Kelly Hashway's Blog, page 98
May 16, 2013
Beware of the White by Kai Strand
Launch Day for BEWARE OF THE WHITE by Kai Strand!
As is tradition, Terra learns on the Saturday past her twelfth birthday that she is a Natures Spirit. It is her legacy to serve in the peaceful underground city of Concord. Learning she is named in a prophecy and being threatened by the leader of the death tribe…that part breaks tradition.
The Trepidus are the death janitors of the Underworld, responsible for delivering fatalities with a smile and cleaning up after themselves until Blanco, recent leader of the Trepidus, decides the day of reckoning for his species is coming. He begins organizing the creatures and leads them toward an uprising. The prophecy says there is one person who can stop him. Terra.
With Spirit of Security, Frank, protecting her, Terra attempts to complete her training and discover her Spirit talents. Together, they go on a rogue investigation to learn how to defeat Blanco. In the end, it comes down to a battle of the minds. The future of Concord is at stake. Will Blanco, the older, more experienced being win? Or will Terra, the young, new Spirit earn back the peace of the city?
Excerpt:
The creature’s direct gaze caused her to shudder. Pushing off the wall, it seemed to float across the room toward her. No characteristic slapping sound registered when its bare feet flopped with each step. It never blinked and never broke eye contact. A chill enveloped Terra as it stopped an arm’s length away. She wanted to curl up in a ball, sob and plead for it to leave, but Terra instinctively suppressed her fear and stared back at it, erasing all emotion from her face. “I have come to warn you.” The horrible voice sounded like a thick gel bubbling up through a pipe full of gravel and coarse sand. The creature’s throat buckled and undulated as if the words physically worked their way up through its vocal cords. Terra expected the words to tumble from its mouth and plunk to the floor, a sort of sick word vomit. She shook from the effort of swallowing past her gag reflex and fought the impulse to turn away. “You’ve come to warn me? Warn me about what?” Terra asked. “You have been figured to be the enemy of my beings. My leader has sworn to destroy you.”
Buy it:MuseItUp Publishing
Amazon
Kobo
Barnes & Noble
About the author
Kai Strand writes fiction for kids and teens. Her debut novel, The Weaver, was a finalist in the 2012 EPIC eBook Awards. She is a (very lucky) wife and the mother of four amazing kids. The most common sound in her household is laughter. The second most common is, "Do your dishes!" She and her family hike, geocache, and canoe in beautiful Central Oregon, where they call home. Find Kai’s books, links to short stories, download companion documents, and discover all the places to find Kai both virtually and in person on her website: www.kaistrand.com. She loves to hear from readers, so feel free to send her an email or visit her facebook page, Kai Strand, Author.
Spontaneous Book Giveaway!
This is your lucky day. Kelly’s site has been chosen to host a spontaneous book giveaway. But be quick, your window for opportunity is short.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Like giveaways? There is more to be had on Kai’s blog and be sure to follow her tour for more Spontaneous Giveaways. Those won't be announced, so only virtual stalkers will have a chance at the extra fun!
As is tradition, Terra learns on the Saturday past her twelfth birthday that she is a Natures Spirit. It is her legacy to serve in the peaceful underground city of Concord. Learning she is named in a prophecy and being threatened by the leader of the death tribe…that part breaks tradition. The Trepidus are the death janitors of the Underworld, responsible for delivering fatalities with a smile and cleaning up after themselves until Blanco, recent leader of the Trepidus, decides the day of reckoning for his species is coming. He begins organizing the creatures and leads them toward an uprising. The prophecy says there is one person who can stop him. Terra.
With Spirit of Security, Frank, protecting her, Terra attempts to complete her training and discover her Spirit talents. Together, they go on a rogue investigation to learn how to defeat Blanco. In the end, it comes down to a battle of the minds. The future of Concord is at stake. Will Blanco, the older, more experienced being win? Or will Terra, the young, new Spirit earn back the peace of the city?
Excerpt:
The creature’s direct gaze caused her to shudder. Pushing off the wall, it seemed to float across the room toward her. No characteristic slapping sound registered when its bare feet flopped with each step. It never blinked and never broke eye contact. A chill enveloped Terra as it stopped an arm’s length away. She wanted to curl up in a ball, sob and plead for it to leave, but Terra instinctively suppressed her fear and stared back at it, erasing all emotion from her face. “I have come to warn you.” The horrible voice sounded like a thick gel bubbling up through a pipe full of gravel and coarse sand. The creature’s throat buckled and undulated as if the words physically worked their way up through its vocal cords. Terra expected the words to tumble from its mouth and plunk to the floor, a sort of sick word vomit. She shook from the effort of swallowing past her gag reflex and fought the impulse to turn away. “You’ve come to warn me? Warn me about what?” Terra asked. “You have been figured to be the enemy of my beings. My leader has sworn to destroy you.”
Buy it:MuseItUp Publishing
Amazon
Kobo
Barnes & Noble
About the author
Kai Strand writes fiction for kids and teens. Her debut novel, The Weaver, was a finalist in the 2012 EPIC eBook Awards. She is a (very lucky) wife and the mother of four amazing kids. The most common sound in her household is laughter. The second most common is, "Do your dishes!" She and her family hike, geocache, and canoe in beautiful Central Oregon, where they call home. Find Kai’s books, links to short stories, download companion documents, and discover all the places to find Kai both virtually and in person on her website: www.kaistrand.com. She loves to hear from readers, so feel free to send her an email or visit her facebook page, Kai Strand, Author.Spontaneous Book Giveaway!
This is your lucky day. Kelly’s site has been chosen to host a spontaneous book giveaway. But be quick, your window for opportunity is short.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Like giveaways? There is more to be had on Kai’s blog and be sure to follow her tour for more Spontaneous Giveaways. Those won't be announced, so only virtual stalkers will have a chance at the extra fun!
May 14, 2013
Editing For Yourself Vs. Editing For Others
It's no surprise that I love to edit. I talk about it a lot on my blog, and being that I'm an English major and former English teacher, it's kind of a given that I love red pens and the screen equivalent—Track Changes.
Today topic came by request. :) I edit my own work and the work of others, and the two are very different. Here's why. When I edit for myself, I'm too close to the story. I know things about my characters that my readers don't. That means when I fail to mention something that's key to the plot, I may not realize it until my editor points it out. Then I have a moment where I want to smack myself in the forehead. To try to cut down on those moments, I've done the following things when revising my own work:
I keep track of the passage of time: what day it is, what time it is, etc.I keep track of major events and key reveals. *This is important because it's what I need my reader to see and know.I keep character profiles to make sure eye color, hair color, height, etc are consistent throughout my manuscript. I also mark where they are mentioned in the document.I mark overly used words and replace or delete them.I read my work backwards (not word by word, but sentence by sentence) to check for spelling and missing words.When I edit for others, plot holes jump out at me because I don't know the story. It's so much easier to pose questions to my clients than it is to myself because I don't have the backstory in my head like the writer does. Here's a short list of how I edit for clients:I highlight overly used words.I bring up any questions I get from a reader's point of view. If I have those questions, the reader will too. Now sometimes, the questions get answered later and I'll comment that the questions are answered. But if not, we have a problem for the writer to address.I check for consistency with the spelling of words. Gray/grey and toward/towards are the two biggest culprits I find. Either way is acceptable, but consistency is needed throughout the manuscript. The same goes for capitalization. If you create a term and capitalize it once, you should continue to capitalize it throughout.I mark any shifts in POV. If you are writing 1st person, don't leave that person's head. If you have dual POV, make sure you are only in one character's head at a time. Etc.I check contractions and read them as two separate words. So many times I see "you're" when it should be "your". If you read the contractions as two words, you'll see when you really meant to say "your" instead of "you are".I read my work backwards (not word by word, but sentence by sentence) to check for spelling and missing words.Again, this is a short list. I could go on, but I'd rather hear from you. What does your revision check list look like?
Today topic came by request. :) I edit my own work and the work of others, and the two are very different. Here's why. When I edit for myself, I'm too close to the story. I know things about my characters that my readers don't. That means when I fail to mention something that's key to the plot, I may not realize it until my editor points it out. Then I have a moment where I want to smack myself in the forehead. To try to cut down on those moments, I've done the following things when revising my own work:
I keep track of the passage of time: what day it is, what time it is, etc.I keep track of major events and key reveals. *This is important because it's what I need my reader to see and know.I keep character profiles to make sure eye color, hair color, height, etc are consistent throughout my manuscript. I also mark where they are mentioned in the document.I mark overly used words and replace or delete them.I read my work backwards (not word by word, but sentence by sentence) to check for spelling and missing words.When I edit for others, plot holes jump out at me because I don't know the story. It's so much easier to pose questions to my clients than it is to myself because I don't have the backstory in my head like the writer does. Here's a short list of how I edit for clients:I highlight overly used words.I bring up any questions I get from a reader's point of view. If I have those questions, the reader will too. Now sometimes, the questions get answered later and I'll comment that the questions are answered. But if not, we have a problem for the writer to address.I check for consistency with the spelling of words. Gray/grey and toward/towards are the two biggest culprits I find. Either way is acceptable, but consistency is needed throughout the manuscript. The same goes for capitalization. If you create a term and capitalize it once, you should continue to capitalize it throughout.I mark any shifts in POV. If you are writing 1st person, don't leave that person's head. If you have dual POV, make sure you are only in one character's head at a time. Etc.I check contractions and read them as two separate words. So many times I see "you're" when it should be "your". If you read the contractions as two words, you'll see when you really meant to say "your" instead of "you are".I read my work backwards (not word by word, but sentence by sentence) to check for spelling and missing words.Again, this is a short list. I could go on, but I'd rather hear from you. What does your revision check list look like?
May 12, 2013
Monday Mishmash 5/13/13 and a Giveaway!
Happy Monday! Here's my mishmash of thoughts:
BEA I'll be signing copies of Stalked by Death at the SHP booth (#2567) on Friday, May 31 from 9:30-10:30am. If you're there, come see me!Field Day I helped out with field day at my daughter's school last Friday. She had a blast, and I loved getting to see her with all her friends.My dying Kindle I had one good week where my Kindle worked great and now the big black bar is showing up across my screen again. :(Editing I'm editing again all week. :)Runes Trailer and Giveaway! I'm participating in the trailer reveal for Ednah Walter's YA paranormal, Runes.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
That's it for me. What's on your mind today?
BEA I'll be signing copies of Stalked by Death at the SHP booth (#2567) on Friday, May 31 from 9:30-10:30am. If you're there, come see me!Field Day I helped out with field day at my daughter's school last Friday. She had a blast, and I loved getting to see her with all her friends.My dying Kindle I had one good week where my Kindle worked great and now the big black bar is showing up across my screen again. :(Editing I'm editing again all week. :)Runes Trailer and Giveaway! I'm participating in the trailer reveal for Ednah Walter's YA paranormal, Runes.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
That's it for me. What's on your mind today?
May 9, 2013
One Week Girlfriend by Monica Murphy (Review)
Summary:
Temporary. That one single word best describes my life these last few years. I'm working at a temporary job until I can finally break free. I'm my little brother's temporary mother since our mom doesn't give a crap about either of us. And I'm the temporary girl all the guys want to get with because I give it up so easily. According to the rumors, at least. But now I'm the temporary girlfriend of Drew Callahan, college football legend and all around golden guy. He's beautiful, sweet, and he's hiding way more secrets than I am. He's brought me into this fake life where everyone seems to hate me. And everyone seems to want something from him. The only thing he seems to want though is Me. I don't know what to believe anymore. All I know is, I think Drew needs me. And I want to be there for him. Forever.
My thoughts:
I'm on a New Adult kick lately and at $.99 on Kindle, I couldn't pass this one up. I'd heard really great things about it, and I wasn't disappointed. Fable is a girl with a reputation, though the rumors aren't exactly true. I really liked her right from the start. And Drew is broken in so many ways. While I quickly figured out one of the ways, another threw me for a loop—in a good way. It added the perfect amount of conflict and set up book two. The dynamic between Fable and Drew is incredible. Drew asks Fable to pretend to be his girlfriend for a week, while he goes home for Thanksgiving. Fable doesn't know Drew's motive, but since he pays her a lot of money, she doesn't really care.
At first, Drew and Fable are faking their feelings for each other for the benefit of Drew's family. But very quickly, the feelings become real, and they are both fighting against them. Warning for those who don't like explicit sex scenes: Murphy tells all in this book. If you blush easily, this may not be the book for you. That aside, the romance is great. I'll definitely be checking out the next book in the Drew and Fable series, Second Chance Boyfriend.
Just for fun: Would you—or have you ever—pretend(ed) to be in a relationship with someone?
May 7, 2013
Cover Reveal: Come What May by Faith Sullivan
I'm really excited to take part in the cover reveal for Come What May (Heartbeat #2) by Faith Sullivan!
Title: Come What May (Heartbeat #2)
Author: Faith Sullivan
Expected release date: June 4, 2013
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Age Group: New Adult
Book Description:
Adam is through with love.
He unravels blaming himself for what happened with Katie.
His final moments with her echo through his nightmares.
She owns him body and soul.
To dull the pain, Adam invites a string of women into his bed. Fueled by alcohol and desperation, his meaningless hook-ups provide little comfort. When he closes his eyes, it's Katie he sees.
The only one who helps to ease his guilt somewhat is Jada. But as his new ambulance partner, Adam considers her off limits. He doesn't want to get seriously involved with anyone, much less her. Yet he can't stop fantasizing about the feel of her caramel skin against his.
Despite his intentions, Adam's bond with Jada deepens as they respond to a series of emotional calls. Their mutual attraction becomes undeniable. But how can he give his heart to Jada when it still belongs to Katie?
The first book of the HEARTBEAT series is only 99 cents on Amazon!
Click cover to purchase.
Random Things about Author, Faith Sullivan:
- She was so much smarter as a teenager.
- She's a slow reader.
- She tends to like a book more for its characters rather than its plot.
- She appreciates people who are genuinely kind and come through when you need them.
- As a creative person, she's not always fun to live with, but she keeps things interesting.
- She misses the days when all she had was a rotary phone that didn't even have an answering machine.
- She's a child of the 1980s, and a teenager of the 1990s.
- She loves her dog.
- She likes to travel and see new places - when her limited budget allows.
- She thinks in another lifetime she lived in the UK somewhere by the coast.
- When she feels an emotion, she feels it deeply. It's a curse.
- She has an overactive imagination. Writing helps alleviate that problem.
- Nine times out of ten, she believes a good book trumps reality.
Author Links: Blog | Amazon | Twitter | Goodreads
So, what do you think?
Title: Come What May (Heartbeat #2)Author: Faith Sullivan
Expected release date: June 4, 2013
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Age Group: New Adult
Book Description:
Adam is through with love.
He unravels blaming himself for what happened with Katie.
His final moments with her echo through his nightmares.
She owns him body and soul.
To dull the pain, Adam invites a string of women into his bed. Fueled by alcohol and desperation, his meaningless hook-ups provide little comfort. When he closes his eyes, it's Katie he sees.
The only one who helps to ease his guilt somewhat is Jada. But as his new ambulance partner, Adam considers her off limits. He doesn't want to get seriously involved with anyone, much less her. Yet he can't stop fantasizing about the feel of her caramel skin against his.
Despite his intentions, Adam's bond with Jada deepens as they respond to a series of emotional calls. Their mutual attraction becomes undeniable. But how can he give his heart to Jada when it still belongs to Katie?
The first book of the HEARTBEAT series is only 99 cents on Amazon!
Click cover to purchase.
Random Things about Author, Faith Sullivan:
- She was so much smarter as a teenager.
- She's a slow reader.
- She tends to like a book more for its characters rather than its plot.
- She appreciates people who are genuinely kind and come through when you need them.
- As a creative person, she's not always fun to live with, but she keeps things interesting.
- She misses the days when all she had was a rotary phone that didn't even have an answering machine.
- She's a child of the 1980s, and a teenager of the 1990s.
- She loves her dog.
- She likes to travel and see new places - when her limited budget allows.
- She thinks in another lifetime she lived in the UK somewhere by the coast.
- When she feels an emotion, she feels it deeply. It's a curse.
- She has an overactive imagination. Writing helps alleviate that problem.
- Nine times out of ten, she believes a good book trumps reality.
Author Links: Blog | Amazon | Twitter | Goodreads
So, what do you think?
May 5, 2013
Monday Mishmash 5/6/13
Happy Monday! Here's my mishmash of thoughts:
Edits I've gotten several new editing clients in the past two weeks, so I'm keeping busy.Emailing myself I have an entire folder in my inbox of emails from myself. LOL This is how I keep track of things (along with my day planner). Anyone else email themselves?Field Trip This week I'm going on my daughter's kindergarten field trip. We were told to wear clothes that can get dirty because we're going to a farm. And did I mention it's supposed to rain? I hope the weather holds out for us. Free Monthly Newsletter My free monthly newsletter goes out at 5pm EST today. If you aren't already signed up but would like to receive it, you can sign up here.Romancing the R.A. Cover Reveal and Giveaway I'm participating in the cover reveal for Ashelyn Drake's upcoming New Adult romance through S.B. Addison Books. Check it out.
Noelle Buckman is looking forward to making a fresh start in college, one that doesn’t involve immature high school boys. The second she steps on campus for freshman orientation, she can sense the possibilities. Especially when she spots Andy, a resident advisor who’s not just hot but also thoughtful enough to open doors for a girl.And Andy has his eye on Noelle. Even when her nerves take control and she thinks she comes off as a hillbilly with no direction, Andy can see what she’s really like and he’s more than a little interested.But orientation is less than two full days and there’s an entire summer between Noelle and Andy. Will her attempt to romance the R.A. be as short-lived as college orientation?The giveaway is for a $10 Amazon GC or $10 PayPal cash. Fill out the rafflecopter to enter.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
That's it for me. What's on your mind today?
Edits I've gotten several new editing clients in the past two weeks, so I'm keeping busy.Emailing myself I have an entire folder in my inbox of emails from myself. LOL This is how I keep track of things (along with my day planner). Anyone else email themselves?Field Trip This week I'm going on my daughter's kindergarten field trip. We were told to wear clothes that can get dirty because we're going to a farm. And did I mention it's supposed to rain? I hope the weather holds out for us. Free Monthly Newsletter My free monthly newsletter goes out at 5pm EST today. If you aren't already signed up but would like to receive it, you can sign up here.Romancing the R.A. Cover Reveal and Giveaway I'm participating in the cover reveal for Ashelyn Drake's upcoming New Adult romance through S.B. Addison Books. Check it out.
Noelle Buckman is looking forward to making a fresh start in college, one that doesn’t involve immature high school boys. The second she steps on campus for freshman orientation, she can sense the possibilities. Especially when she spots Andy, a resident advisor who’s not just hot but also thoughtful enough to open doors for a girl.And Andy has his eye on Noelle. Even when her nerves take control and she thinks she comes off as a hillbilly with no direction, Andy can see what she’s really like and he’s more than a little interested.But orientation is less than two full days and there’s an entire summer between Noelle and Andy. Will her attempt to romance the R.A. be as short-lived as college orientation?The giveaway is for a $10 Amazon GC or $10 PayPal cash. Fill out the rafflecopter to enter.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
That's it for me. What's on your mind today?
May 2, 2013
Making Time to Read
I've been reading more lately, and at first I wasn't sure how that was happening. Well, I figured it out, and it's very simple. So I'm going to share my trick with you.
Five minutes here and there adds up. I realized there are plenty of places where I can pull a few minutes. The problem is that I'm usually doing other things. While I have perfected reading while running on the treadmill, I can't read while doing a lot of other things, like cooking, getting dressed, doing my hair, etc. So, I let my Kindle read to me. Yes, the mechanical voice is annoying, but after a while I stopped noticing it.
So now, I read when I can, and when I can't, I let the Kindle read to me. All those minutes add up, and I'm finishing books quicker than I have in a long time. If you've been following my blog for a while, you know I'm a big multi-tasker, and this is just that. I'm multi-tasking, and it's making it easier to keep up with all the great books I want to read.
Now I'm challenging you. Where are some places in your day that you could allow your ereader to read to you?
Five minutes here and there adds up. I realized there are plenty of places where I can pull a few minutes. The problem is that I'm usually doing other things. While I have perfected reading while running on the treadmill, I can't read while doing a lot of other things, like cooking, getting dressed, doing my hair, etc. So, I let my Kindle read to me. Yes, the mechanical voice is annoying, but after a while I stopped noticing it.
So now, I read when I can, and when I can't, I let the Kindle read to me. All those minutes add up, and I'm finishing books quicker than I have in a long time. If you've been following my blog for a while, you know I'm a big multi-tasker, and this is just that. I'm multi-tasking, and it's making it easier to keep up with all the great books I want to read.
Now I'm challenging you. Where are some places in your day that you could allow your ereader to read to you?
April 30, 2013
LITTLE VICTORIES: Or, The Serial’s a Killer
Today, I'm happy to welcome my publishing house sister, Stephanie Wardrop. She's the author of Snark and Circumstance, which released February 5, 2013 through Swoon Romance. Stephanie and I found ourselves in the same position of having to take a novel and break it up into a series of novellas. Stephanie's here today to tell you about her experience.
Hi, everybody! I’m Stephanie Wardrop, author of Snark and Circumstance [image error],checking in with my Swoon Romance serial sister Kelly Hashway about the subject of serialized e-novellas. Like Kelly, I never set out to write an e-novella series. I did not, in fact, know such a thing existed. Because I am a [image error]. I mean, I wasn’t even thinking about e-books at the time. When I was writing Snark and Circumstance, I was thinking about NOVELS. I was thinking Snark would come out looking something like this [image error], something you would open up and then close and it would sit all nice and neat on a shelf somewhere, waiting patiently for you to open it again.So when an editor at [image error]called to say she was interested in the book but wanted to publish it as a series of e-books, I was like this [image error] But then I thought about Jane Austen, whose Pride and Prejudice inspired Snark, and whose books, like most nineteenth-century novels, came out as TRIPLE DECKERS : one novel was divided into three books coming out months apart and each ending on a cliffhanger so that every reader would be counting down the days until they could buy the next installment. And I thought [image error] BRILLIANT! I’LL DO IT!
Now all I had to do was figure out how to cut the thing into four pieces, all equally engaging and action-packed and hilarious.Right.There are some definite advantages to serializing. For one, you get not ONE cover reveal, but FOUR! I wish I could show you my second cover, because it is, as my publisher says, SASSY, but publishers guard unreleased covers the way Coca Cola guards its formula, the way [image error] Colonel Sanders guards his eleven secret herbs and spices, so I can’t.
On the other hand, four covers means four titles. It took me three years to come up with the title of Snark and Circumstance, so to hear I had about forty-eight hours to come up with three more set me into a state of paralytic frenzy. (Trust me – this term sounds oxymoronic and impossible, but I bet any writer who’s faced a deadline knows what I mean). I could fill the New York Public Library with all of my rejected titles, but I eventually came up with three more that didn’t totally suck!But for me, the biggest challenge has been that four separate texts means four not-so-separate but individually complete narrative arcs. Because each story has to simultaneously – and paradoxically, perhaps –*further the plot and characterization from the previous installment*be able to stand on its own as a separate self-contained text*not bore anyone so much that they don’t want to read the next one!How do you manage all of those things at once? How do you catch new readers up to speed about who the characters are and what they want and how they feel about each other (and where they live and what they look like and how old they are) without boring the readers who were with you in the first installment(s)? How do you balance exposition (the background for the current installment) without falling into an information dump? [image error]It ain’t easy. But no writer worth reading shrinks from challenges, right?Most of us remember this from ninth grade, the dreaded PLOT DIAGRAM:[image error]If you recall, this is the arc of the whole novel, so in a regular novel, all the really exciting climactic stuff would be happening in the middle (well, in actuality, it’s much more likely to happen three quarters of the way through, if not even further in. Think about it. You’re not going to read another hundred pages AFTER the epic battle, after Harry Potter finally defeats the forces of darkness or Romeo and Juliet are both found dead. That would be like sitting in the movie theater so you could watch the kids in their uniforms sweep up your popcorn tubs and throw your discarded drink cups into garbage bags. Pointless.). At any rate, following this standard narrative arc in a series would mean that the middle two books would be nonstop action and the last one would be horrendously dull. But again, that’s not quite true despite what this little graph above says. In actuality the middle books of a series, if they followed this proscribed arc of a novel, would be kind of tedious. The main character would get themselves into all sorts of trouble, dig themselves in deeper and deeper, and there would be no relief for them at all until they got to Book Four. Which wouldn’t work. Even if you HATED the main character, you wouldn’t enjoy the experience, essentially, of seeing them flogged for two whole books – and you wouldn’t pay to see that happen (or to read it happening).So the trick, for me, is to work with LITTLE VICTORIES in Books Two or Three.[image error] I’m learning that I have to get my main character into all sorts of smallish troubles -- misunderstandings, arguments, humiliations that don’t feel smallish at all to her – and get her out of them in each installment. (And in Books Two and Three my main character, Georgia, gets into some trouble involving charming drunks, sightings in the family planning section of CVS, and scarlet letters.) But she cannot resolve the BIG TROUBLE that has gotten her into all of the smallish troubles in the first place until the end, Book Four. Such big troubles for main characters are often defined by fancy ninth-grade literary terms like HUBRIS, meaning excessive pride. Or they may suffer an inability to a have sense of humor about oneself or a major lack of confidence that prevents them from emerging as the superhero they need to be until the last volume of the series.So in Book Two I might resolve one or two smallish troubles. I may end it with two sisters no longer fighting like dogs or [image error].. But the sisters won’t come to appreciate each other for who they truly are yet. Not until Book Four: [image error]
Halfway through the serialization process for Snark, this is what I have learned so far, through the process of writing and revising. But I have also learned, as you can see in this post, that there is nothingNOTHINGthat cannot be best illustrated on the web by pictures of kittens.
April 28, 2013
Monday Mishmash 4/29/13
Happy Monday! Here's my mishmash of thoughts:
My Kindle is dying :( Twice last week, I turned on my Kindle to find a big black bar across it. Luckily, resetting the Kindle made it go away, but I'm afraid this is a sign that it's going to die.Family Expo I had a great time at the Family Expo yesterday, hosted by State Representative Rosemary Brown. Thanks to everyone who came and chatted with me about my books.Editing I'm editing a few of my books this week before I get more client edits at the start of the new month. Wish me luck, please.BEA shopping I may have bought some new outfits for BEA. :)Onesie cupcakes I'll be making onesie cupcakes for my sister's baby shower next month. I really hope these come out cute.That's it for me. What's on your mind today?
My Kindle is dying :( Twice last week, I turned on my Kindle to find a big black bar across it. Luckily, resetting the Kindle made it go away, but I'm afraid this is a sign that it's going to die.Family Expo I had a great time at the Family Expo yesterday, hosted by State Representative Rosemary Brown. Thanks to everyone who came and chatted with me about my books.Editing I'm editing a few of my books this week before I get more client edits at the start of the new month. Wish me luck, please.BEA shopping I may have bought some new outfits for BEA. :)Onesie cupcakes I'll be making onesie cupcakes for my sister's baby shower next month. I really hope these come out cute.That's it for me. What's on your mind today?
April 25, 2013
Of Silver and Beasts
Today, I'm happy to share Of Silver and Beasts by Trisha Wolfe!
Excerpt
“What’s your rank, baby blue eyes?” the guy asks, pushing off his cot and stalking toward the prince.Everything in me screams to act, but I don’t want to declare alliances this early on. Not without understanding the dynamic of placements and bonds already formed among these people. But I’ll not let this hulk of a man harm the prince. I brace my heel against the wall, ready to push off and lunge.Prince Caben rises to his feet, slowly turning to face him. He straightens his spine, squaring his shoulders. “I don’t have one. And my name is Payne. Not ‘baby blue eyes’, meathead.”Big guy laughs, his husky voice bounces off the rock walls. “I’m Crew”—he beats his chest hard once, like a barbarian—“and I’ve won three fights. I’ll win the next two and be the one awarded the freedom ring.” He leans down toward Prince Caben, leveling their faces. “So don’t even think about you or your princess over there walking out of here. I’m ranked as a Colossal. The strongest Colossal in Bax’s league.”Princess? I nearly scoff. Then I realize what the problem with Crew is: he feels threatened by Prince Caben. That revelation almost makes me laugh out right. What does a big stack of muscles like Crew have to fear from the prince?The other prisons slowly circle around the stand-off in the center of the cell. Tension thickens the musty air. It coils around my spine, tightening my muscles. If I allow the fight to continue without interruption, will the guards stop it? They’d want their fighters in pristine shape, wouldn’t they?Prince Caben doesn’t back away from Crew. Instead, he moves into his space. I roll my eyes. Stupid, conceited man.“Freedom ring?” the prince questions. “As in, there’s a chance to leave?” He rubs his chin, and I notice the dark shadow of facial hair that has darkened his features overnight. “Is there a season that has to be won, or can someone gain five wins during their entire imprisonment?”Crew’s eyebrows pinch together. He’s clearly despondent that he hasn’t succeeded in intimidating the prince. “We’re in a season right now, you weakling. If you don’t win—you’re dead. Which by the looks of you, will happen in your first match.”Prince Caben nods, as if he’s simply piecing together a jigsaw puzzle and not being told of his demise. “What is the cuff for?” He points to the iron clamp around Crew’s wrist.“It’s our biometric monitor.” Crew shoves the cuff up close to the prince’s face. “See those three blue lights? Those are my wins. When the fifth lights up, I’m outta’ here.”“Has anyone ever won the freedom ring before?” Prince Caben asks.Crew’s massive arms tremble. “No,” he grinds out. “But I will.” He cocks his cuffed hand back, then sends a blow to Prince Caben’s chin.Hell.I’m up and racing across the cell before the prince hits the ground. Crew spots me from his peripheral. He turns and swipes the air. I duck, roll, and come up behind him. I jump on the cot and leap onto his back.“You squirrely little ...” he mumbles, trying to reach over his shoulders to get a hold on me.Tightening my arms around his thick neck, I squeeze. He gasps for air, and rams my back into the wall. I wheeze as the air whooshes from my lungs, pain splintering through my already bruised chest. But I hold tight, bearing down harder, and cut off his supply of oxygen.Finally, I feel Crew weaken beneath my hold. He drops to his knees, and I only release him once I’m sure he’s knocked out.Stepping around the now limp Crew, I glance at all the wide eyes studying me, and meet the prince’s. Fury ignites his stormy blue irises. He picks himself off the floor and heads toward one of the side chambers, throwing the tattered material aside as he stalks inside.I follow after him. When I step inside the tiny, dank room, my eyes trail Prince Caben as he paces. He reaches each side of the small chamber with three quick strides. Back and forth.On his third round, I open my mouth and get out a single syllable before he holds up a hand, halting me. He drives his hand through his dark hair. “Thank you for making me look like a spineless jerk.” He shakes his head and faces me.Taken aback, I say, “This is my duty to protect—”“No. In your country it was your duty to guard me. In my world and here”—he opens his arms wide—“a man fights his own battles. He does not depend on a woman to fight them for him. You just disgraced me.”Fire simmers in my core. “I’m still assigned as your protector no matter what realm we inhabit, Your High—” I stop myself before addressing him by title out of habit. “Your pride is polluting your reasoning.”He laughs. “Yes, well. Thanks to your show out there, I no longer have my pride to worry about.”
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Buy Of Silver and Beasts for only $2.99:
***GIVEAWAY***a Rafflecopter giveaway
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What do you think of Trisha's latest book?
Excerpt“What’s your rank, baby blue eyes?” the guy asks, pushing off his cot and stalking toward the prince.Everything in me screams to act, but I don’t want to declare alliances this early on. Not without understanding the dynamic of placements and bonds already formed among these people. But I’ll not let this hulk of a man harm the prince. I brace my heel against the wall, ready to push off and lunge.Prince Caben rises to his feet, slowly turning to face him. He straightens his spine, squaring his shoulders. “I don’t have one. And my name is Payne. Not ‘baby blue eyes’, meathead.”Big guy laughs, his husky voice bounces off the rock walls. “I’m Crew”—he beats his chest hard once, like a barbarian—“and I’ve won three fights. I’ll win the next two and be the one awarded the freedom ring.” He leans down toward Prince Caben, leveling their faces. “So don’t even think about you or your princess over there walking out of here. I’m ranked as a Colossal. The strongest Colossal in Bax’s league.”Princess? I nearly scoff. Then I realize what the problem with Crew is: he feels threatened by Prince Caben. That revelation almost makes me laugh out right. What does a big stack of muscles like Crew have to fear from the prince?The other prisons slowly circle around the stand-off in the center of the cell. Tension thickens the musty air. It coils around my spine, tightening my muscles. If I allow the fight to continue without interruption, will the guards stop it? They’d want their fighters in pristine shape, wouldn’t they?Prince Caben doesn’t back away from Crew. Instead, he moves into his space. I roll my eyes. Stupid, conceited man.“Freedom ring?” the prince questions. “As in, there’s a chance to leave?” He rubs his chin, and I notice the dark shadow of facial hair that has darkened his features overnight. “Is there a season that has to be won, or can someone gain five wins during their entire imprisonment?”Crew’s eyebrows pinch together. He’s clearly despondent that he hasn’t succeeded in intimidating the prince. “We’re in a season right now, you weakling. If you don’t win—you’re dead. Which by the looks of you, will happen in your first match.”Prince Caben nods, as if he’s simply piecing together a jigsaw puzzle and not being told of his demise. “What is the cuff for?” He points to the iron clamp around Crew’s wrist.“It’s our biometric monitor.” Crew shoves the cuff up close to the prince’s face. “See those three blue lights? Those are my wins. When the fifth lights up, I’m outta’ here.”“Has anyone ever won the freedom ring before?” Prince Caben asks.Crew’s massive arms tremble. “No,” he grinds out. “But I will.” He cocks his cuffed hand back, then sends a blow to Prince Caben’s chin.Hell.I’m up and racing across the cell before the prince hits the ground. Crew spots me from his peripheral. He turns and swipes the air. I duck, roll, and come up behind him. I jump on the cot and leap onto his back.“You squirrely little ...” he mumbles, trying to reach over his shoulders to get a hold on me.Tightening my arms around his thick neck, I squeeze. He gasps for air, and rams my back into the wall. I wheeze as the air whooshes from my lungs, pain splintering through my already bruised chest. But I hold tight, bearing down harder, and cut off his supply of oxygen.Finally, I feel Crew weaken beneath my hold. He drops to his knees, and I only release him once I’m sure he’s knocked out.Stepping around the now limp Crew, I glance at all the wide eyes studying me, and meet the prince’s. Fury ignites his stormy blue irises. He picks himself off the floor and heads toward one of the side chambers, throwing the tattered material aside as he stalks inside.I follow after him. When I step inside the tiny, dank room, my eyes trail Prince Caben as he paces. He reaches each side of the small chamber with three quick strides. Back and forth.On his third round, I open my mouth and get out a single syllable before he holds up a hand, halting me. He drives his hand through his dark hair. “Thank you for making me look like a spineless jerk.” He shakes his head and faces me.Taken aback, I say, “This is my duty to protect—”“No. In your country it was your duty to guard me. In my world and here”—he opens his arms wide—“a man fights his own battles. He does not depend on a woman to fight them for him. You just disgraced me.”Fire simmers in my core. “I’m still assigned as your protector no matter what realm we inhabit, Your High—” I stop myself before addressing him by title out of habit. “Your pride is polluting your reasoning.”He laughs. “Yes, well. Thanks to your show out there, I no longer have my pride to worry about.”
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Amazon
Buy Of Silver and Beasts for only $2.99:
***GIVEAWAY***a Rafflecopter giveaway
Book Blitz organized by:
What do you think of Trisha's latest book?
