A Mini Writing Lesson

Today I want to talk a little bit about deep POV (point of view) because a lot of times when I mention it, I get a blank stare. Here's my take on that topic.

DEEP POV

I love Deep POV. I strive for it in everything I write. (Doesn’t mean I always achieve it, but I try.) Is it right for everything? No, but when it’s properly utilized it will help you write tighter. What is it? Deep POV is showing the scene through the character’s eyes, not watching it as it happens to the characters. Let me show you what I mean.

Shallow POV: Betty watched Bob carry the groceries into the house, listening to his grunting and mumbling with a wry smile on her face.

Deep POV: She shook her head. Bob might be carrying the groceries in, but his muttering said it all. His unhappiness gave her a perverse tingle that went all the way to her grin.

Can you see the difference? The first snippet is like you’re watching Betty in this scene. In the second snippet, you are Betty. You’re experiencing the scene right along with her.

*Filtering or distancing words will take your writing out of Deep POV, words like watched, heard, noticed, saw, felt, thought, decided, etc. I’m sure there are a few more you can think of. Do a search for them in your work and see how many you find. How can you rewrite the sentence to take them out?

*Having your characters refer to themselves by name over and over diminishes Deep POV. Do you refer to yourself by name when you’re thinking?

*Lastly, make each character’s descriptions distinct to their personality. Would a military man describe something as a gentle shade of mauve or pink? Would a female kindergarten teacher see a weapon as a Smith and Wesson 9 mil or a gun? Sure, there are exceptions in every case, but make the descriptions ring true. If those characters above answer with the first option, there had better be a reason why.

Make sense?

The end is near

No, I'm not talking about the Mayan apocalypse. I'm talking about the end of the book I'm currently writing. I cannot wait to finish it. This book has not been a "gimme" for me, it's been a real labor of love at times.

A gimme book, as most writers will tell you, is one of those rare novels that just pours out of you, every character nuance and plot decision coming as seamless as silk. Some writers have never had one of those, some have them periodically, but most writers have had at least one. Ask a writer what their gimme book was and their face will light up and their eyes sparkle with a faraway remembrance. They'll nod and smile and start telling you about it, how it issued forth in six weeks and had no revisions or some such fantastical thing.

I've had one. It's called The Perfect Dish and I wrote the first 60 pages in about five days. It really did spill out of me, so fast my fingers could barely keep up. It was a risky book, featuring an older woman/younger man scenario long before the word cougar had really entered the vernacular. (He's a hot young chef with a recently widowed sister, she's a grief counselor who's meteoric career is suddenly spiraling downward due to her own unresolved issues. Also, he's got a magic cookbook and isn't afraid to use it.)

The Perfect Dish opened doors for me. It proved to people that I could write, that I was growing as a writer and that I was a talent worth noticing. That book got me my agent. It eventually sold, but the publisher closed, leaving the book homeless again. (I've decided to put it out there myself via the Kindle route, but that's a story for another post.) Still, The Perfect Dish was a gimme book that made a difference in my writing path.

Have you had your gimme book yet? What was it? What happened to it? Are you writing it now?

Like balls in the air

As you may or may not know, I'm working on the third book in my Blood Rights series that releases next fall from Orbit books. The series is being billed as gothic urban fantasy and involves a lot of characters and a lot of story lines.

Basically, they're complicated. I don't think they're so much complicated to read as they are to write, though. See, while the reader will have all the story lines laid out for them, I have to keep them all in my head, all moving along, all traveling toward the same interwoven end.

It's a lot like what I imagine juggling to be. Thinking not just one but two and sometimes three steps ahead. What happens halfway through one subplot will impact the ending of another. A bad beginning and the ball drops. A wrong choice and the ball drops. Information given too soon - or not soon enough and the ball drops.

And that's just one book. The kicker is the series on the whole works the same way because the same characters are featured in every book. There are character arcs to consider, larger plotlines, growth, development...lots and lots of balls in the air. (And I'm a pantser. Scary, huh?)

So like a juggler, I keep moving, keep writing forward, keep pushing through each subplot, weaving and layering as I go because if I stop? If I forget to keep one going? It all comes down. Or at the very least, leaves a gaping hole. But there's a frantic energy to it as well and that energy is what motivates me to get on the keyboard every day and see what's going to happen next.

What are you juggling? How's it working for you?

very very literary

This weekend was the Arkansas Literary Festival and I was on a panel with two other authors: fellow Arkansan, YA Author and friend Stacey Jay, and a new-to-me adult paranormal author Deborah LeBlanc.

The program said we were to talk about undead lore that we discovered during our research, but we let the crowd dictate the topic of conversation.

It was fun, relaxed and varied of opinion. And I enjoyed it very much.

I have pictures, but since I'm in the middle of a move, the camera is with me and the camera cable is at the new place... so photos will have to wait.

Since I've started doing these panels, I've noticed one of the big questions has been a variation of "What is your writing process?" And yesterday, each of us had very different answers. Deborah is the "write 16 hours a day just to get the story on the page" type. Stacey has little kids so she's the very disciplined "must write X words a day while the kids are asleep" type. I'm the more laissez-faire of the group, "write when I can or if I'm in the mood unless I'm on deadline" type.

Now, the problem with taking such a laid back approach is that it can take a while to write a book. And it's difficult to get back into a story if you don't actually write on it everyday. So when I'm writing, I do open the manuscript daily and add to it...even if it's only a sentence.

I'm going to try to adopt a more disciplined approach. I'm not like Stacey who writes umpteen million multiple books a year. But if I want this to be my career, I'm going to have to write more--and write more often. No matter what my personal circumstances are.

Once I'm officially in the new house, I think I'll make a plan!

Lessons I've learned as a Debut Author

Since Stupid Cupid has been out for almost 2 months now, I thought I'd do a post about some of the lessons I've learned during my whole debuting process (from acquisition in Feb 2008 to release in Dec 2009). For those of you who are writers or who want to write, here are 10 lessons I learned from the experience:

1. The industry's motto seems to be "hurry up and wait." You wait and wait and wait for stretches at a time, not hearing a word. And then everything comes all at once, like copy edits and this and that, and then you turn them around and waaaaaait some more.

2. Comparisons are evil. Comparisons are natural. You will do it, even if you tell yourself you won't. After all, you may have good friends who are published too. And when you find out what their print run was, or their advance, or how many printings they've had, you're going to compare it to yours. And sometimes, you're going to find yours may not be as "good" as what they had. The big thing I have to tell myself is that this is a long-distance trek, not a short race. I'm in it for the long haul.

3. Your book will probably never be as good as you think it could be. Even after being released, I'm scared to go back and read my story...I just know I'm going to find places I could have written better. So I'm trying to focus my craft on my new stories and just keep working on improving my storytelling.

4. You will get lots of emails. You will have people who want you to give them copies of your books for free, because they can't afford them and they can't get them from the library because they have too many fines (yes, this is true). You will have people who ask you to read their stories. You will get people who want to be on your book cover. You will get people who will request an advanced copy, and a good portion of those will never post a review. You will get interview requests. The emails come with the territory.

5. You will probably be petrified. I spent the whole day before my book launch nervous--OMG, what if I show up and they don't have any of my books there? What if everyone hates it? You will probably drive yourself insane.

6. You will probably be ecstatic. The first time I saw my book on the shelves, I couldn't describe to you how happy I was. Seriously, it's the most humbling, amazing experience ever.

7. Fan mail is the BEST. It awes me that people take time to email or msg me and tell me they loved my book. Seriously, it makes my day!!

8. Life is more than just your book. It's sooooo easy to get wrapped up in the craziness of debuting. But don't let your life fall to the side.

9. People are going to ask you how your book is doing. Odds are, you probably won't know. I just tell them it seems to be doing fine. haha

10. Don't let promotion overwhelm you. It's so easy to get caught up in the urge to pimp, pimp, pimp the crap out of your story. Of course, do get out there and do events, do contests, talk to people--but don't let it make you insane.

I hope this helps! Anyone have any questions for me? I'd be happy to answer them! In the meantime, I'm gearing up to go through these steps again, because Flirting With Disaster comes out on March 9. YAY!

And speaking of, pop by my blog to enter my launch contest HERE! Up for grabs is a $50 bookstore gift certificate, plus a signed copy of Flirting With Disaster. To enter, just gimme your best confession. Hope to see you there!

NaNoWriMo--Mel's version

I don't talk about writing much here because I have my own weird style and it doesn't really fit into any writing box. And basically, if you want to be a writer, you have to find out what works for you. Some people have to write on schedule. Some people have to write every day. Some folks only write when they have time...in 5 min spurts here and there. ANYWAY, you do what you gotta do no matter how you do it.

I've never participated in National Novel Writing Month before and I'm not really going to this month either. BUT, I have to do something because my writing well has been bone dry.

So I'm setting a goal for finishing a synopsis and a proposal for the month of November. I can't do a novel in a month. I have no intention of putting that kinda pressure on myself--I'd be doomed to fail if I did. But I am going to set a real goal and meet it because I have to pull myself out of this funk.

Have y'all ever done NaNoWriMo? Was it successful?

Five Things I've Learned While Revising

I'm neck-deep in revisions for my third book right now. So I figured I'd share a few honest thoughts I've learned while revising this book:

1--I still have room to grow. This one is crucial. I am still learning and developing as a writer, and I need to remember that. There are things I can do better in my books, scenes I can write better, characters I can portray better. A little humility goes a long way--if I think I've achieved the best I can be, then there's nowhere else for me to go, and I might as well hang up my writer's hat.

2--Focus is my friend. I had a hard time digging into these revisions at first because I felt overwhelmed by the sheer volume of what I need to do. But breaking it into bite-sized chunks made it easier. I sat down and compiled an ordered list of how I wanted to approach the revisions. Instead of looking at the manuscript as a whole, I only took one piece at a time. It seriously has helped so far.

3--Kill your darlings. I may have loved a scene I wrote and felt it was funny and perfect and brilliant. But if it doesn't belong, if it slows the pacing or detracts from the main narrative, I need to be ruthless and cut it. This is SUPER hard at times, but it's for the best of the story.

4--Characterization matters. One of the things I'm doing on this round is deepening character, especially the guy. As a reader, we need to feel like we know him. I didn't have enough of him in the story. And since this is a romance, it cheats the readers if they don't get a better sense of him.

5--Keep an open mind. It's hard getting a letter that spells out the flaws of your story. We all want to feel like our creative attempts are loved as-is. But the best approach is to not close yourself off to suggestions and to detach yourself as best as possible. Try viewing your story from an outsider's unbiased POV. I'm glad I listened to my editor's advice, because he pinpointed exactly what was wrong with this book. Now, I know the novel is going to be much stronger.

So, what about you? Are you going through anything challenging that's teaching you some life lessons? Share!

Child's Play??

Like so many writers and avid readers, my childhood was filled with books. This week I've been working on a children's book that I promised to my nephew, Liam, who will be in first grade this fall. He, like his aunt before him, was too impatient to wait for the school system to teach him what those mystical symbols on the page were all about. He taught himself to read, and now spends his summer reading absolutely everything with gusto. He's close to a second grade level already, and can sit with a beginning book in his lap without any assistance. He knocked me off my feet about two weeks ago when, while sounding out words on the sports page of the Herald, he struggled for a few moments and then blurted out the word "intercollegiate."

Folks, I know college graduates who can't spell it, much less sound it out from the page.

So I promised him his very own book as a reward, and I'm working on it now. Since I intend to break every rule in the book to create it-- and since I don't know what I'm doing anyhow-- I'll self publish it.

You'd think that writing for children would be simple, since they are, right? The arrogance of that statement is why, I think, so many people find themselves stunned when they answer those crappy ads in magazines shouting "YOU CAN WRITE CHILDREN'S BOOKS." It's actually quite likely you can't. I've always been marginally aware that writing for younger people bears a greater responsibility. But until I sat down to pen something for beginning readers I'd never considered how much it took.

Try it. Write a sentence describing your sneakers. Use only vocabulary, sentence structure, and imagery a child of five to seven years can understand. It's not that simple. Now try to create a story rich enough to make a child who is being reared in technicolor HD magical boob-box-hood within the same parameters.

It makes me genuinely appreciate the absolute genius of Doctor Seuss, Maurice Sendak, and god-love-them, the people involved in Sesame Street.

I clearly remember the very first books I devoured, including Where the Wild Things Are, The Monster at the End of this Book, and everything Seuss. But like my nephew, I was quickly bored with anything that seemed to be addressing me as a child. I quickly moved on to slender, first novels. My teachers were not so much pleased as mortified to find me hunched over The Hobbit and Watership Down by second grade. They were probably right, too. I was intellectually fascinated but the darkness did frighten me, and I was most likely nowhere near emotionally ready.

Anyway, wish me luck on Liam's book. It's harder than I thought it would be, but I suspect I will be prouder of myself than I thought, too. This ain't child's play.

Did you know I write books?

It occurred to me today that I hardly ever talk about Writing. Which is odd since that is what I mostly do with my free time.

So I thought I'd post my blurb for the YA Paranormal I'm working on and a the official soundtrack for Falling Under by Gwen Hayes:



Theia Alderson lives in the shadow of her mother's death. To please her overprotective and overbearing father, Theia takes great pains to be as unlike her wild, carefree mother as she can. Father controls her days, but he can't control her dreams...or her nightmares.


Everything changed the night the burning man fell from the sky.

After a surreal experience with the burning man, Theia is lured into a nocturnal realm that blurs the line between dreams and reality. In a labryrinth of thorns and a river made of tears, Theia finds herself falling for Haden Black--the one person who appears both in her dreamland and her waking world. The one person whose love could damn her to hell.

super duper!

Okay, I'm still head down in my manuscript. My deadline is today (not kidding) and I'm not finished yet (not kidding) but I'm doing my damnedest.

I'd like to give a boistorous Shout Out to Gemma Halliday and Cara King for filling in for me the last two weeks while I was trying (and obviously failing) to finish my book and meet my deadline.

Last night while I was frantically writing my fingers to the bone, I completely ignored the Superbowl in the background. And by "completely" I mean "sorta." How can you expect a girl who loves football to ignore the Grand Poobah of football games? And then there are the commercials. I am a sucker for Superbowl commercials. A girl can only be expected to ignore so much.

The game was amazing. Especially the last quarter. Wow. Incredible.

The commercials? Eh. There were two that struck me. (two other than the movie commercials. I am totally stoked about Land of the Lost and Fast and the Furious! Vin Diesel and Paul Harris!! Together! In hot, fast cars!!!! EPIC WIN!)

Speaking of Epic Win. The commercial I loved:



I am not a Pepsi fan by any stretch of the imagination, but I'm a huge MacGruber fan from SNL. This was fantastic...especially since the real MacGyver is an assistant. :)

And the Epic Fail commercial:


Dear Teleflora,
Do your research. It doesn't matter if your flowers are assholes when they are delivering cliched messages about romance novels. What matters is that your target audience is female, and of those females, a large portion of them (possibly a majority) read the romance novels you so stupidly disparaged. Bad Teleflora. I'll stick to FTD.com. Thanks.

Did y'all have a fave?

Where's Your Mojo Maximized?

For the past two weeks I have been lucky enough to have two WONDERFUL writers covering for me... a huge gift, and one for which I am deeply thankful. I know everyone enjoyed their posts. I did, too. While I was taking a little break I got a lot of writing done. Started a new contemporary, did some more work on my young adult, and really enjoyed being a reader of this blog without worrying about posting. There is so much talent here it inspires me to do better.

I couldn't help but notice something I've talked about with other writers alot. I work better in certain places. One of them is Snow Pond in Maine, where I did a recent get-away with my man-unit.

We have a house in Oakland on the water and it never fails to inspire me, restore me, lift me up, and give me a refreshed attitude toward the world and my work. I love the quiet, the solitude, and the many memories. Plus watching Max and Jeeves chase ducks, chipmunks, and leaves is a hoot.

When I'm back in Green Harbor I cruise the cafes. I still Starbucks. I still love the cafes in Borders and Barnes and Noble. I still love places like Blue Dog and Wired for Life and the Chocolate Cafe. I love anyplace with good espresso, nice little nibbly bits, and a decent signal.



But the best place? The best place to write is the beach. In the winter, when it gets so bitter sitting outside is not possible, I park at the Harbor or head for one of the local places with a view. But for most of the three seasons I can manage the outdoors I grab my laptop and go right to the water. I may be cursed to set everything I ever write in a coastal town. Why?




Cuz that's where the mojo is. So... where's yours hiding?

Writer? High School? Not So Different After All

Hi, I’m Bria from Luv YA and I can’t tell you how excited I am to visit at Fictionistas. They are the cool kids and all. Which got me to thinking…Writing. High School…Not so different.

Check it out.

1. The In-Crowd
A word about high school, writing and life in general: there’s always a cooler table, no matter who you are. From here, I can see the agented tables, the published tables and one day a table up on a stage as The Guest Author.

Of course, I’m a huge believer in just deciding my table IS the cool table. Yeah, that typically works for me. And, just like high school, I love my table but there’s always a bit of table envy going on. I mean, can’t I sit over there with Meg Cabot?

2. Homework
Every once in awhile a new book comes out and everyone – I mean EVERYONE – is saying you HAVE to read this book. And I think, “Oh, I have to read that book.” But here comes the kicker…Now that I’m writing, I can’t just read the book. I have to study it.

Sound familiar?

Doesn’t the idea of having to do something for your own good always snatch a bit of the joy. Of course, just like with those books in school, most of the time I end up doing that shout-at-myself-in-my-head thing, “Why didn’t I read this sooner???”

Confession time: This weekend I will finally begin ‘Wicked Lovely’ – mock me now.

3. Class pictures
You get all spiffed up. You have some stranger sit you in front of a pull down “nature” backdrop. He takes your picture. They put it in a book. People hand you the book and ask you to sign it.

You thought the dreaded yearbook picture experience was over. Not if you want to be a writer!

4. Boys.
While I haven’t met a lot of boys while writing, I do spend a lot of time THINKING about boys and scribbling little thoughts about them…um, hey. That seems to also be a lot like high school. More time THINKING about boys. Writing about boys. Looking up boys on the internet. Checking out boys…Of course, it’s all in the name of research. Yeah, um, research. Research on how to write those boy characters.

So…I’m going to go do some more research now. Thanks for letting me visit ladies!

Which is better--fame or respect?

Writers have different reasons for wanting to publish their work.

Some want fame, to be in the limelight. To have lots and lots and lots of people read their novels. The more people who read their writing, the more hype and buzz can be built...which means the more novels that are sold and read.

Other writers want respect, both of their peers and of credited, authoritative reviewers--they want the prestigious awards. They want the professional acclaim. They want their work to be lauded as brilliant, crafty, and engrossing.

Are these two goals inclusive of each other? Can there be overlap? Absolutely--there are plenty of fantastic novels that are both famous and awarded. And when those two happen, you usually have the money to go along with it. haha

Let's play a game. Let's say you're a novelist, and you can only have one option with your book--either widespread fame, or literary respect. Which would you choose?

I'd love to have professional respect, but I'd choose widespread fame. I'd love the opportunity to have scads of people reading my work! After all, what good does a book do if it's lauded and awarded, but sitting on a dusty shelf unread? And for YA, some teens/kids shy away from award-winning books, afraid that they're going to be "message" books that try to "teach" them something. Blech--the humanity! haha

So, dish your choice and why you feel that way. I'd love to hear!

* * *

ETA: WE HAVE A WINNER FOR YESTERDAY'S CONTEST!!

The winner of Carol Alt's book is: Eva Gale!

Please send an email with your name and address to: kbrunori@yahoo.com

Thanks to everyone who participated in our contest. I hope you'll stop by again. Be sure to add us to your RSS!!

Sweet bliss, I'm done! Funny pics to celebrate

I finished the first-round revisions on STUPID CUPID book 1 yesterday. I'm so thrilled with how it came out--I added 40 new pages of material to the manuscript. That's no small thing for me, considering I tend to write on the very short side. haha

I am also a little brain-dead, so today's post is going to be comprised of funny pictures I found on the Internet. I love digging up little gems and sharing them with the class. haha.

breaking records

The wait for the latest in the new TWILIGHT series is over...

And BREAKING DAWN is breaking records for its publisher.

The Hachette Book Group estimates 1.3 million copies were sold on Saturday after being released at 12:01 a.m. It was its largest first-day sales record. In anticipation of demand, an additional 500,000 copies were printed before publication, bringing the total to 3.7 million.

1.3 million copies of the SAME book were sold in 1 day.

Holy Royalties, Batman!

But, according to the article, those numbers can't even touch the first 24 hours of HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS' sales.

Last July, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows sold 8.3 million books in its first 24 hours on sale

8.3 MILLION?

Excuse me while I daydream for a moment...

Okay, back now.

For me, the kind of breakout that both Rowling and Meyer have had, are simultaneously a dream come true and scary as hell.

We all dream of big sell throughs and multiple print runs. And yes, I'll admit, I've dreamed of midnight bookstore parties. But I'll be honest, the pressure that comes with that kind of success is just a bit frightening.

Not just the pressure from the publishing house and the fans. But the pressure that I would put on myself. It would not be pretty.

What do you think? Sure we all want to make it big, but are you worried that a huge success is a double-edge sword? Would you be afraid you would disappoint your fans, your publisher or, even worse, yourself? Would the pressure be too much for you, or would you deal just fine--after all, that's why they pay you the big bucks!

I'll tell you one thing...I'd like to find out for sure what my reaction would be... :D

*********

CONGRATS AGAIN TO POODLE649 FOR WINNING THE BAG OF BOOKS!

Erm.

It's the bane of a writer's existence, and it comes when we least excpect it. WRITER'S BLOCK. For a long time I insisted that it was a myth. I think that's because I had this notion in my head that writer's block is the same for everyone: an absolute refusal for the brain to create. Since I had never experienced that, I assumed people who got "blocked" were really just experiencing a lazy, or a dry, or a melancholy patch. Boy, was I wrong.

It's out there. Oh, it's out there, people. Lurking. Waiting. In many, many guises.

I never have the "nothing is coming to me" variety. I am plagued by some of the following strains of the virus:

*too many ideas at once
*indecision on which idea(s) to use
*fourteen different directions, none superior to the others
*characters who won't do what I tell them
*muses with big, fat, hairy mouths who won't shut up
*distraction
*too much caffeine
*not enough sleep
*phone calls
*family

I don't know any writer alive (and if you're out there, we soooo want to interview you!!) who doesn't occasionally find him or herself staring at a blank page. In a way it's easier if you have an assignment. Then you can tackle it logically.

Creativity? Creating something out of nothing? Jesus got HUGE publicity for the loaves and fishes thing for a reason, people. It's hard. Cuz, like, there's nothing there, and you have to do the whole "let there be stuff" thing, and even God needed a few days off after his first wack at it.

So step off, k? I'm just ME.

Anyway, when all else fails, I've always favored brain drain... a free writing exercise where you take a blank sheet of paper, set a timer for one minute, and start writing absolutely anythying that comes into your head til the timer goes off. Like this:

ohmygod what the heck am I going to write on fictionistas today I can't think of anytyhing that wouldn't involve some serious googling and research and I totally want to do those things but I've got a bajillion things to do so what can I bang out kind of quickly this week why is it we have all had writer's block lately man that haiku thing gwen did was adorable hey I know I'll writer about writer's block that would work you know I really do type fast because frankly one minute could fill a very significant paragraph for somebody like me and my hands are not even propped correctly on this keyboard I hate it when other people take all the cushy chairs at starbucks when its quite obvious that this is my OFFICE, hello??? but noooo, go ahead and take the cushy chairs you philistines does philistines have one or two Ls I can't remember wow that was a fast minute

How bout you? What shakes the creative juices out of your blender?

Career Planning for Dummies

Since I've sold my trilogy (man, I never get tired of saying that, haha), I'm doing a lot of thinking about career planning. I plan to have a good talk with my agent next week, and I'm eagerly looking forward to it. Some of the questions I've been asking myself are, what kinds of books do I see myself writing, and how many can I write in a year to keep up with my expectations? Where do I want to be in a year? Five years? Ten years?

Well, owning my own island and having a butler bring me chocolate martinis while I'm lounging beachside in my own resort would be the ultimate life. But since that's not likely, it's time to be realistic. LOL

When I was a teen, I had about a billion different careers I wanted to try. It wasn't until I was well into college that I decided pursuing an English degree would be the right move for me. However, I knew some people who even back in school knew exactly what career was right for them--and sure enough, they stuck to it and finished.

I always wished I could be like that. But I had too many interests to pick one job quickly and say for sure, "Yup, that's the one for me." Luckily, that's one of the fun things about being an author--I can try out different lives, different jobs, different points of view to mix things up a bit so I don't get bored.

So, what about you--did you always know what you wanted to be when you grew up? Do you have a career plan, and if so, have you stuck to it faithfully, or has it changed over time?

Get to Know Me!

Heya! My name is Chrissy Olinger. I've been a writer my entire life-- well, as long as I could pick up a crayon and make something with it, I suppose. For a long time I worked as a columnist, then as a teacher and part time columnist, then as a language forensics specialist for the FBI (not as cool as it sounds), then as a film critic...

Yeah... I got around. :)

But the crux of it all, in my years of wandering, was putting words on a page. And it is my great passion. So writing Young Adult fiction is a new adventure for me, but not at all a surprising one.

I'm really excited to be a part of Fictionistas. We'll be here on the blog every week, bringing you fun facts to know and tell... or maybe just fun.

Write on!