Category: General

The winner of the annual NaNoWriMo poll this year is The End! Thank you so much everyone for participating and deciding what I will be writing first this year.

I’m going to be at Canzine all weekend! It’s a zine festival based in Toronto, but since it’s online this year I can join in! I have also submitted a couple readings and have a few books available in the festival. Do come check it out!

Now available in paperback and ebook in stores all over!

Happily ever after. That’s how it was supposed to go, right?

There was no reason to be suspicious. Her grades were better than they ever had been. Lance was withdrawn, but Adam wasn’t itching for a fight for once. Her friends talked about their plans for the future and carefully avoided mentioning the past. Still, she couldn’t shake the feeling that they were hiding something.  

She looked into the mirror, feeling there was something she was missing. From the other side of the looking glass, a pair of purple eyes and a too wide smile stared back. 

1. An account!

Sign up for NaNoWriMo and get used to the site! You’ll be able to track your stats, connect with other writers, and get some graphics so that you can tell everyone about how you’re going to write a book in November!

2. A brand new pen

Of course you need a new pen. A Pilot Metropolitan is a great starter fountain pen, and just what you need to get started on a truly unhealthy pen habit.

3. Ink!

After all, what good is a fancy pen if you don’t have any ink to write with? I’d suggest getting a fun colour to start to inspire you to use it and get you in the mood to write your novel.

4. A pretty notebook

You’re writing a book! Of course you’re going to need a new notebook to capture all of your ideas and organize your thoughts into something brilliant. And you deserve something nice to write in now that you’ve gotten yourself that fancy pen.

A caveat: You’re not actually going to use the beautiful notebook. It’s too pretty for this rough idea. You’ll save it for a really good idea later.

5. A workbook to actually use

This is either going to be a cheap notebook from the dollar store or something a little more structured like the above. I’m biased in that I made this one for my own plotting, but it has all the bits I need to do my story planning and prep for the month.

6. Snacks

Take a little bit of time to consider what you’re going to be eating during those long sessions. You may get to a point where you don’t want to leave the keyboard, but you’re also in need of a little sustenance. I suggest something that isn’t going to melt or get on your hands.

Alternately, chopsticks for messier snack foods.

7. Drinks

It’s also good to have a drink on hand. Now is a great time to stock up on that coffee or tea you like so you don’t run out when you’re on a roll.

8. An idea

That’s right, you actually need to come up with an idea for your book! This part is going to come entirely from you, but you have some time to figure that out. Once you have your ideas, you’ll be all set to write your book!

Good luck and happy writing!

First and foremost, you can now get All Mad Here in paperback now!

But Tanya! I hear from other indie authors. You’re in Canada! Haven’t Canadian authors been having trouble getting their proofs and author copies of books?! How did you do it?!

Let me tell you! It was a pain! But this is the workaround for anyone else in the position of wanting to get their paperbacks out and not wanting to wait 2-3 months for proof copies.

Set the price to $200 everywhere except for Canada. And then set the Canadian price to the lowest you possibly can. Then hit publish.

Wait for it to show up in the store.

Order. Fast.

Unpublish the book.

Congrats, you have gotten your book! If you have Prime, it shows up within a week! ((Not next day. Of course not.)) And then you’ll learn that there is, in fact, a Canadian book printing location that you, as a Canadian author, cannot order from.

Thanks Amazon. Great. Super awesome.

But now it is out! And you can get it!

As I mentioned, I was on a panel with some great speakers talking about inspiration, getting things done, and how to get over the fear of creating things that might not be perfect. And Infusion YA Book Festival has put it online for you to check out!

There were a whole lot of other great talks during the day and they are all online. If you’ve been wanting to see some great talks about writing, publishing, and inclusiveness in young adult literature, check them all out!

Wylde Wood’s physical location may have shut down, but they’re still putting on events and I’m participating!

Come and be a part of an amazing cause. The Wylde Wood Collective and friends are raising funds for the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, ccla.org. We are going to have an array of incredible art by some very talented fantasy artists that you can bid on and win!

Each one of our artists will be contributing unique items such as prints, jewelry, comic books, one of kind garments, metal sculptures, commissions and original paintings and drawings, all to raise money for this great cause. This will be done in the form of an auction, items will go to the highest bidder and the winning bid will go directly to ccla.org (Yes! I know! Win-Win!).

It’s happening right now! There’s a lot of cool art and I’m putting up a bunch of books! The complete series of White Noise, City Without Heroes, and the first three books of The Looking Glass Saga are up for grabs, all to support the Canadian Civil Liberties Association. 

So if you want to support a good cause and get some cool art, be sure to check it out!