Nicki Elson's Blog, page 34

The Next Big Thing - Actors & Agencies

Today we resume The Next Big Thing, in which I answer questions about my current work in progress.  Since I skipped last week, I'll answer two questions today.

Question #4: Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

I hesitate to answer this question.  Y'see, when I read, I like to form my own picture of a person and I don't like it when I read something after the movie's been released, because then I can only picture those actors.  So I don't want to put pre-pictures in your heads and would rather have you form your own, okay?

Although...well, there is one character for whom I pictured a certain actor, so I suppose it wouldn't hurt to give you a peek at him.  This is Maggie's ex-husband, Carl Brock:


The reason he's perfect for Carl is because he carries a certain self-assurance, which can often crossover into arrogance, yet he's also got a big likeability factor, and deep down, I'm just sure he has a good heart. How could anyone with such mesmerizing eyes and such a strong jawline have anything but?

I answered question #5 a couple weeks ago, so now we skip to:

Question #6: Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

I am very thankful to be represented by Omnific Publishing. Omnific is a small publishing house that was founded in 2009 with a motto of "Romance Without Rules." They are the publishing company that gave Three Daves a shot back in 2010, and I was very happy with the experience, so they were my first choice as publisher for Divine Temptation, and I was thrilled when they offered me a contract.

An Ode to WRiTE Club

We talk often in the blogverse about how supportive writers are of other writers, and it's true.  We're all very blessed to have found each other.  And then there are those who take it a step further and not only cheer us on, but give us a platform in which to share our writing and receive useful feedback. One such person is D.L. Hammons, who's turned his Cruising Altitude 2.0 blog into a stage for writers---or more accurately, a fighting ring.  But it's the friendliest fighting ring you'll ever see.

Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday D.L. pits two anonymous writing samples of under 500 words against each other and anyone who signs up on this linky gets to vote for the one that knocked them out.  We're also invited to offer constructive critiques of both pieces. It's a highly educational exercise just to scroll through the comments. 
So what does all this have to do with the Insatiable vixen above?  Welllll, I dusted off an old short story and polished a small sample to enter into the first iteration of WRiTE Club under the penname Art Gallery.  I made it to the final 6 and along the way received such positive feedback that I decided to give the rest of the 2,000 word story a fresh edit. I recently found a literary magazine that I thought would be a good fit aaaand---they agreed!  I'm ecstatic to announce that my short story, Impressionism 101, will be included in the debut issue of Insatiable Magazine, a new publication of White Cat Pubications.
I'm quite certain this piece would still be gathering dust if WRiTE Club hadn't sparked me with the desire to share it with a wider audience and if all the lovely commenters hadn't been so enthusiastic.  Thanks D.L. for all your hard work and to every single person who takes the time to read and comment on the entries. If you haven't participated in WRiTE Club yet, the door is always open (just remember to sign up at the linky).

***Regularly scheduled programming for The Next Big Thing will resume next week, in which I'll answer TWO questions to make up for skipping this week. Ooooooh***

Musician and Author, Jennifer DeLucy

Where to begin?  How about at The End? As in today is release day of the final book in the Light Series by Jennifer DeLucy: Circle of Light Congratulations, Jennifer!
This is a truly lovely series by a truly lovely person and I can't imagine anyone who appreciates a realistic romance set amidst a paranormal backdrop of lingering spirits, dark astrals and malevolent creatures will be disappointed.  Here's my 5 star review, but don't take just my word for it, here's what A Life Bound by Books has to say:

"Her world and those that live in it are in a word, stunning."
The Beginning

As I said, this is the last book in the series, so if you haven't yet discovered the world DeLucy has created you now have a great opportunity to get started because for a very limited time, the first book, Seers of Light, is available for only 99 cents in Nook and Kindle.

Before the Beginning

If you jump on the new release right away and buy Circle of Light either today or tomorrow (Oct 9 &10) you'll get the short story prequel to the series, Glimpse of Light, absolutely FREE.  All you have to do is forward your e-mail receipt to publisher@omnificpublishing.com.


A New Beginning

As indicated by the title of this post, Jennifer DeLucy is also a talented musician.  She's written the music for all three of her book trailers and is now opening herself up to compose music for other authors. If you have a book trailer in your future and would like an original score for it, contact Jennifer. Visit her Reverbnation page for samples of her beautiful, inspiring music. 

IWSG & TNBT

Welcome Insecure Writers, and much thanks to our fearless leader, Alex J. Cavannaugh (insecure, sometimes; fearful, nevah!).

As my regular visitors know I've embarked on a quest for The Next Big Thing and am answering one question a week about my current work in progress, which happens to be in progress at a publisher. :)   I'm taking a question out of order this week because it fits perfectly with an insecurity of mine.

Question #5: What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

Are you kidding me???  One sentence?  Do you have any idea how long I struggled to reduce the thing into a 2-5 page synopsis?  And a 2-3 paragraph summary for the query? And even after all my work, I'm pretty sure the only reason that drivel made it beyond the acquisition editor's wastebasket is because I already had a relationship with the publisher.

So there it is, my insecurity: I suck at hooks and blurbs.  With a new book coming out---one I'm truly excited about---I've had lots of people ask,"so what's it about?" I respond, "Well, uh, there's this woman and then there's an angel.  And it's in the suburbs and she's divorced and...yeah...it's totally different from my last book." *apologetic shrug before changing the subject as quickly as possible*  How's that for the opposite of compelling?

Tell you what, I'll past the shortest version I've been able to come up with and if you can pare it down to one sentence, have at it.


Maggie Brock has everything under control.  Even her divorce, though painful at the time, only registers as a minor blip in her carefully constructed universe. Her life in Prairie Oaks has once again returned to a smooth, predictable pace…until an angel shows up in her bedroom.The angel is just as bewildered as Maggie about why he’s been sent to her, but their unsuccessful efforts to gain understanding of the mystery fade to the background as their relationship grows. Soon, Maggie’s biggest problem becomes the angel himself, as her feelings for him develop into something less than saintly.While Maggie struggles to keep her desires pure, a nefarious being lurks in the shadows of Prairie Oaks, watching and waiting for the opportunity to fulfill his ambiguous purpose. Preying on her conflicted emotions, the demon manipulates her at every opportunity, but the one to deliver Maggie directly into his hands is the last person she’d expect.
P.S. I'm wretchedly sorry for being so bad about bopping around the blogs lately.  I'm in the middle of a big project at work that I hooope will lighten up next week. 

Blogfest 2012

Welcome to Blogfest 2012, hosted by A Journey of Books.  It's all about hopping from blog to blog to widen your circle and WIN PRIZES!

Since September is Back-to-School month, I though it would be appropriate to help you build your library - the prize at my place is a collection of Omnific eBooks by authors whom I've featured here:

Contemporary Romance: Indivisible by Jessica McQuinn Three Daves  by Yours Truly With Good Behavior by Jennifer Lane
Paranormal Romance: Seers of Light by Jennifer DeLucy The Guardian's Wildchild by Feather Stone
Young Adult Paranormal Romance: Breaking Point by Jess Bowen
To enter to win the collection, simply take the one-question "Pop Quiz" in the Rafflecopter below (the tweeting & following are optional but will earn you extra credit).

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Now, to keep this blogfest moving, please visit these awesome blogsters who are also hosting giveaways:
Malevolent MusingsKelly's Lucky You
Felicia Rogers Authors
Obsession with Books
Rebel Writer: Lee Ann Sontheimer Murphy

Aaaaand, please join me in a HAPPY BIRTHDAY CINNAMON!

The Next Big Thing - Question #3

This is the third installment of The Next Big Thing.  To see what it's all about, see my first post on TNBT and let me know if you're in so that I can link to you on my future posts. My answers pertain to my upcoming novel Divine Temptation , to be released by Omnific Publishing in early 2013.  (This week I'm posting on Wednesday instead of Thursday because tomorrow I'll be getting ready for Blogfest 2012.)

Question #3:  What genre does your book fall under?

Paranormal Romance.  

Also, I think Women's Fiction would apply. Christian Lit is pushing it (as I don't believe in fading to black), but the story does have Biblical elements.  It's slightly Suspense too.

This is a departure from the Chick Litty feel of my first novel, Three Daves. What can I say? I don't write from a marketing perspective---I write the story I want to tell and that's not going to line up neatly into a consistent genre. But as I said in the press release:  What hasn’t changed is the realistic base of the storytelling. The type of paranormal stories I enjoy most are those in which the main character’s struggles are decidedly human. I like to think about how real people would react to unexpected elements suddenly being thrust into their lives, and that’s what I explored in DIVINE TEMPTATION.

Jennifer Lane is also posting her answers to TNBT questions every week.
So how about you---are you consistent in the genre you choose to write in?

The Next Big Thing - Question #2

This is the 2nd installment of THE NEXT BIG THING, a blog challenge in which we answer 10 questions about our current works in progress. The challenge was started by Gail Baugniet, and the idea is to answer one question each week and by that point have our WIPs moved on to the next phase.

I'm basing my answers on my upcoming novel, Divine Temptation (due out from Omnific Publishing in early 2013). By the end of the 10 weeks I hope to have  it through the meatiest part of the editing process. You can play along by either answering this week's question in the comments below or posting your answers at your own blog. See my first post on TNBT for the full set of questions.  Right then, ready for the second question?

Where did the idea come from for the book?

If I recall correctly...I was in the midst of reading too many Young Adult paranormal novels, and I thought it would be interesting to instead see how an adult woman---an experienced, mature, responsible, practical, somewhat jaded woman---would react to an otherworldly white knight suddenly inserting himself into her life. I'd also been wanting to write something that would make a comment on the current state of suburbia-as-I-see-it (influenced by Death by Suburb: How to Keep the  Suburbs from Killing Your Soul by David L. Goetz) and so the two ideas melded and from there the plot thickened.

Jennifer Lane is also answering these questions (she's the one who tagged me) so hop on over to her blog to see her weekly answers.  And L.G. Smith over at Bards and Prophets tackled the whole list of questions in one post.

Genre Favorites Blogfest

Welcome to the Genre Favorites Blogfest, hosted by the illustrious AJC.  Today we're going to fess up to our favorite genre in 3 categories plus a guilty pleasure.  Here are mine:



Movies
My gut answer is classic Romantic Comedy, like When Harry Met Sally, Four Weddings and a Funeral, and Notting Hill. But if we consult my favorite movies ever: Raiders of the Lost Ark, Pirates of the Caribbean (all of them), and Star Wars IV,V & VI, we can't ignore my thirst for Adventure.  


Music
Come on, who are you talking to here?  The answer to that would be 80s Alternative, like the Cure, Madness, INXS, The Clash, REM, etc, etc. etc, though I'm liking lots of current alternative bands as well, like Stone Sour, Hollywood Undead and Egypt Central




Books
Fantasy, with The Hobbit, all the Harry Potters, and The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe being among my all time favorites. But I'm also a sucker for a Classic Romance, like Pride & Prejudice, Emma, and Gone with the Wind.



Guilty PleasuresI...don't feel guilty about any of my pleasures. At least not in these genres.  If we were talking TV, however, I'd be forced to admit my unhealthy relationship with The Bachelor.  I try not to watch, really I do, but that Chris Harrison is wiley I tell ya, and he always seems to find some way of pulling me back in.


Now, get ye to the Blogfest List so you can keep hopping.

Cover Reveal: Fireblood by Trisha Wolfe

Cover reveals might just be my most favorite part of the whole publishing biz, and today I get to host my very first. And it's extra cool because its for the awesome YA author, Trisha Wolfe, who you might know from her debut novel earlier this year: Destiny's Fire.

Right then, shall I stop babbling and show you the cover already?

Fireblood: Fireblood #1By Trisha WolfeRelease Date: 2013From Spencer Hill Press
To save a kingdom, Zara must choose between a prince who could be the answer and a rising rebellion that threatens to take control.
When Zara Dane is chosen to marry Prince Sebastian Hart, son of the man who ordered her father’s capture, Zara knows she must fight to save everything she loves from ruin.

Being betrothed to the prince means a life trapped behind the towering stone walls of the Camelot-forged realm. Under the watchful eye of the prince's first knight, Sir Devlan Capra, changing her future becomes difficult.

When an unlikely rebel reveals the truth about the deadly secrets that fuel King Hart’s twisted world, Zara’s path to rescue her father becomes clouded by deception. The Rebels clear her path by forcing Zara’s hand with an ultimatum: sway Prince Sebastian to join the Rebels, convincing him of his father’s evil nature, or they will take him out.

But Zara is uncertain about a future under the Rebels’ command and where the prince’s heart truly lies. She must decide who to trust, what to believe, and what she’s truly fighting for before the king destroys all of Karm, including her heart.


[image error] About the AuthorI’m the author of the YA Steampunk/Paranormal Romance DESTINY'S FIRE (Omnific Publishing) and the upcoming YA Sci-Fi Utopian FIREBLOOD from Spencer Hill Press, November 2013. My published short stories have appeared in YA literary journals, Fantasy magazines, and anthologies. I’ve written four books in the past two years, and I’m currently working on a new YA Sci-Fi project.
I’m the creator of YA Bound, a promotional blog for the Young Adult genre.  Also a proud member of YALITCHAT.ORG, SCWW, and The Apocalypsies. And I’m also a business owner, partnered with my partner, my husband. When I’m not busy doing all of the above, I’m a wife and the mother of a gorgeous teen boy who's the sounding board for my male characters.
Check out my website TrishaWolfe.com for more on my books and short stories. Follow me on Twitter @TrishWolfe

And now for a special bonus:
A video that chronicals the photoshoot for the cover.

 

The Next Big Thing - Question #1

I've been tagged by Jennifer Lane in THE NEXT BIG THING blog challenge to answer 10 questions about my current work in progress. The challenge was started by Gail Baugniet, and the idea is to answer one question each week and by that point have your WIP moved on to the next phase. I'll base my answers on my novel that was recently accepted for publication by Omnific Publishing.  By the end of the 10 weeks I hope to have  it through the meatiest part of the editing process.  Okay, first question...

1. What is the working title of your book?

Divine Temptation

How does that strike you?  This one didn't come easy for me. Do you remember way back when I first started thinking of titles and threw out three (horrible) options?  With the help of a few friends & experts, we came up with this one and I like it much, much better, and I hope you do too.   Apparently I'm not the only author to have trouble picking a title.  Jane Austen's original title for  Pride and Prejudice was First Impressions, and did you know Twilight author Stephenie Meyer wanted to call that first book Forks?  And can we talk about J.K. Rowling's upcoming adult novel---The Casual Vacancy? Is it just me, or is that a really awful title?

Part of The Next Big Thing is to tag 5 other bloggers, but it stresses me out to much to have to pick only 5 of you, so I'd like each of you to answer the weekly question in the comments below.  Or if you'd like to answer these questions at your own blog on your own schedule, below is a list of the upcoming questions so you can take them & run with 'em.  I'll be answering my questions on Thursdays, so if you want to commit to the same, let me know and I'll link to your blog in future posts so others can read your answers.

2. Where did the idea come from for the book?
3. What genre does your book fall under?
4. Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
5. What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
6. Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
7. How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
8. What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
9. Who or What inspired you to write this book?
10. What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

Also, if you're looking for bloghops happening September & October, scroll down a bit on my sidebar for four fun ones.