Two blog posts in one day? I just had to--I just finished reading Jennifer Oko's "Head Case," just in time for another Sunday Book Review.  Read my review below and then enter to win your own ebook copy of "Head Case"!

Olivia Zack is a neuroscientist who has just been murdered after being kidnapped and brought to a Russian mobster.  The book is told from her ghostly point of view, dialing back and clock and recounting the events that led up to her death, as well as a few that happened after.  Olivia recalls events and conversations with her best friend, celebrity publicist, Polly Warner.  The two girls got mixed up in the sometimes glam, sometimes sordid world of dealing prescription drugs.  While dealing pills has its perks, it also has its price: which is how Olivia ends up with a bullet through her skull.  It's up to her spirit to sort through the mess that led up to her death and to send Polly and her boyfriend Mitya a few clues from the great beyond in order to not only solve her murder but to also save the day against the Russian mafia, drug-dealing grannies, corrupted cops, and some nasty unethical pharmaceutical execs.

I loved this book.  Being in my twenties, it was very easy to relate to--who doesn't know someone--in their circle of friends or otherwise--that has suffered with addiction or substance abuse? And who hasn't seen one of those pharmaceutical commercials for a pill that marketers will convince you that you need while downplaying the long list of potential health hazards and side effects attached? Yes, even with prescription substances rather than drugs. The story is one that, while the stakes are much higher, can still, at the core, hit close to home for a lot of readers.  

While there are a small handful of editorial errors/typos and the jumping around in the timeline can be a little confusing, overall this is a great book and a fun read.  I even found myself tearing up a little at times.  Oko has a great tale on her hands, told with a perfect blend of snark and heartfelt emotion about the bond between two friends separated by death.

I would recommend this book to anyone who is on the fence about reading it--and to anyone else, for that matter.

Now that you've gotten my take on "Head Case," why not read it yourself?  Enter below for a chance to win an ebook copy of "Head Case" by Jennifer Oko for Kindle! Good luck!

This past week has been just plain awesome.  I'm receiving lots of positive feedback on "Murder At Castle Rock" (can't wait for reviews to start coming in!), and I've even had several people send me pictures of themselves with their copy when it arrived in the mail.  If you ordered a copy and want to submit a picture of yourself with the book, feel free to shoot me an email (annemarie@amstoddardbooks.com) with the picture attached, and I'll create a photo gallery on the site and include your picture :)

To celebrate on launch day, I went out for Trivia night and drinks with a few friends.  By a pretty awesome coincidence, a "Castle Rock" question was asked during trivia:  What Rob Reiner company gets its name from a fictional town in a Stephen King novel?  Answer: Castle Rock, of course.  How...appropriate :) The day after the launch, I flew to Las Vegas with my sister, brother, and sister-in-law to visit my best friend and unofficial "Gchat editor," Stella. With the ties to Vegas in the book (I won't spoil it for you if you haven't read yet!), there couldn't have been a more perfect place for me to go to celebrate.  What an awesome weekend!

I won't bore you with my vacation stories any longer, though--let's move on to the real point of this post.  Now that I'm back in Atlanta, I'm helping a new site spread the word about their launch.  Momma Says Read!  Momma Says Read is a site dedicated to connecting authors to readers, and they also offer several great services for authors--for FREE! 

If you're a bookworm looking for your next fix, MSR has tons of great book recommendations and listings for book bargains and even free book offers.  If you're an author, MSR is offering you free book reviews, author interviews, book blog tours, and more.   It's a great site with a lot to offer any book lover.

To help kick off Momma Says Read, I'm not only giving away a copy of "Murder At Castle Rock" on their site (giveaway will be posted soon!), but I'm also co-sponsoring their Kindle Fire giveaway!  Head on over to the site here to enter for your chance to win a free Kindle Fire--and while you're there, look around at all of the great books that are already listed on the site--you might find your next favorite author!

For the next month, Momma Says Read is throwing their Big Launch Giveaway Blitz, so be sure to follow Momma on Twitter and Facebook for chances to win daily book giveaways!

Happy Sunday, and Happy Reading!

Anyone who has written a piece of work in their lifetime and then released it out into the world for all to see knows how scary it can be to receive those first pieces of feedback.  Especially writers of fiction--we basically reach inside the most personal, intimate, inner sanctum of our minds, turn our souls inside out, slap them into a word document and then send them off to be scrutinized and judged by people who most of which don't even know us from Adam or Eve.  It's the most singularly terrifying experience of many of our lives--and at the same time, the most exhilarating. It's that feeling that a songwriter gets when he or she sings their first work onstage for the first time--in fact, to borrow a verse from singer/songwriter Anna Nalick (hello, early 2000's!), "I feel like I'm naked in front of a crowd 'cause these words are my diary screaming out loud--and I know that you'll use them however you want to."

That said, I've spent the past couple of weeks gearing up for releasing my first novel out into the world by sending advanced copies to several reviewers and other authors.  This morning, while lying sick in bed (stupid sinuses!), I got something that made me feel better than any dosage of Dayquil or allergy pills ever could.  Kind words from strangers--about my book!
 
My first two reviews came in, and both were overwhelmingly positive!

The first came from blogger and book reviewer Privy Trifles, who "For a first time [writing a novel], the author has done a commendable job in creating suspense and intrigue...a page turner of all sorts..A recommended read for all suspense lovers who enjoy murder mysteries as this ensures you a perfect roller coaster ride leaving you with a high feeling!"
That definitely left me grinner from ear to ear :)

Next, I received a notification via Twitter about an author that I have read and admire, P.J. Morse, whose awesome "rock 'n' roll cozy" (the term she coined in a recent blog post, which happens to mention yours truly!) is the book I reviewed and am giving away in a blog post below this one. (You'll definitely want to win this one! It's a great book!) Anyway, P.J. had tweeted the link to her post from today--a glowing review of "Murder At Castle Rock"!  Highlights from what P.J. had to say (i.e. the parts of the review that made me jump up and down all giddy-like):
-"Stoddard isn’t afraid to write about the seedier aspects of rock ‘n’ roll and the backstage goings-on."
-"The book emphasizes rock ‘n’ roll, but not at the expense of the mystery, which is packed with surprises. There are so many layers, motives and hidden agendas that I had a good time untangling it all."

Needless to say, I am one happy girl right now. I don't care how cheesy it sounds--words really cannot express how grateful I am that not only did two people who do not know me take the time to read my work, but both went out of their way to let me know that they appreciated my hard work.  I've never felt so fulfilled in my life. If you're reading, ladies, thank you.  So, so very much.

Okay, I'll stop gushing now.  Thank you to everyone for indulging me for a few moments ;)  I'm rewarding you with a chance to win a copy of "Murder At Castle Rock" through Goodreads!  See blog post below or follow this link.  There are 3 autographed copies up for grabs, so good luck!  And good night!

A package arrived in the mail yesterday that contained my new business cards.  I had been waiting for them to come in for a couple of weeks, but about five minutes after they arrived, I forgot all about them.  That's because another package arrived containing what is arguably the biggest milestone in the short twenty-eight years of my life so far. 

Behold:  The first copy of my first ever novel!  Needless to say, I'm ecstatic right now!  This has been a dream of mine since I was in kindergarten, and holding a copy of the book makes it so much more real than it's seemed over the past several months.  I've been waiting my whole life for this moment, and I'm so happy to be able to share it with all of you :)

I'll be spending the next week proofreading this copy before sending it back to the publisher, and then in about 2 weeks it'll be ready for release!  I can't wait!  Stay tuned for more updates and a giveaway or two :)  In the meantime, check out these first few pictures of "Murder At Castle Rock" in print!

Oh, and there's a picture of the business cards too.  :)

It's 8:30 on a Wednesday evening, and I'm curled up in my comfiest pjs, listening to the slow, haunting melodies of "Burst Apart" by The Antlers while sipping a glass of red wine. Mmmm. The perfect calm, comfortable night.  As content as I may be right now, in less than 48 hours, I will be pulling a complete 180 from my current situation.  I'll be out and about in one of the loudest partying cities in the country, immersed in culture, music, and maybe a little mayhem.

                                                                                        I. can. not. wait.

That's right, folks--the 2013 music festival season is upon us!  For those of you who know me personally (or even those of you who don't and actually took the time to read a little about me--thank you for that, by the way. *blushes*), you know that there is only one thing I enjoy as much as--if not more than--writing: live music.  Concerts and festivals fill up nearly every one of my vacation days from work, and this year looks to be my biggest yet!  While I've already got tickets to some great Atlanta shows lined up (including acts like Sound Tribe Sector Nine, Beats Antique, Jenny Lewis, and The Postal Service, to name a few), I'm breaking my previous record for number of festivals attended in a year.  While I normally only go to two or three at the most, I've already got tickets in hand for four--and the first is this weekend!
 
Tomorrow evening, I'll be pulling an overnight, six-hour drive from Atlanta to New Orleans for the Buku Music+ Art Project, a two-night music and arts festival on the riverfront and in the surrounding buildings--including a stage in the middle of the Mardi Gras World float warehouse! The highlight acts for me at the fest: Icona Pop, Passion Pit, Hundred Waters, Big Gigantic, Brassft Punk, and Calvin Harris. I can't wait to experience an eclectic mix of electronic djs, synth pop, and loud brass, all set in the backdrop of such a culturally rich city.

Earlier this evening, while packing for this latest adventure, I got to thinking about what my characters would do if they were going along with me on a road trip to the Big Easy.  Would Ame and Kat get down on Bourbon Street?  Would they let Bronwyn tag along and maybe even sneak her a couple of frozen mixed drinks?  Would Bryce play babysitter and keep the girls out of trouble and away from pick-pockets, or would he duck away to the closest dive bar for some blues and booze?  Personally, I think Ame would be chomping at the bit to hear Brassft Punk, an all-brass Daft Punk tribute band.  She'd use her business savvy and music industry connections to snag an extra Buku Fest wrist band or four, and she'd get the whole gang backstage to hang out with Kid Cudi or Primus.

I think a great exercise for any writer is to mentally take your characters with you wherever you go. I don't mean in a schizophrenic "I've got seven voices in my head" kind of way--I just mean that, even if you've written a standalone novel and you plan to never ever write about those characters again, there's still no harm in imagining them being in on your road trips, holiday parties, or concert experiences.  Sometimes letting your imagination play out a situation with old characters in new scenery can open a Pandora's box of ideas for a series--or even for new stories with all-new, completely different characters. 

So this weekend, while I'm living it up in the French Quarter, dancing to Passion Pit's "Little Secrets" on the riverfront, re-enacting that famous season 2 dance/singalong rave scene from HBO's "Girls" during Icona Pop's performance of "I Love It,"  or nursing my Sunday morning hangover with Bloody Mary's and beignets, I'll be bringing Ame, Kat & the Castle Rock crew along for the ride.  Who knows?  Maybe I'll be so inspired that I'll include a trip to NOLA in one of their future adventures ;)

Have you ever imagined characters from a book (either your own book or one by your favorite author) were on a vacation with you? 

What book/what characters?

Authors--did any new novels result from your adventures?

Readers--what fun things do you imagine your favorite book characters would do if they'd gone along for the ride on your most recent road trip?

What good is a mystery in the music industry without a little music?  Click on the links below to find out what the staff of Castle Rock is listening to, and don't forget to check out "Murder At Castle Rock" next month!  Subscribe to your favorite staffer's list on your own Spotify to enjoy these often updated playlists!

Music & mystery fan?  What songs do you like on these mixes, and what songs do you think the staffers should be jamming to?

Happy New Year, Reading World!  It's been a busy month for me as I prepare to release "Murder At Castle Rock," but over the holidays I still made time to talk to popular author, Tonya Kappes! 

Tonya writes fun, humorous romance and mystery fiction and is currently conducting a blog tour for the release of her Divorced Divas mystery, "Strung Out to Die."  I had the privilege of speaking with her recently about another series of hers, however:  The Magical Cures Series.  After reading "A Charming Cure," the second book in the series, I reached out to Tonya to learn more about her magical world and her writing career.   

For more information on Tonya and her books, check out her website.  Until then, enjoy this look into Tonya's world: 

1)  Hi Tonya! Where do you draw the most inspiration for your Magical Cures series?  Real life experiences, movies or dreams, etc.?

Good question! Growing up in the 70’s I had some great television programs to draw from, especially I Dream of Genie and Bewitched. But I have to say that I absolutely love the movies Bettlejuice and Practical Magic which are funny and that is how I write.
And I have to mention that I have visited a palm reader, psychic a few times in my life. . .okay. . .a couple times a year!

2)  Are any of the characters in the Magical Cures series based on people that you know in real life?

No. I do get strange emails from people accusing me of using them/their personality in my books, but until you can prove to me that there are Fairy God Cats, I’m going to have to stick with no.

3)  Speaking of June's fairy god cat, Mr. Prince Charming is quite the character himself!  What inspired you to make June's pet such a vital and integral member of the series?
I usually write a dog or two in my other novels. I needed an animal that was sneaky and smart. Mr. Prince Charming had to be there when June needed him. A cat was perfect because they have a lot of those qualities.

Since there will be a lot of novels in the series (six planned so far), cats have nine lives, and it was perfect for the journey that June has throughout the series. I wanted a pet that she could rely on and help her through her changing life. Animals are so loyal and forgiving. That is why he’s so important to the series.

4)  As your avid writers know, the Magical Cures series is only one of many series that you write.  The Olivia Davis paranormal mysteries are my personal favorite :)  Is there any one particular series or protagonist that you feel you more closely relate to than the others?

I’d have to pick Hallie Mediate from my stand alone Chick-Lit novel, Carpe Bead ‘em or maybe Holly Harper from my new series A Divorced Diva Mystery with Strung Out To Die as book one.

Both of those characters are jewelry beaders, have great friends, and lost love. I have done all of those. I co-owned a jewelry beading business, Beadnicks, I have a great set of friends, and I’ve been divorced. There might just be a little bit of me in each of those gals. Plus they are fun!

5)  If it were up to you and only one of your main characters to save the world, which would you team up with to get the job done, and why would he or she be the best equipped to save the day?

Olivia Davis for sure!. She is a go getter and doesn’t take no for an answer. She isn’t scared to get her hands dirty when she needs to.

6)  Here come a couple of writing questions!  I know that you write pretty much anywhere and everywhere you can (at the boys' sports practices, at coffee shops, etc.)--still, do you have any particular pre-writing rituals to set the tone for your writing sessions?

This is a good question too! I keep a journal for each novel I write. When I begin a new idea, it sits in my head for a few months, and I gather little ideas/scenes in my head. I jot all of those down. It might range from a character name, flaw to complete scenes.
As for when I actually put my butt in the chair, I don’t have a ritual. I just make myself sit and type.

7)  Besides being a prolific writer, you're a whiz at book marketing and promotions!  What is your number one tip for other aspiring self-promoted authors?

I’m not going to give the same drab story most writers do about sit butt in chair, we all know that!

Find your target audience and market to them! A lot of writers make the mistake to spend all their time marketing to other writers or spending a lot of their free time on other writer sites etc….writers are very important for networking or being with like minded people, but that is not your target audience!

For example, My newest novel, Strung Out To Die, is set in a bead shop. I target that beading audience by doing guest blogs on beading sites, having book signings at local bead stores etc….TARGET AUDIENCE!

6)  If you could collaborate to either co-write a novel or contribute to a collection of short stories along with five of your favorite authors, who would you choose to work with?

I’d have to say no one….UNLESS it was a really sweet relationship we had. Writing is very personal for me and hard. I don’t like people telling me where to take my story. I have been approached, but I quickly found out that the story was already written in their head and no matter what I write, I could never write a story that would absolutely fit their idea or the character they want me to write.
Relationships are too important to me and no story is worth a ruined friendship!

7)  You're known for your fun and entertaining street team book release parties and chats.   Can you hint at anything exciting you might have in store for your Facebook street team in the coming months?

Um. . .I do, but it’s a secret! BIG PLANS!!

8) Rose Pressey mentioned in a previous interview that she had never been asked her favorite color--so just to make sure we've got all our bases covered, what is *your* favorite color? :)

Orange!

9)  Are there any other questions that no interviewer ever asks that you would like to address for your fans?  

First, I’m not a big FAN of the word FAN. I do love my readers and I’m so grateful for every single one of them. I think they all know that too :)
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Thanks Tonya!  Now here comes the fun part--A GIVEAWAY!


Enter the giveaway below for a chance to win the Tonya Kappes e-book of her choice!  

Good evening fellow writers (and also readers, of course!  This blog will be directed more toward the writers, though). 

Ever have one of those days (or weeks) when the characters from your story won't get out of your head?  No, those voices don't make you schizo, but at worse they can give you quite a headache.  That's what's happened to me this week. I actually missed work today due to a migraine--which I mostly blame on the change in the weather/air pressure and probably the overdose of coffee yesterday, but to some extent I think my NaNoWriMo novel characters might have had a little to do with it, too. 

It's been about two weeks since I completed the National Novel Writing Month challenge.  Every advice blog or tweet I've read has suggested that I shelve the novel for at least a month or so and either catch up on my reading or begin work on a new writing project.  As much as I'd love to do that, my characters have other plans.

I've spent a week tirelessly reading and re-reading sections of my manuscript and each time I've given up in frustration because something about it just doesn't feel right.  Something's missing.  I started doing research on art galleries (the setting for the story) to see if I could jog my creativity and find the missing link.  And  in a way, it's worked--but it's also opened a whole new can of worms--or, rather, new characters.

This is what's given me such a headache--I've had the plot to this story mapped out in my mind for quite some time, and I created a pretty solid outline before I began working on the manuscript last month.  Now suddenly there are several new characters barking at me at all hours, insisting they belong in the story, too.  I don't even know where they came from, but they won't go away.  Now I find myself wracking my brain to come up with a way to fit them into novel without compromising my original vision.  

As you might expect, that's virtually impossible.

That brings me to the point of this rant.  As writers, is anyone else too stubborn to change their plot sometimes?  Try as I might to keep it the way it originally was, I'm starting to get on board with the new plot/details that these new characters bring to the table.  It's been a slow, painful process, trying to fully understand their roles and where they'll fit in--but after a week of wrestling with it, I've decided to surrender to the story.  

See, what it all boils down to is this: The story's not mine (it's my intellectual property, of course, but it's not mine).  It's theirs.  The characters.  The people who live in the world I'm creating.  Sometimes, as writers, I think we forget that.  We try to stick to our original plot because it seemed so perfect and brilliant when we first thought of it--but sometimes, to make a good story--one that (I hope!) is worth reading--we've got to let it evolve.  Let it run its course.  And that often requires the introduction of people, places, or events into the plot that weren't there in your original outline--or even your original draft. 

So, beginning tomorrow, I will listen to those characters.  I'll work them into the second draft, and I'll make the necessary changes to make them fit into the world I've created.  I'll put my ego aside and surrender to the story. And my manuscript will be all the better for it. 

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The above might make me sound a little like a crazy person, but I'm sure a lot of you as writers have been there before.  Has anyone else had trouble surrendering to your story recently?  Are you re-writing your NaNoWriMo novel to include new characters and events?  I'd love to hear about your experiences!

Well, people, it's been a while. It was a long month--probably the busiest month I've had in recent years--but I made it.  I "won" my first National Novel Writing Month  challenge!  *cue applause*

Please, please, you're too kind.  Anyway, all kidding aside, I've got to admit I'm pretty proud of myself.  Last month, despite having to pack, move to a new house, unpack (mostly, anyway--still not finished!), attend a funeral, and cook for Thanksgiving (and that's not even mentioning all the new and stressful projects I began at my day job), I somehow managed to crank out over 50,000 words--a personal best for me, considering that my only other lengthy fiction (approx. 76K words) took me 10 months to complete. Of course, you don't accomplish a feat like that without learning a few things along the way. So, now that I've crossed the finish line and have had a few days to catch my breath (and allow my poor typing fingers to heal from the long hours spent in a furious typing frenzy), here are a few things--some old, tried and true tips, and some new and unexpected ones--that I learned during my first NaNoWriMo challenge.

1.)It's okay to take a day off from writing--but be prepared to work that much harder to make up for it.
Most authors/writers will tell you: If you want to be a writer, you *must* write every day.  I've always been inclined to agree with them. How can you improve your technique if you don't put it into daily practice, right?

Still, I will admit that I did not write every single day of this challenge.  To be honest, I probably only wrote for three-fourths of the month (making it all the more miraculous to me that I actually made it through). It wasn't that I was being lazy or had writer's block (though believe me, there were days when I had it bad!), it was because there were simply days when I couldn't make myself write.  Like I mentioned before, I had other things going on outside of my writing life that were tied to more responsibility than a self-challenge, and on about five or six days I found myself stretched too thin and far too stressed to make time to produce content. 

Sure, tons of people say you shouldn't worry about the content of your NaNo project--the goal for most is to simply reach the word count goal and have at least most of a first draft completed by the end of the month.  If I'd wanted to just write fluff on those days to reach the word goal, I suppose I could've done it.  However, I recognized that there were days when I was too stressed to crank out anything of even half-decent quality, and as I'd start to try and push through, I'd always find myself even more stressed about how bad the story was becoming.

It was for these reasons that I decided to take a day or two off when needed to be with family, or unpack a few boxes, or do some Black Friday shopping.  I know that NaNoWriMo is supposed to feel like a simulation of what an author's life is like under a deadline, but sometimes even for some of those authors it's necessary to take a day off.  The important thing is to not let a day off here or there derail you from your determination to accomplish you're goal.  Don't get two or three days behind at a time--you'll have to work that much harder to catch back up. 

2. If you *really* write with abandon, you're going to open an even bigger can of worms than you originally anticipated. 
Going into this challenge, I had an outline for about half of the story.  I had a full plot, but I was having trouble connecting the beginning to the end with a complete and logical middle. Once I accomplished that middle, I'd be wrapping up the story of my protagonist, Darcy, for good.  While the premise of the book is one that I fell in love with from the beginning and was chomping at the bit to start writing by the end of October, I knew where it was going from the first moment--and that was all going to be neatly wrapped up in a one-book package. 
  
The thing is, when you have to reach a deadline in a very short period of time, even if you *are* striving to keep the content up to a certain level of quality, you're still going to take a few risks and branch out on a few new paths and subplots in order to keep your words flowing.  I created a few side mysteries, twists, and character development scenes that I'd never considered during my planning phase, and even went as far as to surpass the 50K word goal by writing an ending to the novel that morphed into the beginning of a second.  Suddenly I find that Darcy Harbinger's world is a lot larger and more complicated than even I could have originally imagined.  I have ideas for at least two more books now, making my now completed rough draft the first in a series.  My only concern now is whether I dive into the next book after I edit this one or instead work on my Amelia Grace series and write the Darcy series each year as my NaNoWriMo project?

3.  Stay away from your other works!
I only focused on the writing of my NaNo project during most of the month of November (hence the lack of blog posts), but as luck would have it, I reached my word count goal on the same day that my editor sent back my first manuscript for "Murder At Castle Rock."  Of course I wrote the last scene of my NaNo novel in a hurry once I realized my long-awaited first critique of my manuscript was just sitting in my inbox, waiting to be opened.  I finished the project and literally opened my other manuscript within the same minute!

While the editor had a lot of good comments (yay!), there were still two or three sections that required a little bit of re-writing.  No problem, right? Wrong.
I was so wrapped up in the project I was just finishing that I couldn't switch gears back to the style of the first work.

My main characters from each work, Amelia and Darcy, are somewhat similar.  Both have a little bit of snark and a lot of heart.  Still, there is a definite difference in tone between the two and how they tell their story.  Amelia is a bit more light-hearted and witty whereas Darcy is not exactly "doom and gloom" but she's led a darker life and is a bit drier than Ame.  I was so immersed in Darcy's personality that I caught myself writing Amelia's lines in "Murder At Castle Rock" in her voice.  Luckily I wasn't too far into my re-writing process and was able to back track and reconnect with the tone of my first work, but as a result I will always give myself at least a few days to disconnect from the voice of one work before I begin work on another. If you get as connected to your characters as I do, I suggest you do the same.

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There are quite a few more things I learned or reaffirmed during my crazy writing spree in November (like how coffee is my best friend and I write better after a drink or two), these are the biggest three things that really hit home with me during my NaNoWriMo experience. 

Did you participate in NaNoWriMo?  If so, did you accomplish you're goal?  What did you write about and what important writing lessons did you teach yourself along the way?  I'd love to hear about it!