Kate Copeseeley's Blog, page 6
September 22, 2013
Good News
Hey all,
Sorry for my slightly ranty post previously. It just sets off my "fairness" radar when Gooreads would just DELETE hours of effort on the part of readers and without any warning. How is that respect for users who have used the site for YEARS? Not cool. Decidedly not.
However, let's move past that now. Let's pretend such things don't exist for the moment.
I have some great news! Well, lots of great news, actually. Firstly, part one of Terris is done!
It's been a long time in coming, I know. Apologies to all my fans and thanks to their patience. :) Let's hope the rest of it goes fast!
Announcement number two: The first fifteen minutes of Compis' audiobook is done! There will be a lot more good news on that front. The audio is amazing, I'm so happy with it.
And third announcement: I will be the Cuddlebuggery.com Buzz Worthy News correspondent starting tomorrow. This week's news was a lot of fun to write, so I hope you'll hop on over and enjoy.
That's all for now. But enjoy the fact that Terris has 75,000 words written. I know I will be.
Happy Reading!
Sorry for my slightly ranty post previously. It just sets off my "fairness" radar when Gooreads would just DELETE hours of effort on the part of readers and without any warning. How is that respect for users who have used the site for YEARS? Not cool. Decidedly not.
However, let's move past that now. Let's pretend such things don't exist for the moment.
I have some great news! Well, lots of great news, actually. Firstly, part one of Terris is done!
It's been a long time in coming, I know. Apologies to all my fans and thanks to their patience. :) Let's hope the rest of it goes fast!
Announcement number two: The first fifteen minutes of Compis' audiobook is done! There will be a lot more good news on that front. The audio is amazing, I'm so happy with it.
And third announcement: I will be the Cuddlebuggery.com Buzz Worthy News correspondent starting tomorrow. This week's news was a lot of fun to write, so I hope you'll hop on over and enjoy.
That's all for now. But enjoy the fact that Terris has 75,000 words written. I know I will be.
Happy Reading!
September 21, 2013
Goodreads' HUGE Error
Was it too much to ask, world, that I have just ONE FREAKING WEEK of normal news before I had to cover a GIGANTIC INTERNET EXPLOSION??? Apparently so, as Goodreads has issued a new set of crazypants restrictions rules for those of us who frequent the site created mainly for readers authors.
And in case you were thinking, 'Oh great, so you police the readers, but the authors get to sip the blood of a thousand innocent reviewers and revel in their new power!' This is part of the new author's guidelines:
Oh, yeah, that's totally mean, Goodreads. Those authors better watch their steps! How about you don't let authors comment on reviews AT ALL. Yeah, I'm being serious here. Authors should just NOT. So how 'bout you just block that little feature? Because that is pretty much how drastically you're changing things for reviewers.
I know there are authors like me on the site, who frequent it for the sake of marketing and advertising, who use it to interact with their fans and hopefully keep their opinions about reviewers to themselves. Maybe they are even there as readers, too (I know I am). Regardless, Goodreads is was always a site for READERS. Look at what the site says about itself (boldness is mine for the sake of emphasis):
Nowhere in that description are authors mentioned. Here is what Otis Chandler says about his own experiences and the reason he started Goodreads in the first place:
If I'm talking to my friend about what books I like, I'm going to exaggerate, or tell them what I think about the author personally, or use gifs to describe my joy, hatred, excitement, etc. I'm not going to censor myself or want authors to call me up on the phone and chew me out about it. I just want to state my opinion for my buddies and they can do what they want with it.
Confession time, guys. I have read authors on the BBA list. DESPITE THE REVIEWS OF MY BLOGGER FRIENDS. *gasp* I know, right? My point is, you can't tailor Goodreads to meet the ever-changing opinions of a certain group of people. You can't delete the shelves of users and police reviews for disapproval of authors. I mean, you can, but it's a bad idea.
Sure, I want everyone on Goodreads to get along. I even get that Goodreads might want to make a cohesive site where authors and reviewers can dwell hand-in-hand and skip on the beach barefoot while gazing soulfully into each other's eyes. But sadly, this is unrealistic. When you try to put people who provide a product for sale on the same footing as people who evaluate that product for others to read, YOU WILL CREATE DISORDER, ANGER, AND BITTERNESS. There is no antidote. It will happen again and again and again. Because according to the rules of the internet, that place is filled with flamers and trolls. No, really. I read that on the internet.
Obviously, Goodreads has never read the rules of the internet. There are quite a few of them, so I won't note them all here, but perhaps Goodreads could take a short moment to glance at this one:
Goodreads, you may be sick of drama (not as sick as I am, I assure you) and you may think that making a simple set of rules will fix everything, but it won't. Because when you start policing EVERY LITTLE THING that people do, when you start interfering with the freedoms they enjoyed in the first place, they will leave your ass as quick as you can say, "Booklikes, anyone?"
PS- I am giving it a couple of weeks to see what Goodreads does in response, because frankly, I like my fans being able to interact with me and send me messages, etc. But I'm also trying out booklikes. So here is my booklikes profile, for those of you who are also headed over there: katecopeseeley.booklikes.com
Delete content focused on author behavior. We have had a policy of removing reviews that were created primarily to talk about author behavior from the community book page. Once removed, these reviews would remain on the member’s profile. Starting today, we will now delete these entirely from the site. We will also delete shelves and lists of books on Goodreads that are focused on author behavior. If you have questions about why a review was removed, send an email to support@goodreads.com. (And to answer the obvious question: of course, it’s appropriate to talk about an author within the context of a review as it relates to the book. If it’s an autobiography, then clearly you might end up talking about their lives. And often it’s relevant to understand an author’s background and how it influenced the story or the setting.)
And in case you were thinking, 'Oh great, so you police the readers, but the authors get to sip the blood of a thousand innocent reviewers and revel in their new power!' This is part of the new author's guidelines:
Please flag reviews rather than responding directly to them. Should you respond to a negative review in a manner that is harassing, intimidating, or otherwise insulting to the reviewer, your account may come under review for deletion.
Oh, yeah, that's totally mean, Goodreads. Those authors better watch their steps! How about you don't let authors comment on reviews AT ALL. Yeah, I'm being serious here. Authors should just NOT. So how 'bout you just block that little feature? Because that is pretty much how drastically you're changing things for reviewers.
I know there are authors like me on the site, who frequent it for the sake of marketing and advertising, who use it to interact with their fans and hopefully keep their opinions about reviewers to themselves. Maybe they are even there as readers, too (I know I am). Regardless, Goodreads is was always a site for READERS. Look at what the site says about itself (boldness is mine for the sake of emphasis):
Goodreads is the world’s largest site for readers and book recommendations. Our mission is to help people find and share books they love.
Nowhere in that description are authors mentioned. Here is what Otis Chandler says about his own experiences and the reason he started Goodreads in the first place:
One afternoon while I was scanning a friend's bookshelf for ideas, it struck me: when I want to know what books to read, I'd rather turn to a friend than any random person or bestseller list.
So I decided to build a website – a place where I could see my friends' bookshelves and learn about what they thought of all their books.
If I'm talking to my friend about what books I like, I'm going to exaggerate, or tell them what I think about the author personally, or use gifs to describe my joy, hatred, excitement, etc. I'm not going to censor myself or want authors to call me up on the phone and chew me out about it. I just want to state my opinion for my buddies and they can do what they want with it.
Confession time, guys. I have read authors on the BBA list. DESPITE THE REVIEWS OF MY BLOGGER FRIENDS. *gasp* I know, right? My point is, you can't tailor Goodreads to meet the ever-changing opinions of a certain group of people. You can't delete the shelves of users and police reviews for disapproval of authors. I mean, you can, but it's a bad idea.
Sure, I want everyone on Goodreads to get along. I even get that Goodreads might want to make a cohesive site where authors and reviewers can dwell hand-in-hand and skip on the beach barefoot while gazing soulfully into each other's eyes. But sadly, this is unrealistic. When you try to put people who provide a product for sale on the same footing as people who evaluate that product for others to read, YOU WILL CREATE DISORDER, ANGER, AND BITTERNESS. There is no antidote. It will happen again and again and again. Because according to the rules of the internet, that place is filled with flamers and trolls. No, really. I read that on the internet.
Obviously, Goodreads has never read the rules of the internet. There are quite a few of them, so I won't note them all here, but perhaps Goodreads could take a short moment to glance at this one:
13. The harder you try, the harder you will fail.
Goodreads, you may be sick of drama (not as sick as I am, I assure you) and you may think that making a simple set of rules will fix everything, but it won't. Because when you start policing EVERY LITTLE THING that people do, when you start interfering with the freedoms they enjoyed in the first place, they will leave your ass as quick as you can say, "Booklikes, anyone?"
PS- I am giving it a couple of weeks to see what Goodreads does in response, because frankly, I like my fans being able to interact with me and send me messages, etc. But I'm also trying out booklikes. So here is my booklikes profile, for those of you who are also headed over there: katecopeseeley.booklikes.com
September 15, 2013
The Switch-Up
I used the almost title of one of my books for today's post because I have that itchy skin feeling again. Do you ever get that, readers? Like if you don't do something new or different or fundamentally life changing you will have the sudden urge to scratch a layer of skin off until a whole new you emerges underneath?
I am going through some life changes. Perhaps they might seem minor to others. My son just started his first year of school. My youngest turned two and officially left babyhood behind. I'm making some changes in routine and job and well, LIFE I guess. It's exhilarating and terrifying, which is pretty much life in general around here.
But mostly, I've just been thinking about how life changes your plans all by itself. When I remember Aeris, for instance, and all the work I did on Zyander's story that I had to then go back and RE-FREAKING-WRITE and I almost have a heart attack when I think about it. Then there is my still-in-progress audiobook. *sigh* That has actually ended up for the better, too, but when my first contract fell through, I was pretty bummed about it. Thankfully, I already had another voice actor I was pretty excited about and when that went through, I felt like all was smooth sailing again.
So, yeah, changes come whether you bring them or not. Learning to roll with each change is my big work in progress.
As far as the writing front goes, yeah, I have three of my stories under contract for audiobooks now and I'm pretty pleased with who I've got for what. I am three, count them, THREE chapters away from being done altogether with part one. One chapter for Nikka, one for Zyander, and one for Luka—who made a little change in his storyline that necessitated adding a chapter. I have really been kicking butt in the past week.
I have learned not to take that for granted, however, so on that front, I've decided to join up with ROW80 again. This summer I was way too busy to continue with it, but I love supporting the other authors and being a part of all the mental creativity. Maybe it will help me to get Terris finished once and for all.
I hope all the changes in your lives of late have been good ones! Happy Reading!
I am going through some life changes. Perhaps they might seem minor to others. My son just started his first year of school. My youngest turned two and officially left babyhood behind. I'm making some changes in routine and job and well, LIFE I guess. It's exhilarating and terrifying, which is pretty much life in general around here.
But mostly, I've just been thinking about how life changes your plans all by itself. When I remember Aeris, for instance, and all the work I did on Zyander's story that I had to then go back and RE-FREAKING-WRITE and I almost have a heart attack when I think about it. Then there is my still-in-progress audiobook. *sigh* That has actually ended up for the better, too, but when my first contract fell through, I was pretty bummed about it. Thankfully, I already had another voice actor I was pretty excited about and when that went through, I felt like all was smooth sailing again.
So, yeah, changes come whether you bring them or not. Learning to roll with each change is my big work in progress.
As far as the writing front goes, yeah, I have three of my stories under contract for audiobooks now and I'm pretty pleased with who I've got for what. I am three, count them, THREE chapters away from being done altogether with part one. One chapter for Nikka, one for Zyander, and one for Luka—who made a little change in his storyline that necessitated adding a chapter. I have really been kicking butt in the past week.
I have learned not to take that for granted, however, so on that front, I've decided to join up with ROW80 again. This summer I was way too busy to continue with it, but I love supporting the other authors and being a part of all the mental creativity. Maybe it will help me to get Terris finished once and for all.
I hope all the changes in your lives of late have been good ones! Happy Reading!
September 8, 2013
Woulda Coulda Shoulda
Ahhhhh... regret.
Have you ever ignored that still small inside that warned you not to do something? If you're human (or like me, addicted to chocolate) then I know you have! Then some time later, you are sure to wind up like me... bleary eyed and full of regret.
Regret can come from anything. Forget to send that Netflix DVD back? Well, now you have to wait through the WHOLE freaking weekend to get the next disc in True Blood Season 5. Eat a giant piece of chocolate cake at the birthday party when you said you weren't going to (anyone seeing a theme here)? Enjoy seeing the scale go up instead of down.
In my writerly world, I often regret wasting time. Whether it's not mapping out the story well enough before hand or figuring out half way through that I made a wrong turn with a character, I HATE having to go back and rewrite huge sections of book. I also regret it when I play around making my perfect playlist for writing to instead of actually writing.
Thankfully, my writing regrets are fading for the moment. I've got three, count them THREE chapters left for Zyander and Nikka's Part One. I also, surprisingly, added a chapter to Luka's Part One. Then I'm on to the second half of Terris! Exciting times, people, exciting times.
Happy Reading!
Have you ever ignored that still small inside that warned you not to do something? If you're human (or like me, addicted to chocolate) then I know you have! Then some time later, you are sure to wind up like me... bleary eyed and full of regret.
Regret can come from anything. Forget to send that Netflix DVD back? Well, now you have to wait through the WHOLE freaking weekend to get the next disc in True Blood Season 5. Eat a giant piece of chocolate cake at the birthday party when you said you weren't going to (anyone seeing a theme here)? Enjoy seeing the scale go up instead of down.
In my writerly world, I often regret wasting time. Whether it's not mapping out the story well enough before hand or figuring out half way through that I made a wrong turn with a character, I HATE having to go back and rewrite huge sections of book. I also regret it when I play around making my perfect playlist for writing to instead of actually writing.
Thankfully, my writing regrets are fading for the moment. I've got three, count them THREE chapters left for Zyander and Nikka's Part One. I also, surprisingly, added a chapter to Luka's Part One. Then I'm on to the second half of Terris! Exciting times, people, exciting times.
Happy Reading!
September 2, 2013
It's Hard to Type with a Busted Finger
That makes it sound as though I've broken my finger or something, which I most certainly have not. I was peeling apples yesterday and I did manage to peel my middle finger open quite nicely, however. To the point where I keep soaking through bandages (not blood, but water, because I'm constantly washing either faces or dishes).
These bandaids make it really difficult to type, let me tell you!
So, I feel like we have to have one of those awkward conversations, like you do when you run into your ex at the grocery store.
I know I haven't been on here in three months. For a person who has faithfully written in her writerly blog every week, it is inconceivable to me.
And the reason I haven't written isn't because I got kidnapped or because my computer died or because I moved to a land with no internet... no, I just got SUMMER busy. Summers around the Copeseeley household tend to be in, out, and all around. So when you take one author, add in three visits to the in-laws, one to my parents, a camping trip, and bronchitis & pneumonia, you get pretty much no writing at all.
Yes, this is the bad news. I've made about... 8,000 words of progress on Terris. The good news is, my oldest has started kindergarten, my routine has become settled again, and I'm back to cranking out those letters.
Hopefully, it's all downhill from here. I'm 2/3rds of the way through Nikka AND Zyander's part one and I'm really excited about where the story is heading from there. I can't believe I'll be done with book three very soon! Woohoo!!!
-Happy Reading!
These bandaids make it really difficult to type, let me tell you!
So, I feel like we have to have one of those awkward conversations, like you do when you run into your ex at the grocery store.
I know I haven't been on here in three months. For a person who has faithfully written in her writerly blog every week, it is inconceivable to me.
And the reason I haven't written isn't because I got kidnapped or because my computer died or because I moved to a land with no internet... no, I just got SUMMER busy. Summers around the Copeseeley household tend to be in, out, and all around. So when you take one author, add in three visits to the in-laws, one to my parents, a camping trip, and bronchitis & pneumonia, you get pretty much no writing at all.
Yes, this is the bad news. I've made about... 8,000 words of progress on Terris. The good news is, my oldest has started kindergarten, my routine has become settled again, and I'm back to cranking out those letters.
Hopefully, it's all downhill from here. I'm 2/3rds of the way through Nikka AND Zyander's part one and I'm really excited about where the story is heading from there. I can't believe I'll be done with book three very soon! Woohoo!!!
-Happy Reading!
June 17, 2013
A State of Loving Neglect...
Every so often I go through this down phase in my writing. It's the sort of thing that many writers go through (or so I've noted from other writer's blogs) where they can't write, or they have no inspiration, or they just don't feel like putting on the "writer face". In short, they give up on their online presence and say, "The hell with it!"
That's kind of where I'm at right now. I have bronchitis, I'm plugging away on Terris and waiting around for other various things to happen (a book to come back from the type editor, my Five Tribes series to get back from the voice actor's) and I just don't feel like I have a lot to contribute to the online world of "Kate Copeseeley" the writer.
I'm still here. I'm still writing, editing, and making inroads on my various works. I'm just not being loud about it right now. And to top it off, tomorrow, I'm bound for The Land of No Internet, where I will be officially AFK and out of reach.
I hope to have some encouraging news soon, and when I do, I will post again, my friends.
For now, I'm taking the summer off reading new books (there might be a few here and there) and reading only my favorites. I need a brain rest. This continual search for my next new favorite is draining me down to nothing, folks.
What will I be reading?
Octavia Butler, Barbara Kingsolver, George R. R. Martin, Marion Chesney, Georgette Heyer, Jane Austen and any other favorites I have lying around the house. No more recommendations or reviews from my favorite bloggers for me. Nope. This summer is all about my lost loves. I will find them all over again!
Until next time, my friends and readers,
Happy Reading!
That's kind of where I'm at right now. I have bronchitis, I'm plugging away on Terris and waiting around for other various things to happen (a book to come back from the type editor, my Five Tribes series to get back from the voice actor's) and I just don't feel like I have a lot to contribute to the online world of "Kate Copeseeley" the writer.
I'm still here. I'm still writing, editing, and making inroads on my various works. I'm just not being loud about it right now. And to top it off, tomorrow, I'm bound for The Land of No Internet, where I will be officially AFK and out of reach.
I hope to have some encouraging news soon, and when I do, I will post again, my friends.
For now, I'm taking the summer off reading new books (there might be a few here and there) and reading only my favorites. I need a brain rest. This continual search for my next new favorite is draining me down to nothing, folks.
What will I be reading?
Octavia Butler, Barbara Kingsolver, George R. R. Martin, Marion Chesney, Georgette Heyer, Jane Austen and any other favorites I have lying around the house. No more recommendations or reviews from my favorite bloggers for me. Nope. This summer is all about my lost loves. I will find them all over again!
Until next time, my friends and readers,
Happy Reading!
April 28, 2013
Discovery
I may have mentioned this before (once or twice), but I'm kind of a big reader. Don't believe me? Well, you can go to goodreads and check out my profile. That will tell you better than I can that I'm an official bibliophile—or as my husband likes to say, book addict.
I was reading a friend's blog the other day and she gave us a list of her favorite books and how she'd discovered them. Which got me thinking about MY favorite books. I thought I'd share them with you here.
Before I do, though, I just want to say that in some cases, it's not so much a favorite book as it is a favorite author.
Anyway, on to the list, which I shall try to pare down as much as possible.
1) No list like this can take place without Pride & Prejudice. Oh, boy, I'm going to start out my pretentious list with a classic, I can hear the groans already. Actually, the first time I tried to read Jane Austen was in high school. I hated her book (no it wasn't an assignment, I'm one of those weird book geeks that tries out classics on my own) and put it down for about 4 years. It was too wordy, too descriptive and I was an action girl at that point, loving on Anne McCaffrey. Then, for whatever reason, I picked up Emma a few years later and I was hooked. I laughed out loud and proceeded to read every other Jane Austen book I could get my hands on. I bought all of them. I can't remember at what point I read P&P, but the fact that Darcy falls in love with Elizabeth for "the liveliness" of her mind sends me into spasms every time. Yes, I am a romantic.
2) A Game of Thrones. I'm not sure if this is my favorite book of the series or not, I'm pretty fond of book 3 as well, but this was the beginning of my LOVE for George. (Oh, George, how I heart you!!!) I heard about this book from my friend Jeff, who said to me, "He is the best fantasy writer of all time." As a self-named fantasy freak, I was skeptical, to say the least. But winter break was coming up, so I grabbed all the books that were out at the time (the first three) and went home for Christmas. I honestly don't know if I would have caught on to George's genius if I hadn't gotten sick and been bedridden for literally a week straight. I DEVOURED those books. I laughed, and cried and raged and by the end I knew that when it comes to character development, George has everyone else beat.
3) A lot of my book discoveries are random library events. I go to the new books section, pick up something that interests me by title, cover, or synopsis. Poisonwood Bible was one of these. How could I resist anything with bible in the title, I ask you. This book was transporting! Kingsolver's prose is among the best in the world, in my opinion. Each of her character voices in this book was so different that I could picture their voices and faces in my mind during each chapter. I loved this book so much that as soon as I finished it, I picked it right back up and read it through again. Amazing! Oh, and I discovered her before Oprah ever did.
4) I adore thought-provoking sci-fi. I love to mull over social issues related through far away galaxies and fought among fast moving space ships. So it is no wonder that I love Orson Scott Card. Everyone always quotes Ender's Game at me. My former boss, who was my introduction to Card, certainly did. But for me, it was Speaker for the Dead that really resonated with me. The questions that book asks about what is alien, what is good or bad, are good intentions really worth anything, is there such a thing as doing the wrong thing for the right reason... still stump me to this day.
5) I'll keep this list down to five for today. I might talk about my other favorites later. The most recent addition to my list is Lips Touch: Three Times by Laini Taylor. Talk about another writer whose prose is mindbogglingly good. When I read her work, my heart twists with envy and admiration, because I know I'll never be able to write like that. I was turned on to Taylor by my favorite reviewer in the whole world, Kat Kennedy. She has been responsible for quite a few of the wonderful books I've discovered lately. The first story in this book blew me away. Then there was the second, then the third. Honestly, I felt drained and starstruck from her talent after I read this book.
So those are my top five (For now. The list is constantly changing!). What are your favorite books? How did you discover them?
In a quick ROW80 update, I want to say that this week wasn't as good as last week. It wasn't bad at all, I still got quite a bit written. I paused Zyander's story to play some catch up with Nikka. She and Zyander intersect quite a bit in the first part of the book, so I wanted to make sure her chapters were going to meet up with Zyan at the appropriate time.
Can I just say again how much more complex writing a book with 3 main characters is than writing a book with one? I've done both several times now, and I now understand why most YA writers don't do it. It's tough, people! Writers who have more than one character in your books, how greatly I admire you. George, who has like 30 main characters... I don't know how he does it!!!
That is all for my week. Good luck to all my ROW friends. And Happy Reading!
I was reading a friend's blog the other day and she gave us a list of her favorite books and how she'd discovered them. Which got me thinking about MY favorite books. I thought I'd share them with you here.
Before I do, though, I just want to say that in some cases, it's not so much a favorite book as it is a favorite author.
Anyway, on to the list, which I shall try to pare down as much as possible.
1) No list like this can take place without Pride & Prejudice. Oh, boy, I'm going to start out my pretentious list with a classic, I can hear the groans already. Actually, the first time I tried to read Jane Austen was in high school. I hated her book (no it wasn't an assignment, I'm one of those weird book geeks that tries out classics on my own) and put it down for about 4 years. It was too wordy, too descriptive and I was an action girl at that point, loving on Anne McCaffrey. Then, for whatever reason, I picked up Emma a few years later and I was hooked. I laughed out loud and proceeded to read every other Jane Austen book I could get my hands on. I bought all of them. I can't remember at what point I read P&P, but the fact that Darcy falls in love with Elizabeth for "the liveliness" of her mind sends me into spasms every time. Yes, I am a romantic.
2) A Game of Thrones. I'm not sure if this is my favorite book of the series or not, I'm pretty fond of book 3 as well, but this was the beginning of my LOVE for George. (Oh, George, how I heart you!!!) I heard about this book from my friend Jeff, who said to me, "He is the best fantasy writer of all time." As a self-named fantasy freak, I was skeptical, to say the least. But winter break was coming up, so I grabbed all the books that were out at the time (the first three) and went home for Christmas. I honestly don't know if I would have caught on to George's genius if I hadn't gotten sick and been bedridden for literally a week straight. I DEVOURED those books. I laughed, and cried and raged and by the end I knew that when it comes to character development, George has everyone else beat.
3) A lot of my book discoveries are random library events. I go to the new books section, pick up something that interests me by title, cover, or synopsis. Poisonwood Bible was one of these. How could I resist anything with bible in the title, I ask you. This book was transporting! Kingsolver's prose is among the best in the world, in my opinion. Each of her character voices in this book was so different that I could picture their voices and faces in my mind during each chapter. I loved this book so much that as soon as I finished it, I picked it right back up and read it through again. Amazing! Oh, and I discovered her before Oprah ever did.
4) I adore thought-provoking sci-fi. I love to mull over social issues related through far away galaxies and fought among fast moving space ships. So it is no wonder that I love Orson Scott Card. Everyone always quotes Ender's Game at me. My former boss, who was my introduction to Card, certainly did. But for me, it was Speaker for the Dead that really resonated with me. The questions that book asks about what is alien, what is good or bad, are good intentions really worth anything, is there such a thing as doing the wrong thing for the right reason... still stump me to this day.
5) I'll keep this list down to five for today. I might talk about my other favorites later. The most recent addition to my list is Lips Touch: Three Times by Laini Taylor. Talk about another writer whose prose is mindbogglingly good. When I read her work, my heart twists with envy and admiration, because I know I'll never be able to write like that. I was turned on to Taylor by my favorite reviewer in the whole world, Kat Kennedy. She has been responsible for quite a few of the wonderful books I've discovered lately. The first story in this book blew me away. Then there was the second, then the third. Honestly, I felt drained and starstruck from her talent after I read this book.
So those are my top five (For now. The list is constantly changing!). What are your favorite books? How did you discover them?
In a quick ROW80 update, I want to say that this week wasn't as good as last week. It wasn't bad at all, I still got quite a bit written. I paused Zyander's story to play some catch up with Nikka. She and Zyander intersect quite a bit in the first part of the book, so I wanted to make sure her chapters were going to meet up with Zyan at the appropriate time.
Can I just say again how much more complex writing a book with 3 main characters is than writing a book with one? I've done both several times now, and I now understand why most YA writers don't do it. It's tough, people! Writers who have more than one character in your books, how greatly I admire you. George, who has like 30 main characters... I don't know how he does it!!!
That is all for my week. Good luck to all my ROW friends. And Happy Reading!
April 21, 2013
Heck Yeah!
Well, guys, I don't want to brag here, but I am seriously kicking ass. My kid is sleeping. I'm getting good sleep (for once! Seriously, I'm so paranoid right now that something is going to happen to ruin my wordcount that I'm constantly crossing my fingers.) and my creativity and output are at an all-time high.
I'm writing two, sometimes three times a day and the results are showing. I finished up another side project, and started a new one, which is great. My main focus has been Terris, though. I'm almost finished with part one of Zyander's story and almost halfway through part one of Nikkas.
At this rate, I will more than make my goal of finishing all of part one and will hopefully be a significant amount of finished on the rest of the book. And boy am I excited, because part two of this book is where stuff gets crazy! Seriously, the second half of Terris sets up what goes on for the rest of the series.
It's a lot of pressure, frankly, but it's also really exciting! When this book is finished, it's all downhill from here(in a good way). Which makes me take a few deep breaths and tell myself to be CALM!!!
The audiobook is coming along. I have my voice actor, and Compis should be ready in a couple of months, hopefully. I've never done this before, but I'm hopeful.
That's all for my ROW80 update. We'll see how things are going next week, but hopefully, they are still going well. :)
Hope all of my fellow authors are doing well. I'll have to check around and see.
Happy Reading!
I'm writing two, sometimes three times a day and the results are showing. I finished up another side project, and started a new one, which is great. My main focus has been Terris, though. I'm almost finished with part one of Zyander's story and almost halfway through part one of Nikkas.
At this rate, I will more than make my goal of finishing all of part one and will hopefully be a significant amount of finished on the rest of the book. And boy am I excited, because part two of this book is where stuff gets crazy! Seriously, the second half of Terris sets up what goes on for the rest of the series.
It's a lot of pressure, frankly, but it's also really exciting! When this book is finished, it's all downhill from here(in a good way). Which makes me take a few deep breaths and tell myself to be CALM!!!
The audiobook is coming along. I have my voice actor, and Compis should be ready in a couple of months, hopefully. I've never done this before, but I'm hopeful.
That's all for my ROW80 update. We'll see how things are going next week, but hopefully, they are still going well. :)
Hope all of my fellow authors are doing well. I'll have to check around and see.
Happy Reading!
April 7, 2013
I am Invincible!
Well, no, not really. This is more like me:
I don't get it. I try so hard to be tough, but in the end, I have a knot in my stomach and the blazing cheeks of someone who'd just gotten told off.
Have you ever met a meany in real life? They're rare, in my personal experience. I have to be careful in my descriptions here, because I don't want to make it seem like I'm picked on or that my minor experience is somehow more tragic than someone who has really been bullied.
I can stick with the word meany, though. Meanies like to be above the rules. Meanies like to be in charge. Meanies are vindictive and boy did I run into one on Friday.
I won't go into details, but if you don't know me, let me assure you... I'm not the type of girl who enjoys public confrontation. In fact, I will pretty much do anything to avoid it. But when a meanie went out of his way to ruin my day on Friday, I found myself wanting to never go back to that place again. I wanted to change my whole routine to avoid him, because I suspect, having been given a rather large dose of his vindictiveness, he will go out of his way to make my day hell again.
Sometimes, I wish I was invincible.
It made me think about this book I'm reading right now called, "To Name the Wind." I've heard a whole lot of good things about Patrick Rothfuss, and I greatly admire his sense of humor... but his book is so dark! So dark that I wish I could find more evidence of the humor in it.
In any case, I read about this main character and how he comes up against his own meanie. And like me, he absolutely refuses to back down. Except that he can't avoid the guy, he sees him everyday. And so a vicious cycle ensues where the MC and the meanie have a throwdown every freaking day and the meanie basically makes his life a living hell, because he's rich and powerful and has a flipping lot of connections.
And I just get so exasperated with MC, because I end up feeling like he's just an idiot! Why poke the bear over and over again. I mean, I get the impulse and the guy is basically the world's worst human being... but you aren't gonna win!
Should he give up, then? Should the meanie be allowed to triumph? It's such an interesting question to try and answer in a book. I'm not sure this is the right book in which to answer it, but there it is.
How do you deal with meanies, when you come across them? Do you rise above? Do you ignore them? Do you avoid them? I think I'll definitely be avoiding next time around, because I don't enjoy feeling shaken and weak afterward.
On a lighter note, I decided to join up with Camp Nano, which is pretty much basically ROW80 on a different website and without blogs. But you can pick a word goal and you have cabin mates to cheer you on, and you get to see a nice little chart that shows where you're at and how far it is to reach your goal, which is always nice.
It did help, as I got a few thousand words written last week. Yay for me. Little C. has some kind of cold that has led him to not sleeping, so boo for that. Seriously can't wait till cold and flu season is OVER!!!
That's all for me. Hope all my fellow ROWers are doing well and meeting their goals!
Happy Reading!
I don't get it. I try so hard to be tough, but in the end, I have a knot in my stomach and the blazing cheeks of someone who'd just gotten told off.
Have you ever met a meany in real life? They're rare, in my personal experience. I have to be careful in my descriptions here, because I don't want to make it seem like I'm picked on or that my minor experience is somehow more tragic than someone who has really been bullied.
I can stick with the word meany, though. Meanies like to be above the rules. Meanies like to be in charge. Meanies are vindictive and boy did I run into one on Friday.
I won't go into details, but if you don't know me, let me assure you... I'm not the type of girl who enjoys public confrontation. In fact, I will pretty much do anything to avoid it. But when a meanie went out of his way to ruin my day on Friday, I found myself wanting to never go back to that place again. I wanted to change my whole routine to avoid him, because I suspect, having been given a rather large dose of his vindictiveness, he will go out of his way to make my day hell again.
Sometimes, I wish I was invincible.
It made me think about this book I'm reading right now called, "To Name the Wind." I've heard a whole lot of good things about Patrick Rothfuss, and I greatly admire his sense of humor... but his book is so dark! So dark that I wish I could find more evidence of the humor in it.
In any case, I read about this main character and how he comes up against his own meanie. And like me, he absolutely refuses to back down. Except that he can't avoid the guy, he sees him everyday. And so a vicious cycle ensues where the MC and the meanie have a throwdown every freaking day and the meanie basically makes his life a living hell, because he's rich and powerful and has a flipping lot of connections.
And I just get so exasperated with MC, because I end up feeling like he's just an idiot! Why poke the bear over and over again. I mean, I get the impulse and the guy is basically the world's worst human being... but you aren't gonna win!
Should he give up, then? Should the meanie be allowed to triumph? It's such an interesting question to try and answer in a book. I'm not sure this is the right book in which to answer it, but there it is.
How do you deal with meanies, when you come across them? Do you rise above? Do you ignore them? Do you avoid them? I think I'll definitely be avoiding next time around, because I don't enjoy feeling shaken and weak afterward.
On a lighter note, I decided to join up with Camp Nano, which is pretty much basically ROW80 on a different website and without blogs. But you can pick a word goal and you have cabin mates to cheer you on, and you get to see a nice little chart that shows where you're at and how far it is to reach your goal, which is always nice.
It did help, as I got a few thousand words written last week. Yay for me. Little C. has some kind of cold that has led him to not sleeping, so boo for that. Seriously can't wait till cold and flu season is OVER!!!
That's all for me. Hope all my fellow ROWers are doing well and meeting their goals!
Happy Reading!
April 1, 2013
Eeny Meeny Miney Moe...
Sorry, there was no official end of ROW80 posting last week. Because my family celebrates holidays on days other than holidays. So last weekend we did Easter Egg hunts with the kidlets and had a generally fabulous time with the family. Little C. was a sight to behold. He may be 18mths old, but that kid totally gets the idea of stashing loot in a basket. hahaha
So, how was my last ROW80 round? Not great, honestly. It could have been much worse, so for that I am thankful. But MAN ALIVE did I get railroaded by the sick. And just when Little C. started sleeping, too. I'm much more hopeful that I'll get some major words out next round. It will be warmer out and the cold and flu season will be nearing its end.
In case you were wondering about ME, I'm going to be just fine. Got to the doctors just in time to figure out that I'd completely recovered from my own malady. Isn't that just the way of it? Like trying to take a twitchy car into the mechanic but your car won't reproduce the symptoms.
I probably got around 10,000 words written, total. This is not a personal best for me, but it's better than nothing. I'm not going to set a word goal for next round, but my goal is to be finished with part one of Terris. That's about 30,000 words. That means I'd have to do 10,000 words a MONTH, not per 3 months.
Instead, my goal this time around will be to write one hour a day. In an hour I can write anywhere from 1,000-1,600 words, depending on my writing flow.
Will I make it? I don't know. Stay tuned to find out! :)
Onward towards today's topic. A week or so back I got a lovely fan letter from a reader of my Angelic Agents stories who wanted to know if there would be any new stories out soon. Oh boy.
That really got me thinking about how my writing has gone thus far. How do I decide what comes next? How do I decide to do YA fantasy, or Western Fantasy Romance or Contemporary Romance or...
I'm a woman of eclectic tastes—in both my reading and writing. So how do I choose what gets written first?
Well, I could go by what's popular. I could say to myself... you know, those vampire books seem to be what everyone wants. I should write a vampire book. More likely, I should write a vampire, dystopian, New Adult book, if I really want to appeal to the majority of what's out there. I should write more fan fiction about vampires and humans sexing it up. I should write sci-fi about missile silos doubling as mass habitation(Hugh Howey's Wool, if you didn't catch the reference).
But I don't write what's popular. I probably should, but it's hard to write well when you're just following a trend and not your heart or the spirit of your creativity. Now if you have a brilliant story idea that also happens to be a popular trend (Angelfall comes to mind), then you've got it made.
I could also write what gets the most reviews. Thus far that's my Five Tribes series. But I don't write what I get the most ratings or reviews for.
I could go by downloads. The Angel & Her Gun (permanently free) gets the most downloads hands down. But downloads aren't an indication of READERSHIP. Unless someone decides to READ that short story and tell someone else, or review it or email me... I have no idea if they actually read it or not. I know that I don't read a significant portion of my freebies. Some I'll start and discard, others I just forget about. Sad, but true.
I honestly go by reader feedback. What do my readers want more of? So far, they seem to want more of The Five Tribes. At least, if I go by the emails. So, when the readers ask, I listen.
If you like something else, like The Angel & Her Gun then tell everyone you know to read it and email me. It is free, after all. It's not like it costs them anything. If I get enough feedback saying that is what my readers want, then I'll break out my magic Wonder Woman notebook and get cracking!
And now, I'm off! Happy Reading!
So, how was my last ROW80 round? Not great, honestly. It could have been much worse, so for that I am thankful. But MAN ALIVE did I get railroaded by the sick. And just when Little C. started sleeping, too. I'm much more hopeful that I'll get some major words out next round. It will be warmer out and the cold and flu season will be nearing its end.
In case you were wondering about ME, I'm going to be just fine. Got to the doctors just in time to figure out that I'd completely recovered from my own malady. Isn't that just the way of it? Like trying to take a twitchy car into the mechanic but your car won't reproduce the symptoms.
I probably got around 10,000 words written, total. This is not a personal best for me, but it's better than nothing. I'm not going to set a word goal for next round, but my goal is to be finished with part one of Terris. That's about 30,000 words. That means I'd have to do 10,000 words a MONTH, not per 3 months.
Instead, my goal this time around will be to write one hour a day. In an hour I can write anywhere from 1,000-1,600 words, depending on my writing flow.
Will I make it? I don't know. Stay tuned to find out! :)
Onward towards today's topic. A week or so back I got a lovely fan letter from a reader of my Angelic Agents stories who wanted to know if there would be any new stories out soon. Oh boy.
That really got me thinking about how my writing has gone thus far. How do I decide what comes next? How do I decide to do YA fantasy, or Western Fantasy Romance or Contemporary Romance or...
I'm a woman of eclectic tastes—in both my reading and writing. So how do I choose what gets written first?
Well, I could go by what's popular. I could say to myself... you know, those vampire books seem to be what everyone wants. I should write a vampire book. More likely, I should write a vampire, dystopian, New Adult book, if I really want to appeal to the majority of what's out there. I should write more fan fiction about vampires and humans sexing it up. I should write sci-fi about missile silos doubling as mass habitation(Hugh Howey's Wool, if you didn't catch the reference).
But I don't write what's popular. I probably should, but it's hard to write well when you're just following a trend and not your heart or the spirit of your creativity. Now if you have a brilliant story idea that also happens to be a popular trend (Angelfall comes to mind), then you've got it made.
I could also write what gets the most reviews. Thus far that's my Five Tribes series. But I don't write what I get the most ratings or reviews for.
I could go by downloads. The Angel & Her Gun (permanently free) gets the most downloads hands down. But downloads aren't an indication of READERSHIP. Unless someone decides to READ that short story and tell someone else, or review it or email me... I have no idea if they actually read it or not. I know that I don't read a significant portion of my freebies. Some I'll start and discard, others I just forget about. Sad, but true.
I honestly go by reader feedback. What do my readers want more of? So far, they seem to want more of The Five Tribes. At least, if I go by the emails. So, when the readers ask, I listen.
If you like something else, like The Angel & Her Gun then tell everyone you know to read it and email me. It is free, after all. It's not like it costs them anything. If I get enough feedback saying that is what my readers want, then I'll break out my magic Wonder Woman notebook and get cracking!
And now, I'm off! Happy Reading!
