Is 2020 Actually Over?

I’m really hating this blogging trend I seem to be on regarding, uh, saying that every year is the worst year ever. Surely this time I’m not over-exaggerating. 2020 takes the cake. You all know why.

Writing

Writing pretty much (almost) made up for the horrors of 202o. This felt like a year of growth for me as a writer. Remember last year’s blog when I said I would be using Scrivener and Lisa Cron’s STORY GENIUS to create new writing habits? Well, I did it, Reader. I did it. And it’s made a world of difference for me.

Transitioning from my old writing habits to the new ones went a lot faster thanks to the pandemic. Hate to say it, but it’s true.

Being able to work entirely from home freed up time I had sacrificed daily to the Gods of Commuter Traffic. Sure, I missed out on two hours a day of daydreaming, but in exchange I could do AM writing. My brain works best in the morning. I have truly loved waking up, grabbing my iPad, and cranking out another scene all before the sun comes up and I have to eat breakfast and log in for work. It makes the rest of the day feel right; like, no matter what else happens, I know I met my writing goal for the day.

So how did I do? I finished two manuscripts and wrote half of a third one this year. Stats below:

Finished First Drafts:

1. YA #1: 81,960 words

2. YA #2: 87,334 words

In Progress First Drafts:

1. YA Book #3 of Trilogy: 50,870 words

While having the time to write is one thing, blueprinting my scenes also made a significant difference. I use the STORY GENIUS method of blueprinting which allows me to not only plot the action ahead of time, but also track character growth and motivation. It’s taken a lot of the stress out of drafting for me. I may have officially hung up my status as a panster this year.

Speaking of motivation, my friends have been vital. The pandemic hasn’t slowed any of us down. After overcoming the initial shock of COVID’s arrival in our world, writing felt like the only thing I could do to move forward and not let the year go to waste. I’ve read fantastic manuscripts written by talent friends this year and received encouragement in return for my own projects. Oftentimes it was a funny text or a lengthy phone call my buds that would get my creative blood pumping. I was able to return to the page again and again thanks to that open line of communication.

2020 shook up the publishing industry as well, causing a great many changes. As the year winds down to its final days, I have some big decisions of my own to make regarding my future projects and how I will be querying them. I can’t say enough how much 2020 has been a year of growth.

What else did I discover in the last quarter of 2020? How to write for fun again.

I know, I know. That sounds backwards. Don’t I always write for fun? Isn’t that the point? Not always. Or rather, not completely. I have dedicated so much time and energy to finding a home for my next book(s) that somewhere along the way, I forgot the joys of writing just to experiment and explore and share. I hadn’t even written a short story since graduate school (I had come out of the program burnt out—no ideas at all for short stories, only novels). So did I decide to do about it? I joined Laini Taylor’s Patreon (one of my favorite authors!) and challenged myself to create small stories from the prompts she provided. It was just the inspiration I needed. Even without her prompts, I feel like I can now crank out a little story every once in a while—something I would have found impossible only a few months ago.

I’ve been sharing these little experimental stories on Instagram under the hashtag #bitsofweirdandwhimsy

Thanks to the encouragement of an old friend, I’ve also been experimenting with other forms of writing I haven’t indulged in since high school! These renewed experiences have given me my joy of writing back and has also shown me that perhaps I’m not always as drained by the end of a day as I feel (there’s always time to write just one sentence more…).

Life

Not much to report this year in terms of exciting adventures. I had managed to squeeze in my usual annual Disney World trips in January and February right before the pandemic made its way here to the U.S. I’m so thankful I had gotten to go at all, because man, have things changed since.

Back in March, I was climbing the walls and disgusted with myself for reacting like that. I am a total homebody. I love staying home, wearing comfy clothes and just relaxing. People? Nah, I need a break from them after working all week. So why did I feel stir-crazy? I think it was because I had decided two years ago that I would get myself out of the house and actually do things. Like, fun things. Things I love like eating at new (to me) restaurants, exploring small towns, wandering through antique malls and museums and roadside attractions only a gas tank away. These little day trips on the weekends had been thrilling. Now I had to give them up, just like everyone else.

I discovered the joys of wearing masks in public. Ha. The good news is that I did not catch any colds this year. The bad news was/is having to battle mask acne (my acne is already awful, thanks, so I didn’t need this development) and foggy glasses. Through trial and error I found a mask shape that cuts down on the fog, but it’s still not perfect. I just try to struggle through it because I know that the masks are helping.

Little happy moments in 2020 include actually getting TV shows and movies watched. Again, working from home made this happen. Instead of eating at my desk at work or sitting in the cafeteria with coworkers, I got to knock out an episode or two during lunch. And the dinner. Dinner! No evening commute = more time to catch up with shows. Ah, it’s been a pleasure. I have a soft spot for old shows so this year has been filled with shows like Murder, She Wrote, The Mothers-in-Law, and The Munsters. Thanks to a friend introducing me to That Thing You Do!, I have been watching EVERYTHING Supermarionation and loving it. Lookit these cute little marionettes saving the world and stuff:

If you don’t believe me, try an episode of Thunderbirds or Stingray.

My To-Be-Read (TBR) piles shrunk dramatically thanks to staying home. I had three rather large piles in my room. Now I’m down to one (rather large pile). YAY.

And then I actually have completed FIVE FULL YEARS of journaling! I can’t believe it. I’ve been faithfully chronicling my life, such as it is, in one of those one paragraph a day journals. It’s been a blast.

I already have my new one for the next five years. I wish this had been a thing when I was in college and grad school because I would have loved to have been doing this then.

Goals for 2021:

1. Finish at least 1-2 new manuscripts

2. Make my last physical TBR pile disappear!

3. Continue writing short stories and other such fun extra writing projects

4. TRAVELING. Small travels in-state at least. I’m ready to resume adventuring.

2019 - Goodbye, So Long!

The general consensus seems to be that 2019 was the WORST. For me, it’s felt like one of the most challenging years I’ve had.

As I write this post, I’m staring at my MST3K calendar with relief. Only a few more days before the new year. I made it. And I’m ready for what the shiny new decade ahead of us will bring.

I had started January watching Tidying Up with Marie Kondo; it set the mood for my 2019. Of course I learned how to fold my socks better after watching her show, but I also rolled up my sleeves in other areas of my life, determined to make some changes.

Yes, I did clean out my room. And yes, I did discover to my horror that A LOT of stuff sparks joy for me! But I also loved the idea of objects having their own journeys, and not to feel bad if I donate/throw away something I hadn’t gotten to use even once. Perhaps it was supposed to go to its One True Owner through me. Hahaha, okay, but that doesn’t apply to my books.

I have a huge To Be Read mountain of books. Most of this comes from me having a hard time turning down a pretty cover. Also, I haven’t made a dent in the suitcase-full of ARCs and books I had gotten a few years ago from ALA. I could see getting rid of a t-shirt I hadn’t worn, but a book? What if I was missing out on a delicious story? So I swore that I would focus on reading a lot in 2019 to try and minimize my TBR pile. And it shows now. I’ve read over 200 books this year. Most of it is from my TBR pile (and also ebooks from my library, because I also promised myself I’d use it more).

So how far did I get in making my TBR pile disappear? I started out with three book towers. Now I have two. YAY. I would have had a lot less books had I not have also found some new used bookstores that carried incredible selections of sci-fi and fantasy. I rediscovered by love of older fantasy and sci-fi titles, but a lot of these authors are either new to me or I’d only read one or two of their books back in junior high when I used to haunt the library shelves.

Two of my favorite authors I discovered this year are Patricia A. McKillip and F.L. Wallace. McKillip’s books are pretty accessible, thank goodness, though I’ve found some old editions in my travels with gorgeous covers. F.L. Wallace is harder to find. I mean, a lot of his books are on Project Gutenberg, but I’d like to find dead-tree versions. So far, I’ve found two short story anthologies that include him, and that feels like a victory.

In 2020, I need to keep staying out of the bookshops and demolish another one of my TBR piles. If this year proves anything, I can do it.

Writing

You know how I wrote and completed three new manuscripts last year? Guess how many I wrote this year.

…

Zero.

Ouch. It’s been a strange writing year. When I started in January, I honestly thought I’d get at least two new manuscripts done this year. I still had that fiery determination and set to work on writing a new MG. But then life happened, and I started to feel as if I was stuck in the mud, my wheels turning but only sinking deeper, going nowhere. Writing new material didn’t feel as important as changing my situation, so I turned my focus on what I needed to do. After a lot of soul-searching and deliberation, I parted ways with my agent mid-year. So a lot of my energy went into getting manuscripts ready for the querying process, and just mentally setting myself back on that track again. I did write a bit on different projects, but I’d say revision is where most of my writing happened this year.

The change inspired me to build some new writing habits while I was at it! I’m a Word and OneNote girl. I do most of my brainstorming and planning in OneNote. Then, I pick one of my favorite fonts and start drafting in Word.

I wanted to see if I could get used to writing more portably, though. I don’t really like lugging my laptop around, so what if I could teach myself to write on my iPad mini? I’m a pretty visual writer so it’s hard for me to get used to a new layout on the screen. But I think I’m getting used to Scrivener. Now, I don’t have the full-featured Scrivener. It’s the iOS version. But wow, I adore the freedom I have now to move between my iPad and phone when brainstorming. And that my notes are always at my fingertips, instead of in a file I can only see if I turn on my laptop. It’s also freeing not to be in the habit of emailing my drafts to myself. Ahhh. Wonderful. I have a new project I’m working on to help me adjust to Scrivener. So far it’s been a success with the planning. I’m hoping to be ready to start drafting in January and I think by then, I’ll be comfortable enough with Scrivener to be able to do it!

Also, props to Lisa Cron’s STORY GENIUS. I’m a reformed panster, always trying to learn better methods of plotting my novels, and this book has been amazing in helping me dig deeper and drag the heart of the story to the surface.

Life

In June, my miniature poodle Misty passed. Ugh, I can’t believe I’m writing this. I wish it wasn’t true. She had just made it to her 16th birthday, happily eating her birthday cupcake and luxuriating in the pink plush dog bed I got her. But in June, she suddenly got sick. Over the course of a weekend, her body just shut down - it was old age, and you can’t fight that with medication and sheer determination - so we had to say goodbye to her.

I really miss her. OF COURSE I miss her. She was my heart all these years. But I know she’s probably still around, sitting in my lap while I write and stealing food off my plate (in spirit, at least haha). There’s also a weird sense of relief too. She was 16 and had a lot of health issues, including seizures. For years we had a strict schedule of thrice daily medicine that she refused to take wrapped up in cheese or peanut butter!

I still catch myself planning my days around the old schedule when my mind drifts. I can sleep in a bit later now, to sleep earlier, and stay out in the afternoons instead of having to rush home for her 2:30pm meds. Misty is, I’m sure, happy and healthy where she is now, and I’m still getting used to a sudden abundance of time I didn’t have before. I would trade it in a heartbeat for another stinky kiss and her enthusiastic barking, but you know how it is. Time keeps marching forward.

Splitting my time again this year between Universal and Disney had been incredibly fun. And actually, Universal has felt like a bit of a haven since they’re not closing as many rides as Disney has been! I even worked up the courage to do Halloween Horror Nights for the first time. I thought for sure I would have been too terrified to ever do it again but… I had a great time? It was awesome? Especially the IP houses??? And I want to go again next year???? Wow. So fun. I love horror movies, especially old ones, so getting to walk through the Classic Universal Monsters house as a highlight. Also, Killer Klowns from Outer Space gave me life! I was star struck getting to meet my favorite killer klown, Shorty. MAGICAL MOMENT.

Watching Epcot over the course of 2019 lose so many rides and buildings for the sake of the future of the park has been tough. The Epcot I grew up in is slowly becoming nothing but memories and fuzzy home videos. While I’m excited to see what’s coming, it was also hard to say goodbye to the old memories tied to some of my favorite places, like Club Cool, Wonders of Life Pavilion, and Innoventions. Like, I can’t believe Innoventions has been demolished. WHAT. All that air conditioning is gone too (let’s be real), so the food festivals are going to be brutal once Florida’s hot weather comes back full force. Nowhere to hide.

On the bright side, I did fulfill some of the goals I set for this year, exploring new art festivals and speciality shows (like the Depression Era glass show I went to in February!), as well as Dinosaur World and a few pretty cool antique malls and shops. I also got to see Mystery Science Theater 3K live! The irony in it having happened this year - the year I had bought and displayed a MST3K calendar, is just perfection. I had no idea the MST3K was touring until late in the year, and that I’d be able to see Joel performing on stage during his last tour. Of course, they saved one of the better worst movies for the live show. I was in tears laughing.

Goals for 2020:

Here we go! New decade, a new set of goals to start accomplishing:

1. Finish Book 3 of my YA trilogy.

2. Write at least 1-2 more manuscripts

3. Find home(s) for my stories

4. Read another 200 books (or at least make another big dent in my TBR pile)

5. Have at least one relaxing vacation

6. Spend more time with friends

How did you do in 2019? What are your plans for 2020?

2018 Wraps Up!

2019 is almost here. I unwrapped my new calendar for the coming year, thrilled and yet baffled by my choice this time. For the past few years, I’ve learned that buying fancy calendars makes me ridiculously happy. I’ve been getting Parisian calendars because the photographer featured was Irene Suchocki, and after, Georgianna Lane, and they made Paris way more charming than I remember it being. Which made my room that much more charming. Then I moved on to patisserie calendars, making me drool over the pretty desserts I uncovered as each month passed by. 

This time, there were no patisserie calendars to be found. So threw my aesthetics out the window and committed to a Mystery Science Theater 3k calendar: 

So what does that say about how different the new year will go for me? All I know is that perhaps it will be a little less pretty, but infinitely more zany and fun. 

It’s been such a long time since I blogged here! I’ve been enjoying social media in all its forms, but especially Instagram which continues to serve as a photo diary of what I’ve been up to during the year. It’s hard to remember to blog since I feel like I’m doing it daily on there.

When I saw that my last post was in 2017, I realized I had to put together something before the year changed. So here we are. 

Writing

When I look back to the beginning of 2018, I can’t believe how much has happened. I have to begin with Jennie Dunham of Dunham Literary, Inc. In February, she became my literary agent. I can’t tell you how many years I’ve spent querying agents and how much I learned from the process. It still feels like a dream now that I’m working with Jennie, but I’m happy to have begun a new chapter in my career with her. 

Waiting is still very much a thing. Sometimes even more than it was before. And I found that with all the time I had, I could make 2018 a year to break a record. 

Up until this year, I’ve had to juggle writing new material and revising old material – all under deadlines. This time, I could write new material all year round. No hitting the brakes. No screeching halts to pick back up another project needing polishing. This was the year I wrote more than I ever thought possible. I finished the first drafts of THREE manuscripts. 

Here are the stats:

1. MG #1 (60,573 words)

2. YA Book #2 of 3 (91,249 words)

3. MG #2 (59,170 words)

That’s… 210,992 words for 2018. Woah. WOAH. 

I don’t know if I can follow this up with 2019’s goals. But it’s kind of tempting. 

People and Places

My gosh, I met so many people this year. From left to right:

1. E.R. Warren. That’s right. THE E.R. Warren of Figment. Or as I like to call her, Emily (we’re friends, you know. Privileges). We met on Figment.com, the teen writing site that changed our lives forever. I’m pretty sure we met sometime in 2011, around the time we all joined and the site was still new and growing. That’s a long time, right? Well, because of my trip to Disneyland, I finally got to meet Emily in person! Was she awesome? Heck yes. Was it awkward? Not at all. It’s like… we left off right where we were through our texts and phone calls. In fact, we talked so much that our waiter pretty much gave up on taking our orders for at least an hour haha. 

2. Joey Chou. Thanks to Epcot’s Festival of the Arts, I got to meet one of my favorite artists. He was signing his prints at the festival. I wished I had a million blank walls at my house so I could purchase the canvas sizes and hang them up at home (alas, I’m all out of wall space). We had a fun conversation about art and how I wasn’t an artist (not since high school at least, when I traded in my sketchbooks for novel-writing) and his experience illustrating books. 

3. Tim Tracker and Jenn Tracker. I can’t even remember when I started watching Tim and Jenn’s vlogs on YouTube, but it wasn’t soon enough. I love watching their adventures in Disney, Universal, and some of the other theme parks we have around Florida. As slim as the changes were, I’d always hoped I’d run into them at the parks. However, I finally got to meet them in person at MegaCon in May. Jenn was helping a friend with her booth and Tim showed up later. I loved talking to them about how much I loved their videos of Tokyo Disney that they had just posted.  I also got to ask Tim and Jenn about the Roger Rabbit ride at Disneyland, the ride was most looking forward to for my Disneyland trip (not a surprise – they said it was awesome… and it was). 

4. Black Panther. This counts, right? We had a lovely conversation in Disneyland about Florida weather and how great the Incredicoaster is – especially the tunnel where they pump the smell of freshly-baked cookies. 

Last but not least, I got to meet two actors from Gotham, one of my favorite shows. And by “meet,” I mean like all of five seconds to have my picture taken with them. You know how conventions work. But it’s amazing how much can be packed into such a small moment: I got to shake both their hands. They were both very kind. 

Sean Pertwee (left) plays Alfred Pennyworth and David Mazouz (right) plays young Bruce Wayne on the show. I got to see them talk about the show on a panel beforehand, which was really fun because they both talked openly about their roles and what it was like to step into another version of the Batman mythology. 

I don’t know how I’m going to deal in 2019. The 5th and final season will be airing in January 2019. The story will be over. I’ve been watching the show since it first aired and it’s surreal to think it will end. But these things do happen. I can hardly wait to see how the show wraps up. 

2019 Goals

This year has been good in some ways, but kind of a disaster in others. I think everyone had challenges this year, but we made it! We’re almost on the other side. 

My workshop buddies and I were talking about the new year and how we thought making our goals real – like, by writing them out – would give them more power to come true. So I’m going to share a few of them here in the hopes that we may be on to something. 

1. Find a new home for my stories. 

2. Write another MG book.

3. Finish the 3rd book in the YA trilogy I alluded to.

4. Spend less money lol. 

5. Make significant progress with my TBR pile to free up more room on my bookshelves (the pile is a monster. It keeps growing). 

6. See more of Central Florida.

7. Fill the house with more white and teal/seafoam/turquoise/mint colors. I’ve committed. 

8. Ride every ride at Universal and see every show and eat all the food (Making the most of my UOAP pass before it runs out in like… a year and a half). 

9. Try new things at Disney (tours, restaurants, rides I haven’t gotten fast passes for yet, etc.). 

What are you proud of from 2018? What are some of your fondest memories? And what do you hope 2019 will bring you? 

Goodbye, Figment

At the end of college, my friends were either getting ready to belly flop into the world of Reality with jobs (or not) or tying the knot with their sweethearts for future wedded bliss. But me? I had been trying all year long to secure myself a job before graduation in case Plan A failed, and no bites. It could have been depressing if I didn’t get The Call one Spring evening while I was running across campus with my friend Lauren, on our way to the Communications building on some errand I can’t recall now. 

What I do remember is this: feeling my cellphone buzzing in my pocket, stopping on the sidewalk and answering the phone , the way sweat made my hands clammy as my mother spoke on the other end of the line, telling me that the professor’s wife had called the house to say I’d been accepted into graduate school. 

I was beyond excited that I got to delay Reality for three more years in the pursuit of studying creative writing.  

My first semester in 2010 was a whirlwind of firsts. I met my best buddies for the next three years: my fellow grad cohorts who would see every piece of writing I’d bring to the table and make me a better writer for it. I had to teach to keep up my end of the tuition bargain, which was one of the scariest things I ever had to do in my life. Being a shy introvert who barely raised her hand in class, and now had to teach two college classes a semester. It would be a long time before I’d walk into my classroom without a dry mouth and rolling stomach.  

As much fun as I was having (like riding a roller coaster in the dark), I realized that I was missing something. I wanted to write teen fiction, but none of the professors were experienced in the genre. The majority of my cohorts were more interested in literary fiction than genre, so my classes and workshops were centered on that style and philosophy of writing. As great as these lessons were, I knew I wasn’t writing the stories for class that I secretly (or not-so-secretly) wanted to write. I needed an outlet. 

I found out about Figment.com from a New York Times article about a brand-new site that was inspired by teens writing and reading and, of course, Japanese cellphone novels. I had heard about cellphone novels before. I had a pretty terrible phone with a slide-out keypad at a time when everyone else had smartphones, so I couldn’t imagine literally writing on a phone. BUT! I loved the idea of writing serially – just one chapter at a time – and that Figment.com was encouraging that type of writing on their site. 

The article summed up the spirit of Figment.com quite well:

“Figment.com will be unveiled on Monday as an experiment in online literature, a free platform for young people to read and write fiction, both on their computers and on their cellphones. Users are invited to write novels, short stories and poems, collaborate with other writers and give and receive feedback on the work posted on the site.”

So I signed up as soon as possible, right around the time that Figment opened to the public. Stories had already been posted from the beta testing, and one of the first stories I read came from user Linna Lee, who ended up being one of the first of many close-but-never-met-in-person writer friends in the coming years. 

I can’t believe it’s been seven years since I joined. My gosh. It feels like no time has passed, but in some ways, I have passed through the rise of a fantastic site, major changes, and the slow but inevitable death that began when the site changed hands for the final time. 

Figment.com will now become Underlined. And while I’m curious and interested in participating in whatever small way I can now with my writing workload, I know that Figment.com will soon be erased. All traces of its existence gone forever in a way that is both heartbreaking and scary. If I was a superhero, I’d tell you that my origin story was Figment.com. My Chemical X. But once it’s gone, I’ll only have my screenshots to know that it was real, and my friends as we reminisce about the days when we were free to experiment and  develop some of the most amazing stories that still leave me shaken today. 

One of the big questions I was asked over the years was what my profile photo was and where did it come from. I decided early on that I would use my real name, but not a photo of me. And years later, when I really could have changed it, I just couldn’t do it. This little slice of art became nostalgic. It was part of Figment-me. The photo is an illustration made for the book The Ship That Sailed to Mars by William M. Timlin. After all these years, I still haven’t gotten my hands on a copy to read it, but this illustration enchanted me, and I saw something of myself in the woman  reading on her little asteroid-house:

The stories I posted were similarly whimsical: girls discovering cursed carousels at night,  boys with shapeshifting mothers for hearts, skeleton friends, mermaids in glitter baths who wrote letters to the sea, boys and bees, silent film stars doomed to never speak, and a girl trapped a birdcage and the handsome butler with the creaky knees. 

I made it on the front page a few times. I even had a fan club. 

Look at the beautiful website badges Figgie Hannah Rachel made that fans of my writing actually put on their websites ommggg:

My most popular story on Figment was Birdcage Girl, a serial novel that is a twist on the Rapunzel fairy tale. 

Birdcage Girl became one of the most popular stories on the site as well. I wrote the entire novel while I was in graduate school, enjoying posting droplets of chapters every week for eager readers. The chapters are deliciously short – I never had so much fun writing that way. I even got to talk to co-founder Jacob Lewis on the phone about it, which was a hugely special moment for me. 

I still hope to get this beloved story into the perfect shape one day so that it may one day sit on a bookshelf. But I believe I can do it, and that’s thanks to the wonderful readers who went on the journey with me. And stayed… even when I was mean to some characters. 

One of my favorite short stories I wrote was “Afternoon at Noodledom Palace,” as an entry for a time traveling contest that was judged by THE Tamara Ireland Stone! Yes, Figment was totally cool enough to have a ton of contests, some of which were judged by amazing authors. 

This was one of the greatest Figment moments of my life! And I’m happy to say that Tamara and I are interest author friends. It’s kind of the coolest. 

Okay, so before I start sniffling and reaching for a tint of strawberry ice cream, I have to end this post by talking about how much Figment.com helped me to believe in myself as a writer. For a long time, Figment was a wonderfully immersive and supportive community of readers and writers. The feedback and encouragement I received helped me to grow alongside what I was learning in graduate school, but it also allowed me to stretch my genre wings, if you will, in ways I might never had if I hadn’t joined the site. 

Figment gave me the courage to submit my novel manuscripts. It gave me the strength to keep going despite the rejections. Publishing isn’t easy. Whenever times got hard, I had only to look back on the Figgies that were there for me, and I was able to push through and keep going. 

Even now, in 2017 guys, I still believe because of Figment. 

So let me end here by giving you links to the very best friends I made on Figment.com who have written their own goodbye posts. You should read all of them. They’re quite wonderful. And if we knew each other in Figment and you want to reconnect, well, you know where to find me.

Samantha Chaffin | E.R. Warren | Lydia Albano

Love Charms Book Trailer is Live + Interview with E.R. Womelsduff

I'm so thrilled to announce that the Love Charms and Other Catastrophes book trailer is live on both YouTube and Vimeo! The magic and charm of Love's favorite town shines through. I'm kind of getting a little emotional over here. Hold on. Lemme just dab my eyes with a tissue... okay. I'm good now. 

This book trailer would have never been created had it not been for the immensely talented E.R. Womelsduff. I sat down with her over the interwebs and asked her what it was like making the trailer because, from my side, it was like she was waving a magic wand over each new draft, more amazing than the last. Without further ado... 

INTERVIEW WITH E.R. WOMELSDUFF

What inspired you to get into the business of making book trailers?
EW: I'm a bit of a jack-(jill?)-of-all-trades. I started out as a copywriter and then got into making short films and commercials. I'd always wanted to learn how to animate and finally just taught myself. Making book trailers was a really fun, creative medium to work with, and authors make wonderful clients. They're so nice!

What makes a successful book trailer?
EW: Length, content, and execution. If it's too short, the audience may not understand the message. If it's too long, they'll get bored. The content also needs to be creative, but on-message. I've seen a lot of really interesting commercials where, at the end, I had no idea what the product was. On the other hand, I've seen commercials where I definitely knew what the product was, but the commercial was so boring or condescending that I actively wanted to NOT purchase the product. As for execution, it's making all the elements work together seamlessly: animation, music, sound design, text.
 
 How did you approach translating Grimbaud’s quirkiness and charm into trailer form?
EW: Well having the cover designs to work with was amazing. I was able to instantly understand the mood and tone of the book from the elements I was given. So props to the original cover designers! Being able to speak with Kim and hear her plan and vision for the trailer was also incredibly helpful. We were able to work together to try new things and end up with something we both liked.

What is your favorite part of the trailer? The most challenging?
EW: My favorite part is probably when Hijiri and her new boyfriend fly up into the night sky with the stars. I don't know why, but I think it's just a sweet moment. The most challenging would be a tie between making Hijiri's arm move (puppeteering is a new level of animation for me) and trying to make sure that the visuals told the story as well as the voice-over, in case people were watching the trailer without the sound on. 

What other services do you offer besides book trailers?
EW: Copywriting, screenwriting, and design. I write commercial scripts as well as television pilots and screenplays (including taking other people's treatments and adapting them into screenplays and pilots), I do logo design and create business cards, fliers, posters, infographics, etc. I also consult on creative projects and can edit creative or corporate documents. I also do live-action book trailers and kinetic text book trailers. If it's creative in nature, I probably do it.
 
How can you be reached?
EW: Through my website, www.NotAScubaDiver.com! 

GIVEAWAYS!

To celebrate the release of the book trailer, I'm hosting giveaways on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram! Spread the love about the trailer and enter for a chance to win a signed copy of Love Charms and Other Catastrophes! 

Details are, of course, located on the respective social media pages ;) All three giveaways will end on December 31st, 2016!