Official Maria V. Snyder Blog

Now it's my turn to offer a special prize package.  Dana offered one a few weeks ago and I'm offering a set of the UK editions INSIDE OUT and OUTSIDE IN books along with a custom designed necklace and earrings set that match the books (made by me - see picture below :)  In order to enter to win this prize, please LIKE Dana's and my Facebook pages by May 7th at midnight EST and leave a comment here that you did (also leave an email addy so I can contact you).  If you already liked me (or us), you're still eligible to enter.  This is open internationally! Facebook Links: http://www.facebook.com/DanaMarton http://www.facebook.com/mvsfans       Now onto the Q&A.  Dana and I both attended Seton Hill University's Writing Popular Fiction Masters program.  If you've been paying attention to this blog, you know I've featured a couple other SHU alumnus that have published their fantasy books (Sabrina Benulis and...

Of course the caveat that this isn't final final, but pretty darn close :)   This is the US/Canada editon.  So?  What do you think?  I love the colors. Does Kerrick remind you of anyone??  And there's a slight spoiler for TOUCH OF POWER in the cover copy so if you haven't read the book, you might want to skip that :)

I'm doing a double promo with a friend and fellow author from Seton Hill University, Dana Marton.  Her new epic fantasy is being released on May 1st and she's offering a great prize package to celebrate.  It's real easy to enter for a change to win.  Check out the details here: http://danamarton.blogspot.com/2012/04/new-prize-package.html And I'll be offering another prize package in the upcoming weeks!  I'm also going to post an interview with Dana to find out why she went from writing romantic suspense/intrigue to epic fantasy!

I finished SCENT OF MAGIC last night, or rather early this morning!!  Wrote my two fav words THE and END ;>  Of course, it's not done done - just a messy first draft that will need many rounds of revisions, starting tonight. I figured out a few stats for a comment on my Goodread's page, so I thought I'd share.  As I write, I keep track of how many words I finish each night.  I'm a slow writer - and I guessed I average about 1200 words a night - the most in one night for SCENT OF MAGIC was 2664 (Apr 3) and the least was 451 (Jan 18). It took me 95 writing days over 7 months (mid-Sept to mid-April) and I wrote 101,913 words.  Hmmm...I guessed wrong about my average - I calculated it out and it's 1073 words/night for this book :)   Each book is a little different.  I went back to my TOUCH OF POWER numbers and it took me 80 writing days over 6 months (Oct to March) and I wrote 99,848 total words.  The m...

I picked the names for the SPIRITED contest.  CONGRATS to the following 4 winners!! Peggy (bethsflutterby) Carrisa Jamie T Sam You should have gotten an email from me, but if you didn't, check your SPAM folder and if it's not there, then send me your full name and mailing address to: maria @ mariavsnyder DOT com  (no spaces :) Thanks to ALL for posting my links on your social media sites and blogs.  That is one of the BEST ways to help an author (spreading the word about me and my books). I'm hoping to do a bit of house cleaning after I finish SCENT OF MAGIC (one chapter left - then lots of revisions!) and will be running more contests.  Stayed Tuned :)

No - I'm not talking about exercising the creative muscle :)  I'm talking about how I feel prior to doing either one!  Before I start writing, I procrastinate, find a million other things to do, and generally drag my feet, putting if off as long as possible.  That's the same with exercise, I'll think of a hundred reasons why I don't have time and/or energy and then I'll talk myself back into it a hundred times. After I finally start each session - it's slow and I'm resistant and my mind is not on board with the whole endeavor.  But once I warm up and get into it, everything goes smoother, and the next thing I know I'm done!  I feel better have energy and am so glad I forced myself to start in the first place.  And this is exactly how I feel for BOTH writing and exercise.  I'm always happier when I'm done :) I'm sure I'm not alone in this regard.  Anyone else a slow starter? Update on SCENT OF MAGIC - I'm heading into the fin...