Monique O'Connor James's Blog: Random Thoughts from Monique, page 6

Review for Hurricane By Jenna-Lynn Duncan

I anxiously looked around, my heart palpitating, just in time to see an alligator slink into the green algae covered water that was on either side of us. I swallowed hard, and my heart raced even faster. Alligators were a different type of predator—the one thing I was afraid of. Now I was on my own personal swamp tour. What if my kidnappers left me in the middle of a swamp with five of

them creeping up on me? I've had that nightmare before and—oh no, if my dreams really are a sign of the future—I couldn't breathe now.

Excerpt:

Adriana couldn't decide what was worse—that Hurricane Katrina was heading for

New Orleans, or that she might not survive her kidnapping to see its potential

effects. She had trusted Hayden, even fallen for him, and now he and his

brother Luke were taking her deeper and deeper into the Bayou. Why had two of

her classmates, the mysterious Boudreaux brothers, kidnapped her? Why had

Adriana's dreams started predicting the future? Most importantly, would she

make it out of the Bayou alive…

My Thoughts:

Adriana's mom has never been part of her life, and her father is slowly backing away. Life with nothing, but a catastrophic hurricane looming down on the city she loves, allows her to yield to the opportunity to find out about another world that exists; a world she is a part of. Being a lover of all things, Louisiana, made this one a no-brainer for me. Jenna Lynn's descriptions of the city of New Orleans made me long to walk the French Quarter and nostalgic for pre-Katrina days. Jenna Lynn is a wonderful storyteller and you will be sucked into the new world she has created and left wanting more.

Don't miss this one!!!

Monique O'Connor James

Author of The Keepers, The Mulligan Man Available @ www.astraeapress.com

Coming Soon: Jamais Vu

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Published on September 02, 2011 18:55

Clostridium difficile – The Abuse, Misuse and overuse of Antibiotics.

I don't usually soap-box. However, I think it's really important that no one ever needlessly go through what I've been through for the last eight weeks. This blog is not for the faint of heart, so if you are easily grossed out you shouldn't read it, but the information is really important. I didn't edit this for punctuation, because I'm still sick and I just want you to know what is out there!

We live in a day and age where some doctors dole out antibiotics for everything. It all started when I got strep throat a couple of months ago. I will be the first to admit that it sounds like Strep would require a good round of antibiotics, however, that's true only if it's bacterial and most strep is viral. A good dose of steroids would probably be the better option, I got both. Three days after completing that course of antibiotics, I got an ear infection and didn't want to be sick when I went on vacation. I ran to the doctor and got another round of antibiotics.

While we were in Florida, I was extremely lethargic. I had a good time, but it took everything I had to drag myself to the beach, and two days of our week long trip, I just stayed inside and slept most of the day. I know my "mates", who were with me, were probably about to kill me, because I just didn't have it in me to get up and wash dishes or sweep the floor like I usually do when it's my turn. Of course, as usual, my hubby took up my slack and spoiled me.

When we got back I kept telling him something wasn't right. That is when the vomiting, diarrhea and nausea started. I missed a few days of work, and ended up at the doctor's office. He gave me fluids, said I was very dehydrated and this was the first time I heard of Cdiff or Clostridium difficile.

He told me he thought the good bacteria had been stripped from my system, due to the two rounds of antibiotics I had. However, he didn't tell me that the result is life threatening and that the road ahead could be very difficult. I took the new antibiotic he gave me (Flagyl – there are only two available for this particular problem.) And four days later, was back in his office for more fluids. This went on for six weeks, including a trip to the hospital where they swore I had a kidney stone, doped me up and sent me home.

Ironically, this has all happened to me before in 2008. Somehow, after 6 weeks of fighting it then, I got better on my own. That's a crazy thing for someone who has a weakened immune system like I do.

Anyway, back to the story. Sunday, I called my best friend, because we had a house full of kids and Keith had to watch them, and begged her to take me to the hospital. I was doubled over in pain. I really thought I was going to die. And actually, now I know that this particular problem that the doctor so casually brushed over in the first place, could have killed me, had I not forced my way back into the hospital.

I was fortunate, because when I got to the hospital this time, I was in so much pain that they rushed me a critical room. They were all around me working to control the pain, and figure out what happened. It was hard to tell them everything, since I had a huge amount of agonizing pain to get through, but I told them everything I could remember.

They immediately admitted me and ran all sorts of tests. The outcome?? CDiff. Cdiff in layman's terms is the tearing down of the good bacteria in your gut by antibiotics and it can kill you. The doctor that treated me had it once and he lost 12 lbs in 1 day. I lost 10 in two days. Not the diet plan I was looking for. They put me on the other drug that cost $800 for the course and said, if this doesn't work, it's not good….so we are just going to pray it works. Basically, they will put you on another course for 6 weeks and then it's surgery….life changing surgery.

I'm still really weak. I have a boatload of meds to take, and I get sleepy real easy. I can't go to work….heck I can barely get out of bed. But here is the gist….antibiotics are overused. If you have to take them….if you are on your death-bed with pneumonia and NEED them for a BACTERIAL infection, take them. However, take the entire course. Don't leave the bottle half full when you decide you feel better. NEVER take anyone else' antibiotics because you think you know what you have. That yeast infection you get every time you take one, is your body's way of saying HEY THIS STUFF IS NOT GOOD!

I'm eight weeks in on my fight against CDiff. I really hope you will heed the warning and realize that the cure to everything is not a round of antibiotics. A girlfriend of mine reminded me of something.

My pediatrician, thank God, almost never gives antibiotics. The first one I went to in Baton Rouge, a well-known and liked doctor, put my son on them every time we walked in the building. His teeth are now ruined. I've spent upwards of $10,000 trying to fix them and that's not an over exaggeration. They still need to be bleached because they came in yellow – not even close to white. He hates it.

Anyway, I can remember leaving the doctor's office so mad sometimes when I thought the kids needed antibiotics, but I'm super glad now that "Bucky", has never been a drug pusher. Since I changed from the drug pusher years ago (I think CJ was 6 months old), my kids may have taken 2 rounds of antibiotics each.

Hope you read this long dissertation, and that somewhere in the back of your mind you file this under – good to know.

In the mean time, The Keepers will be back up in a few days for sale!!!! YAY and I'm working on the edits for Jamais Vu, albeit slowly. My editor is so awesome though, that i feel like it won't be put off too long.

All of your well wishes, prayers, love and the fact that you keep supporting me, even when I'm incommunicado has made me so happy. I love you guys so much. The internet has brought me close to so many people I would have never known, and kept me close to the ones I already loved.

Stay safe.

Monique O'Connor James

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Published on August 31, 2011 08:12

Stealing Minutes

One of the questions I get asked most when people find out I write is, "Oh, how do you have time?" I usually just smile and move on, because explaining to those people, that I'd rather be writing than watching hours of television every night would be pointless. However, there are a ton of us who work full-time, are mothers/fathers, husbands/wives, and still find time to write. I thought I'd give a couple of suggestions that help me squeeze in my favorite pastime. How do you manage to find the time and still be everything to everyone?

1. Get up earlier/Stay up late – for me getting up earlier is not an option. I don't want to be awake before the sun comes up, because nine times out of ten, I'm still awake well after midnight. I choose the latter of the two. Once my kids and hubby are tucked in bed and off to dreamland, the house is quiet and I can get to work. Yes it means I sleep less, but it's so worth it.

2. Turn off the tube! – I can't say this enough get away from the brain sucking box of death. I know that some people don't believe me when I say I don't watch TV. And that's not true. I do watch Sunday nights from 8-9 without fail. We have over 100 channels and nothing is ever on except Sponge Bob.

3. Limit/Schedule your marketing and social media time – This one is hard for me, because once I sign on to Facebook I get sucked into the vortex of doom, and it may be hours before I can pull myself out. I'm trying to set time limits and not use marketing as an excuse to surf aimlessly I said TRYING!!!

4. Write at lunch or on your breaks – a lot of days I stay in at lunch. Most of the time the office goes quiet, and I can get in a few minutes of interruption free writing.

5. Get out of Bed – When you can't sleep (which for me is often), don't just lay in the bed staring at the ceiling. Get up and write. The minutes and hours are going to pass regardless of whether you're tossing and turning or getting some writing done.

I'd love to hear all about how you juggle the responsibilities that come with be a writer. Send me your comments!

Cheers,

Monique O'Connor James

Author of: "The Keepers", "The Mulligan Man", "Jamais Vu"
From www.AstraeaPress.com

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Published on August 18, 2011 05:32

A Rose by Any Other Name

I can't believe I'm going to admit this, but I've always been obsessed with names. When I was eight or nine years old I used to make lists of names from the credits that rolled on my favorite TV shows. Can you say OCD? I had a five-subject catalogue of every name I'd ever seen or heard.

When I was naming my children, it was really important to me that they had strong names that could carry them into adulthood, names they would be proud to say when reaching out to shake someone's hand for the first time.

A lot of years have passed since I was in grammar school making my database of names. However, I'm still preoccupied with the interesting labels we are given at birth and the way our personalities shape around those monikers. Who would you be if you'd been called Sally instead of Susie? The impact of a name on our lives is true for man-kind and our fictional character counterparts.

Naming characters has always been one of the most stressful parts of the writing process for me. I know that once I tag that character with a name, their admirable and not so admirable qualities will develop around it. No matter how hard I've tried, the names I use inevitably influence who my characters become.

So knowing the importance of a name, how do you pick the right one?

1. Steal Them – My cell phone has a special file in it with the super original tag "names", on it. When I'm in public, on the internet, talking to friends, etc., and I hear a name I like I whip out my phone and hijack it for my list. (Still making lists of names!)

2. Morbid Curiosity - I've been spending a lot of times in cemeteries ever since we started researching our family tree. I have no problem borrowing a name from a headstone. Some of my best Cajun surnames have come from the graveyard.

3. Surf – When all else fails, I type in a search string for names on Google and spend hours looking for the one that jumps out at me.

Sometimes when we are really lucky, the character's name themselves. In my up coming novel Jamais Vu, the main female character is named Darby Lambert. It came to me one night in a dream and I just went with it. As the story developed, I realized I didn't particularly care for the name Darby.

I remember calling a friend of mine and telling her I had to come up with a better name for my heroine. Little did I know, Darby had other plans. That day while I was at work, I got a new client named Darby Construction (I'm not kidding). The following day when I went to pick my daughter up from cheer practice, she introduced me to her new friend, Darby. I had never heard the name before and suddenly everywhere I went Darby was jumping out at me. I got the picture and let my girl keep her name.

Tell me about the weird ways you name your characters. How do you get your ideas? Do you have any stories about characters who chose their own names?

Thanks for stopping by!

Cheers!

Monique O'Connor James

Author of: "The Keepers", "The Mulligan Man", & "Jamais Vu"
From www.AstraeaPress.com
Twitter:               mjames13

WordPress:         www.moniquejames.wordpress.com
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Published on August 17, 2011 07:53

Publicity Package

So you wrote a novel. Now what? One of the things you will need to do is market your book. Part of marketing requires you to send your book and information about yourself to bloggers, reviewers, interviewers, etc.

The process can be made a bit simpler if you prepare a publicity package before hand. This way when each person asks for these items you will have them all in one place.

Attached each of the following in a separate document and place in a file on your computer:

Author Bio – Give the readers a little personal information about yourself. They want to get to know you!

Photo - Yes your readers want to see what you look like! Your relationship becomes more personal when they can put a face with the name.

Book Blurb - Set up a document with a blurb about each one of your books. (The back cover blurb works perfect for this).

Cover Art - Save each of your covers into a separate file.

Excerpt – Save an excerpt from each book into separate documents.

How to connect – Create a document with all the information about how to connect with you on the internet: email addresses, facebook pages, twitter accounts, etc.

Buy Links – Create a document with information/links on where to purchase each of your books.

ISBN – Create a document with your ISBNs.

Trailer Links – Create a document with each of your book trailer links.

If you have these items saved on your computer, you will be able to easily access them when the information is requested by a reviewer or blogger. You may consider creating a document also, that has frequently asked questions and answers.

Hope this helps you as much as it has helped me!

Cheers!

Monique O'Connor James

Twitter:               mjames13
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Published on August 15, 2011 23:31

Six Sentence Sunday – Jamais Vu Coming in September!

Enjoy this excerpt from Jamais Vu….Coming Soon.

Someone had forced me to doubt myself, and it was difficult to find my self-worth again. In past conversations, I'd rallied against the selfishness of the act of taking one's own life. I'd sworn I'd never be the person who cared so little about others as to act on those thoughts. Yet, here I was in the parking lot of my shrink's office, contemplating what could have driven me to do the very deed I'd mocked. He was wrong. There was no possibility I'd shot myself on purpose.

Jamais Vu will be out in September 2011!

Monique O'Connor James

Twitter:               mjames13
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Published on August 13, 2011 23:18

The Keepers – Announcement

After much thought on my part, I've decided to take The Keepers down for a couple of weeks. Meaning it won't be on sale. No worries it will be back soon. There are some editing issues that the publisher and I would just like to get corrected so the second edition will be pristine.

Astraea is a new press and we are all learning by trial and error. In the beginning, Steph tried to keep a strict schedule for release dates. However, we have been blessed with so many wonderful, clean romances that at times meeting the release date meant that the editing was rushed. I know on The Keepers we were three days from the release date when I was doing content edits and we still had to push through line edits and galleys.

Steph didn't want to disappoint so she and I pushed hard to get it released on the date we'd promised. Since then I've found some editing issues. Steph offered to allow me to go through the book and edit again, but I haven't had time with work, school starting, and working on another project.

The thing is, The Keepers is a beautiful story and deserves to be printed in the best form possible. For those who have read it and loved it despite the editing errors, I adore you. For those who are waiting to read it, just give me a couple of weeks to get it perfect for you. This may push Jamias Vu into October getting out, but it's really important to me as a writer to give my readers and fans a clean edition. Those who bought the first edition have a prize! Keep it! They will be rare!!!

Having said all of the above, Astraea is currently looking for content editors, line editors, and proofreaders. If you are interested please contact Stephanie Taylor @ stephanietaylor@astraeapress.com.

For those of you thinking of sending your work to Astraea just know that they have been great to work with and as they grow and change I feel they will be one of the premier publishing houses in this new world of ebooks. Steph is always open to helping her authors and I hope you will inundate her with submissions.

Thanks so much for your understanding and I can't wait to get The Keepers out again and for you to read Jamais Vu. I will always remember the support and love I got during this first release. My friends and fans are amazing.

Cheers,

Monique O'Connor James

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Published on August 12, 2011 15:11

5 Tips for Writing Dialogue

Sometimes dialogue can be tough! Below are a few quick tips to help you get over the hurdle!

1. Listen up – Every person has a different way of speaking. Our accents are influenced by our geographical locations and our peers. Notice the slang terms used by the people around you. Notice the inflection on their words and their mannerisms as they speak. Keep a notebook handy to make notes about interesting patterns and habits you observe.

2. Move Along – Make sure you don't use dialogue as filler in your novel. The words spoken by your characters should help to move the plot forward and should not bog it down.

3. Action – Describe the actions of the characters while they speak. What do they see? Smell? Hear? Use description when possible instead of dialogue tags.

4. Punctuate – Take the time to punctuate your dialogue correctly. Doing so will insure it flows when read.

5. Read – The best way to get a feel for the flow of your dialogue is to read it aloud. Read and reread, until it sounds natural to you.

Hope these tips help in your writing journey!

Cheers!

Monique O'Connor James

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Published on August 12, 2011 00:48

10 Editor Nightmares

I feel like an expert on some of these! The truth is, every writer has stumbling blocks that require hours of editing and practice to get past. I've listened to editors and publishers complain about many of these and here is a list of a few that keep our wonderful proofreaders up at night. Hope you enjoy.

1. Commas - Commas are my arch nemeses – my Kryptonite! The best advice I ever got where commas were concerned was: When in doubt, leave it out. Some say I still may need a twelve-step program for my addiction to the little guys, but I swear I can quit anytime I'm ready!

2. Head Hopping - A couple of weeks ago, I read a fabulous book. The characters were well-developed and the plot was interesting. However, in the middle of several scenes, the writer jumped from one character's head to another's and back. Not only did it confuse me, but I felt a little dizzy trying to keep up with who was thinking what. The rule of thumb here is – one brain per scene or chapter.

3. Repetitious words - Every editor has their own list of special words that make their head spin or possibly cause them to explode. You can use the "find" command to seek and destroy these words as I'm sure your editor will be happy to give you a list. Also, be on the look out for the use of the same words over and over on a page or in a chapter. Here is a short list of the most hated words: that, nearly, then, really, about, like, just, actually, very…

4. Passive Voice – This is one that can only be corrected during the editing process and requires a keen eye to search it out. Example: The dishes were washed by Kim. – No Kim washed the dishes. – Better. The subject should perform the action. In the first example, it sounds as though the action is being done to the subject.

5. Autonomous Body Parts - I'm as guilty as anyone of this one! Example: Her eyes rolled over him. – literally? Where was she when her eyes were rolling over him? Example: His feet leapt across the dance floor. Without him?

6. Names with dialogue - How many times do you really say a person's name in natural conversation? When editing be on the look out for this no-no. "John, where is the cat?". Reading your dialogue aloud will help here.

7. Ellipses and Exclamation Point - My personal favorite are a couple of punctuation marks; the ellipses and exclamation point. Most editors can't stand to see exclamation points sprinkled throughout a manuscript. If you don't delete them, they probably will. I have had a long-term love affair with ellipses in dialogue. I usually spend hours editing them out after my story is complete. Both of these can distract the reader's attention and interrupt the flow of the book.

8. Talking Heads - Too many lines of dialogue without description or action can confuse your reader. As a rule, try not to have more than two lines of dialogue without clarifying who is speaking.

9. Dialogue Tags - We've all heard how editors hate dialogue tags. The problem with them is that after several pages of tags, it will appear that all your characters do is smile, grimace, and laugh. Take the time to describe and move the story along when you write dialogue.

10. "LY" - Kill any and all adverbs. You will, without a doubt, have a few adverbs in your completed manuscript, but if they are not necessary delete them. If you don't take them out your editor will, all while cussing you under their breath.

Hope this information helps you during the editing process!

Cheers!

Monique O'Connor James

Twitter:               mjames13
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Published on August 11, 2011 05:20

15 Authors You Should be Reading!

With all the indie and small publisher authors out these days, sometimes the really good ones can get lost in the shuffle. Here's a short list of books I hope you read. If you'd like to comment and let us know who else we should read, we'd love to hear it!