Welcome to Biting-Edge, a blog shared by authors and vampire experts, Mario Acevedo and Jeanne Stein. We’ll cover urban fantasy, vampires, pop culture, and all things Joss Whedon. Unlike other fantasy blogs, we don’t insist on body cavity searches (unless you ask politely). Snarkiness is most welcome...though we won't promise not to bite back!
Wednesday, May 09, 2012
The world of collaborative writing...
I want to thank all of the well wishers who offered congratulations to my writing partner and I, Samantha Sommersby, for the new contract. I've already gotten questions about the process of collaborative writing so I though I'd say a few words about how it worked for us.
Sam lives in San Diego and we've known each other for a long time. She's written over a dozen paranormal romances for a number of publishers. Two years ago, at Dragon Con, the idea of writing a book together, a book that would combine the aspects of Urban Fantasy and paranormal romance, went from idle speculation to real possibility as we started brain storming ideas. A few months later, when I was in San Diego for Comic Con, we actually sat down and started developing characters. We decided who the protagonist would be (a siren cursed with mortality), partnered with a werewolf (battling demons from the past), against the antagonist (a surgeon who harvested vampire organs to transplant in humans). That's a simplification, of course, but once we knew who we wanted in the story, we started world building.
Our story is set in contemporary San Diego. Our protag is in the FBI, working in the Missing Persons Bureau. We pitched the story as Without a Trace meets Angel and by the time we had finished a character list and knew the details of their world, we were ready to write a synopsis. We did it by breaking the story into scenes--first together, then separately. We emailed our versions back and forth until we were satisfied with the story details.
Then we started writing. Since our synopsis was written scene by scene, Sam would write scenes 1 -4, for example, while I worked on 5 -9. Then we'd switch, critique, edit and send back. We did that back and forth until we had a first draft completed. It only took us about three months to do the first draft but the real work, the editing is still going on. Our writing styles are so similar, that when I brought chapters to my critique group, no one could tell which of us wrote what!
About halfway through the first draft, I put together a proposal and sent it to both my agent and editor at Ace. I included a cover letter, our character list, the synopsis, Sam's publishing credits and the first fifty pages. The result was the aforementioned contract. The book will be published by Penguin's NAL. Once we've finished the final edit on book one, we'll start the process again for the sequel.
It's turned out to be a painless and rewarding process and hopefully one that produces stories that you will enjoy reading as much as we enjoyed writing them. We'll keep you up to date on pub details.
Two items from RMFW:
May 19, 2012
8:00 am to 4:00
Table Mountain Inn
1310 Washington Ave, Golden, Colorado
(800) 762 9898
Terri Bischoff of Midnight Ink presents It's All About Character. And Story. Join editor Terri Bischoff for an intensive workshop on developing your overall story and character arcs. The morning session will include developing a character arc for one book or over a series. The afternoon session will be all about developing your story, and just like with characters, we will work on an story arc for one book or several in a series.
Go here to register and for more info.
And time is running out to enter the 29th Annual Colorado Gold Writing Contest 2012 which will CLOSE For Submissions on June 1st at 11:59 pm
For unpublished writers of COMMERCIAL novel-length fiction. Here's your chance to get your novel in the hands of an acquiring agent or editor. Submit the first twenty pages of your manuscript and an eight-page synopsis. There are six categories: Romance, Mystery, Mainstream, Action/Thriller, Speculative Fiction, and Young Adult. Two judges from RMFW will evaluate and score each entry. The FIVE highest-scoring submissions above 130 points in each category will make the finals, and then be judged by an agent or editor who is attending the Colorado Gold Conference. One winner will be picked in each category. Winners receive $100.00 and a certificate. The remaining finalists will receive $30.00 and a certificate. Winners will be announced at the Colorado Gold Writers Conference Awards Banquet, September 8, 2012 at the Renaissance Hotel in Denver.
To enter go here and click on the "Enter the 2012 Contest" link where you'll find rules and entry instructions, the electronic entry form and online payment. It's never been easier to enter the Colorado Gold Writing Contest.
An Oxford undergraduate is following in the footsteps of best-selling author JK Rowling - after landing a six-figure book deal with the Harry Potter writer's publisher.
English undergraduate Samantha Shannon, 20, has signed a contract with publishing powerhouse Bloomsbury for the release of her novel, The Bone Season, and two sequels. But she doesn't plan to stop there.
Just like Rowling did with her Harry Potter series, Miss Shannon has mapped out an entire adventure to be spread over seven books.
Full article on the link above. 20 years old!!!This is either the best or worst thing that could happen to her.
Sam lives in San Diego and we've known each other for a long time. She's written over a dozen paranormal romances for a number of publishers. Two years ago, at Dragon Con, the idea of writing a book together, a book that would combine the aspects of Urban Fantasy and paranormal romance, went from idle speculation to real possibility as we started brain storming ideas. A few months later, when I was in San Diego for Comic Con, we actually sat down and started developing characters. We decided who the protagonist would be (a siren cursed with mortality), partnered with a werewolf (battling demons from the past), against the antagonist (a surgeon who harvested vampire organs to transplant in humans). That's a simplification, of course, but once we knew who we wanted in the story, we started world building.
Our story is set in contemporary San Diego. Our protag is in the FBI, working in the Missing Persons Bureau. We pitched the story as Without a Trace meets Angel and by the time we had finished a character list and knew the details of their world, we were ready to write a synopsis. We did it by breaking the story into scenes--first together, then separately. We emailed our versions back and forth until we were satisfied with the story details.
Then we started writing. Since our synopsis was written scene by scene, Sam would write scenes 1 -4, for example, while I worked on 5 -9. Then we'd switch, critique, edit and send back. We did that back and forth until we had a first draft completed. It only took us about three months to do the first draft but the real work, the editing is still going on. Our writing styles are so similar, that when I brought chapters to my critique group, no one could tell which of us wrote what!
About halfway through the first draft, I put together a proposal and sent it to both my agent and editor at Ace. I included a cover letter, our character list, the synopsis, Sam's publishing credits and the first fifty pages. The result was the aforementioned contract. The book will be published by Penguin's NAL. Once we've finished the final edit on book one, we'll start the process again for the sequel.
It's turned out to be a painless and rewarding process and hopefully one that produces stories that you will enjoy reading as much as we enjoyed writing them. We'll keep you up to date on pub details.
Two items from RMFW:
May 19, 2012
8:00 am to 4:00
Table Mountain Inn
1310 Washington Ave, Golden, Colorado
(800) 762 9898
Terri Bischoff of Midnight Ink presents It's All About Character. And Story. Join editor Terri Bischoff for an intensive workshop on developing your overall story and character arcs. The morning session will include developing a character arc for one book or over a series. The afternoon session will be all about developing your story, and just like with characters, we will work on an story arc for one book or several in a series.
Go here to register and for more info.
And time is running out to enter the 29th Annual Colorado Gold Writing Contest 2012 which will CLOSE For Submissions on June 1st at 11:59 pm
For unpublished writers of COMMERCIAL novel-length fiction. Here's your chance to get your novel in the hands of an acquiring agent or editor. Submit the first twenty pages of your manuscript and an eight-page synopsis. There are six categories: Romance, Mystery, Mainstream, Action/Thriller, Speculative Fiction, and Young Adult. Two judges from RMFW will evaluate and score each entry. The FIVE highest-scoring submissions above 130 points in each category will make the finals, and then be judged by an agent or editor who is attending the Colorado Gold Conference. One winner will be picked in each category. Winners receive $100.00 and a certificate. The remaining finalists will receive $30.00 and a certificate. Winners will be announced at the Colorado Gold Writers Conference Awards Banquet, September 8, 2012 at the Renaissance Hotel in Denver.
To enter go here and click on the "Enter the 2012 Contest" link where you'll find rules and entry instructions, the electronic entry form and online payment. It's never been easier to enter the Colorado Gold Writing Contest.
# # # #
From the Daily Mail:
An Oxford undergraduate is following in the footsteps of best-selling author JK Rowling - after landing a six-figure book deal with the Harry Potter writer's publisher.
English undergraduate Samantha Shannon, 20, has signed a contract with publishing powerhouse Bloomsbury for the release of her novel, The Bone Season, and two sequels. But she doesn't plan to stop there.
Just like Rowling did with her Harry Potter series, Miss Shannon has mapped out an entire adventure to be spread over seven books.
Full article on the link above. 20 years old!!!This is either the best or worst thing that could happen to her.
# # # #
I'll be at the Barnes & Noble Westminster, 9370 Sheridan Blvd from 11 A - 3 PM this Saturday. This time I'll be signing with Lizzie T Leaf, Lynda Hilburn and debut author JL Bowen. Stop by and say hello... or call and I'll be happy to sign a book for you to pick up later. 303-426-7733
Then I'm off to see the Avengers... Has anyone seen it yet? Did you like it? I can't wait!
Labels: RMFW, Samantha Sommersby
¶ posted by Jeanne Stein @ 5:08 PM 0 comments
Sunday, June 12, 2011
One from the far side
Mario here,
Spent an awesome weekend in Grand Junction for the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers' June educational workshop. Saw old friends and made plenty of new ones. My stay on the Western Slope was bookended by a wickedly fun road trip wi
th author pals, Chris Goff (L) and Robin D Owens (here with host Vicki Law in the middle). We traded jokes and gossip, and if your ears were burning, then we were definitely gabbing about you.
Big Thanks to Marne Kirstatter and Vicki for their wonderful job making sure the workshop ran smooth as top shelf vodka.
As the headline instructor, Charlotte Cook dished tons of valuable writer know-how. Chris, Robin, and I were brought along to critique and offer our humble advice. Over all, we were mightily impressed with our fellow scribes on the far side of our home state.
We toured the remodeled downtown, which was decorated with statues ranging from the whimsical to the provocative to the commemorative, like this one of Grand Junction homie Dalton Trumbo--the acclaimed novelist (of the horrific Johnny Got His Gun) and screenwriter (Spartacus)--depicting the blacklisted writer scribbling in his bathtub.
<--Photo by Andrew Gulliford
The one nit this weekend was not having the time to plow through Robert Crais's newest mystery, The Sentry, which so far (at page 83) earns 100 Mario points. When I grow up, I want to write like Crais.
Spent an awesome weekend in Grand Junction for the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers' June educational workshop. Saw old friends and made plenty of new ones. My stay on the Western Slope was bookended by a wickedly fun road trip wi
th author pals, Chris Goff (L) and Robin D Owens (here with host Vicki Law in the middle). We traded jokes and gossip, and if your ears were burning, then we were definitely gabbing about you.Big Thanks to Marne Kirstatter and Vicki for their wonderful job making sure the workshop ran smooth as top shelf vodka.
As the headline instructor, Charlotte Cook dished tons of valuable writer know-how. Chris, Robin, and I were brought along to critique and offer our humble advice. Over all, we were mightily impressed with our fellow scribes on the far side of our home state.
We toured the remodeled downtown, which was decorated with statues ranging from the whimsical to the provocative to the commemorative, like this one of Grand Junction homie Dalton Trumbo--the acclaimed novelist (of the horrific Johnny Got His Gun) and screenwriter (Spartacus)--depicting the blacklisted writer scribbling in his bathtub.<--Photo by Andrew Gulliford
The one nit this weekend was not having the time to plow through Robert Crais's newest mystery, The Sentry, which so far (at page 83) earns 100 Mario points. When I grow up, I want to write like Crais.
Labels: Chris Goff, RMFW, Robert Crais, Robin D Owens
¶ posted by Mario Acevedo @ 4:44 PM 3 comments
Wednesday, April 06, 2011
RT Bound
It's Wednesday afternoon and I want to get this off before I'm off to RT Booklovers Convention in Los Angeles tomorrow. Since that's the home of Wolfram & Hart, I'll be on my best behavior.
Did any of you get caught in an April Fools joke? This one really had me going for a while:
From Fearnet.com
Given the non-stop deluge of attention she's received in the past several years, the obsessive fans, and the privacy-invading paparazzi, it was natural to assume that Kristen Stewart would be done with the vampire genre altogether once shooting on The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2 had wrapped. But apparently Stewart's still up for more fun and hijinks with the undead if the script (or paycheck) is good enough. Because the mumbly twenty-one-year-old has just signed a three-picture contract to star as the title heroine in Fox's Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot movie series...
Looks like Anna Kendrick is up for the role of Buffy's best pal and right-hand witch Willow, Jackson Rathbone could essay everyman Xander, Ashley Greene may portray the vain Cordelia, Taylor Lautner will likely get hairy once more as teen wolf Oz, Michael Sheen is very close to signing on as Buffy's "Watcher" Giles, and Dakota Fanning's in the running to play Buffy's kid sister Dawn. Meanwhile several pundits have linked Robert Pattinson to the role of Angel. (We've reached out to the actor's publicist, but are still awaiting reply.) One thing that's certain is the film's writer-director team – none other than Stephenie Meyer (making her screenwriting debut) and Catherine Hardwicke, fresh off her instant masterpiece of adolescent angst Red Riding Hood.
Yikes! What a nightmare!!!
Now, this may be another joke, and I have a feeling I've heard about this before, but this was from CNews World Watch
The FBI has asked for help to decipher a note found in the pocket of Ricky McCormick, discovered slain in a St. Louis field 12 years ago.
Investigators have tried to decode the two-page note since the body of 41-year-old McCormick was found. But it's still not known what it says, and experts say it could help solve the case.
So, put on your thinking caps and give it a go.
Good news! We have gathered together some wonderfully generous folks who are providing a limited number of RomCon® 2011 scholarships for active duty service men and women and their families, as well as veterans and their families--they are our American Heroes! If you know any American Heroes who deserve a scholarship, please have them write to us for more information!
And more good news! On April 14th, we will be giving away 2 Kindles to 2 people drawn from RomCon® 2011 general admission registrations completed by April 13th, 2011! If you're planning on attending RomCon but haven't registered yet, do so by April 13th so that you can be in the drawing!
Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers - Revising Fiction: Making Sense of the Madness, a one-day workshop
Saturday, May 21 8:00a to 4:00p
at Renaissance Hotel, Denver, CO
Price: $70 early registration; $85 after April; $95 at the door
Phone: (970) 497-6452
Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers is sponsoring a one-day workshop featuring Kirt Hickman, author of Revising Fiction: Making Sense of the Madness. The workshop will be held at the Renaissance Hotel on May 21st.
Colorado authors Carol Berg, Jeanne Stein and Betsy Dornbusch will be on-hand to answer writing-related questions or critique the first two pages of your manuscript. For more information please see Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers’ website at rmfw.org or contact Vicki Law at (970) 497-6452.
Did any of you get caught in an April Fools joke? This one really had me going for a while:
From Fearnet.com
Given the non-stop deluge of attention she's received in the past several years, the obsessive fans, and the privacy-invading paparazzi, it was natural to assume that Kristen Stewart would be done with the vampire genre altogether once shooting on The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2 had wrapped. But apparently Stewart's still up for more fun and hijinks with the undead if the script (or paycheck) is good enough. Because the mumbly twenty-one-year-old has just signed a three-picture contract to star as the title heroine in Fox's Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot movie series...
Looks like Anna Kendrick is up for the role of Buffy's best pal and right-hand witch Willow, Jackson Rathbone could essay everyman Xander, Ashley Greene may portray the vain Cordelia, Taylor Lautner will likely get hairy once more as teen wolf Oz, Michael Sheen is very close to signing on as Buffy's "Watcher" Giles, and Dakota Fanning's in the running to play Buffy's kid sister Dawn. Meanwhile several pundits have linked Robert Pattinson to the role of Angel. (We've reached out to the actor's publicist, but are still awaiting reply.) One thing that's certain is the film's writer-director team – none other than Stephenie Meyer (making her screenwriting debut) and Catherine Hardwicke, fresh off her instant masterpiece of adolescent angst Red Riding Hood.
Yikes! What a nightmare!!!
Now, this may be another joke, and I have a feeling I've heard about this before, but this was from CNews World Watch
The FBI has asked for help to decipher a note found in the pocket of Ricky McCormick, discovered slain in a St. Louis field 12 years ago.
Investigators have tried to decode the two-page note since the body of 41-year-old McCormick was found. But it's still not known what it says, and experts say it could help solve the case.
So, put on your thinking caps and give it a go.
# # # #
Terry Wright, who is a critique partner of Mario and me, has an offer for all you readers out there.
Get Hooked on Justin Graves for FREE New Line Press announced today for a limited time, the ebook, "The Gates of Hell" by bestselling horror and sci fi author Terry Wright, will be available during the month of April, 2011 for free. "The Gates of Hell" which reached bestseller status at OmniLit.com is book 1 in the popular Justin Graves Horror Series by prolific author Terry Wright. The short story ebook is available during the month of April for free at New Line Press and Smashwords.com .
Get Hooked on Justin Graves for FREE New Line Press announced today for a limited time, the ebook, "The Gates of Hell" by bestselling horror and sci fi author Terry Wright, will be available during the month of April, 2011 for free. "The Gates of Hell" which reached bestseller status at OmniLit.com is book 1 in the popular Justin Graves Horror Series by prolific author Terry Wright. The short story ebook is available during the month of April for free at New Line Press and Smashwords.com .
# # # #
There are a couple of upcoming local events you may find interesting:
Good news! We have gathered together some wonderfully generous folks who are providing a limited number of RomCon® 2011 scholarships for active duty service men and women and their families, as well as veterans and their families--they are our American Heroes! If you know any American Heroes who deserve a scholarship, please have them write to us for more information!
And more good news! On April 14th, we will be giving away 2 Kindles to 2 people drawn from RomCon® 2011 general admission registrations completed by April 13th, 2011! If you're planning on attending RomCon but haven't registered yet, do so by April 13th so that you can be in the drawing!
Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers - Revising Fiction: Making Sense of the Madness, a one-day workshop
Saturday, May 21 8:00a to 4:00p
at Renaissance Hotel, Denver, CO
Price: $70 early registration; $85 after April; $95 at the door
Phone: (970) 497-6452
Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers is sponsoring a one-day workshop featuring Kirt Hickman, author of Revising Fiction: Making Sense of the Madness. The workshop will be held at the Renaissance Hotel on May 21st.
Colorado authors Carol Berg, Jeanne Stein and Betsy Dornbusch will be on-hand to answer writing-related questions or critique the first two pages of your manuscript. For more information please see Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers’ website at rmfw.org or contact Vicki Law at (970) 497-6452.
# # # #
So, I think that's it for now. I'm looking forward to RT--seeing friends, meeting new readers, eating food I shouldn't, getting room service...the good life!!! If by chance you'll be there, too, look me up!
Labels: RMFW, RomCon, RT Booklovers Con, Terry Wright
¶ posted by Jeanne Stein @ 2:38 PM 0 comments
