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Jennifer Bray-Weber's Blog, page 65
July 22, 2014
Link of the Week – Book Boost PR and Summer Author Promo Blitz
Sometimes, okay, lots of times, authors need a little boost to help promote their books and their brand. Enter Book Boost PR. Book Boost offers “a wide variety of services and levels of service from simply creating media kits to full-service publicity campaigns.” The site is run by a librarian and an author, both of whom I know personally. :-D
Check out their services here!
http://www.bookboostpr.com/home.html
http://www.bookboostpr.com/services.html
It just so happens that Book Boost PR is hosting a SUMMER AUTHOR BLITZ. Lots of authors to explore and lots of prizes to be given away. And I’m one of the featured authors!
http://bookboostpr.tumblr.com/
https://www.facebook.com/bookboostpr
July 18, 2014
Friday Fun Facts- For Readers And Writers
We love our Musetracks’ followers!
This blog was originally created to track the journey of a group of new writers. It’s changed in many ways. Our membership has grown and it now includes readers as well as writers. Jennifer and I wanted to create a day of information that would appeal to everyone.
This world is full of interesting, sometimes bizarre, amazing things. As a writer, these tidbits of information can add depth and texture to your story. As a reader, it’s just plain interesting to discover! Welcome to Friday Fun Facts.
The Wild History of Men’s Underwear- (Who knew?)
1. Otzi, the centuries old ice man, was found wearing a leather loin cloth under his grass cloak.
2. King Tutankhamun was buried with 145 linen loincloths in his tomb. (He’ll be fresh in the after-world!)
3. Teutons and Romans wore undergarments as well. I think it was to protect sensitive parts being chafed raw under leather skirts.
4. Knight wore thicker and more fitted apparel to fit under all their armor.
5. Renaissance men knew what women liked so they developed the cod piece- a stiff and stuffed gusset for under their tights. (Naughty, naughty boys.)
6. In 1935, a company named Coopers Inc. made underwear called “Jockey” because they included a jock strap built into the fabric.
7. Boxers came into being after WWI. The soldiers liked their regulation briefs so much, they demanded to get them after coming home.
8. We won’t discuss men’s thongs.
Just Say “NO!”
July 16, 2014
Hump Day Kick Start – Songwriting Edition
Song of the day: Not Meant to Be by Theory of a Deadman
Hump Day Kick Start – for your muse, a writing picture prompt, or just a visual treat.
No telling which way today’s prompt could go. Who is our couple and what are the emotions in their expressions?
Is she the songwriter and he’s the musician? Has their professional relationship turned into something more personal? Is he singing to her a heartbreaking love song as their relationship comes to an end? Or is she trying to make him see there is hope for them?
Hot or cold? What your take? Love to hear it!
July 15, 2014
Link Of The Week- Editing Editing Editing
This link is really self-serving. I’ve finished my third novel and am knee deep in the editing process.
Sigh.
My first question: How come this crap sounded so wonderful in my head when I was writing it?
The answer: Because I finally figured how to turn off my inner editor and simply write the story. …well, mostly turned it off… sort of turned it off…well, OK it was a daily battle but I did succeed some of the time.
Regardless of where you are in the writing journey, at some point you will have to edit your own work. This week’s links are here to help you do that particular job.
http://www.writersdigest.com/online-editor/what-to-look-for-when-editing-your-manuscript
http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/there-are-no-rules/how-to-edit-your-book-in-4-steps
https://www.autocrit.com/ (I have not used this, but came across it and thought it might interest some of you.)
http://terribleminds.com/ramble/2013/09/10/25-steps-to-edit-the-unmerciful-suck-out-of-your-story/ ( Do NOT read this if you are offended by crude language!!!!!) -excellent article BTW
July 9, 2014
Hump Day Kick Start – Go Ahead Edition
Song of the day: She’s Got the Look by Candlelight Red
Hump Day Kick Start – for your muse, a writing picture prompt, or just a visual treat.
If this doesn’t spark your imagination…
Who is our couple? New neighbors getting to know each other? An author and his muse? A cop who is watching over his frustrating, but sexy ward under house arrest? A starlet seducing a director? Friends cooped up at a getaway wedding trying to find relief from pomp and circumstance? Note their intense expressions. Lust? Tension? Anger? Decisive? Is she daring him? Maybe they are about to engage in make-up sex after fighting over a book they both wanted to read.
What’s your take? Let me hear from you.
July 6, 2014
Link of the Week – Freelance Editor
This week’s link is a Public Service Announcement.
So you think you’re ready for a freelance editor. I just so happen to know someone, someone with competitive pricing, who tends to be a grammar fanatic, and who pays attention to important details. You know, those pesky plots points, GMC, POV slips, character arcs, dialogue, inconsistencies, story development, genre details, and the like. She’s also a kind cool, witty chick. ME!
Check me out!
Jennifer Bray-Weber’s Editing and Critiquing
July 4, 2014
Happy 4th of July
MuseTracks wishes you a fun and safe holiday. And for our friends abroad, happy Friday!
July 2, 2014
Hump Day Kick Start – Rolling in the Sand Edition
Song of the day: Letting You Let Go by Paper Route
Hump Day Kick Start – for your muse, a writing picture prompt, or just a visual treat.
It’s summer. Time to hit the shore. Do a little beach combing.
And so I give you today’s wet and sandy prompt.
Who is our couple? Is he new to the nude beach resort? Did he rescue her after falling overboard from a passing boat? Maybe she is what his metal detector found. Could this be an adult version of the Little Mermaid as she washes on shore with her new legs?
What’s you take? I’d love to hear it!
June 25, 2014
Toe the Line and Blow Me Down
Song of the Day: Blow Me Away by Breaking Benjamin
Continuing the fun of the Mutiny of the Heart release, here are some phrases and idioms that you might be surprised to learn are nautical in origin. To stave off wordsmith referees calling foul, my disclaimer is not all etymologists agree with the derivation of each term. However, some are backed by centuries of documentation, while others seem plausible in their own right. Either way, it’s fun and interesting.
Bitter End – to the end no matter what. A bitt is a wood or iron post on the deck used for fastening ropes (and cables). The bitter end is the free end of a rope. Often the working end of the rope is for anchors. So, say you drop anchor and pay out the rope, using all the rope until the bitter end. Yeah, um, does this boat have brakes?
Devil and the Deep Blue Sea – in a precarious situation. The devil is a long seam that runs the length of a ship between the deck and the topmost plank of the hull. From time to time this seam would need to be caulked (with pitch). It was one of the most dangerous duties on board as the crewman were often hung over the ship of the moving vessel to do the task, leaving him hanging between the devil and the deep blue sea.
Flotsam and Jetsam – odds and ends. Flotsam (floatsome) are goods likely from a wreckage floating in the sea. Jetsam are items deliberately thrown overboard (jettisoned) to make a vessel more stable out of circumstance.
Footloose – carefree, acting without commitment. The bottom of a sail is called the foot. If the foot becomes free, it flaps (or dances :-D ) wildly about in the wind. Are you picturing a rebellious Kevin Bacon swinging across a yardarm and dancing across the deck? Yeah, me too.
Jury Rig – an improvised repair. It was a temporary fix to keep a disabled ship sailing.
No Room to Swing a Cat – crowded. Back in the day, when someone was getting punished for gross misconduct or deed, they were flogged. A lot of the time, the whipping was carried out using a cat o’ nine (a leather whip with nine knotted lashes). It was required by the entire crew to witness the punishment, but with everyone standing around, it was hard to swing the cat.
Over a barrel – helpless. Oops. Someone screwed up and got themselves on the receiving end of a flogging. Punishment could be carried out while the unlucky jack was tied to a mast or barrel of a gun (cannon). This is also where the term kissing the gunner’s (or captain’s) daughter comes from. *cue song What Do You Do With A Drunken Sailor*
Pooped – to be tired. The highest deck on the aft of the ship is known as the poop deck. When high following seas swamped or washed over the ship it was pooped. Makes staying afloat and sailing tough. Getting washed overboard during a storm might make you poop in your breeches, too. Just sayin’.
Scuttlebutt – gossiper/rumor. A butt is a barrel. To scuttle is to hack a hole into something. So a scuttlebutt was a water barrel with the top chopped off. Crewmen dipped their cups and ladles into the barrel for a drink. And just like the office water cooler, the ship’s low down was discussed on the down low.
Shanghai – tricking someone. It wasn’t uncommon to get someone drunk or deceive them in some other unsavory manner into boarding a ship lacking a crew for some very long journey, oh say, like to the Orient.
Son of a gun – an expression of surprise; reference to a rascal. My favorite idiom. Being at sea for long periods of time makes a man, well, horny. While in port, women were often brought on board for a release, er, fling. Space on ships were limited and without much privacy, and, well, between the guns (cannons) provided just enough room for a rollicking good time. It also provided a good space for bearing a child. So, a kiddo conceived and/or born on the gun decks of a ship and/or with questionable paternity were noted in the ship’s log as a son of a gun.
There are many more I intentionally left off. I bet you can name a few. Let’s hear them.
Don’t forget to order your copy of Mutiny of the Heart!Buy links:
Amazon Barnes & Noble Carina Press Kobo iBooks
Navigating the high seas as the female captain of a pirate ship means always being on your guard—especially when one takes a temptingly handsome slave on board.
June 24, 2014
Link of the Week – Mutiny of the Heart
This being my release week, it would only stand to reason that the link of the week are buy links to Mutiny Of The Heart. *cackles maniacally *
