Author Heather McCorkle

Since I know many of you are dying to know who won the Tour of Secrets contest I figure I better start with that. Thank you so much to everyone who participated and entered. There were a massive amount of entries with points all contestants earned together totaling over 200. I want to reward you all for spreading the word about my novel so please, everyone, feel free to leave me your address in a comment (don't worry I won't publish it) and I'll be happy send you signed bookmarks, postcards, and stickers, cause I love you that much. :) On to the winners. . .  The first place prize of a $50 gift certificate to B&N, swag bag, and signed copy of The Secret of Spruce Knoll goes to: Kristie Cook! The second place prize of a signed copy of the Secret of Spruce Knoll and swag bag including: Spoiled by Jessica Cocks and Heather Morgan, Will Grayson Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan, Hush Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick, and A Need So Beautiful by Suzanne Youn...

Today's Twitter Tuesday is chalked full of agent advice! Diving right in, a gent Sarah LaPolla warns us about the 'ly's': @sarahlapolla  Sarah LaPolla Writers: If you want to emphasize an action or emotion by adding "truly" or "really," please curb that impulse.   Agent Sandy Lu gives us her thoughts on word count: @ sandylunyc  Why do I keep getting 180,000+ words  #queries ? Sorry, no matter how good your writing may be, that number is just too overwhelming for me.   Agent Sara Megibow drops a thought about word count as well: @ SaraMegibow  It's such a relief to be reading this 55K YA submission. Seems like all YA submissions recently have been 80K.   Jane Friedman's famous list of best tweets for writers: @ JaneFriedman  I've curated this list for 2+ years to help you find best links to writing advice: Best Tweets for Writers:  bit.ly/qlH6MT   Editor Heather Howland of Entangled Publishing reveals their wish li...

Well I didn't reach page 189 on my editing because I found myself writing yet another new chapter! That makes four new chapters total, and in random places throughout my manuscript. *sigh* I can't complain though, it is deepening both the characters and the plot and making the entire novel better overall. That alone is worth the extra time it is taking me. I have until January when I plan to send it off to my editor so there is no rush, which is always a good way to revise. Rushing never leads to anything good! My new goal for the week is to get this final new chapter done (oh please let it be the last new one!) and reach 200 pages on editing by next Wednesday. It's a lofty goal I know, but I have a lot of ground to make up. And with the Tour Of Secrets ending today I should have a bit of free time on my hands. Speaking of which, today is the last day to enter the massive giveaway for the Tour Of Secrets. Drop in on the last stop of the tour at the fantastic Readergirls ...

Today's post is a two parter. Tonight I'll be over at the fabulous YA Bound blog doing a live chat all about the Tour Of Secrets. That means you can ask about myself, my writing, my novels, just about anything! And there will be a swag bag with a signed copy of The Secret of Spruce Knoll given away to one chatter during the chat so don't miss it! It starts tonight at 6pm PT. You don't need an account of any kind, you can just sign in using your name, nice and easy. Click here to join in. And now for Twitter Tuesday! This first one is from Chuck Sambuchino about pitching to new agents: ChuckSambuchino  My first post as a Writer Unboxed contributor: Should You Pitch (and Sign With) a New Agent? The Pros and Cons: bit.ly/qP9Efu Don't miss agent Sara Megibow's chat on Thursday! SaraMegibow In honor of my son going back to school (finally, right?) - I'll run an #askagent here on Facebook on Thursday.... fb.me/1eNxpS5J7 Author Melissa Garrett spreads t...

Though this is a rooftop in Rome, not Colorado, it inspired me for last week's new chapter that is going in my revision of Book 2. It shared enough of the elements and inspired the right mood for me. In this chapter my character comes face to face with one of her greatest fears. This chapter flowed onto the pages as fast as my pencil could write. I love it when that happens! Yesterday I finished reading Twenty-Eight and a Half Wishes by Denise Grover Swank and today I'm singing it's praises all over the internet with glowing reviews. This is a must read, and that's something I don't say very often. I laughed, I cried, I laughed so hard I cried. If you enjoy compelling characters, a good mystery, romance, and a touch of paranormal then you have to read this. It is one of the best books I have read so far this year, seriously. I'm already buying copies as gifts! Next up is Born To Be A Dragon by Eisley Jacobs, the first middle grade novel I've read in a ...

Today I'm visiting Australia~well virtually at least~to stop by my good writer friend Amie Kaufman's blog . Amie writes sci-fi, fantasy, and is represented by Tracey Adams. On top of that she's incredibly sweet and supportive, and has a killer blog. Today she asks me to a reveal a secret about something I did that I wish I hadn't. Hope to see you there!

Today's stop on the Tour Of Secrets is at my writer bud Erica Chapman's blog . She is a sweet and supportive lady that I'm happy to call a friend. And she asked a fun secret about my main character that you won't want to miss! I hope you'll stop by her blog to find out what it is and say hi!

If you've been around the blogosphere you may have heard about writer Rachael Harrie's Writers' Platform Building Campaign. If not then you're in for a treat that involves not only a great opportunity to build your platform, but a fabulous lady. The Campaign is all about bringing writers together across the blogosphere to get to know and support one another. This is Rachael's third year conducting the campaign and bringing writers together to fight back the stigma that writing is a lonely profession. In my book that kind of makes her a bit of a hero. Don't be mistaken, this isn't just about building a platform and promoting one's self. This is about meeting like minded people, bonding, and building lasting friendships to help shield us and prepare us to take on the industry. Writers from all over are coming together in Rachael's campaign to meet and support one another. There are genre groups, regional groups, there will be contests, and writing ...

Today I'm over at my friend Michelle's blog for the Tour Of Secrets, giving up a writing secret. Michelle is a 5th grade teacher from Omaha Nebraska (go Cornhuskers!). She is super supportive and a lot of fun. You can usually find the two of us chatting it up on Twitter. I hope you'll stop by to learn my secret, get extra points for the giveaway by commenting, and to meet Michelle!

Today on the Tour Of Secrets stop I'm over at the talented author, Melissa Ohnoutka's blog . Melissa is a Texas born mom who writes about the tough subject of human trafficking. Her novel Faithful Deceptions both stunned and entranced me. It is a must read. The generous soul that she is though, she has taken time out of her own marketing craziness to help me celebrate my debut. So be sure to stop by not only to find out my secret to breaking writer's block, but also to meet a fabulous lady, then come back here to enter! Did I mention she has great links to help out writers?

Sorry peeps, no Creature Feature today. I hate to disappoint but during the week I had some personal things come up that preventing me from having enough time at the computer to research and write a feature for today. Don't worry, all is well on the personal front, it's just been hectic this week. I'll make it up to you next week with an outstanding creature, I promise! So if I'm fine what the heck is with the post title? Glad you asked. ;) Today on the Tour Of Secrets I'm over at my good friend Lydia Kang's blog , who also happens to be a doctor. If you don't know Lydia and her blog then you're in for a treat because she and her blog are must follows! This one is a full out interview with a lot of fun questions you won't want to miss. By the way, I want to send out a big welcome to my new followers. I look forward to getting to know each of you more, and hope to keep you entertained and informed.

Today on the Tour Of Secrets I'm stopping by author Elle Strauss's blog. Elle is a gracious host and a sweet person. I hope you'll stop by not only to learn another secret about me and to get more points for the giveaway, but to get to know Elle a bit too!

My writing (editing) goals kind of got blown out of the water when I realized I had to add another new chapter to my WIP, and then another, and then another. So three new chapters later I'm back to almost the same page I was at during the beginning of last week. But it was worth it because I have three new chapters that deepen my character development and enhance the plot twists. Yay! But now it's time to get back into the game and set a write goal for myself for the week. I'm on page 164 of editing my sequel. My goal is to finish the 3rd new chapter, get it entered into the document, then get another 25 pages edited, taking me to page 189. My fingers are crossed that I can pull it off amidst the crazy fun that is my Tour Of Secrets. Speaking of which, today you can find me over at Elizabeth's blog, Liz Writes Books . More points for the contest are to be had over there, and of course another secret. Trust me, you want to know this secret. ;) So what are your write ...

Last week I worked on another new chapter that's going into Channeler novel #2. I'm kind of surprised by how much new material I'm putting in to this one, but in a good way. The inspiration that's coming to me will make the novel richer and the characters deeper so I'm happy. Already I love the story more! It didn't hurt that I got to look to this chilly picture for inspiration while the temperatures have been in the eighties and nineties here. In this chapter Eren learns a tough lesson and faces and even tougher truth. I ju st finished reading Gone by Michael Grant and loved it. It's not a novel for everyone as it is very dark, but that made it right up my alley. In fact, I haven't read enough dark stuff lately so I devoured this book. They weren't kidding when they compared it to 'if Stephen King had written Lord of The Flies.' Now I'm getting my adult paranormal fix by reading Twenty-Eight and a Half Wishes by Denise Grover Swan ...

Today's Tour Of Secrets stop is over at the Wattpad blog! If you aren't sure what Wattpad is then you've GOT to check it out! It's an amazing community of writers who come together to share their work, get feedback, and support each other. The community is near and dear to my heart, click on the link to find out why and to get more points for the giveaway!

Today's Tour Of Secrets stop is over at my good friend's blog, Christa Writes . Christa is repped by Sarah LaPolla of the Curtis Brown agency, is a publicist with Entangled publishing, and is a fantastic and fun person on top of all that. If you don't already follow her be sure to check this stop out. And of course you'll be able to get another point if you follow Christa Writes and comment on the tour stop there!

Today's stop on the Tour Of Secrets is over at In Time with Michael Di Gesu . Be sure to stop by to find out the next secret and to rack up another entry/point for the contest! Michael is a blogger friend that has been wonderfully supportive during my entire journey. If you don't already follow him you'll love his blog!

The tour for my debut novel is coming! The outpouring of support, even months before the release of my novel, has absolutely floored me. There are no words to tell you all how much I appreciate you and all that each of you have done. Without a doubt, the reading and writing community is the most amazing, supportive group of people that I have ever come across. I'm honored and humbled to be counted among you. Releasing a novel is full of anxiety, excitement, and an ocean of fear. But you all have kept me afloat and given me the courage to keep going. The time draws near, for next month brings the release of my debut novel, The Secret Of Spruce Knoll. I have a lot of fun stuff planned for the release and I'll be telling you all about it around the beginning of next month. Right now though I am in the planning stages for my blog tour, which is where you lovely people come in. Each stop along the way I'll be divulging one secret, either about myself, my characters, th...

This week I bring you a lot of great advice from agents and editors to digest, plus a few contests. Since so many of you have been asking, this first one is the first of my big announcements (mark your calendars): @ HeatherMcCorkle Heather McCorkle The first of my big announcements (and the last one happening!): tinyurl.com/4x2rzhy A live chat on YA Bound August 30th! #WritersRoad This one is an indispensible list of great tweets for writers from Jane Friedman: @WritersDigest Writer's Digest Best Tweets for Writers (week ending 7/15/11) - I watch Twitter, so you don't have to. Visit each Sunday for the wee... http://ow.ly/1dQNGP If you love writing contests then you've got to check out Writer's Digest's new contest: @WritersDigest Writer's Digest Win $1000 in our new YA writing competition: http://bit.ly/qehF57 Enter your science fiction/fantasy story in our new competition: http://bit.ly/r0mbe0 Got winning romance? Enter it in our new Romance comp...