Book Description: Twenty-four year old Kevin Anderson lost the opportunity to end his senior year at the University of Washington as the Huskies’ all-star point guard, and sought out one last opportunity to put his extraordinary basketball skills to use: by training for a chance at the pros.
But when he’s not on the court, Kevin has only two things in his life that gives him happiness: spinning records at the local clubs, and Trinity Brown.
Trinity attends almost every one of Kevin’s deejay gigs, but Kevin is uncertain if her love for him is genuine or a fangirl’s simple admiration. Kevin takes that chance and hopes that she will see beyond the celebrity persona. But when fall classes start up again, their busy schedules press their relationship.
Kevin doesn’t want to give up on her–on them. He hopes the happiness they had will rebound once more.
But when he learns the truth about Trinity, Kevin must decide if it is worth everything–and everyone–he cares about to save her, or forfeit this exhausting game of love.
10 Things I Wish Every Aspiring Writer Would Know
I’ve
been writing books for a while, and met some great people along the way who
have helped me shape my journey into the publishing world. I’m all about paying
it forward, and giving back to those who have helped me reach this point in my
career.
So
here is a list of things I wish every aspiring writer would know. But as Levar
Burton from Reading Rainbow says, “you don’t have to take my word for it.”
1. Do more reading
than writing.
No,
seriously. This is especially true if you’re just starting out. Read lots of
books in the genre that you want to write about. Learn about what works and
what doesn’t. Dissect these stories until your eyes bleed and your brain
explodes. What about the story held your interest? What’s a common pattern
you’re seeing with the books you like?
2. You’re not going
to get rich quick.
Those
success stories you read online about authors quitting their day jobs because
they earned millions from their writing account for only less than 1% of all
the authors out there. Writing is a competitive game. Don’t chase the money.
Write because you enjoy telling a story and the money will come. Most of all,
your fans will appreciate you so much more.
3. Stay focused
With
so many distractions in the world, it’s hard to stay focused on your work. But
there is no greater feeling than that of accomplishment when you write ‘The
End’ on the last page. Challenge yourself to stay motivated to finish what you
start. Keep writing. A focused writer is a successful writer.
4. You’ll turn into
a schedule freak
You
will be surrounded by calendars, reminders, alerts, and other notifications for
deadlines, book signings, critique group meetings, conferences, and other
events related to writing, publishing, and marketing your book. It can be
overwhelming at times.
5. You’ll need to
do a lot of things yourself
Whether
you’re self-published or published traditionally, you will need to know something
about advertising yourself and your book. Unless you’re as prolific as J.K. Rowling
you’re going to need to do most of this yourself. No one is going to do it for
you. There’s a misconception that traditional publishers will do all the work
for you and you can just sit back and reap the rewards. Think again!You’ll have
to stand out among millions of other authors vying for the same attention as
you. In addition to marketing your finished books, you have to continue writing
your next one. That means organizing your time wisely (see #4). It’s an
exhausting venture. Are you up for it?
6. Have a good
support group
You’ll
be overwhelmed and stressed out at times, but having a support group will help
alleviate some of this. A support group can be anyone: your family, your
friends, other writers. Not all of us are self-motivators. But having someone
there to give us a good kick in the pants when things get rough is something
every author needs in their corner.
7. Research the
industry
The
publishing industry is always changing. Successful authors make it a point to
stay abreast on the latest happenings. For example, which publishers are
engaging in shady practices? This is very important, and I’ve seen so many
aspiring authors fallen prey to ‘vanity’ publishers and others who have engaged
in unethical behavior at the authors’ expenses. It’s very easy to fall victim
to these glamorous advertisements that promise your book on bookstore shelves.
But the reality of it is, shelf space is limited, and if you’re not a prolific
author like J.K. Rowling, Stephen King, or Suzanne Collins, chances are, your
book will not appear on those shelves.
8. Have patience
Writing
the perfect story takes time, so don’t rush perfection. If you are an aspiring
author, take the time to make your debut work the very best it can be. That
means lots of editing, lots of rewriting, lots of everything. You want to make
a good first impression, so don’t just rush a book to market. Reviewers will
pick you apart.
9. Learn to network
Networking
is one of the most important things authors need to engage in. The term “It’s
about who you know” rings so true in this industry. Authors love to support and
promote each other, and you’ll never know who may be looking at your book.
Getting on good terms with people in the publishing industry can open up so
many doors that you weren’t able to open by yourself.
10. You’ll need to
have thick skin
I
saved the best for last. I think this is the single most important thing every
aspiring author needs to know. Not everyone is going to like what you write.
You’ll get hecklers and snarky one-star reviews. You can’t take these reviews
personally. All you can do is hold your head up high and keep writing. Check
Amazon or Goodreads sometime and see how many people hated the Harry Potter,
Hunger Games, and Divergent books. But
those reviews hasn’t stopped the authors from writing more books, and it
shouldn’t stop you, either.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Marie has shared a fondness and interest in the New Adult genre since its popularity boom in 2009. And now, as both a reader, and debut RWA author of New Adult fiction, Marie dreams to keep this fascinating genre going strong.
Thanks for hosting today, Haddie! :)
ReplyDeleteI think I'll stick with being a reader :) Sounds like an interesting series.
ReplyDelete