tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40486358056276660322024-03-19T02:09:34.301-04:00Authorial Intentfrom YA author Jessica KhouryJessica Khouryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13831301896001045087noreply@blogger.comBlogger90125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4048635805627666032.post-21579250144156442492016-10-04T13:47:00.001-04:002016-10-04T13:55:08.512-04:00YASH Fall 2016<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: large;">HELLO HUNTERS!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">I am Jessica Khoury, author of the Corpus trilogy (<i>Origin, Vitro, </i>and <i>Kalahari</i>) </span><br /><span style="line-height: 18px;">and recent Aladdin retelling, <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21396155-the-forbidden-wish" style="color: #6666cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">The Forbidden Wish</a></i></span><i style="line-height: 18px;">.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I'm your host on this YASH stop! WELCOME! </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">HERE'S THE SKINNY:</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">YOU: What's the YA Scavenger Hunt and why are people losing their minds over it like flamingos at a shrimp shack?</span></span></b></div>
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ME: <i>Because, </i>beautiful reader, on this hunt, you not only get to read exclusive content from your favorite YA authors--you also get a chance to win a major fantastic prizes (we’re talking BOXES AND BOXES OF BOOKS)<b> </b><u>and that's not even counting the extra giveaways you'll find on many of our blogs!!</u></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: medium;">YOU: But Jess, <i>how do I win this glorious readers' booty?</i></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #333333;">ME: By hopping from blog to blog and collecting the secret numbers! You'll find each author's favorite number hidden in their YASH blog post, highlighted in </span><span style="color: #b45f06;">ORANGE</span><span style="color: red;">. </span><span style="color: #333333;">Collect all the numbers for my team (I'm on Team Orange!) and </span><a href="http://www.yash.rocks/p/enter-here.html" style="color: #6666cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">submit the total sum here on this nifty entry form</a><span style="color: #333333;">, and hey presto! you're officially entered to win a year or two's worth of reading!</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: medium;">YOU: But what if I don't win?</span></b></div>
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ME: Lucky for you--there are <i>six </i>simultaneous hunts going on (yes, you heard me--SIX!) and you can participate in either one, two, or if you're super-hardcore--ALL OF THE HUNTS! Collect the numbers from each hunt and submit them, and multiply your chances of winning!</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: medium;">YOU: OMG, JESS. LIKE SRSLY. Can this hunt get any more awesome?</span></b></div>
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ME: Dear hunter, it can. Each author has the option of hosting their own giveaway on their blog, so keep an eye out for extra chances to win extra books and swag!</div>
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<span style="background-color: #fdfdfd; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: small; line-height: normal;">We are also now featuring a bonus prize. We select a group of authors who have participated in the hunt many times and fans can add up their numbers as well to enter for a $50 Amazon gift card. The list of those authors will be included on the </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en-GB&q=http://www.yash.rocks/p/enter-here.html&source=gmail&ust=1475688824181000&usg=AFQjCNG9LKW3KaJJwrYPxN6XpT1ehwa3Rw" href="http://www.yash.rocks/p/enter-here.html" style="color: #1155cc; font-family: arial; line-height: normal;" target="_blank"><span class="il">YASH</span> ENTRY</a><span style="background-color: #fdfdfd; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: small; line-height: normal;"> page.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: medium;">YOU: Okay, I'm in. Where do I start?</span></b></div>
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ME: Right here! You can begin your hunt on any participating blog, but for the full list of rules and authors and blogs and prizes, <a href="http://www.yash.rocks/" style="color: #6666cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">check out the YASH website here</a>! The contest runs from Oct. 4 at noon PST to Oct. 9 at noon PST. Small window of opportunity, my dear--you must be swift!</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: medium;">YOU: Is there any fine print to this? Cuz it seems too good to be true.</span></b></div>
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<span style="line-height: 18px;">ME: Just this: Open internationally, and anyone under the age of 16 must have a parent or guardian's permission to enter. To be eligible for the grand prize, </span><b><span style="line-height: 18px;">you must submit the completed entry form by Oct. 9 at noon PST. Entries sent without the correct number or without contact information will not be considered. Duplicate/multiple entries per team will be deleted and result in disqualification--so YES we are watching and YES cheaters will be eliminated!</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><b>YOU: Jess, these rules and info are a drag. Can I just start already?</b></span></div>
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ME: Jumpy little thing, aren't you? But YES. Enough talk. LET'S SCAVENGE! Scroll down to meet the author I am hosting, read her bonus content, find my secret number, and to get on your merry way! For more info on the hunt, <a href="http://www.yash.rocks/" style="color: #6666cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">check out the YASH homepage</a>!</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">HAPPY HUNTING!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I am thrilled to be hosting Emil Sher, author of <i>Young Man With Camera.</i></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; line-height: 22.399999618530273px;">A picture is worth a thousand words -- and with a unique photographic format, a stunning original voice, and a provocative portrayal of bullying, </span><i style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 22.399999618530273px;">Young Man with Camera</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; line-height: 22.399999618530273px;"> is a book to get people talking.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; line-height: 22.399999618530273px;">T-- is used to getting grief. He gets it from his mom, who blames herself for his accident years earlier. He gets it from Mr. Lam, who suspects every kid of stealing from his shop. Worst of all, he gets it from Joined at the Hip, a trio of bullies so vicious that they leave T-- terrified of even using his entire name.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; line-height: 22.399999618530273px;">But T-- has his own strength too: his camera, which captures the unique way he sees the world. His pictures connect him to Ms. Karamath, the kind librarian at school; his friend Sean, whose passion for mysteries is matched only by his love for his dog; and especially Lucy, a homeless woman who shares his admiration for the photographer Diane Arbus. When Lucy is attacked by Joined at the Hip, T-- documents the assault on film. But the bullies know he has the photographs, and their anger could be deadly. What's the right thing for T-- to do? Do pictures ever tell the whole truth? And what if the truth isn't always the right answer?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.4;">Whoa. This sounds like an intense, engrossing read about an important issue in today</span><span style="color: #333333; line-height: 33px;">’</span><span style="line-height: 1.4;"><span style="color: #333333;">s world. I would love to get my hands on a copy! I wonder how many photos are in the book? Maybe... </span><span style="color: #b45f06;">7</span><span style="color: #333333;">??</span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">MEET EMIL!</span></h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg12IUFHpSMs82zToLGNhLYVpoph48-5424UppRxavUtXLR1CAofpJX-YcqTmfptl_de7woWPSZ98LObJDstfq9rbyR90hBP2IUqiOrSm_lnvQ_hGWzvKVM3F3TNM-LVSRW_Gjubfa7iMJO/s1600/Emil+Sher+-+author+photo.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg12IUFHpSMs82zToLGNhLYVpoph48-5424UppRxavUtXLR1CAofpJX-YcqTmfptl_de7woWPSZ98LObJDstfq9rbyR90hBP2IUqiOrSm_lnvQ_hGWzvKVM3F3TNM-LVSRW_Gjubfa7iMJO/s320/Emil+Sher+-+author+photo.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
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<span data-sheets-userformat="{"2":515,"3":{"1":0},"4":{"1":2,"2":16750848},"12":0}" data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"A writer who writes for the young and once-were-young: picture books, stage plays, young adult fiction, essays. Still learning the ropes. Often in knots."}" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans" , sans-serif;"><b>A writer who writes for the young and once-were-young: </b></span></div>
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<span data-sheets-userformat="{"2":515,"3":{"1":0},"4":{"1":2,"2":16750848},"12":0}" data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"A writer who writes for the young and once-were-young: picture books, stage plays, young adult fiction, essays. Still learning the ropes. Often in knots."}" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans" , sans-serif;"><b>pic</b></span><b style="font-family: arial, sans, sans-serif;">ture books, stage plays, young adult fiction, essays. </b></div>
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<b style="font-family: arial, sans, sans-serif;">Still learning the ropes. Often in knots.</b></div>
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<a href="http://www.emilsher.com/" style="color: #6666cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: medium;">Learn more about Emil & his books on his website!</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">You can find <i>Young Man With Camera</i> <a href="http://emilsher.com/page/young-man-with-camera/" style="color: #6666cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">for sale here!</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Happy reading, Hunters!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDE9gtLMHFG3st3l48ldoftDhhIYdivCAe0OO3OnbTWpoRlxtSVzX2MOfd6MB0R2i9pHe7hSuQ_7Gi9MYFbwsMiSqx8h0jDXIkbtvxYFAeF3KsVbcVfveG6tgo-siKcevnIv6LFk4xOpo6/s1600/tumblr_o9k1x8YW6H1tyvre6o1_500.gif" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDE9gtLMHFG3st3l48ldoftDhhIYdivCAe0OO3OnbTWpoRlxtSVzX2MOfd6MB0R2i9pHe7hSuQ_7Gi9MYFbwsMiSqx8h0jDXIkbtvxYFAeF3KsVbcVfveG6tgo-siKcevnIv6LFk4xOpo6/s320/tumblr_o9k1x8YW6H1tyvre6o1_500.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">And now for some BONUS CONTENT!! Woot woot!</span></div>
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Emil has a special treat for us--a look at some of the snapshots that didn’t make it into the book.</div>
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Feast yer eyes, me hearties!</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Young Man with Camera</span></b></h2>
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“This is one reason why I have this so-called obsession with
photography,” says T—in <i>Young Man with
Camera</i>, a novel about<span style="color: #242424; font-family: AvenirLTW04-45Book; mso-bidi-font-family: AvenirLTW04-45Book;"> a thirteen-year-old
photographer with facial scars and a singular perspective that gives him an
uncommon strength.</span> “Since you can never get the whole picture, you
should wonder about the part of the picture you can’t see.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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In other
words, what you see is not always what you get, a truth that is illustrated
early in the book when T— describes a photograph he titled <i>Girl With Goldfish.</i> We
staged the photograph on a cold morning in east-end Toronto. When we arrived at the location we were
delighted to see a sidewalk store sign that was about the same height as the
young girl who would be posing for the photograph, goldfish in hand. <span style="font-size: 14px;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRiW9aUMfkZVIV7YPOzYBtO2uLrOHfCqaPxcOtZoBC1violr7E2wvmr49XRxY_CComX1Rloius9iLcUeOAp7mwEct4FNMvu7e3yJbtXudtwFKM-3uNQF9ZBxdrcWlHheOp0Z_suSyPJrFn/s1600/Young+Man+with+Camera+-+Photo+1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRiW9aUMfkZVIV7YPOzYBtO2uLrOHfCqaPxcOtZoBC1violr7E2wvmr49XRxY_CComX1Rloius9iLcUeOAp7mwEct4FNMvu7e3yJbtXudtwFKM-3uNQF9ZBxdrcWlHheOp0Z_suSyPJrFn/s640/Young+Man+with+Camera+-+Photo+1.jpeg" width="640" /></a><br />
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We soon realized that the sign’s appeal would become a
liability: it draws attention away from the girl. So we decided it was best to show the girl by
herself to best focus on her body language.
Here is photographer David Wyman taking one of several shots.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2xto2v0UqMtkEqS6PluYOUK513I8tzwkYL0sKlHie53jo2jdcNUSWMh9axADAS0xGmqMh_dPhCFLT_Nt4-4U2h-mrLBknNkRz_8nA4xHj13llnFe4suKblRGrX13TUEp_gDFxoglimwxj/s1600/Young+Man+with+Camera+-+Photo+2.jpeg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2xto2v0UqMtkEqS6PluYOUK513I8tzwkYL0sKlHie53jo2jdcNUSWMh9axADAS0xGmqMh_dPhCFLT_Nt4-4U2h-mrLBknNkRz_8nA4xHj13llnFe4suKblRGrX13TUEp_gDFxoglimwxj/s640/Young+Man+with+Camera+-+Photo+2.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div>
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All the photographs in <i>Young
Man with Camera </i>are published in black-and-white. True, costs were a consideration. But as T— notes, “Color is more colorful.
Black and white is more revealing.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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Here is the photograph as it appears in the novel, and T—’s
description of what happened beyond the frame.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7SjSWA-D4feFTWYUPr-JzTJpy6FjRAsXJjQvP-kRXYAWLdM1N7rQw4EHnDf0yZhEubS_GQ7at_Gy8e3ecLLuR1BIlmEFDdvrHI4WLDU6J9BEqxKHWMamgogUMfrNwQkGHhFETI74disgS/s1600/Young+Man+with+Camera+-+Photo+3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7SjSWA-D4feFTWYUPr-JzTJpy6FjRAsXJjQvP-kRXYAWLdM1N7rQw4EHnDf0yZhEubS_GQ7at_Gy8e3ecLLuR1BIlmEFDdvrHI4WLDU6J9BEqxKHWMamgogUMfrNwQkGHhFETI74disgS/s640/Young+Man+with+Camera+-+Photo+3.jpeg" width="640" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">I took it in front
of the Pet Palace. The girl’s mother kept telling
her to <i>Smile! Smile!</i><b> </b>but the smile looked rehearsed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"> </span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">A minute after I took the picture, the
woman poked the plastic bag with
her finger. </span><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">How long will this one last before it’s
flushed down the toilet? </span></b><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"> </span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">The girl burst into tears. </span><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19pt;">What a cool behind-the-scenes look at YOUNG MAN WITH CAMERA! </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19pt;">Thank you so much for sharing these pictures with us, Emil!</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 25.33333396911621px;">AND NOW, to continue on your merry way, Hunters, <a href="http://www.ilsajbick.com/" target="_blank">click this link to visit the next stop on the Team Orange circuit! </a></span></span></div>
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Jessica Khouryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13831301896001045087noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4048635805627666032.post-81158044284101970142014-09-11T17:00:00.002-04:002014-09-11T17:00:33.522-04:00Vitro Paperback Cover<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Vitro</i> will be released in paperback on January 22nd, 2015--and here's a gorgeous new cover to go with it!!!!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">I love the colors in this artwork and think it's such a perfect fit for the book, with the test tube in the title, the exotic setting, and a super cool new tagline! And it goes beautifully with the cover for <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21393504-kalahari" target="_blank">Kalahari</a>!</i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Pre-Order Vitro in Paperback!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/vitro-jessica-khoury/1115185304?ean=9781595146069" target="_blank">barnes & noble</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Vitro-Jessica-Khoury/dp/1595146067/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=&qid=" target="_blank">amazon</a> | <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781595146069" target="_blank">indiebound </a>| <a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Vitro-Jessica-Khoury/9781595146069" target="_blank">book depository</a></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP9Hn0KzbISJU-_EJECJnS8BbrMN2CON9CoKYWtZdYZRrmY1XwrbovEZnVLx72A53uwCwEwH1P8aalBgFtvcESoL6-pSnXlmkDJhnTL0U45Zr6pnHfMHzWYUMRfrTG25jc4nEpIkCASREX/s1600/Vitro_Comps42.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP9Hn0KzbISJU-_EJECJnS8BbrMN2CON9CoKYWtZdYZRrmY1XwrbovEZnVLx72A53uwCwEwH1P8aalBgFtvcESoL6-pSnXlmkDJhnTL0U45Zr6pnHfMHzWYUMRfrTG25jc4nEpIkCASREX/s1600/Vitro_Comps42.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 15.4559993743896px;">On Skin Island, even the laws of creation can be broken.</strong><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 15.4559993743896px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 15.4559993743896px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 15.4559993743896px;">On a remote island in the Pacific, Corpus scientists have taken test tube embryos and given them life. These beings—the Vitros—have knowledge and abilities most humans can only dream of. But they also have one enormous flaw.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 15.4559993743896px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 15.4559993743896px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 15.4559993743896px;">Sophie Crue is determined to get to Skin Island and find her mother, a scientist who left Sophie behind years ago. With the help of Jim Julien, a young charter pilot, she arrives--and discovers a terrifying secret she never imagined: she has a Vitro twin, Lux, who is the culmination of Corpus's dangerous research.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 15.4559993743896px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 15.4559993743896px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 15.4559993743896px;">Now Sophie is torn between reuniting with the mother who betrayed her and protecting the genetically enhanced twin she never knew existed. But untangling the twisted strands of these relationships will have to wait, for Sophie and Jim are about to find out what happens when science stretches too far beyond its reach.</span></span><br />
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Jessica Khouryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13831301896001045087noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4048635805627666032.post-45968232443216986092014-08-04T00:56:00.000-04:002014-08-04T00:56:12.121-04:00Book Four Announcement!!!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: large;">Hi Everyone!!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I am SO SO SO SOOOOO EXCITED right now!! Because I get to announce something incredibly new and different and very very dear to me—my fourth book, which is currently UNTITLED (but I am working hard on changing that!!) It's with Razorbill/Penguin, like the last three books (hurray!! Penguin!! <3 <3 <3) and AHHHH let me tell you MOOOOORE!!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">If you’ve read any of my previous books—Origin, Vitro, or Kalahari—the first thing you’ll need to know is: this book is nothing like those ones. It’s a complete departure from my earlier Sci-Fi, as I take a turn, well nose-dive really, into fantasy.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I ADORE high fantasy. It’s my favorite genre. I’ve been DYING to share my fantasy with you for years, guys, YEARS. And it’s finally happening and I CAN’T EVEN.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">HANG ON A SEC. *Catches breath*</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Where were we?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Right. So Book 4 is a <b>retelling of the story of Aladdin</b> told from the perspective of the genie--a girl named Zahra--who falls in love with Aladdin even as she is bound to grant his wishes to win the heart of a princess.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(I love love love this gif since it almost perfectly captures Zahra (except for the eye color), but can't find what it's from!! If you know, please tell me!)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It’s set in a Middle Eastern-esque world based on ancient Persian and Arabic culture, which is UBER EXCITING for me, because I got to delve into some of my heritage for research. For years my Syrian grandfather has been urging me to write something inspired by his homeland, and it's such a honor to finally get to do just that! Ancient Near Eastern culture is incredibly rich, fascinating, and complex, and I'm totally obsessed. And at the same time I'm thrilled to revisit one of my favorite stories from a completely new and exciting perspective.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> I've been working on this story as a pet project for a few years now, and Zahra has become very dear and real to me. I've never felt a character's voice so strongly, and to get to finally share her with you is A WISH COME TRUE. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">You’ll meet some familiar faces: the princess, the vizier, of course Aladdin. But they’ll be a little darker, a little grittier, and totally re-imagined, so you can live this beautiful story all over again in a new way. I’ve tried hard to maintain a balance between the familiar and the totally new in this story, so whether you’re looking for a faithful retelling or a reinvented fairytale, hopefully this will satisfy either!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">But when will the book be out,? Well, no idea yet. I’m still very early in the writing process, but as SOON as I have an idea of a release time and title, you will be the first to know! =) Until then, all I can really leave you with is <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/jesskhoury/ancient-near-east/" target="_blank">my Pinterest board of inspiration</a>, a link to <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21396155-untitled-aladdin-retelling" target="_blank">add the book to your Goodreads lis</a>t, and a promise of more to come soon!</span></div>
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Jessica Khouryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13831301896001045087noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4048635805627666032.post-24191296294198433432014-07-14T12:00:00.000-04:002014-07-15T12:05:36.836-04:00KALAHARI--Cover Reveal!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Hi guys! I'm so thrilled to share with you the cover for my upcoming book, KALAHARI! The book is scheduled to hit shelves next February, but one lucky winner will receive an early copy in the giveaway below!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVKbHI09a_b5vygbyby4kQ1tyNqQimO2M7TRzaxIPUxXIyvEt_JajK2j3TnyurRwB4M_AHGPg4Aqns7nnPK_c9hYGa1Qss9vnh8oqutzDab6bD4ASTPAMek2eLxoPSaflkS3SEuEpqN4BO/s1600/Kalahari_header.jpg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVKbHI09a_b5vygbyby4kQ1tyNqQimO2M7TRzaxIPUxXIyvEt_JajK2j3TnyurRwB4M_AHGPg4Aqns7nnPK_c9hYGa1Qss9vnh8oqutzDab6bD4ASTPAMek2eLxoPSaflkS3SEuEpqN4BO/s1600/Kalahari_header.jpg.jpg" height="236" width="640" /></a></div>
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Why this cover?</h2>
<span style="font-size: large;">We threw around a LOT of ideas for this book, but kept coming back to the idea of this incredible place--the Kalahari region of southern Africa--where the book is set. While I was in Botswana doing research last summer for the book, I spent every evening marveling at the incredible colors and silhouettes created by the sunsets over the grasslands, and felt that this image was a truthful, evocative representation of the scenery that so inspired me (and which made pictures super fun!)</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4yEE21NJA1EFnk3TsURmrZgHBtptGBoyIS3ak6fyQbd_vH-BwqlGKB7FiVy9O6m7NX2_fU4Nd8I2RiTjFE99ndD5GOyZlRTivelXF64QSvXMvmy_tXz5firPnNr0P9FqMSjfwMQ4A2zCQ/s1600/1119947_609108835040_971434908_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4yEE21NJA1EFnk3TsURmrZgHBtptGBoyIS3ak6fyQbd_vH-BwqlGKB7FiVy9O6m7NX2_fU4Nd8I2RiTjFE99ndD5GOyZlRTivelXF64QSvXMvmy_tXz5firPnNr0P9FqMSjfwMQ4A2zCQ/s1600/1119947_609108835040_971434908_o.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a></div>
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What I love...</h2>
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<span style="font-size: large;">... about this cover is that it immediately conjures the beauty and the drama of the Kalahari setting, and the models representing the characters of Sam and Sarah are spot on! Adventure, survival, and romance are all important aspects of this story, and this image captures that so well. I was so thrilled when I first saw it--I instantly saw my story! The vibrant colors, the weathered texture, and the cool fonts were just icing on the cake.</span></div>
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About the Book</h2>
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<span style="font-size: large;">KALAHARI tells the story of Sarah Carmichael, a girl who has lived in one remote location after the next with her zoologist parents. Sarah is an expert on animals, speaks multiple languages, and is well versed in survival skills--but when it comes to talking to teens her own age, she's awkward and shy. Now, just six months after her mother was killed in an auto accident, Sarah and her dad are hosting a two-week safari for five city kids. Sarah dreads the trip, but when one of their guests turns out to be handsome, friendly Sam Quartermain, she wonders if it might be so bad after all.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">But things quickly take a turn toward disastrous after Sarah's father disappears and the kids are left on their own. After fleeing from an attack by murderous poachers, they discover a ruined Corpus laboratory deep in the Kalahari--where a lethal engineered virus has escaped and turned the local animals into crazed, bloodthirsty monsters. Desperate to cover up the terrible pathogen they created, Corpus is determined to eliminate all witnesses to their catastrophic experiment--and Sarah, Sam, and the other kids are first on their list. Hunted by mercenaries, hit men, and an infected lion, Sarah must summon the strength and wits to stay alive in one of the world's most deadly deserts...but in the ruthless wilderness of the Kalahari, there is no water, no safety, and no place to hide.</span><br />
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Pre-Order the Book</h2>
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<span style="font-size: large;">KALAHARI is available for pre-order in e-book or hardcover from these sellers!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Kalahari-Jessica-Khoury-ebook/dp/B00KWG5V8S/ref=sr_sp-atf_image_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1405350471&sr=8-1&keywords=kalahari+khoury" target="_blank">Amazon</a> | <a href="http://www.booksamillion.com/p/Kalahari/Jessica-Khoury/9781595147653?id=6053505144203" target="_blank">Books-a-Million</a> | <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781595147653" target="_blank">Indiebound</a> | <a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Kalahari-Jessica-Khoury/9781595147653" target="_blank">Book Depository</a></span></div>
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Giveaway</h2>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I've got signed copies of my previous books ORIGIN and VITRO up for grabs, along with an advance copy of KALAHARI (to come as soon I have it!) All these go to one lucky winner, so complete as many entries as you can below for the best chances of claiming these prizes!</span></div>
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<a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/530e5227/" id="rc-530e5227" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
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Jessica Khouryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13831301896001045087noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4048635805627666032.post-54115252818224945562014-03-07T00:43:00.000-05:002014-03-07T15:25:49.450-05:00New Book Deal!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-size: large;">At last! I can FINALLY tell you!! I signed my second book contract with Razorbill/Penguin Random House, starting with KALAHARI, coming winter 2015. Guys, I LOVE LOVE LOVE this book so much! It's very close to my heart and I've been on absolute pins and needles these past six months as I've kept it secret.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">It feels SO GOOD to finally just--</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">But anyway, enough dramatics, here's <a href="http://publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-book-news/article/61288-rights-report-week-of-march-3-2014.html#path/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-book-news/article/61288-rights-report-week-of-march-3-2014.html" target="_blank">the announcement from PW</a>:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPG6EgFCWooG7ryM7rZLbdpNwsIMkWQOmcE2QuOJkWyT-0OLaAvS_6PGcFlHuukK3JwiU4jQX_E9oQ0B4wRscP3zdMGz4zqoFrdyRssuPmm4NJIQFE_glfuqFQJhCOZKCFBoPnifILCocd/s1600/Screenshot+2014-03-07+00.23.02.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPG6EgFCWooG7ryM7rZLbdpNwsIMkWQOmcE2QuOJkWyT-0OLaAvS_6PGcFlHuukK3JwiU4jQX_E9oQ0B4wRscP3zdMGz4zqoFrdyRssuPmm4NJIQFE_glfuqFQJhCOZKCFBoPnifILCocd/s1600/Screenshot+2014-03-07+00.23.02.png" height="160" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Woohoo!!!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Here's a bit of a longer synopsis:</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Sarah Carmichael has lived all over the world, from dense jungles to scalding deserts, with her zoologist parents. Six months after her mother is killed in a automobile accident in Africa, Sarah and her dad find themselves in need of research funds--and in return for them, agree to host a group of high school students from the States at their remote camp in the Kalahari Desert in Botswana. But things go quickly wrong when reports of poachers in the area call Sarah's dad away to investigate. When he doesn't return, Sarah finds herself alone in charge of a group of city kids she doesn't understand or relate to, in one of the world's most deadly wildernesses. She sets out to find her dad and instead runs across a secret research facility that has been left mysteriously in ruins. There, she and the students become witnesses to a horror that a certain biotech company will do <i>anything </i>to hide--a deadly virus created out of living metal that consumes everything it touches.</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Curious to know more? Follow <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/jesskhoury/kalahari/" target="_blank">my KALAHARI Pinterest board</a> to explore some of the inspiration behind the story!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUqquzQzFq_o2y3tuMfWYXftRGlJJ_7pSNMJAaMDzqjDBJy6PnHMaOsIwQhf8_l9pUxKE5HCXMA0e2c6EbIIPRfnyAcMjeU40A1KZAUfE9ounVZ0yn8c84MW62MD3VLgQ6vnWPC0v2-vMP/s1600/Screenshot+2014-03-07+15.24.21.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUqquzQzFq_o2y3tuMfWYXftRGlJJ_7pSNMJAaMDzqjDBJy6PnHMaOsIwQhf8_l9pUxKE5HCXMA0e2c6EbIIPRfnyAcMjeU40A1KZAUfE9ounVZ0yn8c84MW62MD3VLgQ6vnWPC0v2-vMP/s1600/Screenshot+2014-03-07+15.24.21.png" height="338" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A lot of people have asked me if this is another story from the same world as ORIGIN and VITRO--and yes, it is! But it's a lot different from my first two books in many ways, and one of my favorite things about it is that it's set in the Kalahari Desert in Bostwana, Africa! I was lucky enough to spend a few weeks there last summer doing research for KALAHARI, and can't wait to share more about that and the book in the months to come!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The speedy folks over at Goodreads <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21393504-kalahari" target="_blank">have already got KALAHARI up for you to check out</a>--and add to your to-read shelf! =)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">hurray, Africa!!! </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">believe it or not, playing with lion cubs was TOTALLY research for this book...</span><br />
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Jessica Khouryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13831301896001045087noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4048635805627666032.post-86814119047279066902014-02-23T20:17:00.001-05:002014-02-23T20:17:43.841-05:00Review: The Warrior's Apprentice<br /> <a style='float: left; padding-right: 20px' href='http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61906'><img alt='The Warrior's Apprentice' border='0' src='http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1170597854m/61906.jpg'/></a><br /> <a href='http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61906'>The Warrior's Apprentice</a> by <a href='http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16094'>Lois McMaster Bujold</a><br/><br /> My rating: <a href='http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/154417732'>5 of 5 stars</a><br /> <br/><br/><br /> Second time through TWA--first time on audio, this time reading. Even better the second time around, and still one of my all-time favorites!<br /><br />I stumbled on this series entirely by accident while I was writing a book with an MC named Miles and decided to see if there were any Mileses in other SFF. Turns out, there was one, and while the sound of this story didn't impress me much at first, I decided to check it out, and downloaded the audio version. Best. Decision. EVER.<br /><br />Imagine a character that's part Tyrion Lannister, part Ferris Bueller--in space, and you've got a pretty good idea of what to expect from Lois McMaster Bujold's addictive Miles Vorkosigan. It doesn't hurt that Bujold is one of the most highly decorated SFF writers there is with multiple Hugos, Nebulas, and other awards under her belt. While reading the Vorkosigan books, I went from peals of laughter to bated breath to tears as this quirky, brilliant character leaped from one escapade to the next alongside a host of terrifying, hilarious, and fully dimensional side characters.<br /><br />These books are literary Pringles. You can't read just one. And with 16 novels and 6 novellas, this is one series to keep you busy for a while.<br /> <br/><br/><br /> <a href='http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/154417732'>View all my reviews</a><br /> Jessica Khouryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13831301896001045087noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4048635805627666032.post-76562585321329810042014-02-21T23:33:00.000-05:002014-02-22T00:15:41.422-05:00Four Addictive Series to Binge Read<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: large;">It's the literary equivalent of a weekend Netflix session--book bingeing. With so many current publications leaving us cliffhanging for a year before the second or third book comes out, it's nice every now and then to pick up a complete, addictive series to consume our lives for a few weeks.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">As a habitual literary binge reader, I am always searching for my next fix, whether its YA, Sci-Fi, or Fantasy. The top things I look for in a literary binge are:</span><br />
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<li><span style="font-size: large;">compelling, three-dimensional characters</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">unpredictable plots</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">strong emotional twists</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">original, believable world building</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">the more books, the better!</span></li>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Here are my top four go-to binge series. Most of these I've read over and over again, and they get better every time. If you're looking for something not only to read, but to be completely, wholly absorbed in, here's where you start:</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">1. The Vorkosigan Saga by Lois McMaster Bujold</span></h2>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I stumbled on this series entirely by accident while I was writing a book with an MC named Miles and decided to see if there were any Mileses in other SFF. Turns out, there was one, and while the sound of this story didn't impress me much at first, I decided to check it out, and downloaded the audio version. Best. Decision. EVER.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Imagine Tyrion Lannister in space, and you've got a pretty good idea of what to expect from Lois McMaster Bujold's addictive character Miles Vorkosigan. It doesn't hurt that Bujold is one of the most highly decorated SFF writers there is with multiple Hugos, Nebulas, and other awards under her belt. While reading the Vorkosigan books, I went from peals of laughter to bated breath to tears as this quirky, brilliant character leaped from one escapade to the next alongside a host of terrifying, hilarious, and fully dimensional side characters.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">These books are literary Pringles. You can't read just one. And with 16 novels and 6 novellas, this is one series to keep you busy for a while.</span><br />
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2. Tomorrow When the War Began by John Marsden</h2>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This Australian series remains one of my favorite YA stories out there. It's a huge hit Down Under, even spawning a pretty good movie starring Caitlin Stasey (CW's <i>Reign</i>) and Pheobe Tonkin (CW's <i>The Originals</i>). The movie is available on Netflix under the same name, but I HIGHLY recommend reading the book before you watch. There are six books in the series and each installment is short enough to finish in a day or two--perfect binge material!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The story is convincingly narrated by Ellie, a teen in rural Australia. She and her friends set out on a camping expedition, and while they're gone, Australia is invaded by a foreign army. Ellie and her friends transform from normal teens into guerrilla fighters with heart-wrenching believability and emotion.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">It's like Red Dawn:<i> </i>Outback Edition, but <i>so much better. </i>Oh, and bring a box of tissues. Um. Make that <i>two </i>boxes.</span><br />
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3. The Farseer/Tawny Man sextet by Robin Hobb</h2>
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<span style="font-size: large;">For the high fantasy lovers out there, if you haven't discovered Robin Hobb yet, then you're doing it wrong. She's right up there with Lois McMaster Bujold as Writers I Most Admire And Want To Be When I Grow Up. I had the immense pleasure of meeting her at the Decatur Book Festival (she is all kinds of classy) in 2012, and when she came to my signing and got a copy of <i>Origin</i>, I couldn't even handle it--I cried.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I picked up the first Farseer book, <i>Assassin's Apprentice</i>, off the shelf of the antique store I worked at part time after college, and sneaked chapters in between my boss coming in and out of the shop (hey, I never said I was a model employee). The series is broken into two trilogies: the Farseer Trilogy and the Tawny Man Trilogy. The two flow seamlessly together, and contain my all-time favorite literary bromance. Expect no fantasy cliches here! The originality and unpredictability of these books is stunning. But the <i>tears</i>, man. I've read the series through twice now, and I think I wept even more then second time around. The worldbuilding is superb, but it's the characters in these books that rip your heart out and put your emotions through the wash.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">And the best part? The last book came out a decade ago, but <a href="http://robinhobb.com/2013/10/the-fools-assassin/" target="_blank">Hobb just announced that a new trilogy</a> featuring the same characters is in the works--so that's three more books to look forward to! And if you, like me, get to the end of these six and still need more--don't worry. Hobb has 11 other books, most of which are set in the same world as these ones, and 11 <i>more </i>books under pen name Megan Lindholm. Talk about a <i>binge</i>.</span><br />
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4. Dark Tower series by Stephen King</h2>
<span style="font-size: large;">Though I'm not a big fan of his horror, I adore Stephen King's weird, grotesque, unpredictable fantasy epic about The Dark Tower. King has called it his magnum opus and his homage to Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. It's dark, odd, and completely King, and if you're a fan of his larger body of works, you're in for a special treat--Easter eggs are hidden all throughout the books. You'll meet characters, objects, and hints from many of his other books dropped all over Midworld.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">With his usual skill, King creates fully real characters inhabiting a world both familiar and bizarre. He combines medieval quest lines with Wild Western settings and sci-fi time-space bending in a strange goulash that <i>shouldn't </i>work, but somehow <i>does</i>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">There's no predicting what will happen in this epic that spans worlds, times, and genres--so the best thing to do is sit back, open your mind, and let the story take over.</span><br />
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Giveaway</h2>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I love these book so much, am so confident you will love them too, that I'm going to put my money where my mouth is by giving away the first book in each of these series to one lucky winner! Use the form below to enter. Warning: prizes may be addictive and prone to CONSUMING YOUR LIFE. Contest open to USA/Canada only!</span></div>
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<a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/530e5225/" id="rc-530e5225" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
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Jessica Khouryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13831301896001045087noreply@blogger.com37tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4048635805627666032.post-55910977335087825822014-02-17T12:55:00.001-05:002014-02-17T13:12:34.369-05:00Is It Worth Writing? How to Critique Your Story Ideas<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: large;">The first step in writing a novel is also the most crucial--conceiving a good idea. You may be a master of prose and a genius at character development, but without a strong, compelling idea, you don't have a story. And when it comes to seeking publication, what agents/editors are primarily seeking are <i>ideas</i>. Be sure yours is iron clad before you shop it around.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">It's easy to move from the idea stage to the writing stage without ever really evaluating the concept of your story, and as a result, wasting time on an idea that was never worth it to begin with. Before you devote yourself to a story, it's a good idea to first take time to judge whether the idea is a sound one.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Here are five ways to determine whether your idea is a good one:</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">1. Has it already been done?</span></h2>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This might be the first thing you want to address. I've had several strong ideas go to waste after I learned they'd already been done. For example, last year I began outlining an idea for a story about a boy who finds a female AI trapped inside an old iPod--and he begins to fall in love with her. Less than a month later, I discovered the upcoming movie <i>Her</i>, which is basically the same plot. I was devastated! But so glad that I hadn't gone further with the story, wasting my time on something that, no matter how it truly originated, would be called derivative.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Do your research on what's already on the market, in books, films, and TV. Be constantly paying attention to new releases in all these categories, and do thorough searches on websites like Amazon, Goodreads, and other book sites to be certain your idea is unique enough to write (be sure to keep an eye out for not-yet-released books/movies--you have to think ahead!) </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">If you do find similar stories already out there--and usually you will--then be sure you clearly define how your story is different than those others. Why is your Cinderella retelling different from <i>Cinder</i>? Why is your spaceship-set Sci-Fi different from <i>Across the Universe</i>? Why is your dystopia different from <i>The Hunger Games</i>? Even if you know your idea is <i>not </i>derivative, nothing will stop readers from calling it that if you don't do your research and differentiate it from any similar works.</span><br />
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Darn you, Joaquin.</div>
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PS. Hope you win that Oscar.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">2. Is it high concept?</span></h2>
<span style="font-size: large;">"High concept" is a buzz word in publishing that you need to be familiar with. In short, a high concept idea is one that can be immediately and succinctly communicated. Here are some examples of high concepts:</span><br />
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<li><span style="font-size: large;">In a dystopian future, teens fight to the death on national TV. (<i>The Hunger Games</i>)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Recreated dinosaurs escape their enclosures on a tropical island. (<i>Jurassic Park</i>)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">A habitual liar's life unravels after receiving a hex that renders him unable to tell anything but the truth. (<i>Liar, Liar</i>)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">A boy goes to a magical boarding school while fighting the evil wizard who killed his family. (<i>Harry Potter</i>)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Girl detective chases boy criminal in futuristic Los Angeles. (<i>Legend</i>)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Man sails on ship captained by a madman hunting the white whale that took his leg. (<i>Moby Dick</i>)</span></li>
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<span style="font-size: large;">High concepts immediately communicate a strong visual on characters, plot, and tone. Even if all you know about the story is the one-sentence log line, you can easily picture what the story will be about. If your concept requires lengthy description to "get the idea across," then it's either not high-concept or you don't have a good enough grasp on the story in order to pitch it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Now, a story doesn't <i>have </i>to be high concept in order to sell, but it definitely helps. In a world where entertainment is quick and attention spans are short, you have to be able to cut quickly to the crux of the story in order to snag interest. Try to hone your idea down to a simple, evocative, compelling sentence.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">3. Are the stakes clear?</span></h2>
<span style="font-size: large;">This goes hand-in-hand with point 2. What are the stakes in your story? What's at risk? What is the core conflict? Conflict makes story--so put your conflict front and center when evaluating your story idea. It's not enough to have a compelling character or setting. You absolutely <i>must </i>have a clear idea of the danger your characters faces: is it life-threatening? career-threatening? What does he/she stand to lose? Who is the villain? Is there conflict inherent in the concept?</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Ask yourself: <i>what's the main conflict of my story?</i> Then, without deliberating, write it down. If you have trouble defining the main conflict, maybe you have too many vying plot lines. Maybe you don't have a plot line at all. You <i>cannot </i>pitch a story without clear conflict. </span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">4. Does it have internal plot?</span></b></h2>
<span style="font-size: large;">Internal plot refers to the emotional struggle taking place within a character's mind. This struggle parallels the external conflict the character faces and often provides the solution or motivation the character will eventually need to solve or overcome his/her external battle. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">A good, short book I'd recommend is <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hooked-Write-Fiction-Grabs-Readers/dp/1582974578/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1392657270&sr=8-4&keywords=hooked" target="_blank"><i>Hooked </i>by Les Edgerton</a>. Edgerton shows how your internal and external plot lines interact to create a solid, resonant piece of writing. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Save-Last-Book-Screenwriting-Youll/dp/1932907009/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1392657400&sr=8-1&keywords=save+the+cat" target="_blank"><i>Save the Cat</i> by Blake Snyder</a> is another great book that explores inner conflict (he refers to it as the "B-Story") and outlines a way to use the inner conflict to heighten the external.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The internal plot must be as clearly defined as the external one. Is your protagonist dealing with the loss of a loved one? Is she falling in love? Is he working up the courage to confront someone? Is she searching for answers to a question that has haunted her life? Does he need to grow up and take responsibility for his actions? </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Internal plot adds depth to your character and emotion to your story. It's crucial to an effective idea, and before you begin writing, you need to know what your story's internal plot is going to be. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">5. Are you in love with it?</span></h2>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This is crucial! If your idea meets all the criteria above and you are ready to commit to writing it, then you have to be head-over-heels in love with it. Don't write a story just because it's high concept, original, and has strong internal and external conflict. The final ingredient to a strong idea is <i>passion</i>, and that comes solely from you. If you're lukewarm about the idea now, chances are you'll hate it by the time you reach the fifth chapter. It's hard enough to stick with a story you are enchanted by--it's impossible to do it with a story you only <i>like</i>. How do you tell if you're in love with the story? Well, does it tug at you constantly? Do you think about it when you're falling asleep or showering or driving? Do you want to tell everyone you meet about it? Do you have Pinterest boards, computer files, and notebooks devoted to it? Are you your own story's biggest fan?</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Passion translates onto the page, but so does a lack of it. Don't expect agents/publishers/readers to love your story if you don't love it first.</span><br />
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photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/pasukaru76/5421542105/">pasukaru76</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com/">photopin</a> <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">cc</a></div>
photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/aegishjalmur/2288932018/">Sara Björk</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com/">photopin</a> <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">cc</a></div>
photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dolmansaxlil/4487159833/">Sharon Drummond</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com/">photopin</a> <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/">cc</a></div>
Jessica Khouryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13831301896001045087noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4048635805627666032.post-68239180400671558652014-01-31T14:10:00.000-05:002014-01-31T14:10:25.859-05:00The Thing About Money: How Much Should You Invest In Your Own Writing?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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There's a great discussion happening on the YA Writers subReddit right now on the topic of <a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/YAwriters/comments/1wk4ry/discussion_monetarily_investing_in_your_writing/" target="_blank">Monetarily Investing in Your Own Writing</a>. This is great info for all writers, whether unpublished, indie, or traditional. How much should you spend? What kinds of swag/promo are worth it--and what isn't? Lots of writers weighing in with their experiences--check it out!<br /></div>
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Here's my two cents, based on what I've experimented with (read the full conversation on the forum):</div>
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<strong>GOOD THINGS TO SPEND MONEY ON</strong></div>
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<strong><em>Research Trips</em></strong>: Okay, within reason. But honestly, if you can afford it, GO YE THEREFORE! Because the best BEST thing I ever spent money on in writing was research trips. I did one for VITRO and I did one for my current WIP, and it changes everything about the way I write--for the better. And especially if your book is set in a location you've never been to!! I can't say much on this yet (not until a certain ANNOUNCEMENT coming up in March) but I can tell you that my current WIP is 100X better because I invested in going to the location and getting all of my facts straight, and also in just drawing on the inspiration of being where the story is set. It's totally worth it. And traveling in any case is always rewarding.</div>
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<strong><em>Personal Domain</em></strong>: As someone already suggested, go with your author name and not your book/series title. You have to think long-term here. A book/series ends, but you might keep writing. And it's pretty much impossible, after several years under one domain name, to switch everything over to a new URL. This isn't expensive! I use Wix.com to design my sites (you don't have to know coding or web design to use it; you just need a good eye for what looks professional, and you can learn a lot about that just by looking at other well-designed author websites). I pay $14.95 a month for my website/domain name. You can cut that cost by using a free host site like Blogger or Wordpress. Keep in mind that many website hosts require you to upgrade to a paid account if you want to use your custom URL. You can always just stick with the free URL (so-and-so.blogspot.com and so forth) but it's less professional and harder to find.</div>
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<strong><em>Business cards</em></strong>: These come in handy all the time! I carry them on me ALWAYS, because you never know when you're going to meet a teacher, librarian, bookseller, or reader. They're super cheap and a great investment. I go through maybe 500 in a year. All they need to include is your name, website, and an image of your book cover. Maybe your e-mail, if you're particularly giving it to librarians/teachers. It's a networking essential, and you can't go wrong in ordering a box of them. I do use VistaPrint, because they run fantastic sales and offers, and if you sign up for their email offers, you can score big discounts.</div>
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<strong><em>Bookmarks or other small swag</em></strong>: Tip: Get something you can mail in a flat envelope!! I made the mistake my first year by ordering a bunch of buttons. They were super cool and a huge hit at school/conferences, but they're too big to mail with just a stamp. Go with FLAT: bookmarks, thin magnets, bookplates. Also carry these to school events. I use them during Q&A sessions as prizes for kids who ask questions. It's amazingly motivating and always ensures Q&A time is lively and interactive.</div>
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<strong><em>Facebook Ads</em></strong>: Use these wisely. They can be a huge money drain otherwise. When I have an important announcements (book release day, something like that) and I post it on my Facebook author page, I boost it at the lowest amount ($5 a day). This increases the post's visibility exponentially, earns me a buttload of new Page likes, and wins the post a ton of great interaction in likes, shares, and comments. But you HAVE to monitor the ads to see what people most respond to, and be sure to set a time and account limit on your ad--otherwise it's easy to forget about it and it will run continuously, while it drains your bank account. I usually boost a post for a week, then let it go. You can also create page ads that will run in the side column or news feed, and you can target these pretty specifically to your target demo (ex: women who like Hunger Games, Divergent, and who are between 15-25). When I run a Facebook ad, I gain between 30-50 new followers each day. Again, these are helpful, but you have to set limits!</div>
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<strong><em>Media Mail</em></strong>: USPS's Media mail is your best friend when you ship a lot of books! It's the cheapest shipping rate there is. Don't let the postal worker talk you out of it (they always say, 'Are you sure? It'll take a week longer to arrive.') Unless you NEED that book to arrive the next day, go with media rate! (Only applies for books/movies)</div>
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<strong><em>Stock images/footage</em></strong>: If you're going to design material to supplement your book (images, posters, book trailers, etc.) then it's worth it to by credits through iStockPhoto or a similar site. I say this simply because you need to protect yourself against any chance of lawsuits over copyright. If you're going to design something, at least do it right and be confident that you won't get sued for it. And these images are top-quality and professional. Also, check DeviantArt for resources like pngs, backgrounds, etc. There's a TON of free stuff the artists there offer in the Resources & Stock Images category (but BE SURE to check their rules on usage!! Some require you to cite the work, others don't care, some prohibit alterations, some don't want you to use it at all. ALWAYS READ THE FINE PRINT!)</div>
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<strong>BAD THINGS TO SPEND MONEY ON</strong></div>
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<strong><em>Bulky swag</em></strong>: If you can't mail it in an envelope with just a stamp, then it's going to cost you a lot more to send out, and it's probably inconvenient to carry on tours/events because it takes up so much space. The only bulky swag I order is mugs with my covers on them--and those only as gifts for people who were super influential in the book's publication (agent, editor, mom...)</div>
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<strong><em>Website designer</em></strong> Don't get me wrong--I love designers and if you are financially able to pay one to manage your site, then please do hire one--they have to pay bills too! But if you're on a budget, don't worry. There are alternatives! I've already mentioned Wix, but other great website platforms are Blogger, Wordpress, and Weebly. They're easy to use and there are loads of authors sites you can use to get ideas (feel free to use mine--<a class="imgScanned" href="http://www.jessicakhoury.com/" style="color: #551a8b; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">www.jessicakhoury.com</a>)</div>
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<strong><em>Book Trailers</em></strong>: Several people have touched on this one, so I won't go too far into it. One idea, though, is that you might run a contest that calls for readers to submit their own original trailers (Anna Banks is running a great contest like this right now). This invites readers to creatively engage with the material and they'll likely be enthusiastic in sharing their trailers with their friends--maybe more so than if it were a trailer you or someone else designed.</div>
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<strong><em>Facebook Ads</em></strong>: Yes, I am trying to totally confuse you. But really--I listed this under both bad and good because it's important that you don't go overboard with it. It's so easy to spend several hundred dollars here without realizing it (am I speaking from experience? YES, YES I AM.) A small injection of $$ every now and then is okay, but long-term campaigns, though they might win you bookoos of page likes, aren't going to be worth it. Use in moderation, and keep a close eye on the stats and the budget to see if it's working for you or simply draining you.</div>
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<strong><em>School Visits with no terms</em></strong>: I waive travel costs for local schools, but if I have to drive an hour or more, I charge travel costs. It's fair, it's expected, and schools do usually have a budget for it. Don't feel bad about asking for travel costs to be covered--it's the biz! Beyond that, it's up to you. Some writers have speaking fees, some don't. I go in-between: my one request for schools is that the students I meet with read my book before I come. This ensures two things: 1) sales and 2) an enthusiastic, engaged audience. Visits where the kids have read the book are always phenomenal and rewarding for everyone, myself and the students. Visits where the kids have never heard of me or my book... less so. It's harder to get their interest and discussion time can be a bit awkward. This is also helps gauge the teacher or librarian's investment in your visit: if they're willing to pay travel costs and have their kids read the book, then you know they're invested in your visit. Don't let yourself be used a free class babysitter. (this is rare; in my experience, teachers and school librarians are among the best and brightest in our society, but it can happen).</div>
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<strong>All of these items I've listed I am aiming at post-publication!</strong> Pre-pub is an entirely different matter, and honestly, the only thing I spent money on before I was published was paper and ink to print my MS on. I think anything else is unnecessary and even distracting. Your #1 goal pre-pub is to WRITE THE DAMN THING and get it sold. It's easy to get caught up in glittery novel-writing kits and software and stuff you don't actually need in order to write a novel--all of that's extraneous. You don't need to spend anything for that except time. So I guess, if there's one thing you might do, it's <em>buy yourself time</em>. If you can pull off a few less hours at work to write, do it. After all, this is what makes you happy, right? Then you cannot go wrong.</div>
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Jessica Khouryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13831301896001045087noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4048635805627666032.post-16321082356833735252014-01-21T12:16:00.000-05:002014-01-31T14:11:36.351-05:00Vitro Blog Tour<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3MQHcgcu7OcQinotYQVUfsdZN3WsH5VmPqPrB6hq5L0WOlBsm_GCnJaXRdTKO4qevqgK9XJJA_hW7jQukPmQBaPDBhptAP7OnXSLXLFC-AfoN-33pieeKAyq5nNJiEfu0z9E2Uwof-LH_/s1600/VitroUnveiled.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3MQHcgcu7OcQinotYQVUfsdZN3WsH5VmPqPrB6hq5L0WOlBsm_GCnJaXRdTKO4qevqgK9XJJA_hW7jQukPmQBaPDBhptAP7OnXSLXLFC-AfoN-33pieeKAyq5nNJiEfu0z9E2Uwof-LH_/s1600/VitroUnveiled.jpg" height="256" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Want to take a sneak peek behind the scenes of VITRO? Now's your chance! In this blog tour, I go into the details of the setting, characters, science, and more!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Here is a schedule for the tour (I will update with links as the posts go up):</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jan 20 | <a href="http://gillianeberry.blogspot.com/2014/01/vitro-blog-tour-jessica-khoury-talks.html" target="_blank">Writer of Wrongs</a>: Setting Unveiled</span></span> </blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jan 22 | <a href="http://www.books-n-kisses.com/2014/01/blog-tour-spotlight-vitro-by-jessica-khoury/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Books-n-kisses+%28Books-n-Kisses%29" target="_blank">Books-n-Kisses</a>: Sophie Unveiled</span></span> </blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jan 24 | <a href="http://crystalinbookland.blogspot.com/2014/01/vitro-by-jessica-khoury-blog-tour.html" target="_blank">Crystal in Bookland</a>: Jim Unveiled</span></span> </blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jan 27 | <a href="http://findingblissinbooks.blogspot.com/2014/01/vitro-blog-tour-vitros-unveiled-guest.html" target="_blank">Finding Bliss in Books</a>: Vitros Unveiled</span></span> </blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jan 29 | <a href="http://www.yareads.com/vitro-blog-tour-behind-the-scenes-of-vitro-by-jessica-khoury/guest-post/12729" target="_blank">YA Reads</a>: Corpus Unveiled</span></span> </blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jan 31 | <a href="http://www.wastepaperprose.com/2014/01/vitro-blog-tour-and-guest-post-by.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+wastepaperprose%2FWJoc+%28Wastepaper+Prose%29" target="_blank">Wastepaper Prose</a>: Characters Unveiled</span></span></blockquote>
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Jessica Khouryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13831301896001045087noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4048635805627666032.post-20921730271563909212014-01-15T11:10:00.003-05:002014-01-15T11:10:46.653-05:00Operation: VITRO Winners<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzUDObMM_qNapmfHH7w8D04mAhH5x9tpQJwLceBeDHzF6gu_Ql65qDO2q-G-5NDSeNFheegsXbLqSWdxXqu2MePjiwS2go-sWaPAKDYKQpozz3YyktXmx_6AsA9mZSzmIEh5CBx7xWYWSV/s1600/Operation+Vitro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzUDObMM_qNapmfHH7w8D04mAhH5x9tpQJwLceBeDHzF6gu_Ql65qDO2q-G-5NDSeNFheegsXbLqSWdxXqu2MePjiwS2go-sWaPAKDYKQpozz3YyktXmx_6AsA9mZSzmIEh5CBx7xWYWSV/s400/Operation+Vitro.jpg" width="377" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I had a blast seeing all of your creative entries for Operation: VITRO! You guys made VITRO's release truly memorable! *cues applause*</span><div>
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<a href="http://forums.wpcentral.com/attachments/nokia-lumia-1520/45031d1380962789t-clapping.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://forums.wpcentral.com/attachments/nokia-lumia-1520/45031d1380962789t-clapping.gif" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuTgtJz7_PGE2QZP76jO1C_kkNWrpIqDZ5ETJUJC-C1jSFwhRmPuRdcINj7bSF1HAp3SRnQTqBmKT3bTgrSe7rjQUifovnutrRUT-dFWRTcEBAHBKXRvGmviHZmDaM0NgEXiNUs3zcakfQ/s1600/Grand+Prize.png.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuTgtJz7_PGE2QZP76jO1C_kkNWrpIqDZ5ETJUJC-C1jSFwhRmPuRdcINj7bSF1HAp3SRnQTqBmKT3bTgrSe7rjQUifovnutrRUT-dFWRTcEBAHBKXRvGmviHZmDaM0NgEXiNUs3zcakfQ/s320/Grand+Prize.png.png" width="282" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">And now for the real reason why you're here: THE WINNERS!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u>GRAND PRIZE WINNERS</u></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Eli Madison</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Kiki Delle</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Jonanthan Partin</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Courtney Smith</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM7ljvyGlZt1KFmpyTXg-Zb-6AocrTxzdmLrXkjJZogLJAl_ymtCyun_m4yp7dJkfh7PgWvSNMH6SacTO3D7X4O9YyS1VwvoxuyBfdyxnmClljUj56H6OoseN4T4UsVvx1wbS4bY2fN1qN/s1600/Jackpot.png.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM7ljvyGlZt1KFmpyTXg-Zb-6AocrTxzdmLrXkjJZogLJAl_ymtCyun_m4yp7dJkfh7PgWvSNMH6SacTO3D7X4O9YyS1VwvoxuyBfdyxnmClljUj56H6OoseN4T4UsVvx1wbS4bY2fN1qN/s320/Jackpot.png.png" width="282" /></a><u style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></u></div>
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<u style="font-size: x-large;">ULTIMATE VITRO JACKPOT </u></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Caleigh Oxley</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Congrats to you winners, and thank you all SO MUCH for playing Operation: VITRO! I hope to see you all around the internet! =)</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF0J4qTgB7FRtg-mFO8ZxToT88Q_PB4xVNJaxVwqBKw2rtGoV9wxanDGi_Up2J6knNAXdSR_MKIQjPhk4kTXSUy47RTxNdoa0MUmCwjMUVbQicA3K3fhfZYgHM5nPsTUEIwxtFunNWfTkC/s1600/VitroAvatar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF0J4qTgB7FRtg-mFO8ZxToT88Q_PB4xVNJaxVwqBKw2rtGoV9wxanDGi_Up2J6knNAXdSR_MKIQjPhk4kTXSUy47RTxNdoa0MUmCwjMUVbQicA3K3fhfZYgHM5nPsTUEIwxtFunNWfTkC/s320/VitroAvatar.jpg" width="317" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilFpD1fXskw4r3gqyaI0VMWK-P6L8nh6vqsMR0G2wPYW47NfiaUkVM_lwTvXIKbgBSBiCjCZ9D2WdVrGt9lv2YaI2MTIdslWvISCkl4_sxoOhbvZVjrKjkEyz0UYEgIe2sMuw_xwY1xLjz/s1600/cheers%2521.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilFpD1fXskw4r3gqyaI0VMWK-P6L8nh6vqsMR0G2wPYW47NfiaUkVM_lwTvXIKbgBSBiCjCZ9D2WdVrGt9lv2YaI2MTIdslWvISCkl4_sxoOhbvZVjrKjkEyz0UYEgIe2sMuw_xwY1xLjz/s320/cheers%2521.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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Jessica Khouryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13831301896001045087noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4048635805627666032.post-28873759937743375882014-01-14T00:42:00.000-05:002014-01-14T00:42:01.436-05:00VITRO Release Day!!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">VITRO GOES ON SALE TODAY!!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaJyMTZV2f-0QTOZAiNepEWh0DeUA1vhN7JFq7tm-z-hxBv1yeXNm99EjcgZJ7gpCCsPPcxpI1zzvgTTZvy1CuDqEmwSrr62DGs3ITGncYx85WzpTXUChKzmU2MOV9jQA3TudX24BlStYx/s1600/Vitro-On-Sale-Now.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaJyMTZV2f-0QTOZAiNepEWh0DeUA1vhN7JFq7tm-z-hxBv1yeXNm99EjcgZJ7gpCCsPPcxpI1zzvgTTZvy1CuDqEmwSrr62DGs3ITGncYx85WzpTXUChKzmU2MOV9jQA3TudX24BlStYx/s640/Vitro-On-Sale-Now.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">How to describe the feelings? </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">I want to say it's all classy like this:</span><br />
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<a href="http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20130422044208/glee/images/f/f2/Leo-Toast.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20130422044208/glee/images/f/f2/Leo-Toast.gif" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">But honestly, it's a bit more like this:</span><br />
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<a href="http://rack.2.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDEzLzA3LzA1LzY1L0xva2kuMTYxZDYuZ2lmCnAJdGh1bWIJMTIwMHg5NjAwPg/7b032810/6e0/Loki.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://rack.2.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDEzLzA3LzA1LzY1L0xva2kuMTYxZDYuZ2lmCnAJdGh1bWIJMTIwMHg5NjAwPg/7b032810/6e0/Loki.gif" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">But also something like this:</span><br />
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<a href="http://static4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20130812232907/degrassi/images/1/11/Merida_faint.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="166" src="http://static4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20130812232907/degrassi/images/1/11/Merida_faint.gif" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I feel like I've been waiting FOREVUH. It's been 16 months since <i>Origin </i>came out--that's like, an ENTIRE LIFETIME if you're a Labord's Chameleon. That means, a Labord's Chameleon has been born, fell in love, got married, had Labord's Chameleon babies, sent those Chameleon babies off to Chameleon Chollege, achieved all his Chameleon hopes and dreams, got old, and died happily in his sleep in the time that I've been waiting for VITRO to come out! </span></div>
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<a href="http://25.media.tumblr.com/b066c469c070597d1c4d24d554785cc2/tumblr_mssb5zEc5p1r3kc13o1_500.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/b066c469c070597d1c4d24d554785cc2/tumblr_mssb5zEc5p1r3kc13o1_500.gif" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Well. That was depressing. Sorry.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Anyway, I am so thrilled and excited to finally be able to share <i>Vitro</i> with you! Writing this book taught me so much about writing, perseverance, and stepping out of my comfort zone. There were a lot of "firsts" for me with <i>Vitro</i>: first time in third person, first time with multiple narrators, first time working on a book with the advantage of having an editor there the whole way, first time writing with the knowledge that now I have actual, live readers who are waiting for this book. My second book was a study in good firsts and challenging firsts, and through it all, I learned one thing more important than anything else: that writing is a beautiful and remarkable privilege, and I am so fortunate to be able to do this. And the <i>reason </i>I am able to do this is because of beautiful and remarkable readers like you! </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">So from the bottom of my heart, <u>thank you, thank you, and thank you</u> to all my readers for your patience, your trust, and your enthusiasm! It's your letters, smiles, and excitement that makes me wake up each morning with a smile!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Here. You deserve this:</span></div>
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<a href="http://media.giphy.com/media/iarIsfJQttHBS/giphy.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://media.giphy.com/media/iarIsfJQttHBS/giphy.gif" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0CcagF352CDGq4YelxR9jIFrYu1QpeMUd3z012D-qOvtLZtF7aag_9VnA5qH9vt43SD3FeAIznBgOvRwWamFKsLmbquUvhCzNPtGrdnT8WAM3b7Aan_NIrDxmhTjBoCPMFXrj3ZUcGWi_/s1600/cheers!.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0CcagF352CDGq4YelxR9jIFrYu1QpeMUd3z012D-qOvtLZtF7aag_9VnA5qH9vt43SD3FeAIznBgOvRwWamFKsLmbquUvhCzNPtGrdnT8WAM3b7Aan_NIrDxmhTjBoCPMFXrj3ZUcGWi_/s320/cheers!.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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Jessica Khouryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13831301896001045087noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4048635805627666032.post-21924252187599672972014-01-03T12:52:00.000-05:002014-01-03T18:07:31.823-05:00Operation: Vitro<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">VITRO releases in 10 days, and to count down, I'm running an epic online contest. If you played Origin Olympics back in 2012, you already know what's coming...</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcPIgrZzuvTJPpSllhyphenhyphenS_R8pcUiuaeukB4Fi4jS1pkX4vg6ZO43yrxMoqE_VfggWLxZiFz0bbJK1LC0F8kZ9wyGxnCdG_R5-9BXzVQ6GxW0rNxd1uY1qMbtcTXfjeao1KUBYv2SkAkGhaQ/s1600/Operation+Vitro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcPIgrZzuvTJPpSllhyphenhyphenS_R8pcUiuaeukB4Fi4jS1pkX4vg6ZO43yrxMoqE_VfggWLxZiFz0bbJK1LC0F8kZ9wyGxnCdG_R5-9BXzVQ6GxW0rNxd1uY1qMbtcTXfjeao1KUBYv2SkAkGhaQ/s640/Operation+Vitro.jpg" width="603" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">The idea is, <i>everyone wins</i>. That's right. Everyone who plays is <b>guaranteed to win prizes. </b>In addition, I'm offering signed books, new swag, and even a new Barnes & Noble Nook e-reader with a gift card, so you can fill it up with some great new reads!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9JmzdVprxAq8Slpvo0-I2zJSEJ4sJjQtwV74yqIcdGNHf2rzCYv-R20h9osdE50wkocTeoJTf4uQb8jo_5a9fcX99hxHraJnnAOuxrUztyi50kHg8b_kJKbhpr62U2wqk9M2WaF7nmzuD/s1600/Jackpot2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9JmzdVprxAq8Slpvo0-I2zJSEJ4sJjQtwV74yqIcdGNHf2rzCYv-R20h9osdE50wkocTeoJTf4uQb8jo_5a9fcX99hxHraJnnAOuxrUztyi50kHg8b_kJKbhpr62U2wqk9M2WaF7nmzuD/s640/Jackpot2.png" width="563" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">To start winning prizes, all you have to do is visit <a href="http://www.corpusnetwork.com/">www.CorpusNetwork.com</a>. By doing so, you'll become an intern for Corpus, the enigmatic corporation behind the experiments in both <i>Origin </i>and <i>Vitro</i>. Once you start the contest, you'll be approached by an unknown individual seeking to expose some of Corpus's dark secrets--secrets that only YOU will have access to. Accept the mission and begin the game--the prizes await you at the other end.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-large;">And to top everything off, I'm launching Operation: Vitro with something completely new and awesome: a book trailer for Vitro! Watch the trailer, click the link below it, and get started.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-large;">You have 10 days to complete the game. Your time starts at MIDNIGHT TONIGHT.</span><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/JMnICjb7V8Y" width="560"></iframe>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><a href="http://www.corpusnetwork.com/" target="_blank">BEGIN OPERATION: VITRO</a></span><br />
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Jessica Khouryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13831301896001045087noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4048635805627666032.post-17360681581462446132013-12-28T11:18:00.000-05:002013-12-28T11:18:23.625-05:00There and Back Again<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-size: large;">Back when we were dating, I asked my (then future) husband to name the first place he'd go if he could go anywhere in the world. He said New Zealand, and I knew then that we were soul mates--because I would say the exact same thing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Finally, this December, we were able to go! Here are a few pics and stories from our amazing trip. I absolutely fell in love with this country, not only for its awe-inspiring scenery, but also for its welcoming people. I've never been in a country where everyone, from shop owners to bus drivers, seemed so happy to meet (and assist) hapless tourists.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">So here are some of my Top Moments from New Zealand.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">HOBBITON</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Okay, so I'll admit it--when I saw Bag End I started to cry. It was surreal to walk through Hobbiton, with all the props and gardens left as they were in the films, as if the hobbits were simply just around the corner, out of sight.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">SPERM WHALE</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Thar she blows, cap'n! My three hour whale-watching tour all came down to three minutes of Whale Bobbing On The Surface Before Submerging, but it was still pretty cool to see.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">SOUTHERN ALPS</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">This was in Aoraki National Park; the trail leads to the foot of Mt. Cook, NZ's highest mountain. Do those mountains look familiar? That's because they're the Misty Mountains from the LotR & Hobbit films!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">THE MILFORD SOUND</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Ranked as one of the world's greatest sights, the fiords in NZ are spectacular. It's impossible to describe the immensity and grandeur of the mountains rising around you, enwreathed in clouds and mist. Despite rain and heavy cloud cover, I was left breathless by the view.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">This waterfall is three times higher than Niagara.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">GLOWWORMS</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">So we went into a cave and saw glowworms. Imagine being in utter, complete, consuming darkness--only to look up and see what look like pale green stars scattered a foot overhead. It was eerie and beautiful and strange, and I wish I could show you a pic, but photography wasn't allowed. So here's a pic of the sunset we saw when we finished the cave tour! Still pretty.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">LIONS</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">At the Orana Wildlife Park in Christchurch, I had the unique opportunity to go inside a cage on the back of a truck and witness a lion feeding <i>really </i>close up. As in, I came out with lion spit all over me. Random question: is it really a good idea to teach the lions to associate humans in a cage with tasty hunks of meat? Not sure. But common sense aside, it was fun. For us, and the lions too, I believe.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">CANYONING</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">It's like all of the things rolled into one: abseiling, hiking, zip lining, rock climbing, swimming, jumping, falling down...So much fun.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">"Jump like Superman," they said. So I did.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">WATER<br />Water, water, everywhere. I don't know if this is indicative of NZ year round, but the place was positively <i>dripping</i>. It rained nearly every day of our three-week trip, and simply became a part of life. And the lakes, rivers, and bays are all this incredible blue-green color that I never tired of seeing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">TONGARIRO CROSSING (aka MORDOR)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Ranked as one of the world's top day hikes, Tongariro was... many things. Challenging, as we hiked it in the rain (in this photo, we'd hiked <i>above </i>the rainclouds and got this very brief view of Mt. Doom--yes, <i>Mt. Freakalackin' Doom</i>). Breathtaking, because for one, the views--when we got them through the rain--were astounding, and for two, because <i>you're climbing a friggin mountain and being blasted with freezing rain and winds strong enough to knock you off your feet when you're standing on a precipice looking down into nothing but cloud and empty air</i>. But hey. I can now say I've simply walked through Mordor (though "simple" would be a slight understatement).</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">LAKE TEKAPO</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">This was one of my favorite stops. The lupin blossoming everywhere was so pretty (you'll see it briefly in The Hobbit: DoS), and Mt. Cook in the distance was just amazing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">LAKE PUKAKI</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">This was my favorite lake. We camped right on the shores, and had this incredible view to feast on. It was the blue-est (and coldest) lake I've ever seen (and swam in). </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">DUNEDIN</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">In the "Edinburgh of the South," I wandered through several cathedrals. When I stepped inside them, I felt I'd stepped back into England or Germany.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">FIELD WHERE SOME LotR BATTLES WERE FOUGHT</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I really have no other name for it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">THE CHASM</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">This is heading into Fiordlands National Park. I'm pretty sure the jungles were infested with velociraptors, but unfortunately I was unable to capture one on camera.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">WHITEWATER RAFTING THROUGH ROHAN</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Rohirrim's favorite method of transportation, after horses. No but really. At a certain point in The Two Towers, you can freeze the film and see two tiny whitewater rafts in the river, right in the middle of Rohan. Oops.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">QUEENSTOWN</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The coolest little city I've ever been to. The place runs on sheer adrenaline, and this is the place to go if you want to jump out of a plane, bungy off a cliff, or parasail off a mountain.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">THE HOBBIT</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I couldn't be in New Zealand during the premiere of the new Hobbit movie and <i>not </i>go see it. Thankfully, the others in my tour group were of a like mind, and we made a day of it. Movie feelings aside, it was so cool to see scenes set in places I'd hiked or viewed days earlier!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">ORIGIN!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Hey, look at that! <i>Origin </i>is in New Zealand! I signed copies at two bookstores in Christchurch, and it was a pretty awesome feeling.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Some of the copies were here at Scorpio Books' Re:START Mall location. The Mall, built on the site of Christchurch's devastating earthquake of 2011. It's made out of storage containers and is pretty cool!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">FLYING KIWI</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I traveled with Flying Kiwi tours, a cool tour company perfect for people who want to <i>do </i>NZ, not just see it. We camped each night, rode bikes, hiked, and made some really cool new friends from all over the world. It was fantastic, and I'd definitely recommend Flying Kiwi to anyone going to NZ who's interested in making friends and also not having to worry about driving or accommodation.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Missing you already, NZ! Good times. <3</span></div>
Jessica Khouryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13831301896001045087noreply@blogger.com40tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4048635805627666032.post-80218970153272833162013-11-13T20:57:00.000-05:002013-11-14T09:59:00.007-05:00What Writing Process?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: large;">“What’s your process like?” </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">“Are you a planner or a pantser?” </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">“What kind of environment do you need to write?” </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">“What inspires you?” </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">“Where do you get your stories?”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> “What’s your writing style?”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">These questions and their many variations are ones I’ve heard countless times in interviews, discussions, panels, and emails. They’re not bad questions, and I don’t mind hearing or answering them. I understand why they’re asked. The writing process of an author is something that’s romantic to imagine, particularly if you’re not a writer yourself, and when we love a piece of art, it’s natural to want to explore its roots. That’s why there is so much behind-the-scenes footage attached to movies. It’s why we love to watch Jennifer Lawrence doing interviews on talk shows. It’s why we can’t bring up Van Gogh without mentioning that missing ear. We all want to see the man behind the curtain, so that by understanding him, we can more deeply internalize his work. And simply because we’re curious creatures, and that’s a wonderful trait to have. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">But I always struggle with these kinds of questions. I used to chalk it up to my novice status as an author. With only one book truly published right now, and my second waiting in the wings for another two months, I still feel I have a lot of ground to cover, a lot of ropes to learn. Even so, I’ve stumbled and stuttered my way through enough public Q&A’s that I like to think I’ve finally gotten a bit of a grip on how to present myself and my books to the world. And yet these questions—the writing process questions—still take me by surprise and leave me a bit dumbfounded. The answers I gave three months ago, which seemed to finally distill the essence of my writing process, suddenly fall short. More often than not, I find myself formulating new answers on the spot, clumsy, fledgling words that still fail to encapsulate my feelings. And I find myself disappointed, asking <i>What </i>is <i>my writing process? How </i>do <i>I come up with stories? WHO AM I ANYWAY? </i>I never feel more like an impostor than at these moments.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">But I think I’m beginning to understand why. They say every writer’s process is different. This is, of course, completely true.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">What they don’t say is that every <i>book’s </i>process is different. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">And this is what trips me up. This is where my tongue stumbles and I begin contradicting myself and turning red in the face. “What’s your writing process?” the blogger or audience member or email asks. And I’m left with my mouth hanging open, big blue question marks in my eyes. Do I describe the process by which I wrote <i>Origin</i>? Or should I talk about <i>Vitro</i>? Or the book I’m working on now? Or my early, feeble attempts at novels when I was a teen? Because the processes behind each of these are entirely unique. Some of them have almost nothing at all in common. And so I’m left speechless, because I realize <i>I don’t have a writing process</i>. And then I panic. Am I a bad writer? Am I doing something wrong? (Possibly, but that’s beside the point).</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Writing books is like raising children. You can’t handle them all the same way. They have unique personalities, unique beginnings and struggles and moments of triumph. They have different strengths and weaknesses. I wrote <i>Origin </i>in a month’s time, with zero planning, zero pausing, zero rewrites, and zero revisions before I sent it to agents. I wrote <i>Vitro </i>over the course of nine months, with much planning, many rewrites, frequent pausing, and hefty revisions. The books are two entirely different creatures, requiring entirely different methods of care and handling. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">As I move on to new projects, I find—much to my dismay—that once more, I’m discovering a new process along with a new story. I’m reinventing my entire process every time. It’s frustrating. I think, <i>I’ve been through this! I know what works! So why isn’t it working this time? </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">As a kid, I was punished in an entirely different way than my younger sister. If I was bad (and I frequently was), I was disciplined by having my books impounded (granted, I always found out where my parents had hidden them and stole them back. They pretended not to notice). My sister, whose veins ran with normal blood instead of the ink that infested mine, had more ordinary forms of punishment, like being grounded from hanging out with friends or having her internet suspended. My parents recognized the differences in our personalities and approached us in the unique ways that would best reach us.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Books are that way, for a writer. You can’t approach each new project with the same methods as the one before it. Well, maybe some writers can, but I know that it never works for me. Every time I sit down to begin a new book, I have to go all the way back to the beginning, where I have nothing: no plan, no secrets, no handy charts, no shortcuts. Just me and the empty page, staring at each other warily, like a child and a stray cat who’ve just met in the front yard. The beginning of a project is always thick with suspicion and hesitance, as I feel out what this story’s personality is, and how best to make it respond to me. Some books can be guided with a feather; others require the subtlety of a chainsaw. Some characters will happily follow wherever I lead them. Others have to be chained and dragged, sullen and resentful, down the right path. I never fully trust myself that I know the direction to go, or even how to get there, but I know I have to try. If I didn’t try, I might as well stop breathing. This is what I was born to do.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">And that’s why I love writing. There is a process, yes, but the beauty of the process is that it <i>can’t </i>be distilled. You can’t shape every book with the same mold. You have to start over each time, with nothing but your imagination and your vision. The result is that it <i>never gets boring</i>. No matter how much I’ve written, no matter how many shortcuts or tricks or methods I’ve learned, writing always demands <i>more </i>of me. It always says, “Come, you can do better than that. Let’s go somewhere new.” </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">And my doubts and trepidation fall away, and I realize that what I hate most about writing is also what I love most about it: that there’s no level of perfection than can be attained, that at no point will I suddenly “get it,” and from thereon be a “real writer.” It’s a thought that is equally devastating and liberating, depending on the day and one’s mood. The important thing to remember is that it’s not about reaching perfection nor even striving toward it. It’s all about the journey, and the many twisting, challenging, and magnificent roads we’ll travel. I’m a writer <i>now</i>. I’m here. I’ve arrived. And so have you, if you’ve ever put a story to paper. There’s no standard by which all writers are judged either Success or Failure. Every new book is a new beginning, a chance to test new ideas and to make new mistakes. We’ll never be bored, we’ll often be frustrated, and we’ll always surprise ourselves when we discover something new hidden inside ourselves. We’re all pilgrims on the same mad quest. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">So I suppose you <i>could </i>distill the writing process into one word. I think it would be: “Reinvention.” </span></div>
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Jessica Khouryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13831301896001045087noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4048635805627666032.post-84954591791460952562013-09-23T13:30:00.002-04:002014-01-31T14:19:14.389-05:00Blue-bottle Fly: 3 Keys to Writing Knockout Descriptions!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;">"</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i>The first few doors they tried led only into spare bedrooms, as everyone had expected that they would; but soon they came to a very long room full of pictures and there they found a suit of armour; and after that was a room all hung with green, with a harp in one corner; and then came three steps down and five steps up, and then a kind of little upstairs hall and a door that led out on to a balcony, and then a whole series of rooms that led into each other and were lined with books - most of them very old books and some bigger than a Bible in a church. And shortly after that they looked into a room that was quite empty except for one big wardrobe; the sort that has a looking-glass in the door. There was nothing else in the room at all except a dead blue-bottle on the window-sill.</i></span><span style="font-size: x-large;">"</span></blockquote>
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excerpt from <i>The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe</i></div>
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by C. S. Lewis</div>
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<span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Description.</span> </span></h2>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">It's one of the most basic parts of writing, taught to us in elementary school through such mnemonics as "Use all five senses!" and "Adjectives!" (Ironically, when you get older, suddenly the rules change and the latter isn't desirable after all--I've never understood this inconsistency.)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Description is a skill in which a writer can either shine or fade. You absolutely must have it to some extent, unless you're lucky enough to write picture books and can portray most of your description through pictures. Outside that, the rest of us are resigned to thinking of clever new ways to talk about lamps and sofas, or how to originally describe a doctor's waiting room.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Description shouldn't be a chore for either the writer or the reader. If you're bored writing a description, then chances are your reader will be bored with it too. But if you strip away descriptions, your world and your story will feel unfinished, a bare-boned scaffold standing where a complete building should be. It's the description which brings a world to life, whether that world is a vast continent enwreathed in magic and fantastic lore or a simple bedroom in a tiny apartment in Brooklyn.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Here's how you can both enjoy writing descriptions and ensure that your reader will sink into them as contentedly as if they were a bed of down and silk.</span></div>
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<a href="http://photos.foter.com/177/laid-back-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://photos.foter.com/177/laid-back-5.jpg" height="400" width="298" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/philhawksworth/5196977902/" target="_blank">source</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Devil's in the details.</span></h2>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It's easy to go too far. I am perpetually tempted to obsess over every detail in a description, and the result is excruciating, overweight paragraphs like this example:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">"The walls were lined with paper depicting tiny rocking horses, but parts of it had been ripped away. The wall beneath was dark red, the color of dried blood. A crib sat in the corner, covered with cobwebs. A mobile hung over it, and the stuffed planets that once spun in a merry orbit now leaked cotton into the crib and smelled of mold. An old Persian rug, its corners nibbled away by rats, spread over the creaking wood planks of the floor, and there was a lump under one corner that I had absolutely no desire to investigate. A dresser sat against the wall to my left, its cherry wood top lined with an inch of dust and the photographs sitting on it, in their tarnished silver frames, had long ago faded, but a few ghostly faces still peered out, their eyes unblinking and their faces grim. There were two chairs, both hard and unreliable-looking, as well as an old toy box painted with hot hair balloons and a single wicker basket filled with dusty yarn. A knitting needle stuck at an angle from one of these, as if it had been stabbed there, the final act of the homicidal Victorian nanny who had haunted these hallways so long ago."</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: large;">If you ended up skimming most of that, I wouldn't blame you--and this was just a tame example of the kind of overwrought description I'm talking about. Too many details weigh down your story and instead of making a world come to life, it overwhelms your reader and overtakes your narrative. Ever read <i>Moby Dick</i>? It's like that. Maybe those kind of descriptions floated in the 19th century, but not anymore. Readers don't have time for that! </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In the above example, I ended up writing a few descriptions I kind of liked and would keep in the story. This is where I'd go back, cross out two-thirds of the paragraph, and present the reader with two or three crisp details.<br /><br />The rest I'd leave to the reader's imagination.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I love this quote by Stephen King:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">“Description begins in the writer’s imagination, but should finish in the reader’s.”</span></blockquote>
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from <i>On Writing, </i>by Stephen King</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">What makes reading such a personal experience is the reader's imaginative investment in the story. Don't steal that from your audience by giving them <i>every single detail. </i>Going back to the excerpt at the top of this post, I want to point out what Lewis did to make his descriptions so powerful--but so concise.</span></div>
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<a href="http://fc04.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2012/016/9/e/blueee_makeup_eye_stock_by_glamourousacid_stock-d4mku32.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://fc04.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2012/016/9/e/blueee_makeup_eye_stock_by_glamourousacid_stock-d4mku32.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://trishamonsterr-stock.deviantart.com/art/blueee-makeup-eye-stock-279788366" target="_blank">source</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">1. KISS: Keep It Simple, Stupid!</span></h2>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This is what I tell myself every time I catch my descriptions dragging on. Cut back, focus on one to three details and no more.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br />In his description of the rooms in the Professor's house, Lewis doesn't list every item in every room, thankfully. Instead, he draws out one or two significant details for each: the suit of armor, the harp, the books "bigger than a Bible in church." And last of all, the room with the wardrobe! And a dead blue-bottle fly on the windowsill.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Of course, we all want to know about the titular wardrobe, but I want to talk about the blue-bottle fly. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Exercise time! Read that last part of Lewis's description, then close your eyes, and imagine the room. Imagine you, like Lucy, have just stumbled through the door and are now looking around, taking it all in: the floor, the ceiling, the walls, the wardrobe, the blue-bottle fly. What does the room smell like? What sort of light is there? What does it make you feel? Now open your eyes.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">When I first did this exercise (years before the movie came out!), the room sprang to life in my mind. Light streamed through the window, over the dead fly, and there were dust motes dancing in the beams. The room smelled musty like an old attic, but also like cedar.</span><span style="font-size: large;"> It would have been easy for Lewis to leave out that last little detail, but by putting it in, the room becomes three-dimensional. It feels old, forgotten. And, cleverly, it draws attention to the wardrobe by teasing your attention <i>away </i>from the wardrobe. It makes the reader say, "Yes, I see the blue-bottle on the windowsill--but let's get back to that wardrobe!" Like when a camera pans across a scene, you spot some important detail, but the camera keeps going--before stopping, reversing, and going back to the thing you saw.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The blue-bottle isn't an idly dropped detail--it's an <i>hors d'oeuvre</i> of the finest quality. It whets the reader's appetite, inviting the reader to invest into the story, to add his or her own details to this room. It says, "Here are the dots--now fill in the lines."</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It took less than a sentence for Lewis to entice his readers, to invite them to invent the story alongside him--and that is the magic of reading. A good description doesn't bash the reader over the head with every detail; it says, "Here's a little bit, now you do the rest."</span></div>
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<a href="http://fc03.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2011/204/6/f/dragonfly_by_eirian_stock-d41df63.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://fc03.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2011/204/6/f/dragonfly_by_eirian_stock-d41df63.jpg" height="272" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">2. Be specific.</span></h2>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Once you focus on a single detail or two, it's time to really make those details pop. It wasn't just a dead fly on the windowsill of that wardrobe room--it was a <i>blue-bottle</i>. Specificity is key in making a detail go from humdrum to unique. That's not a just a tree outside your window--that's a sugar maple. That's not just a car mysteriously parked down the street--that's a '67 Chevy Impala. Make your details count. Make them rich and memorable, not by drawing them out over a paragraph, but by being as specific as you can.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Specificity makes details <i>interesting</i>. This is extremely important and your readers will love you for it. Bland, categorical details like "tree," "car," or "book," feel one-dimensional and monochrome. Fill your world with color and depth by highlighting the uniqueness of your details. The smaller you get, the closer your focus the zoom lens of your writing, the more interesting the details become. Sort of like with an appetizer--serve your guests too much before the meal and they won't want dinner. Give them just enough to make them hungry, just enough to make them want more--and you're golden!</span></div>
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<a href="http://fc06.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2011/034/9/9/bruschetta_appetizer_14786509_by_stockproject1-d38q6z3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://fc06.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2011/034/9/9/bruschetta_appetizer_14786509_by_stockproject1-d38q6z3.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://fc06.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2011/034/9/9/bruschetta_appetizer_14786509_by_stockproject1-d38q6z3.jpg" target="_blank">source</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">3. Make the details count twice.</span></h2>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Now--this is very important!--make your details work double-time. This is a prime opportunity to show, not tell, some facet of your character or setting. Let's say your MC walks into his best friend's room and sees a stack of magazines in the corner, and that's one of your 1-3 details. Okay, fine. But <i>what kind </i>of magazines are they? This one detail will tell us <i>reams </i>about what kind of person the best friend is. Are they Playboys? Are they New Yorkers? Are they National Geographics? The answer will stick in the reader's mind and help shape their opinion of that character, so choose wisely! </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Don't tell me your villain has tattoos and leave it at that--I want to know exactly what they are and what they mean to him or her. Don't tell me your MC grabbed lunch from the cafeteria--tell me whether she grabbed a vegan sandwich or a plate piled with fried chicken. These details are easy ways to bring characters to life without <i>telling </i>me in bland sentences that she's a vegan with tattoos. Often we mistakenly think that in order to <i>show </i>vs. <i>tell</i>, we have to put all the details in dialogue. Wrong! Here is an even more effective way of "showing," while describing at the same time.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Excercises</span></h2>
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<span style="font-size: large;">1) <b>READ. </b>Grab three favorite books from your shelf. Find three descriptions in each of them and note what details the author includes and what details he/she leaves up to you.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">2) <b>WRITE. </b>Now get out paper. Describe the room you are sitting in, focusing on as many details as you can. Leave nothing out. Detail every piece of furniture, the objects on them, the floor, the walls, the lighting, the smell. Don't hold back.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">3) <b>APPLY. </b>Now begin weeding out the excess descriptions that you just recorded. Whittle your sentences down until you have two or three compelling, interesting, <b>specific </b>details about the room that not only give me a clear picture of the room while inviting me to add my own imaginative twist to it--but t<u>hat also tell me something about you</u>. Next, do the same thing--to your current WIP. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u>Remember these three principles of effective descriptions:</u></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>1. Keep it simple</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>2. Be specific</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>3. Make your details count twice</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Comment!</b><br />In the comments, tell me about a detail you read in a story that has stuck with you long afterwards. Why do you think that detail is so memorable?</span></div>
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Jessica Khouryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13831301896001045087noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4048635805627666032.post-62205000957089204532013-09-07T20:50:00.000-04:002013-09-07T20:50:22.942-04:00Using Pinterest to Boost Blog Traffic<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>What's that you say?</i> </span></h3>
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A way to finally justify all those countless hours I spend repinning kittens and goulashes and inspirational workout quotes? </span></h3>
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Could it be true?</span></h3>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">Dear reader, it is.</span></i></h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLTr6muwXA0Sag1xzvWbjIdA22eB5O4bY2MCvHCMh0HIBanRIKY4sUfw7QyGr37gwV289Q3M5QPEE7eSon03XKB3YpaRLNGjDIgaypjQYBC-CyyJPcOCryav7hyGKiERW8dOJvLg4YjJWO/s1600/pinterestboost.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="340" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLTr6muwXA0Sag1xzvWbjIdA22eB5O4bY2MCvHCMh0HIBanRIKY4sUfw7QyGr37gwV289Q3M5QPEE7eSon03XKB3YpaRLNGjDIgaypjQYBC-CyyJPcOCryav7hyGKiERW8dOJvLg4YjJWO/s640/pinterestboost.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Enough fun and games. It's time to start making that Pinterest account start working for <b>you</b>, instead of the other way around.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDuVveEr5jAvJFDZrm4ph2quKf8auwfF-fC9_ytlaTGRXrkRTTjkIwRx_sXXLH7JeA2CFkyD5Aw1gnTaKvxU-RGrZBRSP4_QlXMC3zF8bkvevfwDdHAj19rLzKqFXXaiQ_qppODxS8dgMP/s1600/pinteresteyes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDuVveEr5jAvJFDZrm4ph2quKf8auwfF-fC9_ytlaTGRXrkRTTjkIwRx_sXXLH7JeA2CFkyD5Aw1gnTaKvxU-RGrZBRSP4_QlXMC3zF8bkvevfwDdHAj19rLzKqFXXaiQ_qppODxS8dgMP/s640/pinteresteyes.jpg" title="Pinterest cartoon comic funny " width="303" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Pinterest has boomed in the past year. It has grown faster <i>t<a href="http://techcrunch.com/2012/02/07/pinterest-monthly-uniques/" target="_blank">han any other social network in history</a>. </i>Look at this chart:</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.inqbation.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Pinterest-Chart.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://www.inqbation.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Pinterest-Chart.jpeg" width="634" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://www.inqbation.com/pinterest-growth-chart/" target="_blank">source</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> That's a lot of numbers which basically say, there's a lot of folks on Pinterest these days, and those folks are spending a lot of time on the website--outmatched only by Facebook (I'll do another post later on how to utilize Facebook for similar purposes). Basically, since it's birth three years ago, Pinterest has exploded into one of the biggest social media networks, taking its place among the top six social sites with Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Google+, and LinkedIn.</span></div>
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Pinterest Advantages</span></h2>
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<li><b><span style="font-size: large;">Longevity</span></b></li>
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<li><span style="font-size: large;">This is one of the most important advantages of promoting your blog through Pinterest. Though the first few hours after posting will win you the most activity, after that, the longevity of your Pin is almost limitless. I've seen Pins for blog posts still circulating years after the post was originally written. And all it takes is one influential Pinner to find it weeks or months later, and your Pin (and thus your blog) could see a huge resurgence in popularity. That will almost never happen on Twitter, where a Tweet promoting your blog post can vanish in a matter of seconds from everyone's feeds. <b>Forever</b><i>.</i></span></li>
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<li><b><span style="font-size: large;">Images are more eye-catching than text</span></b></li>
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<li><span style="font-size: large;">Pinterest is completely centered on sharing and collecting images. This is where you have a chance to really shine and grab people's attention in a way you can't on Twitter and even Google. By creating eye-catching title-images (which I'll explain more below) and filling your blog posts with interesting, quality photos (which are, of course, non-copyright-violating) you can generate huge traffic numbers (interestingly, this will also boost your Google traffic, through their Image search).</span></li>
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<li><b><span style="font-size: large;">Analytics</span></b></li>
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<li><span style="font-size: large;">This is a relatively new feature offered by Pinterest. If you register as or convert your current account to <a href="http://business.pinterest.com/" target="_blank">a business account</a> (at no charge!), you'll have the ability to track what Pins and blog posts are the most repinned, most clicked, and most recent. Previously, these stats had to be tracked through external sites which tracked all of your Pins, not just those related to your blog. Pinterest's new internal analytics now track just the Pins linking back to your blog--which is immensely, hugely, awesomely helpful information!</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Here's the thingy that shows you all the cool stats on your shiny new Pinterest business account:</span></li>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig6zN0XxWptGc_-isyN_zl5wyP_A6uHbzdJkBzmWiW1xol7S_tPITXr6Om1Ijwt4as6U4AijiBAjricUzlsFN2Tf_HLbn1CjEy-rSpMmw-F50bhInoWDntUC6ZrmSHmgbK3XLTNHyblQsg/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-09-07+at+7.08.14+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="88" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig6zN0XxWptGc_-isyN_zl5wyP_A6uHbzdJkBzmWiW1xol7S_tPITXr6Om1Ijwt4as6U4AijiBAjricUzlsFN2Tf_HLbn1CjEy-rSpMmw-F50bhInoWDntUC6ZrmSHmgbK3XLTNHyblQsg/s640/Screen+Shot+2013-09-07+at+7.08.14+PM.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<li><span style="font-size: large;">It's less abrasive than Twitter, Facebook, etc.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-size: large;">Let's face it. We all get irritated by people who do nothing but shamelessly promote themselves through social media <b>all the time</b><i>. </i>While it's perfectly fine to send a few Tweets or post a link on Facebook about your latest blog entry, doing so all day will only cause your following to dwindle. Use these accounts to exchange genuine discussion with your online community--don't use them simply to shove your brand in people's faces. Using Pinterest not only gives you an alternative way to promote, it feels less abrasive and blatant than some of the other social networks. <b>However</b><i>, </i>you should still keep self-promotion to a minimum (don't Pin a single post more than once); if your content is attractive, quality work that deserves<i> </i>attention, interest and traffic will increase organically--<u><b>which is the absolute best way for it to happen.</b></u></span></li>
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<span style="font-size: large;">These are only a handful of the advantages Pinterest offers in terms of boosting blog traffic. Now I want to show you a few ways to ensure that you're connecting these two sites effectively.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">How To Share Posts on Pinterest</span></h2>
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<li><span style="font-size: large;">Use Image-Based Titling</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-size: large; font-weight: normal;">This is extremely important. Notice at the top of this particular blog post, I've placed an </span><span style="font-size: large;">image</span><i style="font-size: x-large; font-weight: normal;"> </i><span style="font-size: large; font-weight: normal;">of the post's title, "Using Pinterest to Boost Blog Traffic." Go ahead. Scroll up. Did you see it? Good. The reason you want to do this is because, well, </span><span style="font-size: large; font-weight: normal;">duh</span><i style="font-size: x-large; font-weight: normal;">, </i><span style="font-size: large; font-weight: normal;">Pinterest is an image-based site. Titling your post with mere text won't work, because you can't Pin that. You could Pin an image contained in the body of your </span><span style="font-size: large; font-weight: normal;">post, like I could Pin this picture of a cute African pygmy hedgehog:</span></li>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAOTHl6eNUgetFidpVaUEnNcuR95Hh1GLeS0UMZsxyNBDZ78DQK6YIamHHePqxh6LLPyUoNZozWim0Jw9p4p3z7vanzQASc1-36xJKUHcPIMGelKcadU1nviBGAV1sSTTnx3Fwxxg7kwCe/s1600/african-pygmy-hedgehog-23.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAOTHl6eNUgetFidpVaUEnNcuR95Hh1GLeS0UMZsxyNBDZ78DQK6YIamHHePqxh6LLPyUoNZozWim0Jw9p4p3z7vanzQASc1-36xJKUHcPIMGelKcadU1nviBGAV1sSTTnx3Fwxxg7kwCe/s400/african-pygmy-hedgehog-23.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://techcrunch.com/2012/02/07/pinterest-monthly-uniques/" target="_blank">source</a></span></div>
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<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">"Shouldn't that do the trick?" you ask. "Can't you just Pin the cute hedgehog and write "Using Pinterest to Boost Blog Traffic" in the description of the Pin? After all, that </span>should<i style="font-weight: normal;"> </i><span style="font-weight: normal;">boost traffic. The hedgehog is cute, after all, and who could resist that tiny hedgehog face? Well, not many people could, that's true--but I guarantee you many of those people won't care squat about boosting their blog traffic. They'll Repin your hedgehog, delete your description, and write their own--therefore effectively destroying 100% of that Pin's purpose--which is to generate interest in your blog post, not in cute hedgehogs. By making the image you Pin </span>be<i style="font-weight: normal;"> </i><span style="font-weight: normal;">the title of your post, 100% of the people who Repin it will do so out of interest in your blog's topic. And hey presto! </span>Mission accomplished. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Here are some other title-images I've done:</span></li>
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<a href="http://jnkhoury.blogspot.com/2012/06/how-to-make-your-own-killer-author.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh21FhjNKQUiuvSZcELxkqJ9MNgpQtfm67eCSP457KmefW4VO5GYGiIKpwra4QU3Y2oOfT2NBg0958ND4KuSr5ba-X1E5cWZ0IPFx_e0ofs28VLTTuDeqUhtBkC6m04hLWNgIF7y5jtBRA4/s320/website.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://jnkhoury.blogspot.com/2012/01/list-of-popular-ya-novels-word-counts.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW-K0jJI-Th9miPrTeWDo7vzcLjMeeJm-LQ-KxvhT4BG0qV8drbtq9csXflp0q_skXoZ8U9-C-I9mqWQwE7R1ug3sX3Z1bScrwxFA8BGBvd5HGFRtQVGYcL3oUmMqyMvE62gOqZDWXpQPy/s320/wordcounts.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://jnkhoury.blogspot.com/2013/04/ship-it-like-fedex-what-writers-can.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEoqgjBCL6GdkKMSyWh_Shk1OApHFp_EPMYQ9WHGAYOi6zsaRRUklltwA4CkWqLLFAbjYK6WJ8sUeQuHcYtnUrXxL5RyxxCsNrTej1mYMp7UXRXgUlm3lvaQh-W3pD3DUSVyBNVsBWqrbH/s1600/shipit.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://jnkhoury.blogspot.com/2013/06/how-to-travel-like-writer.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYZl4fKx2jPIA_X7-5ectXzdn3U69sqlkqfui9zwqZfvwmhyphenhyphenNOhYCLR0fnUITVwn2lVnFyWCMZ13-ODK_yecKTcYRX3VrJJ3CxBMrAa8-aBABslrtcGITXPq5Sr5SyHzD1GntzmNwh3nvO/s320/howtotravel.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div>
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<a href="http://jnkhoury.blogspot.com/2013/03/on-inspiration-how-to-find-your-story.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga4VorBSG63f3S_VpTSy9QVgd_8y0Lp_IDZwxbOq-jf2zZZHKSpKjalycOK68hZTu_TciEvoe-ewSEegL0hCn61pGI48_GFU0D0brzzClNapyVaOrsYrcucge8BGzURR_gljK9sxFMudHU/s320/inspiration.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<li><span style="font-size: large;"> <b>Remember, this works both ways. </b>A lot of people who reach your blog through Google, Twitter, Facebook, etc., will end up Pinning your posts themselves, either because they're bookmarking it for later reference or because they think your content would be useful and interesting to their own followers (yay for this!) Give them a handy title-image to Pin, and you're certain to keep generating traffic.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-size: large;">Make your images eye-catching</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;">Sometimes this means going the extra mile to find a great piece of quality clip art (I get mine from either <a href="http://foter.com/">foter.com</a> [which is free] or <a href="http://istockphoto.com/">istockphoto.com</a> [which is reasonably priced for the most part].) Then, be sure your text is:</span></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;">easy to read</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;">brightly colored</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;">not too busy</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;">not too boring</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;">relevant to your post (resist using cute hedgehogs for every title-image; if your post is about books, use a book. If it's about how to play the accordion, use an accordion, etc.)</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;">large and easy to spot in a Pinterest feed</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;">not written in Comic Sans (for the love of cute hedgehogs, please don't use Comic Sans)</span></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-size: large;">Post at a good time of day</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">It's easy to fall into the trap of "Oh my goodness this post will like change the world I need to share it everywhere NOW!" Okay. Easy. Breathe, my friend. Find out when your Pin is most likely to be seen. <a href="http://www.blogher.com/frame.php?url=http%3A%2F%2Fsocialmediatoday.com%2Fbrianna5mith%2F1453951%2Fbest-times-post-social-media-infographic&_back=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.blogher.com%2Fbest-time-day-post-facebook-twitter-or-pinterest" target="_blank">A recent study shows</a> that Pinterest users are most active between </span>2pm-4pm<span style="font-weight: normal;"> and </span>8pm-1am<span style="font-weight: normal;"> on weekdays and weekends, w</span>ith the most activity occurring on Saturday mornings.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-size: large;">Hold Pinterest-based contests</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Contests are a popular and effective way to attract new followers to your blog. By hosting a contest that incorporates Pinterest, your traffic and following can increase wildly. I've held many contests here on my blog, but the most popular by far have been the contests which in some way involved creating or sharing Pins. Pinterest has an amazing snowball effect when it comes to this kind of thing. Be sure your contest loops back to your blog in some way (you might create an image with the title and description of your contest that links back to the post with the instructions on how to enter). </span><a href="http://pinterest.com/pinchat/contests-on-pinterest/" style="font-weight: normal;" target="_blank">Here is a Pinterest board with a lot of fantastic examples of ways to promote your contest on Pinterest.</a><span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span></span></li>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmbbst-nA3d9Ruv41qd49GfEiNrL_ok2LNZGw4geuygxZVbKX1aMaxD9_gVRo_tbHjrau_SDOQ-ZJI1gUud7liBoyoYoi9NUjbDV85uFiyvkEPVD9CRkFbhgokbVgpEKOnndi95NG8fnj0/s1600/3c968c8eea8bc9e71e151373d83ea5cc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmbbst-nA3d9Ruv41qd49GfEiNrL_ok2LNZGw4geuygxZVbKX1aMaxD9_gVRo_tbHjrau_SDOQ-ZJI1gUud7liBoyoYoi9NUjbDV85uFiyvkEPVD9CRkFbhgokbVgpEKOnndi95NG8fnj0/s640/3c968c8eea8bc9e71e151373d83ea5cc.jpg" width="336" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/112308584431151323/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Look at this amazing contest-promo Pin my publisher made.</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I mean it's <b>gorgeous.</b></span></div>
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<li><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;">You can be creative with how to use Pinterest in this way--as a relatively young site, Pinterest's uses are still largely unexplored. For example, <a href="http://pinterest.com/jesskhoury/origin-olympics-pinfic-entries/" target="_blank">I once asked contestants to choose a Pin from any of my boards and write a short story about it.</a> My Pinterest following nearly doubled during this contest, with both contestants and people who noticed their entries and enthusiasm.</span></span></li>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">After I began using title-images to promote my blog posts, I saw a surge of blog traffic and a boost to my blog's following. I</span></span><span style="font-size: large;">t's even boosted the page views of posts I wrote one or two years ago.</span><span style="font-size: large;"> Now, when I go into my Blogger analytics, Pinterest is listed as the #1 referring site for my blog. It generates over 1/3 of my blog traffic now, and that number is growing--</span><span style="font-size: large;">and to top it off,</span><span style="font-size: large;"> that 1/3 is traffic I was not getting before I began Pinning title-images. So these are new readers, and my stats are telling me that many of them are coming back and pinning even more of my posts. When I first saw this, my eyes popped! It's truly made a difference in the way I blog, and I hope it can help you too.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Ultimately, the best thing you can do is be genuine, professional, and consistent. Don't make social networking all about pushing your product/brand/self image. </span>Focus on the people, not the product.<span style="font-weight: normal;"> Your most loyal fans will come out of genuine interaction, not shameless self-promo.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;">Okay, enough preaching! =) </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;">You guys are awesome. Thanks for reading! If you have questions or want to share ways you've used Pinterest to promote your blog, please leave a comment! </span></span></div>
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Jessica Khouryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13831301896001045087noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4048635805627666032.post-88501636647547692872013-09-06T18:15:00.001-04:002013-09-06T18:47:08.628-04:00Female Archetypes We Haven't Talked About: Dark vs. Pale Beauties<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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There has been a lot of discussion lately on the subject of female characters, particularly in YA circles, and it brought to my mind two <b>archetypes</b> we often discussed in my college English lit classes--but which I haven't seen mentioned in relation to the current female characters of YA Fiction.<br />
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I'm surprised we don't talk more about the subject of <b>Dark vs. Pale Beauties</b> in YA literature today (or has this discussion been strictly confined to undergrad literary criticism classes? I wouldn't be surprised.) Sure, we talk an awful lot about Strong Female Characters vs. Manic Pixie Dream Girls and a host of other hot, controversial catchphrases--but that of Dark and Pale Beauties is such an interesting dichotomy that I think it would really add to our discussion of female characters in general, especially now, when Female Leads are gaining popularity not only in literature but in film. So if I may, I'll drag out this old topic, dust it off, and try to glean some relevant discussion out of it.<br />
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Basics first. Let's all get on the same page here, in case we're not all Lit-Crit majors. Google is no help at all--search these terms and all it can offer is results on skin color, which is so <i>not </i>what these terms mean. I repeat: THESE TERMS DO NOT REFER TO SKIN TONE. Nor does the term "beauty" here mean the characters are necessarily physically attractive (I think it was originally coined to be more ironic than anything else, indicating the classical idealized female characters often portrayed in pre-20th-century literature).<br />
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So here are some brief definitions:<br />
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<u><span style="font-size: large;">Dark Beauty</span></u><br />
<u><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></u>
<i>Does <b>not</b> mean: </i>dark-haired, dark-skinned, or anything else to do with physical appearance.<br />
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<i>Does mean: </i>A female character who is "<b>experienced," either in worldly matters, sexuality, violence, </b>etc. She is independent, knowledgeable, jaded, often older (than a corresponding pale beauty), with some degree of power or at least semblance of power. She's likely to be strong-natured. She prefers to hide her weaknesses and exert authority over others. Her power is achieved through various means: physical ability, sexuality, manipulation, strength of character, vision, or will. Though she is often <i>perceived </i>to be the more villainous of these two archetypes, this is very often untrue of her. She's "street-smart." She will either disdain or envy the pale beauty, and in some cases seek to either "rescue" her from her innocence or protect her from becoming like herself.<br />
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Some examples of Dark Beauties:<br />
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- Katniss Everdeen (<i>The Hunger Games </i>by Suzanne Collins) (though arguably with some Pale characteristics)<br />
- Isabelle Lightwood (The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare)<br />
- Genya (<i>Shadow and Bone </i>by Leigh Bardugo)<br />
- Ridley Duchannes (<i>Beautiful Creatures </i>by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl)<br />
- Maela (<i>Crewel </i>by Gennifer Albin)<br />
- Fire (<i>Fire </i>by Kristin Cashore)<br />
- Katsa (<i>Graceling </i>by Kristin Cashore)<br />
- Meg (Disney's <i>Hercules</i>)<br />
- Scarlett O'Hara (<i>Gone with the Wind </i>by Margaret Mitchell)<br />
- River Song (<i>Doctor Who</i>)<br />
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<u><span style="font-size: large;">Pale Beauty</span></u><br />
<u><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></u>
<i>Does <b>not </b>mean: </i>fair-haired, fair-skinned, or anything else to do with physical appearance<br />
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<i>Does mean: </i>A female character who is <b>primarily naive, inexperienced, sheltered, perhaps idealistic</b>. She is dependent on others, though she may seek to break free and establish her autonomy. She may be a daydreamer, and if often mistaken to be meek and mild, or is pushed to be so. She is the "caged bird," often pressured to remain innocent and childlike. Seen as the embodiment of purity and sweetness, conflict often arises if she attempts to "grow up," or to shed her innocence. Many stories are built around a Pale Beauty attempting and either succeeding or failing to exchange her innocence for experience. Those around her who wish for her to remain pure will often speak for her, thus the Pale Beauty is often depicted without a voice--this does not mean she is weak, but rather that someone is attempting to press her into the Pale Beauty mold (interestingly, often they do so out of love, like the Elinor/Merida relationship in Pixar's <i>Brave</i>). This is the crux of "coming-of-age" stories. She will often either envy, despise, or attempt to emulate the Dark Beauty.<br />
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Examples:<br />
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- Primrose Everdeen (<i>The Hunger Games </i>by Suzanne Collins)<br />
- Elisa (<i>The Girl of Fire and Thorns </i>by Rae Carson) (though she does evolve as the story progresses)<br />
- Clary Fray (The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare) (another dynamic character!)<br />
- Tris (<i>Divergent</i>) (yet another dynamic character--she is an example of a Pale Beauty attempting to exert the Dark Beauty she believes herself to be)<br />
- Cassia (The <i>Matched </i>Trilogy by Ally Condie)<br />
- Kathy (<i>Never Let Me Go </i>by Kazuo Ishiguro)<br />
- Bitterblue (<i>Bitterblue </i>by Kristin Cashore) (another dynamic character--there are a lot of these in today's YA!)<br />
- Rapunzel (Disney's <i>Tangled</i>)<br />
- Christine (<i>The Phantom of the Opera </i>by Gaston Leroux)<br />
- Dorothy Gale (<i>The Wizard of Oz</i>)<br />
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Something I love about current YA fiction is that the lines between these two types of characters are often blurred. I've seen many female characters who are experienced in survival but innocent in love (Katniss) or who might only <i>appear </i>to be innocent Pale Beauties until the story conflict cracks open their shell and releases the Dark Beauty inside. Many times this is the result of the character herself striving to break free of the Pale Beauty archetype (Tris or Bitterblue), but other times this transformation is made reluctantly, and they must be pushed by outside forces to achieve independence and experience (Elisa from <i>The Girl of Fire and Thorns</i>).<br />
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The reason I'm bringing these two archetypes up at all is because I think they shed an interesting and useful light on character development and, since characters drive stories, plot development. While <b>not all female characters fit into these archetypes,</b> they can be useful in discovering the personal motivation and plot line for our girls.<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Is your character a Pale Beauty attempting to break free of her girlhood and establish herself as an autonomous Dark Beauty?</blockquote>
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Does your character wish to remain a Pale Beauty, but is forced by circumstances to put her innocence and purity aside and become a Dark Beauty in order to survive? </blockquote>
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Is your character a Dark Beauty who has committed some wrong, sacrificing her innocence, and does she seek to somehow redeem herself? Is she envious of the Pale Beauty's purity? </blockquote>
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Does your story contain both? Do you have a Pale Beauty striving to remain pure while set against a Dark Beauty who strives to either control or destroy her? (Like in the classic Snow White story) </blockquote>
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Are you taking a story which classically focused on a Pale Beauty and retelling it with the character recast as a Dark Beauty? (This often happens in fairy-tale retellings, such as <i>Cinder</i> by Marissa Meyer).</blockquote>
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There are so many <b>fascinating conflicts</b> that can arise out of the juxtaposition of these stereotypes, whether those stereotypes occur in the same character or whether they arise between two opposite ones. It brings up some intriguing questions:<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Will Pale Beauties always eventually become Dark, or can purity be retained through adulthood?</i> </blockquote>
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<i>Is there room for both archetypes to exist simultaneously in one character?</i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Can a Pale Beauty be strong and independent without sacrificing her innocence?</i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>What characteristics can be found with both archetypes?</i> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>What characteristics of these archetypes are true attributes, and which are projected onto the character by others?</i></blockquote>
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These aren't questions I necessarily have answers to, but I'm fascinated by them and by stories that deal with them. Being conscious of these archetypes and applying them to our characters can help us achieve a strong level of emotional development.<br />
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These archetypes are <b>particularly relevant to Young Adult literature</b>, I feel, because so much of YA is about coming-of-age, the loss of innocence, the quest for autonomy, and the reinvention of one's self. If you look at all of the YA character examples above, you'll find that most of them don't begin and end as the same type of character. Elisa (<i>A Girl of Fire and Thorns</i>), Clary (<i>TMI</i>), and Triss (<i>Divergent</i>) are all prime examples of girls who start out sheltered, innocent, and dependent but who through the course of their stories become independent, experienced characters more in line with the Dark Beauty archetype than the Pale Beauty they started as.<br />
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<b>Something I do not want to suggest </b>is that Dark Beauties are synonymous with "Strong" female characters while Pale Beauties are synonymous with "Weak" ones. That is a different discussion altogether, and though Pale-to-Dark character transformations do often coincide with "weak-to-strong," this isn't always true and these transformations are not mutually requisite. For example, giving Snow White a sword and armor does not turn her from a Pale Beauty to a Dark One, though it does (to some degree) turn her from a weak character to a strong one. She retains her purity and idealism despite becoming strong--which goes to show that a character need not be a Dark Beauty in order to display strength of will and character. Pale Beauties <i>can </i>have these traits, though others may attempt to strip them away.<br />
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Nor do I suggest that either archetype is more or less morally "good" than the other, though the <i>semblance </i>of goodness is attributed more to the Pale Beauty by other characters in her society (whether or not it is true, it is nevertheless inherent in the archetype and can provide an interesting source of drama if you have a Pale Beauty who is <i>not quite as good </i>as everything thinks she is). For example, one of my<i> </i>favorite pairings in pop culture: Galinda and Elphaba from <i>Wicked</i>. Galinda embodies the innocent purity of the Pale Beauty while Elphaba's Dark Beauty-like autonomy earns her the hatred of Oz's populace--yet if you are familiar with their story, you'll know that these archetypes have little bearing on each girl's actual morality (other than to provide delicious irony).<br />
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Pushing these two archetypes to the extreme results in stereotypes and caricatures of the Disney variety, which, though is acceptable to a degree in children's cartoons, <b>is to be avoided in literature</b>. What proves to be far more realistic and interesting is the blends created by these two archetypes rather than the black-and-white contrast of the Good Pale Beauty vs. the Evil Dark Beauty as in, say, Cinderella vs. The Wicked Stepmother.<br />
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Sorry for how ridiculously long this post is! I could probably go on another yard of blog-space before running out of steam on this topic. What I hope you take away from this is a character development tool you can apply to your own writing--particularly the questions I list above, and others like them.<br />
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If you're interested, I have two Pinterest boards dedicated to these two archetypes!<br />
<a href="http://pinterest.com/jesskhoury/characters-darkbeauties/" target="_blank">Dark Beauties Board</a><br />
<a href="http://pinterest.com/jesskhoury/characters-palebeauties/" target="_blank">Pale Beauties Board</a><br />
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In the comments, <b>I'd love to hear your thoughts! </b><br />
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Can you apply these archetypes to any other characters in YA literature? </li>
<li>What are some books you've enjoyed which contain the juxtaposition of the Dark vs. Pale Beauties?</li>
<li> Do you think these archetypes are relevant to YA today?</li>
</ul>
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Jessica Khouryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13831301896001045087noreply@blogger.com45tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4048635805627666032.post-58840556701413762532013-07-15T23:33:00.000-04:002013-07-16T10:38:47.358-04:00The Traveling Story - Season 1 - Episode 2<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></h2>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I had the huge honor of being part of the first installment of the Traveling Story! We five authors have been biting our nails waiting to share this with all of you--I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">THE TRAVELING STORY!</span></h2>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: underline;">What is the Traveling Story?</span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">5 Authors. 5 Days. 1 Story.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: georgia, garamond, serif; padding: 0px 0px 20px;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Each season of The Traveling Story will feature 5 well-known authors collaborating on one original, kick-ass story, with each author writing one of five episodes.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: georgia, garamond, serif; padding: 0px 0px 20px;">
<span style="font-size: large;">The full story will be revealed over the course of a week, with each episode appearing on the blog of the author who wrote it.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: georgia, garamond, serif; padding: 0px 0px 20px;">
<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: underline;">How Does it Work?</span></strong></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: georgia, garamond, serif; padding: 0px 0px 20px;">
<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;">There are only three rules for The Traveling Story:</span></strong></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: georgia, garamond, serif; padding: 0px 0px 20px;">
<span style="font-size: large;">1) No brainstorming, outlining, or discussion of plot ahead of time. The first author writes the first episode of ANY kind of story they want and the next author picks up where that episode leaves off, taking it WHEREVER they want to go! The last author ends the story however they see fit!</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: georgia, garamond, serif; padding: 0px 0px 20px;">
<span style="font-size: large;">2) An author cannot make changes to any previous episode. Each author has total creative control over their OWN episode only, but it has to continue where the last episode leaves off.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">3) HAVE FUN! As you’ll see from the awesome story that came out of this, we don’t take ourselves too seriously! The Traveling Story is meant to be fun for the writers but especially for the readers!</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: georgia, garamond, serif; padding: 0px 0px 20px;">
<span style="font-size: large; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: underline;"><strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Season 1 Authors:</strong></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: georgia, garamond, serif; padding: 0px 0px 20px;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Jessica Brody</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Jessica Khoury</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Emmy Laybourne</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Lish McBride</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Gretchen McNeil</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: georgia, garamond, serif; padding: 0px 0px 20px;">
<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;">*Don’t forget to <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TheTravelingStory" target="_blank">LIKE The Traveling Story on Facebook</a><span id="goog_698587551"></span><span id="goog_698587552"></span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/"></a> where we’ll be posting links to EVERY episode, so you never miss out on a piece of the story!</span></strong></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: georgia, garamond, serif; padding: 0px 0px 20px;">
<span style="font-size: large;">And to further entice you, we’ll be giving away an awesome Traveling Story prize pack featuring a book from EACH of the season 1 authors (enter at the bottom of this post.)</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: georgia, garamond, serif; padding: 0px 0px 20px;">
<span style="font-size: large;">I want to take a quick moment to say THANK YOU to author-extraordinaire Jessica Brody for her hard work in making this happen! She is the brains behind the whole operation and has gone the extra mile in making this story super special. *applause*</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m2yarbuyFD1qihztbo1_500.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="241" src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m2yarbuyFD1qihztbo1_500.gif" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: georgia, garamond, serif; padding: 0px 0px 20px;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: georgia, garamond, serif; padding: 0px 0px 20px;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">If you missed the first part of this story, <a href="http://www.jessicabrody.com/2013/07/the-traveling-story-season-1-episode-1/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+jessicabrody+%28Jessica+Brody%29&utm_content=FaceBook" target="_blank">find it now on Jessica Brody's blog!!</a></span></b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<span style="font-size: large;">Don't forget to check out <a href="http://pinterest.com/jessicabrody1/the-traveling-story/" target="_blank">the Traveling Story Pinterest board</a>!</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: georgia, garamond, serif; padding: 0px 0px 20px;">
<span style="font-size: large;">And without further ado…here is THE TRAVELING STORY SEASON 1!</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: georgia, garamond, serif; padding: 0px 0px 20px;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /></span></div>
<hr style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: georgia, garamond, serif; line-height: 21px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />
<h2 style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: georgia, garamond, serif; margin: 0px; padding: 10px 0px; text-align: center;">
<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;">Episode 2</span></strong></h2>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">by Jessica Khoury</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Keeping my eyes trained on the doors of the coffee shop, I
leaned against the wall, out of the way of the rushing pedestrians that flowed
up and down the street like blood rushing from an open wound, never stopping,
never slowing, making my head ache. I hated New York. I could hear Gretchen’s
words to me that morning, replaying like a song lyric in my head: <i>Just hang in there, my boy, and get the job
done, and you can be on a plane and out of there by midnight.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I flicked the watch on my wrist out from under the sleeve of
my sports coat. 5:10. Just as Gretchen said he would, the guy I was tailing
left the coffee shop sans one silver box, his hands in his pockets, girls
practically dropping as he passed, their eyes mooning after him. He was in a
hurry, jostling his way down the busy sidewalk, and he nearly bumped into a
stroller pushed by a mom in jean capris and Crocs, to whom he apologized with
his British accent. Cheesy as hell. And also as fake as the “Rolexes” the guy
behind me was trying to sell to a pair of Korean tourists, but the mom didn’t
seem to realize that. She blushed and ended up apologizing to <i>him</i>, but he’d already moved on,
disappearing into the crowd. Whatever. I had it all on tape. I hit <i>stop </i>on the handheld recorder I’d been
surreptitiously filming with and slipped it into the Jansport backpack I had
slung over my shoulder. I wasn’t there for the so-called Brit; I was there for
the box. And whatever sucker he’d passed it to.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I waited. I checked my watch again. 5:11. A group of
hipsters ambled out of the coffee shop, but none of them seemed to be my
target. One of them blinked at me over her faux-vintage sunglasses and said,
“Nice scarf.” I scowled and my hand went to the <i>keffiyeh</i> around my neck, and she shrugged and pushed her glasses up
her nose, turned to join her friends.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">5:12. I shot a glance at the watch dealer. The Koreans must
have caught on. They were moving away, but he was following them and waving a
watch, all smiles and charm. Then he caught me looking and met my eyes—and my
stomach jerked. His eyes <i>shifted, </i>just
faintly, just for a breath of a moment, but enough for me to realize this was
no New Yorker. This watch dealer was as phony as his goods. He wasn’t even from
this <i>galaxy.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I cursed myself inwardly for not seeing it sooner, because
now that I knew what he was, I noticed all the signs—the limp in his step, the
smell of burnt rubber, the way he flinched whenever someone walked by him. He
was here for the same reason I was—that silver box, or rather what was inside
it. And I’d rather die than let him lay one scaly finger on it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">“By all that is holy,” I muttered, fumbling for the camera,
wishing it was a gun, not sure what I intended to do with it. “You frickin
bast—“<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">BOOM.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The explosion of sound ripped the space where the watch
dealer had been standing. I’d seen a teleport before, but never so close, and
the sound is enough to stop your heart. There wasn’t any smoke or flames or
that kind of movie-effect stuff; it’s just the guy <i>was</i> there—and then he <i>wasn’t</i>.
The boom was the sound of the air closing in on the space where he had been and
the dimension walls slamming shut behind him. At least, that’s what Gretchen
theorized. And as I knew all too well, Gretchen had been wrong before.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Everyone around me was freaking out. They had to think it
was a bomb or something, some terror attack, probably. There were people
cowering behind trash cans, hydrants, running into and out of buildings,
looking around in bewilderment as they wondered what they were supposed to be
running <i>from. </i>No one seemed to have
noticed the watch dealer’s sudden disappearance. My ears were ringing still,
but I had to move. There was no way my target hadn’t heard the boom of the guy
teleporting, and he—or she—would be on the move for sure. Several people were
spilling out of the coffee shop, one of them a tall, built guy in leather and
denim, his head tattooed. Could that be him? No way to tell. Too much
confusion, too much noise. He headed north, away from me, and I leapt into
action, rushing after. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">But before I could get three steps, a girl came careening
through the coffee shop doors and barreled straight into me with the force of a
frickin <i>rhinoceros</i>. She and I tangled
up, falling, yelling. My knees bit the concrete and my palms got all scuzzed up
in that painful way that doesn’t look bad but hurts like hell. The camera flew
out of my bag and skidded across the pavement, nearly getting trampled by a
suited businessman.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">“Are you <i>crazy</i>?” I
asked, and at the same time, she said, “What was that noise?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I grabbed the camera and thrust it back into my bag. There
was still a lot of screaming and mayhem in the street. The tattooed baldie had
disappeared. I cursed again, this time aloud. As I disentangled myself from the
girl, I realized my <i>keffiyeh </i>was
drawing some attention—narrow glares, suspicious whispers, pointing fingers.
Typical Americans, assuming the nearest Arab had to be the terrorist. Then a
hand slipped into my line of sight, distracting me from the stares turning my
way. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It was the girl, standing over me and offering me a hand up,
which I took. Leggy, brunette, enormous blue eyes behind oversized tortoiseshell
glasses. Cute, in a kind of nerdy way. I found I was glad I hadn't smashed
those glasses when I knocked her over. Which was stupid; I didn’t have time to
hang around worrying about some clumsy chick’s glasses—I had to find my guy.
Gretchen’s fury would be nothing compared to the consequences of that silver
box falling into the wrong hands.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">“Generally,” the girl was saying, her words background noise
to the riot of panic in my head, “I like to at least know a guy’s name before
he invites me to play Twister.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">“Rasul,” I said absently, and then I grimaced and pressed
the tips of my fingers to the bridge of my nose. <i>Of all the idiotic, rookie mistakes! </i>The fall must have knocked my
brain clean off its axis—I couldn’t believe I’d just spilled my name to her
like that. For all I knew, <i>she </i>was my
guy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">And that’s when my eyes dropped to her hands, to the silver
box she was clutching.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">“Ah,” I said slowly, my eyes fixed on the box as the chaos
around me fell away, as if I were on a boat pulling swiftly away from a crowded
shore. <i>This is her? This is my target? </i>I
couldn’t believe it. She was no older than me—and as Gretchen all too often
reminded me, even <i>I </i>was too young for
this kind of job. I squinted at the girl. Maybe she was older than she looked.
Maybe if she took off those glasses, she’d suddenly age ten years, changing
identities Clark Kent style. If so, she was a hell of an agent—probably one of
the best. “And what did you say <i>your </i>name
was?”</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">She must have noticed me
staring, because she looked down at the box. “Oh.” She paused, as if unsure how
to reply. Then, lifting her face, her eyes confusedly tracking the mania behind
me, she said, “Lucy. I’m Lucy.” As if she were reminding herself of it.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">An alias if I ever heard one. The pause was a dead giveaway.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Well, whoever this Lucy <i>really
</i>was, I’d royally screwed up by not only smacking into her but giving her my
frickin <i>name. </i>If Gretchen could see
me, she’d probably be hemorrhaging. I needed to follow this Lucy, see where she
was taking the box, so we could finally figure out who we were up against here,
what the competition was, but now she’d be spooked. She’d lay low, cover her
tracks, and the trail would go cold.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">“Some kind of car wreck?” she asked, her eyes still scanning
the street. I turned, saw that things were starting to quiet down. Police had
arrived and were sniffing around, a couple of them shooting me suspicious
looks. Most of the spectators had grown bored and moved on, looking mildly
disappointed the source of the noise hadn’t been something more interestingly
destructive. Idiots. You’d think they’d <i>rather
</i>it was a bomb or something.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">But I knew better. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I knew the truth was much worse.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: georgia, garamond, serif; font-size: 16px; padding: 0px 0px 20px; text-align: start;">
<span style="font-size: large;">To be continued…</span></div>
<hr style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: georgia, garamond, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 21px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: start;" />
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: georgia, garamond, serif; font-size: 16px; padding: 0px 0px 20px; text-align: start;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Follow the Traveling Story! Below is the post schedule:</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: georgia, garamond, serif; font-size: 16px; padding: 0px 0px 20px; text-align: start;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Episode 1 – July 15 – <a href="http://www.jessicabrody.com/blog/" style="color: #9615e8; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Jessica Brody</a></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: georgia, garamond, serif; font-size: 16px; padding: 0px 0px 20px; text-align: start;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Episode 2 – July 16 – <a href="http://jnkhoury.blogspot.com/" style="color: #9615e8; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Jessica Khoury</a></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: georgia, garamond, serif; font-size: 16px; padding: 0px 0px 20px; text-align: start;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Episode 3 – July 17 – <a class="broken_link" href="http://www.jessicabrody.com/2013/07/the-traveling-story-season-1-episode-1/www.lishmcbride.com/blogs/lishmcbride" style="color: #9615e8; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" target="_blank">Lish McBride</a></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: georgia, garamond, serif; font-size: 16px; padding: 0px 0px 20px; text-align: start;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Episode 4 – July 18 – <a href="http://gretchenmcneil.blogspot.com/" style="color: #9615e8; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Gretchen McNeil</a></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: georgia, garamond, serif; font-size: 16px; padding: 0px 0px 20px; text-align: start;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Episode 5 – July 19 –<a href="http://emmylaybourne.com/#blog" style="color: #9615e8; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"> Emmy Laybourne</a></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: georgia, garamond, serif; font-size: 16px; padding: 0px 0px 20px; text-align: start;">
<span style="font-size: large;">And as promised, here is the giveaway (Open Internationally)</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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Jessica Khouryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13831301896001045087noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4048635805627666032.post-5606630853044216182013-06-10T18:11:00.001-04:002013-06-10T18:11:19.393-04:00How to Travel Like a Writer<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDQBGL9n0K4_TyI_6annKg3g67YeZ82QAbClEOy0gkOomPpX8sFmqDkrwZhWtfpsB2vPPq4GNzESUYzNXvETIRz9PGEMJEaHYmAdqYoMeW_umFIEvWSse8GMY8NzsCyWUNbeqPLse6t4A3/s1600/howtotravel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDQBGL9n0K4_TyI_6annKg3g67YeZ82QAbClEOy0gkOomPpX8sFmqDkrwZhWtfpsB2vPPq4GNzESUYzNXvETIRz9PGEMJEaHYmAdqYoMeW_umFIEvWSse8GMY8NzsCyWUNbeqPLse6t4A3/s320/howtotravel.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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One of my most absolute favorite things to do is travel, especially if it's to a place that's new and completely out of my comfort zone. If the people there speak another language, all the better. If it's a bit rough and wild and has a lot of really cool wildlife--perfect!<br />
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If you're going to be a writer, it's essential that you try new things, whether it's food, books, or places. In my opinion, one of the best ways to ignite the creative spark and lure your muse from hiding is by traveling. There's something about a totally new environment that opens our eyes and our writing pores so that we can't help but be inspired.<br />
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I believe that I do my best writing when I'm not at home. I drew more inspiration from a month in Kyoto or a week in Germany than I ever did in an entire year in my hometown. I think there's a kind of shutting down of the senses that happens when you're in one place for a long time, when you start to see less, hear less, notice less, because everything around you is so familiar and expected. And noticing what's around you is absolutely critical to good writing, because before we can write interesting things, we have to see and learn and do interesting things. That inspiration has to come from <i>somewhere</i>. Even if every book you ever write is set within a two-block radius of your current address, you can still benefit from getting away and seeing the world. Travel opens your mind and expands your capacity for creativity in a way few other things can--it's like the ultimate imagination steroid!<br />
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Here are some ways that you, as a writer, can best utilize your travel-time:<br />
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1. JOURNAL<br />
This is a must. When you're out and about wandering new streets and trying new foods whose names you can't pronounce, the writer in you is guaranteed to stir. It's essential that you capture the flavors and emotions of these new experiences right away, before their impact fades and the details become blurry in your memory. Carry a journal at all times, and never let a day pass without describing everything you can think of, even the silly little occurrences that appear to have no significance. Even if you never use the exact information you recorded, I promise you this exercise will not have been in vain. This discipline--particularly if carried out every day, even at home--teaches your brain to turn what you see, hear, and otherwise experience into <i>words</i>, sentences, stories. This is what differentiates you from the other tourists, who are there to simply consume an experience. <b>As a writer, you can never just consume--you have to go on to create.</b> By journaling as you go, you are becoming better at transforming experiences into art.<br />
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2. ASK QUESTIONS<br />
It's easy to get overwhelmed by the new-ness of a place and simply let it wash over you while you sit passively by. But don't let that happen! Engage with your surroundings. If you have the benefit of a tour guide or local companion, pepper them with questions. You might feel silly--and yes, you might look a bit silly too--but who cares, really? I've never met anyone who wasn't delighted to expound on the stories and details of their hometown or country. We <i>want </i>to share our worlds with other people, so don't be shy. Anyway, if you meet some rare disgruntled local who doesn't want to talk you can always run away and find someone more approachable. You've got to learn all you can, because it's entirely possible that your next great story will be inspired by some crucial piece of information you don't yet know--but the bus driver or the waiter or the fruit vendor on the street corner does. <b>Always live with the expectation that the next person you meet will lead you to your next great story--and you'll only find that story by asking questions.</b><br />
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3. BE DARING<br />
This makes me think of the writer played by Jodi Foster in the film <i>Nim's Island, </i>who writes fantastic adventure stories--but is terrified of even leaving her own apartment! You mustn't let fear stop you from living new experiences. Push yourself and actively seek to step outside your comfort zone. Does the thought of talking to a stranger scare you? Does the prospect of a country where everyone speaks another language put a knot in your stomach? Are you terrified of sleeping outdoors or jumping out of airplanes or eating a squid with its tentacles still intact? Then these are the things you must do. Your writing should terrify you. It should stretch you and lure you into frightening new territory. <b>Face these fears physically, and your daring will be reflected in your writing.</b><br />
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4. SEEK AUTHENTICITY<br />
It's easy to get caught up in cheesy commercial tourism. You know what I mean--the places that are built specifically to cater to wide-eyed, slack-jawed tourists with the floral shirts and oversized cameras and sunscreen rubbed not <i>quite </i>all the way into their faces. This sort of travel can certainly be inspiring, and I won't say that it can't be fun--because it can be--but if possible, take the road less traveled. Seek authentic experiences instead of the ones that might be a tad bit, um, how shall we say, <i>exaggerated </i>or even entirely manufactured to feed the expectations of tourists. I'm talking about shows, tours, or attractions that are based on stereotypes instead of a country or region's actual cultural or ecological circumstances. Hokey imitations will never be as fulfilling as the genuine article, whether we're talking about purses from Dooney and Bourke or safaris in the Serengeti. <b>Wander off the beaten path, get in touch with a country's true heartbeat, talk to the real people who live there, find the unexplored places and the wild countryside.</b> Authentic writing, even if it's ultimately set on the fantasy moon of the planet Gilgorax, is based on authentic people, places, and stories.<br />
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5. TRAVEL RESPONSIBLY<br />
Tourism both fuels and kills economies, cultures, and ecosystems. Though it can create a lot of jobs and financially stimulate an area, it has the unfortunate possibility of destroying the very thing that makes it such a desirable travel location. Mt. Everest is called "the highest junkyard on Earth" due to the amounts of garbage left on its slopes. Yellowstone is riddled with tourists' names carved on trees and landmarks. The Great Wall of China is being slowly eroded by tourists taking pieces home and developers turning parts of it into theme park-like areas. Mass tourism to certain wildernesses can ultimately drive away the wild game that was the original attraction. Tourism growth can drive up property values in a town, making it much more difficult for the town's native residents to live there. Thankfully, there are alternative ways to travel that are both fun, inspiring, and environmentally and culturally responsible. Some of these are ecotourism, agritourism, and voluntourism. If you're looking into traveling in the near future, <b>I encourage you to look up these alternatives to mass, commercial tourism, and the advantages they offer to you, the local communities, and the local ecosystems.</b> I'll admit, this point doesn't have as much tie-in with writing--it's just something I am passionate about! =) And just to prove how amazing ecotourism can be, <a href="http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/best-ecolodges-photos-traveler/?utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=Social&utm_content=link_tw20130605travel-ecolod&utm_campaign=Content#/17-vietnam-con-dao_66876_600x450.jpg" target="_blank">check out this list of amazing ecolodges around the world!</a><br />
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I hope you'll consider the advantages and inspiration that traveling can offer you as a writer, and that wherever your road takes you, you'll be ready with a journal in hand! Happy traveling and happy writing!<br />
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Cheers!<br />
Jess<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo credit: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:PetarM">Petar Milošević</a> / <a href="http://foter.com/">Foter.com</a> / <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ryanh/2796535117/">Ryan Harvey</a> / <a href="http://foter.com/">Foter.com</a> / <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span></div>
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Jessica Khouryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13831301896001045087noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4048635805627666032.post-22523884181607250652013-04-29T11:46:00.001-04:002013-05-31T13:54:04.702-04:00Ship it like FedEx--What Writers Can Learn from the Fandoms<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">SHIP, <i>noun, </i></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #0e2233; font-family: 'Open Sans', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px;">derived from the word "relationship", is a general term for fans' emotional and/or intellectual involvement with the ongoing development of romance </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #0e2233; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">[I rudely interject here to expand definition to any relationship, not just romantic] </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #0e2233; font-family: 'Open Sans', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px;">in a work of fiction.</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(according to<a href="http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_does_shipping_mean" target="_blank"> Wiki Answers</a>, anyway)</span> </blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> <span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">From John/Sherlock to Doctor/Rose, Hermione/Ron to Edward/Bella, Katara/Zuko to Rapunzel/Jack Frost, ships are as varied as the fans who exist to create them. The </span><span style="color: #212121; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 15px;">term was coined from the word </span><i style="color: #212121; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 15px;">relationship, </i><span style="color: #212121; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 15px;">and is used</span><span style="color: #212121; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 15px;"> </span><span style="color: #212121; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 15px;">as in "I totally ship Elena and Damon in The Vampire Diaries" or "do you get the whole Mericcup ship? Because I don't." (but seriously I do--</span><a href="http://mericcup.deviantart.com/" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 15px;" target="_blank">because ADORBZZ</a><span style="color: #212121; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 15px;">)</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #212121; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 15px;">Though these terms are relatively new, we've been falling in love with couples for as long as we've been telling stories. And in my opinion (and for the sake of this post) ships don't have to just apply to romantic relationships--they can also include platonic but nevertheless compelling bromances and friendships (John/Sherlock or Merlin/Arthur) or even rivalries (Sherlock/Moriarty). </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #212121; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large; line-height: 15px;">Anyway, this wasn't meant to be a lecture on fandom subculture, but rather a look at what we as writers can learn from the emotional investment inspired by ships. First, I want to note--as a writer of an original piece of fiction, you'll have pretty much no control over the ships fans might create with your characters, so be prepared: anything (and anyone</span><span style="color: #212121; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large; line-height: 15px;">) can happen. So I'm not talking about ways to create ships that fans will carry on--no, quite the opposite. What I want us to do is look at our works with our own ships</span><span style="color: #212121; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large; line-height: 15px;"> in mind.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #212121; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 15px;">Who do you<i> </i>ship in your current WIP? Have you thought about it? See, I think what defines a ship isn't the individuals involved in it--but the new character their interaction creates. A ship is a like a whole new character in and of itself; it's the hybridization of the characters' personalities. The inside jokes, the shared looks, the history between them--all that drama and interaction<i> </i>that makes their relationship a living, breathing character of its own.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #212121; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 15px;">John Watson and Sherlock Holmes have one of the oldest bromances in history (Sherlockians have been around for over a hundred years!) because their relationship is so compelling (even without being romantic, which brings us to one of my greatest pet peeves--the wholly unnecessary romanticization of friendships like Holmes/Sherlock or Harry/Hermione--friendship is powerful enough without having to be romantic!--but for your sake I'll nip this rant before it buds but don't be surprised if you come back to this blog at some future time and see my opinions on this topic blathered all over the place with vehement abandon). </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #212121; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large; line-height: 15px;">Eccentric Holmes is brilliant and aloof, but what makes him relatable is his need for a friend--Watson--who humanizes him and keeps him anchored. Obversely, haunted by the ghosts of the war he's fought in, Watson presents a character struggling to reintegrate himself into normal life but in desperate need of someone who will inspire him with a new purpose. Two compelling characters brought together like this create an even more compelling relationship, and the appeal of the Sherlock Holmes stories revolves on their quirky friendship (which does NOT need to be romantic--oh, wait, sorry, I promised I wouldn't go into this rant).</span><br />
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<span style="color: #212121; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 15px;">Anyway. Ships are something we writers can look at when creating our stories. We ought to develop relationships with the same care and forethought as we do our characters and worlds. Don't just think about who your characters are individually--but who are they when they're together? How do they change each other? How is their interaction special and compelling?</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #212121; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 15px;">You can use this lens to view not only the romantic pairings in your story, but also the friendships and even the rivalries. Almost as compelling as Holmes/Watson is Holmes/Moriarty, the hero vs. his arch nemesis. Their rivalry is fascinating--the contest between two ingenius masterminds, one for evil, one for good, transcends the ordinary hero/villain relationship. Each is fascinated by the other and their verbal battles are as interesting as their physical ones.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Stories take on whole new levels of meaning and intrigue when characters are defined by their relationships to other characters--and this adds a certain realistic bent as well. Think about yourself: what matters most to you? Most of us would answer in terms of our relationships, the people we love (not, probably, so much the people we hate--the real world seems to be regrettably lacking in arch nemeses these days, wouldn't you say? Thank God for fiction!) We tend to define ourselves in terms of the people around us, by our parents, our friends, our significant others. You are not an island and neither should your characters be. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Maybe the general rule in writing characters should be this: Where two are gathered, three are present. Character A, Character B, and the Relationship Between Them. As the fandoms have zealously shown, it's relationships above all else that readers and fans will connect to and love. It's the relationships which are most human and most intriguing that we love most. They are the source of the greatest drama, the deepest emotion, and the strongest motivation. So use them to their fullest! Don't just create characters--create the links between them with equal care.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">And be creative in the kinds of relationships your story can include or center on. Here are some examples of my favorite pairings and their dynamics:</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.usanetwork.com/series/psych/games/80smusictrivia/01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://www.usanetwork.com/series/psych/games/80smusictrivia/01.jpg" width="171" /></a><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>Friendship</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Sherlock Holmes/John Watson</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Shawn Spencer/Burton Guster, from <i>Psych</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Elphaba/Galinda, from <i>Wicked</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Calvin/Hobbes</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Claus Valca/Lavie Head, from <i>Last Exile</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>Master/Servant</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Jeeves/Wooster, from the books by P. G. Wodehouse</span><br />
<a href="https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRr6lIRp093r8KYhPeQxP8J1OzEACCXcVwMeXIMy6N8rKnImn91lA" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRr6lIRp093r8KYhPeQxP8J1OzEACCXcVwMeXIMy6N8rKnImn91lA" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Merlin/Arthur, from the BBC show <i>Merlin</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>Romantic</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Tenth Doctor/Rose, from <i>Doctor Who</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Clark Kent/Lois Lane, from <i>Smallville</i></span><br />
<a href="https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTAOCAY_ssGkD8x3bsMYU1hvMhbM50pSFlsXhNqbr1UN4fNW3dl" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTAOCAY_ssGkD8x3bsMYU1hvMhbM50pSFlsXhNqbr1UN4fNW3dl" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Aang/Katara, from <i>Avatar: The Last Airbender</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>Rivalry</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Sherlock Holmes/James Moriarty</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Superman/Lex Luthor</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Harry Potter/Voldemort</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>Siblings</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Katara/Sokka, from <i>Avatar: The Last Airbender</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Meg/Charles Wallace, from <i>A Wrinkle in Time</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Fred/George Weasley, from <i>Harry Potter</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Frank/ Joe Hardy, (I'll always love those Hardy Boys!)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I think most of us would agree that non-romantic relationships can often be as endearing as romantic ones, so don't be afraid to develop your characters' friendships and rivalries as much as their romances.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i><u>Writing exercise:</u></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">1) Make a list of your favorite pairings; try to find one for each category. Then describe their relationship--<i>not </i>the individual characters, but who they are <i>together. </i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">2) Do the same with characters in your current WIP. Here are some questions to get you started:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">- what does each character in my pairing love most/hate most about the other?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">- what would each character's response be if the other died?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">- how would another character, not in the pairing, describe the two characters when they're together?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">- what would each character change about the other's personality?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">- what does each character envy most about the other?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">These are just to get you started. Be creative! Explore the relationships of your story as you would the characters, the world, the plot. Don't just assume that because you throw two individuals together, a relationship will just </span><span style="font-size: large;">happen</span><span style="font-size: large;">. It takes care and intentional work on your part, just as it would if you were building a relationship in real life.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>What do you think?</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I'd love to hear some of your favorite ships and character pairings! Sound off in the comments, and share why you love those pairings in particular.</span></blockquote>
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Jessica Khouryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13831301896001045087noreply@blogger.com38tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4048635805627666032.post-78309499903274730852013-03-18T19:04:00.000-04:002013-03-18T19:04:24.908-04:00Book Updates: Invisibility & Vitro<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Two books to talk about:</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">1. I finished reading <i><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11147422-invisibility" target="_blank">Invisibility</a> </i>by Andrea Cremer and David Levithan, and I loved it. It's the story of a boy who's been invisible his entire life, and what happens when he meets the only person--a girl his own age--who is able to see him. The moment I heard what the book was about, I knew I <i>had </i>to read it, and was lucky enough to snag an ARC. Guys--it rocked! It was sweet, surprising, intense, and triumphant--a fast-moving read with fresh, likable characters and two distinct voices (the story is told alternatively through Stephen's and Elizabeth's perspectives). The pub date for this book is May 7--I know, I know, <i>absolute ages!! </i>But you should totally <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Invisibility-Andrea-Cremer/dp/0399257608/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1363646947&sr=1-1&keywords=invisibility" target="_blank">pre-order it</a> because it is worth it. In fact, to justify my own pre-order of the hardcover, I'm giving away the ARC below--so be sure to drop your name in the hat if you want an early peek! </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">2. I finally got to reveal the title and synopsis of my next book!! It's called <i>Vitro </i>and it's coming out early winter 2014. It's not a sequel to <i>Origin </i>but it is set in the same universe, so you'll see one familiar character from <i>Origin.</i> Haven't revealed the cover yet (but I've been sitting on it since <i>last summer </i>so I'm really dying to share--all that to come!). Anyway, you can <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17617762-vitro" target="_blank">read the synopsis and add it to your to-read list here!</a></span><br />
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Contest ends March 26. Winner will be contact by email and will have 14 days to respond or your prize will be forfeited. US and Canada only, please!<br />
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<a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/530e5214/" id="rc-530e5214" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
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Jessica Khouryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13831301896001045087noreply@blogger.com70tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4048635805627666032.post-10463062089076153522013-03-14T12:00:00.001-04:002013-06-01T14:28:53.839-04:00On Inspiration: How To Find Your Story<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: large;">This post is adapted from the presentation I give when I speak at schools. I added this topic to my presentation after I started receiving a good many emails from students telling me they <i>wanted </i>to write a story, but had trouble coming up with an idea that was fresh and interesting.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">If you're a writer just starting out, that can be really tough. I know it was for me. It took me <i>years </i>to separate my ideas from the books I read, to move into a place where my inspiration became original and personal, instead of just me recycling the stories and characters I read about. This isn't a bad thing--this imitation of other writers. It's how we learn, and I believe most writers start off that way.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">For example, my first novel (which I wrote at age 13, when I was in the height of this story-stealing phase) actually started out as fan fiction of the Redwall series by Brian Jacques. When I realized I couldn't really a call a story my own when I was basically copying another writer's world, I changed the species of my characters from squirrels to humans, and thought that in doing so I had broken free into new original territory. I hadn't. In fact, when I thrust that poorly written and decidedly horrid manuscript onto some of my friends after I'd finished it, begging them for feedback, more than one handed it back saying, "You know, you write a lot like Brian Jacques. Ever hear of him?" Palm to the face. Palm. To. The. Face. Apparently, changing the species of my cast wasn't enough to qualify me for true originality. But I would learn.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">So anyway, all this to say, I've come a long way from that sad, beloved first novel in terms of ideas and inspiration and finding my own unique voice. If you're a young or newly developing writer, here are some ways you can begin to do that too, and places where you might draw your inspiration. Then, armed like Benjamin Franklin out to catch a lightning bolt, you can set out to catch your story.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Four Places Where Inspiration Might Strike</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>1</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>What interests you?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It's pretty basic, but it's so important. You have to love your story material. You have to be passionate not only about the characters and the plot, but about the world, the settings, the props, the activities. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I sometimes miss this as I'm writing. For example, I need my character (oh, let's call her Kate) to have a little more backstory to her. I want her to play some sport at school, perhaps. My natural inclination is to make my characters different from me (I don't know why) so I'd likely assign her to something like basketball or lacrosse, two sports about which I know nothing. Now, I could take the time to learn, to research these things--and that's good. That's fine. You can totally do that. Writing <i>should </i>stretch you and bring you to new places, learning new information. But if I stop and just think for a minute, I'll realize that making Kate a soccer player will be a much stronger move. I'm a soccer player. I <i>adore </i>soccer. I'm one of those scream-at-the-television kind of soccer fans. So when I plop Kate down on the soccer pitch, I suddenly feel more passionate about her character, because I can relate to <i>her </i>passion for The Beautiful Game. I learn things about her I didn't know before--that she's highly competitive, that maybe she loses her head a bit in the heat of the game, that she's fiercely loyal to her teammates. And I know these things because when I think about soccer, I feel them myself or have known teammates who were like this. When I think about lacrosse or basketball, I feel nothing. Blah. Whatever. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">By simply going in the direction of what interests me, I find so much more emotion, experience, and passion to draw from as I write, whether it's something as small as adding another hobby to my character's repertoire or coming up with a completely new, big story idea.</span><br />
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I mean, look how <i>passionate </i>soccer players are. Awesome.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>2 </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Magic Question</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I borrow this phrase from the theatre, though I think it might originally come from psychology or something. Whatever. Anyway, it's simply this: </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>"What if _________?" </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I love this. It's so open, so filled with possibility. <i>What if the world weren't actually made of rock and dirt, but it's actually some giant sleeping creature that starts to wake up? What if when you take a photograph you're actually creating a new alternate reality that begins inside that picture? What if my long-lost grandmother suddenly appeared and told me I was the princess of a tiny, wealthy kingdom in Europe? Oh, wait... </i>You get the idea. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The key is to hold nothing back. Let it all spill out--the silly ideas, the impossible ideas, the ideas that will never go anywhere. This can be done as a kind of exercise in creativity. You have to be willing to sound a bit ridiculous, a little crazy. But there are no truly<i> bad </i>ideas or stupid ideas--they're just ideas. They're not even stories yet. But they could be--somewhere in the dozens and dozens of <i>What if? </i>questions you pour out, there just might be a golden ticket to story inspiration.</span><br />
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<dt class="wp-caption-dt"><a href="http://foter.com/photo/more-questions-than-answers/"><img class="foter-photo mceItem" src="http://photos.foter.com/69/more-questions-than-answers_l.jpg" style="display: block; width: 100%;" /></a></dt>
<dd class="wp-caption-dd" style="margin: 0; padding: 0;"><span style="display: block; float: right;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/an_untrained_eye/6630719431/">an untrained eye</a> / <a href="http://foter.com/">Foter.com</a> / <a href="http://www.eduteka.pl/doc/cc-by-nc">CC BY-NC</a></span></dd></dl>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>3 </b></span><br />
<b style="font-size: x-large;">What terrifies you?</b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">What's your greatest fear? What's that one subject you always avoid because it makes your blood turn cold and your chest constrict and your skin crawl? Is it the dark? It is spiders? Is it the thought of being alone in a strange place? </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Use your fears to bring real tension to your story. If you write about something you<i> </i>are afraid of, it will be much easier and more organic to translate that fear into your writing. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">For example, one of my fears is death, and especially of losing someone I love. This is a fear I drew on in writing ORIGIN; it's a topic Pia contemplates to some depth. I relate to her through her fear of losing her loved ones more than anything else, because I understand it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Building real, personal fears into your story not only makes it relatable to you, but probably to a lot of your readers as well. I'd say most of our fears are pretty commonly held by the majority of people--death, darkness, loneliness, etc. Fear makes your characters human. It makes them vulnerable, gives them that all-important Achilles heel. Once you know their deepest fear, you can exploit it--twist the knife in the heart, so to speak. Pry into their fear and force them to face it in a dramatic way.</span><br />
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<dt class="wp-caption-dt"><a href="http://foter.com/photo/32-p1-2/"><img class="foter-photo mceItem" src="http://photos.foter.com/144/32-p1-2_l.jpeg" style="display: block; width: 100%;" /></a></dt>
<dd class="wp-caption-dd" style="margin: 0; padding: 0;"><span style="display: block; float: right;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/zephyrance/2865451246/">*Zephyrance - don't wake me up.</a> / <a href="http://foter.com/">Foter.com</a> / <a href="http://www.eduteka.pl/doc/cc-by-nd">CC BY-ND</a></span></dd></dl>
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<span style="font-size: large; text-align: left;"><b>4</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large; text-align: left;"><b>History, Science, Art</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The world is burning with untold stories. As writers, our primary concern is seeking out those stories and telling them. Sometimes inspiration doesn't necessarily begin with us, as in the previous points. Sometimes, it comes from outside--from a painting, a poem, a news story, a stranger sitting on a park bench. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Mary Oliver <a href="http://www.paperbackswap.com/Mary-Oliver/author/" target="_blank">said</a>, "I think our duty as writers begins not with our own feelings, but with the power of observing." Exposing yourself to art, to history, science, nature, whatever, can be a great way to find a story. The key here is to always be alert.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Keep the Magic Question always in your pocket. No, scratch that. Don't keep it in your pocket--wear it like a pair of glasses, through which you're always seeing the story stuff of the world.<i> </i>Look at history this way--<i>What if Abraham Lincoln were really a vampire slayer? </i>Look at science. <i>What if, ten years from now, <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/scientists-germany-invent-invisibility-cloak-article-1.175569" target="_blank">invisibility technology becomes viable</a>? </i>And art. One of my favorites! (Hence my massive <a href="http://pinterest.com/jesskhoury/" target="_blank">Pinterest collection</a>). Photography, painting, sculptures, gosh--did you know they've got <i>whole museums </i>packed with the stuff? Good art not only comes from good inspiration--it's also becomes inspiring to others. And there's bookoos </span><span style="font-size: large;">of it out there, so you've got no excuse, really, to <i>not </i>be inspired--especially if, like the good little writer you are, you're wearing your MQ glasses.</span><br />
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Jessica Khouryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13831301896001045087noreply@blogger.com34tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4048635805627666032.post-40360081657788337052013-03-05T14:22:00.002-05:002013-05-31T22:48:21.355-04:00Mini-Lesson: How To Be An Author<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;">1. READ. Read everything. In your genre, outside your genre, fiction, non-fiction, classics, short stories, poetry, magazines, journals, history, science, the bottoms of tissue boxes and the back of your shampoo bottle. This is how you acquire new words and new ideas. This is how you know what's been done before and what works. This is how you learn what good writing is (or isn't, as the case may be). Lose yourself in libraries. Find new sections in the bookstore. Fall in love with books and reading and words and stories. Like this little guy:</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">2.WRITE. Write every day. Prose, poetry, diary, blogs, it all counts, and it's all important. Write badly. Write without using any punctuation marks. Use words you've never used before. Get funky with your thesaurus. You have to find your voice, your writing identity, your unique literary thumbprint. Explore with words and challenge yourself in impossible ways. Do <a href="http://www.nanowrimo.org/" target="_blank">NaNoWriMo</a>. Join online writing guilds. Go to conferences and take classes. Write for yourself and for others and above all else, for gosh sakes, <i>don't stop and don't give up. </i>And if at all possible, write on a steampunk typewriter computer like this one, because COOL:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">3. LIVE. (this especially to all you introverts like me!) Don't let your only experience of the world be vicarious. Go outside, meet new people, go to strange places, eat weird foods, do crazy and daring things. Go outside your comfort zone. Challenge yourself. Have adventures. The most important thing you will bring to your writing is your own personality, experiences, and emotions. Don't borrow all of that from books, moves, TV, etc. Get out and find your own!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">4. BE QUIRKY. Be yourself! (see #3)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">5. GET INVOLVED. Find other writers, either in person or online, and especially ones who are at the same stage as you are. Share your frustrations, your triumphs, your risks, and your failures. Connect with other writers because then you will know that you are not alone and that success <i>is</i> possible. When you have a bad day, when you're paper mache-ing bowls out of your rejection letters and you hate every word you ever put on paper, these are the people who will listen to you, hurt with you, encourage you, then pick you up off the floor, dust you off, and push you back in line. To write is to be intensely vulnerable. It's you pasting the tenderest parts of your identity to the wall and then letting any passing stranger chuck a tomato at them. You're going to need a wingman or two. You're going to need to know that you are not alone and that you are strong enough to take a few hits. Surround yourself with the ones who make you stronger. Surround yourself with the honest ones, the kind ones, the ones you'll be there for just as they are there for you.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Be like the Doctor. Always take a companion. Hugs take two--even virtual ones!</span></div>
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Jessica Khouryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13831301896001045087noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4048635805627666032.post-89569366725206673872013-02-19T16:02:00.000-05:002013-02-19T16:48:33.188-05:00Breathless Tour Recap & Giveaway<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: large;">Last week I had the amazing opportunity to tour seven cities with three rockstar Penguin authors: </span><a href="http://marielu.org/" style="font-size: x-large;" target="_blank">Marie Lu</a><span style="font-size: large;"> (</span><i style="font-size: x-large;">Legend</i><span style="font-size: large;">), </span><a href="http://brennayovanoff.com/" style="font-size: x-large;" target="_blank">Brenna Yovanoff</a><span style="font-size: large;"> (</span><i style="font-size: x-large;">Paper Valentine</i><span style="font-size: large;">), and </span><a href="http://andreacremer.com/" style="font-size: x-large;" target="_blank">Andrea Cremer</a><span style="font-size: large;"> (</span><i style="font-size: x-large;">Nightshade </i><span style="font-size: large;">series). Here's a quick photo recap of what went down with the West Coast Breathless Reads tour--and at the end, you'll have a chance to win one of three prize packs about which I am </span><i style="font-size: x-large;">very </i><span style="font-size: large;">excited because they are supremely epic and unique and I'm still considering not giving any of them away and just keeping them for myself because that is just how supremely epic they are.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">So we started in Los Angeles. Here we are at the Grove Barnes & Noble. It was like, three stories tall and pretty much as epic as a bookstore gets. We got to ride on a lot of escalators. I am a big fan of escalators because, well, <i>stairs</i>. Also, this store posted our tour as the <i>Breathless Domination Tour </i>and I mean COME ON PPL THAT ROCKS so Penguin, if you're listening and you're considering tweaking the title of the tour any time soon... well, just sayin', here's a kickin' idea for you. </span><br />
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(left to right: Marie, Me, Brenna, Andrea)</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I was pretty stoked about the LA event because I got to see my uncle, who lives there, and who I don't get to see very often. He drove me around Beverly Hills and we looked for movie stars, but we didn't find any. Oh well.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">So then the next day we drove up to LaVerne, CA for an event at Mrs. Nelson's Book Shop. I was really excited about this because I'd met a lot of the Mrs. Nelson's staff at a SCIBA dinner on the Queen Mary a few months before, and heard a lot of great things about this adorable and personable bookstore. Speaking of the staff at Mrs. Nelson's, here they are:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Us authors being authorly:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNB4OSoPxWrVrSUotGIIb3AxcGjspy33FeF2SiSm_iXy3ukKu0rJHTRiHCiQBaQvetBHqCW733pCzwhox-SzuG5YPyPFcxjvltxgTC-T5OCW9vQYdt3rgaQtLLirkpJwneUrH58lRpPx55/s1600/2013-02-11+23.02.02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="420" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNB4OSoPxWrVrSUotGIIb3AxcGjspy33FeF2SiSm_iXy3ukKu0rJHTRiHCiQBaQvetBHqCW733pCzwhox-SzuG5YPyPFcxjvltxgTC-T5OCW9vQYdt3rgaQtLLirkpJwneUrH58lRpPx55/s640/2013-02-11+23.02.02.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The next day was San Francisco, at A Great Good Place for Books. The store was packed full of people, which was pretty awesome, and also we got to meet Andrea's brother, wife, and extraordinarily adorable niece.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I'm getting out of chronological order here, but just go with it. So before we went to A Great Good Place we went to the Las Lomas High School, and were hosted by the school book club which contained some of the most enthusiastic readers I've ever met. Seriously. These kids had us walking ten inches of the ground by the time we left, so we're pretty much enamored with them.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Andrea and I geeked out over the library copies of our books, because they had actual library card inserts--you know, the kind where you can pull out the card and see what other kids have been reading the book before you, and their check-out/check-in dates so you can see how long it took them to read it and compare your own speed (oh wait... maybe I was the only kid who did that...) Anyway, it was pretty sweet and so we took pix.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The next day was Portland day. I'm a huge fan of Portland because it rains a lot there and I'm the kind of person who enjoys sitting around staring out rainy windows contemplating things because it makes me feel deep and artistic and anyway, that's beside the point because what I really want to tell you about is that</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A) the awesome hotel we were at put copies of our books in our rooms for us to sign, so they could add it to the hotel library which was stocked entirely with books by authors who had stayed there (I mean how much schnazzier can you get?)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">And also I found this waiting for me. Because you see, I married this guy and he's sort of like the sweetest, best, most awesome guy ever because he had Valentine roses delivered to my room since, you know, we were on opposite sides of the continent which was kind of a bummer considering it was V-Day and all. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Anyway, I like him a lot.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgezEUBNHDBSnaii-r8fpZLbQra4LK84D967xcLmiuzVbOrnXrwnBUFwAhxWY4rEdUcC_GoDdCi-TQ61ZxEjn5-2Q8NfYbQdxQ1wOFGxA_11avQv-2FLQvgwmQbO9EUtu-Xd5jDjZ6vRn8_/s1600/2013-02-13+16.47.46.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgezEUBNHDBSnaii-r8fpZLbQra4LK84D967xcLmiuzVbOrnXrwnBUFwAhxWY4rEdUcC_GoDdCi-TQ61ZxEjn5-2Q8NfYbQdxQ1wOFGxA_11avQv-2FLQvgwmQbO9EUtu-Xd5jDjZ6vRn8_/s640/2013-02-13+16.47.46.jpg" width="422" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Also in Portland I got to see my <i>other </i>uncle, and my aunt, who took me out for <i>droolworthy </i>Portland Lebanese food. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Next up was Boulder, CO, on Valentine's Day. Several super awesome things happened this day. First, it snowed. This is a significant detail if, like me, you are from the South where it snows properly maybe once a decade.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Other notable moments: the amazing readers who braved the snow to come to the event at the Boulder Bookstore. And the delicious Latin restaurant we went to afterwards with the fabulous Kristin Nelson, who is Marie's agent and who also gave us V-Day chocolates, so three enthusiastic cheers for Kristin! Thanks, lady! </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">So then there was Austin, TX, a city I've become quite a fan of recently, ever since the epic epicness that is the Austin Teen Book Festival. Anyway, we had the pleasure of going to the Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders and it is every bit as awesome as its name (due in part to the fact we were welcomed by their marquee) (it says "Reading leaves us breathless):</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">There are several reasons why this stop was so memorable:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">1. We each got to sit in the "author chair" and then sign our names. There were some pretty kickin' names on that chair, let me tell you. This chair has seen many a rockstar's <i>derriere. </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">2. And then there was the school's totally mind-blowing obsession with Doctor Who. The moment I saw their life-size TARDIS cutout I basically was in love. When I saw their life-size cutout of David Tennant I was ready to propose marriage. Problem was, so was Marie. Well, all of us, really. Whovians FTW! I think we would have tried sneaking DT onto the rest of the tour with us, except maybe the librarian would have sent her life-size cutout Daleks after us to get him back (I don't know if they actually had life-size cutout Daleks but after what I had seen thus far, I wouldn't have put it past them.) Also, I just happened to be wearing my <i>You never forget your first Doctor </i>shirt that day so, you know, can you say <i>DESTINY??</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Hands off, Marie! He's MINE!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">*vworp, vworp*</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Our final stop was in Salt Lake City, UT, where we were joined by the inimitable Ally Condie (<i>Matched</i>) for our last panel at the Barnes & Noble in Orem. With standing room only, this event was a perfect conclusion to the Breathless tour.</span></div>
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( also pictured: Jessica H. from <i>Cracking the Cover </i>blog) </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">All in all, I have never been so honored to be part of such an inspiring group of talented authors, and it was a joy and privilege to learn from Brenna, Andrea, Marie, and Ally as the week progressed. I was so humbled by the amazing response we had from readers, teacher, librarians, and booksellers all over the western United States, and extend a mighty THANK YOU to everyone who attended and made these events possible! And a huge THANK YOU to Penguin Teen's matchless publicists, Elizabeth Zajac in particular, for putting together this tour and making every stop so memorable for all involved!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Read on! Stay Breathless!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Breathless Tour Fun Facts:</i></b></span><br />
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<b>1. Both Marie Lu and I wrote <i>Redwall </i>fanfic as teenagers and we both subbed failed high fantasy manuscripts before <i>Legend </i>and <i>Origin</i>.</b></span><br />
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<b>2. Brenna Yovanoff's first drafts look like giant MadLibs because she leaves blank spaces when she can't think of the perfect word to put in a sentence.</b></span><br />
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<b>3. Andrea Cremer began writing when a horse crushed her foot and she was laid up on a couch all summer as a teenager.</b></span><br />
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<b>4. Both Brenna and I played varsity soccer in high school and college; and we both <i>rock at it.</i></b></span><br />
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<b>5. Marie still dreams of being a fighter pilot and is currently on a quest to do a ride-along with the Blue Angels' No. 7 pilot, despite the Navy not returning her phone calls.</b></span><br />
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<b>6. Both Andrea and I are fiercely proud of our Scottish heritage; my clan fought for her famous ancestor Robert the Bruce in the Scottish War for Independence (*cue bagpipes).</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">~~and now for the giveaway portion of this program~~</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">To celebrate the success of the Breathless Tour, I'm giving away three prize packs! You have to enter each giveaway separately! Entering one will not automatically enter you for all of them. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Prizes:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">1. Pia's Library</span></div>
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In <i>Origin, </i>Pia's reading material is severely limited by the scientists. But what if she had access to any one of the amazing bookstores we visited on tour? What reads would she pick first? The Breathless ones, of course! This prize pack consists of PRODIGY and LEGEND by Marie Lu, THE REPLACEMENT by Brenna Yovanoff, and an ARC of SHADES OF EARTH by Beth Revis.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfFJn59lyVheEy3_sQaZF4aWKBYAe0TPd28mtPPFJDlY49NQw6vba5XIyhxdZVOOk6pE_aXV9czk8TKmKwIRNWmKVlmYQWa8y1R4RiFhwD15d3Ae891jJ8ZeBNsJyIwwVsqbE1cBogGZDs/s1600/images+(3).jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfFJn59lyVheEy3_sQaZF4aWKBYAe0TPd28mtPPFJDlY49NQw6vba5XIyhxdZVOOk6pE_aXV9czk8TKmKwIRNWmKVlmYQWa8y1R4RiFhwD15d3Ae891jJ8ZeBNsJyIwwVsqbE1cBogGZDs/s1600/images+(3).jpeg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA-ZRPjJW_la8NTxE-31Gy4V_4HMHof8uRIXYnsniK19cwY0MIIj-zaUqKZozkBn_eNyJIX03tTnJnpEYfrxN7R9PZ38VBew6kEYFkiDeJSS1NhKhXXgK7Sx6ebLkA-wzeDekRsJ_LUFuk/s1600/images+(5).jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA-ZRPjJW_la8NTxE-31Gy4V_4HMHof8uRIXYnsniK19cwY0MIIj-zaUqKZozkBn_eNyJIX03tTnJnpEYfrxN7R9PZ38VBew6kEYFkiDeJSS1NhKhXXgK7Sx6ebLkA-wzeDekRsJ_LUFuk/s1600/images+(5).jpeg" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJGXMfAwXmhNK9Ts79LpKqq7HuzF019s0ucZTzmo6gPSBLggAGPa5kXGUhgBH9vcB6zZF64YVA0hTxdDxVtsdXhgAUXGi3gZBeqJ3ElzT4jmJuCDYVlLhFlHoJgstyK1qCUsjIrXxEL7sh/s1600/images+(4).jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJGXMfAwXmhNK9Ts79LpKqq7HuzF019s0ucZTzmo6gPSBLggAGPa5kXGUhgBH9vcB6zZF64YVA0hTxdDxVtsdXhgAUXGi3gZBeqJ3ElzT4jmJuCDYVlLhFlHoJgstyK1qCUsjIrXxEL7sh/s400/images+(4).jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">2. Alai's Spots</span></div>
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In researching for the creation of Alai, Pia's pet jaguar in <i>Origin, </i>I learned so much about the dire situation surrounding the big cats of the world. Not just jaguars, but lions, tigers, leopards, cheetahs--almost every species of big cat is in danger of deforestation, poaching, illegal pet trade, and dwindling numbers. Each item in this prize pack goes toward supporting causes to save the big cats, in particular, the "C<a href="http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/big-cats/" target="_blank">ause an Uproar</a>" project run by National Geographic, which is dedicated to the preservation and nurture of big cats all over the planet. This prize pack contains the NatGeo DVD program <i>In Search of the Jaguar, </i>a "Cause an Uproar" wrap bracelet, and a one-year subscription to <i>National Geographic.</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlRXthBphPw8FYTUpCvoFmG2FvFHXbBudxVxjRQv1cZUBAgbvWBq64DKFt09Og0TkOWgut3_QNM19NtN_sBAzFPGHNn9EkZOkSG66m4aGFpdHYATEmiaWq5DEsBZXr2Hy3UF2g6gOS6zYI/s1600/10001.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvsOJuJaklLOhHMdSKH-MrAXc-gZXI649MKQOT_FUraF3OEIH-QtLtjXzMzHnx1wu3ZC_i4qkc24MdEmaYXz8qrLccQPNWiJ47NT3wCkLDNLuChFXJz8MIHMmbxWt6xMsLmy2sEDFfNEU1/s1600/75085.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvsOJuJaklLOhHMdSKH-MrAXc-gZXI649MKQOT_FUraF3OEIH-QtLtjXzMzHnx1wu3ZC_i4qkc24MdEmaYXz8qrLccQPNWiJ47NT3wCkLDNLuChFXJz8MIHMmbxWt6xMsLmy2sEDFfNEU1/s320/75085.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">3. Eio's Jungle</span></div>
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Jewelry and accessories plays a large part in <i>Origin</i>, from Eio's jaguar necklace to Pia's bird pendant to Uncle Antonio's snakeskin belt. This prize pack contains two unique jewelry pieces inspired by the Amazon rainforest: a pair of vintage, enamel-leaf earrings and an orchid necklace with pearl and amethyst accents, representative of the deadly but beautiful elysia orchid which gives Pia her immortality. Also included is a signed hardcover copy of <i>Origin</i>!</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>To Enter the giveaways</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">complete the forms below!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Remember: each prize pack is its own giveaway; you may enter for all three packages but to do so you <i>must </i>enter on all three forms!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Three unique winners will be decided at random. The more entries you complete, the higher your chances of winning. Contest ends on Sunday, March 3 and winners will be notified by email. If you are a winner and do not reply to your email within fourteen days your prize will be <b>forfeit. </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Open to USA and CANADA only!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Questions? Ask them in the comments!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Enter here for:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>*Pia's Library*</b></span></div>
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<a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/530e5211/" id="rc-530e5211" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Enter here for:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>*Alai's Spots*</b></span></div>
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<a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/530e5212/" id="rc-530e5212" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Enter here for:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>*Eio's Jungle*</b></span></div>
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<a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/530e5213/" id="rc-530e5213" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
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Jessica Khouryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13831301896001045087noreply@blogger.com64