L.S. Murphy's Blog, page 13

5 Questions with Jennifer Silverwood

Jennifer Silverwood was raised deep in the heart of Texas and has been spinning yarns a mile high since childhood. In her spare time she reads and writes and travels, whether it’s the Carpathian Mountains in Transylvania, the highlands of Ecuador or a road trip to the next town. Always on the lookout for her next adventure, in print or reality, she dreams of one day proving to the masses that everything really is better in Texas. Her first novel is “Qeya: Heaven’s Edge.”

Website     Blog     Goodreads

 Now on to the FIVE QUESTIONS

 1. What was the spark of inspiration for Qeya?

The spark of inspiration came when I was nine years old and we had bought our first computer. I had grown up on Star Wars movies and was a sci-fi kid through and through. I loved the stories where kids were forced to survive without adults. And that’s where my first short stories began. Then, a few months back, I was trying to come up with a short story idea for a science fiction article. It thought of my old stories and thought it appropriate to use them as my first stab at publishing.

2. What was the most difficult aspect of building another world?

Building another world is easy. Maybe it’s a side effect of being raised like an only child. I can see it all in my head and the story just fleshes itself out. But the hardest part of world building for me is trying to translate that for my readers. It’s easy for an author to write something that makes sense to them. But one thing my editor challenged me with was going deeper, describing more. That’s when the story got a lot better, of course. When it wasn’t just all in my head.

 3. What advice do you have for aspiring authors?

To all aspiring authors out there, my advice is to not just dream about it, do it. The only thing holding you back is you and once you get past that, the dream will come true. Also, persistence and determination are biggies. You have to really want this, otherwise it’s not happening. And devote your time to writing your books. There are all sorts of things out there designed to help authors promote themselves, etc. But the best thing you can do is get as many books out there as possible. That’s what I’m attempting to do right now.

4. If you could go back in time, where would you go?

If I could go back in time it would most certainly be the Victorian Age. With any time in the past you’re obviously giving up some modern conveniences. But I love the fashion, the society and the last golden age for many monarchies. My favorite novel is Gone With the Wind, so I’d love to live in the old south or west as well. (A romanticized version of course)

5.  Finally, Star Wars or Star Trek?

Choosing between Star Trek and Star Wars may be easy for some people. But I was raised on both. As a kid I was a hard core Star Wars fan. But now I lean more to the Trekkie side of thinking. Then again, it’s hard to choose between two great things.

Available now at Smashwords and Amazon

Tagged: 2012, Authors, Books, Fiction, Fun, Interviews, Just for Fun, Musings, Novels, Opinion, Opinions, ramblings, Random, Random Thoughts, Reading, Writers, Writing

5 Questions with Literary Agent Bridget Smith

Bridget Smith began her career at Dunham Literary, Inc. in June 2011.

Previously, she was an intern at Don Congdon Associates, worked at a secondhand book store in Connecticut, and evaluated short story submissions for Tor.com under Liz Gorinsky and Patrick Nielsen Hayden.

She graduated from Brown University in 2010. While there, she studied anthropology and archaeology, worked as a radio DJ, fenced on the varsity team, and helped design an experiment that she later performed in microgravity at NASA.

A lifelong fan of children’s books, she’s looking for middle grade and young adult novels in a range of genres, including fantasy and science fiction, historical fiction, romance, and contemporary, plus anything that bends the rules of genre. She is actively seeking books with underrepresented or minority characters.

She is also seeking fiction for adults, especially fantasy and science fiction, historical fiction, and literary women’s fiction.

In accordance with her college degree, she’s interested in informational, literary nonfiction, especially science or history written by experts for a general audience.

To send her a query, see our How To Submit page. She prefers email queries and asks that you include the first five pages of your manuscript in the body of your email and her name in the subject line.

She is available to speak at conferences.

Member:

AAR
SCBWI

Now on to the FIVE QUESTIONS  

1. How important is a platform for new and established authors in the 21st century?

This is a complicated question, with different answers for fiction and nonfiction. For nonfiction, platform is huge. You need to be viewed as an authority on the topic, and readers need to know why they should buy your book instead of the one next to it on the shelf. As an established author, sometimes your previous books or articles can be the platform, but it can’t hurt to have some reach beyond that. As a new author, you don’t have that established readership yet or the authority that comes with a “By the author of ____” on the cover, so you’re going to have to work hard to expand that.

For fiction, writing a spectacular book is the main thing you should be worried about. Work on your craft, not your platform, because that’s what sells novels. BUT (there’s always a but): it can be easier to convince an agent to spend hours reading your book if you have credentials, and you’re also going to have to help market it when it’s published. The former means someone else has decided your writing is good – and by someone else, I don’t mean “your mom’s neighbor” or “a person on the internet,” but a national magazine publication or a grant or a major writer’s workshop like Clarion. If you don’t have these things, don’t exaggerate: we appreciate straightforwardness in queries, and if we like the sound of your book enough, it won’t matter.

As for that marketing thing, well, that’s where it’s really helpful to be Maureen Johnson or John Green and be very, very good at social media!

2. What are you dying to see in your slush pile?

I’d love a brilliant and charming Regency fantasy, with a spot-on lively voice and a well-constructed type of magic. Think JONATHAN STRANGE & MR NORRELL or SORCERY & CECELIA. Or an original high fantasy starring awesome girls/women doing awesome things. On the nonfiction side, I’d love a Mary Roach (STIFF, PACKING FOR MARS) or, to get really specific to my college major, something like THE BONE WOMAN by Clea Koff. (Any biological anthropologists out there?)

3. What is the most common mistake people make when querying you?

Not giving enough detail. I don’t want to read pages upon pages, but in distilling their book into a one-page query, a lot of writers cut out too much. I want your query to tell me about premise, characters, and approximately half to three-quarters of the plot: “and they have adventures” means nothing to me. Give me something to grab onto, something I don’t want to let go.

4. What advice do you have for aspiring authors?

Read, of course – this is nothing new. Read in your genre so you know what’s out there and how yours can stand out. Read outside your genre so you don’t get weighed down in the tropes. Read nonfiction and fiction, read everything. Oftentimes people who don’t read widely enough wind up writing a sort of “genre soup,” where everything is handled well but it just doesn’t stand out enough. This sort of manuscript is so hard to say no to, but I just can’t get excited about it, and you want me to be excited. And the most exciting stuff being written now doesn’t bow to the rules of any one genre – instead it plays with them!

And related to that: read other unpublished writers, too. Finding the right critique group can take time and a lot of effort, but it’s worth it. The right critique group should have writers who are better than you and writers who are worse. This gives you something to strive for and insights from writers you respect, but it also forces you to really look at why something isn’t working and figure out how to make it better. That’s an invaluable skill that you have to develop on someone else’s work before you can really apply it to your own.

5. Finally, Beatles or Rolling Stones?

This:

(I’m mostly just equivocating because there are too many variables in this question for me to answer in less than two paragraphs. As you may have noticed, I tend to be longwinded. Go be entertained instead!)

 

 

Tagged: 2012, Books, Fun, Interviews, Just for Fun, Literary Agent, literary agent interviews, Literary Agents, Musings, Novels, Opinion, Opinions, ramblings, Random, Random Thoughts, Reading, Writers, Writing

NaNoWriMo FailMo

The end was in sight. Fourteen days in and I was over 35k words.

So what happened?

First, I got hit over the head with a sinus infection. Then the husband came down with the stomach flu. By the time things were back to normal around here, it was too late to win. It was disappointing.

Especially since I owe either Joceyln Adams or Emi Gayle a hard earned dollar.

I really wanted to win too.

At last, it wasn’t meant to be. I still have 35k to play with down the road, so I’m okay with that.

I humbly bow to Jo and Emi. Just don’t count me out next year. I say we go double or nothing.

Tagged: 2012, Authors, Emi Gayle, Fiction, Fun, Jocelyn Adams, Just for Fun, Musings, NaNoWriMo, Opinion, Opinions, ramblings, Random, Random Thoughts, Reading, Writers, Writing

Fall in Love Blog Hop WINNER

Wow, what a great response! I appreciate everyone who stopped by.

Now for the winner…

from kimmiel1964

JUDY-REE

Congrats!

Musa Publishing     Amazon     Barnes & Noble     All Romance

Tagged: 2012, Authors, Books, Contemporary Romance, Fiction, Fun, Just for Fun, Musings, ramblings, Random, Reading, Romance

{Blog Tour} 5 Questions with author Jessica Sorensen

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Jessica Sorensen, lives with her husband and three kids in the snowy mountains of Wyoming. When she’s not writing, she spends her time reading and hanging out with her family

 Blog     Facebook     Goodreads     Twitter

Now on to the FIVE QUESTIONS

1. What was the spark of inspiration for your novel?

I knew I wanted to try writing a New Adult Romance novel, so I started thinking of ideas and writing down notes. When I put together all the notes I was able to get an idea of how I wanted the characters and the storyline. But the story really didn’t develop until I sat down to write it. That’s when everything came together.

2. Which character(s) most resemble you?

Hmm… that’s a tough one. I’d say the one character that I might be similar to is Ella, for a few different reasons, one being that I love cars as much as she does.

3. If you could travel anywhere at any time, where and when would you go?

Can I pick everywhere? There are just too many options

4. What advice do you have for aspiring authors?

My biggest advice to aspiring authors is to never give up, no matter how hard things get.

5. Finally, Gossip Girl or Vampire Diaries?

Vampire Diaries hands down. I’m a huge Damon fan.

 

Available now at     Amazon     Barnes & Noble 

 

Tagged: 2012, Authors, Books, Contemporary Romance, Fiction, Fun, Interviews, Novels, Opinion, Opinions, ramblings, Random, Random Thoughts, Reading, Romance, Teens, Writers, Writing

Book Review: The Secret of Ella & Micha by Jessica Sorensen

Synopsis: Ella and Micha have been best friends since they were kids. But one tragic night shatters their friendship and their lives forever.

Ella used to be a rule-breaker with fiery attitude who wore her heart on her sleeve. But she left everything behind when she went to college and transformed into someone that follows the rules, keeps everything together, and hides all her problems. But now it’s summer break and she has nowhere else to go but home.

Ella fears everything she worked so hard to bury might resurface, especially with Micha living right next door. If Micha tries to tempt the old her back, she knows that it will be hard to resist.

Micha is sexy, smart, confident, and can get under Ella’s skin like no one else can. He knows everything about her, including her darkest secrets. And he’s determined to bring his best friend, and the girl he loves back, no matter what it takes. 

The Good: Ella and Micha have a great chemistry straight from the get go. I love that their relationship stems from a deep history. The depth of their feelings for one another can be felt through the pages. The romance is built on a solid foundation and reads at a quick pace.

The Bad: The relationship between Ella and her mother could’ve been expanded upon. This would’ve given Ella even more depth as a character.

Recommendation: Fans of Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire or Easy by Tamara Webber will enjoy Ella and Micha’s story.

Tagged: 2012, book Review, Books, Contemporary Romance, Fiction, Just for Fun, Musings, Novels, Opinion, Opinions, ramblings, Random, Random Thoughts, Reading, Romance, Writers, Writing

Reaper Playlist: I’ll Follow You by Shinedown

Love, love, love Shinedown. Love. Did I say love?

Tagged: 2012, Books, Fun, I'll Follow You Down, Just for Fun, Music, Musings, Novels, Opinions, Paranormal Romance, ramblings, Random, Random Thoughts, Reading, Rockin' Thursdays, Romance, Shinedown, Teens, Videos, Writers, Writing, YA, YA books, YA Paranormal Romance, Young Adult, Young Adult Books

Waiting on Wednesday: The Murmurings

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme, showcasing books that we are waiting to read hosted by Breaking the Spine.

How intensely awesome does this sound?

A teen girl starts hearing the same voices that drove her sister to commit suicide in this creepy, suspenseful novel.

Everyone thinks Sophie’s sister, Nell, went crazy. After all, she heard strange voices that drove her to commit suicide. But Sophie doesn’t believe that Nell would take her own life, and she’s convinced that Nell’s doctor knows more than he’s letting on.

As Sophie starts to piece together Nell’s last days, every lead ends in a web of lies. And the deeper Sophie digs, the more danger she’s in—because now she’s hearing the same haunting whispers. Sophie’s starting to think she’s going crazy too. Or worse, that maybe she’s not…

Tagged: 2012, Authors, Books, Fiction, Fun, Just for Fun, Musings, Novels, Opinion, Opinions, ramblings, Random, Random Thoughts, Teens, Waiting on Wednesday, Writing, YA, YA books, Young Adult, Young Adult Books

5 Questions with author SS Hampton, Sr.

SS Hampton, Sr. is a full-blood Choctaw of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, a divorced grandfather to 13 grandchildren, and a veteran of Operations Noble Eagle (2004-2006) and Iraqi Freedom (2006-2007). He served in the active duty Army (1974-1985), the Army Individual Reserve (1985-1995) (mobilized for the Persian Gulf War), and enlisted in the Army National Guard in October 2004; he was mobilized for active duty for almost three years after his enlistment. He continues to serve in the Guard, where he holds the rank of staff sergeant. He is a published photographer and photojournalist, an aspiring painter, and is studying for a degree in anthropology—hopefully to someday work in underwater archaeology. He has wanted to be a writer since he was 15 years old; his first short story was published in 1992, after which it wasn’t until 2001 that he had another short story published. His writings have appeared as stand-alone stories, and in anthologies from Dark Opus Press, Edge Science Fiction & Fantasy, Melange Books, Musa Publishing, MuseItUp Publishing, Ravenous Romance, and as stand-alone stories in Horror Bound Magazine, Ruthie’s Club, Lucrezia Magazine, The Harrow, and River Walk Journal, among others. As of December 2011, he became the latest homeless Iraq war veteran in Las Vegas, Nevada.

 Now on to the FIVE QUESTIONS

 1.  You write Military inspired tales. How much of your own experience do you put into your stories?

The background, and ordinary experiences told in the stories are due to my own experiences. Anything involving combat is based on research (reading non-fiction books and news articles, looking at YouTube), and listening to other Soldiers tell of their combat experiences. I was deployed to northern Kuwait in 2006-2007, and my unit had a SECFOR mission—convoy security escort. I only went north into Iraq three times, and, to use an old phrase, never heard a shot fired in anger. However, there were plenty of IEDs and gunfights with insurgents along Main Supply Route Tampa, the only supply road that ran from Kuwait to Baghdad. As the Awards NCO for my unit, I put together awards packets for those Soldiers who qualified for awards, the vast majority of which were combat-based. I read a lot of sworn statements and sometimes interviewed Soldiers to clarify details of their combat experiences.

2.  If you could be any paranormal creature, what would you be?

Well, that’s easy. An incubus! I can’t help it. I love women. Women are also my favorite subject to photograph. And when I finally develop a sliver of painting and drawing ability, they’ll still be my favorite subject. Anyway, I’d be a gentle incubus.

3.  What advice do you have for aspiring writers?

Can I offer more than one piece of advice? Read the great writers—Hemingway, Steinbeck, and Faulkner, among others. In my opinion, toss in a hefty dose of Ray Bradbury and Arthur C. Clarke, even James Michener, Leon Uris, Anaïs Nin, and Frederick Forsyth. And write. Write every day, even if it’s only 500 or 1,000 words. Read your words aloud and listen to how they flow, and if it all makes sense. Don’t ask family and friends about the quality of your writing. They love you and they don’t want to hurt your feelings or puncture your writing dream. Join a writing group instead—they can be honest and tactful. And develop a thick skin. There’s a lot of rejection out there, even for experienced and published writers. And watch out for the freaking scammers who, like watchful insurgents, lay in wait for newbie writers.

4.  If you could go back in time, where would you go?

That’s a difficult one. Minoa? I wish I could see the female bull jumpers in action, or see the priestesses in procession during a ceremony. The Roman Empire? The Roman Army of course—perhaps the Battle of Teutoburger Wald in which three legions were lost. Or perhaps a tour of the fortifications in northern England, the edge of the known world, as it was. Athens? Watching the acropolis being built would be fascinating. England at the beginning of the Norman Conquest? To be present at the Battle of Hastings in which Duke William defeated King Harold, a pivotal moment in Western history, would be wonderful.

5.  Finally, Star Wars or Star Trek?

That’s another difficult question. Ultimately though, I’d go with Star Trek—I’m assuming the original series. Basically, Star Wars is a fully developed universe. Traveling through the Star Wars universe is like traveling I-15 from California to Canada. Exciting, but still known. Star Trek, however, is in a time when the universe is still unexplored, and everything is new and unknown. It’s like turning off I-15 in Colorado onto a dirt road leading into the mountains, and asking CPT Kirk in the passenger seat, “I don’t know what this road is, but how about we see what’s at the end of it?”

And, thank you for having me visit your blog.

Here’s an excerpt from “A Luscious Kurdistan Strawberry”  which appeared in Penumbra Magazine, July 2012.

Pareevash, a dark-eyed, black-haired, nude beauty basked in the gentle glow of the early Andalusian dawn. The heady, romantic scent of roses filled the air, and song birds throughout the courtyard below chirped brightly. She titled the head of a wall climbing rose and sniffed the wonderful scent. From the corner of her eyes she saw stealthy movements among the shadows of graceful arches. She studied the shadows until a smirk filled her face with delightful recognition of the secret lovers in the shadows.

Yes, save for scattered showers, the day was going to be another beautiful spring day with great promise, perhaps marred only by the occasional whiff of riot gas.

The spring shower, glistening with magic sparkles in the afternoon sunlight, washed across the flower filled red palace fortress of the magnificent 14th century Calat Alhambra. The near mythical structure perched on a plateau surrounded by wood groves, and once the seat of powerful Medieval Muslim rulers, hummed again with diplomatic purpose. More than a score of languages filled the delicately and beautifully decorated halls, courts, and gardens.

In stark contrast to the quiet diplomacy that echoed within the pink walled Alhambra was the dim roar from outside the walls. White clouds of riot gas drifted with the breeze as crowds of international protesters clashed with uniformed riot police. On the roof of the Alhambra, standing before every entrance, and stationed at critical junctures throughout the legendary palace, were armored and armed figures.

Whenever international leaders gathered for a summit, protests were nothing new. But the meeting of the G20, as the annual gathering of finance ministers from the world’s 20 most powerful economies was called, combined with attendance by the G8, the leaders of the world’s eight most powerful nations, was a trigger unlike any ever seen before. Days before a flotilla of government jets flew into the heavily guarded Federico Garcia Lorca Airport, protesters from around the world flooded Granada and the surrounding countryside. Grim-faced security forces, police and army, established roadblocks and laid coils of deadly razor wire in order to keep the protesters away from the world’s governmental elite.

And so the historic three-day summit of meetings, formal state dinners, and security escorted tours, began with carefully rehearsed smiles and speeches, backed by restrained deadly force…

A Luscious Kurdistan Strawberry

Tagged: 2012, Authors, Books, Fiction, Fun, History, Interviews, Just for Fun, Military, Musings, Opinion, Opinions, ramblings, Random, Random Thoughts, Reading, Writers, Writing

{Blog Tour} Guest Post by Lisa Mondello

I’m thrilled to welcome Lisa Mondello today. Her novella All I Want for Christmas is You is the perfect read during the busy holiday season. Take it away, Lisa.

To Home Bake or to Buy Home Baked 

The holidays are a busy time for everyone.  Even someone like me, a full-time writer, finds it hard to fit all the To-Do list items into a single day…or even week.  For some reason, I always have a deadline during the holidays.  I’m either writing a new book that has to be done, doing promo, revising a book, or going through line edits.  That leisurely afternoon or two that I always long for during the holidays somehow manages to escape me.  What?  You too?  It doesn’t surprise me.

Okay, confession time.  When you’re massively busy, are you ever tempted to cut corners by… buying store-bought baked goods instead of making them yourself?  Everyone needs to cut time corners.  And while I love to bake during the holidays, sometimes it’s just not possible to get up to my elbows in cake batter and cookie dough.

We all have our favorite recipes we love during the holidays.  I can buy almost anything homemade at a bakery and it will be fabulous.  But there is one thing I will never buy home baked is Italian cookies.  Not only will my brother-in-law not allow me into the house for the holidays with store-bought ICs, they just wouldn’t taste right.  I have yet to find a bakery that can make my nonnie’s homemade Italian cookie recipe the way she could.  It’s the same recipe I have been using for my entire adult life.

Believe me, I’ve tried to find a bakery that could make wonderful Italian cookies.  Even the bakery in the North End of Boston doesn’t quite make them the same.  They never taste the same!  So without exception, Italian cookies will always be made from scratch using my nonnie’s recipe. I will carve out the time for it no matter what kind of deadline I have.

What about you?  Do you home bake or buy home baked?  What is your absolute must have home baked food?

About All I Want for Christmas is You

Sometimes fate needs a little hand…

Santa Claus is going to have a rough season… Lauren Alexander is raising her daughter alone. Abandoned by her family for her decision to keep her daughter Kristen, she has done a pretty good job for the last six years. Or she thought she had. That’s why she is crushed when little Kristen gives up her wish for a toy or goodie and instead asks Santa for a present for her mother. She wants Santa to bring a Daddy. Delivering Daddies isn’t Santa’s bag.

But this Santa has a plan…

Kyle Preston knows what it is like to be abandoned too. Luckily he found the support of loving adoptive parents and has turned himself into one of the most successful Real Estate developers in town.

Building a house is easy. Building someone’s trust is a whole other story. But with a little helping hand, a little Christmas magic can make all the difference in the world.

Amazon   Barnes and Noble  iTunes  Smashwords

About the Author:

Lisa Mondello (a.k.a. LA Mondello) has held many jobs in her life but being a published authors is the last job she’ll ever have. She’s not retiring! She blames the creation of the personal computer for her leap into writing novels. Otherwise, she’d still be penning stories with paper and pen.  Her first book, All I Want for Christmas is You, was the winner of the Golden Quill contest for Best First Book and to date has had over 400,000 downloads worldwide.

She is currently the author of 14 novels under the name Lisa Mondello and LA Mondello. You can find more information about Lisa Mondello at http://www.lisamondello.blogspot.com

www.LisaMondello.blogspot.com

@LisaMondello

http://www.facebook.com/lisa.mondello.1

Tagged: 2012, Authors, Blog Tour, Books, Christmas, Contemporary Romance, Fiction, Fun, Holiday romance, Just for Fun, Musings, Opinion, Opinions, ramblings, Random, Random Thoughts, Reading, Romance, Writers, Writing