Christine Rains's Blog, page 71

Story Sprouts blog tour - Why Writing in Community Rocks our Socks

I'm very pleased to welcome Alana and Nutschell to my blog today.I love the guest post topic they chose. Take it away!
Writing Groups: Why Writing in Community Rocks our Socks
In my experience, writing tends to be a pretty solitary activity. As writers, we all seem to have our … quirks, shall we call them? … about the ambiance in which we compose. 
For some, it may be a certain musical style, for others silence or the persistent hum of a favorite white noise.
I've heard tales of early morning writers who rise before the world wakes, ready to welcome the day with a visit to their keyboard. (Is this as shocking to you as it is to me?) I know of others who treat writing as a nine to five, clocking in and clocking back out. Then there are the night owls, like me, who struggle to find the inspiration until finally it drips out of our pores in the silence of the night.

Then there are the rituals associated with a favorite beverage, a preferred warm-up, the litany of distractions such as email and social media to breeze through first, perhaps a moment of meditation, favorite clothing, angles, particular lighting, charms, stretches, pets, seances … who knows?!
Notice one thing I did not mention? 
People. 
Writing demands focus and inner reflection, and generally having people around does not help with either. People are noisy. They ask questions. And they talk. And they move, which makes noise even if they are not talking. So when people are around, writers are often forced to turn away from writing, or else dive so deeply into ourselves that we force the world around us with all its cries for attention to disappear. Everything else must fade but the words on the page. And people, especially people who know us and love us, don't usually like to fade.
So why, if we are so particular, would we ever want to write in a group? Why attend a writing retreat or a writing workshop? Why put ourselves smack dab in the middle of a bunch of people to do the thing we usually want to do alone?
Twenty writers recently spent six hours together with the Children's Book Writers of Los Angeles, writing furiously through ten exercises and ultimately producing the Story Sprouts: CBW-LA Writing Day 2013 Exercises and Anthology book you see below. Considering how many of us usually write alone, delving into the idea of writing in community and why the Writing Day was such a success at creating beautiful poetry and prose fascinated me.To start off with, there is a huge difference between writing around other writers, and writing around our spouses and friends and roommates and children. Writers get the quiet. Writers seek the quiet.
Everyone has a streak of competition, including writers - it is not limited to athletes. If you, as a writer among writers, are sitting in a room, or in a resort, and you are the only one sitting with a silent keyboard or a motionless pen and paper, you will find something to write about. Inspiration will strike. You will not let all of those other writers get their story going without you.
Writing in rhythms is healthy. The mind and body need breaks and cycles. They can not go for days without taking brief respites to refuel or relax. When you attend a writing workshop or a writer's retreat, you will be able to (forced to?) break together, finding a healthy balance between social interaction and alone time.
Speaking of alone, you will find out you are not alone. Feel vulnerable about your work, certain you are a genius one minute and a fool the next? Wonder if you are the only person in the world who must sit down at the desk, stand up to boil water, sit back down and pretend to write while you really wait for the whistle, get up to make sure you turned the stove on because it seems like it's been ages and there's no sign of hot water, sit back down after you see the red light that indicated the burner is turned on, stand up when the whistle goes off, prepare your tea, sip your tea, and sit back down before you can write? Yeah, you're not alone there either. Or whatever else your hyper-critical inner editor says or your pre-writing ritual involves either.
Comparing notes helps. Sometimes all we need to finish up a first draft or get back into revisions with renewed verve is someone else's thoughts. Quotes are great. Insight from "real people" in person is even better.
Brainstorms are way more entertaining and unexpected in groups. And they are guaranteed to get your mind moving in a direction you hadn't planned.Bookworm fashion. In L.A., I generally see women with designer bags, or at the very least a trendy department store bag to fit the season. I carry around unique artsy-fartsy bags that are handmade by artisans and large enough to fit my books or writing tools. I know I'm home in a room full of writers when I see a dozen bags that don't belong anywhere near a designer rack either.
Instant feedback. Are you stuck on a certain character, or having trouble with a scene? Maybe you have a "big picture" problem, like whether to use first or third person, or whether your hero is a male or female character. Whatever you're trying to figure out, there are uber-creative people around to bounce ideas off of.No distractions! When you are away from your home or office desk and computer, writing in a group setting towards a shared goal, all those distractions that normally plague you and compete for your attention melt away, and allow you to focus on the task at hand. Writing in community builds up your support group - and holds you accountable. Writers want to see one another succeed and achieve great things! Retreat and workshop participants will want to cheer you on in your future endeavours- they will also want to know that you are still writing.
Blogging is great, social media is great, reading books about writing is great, but nothing beats the energy exchange of being together in the real world. We are wired to be together. Even the introverts among us. The beautiful thing about writing in community is that introverts can be around other people and choose not to engage deeply or put on a social act. They can just be, quietly, in the energy of others, working parallel towards a similar goal. No pressure to speak or perform.
It's a confidence boost! If you share your ideas or writing, chances are at least one person will offer up praise and support for what you are doing. And even if you don't share, the fact that you dedicated time to your craft and knocked out a few hundred, even a few thousand, words will give you a sense of accomplishment.
If you're working your way through the Story Sprouts exercises, fair warning - you'll really need a group for exercise six. So you might as well plan your group writing experience now. Finally? Writing in community is just plain fun.So, how can you write in community? If you don't have a group of writers who you know, you can start slowly by writing in a park or a coffee shop. Chances are, there will be lots of students or freelance employees working all around you. You may not have the opportunity to interact like you would at a workshop or a retreat, but you'll certainly get a taste of what it feels like to write around others.
If you do have a group of writers, agree on a date and time to get together and promise to spend at least an hour of it writing - no chatter! When you're done, share what you're working on, or simply congratulate one another for an hour well spent.
Look for "official" writing groups on Google or Meetup, even your local library, and join in their next writing workshop or retreat. CBW-LA is a non-profit group open to anyone who wants to attend - our members get a discount, but anyone can look for us and take advantage of a critique, informational lecture or writing workshop!
Peruse the back of writing magazines for writers' retreats. Find one that speaks to you and sign up for a full week of uninterrupted writing time.If you are in the L.A. area, please do look us up: CBW-LA. We'd love to have you join us at any event! And if you're not in L.A., we hope that you find a good group and write in community at least once to try it out. If you live elsewhere and you have a writing group you love and want to share, mention it in the comments.Thanks so much Christine … and to all you bloggers, writers and readers our there! We had a wonderful time here on our Story Sprouts worldwide blog tour! Cheers!STORY SPROUTS: CBW-LA WRITING DAY EXERCISES & ANTHOLOGY 2013Paperback: 240 pagesPublisher: CBW-LA Publications (October 18, 2013)Edited by: Alana Garrigues, Nutschell Anne WindsorLanguage: EnglishISBN-10: 0989878791ISBN-13: 978-0989878791Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.6 inchesShipping Weight: 13.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
STORY SPROUTS 2013 ANTHOLOGY STATISTICS:19 Authors38 Combined Anthology Entries – 2 per Contributing Author6-hour Workshop10 Writing Exercises (included in Story Sprouts)Dozens of Photo, Character and Conflict Prompts (included in Story Sprouts)240 pagesBLURB:What happens when linguistic lovers and tale tellers workshop together? Inspiration. Wonder. Discovery. Growth. Magic. Brave and talented, the writers featured in this anthology took on the challenge of dedicating one day to the raw and creative process of writing. A rare view into the building blocks of composition, Story Sprouts is made up of nearly 40 works of poetry and prose from 19 published and aspiring children's book authors. KINDLE & PRINTCOPIES AVAILABLE THROUGH AMAZON LINKS:Learn more about Story Sprouts at http://www.storysproutsanthology.com/Join the Children’s Book Writers of Los Angeles at www.cbw-la.org
Find Nutschell at:Blog: www.thewritingnut.comTwitter: https://twitter.com/nutschellLinked-In: www.linkedin.com/in/nawindsorPinterest: www.pinterest.com/nutschell[image error]

Reborn cover reveal & What Works and What Doesn't Marketing Symposium

To save a kingdom, a prophetess must challenge Fate.

On the day of Yssa’s death and rebirth, the god Apenth chose her as the Phoenix Prophetess.

Sea serpents and gods endanger the young prophetess’s journey and sour the omens. Yssa is cursed instead of blessed, and her duties at the Temple of Apenth prove it. She spends her days reading dusty scrolls, which does nothing to help her forget Tym, the boy back home. But the annoying yet gorgeous ferryman’s son Liam proves to be a distraction she can’t predict, even though he rarely leaves her alone for two sand grains.

Her boring temple life screeches to a halt when visions of her parents’ murders consume her. Yssa races across an ocean to stop the future. If she can’t change Fate, she’ll refuse to be the Phoenix Prophetess any longer. Fate, however, has other plans for her and the kingdom.

Yssa must either accept her destiny or fight to change Fate.

Reborn, book one of The Fate Challenges, by Cherie Reich will be released on May 23, 2014. For more information about Cherie and her work, please visit her website or blog. The cover art is created by Laura Sava. To add on Goodreads, click here. If you'd like to be notified when Reborn releases, please sign up for the newsletter here.
Do you ever wonder why some books become bestsellers while others can barely be given away? Why some businesses succeed and others fail? How does a blog post or a YouTube video manage to go viral? Is it a matter of luck or is there some magic formula for success?

With our wonderful hosts,  Arlee Bird, Yolanda Renee, Jeremy Hawkins, and Alex J. Cavanaugh, maybe we can latch on to some of the secrets and tricks that make success happen or what we might want to avoid. Tell us your stories of success (or not so successful) as we present a blogging event that will help us learn. Tell us about a marketing idea that you've used and what worked or didn't work. Your post could describe a campaign that succeeded in a big or small way or one that failed drastically. Tell us about a business campaign, an organizational event, a fundraiser – anything where a bit of promotion was necessary!

Click here to sign up and visit other participants. Let's share and learn today!

Here's what worked and what didn't work last year during my promotion for the 13th Floor series.

What worked:
- Goodreads giveaway. Lots of exposure. Over 1300 people entered.
- Guest posts with helpful writing tips.
- Making the first book of the series free.

What didn't work:
- Rafflecopter giveaways. I had one each time I released a novella. I progressively got less and less people entering the giveaways as the tours went on.
- Guest posts with interviews, excerpts, or character posts. I did get some comments, but people seemed to have more interest and commented more when I offered them helpful tips.
- Book release tours with several hosts a day. It was too many for people to visit. One host a day seems to be best, or at the very least, much easier on me!

Friday Five for January 17, 2014

1. I'm almost at the end of draft 2 of my paranormal romance WIP. I have less than 5k to go. I rewrote the entire final battle. Last night, the villain did something that was simple and made complete sense. Why didn't I think of this before? It was awesome. I wanted to shout "Bravo!" Then I realized that was the villain. Drat. Okay, protagonist, you need to be equally as clever.

2. I came across a book I could not finish for the first time in a long while. I couldn't get past 10% on my Kindle. I only mention this because I felt really bad about it. I wanted to finish it. Is it strange I felt guilty?

3. My little guy had his first after school special on Wednesday. It's an Animal Science class that goes for six weeks. They learned about frogs. They put sticky jelly on their fingers and felt how it stuck to surfaces. Then they ate goldfish crackers using only their tongues to pick it up. He was really excited about it. (Plus mama got extra time to write!) I'm so pleased I enrolled him in a play-based cooperative preschool. I've been reading a lot of articles lately that reported upon the benefits of this type of preschool. Now that play-based preschools have been around for a while, several studies have shown how well it nurtures a love for school and learning. It is especially effective with boys, and studies have followed students up through the sixth grade with positive results.

4. I'm doing better with finding my balance, but I'm not there yet. I still spend too much time online when I should be writing. I've been going to bed at a better time, though, and that's helped during the days. I also take a little more time at night before bed to wind down. I sit in bed and read or watch a half hour show. Maybe I should use one of those timers and kid blockers to keep myself off the internet! Hmm, hey, not a bad idea. Anyone else ever try that?

5. I have my local critique group meeting tomorrow. Other than that, no plans for the weekend. What about you?

Wicked Wednesday - What PNR author websites need

I've been doing a lot of cleaning and organizing these past few weeks. Online and offline. One of my projects this year will be to design a new website. A big deal since I have no web design experience, and I can't afford to have anyone else do it for me.
My current website is okay. I do like the template. (It was free!) But does it represent me as an author and my books? No.
My website wishlist: easy to navigate, easy to update, wicked, dark, and sexy.
So I've been doing some research and visiting a lot of paranormal romance author sites. Here's what I've found a PNR author needs on the home page of her site.
1) The color red. Dangerous and passionate. Most sites have a lot of red. The unofficial color of PNR authors? (E.g. Kresley Cole and Jennifer Lyon.)
2) A kick-butt heroine featured in the heading or background. (One of my favorite sites based on appearance and ease of use: Keri Arthur.)  OR a hot guy (human or not) in the heading or background. (E.g. Larissa Ione.) 
3) A quirky, sexy, or magical welcome to the site. Something a little different than the standard news scroll or "Buy my books!" (E.g. Alyssa Day.)
4) Book covers. Some covers are gorgeous, and I can see why authors make them the feature attraction. (E.g. Rachel Vincent and Sherrilyn Kenyon.)
5) A background to set the right atmosphere. Dark and mysterious. (E.g. Jennifer Estep.)
Do you have a website? If you do, did you have it designed to fit your genre?

Teaser Tuesday with Fireseed One

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 YA futuristic thriller is not like anything I've read before. In a very good way! FIRESEED ONE by Catherine Stine takes place in the not so distant future. Have you ever wondered what would happen if the Arctic ice melted? This is very well what might occur. I'm loving it so far!


Here's your teaser:
"Under no circumstances," I tell her.
Under no circumstances until we've been in flight for three hours over high desert and my facial blisters have popped and new ones have formed over the popped ones. (71% on my Kindle)

My Writing Goals for 2014

2013 was a great writing year for me, but one that took away time from other aspects in my life. (And how fitting I'm writing this post on the 13th!) I will attempt to make 2014 a year more about balance and organization. I even started off the year with a very clean and organized house. That also includes my online home. Hopefully organizing everything will help me make better use of my time.

Now for my writing goals!

Novel #1 - Revise and query. This is a paranormal romance I wrote at the end of 2011. I didn't like the ending I had scribbled down, and so it sat for a while until I was ready to come back to it. There are hot vampires and some unusual demons. I believe it has a great hook and will be highly marketable. Plus, it made me laugh and cry. That's a good sign.

Novel #2 - Revise and query. With a bit of POW! and a lot more ZAP!, I'll be marketing my superhero novel. I've been a comic book geek since I was a kid, but only recently have I started researching the genre by reading novels. Mine is very different from anything I've read. I hope that's a good thing!

Short stories - Write 6 / Submit 6 for the year. I would love to be able to do one every month, but with working on two novels, I won't have the time. I didn't have any acceptances the last half of 2013, and it depressed me. I was aiming high for an acceptance by a SFWA approved venue, though. I was short-listed a couple of times. That's closer than I've ever gotten before.

The A to Z Blogging Challenge - I've been going back and forth about it, but due to my time restrictions especially in April, I will not be participating in the Challenge this year on this blog. BUT I will be sharing the Challenge with my fellow Untethered Realms writers. We'll each have our days on the UR blog. I'm excited about it. I'm so honored to be a part of this talented group.

NaNoWriMo 2014 - I want to say yes. Let's make it a tentative yes. We'll have to see where I am with my novels in November. The novels have priority this year.

Balance writing, marketing, and home life - Home life comes first. No more grumpy mommy because she didn't get enough sleep. Writing comes in second. I wrote a lot last year, but I spent even more time marketing and networking. This year, I want to set weekly goals for writing. If I reach the goal, I can add extra time to networking, but only if I get my writing work done first. Balance is difficult for me, but I know it's vital to making me a happy person.

Don't forget to check out my post about sticking to your writing goals on the UR blog!

What are your writing goals for the year?

Friday Five for January 10, 2014

1. A bit of a rough week. School was canceled all week due to the weather and the after-effects of the frigid temperatures. I was stuck in the house for three days straight with a 3.5 year old. Cabin fever and I became reacquainted. One night, I watched a documentary about the Donner Party and wondered what if that happened in a modern city. Story idea?

2. I managed to do a little bit of writing work, but not as much as I planned. I wanted to be finished the 2nd draft of my WIP, but I still have about 10k to go. I keep telling myself I have no deadline except for what I set, but I'm still working with being flexible with myself.

3. Speaking of flexibility, I wrote about setting writing goals on the Untethered Realms blog this week. I'll be posting my 2014 writing goals on Monday.

4. I had a great review for The 13th Floor Complete Collection on BigAl's Books & Pals. The reviewer said the bonus short story, "The Shadow" was a 5 star addition to the series. Woot!

5. I baked a lot, cleaned some more, and played Uno Moo dozens of times. It always evolves into a story about a farmer and a family of skunks who like to sit on the roof of the barn. I do love it that my son is really big into imaginative play.

Have a terrific weekend!

IWSG for January 2013 and an interview with me

The Insecure Writer's Support Group (IWSG) is the brilliant idea of Alex J. Cavanaugh. The purpose of the group is to share doubts and insecurities and to encourage one another. Please visit the other participants and share your support. A kind word goes a long way.

I was ready to write an inspirational post and cheer you all on as the year begins. Start off 2014 with positive thoughts and a good plan.

Then I fell into a mud puddle. I haven't had time to write yet. A week into the new year, and I haven't written anything new. School was canceled due to the horrible weather. My child has found a new super-duper clingy stage. Not a single moment allowed alone for me. The main time I get for myself to write is when the boy is at school. I haven't had any time in nearly three weeks!

To rub it in, I got a rejection to a story I forgot I sent out last year. I thought I'd received all my rejections last month, but I guess I forgot to write this one down. I can taste the grit of the mud now.

I'll stand, splash a few times in the puddle, and then carry on. It wasn't the start to the new year I'd planned, but I'll keep pushing forward on my journey.

How was the start to your new year?

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Please pop over to Ellie Garratt's blog for an interview with me.Find out what my favorite cheesy movies are and tell us yours!

Teaser Tuesday with Doctor Sleep

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 one worth reading just for the journey alone. DOCTOR SLEEP is the sequel to THE SHINING. Have you ever wondered what happened to Dan Torrance? Find out. So far, it's classic Stephen King.


Here's your teaser:
Abra thought she might be the most beautiful woman she had ever seen. Also, she realized at once, and without a shadow of a doubt, she was insane. (page 220)

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Join me over at the Untethered Realms blogfor a post about setting your writing goals for 2014.Do you have any tips about how to stick with your goals that you want to share?

Review for The Vanished Knight

Blurb:  Since the death of her parents, Callan Blair has been shunted from one foster family to another, her dangerous secret forcing the move each time. Her latest foster family quickly ships her off to an exclusive boarding school in the Cumbrian countryside. While her foster-brother James makes it his mission to get Callan expelled, a nearby ancient castle holds the secret doorway to another land...
When Callan is forced through the doorway, she finds herself in the magical continent of Tardith, where she’s shocked to learn her schoolmates Gawain and Darrion are respected soldiers in service to the king of Nordaine, one of Tardith's realms. More than that, the two are potential heirs to the Black Knight—Nordaine's crown prince.
But when the Black Knight fails to return from a mysterious trip, the realm teeters on the brink of war. Darrion and Gawain set out to find him, while Callan discovers there is more to her family history than she thought. The elves are claiming she is their princess.
Now with Darrion growing ever more antagonistic and her friendship with Gawain blossoming, Callan must decide whether to stay in Nordaine—where her secret grows ever more threatening—or go to the elves and uncover the truth about her family before war sets the realms afire.
My review: Callan Blair's dark secret keeps her bouncing around from one foster home to another. When her newest foster parents send her to a rich boarding school, Callan finds things she didn't think possible: a friend, a link to her past, and a doorway to another world. She's dragged into this strange and beautiful medieval world. Though she makes friends and might find some answers about her parents, she knows she can never stay. The darkness in her would never make it safe. But what's more frightening: what's inside of her or the war erupting around her?

A marvelous tale that takes us from our modern world into a wonderful fantasy realm, one forgotten by the people of Earth. The world building is incredible. There's a rich history filled with unusual customs and folklore, and none of it is dumped on the reader. It's perfectly spread out through the book. This is the first book in a series, and I cannot wait to learn more about the land and its peoples.

What makes this book stand out from other YA fantasy tales is the cast of characters. Callan is a strong female protagonist. She has my sympathy as well as my admiration. And the mystery behind her dark secret is intriguing. Kaela is another great female character. She's a soldier with a powerful sense of duty and loyalty. Then there are all the charming males: Gawain, Quin, Darrion, and Ward. Not James. He wasn't charming at all!

THE VANISHED KNIGHT is a fantastic beginning to Misha Gerrick's series. I can't wait until the next one is released!
You can buy the book here: 
Amazon Amazon UK
Barnes & Noble 
Kobo
All Romance Reads 
Amazon France 
Amazon Germany
You can find Misha here:Blog * Twitter * Goodreads