Recommended: The Seven Realms series by Cinda Williams Chima
Hardcover, 506 pages
Published October 6th 2009 by Hyperion Books
Summary:
Times are hard in the mountain city of Fellsmarch. Reformed thief Han Alister will do almost anything to eke out a living for his family. The only thing of value he has is something he can’t sell—the thick silver cuffs he’s worn since birth. They’re clearly magicked—as he grows, they grow, and he’s never been able to get them off.
One day, Han and his clan friend, Dancer, confront three young wizards setting fire to the sacred mountain of Hanalea. Han takes an amulet from Micah Bayar, son of the High Wizard, to keep him from using it against them. Soon Han learns that the amulet has an evil history—it once belonged to the Demon King, the wizard who nearly destroyed the world a millennium ago. With a magical piece that powerful at stake, Han knows that the Bayars will stop at nothing to get it back.
Meanwhile, Raisa ana‘Marianna, princess heir of the Fells, has her own battles to fight. She’s just returned to court after three years of freedom in the mountains—riding, hunting, and working the famous clan markets. Raisa wants to be more than an ornament in a glittering cage. She aspires to be like Hanalea—the legendary warrior queen who killed the Demon King and saved the world. But her mother has other plans for her…
The Seven Realms tremble when the lives of Hans and Raisa collide, fanning the flames of the smoldering war between clans and wizards.
My Thoughts: I was definitely in the mood to get lost in a series… I was looking for something that had been out for awhile so that I could read the complete series start to finish and something with a kick-butt female protagonist because well… duh. Then I saw Amy from Reading Teen mention this series as one of her all-time favorites. I picked it up and really enjoyed it! If you’re looking for a good series to just get lost in, I definitely suggest this one!
Dear #Pitchwars 2015 Mentees
Hey you… yup, I’m talking to you.
I know, weird that  you’re now a mentee (which btw is a weird word and always autocorrects to menthe when you’re typing. So annoying). If you were anything like me last year, I was specifically choosing NOT to look on Brenda’s blog because I didn’t want yet another disappointment.
Then my Twitter feed started blowing up and just like that, I found out I was chosen by the amazing Trisha Leigh!
My writing life has never been the same.
In an effort to pay it forward, here are three things I would like to pass on to you as an alumni (that sounds WAY fancier than it really is).
I ended up signing with an agent who requested from #PitchWars, but SO many of my amazing fellow PitchWarriors signed with agents who didn’t request from #PitchWars. So I guess that’s the first thing you need to know. Don’t let yourself be consumed with getting requests. The amazing thing about this contest is that it focuses on craft rather than reward… The entire point of #PitchWars is actually not to get you an agent. The entire point of #PitchWars is to give your manuscript the best shot it has in order to eventually get an agent. If you have a kick butt manuscript, then by default, you have a WAY better chance of finding an agent with it! FOCUS ON THE CRAFT, NOT THE REWARD.
Second thing… LEAN IN.
This process can be tough. If this is the first time you’ve ever revised with an edit letter, it can be REALLY overwhelming (I wrote about how I tackled it here). But the revising process doesn’t stop with your mentor. You may be asked to revise and resubmit by an agent or you may choose to revise based on similar reasons for rejections… then once you get an agent, you may go through several rounds of revision (*raises hand in solidarity*), and then when your book sells you’re going to have to revise some more! Lean in to all of it. Throw yourself into it (I always think of this scene from Wild Hearts Can’t Be Broken when I say that).
Fear of failure is going to try to weave it’s shriveled, gnarled fingers into your confidence. Drop kick that fear in the face and — Like my grandma always says — fake it till you make it. Because here’s a secret, NONE of us ever feel like we know what we’re doing. Every book scares us just as much as the last one.
Lastly…Â say no to competitiveness.
When a big chunk of the 2014 PitchWarriors got a private FB group, something magical happened. We all left our egos at the door and purposefully chose not to be competitive with each other. This meant that we shared stats, we shared when we got rejected and by who (so that others with materials out with that agent could know where they were on the reading list). We shared the dates of requests so we could let others know where the agents were at in the query inbox. None of us played things close to the chest because we were ALL getting rejections and victories and we ALL needed to celebrate or cry with THE ONLY OTHER PEOPLE WHO ACTUALLY UNDERSTAND! We shared it all. We asked for query critiques, first pages critiques, even full manuscript reads when we made changes. We helped eachother with email wording, we bounced twitter pitches off each other, we talked each other off the ledge when we felt like we were NEVER going to get an agent or no one would EVER fall in love with our manuscripts. Then we would scream and squeal when we started getting agents and book deals. oh and laughed. We laugh a lot. It’s been almost a year, and none of us have any intention of ever leaving 🙂
None of that could have happened if we went into it thinking that the other mentees were competition. They aren’t. Even if they write in the same genre, they aren’t competition. Quite the opposite actually, they’ll be your lifeline to the reason you started writing in the first place if you’ll let them.
So welcome to the #PitchWars club! You’re going to have a blast!
Oh and one last thing, remember that finding an agent is just like making base camp on your climb up Everest. You need to make it to base camp, but you can’t stay at base camp. Celebrate when you get there, but keep your eye on the prize (aka total world domination… er I mean a lifetime of published books!)
Bonne Chance et Bisous!
(Oh and on the day of the agent round, just take the day off work if you can because let’s be real… you’ll be checking your entry ALL DAY! #refresh #refresh #refresh)
For the other AMAZING PW2014 thoughts for the PW2015’ers, visit:Â
Amanda Rawson Hill: On Doubt and Hope
Tracie L. Martin: What no one tells the PitchWarriors
Jennifer Hawkins: Last year at this time, I was you…
K. Kazul Wolf: Congrats on getting further into the insanity…
A.B. Sevan: Swimming with the Big Fishies
Tracie Martin: What No One Tells the PitchWarrior
RuthAnne Snow: 2014 Pitch Wars Mentee here, looking to offer…
Rosalyn Collings Eves: Most of you are probably sick with dread…
Peggy J. Sheridan: Welcome to the club…
Janet Walden-West: The Long Game
Destiny Cole: Yup, I’m talking to you…
Kelly DeVos: Confessions of a PitchWars Alternate
Mary Ann Marlowe: First things first…
Mara Rae: I’m going to keep it short and sweet…
Jen Vincent: Last year, on a complete whim…
Kip Wilson: Congratulations, lucky mentees…
A. Alys Vera: PitchWars is great, don’t get me wrong…
Recommendation: Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
Ready Player One, by Ernest Cline
Hardcover, 374 pages
Published August 16th 2011 by Random House NY
Summary:Â
In the year 2044, reality is an ugly place. The only time teenage Wade Watts really feels alive is when he’s jacked into the virtual utopia known as the OASIS. Wade’s devoted his life to studying the puzzles hidden within this world’s digital confines, puzzles that are based on their creator’s obsession with the pop culture of decades past and that promise massive power and fortune to whoever can unlock them. When Wade stumbles upon the first clue, he finds himself beset by players willing to kill to take this ultimate prize. The race is on, and if Wade’s going to survive, he’ll have to win—and confront the real world he’s always been so desperate to escape.
My thoughts:
Man this was a fun book! I will admit, it took a little bit to get emerged in the story because there was a LOT of world-building, but once it picked up… I was in. I loved all the vague 80’s references that I’m a little young for, but still really enjoyed. Overall, the book was a lot of fun and I’m so glad I picked it up (thanks to a friend’s recommendation).
Writing post revisions…
You know what’s hard to do? Write a new book when things with your other book are not all wrapped up. I’m not sure how much more revisions ALLIANCE is going to need, and so it’s hard to fully commit to a new story while waiting. This is something I’m going to HAVE to get used to in order to be a legit professional writer, but it’s something that I’ve really been struggling with lately. This post is a sort of, kick-myself-in-the-pants reminder that I need to get over it.
GET OVER IT DESTINY!
My MS is currently being read by my fabulous agent Kirsten, and while I wait to hear back from her, I just keep fiddling with the first few chapters of my WIP instead of pushing on to spit out a first draft of a new book.
I know part of it is that I wrote a VERY messy first draft of ALLIANCE and I don’t want to do that again, but the other part of it is I can’t get my head firmly planted in this small Texas town, because it’s still stuck in an alternate version of New York City!
One of my fabulous CPs, Ashley, has written like 87 new manuscripts in the time it’s taken me to write/revise ALLIANCE and I stare at her amazing, growing library of books and I’m like, “WHAT’S WRONG WITH ME?”
Then I remember that I suck we’re all on different journeys and need to get on the ball it’s okay.
So today, instead of tinkering with the first few chapters, I’m going to press on!
I’m really excited about my story and it’s time to commit!
Destiny Cole 