NaNo is here again

Hey fellow NaNoers.  This is a little post a wrote a couple years ago about that crazy time of year known as NaNo WriMo.  I thought I would share it again, as I think it bears repeating.  Just remember, we can do this.

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Yup, its that time of year again.

NaNo Wrimo is upon us once more.

Even as I type this, I'm checking the NaNoWriMo official site, which is being ridiculously slow tonight, probably as hundreds (thousands?) of NaNoers are doing the exact same thing.

If you are one of these brave (insane) souls, kudos to you! Its comforting to know, as we gear up for the most frantic, stressful, neurotic month of the year (Christmas doesn't even come close) that there are thousands of writers going through the exact same thing. So, as the 1st of November looms ever closer, let's promise ourselves these things...

We will write everyday, through rain and sleet and falling snow, through TV shows and outings and parties and people who want you to socialize. By now, you should have warned any family, friends, boyfriends, girlfriends, relatives, and spouses that they will probably not see you until December.





















We will not let our inner editor tell us our writing is crap. (Its 50k words in 30 days, its SUPPOSED to be crap.) This also goes for going back and "fixing things." Do not worry about fixing things; that will be December's project.


We will not fall behind.

If we do fall behind, we will soldier on and not give up.

We will not let the siren song of email, twitter, facebook, myspace, blogs, ect ect ect distract us from churning out our words. This also goes for phones, friends, children, pets, spouses, ect.


















At the end of the month, we will have written a 50,000 word mess of a story, with dangling plot threads, nonsensical scenes, holes you could drive a semi through, and so many mistakes our English teachers would scream, but we will have written a complete NOVEL. And we won't worry about the mess; we can always clean it up later.

So, my fellow NaNoers...on this last night of October, as the costumed children return from their candy begging, let us eat a good meal, get a good night's sleep, and say farewell to our loved ones.

For tomorrow, we NaNo.

I'll see you at the finish line.

Figment writing contest and more

A couple things I wanted to share with you:

First up, check out this awesome writing contest hosted by Figment, a fun creative writing site.


Inspired by Julie Kagawa’s new novel, The Lost Prince, and the faery world that only Ethan Chase can see, we’ve got a new short-story contest for you! Your challenge: In 1,200 words or fewer, write a story about secret world that only your main character can see.

And check out the prizes below.

One grand-prize winner will receive a copies of The Lost Prince and Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa, The Iron Fey boxed set (which includes The Iron King, The Iron Daughter, The Iron Queen, The Iron Knight), Winter’s Passage and Summer’s Crossing eBooks, and a lock and key necklace, similar to the one that Ethan gives to Kenzie for protection from the fey.

One second prize winner will receive a copy of The Lost Prince, The Iron Fey boxed set, and a lock and key necklace.

One third prize winner will receive copies of The Lost Prince and Immortal Rules, and a lock and key necklace.



So, all you aspiring writers out there, head on over to Figment for the rules and deadlines, or to just vote for your favorite story.



Second, head on over to TheIronFey.com to unlock FREE books, exclusive content, and other cool things.  You can also see the full LOST PRINCE trailer, so what are you waiting for? 


Lastly, I was at Another Anime Con this week, and though I didn't get to take many pictures, here are a couple I thought you might enjoy.  =D

To My Readers

The Lost Prince is only a few days away!  So, as we gear up for  it's release, here is a letter to the most important people, my readers.  And check out the teaser snippet for The Lost Prince trailer below!

 

 

 

 

 

Annnnnnnnnd, check out the UK's stunning cover for The Lost Prince! 

  

 

And, finally, here is the teaser snippet.  Be sure to check back later for the whole thing.







Hope you're excited!

Julie

Lost Prince trailer stills

Hey all!  Exciting times are soon approaching.  In preparation for the upcoming release of The Lost Prince, check out the trailer stills below!

 

 

 

 

Stay tuned for information on the full trailer launch and a Twitter Party closer to the release!  Until then, what are your thoughts?

 

 

-Julie

My Crazy October

Hey all.

So, October is going to be a crazy month for me, particularly the middle two weeks.  I'll be at signings, on T.V., at cons, and at libraries.  Below is a peek at my insane schedule, in case you wanna drop in on one of these events and say hi.


October 15: I'll be at the Oldam County Public Library from 6pm to 7pm for Teen Read Week.  There will be a discussion, a Q&A, and probably a giveaway of some sort.  Check the cool flyer below.

 

 

 

 

October 17: I'll be on the Great Day Live show on WHAS 11 with Rachel Platt and Terry Meiners.  They will be interviewing me and fellow Lousivillian authors Kelly Creagh, Bethany Griffin, and Katie McGarry about our books, so if you live in or around Louisville be sure to tune in at 9am on the 17th to see me faint dead away on live T.V.

 

 

October 19-21:  I'll be in Manchester, New Hampshire for Another Anime Con.  Check out their website here for more information

 

October 26: I'll be at the Summit Barnes and Noble in Louisville, KY with authors Kelly Creagh, Bethany Griffin, and Katie McGarry from 6:30 to 8:30pm, for the MASQUERADE BALL B&N is holding for Halloween.  There will be discussions, Q&A, prizes, costumes, and lots of fun.  Oh, and we'll probably be signing our books, too. 

 

List of authors and their books:

 

 

Kelly Creagh: Nevermore, Enshadowed

 

Bethany Griffin: Masque of the Red Death

 

Katie McGarry: Pushing the Limits

 

 

 

 

So that's my crazy October schedule, not including a musical I'm going to see with my husband (Beauty and the Beast), and my birthday lands in October, too.  (Nope, not gonna tell you when.) 

 

Hope to see you sometime.  Don't laugh if I trip and fall on live T.V. (Okay, you can laugh a little.)

 

Julie  

 

 

 

 



 

October Contest: Calling all Fey

Welcome to October!

The month of pumpkins, ghosts, goblins, and things that go bump in the night.

And to celebrate, I have an awesome giveaway for everyone.  Check out the grand prize below.

-An Iron Fey boxed set
-A signed Lost Prince
-A signed Iron Legends
-The Japanese version of The Iron King (volumes 1 and 2)
-A Japanese Grimalkin bookmark

-Also two signed copies of The Lost Prince for the 1st and 2nd place winners.

So, what do you have to do to win this collection of schwag?  Well, since its October and Halloween is fast approaching (and since I promised there would be costumes involved), I want you to embrace your fey side and dress up as a faery.

Yes, a faery.  Any kind of faery, really.  You can be a good faery...

Or a bad faery...

Or a goblin or a pixie or a redcap or a dryad or a gremlin.  Anything really.  Its up to you.  But you must be a faery; no vampires, witches, werewolves, or zombies.  (No, zombie-faeries do not count.)   

Now, have fun with it!  Choose a name for your faery self, and which court your belong to.  Are you a sun-loving Seelie/Summer fey, or do you hail from the darker Unseelie/Winter court?  Or maybe you're a tech-savvy Iron faery from the Iron realm. 

Whatever kind of fey you are, take a picture of your faery self, post it to your blog, Tumblr, Facebook, ect., and leave me the link in the comments or on Twitter.  Be sure to mention the contest, and leave a link back so that others can join in the fun.



Now for THE RULES.

-The picture must be posted to an online, public forum of some type.  Facebook, blogger, and Tumblr are all acceptable, but it must be something I can link to.  I will not accept files directly to my email account.

-Only one entry per person.  Group shots are fine, but count as a single entry, so you'll have to divvy up the loot among yourselves if you win.  ;-) 

-You must leave an email where I can reach you in the comments.

-The contest will run until October 31st, upon which I will choose 3 winners.  1st and 2nd place will recieve a signed Lost Prince.  One Grand Prize winner will recieve the swag bundle mentioned above.

-And for the million dollar question, yes it is international. :D



Have fun!

Julie