Lucinda Moebius's Blog, page 5

March 4, 2012

Peace

Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you.  Let not your heart be troubles, neither let it be afraid.


John 14:27


I love the scriptures that promise me peace.  Nothing gives me more comfort in life than to feel the peace my Heavenly Father gives me.  When I feel peace I know my Heavenly Father is with me. 


May you all feel the hope and peace of your Heavenly Father.


The message is so simple I don't think I need to add anything more.


 

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Published on March 04, 2012 17:57

February 29, 2012

The Pleasures and Pains of Becoming A Writer: Gerry McCullough

I've been writing since I was 7 or 8. I've always loved reading, and because of that, I've wanted to write the sort of stuff I enjoy myself. So I've been copying my favourite writers for years. It takes a while before your writing becomes actually original!


 It's hard to say what inspired me to write. I grew up in a home where everyone enjoyed reading – my mother, my father, and my three sisters. My older sister took to me to the library when I was 8, and arranged for me to join it.  I became an ardent reader, and therefore a writer. At my primary school, it happened that I was put into a 'house' called Charlotte, after Charlotte Bronte, and the headmistress, in telling us about the various houses, said, 'Not everyone in 'Charlotte' house will be a wonderful writer – but perhaps some of you will!' That was a definite spark. I remember thinking, "Why shouldn't I be one?'


 Another encouragement was that my teachers at school consistently marked my writing high. I was led to believe that I was good.  And it was something that, more and more, I really enjoyed doing.


It came as a shock when, at the age of sixteen, I submitted my first book, a children's story, to a publisher and it was turned down flat. I was devastated – but as I quickly found out, this was to be only the first of many rejections. One thing a writer needs to develop is a very thick skin – learn to be a rhino, as my friend the crime writer Sam Millar says.


 It helps to know that people like Charlotte Bronte, PG Wodehouse and Agatha Christie had piles of rejections in their time – and more recently, as most people know, JK Rowling had her Harry Potter books turned down time after time before she was finally accepted.


It's also true, of course, that writing skills develop over time. I know much more about my craft now, and don't hesitate to say that I'm a better writer, than when I first started out.


 Finally came success. About 10 years ago, an Irish magazine, Ireland's Own, accepted one of my short stories and paid for it! Moreover, they expressed an interest in seeing any others I cared to send them! Wow! I couldn't believe it at first when I opened the envelope.


That was the first Old Seamus story, The Tale of a Teacup. I still have a great love for it. Since then, Ireland's Ownmhas published 36 (and counting) of these 'Old Seamus' stories, the tales of an Irish rogue who lives by poaching and tells stories going back to his own childhood or youth, full of humour, nostalgia, and sentiment. The first 12 have now been published by Precious Oil Publications, with the title The Seanachie: Tales of Old Seamus, at a deliberately low price, around a dollar or 77p, so that anyone interested can easily buy them on Kindle. (Seanachie is the Irish for storyteller.) This is my most recent book. It went straight into the Amazon top 100 for 'romance – short stories', which was nice.


But back tracking slightly, I was very happy to have stories published in a magazine, but my aim was still a full length fiction book. Some of the signposts on the way, which confirmed my belief that my writing wasn't too bad after all (in spite of rejections!), were winning the International Award for New Fiction for my short story Primroses, and being short listed, runner-up, and commended in a number of other literary competitions for short stories.  Around 20 of these more literary short stories have also been published by now. 


In 2007 I was taken on by a local Literary Agent, Bill Jeffrey. At the end of 2009, he suggested that I put Belfast Girls up on Authonomy, the Harper Collins website. Once there, Belfast Girls reached the top 5 in six months and had so many positive comments that I began to believe that my writing must, in fact, be okay.


Well, Harper Collins wanted a lot of changes before they would consider publishing Belfast Girls, which doesn't fit neatly into just one of their genres. It's the story of three girls growing up in the new Belfast of wealth, fashion, drugs and crime, of their livers and loves, and of their friendship. It isn't simply either romance or thriller. But meanwhile, a number of much smaller publishers had expressed interest in the book. Among these was Night Publishing, run at that time by Tim Roux and Bruce Esler (who later dropped out). Bruce was enthusiastic about my book, and so, in July 2010, out of the several offers made to me, I accepted a publishing deal for Belfast Girls with Night Publishing.  By the end of the year, the book was out. Now, just over a year later, it's sold nearly 3,000copies. It entered the top 100 for its genre in March 2011, was picked as Book of the Month by the Ulster Tatler in the same month, won the Night Publishing Book of the Year Award in April, and continued to climb the best seller lists. Usually it has been in the top 100 on 3 genres in Amazon UK – Women's Literary Fiction, Literary Fiction, and Contemporary Romance.


So far, Belfast Girls has climbed as high as #2 in Women's Lit. Fict – my ambition, of course, is to reach #1! For the last four months it's been consistently in the top 10.


Currently I'm working on my fourth book – or my third full-length novel.  So far Belfast Girls has been followed by Danger Danger, another Irish romantic thriller, and the Irish short story collection, The Seanachie: Tales of Old Seamus, mentioned above.

Danger Danger is about the perennially fascinating subject of twins and how their lives can run on similar lines, even when, like my Katie and Annie, they have been separated at birth. Like Belfast Girls, it's set mainly in Belfast with some trips elsewhere.


My fourth book is one I wrote years ago, and which I'm updating for the modern world – it's about a Belfast girl on holiday in Greece, and the things that happen to her – another Irish romantic thriller! The provisional title is Angel in Flight.


I'll always be grateful to Tim Roux for being the first publisher to accept me, and to the other Night Publishing writers, who have supported me enormously. They are great people. If you're a writer still hoping to get published, Night Publishing is definitely the place to go! http://nightreading.ning.com is the link. But remember that most writers have to plough on for years before they get published – so my best advice to you is, never give up.

If you think you might like to buy any of my books, you can get the eBook version at these links. Belfast Girls and Danger Danger are also available in paperback.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Belfast-Girls...


http://www.amazon.com/Belfast-Girls-ebook/dp/B004DNWS3W


"http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Belf...

www.amazon.co.uk/Danger-ebook/dp/B005...

http://www.facebook.com/l/JAQAjdv7FAQ...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Seanachie-Tal... //www.amazon.com/Seanachie-Tales-Old-Se...

My web site: http://www.gerrymccullough.com/"...


My blog is: http://gerrysbooks.blogspot.com/"...


My Twitter name is @Gerry1098


And my Facebook Fan page is http://facebook.com.gerrymcculloughir...


Maybe I'll see some of you there!

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Published on February 29, 2012 11:09

February 27, 2012

Guest Author R. J. Terrell

Hello Lucinda and thank you for having me on your blog!


 I am primarily a writer of fantasy, but recently I have branched a bit to try my wings at different fiction. Currently I am awaiting the cover artwork for my third and final book Heroes Of A Broken Age, in the Legend of Takashaniel Trilogy. I wrote my first book, Echoes Of A Shattered Age, back in 2006, and it was a lengthy affair, taking a little over a year and a half to write. I had never written a book before, and though I greatly enjoyed the process, it was a rather tall order and took some time.


I had been reading for some years, and fantasy had always been my primary genre to enjoy, though I always have enjoyed different types of fiction. It was back around 2003, if memory serves, when the first spark entered my mind that I wanted to write. Several characters entered my mind and would not leave me alone. (before you readers call the mental hospital, every writer is constantly bombarded by various characters demanding to have their stories told. *wink*)


Once I had decided that I would indeed like to attempt to write the book, I knew from the start that there was one thing I wanted to do differently. Although things are slowly changing, the fantasy genre at large is primarily told from the Eurocentric perspective, with the occasional character type that is patterned after a different ethnicity here or there. I had seen for years that there was a need for something more diverse, and judging from the fans on the message boards of many bestselling fantasy authors, I was not the only one to notice this.


The one thing I was always taught as a child was to be the change, and if there is something I would like to see done, do it myself. I have nothing but love and admiration for the many fantasy authors out there, paving the way for writers like myself who are just beginning, and I realize and respect that the stories they tell are theirs, not mine. My expectations of the type of change I would like to see in fantasy are my own, and I celebrate that. I like to think that I approach fantasy in the same manner that the creator of Star Trek has approached that world. What I mean is, Gene Roddenberry created Star Trek as a rich and ethnically diverse world devoid of the racial issues we have today. This is how I approach fantasy. Although there are different ethnic groups, or representations of ethnic groups in my stories, the reader will enjoy this without the tiring (in my humble opinion) racial issues we deal with in our world.


The Legend of Takashaniel Trilogy is my first venture into such a world. It is based largely off of a future version of this world, after the death of the earth was mysteriously and inexplicably avoided. Technology suddenly began to die away until humanity was left to start over again in a world that had begun to rapidly evolve around them. Many believed it was the Gods who took technology away, but there were some few who knew the truth of it.


This trilogy follows the exploration of a group of human warriors who carry a God Gene that makes them stronger, faster, and in every way, superior warriors than any who had ever lived. But as always, there is a catch, and this Gene does have its limits.


In the first book, we walk alongside Kenyatta, an orphan from Jamaica who was adopted by a vacationing couple from the Philippines. The couple raised him alongside his best friend, Kita, and the two were raised as brothers, and trained side by side every day of their lives.


Akemi, a ninja demon hunter shares a close, yet sometimes comical relationship with her samurai brother, Kenjiro. The two siblings have looked out for each other their entire lives, and though Kenjiro feels his sister is somewhat reckless, deep down he knows that she is the most fearsome warrior he has ever known.


Shinobu is a Farstrider who carries with him a sword of unknown origin. It is hinted about in the first book, but is explored a bit more in the final book due out later this year. There will be a future book that more completely delves into the relationship between the strider and this weapon.


The second book is more of a linking book, that follows only part of the original cast. We once again follow the adventures of Kenyatta and Kita, but this time we delve deeply into a character who only played a small part in the first book; Seung Yoon from the village of Kyu, in Korea. This beautiful woman begins a journey that will answer many of the questions she's had about herself and her unusual appearance. In Legends Of A Shattered Age, we are introduced to new aspects of the world, and peoples that humans unwittingly share the world with…and I don't just mean the typical kind that come to mind when you think of fantasy. *grin*


The final book, Heroes Of A Broken Age, further introduces you to more of the world, and brings about the conclusion to the struggle against Brit, an alien being who grows more powerful by leeching energy from the earth. These warriors battle waves of demons, as small as a human, and as large a skyscraper. There is no want for action in these books, and I have had a blast walking alongside the characters.


 


 


After the writing of the first book, I immediately started on the second, but after reaching near the halfway point, a family loss left me deeply wounded and lost. That, coupled with living in a place I did not enjoy, I had been unable to write more than a paragraph for nearly five years. This is where we come to the question of whether or not a person can truly know if they are a writer. I believe I cannot articulate this better than best selling author R.A. Salvatore when he said, "if you can make a living doing anything else, do it. If you can't imagine doing anything else; if you have stories that demand to be written, and it's on your mind all the time, then that's it. You're a writer."


No truer words have ever been spoken. Though I had not written for nearly five years, the story was always there, waiting patiently in the back of my mind for when I finally opened my computer once more. The characters, with the patience of truly balanced warriors, waited for the day I came out of my prolonged grief and stepped back on the path with them to continue their story. And in June of 2010, I opened the computer once more, and stepped back into Legends Of A Shattered Age, and have been traveling in that world ever since.


It is here, that I would like to note that I do not believe in writer's block. There are times when we reach a snag, and the creative juices do not flow as freely. We may need to stand up and walk away for a while. We may need to take a break, whether for a few hours or a few days, but writer's block, to me, is in your head. When my father passed away, I didn't write for years. If I was on a deadline, I would not have been able to take such an extended leave. But I was a beginning writer back then. It was a craft that was somewhat between a serious hobby and a scary career path.


 


And a scary career path it can be for the beginning writer. You've written that first book. It's your baby that you've been nurturing for the past year or two, proofreading and re-writing and perfecting until you were ready to pull your hair out. Then, the prospect of submitting it to have it potentially torn apart by some stranger? It is a daunting thought. One thing I tell people when they ask me about this is, "what do you find more frightening? Do you find it more frightening working the job you do right now for the rest of your life, or potentially having your first manuscript read and constructively critiqued by a professional? At the end of the day, it is our precious ego that shrinks away from this challenge. We are afraid that our hard work and best effort isn't good enough. Then what?


Then we work harder. When I was in the seventh grade, my best effort to climb the pole was about a foot off the ground. By the end of the seventh grade, my best effort was up and down the pole faster than anyone in my class. Is there a difference? Nope. It's about putting in your best effort and improving, so that your best is better than your best was yesterday, last week, last year.


You want to be a writer, actor, basketball player, whatever. More than likely, your first best effort won't make the cut, but with a good work ethic, some talent, a large amount of effort, and a small ego, your best can and will be good enough. Fear is a barrier that tests us. Once you do what you fear, that fear will quickly disappear. Again, would you rather continue doing what you do now, or become that which you dream to be?


I cannot stress this enough that to be a success at whatever you choose to do in life, it will take a lot of work and discipline. Remember that we are asking people to pay us for the service we provide. There is nothing wrong with this as long as we give our customer (in this case, the reader) our very best and most professional effort possible. Always.


Will everyone always like everything that you write? Of course not. But as long as you put forth your very best effort at what you do, there will be many who will enjoy and resonate with your work. And that is a very satisfying and humbling thing.


About the Author


 


 


R. J. Terrell was instantly a lover of fantasy the day he opened R. A. Salvatore's: The Crystal Shard. Years (and many devoured books) later he decided to put pen to paper for his first novel. After a bout with aching carpals, he decided to try the keyboard instead, and the words began to flow. When not writing, he enjoys reading, videogames, and long walks with his wife around Stanley Park in Vancouver BC.


 


 


Connect with me at:


 


R J Terrell on facebook


RJTerrell on twitter


R. J. Terrell on Goodreads

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Published on February 27, 2012 05:36

February 26, 2012

Keep Clapping

If you clap long and hard enough, your dreams will come alive.


All of you who have attended a performance of "Peter Pan" will remember when Peter tells the audience to clap if they believe in fairies to bring back Tinkerbell. I always clapped the loudest. It's wonderful that fairies can be brought back to life. When I was 10, I realized I was a writer. Now, decades later, with a whole lot of clapping, my dream of publishing a novel has come alive. My novel, The Mall Fairies: Exile, has just been released.


Of course, this comes after a whole lot of work. I've spent years of writing and rewriting and learning how to write better. I've submitted again and again and often been rejected. But I've also had successes, times when my clapping brought sparks and signs of life to my own personal Tinkerbell. Those were the times when I received an acceptance for a submission. My hands are very sore these days. But it's well worth it.


So keep clapping. Yes, we all falter from time to time, when it seems too difficult to believe in the existence of our particular fairy, our particular life's passion. When the clapping is too hard, too painful. That's when it's wonderful to pause and remember to believe in your fairy's return, believe in your ability to bring that fairy back to sparkling, engaging passionate life.


And thank you, Lucinda, for the opportunity to post on your lovely blog!


 


Here are my links:

to my author's page: http://museituppublishing.com/bookstore2/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=312&category_id=171&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=1&vmcchk=1&Itemid=1

to my blog: http://condascreativecenter.blogspot.com/

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Published on February 26, 2012 07:07

February 25, 2012

Poem

Who are we out here in facebook land?

Who are we, all the nameless faceless crowds?

Who are we, strangers who will never meet in planes or trains or automobiles?

Are we becoming a world of strangers who never see each other beyond a few keystrokes and witty jokes?

Copy and Paste. Like this. Like me. Time will only tell.

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Published on February 25, 2012 10:42

February 20, 2012

Women and High Heroic fiction

I am currently reading The Mists of Avalon by Mercedes Zimmerman Bradley. I have read this book a few times and I am really enjoying the story again. So many of the Arthurian legends have the women as weak, powerless fools who are bent on the destruction of the Kingdom of Camelot, either through Grand Design or their own foolish whims. It seems to happen so often, women portrayed as the destroyers of the man's world.

The Mists of Avalon is the retelling of the Arthurian legends told from the point of view of the women. In this story you hear about Morgaine and what motivated her. You learn she was as much a victim of fate as Arthur and Gweniviere. Was Morgaine evil? Did Gweniviere betray her king? What brought about the fall of Camelot? Was it the fault of the women or was it the failings of the men who were supposed to protect them?

This novel doesn't answer any of these questions for me. In fact this story opens an entire new spectrum of questions in the world of Camelot. However, Thenone thing I love about this book is the way the author puts a human face behind the women in the story. So often in the High Heroic adventure the woman is portrayed as a one deminsional character motivated by love, lust, greed, power, desire or any other emotional motivation. The woman is relegated to a secondary character either acting as an agent for the man or as a foil to his good deeds. In this novel the woman takes the forefront of the action. She is the strength and the power behind the man. She is the vessel of power, strength and love, and yes she is flawed and weak and powerless as men often are as well.

This is a great story and its pages having me yearning for the times of King Arthur's court. I want to be a lady of the realm. But, then I realize what my fate would have been if I had truly lived in that time and I realize I would have never made a good Lordly wife and I definitely would not have made a good Nun. Maybe I would have been able to find my way through the Mists and found my way to the Lady of the Lake's island and offered myself up to the service of the Goddess. Man may never know.

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Published on February 20, 2012 20:18

February 18, 2012

Gloom and Doom

What a gloomy day. I'm in my office, resting on the couch as I try to recover from some sort of food poisoning or stomach virus. My husband is in the living room watching the Whitney Houston funeral. I just can't bring myself to invest in the event. It's always sad to see someone who is way too young leave this world, but I have already suffered too much loss this year. I can't bring myself to watch this one.

Outside it is wet, cold and sleeting, a perfect reflection on how I feel. Winter is holding onto its last gasps of air as it tries to fight the impending Spring. It will be a losing battle, I know. I'm glad spring is on its way. I love the resurrection of life the new season brings. I'm tired of all this cold sorrow.

I once heard an artist must suffer in order to be produce beauty, but is this true? Can't beauty come from a beautiful place as well? I know I have suffered. Oh, don't get me wrong, my life hasn't been all bad. I mean, I don't suffer from a horrible disease, I haven't lost a child of my own, I don't have any debilitating addiction, I have a good career, so far life has been pretty fair for me. Once, in an acting class, I preformed a scene from Trojan Women. In this scene I played a woman who was lamenting the death of her infant son at the hands of the Greeks. I poured my heart into the scene and felt I had done a beautiful job. Another woman also played the scene. Afterwards, when everyone was discussing the scenes she said I could never do as good of a job at the scene as she did because I had never given birth to a child and so could never imagine losing one. Everyone was up in arms over that comment. Not only did everyone not believe her statement, but they defended my performance vehemently. I could imagine the pain because everyone experiences loss and suffering, everyone feels pain and everyone can emote that sorrow.

Perhaps my thoughts are in too gloomy of a place. After all the sleet has stopped. I can see streams of light coming in through my window and birds are singing. Perhaps I can find beauty in beautiful places and find inspiration in my art.

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Published on February 18, 2012 14:59

February 15, 2012

Time to focus

It's been a real test for me in the writing world. As many of my followers know, I am currently pursuing my Doctorate in Education. I had to take some time off of my fiction writing and spend some time working on my Dissertation. I feel like I had to channel all my power as a Gemini to complete my work.

Writing a Dissertation is completely different than writing fiction. Yes, all writing has many of the same characteristics. Writing needs to be organized, well-developed and honest. Although i had to put my fiction on hold, I didn't really take a break. I still wrote almost everyday. I love writing, no matter the form. I just love the dance of words across my fingers as I write.

Giving my brain a break from fiction writing has an added boon. I have been able to solidify some plot lines in the next few books in my mind. I know where the story is headed, but I need to draw the roadmap to get there.

I am looking forward to getting back to the Haven Series. I have some plans for Savanna's descendants and am looking forward to sharing their life's stories with my reader's. I'm sorry I haven't been able to spend as much time with her family as I would have liked.

No matter what I focus on, I know the story is in me and I will be putting pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard as it is now my preferred method of writing) and the story will soon be keeping me up late and creating more havoc in my marriage.

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Published on February 15, 2012 21:16

February 14, 2012

Chocolate-chip Cookies

The following is an assignment I like to give to help students learn to write using descriptive words.  In order to do this assignment you need to think about the way you experience life.  Use your five-senses: sight, smell, touch, taste and hearing to describe the experience.  But, in many cases you need to go beyond your five-senses.  You need to experience life on a deeper level.  How does eating a chocolate-chip cookie affect you on a physical level? An emotional level?  Bake a batch of chocolate-chip cookies and see if you can do this assignment.  I look forward to your responses.  And, by the way, this gives you an excuse to sit down and eat an entire plate of chocolate-chip cookies.


Aliens


Imagine you have a pen pal from another planet.  You have been trying to explain your experiences on Earth and what it is like to be human.  Communicating with this friend is expensive and you can only send him a message with less than 400 words.  How would you describe the experience of eating a chocolate-chip cookie to him with enough detail so he can understand the joy of fresh chocolate-chip cookies?


Write a description of your chocolate-chip cookie experience in less than 400 words.  Use specific details to describe your experience.  Use the organizational skills we learned in class to make sure your friend can understand your description.


Use your imagination and have fun!

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Published on February 14, 2012 19:18

February 13, 2012

Blog tour

Do You read? Do you blog? Do you blog about reading? I am looking for ten book bloggers to read Raven's Song and post a review. I want to do a ten blog in ten days tour. if you're interested in doing a review message me. These are the days I am scheduling the tours:

March 26

March 27

march 28

March 29

March 30

March 31

April 1

April 2

April 3 http://kfowers.blogspot.com/

April 4

I will arrange for you to get a copy of the book in e-book or PDF format. I am asking for bloggers to post their review on amazon as well.

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Published on February 13, 2012 18:40