Justin Swapp's Blog, page 12
November 3, 2012
NOOK Book Offers
With countless downloads of our recent Free Fridays title, Footsteps in the Dark, it is clear that Georgette Heyer is a huge hit with NOOK readers.
For a great introduction to why the Queen of Regency Romances work is so often referred to as sparkling, you can not go wrong with these reader favorites.
Venetia (1958) Beguiling, intelligent, and beautiful, she and the rakish Lord Damerel are clearly soulmates, and Venetia is both daring and brilliant in her solution to overcoming not only the barriers society puts in their path, but his doubts as well. As gorgeous and right a love match as any Darcy and Elizabeth.
An Infamous Army On the eve of the Battle of Waterloo, passions are running high in the dazzling society of Brussels. Not only a great love story, but Heyers telling of the Duke of Wellingtons campaign and the battle itself are so vivid and accurate, its been used at West Point to teach military history.
Famous artists paintings have earned world wide recognition in different periods of times. Famous painters paintings truly an asset for fine arts. There have been a great number of famous painters in different parts of the world in different periods of times. These include Marc Chagall, Salvador Dali, Leonardo Da Vinci, Paul Klee, Henri Matisse,Claude Monet, Pablo Picasso,Pierre Auguste Renoir,Henri Rousseau,Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec,Vincent Van Gogh,Andy Warhol.
Ordered List
Famous abstract paintings present the fine art at the highest level.
Famous abstract artists have been gratly greatly appreciated for their famous abstract oil paintings.
Picasso is one of the most famous abstract painter. Picasso became very famous because he work in multiple styles.
Famous paintings of Picasso are Guernica ,Three Musicians,The Three Dancers and Self Portrait: Yo Picasso.
Picasso famous paintings have earned him worldwide recognition.
Many famous flower paintings have been created by the outstanding flower painters. Famous Floral Oil Paintings are in wide range of styles. Famous floral fine art paintings are exquisite. Famous landscape paintings are the master pieces of fine art. Famous Landscape painters have created a great number of famous landscape paintings. Famous Landscape art has greatly been admired in all the periods of times. Famous contemporary landscape painters have successfully attained the mastery in the landscape art.
Still life fruit paintings and fruit bowl paintings make the famous fruit paintings. The highly skilled artists have also created the most famous paintings of rotting fruit. The modern famous artists are successful creating the masterpieces of still fruit oil paintings and oil pastel fruit paintings.
Famous still Life art depicts drinking glasses, foodstuffs, pipes, books and so on. Famous Still life paintings are indeed the master pieces of fine art. Woman portrait paintings make the famous portrait paintings. There are also famous portrait paintings of men. Famous portrait paintings of Oscar dela hova have been greatly appreciated. Japanese women portrait paintings are very popular in Japanese culture. In addition to women portrait paintings and portrait paintings of men, there are many famous pet portrait paintings and famous portrait paintings of houses and famous paintings of sports cars.
Famous modern galleries have produced the famous contemporary artists who have created many famous contemporary paintings. Famous oil paintings reproduction are also created in these famous galleries.
In addition to above styles, there are many famous paintings of other subjects. These include famous war paintings, famous paintings of jesus, famous figure paintings, religious famous paintings, famous paintings romantic, famous battle paintings, famous military paintings, famous sunset paintings, famous paintings of women, famous paintings of love, famous water paintings, famous acrylic paintings, famous paintings of buildings, famous dance paintings, famous dragon paintings, famous black paintings, famous paintings in the fall, famous paintings of cats, famous paintings of children, famous paintings of friends, famous paintings of christinaity, famous paintings of jesus and famous paintings of humanity. There are also famous native American paintings and famous Spanish paintings.
Barnes And Noble Spotlight
It was a step by step process. I thought the first book was a one off. When they bought it as a series, I was surprised. And every time a publisher bought two more books, I knew I was there for that many more anyway.
I started with the crime scene that is the start of the book. By the time that scene was over, I was looking at the world through J. P. Beaumonts eyes rather than my own. It has been that way ever since.
The First Theft:
The first documented case of art theft was in 1473, when two panels of altarpiece of the Last Judgment by the Dutch painter Hans Memling were stolen. While the triptych was being transported by ship from the Netherlands to Florence, the ship was attacked by pirates who took it to the Gdansk cathedral in Poland. Nowadays, the piece is shown at the National Museum in Gdansk where it was recently moved from the Basilica of the Assumption. The Most Famous Theft:
The most famous story of art theft involves one of the most famous paintings in the world and one of the most famous artists in history as a suspect. In the night of August 21, 1911, the Mona Lisa was stolen out of the Louver. Soon after, Pablo Picasso was arrested and questioned by the police, but was released quickly.
It took about two years until the mystery was solved by the Parisian police. It turned out that the 30×21 inch painting was taken by one of the museum employees by the name of Vincenzo Peruggia, who simply carried it hidden under his coat. Nevertheless, Peruggia did not work alone. The crime was carefully conducted by a notorious con man, Eduardo de Valfierno, who was sent by an art faker who intended to make copies and sell them as if they were the original painting.
While Yves Chaudron, the art faker, was busy creating copies for the famous masterpiece, Mona Lisa was still hidden at Peruggias apartment. After two years in which Peruggia did not hear from Chaudron, he tried to make the best out of his stolen good. Eventually, Peruggia was caught by the police while trying to sell the painting to an art dealer from Florence, Italy. The Mona Lisa was returned to the Louver in 1913.
Ten years later, The Scream was stolen again from the Munch Museum. This time, the robbers used a gun and took another of Munchs painting with them. While Museum officials waiting for the thieves to request ransom money, rumors claimed that both paintings were burned to conceal evidence. Eventually, the Norwegian police discovered the two paintings on August 31, 2006 but the facts on how they were recovered are not known yet.
Crimson Pact Author Interview
I was recently interviewed among a handful of other Crimson Pact Authors. I’ve included the interview below, but if you’d like, you can visit the original page on AlliterationInk’s site here.
Roundtable interview with ten of the Crimson Pact Authors!
As Halloween, All Saint’s Day, All Souls’ Day, and the Day of the Dead swing by, how better to celebrate than demons? Or at least, getting into the heads of authors who brought you the demons of The Crimson Pact. We’ll be running this interview in four parts through Saturday… and check out down at the bottom for a special deal!
Participating in this roundtable interview are ten authors, who between them have stories in all four volumes of The Crimson Pact. After reading the interview, stop by their blogs and websites and say hi!
The authors in this roundtable are (in no particular order): Chanté McCoy,Elizabeth Shack, JM Perkins, KE McGee, Justin Swapp, Michaele Jordan, Rebecca Brown, Richard Lee Byers, Sarah Hans, and Stephanie Lorée.
How do you cope with writer’s block?
Sarah Hans: I don’t really believe in writer’s block. If I’m reluctant to write or unhappy with my current project because it has taken an unexpected turn, then I deal with that by taking a few days off and thinking about it until a solution comes to me, and then I return to the project with fresh eyes. Or, if the deadline is coming up, I just power through and keep writing. A lot of writers will tell you to write every day, but I find that makes me miserable. I only write when I have something to say. I frequently take a week or two off from writing if I’ve got too much else going on.
Elizabeth Shack: So far, I’ve had no reason to believe in writer’s block. Maybe it’s my journalism training—when you have to fill 10 inches, you have to write 10 inches. Not inspired? Stuck? Too bad. I also juggle multiple projects—short stories and pieces of a novel—so I can jump around
when I need a change of gears.
Eric Bosarge: What’s that? No, seriously, I’ve never had it last more than a day or two and, usually, if I don’t know by then, I force myself to write and find the answer as I go.
Justin Swapp: Change. Writer’s block happens because something isn’t right. Maybe I don’t like something about my most recent writing. Perhaps I get down on myself. Maybe I read a negative review, and I begin to doubt myself. When that happens, I do something different. I try to identify what might need an adjustment, and I add the change. Also, I change what I do throughout the day. Maybe I drive to work a different way so that I expose myself to something new. Maybe I write in the evening instead of in the morning, like I usually do. I just start changing things. I might even just start writing something new. Typically that will get he juices flowing again.
Michaele Jordan: I always have several things in process. When I get blocked on one, I jump to another. Sometimes I have to jump several times. Sometimes I have to start a new story. Occasionally I have to write a story about what’s going on in my life that is so thinly fictionalized I can’t use it. But I’m always writing something.
Chanté McCoy: Staring at my computer rarely cures my moments of writer’s block. I become frustrated or bored, then wander off and do laundry. The best way for me to break through and brainstorm is to go on a hike by myself or to walk my dogs in the neighborhood. I hit on an idea and – by the time I return home – I have a scene practically written. Once I walk in the door, watch out: I’m hell-bent on getting those ideas on paper before they flutter away.
Rebecca Brown: I’m not sure I ever get writer’s block – I’ll just keep reading and writing until _something_ ends up on the page… or else, I’ll take a break, do something else and come back to it. I’ll have blanks on a piece I’m trying to write sometimes. When that happens, I’ll do another quick project, maybe something in an entirely different style or genre. I’ll write haiku to get myself started some days, or sonnets. Limericks about people I know or things I’m going to do. Anything, as long as it gets me going.
K.E. McGee: I pick the person in the room most likely to be a serial killer and write a short story about them.
While writing, do you take drugs, smoke marijuana or drink alcohol to beef up your creative imagination? Why or why not?
Sarah Hans: I write sober. I’m imaginative enough without it. Alcohol makes me tired and silly and easily distracted, which makes writing difficult.
Michaele Jordan: No. I have no particular objection to altered states, but those are the wrong states for working.
Elizabeth Shack: No. Two of those are illegal, and the third doesn’t help. Alcohol clouds my brain, and I need all the brain I can get. For beefing up my creativity, I prefer sleep.
What are the most important attributes to remaining sane as a writer or editor?
K.E. McGee: Is coffee an attribute?
Elizabeth Shack: Patience, self-confidence, and being a natural optimist. I’d add perseverance, but that doesn’t help with sanity, only with getting the work done.
Justin Swapp: Find the part that you love, and try to do that most of the time. For me, its being creative. I like to come up with the ideas, and to connect the dots. I like to create a sense of mystery. I hate editing though. When its time to edit, I try to motivate myself to get through it as quickly as possible by remembering that I want to get back to being creative again. I look for ways I can be creative in my approach to editing as well.
Rebecca Brown: Sane? What’s that? I think it’s important to take breaks from your writing and remember that there’s only so much time you can devote to it. There are people who know me who will read that and demand that I listen to my own advice… But then, I never claimed to be sane, did I?
Sarah Hans: I avoid reading the bad reviews, but when I do catch them, I take them as a challenge. I try to be better the next time. You can let the bad reviews and rejection crush you, or, as my friend Patrick Tomlinson says, you can let them hone you into something sharper. It’s easier said than done, obviously, but keeping that in mind helps me get back up after each fall. Rejections and bad reviews are, unfortunately, inevitable. Another tip: if opportunity doesn’t come to you, make your own. Reach out to other writers, editors, publishers to see what projects you can get involved in or start. Attending conventions is great for this, but twitter, facebook, and google+ can be great tools as well. There’s so much competition out there, you can’t wait to be discovered. You have to be proactive!
How do you react to a bad review of one of your books?
Michaele Jordan: Heavy sigh.
JM Perkins: I’m not sure I know what you’re talking about… *cough*Try to cycle through the five stages of Grief as quickly as I can*cough*.
Can you tell me about a time you worried that someone would recognize themselves as one of your characters?
Rebecca Brown: I’m _always_ worried that someone will recognise themselves as one of my characters, even if the character isn’t based on them at all! If I’ve recently had a falling-out with someone, I’m very reluctant to write any character who is similar to them in case they think I’m taking out my frustrations through my writing – which I do, of course. It’s a creative _outlet_ after all. On the other hand, some of my friends know I’ve written characters based on them and they love it.
Sarah Hans: I wrote a flash story on my blog called “The Cupcake Tattoo” and included an analog of my cousin. It was a very personal story, and I knew there was a chance she might be offended, but I told myself not to worry about it because I didn’t think she read my blog…well, apparently she does. Fortunately she found the story touching and left me a really sweet comment. It meant the world to me and opened me up to writing about my life, and characters that are more personal to me, which I think makes my writing better. So if you’re hesitating to write about your personal life, don’t. Tapping into those relationships and emotions can give your writing authenticity and resonance, and you might be surprised by the reactions of those whose likenesses you’re borrowing.
Thanks again to all the authors in this roundtable: Chanté McCoy, Elizabeth Shack, JM Perkins, KE McGee, Justin Swapp, Michaele Jordan, Rebecca Brown,Richard Lee Byers, Sarah Hans, and Stephanie Lorée.
Remember, this rountable interview goes through Saturday the third, just like the discount at Alliteration Ink! Use code ALLSOULS for 10% off your entire order of ANY eBook if you buy it directly from the Alliteration Ink digital bookstore (ePub/Kindle formats for all titles, many with PDF as well).
October 27, 2012
The “Magic Shop” is with the Editor
The Magic Shop
I wanted to give you a quick update about my first finished novel, The Magic Shop. I had finished a draft of The Magic Shop a month or two ago, and I had been revising it. Finally I decided I had gotten it as far along as I could without someone else with ice in her veins taking a cold, hard look at it. So, I shipped the manuscript off to Claudette, my editor, about a week ago. 
I’ve tried to keep myself distracted by writing some other (spooky) things (after all, its October, isn’t it?), and being generally busy, but the anticipation is a little more palpable than I thought it would be. Keep your fingers crossed with me that I get some good feedback that will help me revise the manuscript to another level.
Justin
October 24, 2012
September 9, 2012
Discovery Writers vs Outliners
At one point, this notion was a revelation to me. When I first started writing, I didn’t know the difference between a discovery writer, and an outliner. That is because I just sat down and tried to write. Only later did I discover that by being aware of your approach and optimizing it for your own style would you increase your productivity.
Below you will find the video from Brandon Sanderson’s lecture on discovery writers vs. outliners. He references George R. R. Martin’s version of this in his own terms, as gardeners and architects.
Gardeners = Discovery Writers. They need to fumble their way around the writing because they either get joy from finding, or are afraid of not discovering the hidden connections, and nuances of what they are writing. They want to explore, and discover, and if they don’t, they will worry that they left the best stuff behind.
Architects = Outliners. These folks want structure, and need it to move forward. To not have structure is paralyzing to them. They worry that they haven’t taken the time to think things through, and to connect the dots appropriately. If they move too quickly, without the schematic in place, they worry about the quality of their writing.
I’ve discovered that I am some type of hybrid. Before I started writing The Magic Shop, I was a pure discovery writer. This got frustrating, and I got lost. After attending LTUE at BYU, and after having attended a few of the workshops that I have posted previously, I realized that I needed a little more structure. So, I outlined according to Dan Well’s story structure, but I left enough room for me to change where I was going. So, I had a rough outline at a super high level, and this gave me some structure – I knew where I was going, but I definitely felt like I could go wherever my characters and story took me. This worked out a lot better for me.
Gardners vs. Architects
September 8, 2012
The Codex
Follow an unsuspecting foreign exchange student named Sloan Boyle as a seemingly innocent interaction with a stranger in a Spanish Cafe leads to a dangerous series of events, and a weighty discovery that threatens everything Sloan ever knew about this world, and his role in it.
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Story Structure Work Shop
Another fantastic workshop from LTUE (Life the Univerise and Everything) from a few years ago. This one in particular really helped me get unstuck with my writing. I had written over 300 pages on a middle grade novel I was working on, and I was plain stuck. A friend of mine at work recommended that I just start another novel, and so I did. I used this format and it really helped me keep a steady flow.
Dan Wells leveraged a Star Trek RPG book for some of his ideas, but also uses other modern movies to illustrate his ideas.
Story Structure Power Point Presentation
Story Structure Part 1
Story Structure Part 2
Story Structure Part 3
Story Structure Part 4
Story Structure Part 5
How to Write a Story that Rocks
A few years ago I attended LTUE (Life the Universe and Everything) at BYU. I participated in what ended up being a wonderful writing workshop entitled, “How to Write a Story that Rocks.” Recently I found the videos for that workshop online and have included them below. This writing workshop was delivered by Larry Correia and John Brown. They included a great cheat sheet for a handout, which I am including a link for below.
Here’s the link to the writing workshop’s handout:
How to Write a Story that Rocks HANDOUT
Here’s the How to Write a Story that Rocks Workshop from LTUE:
How to Write a Story that Rocks Part 1
How to Write a Story that Rocks Part 2
How to Write a Story that Rocks Part 3
How to Write a Story that Rocks Part 4
How to Write a Story that Rocks Part 5
How to Write a Story that Rocks Part 6
How to Write a Story that Rocks Part 7
How to Write a Story that Rocks Part 8
How to Write a Story that Rocks Part 9
How to Write a Story that Rocks Part 10
How to Write a Story that Rocks Part 11
How to Write a Story that Rocks Part 12
September 2, 2012
Story Structure Workshop from LTUE
Recently I wrote a short blog post about a story structure workshop that I attended a few years ago when I went to Life, the Universe, and Everything (LTUE) at BYU. This came at a critical for me as I was stuck some 300 pages into a YA Fantasy novel and I didn’t know where to go. Dan Wells gave an excellent presentation that I believe he based on some Star Trek role playing guides. The structure was simple, and made a lot of sense with me. After attending this workshop, I actually moved on to another novel, the one I am currently working on – The Magic Shop. For this novel I used this structure, in my opinion, to better effect.
Here is a link to Dan’s presentation.
Here’s a link to Dan Well’s website.
Below you will find the story structure workshop videos.
Story Structure Part 1
Story Structure Part 2
Story Structure Part 3
Story Structure Part 4
Story Structure Part 5
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