BEA Shenanigans, ShinDig Live Chat, ARC Giveaways, the YAGB Tour, and A DAWN MOST WICKED!

By Susan | Published: May 24, 2013

I am officially out of town as of yesterday (I am actually writing this post early since I know I’ll be on the road non-stop from now until June 15). YIKES. But there is SO MUCH to fill you all in on.

Let’s start with my crazy BEA schedule for all of you who will be in NYC next week (EEEE! I CANNOT WAIT!):

Sooz’s Spectacular BEA Schedule

Wednesday 5/29

Teen Author Carnival @ Jefferson Market Library — 6:30-9:30 pm

I will be doing a panel with Erin Bowman, Sarah J. Maas, and Kat Zhang at the Teen Author Carnival–and we’ll be with 13 other YA authors. Full list is here.

Thursday 5/30

BEA — all day

I’ll be prowling the expo with my tour mates and other authorly friends. Look for me!

Friday 5/31

♦ ♦ Signing @ BEA – 10:30-11:00 am ♦ ♦

I will be signing FREE HARDCOVERS of Something Strange and Deadly.

I will also have tons of FREE SWAG to sign and giveaway.

I will ALSO have an awesome, super-badass, you-need-to-enter RAFFLE
for 5 ARCs of A Darkness Strange and Lovely,
5 Aim for the Knees t-shirts,
and 5 copies of the e-novella A Dawn Most Wicked.

Saturday 6/1

Interview with ShinDig — 12:40-1:00 pm

I’ll be prowling the expo with my tour mates and other authorly friends ALL DAY.

Plus, I’ll be at the ShinDig booth for a live-streamed video chat at 12:40.

Now for those of you who WILL NOT be at BEA next week (which is, I imagine, most of you), there is also a live chat on Saturday… Read More »

Posted in Books, Events, publishing, Something Strange and Deadly, Stuff I Like, Writers | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

A Conversation between Critique Partners: Trusting Your Own Work

By Susan | Published: May 20, 2013

So this isn’t really a conversation post this time–more like me adding onto Sarah’s last post. Mostly because she touched on something I feel very strongly about:

The idea that having a critique partner somehow means you don’t trust your own writing.

Just as Sarah said in her post: that’s not true. In fact, I’m gonna go ahead and (excuse my language) call bullshit on anyone who says something like that.

Because it is just so, so, SO wrong. Having a critique partner is a sure sign that you absolutely trust your writing. In fact, it means you trust it enough to think it’s actually shareable. It means you believe in yourself enough to want to improve as a storyteller. It means you know your manuscript is not the best yet, but that you’re willing to make it better.

And above all, it means you trust your critique partner’s writing. You trust your CP and believe in him/her so fully you are actually willing to use your valuable time to read their work and offer feedback. Read More »

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Writing is hard…

By Susan | Published: May 17, 2013

…so don’t give up. I don’t really have anything else to say today other than that. I’m in the middle of book 3 revisions, renovating my house, preparing lesson plans for the YAGB tour, and revising other books that have not yet sold. It all seems pretty overwhelming and insurmountable.

But it isn’t. It never is.

The thing is: you can’t stop working. And you can’t give up.

Writing is really hard. Revising is really hard too. And it doesn’t get easier just because you’re published or agented or have finished X-number of books or sold in 45 territories. More often than not, the writing just gets harder.

But don’t give up. You’ll get where you need to be; we all do.

And now, here’s some music to send you off to work by. It’s my current writing fave, and I hope you find it as uplifting as I do.

Posted in Inspiration, publishing, Revising, Writers, Writing Resources | Tagged , , , , , , | 8 Comments

The Best Online Writing Workshops I’ve Taken

By Susan | Published: May 10, 2013

I’m afraid this post will be brief because I’m painting furniture, making school presentations, revising book 3, AND packing to go out of town (again! It’s event season, I’m afraid), but I wanted to quickly lay out some of the most valuable workshops/communities I took/joined during my publication journey.

1. First and foremost, hands down the most educational, and definitely the most expensive, we have ALL of Holly Lisle’s courses. She has a ton of different lecture packets and actual courses that cover EVERY aspect of writing. Now keep in mind: she does not interact with you or read your work. Rather you can work/interact in a forum with other students (but you don’t have to interact there–I didn’t). And even after your course is looong over, you still have access to those forums.

Holly Lisle has a rabid and huge following, and she has it for a reason: the courses are GOOD. Like, really, really, really good. Not everyone will jive with her tough-love, no-sugar-coating, lay-it-bare style, but I found it worked very well for me. If you want to read some of her articles, you can get a feel for her teaching style. Here’s a favorite of mine.

If I had to recommend one of her courses, then I would absolutely suggest her How To Revise Your Novel Course. It teaches you SO much about writing craft, reader expectations, and then actual revising that I learned more in that course than ALL other courses combined. It basically teaches you everything she teaches in other courses/lectures while also letting you break your finished manuscript apart piece by piece (which really appeals to the scientist side of my brain). Seriously, if you’re gonna spend money on writing, I suggest the How To Revise Your Novel Course. Read More »

Posted in Writers, Writing Resources | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

YAGB Tour Workshop Registration and an ARC Giveaway!

By Susan | Published: May 6, 2013

So, for those of you living under a rock ;) who have not yet heard of our Young Authors Give Back Tour, you can get more details here.

Last week, we set up registration for three cities: Bryn Mawr, Baltimore, and Grand Rapids. Plus, the Carnegie Library in Pittsburgh has opened their own registration.

NOW REMEMBER: We are only accepting 20 students at each location, so be sure to apply soon before all the spaces are filled!

Bryn Mawr 

  • Where: Main Point books (1041 E Lancaster Ave)
  • When: 6/2 from 3:00-5:00 PM
  • Who can register? Anyone from ages 13-22!
  • Registration form Read More »
Posted in Books, Events, Something Strange and Deadly, Stuff I Like, Writers | Tagged , , , , , | 72 Comments

My Current Jams

By Susan | Published: May 5, 2013

Rather than my usual trailer music, movie score, videogame soundtrack fare, I’ve been listening to some actual tunes with lyrics. I generally don’t keep up with modern bands, and at Edgefest, my friends Sarah J. Maas and Erin Bowman were getting pretty grumpy with my totally negative attitude toward new alternative rock (I think my issue is with the word “alternative” which I still associate with the grunge kids of the 90s. Yep, I’m that old).

Well, I take back my anti-modern-music declarations (hear that, Erin & Sarah? YOU WERE RIGHT) because I discovered two bands at Edgefest that I adore. Capital Cities makes me want to shimmy and slide (and they were the only band to get almost every author signing to dance!) while A Silent Film makes my heart all achy and tender.

Read More »

Posted in Inspiration, Stuff I Like | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Approaching Your First Novel

By Susan | Published: May 3, 2013

Left to right: Mary Lindsey, Brigid Kemmerer, Victoria Scott, Brodi Ashton, Erin Bowman, ME

Sorry for the brief internet absence. I was in Texas for a week (it was AMAZING). Edgefest was a blast and I discovered a few new bands I am now obsessed with (I’ll share next Monday ;) ).

Moving on, a reader asked a while ago:

Looking back, knowing what you know now, how would you approach learning the craft for writing your first novel? Would you start with learning how to craft characters, plot or world-build etc.?

Honestly, I think I followed a great path to get to where I am–and I would think there are many authors/people who say that. As the quote from Douglas Adams goes, “I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be.” Read More »

Posted in Revising, Something Strange and Deadly, Writers, Writing Resources | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Current Favorite Reads: a Michael Crichton Binge

By Susan | Published: April 26, 2013

I’m out of town (yay! Visiting friends in warm ol’ Texas and TOMORROW IS EDGEFEST!!!), so I thought I’d make today’s post simple. A month or so back, a reader asked,

What are some of your current favorite reads?

I love that there are two covers--one with the demon and one with the angel character. CLEVER!

Well, as of this week, I’ve been on an “old-books-I-read-but-don’t-remember” kick. I started on Sunday, with Good Omens (my World Book Night giveaway book).

I zoomed through THAT amazingly hilarious book in an evening.

And guys, it wasn’t my “normal” reading genre. Lately, all I read is adult fantasy, adult romance, and occasional YA. But Good Omens is straight humor.  It’s speculative fiction layered with more clever jokes than you can imagine…and just as I had when I’d read it at age 18, I adored it on Monday. I haven’t laughed so hard in ages.

So after finishing Good Omens, I thought: why not read other old favorites I’ve forgotten? Why not read…(insert me rummaging through moving boxes of unpacked books)…Jurassic Park? I was a huge Michael Crichton fan in junior high, but I really didn’t remember most of his books. Plus, scientific thrillers and heist books really aren’t my usual diet. Read More »

Posted in Book Recommendations, Books, Reading | Tagged , , , | 20 Comments

Happy World Book Night Eve!

By Susan | Published: April 22, 2013

Tomorrow is World Book Night in the US–an annual celebration dedicated to spreading the love of reading! As the website for World Book Night declares,

World Book Night is about giving books and encouraging reading in those who don’t regularly do so. But it is also about more than that: It’s about people, communities and connections, about reaching out to others and touching lives in the simplest of ways—through the sharing of stories.

It’s all about giving away free books and motivating people to read! To celebrate, I’m giving away 5 copies of Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett.

About the book:

The world will end on Saturday. Next Saturday. Just before dinner, according to The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch, the world’s only completely accurate book of prophecies written in 1655. The armies of Good and Evil are amassing and everything appears to be going according to Divine Plan. Except that a somewhat fussy angel and a fast-living demon are not actually looking forward to the coming Rapture. And someone seems to have misplaced the Antichrist.

Good Omens is literally the FUNNIEST book I have ever, ever, ever read. Like EVER. It’s also one kick-butt, high action, character-loving romp. I think Crowley (the demon) might be one of my most favoritest characters of all time.

You want to read this book–I promise you do.

You also want to participate in World Book Night–I promise that too. Tomorrow, on April 23, approximately 25,000 volunteers will give away close to 500,000 books! Isn’t that just incredible? And that’s only in the US–this amazing celebration happens in the UK and Germany too!

Now all you have to do to win a copy of the books I’m giving away is fill out the Rafflecopter form below and help spread the word about the AWESOME celebration that is World Book Night! The contest is also open internationally, so let’s share reading and books with the world!! :D

Oh, and stay tuned! I’ll pick my five winners tomorrow night, when World Book Night comes to a close. ♥

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Posted in Book Recommendations, Books, Stuff I Like | Tagged , , , , | 24 Comments

TAKEN releases, Edgefest, and Dusting Off Old Projects

By Susan | Published: April 19, 2013

I have been taken by TAKEN. Now it's YOUR turn!

I’m sure many of you noticed that on Tuesday, Erin Bowman’s Taken released. Erin is a dear, dear friend of mine, and it feels like forever that we’ve been twiddling our thumbs and waiting for her book to launch. I mean, I read an almost finalized version back in January of 2012, and I’ve had to bite my tongue to NOT spoil this awesome story for new readers. (BECAUSE THE HEIST IS JUST SO COOL!)

But now Taken is out. Now Erin’s fabulous hero, Gray, can entertain the rest of the world as much as he entertained me.

Erin (a.k.a. Ders, a.k.a. Donatello, a.k.a. Black Bandanna Badass): I just KNOW Taken will captivate the world, and I am so honored and pleased to be your friend. I’m so glad we could share this seemingly long and epic journey to publication–and it’s only the beginning! Read More »

Posted in Events, Stuff I Like, Writers | Tagged , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

  • About Sooz

    Hi! I'm Susan Dennard. I'm a reader, writer, animal-lover, and cookie-eater. My debut novel--a YA gothic mystery called Something Strange and Deadly--is now available in stores!

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