Supernatural Reads and Suspenseful Writing
Everything for Spooky Season (plus TONS of writing links and resources!)
*For writing links and resources, scroll down*
Supernatural twins and old-timey Spiritualism? Yes, please!
I was scrolling Twitter last year when my eyes snagged on a tweet with the words "runaway twins" and "Spiritualist show." It was from author Amanda Glaze; she was announcing a book deal for her supernatural YA historical: The Second Death of Edie and Violet Bond.
I marked the book as something I would one hundred percent want to read, and I started following Amanda, who, as it turned out, is an incredibly interesting person: a YA author and an award-winning producer and co-producer of films such as Academy Award nominated The Big Sick and Emmy Award winning documentary The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling.
And, guess what, The Second Death of Edie and Violet Bond (which comes out Oct. 4), was inspired by her real-life life great-grandmother Edith Bond and her twin sister Violet, who were devoted lifelong Spiritualists.
I just received my Advanced Reader Copy and am excited to start reading. I was also excited to do an interview with Amanda, in which she talks about how Spiritualism was connected to the Women’s Movement, the steps she took to research, write, and query her novel, and her thoughts on whether her novel might ever become a TV series. Read the full interview here: A Spirited Debut: Interview with YA author Amanda Glaze.
(Also, say what you want about Twitter, but I’ve met some pretty awesome people on there!)
Oh yeah, there’s free stuff!
I would be remiss if I didn’t let you know about the preorder campaign! Send in your sales receipt or library request for The Second Death of Edie and Violet Bond by Sunday, October 9th and receive some amazing preorder goodies including a gorgeous art print of Edie & Laws by E.K. Belsher, a Spirit Medium’s Guide to the Herbs of Death, as well as a signed and customized bookplate, and bookmark. Find more information and submit your receipts on Amanda's website.
That’s so sus!
I have a new course coming soon — and just in time for spooky season! It’s called:
Souped-Up Suspense: How to write a super-twisty mystery, thriller, or suspense novel.
If you’re writing/revising a mystery/thriller/horror, or if you’re looking to add more page-turning suspense to your manuscript, this do-it-on-your-own-time course is for you. The first lesson (in both written and audio format) will be emailed to paid subscribers on Friday, October 14.
The lessons are as follows:
Lesson 1: Shady Characters: How to use characterization and narration to increase suspense
Lesson 2: Twisty Plots: How to create plots that keep the pages turning and the readers guessing.
Lesson 3: Setting the Mood: How to use setting to up the suspense.
Lesson 4: Inside Your Main Character’s Mind & Body: How to use your character’s physical and mental reactions to increase suspense.
(Paid subscribers also have lifetime access to my other online writing courses: Cultivating a Regular Writing Routine and Getting Started on Your Novel.)
Let me gush for a second…
In Souped-Up Suspense I use many examples from lots of different books, but my favorite paranormal suspense author, Jennifer McMahon, makes quite an appearance in the examples. If you want to learn how to write creepy suspenseful thrillers, or if you just want to curl up with a spooky page-turner on Halloween night, might I recommend some of my Jennifer Mc Mahon favorites?
The Invited (A twist on the classic haunted house story.)
The Drowning Kind (Never did you think a backyard pool could be this terrifying.)
The Winter People (Her most famous book, with good reason. Don’t read this at night while alone in your house. Trust me.)
I’m such a McMahon fan that several years ago I wrote a blog post: Every Jennifer McMahon Paranormal Suspense Novel: RANKED, but her two most recent books aren’t on here.
Writing News & Resources
For All Writers:
Want to finally finish that novel? Need help staying accountable to your writing goals? I offer accountability coaching at a very reasonable price. Plus, paid subscribers receive 50% off 3 months of coaching — ask me how!
Apply for the Writing Workshops Dublin (happening Spring 2023). Spots in both fiction and nonfiction. Apply by October 15!
Looking for a writing mentor? The Authors of Tomorrow #CoachHunt is coming up on November 19. Writers pitch their story ideas on Twitter or Google Forms to a panel of coaches, who reach out to writers if they are interested in their story and want to mentor them.
All-writer-voted and open to all, Sixfold’s three-round manuscript voting is trigorous, thorough, fair, and transparent. To create each issue, hundreds of writers vote to select the best fiction and poetry manuscripts. $5 to enter and $1000 in prizes for the best story and poem. Enter by Oct. 24.
I have not watched this yet, but I intend to because I’m very curious: 24 Hacks for Focusing on Writing from Erica Davis and Pipeline Artists.
Globe Soup if offering a historical fiction short story challenge. Sign up by October 28 and get randomly assigned a period of history to use as the setting for a story.
For all you poets, Winning Writers is hosting the Tom Howard/Margaret Reid Poetry Contest. Deadline Sept. 30 and $8,000 in prizes.
Looking for a way to do more writing and join a community of other writers? Join Jana Van der Veer for #ZoomWriteIn, every Monday through Friday from 8-9am Eastern. No cameras on. Just writing with other writers.
Check out the NYC Midnight 250-word Microfiction Challenge. Based on a randomly assigned prompt, write a super short story in 24 hours. There are multiple rounds, and everyone gets feedback from the judges. You’ll be amazed what you can produce when the pressure’s on and you’ve paid to compete. The challenge starts November 18, and there’s early-bird pricing from now until October 13.
Looking for a critique partner? Savvy Authors is now offering a free CritMatch Program to help match-make authors looking for feedback partners.
International Literary Seminars is launching a unique and intensive series of workshops, lectures, and cultural offerings. Apply for this year’s program, held in Kenya (application deadline Oct. 15), and check out the website for contests, fellowships, and other offerings.
For KidLit Writers:
Working on a YA novel? The Voyage YA First Chapters Contest deadline is coming up on September 30!
Working on a Middle Grade novel? We Need Diverse Books is sponsoring a mentorship program in Middle Grade writing. Apply by September 30!
Mark your calendars for YALL Fest, the YA Book Festival happening in Charleston, SC November 11-12.
Confused about what differentiates YA from Middle Grade or Middle Grade from chapter books? What about upper versus lower MG or New Adult? Read my passionate blog post: Kidlit Genres Explained: Middle Grade, YA, New Adult, & More
The Writer’s Center is offering a Zoom class on Writing Picture Books, starts September 29.
For Querying Writers:
If you have the bandwidth for it, check out this insanely comprehensive spreadsheet of successful queries. Learn the details and read the actual query letters for books that got agent representation.
Every Friday, Operation Awesome offers one free query critique through their #QueryFriday contest.
Read Nathan Bransford’s latest query critique then nominate your query letter and/or your first page for a critique on his blog!
The Pass or Pages Query Contest will be held October 3-7. Win feedback from agents about whether they would pass or request pages based on your query. Free!
The Savvy Authors Pitch Fest will be held October 26-28. Pitch in an online forum to agents and editors (for free)!
Submission is open from now until Nov. 4 for the Blue Pencil Agency Pitch Prize. I don’t know much about this, but might be worth looking into. Entry fee is £12.
The querying trenches are rough right now, and Twitter pitch parties can feel like shouting into the void with thousands of other screaming writers, but still, it’s a way to meet other writers and it certainly doesn’t hurt to try. (After all, I found my agent through a Twitter pitch party. I am now an official success story!) So mark your calendar for these upcoming Twitter pitch parties. And be sure to read my article 13 Things to Know About Twitter Pitch Events.
October 20: #PitDark — Twitter pitch for all unagented authors of horror, mystery, thriller, paranormal, and anything else with a “dark” vibe.
November 3: #MoodPitch — Twitter pitch for all genres… and you get to include a “mood board” that communicates the vibe/aesthetic of your book. This is the Twitter pitch contest that got me my agent!
Writing Conferences:
Mark your calendar for Daniel David Wallace’s online plot summit, Escape the Plot Forest, happening October 22-25. More info coming soon.
The YALL Fest, the YA Book Festival is happening in Charleston, SC November 11-12.
The Women’s Fiction Writer’s Association will hold their annual conference October 12-15 in beautiful, historical Old Town Alexandria, Virginia.
This year the Writing Day Workshop “How to Get Published” Conferences will be held virtually. I attended one of these conferences in person a few years ago in Philadelphia, and I thought it was fantastic. I can’t vouch for the virtual version, but there are some benefits: recorded classes, no travel expenses, attend in your comfy pants. Plus, you can sign up for Zoom pitch sessions with agents for $29 a piece. Check out the upcoming conferences (and remember, anyone can attend from anywhere; just keep the time zone in mind).
Registration is now open for the ginormous AWP Conference (Association of Writers and Writing Programs). It’s being held in March 2023 in Seattle, which is one of my favorite cities. Go as an excuse to visit Seattle. Go to check out the enormous book fair, filled with representatives from lit mags and small presses. Heck, go for the dance party because nothing is more awkwardly fun than a bunch of introverted and tipsy writers busting a move.
For more writing conferences, check out this list or this list of 19 Writing Conferences for Emerging and Established Writers.
Nice, very rich issue Eva! ❤️🤗😘😍👏
Aw, thanks!