Interview with YA author Julie Reece

It’s an exciting day, y’all! Today on the blog I’m joined by Julie Reece, a talented YA author and friend of mine from way back when. Her debut novel, Crux, dropped from J. Taylor Publishing on July 9^th, and trust me, you want to read it. Like, now. The blurb:

She should have run. Now, she’ll have to fight.

Eighteen year old Birdie may be homeless, but she’s surviving, that is until a mysterious guy throws money in the air like a crazy game show host, and she grabs some with the idea she’ll be able to buy dinner that night.  

In that singular moment, unassuming Birdie becomes the girl in everyone’s viewfinder. Thugs want to kill her. Money-guy wants to recruit her. The very hot, very rich and very out of her league, Grey Mathews, wants to save her.

Birdie, though, wants nothing to do with any of them, until she realizes fate didn’t bring them all together.

Her heritage did.

Now, with only twenty-one days left, she’s got to decide whether to follow in the footsteps of those before her or risk her life for people she’s only just met.

Welcome to the blog, Julie, and a HUGE congrats on your book! Can you tell us a bit about your road to publication?

Hiya! Thanks so much for having me.

Truthfully, I never know how to answer this question. I think it’s because being published still seems like an unattainable dream, and the fact my book is out doesn’t feel real to me yet! J  

The publication story is that I am blessed to have a group of writing friends, and I follow(ed) them around like a needy puppy ( I have no pride. I freely admit this) I watched what they did and took their advice. Some had success with a new publishing company (J Taylor) and encouraged me to submit my novel there. I did and was fortunate enough to get an email saying they loved it and agreed to accept the work for publication. Happy day! 

Who do you think Crux will appeal to?

Good question, and a hard one. There’s a ton of action, so adrenaline junkies might like it. The story has a little bit of a lot of elements: history, romance, suspense, mystery, violence (kitchen sink) *kidding* and some humor. I’m hoping that will appeal to a lot of different types of readers, maybe even a few guys. The story is on the short side at 285-ish pages, so even people who aren’t big readers won’t be put off the way they might for a mammoth volume. It’s a quirky little novel. Wait … what does that say about me? We better move on …

The premise of Crux is so unique—which is hella refreshing, by the way! Can you tell us what your inspiration was for writing Birdie?

Thanks! I read YA with my teenage daughters. We’re always swapping books around and discussing what we liked or didn’t like about the plot lines. The more we talked, the more ideas I got. I told my youngest who encouraged me to write a story for her to read. What the heck, right? Wrong. It sucked. Blew chunks, actually, but I kept at it. Then, one night, I had a funky dream, inspired by our work with the homeless in downtown Atlanta. That produced my third attempt at writing a book, and this one felt, I don’t know, different. My daughter shared it with her friends and they kept asking for more. Finally, I thought I’d written something that wasn’t half bad. I (we) really wanted my book to be different, the book we couldn’t find. I believe it is, and that was the goal.

What advice would you give to aspiring YA novelists?

Don’t query until you’re ready. I did this, so don’t be like me! LOL Most of us (Oops. I guess I’m speaking for you, too, unknown writer. Forgive me if you’re way smarter than I was and this is NOT you) get excited and want to share our story sooner than we ought. Oh sure, there are a few people out there who strike gold with their first story. Got nuthin’ but love for them, too. But that was not me and it’s not most of us. It’s important to hone your craft. Find critique partners, beg some people who are not family members to beta read and shred your manuscript for you. Listen when people tell you something is rotten in Denmark. If several folks tell you the end of your story is rushed, or your heroine is unlikable, or your plot drags … guess what? It’s not them, it’s you. Embrace the suck and rewrite. Your pride will suffer less in the end when the reviews start rolling in, I promise!

Can you tell us what’s next from Julie Reece?

Sure! I am editing a finished historical paranormal romance right now. This one has a lot more romance than Crux but as much adventure and action. I’m planning this book as the first in a series. (My first attempt at an ongoing storyline) I also have two half-written urban fantasies going and an idea for a contemporary romance in my head. All YA. Phew!

Query Letter Critique

Before we get started I want to point out that this query is for a memoir—it is hella awkward to critique a query for a memoir. This is stuff that actually happened! How can I critique what an author has to say about her own experience, especially this type of experience? Awkward. But the author did submit it for critique, and presumably knows what she’s in for, so I’m not going to tread lightly.  You've all been forewarned.  

Original Query Letter

Fifteen-year-old Amber Harville is a spitfire of a girl who’s as quick to throw a punch as she is to steal a kiss. When she’s kidnapped and raped, she puts up one hell of a fight, refusing to give in.

Her captor’s first mistake was choosing her as his victim. His second was letting her go.

She rushes to the police and three days later he’s caught. After meeting with her lawyer, she discovers her evidence was the key to capturing a serial rapist. Although revenge is never far from her mind, going to court becomes about so much more. It is now about protecting all his future victims.

While preparing for trial, she struggles to deal with the damage left behind. Amber puts on a brave face for the world, but the invisible scars leave her incapable of being touched. The one boy who tries almost gets a cheek full of knuckles. With the guidance of a youth pastor, her 'Sunday only' faith is challenged, and grows to a relationship full of healing.

A summer foreign exchange program comes at the perfect time. With the court date months away, a trip to Spain is exactly what she needs- a break from the pressures of the trial. The last thing she ever wanted was a gorgeous Spanish boy to awake her stone-cold heart. Now torn between staying in Spain for the school year with the boy she loves, or returning home to testify, she has to decide what is more important- protecting her heart or protecting other women from a monster.

PERFECTLY BROKEN is a YA narrative memoir complete at 68,000 words. Fans of THE DEVIL IN PEW NUMBER SEVEN by Rebecca Nichols Alonzo will be drawn to this story for its intense nature and compelling faith.

Statistics say one in five American women experience sexual assault in their lifetime, but over half of those crimes go unreported. I hope my story will help encourage more to come forward and seek justice. Thank you so much for your time and consideration. 

Query Letter After I Got My Grubby Paws On It

Fifteen-year-old Amber Harville is a spitfire of a girl who’s as quick to throw a punch as she is to steal a kiss. When she’s kidnapped and raped, she puts up one hell of a fight, refusing to give in.  Snappier without his last bit, imo.

Her captor’s first mistake was choosing her as his victim. His second was letting her go. Maybe it’s unjustified, but this almost feels like...I don't know, saying that a rapist is making a mistake if he doesn't kill his victim. Obviously that wasn't your intention, but it sort of reads that way. Or maybe I’m just crazy. That’s possible too. Anyway, I think you don’t really need this para or the next. I really like the contrast of tough girl versus vulnerable girl struggling to cope, that occurs when you put your opening para next to your third.

She rushes to the police and three days later he’s caught. After meeting with her lawyer, she discovers her evidence was the key to capturing a serial rapist. Although revenge is never far from her mind, going to court becomes about so much more. It is now about protecting all his future victims. <I would strongly reconsider ditching this whole para. It doesn’t really tell us anything integral about the story, besides that this guy is a serial rapist, which I think you can easily insert elsewhere in the query if you wanted. Going to the police, hiring a lawyer, thoughts of revenge—I don’t think this is the heart of your story, and I worry it’s been done before.

While preparing for trial, she struggles to deal with the damage left behind. While preparing for trial, Amber puts on a brave face for the world, but the invisible scars leave her incapable of being touched. The one boy who tries almost gets a cheek full of knuckles.<Me likey! With the guidance of a youth pastor, her 'Sunday only' faith is challenged, and grows to a relationship full of healing. <When I read this paragraph I thought ‘Ahh, now we’re getting to the heart of the story. But then in the next paragraph the story takes an abrupt turn and she’s off to Spain. For this reason, I question whether you need this last sentence at all, or whether the transition can be a bit more seamless.

A summer foreign exchange program comes at the perfect time. With the court date months away, a trip to Spain is exactly what she needs- a break from the pressures of the trial is exactly what she needs. The last thing she ever wanted was a gorgeous Spanish boy to awake her stone-cold heart. I would expand on this. This feels like where you book really starts. In the last para she was ready to feed a knuckle sandwich to any boy who dared to touch her. What makes this boy different? What’s their connection? How does he change her perspective on what happened, on her outlook/attitude towards the trial? Now torn between staying in Spain for the school year with the boy she loves, or returning home to testify, she has to decide what is more important- protecting her heart or protecting other women from a monster. Great!

PERFECTLY BROKEN is a YA narrative memoir complete at 68,000 words. Fans of THE DEVIL IN PEW NUMBER SEVEN by Rebecca Nichols Alonzo will be drawn to this story for its intense nature and compelling faith.

Statistics say one in five American women experience sexual assault in their lifetime, but over half of those crimes go unreported. I hope my story will help encourage more to come forward and seek justice. <I would move this paragraph up to before the title and word count para. I might also focus on statistics regarding teenagers and sexual assault, since you labeled this a YA memoir. How can your book help other teens who have gone through a similar experience? Thank you so much for your time and consideration.

This query is well written, and I have no doubt that the book is a compelling read that would be important to teens. My concern is that the query lacks focus. Just when I thought I knew where the story was going, the focus changed. It’s hard to give advice on this having not read the book, but I get the impression the ‘real’ story doesn’t start until the last paragraph, which also happens to be the paragraph that hooked my attention. It’s where your query really begins to take shape and look different from what’s already out there. I would zone in on this para and see what you can do there. 

But let's see what others have to say!

Good luck with query, and thank you so much for sharing this query with me!

Christmas in July Wrap-Up

Thank you SO MUCH to everyone who particpated in Christmas in July, from the gloriously talented authors, to the fantastic agents, to the hugely supportive writing community who retweeted this contest like mad. It was a huge success on all fronts. We had a massive number of entries (351!), the contest trended on twitter, there were 39 agent-requests made on 16 of the entries, and the contest resulted in at least two success stories so far: L.L. McKinney's COVETED has been snapped up by an agent, and Linda McLaren's THE SOUND CATCHERS is in the process. Another not-to-be-named entrant has a phone call scheduled with one of the agents this week--very promising!

To those entrants who didn't receive any requests, please don't be too discouraged. Your entry was among the top 30 of 351 fantastic entries. You're awesome. It's just a matter of time before an agent loves you as much as I do.

Some of you may have noticed the glitch on the blog that meant one of the entries didn't appear when you scrolled through the page, but was visible when you clicked on the side tab. Rest assured myself and all ten agents involved were apprised of the situation. No one was overlooked!

If you like pie charts and bar graphs (and let's be serious, who doesn't?) head on over to Ruth's blog to see some nifty contest stats.

Have I covered everything? Yes, I think so.

In summary, it was a huge endeavor and a lot of work, but most definitely worth it. Now, until next year, let me never utter the words 'Christmas in July' again!

Author out.

Christmas in July officially BEGINS!

It’s happening, yo!

Below are fifteen of the thirty winning entries for Christmas in July! (The other fifteen winners can be found over at Ruth Lauren Steven's blog).

Agents will be dropping by to make requests all week, beginning today. We respectfully ask that no one else comment on the entries until after July 25^th. Beginning July 26^th, or sooner if all the agents have made their requests before then, feel free comment away (bearing in mind the sandwich rule of criticism), and to congratulate the (hopefully) lucky authors.

Agents, there is no limit to the number of requests each manuscript can receive. So if you see that an entry already has a request for a full, please feel free to make a similar request of your own. We won’t mind J Requests can be made directly in the comment box for that entry.

Entrants, please remember to send off any material requested by Judith Engracia and Lucy Carson as soon as possible after the requests are made (Though, really, this rule should apply to all of the agent’s requests, as we all know authors shouldn’t query until they’re absolutely ready for an agent to immediately view their completed manuscript, right? RIGHT!)  

As a reminder, the participating agents are:

-Adriann Ranta of Wolf Literary Services

-Julia Churchill of The Greenhouse Literary Agency

-Stephen Barr of Writers House

-Vickie Motter of Andrea Hurst & Associates

-Judith Engracia of Liza Dawson Associates Literary Agency

-Carly Watters of P.S. Literary Agency

-Becky Vinter of Fine Print Literary Management

-Melissa Sarver of The Elizabeth Kaplan Literary Agency

-Molly Jaffa of Folio Literary Management

-Lucy Carson of The Friedrich Literary Agency

And so it begins J  

#15- Semitone- (YA romance with science fiction elements)

For the last few years, seventeen-year-old Andrew Prior has had moments where the world seems off, where he feels out of place—like the opposite of déjà vu. He doesn’t think much of it. Until he meets Madison Lawley.

He falls a little too hard for Madison over spring break. The two spend every day together until he has to go back to his fancy-schmancy music school. Then the world goes wrong again. And Madison disappears. 

No one will help Andrew find her. His friends think he’s crazy. They don’t remember the girl at all. Even her school doesn’t list her in their register.

His search leads him to Dr. Danielle Rossiter. Her theory: Andrew, like her, is a victim of the switch—a force that pulls people back and forth between alternate but very similar dimensions. He’s been trading places with another Andrew. The main difference between their worlds: there’s only one Madison.

Andrew’s caught in a bizarre love triangle, competing with himself. He must find a way to stay with Madison before the other Andrew figures it out first.

SEMITONE is a YA romance with science fiction elements. It’s ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS meets THE TIME TRAVELER’S WIFE and is complete at 84,000 words.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Laura Frazier
@sidekick555

First 500 words:

My first thought: I shouldn’t be here.

The train station was smaller than I expected. Two short rows of benches, a tile floor half-covered in dust. Rusted metal. Graffiti. I shifted my weight, finally letting Lacey’s suitcase drop. The clatter echoed down the single platform, and all I could think was how appropriately pathetic the scenery was.

Because she was breaking up with me.

Again.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I thought I’d be okay with the long-distance thing. But I’m not.”

My second thought: This is not happening.

My hands grew clammy and heavy, and suddenly felt very empty. You’d think I would have been used to the routine. But no.

It was also my third: This is not happening.

“Andrew? Say something.”

I took a breath. “You didn’t even try.”

“That’s not fair.” She reached for her duffel bag, clutching it against her side. “You’ve been gone so long. You have no idea what it’s like to go to parties alone. And now that I’ll be out of town for most of the summer anyway . . .” She swallowed and looked down at her feet. “I really don’t think it’s right to expect you to sit around and wait for me—”

I would wait. She knew that. I had only told her a thousand times. During late night calls that broke the rules. In texts and emails I sent during class. In the too-short dates over Christmas vacation. I had planned an entire summer of waiting. Alone. While she had her fun in San Francisco.

“—you know what I mean?”

An elderly lady sat on the first bench behind Lacey. She stared at me, eyes a little watery. I could almost make out the words, “poor dear,” on her lips as she patted her purse.

Lacey cleared her throat. “Did you hear me?”

We had been going strong for a whole month this round. I guess the third time’s not such a charm after all.

“Andrew?”

“Yeah. I heard you,” I said. “But I don’t get it, Lace. I mean—”

“It’s what we need right now.” Lacey had this hair that was super straight, blonde nearing on white. She twirled a strand in her fingers. It caught the light like spun glass. “And I really do hope we can be friends. As cliché as that sounds. I can’t imagine not being friends with you. Even if we’re not together together, we still belong together.” She turned her head for a second, wiping her eye.

“Don’t do this,” I said.

Her nose was red. She forced a smile. “I’ll always love you, Andrew Prior.”

“Just not enough to actually mean it,” I mumbled. “I guess I’ll leave then.”

“I’ll send you a postcard.”

“Great.” I turned toward the open door and trained my eyes on the parking lot outside. I wouldn’t break down this time. No punching walls. No sulking for days.

But oh, how I wanted to.

#14- Daze and Knights (YA romance)

Sixteen-year-old Jessica Jacobs is a super spy, a famous actress, and a princess.

Okay, not really. But she likes to daydream she’s all of those things and more. So when Jessica finds herself in a strange forest with a medieval knight aiming his sword at her throat, she thinks it’s just another daydream. Until she realizes that, 1) dude is actually causing her neck to bleed, 2) she never would have daydreamed herself into such a hideous dress, and 3) Zac Efron is nowhere in sight.

With no clue how to get home, Jessica has only one option: ride out her time in Crazy Medieval Land, even if that means working for the Count’s horrible daughter and doing her best to avoid Lord Purvis’s wandering hands.

It sucks being the peon instead of the princess.

But with whispers of a peasant revolt and Lord Pervy getting skeevier by the second, Jessica refuses to be a damsel in distress. She decides to learn sword fighting from Lord Alric, aka, knight-in-sexylicious-armor. Somewhere amidst the grueling hours of training, she falls for his chivalry and playful smile. Now Jessica must decide whether to keep fighting her way back to her family (and flushable toilets), or stay in a strange world for a chance at the kind of love found only in fairy tales.

Happily ever after was so much easier in her daydreams.

Daze and Knights is a 94,000 word YA romance novel. I have completed a sequel where Jessica's adventure continues in Virginia during the American Revolution.

I have included the first five hundred words as per the contest submission guidelines. Full manuscript is available upon request.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

Melanie Stanford

http://www.daydreamertowriter.blogspot.com/

First 500 words:

He was supposed to be my knight in shining armor. I glared at Blake Chapman around my locker door, wishing I could yank his shaggy blond hair out by the roots. Never mind that I used to daydream about running my hands through it, curling it around my fingers, and then pulling his face in for a kiss that would sweep me off my feet.

Daydreaming about Blake Chapman had been my national pastime for the last three years. His soccer-stud physique and cocky smile were enough to make me woozy. In a good way.

Too bad our one—and definitely only—date was just a scam. His reason for going out with me in the first place? And I quote,

“Hey, you think your friend Dani would go for me? She’s smokin’ hot.”

Ugh. So much for Prince Charming.

When I wouldn’t dish the dirt on Dani, pay for dinner, or give him any (in that order), he dumped me on the side of the road, four blocks from my house. Now he makes me woozy in an I-want-to-vomit kind of way.

Blake grabbed his backpack and headed down the hallway toward Algebra, oblivious of both me and my glare. I slammed my locker door shut and followed. Staring at the back of his head, I imagined lightning bolts shooting from my eyes and frying his perfect blond hair. I could almost hear the sizzle.

Inside our Algebra classroom, I slumped into my seat beside Dani.

“You okay?” she whispered, leaning over her desk toward me.

I grimaced in full-on vomit-worthy disgust.

“I can’t believe he did that to you.” Dani shook her head. “What a bunghole!” Her eyes flicked to Blake, who held his phone under the desk, probably playing Call of Booty.

“He wouldn’t do that to you,” I whispered back, trying to keep the bitterness from my voice.

Pulling my textbook from my backpack, I avoided looking in his direction.

“As if I’d go near the guy. Gag.” Dani glared daggers at him. My gaze involuntarily followed hers.

Blake glanced up and caught me looking. He smirked. Crap.

Flushing, I wrenched my eyes away. What a snake.

“Blake the Snake,” I hissed.

Dani leaned closer. “What?”

“Blake the Snake. That’s what I’m going to call him from now on.”

Dani snorted then tried to cover it up with a cough.

After class, Dani and I headed to the cafeteria. Inside, Blake’s voice was the first thing I heard.

“The girl just wouldn’t leave me alone. Can’t get enough of me, I guess.”

I turned slowly. He was lounging on top of the lunch table, a crowd of adoring morons hanging on his every word. “I practically had to push her off me.” Our eyes met and his cocky smile widened. “Sorry, Jessica,” he called out, silencing everyone in the cafeteria. I froze. “I just don’t like you like that. I go for girls who aren’t so...skanky.”

#13- The Break-Up Artist (YA contemporary comedy)

Some sixteen-year-olds babysit for extra cash. Some work at the Gap. Becca Williamson breaks up couples. 



After watching her sister get left at the altar, Becca knows the true damage that comes when people utter the dreaded L-word. For just $100 via paypal, she can trick and manipulate any couple into smithereens. With relationship zombies overrunning her school, and treating single girls like second class citizens, business is unfortunately booming. Even her best friend Val has resorted to outright lies to snag a boyfriend.

One night, she receives a mysterious offer to break up the homecoming king and queen, the one zombie couple to rule them all: Steve and Huxley. They are a JFK and Jackie O in training, masters of sweeping faux-mantic gestures, but if Becca can split them up, then school will be safe again for singletons. To succeed, she'll have to plan her most elaborate scheme to date and wiggle her way back into her former BFF Huxley’s life – not to mention start a few rumors, sabotage some cell phones, break into a car, and fend off the inappropriate feelings she’s having about Val’s new boyfriend. All while avoiding a past victim out to expose her true identity.

No one said being the Break-Up Artist was easy.

THE BREAK-UP ARTIST is a YA contemporary comedy that will appeal to readers of Kody Keplinger, as well as fans of MY BEST FRIEND’S WEDDING and MEAN GIRLS. It is complete at 64,000 words. Thank you for your consideration. 

Best,

Philip Siegel

http://www.philipsiegelwrites.blogspot.com/

http://inourwordsblog.com/tag/phil-siegel/

@FillupSeagull

First 500 words:

Couples are made to be broken. That’s what my sister Diane told me when I started my business, and she knows better than anyone. “Don’t get duped like I did, Becca,” she said almost a year ago, as she shoved her wedding dress into a garbage bag. She had had it designed to look like Kate Middleton’s, lace sleeves and everything. It’s a shame nobody saw her wear it.

Back in olden times, people were upfront about why they took the plunge. For land, for money, for children. Marriage was a business contract. That’s how it started, anyway. Farmers would marry off their sons and daughters in order to double their acreage. Society’s first corporate merger. Next were dowries, where brides came with a down payment. But history, as it always happens, was rewritten. The truth was washed away like a house in a flood, and in its place sprouted one vague excuse: love.

People use that word to go around and do what they please. They don’t have to worry about who gets hurt because it’s all in the name of love. Want to cheat on your wife, ditch your friends, commit a crime? No problem! Just use the L word, and it’s all forgiven. Love has no rules, no boundaries. It’s gone all these years unchecked. That doesn’t make it whimsical; that makes it dangerous.

I may not be an angel in all this. If you can’t handle my line of work, then go read Twilight. But let me ask you this: How many lives have been ruined because of love?

Who’s really the bad guy here?

Calista McTiernan looks away from the screen. Tears form in her eyes. The levee’s about to break. I wish I could reach through my computer and give her a hug. I hear these stories too often.

“She says nothing’s changed between us, but that’s such a lie.” Her blonde hair fans around her pea-sized head. Her hair’s the same shade as mine, but hers is real.

“Have you tried talking to her about it? Maybe patch things up before I move forward,” I ask in my best British accent.

She folds her knee up to her body and rests her chin. “I don’t get it. Bari’s my best friend. But once she started dating Derek, she became a different person. Last weekend, she had a house party, and she didn’t invite me. I didn’t find out about it until Tuesday. When I confronted her, she said it was a ‘couples-only’ thing, and I wouldn’t have liked it. Since when are there couples-only parties? I told her she was being a shitty friend.”

“And what did she say?”

Calista stares at the screen, her bottom lip quivering. Only the hissing of her radiator fills my speaker.

“She said ‘You just don’t understand because you’re single.’” Tears stream down Calista’s cheeks. She buries her face in her knee to compose herself.

I clench my lips together. I have to stay strong for my client.

#12- Washed Up (YA contemporary)

Seventeen-year-old Melia Dawson has been in and out of the Royal Alexander Center for Mental Health since she was six years old. Convinced she can breathe underwater, Melia has spent the majority of her young life waiting to complete her transformation into a mermaid. What her parents think are multiple suicide attempts, are actually Melia’s way of trying to begin her life, not end it. When a stunt at the local pool lands her back in the Center, she meets fellow patient Kass Mercer. To Melia, It seems like the stars have finally aligned; not only does Kass believe that she can breathe underwater, Kass thinks he can fly.  Somewhere between broken curfews and lame horror movies, Kass and Melia fall in love. Together they explore the boundaries of their supernatural abilities through skydiving lessons and late night swims, all while appeasing their therapist, Rick.

When a fellow patient dies unexpectedly, Melia begins to question whether she and Kass are special, or just sick.  Meanwhile, in hopes of curing Melia of her delusions, Rick sends her on a surprise trip to the ocean, where she can finally complete her transformation. When the experiment doesn’t go as planned, Melia sinks into depression, dragging Kass down with her. Together they teeter between reality and delusion as they struggle to accept themselves for who they truly are, before one of them pushes their limits too far.

WASHED UP is a contemporary young adult novel, complete at 57,000 words.

My debut novel, Second Hand Lace, is due for release April of 2013 by Turquoise Morning Press. My name is Jenna Lehne and I live in Calgary, Alberta with my husband and 2.5 dogs. 

Thank you for your time.

Jenna Lehne
@raddestgirlever

theprintingprincess.blogspot.ca

First 500 words:

My parents first had me committed when I was six years old. They found me in the pool, floating above the tiled bottom, with the pockets of my sundress filled with rocks. The second time, I was eleven and I jumped off the lower deck of the cruise ship we were holidaying on. My older brother tattled on me, even though he promised he wouldn’t. Now I am seventeen, and have just been dropped off at the Royal Alexander Centre for Mental Health for the third time in my short life. The process is the same; Mom hugs me, all tear-stained and snotty, my brother stares at me, his eyes brimming with tears as he wrings his ball cap, and Dad stays in the car. My doctor, Rick, an attractive man in his mid forties takes me to his office while an orderly puts my bags in a room, after undoubtedly searching them.

“Sit,” Rick orders as he points to a well-worn leather sofa. I obey, popping my sandal-clad feet on the coffee table, and unwrap a candy from an old-fashion jar. I take a deep breath, enjoying the familiar scent of the old books he stocks his shelves but doesn’t read. “I saw you last month; you were fine. What happened?”

“I just need to be in the water,” I murmur as I stare longingly at his aquarium.

If I were a fish none of this would be an issue.

“I know that,” Rick says as he reaches for a sucker. “But you also need to breathe.”

“I don’t,” I protest, feeling a sense of familiarity as we slip into a conversation we’ve already had. “I was only down there for six minutes. I would’ve come up if I knew they were there.”         

“You were in a public pool,” Rick replies. His forehead wrinkles as he begins to massage his temples. “The lifeguards found you floating face down in the deep end. Mothers wailed, kids screamed, people thought you were dead.”

“I was just trying to catch my breath,” I say as I rip the candy wrapper into confetti.

“You fought against the lifeguards when they tried to pull you out. You kept diving back into the water and swimming to the bottom. It took three of them to restrain you until your parents got there.” Rick’s blue eyes drill into mine, wordlessly asking for an explanation I’ve already given a hundred times.

I sit in silence, remembering the bliss of being underwater. The blue serenity of the pool was too much to ignore. I knew I wasn’t supposed to be around water unsupervised, but I just couldn’t help it. I had meant to come up before the morning swim class got there, but I lost track of time. I might have overreacted with the lifeguards—they were just trying to help—but they took me out too soon. People don’t understand that I need to be in the water.

#11- Black Lace and the Clock Tower (YA Camelot-punk romance)

Eighteen-year-old Vivienne doesn't care for being Guinevere's lady-in-waiting. It’s nothing against the future queen of Camelot; she’s rather lovely. Vivienne would simply rather take to Merlin's tower to learn about the mechanics of clockwork inventions. Especially now that Lancelot's new squire, Marcus, has captured Vivienne’s heart with his violet eyes and contagious energy. As it's a rather painful situation when the object of one's affection is about to take a vow of chastity, the clock tower is by far a preferred distraction.

But when the king’s sorceress sister, Morgan le Fay, threatens the kingdom, Vivienne is torn. Cursed by the sorceress, Merlin needs his apprentice’s help to create the perfect weapon: a revolutionary blend of steam-powered machinery and the mystical science of alchemy. Vivienne could help him build it, or she could give up on Camelot, return Marcus’s declaration of love, and run away with him instead. But if Marcus gives up on knighthood, Vivienne would be to blame for the consequences: disaster for Camelot and its only hope, the terrifying weapon that dwells in the secret catacombs, waiting to be awakened.

A YA Camelot-punk romance, BLACK LACE AND THE CLOCK TOWER is complete at 83,000 words. Please find the first 500 words pasted below as per the contest's submission guidelines. 

Thank you!

Kathryn Sheridan Kupanoff

@KatLoveBoho

http://www.kathrynrosewrites.blogspot.com

First 500 words:

When a mechanical falcon takes flight from Merlin’s tower, it means the sorcerer is bored or drunk on absinthe.

I wonder if anyone else in Camelot knows that.

Maybe I’m the only one who pays that much attention to the clock tower. Mechanical falcons aren’t exactly new, so why watch Merlin fly his? Well, it isn’t like the sorcerer will ever be completely satisfied with his invention, is it? He can tinker away at that thing until the latest hour of the night. But one day, perhaps it’ll be more than just a toy. How could I not want to watch the skies in that case?

The burgundy curtains of Merlin’s window tend to catch on the bird’s “feathers” on those days of boredom or intoxication. Today is no different. A long arm stretches the falcon out the window. From Guinevere’s chambers I can just make out rough, tattooed incantations from Merlin’s travels to The Holy Land on his forearm and wrist. The back of his hand flicks the machine into the air. I wait for the sorcerer to appear fully, a wind-up controller in hand with copper wires attached to the artificial brain.

Instead, a wire-free bird plummets to the ground.

“Extend!” Merlin calls, his voice deep and demanding of obedience.

I frown.

The shining wings crack, one plate at a time, to a span of nearly three feet. They catch the breeze and spread across the sky, steering upward without any help from their master.

My eyebrows lift in surprise. This is new.

I glance from my glass-and-copper viewer to the vanity in my lady’s dressing chambers, making sure I can steal a few more seconds of sky watching. Guinevere tugs at the gold skirt of her dress—a low-cut model from Lyonesse that initially shocked, before it captivated, the prudish subjects of Camelot—and resettles herself in front of her mirror as she whispers in a high-pitched voice to the bird cage next to her. A canary whistles back. She’s occupied. Perfect.

Outside, the falcon eclipses the setting sun.

“Return!”

From the valve on its head, steam whistles, identical to the telltale cawing of a real falcon. It swoops over the gardens, barely missing the violets before returning to the highest window in the castle where Merlin waits wearing a long, leather glove. For tradition, of course.

The curtain draws across the window and so I lower my viewer, my lips an incredulous smile I won’t be able to easily erase.

The falcon is wire-free.

Yes, that’s…remarkable. Some would see this as alarming, giving the sorcerer’s dangerous history with magic, but something tells me that isn’t—

“Vivienne?” calls Guinevere from the other room.

I’ve got my blonde hair caught around my fingers, twisting the tail of my braid into a knot. After three short months of being Guinevere’s lady-in-waiting, I know how she hates it when I play with my hair.

Clearing my face of any excitement, I pry my fingers loose.