Giveaways
Erin L. Schneider
Goodreads Giveaway: SUMMER OF SLOANE
Goodreads Giveaway: SUMMER OF SLOANE

USA Today's Top 150 Bestselling Books as of 05.15.2011

Thursday, May 19, 2011: According to USA TODAY, the following list contains the top 25 best selling books (out of 150) - based on sales through Sunday, 05/15/2011.  For the complete list of 150 books for the week or just to check out more information - plus reviews, book news and a searchable archive of USA TODAY's Best-Selling Books list - visit their website.

Note of the week:  My heart palpitations have thankfully subsided - both Catching Fire and Mockingjay have clawed their way back into the top 25 this week! Phew! *wipes brow* 

As well, the top 25 also contain 5 - count 'em, 5 - YA titles vs. last week's measly 2. And new this week: Sarah Dessen's latest release, What Happened To Goodbye, eeking in at the #24 spot. But still, nothing earth shattering making an appearance...and no new YA authors to the scene. I just bought Divergent by Veronica Roth and Bumped by Megan McCafferty - two books I've been seeing quite a bit of buzz on lately. I wonder if / when they'll make an appearance on the list? Stay tuned for my reviews of both!

Legend:

Position This Week, Last Week, Title, Author (Publisher), Price

1 4 Water for Elephants, Sara Gruen (Algonquin), $7.99
2 5 Heaven Is for Real, Todd Burpo with Lynn Vincent (Thomas Nelson), $16.99
3 2 The Throne of Fire, Rick Riordan (Disney-Hyperion), $18.99
4 1 Dead Reckoning, Charlaine Harris (Ace), $27.95
5 0 Buried Prey, John Sandford (Putnam Adult), $14.99

QueryTracker: Great Novels Aren't Written - They're Re-Written

There's an interesting article posted on QueryTracker's blog today - and it's all about how great stories aren't written...they're re-written. 

A large portion of the article focuses on the ability to edit and what it takes to put it all out on the table. Considering I'm in the edit process right now for not just one, but two of my MS's, I found the information in this blog to be invaluable.

I'm lucky to have some amazing beta readers and I'm also fortunate that I love, love, love the editing process (sick and twisted? I know!). However, as the article points out, sometimes you just have to go with your gut.

I find this particularly important, especially when reading and writing is so subjective. I'm dealing with this right now, with some of the feedback from my beta readers - what one found to be a great way to say something, someone else completely disagreed. Where one thought a different path would make the writing stronger, another picked a completely different path.

So who wins?

In the end, me.

Only I know every intimate detail of my writing. Every nuance, character flaw, and history of each character. But all of that aside, it's important to take every piece of advice, criticism, and LOL moment my beta readers give me, to heart. Because without them, my writing would suffer. My writing would only have one opinion. And my writing would never get any better.

That doesn't mean you have to make every single change thrown your way - if you did this, your manuscript would never be finished...and ultimately, in the end, you'd be worse off than when you started.

So with that, I leave you with the great blog posted by Danyelle on the QueryTracker site and ask, how does everyone feel about the editing process? What great pieces of advice do you choose to live by, when scraping away at your manuscript? I'd love to hear!

My Review: Clockwork Angel (The Infernal Devices, #1) by Cassandra Clare

Clockwork Angel (The Infernal Devices, #1)Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Goodreads Summary:

Magic is dangerous--but love is more dangerous still.

When sixteen-year-old Tessa Gray crosses the ocean to find her brother, her destination is England, the time is the reign of Queen Victoria, and something terrifying is waiting for her in London's Downworld, where vampires, warlocks and other supernatural folk stalk the gaslit streets. Only the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the world of demons, keep order amidst the chaos.

Kidnapped by the mysterious Dark Sisters, members of a secret organization called The Pandemonium Club, Tessa soon learns that she herself is a Downworlder with a rare ability: the power to transform, at will, into another person. What's more, the Magister, the shadowy figure who runs the Club, will stop at nothing to claim Tessa's power for his own.

Friendless and hunted, Tessa takes refuge with the Shadowhunters of the London Institute, who swear to find her brother if she will use her power to help them. She soon finds herself fascinated by--and torn between--two best friends: James, whose fragile beauty hides a deadly secret, and blue-eyed Will, whose caustic wit and volatile moods keep everyone in his life at arm's length...everyone, that is, but Tessa. As their search draws them deep into the heart of an arcane plot that threatens to destroy the Shadowhunters, Tessa realizes that she may need to choose between saving her brother and helping her new friends save the world...and that love may be the most dangerous magic of all.

My Review:

Taking a George Lucas approach to her Mortal Instruments series, Cassandra Clare takes a step back, introducing us to the world of Shadowhunters and how it all began. Set in London during the Victorian era, we're introduced to Tessa Gray, an American overseas, on a quest to find her brother - her last known living relative - after the recent death of her Aunt.

USA Today's Top 150 Bestselling Books as of 05.08.2011

Thursday, May 12, 2011: According to USA TODAY, the following list contains the top 25 best selling books (out of 150) - based on sales through Sunday, 05/08/2011.  For the complete list of 150 books for the week or just to check out more information - plus reviews, book news and a searchable archive of USA TODAY's Best-Selling Books list - visit their website.

Note of the week:  I may be experiencing heart palpitations. Last week it was Mockingjay that fell from the top 25 - now, Catching Fire has dropped off as well (down to #28).

Sadly, only two YA titles even reside on my list this week - thankfully, The Hunger Games is still there - but now sitting in the #2 position is Rick Riordan's newest title, The Throne of Fire.

Legend:

Position This Week, Last Week, Title, Author (Publisher), Price

1 124 Dead Reckoning, Charlaine Harris (Ace), $27.95

2 0 The Throne of Fire, Rick Riordan (Disney-Hyperion), $18.99

3 8310th Anniversary, James Patterson, Maxine Paetro (Little, Brown), $27.99

4 1 Water for Elephants, Sara Gruen (Algonquin), $7.99

5 2 Heaven Is for Real, Todd Burpo with Lynn Vincent (Thomas Nelson), $16.99

Writer's Digest: 3 Ways to Know When to End Your Chapters

Writer's Digest just posted an interesting article this morning, regarding chapters and how to end them to keep your reader begging for more. This has always been an interesting topic for me, considering some of the best novels I've ever read, always had the most amazing chapter endings - pushing me to turn page after page, well into the late hours of the night. In many cases, these said books were ones I finished in just one day.
But how did they accomplish this?
Like many, I'm not a writer that follows the golden rule of partaking in outlines. Sure I have lots of rough notes jotted down here and there - but nothing formal and definitely nothing I force myself to follow to the "T". Which is why I particularly gravitate towards point #3 - a technique I'm constantly trying to master as I work on my own manuscript. What will make the reader keep on reading? What will give them just enough information to want to turn the page?
It's questions like these we need to keep asking ourselves, as we hone the craft of writing and polish up what are sure to be titles on the next NY Times best sellers list. Which leaves me asking more questions: So how do you end your chapters? What tips do you follow?
I'd love to hear your thoughts on this!

Scholastic Book Talk: May 2011 Best Sellers

 

Young Adult

1. Stolen Children by Peg Kehret ($3 in Arrow)
2. Cut by Patricia McCormick ($4 in TAB)
3. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins ($7 in TAB andBookBeat: Teens Online)
4. What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell ($5 in TAB)
5. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins ($7 in TAB and BookBeat: Teens Online)