Victoria Ray's Blog, page 22

Hocus-pocus or how to create an awesome book from a crappy unfinished material in 2 weeks…

Hello, February! The one-month-long vacation is over and the reality of “damn, Ray… are you going to edit the book?” is here, slapping my face with a warning of fast-approaching deadlines. In a world of Indie Publishing, jam-packed with frustration, chaos, confusion, anxiety, and laziness, it’s really hard to stay on track 24/7. Things to remember when you need a push: No one cares! It is you against you. Every...

Ink… a Drug (Nabokov’s #quote)

The last post of 2019… What amazes me is that most days feel useless. I don’t seem to accomplish anything – just a few pages, most of which don’t seem very good. Yet, when I put all those wasted days together, I somehow end up with a book of which I’m very proud. Louis Sachar 1. What a crazy year!! 2. Blurb for “SOPHIA von X” is ready!  Genre: religious...

“Rewrite until it hurts!” – New Year’s Resolutions For Fiction Writers

Written by Jemima  Have you found yourself wondering if the whole New Year’s resolutions concept is getting a little jaded and tatty around the edges? If so, allow me a shot at rekindling your passion for pledges to the Self. I know that most of us writers can raise a hand on having made heartfelt promises that have been spectacularly broken, with a mighty tumble before the end of January....

Choose “MUST” in 2020

#takeawaykeys from the book of Elle Luna “The Crossroads of Should and Must: find and follow your passion” Picasso said about his life and work “It’s not what an artist does that counts, but what he IS.” What he did was what he was. WHAT HE DID WAS WHAT HE WAS. JOB = CAREER = CALLING. Now ask yourself: a) who you are? B) what you do? C) are you doing...

Africa’s warriors: women in folklore

Written by Nathaniel Postell Women are warriors! A fact that becomes abundantly clear by studying African legends and folklore. These fiercely independent women help shape the world, inspiring countless interpretations, even presenting themselves in recent pop-culture. The wildly successful Marvel Studios movie Black Panther features a group of gifted women warriors inspired by the Dahomey Amazons – an all-female military group that proudly defended their boarders up until the 19th century....

Surreal Humor & Absurdist Comedy – Why Is It So Weird?

Written by Peter Manley When we think about comedy, there are so many different styles and “flavors” for us to choose from. For example, some of the most common forms of comedy – especially in the stand-up comedy realm – are anti-humor comedy (where a dry and otherwise unfunny statement is said out of indirect humor) and insult comedy, where the comedian directly makes fun of the audience or people...

Urmuz – the genius beneath the boffoon

Written by Andreea Padurean (Her Goodreads Profile – here) One of the most controversial figures of the Romanian Literature – Demetru Dem or Demetrescu-Buzău, known as Urmuz, a genius who left behind a literary work of 50 pages at most. His pen name (Urmuz) was interpreted in various ways, one of the attributed meanings being ‘I amuse’. And yes, he amused himself and the others even when he challenged the dominance...

Blurb shot

Sharing my blurb for 42 degrees of Truth, book #2 – Blue Giraffe. I decided to publish it December 9, after Black Friday and Thanksgiving-busy-time

Interview with Sabina Gabrielli Carrara

I managed to grab a quick word with Sabina Gabrielli Carrara, author of the murder mystery novels ‘Field of lies’ & ‘Black Souls’, for a short interview… Q: Why do you write? What motivates you to write? Sabina: Simply because I like it, I always did. Q: What kind of books did you love growing up? Sabina: As a child, I liked fantasy. “Little Women” was indeed one of my favourites along with...

I write for money…

While money can’t buy happiness, it certainly lets you choose your own form of misery. Groucho Marx 1. I edited only 15 chapters of my thriller Sophia von X. I still have to add some details about Istanbul, Jerusalem, Yakuza family, Ice Age caves of Europe, Jesus Christ (grave), von Essen family, prologue-epilogue-interview…and most important, Bible. I also changed names of heroes, sigh.  The book is some kind of mix:...