Monday, April 30, 2012

YAmazing RACE!

UPDATE: The YAmazing Race is now over! The contest in this post is also closed. The winner of the ARC of BUTTER can be found here!

Ladies and Gents!
Start your engines and get ready to run the YAmazing Race!


The race starts Wednesday at Noon EST. If you're here early, head over to the starting line at Noon on Wed. If you're already on the race, you know what to do! Finally, if you landed here without knowing anything about the race, allow me to fill you in.
This is a stop on an epic blog hop featuring dozens of debut authors. Along the way, you'll learn a little something about all of our books, and at the end of each leg of the race is a prize pack jammed with ARCs, gift cards and tons of other goodies! But in order to win, you have to start at the beginning. (NOTE: starting line will be posted on the Apocalypsies blog Wednesday!)

At this stop, I'm sharing the details of my September debut, BUTTER.


A boy everyone calls “Butter” is about to make Scottsdale High history. He’s going to eat himself to death live on the Internet – and everyone will watch.

He announces his deadly plan to an army of peers and expects pity, insults or even indifference. Instead, he finds morbid encouragement. When that encouragement tips the scales into popularity, Butter has a reason to live. But if he doesn’t go through with his plan, he’ll lose everything.


 

Remember what you read here. You'll need this info at the end of the race!

BUT WAIT! BONUS ROUND!
Even if you don't win the race, you still have a chance to win an ARC of BUTTER. right here! right now!

All you have to do to win an ARC is leave a comment on this post telling me your favorite food with butter. (served with butter, made with butter, healthy alternative to butter - your choice.)
- Extra entry if you follow my blog (new or existing follower).
- Extra entry if you tweet a link to this blog post.

Just let me know in the comment if you follow or tweet.
(This bonus ARC contest open to US and Canada only. Winner will be selected at random Tuesday, May 8.)

Now on to the next stop on the race! click here!

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

BOOK NEWS !!!

pssst!!!!!!

can you keep a secret?
me neither.

that's why i'm SO glad i didn't have to sit on this news for very long.

what news?
this news:

I SOLD ANOTHER BOOK !!!


here is the official announcement:

BUTTER author Erin Lange's BILLY D. & THE BULLY, about two very different boys who reluctantly team up to find somebody who doesn't want to be found; their only clue is an atlas full of riddles, again to Caroline Abbey at Bloomsbury Children's, for publication in Fall 2013, by Jennifer Laughran at Andrea Brown Literary Agency (NA).

i want to tell you i'm excited, but that word doesn't begin to describe how i feel. i am over the moon.
this book started with two characters i just could not get out of my head. i wrote scene after scene for them before i ever really knew their story, because i liked them so much and just wanted to hang out with them. actually finding their story and getting it all down on paper was one of the biggest challenges i've ever faced as a writer, but the struggle was worth it to be able to introduce them to all of you.

Happy Day !!!
:D :D :D :D :D :D

Monday, April 16, 2012

like writing a bike

first blog in 3 weeks.
and if you think that's a long time, then you should see the inch of dust on my writing files.

see, my blog isn't the only blank space i've been neglecting. i have more than a few empty pages at the end of various manuscripts waiting to be filled.

as much as i advocate taking breaks from writing, and as often as i scoff at the "Butt In Chair, Write Daily" method... i have to admit i pay a price for these long breaks.
for me, writing is not like riding a bike. i can't just get back in the seat and rely on muscle memory to keep me balanced and start spinning my wheels.
to get back into the rhythm of writing, i have to strap on some mental training wheels and remind myself how to make time for it, how to prioritize it, how to get lost in it.

i start by tuning out the internet. skip over twitter conversations about the next hot trend or genre - because realizing you are not writing to that trend can be paralyzing. delete the "daily deals" email from PM unread - because seeing that someone just sold something very similar to what you're writing can be paralyzing. ignore forum threads about writing rules - because realizing you are breaking those rules can be paralyzing.

after that, it's just a matter of thawing out the brain and going back to the beginning, before i knew all the "rules" or knew anything about sales and marketing or internet socializing - back to that place i was in before i took the training wheels off, and everything got a little scary.

so if the blog is a bit sparse this month, that's where i'll be - getting back on my bike and remembering how to ride.