Sybil Nelson's Blog, page 2
October 31, 2012
Welcome to Whedon Wednesday
So I'm going to try out a new theme and dedicate a post each Wednesday to my idol, Mr. Joss Whedon. In case you don't know who he is, he's the genius behind Buffy, Firefly, and the Avengers. I figure that maybe if I start stalking him now, he'll eventually make the Priscilla the Great movie! Anyway, here's a funny clip from Joss.
By the way, you can read more about zombies in my latest short story, Priscilla the Great Vampire Slayer!
By the way, you can read more about zombies in my latest short story, Priscilla the Great Vampire Slayer!
September 20, 2012
Follow Friday
Q: What hyped up book was worth all of the fuss?
Sorry, none. I hate books that are hyped up. That's part of the reason why I have never read Harry Potter or Twilight. I'd rather find a hidden gem.
What about you?
Oh, by the way, I'm giving away a free copy of Priscilla the Great book one. Just click here. Happy Friday!
RULESTo join the fun and make new book blogger friends, just follow these simple rules:
(Required) Follow the Follow My Book Blog Friday Hosts {Parajunkee & Alison Can Read}(Required) Follow our Featured BloggersPut your Blog name & URL in the Linky thing. You can also grab the code if you would like to insert it into your posts.Grab the button up there and place it in a post, this post is for people to find a place to say "hi" in your comments and that they are now following you.If you are using WordPress or another CMS that doesn't have GFC (Google Friends Connect) state in your posts how you would like to be followedFollow Follow Follow as many as you can, as many as you want, or just follow a few. The whole point is to make new friends and find new blogs. Also, don't just follow, comment and say hi. Another blogger might not know you are a new follower if you don't say "HI"If someone comments and says they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the Love...and the followersIf you're new to the follow friday hop, comment and let me know, so I can stop by and check out your blog!
August 15, 2012
Guest Post by Halli from The Chosen
Hi all! Halli here, from The Chosen. I stopped by today to chat with my good friend Prissy, and update her on all the goings on. Prissy and I have a rather special connection: we both have magical powers that we discovered when we were teenagers. Now, whereas Prissy shares her stories with wonderful readers through Sybil Nelson, I share mine through Andrea Buginsky. Andrea has recently written another story about the second adventure The Chosen went on, and I’d like to share it with you.In our new adventure, “Nature’s Unbalance,” we go after a powerful force that is trying to destroy Nature. It’s creating a lot of chaos around Phantasma, and making all of the creatures very nervous. Queen Laurali has determined that she would like us to seek out this force, which seems to be coming from the northern-most region of Phantasma, Polard, and help Nature.Along our journey, we run into some trouble, as you can probably guess. It takes all six of us working together (Silvor, Striker, Red, Kaidyla, Lumina, and myself) to set out on this quest. Now, I’m not going to tell you what happens, because I don’t want to give away any key points to the story. Suffice it to say, we meet up with some interesting new creatures…I’m still amazed at the amount of new areas of my world that I’m continually learning about. After all, I’ve lived on Phantasma my whole life. But there’s so much of it I haven’t seen yet. There’s so much to still explore. I’m looking forward to continuing my quests with The Chosen, and continuing to meet more friends. Andrea is currently working on our third story, which involves- what? – oh, ok. She’d rather not reveal anything just yet. Sorry…To read all about our adventures in the north, pick up your copy of “Nature’s Unbalance” today. It’s available at Amazon for the Kindle, on Smashwordsfor several ereaders, and at Solstice Publishing (you’ll need to scroll down to the bottom of the list there). Enjoy! Thank you for having me over today, Prissy. Perhaps next time we can meet at my place ;)
***
Andrea Buginsky is a freelance writer and author. “The Chosen” was her first book, and was followed by “My Open Heart,” an autobiography about growing up with heart disease. “Nature’s Unbalance” is the second story in THE CHOSEN series. Andrea plans to write more in the series. She’s already done with the first draft of book 3 and has a concept for book 4. You can find Andrea on her website, Andi’s Realm. Her books are available at Amazon.
August 11, 2012
I'm so hot!
Hey everyone!
I just wanted to write a quick little post to let everyone know that I'm hot. Okay, so you probably already knew that since I can shoot fire out of my fingers, but apparently Amazon knows it as well. Priscilla the Great: Vampire Slayer is currently #3 on Amazon's Hot New Releases list for Children's Short Stories. Also, Dark Marco is #4. I'm hotter than Marco! I'm hotter than Marco! Take that Mr. Tall-Dark-Handsome French boy!
So help me get to #1 and #2. Buy Vampire Slayer or Dark Marco today!
I just wanted to write a quick little post to let everyone know that I'm hot. Okay, so you probably already knew that since I can shoot fire out of my fingers, but apparently Amazon knows it as well. Priscilla the Great: Vampire Slayer is currently #3 on Amazon's Hot New Releases list for Children's Short Stories. Also, Dark Marco is #4. I'm hotter than Marco! I'm hotter than Marco! Take that Mr. Tall-Dark-Handsome French boy!
So help me get to #1 and #2. Buy Vampire Slayer or Dark Marco today!
August 7, 2012
Priscilla the Great: Vampire Slayer
Okay, so I have a new hilarious novelette coming out soon and I wanted to give you a sneak peek. The book is actually done, but since I promised Marco that his book would come out before my next one, I have to wait in order to publish it. *rolls eyes*Anyway, I hope you enjoy the peek. I guarantee it will be the funniest book you will ever read about vampires and armpit hair.
Check it out here.
Do you want to support Priscilla the Great and get your hands on some awesome prizes from the Priscilla the Great World? Check out Sybil Nelson's Kickstarter page!
August 1, 2012
Authors Around the World
In addition to winning a Kindle Fire from the Authors around the World blog, I also wanted to give you an opportunity to win a $15 Amazon gift card. This just might be the easiest giveaway you've ever entered. All you have to do is connect with me through some social media and you're entered! Contest ends August 12th. Just fill out the rafflecopter form below. And be sure to check out all the authors on the blog hop including Priscilla the Great author Sybil Nelson. There are lots of great prizes to be won.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
July 26, 2012
Follow Friday
Q: Summer Reading. What was your favorite book that you were REQUIRED to read when you were in school?
The Outsiders.
Need I say more?
July 6, 2012
Kindle INDIEpendence Book of the Day
Synopsis: Kings & Queens is a gritty, twisty Young Adult mystery thriller. When 17-year-old tomboy Majesty Alistair can't budge police in her sleepy, rich town after overhearing two fellow students planning a church massacre, she aims to ID the nutjobs herself before they act. But, their agenda turns out to be far bigger than she ever assumed, and she becomes the centerpiece in a ruthless game that casts even her closest friends under suspicion.
Buy link: http://amzn.to/LWaqXa
When did you know you wanted to be an author?
I’ve always loved writing and majored in Jornalism Advertising, so I was aiming for a copy writing and design carrier. But I got bitten by the novel bug through my husband. He wanted to start writing short stories for publications and received all these query packets and he also took a remote writing class through the Stafford Institute and received a few of the books in the Write Great Fiction Series. I read them and was inspired with an idea for a novel and wrote away. After reading more and more books on craft, I realized my first book had major issues, so I wrote another one, Kings & Queens. I poured everything I had into this book and polished it up with the help of some awesome reviewers at thenextbigwriter.com. I now know, novel writing was what I was always meant to do. I am so glad my characters found me!
Why do you Indie publish?
I was shopping Kings & Queens to agents, and though I got some great feedback and some requests for partials and fulls, no bites. My book is good, but on the surface it doesn’t have that oooo concept right up front. The best part of it is the surprises that come in along the wild rollercoaster ride. And that’s a hard thing for an agent to sell to publishers. There’s no juicy sound bite, so to speak, there. I had some early readers asking me how my characters were doing and I wanted to know too. So, I wrote a sequel Sapphire Reign for fun, which opens ten years later, but after receiving some love for it, I decided it was too weird and different and good to get possibly stuffed because it doesn’t hit the same market. When a Big Sixer offers you a 2 or 3-book deal, it’s for one imprint and market. And I didn’t want SR to end up being just a self-pubbed companion book with a different cover and layout. So, my vision of success changed, being that I craved to go traditional through all the lovely gatekeepers, but that just didn’t work for this series. There was too much risk in that direction. So, I set out to find a smaller publisher that would give me more flexibility in doing what I wanted to do with the series. Me and my book are happily with Little Prince Publishing. I have creative control, flexibility and cool authors to support me. Oh, and I get all my royalties!
What inspired you to write your book?
The three main characters came to my mind first. I just pictured this girl named Majesty as a manager of a baseball team on which her two best friends, Alec and Derek, play. And each one commands her attention for different reasons. But, that’s all I had. Those three weirdos just stumbling around in my brain. That wasn’t enough plot for me. I needed plot. I crave plot. Something suspenseful preferred. But I had nothing. Then one night I dreamt I was running for exercise and overheard these two guys planning a church massacre and I escaped them in this little town. Boom! That gave me exactly what I needed and the location too. And then my story grew and grew into something totally unexpected and awesome. I’m kind of glad I had all that time to get to know and ponder my characters first. When the plot came to me, I was able to just write fluidly, with them popping off the pages.
What are three things you want people to know about you or your book?
Kings & Queens is a twisty, complex, gritty read. It is not for the faint of heart nor for those who prefer simple, breezy beach reads. It requires some mental thought and will take your mind on a whirlwind trip and back. If you’re looking for a read that doesn’t feel like anything you’ve ever read before, that’s suspenseful and weird, then this is the book for you.
What advice do you have for parents to encourage their kids to read more?
To study genres, skip around to some MG and YA blogs and look for what’s hot and interesting to other kids of that age. If your kids see you taking a vested interest in books and know that you’re on the look for cool books, rather than telling them what they can and can’t read, then you can engage on a new level and be excited about books together. Website: www.courtneyvail.com Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/kingsandqueensnovel Twitter: www.twitter.com/cvwriter
Buy link: http://amzn.to/LWaqXa
When did you know you wanted to be an author?
I’ve always loved writing and majored in Jornalism Advertising, so I was aiming for a copy writing and design carrier. But I got bitten by the novel bug through my husband. He wanted to start writing short stories for publications and received all these query packets and he also took a remote writing class through the Stafford Institute and received a few of the books in the Write Great Fiction Series. I read them and was inspired with an idea for a novel and wrote away. After reading more and more books on craft, I realized my first book had major issues, so I wrote another one, Kings & Queens. I poured everything I had into this book and polished it up with the help of some awesome reviewers at thenextbigwriter.com. I now know, novel writing was what I was always meant to do. I am so glad my characters found me!
Why do you Indie publish?
I was shopping Kings & Queens to agents, and though I got some great feedback and some requests for partials and fulls, no bites. My book is good, but on the surface it doesn’t have that oooo concept right up front. The best part of it is the surprises that come in along the wild rollercoaster ride. And that’s a hard thing for an agent to sell to publishers. There’s no juicy sound bite, so to speak, there. I had some early readers asking me how my characters were doing and I wanted to know too. So, I wrote a sequel Sapphire Reign for fun, which opens ten years later, but after receiving some love for it, I decided it was too weird and different and good to get possibly stuffed because it doesn’t hit the same market. When a Big Sixer offers you a 2 or 3-book deal, it’s for one imprint and market. And I didn’t want SR to end up being just a self-pubbed companion book with a different cover and layout. So, my vision of success changed, being that I craved to go traditional through all the lovely gatekeepers, but that just didn’t work for this series. There was too much risk in that direction. So, I set out to find a smaller publisher that would give me more flexibility in doing what I wanted to do with the series. Me and my book are happily with Little Prince Publishing. I have creative control, flexibility and cool authors to support me. Oh, and I get all my royalties!
What inspired you to write your book?
The three main characters came to my mind first. I just pictured this girl named Majesty as a manager of a baseball team on which her two best friends, Alec and Derek, play. And each one commands her attention for different reasons. But, that’s all I had. Those three weirdos just stumbling around in my brain. That wasn’t enough plot for me. I needed plot. I crave plot. Something suspenseful preferred. But I had nothing. Then one night I dreamt I was running for exercise and overheard these two guys planning a church massacre and I escaped them in this little town. Boom! That gave me exactly what I needed and the location too. And then my story grew and grew into something totally unexpected and awesome. I’m kind of glad I had all that time to get to know and ponder my characters first. When the plot came to me, I was able to just write fluidly, with them popping off the pages.
What are three things you want people to know about you or your book?
Kings & Queens is a twisty, complex, gritty read. It is not for the faint of heart nor for those who prefer simple, breezy beach reads. It requires some mental thought and will take your mind on a whirlwind trip and back. If you’re looking for a read that doesn’t feel like anything you’ve ever read before, that’s suspenseful and weird, then this is the book for you.
What advice do you have for parents to encourage their kids to read more?
To study genres, skip around to some MG and YA blogs and look for what’s hot and interesting to other kids of that age. If your kids see you taking a vested interest in books and know that you’re on the look for cool books, rather than telling them what they can and can’t read, then you can engage on a new level and be excited about books together. Website: www.courtneyvail.com Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/kingsandqueensnovel Twitter: www.twitter.com/cvwriter
July 4, 2012
Kindle INDIEpendence participating books!
Check out the slide show to see all the participating books. Make sure you're signed up for the newsletter. We are giving away an Amazon gift card this week as well. Amazon.com Widgets
July 2, 2012
INDIEpendence Author of the Day
Book title: The Boyfriend ThiefAuthor: Shana NorrisShort Blurb: Avery has her life planned out: this summer she'll work with a humanitarian program in Costa Rica, next year she'll graduate at the top of her class. The only problem: getting the rest of the money she needs for the trip before the deadline. Hannah, her biggest competition for valedictorian, makes an offer: If Avery can make Zac break up with Hannah, a check for five hundred dollars is hers. But within Zac's chaotic world of midnight slushie runs and spontaneous dance parties, Avery's total order is quickly falling apart while Hannah seems poised to get everything she wants. Just how much is Avery willing to give up for the perfect, planned life?Book link:
When did you know you wanted to be an author? I've been making up stories ever since I was a little kid, but it wasn't until I was around age 11 that I realized authors were just normal people who loved to write like I did. So from that point on, I decided that I wanted to become an author one day.
Why do you Indie publish? I love being able to get something new out to readers on my own schedule and connect with new readers online.
What inspired you to write your book? The Boyfriend Thief is one of those "book of my heart" stories. I had worked on it for years, and it started from my need to explore feelings of isolation and having to grow up really fast. I moved away from my parents during my senior year of high school, 700 miles away, and a lot of the feelings of loneliness that Avery has in the book came from my own experiences. I also wanted to write about the complexities of relationships within family and friends, and what draws people to each other or pushes them apart.
What are three things you want people to know about you or your book?
#1: I really did work at a locksmith shop for a while, just like Zac does in the book.
#2: I have never dressed up as a giant hot dog (thank goodness!).
#3: Avery's best friend Molly was originally a character in my first published book, Something to Blog About, although she was eventually cut out of it. Then she went through a big makeover when she reappeared in this book.
What advice do you have for parents to encourage their kids to read more? Find books on subjects that your kids already enjoy. A lot of times a kid might say they hate to read just because their only experience with reading is the things they have to read for school, which don't always interest them. If your kid likes aliens, find books about aliens. If they like horses, find series about kids who ride horses. Start with shorter books on things they already like, and then let them gradually move on from there at their own pace.
