The Monster Mash

Today the blog chain is seasonably themed with this question from Matt:


What is your all-time favorite monster? 

This time of year is all about monsters and things that go bump in the night... and I'm not really into those things. I am a weenie and a scaredy-cat who has a hard time sitting through scary movies. While for most people Halloween is the time of year to celebrate chills and thrills, for me it is the time of year to celebrate the joy of fun-sized 3 Musketeers.

They are so much fun though that I often have trouble stopping with just one, which could result in me becoming a Homer Simpson type monster.

That though is definitely NOT my favorite monster. Honestly picking one favorite is kinda difficult. If I go the sexy monster route then we are definitely gonna take a trip into Buffy-land. But once there - do I choose Angel or Spike? 

Okay, let's skip that question - I can't choose. Instead, let's go with my other favorite kind of monsters - the Muppety kind.

Again there are several choices:

In the end though, I have to give the title of favorite monster to Cookie. Cause I know he could take down a bag of fun size candy bars too.

Want to see more monsters? Well this chain is just getting started. To keep following along head on over to Cole's blog next. 

And in the meantime - who is your favorite monster?

A Little Help From My Friends

 Is it blog chain time again? Why yes it is. And Sarah started us off with this question:

Do you work with critique partners? How did you find your crit pals, and what influence have they had on your work?

To answer the questions briefly and in order, my answers are as follows:

Do you work with critique partners? Hell yes!
How did you find your crit pals? Here and there.
What influence have they had on your work? TONS!!!! Seriously, OMG so much influence.

So what I like about this question is that it doesn't ask about beta readers, but specifically refers to crit partners or pals, which to me implies an ongoing relationship and exchange of work and ideas and support between two (or more) people.

There is just something about exchanging your work with another person. In a lot of ways it is an act of faith. You put the time into not only reading but really thinking and commenting on someone else's work, and hope that on their end they are doing the same thing.

Sometimes it can blow up in your face. I had one truly awful crit exchange experience that to this day makes me shake my head in disgust when I think about it. But I didn't let that one experience stop me from reaching out to other people, and putting my work in their hands and in return putting my time into reading the work they put into mine.

When I was in the beginning stages of writing Another Little Piece, I had that "ooh this is really something" feeling. Of course, who doesn't have that feeling at the start of a new WIP? I was also experimenting a bit and playing with form - switching pronouns, moving around in the timeline, and even adding bits of poetry. It felt like it was working, but I couldn't shake the worry that it might also be a hot mess.

I needed feedback, and I found it at the Absolute Write Water Cooler. I exchanged work with several different people, and found one person whose advice I became addicted to - the amazing Alyson Greene. As I wrote, I sent chunks of my MS to her, and receiving her feedback while I was in the midst of writing was not only motivational, but also incorporating her criticisms as I wrote helped me subtly change course as I went forward, which saved me from having to double-back and fix tons of things later.

But here's the really great thing about the crit partner relationship - you get something out of giving too. Reading someone else's work - you learn from their strengths and you share in their weaknesses. And when your partner tells you that their notes helped make their story stronger - that is just an awesome amazing feeling.

Now let's keep that amazing feeling going. Leave a comment about how much your crit parners mean to you, and then keep following along on the blog chain by checking out Abby's post before mine and Matt's directly after.

Slow Burn

It's time for another round of the blog chain and Shaun started us off with this question:

What are three books you would tell people that they need to keep reading even if they aren't immediately sucked in by the first page?

Oooh, such a great question. I have read so many blog posts about nailing the first sentence, the first paragraph, the first page, the first fifty pages, etc, etc, etc. But we often forget to talk about the books that don't immediately grab hold of you,the ones that don't keep you up reading all night, and the books that play a little hard to get, and it is past time that the slow burn books get their time in the spotlight. So without further chit-chat, here are my top 3.

1. Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer

If you haven't read this book. OMG read it now. And the other two books in the series, you should probably get those too, cause you will want to read them as well. I love all three of these books, and one of the things I like best is the pacing. This first book especially takes its time establishing the characters and world... before letting us watch it slowly fall apart after a meteor crashes into the moon and pushes it off its axis. Unlike disaster movies where most of the fun is in watching large scale destruction, (The White House smashed to bits, an eight lane thruway crumbling to dust. You know you've seen these movies. Own your shame.) here disaster comes slowly as each new consequence slowly stacks up one upon the other in a way that leads to absolutely devastating consequences. While I was impatient with the pacing at the beginning of the book, by the end I was totally hooked and could not put it down.

2. A Complicated Kindness by Miriam Toews

I came across this book several years ago while browsing the stacks at my local library. I can't remember what made me pick it up. Maybe the chicken on the cover? It's not the type of book I usually reach for, and it was definitely a slower read for me, as opposed to most books which I will tear through in a day or two. What kept me reading? First there was the mystery of what happened to the narrators mother and sister. Then there was the absolutely gorgeous writing, the kind that makes you want to read it out loud like it's poetry. Mostly though it was the narrator herself, and the way she slowly unraveled her story. After finishing it, I wanted to read it again. Not immediately, but I knew that it was the type of book that I could come back to in a few years and love it as much as I had the first time. Since those few years have gone by, I will definitely be ordering a copy of this book on Amazon very soon.

3. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

Okay, so confession. I haven't actually read this book. It - along with the second and third book in the series - have been sitting in my to-read pile since Christmas when my mother-in-law sent them to me after having read them herself. She told me they were good. I've read reviews saying they were good. I'd even read the first page of first one, but it didn't really grab me and I had other books in my pile... so I put it back down with the intention of picking it up again soon. Months passed and I was still telling myself any day now, when my older sister also told me they were good. She had just read all three of them and couldn't put them down, she said. Except. Except for one small thing. The first one started a little slow. So slow that she said it took about 100 pages before it really got going for her. One Hundred Pages. That is a lot of pages of to get through before a book really hooks you, and I am embarrassed to say that I have not yet gotten to those 100 pages, or any of the ones that come after. But really, I will. Any day now.


So that's my list. And you can find even more slow burn book recommendations from the other chain members. If you want to go in reverse check out Matt's post from yesterday and you to move forward you can find Katrina's list posted tomorrow.

Dark and Stormy Nights

The blog chain started with Christine this time who gave us a creative writing challenge:

Since we are all writer's, I thought it was about time for us to stretch our creative muscles and do a little writing. So, take the following topic and go crazy! Show us what you've got. Your story can be as long or as short as you choice.

The topic: A dark and stormy night.

 Here's what I've come up with:


Every window and door was shut and sealed tight, leaving the house hot and airless. The old metal fan caked with dust and creaking with every turn chased the same humid air from one side of the room to the other. We'd gathered round the kitchen table, the way we always did when a storm came, no matter that it was the middle of the night. Mom sat quiet and mostly still except for the occasional tap of her fingernails against the scarred tabletop.

Tonight's storm moved slowly, for nearly an hour it seemed to rumble at a great distance, creeping towards us on padded feet. Then all at once it was here. Thunder shook the walls, and lightening painted our windows bright white. And mom, on her feet, lunged towards the back door that rattled with the storm demanding to be let in.


John had already grabbed hold of one arm, and dad was on the other. Each outweighed her by at least fifty pounds, but she flung them off as if they were no more than a few drops of rain. I dived for her feet, getting kicked in the face for my trouble, as I latched onto her ankle. Undeterred she kept on towards the door, dragging me, a human ball and chain daughter along with her.

"Mom," I screamed as she flicked open the locks that she normally fumbled with. The wind stole the words from my mouth, not that it mattered she was fully in the storm's thrall and well beyond listening.

Normally this was where we I fell back, resigned to letting her throw herself into the storm's arms and be lit up and then struck down once again by lightning's hot kiss. Tonight though, I clung tighter. She dragged me across the wet grass and reached her hands up towards the sky.

I hoped that I would ground her, and that this time the storm would simply pass us by. But just like my seventh birthday when I'd hoped for a brand new bike and got my brother's hand-me-down instead - I was destined for disappointment.


Aaaannnddd that's it:) For more dark and stormy nights follow along with the entire blog chain. Matt's post came before mine and tomorrow the thunder rolls Katrina's way.

Brave New (Publishing) World

After a little summer break the blog chain is back (and better than ever with several new members - check the links in my sidebar to see the new line-up) and Sandra decided to start things up with a question that looks at the business side of writing.

Have the recent changes in the publishing industry affected your writing plans/career? If so, how?

So here's the thing, if you've read my last few posts here (Quick recap for those not interested in scrolling: found an agent, book sold to HarperTeen) then you might have guessed that for me personally, well I'm currently feeling pretty good about the publishing industry and my place in it.

However, that doesn't mean I'm just gonna sit back and say, "I cannot let my artistic brain be bothered with all this business side of things" because that would be kind of stupid, and generally I try to avoid being kind of stupid.

With the rise of e-books, the growing numbers of people choosing self-publishing, and Borders going under - the publishing industry is definitely in flux right now. Nothing is certain, and that's kind of scary. But let's face it, in life nothing is ever certain.

Five years ago had I had just moved to Knoxville with my husband, and I was having a really hard time finding a job. Being a book-lover I decided to apply at my local Borders store. They called me in to interview for a position in their cafe. Three managers interviewed me for this position that paid minimum wage plus tips, and during the interview one of the questions they asked was, "Where did you see yourself in five years?"

I don't have the best poker face, so they probably caught a hint of my inner-thoughts of, "Seriously? You're kidding, right?" Eventually I think I bs'd something or other about wanting a job where I could continuously grow and learn.

I didn't get the job, and now that there no longer is a Borders I can say that it was probably for the best. But I still have to wonder what my interviewers would've said if they'd been given the five year question. Did they see themselves at Borders? Did they have the slightest inkling that it would end up sinking faster than the Titanic?

I'm guessing they didn't. How could they have, and how can anyone else really know where the next five or ten or fifteen years will take us?

This doesn't mean we can't have goals, or make plans, because we can and we should. My goal was to find an agent and get published. And now that I've reached those goals, I'm setting new ones for myself. Maybe the changes in publishing will make some of those goals easier to reach, maybe it will make them harder - only time will tell. But in the meantime, I'm gonna continue working towards them no matter what next week's headlines may read.

All right that's enough from me. To continue following along with the blog chain check out Matt's blog before mine and directly Katrina after.

I'm also posting today over at Pots 'n Pens so make sure to head over there for a little chicken soup for the writer's soul.

Wonderful and Exciting News Part II

One week after my amazing agent had sent my book out on submission, I got a voicemail message from her saying to call her back and that it was only "good news".

I am not a jump up and down person. I am not a scream and shout person. I am a sit still and quietly hyperventilate type person.

Except I couldn't do any of those things, because it was 4:30 on a Wednesday, and that meant it was time to begin the GAUNLET.

What is the GAUNLET you ask?

It is my Monday through Friday afternoon routine wherein I make the trek from my workplace to my children's daycare and then back home again.

I know that doesn't sound impressive or GAUNTLET-ey at all. Tons of people do that every day you are thinking. But let me paint a better picture for you.

My work is in downtown Buffalo. My children's daycare is in the suburbs. I have to go from the 33 to the 290 to the 90. That's three thruway changes. And the last one has a toll. I am on the 90 for all of maybe five miles and there is a toll!

Then I pick up my children. My twenty month old daughter is a goldfish cracker addict. Seriously, she has a problem. She needs them at all times. We are thinking about doing an intervention. It's that bad. But I have just come straight from work and I don't have any goldfish crackers. She whines. My four-year-old son sensing that she is getting more attention begins to whine too. I crank NPR and drive.

Except I can't get out of the daycare parking lot. It is on one of those streets where making a left means either waiting fifteen minutes for a solid break in traffic, or taking everyone's lives in my hands and shooting out into the slightest gap I can find. So I shoot out, and then take the side streets home, and there are approximately five bazillion traffic lights. Every single one of them turns red right as I reach them. And finally at the "almost home you guys and then you can eat all the goldfish you want and totally ruin your dinners" point, there is a traffic circle.

Traffic circles are wonderful in theory, they keep traffic flowing and you usually have a shorter wait then you would at a light. Except 80% of the population has no idea how to drive in a traffic circle. So they sit beside the yield sign, while I fight the urge to scream, "Yield! Yield! It says yield not Stop - YIELD!" When I do that I hear my son's little voice from the backseat say, "Mama, are you okay?" and then I feel like the worst person in the world. So I really try not to do that. Instead, I sit impatiently yet silently as the line of cars in front of me slowly gather their courage to enter the traffic circle, until finally it is my turn.

Then at last, I'm home. Now I can sit and hyperventilate, and I do for a minute, but I still have to call my wonderful agent back. So while my husband keeps the children entertained I sneak into our bedroom, close the door, and dial.

She talks and I hyperventilate. I can actually feel my eyes growing incredibly wide, as if my eyeballs were trying to jump out of my skull. I consider seeing about having one of those emergency defibrillators installed in our home.

And then the phone call is over. I talk to my husband. Call my mom. Text my best friend. Slowly my breathing slows.

And now the news is official. My name is part of Publishers Weekly deals section. My name. All three parts of it. Spelled correctly and everything. And the name of my book too. And I really wish I'd gone ahead and gotten that defibrillator installed.

Anyway, in case you are curious, here is the news that was the cause of all my erratic heartbeats and heavy breathing.

HarperTeen Takes Quinn's ‘Piece'
Alexandra Machinist at Janklow & Nesbit closed a two-book deal, at auction, for debut author Kate Karyus Quinn. Erica Sussman at HarperTeen took North American rights to the novel Another Little Piece, in which a girl comes to on an Oklahoma highway in another girl's body with the knowledge that she has murdered the girl whose form she now takes. The main character journeys back to the murdered girl's home in upstate New York as she tries to figure out, among other things, the identities of her other victims.

Twitter and Vimeo

Tweet, tweet, tweet.

Go ahead, guess what that is.

A bird?

You're close.

A bird-brain?

Oooh, so close you're burning up.

@katekaryusquinn on Twitter?

Ding! Ding! Ding! We have a winner!

Yes, after years of foolish resistance I have finally joined the Twitterverse, the Twitternation, or as I prefer to be called - the Twits.

It's an ongoing experiment, I am still not one hundred percent certain exactly what I am supposed to do with it, but so far I am having fun figuring it all out. If you want to follow, I have oh so conveniently added a little follow button to my side bar. Considerate of me, isn't it? And if I should be following you, leave your @name in the comments and I will gladly become a follower.

In other news, my husband and I have been working a little side project for several months now called Piscean Cinema. Our first finished film is from a wonderful wedding that we shot in May. What we made is a cross between a music video and a preview for a new movie. I am beyond thrilled with how it turned out, so if you have a few minutes - check it out!

Brenda and Steven - Wedding Trailer from Piscean Cinema on Vimeo.

For those that are interested in the technical details. My husband and I shot this on two Panasonic GH2's with a variety of four-thirds, micro four-thirds, and legacy Minolta lenses. My brilliant husband, Andy Quinn, edited it using Final Cut.