So How Did You Get Your Book Published? Margo Catts List of 20

By: Margo Catts

We’ve all met them—the people, who upon hearing you’re a writer, say, “I’ve thought of writing a book, too!” They’re adorable. Precious. But you can tell that they (like most people) have no clue what happens between “I have an idea” and “Come buy my book.” Even to active writers, the process can be a bit like sausage making. Pig goes in the front door. Sausage comes out the back. Things happen in between.

Turns out that a lot happens in between that idea and the published book. A lot of work, sure, but also a lot of life. And that’s what makes every process—and every book—different. I compiled this list of twenty steps for everybody who’s asked me, “So how did you get your book published?” But it’s also for everybody who’s ready to give up at step 2:

1.     Have an idea. It's a breathtaking idea. Behind your children, it's the most exquisite, perfect, extraordinary thing that's ever come from you. Your idea is the sun, radiating blinding perfection in every direction. In fact, the radiance is so bright that you can't make out any details. Who cares? They don't matter. The whole gleaming, finished thing is distant and beautiful and just so, so, brilliantly perfect.

2.     Write the words. Agh. Words are NOT perfect. They're ordinary and clumsy and don't radiate much at all. Little flickers from time to time, but mostly not. You keep pushing them together, though, until you get to end. And it's okay that it's not completely perfect yet because you're not finished. It'll come.

3.     Get an agent. Remember that scene in Little Women where Jo ties her handwritten manuscript up with a bow and sends it to a big-city publisher in New York? Yeah, that doesn't happen anymore. Publishers don't read manuscripts that wash in with the daily post. No, you have to scrape and hustle and pitch and plead and get an agent to like your work, agree to represent you, and then the agent is going to scrape and hustle and pitch and plead to get a publisher to read it. Because efficiency. Anyway, I got lucky at a writer’s conference, and found a terrific agent who loved pages that aren't even in the book anymore and was willing to wait for me to finish it up.

4.     Admit defeat and hand it over. At some point, you have to stop revising. Even though you can tell it is NOT the sun, radiating perfection in every direction. Right now, it's just...a work product. And a pretty lumpy one, at that. Maybe if you just...oh, never mind. Write the email. Hit send. Put your head down on your desk and cry. Let your husband take you out for sushi because he's super excited and congratulatory, and then mope your way through dinner like a put-upon teenager because you feel...defeated. Like you're admitting that the best you can do is not that good after all, and the perfect thing you’ve been laboring for all this time doesn’t even exist. So right here I'm just going give a shout-out to every artist who's slashed a painting or broken a sculpture. I feel you.

5.     Have the agent say, "I love it!" (Bless her heart.) "Now revise."

6.     Revise.

7.     Revise.

8.     Move to Saudi Arabia. This will turn out to be time-consuming. And content-rich. Planned Novel #2 will slide to the #3 slot and material from this experience will take over #2. (You can also call this step “life happens,” plug it into your own set of steps, and plunge both hands into whatever it is.)

9.     Start a blog. This will take up fully half of your time. But it will also get you into an expat anthology book. (Once Upon an Expat, on HuffPo’s list of Top 10 Expat Books and available on Amazon!)

10.  Keep revising. Also start work on newly numbered novel #2. Carefully archive all thoughts and work done on the former novel #2.

11.  Move home. Also time-consuming. Less content-rich. More life happens.

12.  Receive email from agent saying the book is SOLD. More sushi. The check for the first half of the advance almost covers the sushi. Be afraid if you do the arithmetic you'll discover that you've earned about 3 cents an hour. Well, given that's it's only half the advance, 1.5 cents might be more accurate. For your sanity, you're basing your assumptions on the full amount. If you’re lucky, you’ll earn back the advance and maybe even get an adorable li'l check two years from now.

13.  Have the purchasing editor say, "I love it!" (Bless her heart.) "Now revise."

14.  Revise.

15.  Approve cover art, back cover copy, interior design.

16.  Get a picture when the author review copy arrives.

17.  Proofread; make minor revisions.

18.  Proofread; but FOR THE LOVE, DON'T MAKE REVISIONS.

19.  Make peace with imperfection. So it turns out that the only perfect things are imaginary. The future family or career you only dream of. The child who hasn't been born. The book you haven't written yet. Or do we just have the wrong idea of what perfection looks like? Maybe "perfect" just means "longed for, sacrificed for, and real."

  

20.  Sell this sucker. Because nobody’s going to do it for you. 

     My mom likes the book. My husband, my friends. My agent, publisher, early reviewers. Many readers will, I’m sure. But others won’t. I’m acutely aware of its flaws, as I am of my own. But my imperfections, and the fact that some people don’t like me, doesn’t keep me from going outside. It’s the lessons of Step 19 that will get me through Step 20. And back to Steps 1 and 2 on the next one, and the one after that. So I gotta go now. I’ve got a lot of work to do. 

     About the Author: Margo Catts is a freelance writer, editor, blogger, and passionate traveler based in Denver because she can’t be everywhere at once. Her debut novel, AMONG THE LESSER GODS, will be released on May 9 by Skyhorse Publishing. She is recently repatriated after living in Saudi Arabia, and one chapter from her life can be found in the anthology, ONCE UPON AN EXPAT. You can find her expat blog and learn more about the books at Margocatts.com 

Writing Your Historical Novel: Blog Four

Editor's Note: Jason Evan's expertise is history, but this article, as in his past articles for Pikes Peak Writers, can be helpful to writers in every genre. Good information for all to consider.

By Jason Evans

Happy Spring! Welcome back!

OK, we’ve talked about fleshing out your ideas. We’ve gone over how to start your research. We have even addressed how to structure your story. This month we’re going to talk about actually writing your story down!

Finally. It’s about time this guy talks about the stuff I wanna know! Why didn’t he do this before?

Why? Because my first WIP was a freakin’ train wreck, that’s why! I did everything wrong. I wanted a Lord of the Rings style adventure, and ended up with Anne of Green Gables with sword fights. I made every mistake. Grammar, point of view, too many compound sentences, etc. I don’t want you to go through that, gentle reader.

Since that awful first manuscript, I have learned that the more prep I do on the front end, the less re-writing I’ll have to do on the back end. So I write a lot about organization, structure and research. The benefit of this approach is so that you don’t have to re-write entire sections of your book. Doing the research beforehand prevents you from making major mistakes when you write.

OK, rant over. Here are some suggestions you might want to do right before you begin writing.

Create a Timeline of Historical Events

In historical fiction, you are usually writing about fictional characters experiencing a real world event, or you’re writing a fiction story about historical characters experiencing a real world event. That event can be a political election, a basketball tournament, the opening of a frontier, or a war. There really isn’t any limitation to what you can write. However, if you mess up the timeline, your book will suffer and people will taunt you.

Example: Let’s say you’re writing a love story about Charles Lindbergh and his wife, Anne. He met Anne in December of 1927, after his famous flight in Mexico City. If you have them meeting again on Valentine’s Day, 1928, say in New Jersey, you’d better make sure he was actually in New Jersey in February! Again, people will criticize you.

Get a Good Book on Grammar

Listen, English is a messed up language. There is no shame in not knowing all the rules. I read an article once indicating English started as an Anglo-Saxon language that Viking settlers spoke poorly (because they didn’t care.) Add some Latin words from the Roman invasion of Britain. Add some more Latin words, along with some French with the Norman invasion, then sprinkle in some Spanish, Italian (ghetto Latin,) Hindi, Arabic & other words, & you’ve got a mess on your hands.

Get a good book of grammar to help you out. If you can, get a good book on fiction writing, too. It will save you time in the end.

Stick to One Point of View

I know Book series like A Song of Ice and Fire, have made multiple points of view stories very popular recently. However, Point of View can be really hard for beginning authors. (I know it was for me.)  My suggestion is to limit the point of view to one character. Let the reader follow that person on a journey. Give your readers a glimpse of what brings that character joy, what makes them happy, or what scares them.

It doesn’t mean you can’t have awesome supporting characters, you just won’t be able to hear their thoughts. One of my favorite characters in A Song of Ice and Fire is Stannis Baratheon and he never gets a point of view chapter.

Find a good craft book on the subject. I suggest Rivet your Readers with Deep Point of View by Jill Elizabeth Nelson. It’s a little booklet with great activities. Its only $5.99 on Amazon.

Accept that Your Writing will have Multiple Drafts

Local Denver area author Stant Litore (who will be attending the Pikes Peak Writers Conference) once told me “Writers write. Professional writers rewrite.” I have found this to be true.

Know that the effort you put out for your first WIP will not be done when you write “The End.”

You’re going to have to rewrite some parts. (Which we will cover in later blogs) You’re going to have to make those fight scenes clearer. You’re going to have to drop more hints earlier in your book so your readers don’t feel cheated when they find out the gardener was the killer.

In my book, The Gallowglass, there is a love triangle between my protagonist, Philip, and a woman trying to get through a war zone to see her dying husband, as well as a camp follower who sees my protagonist as a meal ticket. (Philip doesn’t see it, though.) The camp follower is named Colleen.

The first time you meet Colleen, she is seducing Philip in his army tent. Fionualla, (She’s Irish) stumbles upon the two as they’re disrobing.

After writing 104,000 words I realized as I was reading it, that Colleen was not sympathetic at all. She was a stereotype: The voluptuous Bad Girl, the Temptress. I didn’t want that, so I added a couple of scenes showing Philip’s sincere affection for Colleen and her potential to be an ingénue. Those scenes were a big part of my rewrite.

Perhaps you want to add a subplot, or give the villain more face time. It is in the rewriting where the richness and fullness of your book comes through. So don’t be afraid to write more.

Rewriting is part of the process. Think of it like this.

Draft One: The Dream Draft. Here you can experiment with any plots and subplots you want. Be as experimental as you want!

Draft Two: Plot, Arc, Structure, & Conflict. After you’ve written and read your WIP, go back and tighten those elements of your story that strengthen the plot, the character arcs, the structure and the conflict of your story. Things have to be clear and concise.

Draft Three: The History Draft. All that awesome historical research you did? The information on shoe colors and blouse construction. The stuff on horses and metallurgy, put it in now. If your characters went to an historical building, one you don’t know much about, put those descriptions in here.

Why?

I once wasted two days researching Renaissance Irish Women’s headgear. Yes. I admit that. Don’t be me. Put all your historical research in, the big, the small, in Draft three.

Draft Four: The Polished Draft. This is where you make the final changes, check grammar, and go over the sticky points in your characters arcs.

Congrats, You’re Done!

I sincerely hope this has been helpful. I know it’s a lot to do and think about. But, if you do the work, then you’ll be able to sit down in front of your favorite writing program and not worry about everything else. You won’t get sidetracked and you won’t go down a rabbit hole. You will be able to sit down and write your story with a clear conscience.

If it seems daunting, or overwhelming, remember what Chris Baty, founder of NaNoWriMo said, “The World Needs Your Novel.”

If you find writing itself a struggle, if the motivation to write hamstrings your goal of writing a book, then check out my blog on my website. I’ve got some pretty good suggestions for you there. http://www.jasonhenryevans.com/category/writing-historical-fiction/

Next month we’ll talk about how to use all that awesome research you’ve acquired and why you need beta-readers.

Enjoy your Spring and Happy Easter!

Read more about Jason’s writing life at http://www.jasonhenryevans.com/category/writing-historical-fiction/

Follow him on Twitter @evans_writer

Or, like his Facebook Author Page at Jason Henry Evans

About the Author:  Jason Evans always wanted to be a writer, he just didn't know it. He grew up in Pasadena, California, in the 1980s where he watched way too much television, but was introduced to literature by his grandfather and his favorite middle school and high school teachers. He wasted his youth working at the So Cal Renaissance Faire (a dangerous place because it’s the gateway drug to other historical costumes,). In his leisure time he’s an educator, a writer, and a bon vivant. He is a graduate of UC Santa Barbara, with degrees in History & Renaissance Studies, a teaching credentials from CSU Los Angeles, as well as a graduate degree from the University of Colorado, Denver. He currently resides in Denver with his wife, the fetching Mrs. Evans, their three dogs and a mischievous cat who calls him his thrall. 

Desert Reflections

By: Darby Karchut

In mid October, I had the opportunity to mountain bike a portion of the Maze in Canyonlands National Park, Utah. Five days of relentless sun, surreal desert formations, and plenty of sketchy terrain. To offset the challenging days, we had glorious nights camping under a full moon.

I wanted to use the trip to do some research about a new series I’m working on. I brought a small notebook to record my thoughts and jot down setting details as I rode along.

Source: Pixabay 

It never happened.

Heck, it was all I could do to get through the next mile, or navigate the next drop, or endure the long distances between camps. I was totally in the moment, not thinking about anything—just a pure physical being.

Pedal.

Breathe.

Drink water.

Eat sand.

It was vacationing on Tatoonie.

Tatoonie aka Canyonlands National Park Source: Pixabay

Well, I don’t know about you all, but taking a break from the hamster wheel was kind of nice. In a way. Except for that nagging fear that so many writers feel: If I stop writing, I’ll forget how to write.

Or I’ll lose the drive.

Or lose the discipline.

Or lose the desire.

As I traveled home from Utah, I had time to really stare down that fear. Really, Karchut? I asked myself. You think taking five measly days from your art is going to diminish your skills? As if all your past success was based on nothing more than momentum?

Well. Yeah.

Do other writers feel that way? I wondered. Like if you stop writing, you’ll never start again? Does anyone else get that sick punched-in-the-gut feeling—like panic—if you don’t write at least a few pages each day? And even then, do you fret because it wasn’t enough words. Or the right words. In the right order?

And we torture ourselves this way because…why?

Because.

Because.

Because the bliss we get from writing is like nothing else in the world. We cannot stop being storytellers any more than we can stop breathing. It is who we are. And time away from our craft may dull our abilities, but not destroy them. We are all stronger than that.

About the Author: Darby Karchut is an award-winning author, dreamer, and compulsive dawn greeter.  A native of New Mexico, she now lives in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, where she runs in blizzards and bikes in lightning storms. When not dodging death by Colorado, Darby is busy writing for children, teens, and adults. She is represented by Amanda Rutter at Red Sofa Literary.

www.darbykarchut.com

www.darbykarchut.blogspot.com

How Reading Affects My Writing

By: Summer Greenwood

When asked how reading has made me a better writer, my first thought made me pause. It hasn’t! The more I read, the less I write. Outside of sleep and work, no other activity vies so heavily with my writing time. However, when I really consider my writing process, reading adds value to every word and scene I construct.

To start, reading has taught me about emotion. Of course, I experienced emotion before I picked up my first book, but reading allows me to explore my emotional side. Which books bring me to tears or keep from sleeping at night? Which settings calm me or set me on edge?

The answers to these questions often find their way into the scenes I create. When one of my characters is uneasy or frightened, my imagination naturally defaults to storm clouds and solitude, while excitement and happiness bring warm colors and supporting characters into my writing. Reading has taught me to look for emotional cues in nature, in settings, and in communication.

Reading preferences can also influence writing. Beyond our choice of genres, there are several other decisions we make before starting a book and while we are reading. What format do we like? How do we choose a good book? At what point do we decide not to finish a book? For some readers, the only way to start a book is at the ending. They read the final chapter before starting the first.

As a reader, I am less engaged in the beginnings and endings of stories. I want to delve into the excitement right away and get to the heart of it. I don’t like to spend hours getting to know the characters, and I tend to give up before all the loose ends are tied up. Strange, I know.

This does affect my writing. I spend far more time working on my backstory and ending than other parts of the story. Despite how essential these sections are, my writer’s mind shies away as it does when I am reading them. I can easily see how a reader, who prefers to begin reading at the story’s end, might write the final scene before outlining the rest.

Reading has also defined my genre preferences. I love to read retold fairytales, dark or realistic fantasy, and the occasional mystery. If given a choice, I prefer to read historical novels rather than contemporary fiction. It is no surprise that the scenes I write reflect my reading interests.

Examining each of these reading preferences brings me closer to understanding my writing style. There is no question that I love reading fantasy. I eagerly consume anything with dragons and spells, new worlds to explore, and a villain or two. However, I find I am also a realist. Danger can’t be thwarted with a conveniently learned spell or I abandon the book on my table and glare at it for days. I struggle through books with near-perfect heroes and heroines who are set on a path of sure success. When I write and revise my fantasy scenes, realism tends to drive the arguments I have with my characters.

As you can see from the last example, I find an even stronger link between my reading dislikes and the struggles I have as a writer. While reading an epic, saga, or series, I tend to skim or stop if the character doesn’t remain true to him or herself. For this reason, the questions I ask myself most frequently as a writer involve character. Would she choose to say that? How does this action reflect his need to control the situation?

Beyond the impact reading has had on my writing, reading has taught me about history, culture, and the creative mind. I hope you will share how reading has influenced your writing. Do you read while you are in the process of writing a story or novel? Do you write in the same genres you read? What are your pet peeves as a reader, and do you feel yourself writing them out of your own work? 

About the Author: Summer Greenwood is a Library Specialist with the Arapahoe Library District, residing with her husband in the Denver Metro area. She loves writing fantasy fiction, participating in reading challenges, and spending time with her two dogs, Shadow and Savannah, and her Ragdoll cat, Pepper. 

Lessons from an Abecedarian

By: Bowen Gillings

I am a new writer. Nothing published. No awards. Just expanding Scrivener files. 

Novice that I am, I have gleaned a few nuggets from the sluice trough of experience that might help other rookies. I believe in the strength of these ideas the way my four-year-old believes fairies populate our backyard.

Understand advice is like bacteria—everybody has some, and, like it or not, they’ll share it.  Feel free to turn away if I appear to cough on you over the next few hundred words.

Write.  Seems obvious. But how often does writing get set aside until after your to-do list is done? I used to think I needed to get other stuff out of the way so that I would have time to write. Nonsense. Write first. Housekeeping can wait. Mowing the lawn can wait. Oiling the cajón can wait…until after you write.

Write your best.  Obvious too? I mean to write the best possible options into your story. My protagonist could find out who’s clear-cutting the forest by asking around town. Or he could track down the foresters just as they are being attacked by an armed group of environmentalists. Both further the plot, but the second option will likely hold more interest for the reader.

Write now. Editing is part of writing, but it is a separate part. Editing does not further your story. Editing only improves the telling of it. I was a chronic editor, bogged down in my writing by mental dickering over a word or metaphor. It’s not a good thing, not in the first draft. Now, if I’m stuck on a word or phrase, I highlight it for later review so that the story begging to be released from my hops-muddled brain can continue to flow.

Set a timer. Unless you find yourself with nothing else pressing (which means you’re dead) set a specific amount of time to write. I typically give myself an hour. Knowing the alarm is going to go off makes me write faster and cleaner.

Show off.  Put your writing in front of other people. Nothing improves my work more than getting feedback from folks who give of their time and taste to tell me what to chuck, what to tweak, and what pissed them off because it was so well written. This last bit hasn’t actually happened, but it’s good to have a goal.

Know you’re dumb. Raise your right hand and repeat after me: “I (state your name) know doodley-toot about the true craft and business of being an author.”  Writing requires an idea and a laptop (or a notebook if you’re old school). To be a successful author takes so very much more. There are books, magazines, and websites on writing (I’ve read two of them). Join a writer’s group. Join a critique group. Attend workshops. Go to writing conferences.  Join Pikes Peak Writers and attend Write Brain, Writer’s Night, and Open Critique each month. I did and looks how goods I write!

Don’t fall in love. You’re proud of a scene that really shines. When your critique group reads it, they are confused by character motivation and how the scene fits into the narrative. If readers consistently tell you something doesn’t work, change it. Don’t defend your work based solely on how much effort it took to create.

Write your way. I am not George R.R. Martin, Joe Abercrombie, or Susanna Clarke. I love their work, but they are not I.  They are not me? Whatever. The point is: avoid comparing your writing to other writers in a way that drags you down. Good authors tell stories in their own voice. You are a good author. Accept that your story must be told your way. Then tell it.

There. A few hundred infectious words of amateur advice sprayed across your brain like a sneeze from the guy behind you at the theater. Now wash your hands. You don’t know where I’ve been.

About the Author: Bowen Gillings lives in Colorado Springs with his wife, daughter, and dog.  When not writing, he can be found at Garden of the Gods Park where he heads the school programs for area elementary and high school students.  He is enjoying the rollercoaster of writing his first novel.  He became a member of Pikes Peak Writers in 2015. At the 2016 Pikes Peak Writers Conference, an agent asked for a complete manuscript based on his first sixteen lines. With only two chapters complete, he was able to negotiate submitting the manuscript before the 2017 Conference. Yes, it's good to have goals!

PPWC 2016 - Collecting Nos and Fighting Bitterness

By: Aaron Michael Ritchey

This year at the Pikes Peak Writers Conference I had a wonderful time. The keynotes were awesome, as always, and I became best friends with Rachel Caine and Jeff Lindsay. Both bought copies of my books, however, thanks to a few of my biggest advocates. I am very grateful for such advocates.

I also loved teaching classes and bonding with so many good, strong, courageous writers.

However, when it came to pitching agents and editors, I just wasn’t feeling it.

Normally, I’m a Go-For-The-No type of guy. Which means I collect nos. One isn’t good enough. I used to go to conferences, pitch one person, get a yes, and then walk away feeling victorious.

Then I read a book called Go for No by Richard Fenton and Andrea Waltz. Getting a yes is fine, but really, this game is about collecting nos. Kevin J. Anderson knows all about this. Remember, he won the award for most rejections.

I go to conferences not looking for yeses, but looking for nos. I would pitch every single agent and editor to collect the most nos. I’m also trying to do this when I submit short stories or when I query agents. I’m looking to collect nos.

So what happened this year?

I wasn’t feeling it. Partly, it’s because I have the six books of The Juniper Wars to write for WordFire Press. That’s a whole lotta fiction right there. Four of the six are written and are in various stages of edits, including finished (the first one, DANDELION IRON, is already out in the world and burning brightly).

I’m also working on a trilogy of romance novels with Andrea K. Stein which we are going to publishing independently. So I have eight books to write and polish. Dang, when you put it that way…just…dang.

I have a full plate, yet I do have some projects I want to shop since it takes traditional publishing YEARS to do anything. Once I complete The Juniper Wars and my romance trilogy, I’ll need the next thing. If I start now, in two to three years, I might have the next thing ready.

But I have to admit, all of that is true, but I’m also getting bitter. It's been ten years of querying and going agentless.

However, there’s another reason I was reticent to pitch. I’m questioning the role agents have in my career. The biggest thing an agent can do for me is to get me into the big traditional publishing game. Ideally, I’d sell a book and Scholastic would pick it up and put me in their catalog, which goes out to MILLIONS of readers. Dude, I’d pay an agent fifteen percent to get that kind of action. You betcha. Still, those are some long odds and so many things can go wrong. And I only want an agent that adores me. Finding one of those has been challenging. 

Hence the bitterness, which I will not embrace.

If all an agent will do for me is to sell my stuff to a small or medium-size press? No, thank you, I can do that myself. *Tips hat and walks away*

Pitching to editors can be iffy since they are so busy. They might love my idea, but then it gets buried under their stack and they forget about me.

In the end, I’m surrendering to the will of the universe. Remember, Rachel Caine showed up at a writers’ conference, talked to an editor, wasn’t very gung-ho about it all, and wound up with her first publishing contract. More and more, I’m seeing this whole publishing game as one that is going to happen to me if I keep writing and putting myself out there.

For example, at Pikes Peak this year, I kept bumping into this one agent. I did my homework, read about the agents who represent middle grade, and made a list. I met this person in an elevator, got ready to pitch, but then the irony of doing an elevator pitch in an elevator completely silenced me. This person hurried away. I kept seeing her/him, kept trying to pitch to her/him, but it wasn’t happening. I let go. I surrendered. Wasn’t meant to be.

Then the two people I really wanted to pitch were standing by the elevator again, and this time, I walked up and pitched them both – an agent and an editor.

They were both tired and they both looked upon me with a certain amount of amusement. Or scorn. I couldn’t tell. The agent was interested and I’ll send her/him pages. The editor wasn’t.

Then the agent said that the way the industry works is that writers send queries to agents who send them to editors.

You all would’ve been proud of me. I nodded politely. I didn’t say that if I could pitch the editor directly, the agent wouldn’t get his/her fifteen percent. I also answered politely that, no, this wasn’t my first novel. And, yes, I’ve seen some action, won some awards, and did the Amazon bestseller thing.

Am I getting jaded? Yeah, definitely.

I still believe in collecting nos, but more and more, I want my nos to come from readers themselves, not the publishing industry.

Funny thing about that…most readers say yes to me. Go figure. And those readers become my advocates.

And I love advocates. They help me sell books. Which brings us back to paragraph one.

Ahh, the circle of life.

Will I be at the Pikes Peak Writers Conference in 2017? You bet your butt I'll be there. To collect nos and to fight the bitterness.

About the Author:  Aaron Michael Ritchey is the author of four young adult novels and his short fiction has appeared in various anthologies and online magazines. He is also a dynamic speaker, having taught classes on all aspects of writing fiction around the country. In 2012, his first novel, The Never Prayer, was a finalist in the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers Gold Conference. In 2015, his second novel, Long Live the Suicide King, won the Building the Dream award for best YA novel, and he spent the summer as the Artist in Residence at the Anythink Library. Dandelion Iron, the first book in his epic YA sci-fi western series, The Juniper Wars, is available through Kevin J. Anderson’s WordFire Press. Aaron lives in Colorado with his cactus flower of a wife and two stormy daughters.