Tia Silverthorne Bach's Blog, page 84

Oppression Blog Tour: An Interview with Jessica Therrien and a Review of Oppression

I'mthrilled to be interviewing Jessica Therrien today as part of her Oppression Blog Tour. I met Jessica during the Third Writers' Platform-Building Campaignand was immediately drawn to her clear love of writing and enthusiasm. Herfirst novel, Oppression, debutedFebruary 28, 2012 from ZOVA Books.

Stay tunedafter our interview for my review of Oppression. 
Welcome, Jessica, and congratulations on yourfirst book!
ThanksTia! I'm really excited. J
Tell us about Oppression.
You'dthink summarizing my own book into a paragraph would be easy, right? Honestly,I'm horrible at that, so I'm going to cheat and give you the back cover blurb. ;)
Elyseknows what it means to keep a secret. She's been keeping secrets her wholelife. Two, actually. First, that she ages five times slower than the averageperson, so that while she looks eighteen years old, she's closer to eighty.Second, that her blood has a mysterious power to heal. For Elyse, these thingsdon't make her special. They make life dangerous. After the death of herparents, she's been careful to keep her secret as closely guarded as possible.Now, only one other person in the world knows about her age and ability. Or soshe thinks. Elyse is not the only one keeping secrets. There are others likeher all over the world, descendants of the very people the Greeks consideredgods. She is one of them, and they have been waiting for her for a long time.Among so many of her kind, she should not be very remarkable--except for theprophecy. Some believe she will put an end to traditions, safeguarded byviolence, which have oppressed her people for centuries. Others are determinedto keep her from doing just that. But for Elyse, the game is justbeginning--and she's not entirely willing to play by their rules.
Oppression is Book One in the Children of the Gods series. What is thecurrent status of the series?
Book twois in the works. The manuscript is about 80% complete. I'm just tying thechapters together at this point. ZOVA Books will be publishing it sometime nextyear.
Book threeis in my head. I have a simple outline (one I probably won't stick to, becauseI never do).
I'vealways envisioned the series as a trilogy, so book four hasn't been thoughtthrough, but you never know where the story will take you.
What was the hardest scene you ever had towrite? Why?
Thehardest scenes for me are those where big things happen. I want them to beamazing, so I'm really hard on myself. Even as I'm writing book two, I've leftthe most pivotal chapter for last. I still haven't completely finished it.

In your bio, I read that you studied Chinese andlived in Taiwan. How did this experience affect your writing and passion for language?

I'vealways loved language, and I do have a special love for Chinese. It's anamazing feeling to be able to communicate in a different language, but learningChinese did make me appreciate English. I wrote a lot of poetry in Taiwan, andrealized that I could only truly express myself creatively in my mother tongue.That's probably true for most people. Take poetry by Pablo Neruda for example.His poems were originally written in Spanish, and though they are beautiful inEnglish, they don't have the same emotional significance as they do in Spanish.

Do you plan out your story in advance or preferto let your characters and ideas take you on a journey?
Mycharacters always walk their own paths. I try to control them, plan out theirfutures, but they never listen. My creative brain likes to go where it wants.
What was the last book you read that surprisedyou?
Blood RedRoad was a wonderful surprise. I don't know what I was expecting when I openedthe book, but it wasn't the honest, raw, and strangely beautiful voice I found.Saba is one of the best characters I've ever encountered.
Finally, for fun, what's your favorite way toget the creative juices flowing when the words aren't coming?
It dependson my mood. If I'm lazy, I'll opt for a good episode of The Vampire Diaries.There are twists and turns around every corner, and it reminds me to write theunexpected. If I'm feeling nostalgic, I'll turn on some music. If I'mdesperate, I turn to good books. They always inspire me to write the very bestI can.
Thanks fora wonderful interview, Tia!
Thank you, Jessica.
*****Review
Elyse is awonderful character that embodies the wisdom of old age with the innocence ofyouth. She's known deep loss and deep friendship, but she's never been kissed.Or, at least not until she meets the alluring William.

Williamexplains to Elyse that she's not alone, that there are others like her, and she'san important component in how their kind will survive. Her parents had kept herhidden to keep her safe, but it's time for her to learn more about her kind andher abilities. There are others who want her dead, to make sure the prophecydoesn't come to pass. Who can she trust?
So much ofthe novel is about fate and choice. Elyse struggles with the idea of her futurebeing set in stone, beyond her control. She's determined to make her own way,but will it change anything?
I love astory that takes off on page one and doesn't let you go, not even at the end.There's something for everyone… romance, action, intrigue, fantasy, emotions, anda long list of compelling and interesting characters. Beyond Elyse and William,I found myself most drawn to Sam, a descendant of Dionysus who can cause peopleto have various amounts of alcohol in their blood, and Kara, a girl forced todo unimaginable things. But is she bad?
The endingleaves you wanting, no needing, the next book in the series. Who survives? Whatdoes the prophecy really mean? Plus, the romantic in me wants more William andElyse.
JessicaTherrien has crafted an intriguing tale full of characters to care about andquestions to ponder.
Rating: 5 stars
Hard tobelieve this book is available for 99 cents, but only for a limited time!

For moreinformation on Oppression:GoodReads Barnes & NobleAmazon
For moreinformation on Jessica:GoodReadsBlogTwitterFacebook
*****FromJessica's Blog Tour page: Over the next 15 days I'll be collecting comments from allof the blog tour stops. At the end, I'll pull one lucky winner out of a hat.They'll win an Oppression poster, an Oppression notebook, and a signed copy ofOppression. Thanks in advance to everyone who checks out the blog tour posts,and thanks to all of the bloggers who were nice enough to invite me over to theirblogs.

Torn Between Two Loves: ROW80 Check In

Yesterday, I wrote a post comparing writing to love: Falling in Love with Writing. In it, I compared my writing to falling in love. I didn't address the obvious, though: what do you do when you love two projects?

I have two novels I'm working on right now. The first, a follow up to Depression Cookies. For this, I'm teaming up with Mom again. My other one is a departure for me--a young adult novel with a touch of fantasy.

I'm committed to both of these projects, but I'm at a different place with each of them. I find it hard to juggle two books, even though I feel strongly about both of them. I don't even read two books at once. I'm a one book at a time type of lady. Although I admit I'll dream about other books sometimes. ;-)

I see potential in the second story idea, so I'm taking notes and doing some plotting. But every time I sit down to write, the characters from Depression Cookies invade my brain and take over. Then, when I'm working on our follow up, characters and ideas pop into my head for the young adult story. I'm confused.

For those of you who work on multiple projects, how do you keep the characters and stories separate? Can you truly love two projects at once and give enough of yourself to both?

Or maybe I need to love my projects with a mom's heart. Lord knows I manage to love these three equally, wholly, and even when they test me.


Onto ROW80:

A Round of Words in 80 Days, headed by the lovely Kait Nolan, is the writing "challenge that recognizes that I have a life I can't ditch, but still provides a challenge and the support of a community of others who are working alongside me with their own goal, their own lives, learning to juggle."

My Update

Writing: I've worked a total of four hours on my WIP since Sunday. Everything from planning to writing (and I admit, a bit of editing). I'm excited to see it coming together. Our last book was 176,000 words, and I'm determined to bring this one in under 100,000.

Blogging: Daily and a review on Mom in Love with Fiction. Tomorrow, I'm featuring an interview with Jessica Therrien as well as a review of her debut novel, Oppression. Please stop back by. I met Jessica during the Third Writers' Platform Building Campaign. A great gal.

Editing: Slower progress, but progress. Sometimes I need to step away from sections, to get a clearer perspective. But then I need to reread from the start to truly get back into it. Often it's one step forward, two steps back.

Reading: I've read some great books lately. It's inspiring, but I do wish there were more hours in the day.

Diet & Exercise: Doing better. I need to sign up for more races... it's so motivating, mainly because I don't want to fall on my face.

Round 1 is almost over, so I hope everyone is writing, writing, writing.

Falling In Love with Writing

I read a great post by Ainsley Shay, do you LOVE your book? Ainsley described the process she goes through when writing. Thinking about my own writing process, I realized it's like falling in love. A relationship is formed over time and goes through similar stages.

Love of Books, by Jiri HodanFirst Spark
In the beginning, I'm taken over by the euphoria of love. The idea pops in my head, and I am infatuated. Each day I wake up thinking about it, wondering how I can get through the other parts of my day to spend more time with it. Like any new relationship, it's exciting and makes me feel all gooey inside.

Most projects make it past this point.

The First Fight
At some point, you have your first fight. He wants to go to his mother's for the holidays, but you've already promised your family you'd come there. Or, in the case of writing, a pivotal paragraph you need to sing is whimpering.

The love is still there, but the real work is beginning. For this piece/relationship to mean something, you have to commit to it. Remember what made you fall in love in the beginning.

If you can't remember, this piece may need to be put away for later so you can move onto the newest infatuation in your head.

Finetuning
Or, in the writing world, editing. No matter how great the project, it needs some fixes along the way. Somewhere in the building process, there's room for improvement. The initial love has grown into something deeper. Hopefully, it's strong enough to survive finding a few flaws.

If you survive finetuning, the odds are in your favor.

Commitment
Love. Check. Survived some bumps in the road. Check. Now it's time to commit knowing full well that nothing's perfect. There's no backing away once you've put in this amount of time and energy. You have to trust it, believe in it wholeheartedly.

But like any relationship, sometimes you don't get past the first spark or the first fight. You have to know yourself and trust your heart and instincts. And you have to be careful not to stray to the next pretty thing/thought.

Of course, it's okay to dream up new ideas and take notes. You just can't act on all of them at the same time. *wink*

I recently ran across this quote:

You have to walk carefully in the beginning of love; the running across fields into your lover's arms can only come later when you're sure they won't laugh if you trip. Jonathan Carroll, "Outside the Dog Museum"
Remember, pace don't race. Yes, the euphoria will give you a great headstart. But it's the sweat and tears that make it truly special.

Of course, I'll be rereading this when I have my next fight with my WIP.

When you doubt your relationship with your work in progress, where do you turn?

Introducing Guardian by Rachel Morgan: Debuting Today, March 5, 2012

Today the Creepy Hollow series kicks off with the release of the first story, GUARDIAN!! GUARDIAN introduces readers to the magical world of Creepy Hollow, a realm where fae creatures — both safe and definitely-not-so-safe — dwell. Things are cool as long as the fae stick to their own realm. It's when they find their way into the human world that things start going wrong...


1. Receive assignment.
2. Save a life.3. Sleep.4. Repeat.
Protecting humans from dangerous magical creatures is all in a day's work for a faerie training to be a guardian. Seventeen-year-old Violet Fairdale knows this better than anyone—she's about to become the best guardian the Guild has seen in years. That is, until one of her assignments—a human boy who shouldn't even be able to see her—follows her into the fae realm. Now she's broken Guild Law, a crime that could lead to her expulsion.
The last thing Vi wants to do is spend any more time with the boy who got her into this mess, but the Guild requires that she return Nate to his home and make him forget everything he's discovered of the fae realm. Easy, right? But Nate and Vi are about to land themselves in even bigger trouble—and it'll take all Vi's training to get them out alive.



Buy from Amazon USBuy from Amazon UKBuy from Smashwords
The Creepy Hollow SeriesWebsite | Goodreads | Facebook | Book Trailer
Author InfoBlog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Google+
To find out more about the series, the author, and the characters, check out the blog tour that's happening over the next two weeks.


Click here for the blog tour schedule
And there is a GIVEAWAY going on at Rachel's blog!

Ready to Mingle: ROW80 & #writemotivation Updates

Mom and I are going to Miami in November! Last year, our novel, Depression Cookies , was awarded the 2011 Reader's Favorite Silver Medal for Realistic Fiction, and the award ceremony is in Miami. We are so excited to mingle with other authors. I'm sure we will walk away with new writer friends and a much longer to-be-read list.

I love my writing communities, but nothing beats being surrounded in person by writers. I haven't been to a conference yet this year, although I'm hoping to remedy that, so I'm especially looking forward to some writer hobnobbing.

Now we just need to get a ROW80/#writemotivation Mix and Mingle scheduled.

Wishing aside, it's time to check in for A Round of Words in 80 Days and #writemotivation. I decided to post my #writemotivation weekly updates on Sunday along with ROW80. I do love efficiency.

First #writemotivation (which is also my "test mile" for ROW80).

1. Work on my WIP for an hour every day, except Sunday. --- DONE+
2. Do client editing work an hour a day, except Sunday. --- DONE + Sunday
3. Read and review a book every 10 days, minimum. --- DONE

Now, ROW80:

Writing: I worked an hour a day on my WIP, if not more. Mom has the chapters (we trade back and forth), so I'm planning and using my note cards. I'm finally finding a system that works... writing first thing.

Blogging: Daily. Didn't mean to, really I didn't. And I posted a new review on Mom in Love with Fiction. Another one is already written and scheduled for Tuesday!

Editing: I'm learning, slowly but surely... writing first, then editing work. It helps me keep the editor turned off during my writing time. Once I'm in the editing groove, it takes over. I'm still behind, but I'm catching up. Barring any new sickness, I should be caught up by the end of the week. (I know, I'm playing with fire by even typing that sentence.)

Social Media: Still getting around to campaigners. Limiting my social media time has done wonders for my productivity, but I admit it... I miss it.

Diet & Exercise: I ran 4 miles yesterday. Plus, I signed up for an 8K next Sunday. Wish me luck! The problem with exercising more, I'm hungry. I have to figure out some good, low calorie snack options.

Speaking of conferences, anyone know of any good ones coming up in the Washington, DC area?

Reading to Mingle: ROW80 & #writemotivation Updates

Mom and I are going to Miami in November! Our novel, Depression Cookies , was awarded the 2011 Reader's Favorite Silver Medal for Realistic Fiction, and the award ceremony is in Miami. We are so excited to mingle with other authors. I'm sure we will walk away with new writer friends and a much longer to-be-read list.

I love my writing communities, but nothing beats being surrounded in person by writers. I haven't been to a conference yet this year, although I'm hoping to remedy that, so I'm especially looking forward to some writer hobnobbing.

Now we just need to get a ROW80/#writemotivation Mix and Mingle scheduled.

Wishing aside, it's time to check in for A Round of Words in 80 Days and #writemotivation. I decided to post my #writemotivation weekly updates on Sunday along with ROW80. I do love efficiency.

First #writemotivation (which is also my "test mile" for ROW80).

1. Work on my WIP for an hour every day, except Sunday. --- DONE+
2. Do client editing work an hour a day, except Sunday. --- DONE + Sunday
3. Read and review a book every 10 days, minimum. --- DONE

Now, ROW80:

Writing: I worked an hour a day on my WIP, if not more. Mom has the chapters (we trade back and forth), so I'm planning and using my note cards. I'm finally finding a system that works... writing first thing.

Blogging: Daily. Didn't mean to, really I didn't. And I posted a new review on Mom in Love with Fiction. Another one is already written and scheduled for Tuesday!

Editing: I'm learning, slowly but surely... writing first, then editing work. It helps me keep the editor turned off during my writing time. Once I'm in the editing groove, it takes over. I'm still behind, but I'm catching up. Barring any new sickness, I should be caught up by the end of the week. (I know, I'm playing with fire by even typing that sentence.)

Social Media: Still getting around to campaigners. Limiting my social media time has done wonders for my productivity, but I admit it... I miss it.

Diet & Exercise: I ran 4 miles yesterday. Plus, I signed up for an 8K next Sunday. Wish me luck! The problem with exercising more, I'm hungry. I have to figure out some good, low calorie snack options.

Speaking of conferences, anyone know of any good ones coming up in the Washington, DC area?

Saturday Snippets: Around Blog World

Happy Saturday! A couple of snippets from our week.

*****
On Wednesday, February 29, I was interviewed on AuthoPublisher. Please pop over and leave a comment: Up Close and Personal with Tia Silverthorne Bach.

A highlight:

How do you handle negative feedback from critics?
I am an avid reader and have been a dedicated book club member for over ten years. Rarely does my book club agree on a book. It's a nice reminder that people like different things. If you set out to write a book everyone will like, odds are you'll write a book few will like. "I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody." Bill Cosby

*****
Yesterday, our blog was featured as the Editor's Pick of the Day on Bloggers.

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From their site: Bloggers.com is dedicates site for Blog Authors. Blog (a contraction of the term "Web log") is Web site with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video.

Bloggers.com categorizes and highlights Blog Authors' profiles by their interest and contribution - for example some Bloggers publish commentary or news on a particular subject; others maintain blog for personal online diaries. In this site we encourage Bloggers to tell about themselves, share own pictures, share their blog links. We encourage authors of any type of blogs including Textual, art (artlog), photographs (photoblog), sketches (sketchblog), videos (vlog), music (MP3 blog), audio (podcasting), which are part of a wider network of social media. They can also discuss on Micro-blogging sites, another type of blogging, one which consists of blogs with very short posts.

We envision this site like a big cafe where authors can meet each other, send private message and invite friends and relatives.
*****
Have a lovely weekend!

Celebrating Dr. Seuss & Read Across America Day

It's Dr. Seuss and Read Across America Day!
According to Wikipedia: Theodor Seuss Geisel was an American writer, poet, andcartoonist most widely known for his children's books written under the pennames Dr. Seuss, Theo LeSieg and, in one case, Rosetta Stone.

Geisel's birthday, March 2, hasbeen adopted as the annual date for National Read Across America Day, aninitiative on reading created by the National Education Association.

I love Dr. Seuss. Always have.

My daughters and I are celebrating today! First, each daughter will pick their favorite Dr. Seuss book for a Bach read-a-thon (they only have a half day of school today). Then we are going to see The Lorax .


Find some time today to appreciate Seuss and reading in general!

*****
I wanted to show a little Seuss love by sharing an earlier Seuss post.

From my 11/9/11 post.

"I have heard there are troubles of more than one kind.Some come from ahead and some come from behind.But I've bought a big bat. I'm all ready you see.Now my troubles are going to have troubles with me!" In a moment of creativity . . .  I wrote this little diddy with Dr. Seuss still in my head:
Come on, life, throw at me what you will.
My bat is ready and with it my skill.
I will focus on the words and my story to tell.
All of your attempts to stop me, well, they can go to hell.

*****

What's your favorite Seuss book?

Lessons from Obituaries: Guest Post from Mom (Angela Silverthorne)

Mom's back!!

Several weeks ago, I asked Mom to write a post explaining how she uses the obituaries to find character names (because I've always found it fascinating). I had to twist her arm a bit, okay a lot, but here it is. Enjoy.

***** Mom/Nana with Sydney
(Granddaughter #8)
Kate Gresis: Photographer
Obit Primer Reader and More . . .

It's awkward when your children notice oddities about youthat aren't oddities at all. And then you have to give an explanation to alltheir whys. And explain what seems strange to some is perfectly normal toothers. Then they ask you to blog about it, adding insult to injury. But, Iain't too proud!

I admit it. I read the obituary column daily. It's asnatural for me as flipping over the newspaper and reading it back to front, thesame way I do magazines. The only reading materials I don't approach this wayare books. (Thought I'd head off some dang fool that would inadvertently askabout this one, giving that hawked expression people get when they want toprove you to be slightly off.)
As a child, my Papa would pull me up in his lap everymorning and we'd read the newspaper, back to front, ending with the obituarycolumn. This was my daily reading lesson. I only had to read the headlines, butI struggled with foreign names and countries. Papa helped and pushed. I knew ifI balked or whined a little, he would excuse me and move on.
The obituaries were always near the front of the paper andundoubtedly my favorite column. As soon as he turned the page to the obits, heannounced, "Well, let's see who died today. That way I'll know which hadyah(hellraiser) I've got to deal with at work!" Then he'd let out a hearty laugh.
I didn't understand it, but it always sounded upbeat, notmorbid at all. After I read the deceased name, I would always pause, waitingfor Papa to share something about their life. We lived in a small town inGeorgia and Papa knew everyone. Most of the time he started with somethingpositive, "Poor Mae, she tried, but couldn't win for losing. Had three husbandsand not one of them counted for chicken shit." Then he would apologize forspilling out a bad word, reminding me he wasn't being discourteous to the dead.
That's when he'd remind me how the truth can hurt. One day Iread off the name Emmitt Grundy. This time, there wasn't one pause. "Damn foolfinally died. The saints rejoice!" Then Papa grabbed the paper out of my smallhands, pulled it up close to his spectacles and growled, "Half crazy, hadyah!The batard!"

My eyes were huge, hanging on everything he said—and believeme, when an Acadian-French gets riled up, you better listen close. English vowelsand consonants don't have a chance to come out in any natural linguisticinflection. Rather, his first language erupted in guttural tones, and flailingarms.

By now, I had been expelled from his lap, and he was pacingthe floor. I never knew what the ruckus was about, and it didn't matter. To me,the world had opened up into a giant movie screen, and I had a front row seat!
Years later I asked him about his reaction. He repeated thesame thing, this time in English, "Half crazy, hellraiser! The Dog!" But that'sas far as he would elaborate on Emmitt, except to say the sorry SOB was inhell.
The obits were my primer reader, but looking back theybecame more. When I began writing, character's names flowed from an arsenal ofsaints and hooligans taken straight from the obituary column. Names of people Inever knew were resurrected into a new life of experiences. Emmitt has had atleast three other lives to his credit. And Quillie, from Depression Cookies, claimed another life years after her passing.
During the 15 years I volunteered with Hospice, patientnames, personalities and life stories became interwoven into a lot of mywriting. In some ways, it makes me feel as if I've given them another chance,another round at another life.
So . . . always remember "good men must die, but death cannotkill their names." (author unknown)
*****
What are some of your favorite character names (from books or movies)?
Mine: Daisy Fay (Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man) and Katniss Everdeen (Hunger Games). Worst: Renesmee (Breaking Dawn).

Busting My Rut: ROW80 & #writemotivation

I'm training for a half marathon in September to celebrate turning 40. It's something I've always wanted to do. Training, along with writing, has been sidelined by all the sickness and craziness in my life (see Monday's Cat and Mouse post).

But I'm sick, no pun intended, of excuses--no matter how valid they may be. Lately, I've been scouring fitness magazines for tips on running, healthier eating, etc. Earlier today, I ran across an article in my March 2012 Fitness Magazine: Ready for a Change? by Kimberly Goad.

Her advice was to:
Seize the Situation: "How would I feel in five years if I didn't have this in my life?"
Make a Plan
Prepare for Speed Bumps

In the sidebar, she included:

Three Ways to Bust Your Rut
1. Stop Dwelling on the Negative.
2. Don't Make Too Many Changes at Once.
3. Give it Enough Time.

I needed this, and I realized this is why I join writing challenges. So, today I'm seizing the situation, making a plan, and preparing for speed bumps.

First, I joined #writemotivation, spearheaded by the lovely K.T. Hanna at Scribble Muse. It's similar to A Round of Words in 80 Days in that you set realistic goals and report on them. These challenges will work together to keep me on track.

I'm also going to simplify my goals (as part of my plan to prepare for speed bumps). Through rounds of goal-setting exercises, I've realized something about myself--I like to succeed and hit targets. I'd rather set realistic goals and accomplish them than aim for the moon and only get two-thirds of the way there.

My #writemotivation goals (and "test mile" ROW80 goals going forward):
1. Work on my WIP for an hour every day, except Sunday.
2. Do client editing work an hour a day, except Sunday.
3. Read and review a book every 10 days, minimum.

Going forward, I'm going to focus on what I do accomplish (versus what I'm not getting done) and try not to make too many changes without giving it some time.

The only problem with #writemotivation: it suggests Monday check in posts, but I already do Sunday and Wednesday check ins for ROW80. I don't want to do three check in posts per week. Any suggestions?

My ROW80 update

Writing: I joined a #ROW80 wordsprint and wrote 1,085 words in an hour. It just shows what an hour of focus will do (and why I put that as my goal and new "test mile"). Now if I can only make sprints daily!

Blogging: I missed posting last weekend and survived. My goal is to post 4-5 times per week. I also posted a new review on Mom in Love with Fiction.

Editing: Almost done with one project (ready to send to the publisher) and really making headway on the others. Big yeah!

Social Media: And therein lies the rub... I truly appreciate reading writers' blogs, participating in forums, hanging out in Twitterland, but it sucks away my writing time. It can be such a benefit, but quickly lead me astray. I haven't found the answer to this.

Diet & Exercise: Slowly reining it back in. I ran 3 miles today and walked 2 yesterday.

****
Happy Leap Year Day everyone!

I am "leaping" for joy to have a new outlook today. PLUS, I realized I got an extra day of being 39. Not a bad year to get an extra day. Take that 40!