NaNoWriMo Makes New York Times Bestsellers

So You Want to be a Writer? Or maybe you're just curious about how some authors write their books so quickly. Or maybe you've heard whispers of this crazy thing called NaNoWriMo and you want in?

Did you know bestseller Erin Morgestern wrote The Night Circus during NaNoWriMo in 2012? I bet you didn't know that Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins or Cinder by Marissa Meyer or Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen were were also NaNoWriMo books.

NaNoWriMo Novels that Became Bestsellers! Bet you have read least one of these.

In fact,you probably didn't even know what NaNoWriMo is! Or how to pronounce it, for that matter. So I'm going to give you the inside scoop.

NaNoWriMo (pronounced: Na-No-Rye-Mo) stands for National Novel Writing Month and takes place every year during the month of November. Writers from around the world make a goal to write 50,000 words of a new novel during that month. You only have 30 days and you have to finish by November 30th at midnight to be a winner.

What do you win? Well, the biggest thing is, HELLO, your novel! The next thing is the the envy of your friends and colleagues when you tell them you WROTE A BOOK. And third, the knowledge that you can accomplish anything you set your mind to. There are a few minor prizes and a cool certificate, but, let's be honest, having written 50,000 words of a novel should be honor enough.

NaNoWriMo.org describes the month as "a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to creative writing." It's not just for adult's either! Of the 400,000 estimated participants this year, nearly 1/4 of them (100,000) will be teens or younger. NaNoWriMo holds classes, write-ins, and sends out email pep talks by published authors, including Veronica Roth, Jim Butcher, and Tamora Pierce.

This year, National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) is celebrating its 16th year of empowering diverse voices, supporting writers in the classroom, and building creative ­writing communities around the world.

The theme this year is writing "Your Boundless Novel," with gorgeous design from Simon &
Schuster children's book designer Elizabeth Doyle.

Want to participate? Start brainstorming because, come next November, you could be on your way to becoming a New York Times best seller.

XoXo,

Robin King

Author of Teen Romantic Suspense Novel, Remembrandt

**Two Time Winner of NaNoWriMo**

P.S. I still have 8,500 words to write in 3 days to win this year (my 3rd time). Wish me luck!

Author Stalker: What You Might Not Know About Marissa Meyer

We all love books and stories that take us away to new worlds or introduce us to characters that become our friends. These characters and stories often envelop our thoughts long after we finish a novel. Sometimes, even years after reading a book, part of the story will come back to us and we'll smile because once you read a book, it becomes part of your story.

I've always thought that the authors behind these amazing books are superheroes with crazy creativity superpowers. Who are these people? And how do they come us with this stuff? Butterbeer. Clockwork angels. Ingesting metals and using their powers. Wings that look like petals. A game where the winner is the only one that survives. A playing card that give you a message. Death as a narrator. Who knew?

Welcome to our new series, AUTHOR STALKER, where I (Delicious Reads Contributor, Robin) meet our favorite authors face-to-face, learn behind-the-scenes info on how their story came to be, and get to know them beyond their superhero writing skills.

What do you get when you cross fairy tales and science fiction? You get the Lunar Chronicles by  Marissa Meyer.  This amazing author of Cinder, Scarlet, and newly released Cress is one we need to keep an eye on.

Photo Source

Marissa Meyer, with a streak of red in her dark hair (see below), recently came to the Orem, Utah Barnes & Noble and I got to see first hand how she comes up with her stories. Her inspiration for Cinder (picture an android Cinderella racing from the ball and losing her foot instead of her glass slipper) came when she entered a contest that asked her to pick two prompts from a list of ten and write a short story. Marissa chose to write a story that was 1.) set in the future and 2.) had a fairy-tale character. Her story was a sci-fi version of Puss in Boots. Ironically, out of only two entries in the contest (hers and one other), she lost. But soon after, the idea for Cinder was born.

Marissa Meyer (front) at her Book Signing of Cress in Orem 2014 with Robin (Me), Kelly, Kellie, Jennifer, and Julia

Another thing I learned about Marissa is that she doesn't just write stories, she tells them too! I recorded her telling a gruesome version of Little Red Riding Hood.

And flashback to two years ago when Marissa Meyer came to Utah on the Fierce Reads Tour 2012, I still remember hearing the excitement in Marissa's voice as she discussed Cinder, her first book in the Lunar Chronicles series. I may have been bias because I won a copy of the book there, but after hearing all the authors speak, Cinder was the book I wanted to read most.

Delicious Reads Members at Fierce Reads Book Tour 2012 with
Authors Emmy Laybourne, Anna Banks, Libba Bray, Leigh Bardugo, Marissa Meyer (far right)

Marissa's next book in the Lunar Chronicles series will be called Winter. Now that we have met the sci-fi versions of Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood and Rapunzel, Winter will introduce us to Snow White. Anyone have any guesses on how Marissa will bring her into the story and who the seven dwarfs will be?