Pay It Forward Contest from Shelli Johannes-Wells!!

Hey all! Wanted to let you know about a great contest hosted by my friend, YA Writer & Marketer Shelli Johannes-Wells! She'll be taking queries staring Monday (tomorrow!!) for her Pay It Forward Contest and the winner gets a referral to her agent! A real live referral!!! How awesome (and super generous) is that?  

http://faeriality.blogspot.com/2011/01/pay-it-forward-contest.html

Click on the Pay It Forward pic for deets...
Happy writing & GOOD LUCK TO ALL!!!!

xoxo -- Hilary

What Writers Should Worry About...

Whether or not we're querying or published, agented or un-agented, we've all received some good advice at one time or another on the long and laborious road to publishing, sometimes bad advice too, but let's stick to the good stuff.

I think the most important piece of advice I've received to date is that writing trumps all. It doesn't matter how often you social network, post on your blog, join new forums or market yourself, if the writing is not there, it's simply not there. In other words, stop dwelling on everything else and worry only about the writing. If you are throwing yourself into your work, making it as compelling and captivating as it can be, working out the plot holes, uplifting your characters, the other things have a way of working themselves out. My agent told me this about six months back and she is so right. She says she's seen careers tank because a writer is worrying about everything but their writing. Now, whenever those nasty voices creep in, telling me I'm not doing enough, those significant words she said talk well over them, "Only worry about your writing. The rest will come."

And That's What Little Girls Are Made Of!

My adorable niece Olivia Wagner & her friend, Maggie

Just last Saturday, I was lucky enough to be invited to speak at the Beverly Arts Center in Chicago! Usually I talk to adults so it was a great treat for me to be speaking to such a bright group of girls, most of which have read or are reading NIGHTSHADE CITY! These girls were a riot and honestly asked some thoughtful and brilliant questions! I'm still getting used to the whole public speaking thing (at least in terms of not making a fool out of myself!) and these little girls made my day easy! What fun! Thanks to Dave, Terrie and Olivia Wagner who hooked me up with Penny Golden, the facilitator of the event. The Wagner family ROCKS!!



How cute is this little girl?? ;)



This is Elizabeth. She's a Chicago writer who follows my blog and came to see me speak!
How cool is that! You can follow her blog here!

Okay, I have no idea why I'm making such a weird face in this shot, but here is my niece again, at least she looks cute! My husband would tell me that's a face made for radio!
But if we can't laugh at ourselves... :)



Speaking of husbands, here is Eric, Nomi, Vincent & me!

 

This girl is Penny Golden's daughter, Callie, she's super cute, even though you can't see her face! You see my girl in the background? She stole the show...and a book too! ;)









More book reading cuties! :)

All in all, a perfect day!!!

xoxo -- Hilary

If You're in Chicago this week...

I will be reading about our favorite bad rat!!

...and are not working this Wednesday the 29th, well then, come see me! Starting at 2pm, I'll be at the Beverly Arts Center in Chicago for an Author Afternoon. Penny Golden will be interviewing me about NIGHTSHADE CITY and I'll be reading an excerpt from the book and signing copies thereafter. It should be a lot of fun and I'm super excited to be at the BAC. I was in several plays there as a child, being a Morgan Park Academy alum (and a drama nerd), so it will be great being on the same stage again! I'll have some copies of the book available and it's also available at Barnes & Noble everywhere, if you'd like to get one beforehand. I have no idea if they'll be 10 people or 100, so it will be interesting to find out! Just decided what excerpt I'm going to read...may or may not involve the bad guy above! ;)

Hope to see you there!!!!

xoxo -- Hilary

2nd Printing of NIGHTSHADE CITY!!!



Illustration by Omar Rayyan for
Nightshade City

This is a short, but very sweet post! I spoke with my editor from Holiday House today, Julie Amper, and she let me know that NIGHTSHADE CITY is going into its SECOND PRINTING!! I nearly fell over. I'm thrilled and relieved. You just don't know until you know! Long story short, I just had to share it with all of you!

Thanks to all of you for your awesomeness!!!!!

xoxo -- Hilary

What's YOUR Lucky Cat???

This is Lucky Cat. He sits next to me at all times. Okay, not at all times, but at least while I'm on my laptop writing. It would be a little weird if I always had Lucky Cat sitting next to me, though my 2 year old daughter would think it was awesome! So, it got me to thinking what's your Lucky Cat? A favorite coffee mug? A beloved pen? A lucky snack? (Love a lucky snack...aka Cheetos) Maybe a favorite sweater or T-shirt?

We all have that thing that we need or at least we think we need when we write. What's yours?

xoxo -- Hilary

ILLUSTRATOR SHOUT-OUT! Realm, Niki and Stacey!

So, when NIGHTSHADE CITY debuted in October, some very sweet writer friends of mine sent me a big bag of goodies which included a hand painted frame of rats (still need to find out who painted it), an adorable mug that reads "Rats Rule!" (which of course they do), a bag of Cheetos (my favorite) and a slew of awesome cards! Of those, three were had drawn by some super fancy illustrators, Realm Lovejoy, Niki Smith and Stacey Vaughan!

Realm Lovejoy's card!

Realm is not only a super amazing illustrator, but a writer as well, represented by Joanna Stampfel-Volpe. Her illustrations are to die for and she has a crazy cool blog, wherein she does her own version of a cover for writers with books on submission! You must follow her!

Niki Smith's Card!

Niki is another brilliant illustrator/writer who recently won a webcomic contest from DC Comics! Her webcomic (illustrated by Niki and written by Michael Jasper), In Maps and Legends, has its first season up now! You must check it out!

Lisa and Laura Roecker's Card, drawn by their sister, Stacey Vaughan!

And I know you all know fab sisters Lisa & Laura Roecker! Well, there is another talented sister attached these women, Stacey Vaughan! Stacey has her own business, Poochie Prints, where she designs stationary, as well as crazy cute prints for your baby's nursery! Ummm...holiday shopping anyone?? She has uber cool stuff ready to buy or you can order custom work if you want to feel even cooler! ;)

Long story short, thanks to you talented ladies for taking the time to do these gorgeous cards for me AND to everyone else who supported and helped me with my book launch!! It's been crazy, scary, awesome and everything in between! I wouldn't want it any other way! Pretty soon I'll be doing a post listing everyone who's had a part in my launch...it will be a very long list! You all have been AMAZING!

xoxo -- Hilary

Killer Cover Monday and the NCTE! Fairest of All: A Tale of the Wicked Queen

Okay, just got back from the NCTE/ALAN Workshops at Disney World, which my awesome publisher, Holiday House, was kind enough to send me to! It was a wonderful conference, not to mention a great Thanksgiving vacation for my family! Oh, and when I presented to the 300+ educators on Tuesday they actually laughed at my jokes! Phew! I was so nervous, expecting nothing but tumbleweeds and rotten tomatoes! What a relief!

So, in my many travels through Disney World a book kept catching my eye. The cover was to die for, the Wicked Queen from Snow White. The book is called Fairest of All: A Tale of the Wicked Queen, a fractured fairytale (very hot genre right now) by Serena Valentino. I just started reading it last night. Long story short, I had to share this uber cool cover with you. On the dust jacket, the evil, yet beautiful Queen. Remove the dust jacket and here's what you get! GAH! Quite a shocker!

BTW: Loving this book so far. Valentino writes it in a very traditional fairytale style, so nothing like WICKED or other fractured fairytale novels I've read, but so far just as enthralling!

Hope you ALL had a fantastic Thanksgiving! I didn't have to cook or clean, so mine was amazing! ;)


xoxo -- Hilary

IN LIVING COVER...what's your favorite cover?

Whittington, by Alan Armstrong, cover by Kenneth McMillan

Have you ever read a book, loved the book, but also literally fell captivated by the cover? Basically to the point where you can't stop staring at it and every time you look at it you find something new to wonder about?

The cover of the Newbery Honor book, WHITTINGTON by Alan Armstrong, does that to me. This version of the cover was created by Kenneth McMillan and it just draws me in (no pun intended). You start with those eyes--that mesmerizing stare that makes you realize this animal is much more than your average feline. Then you see that sad limp ear--what happened to this cat? Who or what hurt him? Was he born that way? Did he deserve it? He's large and burly, with a scruffy chest and bold confident stripes--who is this cat? McMillan does a fantastic job of making what most people would think is simply a typical housecat into anything but. Every time I look at this cover I see more.

What covers do it for you? Is there something new--a book you're reading now that has a cover that just strikes you or maybe something you read as a child--a cover that you can still picture in your head after all those years and sometimes do?

Social Networking Fail or Save Me from Myself!

PROJECT MAYHEM: Social Networking Fail or Save Me from Myself!

I'm talking about social networking today on the Project Mayhem Blog. When does it become too much???

Just in Time for Halloween! UNEARTHLY ASYLUM, by PJ Bracegirdle!!!

LOVE THIS COVER!!!

It's that time again for all things creepy! My favorite time of year! In celebration, I'm reviewing a new middle-grade novel UNEARTHLY ASYLUM, by PJ Bracegirdle (provided by Simon & Schuster).

UNEARTHLY ASYLUM is the 2nd book in THE JOY OF SPOOKING series. But don't despair if you have yet to gobble up Book I, FIENDISH DEEDS. UNEARTHLY ASYLUM can stand on its own two feet! I had no problem digging into this book and Bracegirdle does a quick and seamless job of catching the reader up on what transpired in Book I.

ABOUT THE BOOK:
Joy Wells isn't like most other girls - not that she much cares. Obsessed with famous horror writer E. A. Peugeot, Joy spends her time dressing up in a dead woman's tweeds and investigating paranormal activity around her hometown of Spooking. Meanwhile the mayor's assistant Mr. Octavio Phipps has also trained his sinister sights on the mysterious asylum. As Joy already knows, the embittered ex-punk rocker will stop at nothing in his nefarious quest to destroy her beloved town. When her pet frog Fizz becomes trapped behind the walls of a mental asylum, Joy must mount a rescue operation that brings her into conflict with Mr. Phipps again. Along with her brother Byron and their strange playmate Poppy, Joy soon uncovers mind-bending secrets straight from the pages of her favorite author. Can Joy get everyone out alive, or will they be trapped in the unearthly asylum forever?

THINGS I LOVED ABOUT THIS BOOK:
The Writing. Bracegirdle is very literary. No spoon feeding in this book, which I love!

The Spooky Factor. This is perfect for readers who want to read under the covers with a flashlight. It's spooky enough to get kids' minds whirling with the supernatural, but not enough that they won't be able to get to sleep.

The Villain: Those of you who know me, know I love a well rounded villain! Bracegirdle's Mr. Phipps is just that. He has layers. You want to know more about him (for example, Phipps is an ex-punk rocker, which I think is pretty cool). Best of all, you love to hate him.

The Author: PJ is one cool cat! He has pretty much the craziest (creepiest) bio ever! He's worked in a haunted Scottish theatre and pushed laundry carts along dark tunnels under an insane asylum, just to name a few creepy jobs! You can find out more about him on his site at http://www.pjbracegirdle.com/, along with the official JOY OF SPOOKING website, http://www.joyofspooking.com.

Oh, and one last thing: There will be a 3rd book in the Joy of Spooking!! Go PJ!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!


xoxo -- Hilary

Book Birthday Shout Out!!! THE BOY WHO HOWLED by Tim Power

THE BOY WHO HOWLED



Happy Book Birthday to Timothy Power, author of THE BOY WHO HOWLED (Bloomsbury USA Children's)!! My friend and fellow Project Mayhem blogger Tim Power finally gets to scream to the rooftops about his fantastic middle-grade debut!

Here is the scoop on The Boy Who Howled: As far back as Callum can really remember, he's been living in the Wild as the furless mascot of a wolf pack. But when his pack sends him back to live with his own kind—humans—fitting in is quite a challenge. He doesn't remember English very well, so he accidentally says his name is "Clam." He's spent most of his life eating fresh-killed elk, so dining with vegetarians is tricky. And when he tries to impress the Alpha student in the school cafeteria by stealing food, people seem offended!

A mix of wildness and humor, Timothy Power's inventive writing makes him a debut author to watch. And Callum's quest to find his place in a strange world will have readers rooting for him—when they're not howling with laughter.

Author Tim Power
Is he not a handsome devil??

In short...buy his AWESOME book!!!! Also, stop by the Project Mayhem blog and wish him and the Boy Who Howled a very merry birthday!!!

xoxo -- Hilary