Lisa M. Collins's Blog, page 16
April 17, 2013
Interview with Karina Fabian — Live and Let Fly
Karina Fabian is the winner of the 2010 INDIE for best Fantasy with her book Magic, Mensa and Mayhem. She has imagination that takes quirky twists that keep her–and her fans–amused. Nuns serving in space, a down-and-out Faerie dragon working off a geas from St. George, zombie exterminators—there’s always a surprise in Fabian’s worlds. Karina’s writing took a right turn in May 2010, with a devotional, Why God Matters, which she co-wrote with her father, Steve Lumbert.
Fabian is a former President of the Catholic Writer’s Guild and is the current Committee Coordinator. She teaches writing and book marketing seminars online, but mostly is concerned with supporting her husband, Rob, as he makes the exciting leap from military officer to civilian executive, getting her kids through high school and college, and surviving daily circuit torture…er, circuit training.
Interview with Author Karina Fabian author of Live and Let Fly
4/18/2013
Lisa M. Collins: Karina I absolutely adore your character Vern the average North African Faerie Wyvern with a not-so average lifestyle. Vern is unique and in your books he just comes alive so, I was wondering where you get your story ideas?
Karina Fabian: The problem is not getting ideas. They’re everywhere. I have too many, and some are sitting, languishing, in a file on my computer. Oh, the guilt!
Most often, I start with a character idea and the adventure presents itself, but sometimes, I will come across a situation that stirs my imagination. For example, today in FB, there was a discussion about going and rescuing a Tunisian woman who apparently has been kidnapped by her own family for posting a nude picture of herself. Some of the guys were gung-ho for getting some zodiacs and weapons and saving the damsel in distress. Part of me got to thinking, “What about all the women here in the US who could use a knight in shining armor, but aren’t as pretty or posing naked on the Internet?” I already have a couple of characters I want to set up a romance for, one of whom is a secret agent Stan Rakness from 
Live and Let Fly. As I was shopping today, I imagined him defending this other character from her crazy stalker ex. I can only hope what I was thinking didn’t show on my face!
Sometimes, if I need a specific idea, I’ll go to another book or movie and pull from it. For example, my upcoming novelette, Greater Treasures, was inspired by the Maltese Falcon, but with a dragon for Sam Spade, the Lance of Longinus for the falcon, and a very different motive for the villain.
Lisa M. Collins: What is the usual process for your fiction writing? Are you a plotter or a pantser?
Karina Fabian: It depends on the story, but the only time I ever carefully plotted was for my novel, The Old Man and the Void, which I’m shopping around. Even then, the characters took off and went waaaaay off-script. I find it’s better to let them do that, however.
Lisa M. Collins: Once you have an idea that sparks your imagination do you research your idea or do any world-building exercises, or do you just begin to write and see where the Muse takes you?
Karina Fabian: I write or imagine and let the characters lead me. After all, it’s their story. They seldom steer me wrong.
Lisa M. Collins: What is your daily writing like?
Karina Fabian: There’s no pattern, but I begin with my paying assignments, then try to write fiction every day, market my books, and of course, tend to writers’ groups I’m in and help out other friend writers. I also spend far too much time on Facebook. When I write, I usually prefer the computer, but for my latest novel, Mind Over All, I seem to return to the notebook time and again. I do usually imagine scenes at night or in the shower.
Lisa M. Collins: Are you a full time writer?
Karina Fabian: I’m a full-time writer. I am not earning the wages of a full-time writer…or a full-time anything. *shrug* My wonderful husband keeps us sheltered and fed.
Lisa M. Collins: Can you tell us about your experience working with your current publisher? (Any other publishers?) (And/Or your self-publishing experiences?)
Karina Fabian: I have been blessed with multiple publishers, and each has helped me improve as a writer. They’ve all been supportive of my books, and some have encouraged me to write a second or more of a character they’ve particularly enjoyed.
I’ve just started in the self-publishing adventure. I’m going to begin with novellas and such—things that are harder to find a home for. If I’m enjoying it, I might branch into doing some of my novels. However, I believe strongly in the power of a good publisher, so I will continue to shop some of my books around and to stick with publishers I have for certain of my books or lines.
Lisa M. Collins: What is your current release and (without spoilers) tell us about the new book or series.
Karina Fabian: The latest book out is Live and Let Fly, which stars Stan Rakness. Here’s the video with him in it:
This takes place in my DragonEye universe, and Stan joins Vern, a dragon, and Sister Grace, a magic-wielding nun from Faerie, as they take on a demigod intent on destroying our world. It’s a 007 spoof and a laugh a page.
The novelette, Greater Treasures, comes out around April 19 on Kindle, and is a serious DragonEye story. One thing I love about these characters and this universe—they have stories that run from slapstick to noir.
In September, my next novel, Mind Over Psyche, comes out from DragonMoon books. It’s the second in the Mind Over trilogy.
Lisa M. Collins: Can you tell us about some of your other writing and any appearances or signings that you have planned?
Karina Fabian: In May, I’m having a huge, month-long book tour for Greater Treasures. I’ll be doing interviews and guest posts—as is my main character, Vern—and we’ll be giving away prizes of e-books or grab bags from Vern’s warehouse. You’ll find the details at here.
This year, I got the fabulous opportunity to participate in a project to make the saints better known to people. Saint Connection gives readers a series of blogs written as if by the saint himself or herself. I love this job on many levels. I learn more about my Catholic heritage; I connect with these wonderfully holy people of the past; and I get to exercise my writing skills in a new way. The website should be going live soon, if it isn’t by the time of this posting.
Lisa M. Collins: As an author what inspiration or advice would you give to a writer who is working to make the transition to Author?
Karina Fabian: Write. Edit. Get critiques. Revise. Submit. Accept rejection—it’s not personal. Repeat until you sell or decide that being a plumber is more fulfilling.
Lisa M. Collins: Who is your favorite author, and can you recommend a book by that author?
Karina Fabian: Douglas Adams, Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. (If you saw the Disney movie, but not read the book, you are missing out!)
Lisa M. Collins: Thank you Karina!
If you would like more information about Karina Fabian you can find her books on Amazon, and updates about her writing on Twitter, Facebook and on her website.
April 15, 2013
Gears of War 3…Clay Carmine…Lives or Dies? [spoilers]
just to be sure that I understand the reasoning of sixokay & weezul .
As a writer, I can understand the methodology of the argument for the death of Clay Carmine.
Paraphrased sixokay:
All of the Carmines have died,
so Clay should as well.
The Carmines represent the
fragility of humanity,
so Clay should die.
If the Carmines do not die
then nothing is at stake
for the main characters of
the story. Also if Clay Carmine
dies then perhaps even our
heroes might die.
sixokay’s Twitter comment to me (coolvstar650) quoted with permission.
“@coolvstar650 lol, alright. I’m gonna make @weezul talk about this with me in an episode of @15MinutesOfGame . . .#CarmineMustDie”
“@coolvstar650 You’re a writer, and you want Carmine to live? Giving up all the symbolic value that the word “Carmine” has in Gears? Booooo.”
I do understand the meaning of the word/name Carmine: a vivid red; resembling the color of blood; created from crushed insects.
From a writer’s perspective I must look at the idea of a trilogy. In most three part acts of fantasy and science fiction you have three ideas that are the overarching theme of each book (or for this discussion, game installment). Generally these themes can be boiled down to these basic ideas:
Act one, An intrepid band of heroes meet insurmountable evil and devise a plan to hold that evil at bay, and do so.
Act two, Our band of heroes take their plans to the next level—defeat the plague of evil in the land. By the end of the story they may actually believe that they have accomplished their goals, but in the end the campaign is an epic fail, even if evil has been put at bay once more. Our band of heroes must have lost their innocent notions of easy victory and deeply feel loss.
Act three, By this time our heroes are worn, possibly desperate, damaged mentally and physically, and most definitely ticked off. This is when they get down to the business at hand and stomp out the evil once and for all.
I believe that Clay Carmine should live.
In act three of the trilogy our band of heroes must rally and although the Carmines in the game have been more like the red-shirts in Star Trek. I think that Clay being the bearer of the memory of Anthony and Benjamin must live in order to preserve that memory. Also as the representative of the “fragility of humanity” Clay must also show the other side of humanity. The side that says, “The line must be drawn here! This far, no further! And I will make them pay for what they’ve done.” [Keeping with Star Trek]
As far as the writing and development issues, those can be overcome and should be. [I am not saying it will be easy.] Going back to the idea of the three act theme. The third act of a trilogy is usually the hardest to write. It is time to bring out your best work, the big guns, if you will and finish the time line taking your audience on a whirlwind fast paced adventure where ultimately humanity prevails.
Letting Clay Carmine live does not preclude that bad things will not or should not happen to him. They should! Clay, just like humanity must be knocked down, think that all is lost, then pick himself up by the bootstraps and show evil what he and all of the Carmines (humanity) are made of far firmer stuff.
Gears Of War 3: Highlight with your mouse over the black box for the spoiler or go to 5:25 on the video. If you dare!
Clay Carmine Lives!
April 14, 2013
Healthy Writer: Double Handcuffs
Are you a Desk Jockey? You are if this looks familiar to you.
I am a true desk jockey. I spend almost all of my waking hours in a seated position. My day goes like this…I commute to work for 1 hour and 30 minutes. I spend an 8 hour workday at a desk job. I travel (M/W/F) to my gym which is an hour from my office. On Tues/Thurs I travel an hour and a half home. When I get home I usual eat dinner, watch some TV and write. Do you see just how much sitting is in my average day? At minimum we are talking about 12-13 hours! I know I’m not alone. Some of you have even longer commutes than I do. So for us desk jockeys we have to use our seated and non-seated hours as productively as we can.
Movement works in 6 dynamic directions. This information comes from the study of engineering and robotics. The idea of putting this engineering parlance into a human movement system originated with FlowFit.
The Six Degrees of Freedom 
Heaving: moving up and down;
Swaying: moving left and right;
Surging: moving forward and back;
Pitching: tilting up and down;
Yawing: turning left and right;
Rolling: tilting side to side.
So how do we use this concept of movement to help fix our tight shoulders, back, and hips? We have a couple of options. We can either take the time to commit to a rigorous stretching and strengthening routine or we can take moments out of each day to work on our flexibility. Both of the options have merit. I am working to combine the two into my daily life. I do spend time in the gym each week working not only on endurance (elliptical, bike, treadmill) but also on strength. But I’ve found that even that is not enough to keep the occasional aches and pains at bay. Most of my body irritations originate from a sheer lack of flexibility. All the strength and endurance in the world can’t help you if you can touch your toes or clasp your hands behind your back, and as a matter of fact the lack of flexibility will hinder your efforts to become more fit.
So what are we to do? Well flexibility is like losing body fat, it cannot be done over night and there is really no quick scheme that will work. It takes dedication to your cause and daily effort toward your goal. But like fat loss it is just as easy…yes, you read that right…I said fat loss is easy. AND it is, it is just not fun. Most people give up on fat loss because they have never developed patients. Fat loss and Flexibility take just that P.A.T.I.E.N.T.S. Time + Dedication = Results.
Here is a video of the first mobility exercise that I have added into my daily life. Try it. And again. And again. Don’t get frustrated if you can’t get your hands in just the right position. At first I could only hook my thumbs together behind my back. If you can’t do that grab a belt or some string and get your hands as close together as you can. Each day your hands will come closer and closer until you are able to clasp them. Like I said, flexibility takes patients and daily effort. You can do this! Next week I will bring you another mobility exercise that will build on the series. If you haven’t checked out the other posts in the Healthy Writer Series click here.
April 11, 2013
Interview with Barry Reese — The Adventures of Gravedigger Volume One
Barry Reese is known primarily for his pulp adventure novels and short stories but he has also done work for Marvel Comics and West End Games. By day he is a Library Director in Georgia, but by night his fingers fly across the keys. This year he won the 2013 Best Novel in the Pulp Ark Awards.
Interview with Author Barry Reese
author of The Adventures of Gravedigger
Volume One
4/11/2013
Lisa M. Collins: Barry it’s great to have you on the blog this week. I just have to say that my favorite Barry Reese story is in Pro Se Productions’ The New Adventures of Thunder Jim Wade (Volume 1). The Hellmouth sucked me right in and I was hooked! Thunder Jim Wade is a great character that takes me back to a time when heroes were strong and courageous, and not all emo and indifferent. But you write all kinds of characters so, I was wondering where you get your story ideas?
Barry Reese: Anywhere and everywhere! Seriously, I get ideas while watching movies, reading a book or checking the news. I’ve never had a lack of ideas. Time, on the other hand, can sometimes be elusive!
Lisa M. Collins: What is the usual process for your fiction writing? Are you a plotter or a pantser?
Barry Reese: I’m a pantser. The more prep work I do before starting writing, the less I’m going to enjoy the process. It becomes more ‘work’ and less ‘fun’ for me. Having said that, sometimes I work on licensed properties and they demand a full plot to be approved beforehand, so I can work both ways… but I much prefer to have a general idea in my head and work out how I get there over the course of the story. Usually, I have the opening in my head, a few key moments I want to hit and the general resolution (though sometimes this is vague)… then I get to work. I revise as I go.
Lisa M. Collins: Once you have an idea that sparks your imagination do you research your idea or do any world-building exercises, or do you just begin to write and see where the Muse takes you?
Barry Reese: I just start writing most of the time. If a key element of the plot deals with something that’s unfamiliar, I’ll read up on it first. When I wrote my novel Die Glocke, I read a couple of books dealing with the Nazi investigation into what became known as Die Glocke in conspiracy circles, then I decided what info I wanted to tweak for fictional purposes – then I was off and writing!
Lisa M. Collins: What is your daily writing like?
Barry Reese: During the week, I squeeze in writing first thing in the morning, during work breaks at my real job, on lunch hours and in the evenings. I often take the weekend off from writing and just focus on plotting in my head or doing research. I try to some every day during the week, even if it’s only a few hundred words.
Lisa M. Collins: Are you a full time writer? If so when did you make the decision and what factors led to the decision. If you are not a full time writer…Is your plan to one day being a full time writer?
Barry Reese: I am not a full time writer in the sense that I live off my earnings. They supplement my day job. I’d love to be a full time writer but economically, that’s not an easy thing to do.
Lisa M. Collins: Can you tell us about your experience working with your current publisher? (Any other publishers?) (And/Or your self-publishing experiences?)
Barry Reese: It really is different with each one. Most of my current work comes out from Pro Se Press and I have a lot of freedom there. I pretty much can do any project that springs to mind with no restrictions from them. But that’s really unusual. When I do work for Moonstone, it’s generally on licensed characters like The Green Hornet and they have many restrictions and require several rewrites. Back when I was working for Marvel Comics, they were very nitpicky about making sure things were exactly as they wanted them to be. In general, I understand that – when I do work-for-hire, it’s not mine… it’s theirs. So they should have the final word. With my own work, I enjoy having the freedom to kill off characters, change settings, etc. and with Pro Se, I have the freedom to do that.
Lisa M. Collins: What is your current release and (without spoilers) tell us about the new book or series.
Barry Reese: My newest book came out earlier this week – The Adventures of Gravedigger Volume One. It’s set in 1937 and is the story of a young woman who has turned to a life of crime. She breaks into the wrong house one night and is killed by the homeowner… only to awaken in a coffin, with a mysterious voice offering her a choice: become its servant, dispatching cruel justice upon those who deserve it, and it will restore her to life. But there’s a catch: the deal is only good for three years. If at the end of that time, she hasn’t been able to redeem her soul, she’ll be dragged down to Hell. It’s a pulp adventure story with some heavy overtones.
It’s set in the same universe as my Lazarus Gray and The Rook series but you don’t have to read any of that to enjoy it.
Lisa M. Collins: Can you tell us about some of your other writing and any appearances or signings that you have planned?
Barry Reese: I had a pretty busy year last year, in terms of appearances, so I’m taking it slow in 2013. I’ll be at Avalon Comics in Macon, Georgia on May 4 for Free Comic Book Day, at the Crossroads Writers Conference in Macon during the first weekend in October and then I’ll be part of the Georgia Literary Festival in Milledgeville on November 9.
Lisa M. Collins: As an author what inspiration or advice would you give to a writer who is working to make the transition to Author?
Barry Reese: Network. You honestly never know who will help you later on – and do the same for others! Get out there and meet people, let them know who you are and befriend them. All the other stuff – how to write, how to plot, etc., you can learn from practice. But it does help to have friends in the industry. Get on Facebook, on Twitter, etc. and meet people.
Lisa M. Collins: Who is your favorite author, and can you recommend a book by that author?
Barry Reese: Just one author?! You’re a cruel person! I guess I’d go with Walter Gibson, who wrote The Shadow. I’d recommend that you start with the very first Shadow novel – The Living Shadow. A classic and it really shows off Gibson’s style.
Lisa M. Collins: Thank you Barry!
If you would like more information about Barry Reese you can find his books on Amazon, and updates about his writing on Twitter, Facebook and on his website.
http://www.amazon.com/Barry-Reese/e/B002MH97NA
https://twitter.com/BarryReesePulp
https://www.facebook.com/AuthorBarryReese?ref=hl
April 3, 2013
Interview with Stephanie Osborn — The Displaced Detective Series
Today I would like to introduce , Stephanie Osborn, fiction writer, and former rocket scientist. I kid you not Stephanie is a former payload flight controller, a veteran of over twenty years of working in the civilian space program, as well as various military space defense programs. She has also worked on numerous Space Shuttle flights, the International Space Station, and counts the training of astronauts on her resume.
Stephanie is currently retired from space work. She now happily “passes it forward,” teaching math and science via numerous media including radio, podcasting, and public speaking, as well as working with SIGMA, the science fiction think tank, while writing science fiction mysteries based on her knowledge, experience, and travels.
Her Sherlock series is the Displaced Detective. It is a science fiction mystery in which brilliant hyperspatial physicist, Dr. Skye Chadwick, discovers there are alternate realities; often populated by those we consider only literary characters. Her pet research, Project: Tesseract, hidden deep under Schriever AFB, finds Continuum 114, where Sherlock Holmes was to have died along with Moriarty at the Reichenbach Falls. Knee-jerking, Skye rescues Holmes, who inadvertently flies through the wormhole to our universe, while his enemy plunges to his death. Unable to go back without causing devastating continuum collapse, Holmes must stay in our world and adapt.
Interview with Author Stephanie Osborn
author of the Displaced Detective Series
4/03/2013
Lisa M. Collins: Stephanie, I love Sherlock Holmes and the series is fantastic! I was wondering where you get your ideas?
Stephanie Osborn: You know, that’s a really good question. I honestly don’t know. They just sort of crop up, and once I have the characters, the main event, and the title, I sort of “know” where it’s going.
Lisa M. Collins: Is that the usual process for your fiction writing? Are you a plotter or a pantser?
Stephanie Osborn: I’m mostly a pantser, I think. I write like movies are filmed – out of sequence. Usually I’ll get the climactic scene, then the end, then another important scene before the climax, and then I piece them together. Occasionally once I get into it, I’ll discover I need to set down some sort of outline to get from B to A.
Lisa M. Collins: Once you have an idea that sparks your imagination do you research your idea or do any world-building exercises, or do you just begin to write and see where the Muse takes you?
Stephanie Osborn: World-building exercises? Oh heavens no! If the idea is there then I’m wasting energy on the exercises. I do find that I may have to lay things out. For instance, I eventually sat down and created a layout of Skye Chadwick’s house for the Displaced Detective series, just to ensure I kept everything consistent. But that – and character lists – are about the extent of it.
Lisa M. Collins: Can you think of a well-known writer whose style is similar to your own, and if so can you recommend a book by that author?
Stephanie Osborn: For myself, no. I’m not objective enough with my own writing to be able to do that. Also, my style can change depending on what I’m writing.
Well, I take that back. Travis S. Taylor is my writing mentor and occasional co-author, and we write enough alike that we sometimes can’t remember who wrote what. He’s the author of Warp Speed, One Day On Mars, The Tau Ceti Agenda, and co-authors the Looking Glass series with John Ringo.
I’ve been compared by other people to E.E. “Doc” Smith and Robert Heinlein, most notably Skylark of Space and Lifeline.
Lisa M. Collins: What is your daily writing like?
Stephanie Osborn: I’m a night owl, so I’m usually eating breakfast around most people’s lunchtime. Then I do some publicity and marketing stuff, which may include social media posting or blogging or something like that. Depending on how hot onto a story I am, I’ll sit down to writing mid-afternoon to as late as dinnertime, and keep writing until midnight or later. I have been known to get lost in writing and end up going until 4am.
Lisa M. Collins: Are you a full time writer? If so when did you make the decision and what factors led to the decision?
Stephanie Osborn: I’m pretty much full time these days. I got out of the office job thing a few years ago – before my first novel sales – because a) I lost a friend aboard the Columbia disaster and sort of needed a break, b) I just really needed to be able to concentrate on it full time. The amount of energy that was left to me at the end of an office day was entirely too paltry to be able to create properly.
Lisa M. Collins: Can you tell us about your experience working with your current publisher?
Stephanie Osborn: My main publisher at the current time is Twilight Times Books. They are one of the largest of the small press and have been listed in Publisher’s Weekly’s annual list of Top Writer’s Markets. Lida Quillen is the publisher and is an absolute gem. She put up with all of my newbie questions and fears and worries when I was just getting started and taught me the business.
I also work with Chromosphere Press, Kerlak Publishing, and even have a couple things out through the powerhouse, Baen Books.
Lisa M. Collins: Can you tell us about some of your other writing and any appearances or signings that you have planned?
Stephanie Osborn: Well, I tend to write science fiction mysteries. Good SF, in my opinion, has an element of mystery to it anyway, just like any exploration of the unknown does. So I go whole hog and throw some sort of real, deliberate mystery into the mix and come up with things like Burnout: The mystery of Space Shuttle STS-281 (a Space Shuttle disaster turns out to have been no accident), and the Displaced Detective series (Sherlock Holmes meets the X-Files, as it’s been described). I also do popular science, such as A New American Space Plan (co-authored with Travis S. Taylor) and Sherlock, Sheilas and the Seven-Percent Solution (about Victorian drug addiction and how Sherlock Holmes might have made use of it, all arising out of my research for the Displaced Detective series). All told I have 20 books out right now.
This weekend I’ll be appearing at the Annual Gathering of Southern Sherlockians in Chattanooga, TN; next weekend I’ll be a special guest at 221bCon in Atlanta, GA; the last weekend of April I’ll be giving talks on the research I did for the Displaced Detective series at the Bailey Cove and Main branches of the Huntsville-Madison County Public Library. This is “It’s Elementary!” Month for me.
Next month I’ll be a guest at the Alabama Phoenix Festival, a SF festival in Birmingham, AL; in June I’ll be at LibertyCon in Chattanooga, TN.
Lisa M. Collins: In closing Stephanie, I want to thank you for sharing about your writing. As an author what inspiration or advice would you give to a writer who is working to make the transition to Author?
Stephanie Osborn: Read. Read, read, read, and then read some more. Reading is never a waste of time for a writer. And read the good stuff – Chaucer, Homer, Plato, Virgil, Sophocles, Mallory, Shakespeare, Dickens, Shelley, Hugo, Whitman, Wells, Verne, Conan Doyle, Joyce, etc. See, when you read this stuff, you learn what the “good stuff” really is. You let it seep down deep in your mind and consciousness. Then, when you sit down to write, you’re much more apt to distill that “good stuff” back out, drop by drop, into your own work. It really does help, I promise.
Lisa M. Collins: Thank you Stephanie!
If you would like more information about Stephanie Osborn you can find her books on Amazon, and updates about her writing on Twitter, Facebook and on her blog.
amazon.com/author/Stephanie-Osborn
facebook.com/SFAuthorStephanieOsborn
April 2, 2013
Everything I Ever Needed to Know About Friendship, I Learned From Han and Chewie
2. Sometimes circumstances will make even the best of friends surprise one another.
3. Great friends pick us up and put us back together when we fall apart.
4. Life can be full of uncharted waters, but true friends come to our rescue when we are sucked under.
5. When life takes from us people or things that we don’t think we can live without, a good friend to lean on can save our sanity.
6. Sometimes you have to roll with the punches and shoot from the hip.
7. A great friend gives credit where credit is due, and does not hog the glory for himself.
8. When its all said and done true friends are forever.
March 30, 2013
Healthy Writer: Goblet Squat
After a long day over the keyboard do you ever feel like you just can’t stand up straight and tall? Let me show you an exercise that is simple and easy to do that can alleviate the stiffness and achiness in your hips and lower back.
The Goblet Squat is an exercise developed by legendary strength coach Dan John. The basic move: Standing with your feet shoulder width apart, cradling a kettlebell or dumbbell against your chest, lower your hips toward your heels, then driving the body upright to the starting point. The elegance of the move is that you really can’t mess it up. The move doesn’t put pressure on your lower back or shoulders and it benefits everything from the waist down, hamstrings, hips, glutes, knees, calves, and ankles will all show improvement. This move will develop your flexibility and your strength all leading to saying goodbye to hip stiffness and an achy lower back after a day spent at your desk.
Stand with your feet apart in a shoulder width stance.
Hold a kettlebell or dumbbell in a vertical position with both hands up agaist the center of your chest.
Lower your weight by sitting back and down between the knees. You want to be sure you are not leaning forward. Knees should follow the track of your toes. Your knees shouldn’t buckle inward as you go down. Knees go outward as the body and elbows sinks between them.
At the bottom your feet should be flat on the floor. If your heels come up, widen your stance. Each person’s squat stance is different. There isn’t a one size fits all stance that is “perfect” form. Your stance depends on your flexibility, length of your bones, and tendons.
At the bottom pause and really let the body stretch. Then pushing with your heels (like you are pushing the Earth away), return to the start position.
If you don’t own or have access to a kettlebell, you can buy them online. There are several sources from Amazon to specialty shops, but you can also just pick one up the next time you are at your local Wal-Mart.
Checkout this video below, it is one of the best I’ve seen, and it incorporates stretching at the bottom of the move.
March 27, 2013
Interview with Andrea Judy– Pro Se Productions’ The New Adventures of Senorita Scorpion
Today I would like to introduce an author friend of mine, Andrea Judy. Published poet, and fiction writer, editor, & full time grad 
student. She has two short stories out with Pro Se Productions, one is in The Pulptress! and the other is in The New Adventures of Senorita Scorpion.
“Senorita Scorpion is in fact Elgera Douglas, a young lady who became a legendary outlaw defending her family’s land and legacy, the fabled Lost Santiago Mine. Beautiful and deadly.”
Interview with Author Andrea Judy
on the publication of Pro Se Productions’
book The New Adventures of Senorita Scorpion
3/27/2013
Lisa M. Collins: Andrea, congratulations on the new book! I was wondering where you get your ideas?
Andrea Judy: My ideas usually come from all over the place…and of course, they have a bad habit of appearing at 3 am when I have to be up in a few hours. Music in particular is a huge inspiration for me, and almost anything I write will have a playlist or a particular theme song that inspires me.
Lisa M. Collins: Is that the usual process for your fiction writing? Are you a plotter or a pantser?
Andrea Judy: I have my pants still half on, but I am becoming more of a plotter. That is mostly because several of the publishers I’ve worked with want full synopsis before I ever write the story, and that limits the ability to pants. I still would say I’m more of pantser because I work the story out through those synopsis, the story takes me where it wants to go, and then I rewrite and revise, and let me tell you it is much easier to revise a synopsis or an outline than it is a while story. That said though, I do still write by the seat of my pants on occasion and probably always will. For me it depends on the story.
Lisa M. Collins: Once you have an idea that sparks your imagination do you research your idea or do any world-building exercises, or do you just begin to write and see where the Muse takes you?
Andrea Judy: I usually do a bit of world-building and research, but most of the time I dive right in with fingers blazing over the keyboard to get the idea down. I then go back and research details and work out problems that have popped up during that first draft. I am in graduate school right now, so researching things is almost second nature to me, so I really enjoy diving in to some obscure thing and researching all about it. Folklore is one of my favorite things to read about, as well as strange deaths and phenomena. But with stories, I generally write first and research later.
Lisa M. Collins: Can you think of a well-known writer whose style is similar to your own, and if so can you recommend a book by that author?
Andrea Judy: A teacher in high school told me I wrote like David Eddings… I’m not sure I agree with that now, but at the time it was true. Now? I’m not sure who I write like, but I can recommend two of my favorite writers: Matt Bell who wrote The Collectors which is the book that got me through my last year of my Bachelor’s degree. He is amazing, and you can read it free here! The other writer that inspires me is Lisa Manneti whose work is absolutely amazing. She is my favorite modern horror writer hands down, and if you have not read her book, The Gentling Box, you are really missing out.
Lisa M. Collins: What is your daily writing like?
Andrea Judy: I try to write daily; I really do. But reality kicks in frequently, and I have a lot of projects going on at once so more often than not, I get to write maybe 3-4 times a week. Right now my thesis dominates my writing time, but I still manage to squeak in a novella or a short story every once in a while. It’s just a little difficult to fit everything in. The truth of the matter is that you will never ‘find’ more time to write. You will have to make it by getting rid of something else, and that’s a very tough thing to do.
Lisa M. Collins: Is your plan to one day being a full time writer?
Andrea Judy: I am not a full time writer by any stretch of the imagination. I would love to be a full time writer in the future; I think that’s something every writer longs for. I would like to be able to support myself with writing/editing within the next ten years, but I also understand that, that might not be possible. To get ready for that hopeful future, I keep my debts low, I live simply, and I work hard every day. If it comes to a point where I can, that would be great, but I’m realistic.
Lisa M. Collins: Can you tell us about your experience working with Pro Se Productions?
Andrea Judy: I have done editing work with one publisher, which was fun, hectic, but a lot of fun and a very eye-opening experience. I have written for a few publishers but so far the only work to come out has been from one particular press, Pro Se Productions. It’s been great working with them. They’ve got a quick turn around time, and are very clear about what they want.
Lisa M. Collins: Can you tell us about some of your other writing and any appearances or signings that you have planned?
Andrea Judy: The cover to the right is of my upcoming novella (whose title is still being worked out.) But it is the origin story of the villain from my short story in The Pulptress.
Right now, it’s difficult for me to commit 100% to events since I am graduating and job hunting and not sure where I will be living in the next few months, but I have plans to be at Alabama Phoenix Festival in Birmingham May 24-26, and ConCarolinas in Charlotte May 31-June 2, though I will be there as just an attendee more than an official guest. My next confirmed appearance as a guest is at Fandomfest in Louisville July 26-28 so come by and say hello!
Lisa M. Collins: In closing Andrea, I want to thank you for sharing about your writing. As a new author what inspiration or advice would you give to a writer who is working to make the transition to Author?
Andrea Judy: The best advice I can offer is very simple: finish what you write. Don’t go chasing every idea that hits you, sit down and finish one project, send it out into the world and start on the next project. Don’t get caught up in constantly starting things and then abandoning them. Writing is a lot more than being creative; it requires conviction, effort, and time.
Lisa M. Collins: Thanks Andrea!
If you would like more information about Andrea you can find her books on Amazon, and updates about her writing on Twitter, Facebook and on her Blog.
March 25, 2013
My Love Affair With Disaster Movies
Confession time: I have a deep and abiding love affair with Disaster movies. It all started with the day when I saw The Poseidon Adventure (1972) on the Sunday Afternoon Theater Television Show when I was a kid. From then on it didn’t matter is the movie was filled with explosions, killer tomatoes, meteors falling from the sky! I loved them all. Let’s look at one of my favorites: Volcano (1997)
An earthquake hits the city of Los Angeles. Mike Roark (Tommy Lee Jones), head of the city’s Office of Emergency Management and 
Geologist Dr. Amy Barnes (Anne Heche) team up and discover that a volcano is using the underground subway tunnels for lava tubes. Together they try various ingenious ways to keep the lava in check, but in the end the lava will not be denied surfacing. With the help of explosives they drop a building down in the way of the lava and funnel it out to the ocean. The city is saved at least for today…in the epilogue we see that the volcano now named Mount Wilshire has been added to the active geological sites.
Who knows maybe I’m a sucker for mankind pulling together, the regular Jack/Jane who rise above their circumstances, or the reoccurring theme of regeneration. In the end I think it’s all these things. I want to feel like I have the hero gene down deep in my soul. That when faced with death or disaster I will be the one who can pull myself together and rise to the top. Is this a fantastic notion? I hope not.
March 24, 2013
Healthy Writer: Farmers Walks
As writers and as many people these days spend numerous hours sitting slumped over a desk each day, we often find ourselves with neck, shoulder and even back pain. The spine has a natural S-shape so a healthy spine should have a little curve in the lower back. When we use poor posture our sitting habits can reduce the flexibility of the spine and overstretch the muscles of the neck, shoulders, and back.
Every time we slouch or lean our weight on elbows or to one side we put stress on the lower back, neck, and shoulders. The pain associated with these posture issues can become aggravated by a lack of exercise. We often try pain pills, self massage, and occasional stretching, which can all help in the short-term, but wouldn’t it be better if we could do a simple exercise that would take care of all the issues at once?
What is the miracle posture exercise…Farmers Walk.
A Farmer’s Walk is an event you would see in a strongman contest. Basically you take a heavy weight in each hand and go for a walk. I generally do this exercise 3 times a week, but you can do this exercise every day. I walk with a 70lb kettlebell in each hand for 50 feet then turn around and walk back to the start. I catch my breath then do the route several more times. You don’t need a lot of space, and if you do not have a set of kettlebells or dumbbells you can use gallon jugs filled with water or sand.
Why the Farmers Walk?
Easy to do it correctly without coaching
It develops grip and forearm strength…which for a writer means you can type longer without getting fatigued
It conditions the upper back and the stabilizer muscles running up the spine.
The constant shift in the weight activates the core
The exercise is especially shoulder friendly when using suitcase hold
Check out the video below for 3 variations. Start with suitcase hold and as you get stronger try one of the other two holds.
