Today The Pie welcomes Susan Dennard, author of the 2012 debut Something Strange and Deadly. This week, the WOA girls have promoted this fantastic debut and giving you a chance to read it before you can buy it. Read on to learn more about Susan’s revision process.   My revising process is...well, the word "intense" comes to mind. As I've talked about before, I'm not a particularly good writer. I ramble, backtrack, infodump, and pretty much do everything one shouldn't do to tell a good story. But you know what? I'm a darn good re -writer and an even better reviser . The key to my process is having a plan and staying organized. I never dive into revisions without a clear idea of what I need to do next--of what my story needs next in order to reach that goal of book-awesomeness. ;) You'll notice as I go through the steps of my revising process that I link to various pages. These are the lessons from my " Sooz's Guide to Revisions ...

Zombie Thur sdays is a weekly feature with guest blogger, Miranda. You can read more about her here . Zombie Thursday is back! And with a vengeance! I have a few zombie related topics to discuss after my absence, so I hope you will forgive me and that Alicia won't kill me (mostly because I don't want to come back as undead)! First off, let me apologize for my disappearing act. October is normally my favorite month and the best month ever. This October has been particularly trying for me. Beginning on the 1st, I got sick. Again. Horrible cold, coughing, slight fever, all the icky stuff. For the first time ever, I even called out of work. And unfortunately now, I do not have health insurance, so no doctor. I'm still sick and coughing everyday, almost three weeks later. Another major thing going on this month was my flying trapeze class! Despite being ill, I still managed to get to class (well, I missed one and had to make it up from being sick). And last Saturday, I performed...

I've never been so glad for Friday to come. This weekend promises to be a busy one filled with seeing friends, housework, and revisions on yet another WIP*. Summer makes me more productive, even if I feel like dying while I do it. Since we had our unofficial kickoff to summer almost two weeks ago, it's time to think about beach reads. You know those light books with no dark themes that you devour while you take in too much sun? The Paper Hangover peeps want to know ALL ABOUT THEM. Confession: I've only consciously picked books with summer in mind once. That was last year for the week I was at the Cape Cod version of The Real World house. This year I'm planning out the entire summer of reads, but here are my top five in cover form.   That first one, by the way? I'll be giving away later this month. However, I'm also giving something away today. During NaNoEdMo, one of my writing friends Megan had this awestome-tastic notebook she was sticking her notes i...

Over in Boston-land, it's Marathon Monday where people from all over decide that running 26 miles from Hopkinton to Boston makes perfect sense*. It's appropriate that the Race to 150 winners get announced today. What 120 entries looks like Through the awesomeness of Hubby, a hat, and over one hundred bitty scraps of paper, winners have been decided. Scarf Winners Erin and Debra Elliott! Handmade Critter Winner Mia! Titling Assistance**  Winner Amie Kaufman! Cupcakes of Awesome Winner Lauren! Cookie Prize Pack Winner Erinn! Divergent ARC Winner Boyu! Grand Prize Winners Shae (Zombie Survival Kit) and Glenna (Writer's Survival Kit)! Miranda or I will contact the winners shortly. Thanks to all who entered! As a reminder, tomorrow is the query letter blogfest. You still have time to sign up . * Yours truly believes marathons should be reserved for the ancient Greeks. ** Originally I wasn't going to include this, but he was so insistent aft...

Thanks to all who participated in the Name the Beastie Challenge . There were some good suggestions out there, but, like Highlander, there can be only one. Congrats to Tracey Neithercott ! My little bug-like guy is now known as a coleptra. If you like winning fun stuff, you should enter The Pie's Race to 150 contest . We've added some new prizes such as cupcakes of awesome and a critter, not as in a "I'm going to crit your work," but as in "look at this adorable penguin!" Adipose and Edward the Penguin. _______ Last.fm hit of the day : This Love by Pantera

Every Wednesday, YA Highway asks their readership a simple question to answer on your blog. Once you answer, you link your blog in the comments for other readers to hop on board. This is Road Trip Wednesday. Today's topic : Invent your own magical creature. You mean the Wild Beezus isn't one? He's white with blue eyes and yodels with a nose that twitches like a bunny and ears reminiscent of a mouse. Witness my photo as proof. * waits* Okay, since none of you believe the fuzzy picture is a magical creature, I guess I'll have to share what I have. In my current WIP's world, I deal with magical beings, but the main ones are established beasties like golyms and chimeras. I have created something, but don't know what it should be called. So, in addition to this being Road Trip Wednesday, this is also a contest to name the beastie. The rules: Read the description. Comment with a name and leave your email address. Contest will remain open ...

We reached 150 followers!!! The Race and contest entry has ended! Thank you to all who followed/entered and congratulations to our winners! If you're new to 'The Pie,' stick with us-- we'll have more contests in the future! ~Alicia & Miranda Last week we exceeded 100 followers in The Lurkdom. *throws more confetti* This is fantastic because Miranda and I have been planning a celebration for a while now. Like what? Besides impromptu dance parties, we're doing some giveaways. FIVE As of March EIGHT giveaways to be exact. You can win one of these fabulous prizes: One of two handmade scarves by Alicia*. Cupcakes of awesome by Miranda. An ARC of Divergent by Veronica Roth . You can read my review here . A handmade critter by blog follower Empress. Cookie Prize Pack : one box of Girl Scout Cookies and a dozen homemade zombie cookies from Miranda. Zombie Surival Kit : zombie survival flashcard, zombie mix cd, Amazon.com gift card, and your very own zombie. Writer...

Zombie Thur sdays is a weekly feature with guest blogger, Miranda. You can read more about her here . **WARNING** Today's Zombie Thursday blog is NOT intended for anyone under the age of 18. If you're under 18, you should not be reading this. I recommend that you click on this link instead and try your hand at writing creepy gothic haiku . If you're under 18 and choose to ignore my warnings, Alicia and I are not responsible for what you read or see. For everyone 18 and over, please proceed with caution. If you are easily offended, don't read. Also note that while I will not post pictures of the products directly in the blog, the links I am posting are NSFW (NOT SAFE FOR WORK). Wait until you get home. Or, if you are lucky enough to work in a cool place, click away. **END WARNING** Okay, now that I have that disclaimer out of the way... Hello! And welcome to another edition of Zombie Sex-tacular! Honestly, today I was going to post about something completely different (i...

That's right, it's contest time. No, not the 100 follower celebration--The Pie is still at 96. This contest is to write the creepiest, scariest, OMG-I'm-peeing-my-pants-in-fear haiku about the girl from yesterday's post . How do I write a haiku? Easy. It's three lines and a total of 17 syllables. First line: 5 syllables Second line: 7 syllables Third line: 5 syllables That's all. How do I enter? In the comments section, write your haiku.   Can I enter more than once? Of course! Anything else? Contest will be open through Friday, February 11, 2011. Cookies are only guaranteed for the United States and Canada. ________ Last.fm hit of the day : Emotional Winter by Anathema