We have a winner! After the Falls book giveaway

Congratulations to Aisley Crosse for winning a copy of Catherine Gildiner's After the Falls. You should be receiving it soon. Hope you enjoy.

Thanks,

Kristin

Writer Wednesday Winner! The Pink Locker Society

We have a winner! This week's Writer Wednesday guest, Debra Moffitt offered a copy of her newly released book, The Pink Locker Society. The lucky winner is....


Julie Anne Lindsey

She has been contacted and the book will be sent ASAP. Congratulations Julie and thanks to all who stopped by.

I want to mention one more time that Debra Moffitt is also the editor of an excellent website focused on issues that girls today face. It answers any and all questions that girls (and boys) have about growing up. Parents, you should check this site out and bring your kids too.

http://www.pinklockersociety.org

Thanks,

Kristin : )

Writer Wednesday: Debra Moffitt

You know more than you think you do.

Those words are from parenting expert, Dr. Benjamin Spock, but I find them strangely comforting and applicable to writing. Of course, I have to balance them against the equally true statement: You don’t know anything at all. For me, writing happens in the valley between the two.

I chin up and soldier my way through the hard, early days of a new writing project, needing to remind myself that I can do characters, dialogue, and plot. But I also sigh and fret. I lament my inadequate education, my own laziness about reading the classics, and my general lack of worldliness. Where have I been? What right have I to spin these tales, which emerge from my imperfect memory and unchallenged point of view?

But, oh yes, I know more than I think I do. I know that I can’t have zero confidence and be a writer. So I have no choice but to rally and find the courage to put something down, to believe that my little squinty view of the world is worth sharing. I remember a decade ago at a writers’ conference, this woman asked the presenter how she could get beyond her internal critic. “Every time I write something, I say ‘Oh my God, it’s awful.’ So I just never get anything done.”

I recall thinking, “Oh, you poor thing.” But rest assured, I was just beginning to write fiction, and my own insecurities were waiting for me around the bend. Right about then, I enrolled in Philadelphia’s Rittenhouse Writers Workshop. I prepared for class like a model student, wrote my first short story, and was secretly hoping it would get an unqualified A, even though the workshop’s leader was not a professor and the class was not graded.

The deft workshop facilitator had me read an excerpt and then raised so many questions that I felt nauseous. He never said it was a bad story, but he encouraged revision and deeper thinking about what I was trying to say. He asked, rhetorically, “What’s the emotional truth of the story?” Ugh, darned if I knew.

I worked and reworked, always feeling a little like an elephant doing ballet. But through several rounds of the workshop, I started to internalize some of his persistent, and now predictable, questions. It didn’t work miracles, but my fiction writing got a little better.

All the reading he had us do also helped. I stopped racing for the finish when I read, and started noticing the choices that masterful writers make. (Oh, how they tell us just enough and let that last sentence burn a hole in the page!)

Every writer has probably experienced the “I wish I’d written that.” moment. It’s infantile, I know, but I’m confessing. Now that I’m a little older, it doesn’t happen as much. Maybe it’s because I have created for myself a secret stash of encouragement from some fabulous writers. Lots of writers write about writing. But not all of them fill the curious space left by my own insecurity and doubt.

Here are three of my favorites if you need a reminder that yes, you can have a writer’s life, if you want one.

Anne Lamott: Bird by Bird, Lamott’s guide to writing, truly delivers. Ms. Lamott is one of the kindest angels you can have on your shoulder while you write. Need further evidence? She riffs brilliantly about procrastinating when you should be writing and recognizes “Shitty First Drafts” as an official step in the writing process.

William Maxell: I will gladly listen to Maxwell, who was both a fine writer and fiction editor at the New Yorker for 40 years. Maxwell, who died in 2000, had me at the preface to his short story collection, All the Days and Nights.

In it, Maxwell describes how at age 25 he decided to go to sea so he would have something to write about. He left his job as an English professor and got aboard a schooner near Coney Island. Thirty years later, he looked back on it like this..."(The captain) had no idea when the beautiful, tall-masted ship would leave its berth. And I had no idea that three-quarters of the material I would need for the rest of my writing life was already at my disposal. My father and mother. My brothers. The cast of larger-than-life characters - affectionate aunts, friends of the family, neighbors white and black - that I was presented with when I came into this world."

Billie Letts: Letts, an Oklahoman, is the woman you want to read if you’re raising kids and trying (and often failing) to fit in a little writing time. Tucked in the back of her breakout novel, Where the Heart Is, she describes her personal journey from wife and mom to college graduate, English teacher, and – at age 55 – novelist.

By her own description, Letts was not well poised to become a published writer. She was not born in New York, completed college only after having children, and was the traditional “woman behind the man” as her talented husband took a Fulbright Scholarship. She taught English as a second language for many years.

Only as she neared retirement, did she make progress toward her dream of being a writer. In her generous essay, she answers the question she must get asked most often: How did you do it? Her answer: “I don't know. I only know how I have written two books. I had stories to tell and I began typing.

You can read the whole thing here: Billie Letts on Writing
http://www.knowsouthernhistory.net/Culture/Literature/billie_letts.htm

I think of Letts’ essay as something that should be behind glass, like in one of those old fashioned fire extinguisher boxes. In case of discouragement, break glass. I’ve reread it numerous times and know I’ll reach for it again, whenever I need reminding that I know at least a little more than I think I do.

Debra Moffitt, a former newspaper reporter, is an editor at KidsHealth.org. Her first book, The Pink Locker Society: Only Girls Allowed, was published by St. Martin’s Press in September. The book is the first in a four-book series for tween girls.

An interactive website, www.pinklockersociety.org, invites girls to support each other and find answers to common questions about growing up. Moffitt lives in Delaware with her husband and three sons, ages 13, 12, and 4.

________________________________________________________


Thank you Debra for being this week's Writer Wednesday guest and thank all of you who stopped by today. As an added bonus Debra has generously offered to give away a copy of her newly released book, The Pink Locker Society to a lucky reader. It could be you! All you have to do is leave a comment. One winner will be randomly selected after midnight tonight and will be announced tomorrow.

Happy Reading and Good Luck!

Kristin : )

Book Giveaway

It's officially summer here in CT! Since my book, The Truth Lies in the Dark, has been called "...a great beach read" by reviewers, I figure why not do a summer book giveaway? So here it is...

I will be giving away 4 copies of my book The Truth Lies in the Dark to 4 people on Twitter. The terms are easy, and if you're not on Twitter you can still win. I'll tell you how right after I explain the Twitter terms.

• All you have to do is RT the following message on Twitter.

RT to win a copy of The Truth Lies in the Dark & a beach surprise (via @KCBOOKS)

• Or RT any of my posts about book giveaway to be entered.

Winners will be chosen on Sunday morning (eastern time) or when I have hit 2000 followers, which ever happens first. 4 winners will be announced and contacted by Sunday evening.

NON Twitter friends: I will also give away 1 copy of my book here. So if you don't have a Twitter account or would rather enter on my blog, please leave a brief message in the comments. One winner will be randomly chosen out of the comments on Sunday evening (eastern time) and will receive a copy of The Truth Lies in the Dark and a beach related surprise.

GOOD LUCK TO ALL! And thanks for stopping by.

Kristin : )

And the winner is...

Thanks to all who stopped by to read my review of The Beautiful Dead. One of you brave commenters has won my review copy of the book and a signed copy of my book, The Truth Lies in the Dark.

I won't keep you guessing any longer. The winner is...

Melissa

Congratulations. I will mail both books to you as soon as you email the address you would like them sent to.

Thanks again everyone.

Kristin : )

It's Contest Time Again!

The time is also getting closer for film producer Beth Grossbard to pitch my book to movie executives. In an effort to help her get my book made into a movie I have started a new contest. There will be many prizes so stop by my contest blog for details and your chance to win. Thanks for your support and GOOD LUCK!!

Click on the image of my book to the right of the screen for more details.

New book giveaway!

In honor of the BEA (Book Expo America) I am having another book giveaway. Go to my contest page for details on how you can win a signed copy of The Truth Lies in the Dark whether you Twitter or not.

http://kcscontests.blogspot.com

Thanks and Good Luck!

Kristin Callender : )

The More I Catch Up...the more I fall behind.

I haven't added a new post in a while. I have been busy with some new projects on and off line. Now I think I have things under control, at least for now. This is what I have been up to.

I don't know about you busy parents, but this time of year is crazy. Everything seems to go even faster as school and the kids extra activities come to an end for the season. I know there are still two months left, but everything seems to be at fever pitch. Like every teacher and coach is just realizing that summer is almost here and they haven't done half of what they had planned to. The past week I have been helping my kids juggle projects, prepare for field trips, and make sure they maintain their day to day assignments. At the same time I am inundated with summer camp offers from all of their after school activities, which my kids beg and plead to do because their friends are.

I know the outcome of saying yes to summer activities, it's not good. Once my kids are out of school they don't want to get up for baseball or soccer camps, or anything else. They, like me, enjoy a nonscheduled summer. That is the reason I became a substitute teacher, so I could have the same hours and vacations as my kids. I know, what was I thinking?

As crazy as it sounds, I love spending time with my kids. I am also a huge believer that boredom breeds creativity. Being over scheduled is unavoidable during the school year, but summer for us is a time to slow down, relax, and take a deep breath before the next school year begins. Believe me, I know I am fortunate to have the choice and opportunity to stay home all summer. Many parents today do not. Both incomes are needed in order to survive. Thankfully, there are many day cares and baby sitters who feel the same as me. They make it their job to care for children and make sure that they are safe, fed, and given the chance to remain children as long as possible. For that they deserve a lot of credit.

My on line projects are not as crazy, but time consuming on their own. I started a new contest blog, as many may already aware of. Love Your Library is a contest that I think is a Win, Win. One lucky reader will win a signed copy of my book and a second copy will be donated in their name to a public library of their choice. I have been getting some great feedback on it. Imagine how great it would be if all new authors offered this. Public libraries would be jam packed with great new books to offer their patrons, and for not much more than a regular book giveaway would cost an author. If you haven't entered for your chance to win, you can follow this link or click on the picture of my book to the right of the screen. Good Luck to you and your Public Library!

http://kcscontests.blogspot.com

I have also joined a brand new group dedicated to authors and readers of Independent books. I am excited to be one of the first author members on Indiereaders. The Grand Opening is April 23, 2009. Be sure to stop by and check it out. It is looking like a very promising group with lots of friendly and helpful people.

http://indiereaders.ning.com

Well, that is most of what I have been up to. You don't want to hear about the daily battles with the dishes, and that mountain of laundry that I continue to try to turn into a molehill. These are all losing battles in a war with no end.

Have a great day and feel free to leave any comments or questions about writing or anything. The best way to help each other is through communication. Tell me what you've been up to with your own project, or just vent about your own crazy busy life.

Thanks for stopping by,

Kristin