A kid, some chocolate and a life lesson learned

Tonight, on my way home from work I stopped by the grocery to pick up something for dinner. Upon entering the store I spied a kid, probably around eleven, hawking chocolate bars. He fidgeted in a casual way, targeting people who came out of the store, probably figuring if they had money to spend on groceries a few dollars more might find its way into his hands as well.

Sure enough, fifteen minutes later, when I left the store, he chose me as his target. "Hello ma'am I'm selling chocolate bars for X organization would you like to buy some? They're one for three dollars or two for five."

Now normally I feel bad for the kids, either giving in because I feel sorry or I breeze by with some kind of mumbling explanation revolving around only having a debit card and no cash. Tonight I had the money and quite honestly felt sorry for the guy. Standing in front of a grocery store, getting turned down by strangers was never something I could stomach, no matter how many fundraising activities I had to participate in for school.  To be honest I don't know if those kids selling the chocolate are part of a bigger scam or genuine young entrepreneurs, too young to get a job without mountains of paperwork and connections that a young person needs nowadays.

The kid smiled at me and I rolled my eyes. He reminded me of the actor who plays Manny on Modern Family. Same type of cute swagger.

"Okay, I'll take one," I said  digging into my pocket for three dollars.

"How about buying two? It's only five dollars," he replied with a wink.

Having eaten my share of these bars, not to mention I needed chocolate in the house like a hole in the head, I declined, reiterating that I only wanted one.

"Come on, I only have six more to sell and I have to stay here until I sell them all. How about two?"
"One."
"Two?"
"One." I replied with some amount of finality meant to convince both him and me. My groceries were starting to melt and the kid bantered with such charm that my resolve was fading...fast.

After a few more seconds of negotiation, I walked away with one chocolate bar and an admiration for this spunky kid. I didn't doubt with his charm he would sell those six chocolate bars but more importantly his tenacity, drive and courage will be the keys to get him farther in life than selling chocolate bars in front of a grocery store.

So, kid, if I see you again I probably will buy two chocolate bars from you because the one thing I admire is the courage to try, try and try again...and if you ever read a future book of mine, you'll probably find a character in it. Just like you.

On another note, meet some more of my fellow authors...

Meet Ryan Jo Summers!

      Ryan Jo Summers is a North Carolina writer who pens romances with a twist, mixing contemporary love stores with threads of Christian messages, time travel, paranormal and mystery. She began writing at the age of ten and never really stopped, always having to give voice to the characters and scenes in her mind. When not writing, she enjoys spending time with her menageries of pets, time out with friends, getting with nature, cooking and reading or painting just about anything.  Shimmers of Stardust is her first book out with Soul Mate Publishing, expected September of 2014, followed by a mystery romance in November. 

  

www.ryanjosummers.com 
blog: http:summersrye.wordpress.com 
www.facebook.com/pages/Ryan-Jo-Summers-suthor-page/312875648810797 
WHISPERS IN HER HEART--November 2012 Black Lyon Publishing 
SHIMMERS OF STARDUST--September 2014 Soul Mate Publishing 

WHEN CLOUDS GATHER--November 2014 Soul Mate Publishing

Shimmers of Stardust

Logan Riley is a Civil War hero turned renegade outlaw and hanged for his crimes in 1869. Except he survives, traveling through time. Fast forward 140 years and anthropologist Dr. McKenzie Lynne is hired by team of physicists to find a time traveling treasure. Kenzie finds Logan and soon learns the real fate they have in mind for him. Horrified, she runs, taking their living treasure. Now, pursued by obsessed physicists and the military, they race across the deserts and mountains of AZ and NM. If they get caught, it’s a lifetime of imprisonment and tests for him and certainly worse for her. But staying free means forever on the run, hunted and homeless.

        Running and hiding, hunted like criminals, they also discover attraction and love blooming like wild desert flowers. Logan knows how to survive on nothing, how to outwit the pursuers, when to run and when to hole up. What he doesn't know is how to keep himself safe from Kenzie's power. Kenzie's strong Christian faith works to convict him of his past crimes better then the hangman’s noose had. As their affections continue to grow and their pursuers close in, their love will face the harshest test of all—Kenzie's Christian morals and Logan's bad boy nineteenth century outlaw justice against the twenty-first century US Military and the insane physicists who will stop at nothing to get them back. 

Meet Larynn Ford !

I was born and raised in the South, lived in the country all my life, and love my animals. I have two goats, a potbelly pig, a kitty, and lots of fish. I love being outdoors, spending time with my animals, and gardening, but writing is my true love. I write paranormal romance set in the South. While my renewed interest in reading and the idea I’d like to try my hand at writing began with a bunch of teenage vampires, the characters pushing forward from my imagination to my computer screen lately have been cats. Big cats. Rescued, my book about werecougars, will be released July 16.

Rescued

Fiercely independent and determined to be taken seriously in a man’s world, PI Rose Baxter will do whatever it takes to find the kids who are disappearing from the streets and bring them home safe, even teaming up with PI Marty Brown, a man hot enough to burn whatever part of her gets too close – her fingers, her sheets, her life, and her other nature’s whiskers.

But her other nature knows whiskers grow back and will accept nothing less than this man as her mate for life, a plan Marty’s all in on. Sparks fly when she refuses to be the little woman. Besides, those kids need her and their time’s running out. But, thrown together 24/7 can she fight it?

 

The Importance of Setting Goals

I find the hardest challenge I fight, beyond the usual monkey on my back of writer's block is that of discipline. The discipline of writing every day, that is. Of course ending sentences with a preposition is another one, but I digress.

When I think back to the art of discipline - and it is an art, I usually freestyle it, which means I write based on whims and impulses. Does it work? Sometimes. But more often than not,  I end up frustrated because I haven't written enough or completed x book in x amount of time.

Thinking back to the accomplishments I have managed in my life, I am happiest when the those accomplishments are the result of goal setting. Be it personal or professional, the finishing of a goal with a positive result is meaningful, satisfying and motivation to set additional goals.

So here's my challenge to myself and to you. I am going to my first RWA conference in San Antonio at the end of the month. My challenge, my goal is to finish at least one project that I am working on - not just to have something to pitch to editors and agents but also as a way to feel a sense of accomplishment. Will you join me in this challenge and finish that project that has been the annoying monkey on your back?

Now a few authors that have finished projects near and dear to their hearts...

Meet Anne Cole !

Souls Entwined is Anne B. Cole’s debut release, combining sweet romantic suspense, time travel, and paranormal elements in a New Adult novel attractive to a wide range of readers.

In addition to writing, Anne teaches preschool and is raising three very active teenagers with her husband of twenty-two years. Her love for making fresh baked goodies, running, hiking, historical fiction, and her three pet cats continue to be her inspiration while she pens the sequel to Souls Entwined.

Souls Entwined

When a cursed family heirloom sends Gretta Dobbs back in time, a hunky construction worker, Sam Daggett, suddenly finds himself love struck and joins her adventure. Their souls entwine within the bodies of young lovers on a Greek island in 1829, where they begin to unravel the mysteries behind Gretta’s ring all while avoiding a bloodthirsty pirate who is determined to seek revenge. Gretta and Sam must find the secrets needed to save her and her relatives from an afterlife in purgatory and return to their own lives---or risk becoming prisoners of the past, continuing the evil cycle of the ring’s curse.

To follow Anne’s publishing journey and connect with her, check out her website and find her on Twitter and Facebook.

Website
Twitter

  Facebook

Click on the Buy Link below to see Souls Entwined on Amazon.
BUY LINK 

Meet MJ Compton !

Although my 30-year career in local television included such highlights as being bitten by a lion, preempting a US President for a college basketball game, giving a three-time world champion boxer a few black eyes, a mention in the Drudge Report, and meeting my husband, my urge to write never went away. I live in upstate New York with my husband and two young-adult children revolving in and out of the house. I'm a member of Romance Writers of America and Central New York Romance Writers. Music and cooking are two of my passions, and I enjoy watching baseball and college basketball, but I'm primarily focused on wine . . . and writing.

My current release is Moonlight Serenade, a sexy paranormal romantic suspense that New York Times Best Selling Author Maggie Shayne says is "a gripping, sexy as hell, page turner of a werewolf novel not for the faint hearted!" Alpha male werewolf Tokarz de Lobo Garnier will do anything for his headstrong human bride . . . except trust her. She’s a reporter, and she’s on the trail of a story that could destroy the sanctuary his pack has enjoyed since the American Revolution. But she’s in danger, and risking her safety goes against everything he believes. 

Website/blog: www.comptonplations.com

Meet Linda Bennett Pennell !

I have been in love with the past for as long as I can remember. Anything with a history, whether shabby or majestic, recent or ancient, instantly draws me in. I suppose it comes from being part of a large extended family that spanned several generations. Long summer afternoons on my grandmother's porch or winter evenings gathered around her fireplace were filled with stories both entertaining and poignant. Of course being set in the South, those stories were also peopled by some very interesting characters, some of whom have found their way into my work. I reside in the Houston area with one sweet husband and one German Shorthaired Pointer who is quite positive she is a little girl. When I am not writing, I can be found singing with the Texas Master Chorale, volunteering with my church and community arts efforts, and working with the local school district. 

Favorite quote regarding my professional passion:  "History is filled with the sound of silken slippers going downstairs and wooden shoes coming up." Voltaire   

Books:

Al Capone at the Blanche Hotel now available from Soul Mate Publishing

Confederado do Norte  coming from Soul Mate Publishing July 9, 2014

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/AuthorLindaBennettPennell

Website:  http://www.lindapennell.com/ 

Twitter:  @LindaPennell 

Buy Al Capone at the Blanche Hotel:  http://amzn.to/16qq3k5

Happy Canada Day and a few thoughts on gratitude

A big Happy Canada Day to all my fellow Canadians and an early Happy Fourth of July to my American friends. With a full day set aside for writing I can't help thinking about gratitude and all of the things I am grateful for on this wonderfully sunny and hot holiday.

Firstly I am grateful for living in such a beautiful country that celebrates diversity and multiculturalism. Unlike our neighbors to the south, we don't look at Canada Day as a celebration of independence and a turning point in our history - we are still a Commonwealth country if more for tradition than anything else. I celebrate Canada Day for the freedom given to us by the brave men and women that fought for our country in all past wars, for the diversity of our present day country that embraces people from all cultures while standing strong on the values that make us Canada, and for the privileges of living here like great natural resources, friendly neighbors to the south and a pretty darn good reputation as being a nice and hospitable folk.

Finally I am personally grateful to the publishers of my books - Soul Mate Publishing  for The Fog and Black Opal Books, for Showdown at Evil High. Both Debby and Lauri saw potential in my writing and I look forward to a long and happy relationship with both companies.

A Few Thoughts on Gratitude in Writing..

When I think about the word Gratitude, the first thing that pops into my mind is Oprah and her Super Soul Sunday's. I love watching the people that she interviews because in addition to wonderful advice, they seem to embody the word  Gratitude. Many of them have looked back on the lives that they created for themselves and pushed past the daily struggles to embrace the small things that have made them successful. From the families and peers that have supported them to the community that rally around their brand to make it the success that it is today.

I think as a writer it is important to inject gratitude into your characters. Too many times I throw my characters into impossible situations just to see how they can rise above. Not as many times do I stop to have them embrace and learn from their situation. In our daily lives we strive to learn from our experiences, hoping that it makes us better people. So too should our characters. How can we make them learn and grow from their experiences? How can they see the good in a situation and learn from their mistakes? How can they impart gratitude onto others?

On this day of celebration and reflect for Canada, I will be grateful for my blessings and asking my characters to give thanks as well... how about you?

Since my blog was too long yesterday, I had to bump Eris to today. So without further ado.....

Meet Eris Field !!!!

At 17, Eris left Vermont to attend Union University School of Nursing in Albany, New York where she met her future husband, a surgical intern from Istanbul, Turkey. After they married and moved to Buffalo, New York, Eris worked as a nurse at Roswell Park Cancer Institute.  When their five children finished high school, Eris returned to school and completed her Master’s in Psychiatric Nursing. She taught psychiatric nursing at the University at Buffalo for several years. </ Eris’ first publications were a biographical novel, Legacy of Change: The Saga of a Turkish Family from Empire to Republic, that she co-authored with her late husband and a textbook, Psychiatric Advanced Practice Nursing.  In her first novel, The Gift of Love, she shows how the hero, a grandson of a Father Baker boy, uses the treasures of Western New York to save a mute child and win the heart of the woman he loves..

Now, Eris lives in a ‘snow-belt’ town in Western New York and writes what she loves to read--contemporary, cross cultural romances. She is a member of the Romance Writers of American and the Western New York Romance Writers group.  Her interests include supporting the Crossroads Springs Institute in Kenya for children orphaned by AIDS and visiting as many fascinating cities of the world as she can.

Expat from Turkish Harem Rules Saved by Dutch Psychiatrist

The lattices created by the rules of our families and culture may stifle us but it is the lattices of our own making that strangle us.

 June 11. Orchard Park, NY. Soul Mate Publishing’s release, Lattices of Love, by Eris Field is a contemporary, cross-cultural romance about Emine Wheeler, a Turkish-American psychiatric nurse from Buffalo, NY, and Marc van Etten, a Dutch psychiatrist from Amsterdam--two people who must marry but for different reasons.

When Emine broke a long engagement and then refused a maneuvered marriage, her actions threatened her family’s honor. To prevent disgrace, Emine, who had always believed that there should be love in a marriage, accepts Marc’s offer of marriage, a marriage that would solve his problem of providing care for the troubled four year old he calls his daughter. Emine falls in love with her reticent husband who believes that people blame him for his wife’s suicide. Fighting for his love, Emine uses what’s available to her--the fragrant soaps of Edirne, the magic of Turkish baths, ancient recipes for Turkish dishes such as ladies’ curves and ladies’ navels, the mysterious gleam of Zultanite gems from Anatolia, and the crimson silk garments of every Turkish bride—but only Marc can vanquish his demons that stand in the way.

 Lattices of Love is an elegant story about suffering, forgiveness and love. Field has drawn on her experience as a Clinical Specialist in Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing and on her experience with Turkish-American women, including her three daughters. Lattices of Love can be ordered as an e-book from Amazon.com.

 Lattices of Love

Publisher: Soul Mate Publishing

Release date: June 11, 2014

ISBN: -61935-478-4

E-mail: Eris@erisfield.com

www.erisfield.com

Meet Becky Lower !!!

Amazon best-selling author Becky Lower has traveled the country looking for great settings for her novels. She loves to write about two people finding each other and falling in love, amid the backdrop of a great setting, be it present day middle America or on a covered wagon headed west in the 1850s. Contemporary and historical romances are her specialty. Becky is a PAN member of RWA and is a member of the Contemporary and Historic RWA chapters. She has a degree in English and Journalism from Bowling Green State University, and lives in an eclectic college town in Ohio with her puppy-mill rescue dog, Mary. 

The Road To Comfort

 Juliette St.James has only done two impetuous things in her life, and the first resulted in her becoming a single parent at age 18. Now, she’s embarking on a cross-country trip to celebrate becoming an empty-nester. Not sure of what she will do now that she’s flying solo, she comes face-to-face with her worst nightmare—a cowboy.

 Cyclone Kelley is a former rodeo cowboy who has broken one too many body parts to continue on the rodeo circuit. But the one body part that can’t be fixed by putting it into a cast is his heart, which was broken when his wife died. He wasn’t home to save her, and feels he’s unworthy for any kind of lasting relationship with a woman, so his life has been a meaningless string of one-nighters.

 One broken car and an equally broken cowboy later, they are forced to decide if love is worth gambling on what could be. Or if tornadoes, and Cyclones, are better left alone.

Website: www.beckylowerauthor.com

Blog: http://beckylowerauthor.blogspot.com

The Big Easy Blog Tour

Many thanks to Tierney James, a fellow author of mine from Black Opal Books.She invited me to be a participant on her tour, so for those of you joining me for the first time, a few answers that she posed to me.

What Am I working on?

I have an equal love of  writing Paranormal Romance and Young Adult Paranormal. Currently I am working on three different projects. The first is a paranormal romance mystery with a working title of The Reunion. It's a story about two families that hold a summit every fifty years. The families are the chosen representatives of Heaven and Hell , their job to maintain the balance between good and evil. The story centers around the mysterious death of a member of one family and the struggle for two opposing members to solve the mystery before all hell breaks loose.

How does my work differ from others in its genre?

I like to focus on my characters and how I can challenge them to grow and learn from their experiences. I think while creating the universe, the atmosphere is very important, but it is the emotional connection the reader has to the characters that make the story. As a reader and a viewer of many movies, I believe it is the stories that connect with its viewers that make the most difference. While I think cool ideas and elements that enhance the story are important, the essential pieces that make the story successful will always be the human connection. I don't like getting caught up in elements of a story that detract from the reading experience. Things like impossible names that the reader spends time trying to pronounce, or hundreds of characters that are difficult to keep track of pull the reader out of the story and once immersed, as a writer, I feel an obligation to keep the story as clean and straightforward as possible for the sake of the reader and making their experience as pleasurable as possible.

Why do I write what I do?

What can I say, I am a sucker for romance. I love strong male characters, headstrong heroines and interesting sidekicks. An unusual twist on reality through creating a paranormal injection of interest keeps me intrigued as well. As writers we spend so much time on the characters and their story during the development stage. It's important for me to be interested in the people and their stories because of the time spent developing their universe. If the circumstances and people don't constantly challenge me, the marathon of writing their story won't make me want to see how their story ends. Often something will happen  to a character and at the time I did not have any idea why I made that happen. For example in Showdown at Evil High, I had no idea why Sullivan demanded to see his dead wife at the beginning of the book. I had no clue how that would fit into Killara's journey until the story had almost finished and this element became important to both characters. I also love writing what I do because I want to be a character in that world. I want to be the gorgeous headstrong heroine, fearless and free. Is is living vicariously through them? You betcha!

How Does My Writing Process Work?

I wish I was disciplined enough to say I get up at the crack of dawn, write for a few hours and can turn out a book in a month. Unfortunately that isn't me. I write best at night, just before bed. Currently I have a 9-5 job so I am able to write during my lunch hour as well as after work.  I have a home office but also write on my couch, in my bed and at the local Starbucks. Basically I carry my laptop where ever I go and when the mood strikes, I write.

And now a few fellow authors, I would like to promote...

In the interest of paying it forward, I am featuring other authors on my website all this week . Here are the first three. I hope you click on their links and check out their fabulous bodies of work!!!!!

Meet Lauren Linwood ! 

Since I was a history teacher, I enjoy reading novels that tie in historical tidbits to their plot. Steve Berry and Brad Meltzer are masters at this. I’m an avid moviegoer, and I also follow college and professional sports. I love to walk every morning and do yoga—but I will never be able to pull my foot from behind me to hover above my head! I watch everything from Downton Abbey to The Walking Dead and wish I could be a writer/producer on Game of Thrones. I gobble up shows such as MasterChef Sand The Next Food Network Star, but I’m sad to report that I’m just a mediocre cook . . . who loves to eat!

She's promoting her new book: Written in the Cards

Maggie Rutherford jilts her too-perfect society groom at the altar and flees to the American West, where she turns her travels into dime novels that she writes under the pen name Lud Madison.

Civil War veteran Ben Morgan marries his childhood sweetheart and takes her to homestead on the Great Plains. Losing her in an Indian attack, Ben becomes a gambler. When he kills a cheating opponent in self-defense, the man’s gunslinger brother swears revenge.

Ben hides on a cattle drive and brings in a herd to Abilene, where a waiting Maggie interviews him for her next story. Sparks fly as they wind up living in the same household, running a general store east of Abilene. But with Black Tex Lonnegan on his trail, will Ben run from his growing attraction to Maggie and the gunfighter’s promise of death–or will he make a stand for his life–and love? 

Her Website: http://www.laurenlinwood.com

Her Blog: http://laurenlinwood.wordpress.com/

Meet Heather Wampler !

I'm a simple woman. I love to write. I love love. So I combine the two with some added flair. I tend to write about whatever I'm into at the time. My first novel was about zombies. While at work one day a few of the neurosurgeons and I got talking and The Last Alive was born. The next novel, War of the Gods was born when I was watching my husband play God of War. The third and my second favorite, Cutlass Anne, came from my love of history and my love affair with pirates for a few months.  

I love to write. There is a force in side of me that compels me to write so I do. At the moment I'm working on four more novels. Two that are in the editing stage. It's almost as though I have these stories in my mind that are just bursting to come out. 

I would love to tell you about my most recent release, Cutlass Anne.

After setting out to save her sister, Anne Crowley finds herself face-to-face with the notorious John Jacks, the ruthless pirate captain. John Jacks thwarts Anne’s every move yet she finds herself attracted to the infuriating pirate. Determined to find her sister, and resist the charming John Jacks, Anne and her band of pirates must search the high seas for clues to finding her missing sister before she’s lost forever. 

http://www.amazon.com/Cutlass-Anne-H-L-Wampler-ebook/dp/B00IMQ1K44/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1393448429&sr=8-1&keywords=cutlass+anne+h+l+wampler

Website - http://hlwampler.com/

Twitter - hlwampler

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/HLWampler?ref=hl

So you want to write a book, huh? Some suggestions on how to get started.

Several people have asked me how I write books and my answer is always the same - I write the movie I see running in my mind.

Now upon reflection that answer helps absolutely no one, because not everyone has that gift or ability to just start writing from scratch. I studied music for fifteen years and when I attended Berklee College of Music, I couldn't write a song or arrange music to save my life. ( Still can't and when I try it's like staring into a giant void of nothingness. No words, no music and no ideas.)

So how did I get to a point where I write books? Well I started with screenplays.

Back in 2004 I had an idea for a great screenplay that was a cool concept, fit the Hollywood "tentpole" model - which means a screenplay that would fit into a blockbuster category like The Avengers or any movie released with a $100+ million  budget . So based on that, I bought a bunch of screenwriting books, ordered a small mountain of scripts from proven  movie successes because they are a great resource for plot development and sat down at my computer with my new copy of Final Draft in front of me.

It took me about three months but in the end I had an okay script that I promptly started pitching at Hollywood pitch festivals like The Great American Pitch Festival and FadeIn Magazine ( my favorite one). Two things came out of that experience - it is bloody hard to pitch and that year absolutely no one was interested in a big budget Sci Fi Adventure.

One thing that was obvious is that writing screenplays comes easy to me because after plot and structure a script is primarily dialogue and action. How can I put characters into impossible situations and see how they triumph or fall? How can I take a two dimensional stereotype and turn him into a fresh and interesting character?

Writing a novel is a different animal. Yes, the dialogue and action are still there but unlike a script where you can hand it over to an army of people who will decide what the setting looks like, how the characters are dressed, how they will act and what their back story will be, it is up to the author to create and convey all of this himself.
 One line of description in a script that says: EXT: Bridge at night, to a writer has to become:

Wrought iron moorings with concrete that had seen better days. John stepped across the foot path, his fingers lightly testing the metal to see if it would hold. Looking up he saw the thick expanse of cable that could hold the weight of a thousand men but in his mind he knew that a single word from her would bring the whole thing crashing down.

Or something like that...you get the idea and I just made that up, so it needs a little work.


So what have I learned on how to write a book?

1. Come up with an idea for a story that you like. Try to keep it simple at first. Start with two or three characters and test the water. Write them having a conversation with just dialogue. Try to stick with only two or three people because it becomes tricky trying to keep track of everyone and who is saying what. Don't believe me? Next time you are watching a TV show, look at the number of times that two people are having a conversation, then when a third person comes along, they use them as a way to end the conversation and excuse themselves. For a writer, it is easier to write a dialogue between two people, than three. 
2. When it comes to writing, what comes easiest to you? For me it is dialog, then action and finally the dreaded description of the character's surroundings. Here's another interesting observation. I absolutely loved the Twilight books and think Stephanie Meyer is a fantastic writer. One thing I did notice as a fellow author is that she tends to shy away from writing action scenes. When I was reading her final book, Breaking Dawn, I bet a friend that she would not end it with a big action scene because she tended to stick with her characters "talking out" rather than the physical act of fighting their way out of a situation. Was I right or wrong?
3. Write an outline, or notes on your book or even character names. Depends on what works for you and more importantly what interests you. I personally hate doing an outline because I like to keep my writing fresh to me. Sometimes I will be writing and a character will say something that totally surprises me. In my latest book Showdown at Evil High, my character Michael Sullivan states that he wants to see his dead wife as payment for helping Heaven fight Hell. When I wrote that, at the time I was surprised that he would say that and debated whether to keep it in or not. As it turns out, my character was right, because the request becomes an important part at the end of the story. Writing notes will help you to remember character names, places and events that you want them to experience. Don't feel that you have to know the ending of the story at the beginning. Part of the fun of writing is to see where you end up and more importantly how you got there.
4. Take a writing course.... ah yes the dreaded writing course. You want to write a book? Sign up for a Continuing Education course somewhere in your hometown that will teach you about writing. Does it suck going back to school? Yes, no or maybe depending on how you feel. Will it benefit your writing? Absolutely! How you ask? Let's face it, when I wrote my first book- which was based on my first screenplay because I needed to spend more time with my characters - it sucked. Boy did it suck!!! The dialogue was okay, the action shaky and the description was terrible. I spent more time in "Tell" land than "Showing" what the characters were doing. A writing course will give you the basics to build your book, you will meet some great people and perhaps join a writing group or two that will be good enough to give you honest feedback about your writing.

Writing is a skill and like any skill must be practiced in order to be good. If I take up skating today will I be a figure skater tomorrow? Not without hours and hours of practice. If I want to be a professional singer can I expect to land a record deal tomorrow? Not likely and I spent fifteen years in singing classes, performing Opera, Musical Theater and getting a degree in acting. It takes practice honing those skills and writing is no different. 

And finally :  READ. 

Start with the genres that interest you the most. Enjoy the book for the story then go back and look at it from a writer's point of view. Every author has certain styles that you can learn from. J.K. Rowling loves incorporating minute details into every scene that place you into fully into that Harry Potter Universe. Stephanie Meyer is very dialogue driven yet within the dialogue we see amazing character development. Tom Clancy's books are full of technical detail needed to ground us into a world of military espionage. Choose a favorite author, then expand your pallet and try something that you would not normally read. 

Most importantly, start doing something. Jot down those ideas, read a book or just start writing. You are about to start an amazing journey but as they say, every journey starts with a single step. 

What will your first step be?

Release Day! My first YA Paranormal - Showdown at Evil High

Hi Everyone,
Am super excited that my newest book and first YA has been released! It is through Black Opal Books and I am very proud of it.
It's about a young Australian American named Killara Jones who lives in a small town in North Dakota. He meets a fallen angel named Sullivan and discovers that his town has a pact with the Devil that goes back one hundred and fifty years. With his friends he must try and break the pact and save his classmates while preventing a Showdown at Evil High.

Check out a few of the reviews:

And here is a quick excerpt:

He wanted to run, but he knew he had to stay and fight. If he didn’t, they would all die…

 

Killara closed his eyes and thrust his sword forward. He felt the blade pierce the priest’s chest. The man let out a loud bellow and fire erupted from his mouth. Killara scrambled back in horror, his injuries forgotten for the moment.

He looked toward the open rectory door and then back at Adam who had begun to fight the first of the townspeople, the chief of police, or what used to be him. This version was dripping blood and had spikes coming out of his arms. If Killara ran for the door, he would be leaving Adam at the mercy of the demons. If he didn’t do it now, his only chance would quickly slip away.

“Adam,” he yelled. “We can’t win this one. You have to retreat!”

Judging by the fury with which he waved his sword, Adam had made peace with trying to take out as many of them as possible. He seemed impervious to the throng of people surrounding him. Killara grimaced and ran to help his friend. They could still beat a retreat if he could lure the townspeople away.

Killara raised his arm and started slicing his way through the crowd. Everyone around him seemed to die in a different way. Some exploded in a flash of fire while others oozed to the ground as if their bones had dissolved and only flesh was left behind. He looked around for Adam, but could only see more Khalija residents—the owner of the liquor store to the right of him and his sixth grade teacher to the left. He was in the center of the mob now with everyone focusing their attack on him.

From all angles he could feel the blows. He smelled blood and knew that it was his own. The smells and sights nauseated him, making him feel claustrophobic and alone. All he could think about was getting away. He had to see what was behind that door. What was this town hiding and why was it so important that he find it?

I actually posted part of the first chapter on Goodreads, a few years ago, hoping I would find a publisher and now it is published and available in print and as an ebook.

Another example of the Law of Attraction at work...and all in the world is good!

If you like what you see it can be found on Amazon.com

http://www.amazon.com/Showdown-Evil-High-Christine-Wall/dp/1626940746/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1382871235&sr=8-1&keywords=showdown+at+evil+high

and UK, as well as Barnes and Noble and my publishers website:

http://www.blackopalbooks.com/shop-our-store/blackopalstore/showdown-at-evil-high

 

 

Thanks for taking the time to read my blog!

Keep Moving Forward

                   "Around here, however, we don't look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things, because we're curious...and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths."

                                                                                    ~ Walt Disney

For those of you who know me, are aware of my fondness for the Law of Attraction. I firmly believe that if we keep our eyes open, try to live in the present and stay vigilant the Universe will send us signs showing how to follow the best path. 

For months I have been struggling with what I would call was writers block. If dodging my laptop, finding excuses to watch television for hours on end or starting and stopping alternate stories is writers block, then I had it bad. Key phrase here: had. There is nothing wrong with the current book I am writing. I love the stories and the characters. I started it last Christmas on a lark and found it soon began to write itself. A grand adventure with a dashing hero and a fiery heroine that must unite to save the world hopefully fall in love in the process....

Then as life does it throws other things in our paths and what was once important falls to the wayside. For those of us that are grand starters but not great finishers we find reasons to embark on new adventures, try new things and conveniently look the other way when someone asks "So hows that( fill in the blank) going?"

( cue the cartoon character with his hands behind his back, glancing up at the sky and whistling as he tries to dodge the question)

Then two nights ago I was flipping channels when one of my favorite and least favorite movies came across my screen. Disney's Meet the Robinson's was on TV.

Favorite because I love the message and the charm of Lewis, its main character. Least favorite because it's message becomes muddled in the shenanigans of the futuristic family that Lewis visits to a point where it starts to grate on my nerves. 

Released in 2007, I don't think it was one of  Disney's more popular movies and doesn't rank in the top fifty of top grossing animated movies but none of that matters to me.

I love the message of the movie! For all of us who have struggled with self confidence,failure and some belief that we are not good enough, Meet the Robinsons tells us that we are wrong. It celebrates our failures and reminds us that without failure there is no success.

When we feel like we are alone, believe that we can't possibly see our way though a situation or feel that we are the biggest loser in the world, this movie challenges that belief and reminds us that we are all special, unique and here for a purpose.

Not unlike Walt Disney, who was turned down by over fifty banks when trying to finance Disneyland, the movie reminds us that if we keep trying, keep working through the failure of today, we will definitely succeed tomorrow.

To the actor who failed an audition - keep moving forward. To the author who's manuscript has been rejected...again - keep moving forward.  To the student who lost out on a scholarship - keep moving forward. To the professional turned down for a promotion or a raise - keep moving forward!

Only by standing still and allowing circumstance to win do we fail. 

So take a page from Disney and Lewis and learn from your mistakes and failures. Get off that couch and get back out there. Resubmit, reapply or reinvent yourself if you need to. 

Just KEEP MOVING FORWARD!!!!

Two nights ago the universe visited me through this wonderful movie and reminded me of what was important in my life... to finish books that I start and keep moving forward.