Archive for the 'Novels' Category

teen writing workshop & book signing

On Saturday, May 19, I will be joining two other Apocalypsies to host a teen writing workshop at Chester County Book & Music Co.:

ATTENTION TEENS!
Sign up for a writing workshop

with three young adult authors,
members of the Apocalypsies,
and be eligible for a fabulous door prize!
K.M. Waltonauthor of CRACKED
Elisa Ludwig, author of PRETTY CROOKED
E.C. Myers, author of FAIR COIN
Saturday, May 19
Workshop 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. ($10)
Signing 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 pm (free and open to the public)
Cost includes a buffet lunch.
Hurry!  Space is limited!
You MUST register in advance.
Chester County Book & Music Company
975 Paoli Pike
West Goshen Center
West Chester, PA 19380
For more information
call 610-696-1661, ext. 29
Please help spread the word! I hope to see you and/or your teen writers on Saturday!
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crits for critters!

I’m offering up a short story critique (up to 5000 words) or a critique of a query letter and the first 30 pages of your novel, in the Pens for Paws Auction to raise money for Fat Kitty City, a no-kill, cage-free cat sanctuary in El Dorado Hills that also rescues dogs (as foster homes allow). I am happy to aid our feline overlords, even at this great personal sacrifice.

If you’re wondering what makes me qualified to critique anything you write, that’s a very good question! I have at least a little bit of experience with writing and publishing short stories, through the rigorous Clarion West Writing Workshop (in the incredibly talented class of 2005); my participation in New York’s finest team of superwriters, Altered Fluid; and as a submissions reader for Sybil’s Garage and several editions of Ellen Datlow’s Year’s Best Horror. Many of the stories and novels I have critiqued have been published and received awards and critical acclaim, and I’m totally claiming some of that credit.

I also wrote a query letter and a novel that fooled at least one agent into taking me on as a client, which eventually resulted in my novel getting published, so let’s call that a 100% success rate, shall we? I’ve heard from more than one person that I’m pretty good at writing query letters, which are tricky things. My “specialties” are in science fiction, fantasy, and young adult fiction, but whatever your genre, this is a rare opportunity to get feedback from someone who should know better than to critique a stranger’s work. But hey, I’ll do almost anything for money that will support a good and worthy cause.

In any event, you’re almost guaranteed to get value for your dollar, depending on how much you bid and some definitions of value.

Bidding is open internationally through May 11, 11 p.m. EST. Please spread the word to anyone who might be interested and consider bidding. If you don’t have a story or novel ready yet, you can claim your prize whenever you do.

Best,
Eugene

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The YAmazing Race with MGnificent Prizes, Part II

[ETA: As of 5/8/12, this giveaway is now over! Thank you to everyone who participated in any leg of the race and for sharing your comments and wishes. I will randomly select the prize winners in the next few days, and will post your wishes on Tumblr in the weeks and months to come.]

Hello! The previous YAmazing Race with MGnificent Prizes was so fun and successful, we decided to do it again. If you’re here at my stop on the blog hop, you probably know what it’s all about already. But if you’re lost or have no idea what I’m going on about, please visit the Apocalypsies website to read the complete rules and get started. Please note that the contest does not begin until Wednesday, May 2 at 12:00 p.m. EST.

FAIR COIN by E.C. Myers

Sixteen-year-old Ephraim Scott is horrified when he comes home from school and finds his mother unconscious at the kitchen table, clutching a bottle of pills. The reason for her suicide attempt is even more disturbing: she thought she’d identified Ephraim’s body at the hospital that day.

Among his dead double’s belongings, Ephraim finds a strange coin—a coin that grants wishes when he flips it. With a flick of his thumb, he can turn his alcoholic mother into a model parent and catch the eye of the girl he’s liked since second grade. But the coin doesn’t always change things for the better. And a bad flip can destroy other people’s lives as easily as it rebuilds his own.

The coin could give Ephraim everything he’s ever wanted—if he learns to control its power before his luck runs out.

In addition to the signed copy of Fair Coin and the prize pack I’m offering in the Race, I’ll be giving away a signed bookmark, postcard, bookplate*, and custom Fair Coin coin case to three lucky winners on my own blog. All you have to do to enter for a chance to win is flip a coin, then leave a comment in this post telling me whether it came up heads or tails. (Don’t worry, the outcome won’t have any effect on your chances of winning. And I’m just going to take it on faith that you actually flipped a coin; you’re the one who has to live with yourself if you fudge it.)

You can also get up to 5 additional entries by completing one or all of the following:

  1. Like my Facebook page at http://facebook.com/flipthecoin or, if you don’t do Facebook, link to this contest on your blog. (+1 entry)
  2. Follow me on Twitter and tweet about this contest. Be sure to mention me (@ecmyers) and include the hashtag #faircoin. (+1 entry)
  3. Add Fair Coin on Goodreads. (+1 entry)
  4. Pop over to my Tumblr page and make a wish! (+2 entries)

Make sure you tell me which of the above you do for extra points in your comment so I can tally up your entries correctly! And don’t worry, if you already follow me, you still get credit for it. I’ll use some randomizer-thingey to select the winners.

My blog contest will be open until Tuesday, May 8 at 12:00 p.m. EST.

When you’re ready to move on, click your heels three times (or this link once) to be whisked away to the quiz. Thanks for coming by, and good luck!

___________________________________________

*Still working on making those bookplates, but they should be ready soon!

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a book and a chat

Tomorrow morning (Saturday, April 21) at 11 a.m. EST, I will be talking with Barry Eva, author of the YA romance Across the Pond, on his radio show A Book and a Chat. I like tea and talking about writing and books, so I’m looking forward to this! If you’re awake that early on the weekend, you can grab your own cup of caffeine and chat with us too, by calling into the program at 347-237-5398. Call! Ask questions!

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a surprise twist I didn’t see coming

When words fail to describe how you feel, a screencap will do.

I had some other things I’d planned to blog about today, but when you find out that io9 has not only reviewed your novel, but given it a great review, that kind of distracts you from everything else.

I usually make many stops at io9 throughout the day (except for the one day I’m on it, apparently–Google Alerts, you fail), so I consider being featured there, with even the tiniest mention, as one of the ultimate, nigh unattainable achievements for a geek like me. Achievement unlocked. My book is on the front page! (I took a screenshot. It happened.)

But most of all, I’m thrilled that in her review, Charlie Jane Anders really gets the book in the way that every writer hopes readers will, and I’m so glad that she enjoyed it enough to recommend it to others. And call it crack. Well, don’t say she didn’t warn you.

There’s also a spoiler warning, so proceed with caution.

 

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