Let's hear it for the B team!

Just wanted to post a little update...

I know tons of people are always wondering "What's Natasja up to these days?" (Okay, I know that doesn't really happen, but when you're a creative fiction writer, you can imagine just about any old thing that pops into your head.)

Anyway, lately I'm been doing a lot of beta reading for other unpublished authors, which is actually a very interesting and rewarding experience. Funny enough, it gives you a pretty good idea where you sit on the quality scale. There are some authors out there that I would say have some work to do before they get to my level, but there are certainly a lot that are way better than me. It's a learning experience and the more I do, the more aware I am of how I write and how to better myself.

By the same token, I've been having a few of my novels beta read as well which is... well also interesting and rewarding, but it's hard. I know, it doesn't sound like it's hard to just have someone read what you've written but trust me, it is. When you love something as much as I love my books, it's sometimes hard to hear any negative thing about them. On the other hand, it's also twice as rewarding to hear good things about them.

So between the beta reading, the editing, and trying desperately to finish writing a book, I haven't had a lot of time for my blog. But I'm still here and it's still here and I'll update it when I have time for it I guess.

Interested in all this beta reading jazz? Hit me up!

- Natasja

Here's to Making Up Words

I haven't posted in a while, mostly because of reasons,* but I do apologize. To make up for that, I would like to share about how I recently have been introduced to the concept of listicles. What is a listicle? It is an article made up of a list (or lists), solely for the purpose of posting something easy, light, and entertaining. Supposedly, I should write a listicle if I'm having trouble coming up with things to post. (Oops. Was I not supposed to mention that?) So, without further ado, here are some lists for you!

Things I have been reading lately:

1. Overqualified by Joey Comeau (A hilarious set of overly truthful cover letters)

2. Personal Days by Ed Park (A novel about a bunch of people who work in an office)

3. Call Me Mrs. Miracle by Debbie Macomber (Yes, it's a Christmas book and I'm not even ashamed that I watched the movie afterwards)

4. City Love by Susane Colasanti (Yes, I do read a number of books at the same time)

5. The Cage by Megan Shepherd (Come on now, no one said I couldn't do that)

6. The Accidents of Style by Charles Harrington Elster (Everyone in every vocation should read this)

Things I have been writing lately:

1.

2.

3.

4. This list.

It's true. I've spent much more time reading than writing. I mean, that list would be at least twice, if not three times as long if I included all the books I read to my son on a daily basis. But I'm not discouraged. Sometimes I need to do a good clean sweep by reading a lot of outside writing and then I can get back into my own stuff with a fresh mind. Anyway, there we have it. A listicle!

- Natasja

*Reasons include: being a bookaholic mommy and librarian.

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.

I'm not trying to hide... not too much, anyway.

Today's post is all about My Best Friend's Brother/The Summer I Turned Into A Girl and where exactly you can find this book. If you haven't yet had a chance to read it, there are places it can be found for free, my friends. And if you're still interested in buying it, there are also several places to do that.

1. I always have copies. If you live remotely close to me, you can get your hands on a copy from me. I will sell you copies (usually for a discounted price) and I will sign it. And if I'm feeling particularly generous, I may even just lend you a copy.*

2. My local library carries a couple copies of it. Library cards are free, and so is borrowing books.

3. Various friends and family members have copies of my books, so if you are friends with them, just ASK. If they don't have a copy on hand, they can still get you a copy from me. Keep in mind that I have friends and family near where I live, and in various parts of the States.

4. I think some people in the UK bought my book. I don't actually know who, but it's kind of cool to know it's traveled that far. 

If all that fails, there's the online stuff:

5. The CreateSpace store has it, of course.

6. Amazon.com is currently offering it at a discounted price.**

7. Lastly, please keep in mind that my book is on Goodreads. If you've read it and know someone else who has read it, could you kindly take the time to rate and/or review it? Thank you so much.

- Natasja

*I also have a copy in my bathroom, so feel free to come over and... I don't know, use the bathroom?

**Do me a favour, would you? If you see some clowns trying to sell my book for $145.27, please let me know. Thanks.

The Problem With Published Books

Yesterday as I was driving home from work, I passed by a place called "Baker Animal Clinic." A quick series of thoughts brought me to the conclusion that "Baker" was either the last name of the person who had opened the clinic or the name of the person the clinic should honour. And then I thought, "Hey, Baker would be a great name for a Jessica!" The reason I thought this was that I had a really hard time naming Jessica Carol from My Best Friend's Brother, who originally started out as Jessica Smith.

That's when it occurred to me that this is probably the biggest problem with finally, finally having a published book - I can no longer change anything. I mean, yes, I could always go back and fix the two mistakes that are contained in those pages (if you caught them and didn't say anything, then I thank you for your abundant kindness), but to change a character's name would be too suspect. It would say to the world, "This author didn't really know what she (or he) was doing."

Of course, now that I've publicly exposed that one truth, you might be thinking that anyway.* And I can't say I blame you. I mean, sometimes I'll read a book and think, "Man, I would have changed this or that before publishing." But it's too late, and there's no going back, not after a whole bunch of people have already read it. Which is why I have my faithful pre-readers, of course. I'll be honest with you - they do all the hard work. My sister points out every typo or grammatical error, my sister-in-law has no problem telling me when things make no sense to her, and my best friend tells me, "This is delightful! ... But that's kind of weird." And they really mean it in the nicest way, which is the great part.

But once it's published, it's pretty much stuck like that. Sure, you can add something for a later publication, an appendage or author's note. You just can't change names or events. You shouldn't need to, of course, but I could see many authors thinking back to older works and having a hundred what-ifs running through their minds. It's awful, but on the other hand, it certainly does a lot to improve my writing skills. It tells me what things I would or wouldn't do in the future. So I guess my "problem" with published books is still something I can use to my advantage.

- Natasja

*To be clear, once I'd named her "Jessica Carol" I was perfectly happy with this choice and wouldn't change it now, even if I could.