Sexy Saturday: Bollywood Hottie (Hrithik Roshan)

I know, I suck. It’s Sunday and all but I totally forgot to put this up yesterday. My only excuse is that the semester started, I have revisions I’m working on, and I had a bachelorette party that was supposed to happen but never did. Anyway. I’d like this hottie to be at my bachelorette party when I have one. Hrithik Roshan! WOOHOO!

Tags: hrithick roshan, Sexy Saturday

Writers on Writing: Jay Asher

Before we go into Jay’s interview, I wanted to let all of you know that Terri Prizzi is the winner of my fabulous Haters contest! Yeay, Terri!



Okay, now into the moment you have all been waiting for. Jay Asher shook the foundation of YA fiction last year with his book ’13 Reasons Why.’ He’s a fabulous author who’s debut work received countless awards and recognition. He is currently STILL on the NYT best seller’s list and I’m sure he’ll be there for a while yet. Thank you for joining me today for my Wednesday Writer’s Write series, Jay!






What is your brainstorming process for a new book?
When an intriguing idea hits me, I don’t write any of the story until I get a good sense of the characters who might show up. Then I write an opening scene to establish a certain atmosphere which I’d like to carry throughout the book. Once I have my premise, main characters, and the atmosphere set, then the brainstorming kicks into full gear. I don’t outline, I simply take out a notebook and jot down ideas for interesting scenes which might occur when those characters are faced with the overall premise of my story. When it seems there’s enough material to sustain a novel, I start writing…but I hardly ever look at my notes again. I just assume that when I fully understand what I’m trying to accomplish with the novel, the characters will lead the way. Any good ideas I had during the brainstorming portion will naturally pop-up if they’re meant to be there. When I finish writing, then it’s fun to go back and peek at my notebook to rediscover the scenes that didn’t make it into the book.



Can you explain your typical work week day?
I don’t have a specific schedule, but the day’s a hodgepodge of coffee, checking my Amazon ranking, answering letters from my readers on MySpace, putting together book club packets, brainstorming/writing my next novel…and sometimes I can run to the gym for fifteen minutes. Oh, and food!



Tell us about your big break in the writing industry.
My big break was twelve years in the making. That’s how long it took from the time I sent in my first manuscript to when I sold my first book (Thirteen Reasons Why). My previous manuscripts were all humorous and for younger children. Because why would anyone want to write a serious book??? When my agent began submitting my first novel for teens, it got rejected about nine times. Then, within two days, three editors made offers! Of course, you never know for sure if a book is going to be successful. You never know if it’ll be stocked by libraries and bookstores until it actually happens. So there was a lot of finger-crossing. But they did stock the books, and when teens found out about it and read it, they told their friends about it. And it just kept growing from there.



What suggestions do you have for aspiring writers?
Join a critique group. That’s the best thing you can do for your writing. You have to be flexible enough to make whatever changes will make your story stronger, but confident enough in your original idea to not let the manuscript get off-track.



Tell us about what you’re working on right now and what we can expect from you in the near future.
I’m working on another teen novel right now, but I try not to give away many details because it freaks me out when I feel people are waiting for a certain type of book. I will say that my next book is a tad more lighthearted than Thirteen Reasons Why.



Thank you so much for joining us, Jay! It’s so great to hear that we’ll hopefully see another fabulous work from you in the future. You can pick up ’13 Reasons Why’ at your local bookstore or here.

Jay Asher has worked at an independent bookstore, an outlet bookstore, a chain bookstore, and two public libraries. He hopes, someday, to work for a used bookstore. When he is not writing, Jay plays guitar and goes camping. ’13 Reasons Why’ is his first published novel.

Tags: Jay Asher, Writers on Writing

Sexy Sunday: McSteamy aka Eric Dane

I love Eric Dane. Patrick Demsey? Yeah, Okay, he’s a hottie, but not as hot as this absolutely AMAZINGLY sexy man. Sigh. Eye candy for you. Sorry for not posting yesterday, but I hope this makes up for it!

Tags: eric dane, Sexy Saturday

Writers on Writing: Mitali Perkins

Today, we have one of my favorite MG/YA writer’s, and I’m not just saying that because she is a fellow South East Asian. Here to tell us about her writing style is Mitali Perkins!



What is your brainstorming process for a new book?



Long showers and long walks. No system, really.



Can you explain your typical work week day?



On days when I don’t have author visits, I write for 3 hours. I manage my online presence and do marketing and booking via social media, emails etc: for another 3 hours. I read for 2 hours.



Tell us about when you made the decision to write.



I have always written, but I decided to submit my first novel to Little Brown because they were holding a contest called “New Voices.” I don’t think I would have submitted it otherwise. I had no clue about the publishing process. Amazingly, Little Brown wanted to publish “The Sunita Experiment.” From then on, I climbed the learning curve mainly through my participation in SCBWI.



What suggestions do you have for aspiring writers?



You can watch a video here on my three tips for writers (risk, revision, and rejection)







Tell us about what you’re working on right now and what we can expect from you in the near future.



I’m revising BAMBOO PEOPLE, a novel about a teen soldier and a refugee who meet along the Thai-Burma border, due from Charlesbridge Fall 2010.



Thank you so much for joining us today, Mitali! We look forward to more work from you! You can pick up Mitali’s books at your local bookstore or here.

Mitali Perkins was born in India, traveled all over the world, and has finally settled down in Newton, Massachusetts. She is the author of five books, the most recent being Secret Keeper.

Contest for the HATERS!

I have three FABULOUS books to give away and I have one week to give them away!






To win a copy of ‘Troy High’ by Shana Norris, ‘Prophecy of the Sisters’ by Michele Zink, and ‘The Treasure Map of Boys’ by E. Lockhart, all you have to do is:



Tell me who you hated in high school (fake names are okay), why, and if you ever acted against them because of your hatred.



I thought that was appropriate since Elena of ‘Troy High’ is a pain, two sisters are sworn enemies in ‘Prophecy’ and we’ve always got drama with Ruby in ‘The Treasure Map of Boys.’



So fess up for a chance to win these three great books! I’ll pick the winner next Monday. I’ll be reading your comments below!!



<3Nisha

Some Sexiness in my Sunday News Update

Hey everyone! I know it’s been FOREVER since I’ve actually posted about myself, so I think it’s time to update everyone.



After nationals, I got down to the nitty gritty work and I finished edits for my novella I sold to The Wild Rose Press under my pseudonym ‘Tess Quinn.’ I have been diligently working on the second novella in the trilogy and I am a little over halfway done with that.



I have also been working on writing articles and workshops only because I think it’s a great way to use all this research I’ve done and apply it to something useful. My article ‘What I Learned from Nora Roberts,’ a piece about the writing advice I picked up at nationals, was published in the Pocono Lehigh Valley Romance Writers, LERA, Western New York Romance Writers, Central Florida Romance Writers & Red River Romance Writers August News Letter. I was sooooo excited about that! I have another one I’m submitting to the Pocono Lehigh Chapter for the September newsletter about query letters. That’s pretty basic so I don’t think others will pick it up but hopefully my local chapter will. I am also submitting an article to the RWR (Romance Writers Report) which is taking a bit of time up. More on that soon. I have two workshop proposals drawn up for nationals 2010. I don’t know if either one will get picked up, but at least I’m going to try, right?



On the contest circuit, I had recently done an ‘Eyes Like Stars’ Contest where I was giving away a copy of the arc to a reader who commented about her favorite theater moment. Reader Lindsay Bryde was my winner!! Yeay Lindsay! The copy is in the mail and you should receive it shortly.



I’m hosting another contest so stay tuned for that one! I’m giving two more arcs away and if you want some free books, remember to stop by again (I think I’m posting contest info tomorrow).



Other than that, I saw Julie & Julia yesterday which was really cute. A bit too long, but it was still really cute. Amy Adams is a really sweet person and I totally went to the Julie/Julia Project blog just to check it out. I then went to Julie Powell’s new blog and read like, 20 posts before I had to stop. What a great idea! I wish I thought of that. lol.



I did see an Indian movie recently,Love Aaj Kal, and even thought it was a bit self indulgent, I liked it because there were some great one liners in there. Even though Saif Ali Khan has a tendency to be a bit ugly if he isn’t shot at the right angle, I still think he’s a hottie. So, to cap my extremely long blog post about updates and articles and workshops, and edits and movies, here is some sexiness that should have come up yesterday but that I wasn’t able to post due to family friends visiting and a fabulous writer’s meeting I had to attend. Enjoy!

Tags: Sexy Saturday

Writers on Writing: Jeannine Garsee

Today we have my twitter pall Jeannine Garsee joining us for Writers on Writing! Let’s take a look into this author’s writing life.



What is your brainstorming process for a new book?



I brainstorm every waking moment; my mind works in turbo mode when I’m thinking about a new story or in the process of writing one. It’s all I can focus on as I go through my daily routine. I talk to myself in the car, reciting passages I home to write down as soon as I can (yeah, people look at me strangely from other cars, too). I often wake up early with new ideas that need to be jotted down. I also toss ideas back and forth with my daughter, who also writes, or with several trusted friends who can give me some honest feedback.



Can you explain your typical work week day?



Well, because I worked as a registered nurse 4 days a week, those are generally 4 that I get nothing done as far as writing is concerned. I need long periods of uninterrupted writing; I can’t squeeze a couple hours in here and there when I know my time is limited. So on a typical “writing” day I will take my lap top to a nearby coffee shop, usually about 9-9:30 in the morning and stay there, writing, till 3 or 4 p.m. or else get there in the afternoon and stay till 9 p.m. I try to do this twice a week. On days that I do have to go to my “real” job (I work the 3-11 shift) I make an effort to at least get some blogging down or write/answer e-mails before I go into work.



Tell us about when you made the decision to write.



I’ve always told or written down stories, from the time I was able to speak or draw pictures. When I was 9 years old I wrote a story for my fourth grade class and the teacher chose mine to read out loud to the class. The class loved it, my teacher raved about it, and I think that was the moment I knew I wanted to write for other people. When I started writing my first novel at 13, I had what can only be described as an “epiphany” and I promised myself then that I’d one day be published—never mind that it took me YEARS to reach that goal!



What suggestions do you have for aspiring writers?



As far as writing is concerned, learn the craft, and the best way to do this is to read, read, read. Read especially the genre in which you hope to write. See what works and what doesn’t. Work hard at developing your own style and don’t be pretentious or “over-write.” Never underestimate the importance of meticulous grammar and spelling, and if you’re weak in this area don’t even attempt to write until you brush up on it.



As far as submitting is concerned, revise and polish your manuscript till you feel it’s perfect—and then do it again. Research agents and publishers and do NOT submit to anyone who asks you for money for ANY reason. Utilize such online tools as Writers Beware, Predators and Editors, Agent Query, and the multitude of author-oriented blogs that are out there. Connect with other writers to share experiences and offer support. Most importantly, be prepared to accept criticism and rejection because it’s part of the business, and never burn your bridges with ungracious or unprofessional behavior.



Tell us about what you’re working on right now and what we can expect from you in the near future.



I’m not sure how “near” in the future these will be, but I have a third YA completed that needs revising and I’m also working on a YA paranormal!



Thanks for joining us today, Jeannine! We look forward to your third YA and a possible YA paranormal from you in the future! Those of you who are interested in purchasing Jeannine’s books can snag them at your local bookstore or here.

Jeannine Garsee has been telling stories since before she could write. “I was addicted to the Sunday funnies,” she says, “and my dad worked in a book-binding factory. He’d bring home a slew of paper every week, and I’d draw scenes on every page. Later, when I learned to write, I’d add the captions–and then the captions just grew longer and longer till I didn’t have any room left for the pictures.” Jeannine, known as “Jen” to her friends, works as a psych nurse in a busy inner-city hospital. Born and raised in Ohio, she lives with her family in a southwest suburb of Cleveland. Her books ‘Say the Word,’ and ‘Before, After, and Somebody In Between,’ are on sale now.

Sexy Saturday: Gerard Butler

Talk about crazy sex appeal. *Swoon*. I’m going out to see ‘The Ugly Truth’ right now!