Nicole MacDonald's Blog, page 13
September 25, 2011
Working smarter, not harder
Or so goes my current editing theory anyway *grin* I'm at 60% of the full re-write, which isn't as far through as I wanted to be by now (I wanted to be done!) but I am really pleased with the results so far. There have been major additions and some major subtractions and WOW is this book busy! Lots happening on Sytas *grin* I'm working my ass off and really, really hope to have it off to critiquer number 2 - aka Kerrin, before the end of the week. Then while she is looking over that, I'm going to motor through the few grammar books I have and finish the edit on The Arrival and get it into the right layout for Createspace *eee* So I'll have a week, maybe two to do that ;p But as the title of this post says, I'm all about working smarter not harder this time. With The Arrival there were too many half-assed re-writes before the final doozey and that's why I started with Vicki's critique first. And as with The Arrival I do believe at least 95% of her advice has been taken - because it is GOOD advice, proving the most valuable thing in the world to an indie author is a good critiquer. After Kerrin is done with book two, I'll go through all her notes and then I intend on printing it out and going through it line by line, backwards. To spot errors....Ecccckkkk just discussing all this is making me exhausted *lol* Anyhoo, thought I'd give you all an update.Take care all!Nic The Arrival, on Amazon or UK Amazon
September 7, 2011
Out of order - for the moment
August 30, 2011
Woo! Progress and a very cool occurrence
First and foremost - two of the new scenes are written and worked in! Now two definitely to go, with a possible other two on the horizon. The two new scenes clear up certain issues that according to my first critiquer weren't that comprehensive. Then once all the new scenes are worked in (ideally before this weekend) I am going to do something pretty radical. Granted it might not seem that radical to others but it certainly is to me.I am going to load the current draft to my kindle (just mine, yes you can do that *grin*) and then re-write it fully. Line by line. Essentially I'll be sitting on my favorite chair at home with my notebook on my lap and my kindle beside me, re-wording/correcting or flat out re-writing each line across. My theory with this is the same as why I gave it to Vicki to critique first. Do the hard slog FIRST! Then, ideally, the next person (Kerrin) who critiques the draft will see it much closer to the final product. This is a 'work smarter not harder' train of thought. Because with book one I didn't do the major re-write until the very end. Which was damn hard work and as you might know, I'm running through another edit of it as there are lines I want re-worded. Fingers crossed this theory works *grin* I'm trying very hard to keep my distance from book two and this re-write will be the first time I've read through it in its entirety. The reason for this is to keep it as 'fresh' as possible so I can really spot the mistakes. So that's the current book update. Now onto the very cool occurrence.
At work we sub-let the corner of the floor we occupy to another company and one of the employees of that company, a gorgeous girl called Alex, has read and enjoyed The Arrival. The other day as I sat at reception she came skipping out to tell me about 'this amazing dream' she had. In her dream she met Kassie who was showing off her engagement ring! That's right, Kassie was showing off a stunning, pink diamond, engagement ring. Alex gave me a full description of this ring and Kassie. How cool is that? Certainly made me smile.Take care all!Nic The Arrival, on Amazon or UK Amazon
August 28, 2011
Must be Monday...
Okay so for you lucky critters in the Northern Hemisphere you're not there quite yet (and I'm hoping none of you have done a Dorothy over the weekend with the crazy ass weather) but it's early here in NZ when I'm posting this and it's Monday. After a few weeks of no Friday Funnies I feel we are in need of Monday Funnies. Enjoy!
Take care all!Nic The Arrival, on Amazon or UK Amazon
Take care all!Nic The Arrival, on Amazon or UK Amazon
August 25, 2011
A very cool idea - thought up by a Kiwi, naturally *grin*
Ever heard of it before? It's a relatively new and (I think) super exciting concept!
Essentially it is music set to your ebook and designed to change appropriately as you read. I'm not pretending to understand the mechanics of it at all but from what I read in the Herald (one of NZ's newspapers) the basic idea is that the music keeps pace with the story as you read it. So in the slow moments it's easy going and in the exciting bits its tension filled. How cool is that!! I personally find music a huge inspiration to my writing and there are even tracks I recognize in my mind as scenes.
Here's a hint of a spoiler from book two, Awakening. 'Heaven help us' by My Chemical Romance is locked in my mind as 'the harpy scene'.
So the idea that not too far in the foreseeable future authors will be able to do this, it's so darn exciting! I want all the books I love to have this, how much fun would that be? Okay, tell me one of your favorite scenes from a book and what music you'd love to hear playing as you read it.Take care all!Nic The Arrival, on Amazon or UK Amazon
August 24, 2011
Introducing Patricia Lynne and Being Human
Patricia is a blogging buddy (and twitter pal too!) who is bringing out her first self-published title! And yes this cover is the beautiful handiwork of the lovely Keary Taylor. We blog buddies stick together. Have a read of this fantastic interview and go give Pat's book a whirl, I know I will be (once book two is done,I promise *grin*)
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself? I am a born and raised Michigander, lived in the upper part most of my life. I've always been creative, but it was mostly with drawing (not painting, I barely have the patience unless it's abstract.) What influenced my art was my Grandpa Beaudin. He did a lot of oil paintings and I loved them and wanted to do something creative as well. All though high school, I took art and went to Grand Valley State University for a 1.5 for art. I dropped out because I couldn't see where an art degree would take me besides teaching… I have the maternal instincts of a rock. In fact, a rock has more. About two years ago, I got a little idea and decided to write it down for fun. Then I got another. And another. They just kept coming! Honestly, sometimes I'd like to turn the ideas off.
Do you have a day job as well? Ugh, yes. It's not a bad job, it's just EARLY. I work at hotel/restaurant as the morning prep cook. I make sure the continental breakfast is stock (meaning sometimes I have to be in at 5:30am and I am not a morning person.) Plus I make muffins, desserts and pasta salads for banquets, weddings and the weekend salad bar.
When did you first consider yourself a writer? I think I have yet to consider myself a writer. Maybe it hasn't sunk in yet or won't until I finally have a published book in my hand.
Can you tell us about your upcoming book? It's a story about a boy, Tommy, who is a vampire and trying to figure out what being human means even though he doesn't remember being human. When I wrote it, I wanted to get away from the usual cliché of whining vampires. All the vampires seemed to bemoan their lost humanity and any vampires that didn't were the bad guys. I wanted a vampire who enjoyed being a vampire, killed humans and was the good guy. What I ended up with was Tommy. It's also a bit of a love story but not in a boy meets girl sense. It encompasses all kinds of love. Love for family, love for friends along with romantic love.
What made you decide to become an Independent author? I think I'm a control freak. LOL! I was going to go traditional at first, but with all the changes in the industry and after doing some research, Indie just felt like the better option. I could make the final decision on everything, pick my own cover and get the book out faster.
Is there any particular author or book that influenced you in any way either growing up or as an adult? Growing up, I read for pure enjoyment, I wasn't looking to books for inspiration. I do have an author who was the biggest inspiration for me to do this. Heather Brewer, author of Chronicles of Vladimir Todd (and soon The Slayer's Chronicles. <3 Joss.) I love her books and follow her and check her site regularly. I just felt if she could do it, then I could at least attempt to publish a book. Plus she loves Green Day and that is just adds a hundred awesome points to a person.
Is anything in your book based on real life experiences or purely all imagination? Does the small scene where Tommy's brother, Danny is talking with friends about some child abductions and one says "Kate is freaking out, she won't let Emmet out of her sight." count since my sister Katy has a son named Emmet and she can be a paranoid mom at times?
How did you come up with the title? I am horrible with titles. I can't sit and think up five different title possibilities for a story. One is pure luck.
What was your favourite chapter to write and why? I didn't do chapters; I did parts so I guess my favourite part is Part Three: Monsters. It was so fun writing Tommy's four year old niece, Mackenzie and giving her a child-like innocence. Favorite scene is when she's telling her mom about her day and Billy Duncan. Billy Duncan did this, Billy Duncan did that and her mom says, "Sounds like Billy Duncan has a crush on you." Mackenzie's reply is, "What? EW! Boys are gross, Mommy." I don't know if it will amuse readers but it amuses me.
How do you market your work? What avenues have you found to work best for your genre? I'm hoping this blog tour works really well. I have the book listed on Goodreads and a facebook fan page. You can find me on twitter too. I plan on joining the kindle boards because I hear that's a good thing to do and there a few kindle blogs I'm going to try to get on. I've asked a book reviewer I follow on twitter for a review (need to send him the book!) and plan on finding a few more. My biggest thing is to try it all and cross my fingers. I figure it doesn't matter if you go Indie or Traditional, in the end you're still crossing your fingers and hoping people find your book and buy it.
Where do you get your ideas? In bed. Sometimes the shower. Pretty much any place where it's inconvenient to have a pen and paper or computer. My mind is evil like that. Seriously, though? One story I got from a dream and a few others I've gotten inspiration from books. Being Human was partially inspired by MT Anderson's Thirsty. It ended with such a hopelessness for the character and I couldn't stop thinking up ways for a happy ending. Next thing I know, I have Tommy bouncing around in my head.
Take care all! Nic The Arrival, on Amazon or UK Amazon
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself? I am a born and raised Michigander, lived in the upper part most of my life. I've always been creative, but it was mostly with drawing (not painting, I barely have the patience unless it's abstract.) What influenced my art was my Grandpa Beaudin. He did a lot of oil paintings and I loved them and wanted to do something creative as well. All though high school, I took art and went to Grand Valley State University for a 1.5 for art. I dropped out because I couldn't see where an art degree would take me besides teaching… I have the maternal instincts of a rock. In fact, a rock has more. About two years ago, I got a little idea and decided to write it down for fun. Then I got another. And another. They just kept coming! Honestly, sometimes I'd like to turn the ideas off.
Do you have a day job as well? Ugh, yes. It's not a bad job, it's just EARLY. I work at hotel/restaurant as the morning prep cook. I make sure the continental breakfast is stock (meaning sometimes I have to be in at 5:30am and I am not a morning person.) Plus I make muffins, desserts and pasta salads for banquets, weddings and the weekend salad bar.
When did you first consider yourself a writer? I think I have yet to consider myself a writer. Maybe it hasn't sunk in yet or won't until I finally have a published book in my hand.
Can you tell us about your upcoming book? It's a story about a boy, Tommy, who is a vampire and trying to figure out what being human means even though he doesn't remember being human. When I wrote it, I wanted to get away from the usual cliché of whining vampires. All the vampires seemed to bemoan their lost humanity and any vampires that didn't were the bad guys. I wanted a vampire who enjoyed being a vampire, killed humans and was the good guy. What I ended up with was Tommy. It's also a bit of a love story but not in a boy meets girl sense. It encompasses all kinds of love. Love for family, love for friends along with romantic love.
What made you decide to become an Independent author? I think I'm a control freak. LOL! I was going to go traditional at first, but with all the changes in the industry and after doing some research, Indie just felt like the better option. I could make the final decision on everything, pick my own cover and get the book out faster.
Is there any particular author or book that influenced you in any way either growing up or as an adult? Growing up, I read for pure enjoyment, I wasn't looking to books for inspiration. I do have an author who was the biggest inspiration for me to do this. Heather Brewer, author of Chronicles of Vladimir Todd (and soon The Slayer's Chronicles. <3 Joss.) I love her books and follow her and check her site regularly. I just felt if she could do it, then I could at least attempt to publish a book. Plus she loves Green Day and that is just adds a hundred awesome points to a person.
Is anything in your book based on real life experiences or purely all imagination? Does the small scene where Tommy's brother, Danny is talking with friends about some child abductions and one says "Kate is freaking out, she won't let Emmet out of her sight." count since my sister Katy has a son named Emmet and she can be a paranoid mom at times?
How did you come up with the title? I am horrible with titles. I can't sit and think up five different title possibilities for a story. One is pure luck.
What was your favourite chapter to write and why? I didn't do chapters; I did parts so I guess my favourite part is Part Three: Monsters. It was so fun writing Tommy's four year old niece, Mackenzie and giving her a child-like innocence. Favorite scene is when she's telling her mom about her day and Billy Duncan. Billy Duncan did this, Billy Duncan did that and her mom says, "Sounds like Billy Duncan has a crush on you." Mackenzie's reply is, "What? EW! Boys are gross, Mommy." I don't know if it will amuse readers but it amuses me.
How do you market your work? What avenues have you found to work best for your genre? I'm hoping this blog tour works really well. I have the book listed on Goodreads and a facebook fan page. You can find me on twitter too. I plan on joining the kindle boards because I hear that's a good thing to do and there a few kindle blogs I'm going to try to get on. I've asked a book reviewer I follow on twitter for a review (need to send him the book!) and plan on finding a few more. My biggest thing is to try it all and cross my fingers. I figure it doesn't matter if you go Indie or Traditional, in the end you're still crossing your fingers and hoping people find your book and buy it.
Where do you get your ideas? In bed. Sometimes the shower. Pretty much any place where it's inconvenient to have a pen and paper or computer. My mind is evil like that. Seriously, though? One story I got from a dream and a few others I've gotten inspiration from books. Being Human was partially inspired by MT Anderson's Thirsty. It ended with such a hopelessness for the character and I couldn't stop thinking up ways for a happy ending. Next thing I know, I have Tommy bouncing around in my head.
Take care all! Nic The Arrival, on Amazon or UK Amazon
August 23, 2011
I'm blaming the snow…
I have a cold and it sucks. You know the drill so I won't go into details except to say I am doing a fantastic zombie impersonation at the moment ;p To make it even better I'm having to go through a spreadsheet of tiny numbers at work and it feels like the hardest thing in the world right now! It is good for keeping my mind off my draft. I'm still waiting for my critiquer to get it back to me and not surprisingly it's on my mind constantly. And this is even with my cold addled 3 second memory. If your brain is like a sponge then mine is currently soaked in snot *cackle* okay I'll bet that grosses out more than one person.
But as I wait I'm reading a f-a-n-t-a-s-t-i-c book on grammar that is currently on the free lists on Amazon. So if you have a kindle or have a kindle app go get it now!! It's called Grammatically Correct, by Anne Stilman. It's pretty rare to find a textbook that doesn't make you want to go to sleep and this is one of them. I'm only 1/4 of the way through and have learned heaps already. So as I wait to tackle the draft of Awakening I'm learning and applying what I learn to The Arrival as I prepare it for Createspace (paperback). While doing all this I had a 'light bulb' moment but on second thoughts I've decided it won't work. I thought about bolding the first word of every point of view change in the e-version of The Arrival. After giving this a shot I can confirm it's an epic fail. It is horribly distracting ;p I guess it's just going to be one of those things *grin* and anyway most those who love The Arrival get the hang of it in the first chapter - or don't even notice. I am so looking forward to seeing it in paperback, very, very exciting! Just as with everything writing related it seems to be taking forever. Oh well patience is a virtue ;pTake care all! Nic The Arrival, on Amazon or UK Amazon
August 18, 2011
A fight for freedom - help free Morgan!
I read about Morgan in the New Zealand Herald today (captive orca going mad) and her story just makes me feel ill. Please help by signing the petition here and by sharing this article and any article on Morgan you find. This girl needs to go home! The following is from the website Free Morgan.com
Morgan, a young wild orca, is currently being held in captivity in the Netherlands. She does not belong in a tank. She belongs in the ocean.In late June, 2010, a young orca was seen in the Wadden Sea, off the coast of the Netherlands. The little orca appeared to be ill, so she was captured and brought to the Harderwijk Dolfinarium, a captive facility about an hour from Amsterdam. She was named Morgan. For more than a year, she has been living in a small tank at the dolphinarium. She is currently on display, where visitors can see her every afternoon – an interesting experience for visitors, but for Morgan, it's like living in a prison.The Dutch government permitted her capture on the basis that she would be rehabilitated and then released back to the wild.On December 10, 2010, the dolphinarium announced that she would not be returned to the wild. Morgan doesn't belong in captivity. She doesn't belong to a private company which sells tickets to see her. She belongs in the ocean. Anyone who cares about orcas should insist that Morgan be returned to the wild. In July, 2011, it was announced that Morgan would be moved to an amusement park called Loro Parque, in the Canary Islands, and the Dutch government issued a permit for her to be exported.On August 3, 2011, a group of activists supporting Morgan scored a victory in an Amsterdam court. The group, called Orca Coalition, went to court to prevent Morgan from being sent to Loro Parque. They won their case against the Dutch government ministry responsible for Morgan, and therefore Morgan won't be sent off to the Canary Islands. However, she will still remain in a tank in Harderwijk, and her long-term fate is still unknown. It will depend on the activists and the dolphinarium working together to find a solution.
Please share this post! And you can friend a facebook page for Morgan too, here.
Take care all!Nic The Arrival, on Amazon or UK Amazon
Morgan, a young wild orca, is currently being held in captivity in the Netherlands. She does not belong in a tank. She belongs in the ocean.In late June, 2010, a young orca was seen in the Wadden Sea, off the coast of the Netherlands. The little orca appeared to be ill, so she was captured and brought to the Harderwijk Dolfinarium, a captive facility about an hour from Amsterdam. She was named Morgan. For more than a year, she has been living in a small tank at the dolphinarium. She is currently on display, where visitors can see her every afternoon – an interesting experience for visitors, but for Morgan, it's like living in a prison.The Dutch government permitted her capture on the basis that she would be rehabilitated and then released back to the wild.On December 10, 2010, the dolphinarium announced that she would not be returned to the wild. Morgan doesn't belong in captivity. She doesn't belong to a private company which sells tickets to see her. She belongs in the ocean. Anyone who cares about orcas should insist that Morgan be returned to the wild. In July, 2011, it was announced that Morgan would be moved to an amusement park called Loro Parque, in the Canary Islands, and the Dutch government issued a permit for her to be exported.On August 3, 2011, a group of activists supporting Morgan scored a victory in an Amsterdam court. The group, called Orca Coalition, went to court to prevent Morgan from being sent to Loro Parque. They won their case against the Dutch government ministry responsible for Morgan, and therefore Morgan won't be sent off to the Canary Islands. However, she will still remain in a tank in Harderwijk, and her long-term fate is still unknown. It will depend on the activists and the dolphinarium working together to find a solution.
Please share this post! And you can friend a facebook page for Morgan too, here.
Take care all!Nic The Arrival, on Amazon or UK Amazon
August 17, 2011
Sometimes you just need a damn good read
Okay I wasn't going to do my big review of this book because technically speaking it's not available yet. Why? Because the author scored a contract with a publishing firm after a phenomenal performance on the New York Best Seller list and her book is being re-edited with extra stuff put in then re-released next Feb (I think). I'm talking about Diary of a Mad Fat Girl by Stephanie McAfee.Today is a meh day. Nothing is going quite as planned and thanks to the storms raging overhead during the night I have had a really crud sleep and all the passion I normally live with has relocated to Florida.. Or at least somewhere waayyyy warmer than here. The exciting adrenaline inducing snow storms have now dropped to nasty miserable wet and sleety storms. Not fun. The white stuff around the house is gone but at least we got some pretty pictures. The weather now is a lot more Wellington norm. Anyhoo. I decided to re-read Stephanie's book today. It's one of those reads (for me) that I just love. Ace, the main character is doing everything I want to be doing right now but don't have the 'eh' for ;p Okay so I don't want to be doing it all but I am seriously wishing I was as quick witted as this character is. I'd sooo love be telling certain peoples where to stick it at the moment. Actually that list is getting longer by the second (..it may be that time of the month…).Don't you just love that book? The one that makes you laugh and blurs by remarkably fast while you let your inner self run havoc in its pages (okay, e-pages - you get the drift). It is the best tonic for me at the moment and that's what I love about indie e-books. Cheap to buy and when you find a gem OMG it's so nice not to find an over edited, dumbed down version of a story you might have enjoyed. I really do feel the best writers I read appear to write for themselves, FIRST, rather than what's popular or easy. The fans that love it just happen to be on the same wavelength *grin*.Okay I'm rambling, have a great evening/day peoples.
Take care all!Nic The Arrival, on Amazon or UK Amazon
August 15, 2011
Crazy Beautiful
It's snowing in Wellington - even the CBD. The first time I've ever seen it like this and the first time many have seen it like this. It's also my first time in 'proper' snow *grin* There have been thunderclaps and lightning flashes as well and two power cuts!! Absolutely crazy. Here are some pics and I'll keep it short before we lose power again : )
Not impressive to those who get snow I'm sure, but if you consider that we're getting snow flurries in Auckland, something that was last recorded in 1930 you might get an idea of how WOW this is to us right now *grin*Take care all! Nic The Arrival, on Amazon or UK Amazon
Not impressive to those who get snow I'm sure, but if you consider that we're getting snow flurries in Auckland, something that was last recorded in 1930 you might get an idea of how WOW this is to us right now *grin*Take care all! Nic The Arrival, on Amazon or UK Amazon
