Category: Contest

Mayday Update

Posted on by writermike in Christmas Anthology, Contest, eBooks, LDStorymakers, Michael D Young, The Canticle Kingdom, young adult



April is a Winning Month!
Welcome to another month! April was a very difficult month for writing. I had the opening of “The Secret Garden”, the crash of my computer and a thousand other things vying for my time. I’m pleased to report, however, that on April 30th, I jumped over the finish line for 50,000 words in April.  That was a close one! I had to find all sorts of little times to write a little here and there. It really does add up.
My hard drive situation is still not taken care of, but I have high hopes. I will get back to posting writing stats once I get back my old records. Until then, just know that I’ve done about 200,000 words already this year! Many fun projects coming your way soon.

Canticle Kingdom eBook
Great news! “The Canticle Kingdom” is now available as an eBook!  You can get the Kindle edition here: http://amzn.com/B007TWN5KY and on the Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-canticle-kingdom-michael-young/1018964936.  Many of the Canticle Kingdom prequel stories are going eventually to be in eBook form as well, and the two sequels I am writing will be in eBook form as well, so this makes me very happy.  

Conferences
I went to the LDStorymakers conference this weekend  down in Provo and it was just to soak in all the knowledge and to get a chance to pitch to agent Holly Root. I think it all went really well!  I also loved seeing all of my writer friends and catching up on their amazing projects. We are in good company in our organization.
Last week, I attended a great workshop given David Farland about outlining. If you ever have a chance to take anything from him, jump at it. He has trained many NYT bestsellers and is one himself. You can find more about him at http://www.davidfarland.net.

CONTEST
All the stories are in for the Christmas Anthology, and one of the major steps that now needs to be made is to name it.
To this end, I’m announcing a contest. Send me in your best name suggestions and we’ll take a vote. If you suggest the winning name, you’ll get credit in the anthology, a free copy of the anthology when it comes out and your choice of one of my books or a free three-chapter edit from me if you’d rather.
Keep in mind the nature of the anthology, which is that it is comprised of short stories based on Christmas songs.  Please keep all suggestions family friendly, and be creative as you can be. Send all submissions to: thecanticlekingdom@gmail.com. 

‘Til I see you again, live bravely and write well! 

First Lap Down!

Posted on by writermike in Canticle of Night, Contest, eBooks, Fantasy Books, Prometheus returns, The Canticle Kingdom, Writing Advice

My first month of marathon writing is over, and I’ve set a good pace. I exceeded 50,000 words to come out a little ahead. The only think is that there are eleven months to go.  I feel good about things and about how things are turning out.  I should have many completed projects by the end of the year!
Still one more day to enter the Young Adult Blog hop to win a copy of “The Canticle Kingdom”. My publisher let me know that they are working on getting it out in eBook form, and I’m very excited for that.
Stats:
My word count for the week: 13828
Running Total: 55834
Monthly Percentage: 111.7%
Yearly Percentage: 9.3%
Writing Tip of the Week:
Look out for your own pet phrases. It may be hard to spot them by yourself, so you may need to enlist the help of a friend.  You may have a favorite cliché, or even a brilliant original phrase that you just use too much.  Maybe all of your characters say the same phrase when they’re surprised. 
Search and destroy.  Or at least, mix them up a bit.
Writing Update:
I’m hard at work revising “Prometheus Returns” and hoping to get that out soon. I’m also working on a musical project called “Quest”, which is a parody of typical fantasy stories.  I hope someday to some of my works on stage.
I’m also hard at work on “Wandaful” and am well into the middle of it.  I find that the initial idea of the magic system based on color and time is evolving quite nicely and I’m loving playing the quirky characters off of each other. 
“Canticle of Night” has reached over the halfway point and has been really fun.  Please take a moment to support it by clicking the ‘like’ button on the page.
If you want to listen to or read “Canticle of Night”, please visit my page at http://www.bigworldnetwork.com/CanticleofNight.html
I’d love to know what you think about it!

Related link:
OnlineEducation.org is a great resource with information on writing courses.

December Blog Hop

Posted on by writermike in Blog Hop, Christmas Anthology, Contest, December, Michael D Young, The Canticle Kingdom
‘Tis the Season, and many of us are celebrating by giving away things that readers love, including books.  Use the entry form below to enter my giveaway for a signed copy of “The Canticle Kingdom” and use the list to link to other blogs.  
Please also consider submitting to the Christmas anthology I’m putting together. All you have to do is submit a family friendly story in any genre that is based on a Christmas song.  Please send all entried to thecanticlekingdom@gmail.com.  All proceeds will be donated to the National Down Syndrome Society. 
Have a wonderful and blessed holiday season. 

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Support Four Debut Authors and Snag $125!

Posted on by writermike in Between, Contest, Cyndi Tefft, Jennifer Simas, Jonathan D Allen, Shannon Mayer, Sundered, The Kayson Cycle, Until Dawn Last Light

I’m hosting a contest with four debut authors today to help them get a leg up. Enjoy!

Four books

Two Days

Great Prizes
With thiscontest, there is something for everyone and it’s SO simple to be in on the winning!
OnNovember 28 and/or 29, purchase 1 or all 4 of the debut author’s books listedhere. Then forward proof of purchase (the receipt Amazon sends you will do justfine) to : motionsrider@yahoo.ca and getup to 4 entries into a draw for a$100 Amazon gift card!
It’s thateasy, no reviews, no hoops to jump through. Just a great .99 book or two. Orthree or four. AND, if the person who wins the $100 Amazon Gift Card haspurchased all 4 books, an additional$25 Amazon Gift Card will be awarded to the winner!
On top ofthat, 2 random commenter’s pickedfrom 2 of our participating blogs will receive $5 gift Amazon gift cards . So, be sure to leave a commentand let us know what you think of the promo, the books, or the authors.
Winnerswill be chosen randomly, one entry per person, per book.
Allwinners will be announced on December 7th on Wringing Out Words (http://shannonmayer.blogspot.com)

“Between” by Cyndi Tefft



It just figures thatthe love of Lindsey Water’s life isn’t alive at all, but the grim reaper,complete with a dimpled smile, and Scottish accent.

After transporting souls to heaven for the last 300 years, Aiden MacRae has allbut given up on finding the one whose love will redeem him and allow him entrythrough the pearly gates.

Torn between her growing attraction to Aiden and heaven’s siren song, Lindseymust learn the hard way whether love really can transcend all boundaries.

Link: http://www.amazon.com/Between-ebook/dp/B004XZUMBA/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1322190792&sr=1-1
“Until Dawn: Last Light” byJennifer Simas



When darkness falls, whose side will you be on?

For the past six years, Zoë has been anything but “normal.” Struggling toaccept her immortality and thrown into a war that’s been waging in the shadowsfor over a thousand years, Zoë must now become who she was meant to be, joiningthe other Chosen to save what’s left of humanity. When the endless night fallsover the Earth, will she be able to save the one man who reminds her of what itis to be human, or will it be too late?

Until Dawn: Last Light is a story of death and despair, love and longing, hopeand hopelessness, and the ability to survive and keep going even when it seemsimpossible – when you want nothing more than to give up.

Link- http://www.amazon.com/Until-Dawn-Last-Light-ebook/dp/B005QUIXJY/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1322190717&sr=1-1
“TheKayson Cycle” by Jonathan D. Allen



A stranger enters a dying town and makes a desperate plea…

The Kayson Cycle introduces the Kayson Brothers, a pair of faith healers whoonce wowed crowds in a traveling show but went their separate ways after anight in which a healing took a dark turn. Jeffrey Kayson disappeared into thewilderness and William Kayson, wracked by guilt, moved to the failing miningtown of Calico Hills to build a nice, quiet life – one that has lasted for overten years.

His quiet, predictable life crumbles when a mysterious stranger walks into histavern bearing a proposal to find his long-lost brother and do the one thingthat William has sworn to never do again – have his brother heal a woman.William soon learns that he can’t escape his family – or his destiny.

Includes an exclusive sample chapter of The Corridors of the Dead. Please notethat this is a Kindle Single, and around 6,000 words in length.

Link: http://www.amazon.com/The-Kayson-Cycle-ebook/dp/B0061FDUA0/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1322190892&sr=1-1
“Sundered” by Shannon Mayer



A miracle drug, Nevermore, spreads like wildfire throughout theworld allowing people to eat what they want, and still lose weight. It iseverything the human population has ever dreamed of and Mara is no different.Only a simple twist of fate stops her from taking Nevermore.

As the weeks roll by, it becomes apparent that Nevermore is not the miracle itclaimed. A true to life nightmare, the drug steals the very essence that makesup humanity and unleashes a new and deadly species on the world that is bent onfilling its belly. Locked down within their small farm home, Mara and herhusband Sebastian struggle against increasingly bad odds, fighting offmarauders and monsters alike.

But Sebastian carries a dark secret, one that more than threatens to tear themapart, it threatens to destroy them both and the love they have for each other.

Now Mara must make the ultimate choice. Will she live for love, or will shelive to survive?

Link: http://www.amazon.com/Sundered-Nevermore-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B005KOIVH0/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1315021535&sr=8-3

NaNoWriMo Day 11: Happy Veterans Day

Posted on by writermike in Contest, Michael D Young, NaNoWriMo, Veterans Day, Writing Advice

Day 11 of NaNoWriMo and Day 4 of the Blog Hop. A special thanks to our veterans today, who defend our freedom of speech that allows us to pursue the crazy life of writing if we want to. My father, David Young, is a veteran of both gulf wars and served as an US Air Force officer for 25 years. To my father and all the millions of others who have served our country over the years, I salute you!

The November Giveaway Hop continues for one more day. Please use the widget below to enter to win a choice of a signed copy of either of my novels. Please also consider entering my NaNoWriMo contest. You can find the widget by clicking on any other of my NaNoWriMo posts.

At the bottom of the post is a list of the other bloggers who are also giving away things. Enjoy!

Leaderboard:
1. Writer Mike 29,359 (as of November 11th)
2. Robin: 22. 904 (as of November 11th)
3. Misha: 3,398 (as of November 2nd)

Word Count:

29359 / 50000
(58.72%)

Writing Tip of the Day: Don’t let one bad writing day get you down. All writers have them. It is so easy to miss one day and feel discouraged, especially during NaNoWriMo where a missed days means a lot of catching up to do.

If you find yourself without a lot of time to write in a day, here are a few things you can do to keep up your spirits:

  • Write a little: even if it is only a few sentences. You’ll be surprised how the difference between a little progress and no progress makes you feel. 
  • Brainstorm what is going to come next. If you are stuck in line at the grocery store, think about your plot and what needs to happen next. That way, when you can maximize your productivity when you do sit down to write. 
  • Keep a good perspective. It only takes one good day to make up for a bad one. That day could easily be tomorrow. 

Click on the blog post name to see the link list and the entry form.

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NaNoWriMo Day 8: November Blog Hop

Posted on by writermike in Contest, Day 8, NaNoWriMo, November Blog Hop, Writing Tips

We interrupt your usually scheduled NaNoWriMo programming to bring you a special Giveaway Hop. Please use the widget below to enter to win a choice of a signed copy of either of my novels. Please also consider entering my NaNoWriMo contest. You can find the widget by clicking on any other of my NaNoWriMo posts.

At the bottom of the post is a list of the other bloggers who are also giving away things. Enjoy!

Leaderboard:
1. Writer Mike 21,502 (as of November 8th)
2. Robin: 17. 133 (as of November 8th)
3. Misha: 3,398 (as of November 2nd)

Word Count:

21502 / 50000
(43%)

Writing Tip of the Day: When writing quickly, you may want to think about going back through later and rearranging the order of scenes, especially if you have more than more plot line running through your story. One way I kept track of this is to highlight the chapter name according to the plotlines it follows. For example, chapters about plotline A are in blue, chapters about plotline B are in yellow and chapters containing both are green. That way you can go ahead and rearrange at a glance and save time.

Click on the blog post name to see the link list and the entry form.

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NaNoWriMo: Day 2

Posted on by writermike in Contest, Day 2, Michael D Young, NaNoWriMo

Leaderboard: 


I’ve thrown down the gauntlet with my first day of NaNoWriMo. Who will step up and take the challenge?  A leaderboard isn’t any fun without more than one entry.

1. Writermike: 2,025

Word Count: 

2025 / 50000
(4.05%)

0 / 50000
(0%)

Writing tip of the Day: Make ‘non-writing’ time productive. Even when you’re not actually writing, but are doing other menial things like doing the dishes or brushing your teeth, you can be thinking about what is coming next in your story. That way, when you get there, the ideas can flow and your word count obstacles will go up in smoke. The more you think about things, the less time you’ll have to sit there and brainstorm when the blank screen is in front of you.

Saturday November 4th: Mark this date on your calendar. I’ll be announcing the winner of the Spooktacular Blog Hop and I’ll be participating in a NaNoWriMo 4-hour writing contest, with a $50 Amazon gift card on the line, as well as other great prizes. You can participate too.  Details are here: http://writingonthewallblog.blogspot.com/2011/10/its-baaaack-write-thon-contest.html

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Kicking Off NaNoWriMo (Day 1)

Posted on by writermike in Contest, day 1, NaNoWriMo

It starts!

Leaderboard: 

I’m going to post with my word count and a little writing tip every day during NaNoWriMo. Come join the contest any time. If you post your daily total in the comments for the daily post, I will put up a leaderboard for up to the top ten people.

Word Count: 


I have already written 30,000 words exactly on the sequel to The Last Archangel. I’m going to write the last 50,000 words during NaNoWriMo. I’m doing a separate counter for the 50,000 words.

0 / 50000
(0%)

Writing tip of the Day: Pace Yourself. It makes no sense to write when you are burnt out.When writing for long stretches, take short breaks and go do something that uses a different part of your mind than writing. Take 10 minutes to do some dishes or take a quick walk around the block. Your mind and your story with thank you.

Saturday November 4th: Mark this date on your calendar. I’ll be announcing the winner of the Spooktacular Blog Hop and I’ll be participating in a NaNoWriMo 4-hour writing contest, with a $50 Amazon gift card on the line. You can participate too.  Details are here: http://writingonthewallblog.blogspot.com/2011/10/its-baaaack-write-thon-contest.html

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Book Review: Dael and the Painted People

Posted on by writermike in Allan Schickman, Book review, Contest, Dael and the Painted People, NaNoWriMo, Prehistoric, young adult
If you are looking for the rules of the NaNoWriMo Contest, please visit this post: http://www.writermike.com/2011/10/ring-out-one-contest-ring-in-another_17.html#.TqBg5aCImU8
The entry form is at the end of either this post or the post with the rules. 

Hello readers! Today I am reviewing the third book in the prehistoric Zan-Gah series by Allan Schickman: Dael and the Painted People.

 In this third installment, Shickman diverts the narrative from Zan-Gah and instead focuses on his warlike brother Dael. It tells the story of Dael’s sojourn among an ancient people who paint their entire bodies red. You get a close look at their way of life, their customs and how Dael and his companion integrate themselves into the society and in the process ruffle a few feathers.

The imagery is vivid and beautiful and the author’s imagination shines through, as with the previous volumes. It is a very approachable text and a quick read that takes a refreshing new direction from the other books in the series.

If I have one complaint about it, is was that sometimes I felt the author went over the head of his audience. The writing style is very simple, and is obviously geared at younger readers. However, once in a while, a great SAT word will appear like ‘ accouterments’ or ‘ululated’ that would probably leave younger readers stumped.

This volume has more of a standalone feel so that you could read it in conjunction with the other Zan-Gah books or by itself. I recommend it to young adult readers looking for a captivating world to escape to.

You can learn more about Allan and his books at http://earthshakerbooks.com/. To purchase a copy of Dael and the Painted People, visit this link: http://amzn.com/0979035767 

NaNoWriMo Contest Update: 
 I’m so glad that people are already signing up for my NaNoWriMo contest. I have one person put that they had already “won” NaNoWriMo, so I feel I need to clarify. NaNoWriMo runs from Nov 1st – Nov 30th, and to ‘win’ you have to write 50,000 words in that time and get it verified by the official word counter at http://www.nanowrimo.org.

Since NaNoWriMo has not started yet, it is not possible to win it yet. Actually, it is not possible to officially win until November 25th. If you do finish your 50,000 words (that you start on November 1st) before that time, feel free to mark that you have ‘won’ NaNoWriMo. I will then email you and ask you to send me a copy of the manuscript so that I can confirm its length.

In summary, I will delete any “I won NaNoWriMo” entries that happen before November 1st and I will confirm them all of that time if they are before the 25th. Please spread the word about the contest, and post here to let us know what sort of projects you are planning. From now until the end of the contest, the entry form will always be at the bottom of the most recent post.

Orem Authorpalooza:
Join me and many other authors this weekend at the semi-annual Orem Authorpalooza. Here are the details.

October 22nd: Authorpalooza at Orem, UT Barnes and Noble, 1pm – 4pm. 


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Ring Out One Contest, Ring In Another

Posted on by writermike in Contest, Michael D Young, NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month, Young Adult Fiction
I’d like to announce that the winner of this month’s blog hop is Diana! She has won a signed copy of The Last Archangel. Thanks to everyone who entered and I hope that you will stop by often.

 As you might have noticed in last post, I’m very excited for National Novel Writing Month, which starts on November 1st. I’ve managed to write 50,000 words both of the last two years I’ve done it and got done before the 30th. This year, I’d like to raise the stakes a little bit and encourage some of you, who I am sure are also writers, to participate.

On the entry form below, you can show that you have registered for NaNoWriMo. There is another button for when you “win” NaNoWriMo (which means reaching the word count goal). Each entry is timestamped, so I can tell in which order they come in. If any of you can “win” NaNoWriMo before I do, I will agree to do a full manuscript evaluation of your NaNoWriMo manuscript. If I get there first, I will still give a 50 page evaluation to the first person who wins after me. From all those who enter, I will pick three random people to receive a first chapter evaluation of their NaNoWriMo manuscript and other prizes at my discretion.

You can also get additional entries for prizes by spreading the word about this contest. If you have any questions or need writing advice, know that I’m always available at thecanticlekingdom@gmail.com.

Let the writing commence!

Writing Update: Had a great writing week. Simon Says is up to 36,370 and the Last Archangel II is up to 23,143. I’m also working with a company provide a serial story that chronicles some of the backstory behind The Canticle Kingdom, specifically the lives of the creators of the music box and how one of them became corrupted. I’ll have more news about that as it progresses. They let you retain the rights, so hopefully, I can let the series run and then publish the entire series in an inexpensive ebook somewhere down the road.
Come visit me this Saturday the 22nd at Barnes and Noble in Orem, UT from 1pm – 4pm. There will be many other authors there as well and it promises to be a great event.

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