Now Available on Amazon.com for Kindle and in Paperback
I’m delighted to announce the launch of my latest book: “The Weight of Air: A Short Story,” and the accompanying giveaway of 50 copies of the Kindle Edition! Enter the Giveaway!
An early version of this story had been collecting dust in my desk drawer (my computer, really) for nearly two years. I liked the original story called “Murdering Time,” but couldn’t generate a lot of interest in it from literary journals. I realized it lacked something—I just wasn’t sure what.
Then, a few months ago, I received a number of emails from a Canadian publication, Broken Pencil Magazine, urging me to submit a story to their Indie Writers Deathmatch (yes, it really was a bloodbath). So I decided to pull out a creepy old sci-fi story I’d written a few years back but never published, and I revised it for the contest. Lo and behold the story, “Fogger,” was accepted as one of the 16 finalists in the Deathmatch, and went on to make it to the semi-finals. I was happy to receive a prize package from the magazine, but was even more excited to learn that they had decided to publish my story.
The experience inspired me to pull out more of my old stories that I’d previously given up on and refurbish them. I’m very happy I did. This new story, “The Weight of Air,” is twice as long as the original, and I finally figured out where the story was supposed to go. It’s amazing what a difference some time, distance, and a couple of additional years of writing experience make!
Once it was completed, I submitted “The Weight of Air” to a few literary journals. When I received a rejection, I was actually thrilled. I know it sounds strange, but the editor wrote to me that “there is much to admire in this story, but unfortunately it is not a good fit for [our journal].” She went on to say that it would probably do well with a journal looking to publish more commercial fiction. She also enclosed the comments of the reader reviewer at the journal, which were extremely complimentary. Among other things, the reader said it had a “Compelling plot that both anticipates and upends readers’ predictions/expectations,” and that it was a “delight to read.” That made me feel great!
Since delighting readers is really my major goal, I decided to publish the story myself! I hope you will check out The Weight of Air on Amazon. And, my advice is to all you writers out there: Don’t ever give up on your work, maybe that story or novel just needs a little tweaking. It’s worth taking a second look and a second leap!
Please enter the Weight of Air Launch Giveaway!
Jaden and Gabriel by Kat Gavin
Greetings readers, authors, and aspiring writers. I wanted to share with you some more fabulous art from the amazing Kat Gavin, and to list a few of the many reasons I love writing (and reading) young adult fiction. Also, scroll down for an awesome Transcender Trilogy countdown sale!
- YA IS NOT JUST FOR TEENS! Okay, we didn’t need studies to tell us that adults, young and old alike, read YA, but I was surprised to find that over half of YA readers are over the age of 18. It makes sense, though—some of the most courageous, edgy, and freshest stories today are being written under the YA mantle. I just read an article entitled Against YA that made me want to scream. It suggests adults should eschew the “satisfying endings” delivered by most YA novels in favor of the “complexity of great adult literature.” http://goo.gl/dl8fIW. Seriously? I write (and read) YA precisely to escape the complexities of life. I want to be entertained—to laugh and cry and fall in love with fictional characters, and to have a break from the stresses of everyday life. Bring on the satisfying ending—it’s why I persevere to the last page!
- YA CAN BE WHATEVER YOU WANT IT TO BE. Do you love sci-fi, fantasy, dystopia, adventure, and romance? So do I. That’s why I toss them all into my books. In YA, it’s no-holds-barred—from light comedy to dark techno-punk and more. There’s no set formula. Typically, the protagonist is a young adult. That’s it. No steadfast rules. I spent a lot of years practicing law and always thought I’d eventually write a legal thriller. In fact I have several half-written, cheesy legal thrillers tucked inside my desk, but I lost interest because they were boring. Good YA is rarely boring. It takes its own course, and if you give it free rein, you may be surprised where it will lead you.
- YA DOESN’T PRETEND TO BE SOMETHING IT’S NOT. Have you ever read a book and felt the author was more worried about impressing the audience (or the critics) with how erudite (read: pretentious and snobby) she is rather than telling a good story? Ugh! A big DNF. YA doesn’t pretend to be high literature. It’s designed to engage the emotions, introduce relatable characters, and speak in a distinctive, youthful voice. We’re all familiar with what it’s like to be young and struggling with first love, difficult friends, parental love/hate relationships, and all the other messy challenges of entering adulthood. These incredibly powerful, unadulterated emotions are what inspire me most. YA gives us a vehicle for understanding how others deal with these universal issues, and after all, isn’t that what story is all about? Seeing how other people clean up the everyday messes of life.
- THE YA STYLE IS FUN TO READ AND WRITE. Despite the fact that there are no hard and fast rules for writing YA, I admit that most YA novels seem to have a style of writing that is unique to the category. In general, YA is character driven and plot-heavy (as opposed to stream-of-consciousness or descriptive narration), and it’s faster-paced with large chunks of dialog. The crotchety old curmudgeons out there will say that’s the problem with literature today—it caters to the fast food, instant gratification junkies in our society. Actually, I believe it’s a more modern, engaging way of writing. If the author constructs scenes and shapes characters in an easy-to-visualize manner, snappy dialog can propel the story along like a well-made movie, sweeping up the reader as it goes.
- YA CREATES READERS OUT OF OTHERWISE DISINTERESTED YOUNG ADULTS. Have you seen high school summer reading lists lately? Okay, they’re still overloaded with dry, fossilized, dreary tomes from another era, but they seem to be getting a little better. The more enlightened librarians and teachers of today are sprinkling some YA selections in with the timeworn classics of yesteryear, and the results are not surprising—students are discovering the joy of reading! Kudos to those farsighted souls who realize that present day teens do not relate to Lord of the Flies (believe me, I had to listen to my son’s daily complaints).
What do you like most about YA literature?
TRANSCENDER TRILOGY BOX SET: BOOKS 1 AND 2 ONLY $0.99 for a limited time!
It’s been an exciting few weeks! First, the Transcender Blog Tour and Giveaway was Awesome (with a capital A). Coordinated by my phenomenal friend, Christina Hickey at Ensconced in Lit, I had tons of fun and met some amazing bloggers. If you’re looking for great blogs like I always am, check out the blogs below for insightful reviews, thought-provoking posts, and lots of other fun and noteworthy content. I’m serious people—some of these sites are like works of art. What I’d give for the technical skills! And the Trilogy received some incredible reviews. Also, if you missed any of the tour—like the Dream Cast for the Transcender Movie or the interview with Ryder Blackthorn, you can find it all below! Congratulations to the winners of the Giveaway: Christine, Courtney, Kelly, and Lindsay, and a big Thanks to all who entered.
Gorgeous Transcender Charms from Julia at YA Book Nerd Reviews!
Ensconced in Lit – Review of entire Trilogy plus Character interview with Jaden and some awesome fan art
Crystal in Bookland– Transcender Character Quiz (which character are you most like?)
Pandora’s Books– Transcender Movie Dream Cast w/ photos
YA Book Nerd Reviews – Review of Transcender: First-Timer
Wonderland of Reading – Review of Transcender: First-Timer
The Whimsical Mama – Guest Post
Fly to Fiction – Review of Transcender: First-Timer
Tea and Fangirling – Review
A Reading Nurse – Guest Post
I Heart YA Fiction – Review of entire Trilogy
Mary Had a Little Book Blog – Review of Transcender and Interview with Ryder Blackthorn
Second, the ILLUMINOSITY book cover, designed by another extraordinary friend, Carrie Drazek, was chosen as a finalist in Sci-Fi for the Bookgoodies cover contest. I hope you will all take a few seconds to stop by the site and vote for the cover by leaving a comment, tweeting, and otherwise sharing the site. Each comment and share counts as a vote for the cover! Carrie did an outstanding job designing all three of the Transcender Trilogy covers and she deserves this honor! Vote for ILLUMINOSITY!
Finally, we have a number of fun things coming up in the near future, including a special $.99 promotion of the Transcender Trilogy Two Book Box Set featuring books one and two. The sale will run for no more than a week, after which this box set will be retired. I’m thrilled to announce that a Box Set featuring all three books will be released on Amazon sometime in the fall! More info on that to come.
Enjoy your last few weeks of summer, and check back often for more news and updates!
Thanks to everyone who entered the Goodreads giveaway of ten signed copies of ILLUMINOSITY, and congratulations to all those who won! You’ll be receiving your books soon.
If you missed out this time, never fear, on Monday, July 21, I am beginning a week-long, whirlwind Blog Tour and Giveaway—two posts a day with some amazing bloggers! The grand prize is a $50 Amazon gift card and a set of signed Transcender Trilogy books. Second and third place prizes will be awarded also, with a chance to win a Transcender T-shirt.
I hope you’ll follow along and join in the fun! Take the Transcender Character Quiz to see which character you are most like, and don’t miss my Dream Cast for the Transcender Movie. Should be a great time with plenty of opportunities to win!
Transcender Blog Tour Schedule:
July 21 Ensconced in Lit – review and Crystal in Bookland – guest post
July 22 Pandora’s Books – guest post and Ensconced in Lit – character interview
July 23 YA Book Nerd Reviews -review and Wonderland of Reading – review
July 24 The Whimsical Mama – guest post and Fly to Fiction – Review
July 25 Tea and Fangirling – Review and A Reading Nurse – guest post
July 26 I Heart YA Fiction – Author Interview and Mary Had a Little Book Blog – guest post
Also, please sign up for my Newsletter, if you haven’t already. I only send them out occasionally when there is something special to announce!
Thanks for stopping by, and good luck in the Giveaway!
Hi Everyone and Happy Father’s Day! Thought you would enjoy another amazing sketch from talented artist Kat Gavin. This melted my heart. So gorgeous!
Jaden and Gabriel
I’m excited to announce a Giveaway on Goodreads of ten signed copies of ILLUMINOSITY, Transcender Trilogy Book 3. The giveaway runs from today, June 15 to July 15. Please enter to win here: https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/96384-illuminosity-transcender-trilogy-book-3.
I’m adding a link to an Excerpt of the first three chapters of ILLLUMINOSITY just to whet your appetite. Hope you enjoy! https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/94935558/ILLUMINOSITY%20EXCERPT.docx.
Also, if you’ve read Books 1 and 2 of Trilogy, I would greatly appreciate it if you would stop by the Amazon page for my two-book Box Set and leave a short review. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00K8CTRTK . By the way, the Box Set makes a great Father’s Day Gift!
So thrilled to unveil the cover for my latest book, ILLUMINOSITY, the exciting third and final installment in the Transcender Trilogy. Once again the talented Carrie Drazek has outdone herself with this gorgeous design.
Enter the Giveaway for $50Amazon Gift Card and signed copies of the first two book in the trilogy at ENSCONCED IN LIT http://goo.gl/SdJxfq
Announcing the Upcoming Release of
ILLUMINOSITY
by Vicky Savage
May 15, 2014
Mystery, romance, and high adventure in parallel dimensions.
In this highly anticipated conclusion to the Transcender Trilogy, Jaden Beckett faces her greatest challenges to date. Her choice is clear: leave the love of her life or face certain death.
With Warrington Palace under siege, Jaden and Ryder are wrenched away from each other, as the powerful Inter-Universal Guidance Agency seeks Jaden’s ultimate demise.
Heartsick and alone, she begins a new chapter of life as a Transcender, only to discover that her fiercest battle has yet to come.
Is Jaden safe anywhere in the galaxy? Or should IUGA ask itself that question, having underestimated her before?
With her usual wit and tenacity, Jaden fights to discover her place in the multiverse, the true meaning of destiny, and the keys to the mystery of eternal love.
I’m a writer and author of novels, short stories and poetry. My TRANSCENDER TRILOGY blends science-fiction, fantasy, and romance in an exciting cross-dimensional adventure. My latest, The Weight of Air, is a short work of contemporary fiction presenting a tantalizing "Would I?/Wouldn't I?” dilemma.
