Tag a Writer

So you know that you have serious brain problems when you prepare a blog post weeks ahead of time and just forget to post it. Wow! Yep that is me J

My dazzling friend Deana Barnhart tagged me last we and since Emily King and I are working on a colab together we thought it would be fun to answer the questions together.

What am I working on?

Emily: Angie and I are currently finishing revisions on our YA fantasy, A SEASON OF BLOOM AND SHADOW, our first collaboration. We’ve also begun conceptualizing another YA fantasy that we hope to start once we’re querying. Writing a collab is so much fun!

I’m also receiving beta feedback on my rewritten (from MG to YA) fantasy, DAGGER ISLAND. Some of you may remember this MS from a year ago. It was received really well by agents, but I was told it would sell better as a YA. After writing another MS, I returned to this one and am now hoping to polish it up to query soon.

Angie: Emily is way more ambitious than me. My only project for the moment is my collab with Em, unless you count throwing Honey Nut Cheerios at my eight-month-old so I can write a project. Some days it is.

How does my work differ from others of its genre?

Emily: I like worlds with different ethnicities and landscapes, among other diversities. I feel a world isn’t complete until it’s as varied as ours is.

Angie: I think of my work as fantasy with a twist. Maybe it’s an unusual world, or fun magical limitation. Our current MS is about people separated into tribes by the seasons of their birth. Their season is the only time they possess magic.

Why do I write what I do?

Emily: I write fantasy because I enjoy building a world wrought with the same prejudices, government injustices, religions, and various ideologies we find in ours. Then I plunk my characters down in all that turmoil and watch them wither or thrive.

Angie: I second Em’s answer and add that fantasy is an escape from this world. I love the possibilities that open up when I’m not required to stay here, and I don’t have to do much research J.

How does my writing process work?

Emily: Well, I just ask Angie what we should do and go with it. J  Really though, working on a collaboration novel requires a lot of late night emails, early phone calls, and texts the size of the Bible. You do everything you normally do when writing—brainstorming, plotting, drafting, revising, rewriting—except you don’t have to do it alone. Two heads really are better than one.

Angie: I LOVE writing with Emily. It’s by far the most fun I’ve ever had writing. Everything is easier when you have someone to bounce ideas off of and share the stress. And just to set the record straight, any time Em says something feels off and we need to fix it—I listen. Her writing instincts are ALWAYS right.

To get really technical, this is our process: Brainstorm the world, beat out the bones of the plot, draft chapter by chapter in order, let it sit for a few months, revise for character depth and plot holes, send to betas, revise again, polish polish polish, query!

I know I want to tag my favorite Burley Idaho writer Cortney Pearson. We had such a great time at Storymakers. She is so sweet and talented! I also happen to know its her B-day this week, so take your time with the tag Cortney J

Angie

Slacker

I’m a blog slacker this week. Sorry. My kids are home for Spring Break and my hubby is out of the country on business. Its been nonstop pizza, movie marathons, and popcorn parties at our house—anything to keep the peace :)

I’m hoping that next week I will have a few one-sentence-pitches that I could use some feedback on. Until then I hope you all had a great week and an awesome weekend!

Angie

In Defense of YA

I love books. All kinds of books. But I will say I tend to gravitate to the fiction variety. I can be found reading non-fiction once in a while, but it better blow my mind or I’m not interested.  If given the choice of fiction, YA is by far my favorite.

Courtesy of asme.org

I’m so tired of people slamming YA. Belittling it and those who read it. If I was a fab lawyer like Jessie Humphries, I could argue my point better but I’ll just have to settle for listing why I LOVE YA.

YA is still relevant in my life—As much as we would like to think that once we are out of high school we never have to go back, the truth is SCARY. The world is HIGH SCHOOL. I can’t count the times I’ve listened to what is going on in at my hubby’s office and thought it sounds just like high school—rumors, lies, gossip, stealing others work, etc.  Even among women I know, I feel like I’m a Sophomore again.

YA helps me understand my teenagers—I have two (yep, I’m that old). I love to read YA and talk to my boys about it. As I read, I remember teens are moody, learning, confused, insecure, whiny, sometimes selfish. But that is okay, because they are still trying to find their place in the world.

YA lets me explore feelings—When I read YA (or most fiction) I feel like I am living the story. When I read non-fiction I feel like I’m sitting through a lecture. Yawn. YA is always heavy on the feelings. Teens tend to be more dramatic in the expression of how they feel :)

In YA I can dig for meaning—I can find truths in fiction that aren’t readily apparent. If I read a YA story that explores the theme of selfishness, I have to work to understand how it affects the characters and me. Reading a non-fiction book about selfishness generally doesn’t change me as much.

Everyone can love what they want. Reading is such a personal experience. I would love to see a little more open-mindedness and a little less judgment. A girl can wish.

What kind of books do you LOVE and why?

Angie

Side note—Here is an old post called Fiction and Empathy. It includes a study that explores the idea that reading fiction actually makes people more empathetic than people who read non-fiction. Just saying :)

Just for fun!

I watched this a while back and I just had to share it. Studio C is big in Utah but I'm pretty sure most of my non-Utah friends haven't seen it. Take the time to watch it. It's SO worth it!!!
Angie

 

Long Overdue Update

Geez Louise! It’s been exactly 9 months since I posted. I have a million reasons why I’ve been so busy but only one reason why I decided I need to make a serious effort to come back—I miss you all!

I’m so out of the loop about who has new agents, who is writing new books, whose books are coming out. I need to get back in touch.

Here is what I’ve been up to in the last year…

We like to call him Smoosh :)

Had a sweet baby. He’s my real reason for being out of the loop, but he’s worth every squeeze.

Wrote a book with Emily King. Emily kept me sane during a terrible pregnancy. Nothing gets your mind off your troubles like writing. Except maybe serving others J I’m so lucky, Em called me up and asked if I wanted to do a collaboration. We are almost ready to query.

I moved from Florida back to Utah. I LOVED Orlando. There are some days I really miss it, and I always miss the people there, but I couldn’t keep my kids thousands of miles from their grandparents. And I missed the mountains in my back yard.

So that is about it for me. I’m going to make a serious effort to break away from the laundry and baby food to blog at least once a week. I think I can commit to that.

Catch me up. Tell me the most exciting thing that has happened to you in the last year.

Angie

How to Date A Nerd

I was so lucky to read How to Date a Nerd when it was still in rough draft form. Cassie sent it to me for a once over after having an agent ask for it. I COULDN'T PUT IT DOWN... and that isn't always to case with first drafts. I have a special place in my heart for this book and for Cassie.

SO EVERYONE GO CHECK IT OUT! You will love it.

-Angie

BLURB:

*squee!*

Zoe has a great pair of legs, perky boobs, and wears exactly what she needs to show it all off. She works hard for the easy sleazy ‘you only wish you were me’ reputation, burying who she really is—an all-out nerd.

The only time Zoe gets to be herself is when she hides under her comforter to read X-Men comics, sending jealousy stabs at everyone who attends Comic-Con. Keeping up her popular rep is too important, and she’s so damn insecure to care about the consequences. But when Zoe’s sister takes her car for a ‘crash and burn into a tree’ joyride, her parents get her a replacement. A manual. Something she doesn’t know how to operate, but her next door neighbor Zak sure as heck does.

Zak’s a geek to the core, shunned by everyone in school for playing Dungeons and Dragons at lunch and wearing “Use the Force” t-shirts. And Zoe’s got it bad for the boy. Only Zak doesn’t want Popular Zoe. He wants Geek Zoe.

She has to shove her insecurities and the fear of dropping a few rungs on the social ladder aside to prove to Zak who she really is and who she wants to be… if she can figure it out herself.

Cassie Mae is a nerd to the core from Utah, who likes to write about other nerds who find love. She’s the author of the Amazon Bestseller REASONS I FELL FOR THE FUNNY FAT FRIEND, and is the debut author for the Random House FLIRT line with her New Adult novels FRIDAY NIGHT ALIBI and PULLING THE SWITCH. She also has a three book deal with Swoon Romance Publishing, including her book HOW TO DATE A NERD. She spends her time with her angel children and perfect husband who fan her and feed her grapes while she clacks away on the keyboard. Then she wakes up from that dream world and manages to get a few words on the computer while the house explodes around her. When she’s not writing, she’s spending time with the youth in her community as a volleyball and basketball coach, or searching the house desperately for chocolate.

Spell for you guys today (because I'm just so happy!)

EXPECTO PATRONUM!

Cassie Mae Author of Reasons I Fell for the Funny Fat Friend Friday Night Alibi to be released July 29th by Random House Flirt How to Date a Nerd to be released November 5th by Swoon Romance Publishing Blog

Anything for Cassie Mae :)

I feel like I've known Cassie forever. I knew her back when she was writing Fantasy and hadn't found her love of Contemporary yet. I'll do anything for her. Including coming out of my pregnancy induced exile to promote her books. If you haven't read her work yet you are in for a treat. I love you girlfriend!!! - Angie

Take it away Cassie!!!

Dance Party!!! I'm super thrilled to show you all my cover for my New Adult debut, FRIDAY NIGHT ALIBI, published by Random House Flirt. This baby comes out on July 29th, but you can buy it now! And it'll just zap onto your ereader the day it's released.

Wanna know what it's about? Well, it's about this pig who learns how to fly, but only on friday nights and he grants wishes to people who are not where they're supposed to be, to get them out of a bind. You know I'm totally joking. I just wanted to see how many people just skipped over all these words to get to the pretty cover, lol. You mention the pig in the comments and you get cyber gold stars.

Here's the blurb :D

Rising star Cassie Mae introduces New Adult readers to a practical soon-to-be college freshman who seems to have everything—until a special guy shows her what she’s been missing.

In the wealthy town of Sundale, Kelli Pinkins has hatched the perfect plan to capitalize on her sweet reputation. For a generous fee, she will be every trust-fund baby’s dream: a Friday-night alibi, the “girlfriend” or “BFF” that parents dream about. With college approaching in the fall, Kelli’s services are in demand more than ever, which means that her social life is nonexistent. But Kelli is A-okay with that. She’s raking in cash for school. Besides, relationships are tricky, and sometimes very messy. She’d rather be at home on Xbox LIVE, anyway. Then the unexpected happens: She meets college stud Chase Maroney.

Chase isn’t like the preppy, privileged guys Kelli usually meets in Sundale. For starters, he’s twentysomething, always wears black, and he shoots back one-liners as fast as she can dish them out. But Kelli’s attempts to drive Chase away falter when she realizes that he treats her like he really knows her, like he cares about knowing her. When Kelli finally gives in to the delicious kiss she’s been fighting for so long, she faces a tough decision: make Chase a real-life boyfriend and risk her heart . . . or keep her clients and lose her first true love.

Advance praise for Friday Night Alibi

“Totally entertaining with as many swoon-worthy moments as hilarious ones, Friday Night Alibi is a must-read.”—Jolene Perry, co-author of Out of Play

“A fun, funny, and fantastic story, this is one you will read in a day, and pick up to re-read again the next.”—Kelley Lynn, author of Fraction of Stone

Oh, and stuff about me too.

Cassie Mae is a nerd to the core from Utah, who likes to write about other nerds who find love. Her angel children and perfect husband fan her and feed her grapes while she clacks away on the keyboard. Then she wakes up from that dream world and manages to get a few words on the computer while the house explodes around her. When she’s not writing, she’s spending time with the youth in her community as a volleyball and basketball coach, or searching the house desperately for chocolate.

And now the pretty!

Pre-order Friday Night Alibi: 

Amazon  |  Barnes &Noble   |  Google Play  |  Random House

Cassie Mae

Author of Reasons I Fell for the Funny Fat Friend 
Friday Night Alibi to be released July 29th by Random House Flirt
How to Date a Nerd to be released November 5th by Swoon Romance Publishing Blog