It's a Teen Shiver Book Birthday!!

This week our very own Ellie James releases FRAGILE DARKNESS, the third book in her exciting , debut YA series, The Midnight Dragonfly Books. Today she’s answering a few questions about her books, writing, and a couple of really off the wall topics!

For the ones who do not know about the Midnight Dragonfly series.. What is the series about?

The Midnight Dragonfly books are a series of romantic YA thrillers following the visions of teenage psychic Trinity Monsour in New Orleans. Glimpses. That’s all she sees. Shadowy premonitions flickering through her dreams. Some are terrifying: a girl screaming, a knife lifting, a body in the grass. But others--the dark, tortured eyes and the shattering kiss, the promise of forever--whisper to her soul. They come without warning. They come without detail. But they always mean the same thing: The clock is ticking, and only Trinity can stop it.

Fragile Darkness is the third book in the series. Does someone need to read the other two books first? Can you tell us a little about Fragile?

Sure! Fragile Darkness is the third book, and I’m sure there’s going to be a lot more emotional payoff for the reader who’s gotten to know the characters through the first two books (Shattered Dreams and Broken Illusions), but the story is designed to stand on its own.  Trinity, the heroine, has seen precognitive visions her entire life. But now, in the wake of some really bad stuff at the end of book 2, her visions have gone dark.  She can still sense things though, and the danger she picks up swirling around a new friend sends her deep into the New Orleans party scene, where nothing is as it seems, surprises wait at every turn, and the last guy she wants to see is the one she needs the most: the enigmatic Dylan Fourcade, part stranger, part friend, part so much more.

It's the so much more that confuses her.

But whether she wants him there or not, he's by her side, shadowing her every step of the way, until the darkness gives way to a deadly showdown.

How did you get the idea for the novel?

It was one of those bizarre, unplanned things. A few years ago I wasn’t getting much sleep and woke up one morning from one of the most incredibly detailed, vivid dreams I’d ever had. I’d more than just seen a group of teen sneak into an old abandoned mansion—I’d been with them.  I’d gazed into the darkness, and smelled the decay. I’d felt the fear, and the crazy blast of excitement at the prospect of a game of truth or dare.  My heart was still racing when I woke up. The images lingered. I kept thinking about what I’d seen, and from the questions came: What happened next? What if one of the teens was a psychic? What if she saw something…something bad? What if she had a premonition? What if what she saw actually happened?  What if no one believed her, or at least, no one but the last guy she should let herself begin to fall for?

As I answered those questions, the Midnight Dragonfly books were born!

So did you have everything planned out from the beginning, or did you end up winging the story as you went along?

Both!  I start with a fairly detailed outline of major plot points, this is what my editor signs off on. But the second I begin writing, the characters take over and strange things start happening. It’s the strange things that I’ve come to love, because they’re authentic and unexpected, and they keep my fingers flying along the keyboard, and hopefully the reader flying through the pages! With the Midnight Dragonfly books, a HUGE change manifested itself that completely caught me by surprise. It was totally one of those turn left instead of right scenarios, and it changed everything J  I was more than a little stunned when my editor said, go for it…but I’m really glad she did!

Thinking back to when you first started the series, what’s the most important thing you’ve learned as a writer from then to now?

That’s a fantastic question. Every book offers new challenges and opportunities, but if I have to boil it down to THE most important lesson, I’d have to say it’s to not protect your characters. Sometimes it’s tempting to push them to the edge, then rush in and save them at the last moment. But I’ve come to learn the most compelling stories come from letting them fall. Sometimes literally. Sometimes figuratively. Characters need to make mistakes. Characters need to get hurt—physically, emotionally, mentally, and any other way you can imagine. This is not only how they grow, but it also gives the opportunity to reveal new shades and sides to supporting characters, as well. I always tell myself, my characters are not my children. In fact, they’re not mine at all. They are themselves, and they need to live fully.

Considering a book from the first word you write to the moment you see it on a bookstore shelf, what’s your favorite part of the process? What’s your least favorite?

I’m going to have to go with two favorites here: given my stories always feature some type of girl meets boy in a dangerous situation scenario, my favorite part of writing is always that moment when the world slows a little and two special people meet for the first time. I’m not an insta-love girl. It’s not that I don’t believe in it, but from a writing perspective, I want to see and experience two people fall for each other. If it happens instantly, you lose that. I’m all for instant attraction and even the cliché of all clichés, an immediate connection. I believe those are real. We’ve all felt that. We’ve all lived that moment where we see someone for the first time, and some place inside of us just clicks. It gets a little hard to breathe. Your heart quickens, and adrenaline races. That is real, and that’s the moment I most love to write.

My other favorite moment comes from my editor: the cover reveal. For me, it’s incredibly exciting to see the artwork for the first time. Everything becomes more real J

The least favorite would have to be the moment I realize I can’t tinker with the story any longer. No matter how many times I read/revise my work, I can always find things to change. Sometimes it’s simple word choices. Sometimes it’s a better way to describe something or taking someone’s thoughts and turning it into dialog. Sometimes it’s wanting to explore what would happen if the character had turned left instead of right. But there comes a point when you’re flat out of time and you have to let go, even if you do wake up one morning (after already signing off on galleys) with the most amazing idea, as I did numerous times with Shattered Dreams ;)

If you weren’t a writer, what job would you love to try out?

That ones easy: a photographer. I love taking pictures. I experimenting with angles and lighting, with framing a shot just so (Ask my family…I drive them nuts!) For the Midnight Dragonfly books, I spent quite a bit of time tromping through cemeteries, the French Quarter, and several abandoned places which I really shouldn’t name, taking pictures in the name of research!

If you could have dinner with one of your characters who would it be?

Ohhhh, it would have to be Julian Delacroix. Julian is introduced in the second book, Broken Illusions. Not only is he the master of all things metaphysical, but he runs a French Quarter New Age shop and  has long dark hair which he wears pulled into a pony tail—and he knows stuff. Really cool stuff, like where dreams come from and what they mean, and how to access them later…  And despite the fact that he dresses exclusively in black, there’s a small room above his shop that’s all white… 

I’d love me some one-on-one time with Julian!

And finally, what else would you like us to know?

Contests! I'm running lots of fun contests, including giving away t-shirts and a drawing for a reproduction of the dragonfly necklace on the cover of the books.

 Stop by my Facebook page for all the fun details :)

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Midnight-Dragonfly-Books-by-Ellie-James/154988421236309

Now, let's go Off Topic!

All time favorite….

Book          OUTLANDER by Diana Gabaldon

Author      Anne Stuart

Song          Don’t Drink the Water by Dave Matthews

TV show   LOST           

Movie        LAST OF THE MOHICANS

Fictional Character    Jamie Frasier

Food           Guacamole and chips

City            New Orleans

What the most dangerous thing you’ve ever done? Jumped off a cliff

What is the scariest thing that’s ever happened to you?  The emergency c-section birth of my son…it was like starring in my own personal episode of ER :(

What’s one thing you’ll never do?     Sky dive

What’s one food you’ll never eat?     Chicken gizzard…whatever that is

What’s your guilty pleasure?     Grande Latte with one raw sugar

What’s your favorite saying?      You’ll miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.

What’s your astrological sign?      Aries

Do you believe in love at first sight?     Yes.

Do you believe in the unexplained?     Yes

Do YOU have a secret?     Doesn’t everyone?

Hugs or kisses?     Hugs

Fruits or vegetables?     Vegetables

Cats or dogs?     Cats

Tigers or bears?     Tigers

Fish or birds?     Birds           

Abraham Lincoln or George Washington?     Lincoln

Einstein or Stephen Hawking?     Hawking

The Power of Music

A few weeks ago, I turned in revisions for the third book in my Midnight Dragonfly series, and went for a walk. It was a beautiful spring day, with a vivid blue sky and puffy white clouds, a cool breeze mingling with the warm rays of the sun. I had my headphones on with Dave Matthews blasting (Don’t Drink the Water), and with each step I took, the heaviness lifted from inside me a little more, until I actually stopped and texted my husband: OMG, no one soothes my soul like Dave Matthews, except, of course, you.

I’ve thought about that brisk walk a lot since then, how some alone time with a favorite album literally rebooted me. That’s why music is called The International Language. Music transcends language. Music speaks to our souls and fires through our blood. Music heals. With nothing more than a few notes, a melody can transport us to another place, another time. One song, and I’m back in high school, back in the arms of my first love. Another song, and I’m in the gym at a basketball game. Another, and I’m nursing my first broken heart all over again. Yet another, and I’m dancing at my wedding. Rocking my newborn daughter. Saying goodbye to a beloved grandparent. Music is that powerful.

When my son was born ten weeks premature, I stumbled across information about music therapy, a technique utilizing music to create a desired physiological effect in the patient. In my son’s case, we had to wait a few weeks so as not to over-stimulate him, but eventually set up a CD player next to his isolette with a fabulous collection of African lullabies. The soft, melodic strains soothed him when he was fussy, and helped to level out his heart rate when he brady’d (sudden drop in heart rate).  Long after we brought him home, those lullabies were our go-to miracle.

Maybe that’s why music has become such an important element of my writing regime, because of its ability to evoke emotional and physical responses. I’ve talked to many writers who prefer quiet while they work, but for me, music transports me deeper into my story world. Music makes me feel what my characters feel, whether it be love or fear or excitement. Quite literally, music fuels me, allowing me to bleed that emotion right back onto the paper. (My debut YA, Shattered Dreams, was written entirely to Arcade Fire!)

In the book I just turned in, Fragile Darkness, chilling visions draw my teenage psychic, Trinity, into the underground New Orleans party scene. Now, this isn’t a scene I’m intimately familiar with, but the second I began listening to Dubstep, the words flowed. My husband cracked up to find me trance-like listening to Magical World by Bass Nectar and Cracks by Freestylers…but it worked!!  In fact, Magical World went on to become the music for my first book trailer.

When it came time to ramp up the emotion, suddenly I had the theme song to the Dead Island trailer on repeat:

Talk about music that makes you want to cry! Watch the trailer, then close your eyes and simply listen to the music. I dare you not to get a lump in your throat!

Then, during revisions, I stumbled across Gary Jules’s version of Mad World, and not only did I instantly realize I’d found the perfect song for my next trailer, but the haunting combination of lyrics, rhythm, and voice infused with the exact emotional tenor I’d been looking for.

So the next time you find yourself stuck--in life or your writing--give music a try. Close your eyes, let the rhythms flow through you, and see what happens next.

You might be surprised.

A couple of recommendations:

Action & Adventure: the soundtrack from Gladiator 

Danger/Suspense: a few awesome suggestions from YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BC_BShb5UrA,

Creepy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecsrMCpviG8&feature=related

General Epic-y: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hqGIGq5PmQ&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T15ZMU8f230

And of course, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T15ZMU8f230

Emotion: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cqgWvFmtz0&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0KHS-AD14w&feature=related

Romance/Love: Beyonce’s Halo and Unchained Melody by The Righteous Brothers

Sleep/Relaxation: Krishna  Das, Celtic, and Nature Sounds

Shadow Waxing

Happy almost Halloween, everyone!

In honor of the upcoming creeptastic holiday, we at TeenShiver have decided to tantalize your tastebuds for terror over the next three days.

My short story, called Shadow Waxing, is a demented and creepy flash fiction piece I wrote some five years ago (one of the first things I ever had published in a now defunct e-zine). It's not so much about the unknown, as turning what you think you've figured out on its head.

I hope you enjoy it!

Shadow Waxing

By A.G. Howard

“Your head looks like a friggin’ pumpkin.”

Sarah ignored Nick’s snipe. Her boyfriend always got an attitude after a run-in with Jack Daniels. Her feet scraped the basement floor. Dirt grated between her wiggling toes. She steadied the swinging lamp over her head, capturing the yellow halo of light inside her glassy eyes. With a nudge, she shifted the blonde wig over her scalp and stood back to study the result.

Nick lingered behind her. His whiskey-soured breath tangled with the familiar fray of chemicals and melted beeswax.

“You gonna put some more clothes on?” he asked. “Not that I’m complaining. I like this look on you. Always have.” One hand cupped her bare shoulder -- sliding down, nice and slow. Fingers squeezed too hard, leaving an imprint of jello-like contusions on her bicep. “Oops.”

She shoved him back, grunting. Bewitched by liquor, he fell into a dust-backed chair and laughed, gray eyes twinkling.

Sarah assessed the damage to her arm. She would have to fill in the gaps. Her teeth pressed like a vise against her tongue until she tasted blood.

Nick was up again, hiccupping. His muscular arms captured her waist. “How about a dance then?”

A powerful spin slammed her into the wall, face first. The jolt slung her wig across the room. She stuck to the dry wall, then dragged with a thump to the stone floor.

Turning herself over, Sarah felt along her flattened nose. It hung to one side like a decapitated mushroom, and her waist slumped at an awkward angle. Her stomach lurched.

“Sorry.” Nick stood over her, his jaw firm with sincerity. “Guess I don’t know my own strength.”

“Jerk.” Her tongue snagged on the word, rolled it around and dropped it again, this time with full conviction.

“Aw, c’mon. For the past two weeks you’ve been down here in the shadows. Playing with your little friend. What about me? I need some attention, now and then.”

He retrieved the blonde wig and dropped it on his head. Riotous black curls exploded from beneath the wig’s seams, framing his exquisitely Greek features. He was almost too beautiful to be a guy.

A flash of desire lapped through her, but she kept it at bay. Nothing was more important than her work.

“Seriously. Let’s have some fun, baby…” Nick grinned, dragging a finger along her lips. “You can shape me into whatever you want.”

Mesmerized by his dimples, she kissed his fingertip. He tasted salty and faintly sweet, like a pear soaked in brine.

Remembering her nose, Sarah slapped his hand away. She popped the sagging feature back into place, pressing until it melded to her face, straight and natural. The rest of her face was still a disaster. The wall had scraped off her cheeks, leaving gaping holes.

Nick slipped the wig from his head, gaze stalled on her disappointed grimace. He held the hair in his left hand like a dead animal. “All right. No playtime. I get it.” He groaned. “Let me help you, at least.”

He caught her wrist and tugged to lift her. She yelped as her elbow snapped off, attached by just a thread to her arm.

“Crap.” He dropped the wig and stepped back, palms up in resignation. “Ruined everything, didn’t I?”

Tears rimmed Sarah’s lower lids. This would take days to fix.

Nick’s dark lashes cloaked his eyes. “Well, I’ll leave you to it.” He vanished outside of the circle of light, fumbling for the stairs.

Sarah wanted to scream. She would have to buy more wax … construct an entire arm and a new face. Not to mention straightening out the spine. She’d basically be starting from the beginning.

She only had one chance to impress the wax museum with her expertise. She hadn’t told the interviewers any details about her project, just that she was making a woman. She’d hoped by accomplishing a self-portrait, she’d gain an edge over the other applicants. But at this rate, she would never get any kind of sculpture done by tomorrow morning.

If only she didn’t have to start from scratch.

“Nick, wait…”

He paused on the first step. She bit her lip, tracing the jagged edge of her elbow. You can shape me into whatever you want, he’d said.

“Come here.” Sarah tossed the busted arm across her waxen doppelganger. With a paint brush, she slicked some warm wax over her fingertip. Once dry, it easily passed for a wax figure’s digit.

“What is it?” Nick asked, stumbling back into the light’s halo. His shoes scuffed the gritty floor. He was so drunk he almost tripped. Good thing he hadn’t gone all the way up the stairs. He’d surely have fallen and broken his neck.

Sarah smirked. “You forgot something.”

“Oh, yeah?” Particles of dust floated around his beautiful face. He drew her into his arms, smiling. Sarah stroked the brillo of his chin. She’d have to shave that.

On her toes, she pulled up to his height. “Yeah,” she said between kisses. “What say you go upstairs and bring down some drinks? We’ll have a real party.”

With a lopsided grin, he spun around, nearly losing balance, and tromped unevenly up the stairs.

Sarah waited next to the swinging lamp until he was three steps from the top. She tugged the chain, blanketing the room and stairway in pitch darkness.

Several banging thumps, followed by a sickening crack, poisoned the silence. Turning on the light, Sarah knelt next to Nick’s lifeless body, twisting his lopsided neck to a more natural position.

She snuggled the blonde wig on his head and tucked his dark hair underneath. It was the perfect fit.

She'd always said he was too beautiful to be a guy.

ON A DARK WING Virtual Tour – Calling all Bloggers

By Jordan Dane





As part of my cover reveal announcement for ON A DARK WING, I want to let everyone know on TeenShiver that the lovely Trisha Wolfe (talented author and avid YA blogger at YA Bound) will be hosting my virtual tour exclusively, along with the support of Harlequin Teen. Stop by YA Bound on Tuesday Oct 4th to see how you and your blog can be FEATURED on our tour.


Please show TeenShiver love to the Angel of Death. Post him, share him and tweet sweet nothings in his ear.


He’s listening.

From the first moment I saw him on my mountain, he mesmerized and controlled me. Now the danger of being with him oozed from every pore of my body, yet I had to come. Nothing could have stopped me from seeing him.

“You asked who I am,” he said. “Look into my eyes, Abbey. You tell me.”

~Abbey Chandler (staring into the eyes of Death) – ON A DARK WING (Harlequin Teen, Jan 2012)

On a Dark Wing – Cover Tease

By Jordan Dane

On Monday October 3rd, I’m revealing the cover for ON A DARK WING on TeenShiver, my second YA with the awesome Harlequin Teen (Jan, 2012). This will be an exclusive for TeenShiver, ‘cuz I love you guys. So I wanted to hint of things that will be on the cover, important images that will capture the essence of the story of a young girl who stares into the eyes of Death—twice.

The choices I had made that day, all of them led to that one moment when the school bus drove off and fate took over. I would learn a lesson I wasn’t prepared for and Death would be my willing teacher.    ~Abbey Chandler

Five years ago in Alaska, Abbey Chandler faced Death on the worst day of her life—the day her mother died. Now with gaping holes in her memory caused by the horrific car accident where she lost her mom, she struggles to remember what happened, but she can’t get past her guilt for the role she played in the crash when she missed her school bus. But Death never forgets her. For reasons of his own, he seeks her out years later with an agenda she never sees coming.

As an author, I had to imagine what it would be like for a young girl to stare into the beautiful and mesmerizing eyes of Death. What would she see? Would she even recognize the captivating boy for what he is? How would Death keep her from being afraid or would he even care if she’s scared?

I see Death as a keeper of souls, yet with the frightening power of an immortal charged with a lonely duty—being the last one to turn out the lights on humanity. By the end of the book, I ached for him and the solitude he must endure forever. His sense of duty and purpose felt like a burden that no one soul should have to bear and I wondered if he'd ever been given a choice. Below is Abbey’s first encounter with Death, before she realizes what really happened to her mother.

Excerpt – Abbey’s First Encounter with Death

Momma. Please…help me.

I searched for my mother, but couldn’t move my head. I didn’t even sense her next to me. I felt alone, cocooned in pain and deepening shadows. How long I lay there shivering, I didn’t know, but eventually I sensed something that, to this day, I have never forgotten.

A strong presence filled the SUV.

Soothing heat replaced the numbing cold that had settled in my bones. It made me want to close my eyes and sleep, but a strange urgency wouldn’t let that happen. I strained to stay awake and searched the shadows, waiting for a glimpse of something…anything to explain the eerie feeling.

After an intense light stabbed my eyes and sent a shock of pain down my spine, I saw movement. Something eclipsed the truck’s headlights. It drifted toward me, inching closer until it hovered over my body. The brilliant glimmer swept over me and through me. Even though I could see through it, the light took shape and substance. The ghostly flicker turned into a body with arms and hands…and finally a face.

A boy’s face.

I was only ten, but he looked older, like a high school boy. He had the most intense eyes that I’d ever seen. Beautiful. They were deep blue and reminded me of the frigid depths of the ocean. His eyes were the only real color on his face, but that wasn’t the most incredible thing about him. White tufts undulated and billowed within the boundaries of his filmy body, beautiful and peaceful. He conjured memories of a perfect summer day with me lying on my back on a grassy hilltop, picturing animal shapes in drifting white clouds.

When I shifted my gaze back to his eyes, I saw a long tunnel with a glimmering light at the end of it, a light eclipsed by the vague shapes of bodies undulating on a watery surface. Those wavering images calmed me. At that moment, I felt a part of them, as if I belonged. He comforted me in a way no one ever had.

The boy fascinated me. I must have had the same impact on him. He stared at me with such concentration that it looked as if he were memorizing my face. Who are you? I wanted to ask, but I couldn’t make my lips work.

When he reached out his hand, a strong impulse made me take it.

In my research of this book, I found several references to Death not traveling alone. Inky black ravens are his harbingers and signal his coming with their eerie presence. They are a chilling glimpse of things to come. Abbey is stalked by these shadowy creatures until she realizes why they seek her out.

Excerpt – His Ravens

Below my bedroom window, a tree moved in the night breeze. It wasn’t until I looked closer that I saw them. The tree was filled with ravens and crows. Hundreds of them. When their iridescent black wings flapped, they caught the moonlight in their feathers and it made the whole tree look as if it would lift from the ground and drift into the night sky. The birds had gathered for a purpose that I didn’t understand, but for some strange reason, I knew one thing.

They had come because of me.

ON A DARK WING (Harlequin Teen, Jan 2012) is a coming of age story for a girl who is lucky to be alive, but she can’t move on with her life carrying a burden of guilt over the death of her mother. The tragedy marks her. It defines her. Tanner Lange looks out for her from a distance, the only way he thinks she’ll accept him—as her best friend. Being a boy in a wheelchair, he doesn’t feel he has much to offer her except his unflinching loyalty, the same loyalty she had always shown him after he was paralyzed. Tanner sees the major crush Abbey has on the perfect boy—a great guy who doesn’t even know she exists—Nate Holden. When Death finds a unique way to face Abbey again, she will learn what love and loyalty truly are.

The cover will be posted on Monday, Oct 3^rd. I hope you’ll stop by and let me know what you think. Please show Death some love by cross posting him. Believe me, he’ll be watching.

For the question of the day – if you faced Death like Abbey, what would you say to him? Or what would you hope he’d say to you?

Six flaming hoops to publishdom...

First, I'd like to thank TeenShiver for inviting me to join this wonderful blog and for the opportunity to support such a classy bunch of authors. :) I'll do my best to make you Texas Proud.

Normally, I'll write up new posts to share here, but today I'm reposting a prior journal entry I originally wrote in 2008.

I know a couple of our TeenShiver authors (and possibly some of our readers) are in the very place I was just a month ago: agented, on sub, and waiting at the gates of publishdom.

To encourage you, here's some insight as to why we don't always hear back within a week or even a few months on those subs, and why sometimes hearing nothing can mean a really big something.

There are six flaming hoops a manuscript usually has to jump through (not to mention clear without any residual char marks) to end up a shiny new book.

Let's have a closer look at each of them:

1. Your agent deems the MS a masterpiece and makes up a list of editors that she’s convinced will be enamored of your story and writing. She calls or emails a pitch. Just like when we send queries, it’s all subjective from there. Best case scenario, your agent is an ace at pitching and the majority will tell her to send it their way.

2. Tick-tock, tick-tock. Now the waiting (Umm, shouldn’t we be used to this by now? Yet somehow, it’s still excruciating)—anywhere from days to months depending on: how excited your agent sounded when she pitched the book (salivating and heavy breathing usually garner a faster read) and how much interest is generated from other editors along with how quickly feedback comes in.

3. YAY! The MS passes its first read with glowing acclaim, but don’t pop that champagne cork quite yet (in fact, it's likely you won't know about the editor love at this point--they may not tell your agent anything yet). From there, the initial editor sends it anywhere from two to four other editors at her imprint for "second reads". If the book is to move one iota further in the process, these editors will have to share the first one’s enthusiasm.

4. Happy day! The votes are in, and all of the second reads LOVE your MS. Okay. So, time for an offer. Right? Nope. Now the MS is run by marketing to decide not only if your book can sell, but how well will it sell? It all comes down to bling. How much money can your precious baby rake in?

5. Yippee! Marketing thinks you’re a shoo-in. But it’s still not time for the bubbly. The marketing team has to present their opinions at an acquisition meeting. If you’re keeping count, you’ve already had to impress at least six or more people at this point. Well, publishers have a set amount of books they buy per year. So everyone on board for your story now has to prove why this book is the best thing for their imprint at this given time. From what I hear, this is a thumbs up--thumbs down kind of meeting. Whoever thought this book's entire future would be teetering on a thumb?

6. Hallelujah! Your editor and new fan club managed to push your book through the acquisition meeting. Your agent gets the call or an email for a formal offer. What’s that sound I hear? Ahh. The sweet song of Veuve Clicquot purling into a long stemmed flute. Salud and drink up, my friend. You’ve earned it!

Though it may seem daunting, don't let these steps discourage you. One look on Amazon or B&N (books galore) proves how many other authors have done it. You will, too. The only thing you need is tenacity, and the will to keep writing while waiting. That way, when they sign you for that two book deal, you're already well on your way to fulfilling the second part of your contract.

Wishing much luck, good vibes, and "fire repellence" to everyone out on submission, and to those of you seeking agents, too. :)

Thanks to these two blogs for their info on this subject:http://midnightwriters.blogspot.com/2007/11/who-do-i-have-to-sleep-with-to-get-my.html
http://blog.myspace.com/allisonwinnscotch

Welcome to TeenShiver!

We have so many exciting things going on at TeenShiver. We hope you’ll spread the word about our new blog that will feature & nurture Texas YA books that make you shiver.

First I will mention that we are proud to have Tori Scott & Lindsey Cummings with us. They both have agents and their first books are out on submission. Squeee!!! Please post a comment in support. I’m sure they need a heaping dose of love and a cyber hug.

Many of our TeenShiver authors are new to YA, but I can see very bright futures ahead for them. They need love too. Explore their books and see what I mean.

As Texas YA authors, we have banded together to promote literacy and our genre. If you are a school, library, or bookstore and want to reach out to our authors, please follow the instructions on our CONTACT PAGE. We’d like to hear from you if you’d love to schedule an event, are a cool reviewer looking to discover fresh voices in YA, or want to find out more about how to become a TeenShiver author.

For our followers, we will have the support of our publishers and will have very cool exclusives coming soon. I can't wait to share them. Follow us and be the first to know.

Welcome!