Sometime last year I posted a blog about how publishing companies put together boring podcasts and teens should have the chance to take control. I imagine if you gave authors free reign they could come up with some interesting things as well.

Well now you don’t have to imagine it dear reader–Devyn Burton is stepping into the world of Podcasting. I have been invited to be a guest on Dellani Oakes podcast ‘Dellani’s Tea Time’!

However the awesomeness does not end there I’m dragging along a few friends… You may have heard of them: Michelle Zink, Tonya Hurley, Ellen Hopkins & Lisa Mantchev!!

Listen to us LIVE February 8th from 4:00 – 6:00 PM (EST), as we talk about Social Networking and Online Marketing on Dellani’s Tea Time. Feel free to drop by and chat in the live chat during the show!

Don’t worry if you can’t make the show–it will be posted for streaming and download soon after!

Hope to see you all there!

xo
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The dates for BEA this year are MAY 25-27 that means THREE DAYS of FREE THINGS!

Also bloggers and author friends the date of the TEEN AUTHOR CARNIVAL, the super awesome child created by my brain is coming to you at Jefferson Market Library on MAY 24th! For more information check out this website here, plus you can read what your favorite authors have said about the event!

2009 was amazing and I know 2010 is going to be a BLAST–I thank you all for taking this journey with me!

xo
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When author, Paula Chase Hyman, wrote a manuscript, in 2003, about a bright-eyed optimistic fourteen year old, suburban girl who happened to be African American, the landscape of young adult fiction featuring contemporary Black characters was barren.

In 2004, Hyperion released Dana Davidson’s Jason & Kyra and from there the slow trickle of books featuring characters of color without race being the primary focus began.  And in 2006, So Not The Drama, Chase Hyman’s debut was acquired by Kensington Books to launch their YA line.  She went on to write four more books that followed Mina Mooney and her group of friends and  The Del Rio Bay series officially joined the small fray of books depicting a more heterogeneous teen point-of-view.

Since then, Chase Hyman has been on a journey to inject books like hers into the literary mainstream, so they’re mentioned in the same discussion as books by Sarah Dessen, Cicely Von Ziegesar and Meg Cabot.

The last book in her series, Flipping The Script, was released in April ’09.

Visit her at www.paulachasehyman.com andwww.thebrownbookshelf.com

I’ve been working on reading Paula’s book “Who You Wit’?” and have been absolutely loving it. The book contains some very unique characters! Expect to see a review for the book on Faerie Drink Review within the next few months!

But for now you don’t have to take MY word for it–here are some nice things people have been saying about her books!

“Contemporary friendship story, which revels in rich diversity of race, color, and class.”

—Booklist

“Genuine dialogue…there is plenty here for readers to ponder about race, class and popularity.” – Publishers Weekly

“With humor and a clear eye, Maryland author Paula Chase sees straight to the heart of today’s teen culture.”
— Washington Parent, February ‘08

“..surprisingly real and deep… well worth reading. ”
—TeensReadToo, on Paula’s writing

“Our fave cheerleader with flavor is back in the third installment of the Del Rio Bay series.”
—American Cheerleader, August 2008

“…a fresh contemporary friendship story and worth the read.” – Kirkus Reviews

Last but not least I have an interview with Paula posted on Faerie Drink HERE!

Thanks Paula!

*Personal Note to Maureen Johnson, do not try to hide. I. Will. Find. You.

Within the hour, I had a ride ready and took the twenty minute drive to meet Ned.

When I arrived the small room was packed full of people, and I was greeted by the awesome Reading Junkie. I shuffled to the front of the room to listen to Ned speak, and since I am brutally honest–at first I was horribly bored.

HOWEVER, In Ned’s defense, I have met a lot of authors one on one–and have only seen John Green do a live event. (And two I was ten minutes late and had no idea, of what the hell was going on!) It was very new to me to sit still and listen to an author speak. But the more I listened to Ned the more I was drawn in.

I’ve listened to a lot of speakers in my life, but Ned honestly kept my attention. Once his talk was finished I sprinted to the back of the room to purchase two of his books and was first in line to get them signed.

I would like to thank Ned for introducing me to a ‘real’ author event–and making it very enjoyable & to the Reading Junkie for extending an invitation to me.

Some personal notes I would like to add, that everyone should remember when giving a large talk. He kept eye contact with everyone at least at one point during the night and he kept connected with the audience. When you connect with an audience they feel like your best friend and are more willing to purchase your work!

xo
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If you are a published author–that is fantastic! Way to go, blah blah blah–You have heard it all. Once the fairytaleness of it all wears off there is one thing to understand there are thousands just like you. They may not have the same writing style, themes, publisher–but they are authors. Regardless if you want to admit it or not there is a point when writing turns to a job–when the words become your income.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying that you should write to try to get rich and famous–because you have a one in a million chance of that happening. What I am saying is–you wrote with the idea of other people reading your work–but now you need a way to pull the readers to you.

Setting up a Myspace and website is fine but not always enough.

So I, the wonderful Devyn Burton, (and the AMAZING Megan) have put together some ideas, after all I am the full package; Writer, Reader, Teen–I know what I want, and when it comes to books, my view is usually what teens in general want. Megan has the Writer, Reader and Adult end covered.

1) Personal Websites

Cleanliness is next to godliness; It is very important to have a fun and easy to navigate website. If at first glance, I visit an authors website and it seems hard to navigate, I instantly close my browser and never look back. Navigation on a website should only consist clicking a few links to find out all the info you need to know. The more fun your website is the more time your readers are going to spend on it, clicking from link to link, just because they can. That being said, having a website merely taking up spade on the web, with a generic template is a complete waste of time. If it doesn’t say anything about YOU don’t bother putting it out there.

Imagine; Its nice to have an imagination. You are an author after all, however if you are an author who writes about Witchcraft, having a ‘cute puppy’ layout for your blog and website is just utterly unacceptable. Stick with a theme. Don’t forget you are branding yourself.  Everything you put on the web should reflect you as an author and the stories you create. Even if you use the same header on everything, people will make a
mental image of what they see and the simplest thing can make you pop into a consumers mind.

Generation…Internet?; Teen readers you are attempting to connect with are from the age of technology–you are ‘idolized’ in the readers mind and may rank along likes of Brad Pitt… I know, laugh it up, being an author means you are something that the read is not–Not trying to ‘put down’ the reader in anyway or whatever.  The more you allow the reader into your glamorous (HA HA) life, the more they feel that they know you and connect with you.

Update, Update, Update; There is nothing more dissatisfying then checking out an author website just to find out it hasn’t been updated in years. Frankly, I don’t care about your SOON TO BE RELEASED IN 2007 title! You don’t have to tell us every movement of every moment of your life, (that’s what social media is for)
but keep in mind that readers often visit author’s websites to find out about their latest titles and release dates. Also tour dates.  Because as much as readers want to virtually know you, they would love to meet you too!

2)Blogs

For some authors’ their website is just a glorified blog.  This is sometimes a weakness instead of a strength.
If you don’t have website content, don’t have a website.
If you have a blog UPDATE IT.  When I come across a blog that hasn’t been updated since the latest book release I realize that the author doesn’t care about it’s readers.  It just cares about book sales.
This can be as personal or as business as you want it to be. Don’t feel obligated to be personal if you don’t want to share those aspects of your life.
Readers are fascinated by the details of BEING a writer. The experiences you have in this limited aspect of your life will fascinate readers.

3)Social Media

Just like a website, having a social media account that you don’t actually update can be frustrating to a reader. They added you on Myspace or Facebook in hopes of connecting with you.  Not just seeing a list of people who friended you. It can be time consuming to interact with readers.  Authors may feel that if they keep their distance, they will seem approachable but with boundaries. All these type of authors show is their willingness to alienate readers. There are ways to balance being active on social media with being interactive.  That can vary greatly from author to author.

You may not realize it but that one Myspace comment you left that person the other day could mean the world to them! (And also factor greatly in their next  book purchase.)

Staying closely connected with your fans with websites can be vital to your audience connection and staying power. Websites such as Twitter, Facebook, Myspace, Good Reads can be used in a combined effort to allow readers access into your life. All these sites may seem overwhelming, but it is worth it to have a direct link to your fanbase.

Back to what I said about letting the fans into your life–the more they feel connected with you the more
they are out to buy your product.–I find it the more that I can ’stalk’ someone the more I feel connected with and interested in their work.

And with that being said, I would like to thank Megan–who is one Mega Blogger and helped me put this post together. I highly suggest you check out her blog — Po(sey) Sessions.

xo

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Recently I took a big ‘chance’ and plopped my book down on the desk of a friend–it’s not finished and they have yet to read everything that I have written-but every since I sent the proposal, my writing has came to a complete stand still.

My current issue is killing a character. It’s a very vital part of the book, But I can’t bring myself to do it. I have never killed a character. I guess one could say that I would not make a good murderer which is a very good thing–but once I get past this bump in the road it will be only days until my book is finished.

The only good thing that this writing block has brought me is an idea for a new book–which is filed away safely in my head–and an addiction to Gossip Girl.

What do you do when you have Writers Block!?

XO
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Maybe its seeing BURTON on the big screen.

But I’m sure its because he is a master at what he does.

Check out this trailer for Nine;

What movies are you anticipating this year?

XO
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