Book Description:
Chapel Ryan isn't crazy. At least, that's what she's been trying to convince herself of for most of her life. But after being hallucination-free for three years, Chapel finds herself facedown on her English classroom’s gritty linoleum floor. When she looks up, everyone around her is suspended in animation. Mouths hang open mid-yawn, feet hover mid-cross, Ms. Freeman’s arm flexes mid-sentence diagram. It's another hallucination. Or, is it?
Chapel prepares to tear herself back to reality when something happens. Something that has never happened before in any of her hallucinations--someone moves. And not just any someone—it’s the new guy with a scar over his lip and a reputation as black as his perfectly styled hair. And all of the sudden Chapel's white-knuckle grip on her life has slipped, and with it, her assurance that what she's experiencing isn't real.
Up next, we have a guest post from author Holly Lauren on How to Get a Book Published
Now that my first published novel is out and about (the most
terrifying and awesome feeling ever), folks are getting curious.
How long did it take
you to write it? (1 year to write, 1 year to edit)
Where did you get the idea?
(A dream)
Where did you find the
time? (Time isn’t change on the ground that you find, you make time)
Does it come in large
print? (Not yet, Grandmother, but you’ll be the first to know)
But the main question people want to know, and one that I
wanted to know before I had this opportunity, is how in the world does a person
go about getting a book published.
My Story:
2006: I wrote a book. It was terrible. I queried it
and got rejected.
2008: I wrote a
book. It was slightly less terrible. I queried it and got rejected.
2010: I wrote a
book. It was bearable. I queried it, got a little interest, but no
representation.
2011: I wrote
TEMPUS. I queried it, got a little interest, but no representation. Something
in me KNEW this book was worth fighting for. So in …
2012: I spent a
year re-dreaming TEMPUS. I sent out manuscripts to people I trusted for
feedback. I got a critique partner. I edited, cut down, edited, cut down.
2013: I queried
TEMPUS again. This time, Kitty Bullard reached out to me and asked if I’d like
her wonderful publishing house, GMTA, to publish TEMPUS. I was in bed. I pressed
my face into the pillow and screamed for joy.
2014: TEMPUS was
released .
Quick Tips:
-Tailor your queries
so you’re sending agents/publishers ONLY what they ask for.
Agents almost always list what they’re currently looking for
in their profiles. Do you fit in their niche? Do they already represent someone
like you? Do your research and mention these things specifically. I queried about 25 agents/publishers with
TEMPUS, but I knew that each of them were looking for something like it, and
believed I added to or complimented their current list.
-Join a good database
like Writer’s Market to keep yourself up-to-date on trends and current
marketplace needs.
This is also where you can get connected to agents,
publishers, and other writers. I got nearly all my agent profiles off this
page.
-Read good books to
sharpen your usage and mind.
I learned a ton from reading books like WARM BODIES (Isaac
Marion), The DIVERGENT Series (Veronica Roth), and THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS
Series (Cassandra Clare). These people have “made it” so to speak, so watching
what they do teaches you what gets published.
-And, most of all, keep writing, keep writing, keep writing.
If I had given up after my first book, that would have been
it. Rejection is hard. But I made myself a promise: I would keep writing until
someone published my book. I was just crazy enough to believe it. And if you’re
a writer, my guess is that you’re a little crazy, too. J
If you’ve been published before, I’d love to hear about your
journey.
And now....enter to win the giveaway below your own copy of Tempus! Open internationally!
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