Thankfulness

Since today is Thanksgiving -- HAPPY THANKSGIVING!! -- I thought I should write a list of what I'm thankful for. See, November has been really draining on me, so getting to look at the good things that happened aside from this month, well that's something I'm already thankful for. Maybe it can be a new start today that drives me past all the crap. Here's some of the things I'm thankful for!

1. That my book is being published!! (In two years, but hey, yay! I can be thankful for it for another Thanksgiving.) 
2. My amazing real life friends.
3. My insanely awesome twitter friends.
4. Twitter. 
5. My sister 
6. Patricia and family - for letting me spend my summer in the basement
7. this new adventure in DC-area
8. My new nanny family
9. Spencer Hill Press
10. Kate Kaynak - who let me start this journey as an editor that I love. (and be published!)
11. My  #TeamDani SHP authors, who trust me and teach me so much every single day. They seriously are why I love my job. They have contagious passion, fear, hope, challenge and love of writing, of publishing, of characters that's inspiring. I love them! 
12. Boston (because while you sucked some, you taught me a lot)
13. my family
14. That I get to create worlds and stories and meet characters
15. Coffee
16. MY JOB. All three of them. (writer, SHP editor, nanny/housekeeper.) Seriously. 
17. The SHP interns. :) 
18. A car that is not mine but that I drive - whew!
19. Hope.
20. 2013 and all the new adventures that I don't even know about yet. 

That's my shortlist! What are some things that YOU are thankful for?!?!?!

Enjoy your day! 

In which MY BOOK IS BEING PUBLISHED

I sat down and had all these ideas of what I was going to say because I've known about this for like 3 weeks and I was busy--but MY BOOK IS BEING PUBLISHED!!!! is sort of all I can think right now! FOUR YEARS of working toward this, and I'm floored.

Here's the official PM:

Danielle Ellison's FOLLOW ME THROUGH DARKNESS, in which a girl escapes a controlled community and races through a forgotten world in hopes of saving everyone she loves before time runs out and their existence is wiped away, to Kate Kaynak and Patricia Riley at Spencer Hill Press, in a nice deal, in a three-book deal, for publication in April 2014, by Rebecca Mancini of RightsMix (World).

So, how did this happen? Everyone knows I'm an editor at Spencer Hill Press, but I subbed my book to Kate before she brought me on. I'm excited to publish with SHP because I know how much Kate and our team believes in the books we launch--and it's amazing to be one of our authors!

Time for my book story. (I've always wanted to do this!!)

I started FOLLOW ME THROUGH DARKNESS in 2010, right after I moved to Boston. I was working at a Borders as a barista, and I was putting away new stock when I heard this voice in my head repeating this one line: "There’s never enough time. It moves too quickly, signaling the end of everything. The end is the thing I fear the most." I put things away as quickly as possible, grabbed a handful of napkins, and took my lunch early so I could write. It was a scene--just one and that was all I needed to know I had figure out the story. I didn't have even have names. (I ended up writing like 30k before I got the MCs name, just as a sidenote.)

In 2010, I did NaNoWriMo with that book, which had a title called Silhouettes. (Horrible, I know!) I finished it eventually, revised with Christina, queried seven agents and had five requests. All of them came back like "uh, no," (only nicer!) and one of them gave me fantastic information on how to do approach a revision.

I set out on a quest to fix the book because I believed in Neely (she's the MC) and her story. I tried to walk away, to tell other stories, but I kept coming back. I knew there was something there, but I had to figure out the structure (so hard!) and the stakes. Over the next two years I would revise this book, workshop this book, rewrite this book, rewrite, restart, rewrite. SEVEN revisions.

Christina and Patricia were so insanely helpful in developing my characters, helping with the structure of such a heavy story, and keeping me focused on the story when I complained. (You can follow this tag if you're curious about real-time posts.) They were probably so tired of reading it, of re-thinking things, but they always encouraged me to keep going--them and more people than I can start to list here. I literally finished draft six in February of 2012, right before I subbed to Kate. (Then, of course, I had to revise again.)

I queried--new book, new title--and had some requests, but ultimately, the market was flooded with "dystopian," and even though countless agents loved my novel, it was all a timing issue. (I mean, two years will do that!) So, I shelved it, locked my characters away in a closet, and moved on.

About a month ago, I got an email from Kate saying she wanted to talk about the book. I waited for two agonizing days and then she told me she loved it! It was awesome to hear that from Kate, because I respect her opinion, and obviously, this book is a huge part of my soul. She told me that she wanted me to fix some things (revision #8!!!) and then send it back. So, I did---and she bought it!! I asked Kate if Patricia could work on it too, since she knows this story so well. It's so great that she gets to be hands-on with my book; we work well together and she's going to do amazing things for this series. :)

And well, here we are!!

It has not been an easy journey--they never are--but I've learned so much about writing, patience, good friends, community. There are so many people who encouraged me over the last two years; I'm really excited to share this book with all of you!!!! Woooo!!!

April 2014----here we come!! Me and my book!!!

*runs off to stare at the PM listing some more*

I get to edit another book!!

I love reading a book that completely rocks me. A book that makes me wonder if I have stable footing or if Im even standing on firm ground. A book that makes me have ALL THE FEELS & leaves me in the wake of this just remarkable state of post-reading bliss.

A month ago, I found a book while trolling the forums as a ninja agent on WriteOnCon that just blew me away! The query needed some work, which I tried to fix some, but the story stuck with me for days. So, I requested. It was a great decision because that book is remarkable!! In fact, it's very rare that I get emotional in books (I can count the times!) and this one left me in a heap on the stairs, unable to form full sentences for at least twenty minutes. (You can ask Patricia!.) It's a contemporary book--one of the inaugural titles for Spencer Hill Contemporary which launches next year.

Here's the blurb from PM:

Sarah Guillory's RECLAIMED, in which a girl determined to flee her small town finds a reason to stay when she falls in love with twin brothers, one who can't remember his past and the other who doesn't want him to remember, told in three alternating points of view, to Danielle Ellison & Patricia Riley at Spencer Hill Contemp, in a nice deal, for publication in October 2013, by Rebecca Mancini at RightsMix (World).

It actually releases October 2013--the same time as most of my other projects! I am very happy to add RECLAIMED to my list. I can't wait to work with Sarah & share this amazing story with all of you!

Make sure you go congratulate Sarah on twitter: @SGuillory262 & check out her post!

The Dollhouse Asylum

So everyone knows I'm an editor at Spencer Hill Press. And waaay back in January this little book came into the slush pile that I read. There was something about it that just hooked me. Ever since that moment, I've been waiting, waiting, waiting for the chance to share this announcement: I have another project!!

Mary Gray's THE DOLLHOUSE ASYLUM, in which a group of teenagers are granted asylum from the apocalypse--and then assigned new identities as famous, tragic literary couples and forced to reenact their stories... or die, to Kate Kaynak at Spencer Hill Press, in a nice deal, for publication in October 2013, by Kat Salazar at Larsen/Pomada Literary Agents (World English). 

Not only is the book going to be amazing--and I can't wait to share it with you next fall--but the author is amazing.

Mary Gray is superbly talented and really excited!! (I am excited too!!) Mary is going to rock your reading world with this story. Not only is she a talented writer, she's also very invested in writing the best story, in these characters and is one of the best people to talk to about anything and everything. Writing, shows, awesome cookies! Mary is sweet, enthusiastic, sincere and you should get ready. You should stop by twitter and say hello! And check out her post about this experience over at her blog.

Congrats Mary and SHP!! Welcome to the family! I can't wait to continue our journey together.

And all of you--I can't wait to share more about this book with you!

Cover Reveal: Breaking Glass by Lisa Amowitz

There's a book coming out July 9, 2013 and it's called  BREAKING GLASS. I remember when it came into the slush and guys, it's pretty amazing. Today I'm going to help reveal the cover!

But first, a little about BREAKING GLASS by 

Lisa Amowitz

.

On the night seventeen-year-old Jeremy Glass winds up in the hospital with a broken leg and a blood alcohol level well above the legal limit, his secret crush, Susannah, disappears. When he begins receiving messages from her from beyond the grave, he's not sure whether they're real or if he's losing his grip on reality. Clue by clue, he gets closer to unraveling the mystery, and soon realizes he must discover the truth or become the next victim himself.

And now....the cover!!!

Isn't it gorgeous!?!? Make sure you add this book to your 2013 list. You won't want to miss it!!!

EXTRACTED (The Lost Imperials, Book 1)

 Have you heard about this yet????

Sherry Ficklin and Tyler Jolley's EXTRACTED (The Lost Imperials, Book 1), in which two siblings, unknowingly stolen from history, fight on opposing sides of a battle to control time and space, to Kate Kaynak at Spencer Hill Press, in a nice deal, for publication in November 2013 (World).

I am one of the editors on this book. And guys, I AM PUMPED. (side note: Doesn't it sound amazing??! Eeek!)

It's weird, though--being someone's editor.

Saying things like "I have a meeting with my authors on Saturday." Or being put on twitter lists for "book editors" or exchanging emails with author-friend-clients and having them be excited about your ideas for their book.  It's weird.

It's also very exciting! I'm all official like. And I get to be all official like with my best friend. So, that's awesome. And these two fantastic authors, which is also awesome.

This is me right now:

*skips off to do happy things*

Cover Reveal: Finn Finnegan

 

 

 

Finn (not bleedin' Finnegan) MacCullen is eager to begin his apprenticeship. He soon discovers the ups and downs of hunting monsters in a suburban neighborhood under the demanding tutelage of the Knight, Gideon Lir. Both master and apprentice are descendents of the Tuatha De Danaan, a magical race of warriors from Ireland. Scattered long ago to the four corners of the world, the De Danaan wage a two thousand year old clandestine battle with their ancient enemy, the Amandán, a breed of goblin-like creatures.

Now with the beasts concentrating their attacks on Finn, he and his master must race to locate the lost Spear of the Tuatha De Danaan, the only weapon that can destroy the Amandán, all the while hiding his true identity from his new friends, Rafe and Savannah, twins whose South African roots may hold a key to Finn's survival. Armed with a bronze dagger, some ancient Celtic magic, and a hair-trigger temper, Finn is about to show his enemies the true meaning of "fighting Irish." 

 

 What do you think of the cover??? I like the spot of blue in Finn's eyes and can't wait to read it!!