Nicole MacDonald's Blog, page 24

Been and being - a basic lesson

I've figured out what Thursday's are!! Writing tips - common mistakes that everyone makes.  I'll start a new page to add these to so you (and me!) have a quick reference if you need it.  Speaking of new pages have you noticed all the extra's I added last night?  Several pages for The Arrival including the first five chapters if you wanted to have a 'try before buy' read of it *grin*.  And as mentioned previously, if you notice any errors just let me know so I can correct it!  I'm sure all you writers out there know exactly how hard it is to spot them after you've gone over it so many times *lol*  And onto the weekly writing tip!
This one is a common mistake for me if I'm not paying attention and I'm sure others find the same too.  So here's a quick reference from Maeve Maddox at Daily Writing Tips 
Been is the past participle form of the verb to be. It is used with the auxiliary verbs has, have, and had to form perfect tenses:
How long has it been since you were in Paris?
He had been writing that novel for thirty years when he died.
How long have you been living here?
Being is the present participle form of the verb to be. It is used with the auxiliaries is, are, was, and were to form continuous tenses:
Mary is being difficult.
The letter is being written.
It is used as a verbal, a word that partakes of both verb and noun:
Being polite is more productive than being rude.
The word being can also be used a noun meaning "creature."
No human being should be homeless.
I watched a movie about a being from outer space.
Being can also mean "existence."
We are called from nothingness into being.
In the expression "for the time being," it means "the present."
We'll leave him in charge for the time being.

Nobody freak out..

I've set my e-book price back to $2.99.  I did say the cheap-ass price of .99c wouldn't last forever and while I may drop it back down again for a period of time I do feel it is worth the $2.99 price tag.  I hope this doesn't put anyone off the thought of it.  Sales have slowed a little anyway so I'm a little curious to see what happens if I raise it up for a bit and then drop it again.. maybe ;p  (and if you want it cheap, grab it NOW before the new price rolls over!)
Oh and WELCOME! To all my new followers - fellow crusaders I suspect J I hope you enjoy my blog and I look forward to visiting yours *grin*  I'm in the process of working out certain days for certain posts.  It'll make posting a tad easier to plan and you'll know when to pop on to read something of interest.  There is the minor issue of you lot in the Northern Hemisphere being a day behind us (slowpokes ;p) but I guess I'll just welcome you into the new day a little earlier.  So far I have planned..
Mondays - Which Actor will play whom? - as in if/when *wink* my book is turned into a movie who I 'envision' playing which characters.  I do encourage feed back on this from those who've read my book.
Tuesdays - Will be riddles (why? Dunno just occurred to me ;p winsome and all that) and the first to solve the riddle will get a free copy of my book in their preferred format (anything but hardcopy *lol*)
Wednesdays - Book review!  Now I have a slight issue with this… one is that I may not get a book read every week.  Not that I'm slow!! But time, when working and writing book 2, can be a little scarce.  The second issue I have is that I'd like to provide an honest review.. but I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings.  This makes reviewing rather tricky!  Okay I'm thinking that I'll be as honest as possible WITHOUT providing negative thoughts and any extra feedback I'll let the author know personally.  Does this sound okay?  I have two books lined up for review at the moment and I'd like to do a bit of an interview with every author whose book I review.
Thursday…*pffftt* not so sure yet.. still thinking… suggestions are welcome!?!
Friday - Aha! Friday Funnies.  Could be people/animals/videos OR if you have a funny pic you'd like to submit send it through J be sure to provide a caption and send it to this address nicole@thebirthrighttrilogy.com (and thanks Nate for sorting out my cool new e-mail address!)
Saturday and Sunday - not so sure either.. may just make these 'whatever' goes days *grin*
And for any fellow indie authors out there wanting advertising space, I'm very happy to provide you a spot on the left (and yeah I just checked my hands for the 'L' to figure out left…) like the lovely Mary McDonald has.  It'd just be in exchange for a spot for my book on your blog.  I'm also going to arrange a space somewhere (and may be reorganizing blog a little) for the 'review of the week' book. 
And a general question - do you think it's worth me having a separate blog for my Trilogy or should I just add pages for it to this blog?  Gd you'd think I was nesting or something!! ( I'm NOT! By the way ;p) I just have this weird urge to be organized.. blame the earth moving *grin*
This new 'schedule' for my blog will begin officially next week.. but I may start earlier J
Take care all!Nic The Arrival, only .99c on Amazon or .71p on UK Amazon or .99c on Smashwords Buy it today (while it's still cheap!)

Monday Madness! Character pictures (who I want to play them) Introducing Sian

This is a fun game that anyone can play with a favourite book.  Every Monday I am going to introduce you to one of the characters in my book and the picture is going to be who I'd love to imagine playing them in a movie!  I'm trying to get people who fit the build and then on photoshop I'm adjusting the colours as necessary *grin* Nothing serious just for fun and those who've read the book please do comment on your thoughts!  Debate is totally welcome : )  


This week I'm introducing Sian - played by Glee actress Jayma Mays!  Obviously I had to adjust her hair colour and eyes *lol* but Jayma has the cute factor down perfect and I could just imagine her being positively  vicious when necessary *grin*  And of course Sian is meant to have hair that falls to mid back.. 



Take care all! Nic The Arrival, only .99c on Amazon or .71p on UK Amazon or .99c on Smashwords Buy it today!

A productive day

Not so much writing wise (though I'm working on correcting that - and if you count the two reviews it's SUPER productive *grin*).  But for our Sunday so far we've..
Washed the dogs - and now they feel soft and silky and smell GREAT!

  Begun to master our brand new coffee machine (which we got for a mean price thanks to it being a display model *wee*)
Found a pump for the water fountain that Audrey (Sandra's daughter) gave me.  She found the fountain at a garage sale for $5 but it's never worked so she insisted I have it.  Yes.. you should see some of the donations she's given me over the years *grin* but this one I'm chuffed with as I've always wanted an indoor fountain! And the pump I found was only $18 postage included which is awesome cause at Bunnings they are $40+

Made dinner already so all we have to do is re-heat *Yay* And with a little of the extra mixture I made my very first pies in my pie machine! I can get two pies out of 1 piece of pastry and 2/3's of filling.  Super easy meals!
Griffon has claimed the dogs toys ;p
And then the house has been vacuumed and dusted (thank you honey!) and I've hung all the washing out to dry in the scorcher day.  Whew! I think that's all for the moment.  Going to have a shot at getting some pages written now J Hope your Sunday/Saturday is going well!
Take care all!Nic The Arrival, only .99c on Amazon or .71p on UK Amazon or .99c on Smashwords Buy it today!

And then a four star review!

WHEW! These reviews are flying up!  God the feeling when I pop on to Amazon and see the extra number - it feels like one of those rides that just drop you.  The stomach plunge hits me every time I look for the newest review *grin*  If you do ever pop onto Amazon to look at my book do you mind hitting the 'yes' button for all good reviews? I had someone start to down-vote them which was very annoying.  Anyhoo here's the four star review! And I got compared to another author!! A first time for that : )

4.0 out of 5 stars Light hearted and fun, well worth giving a go!, February 26, 2011By Kathleen - See all my reviewsAmazon Verified PurchaseThis review is from: The Arrival (BirthRight Trilogy) (Kindle Edition)I initially struggled with the beginning of the book because I didn't like how the multiple POVs were done. I am used to works where if there is multiple POVs they are all in third person and there are clear section or chapter breaks before switching. MacDonald's POV switches are confusing at first, but I instantly fell in love with the characters and was pretty sure I'd like the plot so I persevered. I am glad I did! The style of POV switching gelled with me rather early on (the first fight scene) and I found that it ended up working quite well. I loved the author's voice and humour throughout the book. 

The characters were great and I was right about loving the plot! I am currently reading Traci Harding's The Ancient Future and think if you like that you will probably like The Arrival also. Both have very similar themes (strong female leads who can defend themselves, transported elsewhere and fall in love etc) but The Arrival is much more light-hearted and humorous and I found it to be a faster read with a less complicated storyline. 
The Arrival is a light and fun read and its well worth $1 to see if it amuses you!  

Happy Dance!

I've got another five star review!!  I was at my friend Sandra's house finally catching up and downloading the kindle app to her PC so she could read my book.  For those of you that have read my book Sandra is whom the character Kassie (Kassandra) is based on and I also borrowed her daughters names for characters - Cat & Audi.  As I was explaining to her how to do the one click buy we suddenly realised that the reviews had just changed from 9 to 10.  With an excited gasp and frantic scrambling of the mouse we found the new review and read it.  Have a read!
5.0 out of 5 stars Arrival (Birthright Trilogy Book 1) by B. Sharp, February 25, 2011By This review is from: The Arrival (BirthRight Trilogy) (Kindle Edition)My thoughts: 
I have just finished reading the book (CAN'T believe the cliffhanger ending) and am DYING to get my hands on book 2! 

The fast version: This is a fantastic read! The characters are incredible, the story is entertaining as well as well written, and the world building is amazing! The love story twisted in with the magic and the fantastical creatures is great. It is an all around MUST read! 

The not so fast version: 
Nicole puts together incredible characters. There are humans, dogs, cats, dragons, griffins, centaurs, more types of creatures than I can name! Each is described in detail, regardless of how big or small a role they play! Each is given a personality that endears them to you from the first meeting! Okay, some of them are less endearing - Jenviet for instance (she's the "bad guy"). I was thrilled by the interactions of the griffins and the Griffin Guard and I love that Cat is able to communicate with Loushka even though she is not linked to her. 

Of course the fact that all four of the women are strong, independent, and capable makes me love them. I was excited that they could bring all their defense, attack, and protection skills to their new world and share them with others. The interactions of the women with the military men when faced with training are classic. The four main characters are fantastic, but the men!!! Nicole has created men that I go crazy for! I love that there are 5 Griffin Guards and that four are single and one is married to such a great woman. I know it could seem corny that there are four women searching for soul-mates and suddenly... but truly - could it work any other way? I enjoyed the differences in the four couples and was impressed with the thought and energy that has gone into creating them for us. The characters are the perfect blend of serious and funny. 

The author does a great job at world-building for the reader. The world that the women find themselves in after the spell is cast is described in detail, from the scenery to the animals. As a reader, it is easy to place yourself right there with them. 

This is a page turner, I found myself unwilling to put it down to do anything else. I was enthralled by wanting to know MORE!
Sandra and I did the excited squeals and happy dance.  Then Audrey came in to see what was happening and joined in *grin*.  It was so much fun catching up and I'm now booked in to stay the last Saturday of every month at their place like I used to when I volunteered for the animal shelter.  This review has me smiling so much!  It's the best feeling in the world to know someone's fallen in love with your story J
Ooo and just watched, Love and Other Drugs, with Anne Hathaway and Jake Gyllenhaal.  SO enjoyable.  Pulls at the heart strings (you'll want a couple of tissues) and makes you SMILE!  The chemistry between the two leads is incredible.

Thrown through a loop and putting it in perspective

On Monday this week I applied to have Wed, Thurs & Fri off to work on my draft.  I really, really wanted it to be done by the end of Feb so I didn't have to panic about it.  Let's face it first drafts are vital but messy so it really was just a matter of getting the information down so you can polish it in to something that is practically unidentifiable to the original form.  
Then as most of you will know the earthquake hit Tuesday lunchtime, half an hour before Nat and I would normally do our lunchtime stair climbing.  Here in Wellington it was just a gentle sway on the 21st floor where we are.  I actually wasn't sure I'd felt anything at first and promptly went onto the Geonet site online to see if I had felt one.  There wasn't an update for a couple of minutes and then one came through.  At first I was confused because it said it was in Christchurch and on Monday not Tuesday.  Then my brain clicked in.
It said Monday - international time.  And the reason it said Christchurch was because what we'd felt had just been the tail end of a monster shake.  I stared open mouthed at the screen when I read the depth - 5km - and knew instantly that was far too shallow to be good.  Living in NZ and on the ring of fire means most of us are aware of what a big quake looks like.
I jammed on my headset (receptionist) and hurried out the back via the kitchen.  The caterers were lounging there waiting for the meeting in the boardroom to break so they could take in the next course.  One glance at my white face had them crowding close.  It felt awful telling and watching their faces flinch and pale.  Out the back in the retail section there was an ominous silence and all my colleagues were flicking shocked glances at each other.  We couldn't turn on the TV yet as it needed to be turned on in the Boardroom first.  The PA to our CEO was in hushed conversation with my manager and I realised from the snippets I heard that our Christchurch staff were stuck in their building.  The staircase had collapsed and they were on the 12 floor. 
The next few hours were tense as the meeting broke for lunch and members of the meeting scrambled for phones to check for loved ones and colleagues.  It was such a shock because the September earthquake we'd snuck through and now, right now in front of us, buildings were crumpled.  Toppled like a child's toy.  As we watched the live footage an aftershock hit and pieces of the cathedral sheared off before our eyes.  People screamed and ran.  It was unreal. 
These three days off have felt like ten.  I've managed to get all of twelve pages typed.  Every few minutes my fingers would sneak from the keyboard to the mouse and I'd be scanning the news sites before I knew it.  Tears slipping down my face as I read the horrific stories while my fists were clenched with the aching desire to help.  So close! Yet so, so far away.  From the news sites to Facebook and twitter, reading all the things I could do to help.  Volunteering for Search and Rescue and getting the rushed reply of  'thanks, you and hundreds others are on the list'.  So I guess this is what happens.  This is what everyone who survives a disaster, natural or otherwise goes through.  
And these things happen every single day.  They shatter the lives of a select group and it reverberates out till those on the very outer feel sympathy and share hope but otherwise go on with their lives.  It makes you feel ridiculously guilty for all the times you glanced at the paper and felt that 'ooo' of sympathy.  And then turned the page.
But this is what we do.  And it's what we're meant to do.  Survive.  Re-work plans.  Change situations.  Adapt.  It's what makes humans such a voracious species.  The harder the fall the bigger the lesson. 
And through it all one thing remains constant.  We need each other.  Without each other we can't survive.  As independent as we might like to be we cannot live without one another. 
What lesson do I learn from all this?  Be grateful.  And be helpful.  Volunteer to help others because one day you may need it.  Learn the basics to survive and have your disaster kit ready.  And most importantly, cherish life.  Yes your world may be turned upside down but others no longer exist.  They no longer have the option of stepping up to another challenge thrown to them by life.  Challenge is what makes us thrive and one way or another, we will survive.  Hug those who live and remember those who don't and honour their memories by surviving.  And thriving. 
…okay I really shouldn't drink coffee this late…..
Take care all! And never leave an argument unfinished - you'd hate not to have the chance to tell that person you cared for them again..
Nic
p.s - I'm finishing the draft by the end of March - am off to bake for the bake-off event

Inspiration to join Search & Rescue

Hell it only took two major earthquakes.  I am a little ashamed it's taken this long but I've taken the first step along with hundreds of other Kiwi's.  Which means the waiting list might be long and I may not even be required… but I hope I am and I'm hoping all those years of going bush and running with the dogs' means I might be slightly higher in experience than others.  Not that it's a race but if you hadn't noticed by now I'm a person who likes to do things.  My dad was often involved in Search & Rescue and I really should have done this earlier.. better late than never I guess.  We've already donated to the Red Cross and the SPCA but with all these reports coming through it just makes you itch to do more.  A friend of ours is in Kapiti at the moment waiting for deployment to Christchurch and I have to confess when he texted me that, that I had a moment of pure envy, it's crazy how much everyone just wants to HELP.  Sitting in the other island watching the news reports feels downright useless at the moment.  Even more frustrating is that I took three days leave this week so am at home today, tomorrow and Friday.  It was my intention to finish my draft and I gave myself a kinda insane goal of 50 pages a day.. so far I've managed 10 *sigh*.. it's very hard to keep away from the news sites and facebook etc.
Again my thoughts are with you Christchurch!! Take care and be safe everyone and thanks SO MUCH to all the lovely thoughts and comments from all you fellow bloggers.  Every single one is appreciated. 
And again if you have a spare dollar hit the donate button at the top left - cause every dollar counts!

Fellow Kiwi's in NZ - got a spare bed?

And are you willing to offer it to a quake survivor?  Follow this link and put on your details and please pass this link on to EVERYONE!  C'mon if you're like me you're wanting to help in some way.  This is an easy solution for those who don't have specialist skills or much spare cash to donate.  A safe place away from the quake zone means a lot to anyone who's lost everything.  It's something small in the long run I know but so helpful in the immediate time frame.  Please consider this!
Break from the Quake

This is bad, really bad

If you haven't yet heard of the earthquake that hit Christchurch today let me enlighten you.  At around 12.50pm today (Tuesday) Christchurch was slammed with a 6.3 magnitude earthquake a mere 5km deep.  One seriously violent quake. 
Technically speaking this was an aftershock from the September earthquake but the shallowness of it meant it was far more violent.  People are dead, no doubt about it.  Here in Wellington we felt a mild sway - it's just crazy. It seems so unreal to have happened again and have happened worse.  Ten staff members from our Christchurch office were still stuck in their building when I left work (5pm) due to the staircase collapsing.  Everyone in the office was somber faced and racing for a phone.  Too many people are still unaccounted for and it's just awful.  Apparently the Army will be sent in to help but it's going to take so much more than that.  We hadn't even got over the devastation of the last one.  I guess they do say things come in three.  Hell I hope so.  After the first earthquake then the mine collapsing this was just unthinkable.  My heart goes out to all those affected by it and I hope we'll soon know how we can help.  It's just trying to know what to do first?  Send food parcels?  Water?  Or offer to billet people if they need it.. so many will need it!  It's awful been stuck here watching all the images on TV and not being able to do anything.
Please send all your thoughts and prayers to Christchurch, they need every single one.
UPDATE: 65 deaths confirmed so far.