Less Than Perfect preview

Hi all!

You may remember me talking in the past about a book I have called Less Than Perfect. I wrote this book a good seven years ago and my writing has a evolved a lot. However, I've decided to let people read it, so I've started uploading it to Wattpad. You can find it here.

I will try to upload at least a chapter a week (unless it becomes more popular or something). So please do check it out.

While you're on Wattpad, check out my friend's book, Sold to a Wolf Pack. (Werewolves but no vampires.)

Happy reading!



-Natasja

Knockout Girl

I've spoken a lot in the past about a book I have called Less Than Perfect. It's a book I wrote a few years ago that I hope to one day have published (either traditionally or self-published). However, I've been rethinking it and reworking it and it's just not ready to go anywhere yet. But that's okay! I have plenty of other books and today's post is actually about one of those.

Knockout Girl is a new young adult novel that I finished writing a few months ago. It's about a girl named Elli who is forced to move from Hawaii to Toronto in the dead of winter. Although she's rather resistant at first, she makes friends with Julian, who she discovers is being used as a punching bag for the school's boxing champion, Red. Elli quickly realizes the only way to get this guy off her friend's back is to beat him at his own game. With the help of a cute jock, a sweet tattooed loner, and Elli's burnt out boxing champion uncle, she and Julian enter a boxing tournament where Julian will have to face his bully in the ultimate showdown.

Why I love this story so much is because, for starters, Elli is hilarious. She's moody, sassy, and generally unhappy with her life, which somehow comes across in the funniest of ways. Once she learns that living in Canada is not the end of the world, however, she becomes a pretty good friend to Julian. (Just friends.) Julian is a perfect counter-part to Elli's narration - he's calm, cool, and collected. He's smart and and a self-admitted loner. But he's also compassionate to Elli's plight in having to be the new girl in school and in a new country.

This story isn't just about bullying or how two people learned how to beat someone up. It's a coming-of-age story about finding friendship in unlikely places and having courage in the face of adversity. I don't want to give away the ending,* but I will say that before Julian even fights Red, he's already won in the eyes of his peers.

So there it is! This story is already being sent around a little bit. With a few minor tweaks, it would be ready for publication. If I can't find a publisher or agent who wants to take it on, I'll do it myself, because I really believe in this book. (My mom says it's great, so obviously it is.) No matter what, I'll see this manuscript turn into a book.

- Natasja

*Interested in finding out what happens? Ask about being a beta reader.

The way things are (Or why I can feel the train more than hear it)*

I realize I haven't been around much since my last post in January. Truth be told, I haven't written much of anything since then. This has got to be my lowest word count in a period since I wrote Less Than Perfect three years ago. Yup, that's right. I started writing LTP around this date in 2010 and did little of anything else until it was finished.

But lately, I've barely even looked at any of my books, let alone added much to them. Call it the winter blues, call it stress, call it poor time management. The fact is that I have been wasting a lot of my free time, something that I am loathe to admit to myself (though I feel oddly comfortable admitting in a public forum).

Fear not, however! Guilt at not letting my characters progress in their stories and not giving my readers something to read is a huge motivator for me. So I've decided not to give myself any excuses for not writing. Yes, I have to work, but so does everyone and other people find time in their lives for the things they love. Which means I have to cut out a lot of the other time-wasting things I do, pull my socks up, and get to it!

And so, with these thoughts in my mind, I will put on some motivational music and leave you with these immortal words:

 

- Natasja

*I've recently moved to an area where a train goes by quite frequently. (Although in my town, they go by pretty much anywhere, but this one is basically in my backyard). However, the tracks not being close to any roads, they never actually signal that they're coming. So every once in a while, my little slice of Heaven** turns into an earthquake zone.

**Not an actual slice of Heaven.

2013 (Or, Why the World Didn't End)*

I've never put a great deal of effort into celebrating the birth of a new year, but that doesn't mean I don't remark on time passed. I guess I don't find it as significant an event as others, but it is still fun to say that I've lived in two different millennia. And of course, I got a kiss from my husband at 12am. (12:01 by my clock, but who's keeping track?)

Nonetheless, I have to say that I had a pretty fantastic 2012. What did I do again? Oh yes, published a book, got married, and upgraded my job. But that was just my summer... (You'll have to forgive me my tiny moment of bragging.)

After all that, however, I'm still hoping for another fantastic year and years to come. My husband asked me what resolutions I was making, and I told him none.** Though maybe I should be more honest and say this: I still plan to send out Less Than Perfect to publishers, but if none choose me by the end of the year, I will publish it on my own. And that, my loyal readers, if my promise to you.

Happy New Year to you all. I hope 2013 is your best year yet!

- Natasja

*You were seriously worried, weren't you?

 

**I also ascertained that there are two types of people when it comes to New Year's: those who make resolutions and don't keep them, and those who don't make resolutions and don't have to worry about failure. I am the latter.

Less Than Perfect Preview - Cover

As promised, here is the cover of Natasja's new book, "Less Than Perfect." It's still in its final stages of tweaking, but this is what it will basically look like. A big thank you goes out to Michelle for all the hard work she did, even though she's currently working on her own projects. And also, thank you to Joel and Eli. Keep checking back for a new preview!

 

 A little side note from Natasja:

I would just like to let you all know that I'm re-evaluating my priorities. Trying to find the time to write lately has become a challenge. I work two jobs and it feels like when I'm not working, I'm always giving my time to someone else. That's not to make myself sound like a saint, because saints don't generally complain about things and well... I do. But that's besides the point. What I'm trying to say is that I will try my very hardest to keep writing, because that's what I love. But if things go slow, please know that it's not you - it's me. That's all :)

- Natasja

Stay Tuned...

Look out, friends! The grand unveiling of the cover of Natasja's brand new novel, Less Than Perfect, is coming! Check back next Friday, September 28th for a first look!

Things I Like To Write About

I thought, for those of you that might be even vaguely interested, I would share some of the things I like to write about. So, here is a concise list of some themes, characteristics, settings, or other elements that I like to incorporate into my stories.

Love

For anyone that knows me, they'll tell you this is a pretty major theme of mine. In fact, I told my husband the other day that I couldn't think of a single story I've written or started that "doesn't have kissing in it." This was followed with him telling me that he could only think of two books he'd read that had kissing in it - one of which was mine. I should mention, however, that I don't always write about those kinds of relationships; I also like to delve into the love shared between siblings, friends, or children and their parents. See? It's not all about kissing!

Space Ships

It may surprise you to learn that I have a special affinity for sci fi, especially really technical stuff. I love space ships, and I have to admit that I have a few stories that involve space ships or even take place on space ships. But more on that later...

Orphans

There's a special soft spot in my heart reserved for children who have no home and no family. There's something just so sad about it - it's almost callous to say that I feel very inspired by such dire circumstances. Having said that, my aim is not to make anyone feel bad, but rather, I like to explore what it would be like for such a character to not know where he or she is from and how they would deal with it.

Music
Being a music-lover and musician myself, it's only natural for me to include that in my writing. In fact, if you're looking forward to the publication of my new novel, Less Than Perfect, then you should know that there will be plenty of music involved in it. Yes, it is very difficult to write music into words, but I'm hoping I've done a good job of it. Plus, it's never really about the music itself, but about how the characters use music, how they grow in it, and bond over it.

Flaws
No one loves a perfect character. Why? Because they're boring, annoying, and generally too unbelievable to tolerate. When a character has flaws, it makes them real and more rounded. It gives them obstacles, something to overcome. In the same way, no one wants to read a perfect storyline. Sure, we all get mad while reading Pride and Prejudice, thinking, "Aren't they just ever going to get together?" But without all that tension, and the obstacles placed in their way, there would never be a good storyline. No one would read a book that simply said, "They met each other, fell in love, and then got married." Or "They found a treasure map, looked for the treasure, found it easily, and lived happily ever after." Or "He was born, lived a good, full life, and then died of natural causes." Or... I think you catch my drift.

There are other things that influence my writing, such as the town I live in, the people I know, the places I've been to, and random things I come across every day. That's not to say that any of what I write is autobiographical - and if you've read My Best Friend's Brother, then you should already know that. But it's easy to take what you know and what you've experienced and put it into a character's personality or situation.

So there you have it. A little insight into my world of writing.

- Natasja

News - Less Than Perfect

Less Than Perfect is a young adult novel you can look forward to reading in early 2013. While completely different from My Best Friend's Brother/The Summer I turned Into A Girl, you'll recognize Natasja's handiwork in the narrative and themes involved in the book.

The book follows fourteen very different high-schoolers who start a band together and form an unlikely bond. Readers will fall in love, cry, laugh, and hope for the best as Trey, D-rock, Claire, Marty, Chloe, Meg, Rach, Max, Hacks, Bryan, Harmony, Amber, Corbie, and TK find themselves in a world where fitting in is the only way to survive high school. As their stories progress, however, they discover that fitting in doesn't mean as much to them as the meaningful relationships they create.

Readers will find themselves drawn to the lives of these realistic and relatable characters, and they may even find themselves wanting to make decisions right along with the gang -whether good or bad. And when the band members finally pull themselves together for their finale, everyone will be rooting for their success.

Be sure to check back regularly for more information and previews of this incredibly fresh book later on!