Susan Hanniford Crowley's Blog: From Nights of Passion Blog, page 211

Wine Time with Editor Erika Cooper by Heather Novak

Guess what time it is?! IT’S WINE TIME! That special blog post where I ply people with wine and make them share their secrets with me. Today’s special guest? Editor Erika Cooper. You’re welcome, NoP readers.

Soul Mate Publishing and freelance editor Erika Cooper is today’s special guest! Erika and I have been friends for, well, a very long time. One day, a decade ago just recently because we couldn’t possibly be so old that we could be friends for a decade, I looked at her and said “I write to write romance!” She told me, “I want to edit!”

The rest is history.

She’s taught me so much about the process, so here’s some fun wisdom for you, too!

 

Tell us a little bit about yourself!

I was born and raised in Michigan, south of Detroit, but in my heart I live in southern California. I hope to be able to move out there permanently within the next two years (in a perfect world, debt free!). I have a Bachelor’s from Eastern Michigan University in Spanish language, which allowed me to spend an amazing summer studying abroad in Mexico. I currently work full time for an insurance company in a claims department.

I have a myriad of odd hobbies that occupy my time nicely, since I hate to be bored. I love to dance and my specialty is Polynesian dance. I am currently a member of the Anuenue Dance Company, under kumu hula Janeen Bodary.

I love art, crafts, drawing, and painting. I especially love making stained glass – I even have a Facebook page just for my glass (shameless self-promotion).

I have a slight obsession with tattoos, and if I didn’t work in an extremely conservative, professional environment, I’d be covered in them.

Books are my passion. I have lived a thousand lives through books, and met the most amazing people along the way – including my book club! I am a member of the Forever Young Adult Detroit Book Club, and the other club members are among my closest friends. I have also joined the Greater Detroit Romance Writers Association, and have some made some great friends there too.

 

I currently live with my parents, their three dogs, and my very fluffy cat child (the current love of my life). I have an older brother who is married to my amazing sister-in-law, and I am very looking forward to being an auntie someday soon.

 

Tell us a little bit about your editing background.

I have always loved to read, ever since I was a kid. Throughout high school and college, as a pastime to help friends and classmates, I would proofread papers and edit them accordingly. I always wanted to be able to somehow turn that into a job, but without a degree in English or Journalism, I wasn’t sure how…that is, until Heather told me about an editor from Soul Mate Publishing who had been a guest at a GDRWA meeting, and who happened to be looking for part-time editors. Heather suggested that I send an email and introduce myself. Debby (the founder of Soul Mate) and I hit it off, and I’ve been working for her ever since. It’s my own little dream come true!

GDRWA 2014 Christmas Party

What are some tips you have for writers before they submit their manuscript?

The biggest piece of advice I can give to writers is this: READ! Read your own work, read other people’s work, read as much as you can. Learn something from everything you read, whether it be what to do or what not to do. Before you submit your manuscript to your agent/editor/publisher, print out a copy and read it as objectively as you possibly can. You will catch more mistakes on paper.

If you can’t do this, have someone else – your best friend, your parent, your sibling, your significant other – read your manuscript. I know it’s a terrifying concept, but it will be so helpful, and your books will thank you for it in the long run.

Can you give us a behind the scenes look on what happens when you read a manuscript?

I usually read each manuscript three to four times before I return it. The first time through, I’m reading for content. This means that I’m reading without the dreaded red pen, with just a small notebook next to me where I jot notes to myself as I go. These notes can be anything from noted plot holes, to words or phrases that seem repetitive, to amazing sections or phrases that I want to come back to later. I always prefer to do this first read with a paper copy.

The second and third reads are when I do line edits – this is when that feared red pen comes out. This process takes me anywhere from eight to twenty hours, depending on the complexity of the edits and the length of the manuscript, and is done completely on my computer. The final read is done when I’m finished with my line edits, and is usually still done on the computer.

I turn off as many of the markups as I can and simply re-read the story. This is usually where I find misplaced punctuation that I might have missed on the first couple of rounds, and is usually more of a simple proofread. After that, I’ll turn the markups back on, finalize any notes that I have, and send the whole thing back to the publisher. The entire process usually takes me around two weeks, since I’m only working part-time.

Can you tell us a little bit more about how freelance editing works? How much do you charge? Genre preferences?

I get most of my manuscripts from my publisher at Soul Mate, but I am also free to pick up manuscripts from other sources. My publisher has strict grammar and punctuation guidelines that I edit under, and I tend to stay within these guidelines for other freelance work. I like to discuss upfront with the authors what I’ll be doing, the timelines we will be working within, and the pricing.

Pricing, for me, depends on what I’m doing for the author. The fee will be less if I’m only reading for content or only doing a quick proofread. If I’m doing full line edits, the fee will be more. I don’t have a genre preference to edit, although there are certain topics that I’m not entirely comfortable with. I always discuss these preferences and guidelines with authors before we begin.

Are you part of the acquisition process at Soul Mate Publishing?

I am not a part of the acquisition process at Soul Mate, but interested authors can find out more at www.soulmatepublishing.com.

There is a phrase writers hear often: Write what you know. Do you believe this is true?

I do believe this is true – to an extent. Imagination and creativity are obviously going to play a large role in any fiction writing process, and of course authors can take certain liberties to make their stories work. There are, however, some limitations, particularly when it comes to hard facts.

If, for example, you aren’t fluent in a certain language, but you find that it’s imperative to your story that one of your characters is, be sure to do your research before you include that language. Using an internet translation site will not be sufficient, and you will run a serious risk of offending an entire culture of people.

Editors are not research assistants – your editor shouldn’t be fact-checking or quote-checking or translating languages for you. I know of one author who was using quotes at the beginnings of each of her chapters, and she had one quote attributed to Edgar Allen Poe, only to find out that the quote was actually a song lyric from a similarly-named band.

My personal rule of thumb is this: if you aren’t 110% sure of the information you’re including, don’t include it.

What are your favorite types of books to read in your free time?

My personal favorite genre is Young Adult, but I also read my fair share of New Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Science Fiction, and Fantasy. There’s not much in the way of fiction that I won’t read.

Beer or wine? Hockey or soccer?

Beer for barbeques, bar nights, and bonfires. Wine for movie nights, rainy days, and reading in bed. I’m from Michigan, home of the Red Wings, so my answer will always be hockey.

Any advice to give people who are just starting out writing or editing?

Here’s my advice for aspiring editors: start small. It is HARD to edit a full-length manuscript, and it requires a ton of time, energy, dedication, and passion. I’d recommend, if you’re just starting out, to join a resource center at a local college, and start with student papers and stories to get your feet wet. If you feel like you’re ready to move beyond that, start looking around for writing or editing groups that you could join.

The Editorial Freelancers Association is a great resource for both writers and editors to make new contacts, and there are a ton of job opportunities available there as well. Or you can start out like I did, and find a very trusted friend and edit their work for them. But be warned – this process definitely has the potential to end friendships, so make sure your personal relationship can withstand your professional one!

For writers, my advice is this: WRITE. I don’t care if you write one word every day – that’s one more word than you had yesterday, and tomorrow will be one more. I highly advocate finishing a manuscript no matter how terrible you think it is – most artists are blind to the end result while they’re working. Your book could end up changing someone’s life, but you’ll never know unless you write it down!

Do you have any questions for Erika? Post them below and I’ll make sure to forward them on! If you are interested in hiring Erika for professional editing services, you can here about.me/erika.cooper.editor.

Fun fact alert! August 6, 2015 is known for:

Wiggle your toes day!

Yeah, we think it’s a little weird too…

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wishing You Laughter & Good Books,

Heather Novak

Bold. Bewitching. Breathtaking. 

Find me at:

Twitter: authorheathern

Facebook: authorheathernovak

Website: Heathernovak.net

Author of Hunting Witch Hazel featured in Falling Hard (A New Adult Anthology).

Hunting Witch Hazel Trailer

Available Now!

Amazon U.S.

http://amzn.to/1G0aCoQ

iBooks

http://apple.co/1Fb1Nrp

Amazon UK

http://amzn.to/1bKvOmc

Kobo

 

Filed under: romance

The Discomfort of Change

Transition. Change. Transformation. All of them signify some sort of difference from point A to point B. It is cliché in saying that the only constant in life is change but wow is it sooo true and for some reason, it seems to be so much more prominent lately than before, or perhaps I’m just more aware of how fast it is all occurring.

My kids are growing at an immensely crazy rate (as most of us do during the first few years of our life) and with that come tons of changes. I’m hungry for every minute, second, hour I get with them and yet I do choose to work each day away from them, telling myself that it will be worth it in securing a better future. And then on the job front, my day time job is going through a transformation, which means a lot of change will be coming on the work side of things.

As I talk about this change with others around me who are experiencing the same issues or similar changes, I can’t help but wonder why it is that so many of us are uncomfortable with certain types of change or why we look forward to some types of change. Even more unnerving is the interim period where we are waiting for a change that may or may occur. I will share with you all (as I’ve had so many of these discussions lately) that what I’ve come to realize in life thus far, is that life is short and full of the unexpected. Change is a necessity as we continue to grow as a species, as humans, as companies, etc. But I’d also stress that even the worst changes will usually have something good with them. Admittedly, I couldn’t see any good in those moments but with time and healing, I have been able to continue growing and learning. I’m not sure if this is the solution but I’d have to think it is one way of surviving and pushing onward.

Whatever changes you all are experiencing this week or month or year, I wish you all success and strength. Happy writing this week.

Filed under: A writer's life, Toni Kelly

Booktube by Mandy Rosko

I think I always liked the idea of watching TV about books. Not just books that were made into movies or TV shows, but about people who read certain books, what they thought of them, and so on.

The problem was that, before Youtube, when I was still in highschool and had a dependency on what was on cable, the current BookTV option wasn’t that great. At least, I didn’t think so. Nothing that was on could really hold my attention. A lot of the time the hosts were talking about books I’d never heard of, or something classic, nonfiction or literary that didn’t really appeal to me at the time.

I guess readers on Youtube saw that something was missing. Especially the fans of Teen, New Adult, and Romances.

This is part of the reason why I wanted to try my hand at it. I don’t really know anyone else who reads and likes the same books that I do, though my sister in law occasionally borrows something on my TBR pile. I also thought it would be a nifty way to show people my face, what I’m like, and the things that I write.

Of course, with only three videos out now, the only thing I can really see for sure about myself is that I say the word Umm a lot. It takes a while to edit those out… :S

Regardless of how it turns out, I find that I actually like doing it. It’s weird how sitting in front of my computer and talking about the books I like, or the cools stuff that just came in the mail, could be so much fun. The long editing part could be easier, but oh well…

At least there will always be interesting things for me to watch whenever I forget that I have to do a blog post, right?

Cheers,

Mandy Rosko

————————–

Burns Like Fire (Dangerous Creatures Book One) is Available Now!

The Princess’ Dragon Lord is Now Available at Amazon and B&N

Connect with me online:

Youtube

Wattpad

Facebook

www.goodreads.com/Mandyrosko

Twitter: @rizzorosko

Mandyrosko.com

Want the latest on hot guys, erotic romance, and sizzling action? Add your super cool name to my Newsletter list and I’ll make sure you’re the first to hear about new releases the day they come out: http://rizzorosko.com/contact.html
Filed under: romance

After Pi-Con Paranormal-Scope

It’s good to take an adventure that frees your heart from time to time.

While I am not qualified in any way to read neither stars nor planets, I am intimately linked to the paranormal in the world in many ways. So are you.

The paranormal-scope is for entertainment purposes only and is not meant to guide your life by.

The week for:

Aries:

Faeries can be very naughty. Look out for pranksters.

Taurus:

Shapeshifters like having a lot of different choices. Life is a bountiful feast. You have decisions to make.

Gemini:

Mermaids drive deep when there’s a storm. It will blow over.  Just keep your wits about you.

Cancer:

Dragon migrate to new caves just to move and meet new people.  Get out of your comfort zone and explore your world.

Leo:

Vampires are sometimes homebodies. They need to solitude to rejuvenate and clear their minds.

Virgo:

Werewolves love dancing in the light of fireflies before they begin their howl.

Libra:

Hobbits like to sit in their gardens and watch the fireflies. Build in some relaxing down time for yourself. You deserve to enjoy life.

Scorpio:

Goblins are the ultimate accountants. Go over your finances with a fine tooth comb.

Sagittarius:

Unicorns carry serenity with them. Declare a place as your personal sanctuary and visit it often to rejuvenate. Serenity can be yours.

Capricorn:

Pegasus loves to sing while he flies. Sing, laugh, dance more!

Aquarius:

Zombies are across the street.  Don’t go there. Avoid trouble this week.

Pisces:

Gnomes are clever investors. They do consider all options before spending a dime.

-Susan

Susan Hanniford Crowley, Amazon Kindle Bestselling Author of Vampire Romance

www.susanhannifordcrowley.com

Where love burns eternal and whispers in the dark!

Vampire King of New York available at Amazon Kindle and print, Barnes and Noble Nook and print and in Kobo

A Vampire for Christmas in Kindle

Filed under: A Vampire for Christmas, Max Vander Meer, Norse, paranormal, paranormal romance, romance, romance novels, Susan Hanniford Crowley, The Stormy Love Life of Laura Cordelais, vampire books, Vampire David Hilliard, Vampire King of New York, Vampire King of New York In Print, Vampire Maximillion Vander Meer, vampires, Viking, Weekly Paranormal-Scope, Yule

Polish Up Your Manuscript ~ It’s Rudy Time!

Chesapeake Romance Writers

It is the first of August as I write this, and today marks the opening of my local RWA chapter’s annual writing contest. For the past three years it’s been called “Finish the Damn Book” in honor of Judi McCoy, a best-selling romance author and one of our chapter’s founding members who used to say that to us all the time.

This year, however, we’ve had to change the name of the contest and by unanimous vote we have changed it to “The Rudy,” in honor of Judi’s beloved bichon frise, named Rudy. We are still, however, staying with the spirit of “Finish the Damn Book” by requiring authors to submit a first and last chapter of their work, plus a synopsis (that will not be judged). This way the contest will be an added incentive for you to finish that manuscript that’s been sitting around for a while waiting for that push to complete it.

Let us be that push you need.

Details for the contest can be found on the Chesapeake Romance Writers website.

We have six categories: Contemporary, YA/NA, Historical, Paranormal, Mainstream with Romantic Elements, and Erotic. Each entry will have two judges for the preliminary round and scoresheets will be returned after the contest closes in order for authors to get as much feedback as possible. There will be three Finalists for each category whose work will be forwarded to the Finals judges. All Finals judges are either agents or acquiring editors. Final judges are still being confirmed and will be disclosed in the next week or so.

Prizes for The Rudy are medallions: gold, silver, and bronze medals with “Rudy” embossed on them along with a certificate.

Entry fee is $15.00 for RWA members and $20.00 for non-RWA members.

Deadline for the contest is midnight, September 30, 2015. All entries must be submitted electronically in Rich Text Format, the total amount of pages not to exceed 40 pages, including a two page synopsis.

We are looking forward to seeing your book in the contest this year!

Filed under: Contests, Jenna Jaxon, Writer's life

Writing the Moment by Susan Hanniford Crowley

I’m very excited I’m writing the most crucial scene in my next novel.  I was stuck for a

“Eiffelturm” by Benutzer:BigBartimäus – Self-photographed. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons

while and went back in and edited up to the point. Still stuck, I did massive research on the history that affects the moment. I studied maps and researched everything possible that affects my hero and heroine during that critical scene.  Then POW!  It flowed so fast and so perfectly, I cried.

I get scared for my characters sometimes that their dreams aren’t going to come true. My romances are bigger than the couple, especially this one. It impacts their families and friends. It expands on the first book in the series and goes further becoming part of the family saga. What would you do for love? How far would you go?  What if you had to trust someone you had no reason to trust?

This book is all about Vampire King of New York Max Vander Meer’s daughter Noblesse. Everyone gets to see a more personal side to her than just her father’s right hand in business or his body guard on the street. The always prim and proper and business first Noblesse lets her hair down. The story is more than looking for true love, it spans where she came from, what influences her, and what she’s afraid of.  The moment reveals everything she has searched for.  In the moment, everything can be lost or won, and winning makes you numb.

I’m not going to say more. I’m very excited for Noblesse’s book.

How does it make you feel when you read the moment in a book?  Terrified?  Ecstatic? Exhausted? Relieved? Scared of what possibly could be next?

-Susan

Susan Hanniford Crowley, Amazon Kindle Bestselling Author of Vampire Romance

www.susanhannifordcrowley.com

Where love burns eternal and whispers in the dark!

Vampire King of New York available at Amazon Kindle and print, Barnes and Noble Nook and print and in Kobo

A Vampire for Christmas in Kindle

Filed under: A Vampire for Christmas, Norse, paranormal, paranormal romance, romance, romance novels, Susan Hanniford Crowley, the romance of life, The Stormy Love Life of Laura Cordelais, vampire books, Vampire David Hilliard, Vampire King of New York, Vampire King of New York In Print, Vampire Maximillion Vander Meer, vampires, Viking, What inspires you?, Writer's Life, Writing Exercises, writing prompt, Writing Topics, Yule

Time to Write (Ack!) by Stacy Hoff

It’s every writer’s dream to have quiet alone time to write. We beg, borrow and steal for free time. For me, this is especially true. I’m a wife, mom and full-time attorney. I’m also actively engaged in my professional writing group and a member of an art center. To top to it off, I have a busy publishing schedule for my romance novels, coming out with new stories (both full-length and short) every few months.

Weirdly, I now have some free time. My boys (ages ten and thirteen) are off traveling with family. The minute they left, the house fell silent. So I now have quiet, undistracted time to finish up my next novel. It’s like getting a rare treat, one I’m desperate to indulge in. No matter how much I miss my beloved boys.

It feels so odd to have this opportunity. Now if I can’t produce, I only have myself to blame. No pressure!

I’ll have to hope that while my boys are away the Muses come to visit.

Find Stacy on Social Media: http://www.facebook.com/authorStacyHoff Twitter: twitter.com/authorStacyHoff Web: http://www.stacyhoff.com https://www.pinterest.com/authorstacyhoff/

AMAZON LINK FOR LAWFULLY YOURS: http://www.amazon.com/Lawfully-Yours-Stacy-Hoff-ebook/dp/B00U7U2WCC/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1425508177&sr=8-2&keywords=book+-+lawfully+yours

AMAZON LINK FOR SEASON OF LOVE: http://www.amazon.com/Season-Love-Box-Merry-Holly-ebook/dp/B00X3ZAR3E/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1431122019&sr=8-1&keywords=Season+of+love+-+stacy+hoff

AMAZON LINK FOR DESIRE IN THE EVERGLADES: http://www.amazon.com/Desire-Everglades-Stacy-Hoff-ebook/dp/B00NFSMCYG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1410289138&sr=8-1&keywords=desire+in+the+everglades.

Filed under: A writer's life, muse, romance, Stacy Hoff, Writer's life

The Wasp Whisperer: A True Account by Heather Novak

One peaceful summer day, the unthinkable happened…
A deadly wasp infiltrated my kitchen.

Straight from the mouth of Hell.

I live tweeted the experience. All of these events are completely true and not in any way dramatized. *

*dramatization

During my time held hostage by this, the most evil of insects, I posted live updates on twitter so I could preserve my potentially final moments. I fought not with bravery or valor, but instead wit and rhetoric. From behind a closed door.

I must warn you — it’s not pretty. The wasp was hostile. Children under thirteen should be accompanied by an adult.

From (Twitter) @authorheathern

Some lines have been altered for time and poor grammar.

Hour 1:

That moment when you’re cooking…and a wasp is crawling by you…and your epi-pen is in the other room…#run #DidITurnOffTheStove

Hour 1.5:

I’m hiding in my office. Towel under door. Must sneak out  for supplies and to check that I turned the stove off. Pray for me.

(Note: Stove was off! Huzzah!)

Hour 2:

It’s turned into worst case scenario. The wasp has gone missing. Anyone have the National Guard on speed dial?

Hour 3:

Prince Charming has arrived home. He is taking out the vacuum and walking slowly toward the kitchen. There’s no way this can go wrong, right?!

Hour 4:

Mayhem has ensued. The wasp has bested us, but we think he is injured. I am still in hiding.

Hour 5:

We’ve contacted a realtor to sign the property over to the wasp. It’s taken us by force and clearly deserves it.

Hour 10:

I’ve quit my job, as clearly I can never leave my room. But I need to pee… /eyes cowboy boots/

Hour 35:

Starvation has kicked in. I haven’t eaten in four forty hours. I may be hallucinating. What I thought was a cinnamon roll turned out to be a pair of nylons.

Hour 42:

The man has located the wasp (and my epi-pen) and will begin the extraction process. Blueprints are being researched. Two tanks have rolled up onto our front lawn. The President is on the phone.

Hour 745*:

I’m surviving on stale gluten-free pretzels and Trident gum. I have some apple lotion for dessert…

*estimation

Hour 27931:

The wasp has moved into a light fixture. Tools are out. Oven mitts are on. Battle to commence in 3…2…1…

Hour 996266:

THE WASP HAS BEEN ERADICATED! Epi-pen returned to purse. The locals cheer. The President will give a State of the Union address in one hour.

In honor of Prince Charming’s bravery to make the house wasp-free, we shall rename him:

The Wasp Whisperer.

Be jealous of how adorable we are!

 

I hope you enjoyed this rendition of The Wasp Whisperer. No humans were harmed in the making of this blog post…although one wasp was harmed. The wasp was ultimately trapped inside of the light fixture, which was quickly covered and set outside. I’d say that I hope the wasp is in a better place, but really wasps are just proof that evil exists in the world.

Stay safe. Lock your windows. Tip your waitresses.

Fun fact alert! July 30, 2015 is known for:

Only make friends with people who don’t own selfie sticks!

International Friendship Day 
Father-in-Law Day
National Cheesecake Day

Cheesecake, family, and friends? Sounds like one heck of a day!

 

 

Wishing You Laughter & Good Books,

Heather Novak

Bold. Bewitching. Breathtaking. 

Find me at:

Twitter: authorheathern

Facebook: authorheathernovak

Website: Heathernovak.net

Author of Hunting Witch Hazel featured in Falling Hard (A New Adult Anthology).

Hunting Witch Hazel Trailer

Available Now!

Amazon U.S.

http://amzn.to/1G0aCoQ

iBooks

http://apple.co/1Fb1Nrp

Amazon UK

http://amzn.to/1bKvOmc

Kobo

 

Filed under: romance

Writing Senses

Waves crashed against the sand. The sun warm my skin. I turned my head, face against the wind. Salty and wet, it whipped strands of my hair around my cheeks and nose.

Sounds like the beach, huh? That’s the point. Even better with writing is the fact that it can truly feel like you are some place as well.

I have to say that I really like movies. I really like seeing a world dreamed up by someone else’s imagination. But, when it comes to books, I LOVE books. I love them even more because while the world is painted by another person’s words, the images that come to me are uniquely my own. What I feel is uniquely my own too. Part of the challenge as an author is creating these sensations so strongly that our readers feel and envision what we want them to. I know that it will still be unique to them but if I get it close I’m happy. Still, it is something to account for as we think of our readers. How do you awaken the senses the way you want to? For instance, if instead of the first paragraph, I had written this next one, how would you feel?

Waves crashed against the sand. Despite the warmth of the sun, goose bumps popped up along my arms and down the back of my neck. I shivered, turned my head, face against the wind. Wet and angry, it whipped strands of my hair around my cheeks and nose.

The first seems to feel somewhat comforting while the second is cold, maybe even unsettling but we really need to wait and find out. Why is that? A lot of it is description, but touching on the senses (especially ones that are familiar to us) conjures associations and certain feelings in each of us. The difficulty at times is that we aren’t always able to judge in our own writing how we feel about a scene, especially after we’ve tinkered with it for the two-hundredth time. My recommendation? Take a break, come back to it later (even if the break is a week or two or longer). That is why it helps to go straight through at times when you are doing that first draft. Second, work with a critique partner or have a friend read it and then tell you how it made them feel. Does it hit the mark? Let me know if this works or if you have suggestions you’d like to share.

Good luck and happy writing this week!

Filed under: A writer's life, Toni Kelly, Writing Topics

Getting Back Into Sci-Fi by Mandy Rosko

Okay, so I think Earnest Cline is opening me up to all sorts of books and movies that I wasn’t even really aware of, or didn’t pay much attention to, outside of Star Wars and Mass Effect.

I think it all started with Ready Player One, and reading about all of those characters that I grew up watching on TV, namely Voltron, Power Rangers, you name it. Some things I didn’t even know about, like the Japanese Spider Man, which I still want to see :)

       

This has made me have more of an appreciation for video games and sci-fi, and now, after finishing A Town Called Dust, I’m working on getting through Armada.

Within the first two chapters of that book, there is a nice giant list of video games and movies involving space and/or aliens, with a couple named that involve teaching kids to learn how to fight their enemies using video games as a training method.

I love that. I can’t believe I still have yet to see Tron, or War Games. I’m a big believer in reading outside of your writing genre, but only lately have I been able to really get back into Sci-Fi. The movie Pixels recently came out, and I cannot wait to watch that.

I think it’s the mix of gaming and real life adventure that makes me love this sub-genre, which isn’t even as new as I thought it was. These are really the sorts of things that have been making me excited to read these things. Brings out the inner kid in me where I was still waiting to get my super powers and draw in the eye of a gorgeously tortured hero (or villain)

I think this has gotten me so excited for these stories. I honestly didn’t know what I was missing until lately. I just have this enormous urge to gobble them all up and put them on my shelf forever and ever :) Now I’m on a mission to find anything epic involving video games. I need to rent War Games off of iTunes. I bet this stuff is excellent muse material for romance :D

Anyway, it’s one good thing to think about while I update my Macbook so that I can reinstall iMovie and then finally start working on my next, overdue Youtube Video. Yay! :D

Cheers

~Mandy

Filed under: romance