Percocet, PTSD, and Multiplayer RPGs...what's not to like?

The incredibly talented Lisa Brackman's ROCK PAPER TIGER is the Nook Daily Find and the Kindle Daily Deal today. So everybody can win!

Get it for Nook

Get it for Kindle

Get it for your page-turning fingers

And Lisa's fantastic second novel, GETAWAY comes out on May 1. Want a copy? Email your proof of purchase for ROCK PAPER TIGER to proseblog at gmail dot com!

Books Crossing Borders

Well, it seems AZ can't seem to stop itself from continuing to lose it.:

"The Unified School District (TUSD) board ordered the books removed after State Superintendent of Public Instruction John Huppenthal threatened to withhold state funding pursuant to a recently enacted Arizona law, which prohibits public schools from teaching anything that promotes racial or ethnic “resentment,” or that is designed “primarily for pupils of a particular ethnic group” or advocates “ethnic solidarity instead of the treatment of pupils as individuals.”  That law is being challenged in court.

Among the titles being removed from classrooms are Critical Race Theory by Richard Delgado; 500 Years of Chicano History in Pictures, edited by Elizabeth Martinez; Message to Aztlan by Rodolfo Corky Gonzales; Chicano! The History of the Mexican Civil Rights Movement by Arturo Rosales; Occupied America: A History of Chicanos by Rodolfo Acuna; Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Freire; andRethinking Columbus: The Next 500 Years by Bill Bigelow."

Fortunately, there is no shortage of completely earnest, but still tongue-in-cheek protest to this latest news.

Check out the Librotraficante caravan, smuggling "wet books" (get it?) into AZ.

Viva Maria Contest!

You've probably noticed that I've been feeling very sassy and Latina lately here on ze blog. That'e because our authors, Carmen Vazquez and Rosa Gil, have a new ebook out: THE MARIA PARADOX (confetti!)

We had such a great time with this other contest that I thought I'd repeat for our friend Maria. But the stakes are going to be much, much higher.

The prize: Query critique, first 30 page critique, and a 20 minute Skype call. 

Tha's right.

Here's how to get it: 

• Like and/or send people to like The Maria Paradox fanpage on Facebook.
• Follow and/or send people to follow The Maria Paradox on Twitter 
• Blog, tweet, post on Facebook about either of the above or about the Maria Paradox ebook (use this link: http://bit.ly/yDClFm)

Keep track of where you post/tweet/blog about the book--please help these authors promote their Facebook and Twitter pages. 

There will be THREE WINNERS. How do you win? Well, you do the best job. That means posting/reposting the most amount of times, and in the largest variety of ways or places. Maybe reaching out to friends' blogs to reblog your blog post or...I dunno. Up to you. :) I've pasted a Press Release at the bottom of this post that you can copy and paste/send to friends for blog posts.

To Enter:

1. Do your posting. Remember, you have SEVEN days. Pace yourself.
2. Send an email with ONLY the following in the subject line: Ebook Celebration to assistant[AT]bookhaven[DOT]com No punctuation, no project title, no nothing except those two words with that exact capitalization. 
3. Paste your links to the places you've posted these links and/or where you've had others reblog, repost, or retweet.

The contest will be open for one full week, from tomorrow, February 2 - February 9.

Any posts/reposts will be counted between those days. But remember, variety and number of people reached is more important than volume! Retweeting yourself seven times won't get you a win.

Sound hard? Well, it's a competition! :)

I'll look over the entries, decide on the winners, and get back in touch about sending your materials and scheduling your call by March 31.

Thanks in advance for your help!!

*****PRESS RELEASE FOR BLOG POSTS (feel free to copy)*****

THE MARIA PARADOX, written by Drs. Rosa Gil and Carmen Vazquez, is a unique self-help guide for Hispanic women and the men who love them.

The authors challenge the machismo-reinforcing idea of “marianismo,” a centuries-old belief system that in effect tells Latinas: "Don't forget a woman's subservient place; never put your own needs first; sex is for making babies.”

Filled with self-help exercises, this clearly written manual offers practical advice on how to build support networks, overcome passivity, forge career paths, change or get out of abusive relationships and increase sexual fulfillment.

Filled with real-life success stories and wise, compassionate advice, THE MARIA PARADOX details how Latinas can enjoy the best of both worlds.

The book can be purchased from all major online retailers. The authors can also be found on Twitter and on Facebook. 

Open to Queries! BUT...

I expect lots of pent-up query action in the next few weeks, so bear with me...but also, BRING IT ON! :)

My submission guidelines are here and below. If you don't follow them...oooooh I'll be so mad.

For fiction, please send a one-page query letter, along with the first ten pages pasted in the body of the message by email to assistant@bookhaven.com. If nonfiction, please send a one-page query letter, a table of contents, and, if available, a proposal pasted into the body of the email to assistant@bookhaven.com. Please put the word QUERY and the title of your project in the subject field of your email and address it to the agent of your choice. Please do not send an attachment as the message will be deleted without being read and no reply will be sent. We reply to all queries and generally send a response within 4-6 weeks.

Are there any billionaires out there?

I would like to do a funny, tongue-in-cheek "How To Be A 1%er" book.

Have your people call my people.

Writer's Digest Webinar: Self-Publishing

I'll be giving a webinar through Writer's Digest on Thursday, November 17th, about self-publishing.

We'll cover everything you could possibly want to know: the strategy behind self-publishing, its relationship to traditional publishing (aka will it help you get signed or published), file formats, different platforms to use, metadata, etc. etc. etc.!!

And just for icing, there'll also be question time and a guaranteed critique from me. Sign up here:

http://www.writersdigestshop.com/product/when-how-to-self-publish-webinar/

See you there!!

New Form Rejection

I just had the best idea for a mystery/crime novel plot

So. What if the serial killer kills his/her wife/husband and then hires our private eye main character to solve the case. THEN the serial killer kills all the suspects as the main character discovers them and presents them to the client/serial killer (I guess as client updates or something? This part is your job).

SO THE SERIAL KILLER IS THE LAST PERSON CONNECTED TO THE KILLING LEFT ALIVE AND THE PRIVATE EYE MAIN CHARACTER FIGURES IT OUT BUT ALSO HAS TO FIND A WAY TO NOT LET THE SERIAL KILLER KNOW HE/SHE KNOWS!!!

ok, that's free. Go with it!