How fast can you read on an e-reader?

Take this fun interactive test from Staples...and see how long it will take you to read "Harry Potter" or "War of the Worlds" from start to finish.

Source: Staples eReader Department

New book + Free short story = Happy Spring!

To celebrate the release of my new novel, CHASING THE FALLS, I am giving away the Kindle version of my short story, "I Brake For Whales."  FREE!!

Starting tonight, Friday April 6 at midnight PST, all through the weekend until Sunday April 8 at midnight PST, you can download my horror short for free at Amazon at its Kindle store! FREE!!

Here's the link but remember, it will be free at midnight and no sooner! Enjoy~

New book: CHASING THE FALLS!

And book number 3 is out - CHASING THE FALLS is my first new release since ALL ABOUT VEE in 2008.  Last year I released FAT GIRLS IN LA but that was not new.  This is completely brand new material that no one has seen yet.  Well, except for editor, agent, manager, and a friend...but other than that, you all will be the first!  If you buy it...

It's available as e-book only right now.  Here is the link to the Amazon Kindle version. Still waiting for Barnes & Noble to put it up on their Nook store but when I get that link, I'll share it too.  It's only $2.99, a reasonable price, I think, for an e-book.  I'd love to get feedback so if you have a Goodreads or Amazon account, I hope you'll consider posting a review somewhere.

Thanks and happy reading!

Coming in April: my new book featured on Ultimate YA Reading Group!

Hey everyone!  The release sequence of my novels has gotten a little rearranged due to work commitments and illness but the second e-book (my third published novel) is being released April 2 on Kindle and Nook, for starters.  Print editions will come later.

I'll post more in a couple of days but for now, here are a couple of teasers...

--The title is "Chasing the Falls."

--It's a contemporary young adult novel, set in Los Angeles.

Now, a bit of more cool news...

--I'm the April author for Ultimate YA Reading Group!  They'll be posting interviews 'n stuff with me throughout the month, including info about the new book.  So stay tuned to their tumblr and Facebook page!

I'll reveal the fab cover very soon, along with a blurb of the book, and more links - more, more, more!

My own Hunger Game

And I don't mean dystopian YA fiction (although I do totally dig that and am looking forward to the movie!).

My version of this is the hunger I need to attack my rewrite.  When you have a great idea the first go 'round, you have to let it sit in your brain for a while until you are so excited you have to write it.  A similar thing exists when you do a rewrite. 

What I typically do is outline the first draft of the book so I can see where all the problems are and jot some ideas down about the possible changes I can make.  Then I mull it over.  I let it sit in my mental passenger seat when I'm out driving or teaching or walking. 

With a new outline, I have the advantage of having it all laid out before me. It's like seeing into the future.  I can experiment with changes before I actually write it.  If I have multiple options I can see how they play out before I commit to them.

Then I wait.

Til I'm really, really hungry.

Then I bite...

Guesting at ADR3NALIN3 Blog!

Today, I'm guest posting for my friend and fellow author, Carol Tanzman at the writing blog, ADR3NALIN3.  She is a regular contributor to the blog, which is a fun and inspiring resource for readers and writers. The authors involved specialize in mysteries and thrillers but their posts address all kinds of issues that most writers face: writer's block, world-building, character development, and so on.

Carol has a new YA novel, "dancergirl," which is currently out from Harlequin Teen.  It's a fast-paced thriller about a dancer whose online life attracts a real-life stalker!  Check it out at your local store or here at Amazon: dancergirl.  Her next book will be out in July, another YA thriller titled, "Circle of Silence."

My post is about turning off the internet and turning on your focus.  Thanks, Carol, for asking me to guest post for you!

So here is it - my post about writing and the internet: I’m not addicted.  I can quit anytime I want to.

Building a writer's toolbox

I'm calling this my Toolbox Post #2 because I recently wrote about a dancer's toolbox on my ballet blog and it made me think about writers and how they have toolboxes too.  While most of a dancer's resources come from classes they take and corrections given to them by teachers, how do writers get theirs?  I can think of 3 ways:

1. High school and college courses: This is where a writer gets her flashlight and her hammer.  You know, the basics of craft, such as -
--Three act structure.
--Grammar.
--Literary devices like metaphor and simile.

2. Writing workshops: This is where a writer will get her needle-nose pliers and snake, items that are more specialized for different uses.  It could be during a one-day or week-long course that addresses a specific issue, such as -
--Writing in genre.
--Publishing and agenting.
--Rewriting.

3. Reading: This is where a writer will find her tubing benders and pipe extractors.  What are tubing benders and pipe extractors, you say?  "I didn't even know they existed!" Exactly!  That's the reaction you have when you read books by authors who approach storytelling in new and exciting ways.  That's the moment when you say, "I didn't know I could do that!" Such as -
--Unreliable narrators.
--Multiple POVs.
--World-building.

As I said in my ballet post, when you have a leaky faucet, you get out your toolbox and you fix it.  And when you have a book that's got plot issues or pacing or structure problems, you do the same thing.  Diagnose the problem and fix it.  No wringing of hands, no pouting or running away.  A plumber doesn't get upset when the pipe is broken and neither should you.