L.M. Preston's Blog, page 67

BALTICON FUN

This year I gave my World Building workshop to kids at Balticon. Balticon is a science fiction lovers weekend conference sponsored by the Baltimore Science Fiction Society. As an author of Young Adult science fiction, I was so excited to attend and be a part of this event.The event starts the Friday before Memorial Day weekend and last all weekend until Monday afternoon. They have renowned

CREATIVELY SELLING YOUR WORK

I've learned so much about being an author, selling my work and publishing in the last year that my head is spinning. One of the major lessons learned is that I control what I want to do with the works I produce. Each work has its own potential and it's my job to create and map out the opportunities for that baby.WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU'VE WRITTEN YOUR BOOKAfter you've edited it to death and it's

DANCE YOUR WAY TO COOL

While my teen son was getting ready to go to a party he had on several movie videos that he used to practice dances. My youngest son joined in and was doing a better job break dancing that my oldest – but hold the phone, why did my 6ft 2in, 300lb husband push them out of the way to show them how to spin on the floor. Okay, I almost lost my dinner. It was crack you up funny. Now for an old man

Create Buzz: What?, When?, Why? and How?

by guest: Naomi Giroux, Author AdvocateCreate 'buzz' we're told, but; What what is 'buzz'? How is it created? and Where do I start?The simple answer is: 'buzz' is conversation, ; people talking about your topic, book or product. The more people talking, the louder the 'buzz' and the more potential buyers. The goal is to stimulate interest so your book/product will sell or you will get lots of

I HAVE A BLOOD SUCKING HABIT

Yep, I admit it, another time for confession. I love vampires. Always had. My first love was Interview with a Vampire by Anne Rice and I was hooked ever since. As far as movies, I can't even list the amount of vampire flicks I've dragged my poor husband and kids to see. All I know is - the habit won't go away.WHY DO WE LOVE VAMPIRESHuh? What? Because they are sexy, dangerous, forbidden – um, sexy

SO YOU KILLED OFF THE PARENTS IN YOUR YA/MG BOOK?

C'mon, You Know You Did It. Eight Ways the Law Affects Teen and Children's Storiesby guest: Donna BallmanWhat Happens After You Kill Off the Parents in Your YA/Middle Grade Novel? Young adult writers are the first ones to tell me the law has nothing to do with their stories. But the first thing we usually do (yes, I write YA and middle grade too) is kill off the parents or have them divorce. Why

YOU CAN DO IT ALL

How do I do it all? Well to start, I am a mom of four kids. I work a full-time job as an Engineer, and I teach part-time at a University. Lastly, I am an author.I learned a long time ago to manage my time. I'll provide tips below, however, you must make time management work for you. I make it fun, by managing to do something I enjoy, which is writing every day. If I am not writing, I am usually

How I Speed Write

Nano (National Novel Writing Month) from November 1st-30th. It's the writing frenzy where you kick out a large number of words to hopefully finish a novel in record time. Many people start the challenge and end up with a sizeable number of pages by the end. Some are inspired to start writing for the first time. Others are inspired to finish something for the first time. Some, like me, find that

IRON MAN 2 - Movie Review

Testosterone, action, guns, kick tail special effects, deadly sexy women, cutting wit and a decent plot. Who could ask for more? You don't have to with this movie. We are reacquainted with our off-beat hero that's arrogant, rough around the edges, a womanizer and sarcastically funny. Downy plays this part to a T. Unfortunately, being Iron man comes with a price – his life. He becomes even more

HUNGER GAMES, review by Teen Guest Reviewer - Nyia

As one of my new favorite books, I simply loved the Hungar Games. I would give it 5 stars and read every new book that the author threw out besides this one. I love action and this book delivers it. No tipping around, kids die in this book.In the book, I thought that the author really let the main character, Katniss grow on the reader. Her two love interest Gale and Peeta were also loveable. When