Christine Rains's Blog, page 123

May 8, 2012

Wicked Wednesday - A to Z Challenge Reflection post

A lot of April went by in a blur, but I had a fantastic time with the A to Z Challenge. I met so many new wonderful folk and discovered some awesome blogs. Everyone did a fantastic job. A big thank you to the A to Z team.
Tossing It Out (Arlee Bird)Amlokiblogs (Damyanti Biswas)Alex J. Cavanaugh (Alex J. Cavanaugh)Life is Good (Tina Downey)Cruising Altitude 2.0 (DL Hammons)Retro-Zombie (Jeremy Hawkins)The Warrior Muse (Shannon Lawrence)The QQQE (Matthew MacNish)Author Elizabeth Mueller (Elizabeth Mueller)Pearson Report (Jenny Pearson)No Thought 2 Small (Konstanz Silverbow)Breakthrough Blogs (Stephen Tremp)Coming Down The Mountain (Karen Jones Gowen)

You guys are amazing!

My experience with the Challenge was phenomenal. I wrote a paranormal romance story that stretched out over the month. I never expected the reaction I received. I hoped I could entertain a few people, but wow. I'm at a loss for words. So many people loved the story. It makes me blush, feel warm and fuzzy, and boosts my fragile writer's ego. Your comments and encouragement made me smile every day.

I wasn't going to publish my story after the Challenge, but so many of you are encouraging me to do so. So with the help of my fantastic friend and critique partner, Cherie Reich, I'll be self-publishing the story. It will be cleaned up, a little will be added, and it shall be named Fearless.

(This little self-publishing bit will be practice to prepare me for my series of novellas.)


I just have to get a good image for the cover. Does anyone have a stuffed hippo willing to do some posing for me?!


What I loved about the Challenge: Meeting people and discovering new blogs. Seeing what surprises my friends had in store. The writing advice and awesome stories. Learning new things. And, of course, the comments on my blog.


What frustrated me about the Challenge: While the good greatly outweighs the bad, a few things made me relieved the Challenge was over. It consumed a lot of my free time. There were so many blogs to check out, I didn't get a chance to visit them all. I couldn't keep up with visiting people from the Challenge and visit the blogs I regularly follow. I'm afraid those who didn't participate in the Challenge might have felt a bit neglected, and I'm sorry.


What might help those frustrations: Perhaps the Challenge could divide the various blogs into groups. I'm not sure how you would want to do this. Maybe writers, photographers, artists, jewelers, etc. Or by general themes like stories, poems, photos, people, trivia, movies, etc. Though I was happy to meet all sorts of people, I was most looking to meet other writers.


Will I be doing the A to Z Challenge again next year? Yes. Most definitely yes.



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Published on May 08, 2012 23:00

Teaser Tuesday with Sacrificial Magic

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've been waiting a while for this book to come out, and I was excited to be the first to get it from the library. Sacrificial Magic by Stacia Kane is the fourth book in her Downside Ghosts series. It's dark and brutal, and incredibly addictive. I can't put this book down. It's that good.

Here's your teaser:
Something creaked on the other side of the curtain.
She stopped, one foot half off the floor ready to take her next step. Her body buzzed. Was that a ghost, or nerves? (page 94)
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Published on May 08, 2012 02:00

May 7, 2012

The Backworlds Launch Party

The Backworlds is here!
The first story in the Backworlds series by M. Pax. A vision of how humanity might colonize the galaxy some day in the distant future.
The Backworlds After the war with Earth, bioengineered humans scatter across the Backworlds. Competition is fierce and pickings are scant. Scant enough that Craze’s father decides to hoard his fortune by destroying his son. Cut off from family and friends, with little money, and even less knowledge of the worlds beyond his own, Craze heads into an uncertain future. Boarding the transport to Elstwhere, he vows to make his father regret this day.
Available from: Amazon / / Smashwords / Feedbooks Other links to more outlets can be found at either Wistful Nebulae or MPax
The Backworlds is an ebook and a free read. All formats can be found at Smashwords and Feedbooks.
It’ll take a few weeks to work its way down to free on Amazon Kindle. It will also be available on B&N and iTunes. Sign up for M. Pax’s mailing list to be notified the day it does go free on Amazon, and when the book becomes available at other outlets. You’ll also receive coupons for discounts on future publications. NEWSLETTER
M. Pax’s inspiration comes from the wilds of Oregon, especially the high desert where she shares her home with two cats and a husband unit. Creative sparks also come from Pine Mountain Observatory where she spend her summers working as a star guide. She writes mostly science fiction and fantasy, but confesses to an obsession with Jane Austen. She blogs at her website, www.mpaxauthor.com and at Wistful Nebuae . You’ll find links there to connect on Twitter, Goodread, FB and other sites.
The sequel, Stopover at the Backworlds’ Edge , will be released in July 2012. It will be available in all ebook formats and paperback.
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Published on May 07, 2012 05:00

Dust It Off Bloghop - Day 3

Welcome to the third day of the Dust It Off Bloghop hosted by two talented women, Cortney Pearson and Theresa Paolo. This bloghop encourages you to take a shelved manuscript, dust it off, and rediscover some of the treasures forgotten inside. Sounds like a lot of fun, doesn't it?



There are three parts to this bloghop:
Day 1 (May 3rd) - Post a 1-2 sentence pitch.
Day 2 (May 5th) - Post a 300-350 word excerpt.
Day 3 (today) - Post what you learned from this manuscript.


I picked my sci-fi dystopian romance called Toe-suckers. The title is horrible, but it's not what you--  Okay. It's totally what you think. The aliens have reproductive organs that resemble human toes and feet. "Toe-sucker" is a great insult when used by people who hate the aliens.

What I learned from this manuscript:
1) I learned I liked to write science-fiction. It was my first novel with aliens, and though the aliens aren't the primary characters, it was a lot of fun to create a race of beings.
2) I used adverbs too much. I know what a mistake that is now, but I was too in love with using the "-ly" words.
3) I slipped out of my protagonist's POV too often. It made for some confusing parts. I was also writing from Zegg's POV, and I rarely write novels from the male POV. Zegg was a gutter rat and a thief. He wasn't an alpha male. I think I did an okay job with him, but I learned I best stick with a female protagonist.
4) I wrote too many long paragraphs of description. I use to write thick descriptions like you'd see in big fantasy books. The scenes that worked best in Toe-suckers were the faster paced ones, the ones with less description. I've really cut down on my descriptions over the years. I know better how to show rather than tell. I also have more faith in the intelligence and imagination of my readers. They don't need every little thing described.
5) This manuscript taught me how much I love being a pantser. I have no idea where I was going with this story. I only had an idea of toe-sucking aliens. It led to an unusual, quirky, and dark story with which I had tons of fun.
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Published on May 07, 2012 02:00

May 6, 2012

Relaxing on a Sunday

Here's my little guy cooling off in the creek. We went to one of the state parks nearby this morning and played in the water. We then had a picnic lunch before it got too hot for me, and the little guy needed his nap.

It's almost time to for the A to Z Challenge Reflections posts. April was so much fun. I'll be posting mine on Wednesday with my Wicked Wednesday post.

I'm having fun with the Dust It Off bloghop. I never expected anyone would get more than a giggle out of my story. The writing community is wonderfully encouraging. I thank you all so much.

As some of you might know, April was a rough month for us. We took a trip to visit my family in Canada and my son hated it. He does not like to travel or even be away from home for more than an afternoon. When we got back home, our car gave our on us. The timing belt slipped, and if you know anything about cars, you'll know how devastating that can be to the engine. It would have cost us over $5000 for a new engine. All from one little belt. It's came at a bad time. Plus, we're a one-car, one-income family. We need a car. To top it off, our lawn mower and weed whacker broke down too. Thankfully, after much searching, we have a new car, a 2009 Hyundai Elantra, and my husband managed to fix the mower and weed whacker without having to buy new ones. Here's hoping May is a much better month.

A good sign that May will be better: Sherlock season 2 starts on PBS tonight!
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Published on May 06, 2012 11:53

May 5, 2012

Dust It Off Bloghop - Day 2

Welcome to the second day of the Dust It Off Bloghop hosted by two amazing women, Cortney Pearson and Theresa Paolo. This bloghop encourages you to take a shelved manuscript, dust it off, and rediscover some of the treasures forgotten inside. Sounds like a lot of fun, doesn't it?

There are three parts to this bloghop:
Day 1 (May 3rd) - Post a 1-2 sentence pitch.
Day 2 (today) - Post a 300-350 word excerpt.
Day 3 (May 7th) - Post what you learned from this manuscript.

I decided to go with my sci-fi dystopian romance called Toe-suckers. The title is horrible, but I repeat, it's not what you think!

Here's my excerpt:

“You're a pet.” He spat the word out like a bug that had accidentally flew into his mouth. “You have no hair. Most everywhere would be too cold for you.”
She ran a hand across her bare head and glanced upwards at his thick locks. There was no envy in the gaze, but once again, just curiosity. “Perhaps you are right. I don't think I would enjoy the cold all that much either. I don’t even like cold baths no matter how hot the day. Yet I would still like to see snow. You could, though.”
He couldn’t understand why she was rattling on to him. Finally released from the spell that his prize had cast on him, he gave his head a little shake. It was stupid to be standing around talking to a pet. Without another word, he turned to make an escape.
“What’s your name?” She called after him with a whisper. “My name is Molli.”
A name given by those disgusting toe-suckers! No self-respecting human would ever have such a silly name. Zegg picked up his speed and headed out of the room just as Rake was leaning in to take a look. He was holding his hooked nose as not to have to breathe in the stench and scowling in Molli’s direction.
Zegg zoomed past him and ducked out through the window. His friend hurried to catch up with him. “What did you think you were doing in there? Talking to a pet? You must have sucked some toes or something!”
“I did not!” Zegg snapped back, eager to get away from the still quiet house. “She talked to me. I didn’t talk to her.”
“Don’t tell me you’re becoming one of those fuzzy hearted slops who feel sorry for those bloody pets.” Rake growled, yanking at his own unevenly cut hair in frustration.
“I don’t feel sorry for them.” Zegg hugged his newly acquired artifact to him.
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Published on May 05, 2012 02:00

May 4, 2012

Updated goals for 2012

I know it's difficult to see my goal tally on the sidebar. For some reason, Blogger automatically shrinks it even when I tell it not to. I've updated and revised my goals for this year.

I'm doing very well with writing and submitting a short story every month. I even have May's story written already. It's a sci-fi piece and my first attempt using an omniscient POV. I like the way it turned out. I'll have it critiqued by my writer's group at our monthly meeting and then I'll submit it.

I've gotten a couple of rejections lately, but this morning I was happy to find an acceptance in my inbox. My paranormal crime short story, "Immaculate" has been accepted by The Harrow Press for their anthology, Mortis Operandi. I don't know the release date yet, possibly November or December, but I'll keep you posted.

I planned to revise three of my novels this year, but it wasn't happening. Other things in life have to take priority, and so I've changed my novel goals for this year. I'll still participate in NaNoWriMo. I can't miss that! I'm not sure what I'll write yet, but that's still a little while off.

I started on my revisions for my paranormal romance, Witch's First Rule. I've done a lot of work on it, and it's survived two drafts so far. I love most of the changes I've made, but the one thing I'm struggling with is changes to the protagonist. This manuscript had gotten a lot of attention from agents and publishers when I queried it, but they always passed after reading the full manuscript. Two were kind enough to send personalized rejection letters. The problem they had was the protagonist. They feared readers wouldn't be able to relate to her. Basically, they felt the protagonist was too much of a b!tch. Yes, my protagonist is sometimes dominant, selfish, and defensive. (There's a reason why, but it would spoil the plot if I explained why!) So while I was revising, I attempted to make her more likable, to soften her hard edges. I realize it's important that readers need to be able to relate to the main character, but I didn't like how I changed her. I wasn't happy. She wasn't happy. It was her hard edge that made her unique. So I've stopped. I'm not going to change my protagonist. I've put it aside for the moment until I decide what exactly I want to do with it. Self-publish or seek a small publisher? I'll know with more certainty what I want to do after I complete my next project which will take me on a self-publishing adventure.

I'm writing a paranormal romance/urban fantasy series consisting of six novellas. They'll be in the same vein as my story from the A to Z Challenge. I'm really excited about this project. I considered seeking a publisher for them, but with the way my life is at the moment, I don't know if I could keep deadlines. I want the freedom to move at my speed and to promote the series as I want. It will also be a good way to see if I want to self-publish anything else in the future. Self-publishing has its own challenges, but I need that flexibility right now in my life. I won't say anything else about this project until I have more to give you, but it's going to be so much fun.

Have a good weekend!
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Published on May 04, 2012 11:10

May 3, 2012

Dust It Off Bloghop - Day 1

Welcome to the first day of the Dust It Off Bloghop hosted by two wonderful women, Cortney Pearson and Theresa Paolo. This bloghop encourages you to take a shelved manuscript, dust it off, and rediscover some of the treasures forgotten inside. Sounds like a lot of fun, doesn't it?

There are three parts to this bloghop:
Day 1 (today) - Post a 1-2 sentence pitch.
Day 2 (May 5th) - Post a 300-350 word excerpt.
Day 3 (May 7th) - Post what you learned from this manuscript.

To make this bloghop even sweeter, there are prizes for each day. Yay!

I have quite a few shelved manuscripts. Ten of them, actually. Hey, I consider them practice! I'm going to go with my 2005 NaNoWriMo winning novel, Toe-suckers. Yes, the title is horrible, and it's not what you're thinking at all. It's a sci-fi dystopian romance. It might have potential if it weren't so... weird? It's not main stream, and it would take all the charm away from it if I tried to make it so. Yet I adore my odd little child.

Here's my pitch:
Earth has been bought by economically savvy aliens, and humans are forced to either work themselves to death or become designer pets. Zegg steals human artifacts from right under the aliens' toes, but his world collapses when one of their pets steals his heart.
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Published on May 03, 2012 02:00

May 1, 2012

Wicked Wednesday - The Return

Welcome back to Wicked Wednesday! I hope you haven't missed it too much with my story from the A to Z Challenge to keep you entertained. I'll be posting my thoughts on my A to Z story next Wednesday to be in the same week as the A to Z Reflections post.

This week's post is about lovers returning. This could be an ex who has come back into the protagonist's life, but since this is paranormal romance, it could be a lover who has died and has returned as a vampire or ghost. It could happen the next day or years later. Imagine the inner turmoil. It's ripe material for a story!

Here are some tips to help when writing the return of one loved:
1) When a person loses someone they love, they tend to idealize that person. They remember more of the good times and color the bad times to make them seem not so bad. Your character will likely still only want to remember the good stuff even after her love returns. Example : the protagonist's old boyfriend returns as a vampire. She remembers a sweet and tender man, and she'll be blind to his new vicious attitude, making it easier for him to coerce her.

2) A person goes through intense shock and grief when losing someone they love. This can create anxiety, depression, and fear. Such a loss greatly changes an individual. Your protagonist can be transformed into an entirely new character. Example: The protagonist's lover returns hoping to find his demure and loving girl, but she has changed into a paranoid and emotionally numb woman using black magic to protect herself.

3) The protagonist might be in denial that their love is dead. Example: She believes he really is still alive when he's actually a ghost.

4) Returning to a lover after a break-up creates a lot of conflict. When people break-up, the individuals tend to remember more of the negative things than the positive (the opposite of what happens when a loved one dies). It likely isn't going to be a happy reunion. Example: The protagonist is an agent with the paranormal division of the FBI and discovers that her ex is involved in a werewolf murder case she's handling. She's going to be more suspicious of him than the other suspects, and it interferes with her being able to do her job.

5) There's also the break-up where one person doesn't understand why their lover left. They tend to react to the loss more like a death than a parting of ways. When their lover returns, no matter what his reasons for leaving, they aren't going to fully mend her heart. Example: Demon hunter had to leave his beloved as not to endanger her, but he has to return when she becomes the target of a hungry demon. It might be an honorable and logical reason why he left, but emotions aren't reasonable. She can't forgive him and she puts herself in even more danger by not letting him help her.

The most recent book I read with this theme is Blue Diablo by Ann Aguirre. The protagonist's ex-boyfriend comes back into her life. She'd left him, but it was because she believed he didn't truly care about her. Aguirre deals with the warring emotions within her character wonderfully.

Do you have any favorite paranormal romances where a love returns?
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Published on May 01, 2012 23:00

Fighting Gravity Now Available


The next awesome book in Cherie Reich's Gravity series,FIGHTING GRAVITY,is now available!
You can find it on Amazon, Smashwords, and Goodreads.
It's an action-packed science-fiction fantasy romance.You can read my review here.
To celebrate the release of Fighting Gravity,the first book in the series, Defying Gravity,will be FREE for four days! FREE!
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Published on May 01, 2012 03:00