Rochelle Campbell's Blog: The NoteBook Blogairy, page 9

The Funny 5: Thanksgiving Writing Prompts

I am so caught up with my Bobby Flay recipe for Roasted Turkey with Maple Mustard Glaze that I can barely think straight!  I’ve picked up a 16.04 pound turkey (even though, Bobby said he wanted a 17-pound turkey…).  I’ve got the horseradish, dijon mustard, chicken stock (homemade?? Hmmmm….)

You get the idea.  So, since I’m in a gobble-gobble mood I figured that it should seep into my writing life.  Blogger Kim, of the Write Shop, originally blogged these great prompts.  You can find more of these prompts on her website every Wednesday!

Here are Kim’s five great Thanksgiving-themed writing prompts over at the WriteShop blog. Your kids will love creating tweets from the Thanksgiving turkey, writing about a favorite traditions, imagining a story about a magical leaf pile, and more. Check out these prompts here!

If you really are inspired why don’t you post your gobble-y tweet below in the comment section?  That would be great fun!

Ta-ta for now,

N.B.

8 Great Author Websites

I salivate at the beauty and sophistication of some of these author websites.  You might, too.

Authors have some amazing magical talents.  Don’t you think?

Image from Shea MacLeod’s Blog

http://sheamacleod.blogspot.com/2011/06/friday-farrago-vampire-assassins-and.html

The author websites are presented to you in no particular order.  Drum roll, please…

Haruki  Murakami: Contemporary Japanese writer – http://www.murakamibooks.co.uk/

Elizabeth Spann Craig: Cozy Mystery author – http://elizabethspanncraig.com/

Bernard Cornwell: English Author of Historical novels – http://www.bernardcornwell.net/

Marcel Theroux: British novelist and broadcaster – http://www.thisworldofdew.com/

Amy Krouse Rosenthal: American author – http://www.whoisamy.com/

Kevin Henkes: American children’s author and illustrator – http://www.kevinhenkes.com/

Kenneth C. Davis: American Popular Historian and author – http://dontknowmuch.com/

Percy Jackson and the Olympians (Rick Riordan) – http://www.percyjacksonbooks.com/

Ta-ta for now,

N.B.

Alan Black’s Metal Boxes Series Mega Giveaway

Coming of age can be

hard for anyone. 

For Blackmon Perry Stone it is life threatening

Metal Boxes
by Alan Black
 
Publication Date: September 20, 2013
Publisher: Alan Black
ISBN-13: 9781482774320
Genre: Science Fiction | Adventure | Space Opera
Print Length: 359 pages

Add to Goodreads | Shelfari
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

 
Coming of age can be

hard for anyone. But for Blackmon Perry Stone it is life threatening. At

15, he barely manages to graduate from the empire’s cadet training by a

talent for unusual problem solving. He has trouble settling into navy

life, but life becomes harder when he uncovers a ring of thieves aboard

the huge ship. Life becomes difficult when they killed him. Stone is

ejected into hyperspace in an escape pod without hyperspace engines.

Fully expecting to die, he reconfigures the sub-light engine to escape

the inescapable. To his surprise it works, but only well enough to do

little more than crash on an uncharted planet. It will surprise him if

he can make the engine work again, but not as much as it will surprise

everyone else if he can come back from the dead.
 

Click on Cover for Dii’s 5 Star Review

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Stone is back, still a bit of an awkward teen, 

still capable of accidentally becoming a hero and savior


Metal Boxes
Trapped Outside
by Alan Black
 
Series: Metal Boxes – Book 2
Publication Date: August 24, 2015
Publisher: Alan Black
Genre: YA Science Fiction – Space Opera
Print Length: 313 pages

Add to Goodreads | Shelfari
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
 
The sequel to #1 best selling science fiction novel Metal Boxes.

Blackmon Perry Stone hasn’t gotten over his fear of being outside and he

still hasn’t settled into life in the Empire’s Navy. After months of

legal wrangling over his last assignment, he has been given a new

assignment. He was looking forward to getting an new posting on a

spaceship or a station. The problem is that his new job is on a planet.

Worse, once there, the base is overrun by the enemy aliens and now Stone

is trapped outside on a hostile planet, injured, and hunted by aliens

bent of killing him.
 

Click on Cover for Dii’s 5 Star Review 

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

What IS a Metal Box?

Here is the official definition gleaned from the words of Alan Black, himself

Metal Boxes: space stations, space ships, and intersystem freighters

WHY are they so important to these stories?

Blackmon Perry Stone never stepped into open air until after his twelfth birthday. His agoraphobia is rampant and ceilings are a must. When he joins the space navy he expected to spend his time inside navy ships. When he finds out he has to spend time outside of the metal boxes he is used to, he has more problems than just the people trying to kill him. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Alan Black is a multi-genre author who writes for young adults on up.

(Science Fiction, Christian, Humor And Comedy)

He’s never met a good story he didn’t want to tell.

I have been writing novels since 1997 when I started ‘Eye on The

Prize’. My writing tastes are as eclectic as my reading preferences. I

admit that I love writing much more than editing and the whole

publishing process. Marketing of my novels leaves me as baffled as the

whole string theory thing.

I was born in central Kansas, but grew up in Gladstone, Missouri,

graduating from Oak Park Senior High School and eventually earning a

degree from Longview Community College. I spent most of my adult life in

the Kansas City area (with the exception of a few years in the U.S. Air

Force), but my wife and I now live in sunny Arizona. The dry desert air

stimulates my creativity more than the juicy air in Missouri

(pronounced here as ‘misery’).

I am pretty sure my desire to write started in the second grade. I

was given an assignment to write a short story about Greek mythology. My

teacher took the time to call my parents. Although neither Dad or Mom

remember the incident, it had an impact on me eventually leading me to

finally write (and most importantly finish) my first manuscript. It took

two years to complete ‘Eye on The Prize’. I have gotten faster since

then, completing the last manuscript in three weeks.

One thing Alan LOVES to do is Connect with Readers Online and at Book Signings! Check his website for upcoming events ~ Chat him up at any of his links!

 Website | Facebook | Amazon | Twitter | Goodreads

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“What we think in our hearts is the very essence of who we are and what we will become.”

Rev. Steve Longely

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Grand Prize – Kindle Fire 7″ Display, Wi-Fi, 8 GB, Black





First Prize – $25.00 Amazon Gift Card





Second Prize (US Only) – An autographed copy of ANY of my books





Third Prize (US Only) –  Autographed copy of Metal Boxes & Metal Boxes Trapped Outside





Fourth Prize (two winners)(Intl) – E-version of any of my books.





a Rafflecopter giveaway

MORE books by Alan Black  

Click here to see them all!

Chasing Harpo, Eye on the Prize, Other Times & Other Worlds Anthology


Metal Boxes, Metal Boxes – Trapped Outside (Metal Boxes Series)
Empty Space, Titanium Texicans , Chewing Rocks, Steel Walls and Dirt Drops,
The Friendship Stones, The Granite Heart, The Heaviest Rock and The Inconvenient Pebble, Jasper’s Courage (An Ozark Mountain Series)
A Cold Winter
&
How to Start, Write, and Finish Your First Novel
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Fury From Hell: 14 Months Later

Fury From Hell was published the day before Labor Day last year (2014).  I was up ALL night getting the upload just right and ensuring that the cover uploaded correctly.

My editor was on speed-dial and my nerves were blunted stumps by 5:00 am.  However, I was elated!  My first book was going to be born!

As many new self-published authors, I just knew that my book would ‘find its audience’.  That the machine that Amazon is would churn and bring the right readers to Fury From Hell.

That didn’t happen.

I tried building a strong presence on social media (my favorite platform is Twitter – @NoteBkBlogairy).  Over time, I realized that this is important but the focus needed to be not on being a great Twittizen but being a great advocate for my books and writing.  I had to stay true to being a writer and spend quality time developing, refining and acquiring new tools in my writer’s tool kit.

What this all means is I became sidetracked; marketing and building a social media platform was my dedicated focus.  Well, not anymore.  The focus will shift back to my first love — writing.  That thing that I have wanted to do since I was 12 years old.  For goodness sake, I shared the writing and authorship bug with my son and co-authored a book with him (The Magic Seeds)!

Setting a monthly writing goal, a weekly writing goal and a daily writing goal is paramount.  Output is the only measure by which a writer can look to in order to see how dedicated we have been to our craft.  The only other indicator is your research.  In order to be written appropriately, many books need a fairly decent amount of background information to be obtained prior to writing, or to continue writing.  If you have read 15 books in relation to your work-in-progress then you count that towards your ‘writing goal’ for that time period.  Why?  Because without reading those books/periodicals/newspapers/etc. you cannot complete your WIP.  One hand washes the other; one aspect feeds the other.

Writing can consume your every waking hour.  Or, you can obsess over how little writing you have done and let that occupy your mind.  Or, you can say your marketing your work and therefore assisting the overall cause and ease your inner critic!

Fourteen months after publication of my book I can say unequivocally that a writer — self-published, or not — must continue to write and develop new story lines.  The writer must renew their creative faculty through engaging in their favorite hobbies/activities.  A vacation to a new exotic locale, if the budget is there, is also a great generator of new thoughts and ideas.

Once your creative tank is brimming it’s time to pick up your pen, stylus, or grab your keyboard.

As for marketing?  Leave that to the PR professional, or budget your time!  Slate 1 – 2 hours a week ONLY to marketing.  After you reach that limit (or, whatever limit you set), then get back to the matter at hand — writing!

The final word: Don’t get me wrong marketing is very important.  Simply know its place in your writing life.

P.S. – If you want to read some reviews of Fury From Hell here are some links to the reviews.

http://www.crystalsrandomthoughts.com/2014/12/book-tour-review-fury-from-hell-by.html

http://tometender.blogspot.com/2015/02/fury-from-hell-by-rochelle-campbell.html

https://readersfavorite.com/book-review/fury-from-hell

http://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R3O4TBLD6EGRFX/ref=cm_cr_pr_rvw_ttl?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B00NE24S2W

Ta-ta for now,

NB 

Symbols of Freedom

I sit here watching Star Trek, the “new” 2009 version with Chris Pine, Zoe Saldana, Zachary Quinto, et al.  I think about the future the truly colorblind future where creature, human, Klingnon, and all other manner of living being work together to explore the universe and spread peace.

Then, I turn my TV and find reports of The Donald, shootings on our students, the Pope bring together multi-denominational leaders, road rage that leaves a 4-year-old no longer living.  I see pain, suffering and the dementia of humans on a course that is not similar.  Yet, we are all on the same planet that spins inexorably and will not stop unless we blow it up.

What is our symbol of freedom?  Freedom from domination of extreme emotionalism that clouds reason which leads too pain and sorrow?  Where is the moral line that we will not cross no matter the color, creed, or sexual orientation of the person before us?

My current WIP is all about how people treat others because of their own personal needs.  Well, what happens when the mass of personal needs all coalesce into a plan of action that are to the detriment of others — whole race of others?  Where is the symbol of emotional freedom then?

There are no answers.  There is no black, or white.  There is no one answer.  As a group, we must figure out our collective future.  However, if we don’t function as a unified group but instead as a mass of splinter groups out for each group’s personal goals where will this scatter-effect of decisions take the one planet?

The image above are some people’s way of expressing their love and ‘locking it in’ forever.  Wonderful symbolism but…

Questions, questions and more questions.  However, will we have the loving answer in time for our children?  The ones who will inherit the joys of our collective madness?

Ta-ta for now,

The NoteBook Blogairy

Apple and Pumpkin Picking Make Apple-Nut Muffins! Sort of…

Columbus Day weekend is upon here in the US.  It’s a long weekend and you get to rest relax and try new recipes!  (Okay, so maybe that’s not a thing…)

I did the hunting for a new recipe online and originally wanted pumpkin muffins but quickly decided to switch to apples.  Why?  Because I went apple-picking a few weekends ago and didn’t make one single solitary thing with those fresh-off-the-tree apples!!  Doing my penance now and bought some lovely looking Gala apples for 99-cents a pound from the grocery store.  (Don’t you love apple season??!)

[Total aside: We went apple picking at Harvest Mood Orchard & Farm in North Salem, NY which is 60 miles outside of New York City.  (The apple tree in the picture was off-limits as those apples are not ready yet!)  Did I mention they have awesome pumpkins to pick from pumpkin mile?]

 

 

Okay, back to the baking!  After about a quarter of an hour, I happened upon Emeril Lagasse’s apple muffin recipe with a streusel topping.  It seemed like it would be good so off to the grocery went I and the little toddler baby girl.  Yes, a toddler in a grocery store.  I really wanted apple muffins!

I get in and begin putting it all together.  This is the classic dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet in the other.  The topping is made in yet a third bowl.  The recipe calls for buttermilk but I used half-n-half (I react a bit better to this form).  As a result, my muffins were not as moist as they could be but still very delicious!  The first day — Sunday — I made them as the recipe called for.  And this was the result…

I so did not get to the muffins before my two teenage boys got to them.  So, the test run clearly went well.  But I didn’t like that the streusel topping sank into the muffins.  Tasty but not aesthetically pleasing.

Since there was still another holiday weekend breakfast to be had I did a redo of the muffins and added one additional tablespoon of flour to the topping recipe.  The result?

Voila!  A much better product.  The streusel topping could stand a bit more flour to it.  I have found that the crumblier the topping (and the drier) the better it stands up to the heat of the oven and will make a pleasing crumb topping for any baked product.

And today, I DID get to the muffins before the boys did.  It also helped that they were still asleep when the muffins came out of the oven. :-)

Well, we’re going to The Met to see the new exhibit of Middle Kingdom Egypt which opens today.  I’m a bit geeked about it.  Hope you guys enjoy your day today!

Ta-ta for now,

NB

 

Book Review: Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe

It took me two and a half weeks to read Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe, the book that Abraham Lincoln said started the American Civil War.  [Actual Lincoln quote: “So you’re the little woman who wrote the book that made this great war!” – November 1862 when Stowe was introduced to President Lincoln.

As I was reading this book, I stopped many times to reflect on this or that passage.  I stopped to read other reviews of this book across various sites on the internet.  I wanted to know what the present-day dialog is/has been about this important historical book.  What I found in my cursory research was disconcerting.  I read that this book was poorly written and that if it did not have historical significance it would not be spoken of, or even thought of today.  To me, this is the greatest oxymoron.

Turning away from these pernicious reviews, I continued to read with an open mind.  I cried.  My heart ached.  I had many a restless night complete with tossing and turning.  I resorted to my childhood practice of having a cup of hot calming tea before bed.  Why?  So that I could finish this book with the minimum amount of personal distress.

Stowe does have passages that are a tad clumsy yet these few lines do not detract from the overall precision, research and the sharing of the prevailing then-current perspectives of various factions of American society in the late 1800’s.  Stowe functioned very much like a journalist in compiling first-hand accounts that she herself witnessed, or someone close to her had witnessed and coalesced these factual real-life incidents into a fictionalized narrative directed towards forcing open the minds of an extremely insensate audience.

Stowe pours it on thickly in places.  The Christian faith is both maligned and praised in various sections of the book to make definite points to specific audiences.  Indifference was the bane and greatest sin in Stowe’s eyes which is embodied in the character of Augustine St. Clare.  His character shows us the effects of caring but doing nothing to change the status quo.

The character of Topsy, the little Negro child who was raised by slave traders without mother, father, or any family around her to raise her with the sole purpose of ‘bringing her to market’ is a study in the dehumanizing of a person so that they have not feeling, no hope, no spark of life or joy within themselves.  So much so that this character, felt she was wicked and could do no better than her wicked ways.  Stowe went out of her way to characterize all of the different point of view to ensure that no one in America at that time could weasel out of their beliefs or vindicate themselves in any way.

The thing that bugged me most about this book is the prevailing viewpoint about the book’s central character…Uncle Tom.  In the Black Community, when a person is tagged as an Uncle Tom that person is a shuckin’ and jivin’ person who is doing his/her best to ingratiate themselves in an obsequious manner to gain the favor of White people be it their bosses, authority figures, or to gain advantage in some way.  Being an Uncle Tom is a negative, self-hating insult to be hurled at a person of color.

Yet, when you read Stowe’s book, the character of Uncle is a hero.  In the end, he changes the people around him due to his unswerving faith in his religious beliefs.  He does not do the bidding of his cruel slave master (the final one towards the end of the book).  Tom does not acquiesce and beat other slaves as his owner wanted him to do.  Tom does not change his beliefs one iota even in the face of the direst threats from his owner (including being burned alive).  Tom was not disrespectful, forceful, nor obsequious to his vindictive mean-hearted owner in any way.  Tom had an inner light and courage that was borne of his faith in something greater than him.  It was this faith that saved and made Tom different and ultimately victorious over the bonds of slavery.  While he died a slave, his mind was free, his soul was free and this touched and changed those around him.

Yet, I understand why people of color chose to defile the heroic character of Uncle Tom in later years (especially during the 60’s and 70’s!).  Who wants to take a beating to the death with your faith being the only thing that saves you?  Who wants to hold dear to a faith that allows you to be downtrodden, abused and defiled when you could instead stand up like a man, and a woman should and fight.  This was what the Black Power movement was all about.  The Uncle Tom character is the very antithesis of what Blacks of the 60’s and 70’s were all about (remember, we were no longer Negroes…)

Okay, so this review of Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe is not as much of a review as it is a commentary and the invitation to open up a dialogue one that is long overdue:

How can we move forward and exorcise the vestiges of a 250-year reign of abuse, terror and hard labor on the slaves brought over during the Middle Passage?

Because this question, my friends, has yet to be truly answered.  However, the first step to answering this question – which needs to be done on an individual basis! – is to gain a context of where we were, so we can see where we are today.  Hence, the idea of Sankofa (from Ghana, West Africa) – the need to look back in order to move forward.

My WIP is Taking Me to Places I Never Thought I’d Venture…

No one told me that writing a novel could put you in a pensive mood.  I’ve written a number of novels and none have made me stop writing and ponder life as this one is doing.  Granted, the material I am covering in this section is a hoary one — American slavery in the South.  Yikes.  And, to make matters even more interesting, I am an African American.

No, I am not a militant.  No, I am not a bleeding heart.  No, I’ve never read and studied this time period in any great detail outside of what was required in public school.  In college, my English and History classes focused on other time periods.  So thankfully, I did not have to confront the skeletons in my own lineage.  However, now that I am neck-deep in it, I’m not sure thankful is the right adjective.  Pensive is most definitely more along the right track.

Forget about being a part of the lineage, when anyone reads about a 10 1/2 month old child that is surreptitiously taken from its mother when said mother is a scant 5 feet away peering into the crowds looking for her husband.  When she turns around, her child is missing and the slave trader in his place explaining that her trusted beloved former owner sold her and her child and lied about them meeting her husband a few towns over.  What is one to feel?  How is one to react?  How do you reconcile your brain to understanding that 170 years ago this was reality for one’s great-great-grandparents?  I dunno.  I guess I’m still trying to process.

My family is not from this country.  I could more accurately say that I am of Caribbean-American descent.  From what I’ve learned from my family on both sides, we cannot trace slavery to someone directly.  That means very little in the scheme of things.  Slavery was on the islands, too.

I am currently reading Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe.  I stop reading for a day or so then go back.  I stop reading on weekends.  The reading is physically painful and at times I cry — no matter where I am.  No human can read it without feeling some smidgen, some iota of something that moves the heart unless…

I will not pretend that we live in a perfect world where all that happened has been fixed.  I will try to forget the too recent May 11th, 2015 Time magazine cover.

It brings home ultimately the question of do we have control over our lives today.  Do we?  As people of color, can we say that we have full autonomy of our destinies?  Of course the answer must be yes as we get up, prepare for our day and are not shackled or have papers in someone’s vault stating that we are their property.  So, clearly we have control of our lives.

However, is that the right question?

This is the pensive mood that I find myself.  Posing questions I really don’t want the answers to.  Yet, all the same, I’m asking them.  Reading and researching to discover, or uncover, more challenging questions such as why should we bother going back and seeing what’s there?  Why can’t we just move forward and build anew?  Or, better, we know what’s back there.  The choices were made then so we can have, be and do what we’re doing today.  What more is there to be done that we aren’t doing?

Can you look yourself in the eye and tell yourself you’ve released all the morass from the past and function objectively with everyone you meet?  That you have no pre-judgements (read: prejudices) about anyone you newly meet?  And this last question is meant for us ALL.

Just as slavery was an institution that was kept going by those in power that needed the labor of the slaves.  It was kept an institution because there were many who did not feel their voices could do anything to make changes.  They did not feel their “tiny” singular actions could do any good.

Well, guess what?  That new-fangled notion of pay it forward does work and you don’t have to believe in something greater than yourself to be kind to someone who does not look like you.

If Pope Francis can do it…so can we.

So, how the heck did I end up here with this diatribe raging?  Oh, yeah.  It’s that darn book I’m writing.

The writing life can take you places you’d never dream you’d venture.

Writer Wednesday’s: Q & A with Author Crystal Marcos

I met Crystal on Twitter.  She is a fab Twitterzen and chats with like-minded peeps.  She also happens to be an author…like moi! :-)

Crystal graciously sat down with me for a bit and told us more about herself and her current work, and her work-in-progress.

Author Crystal Marcos!

NB: Tell us about yourself.

Award-winning author Crystal Marcos has been a storyteller her entire life. As the oldest of five children, she had to do a lot of entertaining. She lives on the Kitsap Peninsula in Washington State with her husband and daughter Kaylee, with another child on the way. Crystal is the author of BELLYACHE: A Delicious Tale and HEADACHE: The Hair-Raising Sequel to BELLYACHE.  Novus, her third book and first Young Adult novel, is Book One of The Cresecren Chronicles.

NB: Where can readers find you?

Website: http://www.crystalmarcos.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CrystalMarcos

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CrystalMarcos

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/crystalmarcos/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/pub/crystal-marcos/2a/979/b9b

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/CrystalMarcos

IAN: http://www.independentauthornetwork.com/crystal-marcos.html

NB: Where can readers purchase your book?

Kindle edition: http://amzn.to/1IGbLDd

Amazon: Paperback: http://amzn.to/1NiIIbG

Barnes and Noble: Paperback and Nook: http://bit.ly/1KQXTqW

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/572717

Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/novus-the-cresecren-chronicles-book-1

Oyster Books: https://www.oysterbooks.com/book/3Xm2dncioBHXWVmhyZ4KEZ/novus-the-cresecren-chronicles-book-1

Itunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/novus-cresecren-chronicles/id1035993242?mt=11

Signed Copies: http://crystalmarcos.com/novus/locations.html

NB: How, if at all, has your upbringing influenced your writing?

My mom is always encouraging. Growing up, I would tell her I wanted to be a writer and she would tell me that I WAS a writer. She would draw pictures for me and I would make stories about them. I also have four younger brothers and sisters. I was always creating stories for them. One of my favorite activities when telling bedtime stories was to include their ideas in the story. Now, I do this with my daughter. I ask her what she wants to hear a story about. I pause during telling her the story to let her fill in the blanks. For example, a character’s name, what color hat they are wearing, or what a noise sounded like. We create the story together. This makes bedtime special.

NB: How long have you been writing?

I have been writing since I was very young. My mom saved some of my work from my elementary school years. I wrote my first full-length picture book when I was 12, my first monologue when I was 15, poems and songs in my teenage years, and my first full-length children’s book as an adult. My first book, BELLYACHE: A Delicious Tale has won honors and a silver Readers’ Favorite award.

NB: What first attracted you to this genre?

Books I read in my childhood like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, and Best Worst Christmas Pageant Ever. After reading books like these, I was inspired.

NB: What is your greatest strength as a writer?

I believe my greatest strength as a writer is my ability to transport the reader right into the world I have created.

NB: Have you ever had writer’s block? If so, what do you do about it?

Yes, during those times, I found making an outline of what I plan on writing next can help. I also found the best thing to do is to skip the area I am having trouble with and just GO ON. You can always go back and fill in the blanks later. If it is a simple name or item and I just can’t think of what I want, I will put XXXXXX in the spot and move on. It will come to me later and I don’t waste my writing time using the XXXXXX as an excuse not to move on.

NB: Tell us about your latest work. Can you share a little of it with us?

Ideal for Hunger Games and Divergent fans, Crystal Marcos delivers Novus, a riveting novel set in a dystopian future of action-adventure, suspense, and romance. Intriguing characters and a gripping storyline keep the reader turning page after page.

NOVUS Synopsis

Being a teenager is hard enough. And what if your life’s path is predetermined? On top of that, you aren’t even Human?  Cayden was given life as a Cresecren. He expected to live out his days with the dysfunctional Human family he was assigned to serve. One fateful night, however, landed him in Gavaron, the home of maimed, elderly, or defiant Cresecren.

Beyond its borders is the Den, an area much more dangerous than he ever imagined. Now seventeen, Cayden unwittingly becomes involved in a conspiracy and is one of a handful of survivors fleeing a deadly attack. They set off on a perilous journey in search of refuge and the truth. Along the way, Cayden begins to comprehend the difference between fully living and merely surviving, while trying to balance his emotions and a forbidden love.

NB: Can you tell us about your main character?

Cayden is a teenager who was created by Humans in their likeness and given life as a Cresecren. Most teenagers have choices. However, Cayden’s life’s path was predetermined for him. Through a series of catastrophic events, Cayden explores new experiences and feelings he never had the chance to before.

NB: How do you come up with new novel ideas?

Many of my ideas come the same way as I developed my newest book. The idea for Novus came to me over three years ago in a dream that jolted me awake. I wanted to go back to sleep, hoping to pick up where I left off. I didn’t, and kept thinking about it. I wanted to know more about the people in my dream, more about the setting, more about what was going on and where the story was leading. I finally have the answers, and am delighted to share them. Sometimes, I get ideas from daydreams too. I also get ideas from books I think would be fun to write and I would want to read.

NB: What projects can we expect from you in the future?

I want to continue writing in the Children’s and Young Adult genres. Since I love saving money, party planning, and making cakes, I may write a book about it someday. I have several ideas for books and would love to see them come to print. I am always creating and imagining. I also want to make a game (board or card) someday, perhaps one that would go with one of my books.

NB: What are your current writing projects now?

I am currently working on a children’s picture book and writing the second book in The Cresecren Chronicles.

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Let’s thank Crystal for this great interview by checking out Novus!

Motivational Monday…or Motivational Life?

Reading Black.Bunched.Mass.Mom‘s latest post has put me in a reflective mood.

The images she has posted regarding her favorite quiet spot (by the water!) are so stirring.  They are bountiful pictures of Nature that feed my city-dweller’s soul.

From KC Wise’s Black.Bunched.Mass.Mom blog. Click picture to be taken to the original post post referred to in this post. Thank you KC for the peace!

What are we grateful for today?  Why are we grateful?  For waking up?  For having a fabulous cup of Pumpkin Spice latte from Starbucks because it’s finally Fall?

There are so many things to be thankful for — the big things, and the the little things.  We can be thankful/grateful for the train conductor who held the doors open for that extra 5 seconds so we could scoot on.  We can be thankful for that ingenious little stray cat in our neighborhood that has chased away rodents/vermin making our apartments/condos/homes that much more germ-free.  We can be thankful for the landscaper realizing they made a mistake on the invoice from last season and we’re due a credit/refund.  We can be thankful that the leak that we found some weeks ago is not as serious as we thought.  It’s a loose valve in the wall as opposed to a break in the pipe!

We can go on and on about the things we can be thankful for. (Like the extra words of words we writers were able to pen in the last few weeks as the summer comes to a close…)

Thank you Black.Bunched.Mass.Mom for making me STOP on my crazy forward driven city movement and having me smell the proverbial flowers.  (Wish I could smell the ones you picked!  They look so beautiful on your window sill.)

For other motivational quotes and thoughts try The Daily Grind.

Ta-ta for now,

NB