tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64366922024-03-07T00:22:24.200-05:00LIfe of a Wanna-Be WriterMusings from an Urban Fantasy AuthorMelissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12524536727555237762noreply@blogger.comBlogger332125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6436692.post-28513207526507792182012-09-17T07:29:00.000-04:002012-09-17T07:29:00.293-04:00New(ish) Urban Fantasy Agents<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Looking for an agent or editor can be a time-consuming task. I know. I've been doing it for a while now. And because I am engaged in the process, I thought I would share some of my finds with my fellow blogging community. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This week I have two new(ish) agents who represent the Urban Fantasy genre. <span style="color: red;">(Please note: I can't speak to the quality of the agent or agency and you should ALWAYS do your homework before signing any contract with any agent or editor).</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Kat Salazar of Larsen-Pomada Literary Agents</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">About Kat</strong>: Kat Salazar joined <a href="http://www.larsenpomada.com/lp/index.cfm" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; color: #4a7e97; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Larsen-Pomada Literary Agents</a> in February 2011 as an intern for the agency working directly for agency co-founder Elizabeth Pomada. Previously she worked for University of Washington Press as a Marketing Assistant and held internships at University of California Press, HarperOne of Harper Collins, and Wales Literary Agency. Currently, she is the Publishing Assistant at Red Wheel/Weiser/Conari Press as well as the agency’s newest Associate Agent and the San Francisco<a href="http://writersdigestconference.com/?lid=wdssl" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; color: #4a7e97; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title=" Writers Conference"> Writers Conference</a> Social Media Coordinator. Kat earned a BA degree from University of Washington, double majoring in English: Literature and Communications: Journalism. For more about Kat you can follow her on Twitter at <a href="http://twitter.com/KatLovesBooks" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; color: #4a7e97; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">@KatLovesBooks</a> or read her blog: <a href="http://www.katlovesbooks.blogspot.com/" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; color: #4a7e97; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">www.KatLovesBooks.blogspot.com</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">She is seeking</strong>: Kat is actively looking for young adult, middle grade, and children’s picture books. For adult audiences, she is interested in literary fiction and urban fantasy.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">How to submit:</strong> Please query her with the first 10 pages of your manuscript and a 1-2-page synopsis copied and pasted into the body of an e-mail to QueryKatSalazar (at) gmail (dot) com.</span></div>
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<strong style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sara D'Emic of Talcott Notch Literary</span></strong></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">About Sara</strong>: Sara D’Emic graduated from Emerson College with a B.A. in Writing, Literature, and Publishing, and is happy to be starting her career as an agent with <a href="http://wwww.talcottnotch.net/" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; color: #4a7e97; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Talcott Notch Literary</a>. Needless to say, she’s passionate about books. Her reading tastes range from Dostoevsky and Dumas to Burroughs and Salinger to Lovecraft and King.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">She is seeking</strong>: “Compelling characters are the crux of good fiction, and I’m seeking stories that will spark the imagination and the soul. I’m looking for adult horror, urban fantasy, paranormal, magical realism, science fiction, mystery, thriller, or crime fiction. I will also gladly take non-fiction science and technology.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">How to contact</strong>: Writers can query her with one-page query plus an attached 10-page sample for fiction, or one-page sample plus attached table of contents at sdemic (at) talcottnotch.net.</span></div>
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<!--WEBBOT bot="HTMLMarkup" Endspan --></div>Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12524536727555237762noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6436692.post-16474946326417310092012-05-15T08:49:00.000-04:002012-05-15T08:49:52.707-04:00Top Ten Tuesday: May 15th<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">May 15: Top Ten Authors I'd Like To See On A Reality Show (and which reality show :P)</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">1. Mark Henry--Have you met him? He's crazy.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">2. Nicole Peeler--Her mind works in mysterious ways.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">3. Scott A. Johnson--He tells stories that will scar you for life.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">4. Jenna Black--She can dance and writes good sex.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">5. Laurell K. Hamilton--Because she would diva up the place!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">6. Danielle Steele--Because she would show LKH how it's really done.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">7. John Green--Expererienced blogger makes for entertaining TV.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">8. Leanna Renee Heiber--She rocks period costume like nobody's business!</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">9. Hillary Duff--For pretending to write a novel.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">10. Suzanne Collins--W</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">ho will ensure there is a fantastically staged fight to the death!!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">And as for the show, as fun as it would be to see them in a dance off or classing up the streets of the Jersey Shore, I would hate for their brilliant and creative minds to go to waste. So I would pair them up and send them on the Great American Race! We could even add a book/literary theme to all the tasks. I'm loving it!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">What do you think?</span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><!--WEBBOT bot="HTMLMarkup" startspan ALT="Site Meter" -->
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<!--WEBBOT bot="HTMLMarkup" Endspan --></div>Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12524536727555237762noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6436692.post-43991546330339546692012-05-13T06:00:00.000-04:002012-05-13T06:00:00.084-04:00Six Sentence Sunday: May 13thWelcome to Six Sentence Sunday! Last week you had the chance to get to know Chai and Jarret. This week I thought I would introduce you to one of the other boys in Chai's life. Take the stage, Ethan. But remember, don't get too cocky.<br />
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Six Sentence Sunday Excerpt</h4>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: 200%;">Ethan pulled me into
a tight hug. Even through his cotton t-shirt the coolness of his skin made me
shiver. I could practically taste the death of his aura. It clung to my skin as
he pulled away. I struggled to wrap my mind around what I was seeing, what my
magick was telling me. Ethan, my Ethan, had gone vampire.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--WEBBOT bot="HTMLMarkup" Endspan --></div>Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12524536727555237762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6436692.post-71778507008761092672012-05-06T06:30:00.000-04:002012-05-06T06:30:01.341-04:00Six Sentence Sunday: May 6thHappy Sunday. We are celebrating it six sentence style with a little frisky action in the woods. Readers should be warned, the werewolves occasionally bite.<br />
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Six Sentence Sunday Excerpt:</h4>
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Jarret grabbed my arm and a jolt of fiery heat spread through me. I yanked myself out of his grasp and he gazed down at his hand in wonder.</blockquote>
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"What the hell was that?" He studied his hand, searching for traces of burning. I knew it was still tingling with power.</blockquote>
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"This isn't happening," I muttered and wrapped my arms tightly around my chest.</blockquote>
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That's it. I hope you enjoyed it! Tune in next week to meet one of the other men in Chai's life.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><!--WEBBOT bot="HTMLMarkup" startspan ALT="Site Meter" -->
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<!--WEBBOT bot="HTMLMarkup" Endspan --></div>Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12524536727555237762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6436692.post-76933608370334984252012-05-01T09:34:00.000-04:002012-05-01T09:34:05.977-04:00Top Ten Tuesday!!! May 1st.It's that time again. Sorry I missed a few of these last month. I hope to make up for it in May!<br />
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The theme this week is Top Ten Books You'd Like to See Made into a Movie.<br />
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Here are my picks. (This of course assumes that I have creative control of the casting, director and final edits!)<br />
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1.<b> The Night Circus.</b> I love this book and think it would make such a great movie.</div>
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2. <b>The Historian</b>. It's been a while since I read this, but it is such a subtle take on vampires that I think it would make a good addition to the film world.</div>
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3. <b>The Chocolate Wars.</b> Maybe it is because I just read this for class, and perhaps it has already been made into a movie that I have never seen nor heard of, but this is one of my favorite YA novels and I love the gritty mob feel it has. With all the talks of bullying going on in the media, a remake could be timely.<br />
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4. <b>The Absolutely True Tale of a Part-Time Indian</b>. Another great YA book that I think would translate really well into a powerful family friendly film.<br />
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5.<b> Beautiful Creatures. </b>Everybody loves a curse. This book, set in the south had a beautiful backdrop and romantic gothic feel that would be fun to play with in a film.</div>
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6. <b>Matched.</b> One of my favorite Dystopian YA novels since the Hunger Games. Though book two leaves much to be desired. The first book is strong and would make for an entertaining story on film.<br />
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7. <b>Ship Breaker. </b>This is another Dystopian novel only it has a male protagonist and does no truly focus on a love story, though there is one involved. The premise and setting of this story is so unique that it would be fun to see this world brought to life. Basically, it's the US after being destroyed by oil.<br />
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8. <b>City of Bones. </b>I love Cassandra Clare and have been a fan of this series for a long, long time. I like to think of it as a happy medium between Harry Potter and Twilight. There is romance and love and sex in a way that could never be possible with HP, but it also has this thing called a plot and a beautifully complex magical world.<br />
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9. <b>Speaking of Twilight.</b> Yes. I would love to see these books done right. Although maybe that simply isn't possible. I just do not like the acting or the directing, or the special effects. The best thing about these movies is the soundtrack and even that is only a six.</div>
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<b>10. Anything that I write.</b> I would love, love, love to see any of my work translated to film. I think it would be a fantastic indulgence.</div>
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<a href="http://brokeandbookish.blogspot.com/2012/05/julias-top-ten-books-to-be-made-into.html" target="_blank">http://brokeandbookish.blogspot.com/2012/05/julias-top-ten-books-to-be-made-into.html</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><!--WEBBOT bot="HTMLMarkup" startspan ALT="Site Meter" -->
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<!--WEBBOT bot="HTMLMarkup" Endspan --></div>Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12524536727555237762noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6436692.post-54649954779221255362012-04-29T10:48:00.001-04:002012-04-29T11:47:55.531-04:00Six Sentence Sunday: 4/29/12In honor of my new query going out into cyberspace today for Love Sex Magick I decided to do a little Six Sentence Sunday of my own. This excerpt comes from one of my favorite scenes in book 1, when our main character Chai has a brief encounter with our pseudo-hero in the woods. Bad werewolf, very bad werewolf. Well, see for yourself and let me know what you think!<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
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<h2>
Six Sentence Sunday: A strange encounter in the woods....</h2>
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<blockquote>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">"I'm
sorry about the hard-on," he blurted and my face grew so warm I thought I
might actually be sweating. I didn't want to have a conversation with the naked
horny man in the woods--especially when the naked horny man's father would skin
me alive if he caught the two of us fooling around. Not to mention it was
completely unethical. Yeah, <i>unethical</i>. I repeated the word over and over in my
head as if that would appease the longing desire to touch him.</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">"Turning
with your mate can be foreplay," he continued, "and you're in heat,
so that doesn’t help."</span></blockquote>
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Come back next week for more of the scene! It's a riot.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><!--WEBBOT bot="HTMLMarkup" startspan ALT="Site Meter" -->
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<!--WEBBOT bot="HTMLMarkup" Endspan --></div>Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12524536727555237762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6436692.post-78794616498976947492012-03-27T09:47:00.001-04:002012-03-27T09:55:55.227-04:00Top Ten Tuesday: Books to Play Hooky With<div style="text-align: left;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">It's that time again. Here is our Top Ten Tuesday theme: Top Ten Books You Would Play Hooky With. I love it already.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://brokeandbookish.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpfwrqZwyLVcvbccr4yzSegd4KuscamwYZe19rQW9rZhDz4hLl3J6hgLYxC6XkZXNL9GAMKxptKrKf2dBUUrmCobT0M8te3WLtqFnqy64lDbUWAwYaxKV7brvZ-AmHUIXwNvxk/s1600/TopTENtues.png" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"><br />
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</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">Okay so here's the list. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">#10</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1gBjtX_dVHIVJXI6TXVLzqJ6VKqm_IeO2BEB8IKZ3UWb0WiU4dyTCFJmosBHdFjkM4CtRruDzfDGDnDY1XSsc17kMx9tfNP6O-Q3YgFaAyyLHo7lkUy6p6of5GskMD6JLjkU6/s1600/Twilight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1gBjtX_dVHIVJXI6TXVLzqJ6VKqm_IeO2BEB8IKZ3UWb0WiU4dyTCFJmosBHdFjkM4CtRruDzfDGDnDY1XSsc17kMx9tfNP6O-Q3YgFaAyyLHo7lkUy6p6of5GskMD6JLjkU6/s200/Twilight.jpg" width="132" /></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"><br />
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</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">Yes. It's on the list. Because something about this book is like crack. It's completely addictive. Although it may have been forever ruined by the horrid movies. Perhaps one day I can again pick up the book and not picture Kristin Stewart or Rob Pattinson and their painful acting. Perhaps.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"><br />
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</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">#9</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHZ04V3ywoCBBWicjJqTGQ2J8vW0ot6llymme-y1YqyNqJO9ChNAApOGujiSSaHbxRCer5iRglenAyXSP3YBqVu8XcOb9rONBzkL3hUQwZKyq6AHI7nHVToCox5k3sgWsSX0jv/s1600/TheDevilInside.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHZ04V3ywoCBBWicjJqTGQ2J8vW0ot6llymme-y1YqyNqJO9ChNAApOGujiSSaHbxRCer5iRglenAyXSP3YBqVu8XcOb9rONBzkL3hUQwZKyq6AHI7nHVToCox5k3sgWsSX0jv/s200/TheDevilInside.jpg" width="121" /></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">I'm not sure if this is the exact book, but I love Jenna Black and this is one of my fav urban fantasy series. I could get caught up in it again.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"><br />
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</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">#8 </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR1UCoUJQQIPD4cTADf2Wt-O007mVTgoKHV5iAfDBoR78r0mBg0lRzM70VbuWPm9L0l19NF7eU3tKKCufm5AJyEIfpbj_Xq9h5DG3EZ4yA5b9q5vS3wOH0N_VDaCtBwQasr_g6/s1600/HPDeathlyHallows.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR1UCoUJQQIPD4cTADf2Wt-O007mVTgoKHV5iAfDBoR78r0mBg0lRzM70VbuWPm9L0l19NF7eU3tKKCufm5AJyEIfpbj_Xq9h5DG3EZ4yA5b9q5vS3wOH0N_VDaCtBwQasr_g6/s200/HPDeathlyHallows.jpg" width="132" /></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">Yep. Harry Potter also had to make this list. The Deathly Hallows is my second favorite book in the series. I've listened to the audio book many a times while at work. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"><br />
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</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">#7</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_I4_49szPnk7iEH4NYaO88rQa65UGmrK2WgqXnfrbihgQc4-surhMNUmvn2g8yU-t7ZY6_9gdCc5wKhXPWJ9EXp-N145HrYyAs0q_vcWIljVqwY8lw-1D0xojP84XAC5HbHjl/s1600/TheNightCircus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_I4_49szPnk7iEH4NYaO88rQa65UGmrK2WgqXnfrbihgQc4-surhMNUmvn2g8yU-t7ZY6_9gdCc5wKhXPWJ9EXp-N145HrYyAs0q_vcWIljVqwY8lw-1D0xojP84XAC5HbHjl/s200/TheNightCircus.jpg" width="131" /></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"><br />
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</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">Oh how I love, love, love this book. I also love the fact that the audio version is narrated by Jim Dale which just reminds me of Harry Potter. I can and have listened to his voice for hours!</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"><br />
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</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">#6</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYHhJbCYzVSgVzBrbVHUceUcq5h9mQF8jKSklBJlQF8oyhG9Rqz8OPqN-Czai9P6U14TppbiiGzhF90403cn78rQwPPc6KRVRCk2fVT465m_r281I9ANoWOmK-Uxa3jGOrAyaU/s1600/HPGobletofFire.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYHhJbCYzVSgVzBrbVHUceUcq5h9mQF8jKSklBJlQF8oyhG9Rqz8OPqN-Czai9P6U14TppbiiGzhF90403cn78rQwPPc6KRVRCk2fVT465m_r281I9ANoWOmK-Uxa3jGOrAyaU/s200/HPGobletofFire.jpg" width="137" /></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">Okay, this is my all time favorite HP book. There is something so fantastic about that moment when Harry realizes that despite all odds, his name has been entered into the Tri-Wizard Tournament. And when Dumbledore finds out...so fantastic.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"><br />
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</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">#5</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq3cdLRn0ZG0nd3zXA62NdUBkudDH7CYxfcr7sNGK2tIjT1BAWLfwwvFh-KVUjt_aZvHZ-DNRMJAxRHnpyrLidd0rTd1Rhyphenhyphen-ljx3lOAsgJPkOid4p1a_qU3JW57QCYPa764T5k/s1600/TheKillingDance.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq3cdLRn0ZG0nd3zXA62NdUBkudDH7CYxfcr7sNGK2tIjT1BAWLfwwvFh-KVUjt_aZvHZ-DNRMJAxRHnpyrLidd0rTd1Rhyphenhyphen-ljx3lOAsgJPkOid4p1a_qU3JW57QCYPa764T5k/s200/TheKillingDance.jpg" width="131" /></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"><br />
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</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">I don't read much of her stuff anymore but once upon a time I was obsessed with all things LKH. This was one of my favorite books in the series and I have a very worn out copy on my bookshelf as a result. If I was going to play hooky, I might have to do it with this book.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"><br />
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</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">#4</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtSwhK_SgqAz71kjRqKT8yGjmylV64ckl7foVZRUeEZ_nCMdN-5R_fHFggXQKktw9j1ywbDs4RYV3pEbL6a-9VrrcPy4AilvGJRAhAsSy9Uda4bBHeWftMLHTdvQAh5o7Btulh/s1600/DeadtotheWorld.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtSwhK_SgqAz71kjRqKT8yGjmylV64ckl7foVZRUeEZ_nCMdN-5R_fHFggXQKktw9j1ywbDs4RYV3pEbL6a-9VrrcPy4AilvGJRAhAsSy9Uda4bBHeWftMLHTdvQAh5o7Btulh/s200/DeadtotheWorld.jpg" width="123" /></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">Mr. Eric Northman. Shower. Nuff said. ( Side Note: I really wish True Blood had used that scene in it's original form).</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"><br />
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</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">The movie is great. The book is better. I've read it multiple times and each time I open it up I am blown away by what Suzanne Collins is able to accomplish. There are so many different things at work that the average reader would probably not catch and yet it is part of what makes this book work so well. It is such a well done YA book.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"><br />
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</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">#2</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5J5T84vhjFQTas6PxF5a7RJ24x_gcXG9nHutfzIjovnRmx1bOPHPKtjKPFYFMp3NEnzH9NFamftf5zYT0pzJmeVTVTNeLHdogyzqwp4SnwU5q_kqJ2vbfROGLuVfvh6FJFEvc/s1600/Fifty+Shades+of+Grey.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5J5T84vhjFQTas6PxF5a7RJ24x_gcXG9nHutfzIjovnRmx1bOPHPKtjKPFYFMp3NEnzH9NFamftf5zYT0pzJmeVTVTNeLHdogyzqwp4SnwU5q_kqJ2vbfROGLuVfvh6FJFEvc/s200/Fifty+Shades+of+Grey.png" width="132" /></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"><br />
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</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">This entry proves that you don't have to write well to make it to the top of a list. The book is full of grammatical errors, typos, and very basic writing blunders. It is also at the top of the NY Times and USA Today Bestseller Lists. It's also ten times more addictive than Twilight. I read the first two books in less than five days. If I was currently working, this would be the book I'd play hooky with, because everything else just doesn't seem important when you are lost in the world of Christian Grey.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"><br />
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</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">Okay so this is not actually a cover, it is a filler for this post. This is the inspiration for Chai Macek the main character in my Love Sex Magick series. This book has the number one spot because let's face it, I deliberately use vacation days just so that I can get lost in this book. I'm cool like that. Fingers crossed: the book has caught the eye of a couple of editors. Let's hope one of them bites. Maybe then I'll add a cover. Though I would still be willing to play hooky to read the published version of this book.</span></span></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><!--WEBBOT bot="HTMLMarkup" startspan ALT="Site Meter" -->
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<!--WEBBOT bot="HTMLMarkup" Endspan --></div>Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12524536727555237762noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6436692.post-6963306206602425092012-03-20T07:30:00.000-04:002012-03-20T07:30:03.568-04:00Top Ten Tuesday: Spring Reading LIst<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://brokeandbookish.blogspot.com/p/features.html" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpfwrqZwyLVcvbccr4yzSegd4KuscamwYZe19rQW9rZhDz4hLl3J6hgLYxC6XkZXNL9GAMKxptKrKf2dBUUrmCobT0M8te3WLtqFnqy64lDbUWAwYaxKV7brvZ-AmHUIXwNvxk/s1600/TopTENtues.png" /></a></div><div style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX7v5j237uXbyi6PiSScT9vKwROXqt41ywXPqQpsAlAgtBHf5Sgxr_ZZ4Ed2lN1GdCam41TdpFtd7C9U4Mp75C1hldBd1v1yU_n2929K4hcU_LhjIbngjRCce77flRAChR3Z8X/s1600/11.22.63.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX7v5j237uXbyi6PiSScT9vKwROXqt41ywXPqQpsAlAgtBHf5Sgxr_ZZ4Ed2lN1GdCam41TdpFtd7C9U4Mp75C1hldBd1v1yU_n2929K4hcU_LhjIbngjRCce77flRAChR3Z8X/s200/11.22.63.png" width="130" /></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">If you had the chance to change the course of history, would you? </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Would the consequences be worth it? </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Jake Epping is a thirty-five-year-old high school English teacher in Lisbon Falls, Maine, who makes extra money teaching adults in the GED program. He receives an essay from one of the students—a gruesome, harrowing first person story about the night 50 years ago when Harry Dunning’s father came home and killed his mother, his sister, and his brother with a hammer. Harry escaped with a smashed leg, as evidenced by his crooked walk. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Not much later, Jake’s friend Al, who runs the local diner, divulges a secret: his storeroom is a portal to 1958. He enlists Jake on an insane—and insanely possible—mission to try to prevent the Kennedy assassination. So begins Jake’s new life as George Amberson and his new world of Elvis and JFK, of big American cars and sock hops, of a troubled loner named Lee Harvey Oswald and a beautiful high school librarian named Sadie Dunhill, who becomes the love of Jake’s life—a life that transgresses all the normal rules of time. </span><br />
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</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOZhlGoVY0joZWi_JY1_WOWBMUgWLEdJfRdHfFF5UUIb1Q5Bwe8kMI77tZm0YcAhm8LbE4AXhGdWHTaG_sEx4_gVQoSyCc1pbU9rG1dW5TXZQunpvfyzdgtSDdGXbL4xlreLhi/s1600/Triangles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOZhlGoVY0joZWi_JY1_WOWBMUgWLEdJfRdHfFF5UUIb1Q5Bwe8kMI77tZm0YcAhm8LbE4AXhGdWHTaG_sEx4_gVQoSyCc1pbU9rG1dW5TXZQunpvfyzdgtSDdGXbL4xlreLhi/s200/Triangles.jpg" width="130" /></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">THREE FEMALE FRIENDS FACE MIDLIFE CRISES IN A NO-HOLDS-BARRED EXPLORATION OF SEX, MARRIAGE, AND THE FRAGILITY OF LIFE.Holly: Filled with regret for being a stay-athome mom, she sheds sixty pounds and loses herself in the world of extramarital sex. Will it bring the fulfillment she is searching for?Andrea: A single mom and avowed celibate, she watches her friend Holly’s meltdown with a mixture of concern and contempt. Holly is throwing away what Andrea has spent her whole life searching for—a committed relationship with a decent guy. So what if Andrea picks up Holly’s castaway husband?Marissa: She has more than her fair share of challenges—a gay, rebellious teenage son, a terminally ill daughter, and a husband who buries himself in his work rather than face the facts.As one woman’s marriage unravels, another’s rekindles. As one woman’s family comes apart at the seams, another’s reconfigures into something bigger and better. In this story of connections and disconnections, one woman’s up is another one’s down, and all of them will learn the meaning of friendship, betrayal, and forgiveness.Unflinchingly honest, emotionally powerful, surprisingly erotic, <em>Triangles </em>is the ultimate page-turner. Hopkins’s gorgeous, expertly honed poetic verse perfectly captures the inner lives of her characters. <em>Sometimes it happens like that. Sometimes you just get lost.</em>Get lost in the world of <em>Triangles</em>, where the lives of three unforgettable women intersect, and where there are no easy answers.</span></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8NflnH4MCaOjQ4v-E65EPQAF-vWd02GXqmmYpEe6AFuB1EW78dXjQ-jr0tfaRjm9WzM7_PdgDb8gUzobMxqD-v6vK1rn5qp3gPgTpBN081rnKUdjrNmLDot4PVdrEI243tExL/s1600/Fifty+Shades+of+Grey.png" imageanchor="1" style="display: inline !important; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8NflnH4MCaOjQ4v-E65EPQAF-vWd02GXqmmYpEe6AFuB1EW78dXjQ-jr0tfaRjm9WzM7_PdgDb8gUzobMxqD-v6vK1rn5qp3gPgTpBN081rnKUdjrNmLDot4PVdrEI243tExL/s200/Fifty+Shades+of+Grey.png" width="132" /></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">When literature student Anastasia Steele is drafted to interview the successful young entrepreneur Christian Grey for her campus magazine, she finds him attractive, enigmatic and intimidating. Convinced their meeting went badly, she tries to put Grey out of her mind - until he happens to turn up at the out-of-town hardware store where she works part-time. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">The unworldly, innocent Ana is shocked to realize she wants this man, and when he warns her to keep her distance it only makes her more desperate to get close to him. Unable to resist Ana’s quiet beauty, wit, and independent spirit, Grey admits he wants her - but on his own terms. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Shocked yet thrilled by Grey's singular erotic tastes, Ana hesitates. For all the trappings of success – his multinational businesses, his vast wealth, his loving adoptive family – Grey is man tormented by demons and consumed by the need to control. When the couple embarks on a passionate, physical and daring affair, Ana learns more about her own dark desires, as well as the Christian Grey hidden away from public scrutiny. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Can their relationship transcend physical passion? Will Ana find it in herself to submit to the self-indulgent Master? And if she does, will she still love what she finds? </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Erotic, amusing, and deeply moving, the Fifty Shades Trilogy is a tale that will obsess you, possess you, and stay with you forever</span><br />
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<div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">It's that time again. Here is our Top Ten Tuesday theme: Top Ten Books On My Spring To-Be-Read list (Note: could be new releases or just books you hope to read this spring). </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"><br />
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</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">My list in no particular order:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"><br />
</span></div><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX7v5j237uXbyi6PiSScT9vKwROXqt41ywXPqQpsAlAgtBHf5Sgxr_ZZ4Ed2lN1GdCam41TdpFtd7C9U4Mp75C1hldBd1v1yU_n2929K4hcU_LhjIbngjRCce77flRAChR3Z8X/s1600/11.22.63.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; color: #0000ee;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">From the acclaimed author of the Morgan Kingsley, Exorcist books comes the gripping first novel in a new series about a private eye who discovers, to her surprise, that she’s an immortal huntress.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Nikki Glass can track down any man. But when her latest client turns out to be a true descendant of Hades, Nikki now discovers she can’t die. . . .</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Crazy as it sounds, Nikki’s manhunting skills are literally god-given. She’s a living, breathing descendant of Artemis who has stepped right into a trap set by the children of the gods. Nikki’s new “friends” include a descendant of Eros, who uses sex as a weapon; a descendant of Loki, whose tricks are no laughing matter; and a half-mad descendant of Kali who thinks she’s a spy.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">But most powerful of all are the Olympians, a rival clan of immortals seeking to destroy all Descendants who refuse to bow down to them. In the eternal battle of good god/bad god, Nikki would make a divine weapon. But if they think she’ll surrender without a fight,</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><em>the gods must be crazy. . . </em></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><i><br />
</i></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqFJak7MpmIQ37Ht6RHmPYZy1YYlMXxJYhdYokPixpmZawDymGoC2UdSbsp7HsjNxA01ywlsM2mLlYKxxkGcMIAc65byBtcLnd-3oHstWKtWW1BloOk3yh2LlLHzqkikazO3QG/s1600/DarkerStill.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="display: inline !important; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqFJak7MpmIQ37Ht6RHmPYZy1YYlMXxJYhdYokPixpmZawDymGoC2UdSbsp7HsjNxA01ywlsM2mLlYKxxkGcMIAc65byBtcLnd-3oHstWKtWW1BloOk3yh2LlLHzqkikazO3QG/s200/DarkerStill.jpg" width="127" /></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">It was as if he called to me, demanding I reach out and touch the brushstrokes of color swirled onto the canvas. It was the most exquisite portrait I'd ever seen--everything about Lord Denbury was unbelievable...utterly breathtaking and eerily lifelike.<br />
<br />
There was a reason for that. Because despite what everyone said, Denbury never had committed suicide. He was alive. Trapped within his golden frame.<br />
<br />
I've crossed over into his world within the painting, and I've seen what dreams haunt him. They haunt me too. He and I are inextricably linked--bound together to watch the darkness seeping through the gas-lit cobblestone streets of Manhattan. Unless I can free him soon, things will only get <em>Darker Still.</em></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><i><br />
</i></span></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-jj6Hajbje7lR6EADiGn907AppXOlDq5TScOQZrFBcKqyiIMiSqLB1WnWFliBZU24W91mDwjRZliWePINvGpKpuNQaGX9OjQ0rPT8xYc4MVXrvaVwoJ5cNVQCGIfyc1WYT_LB/s1600/PaperTowns.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="display: inline !important; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-jj6Hajbje7lR6EADiGn907AppXOlDq5TScOQZrFBcKqyiIMiSqLB1WnWFliBZU24W91mDwjRZliWePINvGpKpuNQaGX9OjQ0rPT8xYc4MVXrvaVwoJ5cNVQCGIfyc1WYT_LB/s200/PaperTowns.jpg" width="131" /></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><i><br />
</i></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">When Margo Roth Spiegelman beckons Quentin Jacobsen in the middle of the night - dressed like a ninja and plotting an ingenious campaign of revenge - he follows her. Margo's always planned extravagantly, and, until now, she's always planned solo. After a lifetime of loving Margo from afar, things are finally looking up for Q . . . until day breaks and she has vanished. Always an enigma, Margo has now become a mystery. But there are clues. And they're for Q. Printz Medalist John Green returns with the trademark brilliant wit and heart-stopping emotional honesty that have inspired a new generation of readers.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><i><br />
</i></span></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeXTpZ4oKkYwnCXfhKnj8yDoWo5o_KQaQ1493SpZSeIKZQ070t-ZkWxrlKVcqsYeWmVMROGvGbzUoYo9OjMEMDjLFbELqfQkG6X-bJ9McLOt6nSDHBH7KcMKBkNBmGYOTUttc5/s1600/DemonGlass.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeXTpZ4oKkYwnCXfhKnj8yDoWo5o_KQaQ1493SpZSeIKZQ070t-ZkWxrlKVcqsYeWmVMROGvGbzUoYo9OjMEMDjLFbELqfQkG6X-bJ9McLOt6nSDHBH7KcMKBkNBmGYOTUttc5/s200/DemonGlass.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">That was the whole reason she was sent to Hex Hall, a reform school for delinquent Prodigium (aka witches, shapeshifters, and fairies). But that was before she discovered the family secret, and that her hot crush, Archer Cross, is an agent for The Eye, a group bent on wiping Prodigium off the face of the earth.<br />
<br />
Turns out, Sophie’s a demon, one of only two in the world—the other being her father. What’s worse, she has powers that threaten the lives of everyone she loves. Which is precisely why Sophie decides she must go to London for the Removal, a dangerous procedure that will destroy her powers.<br />
<br />
But once Sophie arrives she makes a shocking discovery. Her new friends? They’re demons too. Meaning someone is raising them in secret with creepy plans to use their powers, and probably not for good. Meanwhile, The Eye is set on hunting Sophie down, and they’re using Archer to do it. But it’s not like she has feelings for him anymore. Does she?</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwQbc3HYTMpsklD3n7mh3wawKnekCygtV-X1sHyKIX28ZsGnLscvoLr3GVFQpd8CDZryR55eTfab2M7nq-AiKasJaVmvGZ6oO4jQSRvH59KvVcKk00XIvrww_yggk7gWU6wSz_/s1600/DarkParties.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwQbc3HYTMpsklD3n7mh3wawKnekCygtV-X1sHyKIX28ZsGnLscvoLr3GVFQpd8CDZryR55eTfab2M7nq-AiKasJaVmvGZ6oO4jQSRvH59KvVcKk00XIvrww_yggk7gWU6wSz_/s200/DarkParties.jpg" width="132" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Sixteen-year-old Neva has been trapped since birth. She was born and raised under the Protectosphere, in an isolated nation ruled by fear, lies, and xenophobia. A shield "protects" them from the outside world, but also locks the citizens inside. But there's nothing left on the outside, ever since the world collapsed from violent warfare. Or so the government says...<br />
<br />
Neva and her best friend Sanna believe the government is lying and stage a "dark party" to recruit members for their underground rebellion. But as Neva begins to uncover the truth, she realizes she must question everything she's ever known, including the people she loves the most.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
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</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizW2-4C0klotFUrrcPp9A5vPk945Sx7qzuGtz0rSqEQ1faNJHKY3YnzhTvdxkeZOiadMA2M-gfPcyX08IaXhLAZtf4zm0r0YlkUY9bdPw14aUUeZrUvr3J4oDbFzDBwrq_MtuQ/s1600/Divergent.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="display: inline !important; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizW2-4C0klotFUrrcPp9A5vPk945Sx7qzuGtz0rSqEQ1faNJHKY3YnzhTvdxkeZOiadMA2M-gfPcyX08IaXhLAZtf4zm0r0YlkUY9bdPw14aUUeZrUvr3J4oDbFzDBwrq_MtuQ/s200/Divergent.jpg" width="131" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">In a future Chicago, 16-year-old Beatrice Prior must choose among five predetermined factions to define her identity for the rest of her life, a decision made more difficult when she discovers that she is an anomaly who does not fit into any one group, and that the society she lives in is not perfect after all.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga3n3-lcXciwTwSOvzGHhJAokt7w5q9LIrJk446FWPUC6qfWecZHDAEi6O9mKra0lB_Yk0kw14mOI6LfmUUT0Z7v7eeiFIgaOLplu2j8Mqe0_P0Af5ayMNW0rvIJuvNvk5IqPs/s1600/Possess.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga3n3-lcXciwTwSOvzGHhJAokt7w5q9LIrJk446FWPUC6qfWecZHDAEi6O9mKra0lB_Yk0kw14mOI6LfmUUT0Z7v7eeiFIgaOLplu2j8Mqe0_P0Af5ayMNW0rvIJuvNvk5IqPs/s200/Possess.jpg" width="131" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><em>Rule #1: Do not show fear.<br />
Rule #2: Do not show pity.<br />
Rule #3: Do not engage.<br />
Rule #4: Do not let your guard down.<br />
Rule #5: They lie.</em><br />
<br />
Fifteen-year-old Bridget Liu just wants to be left alone: by her mom, by the cute son of a local police sergeant, and by the eerie voices she can suddenly and inexplicably hear. Unfortunately for Bridget, it turns out the voices are demons – and Bridget has the rare ability to banish them back to whatever hell they came from.<br />
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Terrified to tell people about her new power, Bridget confides in a local priest who enlists her help in increasingly dangerous cases of demonic possession. But just as she is starting to come to terms with her new power, Bridget receives a startling message from one of the demons. Now Bridget must unlock the secret to the demons' plan before someone close to her winds up dead – or worse, the human vessel of a demon king.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">So that is it. What is your number one read for spring?</span></span></div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><!--WEBBOT bot="HTMLMarkup" startspan ALT="Site Meter" -->
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<!--WEBBOT bot="HTMLMarkup" Endspan --></div>Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12524536727555237762noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6436692.post-52139008176065967052012-03-16T09:01:00.000-04:002012-03-16T09:01:20.660-04:00March Madness: The Month of SubmissionsA few weeks ago I planned and attended a retreat for a group of development (aka fundraising for those of you unfamiliar with the non-profit world) staff members, where we challenged each individual to bring in two 5K gifts each week for a match challenge. Now I won't get into all of the details of what a match challenge is or why this idea was particularly revolutionary to our staff. The bottom line is that as I sat in the room watching all of my peers getting psyched up about their work and the ability to set small weekly goals I realized that this was a simple tactic that could translate into my writing life.<br />
<br />
And thus the March Madness: Month of Submissions began. Each week since I have challenged myself to submit at least two pieces of writing. Just two. That's it. And it can be any kind of writing. It is not limited to professional markets. It's not limited to fiction. It's not limited to current projects. Just identify two possible markets and submit.<br />
<br />
So now on March 16th, I've just finished my second week of submissions. I had been sitting on some poems that I was rather proud of but had no idea what to do with. So I used this opportunity to research some online e-zines, literary blogs and lit journals that would make a suitable home for my work. Once I had a list of a handful of markets I simply referenced it weekly pulled from my catalogue of work and hit submit.<br />
<br />
Here are some of the other items I intend on submitting in order to meet my goals.<br />
--Flash Fiction.<br />
--Poetry.<br />
--RWA Newsletter Articles<br />
--Queries for Novels<br />
--RWA Contests<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">It's an exciting feeling, knowing your work is out there, on the verge of being seen by fresh eyes. And I would encourage other writer's out there to give it a try. Not only does the submission goal require you to put yourself out there, but it also means building a steady body of work that you can draw from when submitting. If you want to become a daily writer a good motivation is hard deadline for submissions. You don't have to wait for a whole novel to be completed and polished. Do something fun on the side.</div><div><br />
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<!--WEBBOT bot="HTMLMarkup" Endspan --></div>Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12524536727555237762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6436692.post-20635344034971741802012-03-13T22:52:00.005-04:002012-03-16T08:44:16.747-04:00Top Ten Tuesday: Genre Books<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://brokeandbookish.blogspot.com/p/features.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu2MeepCr4n9-pYjNQCMfW5UHQAX87_moWmv6Ug5OeNbNmDE69OJ6-J3pqKYbZlPfA9iNWXYAHUPVEE4UCe2UHm9thLhvuCGvKDsYbjLxT5dzKQZeVH7Op-mjxYOqN1E5-tQjy/s1600/TopTENtues.png" /></a></div>I'm joining in on a new meme that sounded like fun. It's called Top Ten Tuesday and its run by the <a href="http://brokeandbookish.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Broke and the Bookish</a> Bloggers. Here's a quick explanation from their blog on how it works:<br />
<blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6;">Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created here at The Broke and the Bookish. This feature was created because we are particularly fond of lists here at The Broke and the Bookish. We'd love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!</span></blockquote><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6;">Each week we will post a new Top Ten list that one of our bloggers here at The Broke and the Bookish will answer. Everyone is welcome to join. All we ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND add your name to the Linky widget so that everyone can check out other bloggers lists! If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. Have fun with it! It's a fun way to get to know your fellow bloggers.</span></blockquote>So, this week's theme was top ten books in any given genre. Now I'm a genre junkie, so this was really difficult to do. Because I am taking a class in YA fiction this term I have decided to use that as my springboard. So without further adieu, my top ten books (in no particular order!)<br />
<br />
1. Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. (Okay, so there is a little bit of an order here!) I've been a huge fan of these books since they came out and am so excited about the movies. It's great for guys and gals, has incredibly strong characters and great action. I wish I wrote these books.<br />
<br />
2. Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling. Yep. I have to include it. I plan on reading these books to my children, and my children's children....and my children's children's children....<br />
<br />
3. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer. There is no use in denying it. I once was a victim of the twilight craze. All you have to do is search through some of my old posts to see my once great love for the books. The movies may have killed that passion off but I'll give the books their rightful credit (even if the pages are laced with crack).<br />
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4. The Mortal Instruments Series by Cassandra Clare. I don't understand why more people aren't talking about these books. At least the first four. Cassandra Clare is fantastic and just like the Hunger Games, these books have serious action and romance.<br />
<br />
5. Matched by Allie Condie. The second book in the series may have been a dud, but this first book, Matched, was awesome. Dystopian fiction done well, in a world where so many others have tried and failed.<br />
<br />
6. The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier. This is an oldie but goodie. It wasn't required reading in my high school though I wish it had been. Such a political novel full of power, control and manipulation. It's also a quick read. A plus in my book.<br />
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7. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie. This is a great book for slightly younger YA readers, I'd say 7th grade-9th grade or so. Don't let the cute sketches full you. The story is full of emotional drama that may cause you to shed a tear more than once. It also deals with the very delicate issue of race in a very delicate manner. Powerful stuff.<br />
<br />
8. The Giver by Lois Lowry. Dystopian fiction when it wasn't so cool. I remember being intrigued by this book when I read it and years later I still find myself comparing newer Dystopian novels to this book.<br />
<br />
9. The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan. The only, and I mean only, Zombie book I have ever enjoyed. It is beautifully written and she even manages to introduce a romance into the plot.<br />
<br />
10. Red Glove by Holly Black. This is actually the second book in the series. The first I found incredibly slow and if it were up to me I would have combined books one and two because they make a much stronger story together. Anyway, the Mob and Magic? How can you go wrong?<br />
<br />
So there it is? Do you have any faves that I should have put on this list?<div class="blogger-post-footer"><!--WEBBOT bot="HTMLMarkup" startspan ALT="Site Meter" -->
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<!--WEBBOT bot="HTMLMarkup" Endspan --></div>Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12524536727555237762noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6436692.post-12345740267317736112012-03-09T21:23:00.000-05:002012-03-09T21:23:30.624-05:00SXSW 2012!!<div style="font: 12.0px Optima; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">It’s that time again. SXSW is kicking off in Austin today and will be taking over the city for a full week and a half. As a writer, it may seem like this annual event has little to offer. It certainly isn’t an opportunity to do pitches and mingle with agents and editors. But if you are interested in technology, trends in e-publishing, or innovations in the publishing industry in general this could be a great space for you.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Optima; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Optima; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">If you aren’t familiar with SXSW, don’t worry. I’ve got you covered.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Optima; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Optima; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">What is SXSW?</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Optima; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">An annual music festival in Austin TX that has expanded to include a trade show, film competition, conferences, parties and more.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Optima; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Optima; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">How big is SXSW? </span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Optima; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Big. Picture the biggest crowd you can possibly think of willing to venture to Texas for the week and double it. Maybe triple it. It’s not the Super Bowl, but the stats are still impressive:</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Optima; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>—There are 92 music stages featuring more than 2000 bands</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Optima; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>—The interactive conference (SXSWi) hosts approximately 20,000 people with more than 900 sessions</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Optima; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>—An estimated 293 films will be screened to an audience of 66,000 people</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Optima; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>—There will be 103 “official” SXSW partiers sponsored over the week and a half.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Optima; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>—There are 74 official hotels!</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Optima; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Optima; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">All in all the event brings in more than 160 million dollars to the Austin economy. Cool, huh?</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Optima; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Optima; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">So why on earth am I writing about a music and film festival that takes place in a city I’ve never visited? Because of those 900 sessions at the interactive conference several of them are focused on publishing, the future of publishing, the technology of e-books and various other industry innovations that as an author I am completely intrigued by. </span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Optima; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Optima; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Over the next week I will be virtually stalking Twitter and Facebook to find out what all these cool peeps attending these sessions are actually talking about. Some of the most intriguing sessions for me include:</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Optima; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><ul style="list-style-type: disc;"><li style="font: 12.0px 'Lucida Grande'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><a href="http://goo.gl/WkHbh">Potterize It! Sharing the Magic of Fan Culture</a> </span></li>
<li style="font: 12.0px 'Lucida Grande'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><a href="http://goo.gl/esvJM">Unstuck: Get (and Keep) Your Creativity Flowing</a> </span></li>
<li style="font: 12.0px 'Lucida Grande'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><a href="http://goo.gl/uwZLf">How to Become a Next-Generation Media Company </a> </span></li>
</ul><ul style="list-style-type: disc;"><li style="font: 12.0px 'Lucida Grande'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><a href="http://goo.gl/wlgj9"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Books Win the Attention Economy</span></a></li>
<li style="font: 12.0px 'Lucida Grande'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><a href="http://goo.gl/3IPVj"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Tracking Trends to Make Great Content</span></a></li>
<li style="font: 12.0px 'Lucida Grande'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><a href="http://goo.gl/F3VnI"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Multiplatform Storytelling: Frontline War Stories</span></a></li>
<li style="font: 12.0px 'Lucida Grande'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><a href="http://goo.gl/aNw3h"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Publishing Models Transforming the Book</span></a></li>
<li style="font: 12.0px 'Lucida Grande'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><a href="http://goo.gl/YA6cX"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Storytelling Beyond Words: New Forms of Journalism</span></a></li>
</ul><ul style="list-style-type: disc;"><li style="font: 12.0px 'Lucida Grande'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><a href="http://goo.gl/0tKZ4"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Discoverability and the New World of Book PR</span></a></li>
<li style="font: 12.0px 'Lucida Grande'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><a href="http://goo.gl/Ww3eP"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Mother Goose Got Punked: Next Gen Visual Stories</span></a></li>
<li style="font: 12.0px 'Lucida Grande'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><a href="http://goo.gl/4q2D9"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">140 Characters vs. 14000 Words: The New Long Form</span></a></li>
</ul><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">If You’re curious check out the following article on the Publisher’s Weekly </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">Blog: </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><a href="http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/digital/conferences/article/50953-sxsw-preview-what-to-see-do-attend-for-publishing-folks-headed-to-austin.html">http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/digital/conferences/article/50953-sxsw-preview-what-to-see-do-attend-for-publishing-folks-headed-to-austin.html</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"> </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">Or this additional post on ePublish Unum:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><a href="http://epublishunum.com/2012/02/the-definitive-digital-authors-guide-to-sxsw-2012/">http://epublishunum.com/2012/02/the-definitive-digital-authors-guide-to-sxsw-2012/</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"> </span></span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><!--WEBBOT bot="HTMLMarkup" startspan ALT="Site Meter" -->
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<!--WEBBOT bot="HTMLMarkup" Endspan --></div>Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12524536727555237762noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6436692.post-7793069230651411382012-01-29T10:26:00.001-05:002012-01-29T10:27:35.303-05:00Who says Children's Authors are Boring?<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">There's a reason I don't watch the morning news. It's stupid. You get five minutes of actual news and 55 minutes of stuff nobody really needs to know. Gossip, sleaze, how to make you butt tight, save five dollars on canned goods, or get deals on houses in locations where no one really wants to live in the first place. The morning news is filled with insignificant feel good fluff. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">So why is it that I was still surprised when this article appeared on my Facebook feed?</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<a href="http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/book-news/tip-sheet/article/50392-pw-tip-sheet-shame-on-today.html?utm_source=Publishers+Weekly%27s+Tip+Sheet&utm_campaign=eee6f08ee8-UA-15906914-1&utm_medium=email"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">PW Tip Sheet: Shame on Today</span></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">The article starts with the question,"What could have possibly happened to the current crop of morning-show producers that they would disregard entirely the winners of the highest children’s book awards in the land?"</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">According to the article, the Today Show had an 11 year tradition of bringing the Caldecott and Newberry Award winners on the show the morning after the awards were announced for an interview. But for the last two years this has not happened, citing scheduling conflicts. I don't believe that for a second. I believe someone said these interviews weren't marketable. The authors were boring, the audience wasn't interested and we have more important things to do with our four hour block of time. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Which led me to two great finds in the not so mainstream media this week. First, a rough gem in an unusual place, Comedy Central. The Colbert Report did a two part interview with Maurice Sendack, author of Where the Wild Things Are and it was eye opening to say the least! Proof that it's actually very intelligent and witty adults who write children's books. You can catch part one of the interview here: <a href="http://www.hulu.com/watch/322712/the-colbert-report-grim-colberty-tales-with-maurice-sendak-part-1" target="_blank">Maurice Sendak Interview Part 1</a> and part two here: <a href="http://www.hulu.com/watch/323235/the-colbert-report-grim-colberty-tales-with-maurice-sendak-part-2%C2%A0" target="_blank">Maurice Sendack Interview Part 2</a>. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Then of course I found a delightfully funny interview on NPR's Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me. If you've never listened to this show before you are in for a real treat. I laugh all the way through it. This week they actually did an interview with the Newberry Award Winner Jack Gantos where listeners learn just how boring and dull the life of a children's author can be. This has got to be one of my favorite author interviews and I encourage you to check it out even if you stop before listening to the actual quiz show. You can check it out here: <a href="http://www.npr.org/2012/01/28/145998769/newbery-medal-winner-jack-gantos-plays-not-my-job" target="_blank">Jack Gantos Interview on NPRs Wait Wait Don't Tell Me</a></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">After listening to both of these interviews I was forced to re-embrace what I had long ago declared a brutal truth: Morning News Shows Suck.</span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><!--WEBBOT bot="HTMLMarkup" startspan ALT="Site Meter" -->
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<!--WEBBOT bot="HTMLMarkup" Endspan --></div>Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12524536727555237762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6436692.post-37071746771158767862012-01-01T20:36:00.000-05:002012-01-01T20:36:21.285-05:00My Favorite Things: 2011<blockquote class="tr_bq">"The only difference between an extraordinary life and an ordinary one is the extraordinary pleasures you find in ordinary things." (Veronique Vienne)</blockquote><div style="color: #333333; font: normal normal normal 15px/17px arial;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #333333; font: normal normal normal 15px/17px arial;">The year is winding down and I thought it would be fun to acknowledge some of my favorite things in 2011. Below is a listing of old and new finds that I've come to love over the course of the year.</div><div style="color: #333333; font: normal normal normal 15px/17px arial;"><br />
</div><div style="font: normal normal normal 15px/17px arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;">1. The Night Circus</span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 15px/17px arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;">My favorite novel of the year is a whimsical tale of love and magic. The book is beautifully written and the audio version is narrated by Jim Dale. If you only read one book in the new year, I encourage you to make it this one.</span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 15px/17px arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;">2. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows</span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 15px/17px arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;">Time to say goodbye to Harry Potter and his two best friends. The billion dollar movie behemoth came to an end and it was a bittersweet motion picture masterpiece. Catching the last film is a must.</span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 15px/17px arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;">3. The Lying Game</span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 15px/17px arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;">I'm a sucker for teenage melodrama and ABC family knows it. They had a couple of misses this year, with the <i>Nine Lives of Choloe King</i>, and a slightly lethargic and predictable <i>Pretty Little Liars</i>, but they made up for it with the debut of <i>The Lying Game</i>. My favorite thing about this show...Blair Redford. He's only three year's younger than me. I think we can make this work. The rest of the cast is entertaining and the twins played by Alexandra Chando are much better than the other pairs of double trouble popping up on tv lately.</span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 15px/17px arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;">4. Game of Thrones</span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 15px/17px arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;">I'm not a sucker for high fantasy, or any type of fantasy for that matter, but HBO has this way of sucking me into shows that otherwise would have never made it on my DVR dance card. This show had me hooked from the first episode. Drama. Suspense. Murder. Sex. All the makings of a great tale. I loved it so much, I bought the first book and actually started reading it.</span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 15px/17px arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 15px/17px arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;">5. Vampire Diaries</span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 15px/17px arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;">TVD is hot, hot, hot. After a very lackluster second season the writers finally got it right with the third. The character's are more complex, the stakes are bigger, the body count higher and the sexual tension between Damon and Elena is enough to drive a girl crazy. Plus, "Ripper" Stefan is so much more interesting than the blood free version.</span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 15px/17px arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 15px/17px arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;">6. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;">Snowville Creamery</span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 15px/17px arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;">So it's not a flashy TV series with a huge marketing campaign, but that doesn't mean it doesn't deserve one. This is my favorite milk, made local and fresh and used exclusively in Jeni's Ice Creams (which you may know is on my longstanding list of faces). And I just recently discovered they have chocolate milk! Yum.</span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 15px/17px arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;">7. Trader Joes Everyday Seasoning</span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 15px/17px arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;">I use this seasoning, like, everyday. It's a great blend, it's cheap and it tastes great on chicken. </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 15px/17px arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;">8. iPad</span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 15px/17px arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;">I could never create a list of my favorite things without including my iPad. Soon it will have more accessories than I do. When I can't carry around my MacBook the iPad and a wireless keyboard does the trick. I use it to write, play games, listen to music and watch movies. The only thing that would make it better is if I had actually paid for the 3G. Apps of the Year: HBO Go and Netflix on Demand.</span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 15px/17px arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;">9. Nordic Track Treadmill</span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 15px/17px arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;">I bought a treadmill and turned it into a make-shift treadmill desk. Now I have no excuse for not getting my 10000 steps in. I'm surprised at how much I love this thing. The speakers, the fan, the bouncy floorboard and belt that gives me an extra spring in my step. The perfect thing to get me off to a good start in the new year. Plus it is super easy to write and walk at the same time.</span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 15px/17px arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;">10. Piada Italian Street Food</span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 15px/17px arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;">I've talked about this place on Facebook a lot but in case you haven't heard, this is one of my new faces for fast casual dining. It's Chipotle Italian style with endless combinations and flavors galore. And it's expanding all over the city. I expect one to open down the street from my in the next few months. Good for my happiness, not so good for my waistline. </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 15px/17px arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 15px/17px arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;">11. GoodReads.</span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 15px/17px arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;">I love this site. I check in multiple times a week, and use it to keep track of books I want to read and share info about books I've read. One of my small pleasures: reading reviews from friends about books we have both read. Did they love it or hate it as much as I did? Friend me, I don't mind. And yes, I own 85% of the books on my TBR list.</span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 15px/17px arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 15px/17px arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;">12. Addicted to Love, Florence and the Machine</span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 15px/17px arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;">Best cover ever!! I love this sultry song and could listen to it over and over again. Yes, I know Adele had an amazing hit this year with her 21 CD, but I love Adele, and knew it would be great, but this CD with Florence and the Machine caught me by surprise. </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 15px/17px arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 15px/17px arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;">Top "Fails" of 2011</span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 15px/17px arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 15px/17px arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;">Hulu Plus</span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 15px/17px arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;">Talk about wasted money. No more shows or movies, at least none that you really want to see.</span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 15px/17px arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 15px/17px arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;">Netflix Cluster you know what. More headaches that I can count. You have to screw up pretty bad to loose 800,000 customers in less than 6 months.</span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 15px/17px arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><br />
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<!--WEBBOT bot="HTMLMarkup" Endspan --></div>Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12524536727555237762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6436692.post-56611355188352509532011-12-22T20:35:00.000-05:002011-12-22T20:35:22.370-05:00The Dark SideIt seems that every YA book I pick up nowadays has one thing in common (two if you count the over predominance of love triangles) and that is they take place in dark dystopian universes with a clear delineation between good and evil, black and white. I don't have to ask what brought about this obsession. I'm as big a fan of The Hunger Games Trilogy as the next person and when I finished that book I was clamoring for more. The books since have been hit or miss, some with fully fleshed out worlds, conflict and characters others merely an illusion of what could have been. As someone who is working on a story that might be considered to fall into this category I found myself longing to step back and think about this trend and what is perpetuating our new YA mantra: the darker the better.<br />
<br />
I stumbled upon a piece in the <i>New York Times </i>called "<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2010/12/26/the-dark-side-of-young-adult-fiction" target="_blank">The Dark Side of Young Adult Fiction</a>" in which readers, writers and professors had an opportunity to share their own thoughts about the trend. The contributors, some of which have written dark dystopian YA novels themselves, provide insight and bring new perspectives to the topic that I found intriguing. And though the article is more than a year old, it is incredibly relevant to the types of work that is still being published. In fact the last three out of four books I read were YA Dystopian novels. The interesting thing, was that the non-dystopian novel was the best out of all three. Perhaps the sub genre is headed the way of the witches, weres, and vampires. Too much of a good thing and all that jazz.<br />
<br />
Check out the article and let me know what you think. Do you like the new YA take on Dystopian Fiction? What are your must reads in the genre?<div class="blogger-post-footer"><!--WEBBOT bot="HTMLMarkup" startspan ALT="Site Meter" -->
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<!--WEBBOT bot="HTMLMarkup" Endspan --></div>Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12524536727555237762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6436692.post-30847486949113033222011-11-12T08:54:00.001-05:002011-11-12T08:54:00.912-05:00Reading Journal: Wither by Lauren DeStefanoSo I just finished reading Wither, the first book in the Chemical Garden Trilogy ad I have no idea what to make of it. The book was advertised as the next great read for hunger games fans, but the only thing it has in common with Suzanne Collins HG trilogy is the post-apocalyptic setting. For every sappy vampire book Twilight brought to the forefront as a result of its success there is an dystopian tragedy waiting in the midst as a result of the success of the Hunger Games. I admit, I fell victim to this craze, which is probably why I have about ten of them on my to-be-read list. The first of which was Wither. <div><br />
</div><div>Plot Overview:</div><div>Wither takes place in a future world where genetic manipulation of the population has resulted in a deadly virus that kills off all of its victims in their early twenties. Women die at twenty-one, men at twenty-four. There is no escape, there is no cure, despite the fact that members of the first generation (the only generation to live out full lives) are desperately searching for a way to reverse the curse. </div><div><br />
</div><div>Rhine, the main character, is kidnapped and taken from her kid brother and sold to stranger to be one of his three brides. The story follows her struggles for escape and peace in a world full of death and disease. </div><div><br />
</div><div>My Reaction:</div><div>Overall I enjoyed the book. It was a quick read, though it started out a bit slow, I found myself drawn into this mysterious and dark world and wanted to know more about what has and will happen to the characters. At first I found the main character, Rhine, pretty annoying. She is initially obsessed with escaping, unwilling to learn anything about her captures/husband or her other sister wives. She's set on finding her brother but (spoiler alert!) he never even gets an appearance in this book! It was hard for me to believe she is so desperate to return to such a grisly and dangerous life. It sometimes felt as though she were resisting just to resist. </div><div><br />
</div><div>Later as she began to learn more about her new family the book becomes more interesting and you see new relationships born and difficult sacrifices made. Still the whole book seems to be setting you up for heartache. After all, how likely is it that someone in this world is going to find a cure in the last three years of her life, if they've been searching for twenty years to no avail? Definitely a happily for now, kind of read. </div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><!--WEBBOT bot="HTMLMarkup" startspan ALT="Site Meter" -->
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<!--WEBBOT bot="HTMLMarkup" Endspan --></div>Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12524536727555237762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6436692.post-26357023705861316512011-11-02T09:20:00.001-04:002011-11-02T09:20:00.196-04:00Market Spotlight: Entangled Publishing Flirt LineSo every time I run across an appealing market I feel the need to share with my other writerly friends and I couldn't resist getting a little hot and bothered about this one. Thus far I am very impressed with Entangled Publishing and have been looking for something in my own drawer of goodies that is a good fit for what they are publishing. This flirt line might just be the thing. I'll sleep on it.<br />
<br />
They are looking for short novellas (10k-15K, which in my opinion makes them short stories, but novellas always sounds cooler) in all types of romance sub-genres to sell for 99 cents.<br />
<br />
I have heard nothing but great things about EP thus far and my own interactions with them have been very positive. If your interested you should definitely check out the <a href="http://www.entangledpublishing.com/submission-information/flirt-submissions/">Flirt Official Guidelines</a> on their submission page.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><!--WEBBOT bot="HTMLMarkup" startspan ALT="Site Meter" -->
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<!--WEBBOT bot="HTMLMarkup" Endspan --></div>Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12524536727555237762noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6436692.post-63115645576809371372011-11-01T08:43:00.001-04:002011-11-01T08:43:00.458-04:00NANo Revisited (Part 2)Happy First of November, a.k.a. official kickoff to NaNoWriMo 2012. To all those taking part in the challenge, good luck and godspeed. For those of you like me who plan on sitting on the sidelines and basking in the creative energy that exudes off of our writing comrades with hopes of meeting our own, much smaller goals this month...well good luck to you too.<div><br />
</div><div>Here's a little recap of some of my pointers on NaNo from years past. Enjoy.</div><div><br />
</div><div>NaNoWriMo 101 (Part 2)</div><div><div style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: 11px; font: normal normal normal 13px/normal Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Must Have Resources</span></b></span></span></div></div></div><div style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: 11px; font: normal normal normal 13px/normal Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Now that you’ve got the basics, here are a few must have resources to help you stick to the rules!</span></span></span></div></div></div><div style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: 11px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div></div></div><div style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: 11px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">1. Visit the Official NaNoWriMo site <a href="http://www.nanowrimo.org/">www.nanowrimo.org</a></span></b></i></span></span></div></div></div><div style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: 11px; font: normal normal normal 11px/normal Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">If you haven't already done so, visit the official website to learn the rules and sign up as a participant. Join the forums, build out your buddy list, and most importantly ask questions. You don't want to lose time searching the boards once November comes. You want to know how to update your word count and track words before hand. Remember, time is precious!</span></span></span></div></div></div><div style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: 11px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><br />
</span></span></span></div></div></div><div style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: 11px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">2. Do the plotting and character development exercises</span></b></i></span></span></div></div></div><div style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: 11px; font: normal normal normal 11px/normal Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">There are tons of books out there that are designed to help writers plot and develop their novel. Some of them even tote the tag line, write your novel in thirty days. Here are a few that I recommend. Check them out at Amazon.com.</span></span></span></div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/No-Plot-Problem-Low-Stress-High-Velocity/dp/0811845052?ie=UTF8&tag=wickjung06-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" target="_blank"><img alt="No Plot? No Problem!: A Low-Stress, High-Velocity Guide to Writing a Novel in 30 Days" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=0811845052&tag=wickjung06-20" style="cursor: move;" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=wickjung06-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0811845052" style="border-bottom-style: none !important; border-color: initial !important; border-left-style: none !important; border-right-style: none !important; border-top-style: none !important; border-width: initial !important; cursor: move; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px !important; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important;" width="1" /> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Book-Month-Fool-Proof-System-Writing/dp/1582974861?ie=UTF8&tag=wickjung06-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" target="_blank"><img alt="Book in a Month: The Fool-Proof System for Writing a Novel in 30 Days" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=1582974861&tag=wickjung06-20" style="cursor: move;" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=wickjung06-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=1582974861" style="border-bottom-style: none !important; border-color: initial !important; border-left-style: none !important; border-right-style: none !important; border-top-style: none !important; border-width: initial !important; cursor: move; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px !important; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important;" width="1" /> <img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=wickjung06-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=1582972966" style="border-bottom-style: none !important; border-color: initial !important; border-left-style: none !important; border-right-style: none !important; border-top-style: none !important; border-width: initial !important; cursor: move; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px !important; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important;" width="1" /> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Writing-Breakout-Novel-Workbook-Donald/dp/158297263X?ie=UTF8&tag=wickjung06-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" target="_blank"><img alt="Writing the Breakout Novel Workbook" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=158297263X&tag=wickjung06-20" style="cursor: move;" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=wickjung06-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=158297263X" style="border-bottom-style: none !important; border-color: initial !important; border-left-style: none !important; border-right-style: none !important; border-top-style: none !important; border-width: initial !important; cursor: move; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px !important; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important;" width="1" /><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=wickjung06-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0811845052" style="border-bottom-style: none !important; border-color: initial !important; border-left-style: none !important; border-right-style: none !important; border-top-style: none !important; border-width: initial !important; cursor: move; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px !important; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important;" width="1" /></span></span></span></div></div></div><div style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: 11px; font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></div><ul style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: 11px;"><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0811854833?ie=UTF8&tag=wickjung06-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0811854833%22%3EThe%20No%20Plot?%20No%20Problem!%20Novel-Writing%20Kit"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0b5394;">No Plot No Problem by NaNoWriMo founder Chris Baty</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0b5394;"> </span></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1582974861?ie=UTF8&tag=wickjung06-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1582974861%22%3EBook%20in%20a%20Month:%20The%20Fool-Proof%20System%20for%20Writing%20a%20Novel%20in%2030%20Days"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0b5394;">Book in a Month by Victoria Lynn Schmidt</span></a></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1582972966?ie=UTF8&tag=wickjung06-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1582972966%22%3EFirst%20Draft%20in%2030%20Days"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0b5394;">First Draft in 30 Days by Karen Weisner</span></a></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/158297263X?ie=UTF8&tag=wickjung06-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=158297263X%22%3EWriting%20the%20Breakout%20Novel%20Workbook"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0b5394;">Writing the Breakout Novel Book and Workbook by Donald Maass</span></a></span></li>
</ul><div style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: 11px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"></span></span></span></span></span></div></div></div><div style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: 11px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">3. Get the write (he, he) software</span></b></i></span></span></div></div></div><div style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: 11px; font: normal normal normal 11px/normal Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Most people use word by default, but it isn't always the best writing software, especially if you are trying to keep track of your daily word count. Personally I love to use Scrivener. In fact, part of the reason I went mac is because I needed a better writing program that worked with my personal writing and organizational style. The great thing about a program like Scrivener is that it allows you to create smaller separate documents within a larger project that are inter-related. So you can easily edit or move scenes, keep track of scene word count and my favorite, enter a full screen writing mode that blocks out everything else from your screen except for a basic document file. There's no ads, no links, no Internet browser lurking about to tempt you away from your writing. Consider it a typewriter for the modern age. Scrivener also allows you store your research notes and prep work in one central place. Do you have pictures of your characters or settings? You no longer have to open up another program to view them. Did you create a separate PDF outline, link to a specific movie, or reference a certain web page. You can copy and paste it into the program without opening 100 word documents.</span></span></span></div></div></div><div style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: 11px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><br />
</span></span></span></div></div></div><div style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: 11px; font: normal normal normal 11px/normal Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">So, that's all fine and dandy, you say. But you don't own a Mac. Right. Well. That Sucks. I've been there. In a pinch, Word will suffice. Just familiarize yourself with the daily pacing vs the word count goal. i.e. on day 6 you should be at X words, so if you are writing everything in a single document, than you can easily see total word count with the click of a button. You could also do separate docs for each scene, but you won't have a running total and you will have to compile it all together at the end anyway. I do recommend using document maps and creating headers for each chapter to easily navigate through your 200 pages! it will help make highlighting chapters or scenes easier if you are trying to get a word count.</span></span></span></div></div></div><div style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: 11px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><br />
</span></span></span></div></div></div><div style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: 11px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">So that’s it! Happy writing and good luck. </span></span></span></div></div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><!--WEBBOT bot="HTMLMarkup" startspan ALT="Site Meter" -->
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<!--WEBBOT bot="HTMLMarkup" Endspan --></div>Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12524536727555237762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6436692.post-51699501110048147252011-10-31T09:00:00.001-04:002011-10-31T09:00:07.762-04:00Halloween Writing PromptsTis the season to be bloody!! Muah, ha, ha! If you can't tell by my love of all things paranormal, Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. Probably because I have an opportunity to dress up in costume, cackle like a witch and scare little children.<br />
<br />
Okay, I don't go around scaring little children, (probably because I don't have any to scare) but I enjoy halloween all the same. What better way to get into the halloween spirit than to write your own creepy crawly tales?<br />
<br />
I was surfing twitter and I came across some different halloween writing prompts to help get you started and thought I would share them with you.<br />
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<div class="post-53074 post type-post status-publish format-standard hentry category-prompts tag-writing-prompt" id="post-53074" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: url(http://www.writersdigest.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/border-dots.jpg); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #443f38; float: left; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; width: 653px;"><h2 class="entry-title" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, 'Nimbus Sans L', sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.3em; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-transform: none;"><a href="http://www.writersdigest.com/prompts/halloween-revenge" rel="bookmark" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #4a7e97; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: underline;" title="Permalink to Halloween Revenge">Halloween Revenge</a></h2><div class="entry-meta" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; float: left; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, 'Nimbus Sans L', sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; width: 646px;"><span class="meta-prep meta-prep-author" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"></span><span class="entry-date" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">October 25, 2011</span> <span class="meta-sep" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">|</span> <span class="author vcard" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><a class="url fn n" href="http://www.writersdigest.com/author/brian-a-klems" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #4a7e97; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="View all posts by Brian A. Klems">Brian A. Klems</a></span> | <a href="http://www.writersdigest.com/prompts/halloween-revenge#comments" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #4a7e97; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Comments: 10</a></div><div class="entry-summary" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">For the last 10 years, kids have been toilet papering your house on Halloween night. Unfortunately for them, this is the year you finally decided to get even. Write about your night of retaliation. <span class="moreLink" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.writersdigest.com/prompts/halloween-revenge" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #4a7e97; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Read more</a></span></div></div></div><div class="post-52723 post type-post status-publish format-standard hentry category-prompts tag-writing-prompt" id="post-52723" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: url(http://www.writersdigest.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/border-dots.jpg); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #443f38; float: left; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; width: 653px;"><h2 class="entry-title" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, 'Nimbus Sans L', sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.3em; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-transform: none;"><a href="http://www.writersdigest.com/prompts/pumpkin-carving-gone-wrong" rel="bookmark" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #4a7e97; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="Permalink to Pumpkin Carving Gone Wrong">Pumpkin Carving Gone Wrong</a></h2><div class="entry-meta" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; float: left; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, 'Nimbus Sans L', sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; width: 646px;"><span class="meta-prep meta-prep-author" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"></span><span class="entry-date" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">October 18, 2011</span> <span class="meta-sep" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">|</span> <span class="author vcard" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><a class="url fn n" href="http://www.writersdigest.com/author/brian-a-klems" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #4a7e97; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="View all posts by Brian A. Klems">Brian A. Klems</a></span> | <a href="http://www.writersdigest.com/prompts/pumpkin-carving-gone-wrong#comments" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #4a7e97; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Comments: 33</a></div><div class="entry-summary" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">You’re attending an annual pumpkin-carving party with your friends when one of them stands up and makes a shocking announcement. Start your story with the announcement and end with “And that’s how I got my head stuck in the pumpkin.” <span class="moreLink" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.writersdigest.com/prompts/pumpkin-carving-gone-wrong" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #4a7e97; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Read more</a></span></div></div></div><div class="post-51412 post type-post status-publish format-standard hentry category-prompts tag-writing-prompt" id="post-51412" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: url(http://www.writersdigest.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/border-dots.jpg); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #443f38; float: left; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; width: 653px;"><h2 class="entry-title" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, 'Nimbus Sans L', sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.3em; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-transform: none;"><a href="http://www.writersdigest.com/prompts/note-behind-the-picture" rel="bookmark" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #4a7e97; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="Permalink to Note Behind the Picture">Note Behind the Picture</a></h2><div class="entry-meta" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; float: left; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, 'Nimbus Sans L', sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; width: 646px;"><span class="meta-prep meta-prep-author" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"></span><span class="entry-date" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">October 11, 2011</span> <span class="meta-sep" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">|</span> <span class="author vcard" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><a class="url fn n" href="http://www.writersdigest.com/author/brian-a-klems" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #4a7e97; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="View all posts by Brian A. Klems">Brian A. Klems</a></span> | <a href="http://www.writersdigest.com/prompts/note-behind-the-picture#comments" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #4a7e97; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Comments: 41</a></div><div class="entry-summary" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">A picture on your mantle unexpectedly falls and crashes to the floor. As you go to pick it up, you notice a note hidden behind the picture. The message is from the future—and written by you. It instructs you to do something important. What does it say?<br />
<span class="moreLink" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.writersdigest.com/prompts/note-behind-the-picture" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #4a7e97; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Read more</a></span></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">For More Prompts check out the following pages:</div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><a href="http://networkedblogs.com/p7qT9">http://networkedblogs.com/p7qT9</a></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.writersdigest.com/prompts">http://www.writersdigest.com/prompts</a></div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><!--WEBBOT bot="HTMLMarkup" startspan ALT="Site Meter" -->
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<!--WEBBOT bot="HTMLMarkup" Endspan --></div>Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12524536727555237762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6436692.post-35552831450704392852011-10-29T14:00:00.002-04:002011-10-29T14:00:06.973-04:00Two New Halloween FindsTwo of my author friends have some new releases out and just in time for Halloween! Check out some great quick reads to download on your iPad, kindle and nook!<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Teaching-Man-Other-Tales-ebook/dp/B005XCTATC/ref=pd_ybh_2?pf_rd_p=280800601&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_t=1501&pf_rd_i=ybh&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=12ZJE975C52H5JGJSVWX">Teaching Man and Other Tales </a>by Nell Du Vall</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyRolod3S9F4OR9nsNorAru2JANGcqOzfMOiqy8eQIoz85s8K9WYk1OWzr8-9Nt5ZfEiUB9m_a0LtpBbPlBnj-EabDdOgrnHikAyTxvP8L1_z5uC9VaAmfYgjd1wSTQXshaOjh/s1600/TeachingMan.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyRolod3S9F4OR9nsNorAru2JANGcqOzfMOiqy8eQIoz85s8K9WYk1OWzr8-9Nt5ZfEiUB9m_a0LtpBbPlBnj-EabDdOgrnHikAyTxvP8L1_z5uC9VaAmfYgjd1wSTQXshaOjh/s1600/TeachingMan.png" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;">The Devil comes calling on Halloween…</span></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 24px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></div><div style="text-align: center;">A young woman learns that black cats see all… </div><div style="text-align: center;">Not all brooms are created equal… </div><div style="text-align: center;">Some relationships really do last a lifetime…</div><br />
<div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 24px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;">Nell DuVall brings us four deliciously creepy tales of good and evil, perfect for All Hallow’s Eve.</div><div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/All-Hope-Lost-ebook/dp/B005TKJRFA/ref=pd_ybh_3?pf_rd_p=280800601&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_t=1501&pf_rd_i=ybh&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=12ZJE975C52H5JGJSVWX"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">All Hope Lost</span></a> </span>By Faith Van Horne</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh79Cgy53gTbmDBt3Dn7-udAB13LAmgjP623g-r7fpQ4KEcv6_do2dHnboQ9l11jIZnEa_7_XhUkk9QKAzeAT_BGvNdqvK3QLlIGVZwrLlHqN2_4VGuDQVTo6G8CDGoUrhclZvF/s1600/all+hope+lost.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh79Cgy53gTbmDBt3Dn7-udAB13LAmgjP623g-r7fpQ4KEcv6_do2dHnboQ9l11jIZnEa_7_XhUkk9QKAzeAT_BGvNdqvK3QLlIGVZwrLlHqN2_4VGuDQVTo6G8CDGoUrhclZvF/s320/all+hope+lost.png" width="229" /></a></div><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;">Dana Cay is a skilled private investigator with more than a passing knowledge of insanity. After her brother’s bizarre suicide, she drove herself mad with grief, convinced a shadowy cult had something to do with his death. Now, she’s out of the institution and back in business in a new city, taking only low-stress cases. But when Warren Parker begs her to look into his sister’s suspicious suicide, the madness starts again. Is the cult real after all? And if so, can Dana stop them before they kill again?</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;">I've already purchased both and will be reading them on my travels next week!</span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><!--WEBBOT bot="HTMLMarkup" startspan ALT="Site Meter" -->
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<!--WEBBOT bot="HTMLMarkup" Endspan --></div>Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12524536727555237762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6436692.post-23853435862906889802011-10-28T23:29:00.003-04:002011-10-28T23:38:30.186-04:00NaNo Revisited<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial;">It's that time of year again! November is just around the corner, which means writers all across the globe are frantically chirping about NaNoWriMo. I have yet to commit to actually jumping in the game this year, but I thought it would be fun to repos some of my popular NaNo blogs from past years to help everyone get in the mood. And for any newbies out there, hear this: IT CAN BE DONE!</span><br />
<div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">NANOWRIMO 101 (Part 1)</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"><b>Basic Rules</b></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">Let’s start with some basic ground rules. Because you can either set yourself up for success or failure. And we don’t want you go cripple yourself before the challenge even starts. You wouldn’t enter a marathon without training right? Well, consider this your boot camp. Listen and learn.</span></span></span></div></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></span></span></div></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">Rule #1. Don't Wing It</span></b></i></span></span></div></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 11px/normal Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">I know many of you true artistic visionaries will cringe at the thought but now is not the time to fly by the seat of your pants. Can you complete fifty thousand words with out plotting or outlining ahead of time? Sure. I've even done it in the past. If your ultimate goal, is just to cross the finish line, than fine. Go for it. But if you are planning on actually doing something with this novel, and don't want to spend the next six months editing it to get it into some kind of readable shape, trust me, you're going to want a road map. I've participated in this challenge twice. The first time I went wherever the muse took me. That book was a complete mess. Though I did indeed finish it, I spent two years going back to revise and edit it, trying to make a better (and thus saleable) novel. It didn't happen. But you know what they say about your first book. The goal is to complete a novel, not to sell it. You get better as you go and you may not want to be judged by your very first attempt.</span></span></span></div></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></span></span></div></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 11px/normal Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">The second novel I wrote is actually much stronger and I do believe that was because I had already done a significant amount of research and plotting. It still needed some edits, and though I hit my 50K goal I did not finish the novel in one month. For the most part, I knew the plot, the scenes that I wanted, who the major players were. There was plenty of room to adjust as the characters interacted on the scene, but I could reel them back in when I sensed we were going off course in a not so good way. This is actually the novel I've been pitching to agents and editors. And yes, I still continue to tweak it.</span></span></span></div></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></span></span></div></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 11px/normal Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">This year I will be doing even more plotting and character building. Not because I am completely anal, but because I cannot stand editing and want to minimize the amount of time and energy I need to devote to that portion of the writing process. I tend to get stuck there, dreading out of place commas, typos, and entire scenes that need to be rewritten or worse. It sucks and anyway I can make it easier on myself so that the novel goes out the door faster and I'm back in the more creative realm of writing, the better. </span></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">I am also doing a significant amount of prep work because my goal is actually not to write 50k words. My goal is closer to 85,000 or about 2800 per day. That's where most of my manuscripts wind up and I'd like to have a full first draft done at the end of the month. I truly believe, that if you know what you're doing, it isn't impossible to do. But you can't get there with out a clear vision and actionable strategies that will get you across the finish line.</span></span></span></div></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></span></span></div></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 11px/normal Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">Your goals might not be as lofty as mine, or they might be double what I've outlined. Either way, the prep work is important. Aside from helping you put together a logical story structure with relevant scenes and meaningful and dynamic characters is that the prep work allows you to make the most of what little time you have to write each day. Let's face it. Ultimately what happens when you don't collect your thoughts before hand is that you sit down with the intention of writing 1666 words or more in a single session and end up staring at a blank screen for the first twenty minutes. Time is a valuable commodity, especially when we have so much going on in our busy lives. Don't waste it brainstorming when you have a deadline looming. One of the great things about this challenge is that it forces you to stop making excuses and get something on the page. It teaches you the discipline of writing daily, and if you don't well the punishment can be severe. My first round I missed three days in a row. Next thing I knew my daily goal was no longer 1666 but 6664! It was a long and painful day, especially because I had no idea where the story was going or what was happening next. It was easy to push forward with 2000 words, but eventually you have to stop and figure out what comes next. And without realizing it you are back into the daydreaming, brainstorming stage instead of the producing stage.</span></span></span></div></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></span></span></div></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">Rule #2. Set a Schedule</span></b></i></span></span></div></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 11px/normal Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"></span></span></span></div></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"></span></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"></span></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"></span></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"></span></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 11px/normal Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Be proactive and plan out a schedule for writing ahead of time. Know how long it takes you on average to write 1666 words. Can you do it in two hours, or do you need more time? My goal is to write two hours in the morning before I go to work and do another two in the evening after I get home from the gym. And if I know that it's taking longer, I can cut the gym or write during my lunch break. Whatever it takes to get the words on the page.</span></span></span></span></div></div><div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></span></span></div></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></div></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">Rule #3. Eliminate Non-Essentials</span></b></i></span></span></div></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 11px/normal Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">Along with setting up a specific writing time, look at your schedule and figure out what the non-essentials are. What are the things that you can cut out if you have a crazy day and need more writing time? Can you skip the gym, bypass the PTA meeting? TiVo Glee? Basically this is all about prioritization. If completing this challenge is important enough than spending time writing will come first. Note, I am not advocating you quit your job or starve your kids. But you don't have to cook a five course meal or make homemade pasta for dinner. Order a pizza, get carry out.If you don't like the idea of fast food all the time, plan out your meals for the week and prep them the Sunday before. Casseroles and soups can be frozen and reheated in the oven or crock-pot with minimal effort involved. If you love fresh salads, chop up your veggies and store them in storage containers so that you can quickly toss your favorites together and have meal in five minutes or less with little dishes to clean. Remember, now is not the time to go caffeine free. Don't take up an additional college course, try to plan a wedding or take on a part time job. A couple of late nights won't kill you but it will make you cranky. We want this to be a happy positive experience, not a death march to the end of your writing career.</span></span></span></div></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></span></span></div></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 11px/normal Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">If you live alone, you can stock up on healthy frozen dinners, snacks and quick serve meals. If you have a spouse or partner, USE THEM! Explain what you're doing, why it is important. Ask them to take over meals, childcare, bath time, etc. (that's bath time for the kids not you! No distractions!) and you can buy yourself a few extra minutes with the computer. If they see how hard you're working (meaning you can't be staring at a blank computer screen) and know that it's only for one month, they will hopefully be happy to support you.</span></span></span></div></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></span></span></div></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">Rule #4. Reward Yourself</span></b></i></span></span></div></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 11px/normal Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">Sure, winning the challenge and crossing the 50K mark is huge and a great motivator in and of itself. But if you aren't use to writing everyday the task can seem daunting, even for talented writers. Celebrate the little milestones, did you write today (even if it was just a sentence, good job. Are you on track or ahead of the pacing for the month? Good job. Did you meet your daily word count? Good job. Reward yourself with a chapter from a good book, an hour of your favorite TV show, or some special time with your significant other. :)</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">For more tips continue reading NaNoWriMo 101 (Part 2).</span></span></span></span></span></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><!--WEBBOT bot="HTMLMarkup" startspan ALT="Site Meter" -->
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<!--WEBBOT bot="HTMLMarkup" Endspan --></div>Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12524536727555237762noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6436692.post-10220067090796555232011-10-25T21:33:00.000-04:002011-10-25T21:33:23.953-04:00Reading Journal: Characters & Viewpoint Part 2The other day I posted my reading journal for Orson Scott Card's <i>Characters & Viewpoint </i>book and spent a lot of time focused on the character piece of the puzzle. Today I want to reflect on the third half of the book which is devoted to POV and Tense, (among other things).<br />
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Card identifies this last section of the book as "Performing Characters" and he starts off with very basic and often technical descriptions of what POV and tense are. Given the number of people who get confused on this subject, perhaps that is a good thing. Though I did not find those 8 pages very informative and let's face it, talking POV is not the most exciting thing one could be doing with their time.<br />
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Despite the fact that I think the subject a little dull, I was excited to dive into the book given the challenge I have undertaken with my newest WIP <i>Salem's Triad</i>. In this novel I have three POV characters. I am writing in third person limited for a large majority of the book. However there are also excerpts throughout the book that offer a third person omniscient POV. I call these interludes (taken from the music industry) because they offer quick snippets from minor/secondary characters that help to broaden the reader's perspective about what is taking place. <br />
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Originally these scenes were written in third person limited but I am starting to realize, after spending some time with Mr Card and all his wisdom, that it might make the transition easier if I adjust the POV from third limited to third omniscient. This will allow me to signal to the reader that they are getting a glimpse of a scene taking place that does not involve one of our main characters (in case the chapter header INTERLUDE doesn't do the trick).<br />
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Another thing that I picked up from reading this book was the idea of effectively setting up the audience for a POV change. Card mentions that you can reduce confusion for your reader by introducing the second POV character in a scene with the current POV character. This is common in romance novels, where you alternate between the hero and the heroine's POV and are often introduced to the hero through an encounter that the heroine has. <br />
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In reading this I discovered my earlier draft does not connect the three characters until well into the first act, and certainly not in the first 30 pages. Given this is now a YA and I have some new creative liberties to play with I decided to rewrite the prologue to include a critical scene (one that some may argue is the inciting incident for our protagonist) where all three girls are together but not friends. The fun thing about this is that the reader is not dependent upon one narrator's attitude or opinion of another character. Writing in limited third person allows me to express how my girl Gracie feels about herself and what her soon to be friends think of her. I'll give you a hint, they always have differing opinions!<br />
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One thing that caught me completely off guard was Card's thoughts on third person limited as a choice for narrating your story. I could chalk it up to the time period in which this novel was written (copyright 1988) but I don't actually think the industry has changed that much in the last twenty some years. I'll share a quote and let you make your own judgement.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">"If you are uncertain of your ability as a writer, while you're quite confident of the strength of your story, the limited third-person narration invites a clean, unobtrusive writing style--a plain tail plainly told. You can still write beautifully using the limited third person, but your writing is more likely to be ignored--thus covering a multitude of sins." (Card)</blockquote>I had to read this quote a few times and let it really sink in before I could even acknowledge my thoughts on it. I was surprised for a number of reasons. First, since I began actively pursuing writing around 2004 I have always been told by editors that you have to write in third person, that first person is for novice amateur writers and you will stick out like a sore thumb. That of course implies that writing first person is the easier choice. It certainly comes more naturally for a lot of new writers. I know that I use it a lot when I am having trouble getting into the character's head. But that seems to contradict with Card's statement that third person limited is the easiest of the POVs to use. He also implies that it covers up most faults because your reader won't notice the writing as they are too absorbed by the character.<br />
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I am slighlty less concerned with what this says about me as a writer, and more concerned about what it says for me as a reader. If a majority of readers prefer third person limited does that imply that we are not mature enough as a readership to appreciate the other POVs? Is the ultimate goal to tell a great story or to tell a story that people will read and are they mutually exclusive? And what does this mean for genre fiction vs literary, for I most often see first and third limited as the preferred POV of choice?<br />
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In reading this quote I felt that Card was implying that writers who choose this POV are either too lazy to take on the challenge of writing in another POV or not talented enough to do so. But should/would you purposefully write in another POV even if it means the work is less received by your target audience?<br />
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I'm not sure I know the answer to this and perhaps I am reading more into the line than was intended, but it does make me wonder. As I continue to write more and more stories and novels I find myself grappling with the question of POV in a more deliberate manner and ultimately choosing the POV that is the best fit for the story and what I hope to accomplish. Maybe I'll score a few bonus points for using multiple POVs despite the fact that I am writing in third person limited.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Works Cited: Card, Orson Scott. <i>Characters & Viewpoint. </i>Cincinnati, OH: Writer's Digest, 1988. Print.</span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><!--WEBBOT bot="HTMLMarkup" startspan ALT="Site Meter" -->
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<!--WEBBOT bot="HTMLMarkup" Endspan --></div>Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12524536727555237762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6436692.post-84111514808419743562011-10-20T13:11:00.002-04:002011-10-27T08:08:45.779-04:00Reading Journal: Characters & Viewpoint by Orson Scott CardOne of the things we are strongly encouraged to do at Seton Hill is keep a reading journal to reflect on the fiction and non-fiction books that we read throughout each term. While I could certainly do this in a word document and send it directly to my mentor for review, I thought it would be more fun to do my journal entries on posts to my blog. I promise to try and be consistent and regular, without the additional prodding on your part!<br />
<div><br />
</div><div><b>Book</b>: Characters & Viewpoint</div><div><b>Author</b>: Orson Scott Card</div><div><b>Genre</b>: Non-Fiction, Writing/Craft</div><div><br />
</div><div><b>Why did I choose this book??</b></div><div>It has been recently brought to my attention that though I may love some of my characters to death not everyone who picks up a copy of my manuscript or current WIP feels the same way. I'm not sure why this should come as a surprise to me. Everyone's tastes are different, so of course they are going to have different reactions to my characters, but my goal is not to alienate or piss of my reader because they do not like or understand my characters. That said, I've been on a mission to learn as much as possible about character development and creating sympathetic characters so that I can figure out what I have done wrong, or at least polish up the prose so that readers can come to know and love the characters they way that I do.</div><div><br />
</div><div><b>Initial Reactions to the Book??</b></div><div>Despite the title and premise of the book I found it to be unhelpful for me as a writer given where I am in the writing process. The book is divided into three parts: inventing characters, constructing characters, and performing characters and a large majority of the time is spent on how to develop strong characters at the start of your writing. Several questions and thoughts are presented, about where characters come from, how to get great ideas for stories, how to discover traits and idiosyncrasies. The information overall is useful, but given what I was looking for, which was guidance on ways to better show your character on the page, this did not meet my needs. That said there were several interesting notes that did stand out to me and made me question my own process for developing characters and thinking more deliberately about the time on the page those characters get. I'm going to highlight some of those thoughts below, and focus on initial character development today and POV in the next post.</div><div><br />
</div><div><b>Core Thoughts on Character.</b></div><div>Card starts the book at the very beginning asking the reader to reflect on what a character is and does a good illustrating that "character is what he does". We make assumptions about all characters based on what they do and what we see them do. It is a very surface level observation and most often wrong as a result, but it is the starting point for a reader. What is interesting about this point is that if you don't go deeper and offer other ways of showing the reader who the character is, they will have no resort but to rely upon these baseline judgments. </div><div><br />
</div><div>Why are these judgments often wrong? Because they do not offer motive or take into consideration their past experiences or their reputation. Audiences have a different reaction to a character who kills for pleasure vs. greed vs. revenge vs. self-defense. If they only see the act of murder by itself they will have a different opinion of that character than if they have the additional context around the situation, the circumstances and the motives/intentions. Their past experiences also play a huge role in how we view someone, do we see them as a victim, or the underdog, or are they a manipulator? What is it that made them turn to a life of crime or greed? </div><div><br />
</div><div>For my Love Sex Magick novel, this was a big issue that I had with my main character Chai. She can come off as superficial and insensitive to those around her. She is afraid of the magickal authority in the book but the reader doesn't know exactly what it is that is motivating that fear. The current justification on its own is too weak to feel realistic and credible, where as once I explained her family history, her connection to a known felon, and her sting with an underworld magickal gang, suddenly her actions and paranoia begin to feel more real. I used the same technique of revealing more of her backstory up front so that the reader understands the connection between her and the secondary character Yasmine and why she treats her differently from everyone else in the book.</div><div><br />
</div><div>For my current WIP Salem's Triad, I have three main characters and am switching POV between each of them. Which mean each character has to clearly establish themselves on the page and they have to be different from each other. The pacing of the book is much faster, and I have realized that I am going to have to work hard to ensure that in the first act the reader is invested in each character and has enough context to understand and by sympathetic towards them. </div><div><br />
</div><div><b>Changing Behaviors with Changing Networks</b></div><div>Another thing Card mentions is that people change when they are in the company of different individuals. We may present ourselves one way at work, another way with our friends and yet another way with our families. A great way to show a different side of a character is to put them in a scene where they have to interact with a different type of person. For my Mystery Classics class I just finished reading "Cop Hater" by Ed McBain</div><div><br />
</div><div><div style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">Questions I needed to Ask Myself:</div><div style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">After reading this book there were a couple of questions that I want to continue to reflect on as I make edits to my WIP. </div><div style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 19.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"></div><ol><li>Do I have the right scenes to allow my character to show who they are?</li>
<li>Did I give readers enough backstory to understand where my character has been and why she may behave a certain way?</li>
<li>Are there different types of people in their network that allow you to see all sides of this character? In some cases, since this is a trilogy, those relationships are developed and played out over a longer character/plot arc.</li>
<li>Consider the characters we hate. What do they do that makes us dislike them? Typically they deliberately cause someone else to suffer (physically or emotionally) that is usually not deserving of that suffering, they lie or betray people close to them. Are my bad characters bad enough? Are my good characters doing things that on the surface look bad?</li>
</ol><div>I'm going to use this as I think about my edits to my current WIP and I will include another brief post on the last third of the book that is devoted to POVs.</div><br />
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<!--WEBBOT bot="HTMLMarkup" Endspan --></div>Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12524536727555237762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6436692.post-72303307602911477412011-08-28T08:44:00.000-04:002011-08-28T08:44:13.155-04:00Back from Context 24One of my favorite activities throughout the year is hitting up the local conventions, be it scifi like Context or Marcon, or Romance ones like the COFW conf and writing retreat, they are great ways to connect with other authors and readers alike. Yesterday I was at Context, a small science fiction convention in Columbus and had a blast. Unlike the larger conferences, Context comes off as small, and intimate. You get a lot of one on one time with authors, agents or editors, including the Guest of Honor. That doesn't happen in larger conventions. Since I've been attending for years I've started to recognize a lot of name and made some great friends, many of whom I only get to see at conferences like this. Even if I don't sit on panels, I always leave feeling a little more recharged and excited about my writing.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><!--WEBBOT bot="HTMLMarkup" startspan ALT="Site Meter" -->
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<!--WEBBOT bot="HTMLMarkup" Endspan --></div>Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12524536727555237762noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6436692.post-64939076153955512242011-06-30T08:10:00.000-04:002011-06-30T08:10:59.886-04:00Back to Reality: Insights from a WPF NewbieIt's Thursday morning and I am still having trouble believing that I have been back from Seton Hill for 4 days. How is that possible? Or perhaps the more interesting question is why do I miss it so much? It's been hard to get back into my regular routine. I work from home and suddenly the house feels to quiet, to confining. I want to be creative and yet my projects feel stilted, the tasks not as interesting as they used to be. And yet there is so much to do. This never ending list of projects, tasks, chores, and now school work. It doesn't seem like there are enough hours in the day. Still I know that right now, this is my reality. I should embrace it, or at least try to. When I figure out the secret, I will let you know!<br />
<br />
For the time being here is what I have already learned.<br />
<br />
<br />
<ol><li>Do all the SHU Critiques prior to the residency. It sucks to have to find time during them to review people's work.</li>
<li>Take the day before off for travel. By that I mean, the day orientation starts, at 7 PM, take it off because travel always takes more time than you think. </li>
<li>Take the day after off for recovery. Although to be honest, I wasn't so much exhausted as I was desperate to test out all the new things that I learned. I wanted to dive right into my writing, instead I got to dive right into conference calls and problems that occurred at work during my vacation. I think part of my frustration stems from not being able to drown in my fictional world for a while.</li>
<li>Explain to people what a residency is. They don't know. Most of my co-workers think I was at a conference, lounging around poolside, and that I was back home by Friday. Even the ones I took the time to explain it to never seem to remember. Oh well. </li>
</ol><br />
So those are my immediate reflections thus far. Most important for me, I think is taking time off to ease back into to work, to settle into my new routine, and to find that balance. Right now I have no balance and little motivation as a result to do anything, including write or edit. But I have a long weekend coming up and I am hoping that will do the trick.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><!--WEBBOT bot="HTMLMarkup" startspan ALT="Site Meter" -->
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<!--WEBBOT bot="HTMLMarkup" Endspan --></div>Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12524536727555237762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6436692.post-17138839161781498692011-06-21T22:21:00.000-04:002011-06-21T22:21:40.734-04:00SHU Day One (or is i zero?)I made it! I am finally here in Greensburg at Seton Hill University for my very first official residency. Aside from getting completely turned around and finding myself lost before I even set foot on campus, I am having a blast. The rain that seems to have plagued Ohio seems to have skipped past western PA. The sun was shinning, it was hot and humid and just walking from my car to the admin building made me break out into a sweat. Why is it that the college campus is known for having crappy parking. I love that you can walk everywhere, but at this same time, I just wonder, why don't people just make more parking lots? Maybe it isn't aesthetically pleasing. I mean lets face it. It's a lot cuter to have 4 parking spaces in front of the admin building than say 40.<br />
<br />
Okay, whining aside, today was a good day. I've already meant tons of people, from newbies like me, first years, that the actually refer to as the ones, to the 5s who are in their fifth term and I think ready to graduate at the end of the residency. Thus far the faculty is a hoot. The writers are passionate, welcoming and committed to learning and improving their craft. The dorm room is clean, the AC actually works (though it doesn't feel like it until you've been in the building for 30 minutes), and the beds are not too uncomfortable. The only bad thing thus far, there seem to be no trashcans in the suite area, not even in the bathroom. Yet there is a stack of towels placed by the double sinks, I presume so that we can wash our hands, but alas we must carry the dirty, soiled waste around with us until it can be properly discarded.<br />
<br />
Note to self: there is actually life in Greensburg. Having family from small Ohio towns and gone to O.U. in Athens I've seen all different types of college towns. The main street and business district is actually a little bigger than I expected. A few miles down the street are all the comforts of home: Walmart, Panera and Starbucks. I'm going to have to venture back out at some point because I really need to find an alternative pair of shoes, and might want to pick up some milk for the fridge. Can't have my protein shake without milk, though I could but it doesn't taste as good made with water!<br />
<br />
I need to go to bed now, maybe read another story and prepare for tomorrow's classes!<div class="blogger-post-footer"><!--WEBBOT bot="HTMLMarkup" startspan ALT="Site Meter" -->
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<!--WEBBOT bot="HTMLMarkup" Endspan --></div>Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12524536727555237762noreply@blogger.com1