The End of Story Surgeon and the Beginning of My Career!

This will be my last post on the Story Surgeon General blog. 

Far from being a sad event, this is wonderful news! I have several incredible announcements, but I'm going to start by saying THANK YOU to all those that pledged their support of my app.

(Gin Nixon, Jeffry & Dawnita Brown, Heather Burdsal, Jeff & Rachel Brown, Kristy Barreto, Paul Black, Christian Dadino, Ami Clayton, Andre' Bernhardt, Shannon Hernandez, James Plotkin, Desi Lewis, and Cadmar Larson, YOU ROCK!) 

Even though the Kickstarter campaign didn't raise the amount needed to fund the Story Surgeon eBook Editing App, it did cause quite a stir in the blogging world. Because of all the controversy and resulting articles, I was made aware of a similar company, who is also just starting out. (Except they have more resources and marketing know-how.) I contacted them, we had a few meetings, and we've decided to merge our efforts! They've put me in charge of their social media and blog. (Which is one of the reasons I'll be discontinuing this one.)

So without further ado, I introduce you to:

I'm ecstatic to be working with these guys. They're talented programmers and have great business sense. They'll be focusing more on hiding specific content of eBooks rather than adding your personal notes/edits, but the fan fiction aspect is definitely on the the agenda for the future. Please check it out and share with your reader friends.  

The second reason I'll not be able to keep up the SSG blog, is that:

I signed with an agent and got a book deal!

That's right! I'm thrilled to be Candace Charee's first client, and my YA sci-fi, AN UNCOMMON BLUE will be coming out Winter 2014 from Cedar Fort! I'll be keeping my friends updated on my FB fan page, so please stop by and Like it. :)

How it Happened (from the beginning)

My second grade teacher, Mrs. Thuftedal told my mother I was going to be a writer, but it wasn't until after college that I thought it sounded like fun.

In 2004 I'd recently finished Half-Blood Prince and several Roald Dahl books and was suddenly filled with the desire to write my own story. I wanted to touch other people's lives as Rowling and Dahl had mine. So I started on THE EXITOR, a story of an overweight girl who learns to stop her heart and send her soul out to spy on the neighbors. It was slow going. I didn't know how to write and usually ended up playing video games instead.

Meanwhile, life happened. I got married and had a couple kids. Still, I plodded away on my story. I got some books on writing and devoured them. (Most helpful were Story by Robert McKee and Character and Viewpoint by Orson Scott Card.) I learned many things I'd been doing wrong and a few that I'd been doing right.

My wife Jaida read most of my work and loved it. (She claimed that had my writing been crap, she would've discouraged me at the start.) It was mostly because of her support (and because of the overwhelming urge to create) that I kept going. Several years later I'd finally finished my 200,000-word mammoth of a novel.

I queried the heck out of SLEEPING FATTY - Book 1 the EXITOR SERIES. Over a hundred agents. I received a few partials and one even liked the partial and requested the full, but in the end I was nursing my injured pride and trying to think what I could do to fix the manuscript. Jaida suggested I put my paranormal epic on hold and revisit a story I had written a few months back. (I had thrown together a couple shorts for publishing credit, but Cricket Magazine didn't want them.)

So I started on AN UNCOMMON BLUE, turning the 2,000 word story into another whopper of a novel. (Over 100K words.) This time, however, I was a little more savvy with social media, I'd made a few friends in the Query Tracker forums, and heard mention of a pitch contest. That was the first I'd heard of blogger query/pitch contests and I was immediately hooked. In addition to my querying, I submitted my baby to tons of contests and received all kinds of great feedback. Here are a few of the entries I was able to find cluttering up cyber space.

Surprise Agent Invasion March 2012

Pitch Madness March 2012

America's Next Author 2012

Writer's Voice May 2012

Wilde's Fire Editor Judged Contest May 2012

Entangle an Editor July 2012 (I entered both my stories in this one.)

Teen Eyes Contest August 2012

YAtopia September 2012

Operation Awesome Mystery Editor   September 2012

An Agent's Inbox September 2012

Backspace Writer's Conference Scholarship Contest 2013 (My entry is at the very bottom with 4 votes.)

Adventures in YA Publishing February 2013

Query Combat May 2013

First Page Friday (Query Critique) July 2013

Miss Snark's Secret Agent January 2014

I know there are more, but I have to finish this blog post sometime before Christmas. :)

During these contests/critiques I received tons of feedback that helped to reshape the pitch, query, and first page. With each contest, my story grew stronger. The most notable contests, ironically, were some of the first ones I entered (the first two on the list), because an R&R (Revise and Resubmit) resulted from both of them. Both Sara Sciuto and Gina Panettieri helped me identify problems with my manuscript and were extremely helpful in fixing them. I owe them both so much! If it hadn't been for the time they took to help out an amateur, my story would probably be shelved, collecting dust. The Wilde's Fire contest was also exciting because it resulted in an offer of publication from Curiosity Quills Press! I wanted to accept the offer right away but the agents I was working with at the time (Louise Fury gave me some great advice) said I should get an agent first and then they could decide which publishing company would be best for my career. So I declined the publishing offer (CQ was very gracious and said the offer stands) and continued to query.

Meanwhile I reconnected with Mrs. Thuftedal, who was pleased to learn of my writing goals and quickly fell in love with An Uncommon Blue. She even wrote an incredible letter to Ellen Degeneres in an effort to get me on her show. (I may share that letter at some point.)

Sara eventually passed on the project, but Gina stuck with me. In fact, since that contest in March 2012, I've been in regular contact with her at Talcott Notch and she's been awesome! At one point I thought I'd snagged her (when she set up a time for a phone call) but we just talked about how she'd liked my changes and how I needed to solidify my world by getting the history down as well as a series outline. Because Gina was such an awesome (and experienced) agent she was exceptionally busy. At times I wondered if my submissions had gotten lost in the shuffle. Curiosity Quills was still anxious to publish me, and I was torn between waiting for Gina and starting the process with the small press.

That's where I was last month when my wife's friend Candace told me Cedar Fort was looking for submissions. Candace goes to our church and is a producer for Frame 7 Productions as well as a talent manager. Before she'd even told me about the call for submissions, she'd contacted her friend at Cedar Fort and told her about my book.

I submitted An Uncommon Blue, and a week later received an offer of publication! Now I had some seriously hard decisions to make.

I had two publication offers (actually three, but one seemed suspicious) and an awesome agent (Gina) who I assumed would eventually take me on. But at the moment it was Candace who had naturally fallen into the agent role. She seemed as excited about the offer as I was, and with her contacts at Cedar Fort, was already finding out specifics about the contract and what it would mean to sign with them.

After thinking and praying about what to do, I decided I'd rather have an inexperienced agent with loads of enthusiasm and time for me. I asked Candace if she would consider being my literary agent. After doing a little research, she agreed, and that is how I ended up signing two contracts in one day. Candace has been an awesome help getting my social media up and running and Cedar Fort hopes to have AN UNCOMMON BLUE out for this Christmas!

I will forever be grateful to Curiosity Quills, Gina, and all the other professionals and bloggers that took the time to help me along my journey. I'm especially grateful to my second grade teacher, who--a quarter century ago--knew what was in store for this shrimpy little blond kid.

This photo was taken last year when I visited Mrs. Thuftedal's class. She's since retired after many years of inspiring students to do great things. :)

The Way of Kings - (PG-13)

SURGEON GENERAL RATING - PG-13

Weighing in at a whopping 1007 pages, this is not an undertaking for the novice fantasy reader. Nor is it a novel for children. Although the language is tame by usual adult fiction standards, there is enough violence to give your twelve-year-old nightmares.

Language - Mild

Sexuality - Mild

Violence - Moderate (to Heavy)

Adult Themes - Some

Although parts seemed to drag on, Sanderson generally does a great job of keeping the stakes high and the characters flawed (yet likeable). I'll definitely be looking for the second in the series. I still haven't figured out at what point I'll let my children read it, though.

The Way of Kings gets a (PG-13) rating for content.  

Three stars. 

The Star Ratings on this site are inversely based on amount of mature material found in the books. 

The less objectionable, the content, the more stars it earns.

Blackmoore - (PG)

SURGEON GENERAL RATING - PG

As a rule, I don't read romance novels. This one was recommended by my wife and for the most part I enjoyed it. Not sure if it's strictly YA romance. Although the main character is 17, she's dealing with love and marriage issues that make her seem much older. (Until the end when she turns into an irrational basket-case, but that's just my distaste for romance talking.)

Language - None

Sexuality - Mild

Violence - None

Adult Themes - A couple

Other than a little shirtless moment (him, not her) and some disrespecting of parents (they sorta deserve it) this is one romance you could read out loud to your grandma in church.

Blackmoore gets a (PG) rating for content.

Four stars
(Star ratings on this site are based solely on amount of mature content. The less objectionable the content, the more stars.)

Spotlight - Orson Scott Card (Read with Discretion Author)

Orson Scott Card is an active, outspoken member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. He's almost combative in his stance against gay marriage and often shares his testimony of the restored gospel with the world in general. However, the content of his books doesn't always portray the wholesome, family-friendly values that the LDS church espouses. In fact many of them contain graphic violence, sexuality (including rape, pedophilia, and homosexuality), as well as profanity.

Now, this blog isn't about trying to figure out why an author writes a certain way. Its purpose is to help parents make informed choices. With that in mind, I'll present a brief overview of the books I've read by Card, to give you an idea of which books are okay for your teens and which you might want to leave on the shelf. At least until the Story Surgeon App is ready. 

(Side note: My Project has been approved by Kickstarter and we'll launch the campaign on Thursday, Jan 16th. More on that later.)

Now for the list. I'll start with the tamer ones.

The only works I can think of that might be G rated are his books on writing. (Which are actually very good resources for those wanting to learn the craft.) Although there may be an occasional minor expletive. (Not that your preschoolers will be reading this one, anyway.)

Writing Resources - SURGEON GENERAL RATING - G

The PG category contains most of Card's religious work. The WOMEN OF GENESIS series does contain some tastefully done intimate scenes and they might be better classified in the PG-13 category, but because my mom read them and didn't object, I'm going to go with the lower rating.

Women of Genesis Series

SURGEON GENERAL RATING - PG

Pathfinder was supposed to be Card's first crack at the YA genre. He does tone down the mature content (although he still manages to fit in his mandatory crotch reference), but besides that, it's indistinguishable from his adult works. (Unless you count characters acting more like children.) I actually really enjoyed the first in the series. The second was too full of pointless bickering and meandering plot for me to recommend.

Pathfinder Series

SURGEON GENERAL RATING - PG

I was surprised to find that this spin off (or prequel) to the Ender books was actually cleaner than the original books. I loved Earth Unaware, but gave up on Earth Afire (which is nothing like the first.) In these, you only have to worry about some minor swearing and some mild violence.

The First Formic War Series

SURGEON GENERAL RATING - PG

This fantasy series that was supposed to be loosely based on the life of Joseph Smith, the Mormon Prophet, starts out tame enough, but by the end books, the violence and sexuality get pretty graphic. A promising story, that grows increasingly convoluted until even Card couldn't bring it all together for the conclusion. A sad way to finish a series. (Even without the rape references.)

Alvin Maker Series

SURGEON GENERAL RATING - PG to PG-13

Ender's Game was the first I read of Card's novels and I loved it. Just watch out for violence and sexual references. For specific content see the SSG review. The Shadow Spinoffs are hit and miss. Most are about the same level of content as the main series.

Ender's Game and Shadow Spinoff Series

SURGEON GENERAL RATING - PG-13

Saints was a surprise for me. Although fiction, it portrays real events and people in a way that make the early leaders of the Mormon church seem like imperfect humans dedicated to a greater cause. I'd recommend it for older readers, however, since there is violence and the intimate scenes involving early church leaders, although tastefully done, may be jarring.

Saints

SURGEON GENERAL RATING - PG-13

Now we come to the mature section. The following books are (R) rated. Treasure box had extreme violence. Songmaster and Hamlet have themes (and scenes) of homosexuality. Enchantment has disturbing violence and sexuality.

The Remainder of Card's Novels (that I've read)

SURGEON GENERAL RATING - (R)

So, in conclusion, Card is a powerful storyteller, (when he manages to form his plot into a cohesive whole) but doesn't have much of a filter. If anyone would like to add to, or correct anything in this post, please comment, or email me. In the mean time, proceed with caution. Especially where your kids are involved.

Spotlight - Brandon Mull (Certified Safe Author)

Several years ago I picked up the first Fablehaven book at random from the library. The first half was okay, but near the end I found myself getting genuinely freaked out. Not that it was violent or disturbing, Brandon just did a great job making the story seem real. I decided to give the second book in the series a try and I'm glad I did. (It was much better than the first.) Thus began my like-alot-affair with Mr. Mull. I've read most of his books and there's nary a swear word to be found. Nor is there anything sexual. The only thing parents might need to watch out for is mild fantasy violence and kids disobeying their elders. The covers below each represent entire series, so if you find you like Brandon's style you'll have enough material to last you through adolescence. (Or your midlife crisis.)

SURGEON GENERAL RATING - G

In general, the Fablehaven books get better as they go. (Although #2 will always be my favorite.) The Candy Shop Wars I enjoyed least, and I still haven't read the sequel. The first and second books in the Beyonders series were phenomenal (if you can overlook that stupid hippo) although by the third book, Brandon's horrible prose and meandering plotting was starting to get to me. The book still sits half finished in my locker at work.

Language - None

Sexuality - None

Violence - Mild

Adult Themes - A Few

I reiterate, the writing in these books is sub-par. Don't expect to be intellectually stimulated. Brandon does a whole lot of telling instead of showing and he loves him some adverbs. But if you're not a lit-snob like me, you shouldn't have any trouble losing yourself in the incredibly creative stories.

Brandon Mull's books get a blanket (G) rating for content.  

Five stars. 

ENDER'S GAME (PG-13)

SURGEON GENERAL RATING - PG-13

With the movie opening Nov 1st, Ender's Game is the #1 selling book on Amazon. Although Orson Scott Card's breakthrough novel is relatively tame compared to other adult sci-fi, there are a few things parents should be aware of.

Language - Mild

Sexuality - Moderate

Violence - Moderate

Adult Themes - A Few

The first time I read this was in college. Card is a master storyteller if he can manage to keep his plot in a straight line. It's easy to fall in love with Ender and easy to see why this novel rocketed Card to fame and fortune. What's less easy to see is why an author so opposed to gay marriage fills his books with references to the male genitalia. This book is appropriate for most older teens. As for the rest in the series, they are less kid-friendly. Not because they have more adult content (although some do) but because the stories get more political, philosophical, and family-drama-esque.

Ender's Game gets a (PG-13) rating for content.  

Three stars.