Yeah, I'm doing Zee in place of The for my last post of the challenge. I have a really good reason though. It's the end of the challenge and I wanted to do a give away for it. See? It's a good reason! Especially since I want to give away a copy of Being Human. That makes it an excellent reason, right?
I'll make this post short and sweet. Giveaway is international so don't worry about that. I'll post the winner to the book and names of people who won bookmarks in my reflections post. This giveaway ends May 7th.
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Friday, April 27, 2012
Your Goals
A slight problem I had when signing up for the A to Z challenge was would I be able to get my Are You Writing Now? post in at the end of the month? I didn't want to cheat, but then I got inspiration as you can see by the post title. Go me!
Okay, for those of you visiting from the challenge and don't know what AYWN is. The intention is to set monthly goals and at the end of the month blog about those goals, whether or not you've achieved them or not and visit other blogs participating and give them encouragement and support for their goals. You can also tweet the hashtag #AYWN to find blog posts or tweet encouragement.
It's a small group so far and our posts tend to be sporadic. But it's been helpful to me. I'm not one to set goals so I wasn't sure if I'd even be able to keep them. My first month, I was happy to report I had reached all my goals. Next month, I scraped my goals for completely new ones that I met. This past month, my goals... well, I did good and bad.
Okay, for those of you visiting from the challenge and don't know what AYWN is. The intention is to set monthly goals and at the end of the month blog about those goals, whether or not you've achieved them or not and visit other blogs participating and give them encouragement and support for their goals. You can also tweet the hashtag #AYWN to find blog posts or tweet encouragement.
It's a small group so far and our posts tend to be sporadic. But it's been helpful to me. I'm not one to set goals so I wasn't sure if I'd even be able to keep them. My first month, I was happy to report I had reached all my goals. Next month, I scraped my goals for completely new ones that I met. This past month, my goals... well, I did good and bad.
Thursday, April 26, 2012
eXcited!
I think out of the whole A to Z challenge, X is the evilest word. Last year, that was my X post. How evil the letter X was. LOL
Anyways, for the past few months when it came to story ideas, I had none. Nada, zip, zero. It was very depressing. Especially with everyone else talking about getting new ideas all the time. Where were mine? Had my creativity dried up? At least I had finished and partial WIPs to keep me busy, I told myself. Snapshots and Out of Secrets have some changes that need to be made, and I'm getting close to finishing rewriting Leaves of Fall. But of course, all those WIPs have recently been pushed aside by, you guessed it, shiny new idea!
The idea came from the A to Z challenge and the blog Pixies Don't Have Wings. I love learning about different mythical creatures and there is a new one every day at PDHW. N's post really stuck with me and soon gears began to turn. What if if a young neck/näck/näkki/nøkk (there's a few different names) was found abandoned by a river and adopted by humans who didn't know he wasn't one of them? What if he grew up with a fierce love of water and music? What if he was also really angry? All these questions turned into a story and Puck was born.
Now you should know, Puck is not mischievous at all and the fact he has the same name as a mischievous fairy in English folklore annoys him to no end. Also, the mythology behind neck/näck/näkki/nøkk doesn't say anything about them being angry but say they have shape shifting abilities. That's just me tweaking the mythology a bit. I hope to explain why the myths on neck/näck/näkki/nøkk he finds is going to differ from how he is as part of the story. I'm just excited to be writing a new story again, that no, I haven't lost my creativity, and that I have a topic for my X post. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to torture Puck a bit more.
Anyways, for the past few months when it came to story ideas, I had none. Nada, zip, zero. It was very depressing. Especially with everyone else talking about getting new ideas all the time. Where were mine? Had my creativity dried up? At least I had finished and partial WIPs to keep me busy, I told myself. Snapshots and Out of Secrets have some changes that need to be made, and I'm getting close to finishing rewriting Leaves of Fall. But of course, all those WIPs have recently been pushed aside by, you guessed it, shiny new idea!
The idea came from the A to Z challenge and the blog Pixies Don't Have Wings. I love learning about different mythical creatures and there is a new one every day at PDHW. N's post really stuck with me and soon gears began to turn. What if if a young neck/näck/näkki/nøkk (there's a few different names) was found abandoned by a river and adopted by humans who didn't know he wasn't one of them? What if he grew up with a fierce love of water and music? What if he was also really angry? All these questions turned into a story and Puck was born.
Now you should know, Puck is not mischievous at all and the fact he has the same name as a mischievous fairy in English folklore annoys him to no end. Also, the mythology behind neck/näck/näkki/nøkk doesn't say anything about them being angry but say they have shape shifting abilities. That's just me tweaking the mythology a bit. I hope to explain why the myths on neck/näck/näkki/nøkk he finds is going to differ from how he is as part of the story. I'm just excited to be writing a new story again, that no, I haven't lost my creativity, and that I have a topic for my X post. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to torture Puck a bit more.
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Wifey
So my friend, Lor and I are quite the chatty couple. We are constantly talking and texting. On twitter, we joked that she was like my wife. We asked my hubby what he thought, but he really didn't want to share me. (He's no fun!) Anyways, one day, hubby, his co-worker and I were driving up to visit co-worker's girlfriend for the weekend. Like usual, I was texting Lor and they ask me who I'm texting. I shrugged and replied, "My wife."
That was the start of it. Since then, Lor and I constantly refer to each other as 'Wifey' Where is my wifey? Oh, wifey, I need you! That makes it only natural I do my W post with her. I decided to ask her some questions, but then got a little too lazy to think up questions. Then I saw one of my tags for my blog. It was perfect. Lor is a writer anyways so why not have her tell why she writes.
Of course, at first, she gave me a short, silly answer:I have a God complex and I wish not to be sent to prison for my evil psychotic sadist tendencies. Ergo I write to satisfy the miniature god within me.
I tweeted her saying it was a little short and amusing. Oh, you want a serious answer? Uh duh! She got back pretty quick though and gave an amazing and serious reason for why she writes.
That was the start of it. Since then, Lor and I constantly refer to each other as 'Wifey' Where is my wifey? Oh, wifey, I need you! That makes it only natural I do my W post with her. I decided to ask her some questions, but then got a little too lazy to think up questions. Then I saw one of my tags for my blog. It was perfect. Lor is a writer anyways so why not have her tell why she writes.
Of course, at first, she gave me a short, silly answer:I have a God complex and I wish not to be sent to prison for my evil psychotic sadist tendencies. Ergo I write to satisfy the miniature god within me.
I tweeted her saying it was a little short and amusing. Oh, you want a serious answer? Uh duh! She got back pretty quick though and gave an amazing and serious reason for why she writes.
~~~~
Why I write. I've often thought about this very question several times
and I always come up with the same answer.Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Vampire
Last year my V post was about vampire slayers, and how despite being a vampire fan, there was just something about slayers that I love. This year, I decided to go with vampires. Honestly, it's only natural I do my V post on vampires or something vampire related. Aside from sparkling vampires (Unless they are named Jasper) vampires are quite bad ass.
Or they should be.
I have to say, after Twilight, there were a lot of wussy vampire books. All vampires whined about their lost humanity, moping about the humans they had killed. Whine, whine, whine. Any vampire that wasn't like that was evil and bad. They would kill babies and kittens if possible! The books, unless a series, usually ended with the evil vampires dying.
I wasn't the only one to notice this. I've stumbled across a few indie authors who decided no more wussy vampires and wrote stories with vampires that kicked ass and got some flesh stuck between their fangs. You won't find a moody, brooding vampire stuck in high school in their books.
That's not to say the humanitarian vampire doesn't have a place in books or entertainment. Far from it. I enjoy the paranormal romances with good vampires versus the bad guy vampires from time to time. But, still, sometimes a girl just wants to get down and dirty, sink her teeth into a vampire that is the good guy but still likes to nom on human necks.
What about you? Tell me about your favorite vampire (bad ass or humanitarian) and I'll pick one commenter to send a signed bookmark to.
Or they should be.
I have to say, after Twilight, there were a lot of wussy vampire books. All vampires whined about their lost humanity, moping about the humans they had killed. Whine, whine, whine. Any vampire that wasn't like that was evil and bad. They would kill babies and kittens if possible! The books, unless a series, usually ended with the evil vampires dying.
I wasn't the only one to notice this. I've stumbled across a few indie authors who decided no more wussy vampires and wrote stories with vampires that kicked ass and got some flesh stuck between their fangs. You won't find a moody, brooding vampire stuck in high school in their books.
That's not to say the humanitarian vampire doesn't have a place in books or entertainment. Far from it. I enjoy the paranormal romances with good vampires versus the bad guy vampires from time to time. But, still, sometimes a girl just wants to get down and dirty, sink her teeth into a vampire that is the good guy but still likes to nom on human necks.
What about you? Tell me about your favorite vampire (bad ass or humanitarian) and I'll pick one commenter to send a signed bookmark to.
Monday, April 23, 2012
Unaffordable
In the past week I have heard something multiple times. First from a friend and another in a comment on someone else's blog. It's the idea that to self publish you have to spend a lot of money.
That's not entirely true.
Yes, you can spend a couple thousand dollars to get your story self published, but you can also only spend a few hundred. To publish Being Human, I spend under $500. I found a cover artist that did an amazing job at a low cost. I formatted myself because it's really not that hard. Tedious and time consuming, but not that hard if you can follow directions. For editing, I had a bunch of writers read through it and critique it. In my research, that's the part that really drives up the price. Hiring an editor can cost $500 and up. I didn't have that kind of money so I utilized beta readers. What editing service I did pay for was proofreading. I am hopeless with it comes to comma usage and knew I'd need help, but didn't have any friends who knew where to put the commas. Most editing services break their services down so if you just want proofreading, you can get it for a lower cost.
So, yes, you can spend a bit of cash getting your book ready to be published, but if you shop around and dig deep enough, you might find a way to save some cash for the same results. Also, don't rule out learning how to do things yourself. A lot of people say you shouldn't self edit, but if you understand the rules, don't be shy to give it a shot. You may be better than you thought and if you're worried you're not, then go ahead and hire someone to double check your work.
That's not entirely true.
Yes, you can spend a couple thousand dollars to get your story self published, but you can also only spend a few hundred. To publish Being Human, I spend under $500. I found a cover artist that did an amazing job at a low cost. I formatted myself because it's really not that hard. Tedious and time consuming, but not that hard if you can follow directions. For editing, I had a bunch of writers read through it and critique it. In my research, that's the part that really drives up the price. Hiring an editor can cost $500 and up. I didn't have that kind of money so I utilized beta readers. What editing service I did pay for was proofreading. I am hopeless with it comes to comma usage and knew I'd need help, but didn't have any friends who knew where to put the commas. Most editing services break their services down so if you just want proofreading, you can get it for a lower cost.
So, yes, you can spend a bit of cash getting your book ready to be published, but if you shop around and dig deep enough, you might find a way to save some cash for the same results. Also, don't rule out learning how to do things yourself. A lot of people say you shouldn't self edit, but if you understand the rules, don't be shy to give it a shot. You may be better than you thought and if you're worried you're not, then go ahead and hire someone to double check your work.
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Torture
No, put away those whips and chains. I'm not talking that kind of torture. I'm talking the kind of torture authors do to their readers by posting little teasers of their writing. Something that I am guilty on occasion. Not as bad as some authors though. *Glares at Vicktor and Murphy*
I love reading teasers. I also hate reading them. It all depends on how soon the book in question will be released. Near future, I will read and eagerly await the rest of the book. A few months down the road and I am cursing the author for tormenting me. Why, oh why must you do this to me? What have I ever done but give you my hubby's hard earned money?
But teasers are important though. They let the reader know what's to come and build suspense. Wait, what just happened? Why is this character and that character fighting? What is going on? I want to know now! Gimmiegimmiegimmiegimmie! Yeah, you get the picture.
Of course, as long as you don't over do it. Post too many teasers and you've pretty much given the whole story away in chunks and pieces. Let me just piece that together and there's the story. One or two scenes might be missing, but they were probably too boring and that's why they didn't get posted.
Teasers are a good way to entice readers to pre-order or buy on release day. But hot damn, are they ever annoying. ;) What teaser did you read that made you drool and want the book now? Comment and I'll pick one person to send a signed bookmark to.
I love reading teasers. I also hate reading them. It all depends on how soon the book in question will be released. Near future, I will read and eagerly await the rest of the book. A few months down the road and I am cursing the author for tormenting me. Why, oh why must you do this to me? What have I ever done but give you my hubby's hard earned money?
But teasers are important though. They let the reader know what's to come and build suspense. Wait, what just happened? Why is this character and that character fighting? What is going on? I want to know now! Gimmiegimmiegimmiegimmie! Yeah, you get the picture.
Of course, as long as you don't over do it. Post too many teasers and you've pretty much given the whole story away in chunks and pieces. Let me just piece that together and there's the story. One or two scenes might be missing, but they were probably too boring and that's why they didn't get posted.
Teasers are a good way to entice readers to pre-order or buy on release day. But hot damn, are they ever annoying. ;) What teaser did you read that made you drool and want the book now? Comment and I'll pick one person to send a signed bookmark to.
Friday, April 20, 2012
Snapshots
OMG, seriously, blogger? You delete everything on me? I might strangle you now. No, I'm gonna send Puck after you and he'll strangle you for me. The boy has anger issues anyways so might as well let him blow off steam.
ARRRRRRGGGGGH!!!!
Okay, anyways, since blogger ate my original post I will do my best to sum it up. I've been slacking on writing a blurb for Snapshots. I need some motivation or a kick in the butt. And since I don't really want someone to kick me, some motivation via my blog will have to do.
My name is Cyclop Blaine and I am a real person.
You are mine.
I am a real person despite my childhood spent in a lab under the supervision of an old man I only know of as Master.
You belong to me.
I am a real person despite my teenage years spent surrounded by violence as the adoptive son of the leader of the Victory Street Gang.
You are mine.
I am a real person despite the visions I see in others' eyes. Snapshots of their futures.
You will obey me.
I am a real person and my life will be my own. I belong to no one.
You. Are. MINE.
ARRRRRRGGGGGH!!!!
Okay, anyways, since blogger ate my original post I will do my best to sum it up. I've been slacking on writing a blurb for Snapshots. I need some motivation or a kick in the butt. And since I don't really want someone to kick me, some motivation via my blog will have to do.
My name is Cyclop Blaine and I am a real person.
You are mine.
I am a real person despite my childhood spent in a lab under the supervision of an old man I only know of as Master.
You belong to me.
I am a real person despite my teenage years spent surrounded by violence as the adoptive son of the leader of the Victory Street Gang.
You are mine.
I am a real person despite the visions I see in others' eyes. Snapshots of their futures.
You will obey me.
I am a real person and my life will be my own. I belong to no one.
You. Are. MINE.
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Red Vs Blue
I warned you. All the way back during B, I said there was going to be more Red Vs Blue clips. This is the start of it all. This one though brings up a nice question I can totally twist into a writing question:
Why are we here?
Why do you write?
What drives you to put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) day after day?
Think about that while watching the clip and then let's discuss it in the comments. Also, I'll pick one person to mail a signed bookmark to.
*Warning* Strong language.
*Warning* Strong language.
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Questions
I admit, this time around for the challenge I had two posts prepared ahead of time and most topics I came up with on the fly. No planning at all. That means I am doubly clueless as what to talk about with Q. (X, let's not even go there right now.) I've been dabbling with a few ideas. Finding an interesting Q word. Talking about bad moods that made me want to give up. Or a Q&A with me or my characters. The last has been appealing. I love character interviews, and who knows, people may have questions to ask me. A friend on twitter decided to do writing Q&A for his Q post.
So what do you think? Have any questions for me? Anything about Being Human that you want to know - as long as it doesn't lead to spoilers. Also, want to check out my posts up to Q? I have them listed on my website patricialynne.com.
So what do you think? Have any questions for me? Anything about Being Human that you want to know - as long as it doesn't lead to spoilers. Also, want to check out my posts up to Q? I have them listed on my website patricialynne.com.
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Pretties
I am a crafty person. I love making all sorts of things, from baked goods to jewelry to knitting. There's just something about creating something pretty that is satisfying. Not to mention fun. I have a blog for my jewelry, I started it in an attempt to try to network among other crafters. But that's a lot more tricky than networking with other writers. No one seemed as talkative on their blogs and their tweets were only hawking their etsy stores. So my jewelry blog has fallen in the way side. I still make lots of pretties though so I thought I'd post a few fun things I've made lately.
Here's some writer themed necklaces. Little books and pencils. They're claspless and I love doing those kinds of necklaces because they can be as long or as short as a person wants.
Monday, April 16, 2012
OMG XD
Sometimes it amazes me the things my husband finds on the internet. Some of it is interesting, others funny, and a lot of the time, what he finds is just WTF. Usually, those things have me rolling on the floor because they are so ridiculous and insane what other choice do you have but laugh? Of course, that's after I resist watching or looking because it's so damn insane and I have better things to do with my time. Like writing. But eventually, I end up watching and laughing.
My husband's latest find is Regular Ordinary Swedish Mealtime (In Swenglish). Okay, I seriously want to know what those guys are smoking over there because this stuff takes insanity to a whole new level. I've watched a few videos and first thing I wonder is how much food they go through making these videos. Second thing is how many takes to they do because there is no way anyone can do that without busting out laughing. Third is just simply WTF? o.O Yes, with the little face too.
But honestly, what compels people to do these sorts of things? Are they just being silly? Want a little fame? Or are they really being serious? Whatever the reasons, I have to admit, it's good entertainment and they must be doing something right because we keep going back to watch.
My husband's latest find is Regular Ordinary Swedish Mealtime (In Swenglish). Okay, I seriously want to know what those guys are smoking over there because this stuff takes insanity to a whole new level. I've watched a few videos and first thing I wonder is how much food they go through making these videos. Second thing is how many takes to they do because there is no way anyone can do that without busting out laughing. Third is just simply WTF? o.O Yes, with the little face too.
But honestly, what compels people to do these sorts of things? Are they just being silly? Want a little fame? Or are they really being serious? Whatever the reasons, I have to admit, it's good entertainment and they must be doing something right because we keep going back to watch.
Bookmark incentive: What's the craziest thing you've ever found online? I'll pick one commenter to send a signed bookmark to.
Sunday, April 15, 2012
No and rejection
When I decided to go indie and self publish, I gave up looking to query agents. I was kind of happy. I wouldn't have to deal with any rejections of my query. It was like a win! But there was always a little part of me that was bummed about that. An author's first rejection is like a badge of honor. Something you save and laugh at when your book finally gets published. When I was first contacted about Turkish rights for Being Human, I started looking at agents again. I might need one to deal with this if I got offered a contract. I had no idea if I'd hear back in time from any of the agents or at all. As stated in other blog posts, my query wasn't typical and if you don't follow submission guidelines, your query will end up in the trash. I did get a reply from one agent though.
My first rejection letter!
Now, it's not even personalized and made me wonder if they even read my email before shooting off the rejection letter despite their assurances that they did, but I have it. I have saved it and will probably read it once everything with the Turkish rights is settled aka I have the money in my bank account. It's probably unprofessional of me to post it here, eh? Of course, I'm not the most professional of people at times. I'll be good this time and not post it. You never know, there might be another moment I need to contact agents and I hear they do look at blogs and I should at least attempt to make a good impression.
My first rejection letter!
Now, it's not even personalized and made me wonder if they even read my email before shooting off the rejection letter despite their assurances that they did, but I have it. I have saved it and will probably read it once everything with the Turkish rights is settled aka I have the money in my bank account. It's probably unprofessional of me to post it here, eh? Of course, I'm not the most professional of people at times. I'll be good this time and not post it. You never know, there might be another moment I need to contact agents and I hear they do look at blogs and I should at least attempt to make a good impression.
Bookmark incentive: Let's share rejection stories! I'll pick one person to send a signed bookmark too.
Friday, April 13, 2012
MythBusters
Enough serious posts for the week... Okay, I admit, I wasn't sure what to post about for M. But as I was watching TV on our Roku box, the answer smacked me right in the face. MythBusters! Yeah, it was the show I was watching. But come on, it's a pretty good show. I want to have a TV show where I get paid to blow crap up. The one episode, they got two semi trucks, a fan gave them his old European type car and they crushed the car between the semis. I want that kind of job! OMG! x_x
Not to mention how goofy they are while doing their myth busting. They finish destroying something and Jamie says, "That was awesome." Oh, and another episode, they got drunk and tested the idea of beer goggles. BEER GOGGLES! Seriously, give me that job!
Not to mention how goofy they are while doing their myth busting. They finish destroying something and Jamie says, "That was awesome." Oh, and another episode, they got drunk and tested the idea of beer goggles. BEER GOGGLES! Seriously, give me that job!
This gives me an idea. Okay, people, give me writer or book myths. I'll pick one commenter to send a signed bookmark too.
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Lost in Translation
I opened my email to exciting news yesterday. The Turkish agent I've been talking to about rights for Being Human emailed me a draft of the contract. The contract isn't long and it's pretty easy to understand. Only two sections I have questions about.
But there is a big problem, very big.
I don't know if the contract contains all the right info or everything it should. What if it's missing a vital piece of information that protects my book? I am not an agent or a lawyer so I have no idea. And being self published I don't have any agent connections. There is no one I can suck up to and have them take a look. Emailing agents doesn't seem to be working either. Out of the dozen or so I've emailed initially, only one sent me an impersonal rejection. Agents tend to trash emails that don't follow their guidelines so my unusual request isn't seen. Even if I emailed in all caps I HAVE A TURKISH PUBLISHER WHO WANTS MY BOOK AND HAS GIVEN ME A CONTRACT the email still might get trashed because it's not following submission. I did have one agent reply with useful information and she said Turkish contracts are relatively simple so it's possible I could get by without an agent.
I'm not really looking to negotiate. What I've been offered is pretty much what I expected to be offered. I just want someone who knows what a foreign rights book contract looks like to give it a once over and tell me if everything is there. And given what I've been offered, I don't want to spend all that on fees that a lawyer would probably charge. Not to mention that where I live it's doubtful any of the lawyers would have the faintest idea on what a foreign book contract should contain. I emailed the Turkish agent with my questions about the contract and I'm sure I will have a reply tomorrow. The agent has been very quick to reply back with answers to my questions. Still, I want all my bases covered. Better safe than sorry, right?
But there is a big problem, very big.
I don't know if the contract contains all the right info or everything it should. What if it's missing a vital piece of information that protects my book? I am not an agent or a lawyer so I have no idea. And being self published I don't have any agent connections. There is no one I can suck up to and have them take a look. Emailing agents doesn't seem to be working either. Out of the dozen or so I've emailed initially, only one sent me an impersonal rejection. Agents tend to trash emails that don't follow their guidelines so my unusual request isn't seen. Even if I emailed in all caps I HAVE A TURKISH PUBLISHER WHO WANTS MY BOOK AND HAS GIVEN ME A CONTRACT the email still might get trashed because it's not following submission. I did have one agent reply with useful information and she said Turkish contracts are relatively simple so it's possible I could get by without an agent.
I'm not really looking to negotiate. What I've been offered is pretty much what I expected to be offered. I just want someone who knows what a foreign rights book contract looks like to give it a once over and tell me if everything is there. And given what I've been offered, I don't want to spend all that on fees that a lawyer would probably charge. Not to mention that where I live it's doubtful any of the lawyers would have the faintest idea on what a foreign book contract should contain. I emailed the Turkish agent with my questions about the contract and I'm sure I will have a reply tomorrow. The agent has been very quick to reply back with answers to my questions. Still, I want all my bases covered. Better safe than sorry, right?
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
K is for umm K?
Uh, yeah, I have nothing for my K post. Not even a blog title. I am slightly distracted by MythBusters and my WIP, Leaves of Fall. As of right now, Leaves is sitting pretty at 71K words and I have rewritten just under 20K words. There have been no major plotholes that can't be fixed. Leaves of Fall is one of my first stories I wrote when I started writing and one of the few that I finished. I have a bunch of unfinished stories. I'm pretty sure I finished it before Being Human. (Psst, did you know you can buy it? No? Well, now you do? ^_~) Yeah, because once I finished Being Human, then I was pretty focused on getting it published and other story ideas.
Anyways, the A to Z challenge is around halfway done, and like last year, it is turning out quite fun. I've found a few blogs that I check every day for their post, and my blog stats are through the roof. I feel kind of bad though. I said I was going to give a bookmark incentive to every post, but I keep forgetting and a few posts I couldn't because they were for blog tours. I'll make it up to you though. Just comment and I'll pick someone to send a signed bookmark too.
Okay, I'm out of things to ramble about so I'm just going to post another Red Vs Blue video, this one a public service announcement about fire safety.
Anyways, the A to Z challenge is around halfway done, and like last year, it is turning out quite fun. I've found a few blogs that I check every day for their post, and my blog stats are through the roof. I feel kind of bad though. I said I was going to give a bookmark incentive to every post, but I keep forgetting and a few posts I couldn't because they were for blog tours. I'll make it up to you though. Just comment and I'll pick someone to send a signed bookmark too.
Okay, I'm out of things to ramble about so I'm just going to post another Red Vs Blue video, this one a public service announcement about fire safety.
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Journey
When I started this blog, I wanted to have a blog name that fit what I would be blogging about. I also wanted something catchy that people would notice. I came up with Journey through the pages because I was just starting writing and looking into publishing. I was starting a journey.
Since then, I've come quite far. I've published one full length novel and a short story. I've made tons of writing friends. Have learned so much. Each one is like a little bridge I've crossed. Now I'm at a new bridge. A long, scary rope bridge that has to be crossed carefully. Honestly, I never thought this would be a bridge I have to cross.
I woke up to an email in my mailbox with details to a foreign rights contract for my book, Being Human. If you remember, I blogged about how I was contacted by a Turkish agent about rights for my book. At first I thought it was a joke or maybe a scam, but doing a little research, emailing a bunch of people, and asking questions seemed to have confirmed it's not a joke or a scam. A publisher in Turkey is, in fact, interested in Being Human and now I have an offer to prove it.
The thing is, I don't really know if it's a good offer. The amount of money is what I expected, but some of the details I don't know, and there are other details that aren't presented. I went back to google and did a little more research and came up with a list of questions that I need answered before I can give an answer. After talking with Lor, I sent another email and requested to see a copy of the contract. I may not understand all the language used in the contract, but if they say no then warning bells will sound.
I know at this point people will tell me to get an agent. Yes, I have considered it and before I even knew if the publisher wanted my book or not I contacted agents. Out of the dozen I contacted only a few replied back and all but one said no. The one that didn't gave me some useful information that lead me to send a paperback copy of my book to Turkey. That agent also said with how simple Turkish contract are she said I probably didn't need an agent to look at it.
Now, I'm waiting for it to be morning in Turkey and for the agent I'm dealing with to see my emails and reply. I figure this can either end good, with my book in a foreign market. Or it can end bad, with me being ripped off. Either way, this has been an exciting bridge and I'm slowly making my way across.
Since then, I've come quite far. I've published one full length novel and a short story. I've made tons of writing friends. Have learned so much. Each one is like a little bridge I've crossed. Now I'm at a new bridge. A long, scary rope bridge that has to be crossed carefully. Honestly, I never thought this would be a bridge I have to cross.
I woke up to an email in my mailbox with details to a foreign rights contract for my book, Being Human. If you remember, I blogged about how I was contacted by a Turkish agent about rights for my book. At first I thought it was a joke or maybe a scam, but doing a little research, emailing a bunch of people, and asking questions seemed to have confirmed it's not a joke or a scam. A publisher in Turkey is, in fact, interested in Being Human and now I have an offer to prove it.
The thing is, I don't really know if it's a good offer. The amount of money is what I expected, but some of the details I don't know, and there are other details that aren't presented. I went back to google and did a little more research and came up with a list of questions that I need answered before I can give an answer. After talking with Lor, I sent another email and requested to see a copy of the contract. I may not understand all the language used in the contract, but if they say no then warning bells will sound.
I know at this point people will tell me to get an agent. Yes, I have considered it and before I even knew if the publisher wanted my book or not I contacted agents. Out of the dozen I contacted only a few replied back and all but one said no. The one that didn't gave me some useful information that lead me to send a paperback copy of my book to Turkey. That agent also said with how simple Turkish contract are she said I probably didn't need an agent to look at it.
Now, I'm waiting for it to be morning in Turkey and for the agent I'm dealing with to see my emails and reply. I figure this can either end good, with my book in a foreign market. Or it can end bad, with me being ripped off. Either way, this has been an exciting bridge and I'm slowly making my way across.
Monday, April 9, 2012
In My Mailbox
I always see In My Mailbox posts every week, and I enjoy seeing what books others have received. But I've never had a reason to do one myself. Except this week. I got swag and a book and I thought this meme would be perfect to show off what I got. Before I get to that, let Story Siren explain how In My Mailbox aka IMM works.
- Make your own IMM post! I post every week, but you don’t have to. You can do one week out of the month or every other week it’s up to you. Be sure to link back to The Story Siren blog, so that other people wanting to participate know where to get the information to do so!
- I post my IMM on Sunday, but choose a day of the week that works for you.
- Once you have your IMM posted, come back to The Story Siren on Sunday and add your link to the list.
- Try to post a comment on other bloggers IMM posts. I don’t expect you to post a comment on every single one, but pick a few!
- All book bloggers are welcome, while I’d like to keep the theme to YA literature it’s NOT a requirement.
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Hollywood Stories Blog tour
Hollywood Stories is packed with wild, wonderful short tales about famous stars, movies, directors and many others who have been a part of the world's most fascinating, unpredictable industry!
What makes the book unique is that the reader can go to any page and find a completely engaging and illuminating yarn. Sometimes people won't realize that they are reading about The Three Stooges or Popeye the Sailor until they come to the end of the story. The Midwest Book Review says Hollywood Stories is, "packed from cover to cover with fascinating tales."
Full of funny moments and twist endings, Hollywood Stories features an amazing, all-star cast of legendary characters and icons and will keep you totally entertained!
Saturday, April 7, 2012
Easter in the company of Vampires
Happy Easter. Once again, I have a little surprise. Lor wrote another holiday short staring Tommy, Drew and Lavish, as well as a brief cameo by her twin, Lux. Hope everyone has a lovely holiday and you enjoy the mess Lav makes of my apartment... Again.
The sun setting paints the
sky above in a brilliant display of pinks and oranges. Mostly pink, however. I
find this display to be most pleasing to the sense of my female self. I take
great delight in the color pink. I am quite unconvinced as to why but I truly
do. I suppose that is the only reason I tolerate the preceding festival known
as Valentine’s Day.
Another useless holiday;
however, has managed to tiptoe upon me unawares.
Easter.
I find myself once again at
a loss as to why such futile things even exist. This useless holiday centers
itself on, from my understanding, a bunny and an egg. I find this most
anomalous considering a bunny is born not hatched. Although I have forgotten to
take into account the presence of a chick.
So confusing.
Ghost Hunters
I am seriously a giant wuss. It does not take much to scare me. *Glares at Vic and his plan to scare* I can't watch even mildly scary movies. I remember watching The Birds once when I was younger, and later that night, I had a nightmare. A weird nightmare with violins playing, but I woke up scared out of my mind. The Chucky movies, I didn't even have to watch those, the commercials were enough to scare me when I was little. If it's labeled horror... NOPE! (Oddly, when I was little, I loved reading horror story. Fear Street, Goosebumps, they all scared me but I kept reading.)
You'd think with this fear I'd stay far away from ghost hunting shows on TV. NOPE! I love watching those shows. They scare the crap out of me but are so interesting. Especially the EVP (electronic voice phenomenon.) I like closing my eyes and listening because if you watch the subtitles they put up for what they think is being said, then your mind picks out the words. Closing my eyes allows me to just listen and sometimes I hear words and other times I don't.
What scares me the most out of those shows is the pictures or things they capture. Now, I'm not totally convinced. The shows are shot in complete darkness, (one show explained it by doing a daylight show. The reason for doing it at night is there are no shadows and they don't have to waste time ensuring that what they are seeing is a shadow and not something else,) and with limited visibility, your mind can play tricks. Is that really a figure you're seeing or is your mind completing the outline of a figure?
You'd think with this fear I'd stay far away from ghost hunting shows on TV. NOPE! I love watching those shows. They scare the crap out of me but are so interesting. Especially the EVP (electronic voice phenomenon.) I like closing my eyes and listening because if you watch the subtitles they put up for what they think is being said, then your mind picks out the words. Closing my eyes allows me to just listen and sometimes I hear words and other times I don't.
What scares me the most out of those shows is the pictures or things they capture. Now, I'm not totally convinced. The shows are shot in complete darkness, (one show explained it by doing a daylight show. The reason for doing it at night is there are no shadows and they don't have to waste time ensuring that what they are seeing is a shadow and not something else,) and with limited visibility, your mind can play tricks. Is that really a figure you're seeing or is your mind completing the outline of a figure?
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Free
I promise, this A to Z Challenge post will be somewhat useful in terms of writing. (G post, however, will not be. It will still be fun, but it has nothing to do with writing - or Red Vs Blue. You've been warned.)
Anyways, as you may or may not know, I wrote a short story called Influence of Love. It's a small thing, 5,000 words-ish. I wrote it because I heard a lot of authors who were doing well say that giving a freebie out is a good way to let readers sample your work. It seemed like good advice and I had been trying to write a bunch of short stories to publish for free. I just didn't have enough ideas, so I took one and expanded on it. Then I sent it out to a few beta readers (I admit, it didn't get as much polishing as Being Human, but I think it got enough) and made a simple cover myself. Once I figured it was done (enough, since we all know as writers our books are never really done) I published it on Smashwords.
Holy downloads Batman! I had almost 400 downloads in the first day. But it never seemed to translate into any sales. I put a sample of Being Human at the end with links to buy like the authors had suggested, but my sales remained the same. I wondered if I should put it on Amazon as well but I was hesitant because Amazon doesn't let indie authors list stories for free. It would have to be 99cents and I'd have to get them to lower it. I really didn't want anyone paying 99cents for a 5K story. Especially when I meant it to be free.
Anyways, as you may or may not know, I wrote a short story called Influence of Love. It's a small thing, 5,000 words-ish. I wrote it because I heard a lot of authors who were doing well say that giving a freebie out is a good way to let readers sample your work. It seemed like good advice and I had been trying to write a bunch of short stories to publish for free. I just didn't have enough ideas, so I took one and expanded on it. Then I sent it out to a few beta readers (I admit, it didn't get as much polishing as Being Human, but I think it got enough) and made a simple cover myself. Once I figured it was done (enough, since we all know as writers our books are never really done) I published it on Smashwords.
Holy downloads Batman! I had almost 400 downloads in the first day. But it never seemed to translate into any sales. I put a sample of Being Human at the end with links to buy like the authors had suggested, but my sales remained the same. I wondered if I should put it on Amazon as well but I was hesitant because Amazon doesn't let indie authors list stories for free. It would have to be 99cents and I'd have to get them to lower it. I really didn't want anyone paying 99cents for a 5K story. Especially when I meant it to be free.
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Etude by Melinda R Morgan
I'm kinda excited about this review. This is my first review of an ARC I was asked to review. I kind of feel like I'm moving up in the publishing world. Or something. ;)Anyways, Etude is about 19 yr old Beth who lost her mother and the use of her left hand in a car accident. The left hand is as devastating as losing her mother because she was an upcoming pianist. Her father is away on secret government business and during that time she is sent to live with her Uncle Connor. There, she meets Jonathan, who makes her feel like her life didn't end when she lost the use of her left hand. Until she finds out her mom's death wasn't accident and supernatural beings she never knew existed want her.
I wasn't sure when I started reading. First off, I was worried I'd hate the book and my first low review on my blog would be of an ARC. And secondly, the plot uses a formula that I saw a lot of books use after Twilight: Lone girl moves to a new place, meets beautiful boy, boy has secret, girl discovers secret and her life is now at risk. Been there, done that, yawn. Despite that, Etude did a wonderful job at telling a story that made me not care about the formula used. Plus, unlike other books that followed that formula, Beth didn't think of herself as ugly. She didn't say she was beautiful, but she didn't constantly claim she was plain and, Why oh why does this gorgeous guy like me? The description of her I felt was vague, but I got the idea that she was a lovely girl. Also, she did not constantly muse on how beautiful Jonathan was. In fact, I don't think she talked about it much. Yeah, she liked his looks but it wasn't every other sentence. Mostly, she talked about his eyes, but it wasn't overbearing. I wasn't wishing she'd shut up and get on with the story! I also liked how Beth's life didn't revolve around Jonathan and the supernatural once she learned about it. There were scenes of normal life, the normal world did not disappear and Beth was still very much part of it.
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Danger Zone
Okay, enough Red Vs Blue... for now... time to switch gears to Archer! I stumbled upon Archer one night while hubby and his co-worker were drinking and playing Yomi (yeah, they're real dorks, I know. And I married one) and left me watching TV. They had put on Archer and I, being slightly inebriated, decided to leave it. The remote must have been out of reach or something. I don't remember. (No, I wasn't that drunk, just happily buzzed and comfy.) At first, I wasn't paying much attention, but the crass humor made me smile. Seriously, I should not be laughing at some of those jokes. They are just wrong! But so funny. I ended up watching all the episodes Netflix had in one day. Hey, the episodes are only 22 minutes long.
Ever since then, hubby, his co-worker and I have been quoting lines. Most notably, Danger Zone. And since I'm feeling kind of lazy, I'm leaving you with a video. And seriously, who posts two second videos to youtube? I'm trying to find a good Danger Zone video and there's all these two and three second videos. Really?? What's the point? It's not like you have much time to enjoy what the video is about. Spend more time waiting for the commercial to get done than you do watching the actual video.
Oh, I almost forgot too. Bookmark incentive. Umm... comment your favorite animated series and I'll pick one commenter to send a bookmark too.
(I swear, tomorrow's post will be something different. I had an ARC I had to review and finished just in time for my E post. Maybe I should try plotting out my posts more too. Instead of, ya know, waiting an hour before midnight to write them. Hmmm... naw.)
Ever since then, hubby, his co-worker and I have been quoting lines. Most notably, Danger Zone. And since I'm feeling kind of lazy, I'm leaving you with a video. And seriously, who posts two second videos to youtube? I'm trying to find a good Danger Zone video and there's all these two and three second videos. Really?? What's the point? It's not like you have much time to enjoy what the video is about. Spend more time waiting for the commercial to get done than you do watching the actual video.
Oh, I almost forgot too. Bookmark incentive. Umm... comment your favorite animated series and I'll pick one commenter to send a bookmark too.
(I swear, tomorrow's post will be something different. I had an ARC I had to review and finished just in time for my E post. Maybe I should try plotting out my posts more too. Instead of, ya know, waiting an hour before midnight to write them. Hmmm... naw.)
Monday, April 2, 2012
Caboose
I warned you yesterday. After spending a post on the blue team of Red Vs Blue, I said I was going to post about Caboose because he is so damn funny. As proof of his funniness/stupidity/awesomeness here are two videos that capture him wonderfully - as well as contain some of my favorite lines by him. Also, in keeping with my bookmark giveaway, tell me which Caboose line made you laugh and you'll get a signed Being Human bookmark. Oh and warning, watch out for strong language.
Everyone loves Caboose Halloween PSA
Caboose moments
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Blue Team Go!
First off, I would just like to note since my A post was a little late, I'm going to hawk it here because I have a little contest going on. I'll wait while you go check it out and comment the funniest divorce joke you've heard in celebration of my one year marriage anniversary and win a signed bookmark.
Okay, now that that's done, let's get to the B post. If you don't know me, then you should know I am a complete panster. I decided to do this challenge a few days before it started, and when I write, I have no idea where the story is going. That means I really didn't know what my B post was going to be about until I started writing.
Recently, hubby and I watched a little show called Red Vs Blue. It's kind of a Halo spoof and it is funny. I seriously am in love with the stupidity that is Caboose. In fact, I think my C post will be all about Caboose and his quotes. Today's post is about the blue team. I'll start you with a nice little video of all of Tucker's Bow Chicka Wow Wow moments.
Oh yeah, I LOL at this show. A lot. Probably more than I should. Before I wrap this post up, I have a question. In Being Human, there is a moment between Danny and Tommy where Danny tells Tommy a joke. That joke I got from Red Vs Blue. What was the punchline that made Tommy laugh? First person to answer gets a signed Being Human bookmark. (I think that's going to be my thing for the challenge. Try to have something where commenters can win a bookmark. I have a whole stack of them after all.)
Okay, now that that's done, let's get to the B post. If you don't know me, then you should know I am a complete panster. I decided to do this challenge a few days before it started, and when I write, I have no idea where the story is going. That means I really didn't know what my B post was going to be about until I started writing.
Recently, hubby and I watched a little show called Red Vs Blue. It's kind of a Halo spoof and it is funny. I seriously am in love with the stupidity that is Caboose. In fact, I think my C post will be all about Caboose and his quotes. Today's post is about the blue team. I'll start you with a nice little video of all of Tucker's Bow Chicka Wow Wow moments.
Oh yeah, I LOL at this show. A lot. Probably more than I should. Before I wrap this post up, I have a question. In Being Human, there is a moment between Danny and Tommy where Danny tells Tommy a joke. That joke I got from Red Vs Blue. What was the punchline that made Tommy laugh? First person to answer gets a signed Being Human bookmark. (I think that's going to be my thing for the challenge. Try to have something where commenters can win a bookmark. I have a whole stack of them after all.)
Anniversary and A to Z
Ugh, this post is going to be a bit short because I just got home from spending the weekend with friends. (I hate bars btw.)It is now almost four in the afternoon and I got to drive home in our nice, new car. I have to get my *ahem* job done today too. I promise though, tomorrow's post I will talk your frikken ear off! =DAnyways. Today is the start of the A to Z blogging challenge which I decided to do about 3 days ago. I think I could have waited a little longer for a last minute decision, don't you? Last year when I did this, I started off with a bang. I had awesome news to share. I had gotten married! And it was a memorable event. We still talk and laugh about.
Especially the part where I had to borrow 20$ from my bestie because hubby and I forgot to get cash out of the ATM and the courthouse didn't accept debit cards. The lady at the counter probably thought we were nuts. I wore fuzzy stripped leg warmers and a pink shirt that said, "Only Vampires can love you forever." Afterwards, we went to an all you can eat Chinese buffet and I spent a good amount of time on my phone texting a few friends with the news.
As April 1st approached, I started thinking how should hubby and I celebrate. I'm not one for celebrations. Instead, I was decided to crack divorce jokes. After all, I only married hubby for his health insurance. ^_~ So I think that's how I'll celebrate today.
Give me your best divorce jokes in the comments and I'll pick one winner to send a signed Being Human bookmark to. Let's make them funny, I want to be LOLing in my chair.
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