Hmm. I can't think of many. I do like Bard shooting Smaug at the end of the Hobbit, but I'm not sure that fits the point you're making.

"How would you stop a demon cat who wants to eat your soul?"

Easy Hillary, wait till it goes outside and darned well nail the cat-flap shut. LOL :)x

Matt, it's hard to think of good endings to bad guys when you're put on the spot! It's like going to the grocery store without a list, I can't remember anything! ;)

See, Jack? A simple, yet very effective solution! Love it! ;)

Sometimes reading books helped me. Like reading The Iron Witch helped me to figure out the end to my next book. I totally get what you mean about having an eureka moment. Totally impressed that you're working on your next book while releasing The White Assassin.

Natalie, don't be impressed! I'm a basket of raw nerves! :)

hi miss hilary! yikes! thats a way scary cat for sure. if you wanna stop him you gotta feed him some soul food. ha ha. wow! you got another book almost done. i cant wait til it gets out!
...hugs from lenny

It's funny that you brought up HP. To me, that's a perfect example of a great series. Read it! When you have time of course! :)

Tammi

I love to read books in a series, but I am not certain about writing a series. (Well, actually, I have a series of easy readers, but they could be read in any order. And actually, I have written a chapterbook series, but again, it could be read in any order.) But as for novels, I think I am in stand-alone land right now.

Love HP!

Shelley

I love a good series. I think it helps when new characters are introduced and new plot problems. I love so many series--Septimus Heap, Harry Potter, The Healing Wars by Janice Hardy, HP of course, The Iron Daughter and sequels by Julie Kagawa, Maggie Stiefvater's Shiver & rest of books, etc. And of course your sequel! You did a super job. It was a super fast read. I couldn't put it down.

For me the first book has to really call for a second book. If I feel I can predict what happens in the next book I won't read it. I've read a lot of firsts but not many seconds. I think you are right. It needs to be standalone material with more exciting twits and turns and characters you can cheer for. HP did a great job with that.

Tammi, I know, I know, I HAVE TO READ HP! I will, promise. Just some day after my kids are in college and I've retired! If I get in a whole ten minutes of reading some days I'm floored!

Shelley,

I love a great standalone, but I always get so sad, because I know it's over! I'm writing a standalone right now, getting close to the grand finale! ;)

Natalie, I need to read Septimus Heap! And you are truly my new BFF with your comment on TWA! I'm glad you thought it was faced paced! I really wanted the book to move! :)

Chandra, it's so true. In the above series I mentioned, I have not finished Book 4 and I doubt I'll make it to Book 5. The enjoyment is all but gone. :( I'm loyal though, so I'll probably still give it a go!

xoxo -- Hilary

I would say that the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling, and A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket were both very successful. I'd definitely read them both again.

Susanne, I LOVE Lemony! :):) That is a great example of a rocking kid's series!

The fact that you haven't read HP blows my mind, but I'll let that one alone.

I have series ideas swirling around my head, but I have never acted upon them. I suppose I'd rather have a great book that wants to be continued and then take that step.

I am not a fan of the word trilogy. I just hate the sound of it and I don't want to have to say it in front of crowds at a reading.

Jon, who has that kind of time? ;) You are funny! Instead of trilogy, you could say triptych or book cubed? :) Sometimes I feel like lots of books can be series, all depends on who dies at the end! ;)

I love the new look of your site, Hilary!

I do like trilogies, because I am sad when a great book ends. then there's more to look forward to.
But then again, I loved all of the HP books. Only one seemed to be less than stellar, but I still enjoyed it.

(Loving your sequel!)

I think sometimes the writing changes because the writer is rushed on the later books.

I love your new look. :D

So exciting! I didn't know you had another series in the works. :O)

Wow that's so cool! You're awesome, getting so many books out!

Wow, congratulations Hilary!

That goblin shark will gobble anything! Looks kind of like the creature from the movie Alien.

hi miss hilary! yippeeee! the secrets out!!! :)
for sure you could put me at number one to read this book. i love the sea and all those creatures. sharks are cool!! for sure i just know im gonna love this book. wow! cool title!
...hugs from lenny

Whoa! CREEPY.

Sounds like the makings of a great story, though.

What a cool concept. Can't wait to read it.

Thanks, everyone! I'm writing furiously! It's going to a productive (and long) month! :)

Great title for a middle-grade undersea adventure book. Can't wait to see what the cover will look like. Thanks for sharing the YouTube videos about Goblin sharks.

I think I'm a lot like you, although I'm not sure if I'm a Rhythmic Writer or not. I will re-write sentences until I feel they flow off the tongue. There have been times when I've spent an hour re-wording one paragraph only to change it the next day. It's part of the curse of being a writer; we want every word to be the right word so that every sentence flows with the story.

Cherie, that sure sounds rhythmic to me! Hopefully you dance better than I do! ;)

Great minds think alike Hilary. check out my latest post on my blog - http://akhen1khan2.blogspot.com/2011/08/developing-story.html

:))

You can tell you are a rhythmic writer and that you try and try until it is right.
You write so beautifully, Hilary!!

When novel writing, I write straight through. Then I do a minimum 5 edits, until every sentence flows its smoothest.

I've been thinking more and more about the cadence of the words as they flow from my fingers to the keyboard. For a while, I tried to suppress it, for fear of sounding too adult when writing my 1st person teen narrator. But I wasn't being true to my own personal style, so I'm glad I stopped.

Great post, and cute thriller kitties. ;)

I totally agree. Sometimes a sentence just doesn't sound right, even though there isn't anything gramatically inoorrect with it. Also love the cat thriller pic!

I completely agree! I don't know much about grammar, but I can usually tell when a sentence isn't right! Sometimes it just flows wrong, or the words aren't right.
Anyway, awesome post!

Jack, I think that's the 2nd time that has happened with us! :)

Kelly, you are so my new BFF!!! You are so nice! :)

Suz, that's a great tactic. Wait until the end to do your magic! If only I were that patient! ;)

Tere, yes! I think that's the best lesson I ever learned. Writing in our own voice! And yes, Triller Cats rock! ;)

Anita, yes, some sentences just sound clunky to me. I need flow! :)

Jess, me neither! I'd rather read a sentence that grammatically had a quirk or two, but read beautifully in my head! ;)

hi miss hilary! for sure you got de riddim! :)for me i read my stuff out loud and if i get tripping ove the words or my tongue gets tangled for sure i gotta write it lots better.i love thse cool thriller cats.
...hugs from lenny

Cute thriller cats!

Lenny, I trip over words too! Even when you're a full fledged adult, writing is tricky! I trip up stairs too! ;) Big hugs!

Susanne, are they not adorable?? :)

You are right, sequels are hard, just begun my first and it took ages to get it going!

Congratulations on the review!! Looking forward to the White Assassin!

Carole, they really have to be perfect. It can never be too easy of a story or solution! :)

Thanks, Shelley!! I'm so anxious! :)

Wow, Hilary! I'm thrilled with your success. You're awesome! So much has gone on the last couple months. Sorry for my lack of support. It's amazing the changes life brings and how hard it can get. So you're writing for Nat Geo as well? How cool is that! I'm on pins and needles for White Assassin.

Jared, you are so nice! I have been lacking in the giving of support myself for like the last year! Life has gotten nuts! In a good way, but nuts! I keep trying!! :) How is the writing going?? I hope really, really good! :)

Wonderful job with the review! That must have been so cool! WriteOnCon was awesome and I finished the first draft of my first novel so I'm feeling pretty good :D

Jess, congrats on finishing a new one! :) It's such an accomplishment and relief!!

Congrats on the review, Hilary! Kirkus is so tough.

Congrats on the review!

Finishing a wip here.

Have a great weekend.

Thanks, Matt! I sighed with relief for about...ummm...five seconds! ;)

Thanks, Medeia! Congrats on the WIP! I just finished one too! :):)

hi miss hilary! hooray for that good review! but i cant think how you could of worried bout it after reading my review. :) i went at some of that write on con and learned lots. now schools started back. ack! ugh! arrgh!
...hugs from lenny
RATS RULE!

Lenny, I was worried about your review! You are the perfect age for my book, so you loving it was just about the most awesome thing EVER! If you are a kids writer and kids don't like your books--not good! ;) I'm so, so happy you liked the book! Good luck with school this year! My son started last week and UGH! was what he said too!

BIG HUGS, LENNY!!!! :):)

Hilary

I'm so happy for you! I look forward to reading The White Assassin. :)

Jennifer, you are too sweet! Thanks so much! :)

Sounds very scary, hope not!

Sounds scary and cool!! Can't wait to read the book!

Heading over now!!

What fun! Going to check it out! Thanks for links Hilary! You are the best!

POSSESS has without a doubt the coolest cover I've seen in a long time! Thanks for the reminder, Hilary!

I enjoy research a lot. If I need indepth research I'll order books from Amazon and then look in the bibliography for their primary sources, which often I can then buy. And google is a good place to start.

I love research. It's so fun to learn new things! Meticulous note-taking is a great skill to have.

Research is crucial Hilary, especially when you have written yourself into a corner. :)

Great question. I was wondering the same thing! So far I've started in the library with relevant books and used their bibliographies for more in depth works.

Congrats on all the good publishing news, Hilary -- so happy for you!

I keep an out file on my computer (just a word doc) and link or jot all my sources there as I write. It is amazing how much we have to prove/document as authors!

I've got five steps (or levels) I refer to when researching. I'm a total research and knowledge nerd, and sometimes it's hard to remember not to go too far.

Here's how I list them:

Level 1: Wikipedia. You can't always count on it being fully accurate, but Wikipedia is a decent starting point for some topics.

Level 2: The Internet. There is no end to the websites covering certain topics.

Level 3: Books. Mostly non-fiction, but every once in a while a novel can teach you something important too.

Level 4: Experience. They say write what you know. If you don't know it, go do it. Then you will.

Level 5: Experts. The only way to understand a topic more than by experiencing it yourself, is to speak to someone who has spent an entire life doing it.

Anyway. Yeah. There you go. Great topic, Hilary!

Laura, looking in the bibliography for more sources is a GREAT tip!

Angie, yes! I can't believe I'm still using my note taking skills now!

Jack! You are so right! Whenever I blocked, I start doing research and magically the sparks fly and story continues!

KMC, I love getting lost in the library and discovering books. I love the stacks!!! :)

Thanks, Tess! I have one of those word docs too! That's another great tip. That way you won't forget!

Matt, yes! I agree with everything. We must scour every research avenue! ;)

Great research advice, everyone!

I love research - so much so that I can make it the best procrastination tool in the whole writing process. I've learned to tone it down, but I've also learned how well research helps untangle some of those plot snags. My research process is much like Matt's above.

Dawn, yes, when someone asks me how I get through a writer's block, I can't emphasize enough the importance of research. Like you said, it really helps untangle those plot snags. I can't remember a time where it has not worked!!! :)

Great advice! I'm writing my first novel, so this really helps!

hi miss hilary! i like researching but some times i get sooo caught up im doin it one thing gets me wondering bout another and pretty soon im way away from where i got started. ack! mostly i use google for a starter. but for travel i ask my brother sebi cause hes been every where in the world and for psyc stuff i ask my brother alex cause he does therapy and my brother andrews a carpenter and jasons into sports and carlys a girl. ack! and i got cousins that know lots of stuff. sometimes i ask so much questions i get them all crazy. ha ha.
...hugs from lenny

Lenny, that's so true! Sometimes the research itself is so interesting you keep reading when you should be writing or the research makes you think of other stories you want to write! I think that's a sign that we're really smart. That's what I'm going with anyway! ;)

Big Hugs!!

Hilary

SO cool! I saw that you gave a copy to Lenny Lee, which is super awesome of you :)

Aw, thanks, Jess! Lenny is just the sweetest ever and so deserving of all his writer buddies! ;)

Love the trailer! And also saw Lenny's review - can't wait to read it myself :)

Hilary! It looks fantastic! Can't wait.

The book trailer looks cool. I like the music for it.

It did stop on me a few times and then start back up on its own. Is this part of the trailer effect?

Jemi, wasn't his review the absolute best? I was seriously weepy eyed. :)

Jared, thank you!! I can't wait either!

Susanne, I tried so hard with the music. Everything I listened to sounded so generic. This song blew me away! I think the starting and stopping had to do with your connection. Same thing happens to me sometimes with youtube, etc. Hate that! ;)

hi miss hilary! i love love love that cool trailer. the musics just right for the book. and the books sooooo good!
...hugs from lenny

Lenny, you are way too sweet! I'm still reeling over your book review! :) So glad you like the book AND the trailer! Yay!

Big hugs!

Hilary

Great of you to give a copy to Lenny Lee. And it was a great trailer worthy of Spielberg. Hope your sales go through the roof! Roland

Exactly Hilary. My blog first, then tweet the entry, stumble and Facebook it. Then check on FB to catch up with everyone I 'chat' to.

With Google getting in on the act, I'll leave it a while. FB and them are currently sparring. Think I'll wait until the dust settles. lol :)

Jack, I know a lot of people are feeling the same pain. I think everything will come to a halt soon and people are just going to stay with what they are most comfortable with. I know I am! ;)

Oh my gosh, this is exactly how I feel. I was thinking, oh great, just another social media tool to have to keep up with. It's exhausting right?! I do not think google + is as great as they made it out to seem anyways!

I still don't hardly ever do Twitter. I like to announce my blog posts in AOL dial up chat rooms, though.

I agree. Facebook lost its funness for me in February. I disabled my account and have found life a lot easier. There's a lot of pressure to get your face EVERYWHERE but sometimes less is more. Just do what makes you happy!

hi miss hilary! yikes! im glad im not doing all that net work stuff. i just only got my blog and my email and that as much as i could need.
...hugs from lenny
ps im gonna be checking the mail :)

I so feel the same way. I haven't even gotten on twitter because social networking is taking up way too much time, much as I enjoy it. But like you, I work and I need a life away from the computer.

Matt, seems like a lot of people use it that way lately. I used to be a Twitter nut, but I've calmed down a lot!

E. You could not have said it better! "Do what makes you happy!" DONE

Lenny!! Hi dude! It should be there mid-week! :)

Natalie, life a way from the computer, you say? What is that?? ;)

Big hugs, everyone!!

Hah! I love that you purposely put a few typos in this. I can only spot two, but there could be more! They're nasty little buggers, and hard to catch.

If you have the inclination Hilary, check out some of the 'Classics' sometime. I've found dozens over the years by books considered essential reading for students, published by some of the top publishers. :)

LOL Hilary! Yes, I have read many a book, and seen typo's here and there. It doesn't bother me at all; unless the typo is so bad, it ditracts the flow. That is my biggest fear right now though. Waiting for my book to be editing right now, releasing in October...and will it be "suitable". Or will I have an occurance where instead of food, I get foot! LOL. Carry on.... :)

Whoops did I just type 'by' after the word years - TYPO lol :)

Typos in printed books never annoy me--instead, they really do make me smile :) (When I even notice them at all.) We're all humans! Everyone makes mistakes.

Errr...Matt, those were not done on purpose! Bwah! Yes, I am a typo queen! Too funny! ;)

Jack, you are among typo friends here, so no worries! I can't imagine what it was like in the early days of publishing. Things were not exactly high-tech. I wonder how long the copy editing process took back then to get it right?

Lyn! Yeah, that one made me want to stick my head in the sand. They are unavoidable. Once the book is printed. It's printed. Not much you can do!

Sara, they make me smile too. I'm sure they don't make the author who wrote the book smile! I found a big one in Wicked when I read it years back. Things like that make you feel better about your own typos! They happen...to EVERYONE! :)

Something like foot and food can easily be missed after so many rounds of edits. Small typos in printed books don't bother me either. I just smile, happy to see even my favorite authors are human.

Great post~ I don't mind finding them, but I definitely feel a little bad for the author. These things happen :)

Love the cat! Yeah, typos bug the crap out of me, especially when it's a published work. I know, I should be more forgiving, but I can't help it. Oh well.

Typos make me smile, like I found some kind of secret in the novel. But yeah, if it was MY book, I'd be freaking about about the typos.

Good luck with The White Assassin, Hilary!

Cherie, yes, it's good to know it happens to everyone! We are not alone! :)

Jess, certainly an "I want to fall through the floor moment," for the author. At least it was for me when I first went through the hardcover, but I learned quickly, get over it and move on! :)

Eric, we are who we are, no worries! Typos don't bother me, but over descriptive writing does. I hate having to skim through sections of a book because the author drags out the description of a meadow into three pages! Ha, ha! It's a meadow, there is grass, it is green. DONE! ;)

I gloss over typos. If I have a pen in hand, sometimes I circle them. Probably because I'm a teacher. They don't make me mad. In fact they please me, because when an author I admire makes mistakes I feel less self-conscious of my own.

Tere, as long as they get my name right, from now on, I'll be happy! ;)

Medeia, I agree! I freaked out before, but now I'm over it. I have much more too worry my neurotic head about. Ha! ;)

Definitely avoid them if I can. I mean. They're typos. Sure on the internet you can get away with text-talk and whatnot, but a printed book? I like to avoid the grammer police if I can.

Err, I mean grammar.

David, I too try and try to avoid said police, but man, even when I think it's perfect, my agent or my husband (who is the official grammar police) always find something! :)

Typos happen. Sometimes I mark them, but more often than not I don't pay them no never mind. I don't recall running up against food instead of foot in Nightshade City, so it isn't that obvious and I know this as I'm a slow reader, reading one...word...at...a...time. :)

Bish, I'm a slow reader too! Billycan is supposed to crush one of Hob's toys with his foot, but in the book it says food! Ha, ha! Must be some pretty heavy food, like a Whopper with extra cheese! :)

Typos don't make me mad or think less of anybody. But I do fix them in with a pencil when I find them, even in a library book.

Amanda, that's so cute that you do that! :) I've never seen that before. Can you imagine a neurotic author finding a typo in their latest book and raiding all the local bookstores with a pen?? And no, I did not do that! Scouts' Honor! ;)

Typos don't bug me, bad writing bugs me! Haven't read a bad book in a while though, happy to say!

LOL
Or maybe they would just do that at book signings. The author signs it, then flips to the page with the typo. "Just a second. Gotta fix something." LOL

Ha! Why didn't I think of that? That's a good one! ;)

Typos in books don't bother me, unless there are so many that they start to get distracting. I have read a couple of books that I wondered if they had been looked over at all before being sent off for printing.

I feel there shouldn't be any typos in a printed book. It should have had enough read-throughs to eliminate any mistakes. That said, I don't throw a book away or stop reading if I see one, or two, or three, or one hundred, wait, okay, well maybe if there are one hundred I'd chuck the book in the trash, but you get what I'm saying. And, yes, makes me cringe when I see typos in my work and I've sent it out to editors. My agent says "don't worry, give the editor something to do" but I still cringe. Makes it worse that I'm a teacher and I have very fine-tuned radar for typos. Now go ahead and read my comment for typos, why don't you.

Susanne, I've never read a book with scores of typos, but that would get on my nerves big time!

Michael, you are one tough customer! ;) Sadly, a lot of typos make it into books from glitches at the printers. An editor and I talked once about the process at the printers, and it seems like a typo or two could easily slip through. In fact, that's what happened with the "food"/"foot" typo in my book.

:)

Writing is what matters, and I'm sure it's hard to keep that in the front of your mind!

I'm learning not to compare my first draft with finished books. o_O

Fight the resistance everyday. - Stephen Pressfield. War of Art. A MUST read.

The thing I always remember from way back when is not to read what I'm working on until it's done. When I first started writing I used to spend FAR too long on chapters that I was likely to change or delete anyway.

Kristin, that's excellent advice. It's so hard NOT to judge your work at every step of the game!

Kevin, I should totally read that! Sounds great! I'm pretty sure I've heard of it before.

Robert, I always go back and read whatever scene I just wrote, only because it saves me editing time at the end. Then again, I'm the typo queen, so I have a good excuse! :)

One piece of advice I received was to place the problem or what's at stake earlier in my story, because I was putting it in later. So the plot wasn't moving.

First off, hello to a fellow Chicago author! love finding more of us :)

A great nugget of advice I read was that friends and family shouldn't be neglected because of your writing. You need to find a balance and be happy because getting published won't automatically make everything better. If you weren't happy before you sold your book, that doesn't mean you'll instantly be happy once you do. That helps me keep things in perspective whenever I find myself stressing about splitting my time between regular work, friends, family, and writing.

As for a piece of writing advice, my favorite is "If the scene is about what the scene is about, then you're in deep s--t."

That's great advice. I think Elana Johnson's advice that you can't finish a manuscript if you don't write has been hitting home lately.

Medeia, that's a great piece of advice! There's been a few books I put down and never picked back up because nothing was happening in the beginning! Really great advice, girlie!

Hi Phil! Chicago writers rule! Yes, it's very hard to balance family and writing goals. Clearly writing a good book takes time! I write really early in the morning when everyone is asleep and then late at night...so I get zero sleep! Maybe that's why I write such weird stuff! ;)

Natalie, that's so true! It's so hard to get caught up in "life", not to mention all the social networking everyone's involved in these days. You literally have to lock yourself away in a hole in order to get anything done!!!! :)

My advice, turn the tv off! If that's possible. :)

The best advice I ever received was to post a sticky note to my computer that says: I give myself permission to write crap today.
Most days it takes the pressure off :-)

Best advice I ever got = don't be afraid to write badly.

Also something I've discovered for myself --> reading = writing fuel.

Tabby, turn off the TV?? I don't think our TV has one! ;)

Dawn, that's great advice. We are far too hard on ourselves. :)

Bethany, reading is such a great learning tool. And frankly, no matter what you read, you'll always learn something! :)