Kate Walton's Book Trailer Contest

Author Kate Walton, whose debut novel is releasing January 3, 2012, by Simon Pulse (Simon & Shuster), is holding a live action book trailer contest.

Prizes include the opportunity for budding filmmakers to get their one minute trailer critiqued by ten top industry professionals (an Oscar nominated producer team, writers for the MTV Movie Awards, the director of Entertainment Tonight, an award winning independent filmmaker, two accomplished television producers, a film agent, and the director of the movie THE MIGHTY MACS). There is also a top cash prize of $500.

Doesn't that sound awesome?

So all you film-makers out there, get crackin'. The contest has already launched and the deadline for submitting your one-minute trailer is January 17, 2012. There's even a Filmmaker's Kit available on Kate's website with the contest announcement. For more details, read Kate's post.

Guest Post by Kate Walton: Staying on the Path

Today we have an inspiring post from the fabulous Kate Walton, whom I interviewed back in May. She also made a brilliant parody song for aspiring writers that I still sing to this day. Listen to her words of wisdom, fellow aspiring writers.


First, thank you to Dorothy for asking me to contribute this guest post.  It is an honor.


Quitting.  Throwing in the towel.  Jumping ship.  Leaving it all behind.  Giving up.


Ever want to do it?  If you said no, then you seriously are a super human and far stronger than I.  I’m sure you’ve read or heard, “Publishing isn’t for the faint of heart.”  I know I have, and I truly believed my skin was tough enough, that my manuscripts were good enough, and that I had the iron will to plow through and attain my goal…land a literary agent.  


Then the rejections came. 


They came on queries.  They came on partials.  They came on fulls.  They came as form letters all the way up to the ultra-painful, “After reading your novel, I’m afraid I’m going to pass because…”  And they kept coming until I literally quit, threw in the towel, jumped ship, left it all behind and gave up.  Oh yes I did. 


I just couldn’t take it another second.  And you know what “it” I’m referring to…the agent researching, contest entering, query-revising, query-submitting, query-checking, tear wiping, fist balling, forum reading, blog reading, manuscript reading, and on and on and on.  A writer’s life on the agent hunt ain’t easy, and I was bone crushing tired of it all.  Ache and want filled me up and I overflowed all over my office when I typed on my blog: At the risk of sounding overly dramatic...I think I'm going to take some time off to lick my wounds and do some writer'ish soul searching.


I quit.


That was June 3, 2010.


Time jump with me to June 10, 2010 – a mere seven days later (yet a long 922 days since I completed my first novel. Yes, that translates to 2.4 years).  


On June 10^th I wrote a public letter to The Universe…a letter of gratitude.  In those seven days I received two full requests, and one of those requests ended up turning into an offer of representation from Sarah LaPolla at Curtis Brown Ltd.  I am proud to say I am represented by her (proud and chill-inducing-excited).


You know my ultimate point; you’ve heard it before:  If you want it bad enough then do not give up.  It really is that simple.


Stay on the path no matter how many trolls or witches try to lead you astray.  Shut the inner demons up by doing even more…more writing, more conference going, more class taking, more researching, more revising, more reading, more everything.  If writing flows through your veins and feeds your soul, then it IS your destiny.  Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. 

Inspiration Time

Some of you might remember that back in May I did an interview with aspiring author Kate Walton. Well, Kate, being the creative genius she is, has made a video so full of awesome it would be a crime not to share. This song is not only motivating for aspiring writers, but also for anyone with a dream worth chasing.

Take a gander! I promise you'll be glad you did. Oh, and if you spread the word, Kate's having a contest with a great prize. Check out details on her blog.

Interview with Kate Walton

Happy Friday, everyone! Are you all ready for the weekend? Me too!

And in that celebratory state of mind, let's welcome a wonderful aspiring writer to We Do Write.

Welcome, Kate! Tell us a little about yourself.

First, thank you so much, Dorothy, for organizing this interview. It is my first blog interview of all time. About me, well, I taught middle school language arts for ten incredible years and loved every single moment. Now I am an instructional coach for teachers, coaching them on how to make their instructional practice the best it can possibly be. It's a cool job. I'm also a writer (big surprise). I write a variety of things from picture books and middle grade to young adult and research books. The research book I co-authored on Numeracy mathematics instruction just got picked up by Corwin Press and has an April 2011 release date!! It was THE HARDEST thing I have ever written in my life.

Sounds intense. Let's talk about what you're writing now. What is the name and genre of your manuscript?

My fiction manuscript that seems to be getting the most attention at the moment is EVERYTHING'S NOT LOST.

Aha, sounds familiar. I may have spotted your entries on a contest or two. Here’s the part where you pitch it. What’s your story about?

Two sixteen year old boys, Victor and Bull, who are mortal enemies, find themselves in the same psych ward...in the same room. If they don’t realize how broken the other is and how similar their pain is, they may not survive.

They each tell their story through alternating chapters in their own heartbreaking and humorous way.

Wow, psych ward drama. Very cool How did the idea of the story come to you?

I was actually in NYC at the 2009 SCBWI Winter Conference, and the idea of having a book with two alternating points of view came to me at one of the breakout sessions on character development. I went back to my room and wrote five pages of ideas and plot points out for the book. One character is the bully and the other the victim. It was really fun to get inside each of their heads.

Is your manuscript complete or still a work in progress?

It's as complete as I can get it. But every single time I go back in I make minor changes.

And what is your next step?

I am currently in agent query-land. However, this manuscript was one of the winners of the Sourcebooks TeenFire competition, and it's out with one of their editors as I type.

Awesome! Congratulations. Speaking of editing, do you usually have a critique group/partner or beta readers, or do you self-edit?

I have a small army of readers/writers who read and crit my manuscripts. I started a tri-ad crit group which went well for a while, and then sort of drifted away. The other two writers were/are super talented, and I learned quite a bit from their critiques.

How long have you been writing?

I wrote my first (and completely awful) middle grade novel back in 1993. But I didn't start querying hard until 2007 for my other (way better) MG suspense novel titled, THE END OF NORMAL.

What’s the hardest part of writing for you?

Carving out time to actually write. Working full time and having two boys and a husband certainly has a way of getting in my way. In a good way. :) However, a fellow blogger named Weronika shared the most brilliant idea of typing one page a day. It has worked for me this past week, and I'm thrilled beyond belief.

Sounds like a great concept. Any other tips you’ve learned about writing you’d like to share?

Take advantage of the internet. Enter contests, join groups, visit writing forums, read everything you can possibly read from the experts, get as much solid feedback from fellow writers as you can. Immerse yourself in all things writing.

Exactly the advice I would give. There's so much information out there. So, do you have an idea of your book’s cover art?

No, I've actually never thought about that. Now that I have, I'm envisioning a black, white and red cover with the silhouettes of both boys.

Sounds great. Who are your inspirations?

Favorite book inspirations:
The ENTIRE Harry Potter series with the last book being my absolute favorite
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie and An
Abundance of Katherines by John Green -- both books contain brilliantly written dialogue and wicked humor
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho -- inspiration times infinity. Not a YA book but spectacular if you've ever doubted your destiny.

Let’s get to know you on a deeper level. Is there anything you absolutely have to have nearby when writing?

My big, ear-covering headphones with classical music blaring through them. They are the perfect family-blocker-outers.

Here’s the part where you thank the people who are supporting you. Who would you like to give a shout out to?

Again, thank you to you for offering to interview an aspiring author like me! 


You're welcome!


Next, thank you to my blog readers who have cheered me on during my most boo-hooey moments. Finally, thank you to anyone reading this interview about plain-old-me.

And finally, where can people find you online?

Blog: http://skateorbate.blogspot.com
Writing site: http://kmwalton.weebly.com/index.html
Twitter: http://twitter.com/KMWalton1
Book Trailer for EVERYTHING'S NOT LOST:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YNiWwGnbrA


Thank you again, Kate, for letting us get to know you and your book. I wish you all the best on your publication journey, and please let us know when your book is available.