Book Reviews
- List! [Hey, There's A Dead Guy in the Living Room] Great 'Best' list of YA books. Have you read them all?
- Unearthly by Cynthia Hand [Candace's Book Blog] Sounds like a fantastic book--and not the same old angel story.
- Writer's Wednesday: Book Review Preacher's Bride [Angels and Demons and Portals. Oh My!] Jody Hedlund's book is one you can't put down.
- Ways To Get ARCs (Advanced Reader Copies) [Reading, Writing and Waiting] Want free books? Read them and review them. And then...
- FIVE Challenge: 5 Great Series [Frenetic Reader] Have you read all these?
- 10 Days Left of 2010...and my Top 5 Books of the Year [Some Things I Think...] Five books with brilliant writing.
- Marvelous Middle Grade Monday--Princess Academy (and a Giveaway!) [Shannon Whitney Messenger] High marks for this Newbery Honor winner.
- Captivate by Carrie Jones [The Bookologist] The series just keeps getting better and better.
- Through Her Eyes by Jennifer Archer - Review [Reading, Writing and Waiting] 'One deliciously creepy read.'
- Book Review: The Lost Saint by Bree Despain [THE BOOK BUTTERFLY] Just as good, if not better than the first book.
- Guest Post: C. Lee Mckenzie [WORD for Teens] Excellent post on her new book and her writing.
- The Power of the Recommendation [Hey, There's A Dead Guy in the Living Room] Ask for books to help them sell.
- The State of Me - End of the Year Summation [Holly Black] Round up of @HollyBlack's 2010 books and writing.
- Writer Unboxed [writerunboxed.com]
- A. Victoria Mixon, Editor [victoriamixon.com]
- Top 10 Blogs For Writers: Thanks For Your Vote! | The Creative Penn [www.thecreativepenn.com] YAY @thecreativepenn! One of our favorite bloggers and tweeters!
- Wordplay Named One of the Top Ten Blogs for Writers [Wordplay: Helping Writers Become Authors] A well deserved honor for one of our favorite blogs.
- Reader's Choice Awards 2010: Thank you for my nomination! [/- LA FEMME READERS -/] Congratulations, Eleni! You've earned it!
- CONGRATS to our own Susanne! [GotYA] Congrats to Susanne Winnacker and Sarah Davies for the sale of THE OTHER LIFE to Marshall Cavendish.
- Happy Holidays, Happy News [Through The Wardrobe] Yay, Janet! Her 3rd historical YA novel to pub in early 2013!
- Awesome news!!! [Jade hears voices] Congrats, Lisa Aldin for signing with Caren Johnson Literary!
- I'm Thrilled to Share... [Caroline by line] Congrats! Schwartz and Wade has picked up MAY B for probable spring 2012 release.
- Interview & Giveaway with Ellen Schreiber, Author of Once in a Full Moon [THE BOOK BUTTERFLY] Win Ellen's new book!
- Some Tips on Evaluating Literary Contests [Writer Beware™ Blogs!] Is it worth entering?
- Days of Christmas Giveaway--Day 4 [Searching] Win a 5-page critique from Bethany Wiggins. Comment to enter.
- Contest and Book Review: Hometown Girl by Michele Ashman Bell [Queen of the Clan] Chance to win a $50 Visa Gift Card and a good review.
- Ten Tantalizing Questions for Lisa Desrochers, Author of Personal Demons [THE BOOK BUTTERFLY] Interview and giveaway. Enter by 2/27.
- Book Giveaways Galore [Heather's Odyssey] Get your free book fix with these giveaways.
- Week of Awesome Continues...Giveaway Extravaganza! [The Secret Archives of the Alliterati] Four prizes. Enter by 12/29.
- Resist the Urge to Explain [Wordplay: Helping Writers Become Authors] Write a story so strong and deep that it doesn’t require any commentary.
- Guest Post: Using Defense Mechanisms for Characters by Laura Diamond [* Fiction Groupie *] Twelve ways to add tension to your novel.
- Guest Blogger S. Kyle Davis: J.K. Rowling and Plot Planning [Literary Rambles] Seven steps to a better novel.
- A Case for Villains [QueryTracker.net] No villain=no conflict=no plot=no point.
- Day Twenty-two -- 3rd Annual International Plot Writing Month [Plot Whisperer for Writers and Readers] Three questions to shore up your novel's middle.
- Writing advice [Buffy's write zone] The seven most important tips for dialogue.
- Stocking Stuffers for Writers: Emotion [The Bookshelf Muse] Five GREAT tips to help you master emotion and make it move your story.
- Tip Thursday: Tips and Tricks for Beginning Writers [Angels and Demons and Portals. Oh My!] Five great tips!
- Author Voice--Shannon Style [Shannon Whitney Messenger] Studying other writers' voices and finding yours.
- Stocking Stuffers for Writers: Drafting [The Bookshelf Muse] 5 excellent tips for the drafting stage.
- 3 Signs Your Story's Characters Are Too Perfect [www.publetariat.com] Perspective on a common problem that leaves readers disappointed.
- Modeling Protagonists After Real Life Heroes [Let The Words Flow » Modeling Protagonists After Real Life Heroes] What makes a hero in real life? Does your mc have that quality?
- Your characters offstage [The Literary Lab] What do they do and how do you keep track?
- Vulnerable Characters and... Independence Day? [Confessions of a YA Writer] Your character has to crack to be truly likeable.
- 10 Best Tweets of 2010 [There Are No Rules] Fantastic articles on craft, getting published & marketing your book.
- Guest Post: 4 Reasons Every Novelist Can Benefit From Writing a Screenplay [NouveauWriter] An interesting approach with new perspectives.
- Sounds Good to Me: Words That Sound Like What They Mean, but Aren't Onomatopoeia [The Other Side of the Story] The beauty and brilliance of the perfect word.
- How I Read Craft Books [Anna Staniszewski] Read them with a specific WIP in mind, or for general knowledge?
- How to establish your characters: openings [Show Some Character!] Put them in action and in conflict.
- Connecting With Your Reader [The Sharp Angle] 4 ways to hook your reader to your MC.
- Getting to Know Your Characters: A Roundup of Posts [All about them words] Many links for all things character.
- Setting Thesaurus Entry: Daycare [The Bookshelf Muse] All the experiences your senses can expect.
- Specificity [Book Dreaming] Use RENNS to make your writing more visual.
- The 7 Deadly Sins of Paranormal Romance [Guide to Literary Agents] Info dump, fetishism, boring dialogue, overdone spec, violence overload, up-front glossary, Mary Sue mc.
- Subtext again [edittorrent] The best dialogue has subtext.
- LinkShare 6: A Roundup of Great Writer Links Across the Web [BubbleCow] Five excellent articles via @Bubblecow
- Dolly Parton Without Cleavage [Book Dreaming] A plot without action is like...
- Find Your Plot Fridays: Developing Your Story [The Other Side of the Story] Ask how does it serve the character arcs?
- Point of View – First Person, Third Person, or Objective? [Craft– First Person, Third Person, or Objective?][Let The Words Flow » Point of View – First Person, Third Person, or Objective?] P.O.V. 101.
- Writing — Character Development via Location [Craft— Character Development via Location][Magical Words] Excellent point! But don't go overboard.
- Don’t Ask “Why?” Dig Deep, Find the Answer to “Why Now?” [Craft“Why?” Dig Deep, Find the Answer to “Why Now?”][Writer Unboxed] What created the crossroads?
- Get Your Synopsis Critiqued at My January 6 Webinar [Guide to Literary Agents] Great opp for adult, kidlit, & memoir writers.
- Why Do You Write? [Ingrid's Notes] Six fantastic lists for craft and inspiration.
- Will All Good Writers Be Published? [Rachelle Gardner, Literary Agent] 'Persist even with no guarantee of reaching your goal.'
- How to be a great writer [James Killick's Blog] Seven tips you need to consider.
- 1000, 500, and 250 words a day: Personal Writer Challenge ... With Leeway [Inkygirl.com: Daily Diversions For Writers - by Debbie Ridpath Ohi] @Inkyelbows challenges you to up your inspiration.
- Q&A: Eleven Ways to Become a Sucker for the Unfamiliar [Writer Unboxed] How do you get through the fear of a writing project?
- Listen. Listen. [QueryTracker.net] Brilliant post. Believe you have something to say. Pass it on.
- What stands in the way of your goals--and how to overcome it [Time to Write] Writerly lessons from the NYT 'money' section.
- Your Writing Circle [GENREALITY] Why rubbing elbows with other writers is important.
- 8 Easy Things To Do BEFORE You Start Your Novel [Guide to Literary Agents] Close the door and turn everything electronic off.
- Agent Advice: Roseanne Wells of Marianne Strong Literary [Guide to Literary Agents] 'Write the best book you can.'
- The Vote is On - Get Jeanne on Film Courage! [Scriptchat] Support @jeannevb by voting NOW!
- Secret Project Update and Editing Things [Publishing Lane] Fat vs. lean drafts, process, and some good links.
- Going Green [YA Author Elana Johnson] Are you jealous of authors with an easy road to pub?
- Setting Writing Goals—Step 3 [Inspiration—Step 3][Mystery Writing is Murder] Practice writing every day and do not judge. You WILL improve.
- Setting Writing Goals—Step One [Inspiration—Step One][Mystery Writing is Murder] Set specific, bite-sized goals.
- Setting Writing Goals—Step Two [Inspiration—Step Two][Mystery Writing is Murder] Fantastic links to get you started in 2011.
- Teen Super-Human Powers of Persuasion: How to encourage and empower them to advocate for their libraries [YALSA] Five questions to guide teens to advocacy.
- Reading is Fundamental Fundraiser Launches on Twitter [GalleyCat] Pledge your support for literacy. #donaterif
- Dropbox: New Favorite Writing Tool for the Writer on the Move [Cheryl's Musings] Have your files at your fingertips wherever you go.
- Should I Post My Writing Online? [Kidlit.com] How much of a work posted would affect selling rights?
- Is My Idea a Short Story? [Anna Staniszewski] How to know when you've developed a short story.
- I Need Your Help! [Just for Smiles][Kody's Blog] Like country music? Help Kody with her playlist!
- GIFT NO: 8 - The future of books... [Just for Smiles][Help! I Need a Publisher!] GREAT! In case you missed this before, it needs repeating.
- The Twelve Days of a Writer’s Christmas [Just for Smiles][Magical Words] Does your wishlist look like this?
- The Grinch Who Stole Confidence [Just for Smiles][Julie Musil] Fun poem about the confidence to write. We have to BELIEVE.
- That Creepy Old Man in a Red Suit Who Doesn't Even Sparkle [Just for Smiles][Kiersten Writes] Don't let Santa give your children underwear.
- Comic: Snowman Gift [Just for Smiles][Inkygirl.com: Daily Diversions For Writers - by Debbie Ridpath Ohi] Another adorable comic by Debbie.
- Comic: Mom's Christmas Wish List [Just for Smiles][Inkygirl.com: Daily Diversions For Writers - by Debbie Ridpath Ohi] What writer can't relate?
- Why I Love My Local Library [Just for Smiles][YA Muses] Five excellent reasons.
- Penguin Sells Mini Cooper to Raise Money for the New York Public Library [Just for Smiles][GalleyCat] Want an autographed, literary car?
- Google's massive word database: Fun for the logocentric [Just for Smiles][Jacket Copy] Track word-usage in books over time.
- Greedy Little Writers [Just for Smiles][Writers' Ally aka ➔ sa larsenッ] Great gifts for writers!
- Dear Superior Person: Publishing Grab Bag Edition, with Special Book Recommendation Bonus [Just for Smiles][The Rejectionist] Outstanding. And I second the book recommendation.
- Stocking Stuffers for Writers: Revision [The Bookshelf Muse] 5 simple tips to make editing easier.
- Danglers again [edittorrent] A doozy of an example. Don't dangle those participles.
- 10 Ways to Finish that Danged First Draft (take 2) [It's a Mystery] Want to be THIS YEAR? Read this.
- Day Twenty-one--3rd Annual International Plot Writing Month [Plot Whisperer for Writers and Readers] Find deeper meaning in your novel by rereading the first and last 1/4.
- Revising :D [The Publication Follies of Alexandra Shostak] Don't try to change too many things in one draft.
- Day Twenty--3rd Annual International Plot Writing Month [Plot Whisperer for Writers and Readers] Read your first draft like a reader, but do not judge.
- Revisions vs Rewrites [YA Highway] Get some distance.
- Most Common Mistakes Series: Are Your Verbs Showing or Telling? [Wordplay: Helping Writers Become Authors] No problem- it's a simple fix.
- Golden Oldie: I Had to Do That: Clarifying Vague Pronouns [The Other Side of the Story] Often overlooked but very important tip.
- Online Style Guides [edittorrent] Specialized info, jargon, etc. useful for research.
- Blast From The Past: Telling When You Think You're Showing [Sisters in Scribe] Are you tagging your emotions?
- Day Sixteen -- 3rd Annual International Plot Writing Month -- [Plot Whisperer for Writers and Readers] Fantastic questions to ask yourself while plotting.
- Q&A: the agent search and building an online community [Writer Unboxed] Great blogging success recipe for unpubbed writers.
- How To Improve Your Blog With Annabel Candy, Get In The HotSpot [The Creative Penn] Two posts a week will get do the trick.
- Finding Your Unique Blogging Voice [Author, Jody Hedlund] Are you parroting everyone else in the blogosphere?
- My Little Experiment OR How To Manage an Online Presence as an Author [Paranormal Point of View] The how's and why's of social media. Great!
- How to Blog Part IV—What the #%*! Should I Blog About? [Social Media—What the #%*! Should I Blog About?][Anne R. Allen's Blog] Helpful post on ideas for your own blog.
- The Truth About Feedback [Confessions From Suite 500] Four reasons feedback from an agent isn't feasible.
- Agent Spotlight: Jennifer Carlson [Literary Rambles] Enjoys high-quality fiction with a modern edge, including YA.
- Dealing With Rejection [Kidlit.com] The four stages of writing competence on the way to mastery.
- Angry Robot opens to subsmissions [Ripping Ozzie Reads] Open in March for genre novel subs, including fantasy, UF, SF and horror.
- How to Pitch Evatopia Literary Management [GalleyCat] Actively looking for YA and MG.
- Agents: Gatekeepers or Champions? [Angels and Demons and Portals. Oh My!] An eyeopener to remind you why you need an agent to protect you.
- Query Hiatus (11/15 to 1/5) [Confessions From Suite 500] Suzie Townsend closing to queries temporarily.
- Know Thy Genre/Category Classification [Confessions From Suite 500] Good info on querying.
- Tailoring Submissions (part 2) [Buried in the Slush Pile] Want to know how to guage an editor's taste?
- New Agent Alert: Vickie Motter of Andrea Hurst & Associates [Guide to Literary Agents] Looking for YA contemp.
- I got THE CALL! ... Um now what? [Jennifer Represents...] Informative post for anyone querying.
- 57 Good Reasons to Come to the Writer's Digest Conference in NYC, January 21-23 [Guide to Literary Agents] 57 agents, two hours to pitch as many as you can.
- internship [Bent on Books] Great op. Jenny Bent is looking for an intern!
- Tidbits [Writer Beware™ Blogs!] Great list of thou-shalt-nots for querying.
- Two more superhero anthologies are looking for submissions; a third is out! [Superhero Nation: how to write superhero novels, comic books and graphic novels] Short story opportunities!
- How I Got My Agent: Alma Katsu [Guide to Literary Agents] Smart story about getting pubbed at 40.
- Quote of the day [Buffy's write zone] Love this one.
- Writing Wednesday – Guide to Literary Agents [To Market– Guide to Literary Agents][Novel Novice] Excellent site! If you're not already familiar with the great articles, go look now.
- ‘Best of the AME Blog’ Marketing Tips of 2010 [‘After the Sale][Author Marketing Experts, Inc. » BLOG] Five great blog posts you don't want to miss.
- Jane Friedman of Writer's Digest also does a wonderful list of best tweets of the previous week.
- Alice Pope does a Wednesday Tweet Roundup for the SCBWI Children's Market Blog.
- Northern Colorado Writers do This Week in the Writing World every Friday.
- Jennifer Roland does a Writing Roundup on Fridays.
- Ricki Schultz does an "In the Blogosphere" post on Fridays where she lists posts she's stumbled across during the week.
- Elizabeth Craig has started posting a weekly list of all her helpful Twitter posts.
- And don't forget to check Nathan Bransford's blog later this morning for his weekly recap of publishing news and information.
- Saturday Link Party [Forever Young] Jessica rounds up fun and interesting links.
- Stina Linddenblatt does a Cool Links Friday. This week, she caught a lot I wish we had on ours. I know what I'm doing for the next few minutes!
- DuoLit does a weekly list of links with some emphasis on self-publishing and marketing.
- YA Highway's Friday Road Trip hits the high points of the publishing industry, writing craft, submissions process, and other fun stuff.
- Cynthia Leitich Smith at Cynsations does a Cynsational author and book news review.
Happy reading and joyous writing,
Martina & Marissa
Thanks for the list! I really liked "I got THE CALL!...Um now what?" on Jennifer Represents (under To Market). Good stuff to know, for if-ever/whenever I get there. Happy holidays, M&M!
ReplyDeleteHoly Holiday Goodness! What a link bonanza! Thanks for the mention.
ReplyDeleteHappy Holidays to both of you wonderful ladies. Thanks for a year of hard work and amazing information.
What a great Holiday Present for all of us writers! Happy Holidays!
ReplyDeleteSeriously, yours is my go-to Friday blog! Happy Holidays!
ReplyDeleteYou two always amaze me with your list. I look forward to it each week. Thanks so much for the mentions and for taking the time to pull this together. Blessings, Buffy
ReplyDeleteHey girlfriends, there seems to be a bad link. •Agent Judged Contest Begins Tomorrow!" on Querytracker.net takes me to an old contest that was held in October. Got all excited for nothing. (Smiles)Thought you might want to take down. LOL, Buffy
ReplyDeleteThis. Is. Fantasitic! It's like opening a box full of gifts. Can't wait to start opening and checking out each one. Thank you for taking the time to put it together.
ReplyDeleteHappy Holidays and all the best in the New Year!