Quote

"I write for the same reason I breathe - because if I didn't, I would die." ~ Isaac Asimov
Showing posts with label Writerly Wednesday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Writerly Wednesday. Show all posts

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Writerly Wednesday


Hello all! Welcome to another week of Writerly Wednesday. :) I do want to apologize for my lack of ambition on my blog lately.  Today's meme is all about writing, whether I'm telling you some exciting news about my road to publishing my debut novel, Into the Spiral, or I'm sharing sites and articles I've found interesting or useful or I'm introducing you to someone/something new. Today, I'd like to introduce you to my writing twin, Beth Ann Masarik.

Beth doesn't know that I'm doing this. :) We met almost a year and a half ago through Richelle Mead (as we like to tell the story). We'd both answered a post of hers on Facebook, started messaging and the rest they say is history. We now talk constantly, including text messages (which drive my hubby crazy because he thinks my phone says "why am I on a diet" every time she texts LOL). We have so many things in common and think alike so much that we've dubbed each other our "twin".


I met Beth shortly after she signed with Otherworld Publications so through her, I got to see what publishing with them was like. I was so impressed (and am still so impressed) that when I queried my own book, I went to them. :) Beth now has 2 short stories and one full-length novel out: Murderous Regrets (short), Moon Spirit (short) and The World Among Us: Prince of Darkness (novel).

Beth also created and runs Literary Lunes Magazine, a now bi-monthly online publication that she edits and formats herself (as well as writing articles for). She also is currently working on book 2 of the TWAU trilogy, Daughter of Light, as well as putting together an anthology of TWAU short stories and very tentatively starting up her own publishing company, currently named Literary Lunes Publications. She is also just finishing edits and polishing up an anthology, Writings From the Heart, which all proceeds will go to the pediatric cardiology department at the Stephen and Alexandra Cohen Children's Medical Center of New York. The anthology is set to release June 6!

On top of everything else Beth has going on, she's also getting married on October 14

Beth has always inspired me with her many projects, getting herself out there into the writing community and meeting people. She recently even interviewed Kristin Cast (half of the amazing duo that brought us the House of Night series) for Literary Lunes magazine. She works hard and has become an amazing friend in the short time I've known her. So I just wanted to take a few minutes today to say THANK YOU to Beth for becoming my friend.

You can find Beth everywhere on the web:
Her website
Literary Lunes magazine
Twitter
Goodreads
Facebook
TWAU on Facebook

Buy Beth's books!
Murderous Regrets:  Amazon  Smashwords
Moon Spirit:  Amazon
TWAU: Prince of Darkness:  Amazon  B&N  Smashwords  Otherworld

That's all for today, folks! I hope you've enjoyed meeting Beth as much as I have! :)

Happy Wednesday!
EM

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Writerly Wednesday - Writing.com


Hello, all! Welcome to another week of Writerly Wednesday, a weekly meme I created to talk about everything writerly, whether it's what's happening in my own journey to published stardom, to introduce you to something or someone fascinating, or to share my (limited) wisdom on writing. This week, I want to introduce you to a website I found when I first decided to get serious about being a writer...


Here's what they have to say for themselves: Writing.Com, the premier online community for writers of all interests and skill levels, has been going strong since 2000. We provide an extremely creative environment for authors, offering hundreds of unique writing tools and opportunities for creation and inspiration.
Whether you are a writer looking for the perfect place to store and display your masterpieces or a reader willing to offer feedback for our writers and their work, this is the website for you. No other website services the writing world better than we do!
I first joined Writing.com in January of 2008. I joined because I wanted to feel a part of a writing community, and that's exactly what I found there. I tried my hand at a few contests and even won a couple, one short story Romance Valentine's Day contest and another one, from Bard's Hall, where the theme was St. Patrick's Day. I also participated in a 1000 word daily flash fiction contest for quite a few months. Entering those contests helped me hone my craft in that I had to be more economical with my word choices. The highest word count limit was just 4000 words. That's quite a difference from the 50k+ word novels I'd been writing. :-)
In October of 2008, I stumbled upon The Witch's Circle Halloween contest. One of the prompts was to write a short story that included werewolves, vampires, ghosts, goblins, and a couple other creatures (pretty much, any creature popular at the time). That prompt sparked my first YA paranormal novel, Losing Control, which included werewolves, vampires and a ghost haunting an ancestral home. :-)
If you don't feel like writing and sharing anything, hang out on the site and read a bit. There are interactive stories where you get to pick which way the story goes next. There's poetry, word searches, madlibs and polls to take. There's a lot to do and it's a great way to practice your craft and meet a few fun people along the way!
Happy Writing (or Reading)!
EM
**While you can search for Losing Control and it shows available to order on Amazon and probably other places, this title has been taken out of production for re-editing. I will let everyone know as soon as it is available once again.**

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Writerly Wednesday - Cover and Trailer Reveal!


Welcome back to another week of Writerly Wednesday, a weekly meme I created to share writerly things with all of you, whether it's to talk about my own writing/publishing adventure, to share something fun or interesting I stumbled upon, or to introduce you to new and amazing authors and books. Today I'm showcasing the charity anthology Writings from the Heart: Stories and Poetry from Around the World. Here's the AMAZING cover:


Isn't it gorgeous? I absolutely love this cover! This cover was created by the editor of the anthology, Beth Ann Masarik. Beth decided to put together this anthology to help the Cohen Children's Medical Center of NY's Pediatric Cardiology Department. Why? Because 28 years ago, Beth was diagnosed with a congenital heart disease called Tetralogy of Fellot. This is her way of giving back to a hospital that's helped her all of these years. And who doesn't like to help kids in need? The anthology features 30 authors from around the world who have written either short stories or poems all based around the idea of hope. I've read quite a few of both already and will say it's a great anthology!


The anthology will be released June 6, 2012. Beth chose this date to honor a friend who died of congenital heart disease on that day several years ago. Then, from June 13 to July 4, Beth is putting together a blog tour the anthology. Dates are still available! If you would like to be a part of it, leave a comment with your email address below or email Beth at bethannmasarik@gmail.com for more information and to tell her you want in!


Still not convinced this is a good cause? Check out the trailer Beth made for the anthology!




I hope you will purchase this anthology when it is released. I am one of the contributors and I know I will be purchasing a copy to help this great cause!


Happy Wednesday!
EM

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Writerly Wednesday - Random Silliness

Hello, everyone, and welcome back to another week of Writerly Wednesday, where I share random tidbits of my writerly life, showcase a new author or publisher, or try to give sound advice I've found on various websites. This week, I'm doing something a little different. Not knowing what else to do, I asked on Facebook for 3 random words from people: a noun, a verb, and an adjective. Including my kids and babysitter, I ended up with 10 responses to my question. Here are all the words I received:

dinosaur, sad, play, fedora, skip, spectacular, mailbox, run, pouring (rain), friend, walk, quickly, bridge, flow, relaxing, bird, jog, leafy, train wreck, jump, happy, socks, fly, gigantic, cupcake, skate, frosty, rainbow, spew, ludicrous, Miller Park, eat, grainy

I'm sure you can guess which words came from my kids. ;-) I especially like 'leafy' because then Kody (my oldest) looked at the tree we were passing and said "It looks like it has green hair!" Love that!

So what did I do with all of these words? As you may have guessed, I wrote a short story . I highlighted all the words. Here is what I came up with. It's a little silly and geared more towards younger kids, but it was tons of fun to write! Enjoy! **some of the words had to change their ending to fit properly**


Tommy and Fenton Have an Adventure

On a Saturday morning in May, Tommy the T-Rex woke up to find it was a very disappointing day. It was pouring rain outside his bedroom window! The rain made Tommy sad. So he tromped out of his bedroom and headed to the kitchen, where his mom was baking cupcakes.
“Why are you sad today, Tommy T?” she asked as he sat down at the table.
“It’s raining,” he told her.
“Yes it is. Why don’t you call Fenton and you two can play inside today? I bet Fenton is as sad as you about the rain today.”
“Yeah!” Tommy exclaimed and jumped up from the table. He went to the phone and called his best friend. Now it might seem silly that a dinosaur and a bird were best friends, but Tommy and Fenton had been friends since they were babies.
Fenton agreed to come over to play and flew through the rain as fast as his little blue wings would carry him. He loved flying, but not in the rain. Fenton shook out his feathers when he arrived inside Tommy’s house and put his little brown fedora on a peg by the door.
“Let’s have an adventure,” Tommy exclaimed and raced Fenton to his room. Fenton won—because birds are always faster than T-Rexes.
“What do you want to do today?” Fenton chirped from his perch on the top of Tommy’s dresser. Tommy hunkered down and thought really hard for a moment. What should they do? Then, he had an idea!
“There’s been a train wreck on the bridge,” he told Fenton. “We have to save the people!”
“We’re off to save the people!” Fenton squeaked. They jogged around the bedroom, pretending to run to the bridge.
“Watch out for the river!” Tommy suddenly yelled. He and Fenton skated to a stop. The river flowed rapidly under the bridge, spewing yucky brown water all around them. A gigantic, leafy tree towered over them next to the bridge.
“There! We have to save that family of salamanders!” Tommy declared, pointing to a bunch of socks in the middle of the room. “Come on!”
They quickly skipped across the bridge. Tommy bent down and scooped the salamander family into his arms as the giant tree swayed in the wind.
“This is ludicrous!” Tommy exclaimed. The salamanders were hot, burning his skin. “They’re burning up!”
“Put them in the frosty mailbox!” Fenton chirped. Tommy dashed across the room and threw the socks into his clothes hamper. Both bird and dinosaur collapsed onto the floor as the bedroom door opened. Tommy’s mom looked in on them.
“Sounds like that was a spectacular rescue,” she told the boys. “Are you boys hungry?”
“Yeah!” they cheered and jumped to their feet (or hopped, in Fenton’s case).
“Look, a rainbow!” Fenton cheeped, flying towards the window to look out at the sky. Tommy quickly followed. Sure enough, a beautiful rainbow stretched across the light gray sky.
Tommy and Fenton walked down the stairs and followed Tommy’s mom into the kitchen. They were finally able to relax. Tommy’s mom put a plate of warm cupcakes on the table and the boys began to eat. Tommy was glad they weren’t grainy like the last batch she had made. Grainy cupcakes were the worst!
“Next time we should go rescue something at Miller Park,” Fenton chirped as he pecked at his cupcake.
“That would be a lot of fun,” Tommy agreed, thinking of all the happy adventures they could have.

And there you have it, my fun little story. I might have a career in children's literature some day! LOL Hope you've enjoyed it. :) Have a great day everyone!

EM

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Writerly Wednesday - Character Questions and Outlining


Hello, everyone! Welcome to another week of Writerly Wednesday, a weekly meme I created to talk about all thing writerly, whether I'm introducing you to a new author I found (like last week with J.C. Isabella), talking about my own adventures in publishing, or giving out writerly advice, as I'm doing this week. Today I want to talk about developing characters with questions and outlining a plot, two things I didn't realize went together so intricately until I started doing one without the other. :)

Character Questions
When developing characters, you really need to know more than just the basics: height, weight, hair color, eye color, etc. You need to know what makes them tick, what their motivations are, and how they would react in various situations. One way to get to know them better is to answer questions about them. I like to treat it like an interview, sometimes going so far as to write out the scene to get body language as well. A couple great sites I found for character questions include:

http://www.writingclasses.com/InformationPages/index.php/PageID/106 This one is from Gotham Writers Workshop and has 2 questionnaires that can be downloaded in a Word doc to better utilize. I like that they are short questionnaires and ask some great questions.

http://www.squidoo.com/character-development-questions Squidoo has a great questionnaire here that breaks it down into categories, from moral beliefs to specific knowledge, and of course the all important question: why should your audience care about this character?

Plot Outlines
Before I give examples, I just want to point out that until recently (the last couple months), I was pretty much a pantser. I would start writing a book and THEN I would figure out where it was going and write down some of the details. With my newest WIP, I'm actually breaking down the chapters into scenes and with every scene, I'm figuring out where the story is going and what will push it forward. This is new for me (though not new to the publishing/writing world). So, I've come to realize the importance of outlining before writing and want to share a few ideas with you about it.

http://selfpublishingteam.com/6-writing-outline-templates-and-3-reasons-to-use-them/ This site give 6 different outlining templates and how to use them. It also discusses why outlining is important.

http://www.darcypattison.com/plot/29-plot-templates/ This site gives several different plot outline templates. My favorite template is adopted from  Joe Campbell's Hero Journey. There are some on here that I haven't heard of before, but look interesting and ideal to use.

Obviously, knowing your characters is just as important as knowing your plot. Now, I will say that Googling either idea gives you thousands of sites to explore. The ones I shared here are just a couple that caught my attention and that I have recommended to other friends.

How about you? Are you a plotter or pantser? How do you like to outline (if you do)? And what do you do to get to know your characters before you start writing?

Happy Writing!
EM

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Writerly Wednesday - Meet J.C. Isabella


Hello, everyone, and welcome to another fun week of Writerly Wednesday, where I share some writerly knowledge, introduce you to authors I've met or tell you what's going on my writerly life. :) Today, I want to introduce you to J.C. Isabella. She's a self-published author whose third book, Chasing McCree, just came out on Sunday, April 15! I'm so excited for this book! I've read J.C.'s other two books and she is a phenomenal writer! So without further ado, I give you J.C. Isabella.

J.C. Isabella is the author of The Unofficial Zack Warren Fan Club and a romance novel junkie. Ever since she discovered the genera in high school, she has been a self proclaimed fan. This led to penning her first YA romance. When she isn't thinking up new recipes for the cookbook she hopes to one day write, she is brainstorming a new novel and listening to country music. She lives in the tropics of Florida with her big fat Italian family and ornery feline companion. Her next book, Chasing McCree, is due out April 15th. 


Tell us a little about Chasing McCree. Where did you get the idea for the characters and story?

Taylor Swift’s song, Only Me When I’m With You. I listened to it and I was like, this would make an amazing story! I looked up the lyrics and I read them and it just all clicked. I thought, what would the boy and girl in her song do to be together if someone were to try to keep them apart? Would they run away? Stand up to everyone who didn’t believe in them, saying that it would never work? It was obvious from the lyrics they would do anything for each other. If I could sum up the whole book, it would be the title of this song.

As for the rest of the ideas in the book, the people in Briar’s life weren’t hard to dream up. Growing up, I actually lived in a neighborhood very close to where Briar lives in the book.  Belleair Bluffs is a real city in Florida, full of well to do people that are very active in the community. Lots of doctors. I had a few friends from families like Briar’s. So her world is very real, though the characters are not. There is a scene in the book where they go to an outdoor movie theater on the beach. (not a spoiler:) It is called Sunset Cinema, and I go with friends every once and a while.



The Council has a very well put-together system of magic. How did you create that? Did you use mythology, wiccan/pagan/or other arcane knowledge bases?

I actually read up a bit on the English monarchy. It would have been the time of the Tudors, King Henry the VIII. It was the only familiar system of government to the characters. But having one king that might favor his kind and suppress the others had been a concern for them. So my idea was to have three kings, each working together with equal power, so each magical being is represented. They rule somewhat separately, though their people abide by the same laws, and they come together in times of need.

You said in your Q&A that you create character sometimes based on people you once knew or from characters in books you’ve read. Where did the inspiration for Henry and Venna come from? Briar and Chase?

Henry was a boy I once knew. He was very kind, and he had this light in his eyes when he smiled. I worked with him a few summers at camp and we went to the same church. Then one day I received news that he’d been killed in a traffic accident, hit by a car while riding his bike. Shortly after I started writing this book, I only saw him. I thought he deserved his happy ending.

Venna was a little harder to pin down, until I saw a movie called Accepted. It had been out for a couple years already, but I saw the girl playing the character named Rory. She had red hair, and a little bit of an attitude. I was like, that’s Venna!!

As for Chase, there wasn’t one person. He’s just my idea of the American cowboy. Sure, steady, and tough. He made himself, in a way. But I also listen to a lot of Josh Turner and Luke Bryan :)

Briar just kind of came to me. And I was thinking a little about Buffy too, lol. Here you have this cheerleader who is one person on the outside, but she really is so much more than a pair of pompoms and a high kick. She just needed the opportunity to become who she was meant to be.

Do you believe in magic or unseen phenomenon? Any personal anecdotes to explain why?

Uh, to be honest... I think there are things in this world we can’t explain. Is it magic, ghosts, parallel universes? I have no idea, and I can’t say that I believe or don’t believe. If there’s proof, I’ll jump on the bandwagon :) If not, then there are some really great stories out there to keep us guessing.



The Unofficial Zack Warren Fan Club revolves around a club Chloe started when she was in grade school and escalates into a monstrosity still in existence in college. When you were younger, did you begin your own fan club of some kind? If so, what was it?

I never was part of a fan club. Though I did watch the Mickey Mouse club on occasion.



Can you tell us anything about what is in store for Zack and Chloe or Henry and Venna in future novels?

Hmm, I can tell you you will be seeing all four of them again, though in their respective books. Venna and Henry’s story is complete. They will become secondary characters now, but they will make appearances from time to time. After Kyle’s book, there will be a final book featuring Zack and Chloe...but I’m not saying what is going to happen :)

[Author's note: there is a Zack and Chloe scene on J.C.'s blog in her "Book Extras" section that I highly recommend you read after reading the book! It takes place after the book ends.]


Fast Five
Favorite food? Oh God this is hard...I have to pick one??? Uh....okay, apple pie.
Favorite book? One For The Money by Janet Evanovich
Favorite vacation spot? St. Augustine Fl!
Hollywood crush? Chris Pine [great choice!]
Werewolves, vampires, zombies or witches? Werewolf....but only if he was a cowboy in another life :)



The Giveaway:
J.C. has been kind enough to offer up 3 e-copies of Chasing McCree through Smashwords. Just leave a comment before midnight tonight with your email address in the (at) (dot) format (ex: erindanzer(at)gmail(dot)com). Winners will be chosen sometime Thursday!


Where to buy J.C.'s books:
The Unofficial Zack Warren Fan Club: Amazon, B&N, Smashwords
The Council: Amazon, B&N, Smashwords
Chasing McCree: Amazon, B&N, Smashwords


Stalk... er, I mean, find J.C. online!
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/jcisabellabooks
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/JC-Isabella/249262975154372
Website: http://www.jcisabella.com/
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5158465.J_C_Isabella
Tumblr: http://jcisabella.tumblr.com/

Good luck for the give away! I hope you will come to love J.C.'s books as much as I do!

Happy Reading!
EM

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Writerly Wednesday

Hi, everyone! Welcome to another week of Writerly Wednesday, where I share something writerly with you. Today's blog post is just an update of all the things I've been doing in my writerly ways. :)

Since I am still waiting to hear from my publisher about edits (and anxious to get to the actual edits), I've been occupying my time with editing book 2 of the Spiral Defenders series. I've come to realize that since moving a major scene from that book into book 1 (Into the Spiral), I have a lot of rewriting to do. I also keep coming up with small things to change in Into the Spiral. I'm very excited to jump back into Ronnie and Gavin's world (which is a good thing since I still need to rewrite the prequel short story, a second short story later in the series and the last two books of the series). And I really can't wait to share this story with you!

(Yesterday's Tell Me Something Tuesday post talked about book boyfriends and I did include Gavin as one of my boyfriends. You can check it out for a tiny preview of what's to come.)

hand drawn by Amanda Pfender
In addition to editing, I've been coming up with various merchandise ideas. And I'm very excited to say I have an artist on board. Her name is Amanda Pfender and she is a good family friend who also happens to be a phenomenal artist. She has been working on a cover for Into the Spiral since before it got picked up by Otherworld Publications and now she is helping me with merchandising ideas. I know this may seem a bit premature since I still have a little more than EIGHT MONTHS until my book is released, but I figure I might as well plan these things when I think of them. :) Amanda and I are already coming up with several "one of a kind" prize ideas. ;) Check out Gavin from her cover of Into the Spiral to the left.

And that's what's going on in my writing life lately. :) It's been an exciting week so far and I hope it keeps coming.

Happy Wednesday, everyone!
EM

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Writerly Wednesday - Timing is Everything


Hello, everyone, and welcome back for another week of Writerly Wednesday. I originally started this meme to allow me to talk to you about all things writing, whether it be progress on a wip, update on what's going on with the book I'm getting published, or to share websites and people with you I think you will enjoy. :) Today, I talk about the timing of a novel.

I was recently hit of the head with the Timing-Is-Everything stick. I'd started writing a new project after months of writing nothing. I was excited about this book (I still am). I had my MC going to a new, much smaller school where she runs into and ends up in the middle of two warring werewolf packs. So on her first day of school, in about 12k words, I put my MC through everything. Both Alphas flirted with her, took her from the other, and fought over her. By the end of her first day of school, their fighting had resulted in a fistfight. And let me tell you, I was excited about it. I couldn't believe how well I'd done. I had something exciting happening at every turn. It was going to be the greatest book ever!

Then I had a very good friend of mine read it. Here's what she had to say:

 "It starts out like Twilight because of moving from a big town to a sort of small foresty town. She knows she hates it. Then later at school she is being fought over by boys like crazy on the first day..... I think the whole experience of being in a new town and seeing everything and her emotions about it without boy involvement needs to be drug out. For example right away she is thinking about Caleb, which is not all that unusual, but I would think she would have talked to Brittney or her boyfriend on the phone before a week of living there. Then once school starts, I would think she would be comparing in her mind where she came from to where she is now. I don't think it is odd that she goes looking for Caleb, but there seems to be too much tug of war going on all of the sudden. I haven't really gotten to know Caleb and Sebastian or even Jessica very much before there is this major war between the boys. And I was a little irritated with Jessica for one minute being gaga over Sebastian and then the next being mad at Caleb then vice versa. It feels like she is too emotionally involved with these guys this early on in the book."


To say I was crushed when I read her thoughts is an understatement. I was furious. At myself for not seeing this. So after a day of fuming and trying to figure out how to fix it, I declared the honeymoon over and got to work. Now I'm back to chapter 11, have just more than 20k words and that same friends is gaga for Caleb but also falling for Sebastian and might even like Jessica by now. Having added roughly 8k of story has helped immensely, allows the reader to get to know the characters before all the tug-of-war crap begins in earnest.


So what exactly is the point of this blog post? Exactly as it's said: Timing is everything! I've learned the hard way that you have to allow the reader to get to know the characters through the first few chapters of the book and spread out the real action of the story, letting things progress at a natural pace instead of the insane 10k one-day fiasco. Now that I've learned my lesson, I know it's one I will remember. :)


To my dear, lovely friend, you know who you are. Thank you for being who you are. This book would not be where it is without you.


Happy Writing, everyone!
EM

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Writerly Wednesday - ARC Review of Between by Cambria Hebert


Welcome to another week of Writerly Wednesday, a weekly meme where I share with you something in my writing life, such as sites I've found useful or friends I've made. Today I'm going to share something very special. I was more than excited and honored when Cambria Hebert asked me to review an ARC of her upcoming novella, Between (Heven and Hell 1.5). Let me tell you a little more about it before I tell you what I thought of it.


I grew up in a comfortable house with two parents and a white-picket fence. My brother, Sam, and I used to play with sticks in the backyard and pretend they were swords. There were always cookies on the table and milk in the fridge. Then, one day, things changed. 

Sam changed. 

Life was never the same again. Sam left. My parents abandoned him when he needed them most, and I was left to survive in a house that was merely a shell of what it used to be. Mom cried all the time and Dad expected me to fill the void my brother left behind. But mostly, all we did was pretend. We pretended that things weren’t messed up. We pretended that Sam never existed. 

Until I changed, too. 

Now, everything’s a mess and I’m so confused. It’s like there are two different people trapped inside one body—my body—and one of them wants out. I do things. Bad things and I don’t know how to stop. I’m not sure I want to. The only way I can be normal again is if I find Sam. He’ll know what to do. 

He has too.

(blurb and cover pic from Goodreads. Add this novella to your reading list here.)


My review
Having briefly met Logan when I read Masquerade, I was very excited to see I would get to read a bit of his back story. Let me tell you, Ms. Hebert did not disappoint! This story moved at a fast pace, keeping me guessing even as the answers to my questions were presented. Some of my suspicions from Masquerade were confirmed, making me nervous and anxious for Charade to come out.
Between was the perfect novella between the two Heven and Hell novels. I enjoyed it immensely, especially finding the many meanings to the title. ;-) 
Having read two stories from Ms. Hebert, I can confidently say I am a fan for life. Her writing is engaging, her characters are real and her stories are extraordinary!


I give Between FIVE STARS and recommend to anyone who loves paranormal stories.


Mark The Date: Between will be available from Otherworld Publications on April 20, 2012.


Happy Reading!
EM

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Writerly Wednesday - Inspiration


Hello, everyone, and welcome to another edition of Writerly Wednesday, a weekly meme I started to talk about anything pertaining to writing, whether it's my journey as a soon-to-be-published author (SQUEEE!), a writing resource I find valuable, or an author or publishing company I find inspiring. :) Today, I want to talk about inspiration.


Inspiration comes from many different places. As an author, I have to keep my eyes and ears open at all times. Some of my most inspired ideas, though, have come while I'm in the shower or when I'm about to fall asleep - those rare times of day when I'm not consumed with keeping a family, a job and a house satisfied.

For my upcoming novel, Into the Spiral, I got the inspiration for Ronnie, the main character, from two simple words: spontaneous combustion. I'd decided I wanted a character who was on the verge of combusting because of everything happening in her life. In the original beginning of the novel, Ronnie was walking down the street, listening to her iPod and trying to drown out the nagging voices of everyone telling her what to do. From there, the idea branched out and Ronnie became a real person. (She was also inspired in personality and looks by my dear friend, Lindsay, who I work with.)

For my Mason Ridge trilogy, the inspiration came from a writing prompt on Writing,com. The prompt was for The Witch's Circle in October of 2008, a month-long supernatural short story contest. The prompt was to have a mix of supernatural characters in one story, including a werewolf, vampire, ghost and a human (I think a troll was included, too, but that never made it to my novel). That November for NaNoWriMo, I wrote Losing Control, the first novel of the Mason Ridge trilogy. The title of that book was also inspired by the song Lose Control by Evanescence (the video I've shared below).



Inspiration can come from anywhere. I always have something with me to take notes in, whether it's pen and paper or the notepad option on my phone. A snippet of overheard conversation can inspire an entire scene or chapter. Seeing a live Big Cats show at the county fair can inspire a novel about a shapeshifting family that travels around the US as a similar show (yes, this is my idea; please don't steal it!). The local news, headlines of major papers, even a magazine article can inspire something written. I've found I'm most inspired by music, others around me, and reading books (which usually leads to tons of research. LOL).

Where does your inspiration come from? 

Happy Writing!
EM


Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Writerly Wednesday


Hello, everyone, and welcome again to Writerly Wednesday! Today, I have a super special treat for you as I introduce you to the fabulous writers behind DarkSide Publishing.



DarkSide Publishing is a new concept in an old business.  We’re taking the independent out of indie and offering authors a way to work together as a collective to produce quality ebooks.  With over a decade of combined experience writing, editing and publishing, we make each book under the DarkSide label an outstanding value.  We want you to trust DarkSide to create fascinating and quality literature. We hope  you will enjoy all of our titles.

The current team at DarkSide Publishing include Karly Kirkpatrick, Megg Jensen, Genevieve Ching (G.P. Ching to her fans), Angela Carlie and Magan Vernon. I am a huge fan of these ladies and all they do to support each other and all other indie authors.


Their titles range from hard-hitting real life dramas to medieval fantasy adventures. I've read most of their titles and loved all of them. I also love the camaraderie they have together, working as a team to make sure every book is as good as they can make it. Their covers are eye-catching and inspired.


That closeness that I see with Megg, Karly, Gen, Angela and now Magan is what I looked for when I began my search for a publisher. I can only hope I have as much fun and success as they seem to be having. I wish them all the best and will continue to support them in any way I can.

Their current titles include:


Karly Kirkpatrick
Into the Shadows
Bloody Little Secrets
The Green


Megg Jensen
Anathema (The Cloud Prophet trilogy #1)
Oubliette (The Cloud Prophet trilogy #2)
Severed (The Cloud Prophet trilogy #3)
The Initiate
Sleepers (Book #1 of the Swarm trilogy)
Coming Soon: Afterlife (Book #2 of the Swarm trilogy)


G.P. Ching
The Soulkeepers (The Soulkeepers #1)
Weaving Destiny (The Soulkeepers #2)
Coming Soon: Return to Eden (The Soulkeepers #3)







Angela Carlie
Dream Smashers
Land of Corn Chips
Loramendi's Story (A Lords of Shifters novel)
Coming Soon: Spider Wards (A Lords of Shifters novel)






Magan Vernon
How to Date an Alien







To learn more about this dynamic company and these amazing women, visit DarkSide Publishing's website at http://darksidepublishing.blogspot.com/.

Happy Reading, everyone!
EM

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Writerly Wednesday - BookEnds, LLC



Today I want to introduce you to BookEnds, LLC, a Literary Agency. Why? Because their blog is chocked full of advice for writers. How to write a query letter? check! Not only how to write one, but read some real winners and have it explained to you what made it so great.  Worried about contracts (what's in store)? There's a three part segment on them! Information on book proposals, how to market your books (how to help sell your books), discussions to have with your agent and questions to ask before signing; it's all there. BookEnds, LLC, is the place I first went to when i was looking for advice on how to write my query letter. What I learned there seemed invaluable at the time.

You can check them out here: http://bookendslitagency.blogspot.com/

Happy Writing!
EM

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Writerly Wednesday - Opening Lines


Hello, everyone, and welcome to another edition of Writerly Wednesday! I hope you are enjoying your Hump Day. ;) Today, I'm going to discuss the Opening Line.

The Opening Line is the most important line of the book. Would you agree with me? I feel that if you don't hook the reader with that first line, you've lost. Unfortunately, this makes it also the hardest line to write. I've struggled with that line more times than I care to count.

Some of my favorite Opening Lines include:

"I was angry. I was so angry that I felt as though my body could burst open with that anger." ~ Amaretto Flame by Sammie Spencer

"Bo was on his knees in the center of the concrete floor, kneeling on a black towel." ~ Blood Like Poison: For the Love of a Vampire by M. Leighton

“I don’t know, Ivy. This borders on black magic,” Shayde said. “You are so dead when your mom finds out.” ~ The Book of Lost Souls by Michelle Muto

“Enough!” Lisbeth shrieked, slamming her hands down on the heavy oak table and raising herself from her seat. ~ The Childe by C.A. Kunz

"The flat tone of the monitor reverberated through my head as my mother’s lifeless hand began to turn cold in mine." ~ Foreshadow by Brea Essex

"When I was a little girl, I thought the shadows could harm me." ~ The Halo Chronicles: The Guardian by Carey Corp

These are only six of a very long list of favorite Opening Lines. :) And all of them are from Indie Authors. What makes them so wonderful? They elicit emotion immediately, whether you are scared, sad, angry or excited. These Opening Lines are what I strive for with every new Opening Line I write.

Want to know my best Opening Lines so far?

I live in a world of vampires. (a WIP)

Sirens and gunshots always sound louder from the edge of sleep. ~ "Hello to Nobody," a short story

I'm sure I have more that I'm not remembering right now. ;) How about you? Care to share any of your favorite Opening Lines? Do you struggle writing that perfect Opener? How do you handle it?

Happy Writing!
EM