Blog love.

Well, it is Monday yet again,
and this time Blogger will let me post pictures ONLY if I use Chrome...lol.
So here are some interesting posts that I found last week.
Enjoy. :)

1. Sarah Mae shares on Jeff Goins blog about being called to write in spite of life.
http://goinswriter.com/called-to-write/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+GoinsWriter+%28Goins%2C+Writer%3A+On+Writing%2C+Ideas%2C+and+Making+a+Difference%29

2. Allison Morris visits Holly Cagney's blog. She talks about why ebooks and print books can coexist. Lovely visuals with this post.
http://cantfightthewrite.blogspot.ca/2013/01/libraries-are-forevah.html

3. Authoress is offering up her editing services at a very reasonable rate. Check out her other posts as well as she has a lot of contests. :)
http://misssnarksfirstvictim.blogspot.ca/2013/01/authoress-editing-services.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+MissSnarksFirstVictim+(Miss+Snark's+First+Victim)

4. Awesome guest post by David King (author of the book every writer should have, Self Editing for Fiction Writers) and talks about hoarding too much info in our manuscripts.
http://writerunboxed.com/2013/01/14/writers-who-hoard/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+WriterUnboxed+%28Writer+Unboxed%29

Writing Prompt Wednesday #10



Image courtesy of Keattikorn at FreeDigitalPhotos.net



It's hump day,
and I will be celebrating by offering up a Writer's Prompt. :)

What is a Writer's Prompt?
It is a freeing exercise.
An exercise in creativity.

The rules are simple:
1) Set your timer for 10 minutes
2) Write about the topic (There is no wrong answer! Everyone's response to the phrase or picture will be different).
3) DO NOT EDIT. Write without censoring editing. Write whatever comes into your mind. You may be surprised at your own pure genius. :)

Today's writer's prompt is:

Write about a ceremony.

 

 

I would love to read your Writing Prompt results! Please post them in the comment box for all the internet world to enjoy. :)

Blog Love

**Imagine a really, really fun picture here. There's a cat and it's wearing a party hat and there's confetti in the air. An awesome picture that blogger won't let me share with you. :( **

I hope to do a post every MONDAY sharing some blogs that I have enjoyed in the previous week.

So here are my top links,
in no particular order.

1. http://annerallen.blogspot.ca/2013/01/online-book-reviews-games-people-play.html
Anne R. Allen does a great job of analyzing and addressing the current problem with Amazon's review policies. If you haven't been privy to the debate then this post will lay it all out.

2. http://www.yahighway.com/2013/01/awareness-of-language.html
A great post by those at YA Highway about the importance of choosing your words carefully.

3. http://authorculture.blogspot.ca/2013/01/writing-crap-i_4.html
A post about continuing writing even if what you are writing isn't very good. :)

4. http://www.adventuresinagentland.com/2013/01/guest-post-taking-time-to-get-it-right.html
A friendly chat about revising after the buzz of Nano (also chosen because of the adorable cat picture).

I hope you enjoy the posts as much as I did. :)

Write what you know: Fact or Fiction?

I can still see her:
Wrinkled face framed by grey sausage curls.
Our grade four teacher's blue piercing eyes dared us to disobey.
"Remember class, only write what you know."

The whole class started scribbling furiously:
"Sally gets a puppy." or  "Billy's Worst Day."
...they were all riveting works of art taken from our life experiences...
but none of them were ever published. :)

So how important is it that you write what you know?
I think in this case a writer has to follow the spirit of the law and not the letter.

I have never seen an actual dragon,
nor have I visited a royal court.
Yet my WIP involves both.
In fact, most fantasy and sci-fi fiction takes great liberties with reality.

My theory?
Even if your characters have blue skin,
or are part of a crew that visits galaxies far, far away,
there is still a core of what you know buried deep inside of them:

So yes, write what you know:
Jealousy, Rage, Love, Fear,
all the emotions from your everyday life.

Use them all:
-the butterflies before your first kiss.
-the anger that coursed through your veins when you found your brother reading your diary.
-the peace from camping nights under star filled skies.

Analyze those emotions,
and use them to make your writing come alive.

How about you? How do you make the emotions of your characters real for your readers?

 

Image courtesy of stockimages at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

The Next Big Thing...

So, there is a blog hop going around where you get to talk about your Work In Progress.
Parched will be the NEXT BIG THING!! :) :)
This opportunity was given to my by Precarious Yates.
Thank you!!

What is the working title of your book?
Parched

Where did the idea for the book come from?
The idea came when I asked "In a world where people only rely on science how could a young girl explain away a miracle?" And the story blossomed from there.

What genre does your book fall under?
Christian young adult fantasy

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
I'm not good with actors and actresses names but here are some pictures to give you some ideas:

Rosa the shepherdess

Alida the fallen angel

Gavin

Lady Selena 

Tomas (I would lighten his hair)

Torin the blacksmith

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
An orphaned shepherdess, armed with a book of empty pages, fights to save the world and her soul from an ancient darkness.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
I hope to go through an agency.

How long did it take to write the first draft of your manuscript?
30 days! I did it for National Novel Writing Month during the month of November. It took me two years to tweak and polish.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
My voice is similar to Jill Williamson in her Blood of Kings trilogy.

Who or what inspired you to write this book?
My desire to write an entertaining book which also had a strong moral theme.

What else about your book might pique the reader's interest?
There are shape shifters, dragons, demon wolves, and fallen angels. :)

I can't wait to share my world with you. :)
Thanks for stopping by.

Running Shoes and Writing Blues

Photo from Flickr.com courtesy of luiginter

"Try it you'll like it."

"It makes me feel alive."

"I get such a rush."

These are phrases my running friends use when describing their first marathon.
They are broken.
Running is not natural,
unless it is from a threat,
like more running a bear.

I. don't. run.
But thousands of people do,
enduring the pain and agony,
to gain a sense of accomplishment.

So...
you want to write a novel.
Perhaps you've committed yourself to the Nano beast.
I won't lie.
It hurts.

Writing a novel is some of the hardest writing you have ever done in your entire life.
(Editing is whole other kettle of fish which we will deal with later).

There will be low points,
when you feel like you are writing with your own blood.
And then there'll be those high points  where you feel like you are King of the World.
(At either point check out this gif version of the Publishing Process to get a good laugh).

But you'll know if it's your passion if you're able to say:

"I love it."

"It makes me feel alive."

"I'd do it again."

What is your passion? Is the writing siren calling you?
Check back for more posts about writing.

Book review: The New Recruit by Jill Williamson

I had the pleasure of reading Jill Williamson's award winning Blood of Kings trilogy and thorougly enjoyed her characters and her writing style.

When I stepped into the world she had designed in The New Recruit it was a bit of a jolt from medieval to present day. :)




The YA novel follows skeptic Spencer Garmon who is forced to choose between military school and a Christian spy organization. He signs on with the Bible geeks. But before he even boards the plane for Moscow, Spencer realizes this is no Bible club.

These guys mean business.

Stumbling onto a case involving a gang of homeless boys, a chilling tattoo, and the always beautiful Anya Vseveloda, Spencer struggles to find the faith needed to save the Mission League from enemy infiltration.

Jill Williamson has done it again with The New Recruit,  book 1 of 4 in The Mission League series. Her voice is wonderful and her characters believable. Her plot is well woven and held my interest right until the very end.

I identified with Spencer and appreciated that his transition to belief wasn't an easy one. I also enjoyed the fact that all the Christians were unique and had flaws of their own. Very refreshing!

With each page turn I became more engrossed with the storyline and the plight of the characters--despite their failings.

I highly recommend this novel and I'm looking forward to the next installment!
I give it:

           

Which means drop your danish and shower another year! Pick up this book (Amazon) and you won't be disappointed.

Check out Jill Williamson's beautiful blog at  www.jillwilliamson.com.
You can also check out the website The Mission League serie http://themissionleague.com/

Jill Williamson is an author of all things weird. She grew up in Alaska with no electricity, an outhouse, and a lot of mosquitoes. Her Blood of Kings trilogy won two Christy Awards, and she recently released Replication, a science fiction teen novel from Zonderkidz. Jill lives in Oregon with her husband and two children and a whole lot of deer.



*I received a complimentary copy of this book for my review. I was not required to give a positive review, only my honest opinion - which I've done. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.*