Author: Destiny Vandeput

Digital Marketer by day/Writer by night.
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Book Recommendation: Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

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Hardcover, 344 pages Published March 22nd 2011 by Philomel Books

Summary:

Lina is just like any other fifteen-year-old Lithuanian girl in 1941. She paints, she draws, she gets crushes on boys. Until one night when Soviet officers barge into her home, tearing her family from the comfortable life they’ve known. Separated from her father, forced onto a crowded and dirty train car, Lina, her mother, and her young brother slowly make their way north, crossing the Arctic Circle, to a work camp in the coldest reaches of Siberia. Here they are forced, under Stalin’s orders, to dig for beets and fight for their lives under the cruelest of conditions.

Lina finds solace in her art, meticulously–and at great risk–documenting events by drawing, hoping these messages will make their way to her father’s prison camp to let him know they are still alive. It is a long and harrowing journey, spanning years and covering 6,500 miles, but it is through incredible strength, love, and hope that Lina ultimately survives. Between Shades of Gray is a novel that will steal your breath and capture your heart.

My Thoughts…

When I grow up, I hope I can string words together as beautifully as Ruta Sepetys. I mean, seriously guys. She’s an incredible writer! She’s also ridiculously kind as I was lucky enough to meet her earlier this year.

This book is beautiful and heart breaking and hopeful and tragic. I definitely recommend it!

They are also making this book a movie that comes out next year, but changing the name to Ashes in the Snow because anything with  Shades and Gray definitely has a much different meaning now thanks to a certain Twilight fanfic 🙂

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Failing Forward

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Processing no’s and setbacks are part of a writer’s life.

I don’t know of any writer, no matter how successful, that hasn’t had to process no’s.

I don’t know of any writer, even NYT Bestsellers, who even after achieving success hasn’t had to process no’s.

The life of a creative means a life of accepting subjectivity and not allowing it to pierce your resolve.

I was talking to my husband about this very thing (though not about writing) and was sharing that it’s hard to not let no’s feel like mini-failures. That each time I miss the mark, it feels like I just failed terribly and in conclusion, am a failure.

But he said something tonight that struck a chord. He said, “Then you just fail forward.”

Failing forward… I like that.

Because isn’t that what failures do? They mold us and shape us. We learn from them what not to do and what to do better. Failures thicken our spine and deepen our resolve.

Each failure. Each no. Each closing of the door is an alignment. 

“Failure is so important. We speak about success all the time but it is the ability to resist failure or use failure that often leads to greater success. I’ve met people who don’t want to try for fear of failing. […] It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all – in which case, you fail by default.” – J.K. Rowling

Failure is inevitable, but as you feel yourself falling towards that failure, shift forward.

That way when you hit the ground, you do so in a roll where you can pop back up and continue sprinting toward your goal.

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To Our Future #PitchWars Mentee

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Tomorrow is the OFFICIAL opening of #PitchWars!

I remember the feeling I had in 2014 when I was on the mentee side of things. I was so beyond pessimistic about getting in, but I figured, “Why not? What’s the worst that could happen? They say no?” I had been querying for about 2 months at that point and was learning ALL about rejection.

I had two mentors out of four request materials from me and both only requested the first 50 pages. I was absolutely sure I wasn’t going to be selected, but then BAM! I was in.

It was my first big win, but even then I don’t think I fully realized what an incredible opportunity it was. Not because I was going to get in front of agents—I had already been getting a good amount of requests querying the traditional way. But what I got out of #PitchWars was community. It was one-on-one mentorship that taught this newbie writer SOOO much about the craft.

I’m giddy thinking about finding Lynnette and I’s mentee this year! I can’t wait for he/she to experience what it feels like to take a manuscript to the next level, to find incredible writing friends who are at the EXACT same stage in the journey as you, and to be a part of the incredibly supportive #PitchWars community.

So to our future mentee… I CAN’T WAIT TO MEET YOU!!!!!!

We’re going to have fun—we’re definitely going to work hard—but we’re going to have fun doing it!

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Talk to you soon!