Tuesday, October 31, 2017

5T Tossup--Calling All Readers! plus $100 giveaway



Love reading & reviewing? Like finding new authors?

Wanna join a review team/street team?

We have 15 authors of varying genres who would love to find new readers! Why join a team? (Or lots of teams?) There are so many perks...like FREE books, advanced notice of sales, giveaways, and new releases. Let's not forget the swag and signed books so many authors give to their team as a reward for the support.

Give it a try!

Join some teams
and be entered to win
$100 in Amazon Gift Cards!

Participating Authors:

Alexandria Bishop | Amanda Heartley | Ashlee Price | Beth Prentice | Connie Davé | Emma Nichols | Emma Slate | Jennifer Millikin | Lilliana Rose | M.C. Cerny | Mary Hughes | Melissa Stevens | Mia Kayla | Samantha Garman | Traci Douglass

Enter to win!

Tuesday, October 24, 2017

4T Olio A Book I've Enjoyed

Here's a shocker. Reading for information doesn't have to be dry and boring.

Besides the few minutes I steal to read for pleasure, I read a lot for information, mostly to get the facts right for a character or her clothes or car or location.

But I read several writing manuals a year, the best recommended by friend and amazing author Edie Ramer. I always find at lease a couple gems in the links she sends, but this book...OMG this book, I have 28 notes, all of them BIG EFFING CONCEPTS that I wonder why I didn't learn RIGHT AT THE BEGINNING.

Why did I enjoy it?
He applies the principals of great storytelling to the material
He tells YOU how to apply  the principals of great storytelling to your material, whether a novel, a screenplay, a TEDD talk, or your PTA speech




Nobody Wants to Read Your Sh*t

by Steven Pressfield

Tough love from the author of The War of Art. Nobody Wants To Read Your Sh*t is Pressfield’s “lessons learned" from a career in five different writing fields—advertising, screenwriting, fiction, narrative nonfiction, and self-help.
This is wisdom from the trenches, teaching you how to obey the platinum rule of writing ... THOU MUST MAKE IT INTERESTING!

Amazon | Nook | Author




Frankly, doing book reports as a child was grueling. I just wanted to read the story, to experience the adventure and the emotion. But I do want to share my favorites with you. Hope you enjoyed this glimpse into a book I've enjoyed!

Tuesday, October 17, 2017

3T Writing Tidbit

I think I've done a 3T Tidbit on this before, but it bears repeating...writing is all about setting up expectations, then knocking them over in interesting ways.

But you have to set up the expectation before you can play with it.

One thing I see a lot is a line like, "She thought about doing the thing, but decided not to, because of reasons."

So, that sets up expectations, which is fine. But it's a little unsatisfying. Where's the danger, the intrigue, the conflict? The potential for, "No, Lucy, don't do that!!"

Solution? Let the character actually DO THE THING before the plot negates it.

Example:

Before




Robert had fought in the Dovaronian War. Glynnis suddenly longed to ask him about it, about the Battle of Boswin, about all those things Fearghas had told her about—and that this man had experienced.

But a warning glance from Caer kept her silent. Later, she promised herself. There would be time later.
After
Robert had fought in the Dovaronian War. Glynnis suddenly longed to know about it, about the Battle of Boswin, about all those things Fearghas had told her about—and that this man had experienced.

She opened her mouth to ask.

Caer sliced her a warning glance.

She closed her mouth. Later, she promised herself. There would be time later.

The difference here is subtle. She's not taking much action. But she does take action, opening her mouth. That lets Caer's reaction, the warning glance, have that much more impact, and for the conflict of that moment to burn just a bit more without using a lot more words.

Published since 2009, over the years I've accumulated various items of writing wisdom. The Third Tuesday Writing Tidbit showcases these items in no particular order. Click here to see all 3T Tidbits.

Tuesday, October 10, 2017

2T Repeat Performance

In December 2016, the lovely Magical Musings crew decided it was time to close down their blogging shop. I had three wonderful years with them. I thought you might be interested in seeing those posts now.

 5 Places to Travel to Feed Your Muse--Originally posted October 15, 2014

Author, writer or reader, we all feel dry sometimes. Here are 5 places to find rejuvenation.

photo credit: Rob Unreall via photopin cc
  1. London. There are 2 Alpha ++ cities in the entire world, according to Wikipedia. London and New York are both hubs in the global economy. Studded with restaurants, theaters, and libraries, and blessed with an amazing public transport system, London has centuries of history, learning, and arts to feed your mind and soul. Edie Ramer has just visited, ask her about her favorites. I personally enjoyed Shakespeare's Globe Theater, the London Eye, the BBC, St. Paul's, and All Flutes.
  2. Your basement or attic. Whichever one gives you less guilt. lol. As an adult these are places we shove taxes and yet to be unpacked moving boxes. But as a child, ah, these are mysterious places full of old, forgotten treasures. So try this. stick your head in your attic or take a short trip to the basement and close your eyes. Breathe in the scent and let it take you back to those days of mystery and adventure.
  3. The Grand Canyon. This is one of the places I have yet to go. I've heard it's one of the few that lives up to expectation. Almost 300 miles long. Breathtaking scenery and nearly 2 billion years of geological goodies. The Colorado River. Mule rides. Some of the cleanest air in the US. Condors. How cool is that? I love visiting the Badlands so I hope to get here one day.
    photo credit: Brian Auer via photopin cc
  4. A museum, travelogue lecture, iMax theater, observatory, conservatory, concert, park...? The important thing here is go someplace bigger (or smaller) than yourself, where you'll see or hear something brand-new. Keep your phone in your pocket or purse and your eyes and ears open.
  5. Books. You don't have to travel physically to refresh yourself. Treat yourself to a day reading, or just an hour. Move to a different room, pick a comfy chair or indulge in a warm scented bath. Have a selection of books to suit your whims. Biography, romance, history, fantasy, science or science fiction, just pick up a book and do your mind and heart a new world of good.


What's your favorite way to refresh yourself?

Let’s get to know each other!

In these first months as a Magical Musings blogger, I’m sharing my 10 favorite things and hope to hear about yours. This is #5 Travel/Books (Travel for the mind and soul.)

Tuesday, October 3, 2017

1T Status Update--It's OCTOBER already?

Whew! That was a whirlwind of releases last month. First the explosion of activity to launch the 22-author Billionaire Ever After anthology/box set. Then the gnawing of the fingernails waiting for the lists to post...then the joy of learning that, at long last and after many attempts, we'd made USA Today. Then the giddy week of Night's Caress and a return to my favorite small Midwest town, Meiers Corners.

So I'm basking on my well-deserved vacation now, right? Um, not quite, lol.
  • Night's Kiss (The Ancients bk 2) proposal package submitted. Draft is coming along nicely.
  • Hot Chips and Sand--Sale coming up Oct 30-Nov 3
  • Hunt Mates (Pull of the Moon, #3 by the new numbering system) releasing early November
  • Bad Boy Billionaire's Lady releasing late 2017 or early 2018
  • I'm participating in a mind-blowing citizen's police academy. I'm going to have to adjust the Taser scene in Biting Oz.
  • Gearing up for the holiday season
  • My new orchestra is fun! There were nine cellos though so hubby is playing second violin. Keeps him out of trouble :)