Punctuation

Please, people--follow the rules of punctuation in your queries and manuscripts! I don't want to stifle your creative process, but commas, quotation marks, semicolons and their various friends and relations exist for a reason. They define and support the text.

Think of them as the underwires and SPANX of prose.


So, if you aspire to write, PLEASE learn proper usage. Read Eats, Shoots & Leaves if you'd like an entertaining education on the subject. I'll forgive occasional typos, but constant errors make writers look ignorant and make their work unreadable.

And I give a posthumous "thank you" to Dr. Cole, who used to take 10 points off for every mis-use (by omission or commission) of a semicolon on our papers.

Fan Trailers

I LOVE this; a fan has made a book trailer for Half-Blood:



Unfortunately, she used a BUNCH of copyrighted material. Fortunately, I'm pretty sure Joss Whedon, at least, would be cool with it.

And he'd do an AMAZING job directing a Half-Blood movie. Just sayin'.

RSVP

Maybe because it's a French term, so modern Americans don't know what it means.

Hello, people! If someone sends you an invitation, PLEASE let him/her know if you're going to show up! We're having a birthday party for our 6-year-old twins this weekend, and nearly half of the invitees still haven't rizvipped.

*sigh*

So, how many goodie bags do we need? Somewhere between 16 and 33. And now all my childhood anxiety over being the last kid picked for teams in gym class is bubbling up again.

Plech.



Um... if I hold a query contest here later this month, will people submit queries?

Half-Blood Video Review

How cool is this?

The Great Query Contest is Coming...

I looked at the calendar this week and realized A) I need to make a dentist appointment and B) it's fall again. As long-time BFFs know, I try to have a query critique and contest each fall. Soooo, start polishing those queries, because the contest's a-comin'!
I'm going to limit entries this year to the genres I know enough about to offer helpful feedback, specifically:

• Young Adult/New Adult (e.g., high school and college age)
• Fantasy
• Sci-Fi
• Paranormal Romance

I'll take query letter submissions via email (not yet! Wait for the official rules to go up!), and then post the original query ripped to shreds with sharp, sharp claws with helpful comments. Winner gets an additional mauling a partial critique. BTW, at least one Spencer Hill author was discovered through this contest. Keep an eye out for the contest to start later this month, and spread the word to those who might be interested, since I'll also give a prize to the person whose link brings the winner into the contest. 

Happy Monday!  

Book Layout

I'm getting several preliminary galleys prepped this week, and so I'm spending a lot of time thinking about fonts. Does anyone have a "favorite" font? Serif or sans-serif? 10-, 11-, or 12-point? And what about the section breaks? Do you like to have a little picture or ornament? How about starting new chapters with oversized initial characters? What appeals?

Happy Weekend!

WOW!

Check out the Spanish publisher's trailer for Half-Blood: