Herds of Lightning Bugs

You may think I’m joking but as I type this post I feel surrounded by blinking lights. I love lightning bugs. They remind me of being a small child and running around catching them in a mason jar and sleeping with them beside the bed. I remember catching one at a time. But this year they seem to have multiplied. Everywhere you look they’re are hundreds blinking.

It’s a nice, sultry night in Georgia. The rain has subsided and made way for clear skies. I’m enjoying sitting on my patio working on my current book as my hubby listens to guitar riffs on youtube via his phone.

It always inspires me to write when I sit outside in the twilight and watch the sun sink into the horizon. I feel like the sinking sun sometimes. As I work on the finishing touches of my latest work I wonder how I got this far. Well, for one I took a huge leap and jumped.

My mind is sort of like the lightning bugs. I keep coming up with new ideas for books and they just keep blinking in my head. I guess that’s a good problem for a writer.

Let yourself just drift into a story and watch what happens. I even came up with an idea about a children’s book just watching the lightning bugs. Funny how the ideas just pop into your head.

Hope everyone had a great Father’s Day. It would have been nicer if my Dad would have been here, but I know he’s up in Heaven smiling down on me tonight. Don’t forget to thank your Father above for all you are and have.

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

“All Author Blog Blitz” : Author: Melanie Cusick-Jones

This is my second post in the Goodreads “All Author Blog Blitz”. I’ll be featuring Melanie Cusick-Jones.

After graduating from The University of Sheffield with an English Literature Masters in 2003, Melanie has been writing fiction – time permitting – ever since.

The Ambrosia Sequence (started in 2008) and The Elementals (begun in 2004) are both ongoing, extended projects each containing several novels, aimed primarily at young adults and hover somewhere in the middle of sci-fi, futuristic and fantasy genres.

‘Hope’s Daughter’, released in January 2012, is her debut novel and the first of The Ambrosia Sequence; the companion book ‘The Rainbow Maker’s Tale’ is due in 2013, with the sequel ‘Outlanders’ coming in late 2013.
due after that.

When she’s not writing Melanie enjoys the wet weather of the north of England with her dogs or disappearing into a book for a few hours (no surprise there then). Unfortunately, all too often the ‘day job’ gets in the way of the nicer things in life!

Rainbow Maker’s Tale – Synopsis

“I wasted no time looking around the bland plastic space I had lived in all my life. There were no real memories here for me, no cherished moments or things to reminisce over: all that had stopped when I was eight years old and learned that life on the SS Hope was built on lies.”

Outwardly, Balik is an obedient member of society on Space Station Hope: he follows The Council’s systems, excels at school and seems happy to follow in his parents footsteps…

Balik’s real life is filled with secrets he can share with no one. As he follows his suspicions about the space station into ever more dangerous territory it seems like his whole world will unravel around him. But, he doesn’t understand everything: things are wrong, he is sure of that, he just doesn’t know why.

When Cassie unexpectedly comes into his life, Balik struggles to find his balance. For years he’s investigated the oddities of the world he lives in, but Cassie makes him question things in a different way… Can he believe in this girl who seems so much a part of the system he distrusts? Would she put a stop to his plans to break out if she knew what he was really up to? Balik can’t be sure of anything – except the fact that he can’t leave her alone.

(Note: The Rainbow Maker’s Tale can be read before, or after, the counterpart novel Hope’s Daughter).

Find the author:

Website – http://cusick-jones.com

Blog – http://melcj.com and http://asidefromwriting.com

Twitter @melabupa

Books available at: iBooks, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Sony and Goodreads

“All Authors Blog Blitz” – Author: Mariana Llanos

This is a “All Authors Blog Blitz” day from Goodreads. I’ve been given two authors to blog about today. It’s fun getting to know authors from all over the world and in different genres.

My first guest today is Mariana Llanos.

Blog Blitz featuring Mariana Llanos author of Tristan Wolf

Where do you live?

I live in the beautiful State of Oklahoma. I’ve lived here for eleven years but I’m original from Lima, Peru.

How long have you been a writer?

I write since I was very young. I started writing poetry and soon started doing school plays. I loved to adapt classic plays like Faust or Romeo and Juliet and turn them into comical skits. Then I moved on to short stories, some fantastic, some poetic-romantic, some others humorous. Writing has always been a part of me…but I decided to publish just a couple of years ago when I had the story of Tristan Wolf in my hands and I knew that it had to be printed and it had to be shared.

What genre do you like to write in?

I write fiction, generally short stories and I love writing for children. There’s something about their eyes, when you read to them. They believe you, but they will challenge you with limitless questions too.

Where do you like to go to write?

Since I have 3 young children I don’t have much of a place to hide (J)…but I’ve found out that if I wait until everyone is asleep (husband included) I can find a small window of opportunity to write, before sleep and exhaustion kick in. So I just grab my laptop and go to bed to write.

What was the inspiration for your book?

“Tristan Wolf” is a book that I wanted to write for my two boys. We’ve always enjoyed reading together, but I wanted to read to them something of my own. Tristan came to me one afternoon and he literally possessed me and made me tell his story. When I started with the phrase “Tristan was a loner…” I really didn’t know where I was going. But he knew and took me there.

What’s your favorite part of being a writer?

I love the look in people’s faces when I tell them that I have a book out. People really get excited about new writers and their enthusiasm warms my heart. I enjoy the many possibilities that writing gives me, not only to write books, but also essays, blog posts, book reviews, etc. It’s an awesome creative outlet. But my most favorite part is that my kids are proud of me. That alone suffices.

Do you have any books in the works?

I am working on a second story for Tristan Wolf. I have many ideas for a new series for middle graders and also a book for my little baby girl. I do have some stories in Spanish that I’d like to translate to English. I’m also trying to work in the bilingual version of Tristan Wolf. I just have to find the time to do it.

Let’s keep in touch!

Website: www.marianallanos.com

Blog: http://marianallanosauthor.blogspot.com

Twitter: @marianallanos

Facebook: www.facebook.com/tristanwolfofficial

Bio: http://about.me/marianallanos

Here’s where you can find Tristan Wolf:

http://www.amazon.com/Tristan-Wolf-Mariana-Llanos/dp/148205308X/ref=la_B00CFVV3P8_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1370843197&sr=1-1

Bio: Mariana Llanos is a Peruvian writer who lives in the United States for more than a decade. Married and mother of three, Mariana finds inspiration in her children and in her own childhood. She writes poetry and short stories since she was about 7 years old. In her native Lima, Peru, she dedicated herself to the theater and performing arts. Currently she works with young children at a preschool, where she likes to motivate them through music and the arts.

Tristan Wolf is available on Amazon.com and Full Circle Bookstore of Oklahoma City.

The Challenge of Creativity

Why do people constantly put writers down? Have you ever noticed the reaction that non-readers have when you say you’re a writer? Most of the time avid readers are excited and want to know more. But people that don’t read a lot just look at you like you’ve grown a set up horns.

For me it’s hard work to be a writer, an accountant, a children’s minister, a wife and a mom. Not to mention doing housework, finances for our Church and just living. But if it’s your dream and passion you do it through all the madness.

A writer’s life is a challenging one, especially if it’s not your full time job. Finding time to put your thoughts on paper is sometimes the real challenge. As for me it’s usually at night when my family is watching television or after they go to bed. A lot of my writing is done on Saturday after the housework is done and Sunday afternoon. But notes can be found everywhere because as a writer thoughts come into my head and I write them down for future use. Maybe it’s a picture I see, or a phrase I think would work in a scene or even a new book idea.

The fun part of being a writer is when you start building a fan base. The first time a fan emailed me I giggled a lot. It’s so nice to know someone likes your writing. I’m basically a humble person. I had a friend ask me the other day why I didn’t tell her I’m publishing books. I told her I just didn’t want to sound like I was bragging. She laughed and said well its bragging time. I just ducked my head and ran J

So, if you’re a writer, enjoy it. Make time for it and maybe even a special place to write. Mine is on the couch in the recliner with my ear buds in listening to the music I write by. That’s another post altogether.

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

How do you contain yourself?

As a writer you have to have some patience. Unfortunately when a story is pressing in on you patience is hard to find. When a story pops into my brain it normally comes in with a vengeance. It presses on my brain until I start writing it. I have to relieve the pressure of getting it started. Usually I get the story outlined before I forget what needs to be said.

When I start writing the story I get excited and can’t hardly wait to see how the middle and end unfold. I have to contain myself and not just jump through the story and leave out some important information. Sometimes I tend to want to see how it ends before it even begins. That’s kind of like reading a book and skipping to the end because you just have to know how it ends.

Remember if you do an outline, which is very important to me to keep me in line 🙂 then you need to stick with the outline. If you just have to skip ahead, then mark where you stopped and go back to fill in the important elements needed to make the story flourish.

Hope this helps. Remember you’ve got to be patient and let the story flow out. It’s hard, but if you practice you can do it.

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

“Embracing The Flames” : By Candace Knoebel

The Stone of Immortality has always been kept under the watch of the Draconta. That is, until the betrayal of a Fate. Now everything is about to change.

Aurora Megalos accepted her destiny without blinking-even if it meant succumbing to her dragon side. Deemed the Progeny, she left the ordinary life she knew and has done everything in her power to learn the ways of her new realm and what it means to be part dragon. But when her mentor, Astral, suddenly disappears, she is forced to take the reins.

With war on the brink, she sets out on an epic journey to not only find her mentor, but to stop her Arch Enemy, Zordon, from obtaining the Stone of Immortality. But what she discovers about him along the way is far worse than she could’ve ever imagined. She will be tested and pushed to the limit. Lives will be lost, love will be questioned, and a battle will begin.

This is the 2nd book in the “Born In Flames” Trilogy by my friend and author Candace Knoebel. The official release date is June 17th. Also check out Book one “Born In Flames”. Good luck Candace…

Candace Knoebel is the award-winning author of Born in Flames (a young adult fantasy trilogy).

Published by 48fourteen in 2012, Born in Flames went on to win Turning the Pages Book of the Year award in February of 2013. Embracing the Flames, the second in the trilogy, is scheduled for release in the summer of 2013.

Candace Knoebel discovered through lunch breaks and late nights after putting her kids to bed, a world where she could escape the ever-pressing days of an eight to five Purgatory. Since then, she crawled out of Purgatory and has devoted her time to writing and sometimes heelying.

Available on:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

KOBO

As always good writing and May God Bless You…

Being a Southern Writer

I’m often asked what it’s like to be a writer from the South. I usually shrug and say it’s like being a writer from the North I guess 🙂 Then they laugh and say they mean how do I write and not show my Georgia girl drawl in my writing?

Ok how do you write in a Georgia drawl 🙂 As a girl from the South I usually put a little southern flare in my writing I have to admit. It’s hard to take the southern out of the girl. I’m not ashamed of my Georgia drawl, because without it I wouldn’t be me.

Do you write in your own speech pattern? Sometimes it’s hard not to put some of yourself into your writing. So don’t try to change yourself just for your writing. That’s what makes you who you are. If you change who you are, you’re going to change your writing.

As always, good writing and May God Bless you….

Writing a book description

One of the hardest things in writing is the book description. Well at least for me. It’s so hard to put into a short paragraph the book you’ve poured your heart into. How do you summarize thousands of words into a short space. Here are a couple of pointers that I go by:

1: Don’t over write the description. This means that you don’t need to overdo it. You don’t need to tell everything. If you go into too much detail you lose the reader before they even get started.

2: Use a lot of descriptive words. You need to make the reader want to read your book. By using descriptive words you can lure them in.

3: Don’t give away too much. I read a description one day that actually told the plot of the book. I realized I didn’t want to read it after reading the description because the writer told what happened to the characters. It’s like telling who did it before you even know the players.

4: Remember you’re trying to sell your book. Think about it as writing an ad for your book. You want to hint at the best aspects. Maybe write it from the main characters view.

5: Some of the best book descriptions are short and to the point. So just get to the point and leave it.

This is just a couple of ways I try to describe my books. Maybe it will help you when you get ready to write your description.

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

Writing Backwards

Have you ever started a book at the end of the story and worked your way forward? Sometimes when I sit down with an idea for a book I start at where I want it to go. As you know from previous posts I like to do an outline for the story line. That way I stay in line. But sometimes it’s the end result of the story that drives me on.

I have a book that I’m working on and I’ve worked mostly on the ending. You may be going are you crazy. Well, yes, but that’s beside the point. The ending seems to inspire the beginning. It’s not as hard as it seems. Try it sometimes. You might be amazed.

Be sure if you do this method of writing that you keep the first part in the same style as the ending. An outline helps to keep that part in check. It’s really fun. It’s like walking backwards and using a mirror. You can always see where you’ve been, but you also see where you’re going.

Let me know if you’ve done this before. Or tell me if you try it out and if it helps. Sometimes the best stories start at the end and work their way backwards.

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…