Split Personality

I've been writing since middle school but for a period of time after I left college I stopped writing consistently. Then in 2008 I had my first idea in a very long time. That idea was NOT The Low Notes. Before The Low Notes I was working on a paranormal romance. I adore the genre of paranormal and I've always liked writing and reading it.

The idea started out as a vampire story (because what was hotter in 2008 than vampires?!) but eventually morphed into a story about angels who walk the earth. The story is still collecting dust on my hard drive and every now and then I take a look and edit it a bit. One day I'll finish it. After I took a course on novel writing it became clear to me that the first novel I had in me was The Low Notes.

But I haven't yet lost my love of paranormal. Specifically, young adult paranormal. Last night I was inspired and started working on something of the YA para variety and I have to say I'm a little scared. I know there are lots of authors who cross genres but it's a scary jump. I just keep telling myself that I can't be confined by a certain genre...I have to tell the stories that strike me. And trust me readers, I've been struck.

J.K. Rowling's latest release, The Casual Vacancy, is certainly a different kind of book for her but she has already made more than a name for herself so she's in the category of I-do-what-I-want. Stephen King is in the same boat. He writes less and less horror all the time even though that's what he's known for.

I suppose I could classify what I'm doing by looking at Meg Cabot. She started writing romance (under pen name Patricia Cabot) and then made the leap into YA, middle grade and paranormal. She writes across genres successfully.

So here's hoping my readers have split personalities just like me. An eclectic taste for an eclectic author.

NaNoWriMo

November is National Novel Writing Month! The challenge is to write a 50,000 word novel in thirty days. Can you do it? Should you try?

A few years ago I tried NaNoWriMo but failed pretty miserably. That isn't stopping me from taking the plunge this year. I'll be working on a YA novel that I've been thinking about for a while. Fifty thousand words by December 1st or bust!

I love the idea behind the challenge. It's a fantastic way to jump start an idea and to get the creative juices flowing. There's no rule that says the finished work has to be ready to publish. It's just about accomplishing a goal.

Writers tend to have a lot of ideas about what they need to do to be able to write. I'm one of them. I make excuses as to why I'm not able to work. But it's as simple as this...just write. If we take the time to sit and write, a little every day, we can accomplish what we set out to do.

Now, editing is a whole different story. 

I'll be posting my progress throughout the month of November and fingers crossed I'll have 50,000 words just after Thanksgiving. If you are interested in learning more or signing up for the challenge you can visit the official NaNo website here.

Get your pens or keys ready!

Release Day : From the Rubble by Britni Hill

Today is a day to celebrate my dear friend and fellow author, Britni Hill. Her second novel, a follow up to Tears in the Rubble is released! If you read book one here's your chance to read the rest of the story and if you haven't read book one then there's two awesome books waiting to be purchased!

From the Rubble by Britni Hill

In the wake of a terrible betrayal, Taylor and Layla bury their feelings for the other, good and bad, just to get by day to day.  Forced together because of their daughter, Taylor struggles to forgive Layla so he falls into the role of fatherhood, naturally striving to be the best father he can be.

Layla’s guilt overwhelms her as she fights herself over her feelings for Taylor.  After all, she doesn’t believe she deserves another chance.  She’s already had too many. 

Making a family out of a broken relationship won’t be easy, but with both Taylor and Layla pushing forward, will they ever find a new normal?  Will they ever confront their feelings for one another?

Hop over to Britni's blog to find all of the purchase links or go to her Amazon page for Kindle purchases. Best of luck Britni! Can't wait to see what comes next.

Where Do I Fit In?

When I was first writing The Low Notes and even after it was first published I could never quite give an accurate title to what genre I thought I belonged in. I would say things like, "It's romance but not in the bodice-ripper-Fabio-on-the-cover way." I'd say, "It's young adult (YA) but a little more dangerous."

I felt lost in a way. It was as if I didn't have a genre to fall into. Until one day I was having a chat with someone in the business and she said the words 'new adult'. 

Eureka! That's exactly what I write! NEW adult. Adults who can drive, vote, maybe even drink but they sure as hell don't have a handle on grown-up life yet.

Author/blogger JJ said this about the genre, "YA is about a certain time of life, when you are no longer a child but not quite an adult and one can write about this period of time through less literal genres like historical fiction or science-fiction and fantasy. Similarly, New Adult is about young adulthood, when you are an adult but have not established your life as one (career, family, what-have-you)."

I couldn't agree more! And I'm completely in love with the fact that I can claim this new category as my genre. 

What I'm working on now would certainly be considered 'new adult' as well but I'm happy to say I also have a few other genres up my sleeve including YA romance and paranormal romance. 

Stay tuned to more info on what I'm working on next!

H.P. Mallory : The Author Interview

Please welcome New York Times bestselling paranormal romance author H.P. Mallory!

 

What was the querying/agent search process like for you? 

Well this is a two-fold question. When I first started out which was about 6 years ago, this process was grueling. You send out tons of queries and almost no one writes back. I was lucky enough to land an agent the first time around but once we submitted my books to the publishers, no one was interested. Then I ended up sitting on the first two books in both of my series (Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble and To Kill A Warlock) for about 5 years before self publishing them. Once I self pubbed them and they hit numerous bestseller lists, I sent out four agent query letters and received prompt responses from each agent, eventually signing with one. So the first time around wasn't fun but the second time around was much easier! LOL

Is there another genre you would like to try at some point?

 

I'm not sure yet. Right now I love paranormal romance and urban fantasy and can't really see beyond them...

Do you have a writing ritual or a certain way you like to get ready to write? 

 

Not really. I just aim for 2000 words per day and take numerous breaks throughout the day to give my eyes a break!

Tell us about one of your characters you loved writing: 

 

I'm actually working on the first book in a new series and the angel in that book is so much fun to write! He's not like a customary angel at all--he's really uncouth and crass but hysterical!

Was there ever a time you felt like giving up? If so, what changed? 

 

Yes, after the first go around when no one was interested in my books, I did give up. Then I read about self publishing and decided to give that a try. Since then I haven't looked back. I ended up signing with Random House and then, most recently, I hit the New York Times bestseller list. Just goes to show that you should never give up on your dreams!

What advice would you give to an aspiring author? 

 

See above. LOL

Some of your characters have their own Facebook pages! How has social networking helped build your fan base? 

 

Yes, social networking is probably one of the biggest reasons I was able to get the word out about my books. Self pubbing is great but it's a lot of work and the author essentially has to do all her marketing herself! For me, word of mouth has been crucial and I'm sure it has a lot to do with how much guerrilla marketing online I did in the early days.

What is your current obsession (absolutely anything)?

 

Remodeling my house. It seems like that's all I've been doing lately!

Thank you so much to H.P. for chatting with me! Be sure to check her out (links below!)

www.hpmallory.com

 

H.P. Mallory Facebook 

 

Find her books on Amazon

Top Ten Tuesday : Current Obsessions

10. Wedding
My lovely sister in law is getting married in a few weeks and for the last few months I have been in Matron of Honor mode. Though things are winding down I'm still all about wedding hoopla these days.


9. Supernatural on Netflix

I can't explain just how much I love this show. Though I own all the DVD's I tend to watch random episodes on Netflix while I clean or right before bed. The Winchester's just make me happy!


8. Blogging
If you can believe it I'm spending a lot of time trying to keep the blog up to date. I've been doing interviews and reaching out to other authors to do guests posts like crazy!


7. Revenge

I'm getting caught up on the first season of this show and I'm totally ADDICTED! It's like The O.C. and Kill Bill combined. Great show!

6. Promotion
I've been hearing great things from people about The Low Notes lately and it has been driving me to do more promotion. I'm using Facebook and Twitter to get the word out and reaching out to book review bloggers too.


5. Pinterest

 

I'm not as psycho about Pinterest right now as I was this time last year but I'm on there about every day. I pin things like recipes and DIY crafts. I also have a lovely board called The Dream which is made of ideas for my ultimate dream home. You can follow me if you like!


4. Popular Music
A lot of popular songs are really good right now and I'm a little obsessed. Let's see...Maroon 5's One More Night, Alex Clare's Too Close, Fun's Some Nights, Taylor Swift's We Are Never Getting Back Together, Cher Lloyd's Want U Back, Justin Beiber's As Long As You Love Me are just a few. I need to make a mix tape!


3. The New Normal on NBC
Hilarious and sweet new sitcom about the new normal family. Check it out. Are you sensing a theme? I watch a lot of TV haha!!


2. Fall

 Fall is my favorite season and it's almost here. I love Halloween and Thanksgiving. I love the weather and the changing leaves. I also love the return of all my favorite shows, the clothes (and boots) and food. Can you say crock-pot? Cannot wait!


1. Writing!
Typey Typey y'all! The words have been flying off the fingertips lately and I couldn't be happier about it. I haven't given myself a serious deadline but I would love to mark The Low Notes' one year anniversary with another release (if not sooner). The title that I'm currently working on is a beach romance about finding yourself and finding love and it's called Back to You. So excited about it!

Fan-tastic!

The past few weeks have been truly amazing. I've had more fans reach out to me than I ever dreamed possible! The thought that people around the globe are reading The Low Notes and enjoying it brings so much joy to my heart.

Since the release of The Low Notes I have managed to hear from fans from four continents. I've received reviews and messages from Germany, Ireland, England, all over the US, Canada, the Philippines, and even as far as Africa! I even received my first piece of 'fan art'! 


Though I still love my cover this alternate cover created by fan Natasa A. is absolutely beautiful! Thanks for sharing Natasa!!

Fan Art by Natasa A.

To even have fans is an awesome feeling but to have such loving and cool fans is completely overwhelming. Thank you to everyone who has reached out, reviewed the book and read. Each of you make me smile and I promise I'm working on something new for you to read.

If you want to show your fan side you can like my author page on Facebook, Goodreads, and Amazon. You can also review The Low Notes on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Goodreads. 

Thank you from the bottom of my heart!