It has been almost a year since the release of Jennifer Archer’s Through Her Eyes, and she will soon have a paperback birthday and another book release to celebrate. Jennifer has also been involved in a fantastic collaborative blog, ADR3NALIN3. She was kind enough to stop by to share how her writing community has impacted her work.
ADR3NALIN3 was the brainchild of author Jordan Dane. If you don’t know Jordan’s work, you should definitely check it out. She writes YA and adult suspense novels. Her first Young Adult book is IN THE ARMS OF STONE ANGELS. It was released in April of 2011, followed by her second YA, ON A DARK WING, in January 2012. Jordan wanted to get together a group of authors that write dark YA to blog about writing, reading and books. When she asked me to participate, I jumped at the chance! I love Jordan’s stories and I have always admired her dedication to connecting with readers, other writers, and the writing community in general.
Although I was excited to join the group, I admit that I was also a little nervous. I’ve never participated in a collaborative blog before and I wasn’t sure what to expect. I have a difficult enough time keeping up with my own blog! But when Jordan told me the names of the authors that were already on board, I knew I had to do it. I think we are a good, diverse mix. We all write assorted types of dark YA, have varied writing styles, and are at different stages in our writing careers. I think that, together, we have a lot to offer readers in the way of information about the writing life and storytelling in general. And I knew I could learn from this group – the seasoned publishing veterans, obviously, but also the newly published or about-to-publish authors. They see the business and craft of writing with a fresh perspective that is energizing. And their excitement and enthusiasm is contagious! It reminds me how lucky I am to get to do the work I love, despite the frustrations that sometimes accompany this profession.
I’ve already told you a little about Jordan Dane, but let me introduce you to the others: We have Brett Battles, who writes the Jonathan Quinn thriller series; Ilsa J. Bick, author of ASHES, the first book in her YA apocalyptic thriller trilogy, and DROWNING INSTINCT, a gritty, YA contemporary; Michelle Gagnon, whose first novel in the Young Adult trilogy DON’T TURN AROUND comes out this year, followed by the stand-alone YA novel STRANGLETS in May of 2013; Dan Haring, whose YA novel OLDSOUL will be published April 24th, 2012; A.G. Howard, author of SPLINTERED, a YA urbanized gothic spinoff of ALICE’S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND that will debut this Fall; Wendy Corsi Staub, whose YA paranormal series LILY DALE has been optioned for film by Freemantle Productions; Carol Tanzman, author of the contemporary YA thrillers DANCERGIRL and CIRCLE OF SILENCE, to be released in August, 2012 by Harlequin Teen; and, finally, me – my debut YA THROUGH HER EYES was released in April of last year, and my next YA, THE SHADOW GIRL, will be published next year.
In addition to ADR3NALIN3, I stay involved with the online writing community through Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads and several loops for writers in conjunction with organizations such as YARWA. Writing is such an isolated profession, and only another writer can truly understand the joys and frustrations, problems and dilemmas that come with the work. The internet is a true blessing for writers to connect and not only encourage and commiserate with one another, but also to brainstorm about craft and share information about the business of publishing and promotion.
I’m also really fortunate that I have plenty of opportunities for regular face-to-face interaction with other writers. The Texas Panhandle, where I live, has a fairly large population of writers for such a sparsely populated area. We always joke that there’s not much else to do up here, so we are forced to retreat into our imaginations for entertainment! I meet with a writing critique group once per week, and I count myself lucky to be a part of such a talented, successful group of professionals. There are five of us, including adult NY Times bestselling suspense author Linda Castillo, and A.G. Howard who, as I’ve already mentioned, is the author of the soon-to-be-released YA novel SPLINTERED, and who also blogs for ADR3NALIN3. The two other members, Marcy McKay and April Redmon, aren’t published yet but I’m confident that’s going to happen soon – so watch for them! These ladies have impacted my work in more ways than I can count! We get to intimately know one another’s stories and characters so it’s easy to sense when something isn’t right – maybe a character isn’t reacting in a way that is true to his or her personality, or perhaps the plot is veering off on a course that doesn’t serve the story. The five of us have some really lively brainstorming sessions, and while I don’t always use every suggestion my critique partners make about my work, their ideas often stir my imagination and turn my story in a new and better direction.
I hope everyone will stop by ADR3NALIN3, read some of the posts, and come back often! A new post goes up most every day and I think there is something there that will appeal to every reader. And those of you who haven’t read THROUGH HER EYES, I hope you’ll check it out, too and let me know what you think!
Jennifer’s Website | Jennifer’s Blog | ADR3NALIN3 Blog
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