The Collapse (Hipstopia's sequel) Playlist and Updates!

I finished the first edit of The Collapse (The Uprising #2), the sequel to Hipstopia.  I am quite pleased with the results of the first edit.  I added 4,000 words, established more tension, filled out some characters who had previously been lacking.

Something that I've always wanted to do was create a playlist for a book.  I write to music.  Music creates a certain mood that I would have trouble emulating otherwise, and I think each list of songs speaks volumes about the characters.  They are such polar opposites in feel and style - much like the characters themselves.

Murphy
Hate Dept. "New Son Army"
Hate Dept. "Hard Times"
Pigface "Insect / Suspect"
Filter "The Inevitable Relapse" (Clayton Worbeck Mix)
UNKLE "Ghosts"
UNKLE featuring Gavin Clark "Blade in the Back"

Jason (Jay)
Miike Snow "Animal"
Slighter "Stood Still"
The Neighbourhood "Sweater Weather"
Broken Bells "October"
Bonobo "Cirrus"
The Naked And Famous "The Sun"
Passion Pit "Take a Walk"
Radical Face "Welcome Home"

Murphy's music is raw, powerful, and angry - just like him.  Jason's music is pensive and melodic with just a little bit of bounce.  I encourage you guys to check out some of these songs!  Go on, you might find your next favorite.

My 2013

So instead of listing goals for next year (which you can find under my Writing Goals page), I'm going to sum up what 2013 was for me!  Because accomplishments are cause for celebration!

• Read 136 books
• Wrote, edited, and published Hipstopia (The Uprising #1)
• Won the first ever "Iron Writer" put on by the Dreadful Cafe
• Wrote The Collapse (The Uprising #2) - working title (which also won NaNo 2013 for me)
• Wrote No Sugar Coating
• Made my first royalties
• Got published in my first anthology
• Proofread three books for two different authors (and actually got paid to do so!)
• Edited and queried Where We Collide
• Wrote 182,868 words, or more than 500 words a day on average

2014 will again bring the hope that I land an agent.  I got some really good pointers from a lot of writers and agents on No Sugar Coating, and I'm going to rewrite my next draft of it with those in mind.  With any luck, I'll catch the right person on the right day and finally get someone to represent me.

Otherwise, I'll keep on trucking with the one self-published release a year.  The Collapse is slated for May 2014, and The Underground is slated for October 2014.

And just for fun, there are three photos below from Portland, OR, and one photo from Cape Cod, MA.  We were lucky enough to visit both this year.

99 Cents Holiday Sale

Both of my novelettes are on sale for .99 through the holidays!  The sale for Hipstopia ends on December 26, and the sale for Terrance will end on January 1.  Which means - you should get them today!

Hipstopia is $2 off the regular list price.  It's a satirical YA dystopian.

It's been three years since Murphy led the Hipster uprising. For three years, Jay has been by his side. All that's about to change. It starts with the beautifully intense Prisoner Forty-Seven... and a loaded gun.

Available on Kindle

My Summer Vacation by Terrance Wade is $1 off the list price. This book is good for both kids who will read it as an adventure story, and adults who will see the underlying meaning beyond Terrance's imagination.  So if you have kids, you should pick this up!

When Terrance's mother comes in through the window, she says, "Terrance, your dad doesn’t want me to show you the world. But we’re going – tonight, now." With that, she scoops him up and rushes from the house. Terrance, a naive yet astute 7-year-old, is kidnapped by his mother. Told from his perspective, Terrance believes he's on an adventure to save the world.

Available on Kindle, iTunes, Smashwords

Both books are also available in paperback for under $6.00.

New Goals and BONUS: Hipstopia 2 Excerpt!

I did it again - went overboard with the goal creation.  But hey, if I aim high and only accomplish half of what I set out to do, then at least I accomplished half of an insanely long goal list, right? Right.

So, I'm aiming for two self-published releases next year.  Hipstopia 2 is a definite (and no, it won't be called Hipstopia 2 once I can come up with a better title).  The Unanswerable I would really like to get out in October - because horror books in October?  Yes, please!

I want to edit everything I currently have on my plate next year.  This means editing five works - on top of trying to grow my own proofreading business. But I need to get this stuff edited - otherwise, it's never going to see the light of day (and that would make me sad).

I also want to write The Underground (Unseries #2) and Rioss Origins (Rioss #0.5).

Basically, this is a Holiday Wish List to my future self.  Please self, do all the things!

For those of you who read this whole blog post, I have a surprise for you!  It's an excerpt from Hipstopia 2.  This is from Murphy himself, folks.  He and Jay will be sharing the spotlight in this duel narrative novel. 

Murphy

Before all of this had started, there had been a lightness to her intense, brown eyes. The air of nonchalance even came across in the way she stepped, sure-footed and buoyant. I never saw that anymore, the lightness had been destroyed by something feral, something sinister... something that I had created.

I stared at the glass of whiskey she placed on my desk. Her fingernails were chipped, skin cracking in pink, raw hangnails. She pushed the glass towards me. The golden liquid sloshed around the cold stones Sky had tossed in.

"Why did you let him go?" She asked again. It was the hundredth time, and every time her dark red lips formed the words, I wanted to shudder. There was such contempt and disdain behind the way she spoke.

Looking up, I met her eyes. Fearless and fierce, none of that girl who thought she could change the world. This was because of me, because of what I had made us do... because of all the destruction we made together. "Because I couldn't stand killing him."

She rolled her eyes and knelt down next to me, making our eyes level.  Her breath reeked of yesterday's wine, and her eyeliner was smeared along the edges of her eyes. The white and black striped suit coat, her uniform, was too sophisticated for this moment. I reached out and nudged one of the edges down off her shoulder, revealing white skin in desperate need of sun. The white v-neck underneath was better made for her, simple and pure. At least, the her that used to exist.

"You're in charge now, Murphy." Her words circled around my head, but I couldn't listen. "You have to make the tough decisions, even if it means killing someone you love."

Sky placed a single finger on my knee, tapping once, twice, three times before she stood up. My hand fell away from her shoulder. Sky adjusted her jacket and ran her fingers through her cropped, black hair. I remember when it used to be long. Before everything. "Even if it means killing me."

NaNoWriMo Day 21

I know, I totally don't publish consistently enough - but hey!  Two a month is better than what I was doing before!  Besides, it's NaNo time, so I can't really blame myself for not updating very much.

Last night, I reached 40,000 words in Hipstopia #2 (I really need to come up with a title for this).  It's scary, because I have three chapters before the end of the book, which means, I need to average 3,333 words per chapter (else I need to go back and edit during NaNo and pray that I add words instead of taking them away).

I'm happy that I'm on track -- I wasn't aiming for some 60-70k book because I don't feel like this story needs it.  There's a conflict, a few side stories to develop a rich sense of the characters, and then the conclusion.  Besides, when I do my first draft read through, I usually add in 5-10k with things that I missed the first time around.  While I'm drafting, my brain is constantly thinking of the next scene, which sometimes makes the scene I'm working on suffer.  During the rewrite/reread, I don't have to worry about what comes next, since it's already written.

Anyone else have this problem?  Do you have scenes that you know you have to rewrite because you "just weren't feeling them" at the time?  Would love to hear from anyone who is participating in NaNo this year!  Or writers in general :)

I'm aiming for a summer release date next year for Hipstopia #2.  We'll see how this works.

And... public accountability note to self:  I need to update my goal list for next year / this year.