Monday, December 19, 2011

Winning Embrace and Some Swag Goodness!


I love writers, and I know what it's like for a new author out there in the big book world. Lately there's really been a surge in new authors being published who I want to introduce to you. So I'm happy to host author Cherie Colyer and her debut novel Embrace on the blog today. Cherie wrote an awesome guest post for her launch tour, which includes a contest to win an e-book of Embrace and some awesomely cool swag! Enjoy her post below and be sure to comment and enter and here and all that good stuff!

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Writing Embrace: journey from idea to release

by Cherie Colyer

It’s hard to believe Embrace has been released. This got me thinking about Madison’s journey from an idea rattling around in my head to an edited book available for purchase. I wish I could say that I woke up one day last year with the image of Madison and her friends, made my morning cup of coffee, sat down at my laptop, and voila! The story was written.

But that’s not what happened. I was in the middle of writing another book when I first started to see Madison running through the halls at school (details about that here) and I had to finish that novel before I could fully immerse myself in Madison’s story.

By the time I started working on Embrace I had a good picture of my main character and I knew enough about her to know that she would do anything for her friends. I did what brainstorming and research I needed to do and wrote the first draft in 2008. After many revisions, I queried ten or so agents and received mixed responses from a request for a full to this isn’t right for my list. I was fortune to receive some comments that helped me know what I needed to work on. By this time I was working on a new project, or maybe I was revisiting one of my other work-in-progresses. I can’t remember. I finished what I was working on and went back to Embrace. In this round of revisions I targeted the areas I knew needed improvement. I signed up for a course on writing in a teen’s voice which was offered at a conference, submitted the first 10-pages for a critique from one of the faculty, and went back to working on something else.

The conference was in August of 2009. I attended the breakout sessions that would best help me at that stage in my writing career, took notes from the course on voice, and came home excited to revise Embrace one more time. In the winter of 2009 I sent more queries out into the world, received requests for fulls and partials, got encouraging responses that include you have a great voice, this has potential, and this is a great commercial concept. Unfortunately, these praises were followed by two words I’d like to chop from agents’ vocabulary: but and however.

But it had potential. So I did another round of revisions and then entered Embrace in Amazon’s 2010 Breakthrough Novel contest, and it did well. The judge from PW also said it had potential. Once again, I took the comments I received from the different judges and from readers who read my excerpt and revised. This time when I went to query I decided to submit directly to publishers and picked the ones I felt were the best match for my novel. In spring of 2011 I received a response from Omnific Publishing that they felt Embrace would make a good addition to their young adult list. I still get a tingly feeling when I think about that email. There were more revisions to be done, but this time I had the guidance of my amazing editor. And now, I'm so excited to be sharing Madison’s story with the world.

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Embrace Launch Party Guest Posts!

Jennifer DeLucy Blog: Writing Embrace - From Idea to Release

Kym's Quips: The Research Behind to Story

Once Upon A *Spark*: Mythology Behind Madison's World

Nicki Elson's Not-So-Deep Thoughts: Bring on the Romance

Jennifer Lane Books Blog: Facing Change

Embrace Launch Party Posts!

Susan Kaye Quinn, Conjuring Tales for Young Minds

Kim Winters, Kat's Eye Journal

Carole, the life of fiction

Mina Burrows, books for paranormal & mystic minds

Joseph Rinaldo, Read Rinaldo

Angela Brown, in a Pursuit of Publishness

Debra Anastasia, Tell me a Story

Colleen Wagner, London Relocation

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Embrace

a novel by Cherie Colyer

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7024/6421780849_3e234a9421_m.jpgMadison is familiar enough with change, and she hates everything about it. Change took her long-term boyfriend away from her. It caused one of her friends to suddenly hate her. It’s responsible for the death of a local along with a host of other mysterious happenings. But when Madison meets a hot new guy, she thinks her luck is about to improve.

Madison is instantly drawn to the handsome and intriguing Isaac Addington. She quickly realizes he’s a guy harboring a secret, but she’s willing to risk the unknown to be with him.

Her world really spins out of control, however, when her best friend becomes delusional, seeing things that aren’t there and desperately trying to escape their evil. When the doctors can’t find the answers, Madison seeks her own.

Nothing can prepare her for what she is about to discover.

AUTHOR INFO

Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter

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Prizes: To celebrate the release of her debut novel, Cherie is giving away an eCopy of EMBRACE and 5-Embrace Hemp Bracelets today. There are three ways to win:


1) Leave a comment here or at any of the Party Posts.

2) Tweet about the Virtual Party or any of the Party Posts with tag #EMBRACEnovels

Example:

Nothing could have prepared her for what she’s about to discover. #EMBRACEnovels @CherieColyer #YA avail NOW www.cheriecolyer.blogspot.com

Example:

Celebrate the launch of EMBRACE by @CherieColyer #EMBRACEnovels #paranormal #YA avail NOW www.cheriecolyer.blogspot.com

3) Facebook (tag Cherie Colyer, author) about the Virtual Party.

Example:

Celebrate the launch of teen paranormal thriller/romance novel EMBRACE by Cherie Colyer, author and enter for a chance to win Embrace prizes! http://www.cheriecolyer.blogspot.com

Do all three and you will have three times the chances to win! Leave a comment at each stop of the tour for a chance to win the Grand Prize.

If you haven’t already, remember to stop back by Cherie’s blog or click here to fill out the form to ensure your entry is counted.

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8 comments:

Cherie Colyer said...

Hi Jen. Thanks for being a part of my launch party and letting me take over your blog for a day.

Debra Anastasia said...

Wow! What a process. You really had to want Embrace in the world. Congrats on your release day Cherie and Hey Jen! <3

Susan Kaye Quinn said...

The road is long for most novels and it's so cool to see your process here! Thanks for sharing!

Nicki Elson said...

What I think is so cool about Madison's journey is that all the while you were working on other projects - you constantly honed your craft so you were able to do what was needed to carve Embrace into it's final version. Congratulations!

Hey, there Jenny-pooh. Soooo excited to be very soon diving back in to the world of Light. :D

Cherie Colyer said...

Embrace has always been one of my favorite novels. I just couldn't give up on it. I look at some of the other ones as practice that helped get me here. :)

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