Blog Posts

Teen Tuesday: Polyphony H.S. Literary Magazine

3/17/2015

Polyphony H.S. is a literary magazine which publishes high school students from around the world. The annual student-run publication is open to submissions until May 30th. Payment is a contributor's copy, but for teen writers looking for feedback, they seem to have a thorough editing and review process. They accept poetry (up to 80 lines) along with fiction and literary nonfiction (up to 1500 words).

Check out these helpful links:

What sort of feedback will I get on my submission?

Excellent submission advice.

Polyphony H.S. submission guidelines.

How to submit your work.

Friday Five: Guest post by E.R. Arroyo, author of Sovereign

3/13/2015

By Yvonne Ventresca

Today's guest post is by E.R. Arroyo, author of the Sovereign series. E.R. is also the cofounder of the Facebook group, Band of Dystopian Authors and Fans (BOD). If you love stories that are dystopian, apocalyptic, or post-apocalyptic, you should check out BOD.

Five Fun Facts about the Sovereign cover, by E.R. Arroyo

1) My cover was 100% custom. I used a local photographer and a local model/actress (both friends of mine), and we shot in downtown Tulsa in front of a house that had burned down.

2) The "scene" from the novel cover is actually set outside of what was once Pittsburgh, though the novel never actually expressly calls it that.

Sovereign's cover model

3) The model, Nicole, was a champ! It was freezing and rainy that day. She rolled around in the mud to look the part. I did Nicole's facial bruising and dirt smudge with makeup.

4) Nicole was holding an airsoft gun which belonged to the photographer. We were all terrified to be in that part of town with that gun... But we lived.

5) I went into this process with this cover concept because I knew a cover too girly or artistic wouldn't do justice to the lead character, Cori. There are a lot of amazing covers in my genre, YA Dystopian, and it's pretty impossible to 'compete' but the least I could do was serve Cori well.

More about Sovereign: Chemical warfare has obliterated most of the world, including America, and the survivors have turned into feral beasts, save one colony, Antius, the last remnant of civilization. Seventeen-year-old Cori (aka Citizen 1206) only longs for wide open spaces and freedom. But Antius has no use for such things, just mindless drones to serve in a place with walls, fences, and laws. A lot of laws, which Cori constantly breaks. So she’s spent years plotting her escape, which is the only thing that will save her from the colony’s deranged leader, Nathan. She isn’t looking to be a hero, and she certainly isn’t looking to fall in love, but she just might do both.

Author E.R. Arroyo

About the author: E.R. Arroyo is the author of YA Dystopian, The Sovereign Series, and co-founder/owner of Band of Dystopian Authors and Fans, a Facebook community, blog, and company that champions dystopian, apocalyptic, and post-apocalyptic fiction. E.R. is passionate about books, music, and her family, and she loves to talk shop with other authors and with her readers.

Learn more about E.R. and her books:
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Band of Dystopian | Goodreads

Teen Tuesday: Writing Contest with Friday Deadline

3/10/2015

By Yvonne Ventresca

Deadline is March 13

If you have story under 1000 words written and ready to submit, consider this contest sponsored by the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth. To enter, you must be 18 or under. There is no entry fee. The first-place winner will be get bragging rights and publication in an upcoming issue of their magazine, Imagine. The deadline is this Friday, March 13, at 5 pm EST. For more information and complete guidelines, visit the Creative Minds Fiction Contest website. Good luck!

Friday Five: Hilary Thompson and Justice Buried

3/6/2015

By Yvonne Ventresca

Today's Friday Five is a guest post from Hilary Thompson, author of Justice Buried.

Justice Buried (Starbright, Book One): 5 Facts About the Cover by Hilary Thompson

Justice Buried was my debut novel, and I was obsessed with finding and creating the perfect cover images. After all, I judge books by their covers, and I know lots of you do, too.

I’m on Tumblr and Pinterest a ton for inspiration, and one day I found this photo. It sparked the idea that became my cover, through the talented work of my cover designer, Najla Qamber.

The cover was truly an international collaboration. Najla lives in Bahrain, but she hired a photographer and model here in the US to re-create the look.

The model was actually naked, so Naj had to add the floaty-looking fabric on her shoulders! Digital magic at its best, folks.

The stars at the top are the constellation Aries, which is the main character’s sign. In the Starbright series, the citizens of Asphodel use the zodiac to determine each aspect of their lives, from clothing colors and activities to jobs and partners! This is a problem for the main character, Astrea, whose particular birthday fulfilled a prophecy she wants no part of. She is supposedly the Starbright maiden of Justice, but the responsibility of dispensing Justice is not something she’s ready to accept.

The title placement was designed to enhance the way the girl looks buried underneath something - she is symbolically separated from her stars, or her destiny, because she refuses to give up her free will.

About Hilary Thompson

Hilary Thompson

Hilary Thompson was born to parents who made a habit of taking roads less traveled. But she was also a Libra, a first child, and an independent, willful child, so she has made a habit of taking a few roads on her own.

After trying on hats made for artists, architects, restaurant and retail workers, landscape designers, legal secretaries, and professional students, she retreated back to her first loves of education and writing.

Hilary now teaches high school full time, writes whenever and wherever she can, and reads as much as her eyes can handle. She also tries not to spoil her own independent, willful children or neglect her wonderful soul-mate of a husband too much. She tends to ignore laundry baskets and dirty dishes.

Connect with Hilary: Newsletter, Facebook, Goodreads, Website, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube

More about Justice Buried:

The people need Justice, but she's not listening.

One hundred years before, the Great Sickness reduced the world to three cities. Now the community of Asphodel is trapped underground, waiting for the prophesied maiden of Justice to return and save them from their Fates.

Sixteen-year-old Astrea is supposed to be this savior - too bad for them she isn't a believer.

Trea fights against her false destiny: she rebels against her family and friends, then refuses her arranged marriage to the charming but deceitful Lexan.

Learning her life is in danger, Trea is forced to trust Lexan - until she discovers a power she never knew she had, and one he already knew he did.

As betrayal closes every door, Trea decides she must submit to her stars and accept her fate. Then a handsome stranger offers her an unexpected escape and the chance to create her own destiny.

Teen Tuesday: The Writers Circle Summer Intensives

3/3/2015

By Yvonne Ventresca

If you live near Drew University in Madison, NJ, or will be visiting the area this summer, check out the teen writing summer intensives from The Writers Circle. They offer three week-long sessions during July and August dedicated to teen writers. I'm pleased to be a guest speaker during the second week, leading a revision workshop. For more information, including registration and a complete schedule, visit The Writers Circle website.

Friday Five: Brea Behn and Wolves in the Woods

2/27/2015

By Yvonne Ventresca

Today's Friday Five is a guest post from author Brea Behn about her YA book cover. Thank you, Brea!

Wolves in the Woods: Five Facts About the Cover by Brea Behn

1) Wolves in the Woods is based on a reoccurring dream I had that started with me running through a field and the woods. I knew what I wanted the cover to be long before I ever pursued publishing it.

2) I asked everyone who had read Wolves in the Woods before it was published what their idea of a cover would be. Almost all of them suggested Braelin running into the woods. I didn't tell them until the cover came out that I had the same idea.

3) The only thing I told my cover artist, Dave King, was that I wanted a young girl with long blonde hair running into the woods. He added the light off in the distance. Ironically this fits very symbolically with the story in that the "Big Woods of Wisconsin" end up being Braelin's safe haven. Her light in her dark tale of a dystopian future where a virus kills her entire family.

4) The title Wolves in the Woods comes from a symbol of safe versus not safe. The Wolves is the name of a gang. The woods is where she feels safe. When the gang invades both her woods and her safety Braelin will have to fight for her freedom.

Wolves graffiti that Brea created

5) The font was not something I picked out. At first I thought it looked a bit childish. Then I realized, it sort of looks like graffiti. Which fit the story perfectly. The Wolves gang leave paw prints as their calling card. My brother and I actually created our own Wolves graffiti (with permission) on an abandoned farm.

Wolves in the Woods is a series. The second book, Wolves in the City will be coming out this summer. You can guess what that cover will be...

Brea Behn is very passionate about reading and writing in all genres. She started writing at the age of fifteen, when she wrote a memoir for her twin brother. Currently, she writes fiction of several genres, nonfiction, and is building her career as an author and public speaker.

When Brea is not writing, she is reading, usually several books at the same time. She also volunteers at her local humane society, gardens, and homeschools her children. Brea lives in Wisconsin with her husband and their two children.

Learn more about Brea and her books here:
http://youtu.be/962KV_vw1_g
www.Amazon.com/author/breabehn
www.Facebook.com/authorbreabehn
www.Facebook.com/wolvesinthewoodsbook
www.Breasbooks.com
www.Twitter.com/Breasbooks
www.Goodreads.com/Breasbooks

Teen Tuesday: Writing Roundup

2/24/2015

By Yvonne Ventresca

Here's a roundup of interesting links and blog posts I came across this week.

Olivia Rivers has an excellent blog post, "Learning From Other Writers," at Teens Can Write, Too. Her ideas about learning from the novels you read can benefit writers of all ages.

Teen Arts Festival to be held in Summit, NJ

The Teen Arts Festival is a free 2-day event held at Summit High School (125 Kent Place Boulevard in Summit, NJ) on April 17 and April 18. Students in grades 6-12 from the participating schools in Berkeley Heights, Mountainside, New Providence, and Summit, NJ are eligible to enter. March 13th is the deadline for Creative Writing and Videos. March 27 is the deadline for Visual and Performing Arts. Check the website for more information and entry guidelines. (Thanks to Kathy Temean for bringing this to my attention.)

For nonfiction writers, Lisa Rowan has compiled nuggets of wisdom from the #AdviceForYoungJournalists hashtag in her recent article, Writing Advice: What You Can Learn From #AdviceForYoungJournalists.

To help plan your writing, try this Pacemaker program. It allows you to enter goal-related information like start and end days, your approach (steady, more intense at beginning or end, etc.) and customized workloads on specific dates. It can be used for a variety of writing projects.

Happy Writing!

A to Z Blogging Challenge: Helping Out and a Technology Tip

2/20/2015

By Yvonne Ventresca

www.Matusic.com

I enjoyed the A to Z Blogging Challenge last year, and in the spirit of giving back, I'm part of C. Lee McKenzie's team to help with the challenge. "The Muffin Commando Squad" includes Lee, Tara Tyler, Donna McDine, Tammy Theriault, Carrie Butler, Patricia Lynne, Elizabeth Seckman, Tyrean Martinson, and me. Each member of the squad is answering a few introductory questions. Mine are below.

But first, I wanted to share one of the best technical tricks I learned from the A to Z Challenge last year. If you want to leave a link to your own blog in a comment on someone else's blog, there is a special format. I've used my blog as an example.

<a href="http://www.yvonneventresca.com/blog.html">Yvonne</a>

The info between the quotation marks is my blog URL (replace with your own) and Yvonne is how I want my name to appear (all non-Yvonnes should replace that, too!). Putting this below your comment creates a link.

And now for the questions:

Some of my genealogy photos

You have to evacuate your home in three minutes. What would you take?

After worrying about family and pets, the next thing I would grab is my genealogy binders. I've done a lot of research over the years that has yet to be scanned into computerized form. *Scrawls "scanning" on to-do list.*

My debut novel

What’s your latest book, short story, publication?

My debut young adult novel, Pandemic, was published in 2014 by Sky Pony Press. I have an interview with my editor here (for writers who might be interested in Sky Pony) and reviews here.

Say cheese!

What’s your favorite food?

It would be very convenient if my favorite food was muffin-related, but alas, it's not. I have to go with cheese!

Writing Inspiration: 2014 theme

What was your theme last year. Why did you choose it?

My theme was writing inspiration. I wanted a theme specific enough to interest me, but broad enough to help other writers. I have links to last year's posts here and on Pinterest.

You can join the A to Z Challenge, too, at this link.
On March 23rd I'll be announcing my theme in the
A to Z Blogging Theme Reveal!

Teen Tuesday: Letter to Parents Contest

2/17/2015

By Yvonne Ventresca

Teen writers: If you ever wanted to write a letter to your parents telling them something you wished that they realized about your life, then this nonfiction essay contest from YCteen is for you!

When: By March 27, 2015
Who: 14 - 19 year olds
What: Nonfiction essays up to 800 words
Win: 1st prize $150, 2nd $75, 3rd $50
Rules: Complete guidelines are available at the YCteen website.

Good luck!

Friday Five: 5 Timesaving Tips

2/13/2015

By Yvonne Ventresca

Time. It's a pretty universal complaint that we don't have enough of it. Here are five questions that can spark an increase in productivity.

Photo by Kenneth Hein

How are you spending your time today? In 168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think, Laura Vanderkam suggests tracking how you spend your time for a week. The idea is that only by knowing how you use your time now can you make changes to become more productive.

In a related question, how much time do you spend on social media? A few minutes here and a few more there can certainly add up during the day. Some social media experts believe the best way to conquer this is to set a timer and only check Facebook, Twitter, etc. certain times a day. Frances Caballo has more thoughts about this in her article, How To Save Time On Social Media.

In this world of technology and apps, do you have a system that works for reading and saving online content? I recently lost hundreds of links and "favorite places" that I'd been accumulating for years. Starting from scratch made me rethink how I track articles and blog posts I want to keep. I've been experimenting with the free version of Evernote to help save links in folders by topic. If anyone has a good system, please let me know!

Do you have routines and rituals that help train your brain that it's time to do a certain task? For example, if a writer always proofreads in a certain room (or chair), then the space alone becomes a trigger: it's time to proofread! Gregory Ciotti uses different electronic devices--one for reading, one for writing, one for correspondence/social media--to signal what he'll be doing. For more information, check out his article, The Best Way to Change Your Habits? Control Your Environment.

Can you complete a task in less than two minutes? If so, then according to the Two Minute Rule, you should do it NOW instead of procrastinating or adding it to an already long to-do list. To further your long-term goals, break them into pieces that can be done in--you guessed it--less than two minutes. James Clear has more information about this on his blog.

Researching this post has inspired me to track how I spend my time for a week. I know how many hours I work on creative projects, but where does the rest of the time go? I'll share more in a future post.

<<Previous

Forward>>

Teen Tuesday: Polyphony H.S. Literary Magazine

Friday Five: Guest post by E.R. Arroyo, author of Sovereign

Teen Tuesday: Writing Contest with Friday Deadline

Friday Five: Hilary Thompson and Justice Buried

Justice Buried (Starbright, Book One): 5 Facts About the Cover by Hilary Thompson

Teen Tuesday: The Writers Circle Summer Intensives

Friday Five: Brea Behn and Wolves in the Woods

Teen Tuesday: Writing Roundup

A to Z Blogging Challenge: Helping Out and a Technology Tip

Teen Tuesday: Letter to Parents Contest

Friday Five: 5 Timesaving Tips

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Justice Buried (Starbright, Book One): 5 Facts About the Cover by Hilary Thompson

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