Nicole MacDonald's Blog, page 7

Choosing between first and third person…

With my draft now in the hands of editor extraordinaire (otherwise know as Trish!) I’m having to find new writing projects. Okay not exactly having to ‘find’ them, rather I’m trying to tame the multitude of crazy ideas into some actual plots. But when I went to start a new draft, I got a little stumped with the point of view. If you’ve read The Arrival and Awakening, you’ll know I just can’t choose! I love both styles and mixing them up makes sense – in my head anyway *grin*But if I could choose just one?I’m really not sure. Most the books I love are in first person but then I love some phenomenal books that are written in third person too. And do I have to choose? Actually yes, I think I do. For the next two plots I’m working on I want the focus to be just on the single person, but if I write in third person I don’t think it feels as ‘real’ as in first. And if I write in first then I don’t get to show the reader as much of the world as I’d like.Ahhhh… decisions! As a reader or writer (or both) what is your preference?
Take care all!Nic The Arrival, available FREE at at Amazon : Barnes&Noble : iTunes : Kobo : Smashwords Awakening available at Amazon : AmazonUK : Barnes&Noble : Smashwords : itunes

Happy Halloween!

It's actually a day late in the Southern Hemisphere (Happy Beltane!) but for everyone else it's Halloween, so here's some pics to make you smile.











Take care all!Nic The Arrival, available FREE at at Amazon : Barnes&Noble : iTunes : Kobo : Smashwords Awakening available at Amazon : AmazonUK : Barnes&Noble : Smashwords : itunes

A virtual tour with Goddess Fish promotions - would you like to host me?

The fabulous girls at Goddess Fish Promotions are arranging a blog tour for me and if you'd like to be involved just pop through to this link. It's promoting The Arrival to hopefully engage a wider audiences interest in the BirthRight Trilogy and the tour starts mid November and runs till March so for most those who do pick up a free copy of The Arrival, by the time they finish it Feel the Burn will be available! I thought it a good way (hopefully) to make the big announcement to the world that the Trilogy is complete. And chances are that I'll be so brain fried from getting Feel the Burn out in time that this tour will allow a necessary reprieve *grin* So, if you or anyone you know has a blog and would like to host me, get in touch with Goddess Fish please! I believe they have some requirements for those that host authors and they'll chat with you about that.

Thanks & take care all!Nic The Arrival, available FREE at at Amazon : Barnes&Noble : iTunes : Kobo : Smashwords Awakening available at Amazon : AmazonUK : Barnes&Noble : Smashwords : itunes

It gives me shivers… the official cover to Feel the Burn!

It’s funny how things happen at times. I found a picture I thought would work for the cover; it was as close to what seemed right in my head. This is the picture. Then we hit a snag – could I find it anywhere to confirm if it was royalty free or if it could be purchased royalty free? No. Even with emailing a couple of places that had it on their websites, I got no response (and I’m gonna hazard a guess that they don’t know either). So (as some of you will know) I posted it on my facebook page asking if anyone knew. Lots of people ‘liked’ it and one reader, Lisa Vella, replied that she liked playing on Photoshop and would give it a shot. Truth be told, I didn’t really expect anything to happen from that. Mainly because I often get a lot of enthusiasm from fans of the Trilogy but understandably real life tends to get in the way of those grand ideas. Anyhoo, surprise surprise, Lisa sends her first attempt to me (see pic) I’m impressed and now curious – how good could this be? So I send my thoughts and again try to think nothing of it. Then I get this. Now I’m getting excited, finally I can start to visualize the actual image I want for the cover – something I haven’t known for certain till now! Emails and various attempts fire back and forth between us until it gets really close. Now I know how I want it, precisely.For The Arrival’s cover, the bit of forest and moon is reminiscent of the first night the girls are stuck in the forest on the outskirts of Lothost where they meet the Griffon Guard. For Awakening, the full moon over water is reminiscent of secrets revealed (the Moon in a tarot deck warns of secrets) and dark depths – as anyone who's finished Awakening will understand *grin*. This cover for Feel the Burn, it represents the shift from the innocent understanding of war/battle to the real, intense and brutal understanding. The strength required and acknowledgment that after this, you are forever changed…
Thank you, Lisa, for helping me to create a cover for the final of my Trilogy! It really does leave me speechless and I can’t wait to get all three covers printed onto canvas for my wall, the version of art I really do love *grin*For those of you who are aware I traditionally ask Keary to do my covers, this is by no means a slight against her, just a happy coincident that allowed me to discover another fantastic artist in the making. If anyone is interested in a cover by Lisa, I can let her know if you get in touch via my contact form.
Take care all!Nic The Arrival, available FREE at at Amazon : Barnes&Noble : iTunes : Kobo : Smashwords Awakening available at Amazon : AmazonUK : Barnes&Noble : Smashwords : itunes

Uhhhh! Brain is on creative overload!

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Why is it when you finally get the chance to rest (can’t work on draft till it’s back from editor – a forced break of 2-3 weeks) you can’t stop thinking?!? Ideas are pinging around inside my head like cicadas inside a car (random comparison – but after experiencing this first hand, trust me it fits ;p) and my fingers are itching with the need to write. I’m reading vocab lists (am I the only one who enjoys this? Seriously, I really LOVE reading them *lol*), Anna Karenina (good – very modern and *hee* MULTIPLE POV’S!!) while considering ideas for books after the Trilogy, prior to the Trilogy, a black comedy that has nothing to do with the Trilogy and a YA series (with NO love triangles!!! *shudder*).
For what feels like the umpteenth time I’m wishing for more hands, extra brains (*drool* braaiinnnzzzzz) and lotto so I don’t have to work – although funnily enough, part of me doesn’t want lotto because I get an awful lot of inspiration from every day life and the people I meet/observe. I do have the sequel to A wet & wild night to work on and I’m pleased with it though it does need re-writing (what doesn’t?) and I fixed a silly mistake in Awakening and updated it on Amazon/Smashwords (many thanks to Gladys for pointing out I’d used discrete instead of discreet ;p whoops!).
I have been invited to participate in a blog hop with Pat and I’m just pondering what I would ‘confess’ for it while also debating the best way to do some easy marketing for The Arrival (does it count when it’s free? *grin*), so if anyone out there wants to do an interview or feature on their blog (and I’m very happy to do one in exchange on mine) get in touch!
Now back to the crazy brain storming…


Take care all!Nic The Arrival, available FREE at at Amazon : AmazonUK : Barnes&Noble : iTunes : Kobo : Smashwords Awakening available at Amazon : AmazonUK : Barnes&Noble : Smashwords : itunes

The first draft is done! … Now feeling a little lost

I have been supremely slack with blogging of late, as you can all see, but there has been a good reason for it. I’ve been writing my ass off and now the first draft is done and off to the editor! Which is fantastic!! For the first time since beginning this trilogy I got to write ‘The End’. And now I feel a little at a loss. I intend to read heaps as I wait for the response from my editor, so I’ll have a variety of writing styles and words in my head before I begin re-writing. So I’m working at that while also tentatively working at plots for other books. A couple of series that have been at the back of my mind for a while as well as a stand alone novel. It is really weird how bereft I feel at the thought of ending the trilogy, but at least some ideas give way to follow up books, which would be lots of fun.

I just can’t shake this need to write! I thought by the end of the Trilogy I’d never want to approach it again. I only ever intended to write 1 novel (not 3) and then never intended to publish it and now look where I am *lol*. It’s really fantastic to meet the new fans of the books on the Trilogy’s facebook page and I do post on there much more frequently than here – it’s easier and makes me feel less guilty (‘why write a blog post when you can work on a story..’ ;p).

That’s the update for the moment, I’m still quite scramble brained after finishing the draft so if you do want to catch-up or chat, I recommend ‘liking’ the facebook page, it’s such an easy way to keep in touch!


Take care all!Nic The Arrival, available FREE at at Amazon : AmazonUK : Barnes&Noble : iTunes : Kobo : Smashwords Awakening available at Amazon : AmazonUK : Barnes&Noble : Smashwords : itunes

Seeing my name in print...

My first newspaper interview/article! With our fab local paper, the Wainuiomata News. Enjoy!




Just click on the article to open it in a new page so to read it. It was really exciting to get to do this and I'm very grateful for the fantastic opportunity, thanks Wainui News!



Take care all!Nic The Arrival, available at at Amazon : AmazonUK : Barnes&Noble : iTunes : Kobo : Smashwords Awakening available at Amazon : AmazonUK : Barnes&Noble : Smashwords : itunes

The joy of name checking..

In the midst of drafting today I screeched to a halt when I had to give a new creature a name. I found one I thought I might use and did the obligatory google to make sure it wasn't some very rude word. It isn't, but I'm not going to use it. Turns out it’s an acronym for Citizens Against UFO Secrecy.Yup. Seriously.Apparently it's also the name of a castle in Westbury, England. But back to the crazy (and my apologies to those of you in the USA), only-in-America group. According to Wiki, it is an activist organization founded in 1977 to make public government data on UFOs. It has made numerous Freedom of Information requests, filed suits, and investigated UFO reports and published its findings. The organization was originally established by W. Tod Zechel, Brad Sparks, and Peter Gerstein, but since 1998 is headed by Gerstein.I find it rather amusing that its headquarters are in Scottsdale, Arizona. Namely because one of my favorite authors, Diana Gabaldon, lives in Scottsdale and I'm more inclined to believe in her fictional rationality behind the Stonehenge's than I am in the existence of cover-up stories re UFO's. But each to their own.Name checking is always a good idea, that said, as long as you're not deliberately selecting an already constructed name because it sounds mystical (mystical to all those who don't understand the meaning, that is), you'll probably be okay. But if a name you've decided to use seems too familiar, you may want to check it out first. Other things you should keep an eye on when picking names? Be careful not to overuse a letter too much. I often lean toward names beginning with L, R, S so have to make sure I don't use them too often.Just a brief post as I draft, I'll get back into it. 51,000+ words and aiming for 150k for the first draft.. *sigh* a wee way to go still!Take care all!Nic The Arrival, available at at Amazon : AmazonUK : Barnes&Noble : iTunes : Kobo : Smashwords Awakening available at Amazon : AmazonUK : Barnes&Noble : Smashwords : itunes

A moment of relief

I won't lie, and you know I've said it before. Drafting is hard work, the first draft seems so incredibly clunky and horrible as you write it. I've just taken the time to re-read the first 70+ pages I've written and it does lift the weight on my shoulders a bit. It's not awful. Not half bad, actually. Sure there's plenty of changes/additions to be made, but it's SO good to know it isn't awful *lol* and I really am the harshest critic. It's tricky, because with the switching POV's there's SO much more I want to convey! Sometimes it feels like I'm writing ten different stories in one *grin* and I want each of those stories to have a part in it. It looks like at the moment I'll aim for a new deadline for getting the first draft done by the end of June.. and I really am going to work hard for that one! Hope you're all well, I'll chat to you later ; )Take care all!Nic The Arrival, available at at Amazon : AmazonUK : Barnes&Noble : iTunes : Kobo : Smashwords Awakening available at Amazon : AmazonUK : Barnes&Noble : Smashwords : itunes

Another random post: henna, no 'poo, and email's from readers

I'm not as far through Feel the Burn as I want to be, but that's pretty much to be expected when there's a fair amount of world building involved in the drafting. Already I know of at least three scenes I want to slot into what I've already written. It will be fab once this initial, messy, draft is done! In the meantime, I wanted to thank the lovely readers who've taken the time to get in touch via my contact form. Your emails really do make my day! I have a special folder for those emails in my outlook and they make me beam every time I look at them. Having people love the world/story you're creating is the best thing ever.
The no 'poo movement.
Is that a random enough title? *grin* Almost two months ago I picked up this fab book when it was on the free list. Though that said, had I known how immensely useful it would be I would certainly have paid for it.A bit of background. I'm not a natural redhead. My hair is actually predominantly white (and yes, I toy with the idea of having a white streak like Rogue—just cause I can ;p). I've been putting permanent dyes through it since I was 15 when the white was getting very obvious. Over the years I've done brown, dark brown (not good, everyone thought I was ill I looked so pale ;p), auburn, blonde and then RED! My favorite, not surprisingly, is red. But, the problem with all those chemicals going through your hair again and again is that it's SO damaging. My hair, while it looked okay in pics, had the texture of straw and I used to lose heaps of it in the shower when I washed it. Then it got worse and it stopped absorbing the dye. That's right, too many chemicals and hair can become dye resistant.So I began reading up on alternative options and came across Diane's blog. She hasn't used shampoo or conditioner in years and dyes her hair with henna. And it looks gorgeous.I can officially confirm that the no 'poo method is working beautifully for me and I haven't used shampoo or conditioner since reading her book and never intend to use them again. Instead I use a baking soda mix to clean my hair with (well diluted, I recommend reading the book so you don't screw this up! Too much and your scalp could be irritated) and then a cider vinegar rinse to condition it. Or, for a treat, honey.It all sounds crazy I know, but it really does work! And I love how the henna works in my hair. It does take more effort than out-the-bottle dye, but the colour is very Kim Possible *yay* and I can do my eyebrows too, without risking my eyesight!The first time I hennaed was quite the experience. I received the henna powder and dubiously followed the instructions for mixing it up the night before. It smells pretty bad and looks like you're stirring a giant cow patty. Not what I was expecting.My furry critter, Sable, watched disapprovingly from the other room and when Glenn came to see what we were doing, hurled herself at him in apology, as if to say 'It's not me! I don't know why she's doing it!' The dog already thinks I'm crazy for 'collecting' her poos on our walks, so she probably really did think I was playing with cow poo…It had to sit overnight and then the next day I plastered my hair with it. Then the next 5 (now I do it for 4) hours were spent with the green, smelly, cow patty stuff on my hair, thoroughly wrapped in plastic wrap. Thank GOD no one came to the door! *lol*But when you rinse that stuff off, oh my. The colour was gorgeous and the condition of my hair (henna is a really great treatment for hair, bonus!) was glorious. So I've been a convert ever since. I thought I'd share my experience incase anyone else is in a similar position or wanting to cut out some of the chemicals in their life.Take care all!Nic The Arrival, available at at Amazon : Barnes&Noble : iTunes : Kobo : Smashwords Awakening available at Amazon : AmazonUK : Barnes&Noble : Smashwords : itunes