Nicki Elson's Not-So-Deep Thoughts

It's cover reveal time! This time it's for Jennifer Lane's upcoming New Adult novel, Blocked . Because Jennifer and I are close writing buds, I got to be a pre-reader of this story, and let me tell you, it's so much more than regular college romance. These two co-eds not only have the pressure of being varsity volleyball players, they're the offspring of presidential hopefuls---in opposing parties. The story isn't afraid to address hot button issues, and it does so in a way that truly respects both sides, not something we see that often in politics anymore (or ever, really). But the main focus is the unlikely romance. The politics are woven into the narrative in a way that never detracts from, only adds to, the relationship's development. I fell in love with both of the leading lady and man. Lucia is so sweet and endearing, completely relatable and huggable, and Dane at first seems like a typical college jock...but then we find out he has a heart as soft a...

Pop the bubbly for sassy trollop Rumer Haven as she celebrates the release of her debut novel, Seven for a Secret ! The story goes back and forth between the Roaring Twenties when the “New Woman” was born and the modern Noughties when she really came of age. Lucky me got ahold of an advance copy and spent an entire weekend thoroughly engrossed in this suspensful and romantic tale. Read my full 5 star review at Goodreads Now for my revealing one-question interview with Rumer: If you had to choose one song that best captures the essence of Seven for a Secret , what would it be and why?  What a fun question. :) If I had to choose one song, I instinctively think of "Tonight You Belong to Me" by The Bird and the Bee. As a modern-day cover of a 1920s song, it's the perfect bridge between the past and present story threads and what I could hear playing as the final scene fades to credits if Seven for a Secret were a movie. The 1926 original features in the stor...

I'm tacking onto to yesterday's post for this month's contribution to Insecure Writer's Support Group ( brainchild of Alex J. Cavannaugh . Visit Alex and the IWSG website to learn more about the group, join it & find the full list of participants ). This month I'm wondering about sub-genre mixing. What I'm wondering is---can readers handle it? It seems like guidelines for genres and sub-genres have become more like rules, and when they're broken, readers act like something is wrong rather than simply different. Since my first novel was published over four years ago, I've become aware that many readers believe certan things shouldn't coexist in a book. Sex and religion, for example. This sincerely confuses me because sex and religion coexist in many, many, many people's lives, so why shouldn't those real-life aspects be merged in a book? But if readers don't like them together, should I refrain from mashing them in future stories I ...

To describe Broken Branch Falls by Tara Tyler in one word: delightful . To describe it in a lot of words... Gabe the Goblin's life isn't really all that different from that of the average teen---grappling with the cliques at school, feeling like he doesn't quite belong where everyone expects him to be, and crushing on the unattainable girl. I adored the little touches added to the Broken Branch world, like Looky Links and MeStar, that make it like our world but with a silly twist.Tara balances Gabe's teen angst with wry humor that made me like him immediately, and I kept that connection with him the whole way through the story, even when his circumstances became very different from anything human teens have to deal with.  What starts out as fun, teen hijinks takes a surprising turn when Gabe finds out that his peaceful little town is a lie...sort of. And if he doesn't do something, it's going to disappear. Here's where the story takes off on a ...

Hey, hey, here we are at the last installment of Ask the Acquisitions Editor with CK Wagner, acquisitions editor with Omnific Publishing . I'm so glad you've all been enjoying it as much as I have. If you missed any of the earlier posts, you can find them here: Importance of online presence, etc. Query letter do's & don'ts Manuscript Turn-ons & Turn-offs We'll finish up this series with questions from Nick & Donna regarding the type of stories she's looking for:   Nick: Are you looking for fresh ideas? Is another vampire story a turn off or turn on? CK: We are definitely looking for fresh ideas that embrace our “Romance without Rules” tagline. This is bearing in mind, however, that there is nothing new under the sun. Every story will have elements that have been done before, but the way those elements are mixed and matched (and told through an engaging sense of voice) can create a special X-factor that does set a story apart and mak...

Kyra Lennon is wrapping up her blog tour to celebrate the release of her latest addition to the Game On series, Sidelined , and I get to be a stop today. The question I typically ask authors goes a little something like this: If you could choose one song that best captures the essence of Sidelined , what would it be and why? She's already answered this question in her tour post over at Alex J. Cavannaugh's place last week, so I shall send you to there  for the full answer. But I'll give you the video here. Kyra says "How Long will I Love You" actually makes a good fit for the entire Game On series. Go on, stop over at Alex's to find out why. ~.~.~.~.~ At the age of twenty-one, Bree Collinson has more than she ever dreamed of. A handsome husband, a fancy house, and more shoes than Carrie Bradshaw and Imelda Marcos combined. But having everything handed to her isn’t the way Bree wants to live the rest of her life. When an idea to better herse...

CK Wagner is back to answer more of your acquisitions questions. CK is an acquisitions editor at Omnific Publishing  (yes, the Omnific Publising that just signed a sweet deat with Simon & Schuster ). For previous Ask the Acquisitions Editor posts, see: Importance of online presence, etc.   Query letter do's & don'ts And now we get down to today's nitty gritty regarding manuscripts. Jackie: You've read the first chapter of a manuscript... what makes you want to keep reading and what would make you pass? CK: We’re always looking for something fresh and non-formulaic. If we feel like a story’s premise or voice doesn’t offer anything new or intriguing, it’s risky to take a chance on; so much goes into bringing a book into being that it has to be worth everyone’s time and effort. We’re even less inclined if we can’t authentically connect to the protagonist and situation straight away due to shallow character and conflict development. One-dimensional charac...