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Dear NaNoWriMo Community Members,

Thank you for reaching out to us with your inquiries about the forums, your support, offers to volunteer, and your legitimate concerns.

Our inbox has been flooded, and we appreciate all of the thoughtful responses from participants and volunteers who genuinely care about NaNoWriMo, our fellow writers, and the community as we do. It is impossible to respond to each message individually, but we wanted to let you all know we are working with purpose and sincerity.

Please see below the breakdown of the work that has been done since we last shared an update with the community. Our intention is to keep you abreast of all we are doing to make NaNoWriMo a better, safer, place:

Due to external circumstances, one of our chosen covers was unable to be completed by the original designer. So our Programs Associate, Josie Gepulle, took up the task by doodling some chickens!

Let’s wrap things up with Children’s Fiction novel Silkie Society by YWP Participant Bailly Collins!

Silkie Society

Connie, Natalie, Sylvia, and Skye are silkie chickens who work as models for Chicken Inc., a company selling all things chickens, secretly run by chickens. Since silkies are smaller than most chickens, the sisters are not always treated like the others. But when the company threatens to close down, the silkies have yet another chance to prove themselves. With the help of some friends and family, they’re sure  they can do it. Will they be able to save the company in time? And can they, more importantly, show the other chickens that they are more than meets the eye? Silkie Society is an inspirational story about four chickens, and how there’s no such thing as “too little.”

About the Author

Bailly Collins is an aspiring author who resides on a picturesque mini-farm in Minnesota. With a passion for storytelling, she has ventured into various genres, including dystopian, children’s fiction, and science fiction. With her creative imagination and unique voice, Bailly’s writing is both captivating and thought-provoking. When she’s not writing, she can be found tending to her animals or exploring the beauty of nature. Bailly is committed to honing her craft and sharing her stories with the world, and she looks forward to bringing her unique perspective to the literary world.

About the Designer

Josie Gepulle is a longtime NaNoWriMo participant! Lately, she’s been really into writing food scenes. Maybe it’s the unending marathon of baking shows. Outside of fiction, she’ll gladly hand you a media analysis essay. When not writing, she’s a digital artist, stop motion animator, and hamster aficionado.

Cover Design Process:

This year, we gave designers the optional prompt to explain their design process for the cover! Here’s Josie’s:

Children’s Fiction is often accompanied by crayon-like drawings, so I immediately knew how I wanted to draw the chickens! The accessories were added to make them more stylish, it seemed like it would go with their jobs! Maybe I should’ve gone with something a bit more modern, but I went with the chalkboard backdrop because I can imagine the chickens scratching out their plans on one. Anyway, the overall goal was to draw something whimsical and fun. Hopefully, it comes off as that!

For Day 24, we’re featuring a cover designed and written by YWP author Percy Keeran called To Live or To Burn, a Fantasy novel.

To Live Or To Burn

A young boy, Vivian, is forced into the throne after the death of his father. He, overwhelmed by the large amount of power in his hands, decides now is the time for revenge until he is stopped by a girl from another world. This girl, Orla, is nothing like he’s ever seen before. She’s snappy and blunt yet somehow… kind?

About the Author

My name is Percy (Perseus for long) Keeran. I’ve been drawing since 3rd grade, and I am currently a sophomore in high school. I have plans to attend Rhode Island School of Design when I graduate and major in illustration. The 2023 NaNoWriMo will be the second I am participating in, but this cover was from my first project. It was my first large, “serious” project, and I enjoy looking back on the previous year’s work.

Cover Design Process:

This year. we gave designers the optional prompt to explain their design process for the cover! Here’s Percy’s thoughts:

The first set of designing my cover was picking out a color palette. I used red for power, orange for excitement, as well as gold and purple for luxury. Vivian, the main character’s, design has always been clear in my head as well as his story. The puppet strings attached to him are just subtle enough that you have to look for them, but tell a lot about his character.

Since it’s day 8 of NaNoWriMo, some of you might start wishing someone else could write your novel for you. Here’s a fun novel that explores that exact idea! Today, we have 10 Maniacs are Trapped in a Death Trap and they Each Must Write a Short Story or They Will All Be Killed by Adam Marler, a Satire/Humor novel! This novel cover was designed by the amazing returning artist, Christopher Simmons!

(For those of you who don’t know, 30C30D stands for 30 Covers, 30 Days in which 17 Wrimos and 5 YWP Participants get the chance to win a professionally designed cover! The rest of the days are being filled by community features. We’ll be posting a cover a day throughout November, so make sure to check them out!)

10 Maniacs are Trapped in a Death Trap and they Each Must Write a Short Story or They Will All Be Killed

(What if the bad guy from Saw trapped people and made them write his NaNoWriMo?)

On June 15th, a brilliant creative mind met tragic fate. Dr. Bloodcastle, a literary genius, faced a fate worse than death. A horrifying collision with a bus filled with 10 total maniacs left him messed up, both physically and creatively. His life’s work, a collection of short stories, lay in ruins, missing a staggering 50,000 words. His literary agent, once a faithful ally, severed their professional ties.

Years passed, and from the depths of despair, Dr. Bloodcastle emerged with a visage as chilling as his resolve. Now his face was a skull.

The 10 maniacs responsible for his ruin would soon discover that their twisted fate had taken a malevolent turn. Dr. Bloodcastle, with a thirst for retribution, kidnapped each one of them. He would force them to wield the pen and write, an agonizing task of producing 50,000 words in a mere month.

Prepare for a chilling tale of literary revenge, where the boundaries between sanity and madness blur, and the pen becomes a weapon of torment. Dr. Bloodcastle’s macabre narrative unfolds, and justice will be written in the ink of vengeance.

About the Author

Adam Marler is a lifelong reader with a great appreciation for literature and the written word. Despite that, he is currently working on 10 Maniacs are Trapped in a Death Trap and they Each Must Write a Short Story or They Will All Be Killed which shouldn’t be considered a reflection on any of his previous teachers, academic or otherwise.

When he isn’t writing this dumb thing he’s spending time with his wife, son, two dogs and house that is roughly 25% remodeled.

About the Designer

Christopher Simmons is a designer, author, artist, occasional hamburger blogger, and a former curator of NaNoWriMo’s 30 Days/30 Covers project. His work has been exhibited in museums and galleries ranging from The Hiroshima Museum of Contemporary Art to the de Young Museum in San Francisco to The Smithsonian Institution. He has written four books and designed considerably more.

Cover Design Process:

This year. we gave designers the optional prompt to explain their design process for the cover! Here’s Christopher’s:

The title, as I was given it, was “10 Maniacs are Trapped in a Death Trap and they Each Must Write a Short Story or They Will All Be Killed by Adam Marler.” My first instinct was to play with the absurd length of that title. Most of my early explorations were around that. But there was also something intriguing to me about the run-on between title and author; it almost read as if Adam Marler was going to do the killing. I became interested with blurring the boundary between author and title, which is how I arrived at implicating him as one of the maniacs. Since the book is a satire about the writing process it seemed apropos. The full title appears on the spine, but this is the kind of concept cover that would probably get rejected. Still, I like to lead with it to jumpstart creative discussions.

Oh look, Day 6 has laid out the clues for an exciting cover! As in, it’s a mystery novel! Today, we have Ego Death by YWP writer Madeline Perry. This novel cover was designed by the amazing returning artist, Tony Pinto!

(For those of you who don’t know, 30C30D stands for 30 Covers, 30 Days in which 17 Wrimos and 5 YWP Participants get the chance to win a professionally designed cover! The rest of the days are being filled by community features. We’ll be posting a cover a day throughout November, so make sure to check them out!)

Ego Death

A private detective is contacted by the police about a murder scene that they all feel that she’ll be interested in; one where the body looks just like her own. However, what they all neglect to mention and what she realizes upon arriving on the scene is that it doesn’t just look like her; it IS her.

The questions mount. How? Why? When? Where? Who did this?

The answers to all of that and more are far more supernatural and morbid than all concerned ever come to expect…

About the Author

The author chooses to keep their identity a secret for the time being!

About the Designer

Tony Pinto (he/him) is an artist, photographer, art director, and educator in Orange County, California.

As an advertising art director, he has worked with clients including Disney, GMC Trucks, Edison, Permanente Medicine, and Caesars Palace. In recent years, he has concentrated on helping artists, museums, and galleries to produce books and marketing materials.

As an artist and photographer, he’s had solo shows at California State University Los Angeles; Coastline College Art Gallery, Newport Beach, California; Shoebox Projects, Los Angeles; and Art Institute of California, Orange County.

His art practice has long been focused on portraiture and how identity is represented, starting with the his Artifacts series in the 1990s and continuing on through today.

tonypinto.net
Instagram: @tonypintophoto
Instagram:@tonypintoart

Here’s day 5 of 30C30D! Today, we have Par for the Course by Erika Riley, a Mainstream novel that’s a hole in one. This novel cover was designed by the amazing returning artist, Christine Mau!

(For those of you who don’t know, 30C30D stands for 30 Covers, 30 Days in which 17 Wrimos and 5 YWP Participants get the chance to win a professionally designed cover! The rest of the days are being filled by community features. We’ll be posting a cover a day throughout November, so make sure to check them out!)

Par for the Course

Recently laid off and drowning in medical and student debt, 26-year-old Gemma Proctor jumps at the chance to move out of New York City when she inherits her grandmother’s coastal Maine house in her will. But there’s a big caveat – Gemma also inherited the dilapidated mini golf course that her grandmother, Dot, owned. When debt collectors come knocking, she knows she should sell the land she inherited – but something is telling her not to. That something may or may not have to do with the incredibly gorgeous man who manages the mini golf course, or the promise of buried treasure somewhere on the land itself.

About the Author

Erika Riley is a former news reporter and freelance writer who currently works in an editorial position, but in her dreams, she writes fiction all day. Fiction-writing has been her favorite pastime and passion since she was a child, supported by her parents, the owners of a comic book store. When not writing, she enjoys working on other hobbies, including rock climbing, ice skating, sewing, and petting dogs. Erika is a long-time NaNoWriMo attempter and a two-time winner. Born and raised in New York, she now lives in Chicago with her partner. She is still getting used to the pizza.

About the Designer

Christine Mau is an award winning children’s book illustrator. She has also enjoyed illustrating paper goods and consumer products for brands like C.R. Gibson Company, Kleenex and Huggies. You can find her most weekends playing with inks and dyes in her studio.

Cover Design Process:

This year. we gave designers the optional prompt to explain their design process for the cover! Christine offers a photo of her WIP alongside her inspiration:

I decided to go for the feeling “whirling indecision” around the mini golf course.

Day 3 is here and it feels like things are just heating up. Today’s feature is Code 51 by Jill Chapman, a Young Adult novel full of mystery. This novel cover was designed by the amazing returning artist, Cookie Redding!

(For those of you who don’t know, 30C30D stands for 30 Covers, 30 Days in which 17 Wrimos and 5 YWP Participants get the chance to win a professionally designed cover! The rest of the days are being filled by community features. We’ll be posting a cover a day throughout November, so make sure to check them out!)

Code 51

Jacqueline Kolby wants to get through her senior year in high school to get on with better things. She doesn’t want attention in or out of class from anyone. Jac, as her friends call her, ignores headlines and surely doesn’t want to be one. However, when an arsonist seems to target her family, staying in the background isn’t possible anymore. Jac’s dad gets burned in a barn fire after several of their corn fields are razed. Now she’s had enough. The police and fire marshal don’t have any suspects. Her mom is busy caring for her dad while her grandpa mourns the recent loss of her grandma. Jac and her two friends set out to solve the mystery before anyone else gets injured. Who would want to hurt her family? Why now?

About the Author

Jill resides in Southern Indiana with her husband of forty-five years. They enjoy their country lifestyle and visiting with their children and grandchildren. Her life centers around her family and her yellow lab, Indy. She is an avid movie watcher and loves Mexican food and watercolor painting. 

She has published a middle-grade mystery series titled The Bomb Squad. Code 51 will be her first venture into young adult mystery/suspense books.

Jill’s interest in books began in childhood when reading provided a wonderful outlet for her wild imagination. She loves to tell stories about her life experiences with humor mixed in to convey the sense of adventure she feels daily. Jill says her life is like a good plate of nachos, a tiny kick of spice, and a whole lotta cheese.  

About the Designer

Cookie Redding is an artist, designer and lecturer with the School of
Visual Arts at the Pennsylvania State University and teaches courses
in the Digital Art and DMD Programs. Her work encompasses the art and design world, with a focus on multiple media forms of expression.

Redding’s influences are from a diverse array of disciplines spawning
from the classics and antiquities, to history and tech. Her
explorations integrate these elements into a study of symbols. The
imagery she deals with within her work is a study from the beauty of
words and by being within nature. Her explorations show how the
literary world meets the natural work with color and texture. Check her out on Instagram and Facebook!

Cover Design Process:

This year. we gave designers the optional prompt to explain their design process for the cover! Here’s Cookie’s:

My process typically starts with some sketching, brainstorming and
listmaking. Then I start to hone my composition concept while also
searching for imagery that would be ideal for the cover. I went
through around 8 iterations and then my concept adjusted a bit to
include the grid–that’s when everything fell into place! Thanks so
much for letting me be a part of 30 Covers 30 Days again–it’s the
highlight of my design year!

And it’s day 2 of NaNoWriMo! Today, we have Stick Insect and Sea Monkeys by Kate Jackson, a fun Children’s Fiction novel. This novel cover was designed by the amazing returning artist, Holly Aguilar!

(For those of you who don’t know, 30C30D stands for 30 Covers, 30 Days in which 17 Wrimos and 5 YWP Participants get the chance to win a professionally designed cover! The rest of the days are being filled by community features. We’ll be posting a cover a day throughout November, so make sure to check them out!)

Stick Insect and Sea Monkeys

Bella is devastated she can’t own any pets but suddenly finds herself petmother to a gigantic stick insect and pack of sea monkeys. Pet ownership turns into a bigger adventure than she could ever have imagine as she and her pet family find themselves faced with a mystery that could change their world forever.

About the Author

Kate Jackson is a lifelong writer, but recently only of shopping and to do lists. She is interested to see how juggling work, parenting two energetic boys, and trying to write a novel will go. Stick Insects & Sea Monkeys is Kate’s first foray into fantasy writing for elementary school age kids, but nothing like having a captive audience at bedtime! When not writing, Kate is setting up a new house in Boston after recently relocating from London, and trying not to eat too much leftover Halloween candy.

About the Designer

Holly Aguilar is an award-winning designer and illustrator, so if anyone does judge your book by its cover, she’s got you…covered. By day, Holly is a Design Director at Balcom Agency, the largest marketing firm in Fort Worth, Texas. Learn more about her at her company’s website!

Happy November! Let’s start out 30 Covers, 30 Days strong with Kuberia: The Alluring Abyss by Arpan Mondal, a Science Fiction novel full of intrigue! This novel cover was designed by the amazing returning artist, Alberto Rigau!

(For those of you who don’t know, 30C30D stands for 30 Covers, 30 Days in which 17 Wrimos and 5 YWP Participants get the chance to win a professionally designed cover! The rest of the days are being filled by community features. We’ll be posting a cover a day throughout November, so make sure to check them out!)

Kuberia: The Alluring Abyss

As a deadly gamma-ray burst threatens Earth, scientists propose evacuating a chosen group to the newly discovered planet Kuberia, named after the Hindu God of wealth, Kubera. This world seems perfect for humans, but a single question remains—Why is it devoid of inhabitants?

Upon arrival, the human pioneers are struck by the planet’s strange beauty. Purple and red flora blankets the landscape, some vegetation seems to have a reddish brown glow in the darkness, and everything has a captivating, twisting shape. However, they soon realize this very allure is what keeps Kuberia empty of life.

About the Author

I’m Arpan, an aerospace engineer who absolutely loves everything about space. A few years back, I got hooked on science fiction books, and that’s when I decided to start writing my own stories. My sci-fi stories are a way to share my knowledge about space and the universe with the world. ‘Kuberia: The Alluring Abyss’ is my first attempt at turning one of my story ideas into a complete novel!

About the Designer

With over 18 years in practice, Alberto Rigau crafts and conceptualizes brands, exhibits, way-finding systems, publications, books, photographic projects, and environmental graphics. As a former Co-Chair of AIGA’s Design Educators Steering Committee, he collaborates with nationwide design educators in developing content and programming to further academic research, teaching practices, and conversations within the field. Alberto has a Master’s Degree from NC State University’s College of Design and currently engages the field from his home studio in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Cover Design Process:

This year. we gave designers the optional prompt to explain their design process for the cover! Here’s Alberto’s:

I instantly decided that I did not want to give a visual voice to Kuberia. Now knowing anything about it is part of the mystery that drew me to the summary. I focused on the physical interrelation between these planetary bodies as main actors who are sparking the narrative and reality of this particular story.

NaNoWriMo’s Young Writers Program helps over 85,000 kids, teens, teachers, and families set creative goals and tell stories they care about. We asked some of our amazing YWP educators to share how they take on the NaNoWriMo challenge in their classroom. Today’s advice comes from Mike Fillbrandt, who teaches 9th grade English at a charter school. 

Q: What grade/ age level do you work with? What type of NaNoWriMo group is it (whole class, club, homeschool, elective, etc.)?

A: 9th grade classes, 8-12 grade club

NaNoWriMo’s Young Writers Program helps over 85,000 kids, teens, teachers, and families set creative goals and tell stories they care about. We asked some of our amazing YWP educators to share how they take on the NaNoWriMo challenge in their classroom. Today’s advice comes from Teresa Lyons, a long-time writer and teacher going on her 23rd year.

Q: What grade/ age level do you work with? What type of NaNoWriMo group is it (whole class, club, homeschool, elective, etc.)?

A: High school creative writing, 9-12 graders, whole class, semester long elective. Previously, I used it with my 7th & 8th graders, whole class, during our narrative unit.

NaNoWriMo’s Young Writers Program helps over 85,000 kids, teens, teachers, and families set creative goals and tell stories they care about. We asked some of our amazing YWP educators to share how they take on the NaNoWriMo challenge in their classroom. Today’s advice comes from Sarah, a middle school ELA teacher in Richmond, Virginia.

Q: What grade/ age level do you work with? What type of NaNoWriMo group is it (whole class, club, homeschool, elective, etc.)?

A: Whole classes, grades 6-8

NaNoWriMo’s Young Writers Program helps over 85,000 kids, teens, teachers, and families set creative goals and tell stories they care about. We asked some of our amazing YWP educators to share how they take on the NaNoWriMo challenge in their classroom. Today’s advice comes from Virginia Pratt, who has been an educator for over 35 years.

Q: What grade/ age level do you work with? What type of NaNoWriMo group is it (whole class, club, homeschool, elective, etc.)?

A: I teach 4th/5th Grade gifted/talented ELA.

NaNoWriMo’s Young Writers Program helps over 85,000 kids, teens, teachers, and families set creative goals and tell stories they care about. We asked some of our amazing YWP educators to share how they take on the NaNoWriMo challenge in their classroom. Today’s advice comes from Meredith Towne, a high school English teacher in New York City!

Q: What grade/ age level do you work with? What type of NaNoWriMo group is it (whole class, club, homeschool, elective, etc.)?

A: 12th. Whole class (ELA 12, general education and ICT)

We’ve got some truly bittersweet news: after almost 10 years as NaNoWriMo’s Technical Director, Dave Beck is moving on. Dave joined NaNoWriMo in 2014 and since then has overseen all things site and tech-related for NaNoWriMo and Young Writers Program. In addition to his considerable technical skills, Dave is a true Renaissance man with a remarkable range of skills, interests, and hobbies.

Thanks to Dave and our other long-time Software Developer, Jezra Lickter, both our websites are currently in very stable places for this transition. 

Before we say goodbye, Dave shares some thoughts about his time at NaNo: