Guest Blogger Jennifer Murgia

My blog is being hosted by the lovely Jennifer Murgia. LEMNISCATE is the sequel to her debut ANGEL STAR. The tour, hosted by Mundie Moms Book Reviews, runs from December 9 - 18th. Take it away Jennifer.

3 Key Important Steps to Creating Your World

     Ahh . . . a good book, there’s nothing like losing yourself in it, right?

     To me, creating a world requires three important steps: believable characters, plausible issues, and “grab you-suck you in-keep you there” world building.

     (Okay, fine, I’d add a fourth - which would be writing in the hot bad boy of the story, but I was

only asked for three. Tee hee!)

     Let’s start with the first, shall we?

     Believable characters - They should be relatable, interesting, sometimes the type you wish you could smack over the head and beg to listen, because after all, you’re the reader, and you can totally see what’s coming, right? Uh huh, that’s where it gets interesting. Sometimes, the best characters are the ones who don’t listen; the ones who tell YOU what’s going to happen, and if you don’t like it, too bad. Just like real life: annoyingly believable.

     My personal favorite is the type I like to call the “human onion”. Little by little, you peel a layer back, and see what’s hiding underneath. I usually like my characters to have a secret by the time the last layer is pulled away, because more often than not, that secret is what makes the character three dimensional. It gives validity to their initial behavior throughout the story, and perhaps a taste of something yet to come.

     Plausible issues – nothing like a good hurdle to split your brain open! Allowing your characters depth is number one. Give them life. Let them feel, let them bleed, let them lash out and then think about what they’ve done. Pull today’s issues into the plot – bullying, love, jealousy.

     Today’s hottest books are Dystopian. Shelves are full of futuristic, one ruling government, coming of age, rebelling for all the right reasons type of stories. I can’t get enough of them, and I’m finding rather quickly, that this might be my favorite type of YA book at the moment. Are they plausible? Are they fantasy? Hmmm. Honestly, I’ve always wondered if the entertainment industry has something over us. Take a look at movies that depict end of the world, apocalyptic settings. What are they REALLY preparing us for? Since most of humanity relies on being entertained in one way or another, could this be a subliminal way to reach us? To help us plant that seed of “what if” in our heads?

     Lastly, the “grab you-suck you in-keep you there” world building! World building reminds me of a tea bag. You drop the tea bag into the water and slowly, the infusion begins. It builds, stretching and taking over until the entire mug is consumed. Every element must be included: sounds, smells, emotions, character quirks, movements, thoughts. I remember reading The Hunger Games and closing the book, feeling Panem was a REAL place. The arena was vivid and alive.

      Ultimately, let what you write teem with life. Give it breath and become it – chances are, while you’re writing, if you become immersed, your readers will too.

I want to thank Jennifer for stopping by my blog to give us some great advice. Now, if you haven't already, by all means go and check out her books and pick them up. Please visit Mundie Moms Book Reviews for more information on the tour.

You can visit the Lemniscate webpage or you can go to Amazon | Barnes and Noble to purchase these books.

Here are the blog tour dates and sites so you can go and check them out. 

12/9- Mundie Moms, tour kick off

12/10- Reader Girls, review & giveaway

12/11- Regina-Unsettled, guest post

12/12- Confessionofavi3tbabe, character interview

12/13- Clean Fiction, review & giveaway

12/14- ReaderBenj, guest post

12/15- A Blog About Nothing, excerpt

12/16- Pager Turners Blog, review

12/17- The Book Vortex, author interview
12/18- Mundie Moms, mini character & author interview

Meet the Author Jennifer Murgia. You can follow Jennifer on Twitter and Facebook, and visit her site here. 

Giveaway: 

During the duration of the tour, be sure to enter Jennifer Murgia's Be An Angel, Give A Book Contest. Purchase a copy of Angel Star or Lemniscate during the month of December and email your receipt to jennifermurgia8@gmail.com for your chance to be "an angel". Both books in the name of the winner randomly chosen will be donated to that winner's choice of library. ALL those who enter, will be entered to win a Goodie Basket of Lands Atlantic books. That winner will be announced on Jan. 2nd, 2012 on Jennifer's site.

Praise and Advice

So…this is my first year in trying NaNoWriMo. I have watched many of you either pound through it or struggle at times, but I have always thought you to be the boldest, bravest people I know. I salute you and now, you have forced me to put on my big girl panties and deal with it.

Thankfully I have not totally stalled yet on this project. I know we are only a few days in, but sometimes finding the time to write is not always ideal. I squeeze what I can in when the moments present themselves but those are few and far between.

I have gained knowledge and strength in reading and watching you (my peers) through your different life stories and processes to get a handle on all the things that you multi-task in your lives. I am grateful for the life I have and the people in it.

If it weren’t for those people, then I would have drowned by now. Among you are some really great life preservers and I am thrilled to be part of your community. So I pose this question to you about writing.

Do you give them what they want, or do you give them what they need?

I guess that I want to know if you follow the trends that people are eating up right now or are you giving them something off the chart to mix it up a bit? I am always involved in so many projects at home that I don’t know which way is up, so I have a little bit of everything.

Also, since this is my first NaNoWriMo year, does anyone have any advice or suggestions? What has been the most beneficial for you during this process?

Change is coming!

There have been many unforeseen circumstances that have kept me away from this wonderful place for so long. I am working on some new and hopefully exciting things to post. My family continues to heal gradually and are striving to conquer the black cloud that has been looming overhead.

I have found some new inspiration and hope to share that as well. Glad that everyone is still hanging out and wondering who all is signed up for NaNoWriMo this year? This is my fist year so if anyone has some advice, I'd love to hear it.

Best wishes.

Glow (Sky Chasers #1) by Amy Kathleen Ryan & a Giveaway!!

Here is the Goodreads Blurb:

What if you were bound for a new world, about to pledge your life to someone you'd been promised to since birth, and one unexpected violent attack made survival—not love—the issue?

Out in the murky nebula lurks an unseen enemy: the New Horizon. On its way to populate a distant planet in the wake of Earth's collapse, the ship's crew has been unable to conceive a generation to continue its mission. They need young girls desperately, or their zealous leader's efforts will fail. Onboard their sister ship, the Empyrean, the unsuspecting families don't know an attack is being mounted that could claim the most important among them...


Fifteen-year-old Waverly is part of the first generation to be successfully conceived in deep space; she was born on the Empyrean, and the large farming vessel is all she knows. Her concerns are those of any teenager—until Kieran Alden proposes to her. The handsome captain-to-be has everything Waverly could ever want in a husband, and with the pressure to start having children, everyone is sure he's the best choice. Except for Waverly, who wants more from life than marriage—and is secretly intrigued by the shy, darkly brilliant Seth.


But when the Empyrean faces sudden attack by their assumed allies, they quickly find out that the enemies aren't all from the outside.

Here is my Take:

Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a Goodreads First reads win for me.

If you adored Across the Universe by Beth Revis then you will enjoy Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan. It is a breathtaking journey across space with fifteen year old Waverly and her soon to be husband and Captain in training Kieran.

Come to find out that there are two identical ships launched one year apart, the New Horizon and the Empyrean. Each crew is different. One crew is religious and finds that it is lacking the ability to reproduce. They have delayed their mission to New Earth to wait for the Empyrean to aid them in their research to help them develop ways to remedy this but it is too late when they find out that the New Horizon have an agenda of their own.

Waverly finds crucial information that helps her understand how the New Horizon was plagued with their problems and who was responsible and also the conditions that the Empyrean was left in when she was taken to help the New Horizon with their fertility problems.

It is up to Waverly to decide if she wants to free Seth to help her set the Empyrean free from Kieran and another attack from the New Horizon.

This book is highly recommended to those who love YA Science Fiction

View all my reviews

Giveaway time. Guess what? I have an extra copy of this ARC....who wants it? Yeah, I know it is being released next week, but hey. Free book anyone?

RULES:

Must be a GCF

Must fill out this form below.

Giveaway deadline is September 16, 2011!

Famished by Lauren Hammond

I loved this book from the moment I started reading it. It makes me want to know more and making me crazy with the unknown. So if you haven't gotten a chance to pick up this book then please go do it now. I don't think that you will be disappointed at all.

Here is the Goodreads Blurb:
There is no United States. There is no world. An asteroid has destroyed what the human race knew as earth and The Great Famine has wiped out most of the surviving human population. For the few remaining survivors, food is scarce-- precious--a luxury. A luxury that most humans can’t find.

Seventeen year old Georgina Carver is fortunate. She’s survived the destruction. She eats three times a day while the rest of humanity is plagued by The Great Famine. And she’s safe, hidden away in an underground colony with her family and several other families of survivors.

All of that changes the day she’s randomly selected to be a gatherer. Georgina must leave her safe yet simple world and venture out into a world unknown. A vast, dangerous, destroyed world that could literally eat her alive.

After Georgina is severely injured, her life begins to fall apart. She can’t remember how she got home or what happened to her while she was on the new earth. The boy she is crushing on avoids her and she keeps having visions that involve an unknown person with violet eyes.

As Georgina begins to unravel the truth, it doesn’t take her long to figure out that maybe her safe yet simple life isn’t that safe at all.


My Take:
Famished by Lauren Hammond
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wowza. I loved reading this book so much I did it all at once. I couldn't stand not knowing what was going to happen next. Craving Hunger Games from Suzanne Collins? Yeah, then you will eat this series up. It will leave you FAMISHED and wanting more by the last page.


I won this book from Lauren and am so happy I got the chance to read it. A wonderful story about a colony living underground trying to survive. Georgina is one tough young lady and has heroine written all over her.


When her name is drawn from the lottery and she is paired with her long time crush, Colin, things are looking really hot and steamy. When they get to the surface to look for supplies things go from bad to worse. They have two separate lists to shop from and have to try to dig through rocks, dirt and debris for what they need.


Once they leave each others side, the adventure begins and unknowingly Georgina will meet an ally that will help her survive. A small mixture of a love triangle is in the desolate air.


Recommended for all YA lovers of dystopian times.


View all my reviews

Spread The Love Contest: The Sky is Everywhere

First I need to apologize for the lengthy absence I have shown on my blog lately. I have had a very trying month. My father suffered a stroke on August 4^th and we are still trying to get him back on track at home. My mother was also just diagnosed with breast cancer. She is have a mastectomy on August 31^st. I have been dealing with those medical emergencies but am glad to say that I have a great opportunity for you all. I am a couple weeks late on getting this posted so here goes.

I just finished THE SKY IS EVERYWHERE by Jandy Nelson. It was poetic, romantic and full of raw emotion. Here's the blurb:

Seventeen-year-old Lennie Walker, bookworm and band geek, plays second clarinet and spends her time tucked safely and happily in the shadow of her fiery older sister, Bailey. But when Bailey dies abruptly, Lennie is catapulted to center stage of her own life - and, despite her nonexistent history with boys, suddenly finds herself struggling to balance two. Toby was Bailey's boyfriend; his grief mirrors Lennie's own. Joe is the new boy in town, a transplant from Paris whose nearly magical grin is matched only by his musical talent. For Lennie, they're the sun and the moon; one boy takes her out of her sorrow, the other comforts her in it. But just like their celestial counterparts, they can't collide without the whole wide world exploding.



I loved Lennie, and I really connected to her. I know that if you read this, you will not be disappointed.

Now, on to the fun part! Casey Mccormick @ Literary Rambles started this contest back in February and it is still going strong! I won my lucky copy from Eliza Tilton  and now it's time for one of my followers to win theirs.

Here are the rules:

Since this is a pay-it-forward contest the winner must agree to hold the same contest on their blog, preferably within two weeks. All you need to do leave a comment below. If you tweeted or Facebooked the information, let me know that as well. Deadline is next Friday, 9/9. USA only.

Athena's Curse by Stacey Darlington

Goodreads Blurb:
Is it a curse or a gift of the gods?

Thirteen-year-old Asudem has a hard enough time having snakes instead of hair but now her eyes have a burning new power that turns living things into stone. She sets out across the most dangerous part of Lower Olympus to learn how she got this infuriating ability. Her best friends, Drella the Goddess of Chaos and Vanity and Pretal the Lion Goddess, join her as she battles past the most terrifying monsters of Greek mythology on her journey to find the answers. Can she discover where she fits in this world of gods and goddesses?

My Thoughts:
Athena's Curse by Stacey Darlington
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Middle Grade novel

Pages 144

Published by Bedazzled Ink Publishing and their Dragonfeather book imprint

www.dragonfeatherbooks.com

Cover Design by: Deborah Davidson


Let me start by saying that I love, love, love this amazing cover. It is vibrant and fun and stunningly beautiful. This is a story of coming to age with thirteen-year-old Asudem on a journey of self discovery. She's thirteen, her head is covered with 14 beautiful and individual snakes. Each one has their own name and personality. Her eyes burn red and can turn living objects to stone with a heated glance.


Asudem is accompanied by her friends Drella and Pretal. They are very detrimental in Asudem's quest to  find her destiny. They make an equal amount of friends and enemies during this adventure and it will keep you wondering what is going to happen next.


Asudem's journey would not be as fun, adventurous, or enlightening without all the help and guidance she receives along the way. This book is a great read for those looking for a new adventure into mythology and the Gods. Very clever read.


View all my reviews

Hot Seat with Cally Jackson!

Today I am being Roasted    Hosted over at Cally Jackson's blog at Cally Jackson Writes so I please visit over there as I am away steeping in my ice bath trying to recover. If your feeling up to it, sign up with Cally for your turn in the Hot Seat. It is a blast and she is a wonderful hostess!

This the the HOT SEAT, come sit and have a chat with Cally!
I also have some Google+ invites I can hand out. Let me know if you need one and send me your email address!

Left, Right, … no, go Straight!

Image by jimmyharris via Flickr

Way back when I was a teenager, I used to play a game with my friends on the weekends. We would jump in the car and play left, right, straight. Once we start driving we would take turns telling the driver which way to go.

Yes, you can get lost out in some really awesomely spooky country settings this way but it is totally hilarious and fun. Many times we would be indecisive on where to go so this was always a fun way to spend our time and find new adventures.

I sometimes relate this to my writing because when you are in a scene and getting ready for another chapter you may not know where to take it. So it is similar to playing this game. You might make them turn left into some obstacle or right to find some wonderful adventure. But you can also keep them on the straight and narrow to keep the story on track to build the story a little more.

Everything that we do with our writing is sort of this game of chance to see where we will end up. I love the adventure and will always be willing to play along. The surprises of turning off course once in awhile always surprise me in the most unexpected ways and lead my characters and stories down paths that I would have not normally plotted out for them.

It is my joy of being a punster because I don’t make any definite decisions for where my story will go and it will flow as I turn or stay on course. And yes, occasionally I get lost, but it is finding my way back that completes my journey.

Have you had anything like this happen to you or can you relate your writing to? Tell me what your writing is like.


Also look for me Thursday over at Cally Jackson's blog. I landed my tush in the HOT SEAT! Read how I sweat it out.

Werewolf Descent by Elizabeth J. Kolodziej

Werewolf Descent by Elizabeth J. Kolodziej

My rating: 4 of 5 stars




Well now I am on the edge of my seat again. We last left Faith with Trent recovering from a butt kicking journey of her discovering her heritage of becoming a witch, being stalked by slayers, her mother revealing more than Faith wanted to know about her father's death and an uncertain fate.

Now just when Faith and Trent think that they can start building their new relationship, a new man moves to town. Vincent -- a psychic vampire, who is obsessed with Faith and is likely to move in on Trent's territory. But the problem is, Faith feels the surge of energy too when she is with Vincent. He cannot be ignored. But the question that begs to be answered is will she?

Faith's connection with Zou Tai is tested when they find that the werewolf pack is being hunted and the werewolves are being murdered. She is willing to do what she can to protect him and help his family from being kidnapped and slaughtered. Faith soon realizes that her powers will be tested when she is up against a powerful alchemist.

Friendships, bonds and futures are strained, bent and tested through this magnetically charged novel as Faith and her team go up against deadly forces, deceptive gods and love. This book was very seductive and alluring making it a tough choice for Faith.

Elizabeth surprises me again and has me wanting more as I am yet again salivating over her latest creation!

You can also read my review of her first book Vampire Kisses here.
If you want more information on Elizabeth and her work go here.


View all my reviews

The Lake - Banana Yoshimoto

I got the chance to read this from NetGalley

Goodreads Blurb:
A major literary sensation is back with a quietly stunning tour de force about a young woman who falls for a cult escapee.

While The Lake shows off many of the features that have made Banana Yoshimoto famous—a cast of vivid and quirky characters, simple yet nuanced prose, a tight plot with an upbeat pace—it’s also one of the most darkly mysterious books she’s ever written.
It tells the tale of a young woman who moves to Tokyo after the death of her mother, hoping to get over her grief and start a career as a graphic artist. She finds herself spending too much time staring out her window, though ... until she realizes she’s gotten used to seeing a young man across the street staring out his window, too.
They eventually embark on a hesitant romance, until she learns that he has been the victim of some form of childhood trauma. Visiting two of his friends who live a monastic life beside a beautiful lake, she begins to piece together a series of clues that lead her to suspect his experience may have had something to do with a bizarre religious cult. . . .
With its echoes of the infamous, real-life Aum Shinrikyo cult (the group that released poison gas in the Tokyo subway system), The Lake unfolds as the most powerful novel Banana Yoshimoto has written. And as the two young lovers overcome their troubled past to discover hope in the beautiful solitude of the lake in the country- side, it’s also one of her most moving.

What I thought:
The Lake by Banana Yoshimoto

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Chihiro becomes distant from her father and sees her dead mother. She is very much and introvert and loves watching out her window until she finds that she is has something in common with another neighbor in the apartment complex who window watches as well.



Chihiro befriends her window watching neighbor Nakajima and begins an intimate relationship but doesn't know how much of a commitment either one can have. Nakajima has some traumatic past experience that Chihiro is trying to figure out.



It took me awhile to get into this book. It was a good read but it didn't have me right away.



View all my reviews

Rules of Attraction - Simone Elkeles

Goodreads Blurb:

When Carlos Fuentes returns to America after living in Mexico for a year, he doesn’t want any part of the life his older brother, Alex, has laid out for him at a high school in Colorado . Carlos likes living his life on the edge and wants to carve his own path—just like Alex did. Then he meets Kiara Westford. She doesn’t talk much and is completely intimidated by Carlos’ wild ways. As they get to know one another, Carlos assumes Kiara thinks she’s too good for him, and refuses to admit that she might be getting to him. But he soon realizes that being himself is exactly what Kiara needs right now.

What I thought:

Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This doesn't leave off where Alex and Brittany did in Perfect Chemistry. Instead it focuses on his younger brother Carlos. He comes back to live with Alex while Alex is in college. A rival gang of Carlos' in town is looking to recruit him into their new family.



However when Carlos gets busted with drugs, he is forced to go and live with friends of Alex's and starts to develop a strange friendship with Kiara. Kiara is the daughter of the professor that Carlos is staying with and she doesn't want to admit that she is falling in love with Carlos.



Carlos is in over his head with El Diablo is threatening his family if he doesn't join them. Kiara strains the boundary of their friendship and pushes the limits of their passion.



This book is highly recommended for those who love YA contemporary.



View all my reviews

Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles

Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I cannot even begin to tell you how much fun I had reading this book. Since I read all formats on all devices, I will tell you I read this one on my iPhone through my Kindle App. This book had it all, fun, mystery, romance and quirky YA sardonic undertones.


When school pop-princess, Brittany Ellis is paired with macho gang member Alex Fuentes in their Chemistry class, all hell breaks loose. I almost fell out of my chair and truly laughed out loud when I read their partner introductions. That brought me back to high school in a big way. Assigned seating and getting a short Q & A with your new lab partner and then having to introduce them to the class.


All of Alex’s sarcastic and perverted advances to Brittany during Chemistry fail. His hatred of everything she stands for makes him do the unthinkable. Alex makes a bet with one of his friends to seduce Brittany Ellis and win a car.


The only thing that Alex doesn’t count on is falling for her. Brittany has many challenges that she faces in her home that not everyone is aware of. Her sister Shelly has Cerebral Palsy and doesn’t communicate well. Britt’s parents expect her to be perfect, but she can’t and goes into total rebellion when her parents decide to send her sister away.

Alex is in the Blood to protect his family. His mother and two brothers that were left behind after his father was murdered. Alex is man of the house and must find balance between both his and Brittany’s worlds. Alex is plagued with more trouble when he goes around questioning his father’s murder. He finds more than he bargains for.


They both make enemies and unexpected allies along their path or romance. I would highly recommend this book to everyone. Especially those drawn to YA contemporary.



View all my reviews

Next I am reading Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles.

Books Galore!

Wow, there are so many wonderful things going on right now that it is so hard to keep up.

I have also been making some huge headway on some of my projects. I have completed over 16,000 words on my new WIP and am taking under advisement critique information from my partners on my first book. There are a lot of ideas and help coming from them. I am so appreciative.

On my book obsession front, I am getting rained on with books lately by winning contests and such. This is my lucky month. Books I recently got were

The Warlock: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel #5 Mind you that I have not read this series yet, so I have a lot of catching up to do. That is happening to me a lot lately.

I won the ebook Dirty Blood – by Heather Hildebrandt from Nightly Reading, which I have already read. J  See my review here!

Courtesy the author via Goodreads – First Reads

  

Pig Boy by J.C. Burke

Glow: Sky Chasers #1 by Amy Kathleen Ryan

I have won two other books this way. Love these opportunities.

City of Fallen Angels UK Copy – Courtesy Afterglow and Jen Daiker who you know from Unedited!

So it looks as if I need to acquire the Cassandra Claire series so that I can actually reap my reward. Can’t read it until I read the other three. Tsk, Tsk…This happened to me with Carrie Ryan’s books as well.

Dance with a Vampire by Ellen Schreiber Courtesy Beth Fred   Again this is the 4^th book in the series. I need the other three.

Honey! I need to go to the bookstore! I just need to fill in the gaps. I only need 10 books. Argh! I can never keep up, but I love it!!

Recently Read:

Solstice by P.J. Hoover 
Let me tell you something about P.J. She is AWESOME!! Psst. I also have those awesome trading cards see here. Yup. They’re mine and I am not giving them away. She also wrote me a really sweet note. Like I said, she is really great. If you haven’t looked into Solstice yet, do it. It is a really exciting book!! Show her some love!

I also just spoke to a friend of mine who has a Nook and we are discussing experimenting with the lend feature…I know. I am really excited about this. I haven’t implemented it yet but think it is an interesting idea.

So what are you reading? Looking forward to reading?

Rule Breaker, Rule Breaker -- Oh so naughty!

In honor of the release of POSSESSION by Elana Johnson, (eek) I am to tell you about the time I broke the rules. I must clarify that this post is intended for fun only and not to incriminate myself and be held accountable for things that happened during my teenage years. All names and places have been changed to protect the crew innocent people that participated in said event. J

So the year was 1991 and it was one of those lazy, humidly staggering days. Some of my misfits that choose to accept me were hanging out playing a very challenging game of basketball at one of the local parks. As evening loomed over the hoop at us, we notice some really--what we at the time would call HOT guys coming to join us.

My girls—A, B and C were drooling over said boys in the group and were very excited to play some b-ball with some full contact horseplay. Delightful. Young lust. Sweating profusely, we were ready to cool off, however, it was really late and too late to wander to one of our swimming reservoirs without injury.

So one of us (me) gets this stupid idea of going swimming at the pool which is closed because it was approaching midnight. Yeah, so what did we do? We scaled the fence and jumped in the public pool. A few of my girlfriends (A & B – you know who you are—but I still love ya) were skittish about this plan and declined immediately. I couldn’t be deterred. C went with me and we enjoyed a quick dip with some fantastic guys. I think I did it more to impress the boys than I did to cool off. That is one of my color insights to break the rules!!

Disclosure: If you are one of my children and you are reading this – this is a totally fictitious story and mommy would never do anything like that in her life. DO NOT, I repeat…DO NOT act like the yahoos in the story above.

 If you are one of the local law enforcement officers of that town where that particular pool would happen to reside… no damage was done to the public property. The grass floating all over the place was already there, I swear! The only damage was handsome 1 ripped his shirt on the fence in our hasty exit. Tragic! 

Winner of Skylight Confessions!

I just want to thank everyone who participated in my 100^th post giveaway contest to win Skylight Confessions by Alice Hoffman. 

We all as aspiring and published writers it is important for us to support one another to achieve our maximum potential. The outreach and support is what keeps me going. I love to try to do whatever I can to help out other writers…beta reading, critiquing, or just listening when they are troubled or having a bad day.

Everyone I meet in life through my journey impacts my character and so many people have helped strengthen my character.

So without further ado…our wonderful winner is:

~Tanya Reimer~

Tanya is a wonderful blogger/writer who can be found at : Life's Like That

Tanya, I have emailed you and am waiting to get your information so that I can sent it out to you!

If you haven’t stopped by to congratulate her on her win and check out her blog, you should!!

Again, thanks for all of those who participated or just dropped by to congratulate me on my 100^th post. You are all fantastic and wonderful people!

100th Post is a Contest!

Since I have made it this far in my blogging career and March was my one year bloggiversary, I think that I need to have another contest! So enough is enough. This is going to be short and sweet.

So I have a bunch of books to read because I have got some new ones and noticed that I have two copies of one. So one of you lucky participants are going to have the opportunity to win this delightful little gem. I just think that the cover is beautiful.

Goodreads blurb: 


"Achingly beautiful and filled with heart-wrenchingly real characters: one of Hoffman's best." -Kirkus Reviews (starred review) Writing at the height of her powers, Alice Hoffman conjures three generations of a family haunted by love. Cool, practical, and deliberate, John is dreamy Arlyn's polar opposite. Yet the two are drawn powerfully together even when it is clear they are bound to bring each other grief. Their difficult marriage leads them and their children to a house made of glass in the Connecticut countryside, to the avenues of Manhattan, and to the blue waters of Long Island Sound. Glass breaks, love hurts, and families make their own rules. Ultimately, it falls to their grandson, Will, to solve the emotional puzzle of his family and of his own identity."Hoffman's shimmering, multigenerational melodrama bewitches with supernatural imagery while imaginatively dramatizing all-too-common heartaches." -Booklist"Alice Hoffman has written her most spellbinding, accomplished novel yet. . . . Although this is Hoffman's nineteenth book, it feels utterly fresh.Her voice-touched by the cadences of fairy tales-buoys us through the novel's saddest currents." 


So all you have to do is fill out THIS FORM and I will be closing the contest on June 1st at midnight and picking a winner! Best wishes to all of you! 


If you are following me and I am not following you back yet, drop me a comment and I will remedy that quickly!! 

Mental Constipation...are you a sufferer?

Hello all of my wonderful lovelies! And how have you been lately? I have been silently stalking and have seen that after the A to Z Challenge that most of you participated in, you have still been keeping very busy. Me...yeah, well, ya know.

So this is me lately!! :(  I have been suffering from mental constipation in the writing department. I remember it used to be volcanic, like verbal diarrhea coming out of all directions of my brain and not it is there but when I want to write --nothing wants to come out --CONSTIPATION!!

Has this ever happened to you? I can barely stand it. It drives me nuts. I think that is the brunt of all of my migraines these days. I have NO release valve for this retention that won't come out. So I need to tap into it or find some type of laxative to coax all of it out!

So anyway, I have a new obsession besides reading (a ton) and some writing that leaks out with much straining, I love to watch Camelot on Stars.

(Aurthur is played by Jamie Campbell and his sister who is vying for the throne is Morgan played by Eva Green pictured above)
For those of you who don't watch it (some really smoldering actors and actresses) acting out in the realm of King Aurthur. My favorite is Merlin....

Need I say more. This man played by Joseph Fiennes is wicked sexy and he is everything that you would want Merlin to be. He is the epitome of magic in my opinion. Watching him gives me shivers....see, right there, did you feel that. Wowza! It is on every Friday night and I just adore it! This character is brilliant. The thing with Merlin is that using his power costs him...it puts a toll on his mind and body. He must choose wisely what to use his powers on and when. Morgan is disgustingly dark but beautiful. Eva Green is fantastic.

So anyway, that's me. I have also decided to quit taking my migraine medication because the side effects are more troublesome than having a migraine. I think I can handle a headache compared to some of the problems I have been facing due to the side effects. Which could be causing some of my mental constipation.

Any suggestions on fixing my mental constipation...who has the laxatives?

Solid: Book Review

Solid by: Shelley Workinger       

I want to thank Shelley Workinger for sending me a free copy to read in order to give a review in light of the release of the second book in the series Settling coming out July 4, 2011. 

Solid is a captivating tale of a group of teenagers brought together by the mere fact that they were unknowingly genetically altered at birth for military use. They are brought to a military base camp and told about their possible mutations and start to make bonds with other characters through out the book. 

Our main character is Calliope Kaid or Clio as she is called by friends. She is socially awkward and doesn't always say the right things around cute boys like Jack Vallard. Clio and the rest of the group of teens soon find out weather or not the genetic altering has given them any abilities and they learn to utilize them. 

I am really looking forward to continuing the journey with Clio and her friends by reading Settling. This book really will appeal to those who enjoy YA paranormal.

Photography to Writing

Image by Brian Auer via Flickr

When I was in high school I used to be the yearbook photographer and go to games and all other events to take pictures, so I was really good at people watching. So here I sit now with this wonderful passion to write. Today the thought struck me how much writing is like photography. Well, not today’s digital photography, but before digital. 

First there is the picture: You look around to see what captivates you and gets your heart fluttering to make you think, I want to capture that moment.

The same is for your story idea. You find something you are passionate enough to write about. 

Both of them need focus and great detail. They also can be determined by speed. The slower or faster the speed can determine the impact your photo or story makes.

You will be able to throw all kinds of options at this point: filters, angles, exposure.

The most important step is that they both need developed. (First draft)

Then you will get your negatives (bones of your story) and need to make some prints. From there you will want to put it into your enlarger (start editing). You will crop, angle, contrast, resize, dodging, burning in, use toner, angle and choose your paper. (colored pens, beta readers, cutting/adding scenes, favorite candies/snacks and all the other ways we edit!)

Now you have your photo (rough MS). Now that you have worked it to how you want it to look it is time to develop it. You will first soak it in the developer. (Go through and fix all the things that you corrected during your edit). Then it is time to put it in thestop bath. Which stops the developing solution. (Let the new changes sit for a little bit). Now it is time to run it through the fix. Once is in the fix, it is set and you will really see what is there. (Finished manuscript).

Now the great thing about pictures is that you can process as many as you want until you get them just the way you want. (Re-write your MS as many times as you need to until you like it).

So that is how I relate something that I used to do to something that I do now.

How about you? Is there anything that you used to do that you can relate to your writing now? I want to know.