31 October 2012

NaNo - It's almost here---

Another year, another NaNoWriMo - and I'm not ready!  Well that's not quite true.  While I was at the kitchen sink earlier today, the glimmerings of a plot came to me, and the characters are known to me, sooooo I think maybe I'm ready to go after all.

For those who've never heard of it before NaNo, as it is affectionately known, takes place during the month of November  and is National Novel Writing Month when writers, whether aspiring or published accept the NANOWRIMO challenge to write a 50,000-word novel in 30 days.

While you do that sitting alone at your computer/laptop or whatever, you are not alone.  World-wide there were 300,000 writers participating in NaNo in 2011, and will probably be even more this year.  The NaNo website is full of wonderful information, both informative and inspirational. Hop on over to http://www.nanowrimo.org/ and discover what other writers are doing this November.

Did I say you won't be alone?  There are forums, lots of them, that cover almost everything you can think of and others you never thought of at all.  there are challengens within challenges, contests, sharing of information, tecniques and genres.  And as if that was not enough you can join a 'regional' group online with the chance of getting together with the members at a local venue in 'real time'.

Does the thought of writing 50,000 words in 30 days overwhelm you?  Then let's break it down.  It's 1667 words a day.  depending how fast you type, thats probably about one and a half hours.  And, of course, you don't have to sit down and do it all in one go.  It's amamzing how the word count adds up when you snatchs minutes here, and there during the day.

Many people will spend weeks before hand plotting their story, but clearly at this stage there isn't time, but don't fret.  There have been participants who've started writing during the final week of naNo and still met the required 50,000 word count.  Believe me :-) I'm not one of them.

During the final days of the challenge you are asked to submit your 50K novel for 'verification'. This is done in such a way it is totaly secure, but you will learn more about that when you visit the NaNo site.

NaNo buddys are friends you can keep in touch with during November when you feel you are flagging,  just for a chat.

And what if you don't finish?  There are many who don't reach the 50k line,  but then they still have the beginnings of a novel to work on later when they have more time. They have had the fun of taking part in the challenge.

To take the words from the horses mouth --
At NaNoWriMo you can:
  • papersWrite a novel in a month!
  • papersTrack your progress.
  • papersGet pep talks and support.
  • papersMeet fellow writers online and in person.
 
 

28 October 2012

Tuesday's Tales ~ Ghost (30-10-12)

Today's word prompt for this week's Tuesday's Tales is ~Ghost. And while it is the time for gouls, ghosties and things that go bump in the night, I found myself unable to leave Simeon Gasquet hanging while in the middle of a duel forced on him by a mysterious woman.
So- (grin) here is another snippet from my current wip which will be the third or fourth book in my Gasquet Princes series.


She was good, better than good, she was excellent.  It didn’t take him long to get her measure, and yet— instinctively he knew something deeper lurked beneath her concentration, fuelled it.

Fuelled her.

Deliberation flared in her eyes and fury curled her lips into a snarl.

A snarl that birthed the ghost of a memory, a memory that vanished more quickly than mist on the wind.

This for her, he realised, was more than a simple challenge.  It was personal.

The sound of steel whistling through the air, millimetres from his ear cut through his distractions. Personal?

He’d see about that!

Simeon didn’t know what had crawled up her arse, but nor did he intend to take the rap for something he knew nothing about. He closed out all thoughts except those focussed on the woman in front of him and the foil in her hand.

In one corner of his mind he estimated the difference in their height. Eight inches, he decided and wondered whether he could he use those extra inches to his advantage.

The skill she’d displayed so far discounted any hope she’d charge at his manhood.  No, she’d not risk leaving herself open to the obvious retaliation such a charge would engender.

He circled, watching her back foot, weighing his options, always maintaining the straight line between them.

The circle widened.

He waited— knowing neither could lunge until they closed in again.  Not unless they wanted their opponent’s point in their chest.  And while the foil points may be protected, Simeon had no intention of allowing this woman to best him.

Her lunge pierced his waving concentration and he almost failed to close in time, and countered with a tempo that forced them to circle once more.

The sound of steel sliding along steel shimmered in the air, cut through the ring of clashing blades.  He saw it now— her strategy.  This woman was enticing him to risk a pass on her lunge.  To do that would dismiss his height advantage. Not that his height gave him anything more than a split second of time.

She lunged again, moved to his left, to his right and stepped forward. 

With a twist of his body he pushed her foil clear and brought his own down on her leather-gloved hand.

Only her gasp broke the shocked silence before she leapt back and lunged again.

She had a point, he’d used a moved barred by almost all fencing clubs, but this, he reminded himself, wasn’t a fight of his choosing, nor was it being played within club rules.  The woman fought with a skill and intensity that moved this fight beyond personal to malicious. 

He wished he knew why.
 
For more awesome FREE reads return to Tuesday's Tales

Please welcome Adelle Laudan and her Women on Strength book tour


All throughout history there has been remarkable Woman of Strength.

Mother Teresa spent 30 yrs of her life helping others before anyone even knew who she was. In 1979 she won the Nobel Peace Prize. One of my favorite quotes of hers is “If you can’t feed one hundred people, then feed just the one.”
Joan of Arc—at a time when a woman on the battlefield was unheard of she eventually led her army to victory, fearlessly fighting and eventually dying to defend her country. She said, “Stand up for what you believe in.” A quote used over and over again, even today.
There are far too many women to list here today. Princess Diana, Oprah Winfrey, Rosa Parks, the list is endless.

Woman of Strength come from all walks of life. I believe my mother was one. She moved to Canada with my father, leaving a son out of wedlock to be raised by her parents. She didn't know a word of English when she moved here, and went on to work in a factory every day and raised four children. My new series Women of Strength, I hope to showcase the women of our generation who rise above adversity, hardships, illness, abuse, etc  No, these women will not receive a Nobel Peace Prize, but maybe, just maybe they will give someone the strength or hope needed to make it through their own personal challenges.
I have kicked off this series with three previously published stories of mine.  Juliana is the first story I had published a couple/few years ago. Each month I will add a new story of a Woman of Strength. I hope you will enjoy this ongoing series.
Thank you Sherry for having me.  Please leave a comment and I will randomly pick one winner to receive  this calendar magnet for 2013 and this lovely steampunk pewter symbol for woman charm. All names will go in a draw to win your choice of one of these three stories. Please feel free to visit me on the next stop of my blog tour. You will find the schedule HERE
Woman of Strength - Links to purchase as wells as Info on Contest


25 October 2012

Halloween Party October 15th - 30th


Everyone enjoys a party! Who doesn’t like Halloween?
 
BEGINS October 15th, ENDS October 30th
How do you enter?? LEAVE A COMMENT on Lisa’s blog!
 
See below for what your comment needs to include!!
            
 
We have a fun game, “BOBBING for Apples–er, BOOKS” and we have a Grand Prize!



Hello Everyone! Welcome to the Super Spies Halloween Party! We’re giving away a KINDLE FIRE by playing a game called “Bobbing for Books” and here’s how you enter to win!
 :)  
WHO WOULDN’T LOVE to win a KINDLE FIRE??

 
The winner will be announced on October 30th. I will send them an e-mail and also post on Facebook and Twitter Lisa Orchard’s blog
 
1.  The first way to enter is by tweeting and Facebook sharing about the event and posting the tweet or share in the comment section below. Each tweet or share counts as one entry. So, the more tweets you do the more entries you have.TWEET about the giveaway and post the URL in a comment on Lisa’s blog  and  Facebook share and post the URL also in a comment on Lisa’s blog
 
2. The second way to enter is by purchasing one of the participating authors books and posting the title and confirmation code in a comment below. This purchase counts as two entries, so if a contestant buys two books, they are entered four times in the giveaway. Buy a participating author’s book(s) and post the confirmation code of purchase with the book title in a comment on Lisa Orchard’s blog

Tweeting and Facebook sharing = one entry each. Book bought = two entries. Enter as often as you like, but MAKE SURE YOU get credit by leaving a comment on Lisa’s blog!
 
NO purchase necessary, however!

If you wish to add to your chances of winning the Kindle Fire, by all means “bob” for books!!

Here are the books by participating authors — all clean reads — so click on their names to get to Amazon and check ‘em out!      
 

                  
       Lisa Orchard           Patricia Kiyono

       

 

            
Lindsay Downs   Kay Springsteen    Felicia Rogers

       
Catherine Bennett    J.F. Jenkins


            
Lori Lapekes       Lisa Greer        Sherry Gloag

        
Elaine Cantrell       J. Anderson

 
                          


        
 
The winner will be announced on October 30th. Lisa Orchard will send them an e-mail and also post on Facebook and Twitter. J
 
****Please be aware that the KINDLE FIRE will be gifted from Amazon and sent directly from there. Therefore, if the winner receives a damaged prize, myself and the participating authors are not held liable for any damages. The winner must work with Amazon to get a replacement.
 
Now let the tweeting and sharing begin! Good luck to all of you! This is going to be a fun party! 

 

17 October 2012

J.F. Jenkins shares...


Please give a warm welcome to fellow Astraea Press author J.F. Jenkins.

Have you ever wondered what ifluences a writer while working on the book? I asked the author to share the driving influences for her while writing her latest book.  here is her response.  Thanks for sharing Jillian.

The Soundtrack:
Here are some songs that made my “Book Soundtrack”. Some have to do with a specific character, while others a certain moment or theme. The score would be a darker, new age, kind of feel too it, possibly done by Delerium of Juno Reactor. The other half of it represents the high school, young adult, aspects of the story and is more pop/dance in genre, which matches the story since the characters like to go out and do that often. Enjoy!
 
The Heroine (Cheyene's Song):
 
“Flowers Become Screens” - Delerium - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OibJ4F7xZJY
 
The Antagonist (Denver's Song):
 
“Pretty When you Cry” - VAST (explicit lyrics) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNkm-U3oRJY
 
The Ambiance (Score, Setting, Mood):  
“Terra Firma” - Delerium - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKUxE8UE7S0
 
“Silence” - Delerium featuring Sarah McLachlan - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5S8yU9e8Mg
 
“Conga Fury” - Juno Reactor - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5q4GGxDjTUQ
 
“Furious Angels” - Rob Dougan - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wdf3_YtwL8
 
The Romance (All pairings, not going to spoil it sorry!):  
 
“Chemicals React” - Aly and AJ - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgU3aLaJa-s
 
“Uninvited” - Alanis Morissette - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvgi7P97lu0
 
“Say OK” - Vanessa Hudgens - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjOEFMDC2P4
 
“Kings and Queens” - Luna Halo - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=no9wMzzqWR4
 
“Love Me, Love Me” - Big Time Rush - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjgc2wl_-a0
 
The Song That Plays When Everything Bad Happens:
 
 
Blurb:
Cheyenne Loveless was just a boring sixteen-year-old girl. Then Denver Collins bit her and everything changed. Her plants start talking to her, she finds out she’s a Nymph, and a witch and the angel of death show up at her doorstep to take her away to the prestigious Vala School and Seminary. Oh, and she has no choice in the matter. All she wants to do is blend in and return to being invisible, but the more time that passes, the harder that becomes. Plus she’s a daughter of the Divine, an exclusive secret society which rules the world of myth, and discovers she is a key ingredient to an ancient covenant created before she was born. A covenant that will reshape the order of the world. Adjusting to a new school is difficult enough, but adding on everyone else’s hidden agendas is the icing on the cake. Cheyenne must learn to see through the lies in order to find her place — and possibly even love — in this new world.
 
Excerpt:
Her entire body tensed more as he moved in again, his face dangerously close to her neck. “I don’t mean to be rude, and while I’m flattered you’re so fascinated with my body, you’re also making me uncomfortable. If you’re just trying to butter me up so I’ll go home with you, you should stop now, because that’s not going to happen. Back off before I make you.”
He moved away once more with a smug smirk. “I thought I smelled fire, too.” He extended his hand to her for a polite and friendly handshake. “My name is Denver. Yes, like the city in Colorado. Last name is Collins, and I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable. I don’t usually meet someone with that kind of scent. It’s strong. I knew there was a reason I noticed you.”
Is this guy high or something? “Apology accepted. I'ʹm  Cheyenne. I'ʹve seen you around school these past few weeks, but I  don'ʹt think we'ʹve ever been formally introduced until now. You'ʹre new, right?” Cheyenne shook his hand nervously. He had a strong and confident shake. He seemed to be a genuinely nice person, outside of his odd behaviors. If anything, it made her look good in front of her classmates to be talking to the new cool kid, and a young, attractive male. She felt a little less like a freak.
“I'ʹm temporary. I haven'ʹt been formally introduced to anyone. You'ʹre the first, and it'ʹs only because you smell so nice I can'ʹt stay away.”
“Do you use that line on everyone? It’s unique. A little creepy, but unique.”
 
Buy links: