Wordsmith Wednesday (#3)

The objective:
Show us a scene from your current project. It can be creepy, adventurous, romantic, etc. Just a snippet to let readers see what they're in for!
The guidelines:
* Must be from a current work-in-progress (WIP). Nothing already published.
* You may choose from any section of the manuscript, but be mindful not to include spoilers.
 * Keep it clean and YA audience friendly, please. No erotica.
* Stay under 300 words or about one page. It can be as little as a few lines if you prefer. We just want to give readers a chance to see everyone's selection.
* Link back to Chirenjenzie to enjoy others' work as well!

Here's a snippet from something I just started toying with, which is untitled at the moment. It's my take on Beauty & the Beast. Hope you enjoy it! :)

The bleachers filled quickly with classmates dressed in varying degrees of purple. Two guys had on full body spandex suits, and their buddies that surrounded them were in Halloween costumes.

I thought we were at a basketball game. Apparently this was something of a different breed.

“Does everyone dress like that for games?” I wondered aloud to Lucy, who stood beside me, giving directions to another friend on where we were in the stands.

She waved animatedly. “No, you dork, right here!” She jabbed her hand in the air and swung it around like she was directing an airplane. “Right! HERE!”

I followed her eyes to the other side of the gym, where I saw a girl wave in acknowledgement and put her phone back in her pocket.

That’s when I saw him.

Of course he was here. He was like the opposite of those MasterCard commercials; he was everywhere I didn’t want him to be.

That didn’t mean I minded looking at him, though.

His wild, tawny hair was gelled into points all over his head and made him look like a human hedgehog. The silver ring in his bottom lip glinted when it hit the light just right, and he toyed with it as he focused through the lens of the camera he held in his hands.

“Seriously, don’t waste your time,” Lucy said through an audible sigh as she gave me a jab with her elbow. “Channing is so not worth any amount of effort you’d put into it.”

“That’s his name?” I asked, not looking away from the boy I now knew as Channing.

My phone dinged and vibrated in my pocket. I pulled my gaze away long enough to check the text message.

Earth to Sam, he’s not worth your time.

I looked up to see Lucy grinning from ear to ear. “Really? You text me when we’re standing next to each other?”

“It seemed like the only way to get your attention.”

There you have it, folks! What do you think? If you're a writer, take part in the meme, or add a little of your latest WIP to the comments.
Hope everyone is having a great week!

Review: Legend by Marie Lu

Legend by Marie Lu

Release Date: November 29, 2011

Publisher: Putnam Juvenile

Pages: 305

Received: Purchased

Rating: 4 out of 5 Books

GOODREADS BLURB:
What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic’s wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic’s highest military circles. Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country’s most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem.

From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths—until the day June’s brother, Metias, is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect. Caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family’s survival, while June seeks to avenge Metias’s death. But in a shocking turn of events, the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the sinister lengths their country will go to keep its secrets.

THE GOOD:

Ms. Lu's imagination knows no bounds, but here's the thing: she makes it all BELIEVABLE. Everything she said, I felt myself thinking, "Oh man, what if America ended up like this?" I can see it, and that kinda freaks me out! She builds her world exquisitely, and her characters are always on point. Day is absolutely the most awesome character I've read all year. He is just amazing. The way he grows through the story is awesome, but I think June is the one that grows the most. She is such a BA heroine, and I like that you see her discover the world around her.

THE BAD:

Nothing was necessarily bad, but I did feel like June came to the major revelations all at once, in an info-dumpish kind of way. That was just me, though. Some may like it. I would have liked to have seen a redeeming characteristic in Commander Jameson, and I didn't like that Thomas was so cold-blooded, although I suppose that was the goal of Lu. So you see, the "bad" wasn't bad, it was just personal preferences. :)

OVERALL:

I really enjoyed Lu's world, and I will definitely be getting the second installment when it releases. This was a fun book to read, and by the end I was totally invested. It was a little slow at the beginning, but the world building was necessary, and I appreciated it when the book really started moving. Like I said, Day is probably my favorite character of the year. I would have loved to watch him pull off more shenanigans, and I hope that the second book will provide that. Lu wrote a great book, and I am looking forward to reading the next one.

RATING: 4 of 5 Books

EXCITING NEWS! (How It Happened + the Query Letter)

First off, HAPPY WEDNESDAY EVERYONE! :)

I have some exciting news. If you missed it, I've been working on a WIP titled STEEL LILY. I actually posted a short teaser from it in this post, so if you're curious, go check it out! :) Well, I'm excited to say that Steel Lily landed me an agent!!! ::does a happy dance::

I am officially represented by Lauren Hammond of ADA Management! ::throws confetti::

When I tweeted about it, I had a friend ask if I would blog about it. While I hadn't planned on it, it seemed like a good idea, so here we are. :)

When I started querying, I had a friend of mine go over my query with me. She helped me make it shine. When we were finished, I thought we had put together a pretty darn good query...definitely the best one I've submitted with. So, with much trepidation, I hit the "send" button to agents. But this time, unlike the others, I only queried agents I *knew* were people I liked. People I knew would be great to work with, had qualities I wanted, and that were well versed in the literary world.

I thought it'd take a while to get bites, but thankfully, I was wrong. I queried Lauren on April 12th, and got a request for the full the same day. I was beyond thrilled! I also got other requests (8 total, I believe) for fulls as well, so I was pretty excited!

Then came the first email. The agent was VERY excited about my book, but wanted some revisions. I agreed with them, so I set to doing them. All the while, Lauren had my manuscript. We'd tweeted about random things, and she was fun. I wondered if she was liking the book. I got a couple declines, and then it came.

"The Call."

I missed it, because my phone was on silent.

OH. MY. GAWD.

I checked my voicemail and there it was, Lauren Hammond telling me she wanted to talk about representing Steel Lily. I squealed. I scared my 9 month old child with my giddiness.

And I called her back. :)

We talked for quite a while, and it was great to chat and hear her vision for Steel Lily, as well as get to know her style as an agent. I got off the phone wanting to tell her yes, but wanting to give the other agents time to read, as well as sleep on the decision. (ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS give the other agents that have your MS time to read. It's just the nice thing to do. If you physically/emotionally/mentally cannot do that, then at least email them and tell them you're pulling it from consideration. Don't waste their time by having them read something they won't even be able to acquire if they do like it.)

We agreed we'd reconvene in two weeks. I notified all the agents that still had my MS. But...I started to really look into Lauren's other clients. Talked to a few of them. They were all super positive about their experiences, and Lauren's deals on Publisher's Marketplace made me confident in her abilities (ALWAYS check your agents on PM. If they're not recording deals, then will they be able to land one for you??). I talked to my husband, my writer friends, heck, even non-writer friends about it. I really liked what I was seeing, but I thought I should wait.

I made it through the weekend.

After an email came from an agent who declined, I breathed a sigh of relief. I had told my husband I was going to feel bad having to tell them no, because I wanted Lauren. He looked at me, with all his sensibility (God love him), and said, "If you know who you want, then why don't you just accept her offer?"

Made sense to me.

So I emailed the remaining agents and let them know that I was going to accept Lauren's offer. I couldn't wait. I knew who I wanted.

I called Lauren, we chatted, and I said "HECK YEAH I WANNA BE ON TEAM HAMMOND!"

Or something of that derivative. :)

So that's my story. I'm thrilled to have Lauren as an agent, and I can't wait to see what she does with Steel Lily. Hopefully in the future I'll be able to tell you that it has a home, and you'll be able to pick it up in a bookstore near you!

As for any writers that may be reading who are still looking for an agent, don't give up. It only takes one yes. :)

**EDIT**

I had a fellow Tweep ask for me to post the query letter that I sent to Lauren. Here it is! :)

Dear Ms. Hammond,

Fifteen-year-old Avery Pike is the most powerful girl in Dome Four, only she doesn't want to be.

Steam is all that's left as a resource after a massive war has left the world in ruins, and Avery's ability to control it is the best hope that her Dome has to survive. But providing steam power for an entire city taxes Avery's body, leaving her exhausted for days afterward.

Enter Atticus Riggs, the enigmatic headmaster of Chromelius Academy who's promised her a new life, far away from the Dome and free from being a government tool. But Atticus's estranged son, Jaxon, has other plans for Avery. He presents her with two choices: trust him with her freedom, or remain under a regime of uncertainty and fear. It seems as though everyone but Avery is in control of her future. But when you can control steam, you can learn to control anything; including the fate of your world.

STEEL LILY is a 95,000 word YA dystopian steampunk fantasy. I've published three novels. My BRIDGER series is a consistent Amazon best-seller in multiple categories, and have sold over 5,000 copies. The first book, Bridger, has sold over 4,000 and Traitor was just released in March. I have a growing social media platform, with nearly 4,000 followers on Twitter, and an active blog and author website. Per your submission guidelines, I have included the first three pages of Steel Lily for your consideration. Thank you for your time. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,
Megan Curd
www.megancurd.com
(Insert phone number)

Wordsmith Wednesday (#2)

The objective:
Show us a scene from your current project. It can be creepy, adventurous, romantic, etc. Just a snippet to let readers see what they're in for!

The guidelines:
* Must be from a current work-in-progress (WIP). Nothing already published.
* You may choose from any section of the manuscript, but be mindful not to include spoilers.
 * Keep it clean and YA audience friendly, please. No erotica.
* Stay under 300 words or about one page. It can be as little as a few lines if you prefer. We just want to give readers a chance to see everyone's selection.
* Link back to Chirenjenzie to enjoy others' work as well!

Here's a snippet from my newest WIP, which is still untitled at the moment. It's a MG ghost story. Hope you enjoy it! :)

Movement on the third floor caught his eye. He stopped and looked up, finding Matt now on the third floor, waving once more.

But he wasn’t the only person at the window.

Behind Matt stood an older woman, dressed in a black dress that buttoned all the way to the neck, a delicate brooch at her neck. Her dark hair was pulled back, and her severe eyes were staring holes right into Austin.

A cold chill coursed through Austin, and his mouth hung agape. Matt’s laugh was silenced by the height and panes of glass between them, but he seemed to think that Austin was shocked by his appearance. Matt turned to come back downstairs, and when he did, Austin expected him to run right into the woman.

He didn’t.

Matt walked straight through the woman, whose figure rippled like water, as though a pebble were thrown into the still depths and caused waves. When he’d passed completely through the woman, Matt stopped and turned back to the window once more, confusion clearly displayed on his face. He rubbed his arms as though he were cold, and then disappeared into the room once more, leaving Austin even more confused than before.

Austin closed his eyes and reopened them, assuming he’d imagined the whole thing.

He hadn’t.

When he opened his eyes once more, the woman was standing in the third floor window alone, even more menacing than before. Her teeth were bared, and she looked half-crazy.

Mandy’s voice broke the eerie feeling that still surged through Austin’s veins, and he pulled his eyes from the third floor. “Austin, are you just going to stand on the sidewalk all night?”

He shook his head vehemently, and for a final time, looked to the third floor.

No one was there.

There you have it, folks! What do you think? If you're a writer, take part in the meme, or add a little of your latest WIP to the comments.

Hope everyone is having a great week!

Review: Insanity by Lauren Hammond

Insanity by Lauren Hammond

Release Date: May 8, 2012

Publisher: S.B. Addison Books

Pages: 190

Received: Provided ARC by author in exchange for a fair review

Rating: 5 out of 5 Books

GOODREADS BLURB:
Sometimes love...can drive you crazy. Adelaide Carmichael and Damien Allen couldn't be more opposite. Adelaide's mother abandoned her when she was ten years old, leaving her to be raised by her abusive and alcoholic father. Damien on the other hand came from a wealthy family, was a local celebrity, and seemed to have a bright future ahead of him. Despite their differences, Adelaide and Damien were young, wild, and fiercely in love. And they had a plan. They were going to run away. Be together forever. And their plan was set in motion, until tragedy struck and for some reason, Adelaide wound up in The Oakhill Institution for the insane. Adelaide has no idea what she did to wind up at Oakhill, but she knows one thing for sure... She wants out. And after Damien follows her there to aid her in escaping, Adelaide slowly begins putting together the pieces of her memory that are missing. And it doesn't take Adelaide long to figure out that sometimes... That one true love never dies.

THE GOOD:
Oh my goodness. Oh my goodness. I don't think there was a moment in this book that I could justify putting it down. Ms. Hammond has a way of sucking you in and refusing to let you come up for air. My husband thought I was crazy because I just *had* to read and find out what was going to happen to Adelaide and Damien. Hammond's main character, Adelaide, is instantly understandable and easy to empathize with. You root for her throughout the book, and personally, I was making guesses as to what the next twist was going to be the entire book! I kept guessing, each idea more harebrained than the one before, because I was desperate to unravel Addy's world. It's that chilling, and that emotional of a roller coaster.

THE BAD:

Please remember, this was an ARC, and I have the utmost confidence that my one beef - tense in *very* few spots - has been fixed. It wasn't enough to bother me; it was just a minor blip where I took a second look to make sure I was following the right point of view. Other than that, not one darn thing was there for me to complain about. :)

OVERALL:

This book really is a chilling read that you will want to devour in one sitting. I will say that it is definitely an adult book - something I don't usually read. However, this isn't a bad thing. It is more me giving a heads up to any parents who might read my reviews and assume all my books are for YA. :) Hammond has a way with building the characters and making it feel like you're standing right next to them, sharing in their sorrows and triumphs alongside them. You'll want to hug Addy and punch a couple other characters that you'll meet along the way. :) This is a quick read that will leave you stunned at the end, but in an awesomely good way. I highly recommend it!

RATING: 5 of 5 Books

Teaser Tuesday (#9): Above by Leah Bobet

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just click the following link to see the rules. Without further ado, here are my teasers for the week:

•  "Atticus's eyes have made grown men cower and run for the sewers."
• "I was upset the first time, and the fifth - afraid she'd run into the bad things in the sewers or tunnels, that she'd make it Above and get caught by the men in white coats; not afraid enough of what scares Atticus, which is the Whitecoats following her back and finding Safe."

PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT with either the link to your own Teaser Tuesdays post, or share your ‘teasers’ in a comment here (if you don’t have a blog). Thanks!

Review: Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Release Date: May 1, 2012

Publisher: Harper Teen

Pages: 525

Received: Purchased

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Books

GOODREADS BLURB:

One choice can transform you—or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves—and herself—while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love.

Tris's initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable—and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so.

 
THE GOOD: 
Oh my goodness! Roth seriously knows how to make you turn pages. She has perfectly woven another tale that makes you race to the finish. The ending...wow. That's all I have to say. As for characters, I loved Tris. She wasn't perfect by any means, but that's what made me able to relate with her. The character arc and growth of Christina was probably the one I enjoyed the most. So many characters grow in this book, but Christina really displayed forgiveness and I think that's something that needs to happen more often. Marcus, well, I'm still not sure I like him, but I'm glad that things worked out the way they did with him. :) Roth's world building is exceptional. You see everything she's creating, and it's such a breath of fresh air because it's not overdone. For her, it just seems like a natural affinity. It's great!

THE BAD:

Personally, I didn't like the way that Tobias acted in a good portion of the book, but that could just be me. I thought he acted a bit erratic, but like I said, that's just my personal opinion. It may sound fickle to take a half star for that, but it just really bothered me. Other than that, I loved the book!

OVERALL:

You can't go wrong with Roth's Divergent and Insurgent. They're books that are impossible to put down, so I hope you have the time to sit and read! This has been a series that has captivated me the same way that Hunger Games, Harry Potter, and Twilight did. That's not to say that Divergent & Insurgent are *like* those books (but if you were going to compare, Hunger Games is definitely a logical choice to read if you haven't!), but just that her writing is as powerful and commands attention. I love it, and I think you will, too!

FAVORITE QUOTE:

I clear my throat. "So, this plan. It's kind of stupid, right?"
"It's not...stupid."
"Oh, come on. Trusting Marcus is stupid. Trying to get past the Dauntless at the fence is stupid. Going against the Dauntless and factionless is stupid. All three combined is...a different kind of stupid formerly unheard of by humankind."

* * *

People, I have discovered, are layers and layers of secrets. You believe you know them, that you understand them, but their motives are always hidden from you, buried in their own hearts. You will never know them, but sometimes you decide to trust them.

RATING: 4.5 out of 5 Books

Wordsmith Wednesday (#1)

The objective:
Show us a scene from your current project. It can be creepy, adventurous, romantic, etc. Just a snippet to let readers see what they're in for!


The guidelines:
 * Must be from a current work-in-progress (WIP). Nothing already published.
 * You may choose from any section of the manuscript, but be mindful not to include spoilers.
 * Keep it clean and YA audience friendly, please. No erotica.
 * Stay under 300 words or about one page. It can be as little as a few lines if you prefer. We just want to give readers a chance to see everyone's selection.
 * Link back to Chirenjenzie to enjoy others' work as well!

Here's a snippet from my most recently finshed WIP, Steel Lily. Hope you enjoy it! :)

Running water echoed from the bathroom’s shower, and I cracked the door to try to be heard over the waterfall. “Alice? You okay? Sari said she hadn’t seen you today.”

Still no response. Panic began to set in. It wasn’t like Alice to ignore me. We were the only family we’d had for the past ten years. I stepped into the bathroom to find the fluffy carpet soaked with water, the carpet squelching under my feet as I took three steps toward the shower. True fear settled into my heart with each step; the lavender-scented water that had only this morning made me feel cleaner than ever now made me feel dirty.

Small runlets zigzagged their way down the huge mirrors where steam once was, but had now withered away to residual reminders of the once steaming room. It reminded me of teardrops, and ice filled my veins.

I ripped off my shoes and socks as I reached the shower, where the water cascaded down the small ledge that was adorned with river rocks. I slid the door open, afraid of what I’d find.

It was worse than I could have imagined.

Alice sat crunched up in the corner, her arms wrapped around her knees as she rocked back and forth. A fluffy white towel was now plastered to her body, soaked from the shower head pounding down on her small frame. Her body convulsed with alternating sobs and hiccups, and I panicked.

I got into the shower and got on my hands and knees, completely disregarding my uniform that I still wore. Ice-cold water showered my back and the hairs on my neck stood up as I gasped from the shock of the cold water. I grabbed Alice by the shoulders and shook her. “Alice, Alice! Are you okay? Are you hurt? What happened?”

There was no response, she simply cried with a revitalized strength. If she cried tears, I couldn’t tell. The water streamed down her matted hair and what was this morning a beautiful chignon, was now just a rat’s nest of bobby pins and a bow. She looked up at me and I saw that her careful lines of blue eyeliner now streaked and intermingled with mascara that slid down her soft cheeks, giving her a bruised and battered look.

That wasn’t what scared me, though.

Her once beautiful brown eyes were bloodshot to the point of hardly any white remaining. I pushed myself away in bewilderment, my mouth half open. She hiccupped as she tried to smile through the obvious, overwhelming pain she felt. “I’ve been wearing rose-colored glasses since we got here haven’t I, Avery?”

There you have it, folks! What do you think? If you're a writer, take part in the meme, or add a little of your latest WIP to the comments.

Hope everyone is having a great week!