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The One Where I Use Too Many Gifs
I’ve been watching a lot of ARROW recently. For those who are unfamiliar, it’s a show on the CW based on the Green Arrow comic books from DC. It’s fantastic. Solid plot, great actors, and a...
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Five Sentences That Made Me Say F***
Before I begin, let’s take a moment to celebrate the incredible accomplishment that is Colleen’s Launch Day! As authors, we only get one Debut day, so let’s make the most of it. No one does insane glee...
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Good Habits, Bad Habits, and David Bowie
This weekend I revisited the 1986 movie, Labyrinth, starring David Bowie, a young Jennifer Connelly, and a slew of Jim Henson muppets. As a young teen, I rented this movie many times, but Adult Me...
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Critique Partners: The Secret to Writing Success
New writers often ask about the secret to being a successful author, the steps needed to get their book out in the wild. They want the shortcut, the one piece of infallible advice that if they follow...
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Elizabeth Eulberg Revisits Her Debut + WE CAN WORK IT OUT Giveaway
I admit, I’m a HUGE fan of Elizabeth Eulberg. Not only does she write hilarious and delightful YA, she’s a cheese-loving, Green-and-Gold-in-her-veins, Friday Night Fish Fry fan. She may live in NYC,...
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Cover Love
I admit, I judge books by their covers all the time, and there’s a reason. Publishers hire many talented and thoughtful people who know exactly what they’re doing. They know all the visual cues readers...
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Confessions of a Quirk Thief
Writing a novel is an odd experience. You create a core plot, then act it out by invented characters, kind of like a puppet show except it’s all in your head. To really bring it to life, you need to...
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Five Book Loves
This week’s topic is a tricky one – It’s the books we love and wish we’d written. As I stacked up the books I loved (which inevitably became a mountain), I quickly realized something. I would never...
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Set Priorities–Then Keep Them
When I was younger, I always envisioned I’d go to a job from 8 to 5, but once I was home for the evening or weekend, I’d be in non-work mode. I’d have endless hours to fill with frivolity. Oh, how...
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Quirks and Musical Wishes with Sandra Block + LITTLE BLACK LIES Giveaway
Today at the ball, we welcome the Sandra Block, a fellow debut author and agent sister (we’re both repped by the amazing Rachel Ekstrom of The Irene Goodman Literary Agency). About LITTLE BLACK LIES...
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Rejection is Hard: Escapism Helps
This writing journey is a painful one and not for the faint of heart. As writers, there are a lot of things stacked against us. We spend hours alone with our thoughts and 95% of the feedback we get is...
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Five Ways to Spring Forward
It’s March and spring is almost here! *peers out the window at snow banks and frozen sidewalks* Or at least that’s what they tell me. This week we’re talking springing forward on The Ball, more...
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Meet Kate Dresser – Editor Extraordinaire
Here’s a crazy thing about publishing – you are often required to work with people you have never meet in person and trust them with your life’s work. It’s a little unnerving. But I had nothing to...
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Combating the Green (Eyed-Monster)
So, dear reader, you’re feeling green. A member in your critique group whose writing isn’t half as good as yours just scored a six-figure three-book deal while you’re still trying to find an agent to...
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Nova Ren Suma On THE WALLS AROUND US
I first discovered NOVA REN SUMA via her kickass writerly blog, Distraction99.com, which I read religiously in my MFA days. The site is uplifting and introspective, with stellar writing from Nova and...
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Wanna Be a Full-time Writer? Here’s What You’re Going to Need
Are you thinking about writing full-time and quitting your steady job at Wombat Widgets, INC.? Before you do anything rash, you need to address the money situation. On these sites, Kameron Hurley, Jim...
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Book Launch Tips – It’s Not Just a Party
Less than four months to go until THE COINCIDENCE OF COCONUT CAKE enters the world and I’m in the midst of planning my launch. And yes, I’m having a great big party (6 to 8 pm on Tuesday, July 21 at...
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Confessions of an Extroverted Introvert
I never really thought of myself as an introvert or an extrovert until recently. I’ve always been fine speaking in front of groups, going out to parties, and being generally festive, as well as...
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Dahlia Adler Talks Self-Publishing + an Ebook Giveaway of LAST WILL AND...
Editor’s Note: This is Self-Published Author Week on The Ball! Each day we’ll feature a new self-pubbed author, and a giveaway of her book! I am so excited to have Dahlia Adler as my guest today. When...
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Meet Agent Rachel Ekstrom
Editor’s Note: The winner of last week’s giveaway with author Dahlia Adler is Emmy Neal. Congrats Emmy! Also, this week on The Ball is Agent Week, where each Deb is interviewing her own agent. Check...
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