Top Ten Reasons DFWcon 2012 Rocked Like Grohl

I belong to a great writers’ workshop, and we put on a writers’ conference every year. And this year, DFWcon melted my face off like Dave Grohl rocking during a Foo Fighters’ encore set.

Lemme give you 10 reasons why:

1. I met my agent, Sara Crowe, in person, for the first time ever!!! She’s so phenomenal in eleventy-billion ways, and hanging out with her all weekend just confirmed them all. I had so much fun gabbing and getting into shenanigans. (In-N-Out Burgers! Panel Discussions! Bull-Riding at Billy Bob’s!)

2. I met many other publishing professionals, and it turns out that PR genius Mer Barnes, and super agents Sarah LaPolla and Jennie Goloboy are just as crazy cool as you’d expect. (Psst…they aren’t bad at Texas two-stepping either.) And editor Stacey Barney? When she talks about YA, drop your fork and take notes. Her taste in good books (and dessert) is impeccable.

3. Alec Shane is at Writers’ House. He’s also a former Hollywood STUNTMAN. Dude. Fo Realz. He might not have an official action figure, but hey, google his IMDB page. Then award 1,000,001 street cred points for appearing in a flick called MAXIMUM CAGE FIGHTER. And award another 1,000,001 points for championing boy YA books. (Note to self: Write heartbreaking, edgy YA about a seventeen-year-old mixed martial arts master. Who cage fights. In Post-Apocalyptic Detroit.)

4. There’s a coffee shop in Hurst called ROOTS. They make blackberry green tea Chai lattes. That taste like warm blackberry cobbler. Don’t tell me how many calories are in a Venti. I don’t want to know.

5. Author Rosemary Clement-Moore is a perfect hotel roommate. She doesn’t snore, she doesn’t hog all the hot water, and you can totally pick her brain at 1:00 a.m.

6. Kate Cornell is the world’s best agent wrangler. She gets your agent coffee, packs a mean conference survival kit, tells perfect anecdotes, and absolutely, positively doesn’t hold it against you when you have to drive back to Abuelo’s and kidnap her because you couldn’t figure out the right exit to get to the airport.

7. DFWcon attendees are charming and sweet and 100% inspiring. When you teach a session, they don’t heckle you and they ask great questions. When they practice pitch you, they blow you away with high concept premises (Hey, Sally Hamiltinez!) and well-developed ideas. (Hello, MR. SECULAR APOCALYPSE, I’m talking to YOU.)

You can e-mail Jason at purplebondagelolcats@gmail.com

8. This year’s GONG SHOW–I can’t even, guys. What happens when you listen to agents gong and crit queries/first pages? A scorched earth, DEFCON LEVEL I nuclear blast zone of shock and awe-some. Mildly painful. Seriously instructive.

9. Rosemary, A. Lee Martinez and I taught a ‘Perfect Your Pitch’ class. And Candy Havens critiqued reads with us, too! Our best advice? When querying, your e-mail shouldn’t be purplebondagelolcats@gmail.com. Also, never google ‘purple bondage lolcats.’ EVER.

10. Author Roni Loren knows how to write a scorching hot love scene. She also knows how to teach you how to write a scorching hot love scene. She also, also knows the words one must never use in a love scene. No LOVE SWORDS or SECRET GARDENS, apparently. Can’t imagine why.

So…how was your conference weekend? If you were at DFWcon, I’d love to hear about your experience!

Writing Young Adult Books Class: Meet the Special Guests!

I have news! The University of Texas at Arlington contacted me about developing/teaching a few courses for writers. This spring, I’m teaching Writing Young Adult Books. You do NOT have to be a UTA student. Anyone can enroll.

The class will run for five sessions, Monday Evenings from 7-9 p.m. CST.

Session one: April 30th

Session two: May 7th

Session three: May 14th

Session four: May 21st

Session five: June 4th (No class on May 28th for Memorial Day).

Basically, during the class, I’m sharing every secret I’ve ever learned about writing, querying, revising, landing an agent. And here’s the thing…You won’t just be learning from me and from the other students in the class…You’ll be learning from some amazing industry pros!

Check out these STELLAR SPECIAL GUESTS!

GWEN HAYES lives in the Pacific Northwest with her real life hero, their children, and the pets that own them. She writes stories for teen and adult readers about love, angst, and saving the world. Gwen’s first novel, Falling Under, was released in March of 2011 by NAL/Penguin and followed up by the sequel, Dreaming Awake, in January of 2012. She is represented by Jessica Sinsheimer of the Sarah Jane Freymann Literary Agency. You can find her at http://www.gwenhayes.com/

Gwen will be sharing her expertise in creating chemistry between characters!

Jeff Hirsch is originally from the suburbs just south of Richmond, VA. Growing up, he always knew he wanted to do something artistic but it wasn’t until he started writing poetry and short stories in Junior High that something really stuck. Jeff  graduated from the University of California, San Diego, with an MFA in Dramatic Writing and is the author of The Eleventh Plague and Magisterium (Scholastic).  He lives in Beacon, New York, with his wife. Visit him online at www.jeff-hirsch.com.

Jeff will wow us with his expert skills in writing taut action with emotional intensity!

Kiera Cass is a graduate of Radford University and currently lives in Blacksburg, Virginia with her family. Her fantasy novel The Siren was self-published in 2009, and The Selection is her young adult debut. Kiera has kissed approximately fourteen boys in her life. None of them were princes. You can keep up with her at http://www.kieracass.com/

Kiera will be Skyping into class to answer all your burning questions about the writers’ journey! (Did you know CW snapped up The Selection, and a pilot is in the works?! You might want to ask her about it.)

Rosemary Clement-Moore is the author of award-winning supernatural mystery novels for young (and not so young) adults, including Texas Gothic, The Splendor Falls, and the Maggie Quinn: Girl versus Evil series. Her books have been included on the YALSA list of best books for teens, the New York Public Library’s Books For the Teen Age and Kirkus Reviews best teen books of 2011 and received starred reviews from Kirkus Reviews and School Library Journal. A recovering thespian with a master’s degree in communication, she now puts her drama queen skills to use writing novels and posting on Twitter. She loves coffee, dogs, history, Jane Austen, archeology, fantasy novels, comic books, Gilbert and Sullivan, BBC America, Star Wars, books with kissing and movies with lots of explosions. You can visit her webpage at www.rosemaryclementmoore.com.
Rosemary will appear (in person!) to teach us all about making magic on the page–creating rich narratives that sing with romance and  crackle with adventure.

Sara Crowe  is an agent at Harvey Klinger, Inc. where she represents adult fiction and nonfiction and children’s fiction. Her clients include NYT Bestselling author Jonathan Maberry, Nina LaCour, Michael Northrop, Lisa Schroeder, Kristen Tracy, and Dan Wells. Her authors have been nominated for Edgars and the Morris Award and have been on the ALA Best Fiction for Young Adults list and in the Top Ten. She is consistently ranked among the top three YA agents in Publishers Marketplace. You can check out her submission guidelines at http://saracrowe.com

Lucky for me, Sara is my own (WONDERFUL!) agent.  She’ll be chiming in to offer advice and answer all your burning questions about agents and the industry in general.

In case I hadn’t mentioned it yet, I CAN’T WAIT FOR THIS CLASS!  https://www.uta.edu/wconnect/CourseStatus.awp?~~12CO1722001

TEXAS GOTHIC by Rosemary Clement-Moore

Dear Rosemary Clement-Moore,

I know you wrote TEXAS GOTHIC for yourself and not for me especially (Althoughitsurefeltlikeyoudid, didyourealizethat?), but I thought you should know some of the reasons I think it’s the BEST BOOK YOU’VE EVER WRITTEN:

a.) The gorgeous word choices that stop me in my tracks, the ones that make me remember how much I appreciate stellar writing. (Anyone who can use the word ‘cabal’ as effectively as you do, deserves some kind of Hermione-Granger-Smart-Girl-Snark Lifetime Achievement Award)

b.) The fabulous, dead on analogies that make me nod my head and help me understand and relate to the character’s precise emotion: “…cognitive dissonance up to eleven.”

c.) The delicious, complicated, sweet Tracy and Hepburn/John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara flavored relationship built between Ben and Amy. TEXAS GOTHIC is the kind of romance freshly painted in a gothic palette with touches of DuMaurier’s REBECCA and classics such as TURN OF THE SCREW.

d.) The terrific characterizations, including loyal, half nerd, half not-so-crazy loon Phin and every-ranching-patriarch-I-ever-known-in real-life Grandad Mac. (I grew up in a ranching town, and I know you did, too. You’ve really captured the small touches of ranch life.)

e.) The Goodnight family’s tea shop products which I picture marketed in Philosophie meets Practical Magic packaging.

f.) Finally, I love that I can successfully turn off my editorial mind and just bask in appreciation of a truly good book.

This one’s definitely a keeper.

Your Constant Reader,

Jenny (Who Would, Thank You Very Much, Like a Sequel Soon.)

Here’s the back cover description of the book from the back cover:

Amy Goodnight knows that the world isn’t as simple as it seems–she grew up surrounded by household spells and benevolent ghosts. But she also understands that “normal” doesn’t mix with magic, and she’s worked hard to build a wall between the two worlds. Not only to protect her family, who are all practicing witches, but to protect any hope of ever having a normal life.

Ranch-sitting for her aunt in Texas should be exactly that. Good old ordinary, uneventful hard work. Only, Amy and her sister, Phin, aren’t alone. There’s someone in the house with them–and it’s not the living, breathing, amazingly hot cowboy from the ranch next door.

 It’s a ghost, and its more powerful than the Goodnights and all their protective spells combined. It wants something from Amy, and none of her carefully built defenses can hold it back. This is the summer when the wall between Amy’s worlds is going to come crashing down.

Y’all, I LOVED Texas Gothic. Go out and buy it so we can talk about it over white mocha lattes and these Ranch Cookies!

Binge!

We Have a Winner!

Three judges unanimously picked our cheesecake worthy (and book worthy!) winner.

laurelwanrow’s sentence dazzled:

“The ghost drifted, a blond in a creamy chiffon gown, until she halted before me, leaned close and her lips met mine—mmm, cheesecake, my favorite.”

An e-mail was not listed by laurel’s username. If laurelwanrow will e-mail me at mathmartin@tx.rr.com no later than Friday, September 25th, I’ll send the book to a snail mail address.

The judges also mentioned two honorable mentions. The Patrick Swayze sentence by Kendra is bittersweet, and Joel’s sentence, “I don’t have a ghost of a chance,” was quite witty. If laurenlwanrow does not claim the prize, we’ll have a runoff with these runner up entries.

Watch for my next post, coming tomorrow!

Binge.

The Splendor Falls Cheesecake Giveaway

No, I’m not giving away cheesecake.

Even better, I’m giving away an autographed first edition of Rosemary Clement Moore’s new YA novel, The Splendor Falls.

 And yes, there’s a cheesecake recipe.

With or without the cheesecake, The Splendor Falls is one delicious read.

Seventeen year old Sylvie Davis is a ballerina whose dreams are shattered by a broken leg, her father’s death, and her mother’s remarriage. Even vicodin and champagne fail to numb her pain.

Sylvie is less than thrilled about her mother’s honeymoon.  She’s even less  happy about leaving her apartment in Manhattan to spend two weeks at Bluestone Hill,  her father’s family estate in Alabama.

At Bluestone Hill, Sylvie faces  more than personal demons, she encounters the spirits of her ancestors’ past. But the ghosts in Alabama aren’t the only ones shrouded in mystery. Two handsome but enigmatic young men vie for Sylvie’s attention. Each has a secret. One is hellbent on a course which threatens to destroy Bluestone Hill. The other seeks to a protect the tenuous balance between the will of man and the force of nature.

Sylvie is attracted to both suitors, but must choose an alliance carefully. Her actions will either bring ruin or renewal to her father’s family. She draws upon the power within herself and the legacy of her birthright to reverse the wrongdoing of the past. Sylvie confronts her own pain and conquers her fears in the process.

Author Rosemary Clement Moore effectively combines elements of mystery, romance, and suspense in Splendor. She conjures a sparkling tale, full of wit and lush imagery.

“The ritual sound, full of potential, thick and opaque somehow, murky as the silt of a river bottom, hiding silent, swift things below. ”

I couldn’t put The Splendor Falls down. The mystery, hiding silent, drew me in. I’d bet my lucky charm, you’d enjoy it, too.

If you’d like a to win a copy of The Splendor Falls, write one sentence (up to twenty five words long) including the word “cheesecake” and “ghost.” Your sentence can be funny, spooky, poetic, or otherwise entertaining. Post your sentence as a comment below.

An impartial but cheesecake worthy judge will pick a winner. I’ll contact the winner by e-mail and announce the winner in one week on Tuesday, September 21st.  I’ll send the book by snail mail anywhere in the continental US.  Good luck!

Since Rosemary Clement Moore is an avowed cheesecake lover, here’s my recipe for Turtle Cheesecake Splendor:

Crust:

1 cup flour

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 tsp. almond extract

1/2 cup butter

1 slightly beaten egg yolk

Filling:

5 (yes, Virginia, FIVE) 8 ounce packages of cream cheese (let stand until room temperature)

1/2 to 1 tsp. (your call)  almond extract

1 and 3/4 cups sugar

3 tbsp. flour

1/4 tsp. salt

4 large eggs

2 egg yolks

1/4 whipping cream

Make crust: Combine 1 cup flour and 1/4 sugar. Cut in butter until crumbly. Add egg yolk and almond extract. Pat 1/3 of dough into the bottom of a buttered 9 inch springform pan. Bake (only the bottom part of the pan) crust in oven at 400 degrees for eight minutes. Cool. Attach side of springform pan to bottom and pat the rest of dough onto the  sides of the  pan. The dough should extend about 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 inches all the way around the sides of the pan.

Make the creamy, dreamy filling: Beat cream cheese. Add almond extract. Mix in sugar, flour, and salt gradually. Add the eggs and egg yolks, one at a time, beating after each, just enough to blend the mixture. Stir in whipping cream. Pour the batter into the crust lined pan. Bake at 450 degrees for 12 minutes. (Don’t open the door to check on the cheesecake!) Then reduce temperature to 300 degrees and continue baking for 55-60 minutes. (Center should only jiggle in the very center. Edges should be nice and puffy).

Remove from oven. Let cool on wire rack for 30 minutes before removing sides. Cheesecake may be refrigerated after cooled to room temperature. Before serving, top with homemade or storebought caramel sauce (I like homemade salted caramel sauce), milk and dark chocolate chips, and pecan bits.

Binge. Until you feel ill. Then stop. At least for awhile.