Tuesday 12 July 2016

Guest Post: Author Calista Lynne on THE RULER OF RESUMES


Today on the blog we have Calista Lynne, author of WE AWAKEN from Harmony Ink Press.


Synopsis:


Victoria Dinham doesn’t have much left to look forward to. Since her father died in a car accident, she lives only to fulfill her dream of being accepted into the Manhattan Dance Conservatory. But soon she finds another reason to look forward to dreams when she encounters an otherworldly girl named Ashlinn, who bears a message from Victoria’s comatose brother. Ashlinn is tasked with conjuring pleasant dreams for humans, and through the course of their nightly meetings in Victoria’s mind, the two become close. Ashlinn also helps Victoria understand asexuality and realize that she, too, is asexual.

But then Victoria needs Ashlinn’s aid outside the realm of dreams, and Ashlinn assumes human form to help Victoria make it to her dance audition. They take the opportunity to explore New York City, their feelings for each other, and the nature of their shared asexuality. But like any dream, it’s too good to last. Ashlinn must shrug off her human guise and resum
e her duties creating pleasant nighttime visions—or all of humanity will pay the price.


And now for the post!

The Ruler of Resumes
How I Appeared Impressive and Published a Book
By Calista Lynne

            Writing is a skill that must be worked at, there is no doubting that. If you have to skills you can get published, but a lot of times it’s hard to break into the industry even if you can turn out perfect iambic pentameter in seconds. Literary agents don’t care about your resume so much as the quality of work, but it doesn’t hurt. This is my guide to building a resume for everyone else, though. There isn’t a perfect formula, but with this method I have gotten freelance writing jobs, editing work, and a position in a publishing house. Oh, and this was all by the age of 18. I began this process around the age of 15 and have grown from there.

1.     WRITE FOR FREE- A lot of people recommend getting a blog to showcase writing skills. I never did this for fear of it not becoming popular and being a waste. When I worked in a magazine publishing house, though, I learned that editors actually do look at these for proof of ability when considering hopefuls who email in, begging to be allowed to write articles/columns. What I had done was write for small magazines (and even just zines a lot of times) that did not pay for poetry or short pieces. They were frequently themed. These are easier to get published in and every time I got in one, I would have a nice new line on my resume clearly proclaiming that I have, in fact, been published in something that has been printed out on physical paper. Google is your friend for finding these.

2.     GET ONLINE- The paid writing jobs want to see links. It’s much easier to click over to an article on a decent looking website than to open up a million files of unpublished work you’ve attached. This is where that blog might come in handy. I volunteered writing for a feminist blog, which gave me links to many of my articles available online. I could send these to other feminist websites which had put out calls for writers. They saw I could write on the subject and that people were reading my words. Of course I was a bit “typecast” in the writing world as a feminist writer for quite some time because my resume was filled with websites featuring words like Bitches and Scandalous in them, but I was also being paid so I can’t complain.

3.     HAVE IDEAS- This seems like a simple enough step but it’s actually where I struggle. Publishers like to see that you have topics for articles and columns so they don’t have to come up with them for you. At the magazine publishing house, I wrote out many emails to young hopefuls saying Nice CV but can you send over article pitches? Having an original idea puts you far above the guy who says he knows how to write and can he please have a job. So research the magazine/website you want to write for and think of three or so pitches.

4.     FILL A VOID IN THE MARKET- I’m not going to lie, having a book released by a legitimate publisher helps any resume. I milked that fact for all it was worth in the body of my emails and twice on the resume itself. The reason I even got my book published at all is because I kept an eye out for what was missing in the industry. A lot of people had been vocal about their desire for two things: asexual leads and happy endings for LGBTQ characters, both of which are rare in literature and media in general. I had seen a publisher who expressed desire to publish a novel with asexual characters, and they were one I had worked with before (although that time they had turned down my piece). So I got to it and wrote the novel then sent it directly to them. The rest is history. Now it is a nice opening to my resume and cover letters, plus I have added experience being edited and can use this when I got agent/job hunting in the future.

So that is my advice to all you young hopefuls. Know that I am still a young hopeful myself and I wish you all the luck in the world. My first novel is coming out July 14!




Calista Lynne grew up on the American East Coast and is currently studying in London. She is having difficulty adjusting to the lack of Oxford commas across the pond and writes because it always seemed to make more sense than mathematics. Look for her near the caffeinated beverages.



Monday 11 July 2016

Cover Reveal: REMEMBER YESTERDAY by Pintip Dunn

I'm so excited to share the cover reveal for Remember Yesterday by Pintip Dunn with you today! You can check out the gorgeous cover below! This cover reveal is brought to you by YaReads Blog Tours and YA Interrobang! Read the YA Interrobang article here.
  Remember Yesterday -eBook

Book Title: Remember Yesterday (Forget Tomorrow, #2) 
Author: Pintip Dunn 
Release Date: October 4, 2016 
Genre: YA Sci-Fi   

Sixteen-year-old Jessa Stone is the most valuable citizen in Eden City. Her psychic abilities could lead to significant scientific discoveries, if only she’d let TechRA study her. But ten years ago, the scientists kidnapped and experimented on her, leading to severe ramifications for her sister, Callie. She’d much rather break into their labs and sabotage their research—starting with Tanner Callahan, budding scientist and the boy she loathes most at school.   The past isn’t what she assumed, though—and neither is Tanner. He’s not the arrogant jerk she thought he was. And his research opens the door to the possibility that Jessa can rectify a fatal mistake made ten years earlier. She’ll do anything to change the past and save her sister—even if it means teaming up with the enemy she swore to defeat.  





ForgetTomorrow_500Forget Tomorrow (Forget Tomorrow, #1) Book Synopsis:   Imagine a world where your destiny has already been decided…by your future self. It’s Callie’s seventeenth birthday and, like everyone else, she’s eagerly awaiting her vision―a memory sent back in time to sculpt each citizen into the person they’re meant to be. A world-class swimmer. A renowned scientist. Or in Callie’s case, a criminal.   In her vision, she sees herself murdering her gifted younger sister. Before she can process what it means, Callie is arrested and placed in Limbo―a prison for those destined to break the law. With the help of her childhood crush, Logan, a boy she hasn’t spoken to in five years, she escapes the hellish prison. But on the run from her future, as well as the government, Callie sets in motion a chain of events that she hopes will change her fate. If not, she must figure out how to protect her sister from the biggest threat of all—Callie, herself.  

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Pintip cropped Pintip Dunn graduated from Harvard University, magna cum laude, with an A.B. in English Literature and Language. She received her J.D. at Yale Law School, where she was an editor of the YALE LAW JOURNAL. She also published an article in the YALE LAW JOURNAL, entitled, “How Judges Overrule: Speech Act Theory and the Doctrine of Stare Decisis,”   Pintip is represented by literary agent Beth Miller of Writers House. Her debut novel, Forget Tomorrow, is a finalist in the Best First Book category of RWA’s RITA® contest. She is a member of Romance Writers of America, Washington Romance Writers, YARWA, and The Golden Network. She lives with her husband and children in Maryland. You can learn more about Pintip and her books at www.pintipdunn.com

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