52 LIKES by Medeia Sharif {+ Giveaway}

It’s my pleasure today to be participating in the cover reveal for YA and MG author Medeia Sharif’s latest release, 52 LIKES, published by Evernight Teen.

In addition, Medeia is joining us to talk about how she ‘fast drafted’ her book and has a special giveaway.

Here’s a brief synopsis of this intriguing story:

        After a brutal rape and near-murder, Valerie wants to get past feelings of victimhood from both the assault and her history of being bullied. She’s plagued by not knowing the identity of her rapist and by the nasty rumors in school about that night.
        Valerie follows clues from ghostly entities, past victims of the rapist-murderer, contacting her through a social media site—why do all of their eerie photos have 52 likes under them? Their messages are leading her to the mystery man, although he’ll put up a fight to remain hidden.

Please join me in giving a warm welcome to Medeia. Welcome, Medeia. Tell us how you ‘Fast Drafted 52 LIKES.’

The idea for 52 LIKES hit me last April. I wrote down notes and a rough outline, but I couldn’t start novel writing because I had edits for two different books coming in. I needed to meet those deadlines and wait for some free time in order to draft this shiny new idea that I was passionate about. It was paranormal, which I had never written before. It was edgy and dark. I wanted to flex my writing muscle to see if I could do this. 

It happened in early June. I had vacation time. I took my AlphaSmart word processor, which has no internet capabilities, and went to the library every weekday. I brought my typed outline and a notebook along with that. My phone was on me, but I only turned it on occasionally to check messages. Other than that, it was off most of the time. I wanted no distractions. I typed away, as if I were in a trance. Because the characters and plot points were in my mind for months, the story flowed out of me. In two weeks the draft was done. This was the first time I drafted a novel in such a short time period.

I couldn’t stay away from it for long. I let it rest for a few days, but then started on revisions. I transferred the files to a tablet, which I took with me on a Caribbean trip so that I could revise and edit at the airport and at the hotel, when I wasn’t sightseeing. In early July, I handed it to beta readers. In August I revised based on their notes, and then it was out on submission in September. Months later here it is, with a January release. 

Who else fast drafts? Has it worked for you?

Medeia, thanks for visiting with us today and sharing this look at 52 LIKES. Sometimes a story just has to be told and comes together in a fast draft.

52 LIKES can be purchased from Amazon, and Evernight Teen (vendor links will be updated on the author's site).

Now for those who aren’t familiar with Medeia, here’s some background.

Medeia Sharif was born in New York City and presently calls Miami her home. She received her master’s degree in psychology from Florida Atlantic University. 

After becoming a voracious reader in high school and a relentless writer dabbling in many genres in college, Medeia found her niche writing for young people. Today she is a MG and YA writer published through various presses. In addition to being a writer, Medeia is a public school teacher. Her memberships include Mensa, ALAN, and SCBWI.

For more on Medeia and her writing, visit her blog and connect with her on Twitter, Goodreads, Instagram and Amazon.

GIVEAWAY:

a Rafflecopter giveaway  
 Thanks so much for stopping by during Medeia’s cover reveal. What are your thoughts on bullying in school? If you’re a writer, remember Medeia asked, ‘Who else fast drafts? Has it worked for you?’