Deborah edited children's books for ten years, until she switched sides and became an author. Now she is an award-winning author of books for young readers, including the teen novels HONK IF YOU HATE ME and BIG MOUTH and the newly released WRITING YOUNG ADULT FICTION FOR DUMMIES. (You can check out her books here.) Deborah has a master's degree in American literature and a fascination with pop culture, she sculpts stories from extreme events and places— tattoo parlors, fast-food joints, and, most extreme of all, high schools. Deborah is also the founder of the writers' advice website DearEditor.com. (Which is full of great advice! You can even submit a question.) She lives with her husband and triplet sons (THREE boys all the same age, YIKES) in San Diego, California. Sometimes she blogs about living with triplets.
So here are the details on her newest book.... It's a hands-on, friendly guide to writing young adult fiction.
With young adult book sales rising, and bestselling authors exploding onto the scene, aspiring YA writers are more numerous than ever. Are you interested in writing a young adult novel, but aren't sure how it fits the style that appeals to young readers? WRITING YOUNG ADULT FICTION FOR DUMMIES gives you tricks of the trade and proven tips on all the steps of writing a YA novel, from developing an idea to publication.
- Unique writing exercises to help you find your own authentic teen voice
- Tips for submitting manuscripts
- How to break into the flourishing young adult market
With the help of this step-by-step guide, you'll have all the skills to write an inspiring and marketable young adult novel.
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Now if you'll remember, I said that Deborah is some kind of awesome....When I told her I was going to do a post about her book she sent me a link for you...It's a YA Writing Cheat Sheet. How awesome is that? And if you are on the ball tomorrow, Wednesday, July 27th you can register for her FREE webinar. See What I mean about her awesomeness? I'm registering for sure!
Thanks so much for stopping by and I hope you'll click on the links and check out Deborah and her newest book: WRITING YOUNG ADULT FICTION FOR DUMMIES. (Maybe I'll see you at her webinar tomorrow.)
I hope you are having a great summer!
Hey Sharon,
ReplyDeleteNow that sounds like a great book and a wonderful idea for a generation of young, enthusiastic kids with a passion for writing.
Now then, Penny the Jack Russell dog and modest internet star, is thinking about writing a book. She thinking of titling it, 'Writing for Doggies'. All she needs is a reputable 'pawblisher' :)
Hope y'all are well.
Gary.
Sharon, thanks so much for sharing the news of my webinar tomorrow night. I'm quite excited about it. Speaking of "awesome", Katie Davis, who is hosting me on the webinar, has put together some serious awesome visuals.
ReplyDeleteAnd I just have to tell you: That pub you've got at the top of your blog looks JUST like a pub I passed many, many times in Southwold, Suffolk, England. It wasn't called the Limeburners, though. I was always with my boys then, so I never explored the inside. But the outside . . . uncanny. You're sending me down memory lane...
I signed up for this webinar last month and am really looking forward to it. "Awesome" is so befitting Deborah. I've been following her DearEditor.com website for a while, and it's definitely worth signing up for. It's free! Writing YA For Dummies is also good for writing MG, too. The book is packed with so much helpful info, it's a book all YA and MG writers should have. And that cheat sheet is good, too. Download it and print it out.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you did this post, Sharon. Nice job.
I'd love to read this book. And thank you for the cheat sheet link. I bookmarked it.
ReplyDeleteHi Sharon and Deborah .. sounds like an excellent guide for us all - let alone the young adults ...
ReplyDeleteThe webinar looks good too .. enjoy the time ..
I thought the Limeburners was in West Sussex?
Cheers for now - Hilary
Hi Sharon and Deborah!! Wow!! What a lot of AWESOMENESS!! Yay!!!! I love that there's a writerly book for dummies - cos they're such great manuals and I always consult a dummy book for lots of things!! Brilliant!! thanks for the info!! I must find out what a webinar is exactly! LOL! Take care and all the best
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Wow, sounds like a useful book, and thanks for the cheat sheet!
ReplyDeleteSounds fabulous! Thanks for the tip ... of to check ou tthe links :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Sharon. I've made my copy of the cheet sheet and I'm signed up for the webinar.
ReplyDeleteYay! I love that you say high school is one of the most extreme places. lol. Thanks for the cheat sheet! Enjoy the webinar-- I won't be able to make it. grr.
ReplyDeleteThe Dummies and Idiot series are great. Haven't read one in a while. I'll check out writing book from the library this week as every little bit helps.
ReplyDeleteThanks Sharon for sharing the news about Deborah Halverson. My daughter and a couple of her friends feel that they have a lot of issues that they can write about, from high school age to adult hood and society in general. A cheat Sheet would be great. Great Post.
ReplyDeleteThe book sounds great. I clicked over and had a read of the YA writing cheat sheet. Good advice.
ReplyDeleteThanks a bunch Sharon. We can all use help with our writing.
ReplyDeleteTriplets? OMG! Sharon must be superwoman! Love the post but I missed the free webinar. Oh well, I think I may have mentioned once something about my YA WIP that I shared at a writer's conference.
ReplyDeleteBleak. Very Bleak. Right now I'm concentrating on Adult fiction and some copywriting.
That sounds like a fantastic book! And oh my God - triplet sons! *faints*
ReplyDeleteHalverson's book is awesome and I highly recommend it. Sorry I missed the webinar - maybe next time. Thanks for a great blog post!
ReplyDeleteThank you very much for letting us know about this new resource.
ReplyDeleteI’m delighted to be a new follower and have left a response to your comment on Bird’s-eye View at http://michellefayard.blogspot.com/2011/07/getting-blog-comments-to-work-for-you.html.
I'm on my way to check out that link! It looks terrific.
ReplyDeleteThat’s freaking awesome… take some time off and come jumping back in with both feet!
ReplyDeleteNice thx for the opportunity!
I just saw this book on QueryTracker.net and it's cool to see it's making it's way around the blogosphere. What a helpful guide for those in need.
ReplyDeleteI've recently stepped away from YA and dove into women's fiction and found that's exactly where I belong but I still keep all my YA friends near and dear to my heart so this book will be passed along!!!
Hi Sharon.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for coming by my blog and leaving a comment. I love how you roll....LOL
I really like all the 'dummies' books. They are very good to learn from.
ReplyDeleteHappy Weekend Sharon!
xo Catherine
This sounds great -- both the book and the webinar. I love when excellent, accurate info about the writing biz gets spread!
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