CAROL RIGGS GUEST POST AND THE BODY INSTITUTE GIVEAWAY

Happy Monday Everyone! Today I'm excited to have debut author Carol Riggs here to share about her dystopian, science fiction YA THE BODY INSTITUTE. It sounds fantastic!

Here's a blurb from Goodreads:

Meet Morgan Dey, one of the top teen Reducers at The Body Institute.

Thanks to cutting-edge technology, Morgan can temporarily take over another girl’s body, get her in shape, and then return to her own body—leaving her client slimmer, more toned, and feeling great. Only there are a few catches…

For one, Morgan won’t remember what happens in her “Loaner” body. Once she’s done, she won’t recall walks with her new friend Matt, conversations with the super-cute Reducer she’s been text-flirting with, or the uneasy feeling she has that the director of The Body Institute is hiding something. Still, it’s all worth it in the name of science. Until the glitches start…

Suddenly, residual memories from her Loaner are cropping up in Morgan’s mind. She’s feeling less like herself and more like someone else. And when protests from an anti–Body Institute organization threaten her safety, she’ll have to decide if being a Reducer is worth the cost of her body and soul… 

Now here's Carol!

NEVER GIVE UP
Writing and being a writer is not for the faint of heart. It’s not for the thin-skinned. It’s not for those

who have trouble separating themselves from their creative projects. The good news is, we can learn to persevere, have thicker skin, and become more objective about our work.

Persevering, Persevering
My writing journey has been a long—and probably typical—one. I wrote 13 novels before my agent signed with me in 2011 for THE BODY INSTITUTE. I had submitted manuscripts for over 7 years. Little did I know, finding an agent was just the beginning of my long haul. I completed at least two major revisions for my agent, and three years later (along with more revisions), we finally signed with a publisher, Strange Chemistry of Angry Robot Books in the UK. Woo-hoo! I had it made, right?

Nope. Five months before the book’s release, Strange Chemistry sadly went out of business. I skidded back to square one, which was agonizing, to say the least. Deep breath…my agent and I forged onward. Luckily, within 2 months of submitting again, Entangled Teen picked up my book. They are a forward-thinking smaller press, and I’m delighted to be working with them. Stacy Abrams, my editor, is top-notch and previously worked for Bloomsbury/Walker. The novel released September 2015, four long years after I signed with my agent.

Toughen Up. Be Objective.
About all those revisions. My first ones were major. I rewrote the entire ending, and bulked up my

villain/antagonist. My agent also suggested I change the POV from third person to first—and I’d never written in first person before. Whoa. I completed another revision on spec for one editor, based on her suggestions to make the main character more likable and to streamline the worldbuilding, but that ended up as a rejection during acquisitions. I’m still happy I did it, because I ended up with a stronger manuscript. Over the course of a year, I changed so many things, I started thinking, man, is there anything these people LIKE about the novel? I could relate to the cartoon below.

But you can’t take the feedback personally. If you trust your agent and your editor, you realize they have your book’s best interest in mind and they know what’s marketable. So it’s easier to let go of your own vision on things that don’t matter so much. Even after Entangled Teen accepted the manuscript, I had to learn to be objective. One favorite scene, a entire character, and many “darlings” got axed in the process. Have your own private funeral, and move on. You’ll end up with a published book to share with the world!

Your Own Journey
Maybe your writing journey will be quick and easy. You may snag an agent in your first round of queries, shape up your manuscript with minimal revision, and sign a contract with a Big Name Publisher the following week. Hey, it happens. But for the rest of us…keep pressing onward, and NEVER GIVE UP!

Connect with Carol here: Website  |  Blog  |  Twitter  |  Facebook  |  Goodreads

Purchase Links: Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble  |  Kobo  |  Powell’s Books  |  Indiebound

Carol generously offered a copy of THE BODY INSTITUTE for a giveaway. To enter, all you need to do is be a follower (just click the follow button if you’re not a follower) and leave a comment through October 24th. If your e-mail is not on your Google Profile, you must leave it in the comments to enter either contest.

If you mention this contest on Twitter, Facebook, or your blog, mention this in the comments and I'll give you an extra entry. This is for U.S.

Here's what's coming up:

On Wednesday I'll be participating in the Spooktacular Book Giveaway Hop.

Next Monday I have a guest post by Gayle Rosengren and a giveaway of her middle grade historical COLD WAR ON MAPLEWOOD STREET. I may be a little late getting to your blog because I'll be coming home from a trip that day.

The following Monday I have a guest post by Christina Farley and a giveaway of her new YA BRAZEN and the other two books in her series.

Hope to see you on Wednesday!