Join me for NaNoWriMo!

Those of you that have followed me for a while aren't surprised that I'm doing NaNoWriMo in November. It's actually the 7th year I've participated in the November writing craziness, banging out 50k words (or as many as I can--some years I don't win 'officially' but any words are good words in my opinion!) in 30 days. And looking back, it's been pretty dang successful for me:

Read a snippet HERE

2008: Used NaNoWriMo to write the bulk of my FIRST published book, "Despite the Ghosts". I submitted after finishing and editing in February 2009, and received my contract in July of that year.

2009: Didn't participate. Didn't finish a novel. When you're a writer, not writing is NOT GOOD! Needless to say, I learned my lesson...

Check out a snippet HERE

2010: Participated and wrote my novel, "Any Witch Way" which went on to be published in 2013. Why so late? The original story ended around 20k words--and my amazing editor at TWRP said it needed more 'dark elements.' She was right. I revised, adding in a demon (yes, a demon!) and the story became much more well-rounded and interesting

Read a snippet HERE

2011: Participated and wrote my novel, "Despite the Fangs," which went on to be published in 2014 (it needed LOTS of edits and paring down, as when I finally finished it, the tome was well over 120k words!)

2012: Participated and hit the 50k with "Makeovers and Minions." But...haven't finished that one. Got busy with "Fangs" edits and put it aside. Death for any novel! I will pick it up eventually because I absolutely ADORE this heroine and hero...just need to get back in that mojo.

Need a GREAT Holiday
story? Check out this $1.99
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2013: Participated and wrote only 20k of "Reality Princess." Figured out midway through the thing that perhaps a plot would be nice...and I didn't really have one, LOL. So...that one didn't get done. But I took the time in 2014 to write my short story, "Piper's Piping" which was published in 2014 as part of the "Twelve Brides of Christmas" series. So there's another manuscript I will revisit--after I figure out a plot for the thing, of course!

2014: Participated and banged out 50k+ words in my contemporary YA "Delinquent". This was HUGE for me as it is a switch of genres from what I've published these past 7 years. The manuscript is with an agent and editor now, and I'm hoping for a contract soon!

Which brings me to this year: another YA is on deck for me. This is the second in my teen labels series (started with Delinquent), and is called "Despoiled." I created my WIP cover below just for funsies (yes, that's the gorgeous Victoria Justice below--the inspiration for my heroine!) and I am really looking forward to the insanity and crazy creativity of NaNoWriMo to kick my muse into high gear!! If you'd like to read about the book, you'll have to buddy me on NaNo, as that's the only place I'm putting the blurb and excerpt for this WIP!

Photo credit: from Interview
Magazine online HERE

Want to join me? There's still time! If you're new to NaNoWriMo, go HERE to check out my videos on the subject. My personal favorite is the Prepper List for NaNoWriMo. I also have a page from last year's NaNoWriMo on my blog HERE if you want to check it out.

Okay...off to check things off my list before November 1! If you decide to embark on this novel-creation journey with me, please do buddy me in the NaNo world--I'm listed under DylanNewton. You can't miss me! :)

Happily My Ever After,
Dylan

P.S. The video links for all things NaNoWriMo in my world can be found HERE.

Week 2 of NaNoWriMo--What to do if you're behind

This is Week #2 of National Novel Writing Month, and as of today, you should be at 21,671. 

I'm not. :(

Week 2 NaNoWriMoWriters Give Me 5! 

Find out my excuses...but more importantly, find out two of my tricks to getting back on track and igniting your muse! My video can be found on my YouTube channel here:

http://youtu.be/7TEChUIuw8o


Write On...
Happily My Ever After,
Dylan

P.S. Did you miss Week 1 NaNoWriMo Tips? Don't stress! You can find that video here. Be sure to subscribe to my blog so you don't miss next week's installment. :)

Week 1 of NaNo: Writers Give Me Five

Today's post is for those of you out there joining me in the brave, yet horribly difficult challenge that is National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo. If you've been following me (which is easy to do--just click "Subscribe to this Blog" on the right hand side of the screen), you've probably already seen my NaNo Prepper List video and know that I'm putting out a quick, <5 minute video every week of NaNo that will get through this challenge successfully.

This week's video is <5 minutes and gives you two ways you can 'get unstuck' this week. They happen to be two things that I use frequently when I write, so I can vouch for their effectiveness!


The video can be found on my YouTube channel here:
http://youtu.be/AyDNDBMa7II

Okay...no more procrastination. Get writing! :)

Happily My Ever After,
Dylan

P.S. If you are participating in this year's NaNoWriMo challenge, be sure to 'buddy' me! I'm there under 'DylanNewton' all slammed together without a space. 

P.P.S. Want to see why I'm such an avid fan of NaNoWriMo? Check out my Newton's NaNo 2014 page here for all of the gory details!

Winner-Winner! Prize-A-Palooza is over and...

Congratulations to Darcy Lanphere! 

She won the grand prize drawing in my February Prize-A-Palooza contest and in addition to an autographed bookplate, she will have the option of having...

 a character named after her in my next novel. 

Tentatively titled, "Despite the Fangs," my next paranormal romance features a tough female werewolf who happens to fall for probably the only human with a life and back story more bizarre and deadly than her own. 

Congratulations to Darcy, as well as the other winners of my first-ever Prize-A-Palooza! If you would like to be notified when I'm doing my next major giveaway, just follow me on Facebook (Dylan Newton Author), or simply put your email in at the below right (where it says to enter your email to have Happily My Ever After sent to your in-box), and you'll be among the first to know!

Thanks for following as I Happily My Ever After,

Dylan

My desk during November (ahh, NaNoWriMo!)

The Anatomy of a Writer's Desk During NaNoWriMo

From left to right:

1. Bulletin board with two calendars--one marking the days of November, the other tracking my word count each day towards the 50,000 end of month goal. I star the dates I make at least 1,667 words a day (so far looking at 8 of 14 days but overall still on track--the days I'm prolific make up for the days I stare at my computer for ten minutes at a time, wondering what the hell I'm doing). Kind of reminds me of the stickers I used to give my little one when she didn't pee the bed at night. I get REALLY EXCITED to put the star on my calendar at the end of my writing day. Pathetic, but true.
2. Then you'll see the edges of some inspirational quotes--probably not coincidental that they're covered up by other shiz. The middle of NaNoWriMo is a dicey time for inspirational quotes. Mostly, I'm just looking for ways to bolt my a** to the chair.
3. Ahh, my newest writer's tool: the Character Board. I have an annoying lack of a short-term memory, and have found myself on other novels changing character's eye color, mannerisms and (as in the case of my first novel, Despite the Ghosts) the gender of the cat. Luckily, I've caught the mistakes in edits before production, but this is my hope I can remain consistent.
4. On my desk is where the chaos...erm, the magic happens!! My general plot notebook for my new series (I'm writing Book 1 of the Lipsticks and Lucifer series for NaNoWriMo this year) is open on the left, followed by a rather fantastic list of "Vivid Verbs" given to me by one of my Beta Readers, and finally taped together under my wireless mouse is my plot diagram. Although, as my four-year-old likes to remind me, it's my "scribble-scrabbles."
5. Under all of this shiz--I think you might be able to see the ripped edge of an envelope just under my desk lamp--are the bills I'm late paying this month. They've been buried here for over a week. Thank God I decided to post a picture of my desk. Freaking ridiculous. 
6. In the background is an antique desk calendar. It shows the day as the 22nd. It's not, of course. I haven't changed that thing in months. But it's fun to look at, and so is the ink well and ink pen holder right next to it. Maybe after NaNo is over, I'll learn calligraphy. But I doubt it.
7. And finally, the lower quadrant of the photo shows you how decrepit I've become as a writer. I have to use one of those wrist-thingys by my keyboard. My carpal-tunnel is KILLING ME!! 

So, that's what National Novel Writing Month looks like in my house. I cannot wait until November ends, and my 50,000 words on "Makeovers and Minions" is complete.

Writing my way through to...

Happily My Ever After,

Dylan

Care to share the status of your writer's desk? Feel free to post below!

Gearing up for NaNoWriMo 2012!

Today, I officially signed up for my month log flogging session... Also known as National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo).

I first participated in NaNoWriMo back in 2008, where I began my paranormal romance novel (then titled) "A Ghost of a Chance," which later was published by the Wild Rose Press (with a title change) as "DESPITE THE GHOSTS." So, given that my NaNo project resulted in my first publishing contract, I'm obviously a big fan of the project.

So, what is NaNoWriMo?
It's a FREE web challenge dedicated to getting writers in the habit of writing every single day of November, such that by month's end, you've written 50,000 words...or a small novel. For those of you non-Math majors, like me, that breaks down to writing around 1,667 words a day every single day of November.

Yep. Even Thanksgiving.

To help you along, the fantastic writers and guest 'speakers' of NaNoWriMo send you amazing pep-talk posts and you get to commiserate with other like-minded writers in local and regional forums.

Or you can be like me and just be miserable by yourself as you slog through November. Whatever works.

Not for the faint of heart, NaNo will push you to your writer-ly limits...but in a good way. The best thing I get as a "WriMo" every year is a re-dedication to the BIC rule.

Don't know the BIC rule?
That's the most IMPORTANT rule as a writer: Keep your BIC--Butt in a Chair.

Yep. That's really all the writer-ly magic boils down to, right there. 

Applying butt glue and persevering. 

So join me, writers, and dedicate yourself to the BIC rule by signing up for National Novel Writing Month with me this November!! (We'll worry about our flattened rump in December.)

With my Butt in the Chair....I'll write my way to....
Happily My Ever After,

Dylan

Unless you didn't catch the multiple NaNoWriMo links in my above post, you can sign up for the November writing challenge by going here. It's free. And I guarantee if you complete the challenge, you'll be a better writer for it...not that my guarantee means a whole lot. That and $3.24 will get you a Dunkin' Donuts Chai Latte. Yummmm....

Mmmm...the Smell of New Books!

My shipment of books arrived from my publisher today--just in time for the busy round of author events and speaking engagements lined up for the fall!

Look....aren't they pretty??
I swear, there is nothing better than the smell of a box of new books.

Unless it is a box of your OWN books.

"Despite the Ghosts" has been out for two years now, and every time my publisher sends me a box of my novels--the covers so crisp and unblemished, the virginal pages--I get a thrill of excitement. It is still hard to believe, some days, that I wrote and got a contract for, the book.

But...I have not been resting on my laurels. Or laurel--only one book published, after all. While my blog went eerily silent the past few months, I've been working like a beast.

1. I've finished my second novel (title TBD, but it's a paranormal romance about female werewolf with a bad attitude and a Unibrow complex that gets rooked into a dangerous mission to track down this hottie's son and loses her heart in the process), and have sent it to my A-list of agents for consideration.

2. I am in the final stages of edits for my YA paranormal novel--preparing to send it out to my fabulous Beta Readers for edits and feedback.

3. And I resurrected a dark paranormal novella titled, "Any Witch Way." Not surprisingly, it features a witch, a cursed MBA student and the Wiccan holiday of Samhain (our Halloween, and the pagan New Year). That novella's query letter got me a full manuscript read at my publisher, and is currently in for consideration for next year's publishing schedule. (Yay!)

4. Started my brand new project--a three-book paranormal suspense series titled "Lipsticks and Lucifer." Intrigued? I hope so! The first novel of three I have planned is called, "Makeovers and Minions," and I'm thus far 13,000 words into it with an expected length of around 100,000. Think Stephanie Plum meets Mary Kay and they hunt demons--albeit not very effectively--and you've got the basis for my heroine, Haven Nieves. (Is that not the most killer heroine's name, or what?!?)

So....forgive my lapse in blogging. It's not 'cuz I don't LOVE you all! I promise to get here more often in the next few weeks and keep you updated on my four exciting projects above.

Lighting up the keyboard for my Happily Ever After....

Dylan


Curious to see how I do on the four projects above? Think I'll get a contract by year end...or end up with a face full of rejection letters? Only one way to find out! Hit "Follow Happily (my) Ever After" hyperlink above on the right and stay tuned!