I’m so excited to announce that this blog has been nominated for a Goodreads Independent Blogger Award in the Publishing Industry category. 46 blogs are in the running and the competition is steep.

If you’ve enjoyed my articles, interviews with literary agents and authors, or just think I’m pretty awesome, then please take a second and cast your vote. All you have to do is follow the link below and click the VOTE button.

I think you may need a Goodreads account, but if you don’t have one, then this is a great time to start one. It’s the best site for book recommendations and I’ve met quite a few really cool people on there.

Here is the direct link to my vote page: http://www.goodreads.com/book_blogger_award/entry/141

Thanks everyone! I really appreciate it.

THIS CONTEST IS CLOSED. Winner: Pam

Writers and readers of young adult fantasy are trying to answer the same question: What’s the next big creature in fantasy? Over the last few years, we’ve been inundated with vampires, werewolves, and angels. According to USA Today, the answer is mermaids. As a matter of fact, Stephenie Meyer is writing a mermaid series as we speak.

During an interview with Heather Howland, Managing Editor of Entangled Publishing, she told me she’s banking on a fantasy/sci-fi blend. “We think YA Sci-Fi is definitely the next big thing and we’ve acquired accordingly. I think readers still love a thrilling dystopian world, but they’re wanting “more” now. We’re seeing biopunk and/or cyberpunk elements in the queries crossing our desks, as well as aliens. I think readers will love the blend of YA Sci-Fi Entangled has coming in 2012!”

Another theory is that The Hunger Games movie will increase the demand for dystopian the way that Twilight inspired the most recent vampire movement. Shortly after Twilight, we saw the development of vampires on television. Out of that movement, True Blood and the Vampire Diaries (both adapted from a popular book series) have enjoyed the most success.

I actually have another theory on this topic. I believe you may see paranormal take a backseat to superhero fantasy. Ordinary people with strange powers in dire situations. Perhaps in a futuristic world like the Hunger Games or just simply part of a dark, urban society. Audiences have always enjoyed comic book movie adaptations and it’s time we see that in literature. One clear example of this is the November 15th release of Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi. It’s simply the best dystopian I’ve ever read and flows with the theme I suggested.

Title: Hold Me (Caldwell Sisters, #1)
Author: Lucianne Rivers
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Length: Novella
Release Date: August 2011
ISBN: 978-1-937044-16-9

Still reeling from her mother’s death, news anchor Jane Caldwell’s life is upended further when she learns the father she lost twenty years ago is still alive. Her mother’s will unleashes a manhunt—the Caldwell sisters must find their father, or their mother’s estate will not be settled, and their questions about his disappearance will remain unanswered.

Jane’s search leads her to Guatemala to investigate a man who claims to be her father and heir to the family fortune. Needing a translator, she enlists enigmatic Harrison DeNeuve, a sexy ex-patriot with a penchant for wearing dark sunglasses in public.

As Jane struggles to reunite with her would-be father, Harrison fights to suppress his desire for Jane. He has a secret—one he’s sequestered himself in a third-world jungle hideaway to keep safe—and falling for Jane puts more than his heart at risk.

Jane finds two men in Guatemala—a father and a lover—but can she trust either of them?

Available NOW for only $0.99

Barnes
& Noble

Amazon

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 25, 2011 -

Streaming live on Fate Radio starting on Wednesday July 27, at 12:30 p.m. Eastern time, on her show The Eclectic Artist Cave, writer and host Joann Hamann-Buchanan will be adding Stacey O’Neale as a weekly guest host for a new feature called, The YA Corner.

This portion of the show will discuss a variety of topics including but not limited to current trends in the young adult market, book recommendations, book related announcements, writing tips, social media for authors, and the publishing industry.

Stacey is the owner of the Fantasy Book Addict. Her website receives an average of thirty-five thousand hits per month and has a following of over ten thousand on twitter. The YAFG features interviews with NYT best-selling YA fantasy authors and literary agents, book reviews and recommendations, monthly contests, and articles for aspiring writers. In addition to her website, Stacey is a full-time writer. She’s had several articles and book reviews published, but spends most of her writing time on the revisions to her debut young adult fantasy novel.

Join, Joann Hamann-Buchanan on The Eclectic Artist Cave via the internet or on the Tune In App on your smart phone. Joann’s love of the written word is apparent and she loves hosting The Eclectic Artist Cave.  Her show is the best showcase around for writers who love to talk about their work and the written word. The show starts with a half hour of music and then a live guest followed by more music. Guests have included writers like David B. Coe, Stephanie Osborn and Paul Levine. The Eclectic Artist Cave has also had up and comers like Lindsey Grey and Charlotte Blackwell. She has also had publishers and editors on to talk about some of the do’s and don’ts in the publishing world.

In addition, Joann has a novella coming out soon called Soulless Light about a young girl who is forced to watch her village burn to the ground then killed over rumor and speculation.  Her spirit then is given the chance to get revenge on those responsible for all the bloodshed, but will it cost her more than she is willing to risk? Tune in and find out who her next guests are going to be and keep a look out for her debut novella, Soulless Light.

I’m very excited that we’ve added our website onto Facebook. Through Facebook, we plan to offer: additional contests, articles, author interviews, and interaction with readers. You’ll have the opportunity to write on the page and tell US what you’d like to see on the website.

We want to build up as many fans as we can get so we’ve decided to hold a special contest exclusively on our Facebook page.

To Enter:

All you need to do is “like” us on Facebook. We will pick a winner from that list. You can click onto the link on the right side of my blog or the link from the Fantasy Book Addict website.

Prize:

A SIGNED COPY of Bloodhound (Beka Cooper series, book 2) by Tamora Pierce. Anyone who follows fantasy knows that Tamora is legendary. This is a rare signature and perhaps a collectable in the years to come. Definitely not a contest you want to miss.

Date:

Contest will run through September 30th. Good Luck!

This morning, I was a guest on The Eclectic Artist Cave. The show is hosted by YA author and publicist, Joann Buchanan. Each week, Joann discusses all aspects of publishing with various guests including writers, bloggers and industry insiders.  

My particular show discussed the importance of social media to aspiring or recently published authors. You can listen to the full thirty minute interview here.

The end of the year has left me reflecting on my own writing journey. Like most, it’s still ongoing with plenty of bumps and bruises along the way. Some stops I expected and others had me turned completely around. I’ve learned a ton and I’d like to share my experience with you. At the very least you can get an idea of how things work and how they don’t.

In September 2009, I completed my first young adult fantasy novel. This was a major high for me. I’d never written a novel before so achieving this goal meant everything. Afterwards, I took a break from writing to query agents and learn about social media. This was about the time I started attending writing conferences and taking online courses.

January and February were two tough months for me because that’s when the rejections started to arrive in my email inbox. I’d say over the next several months I received around 35 total. I imagine taking a bullet would feel similar because you’ve invested so much of yourself into a project and it hurts when the response is negative. This was when I found myself at a crossroads. Do I self publish with hopes that the agents/publishers are wrong, shelve my manuscript and move on to another, or quit writing all together?

I went against all my choices and decided to research. I wanted to understand the agency’s decision to decline my novel. I also wanted to get a better understanding of the YA market. So, I went on Amazon and bought every young adult fantasy novel on the NYT bestsellers list. The next several weeks were all about reading the forty or so books I’d purchased. After my reading, I decided that the agents were right. My book wasn’t that interesting. I’d say I had peeks of interest, but not enough to stand out in the crowded YA fantasy market.

By May 2010, I decided to split my time between an idea I had for a book and a website. Through my research into social media, I found that I needed to create an audience for myself. But, how do you develop an audience if you don’t have a published book? I decided to create a website that catered to all the great books I’d been reading and to aspiring writers like me. I teamed up with my fantasy website Yoda, Will Kalif, to create the YA Fantasy Guide.

We decided the website would feature book reviews and recommendations, literary agents and author interviews, articles about writing, and contests. The biggest surprise of the year came from the popularity of the website which has surpassed even my expectations. We’ve been able to land some amazing interviews and really reach out to fans of our genre. Now I’m getting emails from publicist and agents hoping to get their clients featured on my site.

The end of 2010 left on a positive note. I’ve received interest from several agents regarding my second novel. Nothing’s happened yet, but I’m very encouraged. My message to all aspiring writers is to keep moving toward your dream. For most writers, it takes years. My journey started three years ago. Don’t get discouraged by rejections. Instead, focus on your writing and storytelling. Always strive to get better at your craft. Don’t forget to use the information that’s out there and take part in the writing community. If you take anything out of this post then let it be this: Never Give Up!

What drew you to writing fantasy?

I grew up reading fantasy. My father was a big fan of fantasy and science fiction, so those were the books we had in our house. Obviously there’s a large fantastic component to children’s literature anyway, and when I was a kid, my favorite books were those by Edward Eager, Susan Cooper and E. Nesbit. I was also big fan of fairy tales — the original grim ones — and folklore. So when I moved on from children’s books, I moved on to Tolkien and Terry pratchett instead of moving on to realistic contemporary fiction. (The one thing I made an exception for was historical fiction.) So when I decided I wanted to write, it was natural to write fantasy. You write what you love to read.

You’ve written about vampires, werewolves, shapeshifters, etc. Do you have a favorite fantasy character that you love to bring to life?

As in a favorite sort of creature? No, not really, though I find writing faeries difficult. They seem very removed and archaic and their doublespeak — they can’t lie, but they love to mislead — is a pain. I always have to run my faerie dialogue by Holly Black before I can send it out.

Who are your favorite young adult fantasy writers? Do you have any books you would recommend to your fans?

I don’t really believe in favorites. When I was a kid I did, and I was always rearranging my booksholf in order of what my favorite was down to my least favorite, until eventually I realized I was being silly because different books were my favorites in different ways, and appealed to me at different times. That said, I would recommend two books that haven’t come out yet as books to look for: The Replacement, by Brenna Yovanoff, and Bitterblue, the new Graceling book by Kristin Cashore.

What was the best writing advice anyone ever gave you?

I was once advised that once you’re done with a book, read the whole thing aloud to yourself. It takes a long time but it really lets you hear things like overused words, awkward sentence construction, and the like.

Read the rest of the interview here: http://www.fantasybookaddict.com/2012/02/04/interview-cassandra-clare/