Elise VanCise's Blog, page 19

Social Media: Find a Niche

Social media has become an important tool in every writer’s life, both published and un-published. Through the gift of the internet and sites like Facebook and Twitter we can reach out to potential readers and fans not just in our backyards but around the world.
We can have contests, alert readers of new releases and other news. Through social media business opportunities have become available for those who aren’t skilled at marketing or are on a limited budget.
There are hundreds of these so...

Rudiarius

His blade sang as it cut through the air of the arena. The gladiator growled as its edge sank into the flesh of his target. A soft spray of warm blood spattered his chest and arm as he turned to meet the next opponent.
 He could smell the fear of the Murmillo even though the opponent was the one to advance. His lip curled as he watched his fellow gladiator swing the trident in an effort to intimidate.
He easily stepped back from the sharp points. The trouble with pole arms and using them...

Quintessential Author Groups

NaNoWriMoNaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month. It takes place every November and writers gather worldwide in an attempt to pen a 50,000 word novel rough draft in 30 days. Yes, this is an author essential in my humble opinion. Not because of the challenge and insane rush to finish the manuscript. Though that is a blast! The reason is that NaNoWriMo builds writer communities.
NaNo encourages Meetups with groups of authors to gather, write and mentor each other both online and in ou...

P is for Puzzle

Playing a little catch up today and thought this would be fun :) So P is for Puzzle. How fast can you solve the book cover jigsaw? On May 1st the fastest time will get a free ecopy of Tingle and Don't Touch :) So don't forget to comment with your time and email or twitter!

Tingle is a collection of flash fiction with a darker edge of the paranormal, suspense, and horror genres to make a readers spine tingle and provoke the senses and emotions.

Available on Smashwords and Amazon 



Part...

One Word 60 Seconds: Cliffs

He stood on the edge of the cliffs and gazed out at the never-ending ocean. It looked like solace, a place he could finally find peace. At the same time, it seemed so very far away. The roar of the waves pounding the rock below echoed up to remind him of the last time he stood in this spot. Only then, he wasn’t alone, he’d brought her. 
OneWord.com is a website for getting the muse warmed up. Each day you get one word and sixty seconds in which to write what it inspires.This is my en...

Noir

I love the genre of Noir. Noir is more than just films there are many books written in this genre as well. If you’re not familiar, Noir is the darker side of life. Characters have a hard edge, often sharpened with cynicism. The settings most often are bleak, possibly on the wrong side of the tracks, the underbelly of the shiny city above.
It keeps your pulse jumping when the action gets started, and seduces you with sultry fem fatales. Noir stories are layered and filled with twists and turns...

Making Progress, Meeting Goals, Maintaining Sanity

Photo by Elise VanCise 2013
Last week saw a few large steps of progress and a couple of standstills due to yet another fine dose of LIFE hitting the fan. Yet some how sanity is being maintained… maybe… possibly.


The key to goal making success is not letting those derailments actually derail your progress. The train tends to go off the tracks once in a while. While frustrating it could be a good thing. Those derailments allow us to step back and reevaluate the situation and our goals.
Perhaps a...

Kings and a Lady

Jake splashed the pot, all his chips tumbled haphazard about the center of the table. “Are you in little lady?”
The saloon hushed to a few whispers as Caroline looked up from her cards. There was only a glimpse of her confidence being shaken as her eyes glanced the cards again before tapping their worn edges on the table. “I was all in the last hand, Mr. Landry. I’m afraid I’ve nothing left to meet your raise.”
His lip turned up into a wicked curve as he leaned back in the chair. He unabashed...

Inspiration in the Junk Drawer

Every house has one; it’s one of those inevitable truths. No matter how neat a person is or how organized there will be a junk drawer.
Every writer gets to a point where a story is frustrating or they have a case of * gasp * writer’s block. There are so many exercises and ways to jostle whatever obstacle out of your story’s way.
Well… here’s another. Bet you thought there was going to be a big prolific proclamation here didn’t you? Nope, just another peg in the idea board for killin...

Horse Fever Horses of Ocala

Horse Fever Horses are one of my favorite things to see whenever I have to make a trek into the city of Ocala, Florida. Each year, since 2001, life-sized horse statues are painted and embellished by local artists and displayed through out the city.
Some of them are truly amazing works of art, but they aren’t just pretty to look at. The statues are on display in public locations for one year. Afterward the painted ponies are auctioned off and the money donated to local charities.
In March of 2...