5 Reasons Critique Partners are a Must

I wasted a lot of years writing without a critique partner. In my college novel-writing class, we spent a couple weeks critiquing everyone’s writing as a group. I saw how amazingly beneficial that kind of feedback is, but there was that one critiquer. That one writer who reminded me of Simon Cowell. See, everyone else pointed out the good and bad, but this lady…she was snobby. She thought she was better than everyone else. And she called my story a “soap opera.” *Cringe* Even though the other fourteen critiquers were awesome and helpful, she’s the one who stuck in my mind and represented critique partners everywhere. 

The game changer? 2014 Pitch Wars. All of the mentors I subbed to gave me the same advice: Get a critique partner. Through one of those mentors, I found my talented, nice, helpful, funny CP, Sarah. Sarah is the bomb. (Check out her website and read her free serial story, The Two Worlds of Sydnee Cameron!) And she’s nothing like Miss Your-Story-is-a-Soap-Opera.

Finding a critique partner you trust and work well with is a must, so if you haven’t found one yet...just do it! 

Here are 5 reasons to get on that. Like, right now.  

1. Your CP will make you a better writer. You don’t know what you don’t know. Every writer has different strengths and weaknesses, and it’s not likely yours will be the same as your CP’s. That means you can help each other learn and grow like the beautiful little butterflies you are. 

2. Cheer Buddies! No one will cheer you on like your CP. Sure, your significant other, parents, and best friends might be amazing and supportive. But your CP gets it. They have the same struggles and dreams. They'll know whether you need a high five or a pint of ice cream.

3. You get to read amazing stories and call it "work." Oh, another chapter to read? Yes, please.

4. A CP keeps you on track. If you slack, they will hound you. If you make a goal, they'll ask if you kept it. They're the person who reminds you that you're a writer when you've been wandering Netflix in your PJs and messy bun for no good reason. I mean, at first they're probably like:

But after a while, they'll set you straight like:

5. More best friends! Sharing your words with someone is a vulnerable thing, so naturally, you'll be close to the people you let in to critique. Your CP will be there for you when you're stuck on a scene, and they'll be there for you when you stub your toe or regretfully win a hot dog eating contest. Yay, friends!

  

DIVIDED: An Open Heart Novel - Cover Reveal

Book Blurb 

A new heart should mean new life, instead it’s a living nightmare. Mishca Richardson’s life is at an all-time high after her heart transplant. With new boyfriend, Ryder, she has the perfect summer romance. Even the nightmares plaguing her sleep since her operation can’t dull her new dream world. Yet, life starts to unravel when Mishca develops superhuman abilities. She does her best to hide them so as not to end up a science experiment in a lab, but she can’t ignore the strange instant attraction she experiences when she meets her university professor, Colin Reed. Torn between love and obsession, Mishca must unite her divided heart and decide between the two men. But when the truth about her weird powers comes to light, she’ll have a lot more to worry about than romance.

Praise for Divided

“DIVIDED is a fast-paced adventure filled with mystery, romance, action, and humor. Mishca and Ryder rank up there with my favorite heroines and heroes ever! Sharon M. Johnston is an author to watch out for.”  

WENDY HIGGINS, USA Today and New York Times bestselling author.

Preorder DIVIDED now!

 About the author
From sunny Queensland in Australia, Sharon writes weird stories and soulful contemporaries across a number of categories. Working as a PR specialist by day, in her spare time she writes, blogs, plays with her fur babies and plays computer games with her family. She's also been stalked by women wanted to know where she buys her shoes.

Find her on:
Her website
Facebook
Twitter
Goodreads

 And there's prizes to celebrate!

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

GUESTOPIA! Interview with Candice Lemon-Scott

It is with great pleasure I bring a very special author interview straight from the Gold Coast today. Please join me in welcoming Candice Lemon-Scott to Guestopia!



Hi Candice! Thank you so much for joining us!

 

 

Is this your first published book?

No, I had several standalone chapter books published before the Jake in Space books, as well as a school reader. I’ve also published a novel for adults, Unloched, which received a commendation in the Victorian Premier’s Awards for an unpublished manuscript before it was picked up by Odyssey Books.

Which genre?

Science Fiction.

Which age group?

7-11.

Is it a series or standalone? 

It’s a six-book series.

Are you an agented author?

No, I don’t have an agent.

Which publisher snapped up your book?

New Frontier Publishing.

Do you have another job?

Yes, I own a bookstore on the Gold Coast, Big B Books.

Did you receive many, if any, rejections prior?

I received two rejections before New Frontier Publishing picked up the first book and asked me to create a series from it.
 
What created/what were you doing or watching when the first idea for this book sneaked up on you?

I have no idea how I ended up writing a science fiction adventure. It just evolved that way from my memory of failing my driving test numerous times (I won’t tell you how many, it’s way too embarrassing). As such, I had to learn a lot about space and the science of space travel to write this series. It’s been an exciting learning curve.

How long did you plot/plan until you started writing it?

I don’t really plan my stories out so I just started writing about this boy, Jake, who kept failing his driving test and was sent to remedial space car driving school on the Moon. The adventure developed from there. I quickly discovered I needed to learn some stuff about the Moon to write this story when he got there though so it took about a month to do all the research so I could write the book.

Once you started, did the story flow naturally or did you have to step in and wrestle it into submission?

Because there’s a mystery element involved I did have to wrestle with the story a bit so that the pieces of information were revealed at the right time and made logical sense, as much as you can in a futuristic setting where kids learn to drive space cars and use slooper goo.

How many drafts did you write before you let someone read it? Who was that someone?

Usually I only write my first draft before I read my work to my husband, and sometimes my kids if it’s appropriate for their age. Reading aloud is my process of beginning the editing process because it’s then I notice anything that needs attention, such as where the story isn’t working as it should, if there are any issues with flow and plausibility and of course picking up any poor spelling and grammar or word repetition.

How many drafts until it was published?

I did about 3-4 drafts myself, then another three with the publisher, plus a final proofread.

Has the book changed dramatically since the first draft?

The story itself hasn’t changed much but the writing style has. I originally wrote it in first person, present tense until my editor suggested I rewrite it in third person, past tense. It works much better in the new form. Oh, and Jake wasn’t called Jake originally.

Are there any parts you’d like to change even now?

No, it’s gone through enough edits and I’m now completely happy with it, phew!

What part of writing do you find the easiest?

Writing the initial story – that’s the fun part.

What part do you find hardest?

Fixing anything that’s implausible – especially when it comes to science fiction.

Do you push through writing barriers or walk away?

Push through them usually, unless it’s a problem with the overall story. If I didn’t do that I’d give up and never get anything finished.

How many projects do you have on the go at the same time?

Usually only one, or two at most. I like to concentrate all my creative energy on one project at a time once I know what story I want to tell.

Do you think you’re born with the talent to write or do you think it can be learned?

I think it’s a combination of both, like with anything. For me, I was always an avid reader and keen writer. English was my favourite subject at school and teachers often read my stories to the class. I later went on to study writing and editing though through my Bachelor of Communication/Diploma of Arts (Professional Writing & Editing) so I learned to refine and improve my writing skills then. I’m always learning to become a better writer even now too and, like everything, writing gets better with practise.

How many future novels do you have planned?

Lots! I have so many ideas that I just need the time and patience to write them.

Do you write other things, such as short stories, articles, blogs, etc?

I published several parenting articles and had a regular blog spot when my children were little. I also have a media background so I’ve written a gazillion news reports.

What’s the highlight of being published so far?

 

Having Jake in Space: Moon Attack listed in the Herald Sun ’12 Books Children Will Love in Christmas 2014.’

 Give me five writing tips that work for you.

1.       I must have a great character with a massive problem to deal with.

2.       I need to get inside the head of my main character and write as though I am that person.

3.       My ideas come when I get active and have a clear mind to allow the story to appear, not from sitting in front of a computer screen.

4.       I need to have a story outcome in mind as a guide but I don’t need to stick to it if things take a different direction.

5.       I have to enjoy the writing – if it’s a constant struggle, the story isn’t there yet so I need to take a break and rethink it or let it go.

And one that doesn't.

Not caring about the main character and what happens to him or her – if I don’t care, no one else will either.

Can you give us a clue or secret about the next book?

My YA novel Clearwing just received a highly commended place at the CYA Conference so I’m hoping to develop that further now.

Thank you so much, Candice! Good luck with Clearwing!

Go out an buy Jake in Space, YAtopians, it's a fantastic series for lower middle grade readers, I promise you won't be disappointed.

If you want to know more about Ms Lemon-Scott and follow the progress of her new projects, check out these links below.

Website
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn

And even Jake has his own website!

 

Writers Activation: The Gold Coastian Word Lovers Are Here!

 

Despite being buried beneath manuscripts and beautiful shiny Pitch Wars submissions – and beautiful and shiny they truly are – I've also been busy with an exciting, and much closer to home project lately.

 

 

Over the past few weeks, I've been assisting a wonderful, and extraordinarily talented new author friend, Helen Stubbs, in setting up a brand new writing space close to where I live on the Gold Coast. I won't go on too much about what the space is and why it's been set up, because you can go to the website and see all of that for yourself, but the point of blogging about it today is to simply reinforce my love for the writing community.

The first thing on the agenda, after cleaning, furnishing the space and making it all homely and comfortable, was to have a meet and greet. Inviting people along is one thing, but whether they turn up or not is another headache entirely. Writers being infamously introverted, working alone, hidden from the world (exactly one of the reasons Writers Activation has been set up in the first place), the concern was whether any would break free from their chains, their self doubts, their imaginary worlds, and come and mingle. And boy did they. From new, aspiring artists, to creative writing tutors and writing association members, the turn out was fantastic, the conversation inspiring and the future plans for the growth of writing on the Gold Coast downright exciting.

 

So next, with passion and inspiration screeching for release, we set about organising the opening night. With the help of the city council, local business owners, and again the kindness of writers, we prepared for the night. But despite the meet and greet numbers, the doubts still niggled. Would anyone come? Does anyone really care about writers on the coast? Heck, Brisbane and Byron Bay aren't far away, people can go there and feed their literary appetites. Who would care about us quiet bunch on the GC?

 

Turns out, quite a few! And quiet we most definitely aren't! With wine, nibbles and conversation circling wildly, the night was a roaring success. With readings from authors Sally Breen, Trent Jamieson and AngelaSunde, to talented poets, Josh, Marie and Sahib,  and many more, the atmosphere was incredible, the passion extraordinary, and the clearing up frightening!  

I, for one, am buzzing at being a part of the writing community here on the coast, and I know there are many many more authors, both of the crease-free and crinkly varieties, in secret pockets, who will come and join as the word spreads. With authors in residence, workshops, seminars and simple write-ins, there is so much coming up over the next month or so and we can't wait to get cracking.

 

Writing is definitely a 'thing' on the Gold Coast, and I am so taken aback once again with the strength and togetherness of the word-loving people. I'm proud to be a part of it, and I do hope we can, not only hook up with all those on the coast itself, but spread our wings and connect with writing groups in all corners of the globe. We have plenty to say.

 

 

www.writersactivation.com

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Valentine's Day Anthology Submission Call

Elderflower Press is a new anthology publisher where the profits go to charities.

Their first anthology will come out next year for Valentine's Day. They are looking for short stories where Valentine's Day is the theme, but they don't have to be romance.

The profits from the anthology will go to a Girls Not Brides project

To find out more check out the submission call.

Why I Attend Conventions and You Should Too!

Living in Sweden while being published in the US often results in a sense of alienation and isolation. I don't quite fit into the Nordic scene since I write in English and publish in the States, and I definitely don't fit into the US scene because I've so far never made it to any of the many cons my publishers attend in North America.

After having extremely positive experiences last year at both FinnCon (when I still lived in Finland) and WorldCon in London, I decided to be pro-active this year and not let our rather unexpected move to Sweden deter me from getting more involved in the SF/F scene here. Thanks to my Finnish contacts, I was able to attend two conventions this summer, the first being Archipelacon held in the Åland Islands (a little archipelago between Sweden and Finland) and thanks to new contacts made at the first con, I was able to attend SweCon held in Linköping, Sweden.

The Music in SF/F panel at Archipelacon

I'm so glad I attended these cons despite being nervous of having to step into the spotlight. At both events I gave a lecture on Diversity in YA SF/F - which was extremely well received - and participated in several panels. At SweCon, I had the additional honour of moderating panels, which meant getting to know writers and readers in the Swedish scene in a way I might not have otherwise. Both these experiences were amazing and have done wonders not only for my books, but also for me as an author who now no longer feels so lost and lonely living in the Nordic countries.

Tough Chicks in SF/F panel at SweCon

Here are some of the reasons why I think every author needs to attend cons in whatever capacity they can:

1) Exposure. Gaining visibility as a small press published author isn't always easy and cons provide a more relaxed and casual way of letting people discover your books, whether it's by having a display in the book sales area or participating on panels.

2) Networking. I have met amazing people through recent cons and my network is branching out all over the world. Every new contact is a potential opportunity for forging new friendships and working relationships.

3) Reaching readers. A great number of con attendees are fans of the genre and the exposure you gain by presenting you and your books to the con audience can and will result in gaining new readers. This is also a fantastic opportunity to connect with readers on a personal level, to chat about your similar interests and of course, your shared love of literature.

4) Book sales. Points 1 and 3 above may result in book sales, but conventions are a great opportunity to market yourself and sell books whether your publisher provides the con bookshop with your titles or you take copies with you and sell them out of hand. And don't forget to provide free swag to help gain exposure for your book!

5) Fun! Local conventions are a great way to meet similarly minded people and feel connected to a community of readers and writers without having to fork out tons of cash.

6) Inspiration and continued learning. This is something I didn't expect to experience during the cons I've attended, but I've learned so much from fellow panelists and readers, about what people want to see in books and what they're tired of. Many of the discussions helped me gain fresh perspectives and made me consider possibilities I'd never imagined.

After a summer of conning, I feel totally refreshed and ready to jump back into writing, inspired and armed with new ideas to challenge my creative comfort zone and push my writing in new and better directions. No matter where you are in the world, if you're an author and can get to a local convention, I strongly urge you to do it!

How Not to Collaborate on a Story. Or What I Learn on My First Collaboration.

Hello YATopia Blog Readers!

I know it has been sometime since I last wrote to you. Though I am not sure how many actually read anything I write, but that is okay. I wish I can say I have been on grand and exciting adventures around the world seeking fabulous and wondrous books the world has never seen since the time of the Library of Alexandria.

Sadly I can’t. 

Life just got in the way. Life got crazy. Work got crazy. Everything in my world got crazy. Which can happen to anyone of us when we least expect it. But sometimes we see it coming a mile away but don’t anything to stop it. I sadly saw it and didn't do anything about it until it was too late.

But that is neither here nor there or over by the refrigerator or cat food bowl. 

During my absence I have been making art. Art that people really like, they have even paid me for some of the art, but again I digress. See so I was still being creative.

Also during my absence I was ask, which it the whole point of this blog post today, to collaborate on a short story. I jumped at the opportunity to do this, not because I would be working with a well-known author.

I am not.

But because I have always wanted to collaborate on a story. I know I did that in a sense when working on the Amazing Pulp Adventures RPG book, but it felt more like someone writing in my world and I was there to say yes, no, maybe let’s see where it takes us.

So let me tell you everything was amazing and fantastic and worked out perfectly and it was a grand magical experience. Sadly I can’t. 

First off for everything that went wrong in this collaboration; it became a learning experience. And as long as I am learning something I am happy. It will also help if the story from the collaboration turns out to be good and the publisher accepts it for the anthology it is being submitted to.

Things I have learned from the collaborating process, so you don’t have to make the same mistakes. In no particular order.  

1 – Have an outline for the story, some sort of outline the both of you agree with. Hint we did not have this, so we had no guidelines no road map to follow to guide the story in a way that would make us both happy. When I normally write a story solo I just need to know the ending, but when there is another creative person involved in the project I think a road map would help.

2 – Know the Ending you are working towards. I know this might see like the same thing as point one. It very well might be, but not only do you need to know the Ending you need to know the beginning as well. Luckily enough we had been sitting in the same room when we came up with the beginning.   

3– You should take turns writing. It ended up me writing the beginning and then my co-author writing everything else. Which had me pestering them about when were the going to be finished. And I had no idea where they were taking the story since we had only discussed the beginning which I wrote and nothing else. So I am now reading and editing the story to add my flavor to it and expanding sections to help tie things to ending. If we had been writing together both us would had been helping guide the story and putting our own special touches throughout the story.

4 – Corrupt file. If we were both writing the story going back and forth there would have been more than one file.  Since they took the story to write and finish it. When I got it back it was corrupted with oriental characters/symbols/letters. There is no telling how much damage was done to the story. *

*This where you pick up that I am still waiting for the other author to check their file on their computer to see it is corrupted. If it is I am going to have to take what is left and rebuild the story. I will let you know what happened next month and hopefully let you know if it was accepted or not into the anthology. 

So would I collaborate again? Totally. I have learned from these mistakes and I am sure I will make more and learn from them. Would I collaborate with the same author again that I did with this time? Totally. From what I can tell we complement our styles well, bring various strengths to the story. I can’t wait to see the finish piece one it is done, which is due by this Sunday to the editor.  

And maybe next time I will show you some art... Doctor Who art since it starts on the 19th of September!

Post-Release week insight

Post-Release week insight

So, you'll have to excuse me for a few. I'm going to trumpet my own horn this week. My book released.

Yes, this is true. That gorgeous, lengthy, scifi piece of my heart is out there in the wilderness for better or for worse. I'm really hoping it's not for worse.

Before I squee and grin and jump up and down -- let me make note of a few things that I learned along the way:

At the end of the day, you have to rely on yourself. 

Sounds a bit ominous, doesn't it? Let me elaborate. Basically, I mean - if people have said they'll help, if they've offered to post for you, if they've offered (I don't know) to talk to their good friend who'll by six hundred copies... there is always a chance that person will have something else come up/not check their email for a month/not reply to said email/forget/flake. 

If you can, you need to have some countermeasures in place for this. I did not - but for the next book? You betchya - I will have all the failsafes. 

It's your baby, it's beautiful, and it's out there - but no one else cares like you do

Again - that sounds sort of bitchy, right? But it's not. I don't mean to say that all your friends don't love your book, that your CPs and agent/editors aren't overjoyed to see it out in the wild. But it isn't their baby, it's not their gem of an idea. It's yours. And like the parent gets more excited when their kid learns to walk... the writer gets far more emotional about their book and journey. 

Remember it, love it, cherish it - because the debut only happens that first time.

Don't overspend on SWAG, because just don't.

The temptation is there, it's pretty and shiny and has your book all over it. But it's a muck sucking trap - because down that rabit hole is a plethora of shiny options and you want them all. If you have a series, I'd suggest series-izing some of the things you get, that way, they're useful for the whole set of books.

You did it!

You wrote a book, and got it published. However you chose to, whatever you did to get there, however long you haven't had a decent night's sleep? Your book is out in the world just waiting for people to discover it. Never let anyone take that away from you.

I love Chameleon, and I'm working on Hybrid already. There is so much I need to do, so many things to make the whole trilogy a reality, but one day at a time means Chameleon is out there. It's doing pretty well, all things considered - and I have no intention of letting it sit out there alone. 

The Domino Project is live

and this is a beautiful thing

"Wow! A fast-paced, science fiction delight with fabulous action, a seamless world, and the most unique characters I've read in a long time." Elana Johnson, Author of the Possession Series.

When Sai's newly awoken psionic powers accidentally destroy her apartment complex, she’s thrown into an intensive training program. Her only options are pass or die.  

Surviving means proving her continued existence isn't a mistake--a task her new mentor, Bastian, takes personally. Her abilities place her in the GNW Enforcer division, and partners her with Domino 12, who is eerily human for an alien-parasite psionic hybrid.  

After eliminating an Exiled scientist, she discovers nothing is what it seems. With each mission more perilous, Sai must figure out who to trust before her next assignment becomes her last.

Available at:

Amazon |  Kobo | iBooks | IndieBound

If you'd like a signed physical copy, Watermark Books has them in stock.

CELEBRATION!

We're having an e-card & mega swag Rafflecopter giveaway!

We're giving away e-cards of your choice from B&N, iTunes, & Amazon – one to the value of $25, and three to the value of $10! Each prize includes a swag pack of a magnet, sticker, bookmark, postcard, and mousepad!

Just follow the options listed on the giveaway and you'll be entered!

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About the Author

KT Hanna has a love for words so extreme, a single word can spark entire worlds.

Born in Australia, she met her husband in a computer game, moved to the U.S.A. and went into culture shock. Bonus? Not as many creatures specifically out to kill you.

When she's not writing, she freelance edits for Chimera Editing, interns for a NYC Agency, and chases her daughter, husband, corgis, and cat. No, she doesn't sleep. She is entirely powered by the number 2, caffeine, and beef jerky.

Note: Still searching for her Tardis

SWEET MADNESS book release & giveaway!

Today we’re celebrating the release of the Sweet Madness ebook by Trisha Leaver and Lindsay Currie. Sweet Madness is a retelling of the infamous Borden Murders told from the POV of Lizzie’s Irish maid, Bridget Sullivan.

Seventeen-year-old Bridget Sullivan is alone in Fall River, a city that sees Irish immigrants as nothing more than a drunken drain on society. To make matters worse, she's taken employment with the city’s most peculiar and gossip-laden family—the Bordens. But Bridget can’t afford to be picky—the pay surpasses any other job Bridget could ever secure and she desperately needs the money to buy her little sister, Cara, passage to the states. It doesn’t hurt that the job location is also close to her beau, Liam. As she enters the disturbing inner workings of the Borden household, Bridget clings to these advantages.

However, what seemed like a straightforward situation soon turns into one that is untenable. Of course Bridget has heard the gossip around town about the Bordens, but what she encounters is far more unsettling. The erratic, paranoid behavior of Mr. Borden, the fearful silence of his wife, and worse still...the nightly whisperings Bridget hears that seem to come from the walls themselves.

When Bridget makes a horrifying discovery in the home, all that she thought she knew about the Bordens is called into question...including if Lizzie is dangerous. And the choice she must make about Lizzie’s character could mean Bridget’s life or death.

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | IndieBound | BAM | The Book Depository | Powell’s


What Readers Are Saying

“This thrilling novel will keep readers on their toes until the last page. Fans of historical fiction and horror will thoroughly enjoy this book.” —VOYA Magazine

“The portrait of the claustrophobic, creepy Borden household and its denizens, Lizzie especially, is grippingly vivid.” -Kirkus

“Engaging historical novel that gives readers another glimpse into the infamous Lizzie Borden.” -YA Book Central

“Dark, creepy and overall fantastically moody; SWEET MADNESS remains firmly entrenched in the Hitchcock side of horror.” -Fangirlish


About the Authors

Trisha Leaver lives on Cape Cod with her husband, three children, and one rather disobedient black lab. She is a chronic daydreamer who prefers the cozy confines of her own imagination to the mundane routine of everyday life. She writes Young Adult Contemporary Fiction, Psychological Horror and Science Fiction and is published with FSG/ Macmillan, Flux/Llewellyn and Merit Press.

Trisha is a member of the SCBWI, The Cape Cod Writers Center, and the YA Scream Queens—a group of nine female authors who are deathly serious about their horror.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Tumblr

Lindsay Currie lives in Chicago, Illinois with one incredibly patient hubby, three amazing kids and a 160 pound lap dog named Sam. She's fond of tea, chocolate and things that go bump in the night.

An author of young adult and middle grade fiction, Lindsay is published with Flux/Llewellyn, Merit Press and Spencer Hill Contemporary.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Instagram



Giveaway

To celebrate the ebook release, the authors are giving away a very special swag pack: A custom, exclusive bookmark, an exclusive image of the Borden house taken by photographer Frank C. Grace, and signed bookmarks.

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The Perfect Match: Beach and Read

If you’ve read Becoming Jinn, it’s no secret that I love the beach. It’s one of the few traits I share with Azra (though I wish I had her height and hair).

It’s my happy place. And it’s where I like to do my most favorite thing: read.

This month, I’m doing something a bit different and asking some of my 2015 debut authors friends to share their favorite beach reads.

Virginia Boecker, author of THE WITCH HUNTER:

“My favorite beach read is Where’d You Go, Bernadette? by Maria Semple. This book is satire at it’s best, and I can't remember the last time I laughed so hard. It's perfection.” 

Stacey Lee, author of UNDER A PAINTED SKY:

“Bloody Jack by L.A. Meyer, about a girl who disguises herself as a boy to join the navy, and later becomes a pirate.  This book smells like the ocean.  There are adventures and far off lands, and it's perfect for the beach.”

Kim Liggett, author of BLOOD AND SALT (September 22, Putnam)

“JAWS by Peter Benchley. It's just so perfect.”

Jenny Martin, author of TRACKED:

“My fave beach read is Nantucket Blue by Leila Howland. Nantucket Blue is a beach read to savor. You’ll root for Cricket, and you won'’ want her summer story to end.

Kim Savage, author of AFTER THE WOODS (February 23, 2016, FSG):

“Anything Dennis Lehane. Because I love beauty matched with grit, any time of year.”

Laura Tims, author of PLEASE DON'T TELL (Summer 2016, HarperCollins):

“Dangerous Girls by Abigail Haas. There's sand on the cover and murder inside it, what more could you ask for?”

So what’s my favorite beach read? 

Besides, of course, Becoming Jinn, which, being set on the north shore of Massachusetts just happens to make for a perfect beach read (ahem)…..

Attachments by Rainbow Rowell. I read this on my last beach vacation, and it made for a perfect couple of days. The humor in here is top-notch, as is the expert structure and storytelling.

What's your favorite beach read?

Lori Goldstein is the author of Becoming Jinn (Feiwel and Friends/Macmillan, now available!!, sequel, Spring 2016). With a degree in journalism and more than 10 years of experience, Lori is a freelance copyeditor and manuscript consultant for all genres. She focuses on the nitty-gritty, letting writers focus on the writing.

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