L.M. Preston's Blog, page 49

Do Need To find your Spark for Your Life?

Well this is how I found mine. Listen up to the interview where I speak about how I found my spark to write.
http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
BLOG RADIO INTERVIEW - LM PRESTON, Finding Your SparkLM Preston (www.lmpreston.com) , author of THE PACK, EXPLORER X-Alpha and BANDITS

Dust Off Your Pile of Unpub Works!

Do you have stuff you've written that you haven't done anything with yet? Do you write that first draft and put it aside to run off and work on a new project? Well here's some tips on how to keep the work churning forward.

POEMS just SITTING AROUND?

If you write various works and you have some Poetry sitting around, don't waste it. Clean that poetry up and you can do the following with it.

Dust it off and hit the road. Recite it at open mics.

Tweet it

Make a video of you reciting it and put it on your blog, fb, twitter or video road show

Incorporate it in one of your books or short stories

Make up home made greeting cards and use it for a giveaway

MANUSCRIPTS just PILING UP

I currently have 2 manuscripts collecting dust and one I'm working on. I recently dusted one off and started the editing process, but it's going darn slow. Much slower than when I wasn't also promoting a book. But I am glad that I have 2 backlogged.

So I try to get into a rhythm. I write on the new work in progress in the morning. I edit a finished draft at night. Most times this works out.

Here's some things I do to keep my work churning.

Send first draft through critique group

Print out chapters and mark it up while I'm at my kids sports practices

Put it on my Nook and check for plot holes

Send out to beta readers

Edit it or use an free editing tool to scream out obvious errors

Tease some of it for absolutewrite Tuesday tease

Read outload to family during long trips

Submit to contest

COMIC Script or GRAPHIC Novel script hanging around?

Yeah, I even have one of these started. I wrote a 10 page comic strip for my Middle Grade series, Explorer X and haven't had time to do a darn thing with it. But I've gathered some ideas from some author buds and I've got big plans, lol!

Here are some things you can do with these:

Tease a strip weekly (of course you have to find an artist willing to play)

Tweet a piece a week as your characters

Finish the darn thing and post a page a week

Put it in contest

SO WHAT IDEAS DO YOU HAVE FOR GETTING YOUR PILED UP WRITING GEMS OUT THERE?LM Preston (www.lmpreston.com) , author of THE PACK, EXPLORER X-Alpha and BANDITS

Best Selling Author, LA Banks is Gravely ill, Please keep her in your prayers

It is with profound sadness that we have to inform you that our beloved sister and friend, Leslie Esdaile, ("L.A. Banks") is most gravely ill. She is facing an uphill battle in her struggle with serious illness. Please know that as Leslie needs all of her energy in this fight, she is absolutely not able to receive visitors, answer emails, texts or phone calls, or receive flowers. What she is able to receive is your continued prayers. Also, Leslie's medical expenses are mounting at an astronomical rate. If you wish to assist Leslie, a fund has been established to help with these ever increasing expenses. If you wish to send donations (please note that donations are not tax-deductible) to help Leslie, please see the information listed below: Leslie Esdaile Fund Account #81538801 Police and Fire Federal Credit Union Operations Center 901 Arch Street Philadelphia, PA 19107-2404 215-931-0300 If you live in Philadelphia, PA, you may take donations directly to any Police and Fire Federal Credit Union branch. Please be sure to note the account number. You may also send them to the P.O. Box listed below*. Police and Fire Federal Credit Union Branch Locations: Main Branch: 901 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107 Additional Branches: Leo Mall, 11705 Bustleton Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19116-2515 Davisville Shopping Center, Street Road, Philadelphia, PA Andorra Shopping Center, Ridge and Henry Avenues, Philadelphia, PA City Avenue Shopping Center, 7604 City Avenue, Philadelphia, PA, 19151-2007 Mayfair Branch on Frankford Avenue, Philadelphia, PA Northeast Branch, 7500 Castor Avenue, Philadelphia, PA Grant and Academy Shopping Center Branch, Philadelphia, PA You may send good wishes and cards to*: Leslie Esdaile c/o Tina Ryan Wise P.O. Box 37189 Philadelphia, PA 19148-9998 On behalf of Leslie, her daughter Helena, her sister Liza and all of her family and friends, we sincerely thank you for all of your continued prayers and support. Tina Ryan Wise Tinarwise@gmail.com
By: Tina WiseLM Preston (www.lmpreston.com) , author of THE PACK, EXPLORER X-Alpha and BANDITS

Steel by Carrie Vaughn - Book Review

Amazon Book Blurb:
Sixteen-year-old Jill has fought in dozens of fencing tournaments, but she has never held a sharpened blade. When she finds a corroded sword piece on a Caribbean beach, she is instantly intrigued and pockets it as her own personal treasure.

The broken tip holds secrets, though, and it transports Jill through time to the deck of a pirate ship. Stranded in the past and surrounded by strangers, she is forced to sign on as crew. But a pirate's life is bloody and brief, and as Jill learns about the dark magic that brought her there, she forms a desperate scheme to get home—one that risks everything in a duel to the death with a villainous pirate captain.

NYIA Teen Book Reviewer:

I just have to say it. I loved this book. Adventure and the pirate test. It used authentic fencing language. The main character, Jill, was honest and acted like a normal teen. Her crush was likeable and wasn't disgusting like the other pirates. The setting wasn't complicated and was easy to visualize. She had to find her way home and she had to go through the pirates, figure out who to trust, get a rapier back in order to make it home safe. Only sad part was...her crush couldn't go with her. I give this four star out of 5. The authentic language slowed the pace and I would have to go in the back of the book to understand what they meant. Oh, and some problems seemed unrealistic - but I really enjoyed this book in spite of those small little things.LM Preston (www.lmpreston.com) , author of THE PACK, EXPLORER X-Alpha and BANDITS

XMEN First Class - Movie Review

Blurb from IMDb: In 1962, Charles Xavier starts up a school and later a team, for humans with superhuman abilities. Among them is Erik Lensherr, his best friend... and future archenemy.

Before their changes:



After they became Baddass:



MY REVIEW:

Oh, yeah, this one really surprised me. I'm a comic buff. Hey, I can't help it. My dear hubby has been brainwashing me on comics for years. Not to mention – I got a thing for super heroes. Anyway, this one has some great character building. People with serious attitudes are out to get the US and they are trying to start a world war. This one was probably the best mainly because it stuck real close to the original comic story. The characters in this were vivid and there was plenty of action and the movie was just plain super fun. I give it a 4 out of 5 Magnets. This is a great summer movie if you like super heroes, comics or the X-men. My only issue was that they only teased me with Wolverine…that guy has my heart.LM Preston (www.lmpreston.com) , author of THE PACK, EXPLORER X-Alpha and BANDITS

More Great Books from my BEA Treasures

Oh yeah, I'm about to dig into some summer reading and just wanted to share more of the titles of books I was able to get my greedy little hands on at the BEA conference.


Original Sin (A Personal Demons Novel) by Lisa Desrochers


Trial By Fire, Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Nice Shot, Cupid! By Kate McMullan

Whateverland Learning to live here by Alexis Stewart and Jennifer Koppelman Hutt

Forbidden, Ted Dekker and Tosca Lee

Vampire Slayer (Nancy Drew Graphic Novel Series) by Petrucka, Kenney & Murase

Dry Ice by Bill Evens and Marianna Jameson


Wire to Wire by Scott Sparling

Glide by Bill Gourgey



The Scorpions Sting by JD Masterson

Stanley by Kareena Maxwell


Saint's Gate by Carla Neggers

The Christmas Wedding by James Patterson

It's the First Day of School Forever, RL StineLM Preston (www.lmpreston.com) , author of THE PACK, EXPLORER X-Alpha and BANDITS

EDITING IS NO FUN

When I first started writing I didn't know what the heck I was doing when it came to editing. Over the years I figured out what my bad habits are and the ways to trick myself into picking away the junk out of my work and making it shine enough to pass on to an editor that can further shape it up.

But here's what I've learned about it overall.

IF YOU ARE GOING TO BE A WRITER – YOU NEED TO LEARN TO EDIT

I had to take a refresher course on editing. Sure, many writers think they don't have to learn to edit. That they don't need to spend extra time figuring out how to clean up their work – THAT's WRONG. If you take writing seriously – EDITING is a big part of it.


There are books you can read, but taking a class always helps. Also, editing other people's work is a sure fire way to learn. Lastly, make a list of your personal writing bad habits while you are studying your books on editing and keep that list as you review your own work.


Like with any career, you have to train yourself to be successful and most well written authors are pretty darn good at editing. I should know, because many of them have ripped my early drafts apart, lol!

WHY SHOULD A WRITER LEARN TO EDIT – DOESN'T THE PUBLISHER RE-EDIT WORK ANYWAY?

Whoa! I can't tell you how many newbie writers have said that to me in the last few years. With the publishing industry being so competitive your stuff needs to be near publish ready before you start submitting it to agents or publishers directly. Yes, once you get an agent/publisher they will edit it further, but it's much better for them to start with something that's already in good shape.

SOME WAYS TO IMPROVE YOUR EDITING

Read books on self-editing

Beta read and edit other author's work

Let your stuff sit for a spell before you jump in with edits

Create an editing checklist for yourself of your bad habits that you need to look for in your document

Use a few editing help tools like autocrit.com which is free

Take a class

ALWAYS REALIZE THAT EDITING IS SUBJECTIVE, skill is different with each person and even the best editors still make mistakes. So try your best to get it as perfect as you can get your work on your own.LM Preston (www.lmpreston.com) , author of THE PACK, EXPLORER X-Alpha and BANDITS

RULES FOR THE 3rd WHEEL DATING FRIEND

You've all been there. As a teenager and an adult. The 3rd Wheel. The friend that accompanies another friend on a date as a chaperone, companion, bail excuse, lookout, body guard and whatever. I played my fair share of 3rd wheel and had friends do the same for me. This came up this weekend with my teens who are dating. One is going on her first 3rd wheel mission so I gave her the tips below :-D

Here's some rules and tips.

BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THESE SIGNALS

- Your friend hinting that you should go get popcorn or go to the bathroom or jerking her head to the side means, "I like him – get lost"
- Your friend's boyfriend winking at you over her shoulder means, "I'm a scumbag who's trying to have my cake and eat it too."
- Your friend tugs on your shirt and tell you it's time for a lady's room break means, "I have to come up with a plan to ditch this bozo."


DON'Ts FOR THE 3rd Wheel

- Don't ever fall for your friend's boyfriend
- Don't be clingy – be seen and not heard, remember it's not your date it's her's
- Don't ever stay alone with the said date/boyfriend – this could backfire and friend may become jealous and think you have eyes for her guy.
- Don't gobble up your friend's time/conversation – you could be drowning out her date and tick him off and make her lose a good opportunity to meet someone nice
- Don't make googoo eyes at your friend's guy no matter how hot he is.

DOs FOR THE 3rd Wheel

- Do talk to your friend before the date to ask her what the signals are (signals to 'let's ditch dude', 'I'm having a great time – get lost 3rd wheel', 'He's okay, but I'm not going to do another date with him', 'He's a scum who wants us both, lets ditch him instead')
- Do let her know that you won't try to impose on her date by talking girl stuff the entire time, so she doesn't have to feel like she has to entertain both the 3rd wheel and her guy
- Do let her know that you are there for her and all she has to do is let you know what she needs.

SHOULD YOU BE A 3rd Wheel

Well my kid asked me if she should even do this. I told her yes – sometimes, but don't make it a habit. It's nice to be able to see what goes on a date without being a participant. And besides, you may need that same friend to 3rd wheel for you.

HAVE YOU BEEN A 3rd Wheel? IF so do you have tips?LM Preston (www.lmpreston.com) , author of THE PACK, EXPLORER X-Alpha and BANDITS

Launch Party Favors! Winners of the Goodreads Bandits Giveaway!

The Bandits Launch Party has kicked off with a bang! Online Giveaway's in which over 200 readers downloaded their free copy of Bandits on Smashwords! 100 books signed and given away at BEA! And for the Launch Day Final Prize giveaway - Goodreads Winner's take the pirate's booty of 10 books.

Here's the winners for the Goodreads Give Away!

Vicki Krivak
Mary Campbell
Janice Crespo
Shawna Guilford
Ruth Thompson
Becca Kher
Keisha Lyons
Jennifer Burger
Mardi Studer
Sharon Hoskison

Still 2 days to download your complimentary Launch Party copy of Bandits, re-release–FREE EBOOK coupon code:LV67U http://dld.bz/YzJwLM Preston (www.lmpreston.com) , author of THE PACK, EXPLORER X-Alpha and BANDITS

Why BEA is the bomb for Pubs, Authors & Readers!

This was my first year attending the BEA Conference, and can I tell you – it was awesome! I'm going to be tweeting about the great books I got while at BEA and listing my favs so stay tuned.

MY SIGNING AT BEA

This was the greatest moment of my career as an author and gave me such joy to have signed and given away 100 books at the event this week. The support I got was overwhelming. Especially since I've always been concerned that 'writing in Boy' wasn't the most popular thing to do. But because there were very little books featuring male pov's I was pleasantly surprised to meet people interested in my series. Not to mention, I loved visiting with people who were excited to meet my characters.

WHY ALL AUTHORS should Attend

Whether you are traditionally published, self-published, or trying to get published this is a great networking event. Not only that, but it is an inspiring event as you meet other authors getting their book hustle on, publishers even lit agents hang out at these events. Also, it's a great way to learn the opportunities within the business. As a self-published author (entrepreneurs) it's a way to showcase your book to booksellers, lit agents, librarians, bloggers as well as meet organizations that support publishers and such.

WHY ALL PUBLISHERS (Tiny to Big) should Attend

This is also a great place for publishers (small, new, large) to network with publishers interested in purchase of international rights for books. So if you are a small press (like we are) you can pitch to other publishers to sell your International Rights to your books. Also, you can find out all the new things happening in publishing. Definitely attend the IBPA publishing university which is a great learning tool for small press and self-pubbers.

WHY READERS should Attend

FREE books, celebrity authors, tons of parties, meet new and exciting authors, more free books, Blog World – learn how to turn your reading into a business adventure. Networking – yep, readers can network here too and talk one on one to authors, industry heads and have a blast. Meet celebrities – yep, I got to meet James Patterson, Little Wayne, Tony Hawk and so many more celebrity peeps.


SO, Why would you tell an Author, Small Press, Large Pub, Reader, Blogger to attend?LM Preston (www.lmpreston.com) , author of THE PACK, EXPLORER X-Alpha and BANDITS