Free Book Contest+ Book Review for Paige Shelton’s If Fried Chicken Could Fly

Posted on February 21, 2012 by Kourtney

Paige Shelton’s If Fried Chicken Could Fly is a delicious romp in the former wild west town of Broken Rope, Missouri, with a cast of absolutely engaging characters that you are dying to spend another book with. I’d jump in my car and roadtrip to Ms. Shelton’s Broken Rope any day.

From the back cover: “Isabelle ‘Betts’ Winston loves teaching the secrets of mouthwatering country food in her hometown, Broken Rope, Missouri–famous for its past of outlaws, knife battles, and hangings. But now an all-too-current murder threatens the start of the tourist season…”

I love how Ms. Shelton took a traditional mystery, tossed in cowboys, missing gold, and a modern day treasure hunt and then added an unconventional pinch of attraction between Betts and the ghost. Blended it to the tastiest treat.

I had no idea who the killer was until the end. Luckily, Ms. Shelton crafted a fast-paced mystery that I devoured in three nights so the wait was bearable.

All the characters are 3-D. I especially enjoyed Betts’ unconventional grandma, Grams/Missouri. She is a pip whether lecturing Betts on how to deal with seeing ghosts, stuck in a cell for a murder she didn’t commit, or dodging Bett’s questions about the treasure hunt that may have led to murder.

There are also several recipes from Ms. Shelton at the back of the book. I’m trying out her fake fried chicken this week.

If you like a dash of paranormal in your mystery, this is a not to be missed read!

I liked it so much, I asked Ms. Shelton if I could give away an autographed copy here. And she said YES!

ONTO THE FREE BOOK CONTEST…

The prize: A free personally autographed copy of If Fried Chicken Could Fly by Paige Shelton, a New York Times Bestselling Author and National Bestselling Author.

Contest rules:

1) You must have a U.S. mailing address to enter the contest. Any new and existing blog and/or Twitter followers can enter.

2) Follow my blog (Kourtney Heintz’ Journal) for one point.

3) Follow me on Twitter (@kourhei) for one point.

4) To enter, comment below telling me your total points and the names/handle you follow me under. Make sure to include your email address in the comment so I can notify you if you win. (Note: You get one entry for each point.)

5) Enter by Thursday February 23 at 7 AM EST. That’s 48 hours from when this post goes live. Then the contest closes to submissions.

I will randomly select a winner. The winner will be notified via email and announced on Friday’s blog.

Good luck!

Posted in Book Review, Contest, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | 22 Comments

Guest Post over on NascentNovelist about Conflict and Tension

Posted on February 15, 2012 by Kourtney

Today, I’m guest posting on NascentNovelist’s blog about James Scott Bell’s fabulous Writer’s Digest Conference workshop on Conflict and Tension.

So head over to NascentNovelist’s blog and show Martine some blog love. I’ll be popping over there throughout the day to respond to comments and questions.

Posted in Conferences, guest blogs, Uncategorized, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

How an Introvert Can Extrovert at a Writing Conference

Posted on February 14, 2012 by Kourtney

Confession time. This is my worst nightmare. Having to walk into a crowded room and start up conversations with strangers especially if they know each other and I don’t know any of them.

Whenever I get invited to parties, I bring a friend. I need that buddy/wingman to help me walk in and navigate the night. But conferences are something I have to do alone. Gulp.

I get social anxiety. Severe sweating from every pore in my face. Heart racing. Mind blanking. Attack of I have nothing to say.

And then I think everyone will see me by myself all awkwardness and socially exiled.

Logically, I know no one cares if I stand alone, but in my mind they do. My uncomfortable factor creeps closer to 10.

So with all that going on in my head, how did I navigate not 1 but 2 conferences in January?

By not letting this thought pattern take control. Or at least it did but in a tiny nook of my brain.

I don’t like feeling so stressed about networking. I want to have fun. I really do.

But this is me. Nervous nervous overthinking everything. I require planning to be comfortable. So I create coping strategies before the event. Ways to ease my social anxiety and allow me to be the best me at the conference.

Before each conference, I went on Twitter and tweeted with another attendee (Thank you @agwickedspirits at WDC and @veryceleste at SCBWI) Just knowing I knew one person in the room helped.

At WDC, I met up with a blogger buddy and hung out with her the whole first day. (Thank you Emmie Mears) Having someone to sit with during the first couple panels allowed me to get comfortable. Having a buddy to chat with and ask how I was doing made me feel so  not alone throughout the conference. Emmie was a beacon of light at the WDC conference.

Whenever I felt nervous, I reminded myself that everyone is there because they write and they want to work on their book and hopefully get it published.

That gave us a common goal we all wanted to talk about. All I had to do was approach someone, smile, introduce myself, and ask, “What do you write?” That was how easy each conversation began because everyone wants to talk about their book.

And when that petered out, our name badges said where we were from. So conversation starter #2 was right there.

By having a way to get the conversation started, I wasn’t in my head freaking about what to say while that period of not talking stretched into unbearable.

I had a fun conversation with the writer beside me at SCBWI. We had an upcoming free lunch period. I decided to be brave and ask her if she wanted to get food together. I got to have lunch with the amazing Kat Bender and found a wonderful new writing buddy.

I’m not going to say it was easy, because frankly I was totally outside my comfort zone. But I considered every conversation a success. Some led to new critiquing buddies, some to new bloggers to follow, but all in all I connected with people. And that was the goal.

From my experiences, I put together these general tips on how an introvert can extrovert at a writing conference (I’ll be referring back to them before the next conference.):

  1. Try to connect with people online before the event. On Twitter, follow the hashtag for the event. That way you feel less nervous walking into that crowded room on the first day.
  2. Try to meet up with people you talked to online about the event. It gives you something to do and helps you meet cool people in person.
  3. Smile, approach, and ask what do you write? People like to talk about their passions and everyone at a writing conference enjoys writing.
  4. While in line, make conversation with the person in front of or behind you about the food/venue/speakers. Everyone has an opinion and they want to share it.
  5. Have exit strategies for when the conversation peters out and before you start to feel awkward, like I need to go say hi to X, Excuse me I have to powder my nose, or I’m going to get more food.
  6. Have your business cards on hand to swap. That way you can build on the connection you made.
  7. Be yourself. Don’t try to be anyone else. Acting is hard work and you can’t really connect if you aren’t being you.
  8. Make sure to build in down time at night. You need to recharge your batteries for the next day of socializing.
Posted in Conferences, Personal, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | 53 Comments

Book Review: Hot Property by Jenna Bennett

Posted on February 13, 2012 by Kourtney

Hot Property is the second book in Jenna Bennett’s Savannah Martin mystery series.

Here are my top three reasons to read this book:

1) The chemistry between Savannah and Rafe is off the charts and had me squealing at 1 am.

2) Ms. Bennett makes you feel like you are wandering the streets of Nashville with Savannah. This woman writes good setting.

3) Mystery is one of Ms. Bennett’s strengths. I wasn’t sure how this one would shake out until the heart-stopping end.

Maybe it’s because I went to Killer Nashville in 2009, but I loved how she brought the city to life on the page with just the right level of detail.

Ms. Bennett does a phenomenal job merging the romance and mystery genre here.

Rafe Collier and Savannah Martin smolder the pages. I’m surprised I don’t have burns on my fingertips. Seriously, fantastic chemistry and tension. I would sit through 200 pages of them just having dinner. Because they are that amazing to read.

There are elements of suspense as well that keep you turning those last 100 pages faster than a microwave can explode chicken.

If you love a good mystery and enjoy a dangerous flirtation that could break into a killer love scene at any moment, this is a book for you.

I’m looking forward to cracking open the third book in the Savannah Martin series. Or rather swiping the page on my Ipad. 🙂

Posted in Book Review, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 14 Comments

Book Review: Live to Tell by Lisa Gardner

Posted on February 9, 2012 by Kourtney

This is not a book to read when you are nervous about Pitch Slam. Which is of course when I was reading it.

Lisa Gardner delivers a heart-racing, pulse-pounding thrill ride that never stops. NEVER. Do not read this before bed. You will not sleep. Trust me.

For that reason, I dub Lisa Gardner the Queen of Suspense.

If you love suspense and crime mysteries with some intense emotional writing–Lisa Gardner is a must read.

Her ability to influence emotions and generate visceral responses is beyond anything I’ve read before.

But these are grisly crimes. Dark, heinous crimes. And the story lingers with you after you close the book.

In this book, Ms. Gardner does a stellar job weaving first and third person POVs as she interlaces three very different women’s stories.

D.D. Warren is a strong protagonist and I’d definitely check out more books in the series about her. Danielle was a beautifully painted character and my favorite in this book. I felt most conflicted over Victoria (but in a good way). I loved each character for what she brought to the novel. All very 3-D and worth spending a book with.

The plot is described as “the lives of these three women unfold and connect in unexpected ways, as sins from the past emerge—and stunning secrets reveal just how tightly blood ties can bind. Sometimes the most devastating crimes are the ones closest to home.”

Here’s the phenomenal log line: He knows everything about you—including the first place you’ll hide.

You can find out more about the book and read the first chapter excerpt on B&N.

Posted in Book Review, Uncategorized, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Guest Post: Kat Bender Talks about the SCBWI Winter Conference & Tension in YA Fiction

Posted on February 8, 2012 by Kourtney

First of all, I am delighted to be doing a guest blog for Kourtney! We met during the Writers’ Roundtable at the SCBWI conference two weeks ago. I highly recommend the critique sessions. Sharing your work is a great way to meet fellow writers, as well as receive professional feedback.

The 2012 SCBWI Winter Conference was my first writers’ conference. The panels were packed with useful advice from experts in the industry. One of the highlights was Cassandra Clare’s keynote speech about Love Triangles and Forbidden Love.

Ms. Clare writes bestselling books for young adults, books which inspire intense enthusiasm from her readers. As a YA writer, I was eager to hear her advice on how to appeal to a teen audience. While Clare did offer excellent advice on that subject, I would like to discuss a more general theme of her keynote, one which applies to all kinds of stories.

Throughout her speech, Clare emphasized a key aspect of storytelling. That aspect is tension. The topic of forbidden love is a familiar one, especially to those of us who read Young Adult fiction on a regular basis. But not all forbidden love is created equal. Clare said that to write an effective romance, you must create obstacles for your characters, to prevent them from getting what they want too easily. The resulting tension will keep readers intrigued. Ideally, these obstacles should be complex and difficult to overcome, or what writers call “high stakes.”

This is true of all types of stories, and romance is no exception. But sometimes I forget that, in Clare’s words, “the kind of love story that is fun to live is not fun to read about.” When she said that, I realized why plot devices like love triangles are so popular in YA fiction. They build tension, and hold reader interest. They keep us turning page after page, anxious to find out what the characters do next—and isn’t that what telling a good story is all about?

Clare said some writers don’t go far enough when creating romantic tension. For love to feel truly forbidden, the obstacles must be daunting, not half-hearted attempts at drama. Otherwise, the solution to the problem is too obvious. The reader won’t question the outcome, and the tension will disappear.

While Clare’s keynote focused on a particular type of storyline (the romance), her insight reminded me of the importance of tension in all genres of fiction. It can be difficult to create problems for your characters. As a writer, I become very attached to my characters, and that attachment deepens with every draft. I work hard to develop each of them, and I want them to achieve their goals by the story’s end. But as a storyteller, I know I have to avoid making my characters’ lives easy. I must continue to put obstacles in their path. Otherwise I risk losing a reader’s interest.

To tell you the truth, it can be a lot of fun to push your characters into scary situations, to see what happens when you jeopardize the things which matter most to them. Readers love that kind of suspense. They may worry for your characters, but if you keep the tension high, they will read your stories with bated breath. What we all want in fiction is tension, and lots of it—no matter if that tension comes from government conspiracies, ancient curses, or love triangles.

BIO

Katrina Bender is a writer of Young Adult fiction. She enjoys drinking tea, doodling pictures, and wearing preposterous hats. When she isn’t hard at work on her latest project, she can be found buried in a pile of books. She is active on Twitter under the name @KatBender, and you can find her blog at katrinabender.com. Her current manuscript is a Victorian fantasy about knights and astrological magic.

Posted in Conferences, guest blogs, Uncategorized, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , | 22 Comments

The Sunshine and Liebster Blog Awards

Posted on February 7, 2012 by Kourtney

Triple award winning JM McDowell awarded me the Sunshine Blog Award. A hundred daisies worth of thanks! My mom would chuckle at that (especially when she tries to converse in the AM), but I’m going to smile and thank JM for this awesome award. (See Mom, I’m sunshiney.)

I would like to pass this award on to some terrificly cheery bloggers:

  • Indiaphare for Bringing Us the Best of Beirut
  • JCV For making 365 attempts to get published
  • Lisa Hayes for singing and writing her heart out
  • August McLaughlin for always bringing something positive into the blogosphere
  • Limebird for posts that reinvigorates my writing life
  • Pete Denton for great reviews and sharing his writing journey with everyone
  • Impressions of Monaco for pursuing your dreams
  • Joya Fields for a great guest post and an amazing can do attitude

Favorite Colour:  Green

Favorite animal:  Shih-tzu lhasa-apso mix–a warrior lapdog

Favorite number: 8

Favorite non-alcoholic drink:  Shirley Temple

Facebook or Twitter?  Twitter

My passion?  Belly dancing

Giving or getting presents? Giving.

Favorite pattern:  It’s in the banner and wallpaper on my website– four pointed knots/overlapping circles

Favorite day of the week? Saturday

Favorite flower?  Sherry Baby Orchid–They smell of chocolate

The lovely and talented Cat Forsley awarded me the Liebster Blog Award last week! A hundred thanks to Cat. 🙂

I would like to pass the Liebster Blog Award on to the following fabulous bloggers:

Posted in Award, Uncategorized, Writing | Tagged , , , , , | 25 Comments

Four Agents’ Views on the Current Market-SCBWI panel

Posted on February 6, 2012 by Kourtney

 

At the Winter SCBWI Conference in New York, I attended a panel where four agents (Ginger Knowlton, Regina Brooks, Chris Richman, and Ken Wright) shared their views on the current market.

Here are some of the main points I took away from that panel:

  • Agents want bestselling material. Editors looking for bestsellers. Which means the market has more of a bestseller mentality.
  • The storytelling is key. Books must engage the reader from the start.
  • Agents want books that can have a global reach, traveling well outside the U.S.
  • Middle Grade is the new YA.
  • It’s important to keep up with the industry by checking out such places as Media Bistro and PW Daily.
  • Editors still publishing debut novelists. New voices are wanted.
  • Authors need to promote their books.But choose what suits your personality.
  • The agent-author relationship is similar to finding your soulmate. There is one person out there meant to represent your book, but it may take a while to find him/her.

Thanks again to all the agents, editors, writers, and volunteers who made this Winter SCBWI Conference an event to remember!

Posted in Conferences, Querying, Uncategorized, Writing | Tagged , , , , , | 22 Comments

The Business of Being a Writer: Reblog of Jessica Negron’s Post

Posted on February 3, 2012 by Kourtney

Jessica Negron did such an amazing job capturing everything that Dan Blank talked about during his Writer’s Digest Conference workshop, that I decided to do a reblog today.

You can read her in-depth summary of his talk about  Becoming an Author Entrepreneur:  The Business of Being a Writer and Building Your Platform

at:

http://jessnegron.blogspot.com/2012/02/writers-digest-conference-writing.html

So please stop over at Jess’s blog and show her some love for sharing what she learned at that workshop.

Posted in Conferences, guest blogs, Uncategorized, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Long Overdue Blog Awards Post

Posted on February 2, 2012 by Kourtney

I am incredibly grateful for all these blog awards from my fellow bloggers.

I was delighted when they popped up in the blog comments while in New York for conferences. I couldn’t blog about them from my Ipad though, which means I am incredibly behind on the blog awards. I love my Ipad but it’s no substitute for a laptop.

I really appreciate all the comments and likes that my blog receives. It’s wonderful to know people are actually reading what I write. 🙂

But these awards are the honey swirled in my tea. I am so thankful that you thought this little blog deserved them. *Blush*

A thousand thank yous for keeping me smiling through my conferences. It was such an energy boost to see the awards.

Because there are several awards, I’m going to mash up the rules ala the fabulous Emmie Mears. I will present each award to 3-7 bloggers, list 5 blog posts I think you should read, and list 10 things you don’t know about me.

Thank you so much to J.C.V. and Sally and IndiaPhare for the One Lovely Blog Award! Receiving it from all three of you means so much! Lovely cubed. 🙂

I pass the One Lovely Blog Award on to these very talented bloggers:

Much gratitude  to J.C.V. for the Genuine Blogger Award!

The Genuine Blogger Award goes to a few bloggers I had the pleasure of meeting at conferences. I can attest to how genuine they are:

Thanks to Emmie Mears for the Kreativ Blogger Award and the Very Inspiring Blogger Award!

I’d like to pass  the Kreativ Blogger Award and the Very Inspiring Blogger Award onto:

Lots of gratitude to Laura and LimebirdBeth for the 7×7 Award! A double award. Wow. Very cool.

I pass the 7×7 Award on to these amazingly talented bloggers:

5 posts I think you should read on my blog:

1o things you don’t know about me:

  1. I read I’ll Take Manhattan when I was ten.
  2. My favorite band when I was seven was The Beatles.
  3. I named my dog before we met.
  4. I hate being the center of attention. The mere thought of ever walking down a wedding aisle makes me break out in a cold sweat.
  5. I hate dusting. So much so that I let it accumulate until I got a sinus infection.
  6. I love the beach but despise sunlight.
  7. My hiccups are bizarre. They have a gaspy sound at the end.
  8. I wish I had my mom’s blue eyes.
  9. I still sleep with a stuffed animal…or ten.
  10. I went to soap opera conventions as a tween.
Posted in Award, Uncategorized, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , | 41 Comments