my book during the Q&As of his panel the next day! Thank you James! You are fabulous!), Sally Green (She is the loveliest, most down-to-earth and friendly author!) and Alexia Casale (Who is so enthusiastic, friendly and passionate!). 






There were drinks, and nibbles, and tiny little cupcakes with icing books on the top, sporting the YALC logo. It was a magical night. (Especially since a few of us ran off and took cheeky pictures on the Iron Throne...)




Then it was time to head to the pub to meet up with a few amazing writers and bloggers, including Luna of Luna's Little Library, the lovely Marieke Nijkamp, Tatum Flynn, Sarah Sky and a few others. It was an amazing evening!





Sunday



Kat has such a nice camera... all my iPhone ones were blurry
I laughed straight through the "I'm too sexy for this book" panel (a panel all about sex in YA), which featured Cat Clarke, Non Pratt, Beth Reekles, and James Dawson. It was brilliantly funny and I would watch it again, if only to hear these authors utter the words "alternative hole" and "Well, I was about to say 'touch wood' but under the circumstances . . ." again! This was hands-down the best panel of the day! 



Next up was the slightly controversial but highly entertaining "Crossover" panel with Nick Lake, Anthony McGowen, Meg Rosoff, Matt Haig, and Dave Maybury. 


After that, it was time to get some signed books! Cat Clarke signed my copy of Undone, Alexia signed my copy of The Bone Dragon, and I purchased signed copies of Marcus Segwick's The Foreshadowing and She Is Not Invisible. Take a look at the tidy little haul I came away with!





A Few Other Highlights




 We Were Liars quote Stamps





Can't wait for YALC 2015, and I hope you guys can come if you didn't make it this year! 










Tuesday 8 July 2014

The Day My Favourite Author Congratulated Me On My Book Deal

Yesterday I was given the go-ahead to announce my book deal (if you missed it, you can see the announcement here and here and here) and it was the most humbling and amazing day ever! I was bowled over with love and support and congratulations I received from the YA community, and I feel so lucky and proud to be a part of it. Thank you all, so much!

This morning, I woke up and I had an email notification from Facebook.


"Juliet Marillier mentioned you on Facebook"


My brain frizzled a little, tiny sparks jumped out of my ears, my breath hitched and, slowly, it penetrated. Juliet Marillier? Mentioned me? On Facebook? 

Let me give you a little backstory. When I was 14 or so, my mother and I moved into a house where a lady had sadly passed away. She had no family, and everything she left behind was abandoned in the house. Her stores of food, her clothes, her music, VHS tapes, and her books. From her, I inherited a pair of boots that looked very tribal, a suede jacket, and a host of old books (Mary, Queen of Scots, King Solomon's Ring, Under Milk Wood, etc). One of the books, which looked very well-read and well-loved, was a copy of Juliet Marillier's Daughter of the Forest. It had what I believe is the Australian cover.



I didn't read it for a year, but I kept glancing at it and it kept calling to me. But one day, when I was fifteen, I picked up this book and I began. I tore through it. I was so sad to see the pages passing. I cried and I laughed, and I fell so deeply and madly in love that it became my favourite book of all time. It still is, to this day, and I read it every single year (sometimes more than once), loving it every time. I buy this book more than any other book (I own two copies and many of my friends have received copies from me too—including my literary agent!).  I fell in love with the next book in the series too, Son of the Shadows, and the next, Child of the Prophecy, and my love for Juliet's words has simply grown and grown and grown. I grew up with her words, and they shaped and changed me. I even drew some fan art years ago, which she put up onto her website (biggest moment of my life up until that point). I wrote fan fiction. 



So this morning, when I logged into Facebook, and saw these words:


"Congratulations, Dawn, what fantastic news!"

And when I saw that they were written by Juliet herself, the woman who was fundamentally key in driving my passion for writing, whose work holds me to a high standard every time I sit down at the keyboard, and whose words and characters are as dear to me as my own family, I feel like my whole life just happened. Right now.

Thank you to everyone who has shared my news and passed it on! Thank you Juliet for making my whole day, week and year, and I simply can't wait for you all to read The Dead House (which I found out is up on Goodreads!). I really hope it scares you :D 


Tuesday 3 June 2014

On Passion, Obsession and FIRE

Good morrow, beasties!

Do you guys remember that awesome 90s film The Craft? When I was a kid, we were OBSESSED with it. One thing that forever stuck with me was the idea of four elements. Earth, Air, Fire, Water.


I love witches. I love paganism. I love books that incorporate both. And when I think about my writing, and my process, I always seem to come back to this idea of four elements (now, five, including aether, which I wrote into my witchy YA novel).


So today I'm going to talk about one of these elements, specifically. Fire.

















For me, fire is about power, life, obsession, passion, fury, love, enthusiasm, energy—all of the things that a writer can and will bring to her story. Fire represents the first stage of writing: drafting. When all of your creative juices are flowing, when all of your mind is engaged and salivating, when the novel you are crafting is full of surprises!



It is the time in the novel when you get to move exactly as you choose, as the fuel allows, and you can reign free, utterly at liberty to destroy or create at will.


But there is another side to fire, isn't there? The destructive side. The side that leaves ashes and charred wood behind. This is the fire we don't want to become, my lovelies. Obsession is fine, so long as you are using it to benefit yourself and your work. Don't allow yourself to burn out or to flare uncontrollably. You are the master of your craft and the power of fiery creation is completely in your hands.



Play with creative fire. Let it burn. Keep your water nearby.


Have a great week, beasties!
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