A Short Bio of My Writing Life

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I feel a little bit like a tool writing about myself, but I also do not at all presume that people know who I am, so, it feels a bit in order that I explain a bit.

Who I am now: A NY Times and IndieBound bestselling author whose works are published in more than twenty languages. I have a completed YA science fiction trilogy published with Penguin/Razorbill (starting with Across the Universe), a contract for more books to be published, and some more with my agent for submission.

And yet...

Who I am now: Someone who is still seeking validity and constantly worries her writing isn't good enough. 

Perhaps that is because of who I was before.

I wrote my first novel when I was eighteen years old and a sophomore in college. I was trying to write a short story, but I couldn't figure out how to end it, so I kept going and going and going and wound up with a book. I wrote a sequel to it. I realized that I had a trilogy on my hands, and for the first time, thought of publishing. 

One of the first things I did was analyze what I wanted out of my writing. I wasn't happy just writing--I wanted to share my story with the world. But I also didn't want to self-publish. This is a perfectly viable option for people, but for my fiction, I had dreams of a Big 6 New York publisher. 

I think that moment, where I decided what, exactly, I wanted, was one of the most important things I did for my career as a writer. You should know that when it comes to how you publish (much as how you write), there is no right answer for everyone--but there very well may be a right answer for you. Think about what you want, and what you're willing to do for it. For me, I wanted a publishing deal from a major publisher. This meant that self publishing and small presses were not an option for me, but that also meant that when my books didn't sell to a major publisher, I would have to move on to another book. I limited my choices, therefore limiting my chances--but ultimately, I believe I made the right decision for me, and I'm extraordinarily happy with the way things turned out. 

That said, the road to get here sucked.

After writing two novels in my undergrad years, I started seeking publication. I knew very little about the process, but ultimately, the formula is simple. For traditional publication with a major house, you need an agent. To get an agent, you have to have: a perfectly written book with sales potential, a banging query letter that will get the agent's attention, and professional presentation of both those things. It really is as simple--and difficult--as that. 

So I started querying.

The first novel was soundly rejected, and it became very clear to me early on why. 

It wasn't good enough. 

At its heart, that first novel was an extended fan-fiction of all the works I liked, heavily influenced by books and movies, with a loose plot that didn't really make much sense. It was rather easy to let that one (and the sequel I'd already written) go. 

Still in college, I wrote another book. (Can you tell that I found many classes boring in college? I wrote stories instead of taking notes.) 

I cannot express to you how much I loved this novel. And still do, honestly. It came from the heart (and was my "book of my heart"). The writing of this novel flowed like magic. I almost didn't have to think about it; I'd sit at the keyboard and type until my fingers ached. Every novel I've written since writing that one has been my attempt at recreating that magic. 

When I finished it, I knew I had something special. 

I started querying. I could tell this was different from before. Agents were interested. They were still rejecting me, but they were hand-writing notes along the lines of, "I love this but can't take it!" or "The writing's really strong, but this just isn't for me!" I went to conferences. I joined the Society for Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. I networked. I joined social media and started following agents. I read books on how to get published. I got beta readers and critique partners and joined writing groups both online and in person. I wrote not just one, but five sequels for this novel. I knew--I knew--it was amazing and one of the best things I ever did or would ever create. 

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