Easter Contest - and - World of Writing Interview

 -- Hoppy Easter Eggstravaganza Giveaway Hop --

We are thrilled to participate in this years Easter Giveaway Hop hosted by I Am A Reader Not a Writer blog, who has partnered with Once Upon a Twilight blog to make this event happen. There are over 200 blogs involved in the 6-day event that you can visit to discover the prizes they are offering and how you can enter to win some of them.

*You can enter as many of the blogs' individual prize offerings as you want by leaving a comment on their blog - via this link:

http://iamareadernotawriter.blogspot.com/p/giveaway-hop-page.html

Our contest details are: 

 Wednesday, April 20th to Monday, April 25th

We will be offering 2 sets of 8 bookmarks 

For 2 winners of the draw here on this blog
Enter by leaving a comment (include an email address)

 

These bookmarks are produced right here in the province of BC, Canada and are created using:

100% recycled content

100% all veggie ink (some soy inks have petroleum ingredients)

These durable bookmarks have nature photography backgrounds taken by award-winning photographer: Dave Brummet. He is also a graphic designer and his artistic touch is featured on the bookmarks as well - since he created them. 

Since we will be shipping these to the winner - we would prefer to have entries from individuals based in North America, but we'll honor all entries regardless of where they come from. 

Names will be entered in a random draw and the winner will be notified immediately - where upon they will be requested to email their mailing address to us... which will be used solely for the contest. 

So be sure to leave your email address here as well in your entry.

-- World of Writing Interview --

Stacy Juba is the author of the mystery novels Twenty-Five Years Ago Today and Sink or Swim (Mainly Murder Press), as well as the patriotic children’s picture book The Flag Keeper. Her young adult paranormal thriller Dark Before Dawn will be released by Mainly Murder Press in January 2012. She is a former journalist with more than a dozen writing awards to her credit. You can read more about her work at http://stacyjuba.com/blog/

Q: How have your books gotten published? 

A: I wrote my first book, Face-Off, at age 16, entered it in the Avon Flare Young Adult Novel Competition for teenage authors, and to my delight, it won first prize and was published when I was 18, back in the early 1990s. Mainly Murder Press published my two new novels, the adult mysteries Twenty-Five Years Ago Today and Sink or Swim, and will publish my young adult paranormal thriller Dark Before Dawn in 2012. Initially, I submitted a few sample chapters of Twenty-Five Years Ago Today to Mainly Murder Press and they requested the rest of the manuscript. They offered me a contract for the book, and later we went through the same process for Sink or Swim and Dark Before Dawn. It took many years of persistence to find a publisher. I independently published the e-book versions of my mysteries, and I independently published my patriotic children's picture book The Flag Keeper.

Q: What would you say is your most interesting writing quirk?

I am a definite planner. I need to have most of the book fully outlined to ward off writer's block - I find the blank page nerve-wracking! My outlines have gotten longer and more detailed with each book. They used to be just a few pages of handwritten notes, but then I'd find myself doing a lot of rewrites after the first draft to flesh out characters and subplots. Now my outlines are about 20 typed pages, and I also do detailed character charts for the most important characters.

What has been the most surprising thing you learned from creating your books?

After I finish a book, I feel great relief, as well as a bit of sadness and uneasiness. After spending so much time with my characters, it's hard to start from scratch with brand new characters and a brand new book. The most surprising thing is how the next book always manages to fall into place. Even though the characters are strangers to me when I start out, after a couple of chapters they are like old friends.

Q: How many books/stories have you written?

I've been writing stories since third grade so there are too many to count. I wrote dozens of short stories and novellas when I was a child, and then in my late teens and early twenties, I wrote about a half-dozen young adult novels that weren't strong enough to be published, but were a good learning experience. So far, I have four novels, either published or under contract, and a published picture book, with more to come.

Q: Do you have any suggestions to help others become a better writer?

I strongly recommend joining a critique group or finding a couple of critique partners, either in-person or online. There are so many writers organizations and writers web sites out there, that it's easy to find other writers who are willing to exchange manuscripts. It might take a few tries to find partners that you click with, but once you do, their advice can be very helpful. Even published authors have editors, so it's important to get feedback. I also suggest that writers develop their editing skills, to help fine-tune their instincts for what needs to be cut and what needs fleshing out. This can be accomplished by doing critiques for other writers, taking a couple of writing classes, as well as reading books about writing and editing.

Q: Do you hear from your readers? / What do they say?

Yes, several readers have e-mailed me through my web site or "befriended" me through Goodreads. I love it when readers take the time to tell me that they enjoyed my book. Usually they say they liked the main character and found her realistic, or that they thought they'd figured out whodunit only to be surprised by the ending. After all that time spent writing books alone on my computer, it's wonderful to hear from readers that my story entertained them.

Find Dave and Lillian Brummet, excerpts from their books, information about their radio program, newsletter, blogs, and more at: www.brummet.ca

* Support the Brummets by telling your friends, or visiting the Brummet's Store - & remember... every sale raises funds for charity as well!