Christine Rains's Blog, page 122

May 21, 2012

Teaser Tuesday with Divergent

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
Grab your current read Open to a random page Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that pageBE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!I finally got my copy of Divergent by Veronica Roth from the library. It had a huge reserved list, but it was well worth the wait. It's an intriguing YA dystopian with a fresh voice. I love the world Roth has created. So many possibilities!

Here's your teaser:
This is crazy, and I know it. A fraction of an inch of mistake, half a second of hesitation, and my life is over. (page 146)
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Published on May 21, 2012 23:00

May 20, 2012

Cherie Reich's 2nd Annual Flash Fiction Blogfest


This awesome blogfest is hosted by Cherie Reich. She's a flash fiction genius! The rules are simple, and there's cool prizes.
1. Entries must begin with the two words: Lightning flashed.2. Entries must be 300 words or less and be in prose. 3. Entries must be posted on your blog between May 21 - 23.4. You must sign up in the linky list to have your entry be counted.
On May 25, Cherie will announce the six finalists and open voting through May 28th.
On May 29th, Cherie's third year blogversary, she will announce the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners as well as a random winner selected from the participants list. All ties will be broken by Random.org.
Now what are the prizes?First place - $25 gift card from AmazonSecond place - $20 gift card from AmazonThird place - $15 gift card from AmazonRandom prize - $10 gift card from Amazon
Here's my entry. A flash piece inspired by some old gods.
SEASONS  Lightning flashed and the last demon fell to the ground. The stench of charred flesh was too familiar. Perun lowered his fiery bow and gazed across the field of the dead at his final target. The great serpent roared and uttered curses most foul. The earth shook and the sky grew dark in anticipation.
Perun stroked his beard, finding comfort in the small act. He had already fired upon the serpent. His thunder arrows alone would not defeat it.
The great and hideous beast spread its wings and launched itself off its perch. It sped across the battlefield and spewed blue fire at Perun. He dodged left then right, constantly moving, and firing arrows at what he deemed to be its weak spots. Nothing slowed the serpent down.
Its tail lashed out on one pass and caught Perun off-guard. He flipped head over heels and came to rest on a heap of dead enemies. His body screamed with pain and exhaustion, but he didn't let the cries escape his lips. He could not fail. To do so would leave the world in icy bleakness for eternity.
The serpent landed behind him as he pulled himself up. Perun searched his pack for another weapon, but all he had left were three golden apples. He turned to face his enemy. Three would have to be enough.
Spreading its wings and roaring, the serpent seemed certain of its victory.
Perun tossed the apples into the air and chased away the growing darkness as they began to glow. They sizzled and popped, ballooning into massive balls of lightning as they flew at their target.
The serpent snapped at the first one, unwisely swallowing it. The other two hit it in the chest. The bright light from the explosion hadn't faded when Perun leapt onto the beast and ran one of his arrows through its massive eye into its brain.
It slumped over, dead.
Dead until next year when winter came to the world again, and Perun would be forced to wield lightning once more to bring forth spring.
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Published on May 20, 2012 23:00

May 17, 2012

Random Acts of Kindness Blitz

Angela and Becca at The Bookshelf Muse created this awesome blitz to celebrate the release of their book, The Emotion Thesaurus. Kindness is powerful. Even the smallest kind gesture can fuel a person and keep them going. Little things like a comment on a blog or a shared tweet.

The writing community is full of encouraging people that know the value of a small kindness. It always amazes how wonderful you all are. You've made me smile on bad days and given strength when I feel like giving up. Are we feeling like a group hug yet?

Wait! I want to do something for you. All of you. It's the very least I can do for a community that has done so much for me.

For the first ten people to email me, send five pages of anything you've written, and I will critique them. A novel chapter, a short story, a query. I'll give you my honest opinion. My strengths are with romance and action scenes. So if you need to know if a scene is steamy or if you want some help giving an action scene more oomph, I can help. I'm a blunt and honest critic. Not everything I say will be pretty, but I compliment the positive as well as point out what needs work. I've worked a lot this past year on honing my critique skills. A fresh pair of eyes might be of some help for you. Just click on my profile to contact me or go right from my site.

You guys rock!

I have a thank you and a reminder for you too.

A big thank you to the awesome Clare Dugmore for passing on to me the Kreativ Blogger award. She is a talented young writer and has a fantastic blog. Go check it out!
 
A reminder that Monday starts Cherie Reich's 2nd Annual Flash Fiction Blogfest. This year, the prompt is "Lightning flashed." A dramatic beginning! She has some great prizes. Head on over and sign up.

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Published on May 17, 2012 23:00

May 16, 2012

Thanks and awards

First off, a BIG thank you to Kathleen Doyle for surprising meon Monday with a Random Act of Kindness.You really made my day.And that's hard to do on a Monday! The Random Act of Kindness Blitz is a fabulous idea started byBecca and Angela at The Bookshelf Muse to commemorate therelease of their book The Emotion Thesaurus.Come pop by my blog tomorrow for my contribution to the Blitz.
I received the Beautiful Blogger Award from the wonderful Sheri L. Swift.Thank you for passing it on to me.  Another thank you goes to the cool E.J. Wesley for passing onthe No Strings Attached - Real Trooper award.
Both awards ask you to share some random facts about yourself. (The Trooper Award also has some specific questions, but I will spare you an overly long post!)
Ten random facts about me:1) I enjoy doing laundry. It's the clean scent and the warmth of clothes fresh out of the dryer.2) I've been engaged twice, but not to my husband.3) My husband and I had been together for ten years before we decided to get married in Las Vegas by Elvis.4) When I get a chance, I love watching cheesy SyFy movies.5) I have a fear of speaking in front of groups of people, but I force myself to do it whenever I have the opportunity.6) I have a sonic screwdriver on my desk.7) I have my own set of special game dice.8) I set my son's toys up in fun little scenes, so that the next time he comes upon them, he'll wonder what they've been doing.9) I took karate in high school, and I was two belts away from my black.10) I cannot imagine life without writing.
I'm not going to nominate anyone, because I want to share these awesome awards with you all. Take one or both if you wish. You're such fabulous people. You deserve them.
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Published on May 16, 2012 23:00

May 15, 2012

Wicked Wednesday - making the old something new

Paranormal romance novels feature a lot of creatures that come from popular mythology. Vampires, demons, and werewolves, oh my! The problem with this is that we see the same characters over and over again. It can get tiresome. Yet we love reading and writing about our favorite paranormal creatures. The trick is to take the old and make it something new.

Do your research. If you're writing about vampires, read everything you can about them. Legends, mythology, and fiction. Pick a few particular characteristics and play them up. Maybe your vampires can walk in the sun, but the sight of a holy symbol will blind them. Instead of having the bite cause ecstasy in the victim, let it cause nightmares.

During your research, you might come across little know tales. An obscure myth from a tiny country. These are the ones that you should latch on to. Find out what makes these creatures unique, and what in its culture led to the different take on them. It makes a big difference where your vampires are from because that's what made them the creatures they are now.

Don't be afraid to use exotic myths. A Hungarian legend says that a person can become a werewolf by passing under a birch arch three times with the help of a wild rose's spine. Serbian folklore has a vampire returning from the grave for the single purpose of fornicating with his widow. Armenian lore states that a woman guilty of one of the seven sins must spend seven years as a werewolf. Pick pieces from these myths and twist them to fit the modern world.

Of course the biggest source of originality is your imagination. Add something completely new to your werewolves, make them your own. Look to how the environment is changing and what effect that would have on people that can change into animals. How would that change them? Read about modern myths and make your vampires evolve into creatures that can rule the technological age. What characteristics would they gain to make that possible?

Do you have any tips on making the tired old creatures into something new?

Thank you to Cherie Reich for suggesting this topic. If anyone would like me to talk about any particular aspect of paranormal romance, please leave me a suggestion in the comments.
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Published on May 15, 2012 23:00

Teaser Tuesday with Grave Witch

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
Grab your current read Open to a random page Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that pageBE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!This is the first book in the Alex Craft series by Kalayna Price. I really like it so far. I picked it up because it was recommended to me by Goodreads as similar to the Downside Ghosts series. The only similarity is that it has ghosts. Grave Witch is nowhere near as dark as the Downside Ghosts series, but it's fun.
Here's your teaser:
"I'm not raising a shade with foreign magic on me." I wasn't about to chance having my magic interact erratically in front of the entire courtroom, particularly after what had happened yesterday. (page 52)
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Published on May 15, 2012 02:00

May 14, 2012

First Loves Blogfest

Ah, our first loves. They travel in our hearts with us forever. This cool blogfest is hosted by the awesome Alex J. Cavanaugh. The rules are simple. Post your first loves: first movie, first song/band, first book, and first person.

First movie: Before the hot vampires and slayers came around, I wanted to be an adventurer. Who didn't want to be Indiana Jones? Raiders of the Lost Ark. Classic pulp adventure. The closest I've ever become to my dream is living in Indiana. (The Fox and the Hound comes in a very close second. The only film to ever make me cry in a movie theatre.)

First song: When I was a little girl, I love to go to my grandparents' house and turn on their old record player. I'd put on the huge headphones and play my favorite song, singing it at the top of my lungs. "Cecilia" by Simon and Garfunkel. I don't know why this song resonated with me, but it still affects something deep down within me.

First book: I want to say so many books for this, but if I'm going to be true to my very first, I'll have to go back to my early childhood. I loved Dr. Seuss and the classic fairy tales, but the one book I kept long after I left childhood behind was The Poky Little Puppy. I identified with that little puppy. That was me! I don't have the book any more, but I need to find a copy to give to my son.

First person: I had a crush on a boy in grade four. (He will remain unnamed here.) I lent him my Merlin, and he broke it. I was furious. I didn't talk to him again after that. I was heartbroken and thought about him for years afterward, but I only had myself to blame for I chose not to talk to him any more. (Yes, I know, not romantic at all. In fact, I have absolutely no romantic stories about love. Perhaps that's why I write it!)
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Published on May 14, 2012 03:00

May 12, 2012

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's day to all the wonderful moms and like-moms out there!It's the hardest thing I've ever done, but it's also the most rewarding.
Here's a few fun mom quotes!
"I want my children to have all the things I couldn't afford. Then I want to move in with them." Phyllis Diller
"My mother had a great deal of trouble with me, but I think she enjoyed it." Mark Twain
"It kills you to see them grow up. But I guess it would kill you faster if they didn't." Barbara Kingsolver
Here's the reason why being a mother is the best thing that's ever happened to me.Even when he's chasing me and spraying me with a hose.
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Published on May 12, 2012 23:00

What is he thinking?

I wonder a lot what goes through my son's mind.What do two-year-old's think about?
He's already hipper than his mommy.I turn the radio to the 80's station.He likes tech music, and his new love, Gotye.I can't get that dang song out of my head now!
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Published on May 12, 2012 11:43

May 9, 2012

Anthologies seeking submissions - May 2012 edition

I didn't get to post one of these lists last month, and I'm a bit late with it this month. I'm slowly starting to get back on top of things after the A to Z Challenge. I've already written a little piece of sci-fi for this month, but there are a couple of anthologies that caught my attention.

SWORD & SORCERESS 27 - annual trade paperback (Norilana Books); S&S, strong female protag (fic). Pay: 5¢/word adv. against shared royalties. Words: <9k (prefers shorter; send longer early). RT: 1st cut <1 week. Reprints: no. E-subs: ONLY. Elisabeth Waters, Editor . Deadline: May 12th.  (I'm sorry to be so late with this one, but if you have a story you can submit within the next few days, this is an awesome anthology series.)


DAUGHTERS OF ICARUS: a brave new world of feminist science fiction - 1-time POD/eAntho (Pink Narcissus Press); feminist sf (fic). Pay: 1¢/word (min $20). Words: no limits. RT: 2-3 weeks. Reprints: yes. E-subs: PREFERS . Josie E. Brown, Editor. Deadline: May 31st.

FUTUREDAZE: An Anthology of YA Science Fiction - 1-time print (Underwords); YA sf (fic/poem). Pay: $200 (poem=$25). Words: <6k. RT: <2 months. Reprints: no. E-subs: ONLY . Hannah Strom-Martin & Erin Underwood, Editors . Deadline: November 30th or when filled.

URBAN GREEN MAN - 1-time print (Edge SF & Fantasy); f (fic/poem). Pay: 3½¢/word (poem=$20). Words: <5k. RT: <3 months after DL. Reprints: no. E-subs: ONLY . Adria Laycraft & Janice Blaine, Editors . Deadline: November 30th.

You can find several more anthologies seeking submissions at Ralan.com. It's an excellent resource for writers.
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Published on May 09, 2012 23:00