Joseph Hunt's Blog, page 27

Technology, Fast Cars & the Future!

[image error] There's a certain beauty to writing about things which we don't have, and probably never will, including nice fancy sports cars or  futuristic toys and gadgets. BUT our characters can have these, or live in a world where these things are as common as muck.



I don't, and haven't tried to write any science fiction, and I don't think I will for some time, but I do write things that may be set in the future, or use technology and cars.



It is a guilty pleasure of mine to live through my characters. I love the look of cars, but I don't understand all the numbers and letters that go before and after a make---and off the top of my head, I don't know that many car manufactures.



So, you're probably wondering, what the hell is this blog post about then, if it isn't about 'Technology, Fast Cars & the Future!'?





Well, it is about all those different aspects, but more importantly, the possibilities of writing, and if you are living through your characters, it will give them life, and hopefully your readers too, will live through your characters. I received this slice of inspiration whilst incorporating the beauty that is, a Lamborghini Gallardo (I think) but I didn't do it blindly, it has a lot of relevance to the characters and also the difference in lifestyle for the protagonist in Clandestine.





So, do you ever splurge out on the fancy things in life? I sometimes look at pictures like these for inspiration, the picture at the top is especially inspiring as to what computers and computing could look like--it also reminds me of a film, Gamer (2009).



I love thinking about what the future holds and what kind of technology will be seen in the coming years--we already have touch screens (iPads etc.) and games consoles where you can put yourself on screen (Xbox Kinect etc.)--what I want to see is some flying cars! We need flying cars, but I'm not a science fiction writer, so I don't know where to start with that one. However, I bet we can all think them in our own different ways--that's why technology and imagination are so amazing. I could imagine all day--but that's just the same as procrastination really.



Do you prefer the future or the past?



Have a great day!



-Joseph.

It's the finer things---like Europe!

When I get an idea in my head, it usually spreads like wildfire and burns for a while (procrastination) before I do anything about it.



I've always wanted to travel, and I've always loved learning new languages--I can speak a little French and a little Spanish, but I would like to speak them more fluently.



My mum said that she wished she'd gone travelling, and done all this stuff (getting pregnant at 17 wasn't the wisest of moves on her behalf--but here I am. YAY!) and I really want to go travelling, besides, i'm not going to get pregnant that's for sure! But here's the downside, I'm going to have to wait until the summer of next year to do it. I know it seems like such a drag, feeling so enthusiastically about something, only to be shot down by reality. Honestly, I think it will go pretty quick because it'll be my first year of university, I'm doing a lot of writing, hopefully some publishing---or a lot ;)



Ah, I just want to travel now, get some more culture and see beautiful things. I'm incorporating a place in Italy in my novel, Clandestine--I've never been to Italy before, so everything I write will be coming from a lot of research and pictures. I shouldn't have said anything really, because I can just see people trying to spot errors in my work (eek) but you'll have a long time to wait--at least until December.



I am trying to persuade my friend to do it with me--hopefully she will and we can go on a month long European trip. But I have nearly a year to save up and do it, and I'd like to think that I will. I'm sure that what I learn can be used to put in my future writing--the language, the clothes, the food, the people, the houses, everything really.



I think it will be very inspiring, and each different country has its own myths and legends--and I will go out of my way to know what they are. And if you're in Europe, living there, or traveling, tell me a little bit about it--where you are and what it's like.



So let's see, one year today---I hope I'll be a new, cultured man who has done his fair share of travelling.



-Joseph.

Supernatural!

Another reason to love the month of September, because Supernatural Season 7 starts (ahh, the sibilance) and it is going to be an amazing season.



It starts on the 23rd of September for anyone that wanted to know, and I cannot wait!



I said in a previous post that I had set myself some goals, and this is one of them--not just watching the episodes, but also doing a blog about each of them. This is something which a fellow blogger does, but with videos, so I guess she's a vlogger. (Youtube and Blog) She's currently making videos about each of the True Blood episodes, and I'm going to be doing the same, but with blogs about Supernatural.



I love everything it stands for, that being the supernatural and I've always loved and been half-scared to death by the things that go BUMP in the night. But this program embodies all that is creative.



If you're a fan of the program then you will have a favourite Winchester. Mine is Dean (Jensen), I love his attitude, where Sam (Jared) is a little off to me, great character, but not one I like all that well. And as the cast is quite huge, you'll also have another favourite, my other favourite would be Castiel (Misha) because he's just great. He's an angel, but over the seasons he's changed a lot, and I don't think many over people could play the character so well.



It is a well casted program, and very well researched! I love all the different bits--angels, demons, monsters, fairies, gods, goddesses, hell, heaven, purgatory--I would be feeling very smug right now if I was Erik Kripke, the creator, he's done such an amazing job.



There is a little bit of a formula to each episode--it opens up to someone being killed by something supernatural and the Winchester brothers have to figure out what it is and why they're killing. There is obviously a main plot, which runs throughout the seasons and a few of the episodes will pull away from the formula altogether. Another piece of the Supernatural episode formula is in each episode they will escape death.



Overall, it's quite an inspiring program to watch. But beware, you might become addicted.



-Joseph

September Time!

[image error] This month is going to be the most exciting month of all the months! (The word month now looks and sounds weird. Great!) I've always loved September, if it isn't for its beautiful contrasting colours of the season, then it's the change in me--well, in the UK the education system is all about the new year starting early on in September, and that means I am going on into further education: UNIVERSITY.



I am going to study English and creative writing and I start the on 19th. I'm super excited, but my student finance is all messed up and I need to phone them--I should stop putting it off really. But that's the beauty of September, it fill me with hope and I usually solve all my problems in this month.



I love making lists at the start of months and saying what I want to do---make some goals here and there, spend a couple of hours with the colouring pens to create a page with a nice boarder and then bullet point all the things I want to achieve. (Oh, dear--only more proof of how much a procrastinator I am.)



I'm not going to list all of the things which I want to do throughout this month, because if I don't do them all, I'll feel a bit crap, so they're all down on paper. I will let you in on one of my goals!



GOAL #1 - To put up a new blog post every day throughout September!



I have a backlog of interviews to go up, and if you want one then send me an email to josepheastwood@ymail.com and I'll send one out! I've also got some exercises to add to the #BeatTheBlock page and also a lot of things need to go up for #Writer's Tools xD



So September is going to be a good month--I can feel it, and I hope you can too!



Joseph.

I heart TV!

September is going to be a good month for TV, I can feel it prickle against my skin just thinking about it! I've gone over my love for television in a previous post (Novel Television!) and I can't reiterate how much the little exercise on there actually helps me.



So, why am I so excited for September--only one day away!





Supernatural (Season 7)
Lost Girl (Season 2)
Glee (Season 3)
The Vampire Diaires (Season 3)
How I met your mother (Season 7)
Big Bang Theory (Season 5)
Nikita (Season 2)
Desperate Housewives (Season 8)
Dexter (Season 6)
Oh, sweet Jesus! I never realized how many shows are actually coming back! Eek--the only thing that would make it better, is if they all returned on the same day. However, I vow that I will not become a total TV junkie, well not just yet, hehe, but I'm glad they're all coming back throughout the month of September.

Lost Girl is the first, coming back on the 3rd! But what I look forward to the most, is The Vampire Diaries, get me some Somerhalder ;) which will be gracing screens on the 14th! And altogether, it's a nice little list, you have humour, drama, supernatural, gore, action--very eclectic, although they are all very much American.

See ya later.Keep Writing & Keep Reading!

Joseph Eastwood

Don't Be a Pirate!!

[image error] So of course I'm not oblivious to pirating--but I didn't realize how it could affect a person, the person on the other side. I will happily download a film off the internet, or a TV show--but after today, I have a cold stone sitting in the pit of my stomach, freezing and thawing at the thought of being the person whose art was being pirated--it is theft no matter how you phrase it, it's stealing.

A friend of mine, A. Jacob Sweeny had her novel, Pulse of Heroes, pirated--and if it wasn't for Google Alerts, she wouldn't even know about it and think of how long it would have been before she did, how many people could have pirated her novel.

Each writer's journey is unique, but hers is especially heart-warming. She, like so many others, has worked long hours researching, plotting, planning, outlining, writing, editing--so much so, that she wore her wrists out, and went through excruciating pain after needing an operation on them, but passion drove her, her passion for writing, for being creative, and for someone to pirate that is like sticking a middle finger up at her or laughing in her face about her career,



I don't understand why, for such a little sum, and to make an author so grateful for buying their work, would a person pirate a novel, especially when so much sweat and tears have gone in to writing it, not to mention the hours, late nights, often caffiene addictions put into it on the writer's behalf. I hope this never happens to anyone. I don't want to know what it feels like, and I don't want anyone else to feel it either.

However, like ying and yang, black and white, good and bad, there are two sides to everything, you just have to search for that silver lining. I am no way going to say that stealing is right, because it's not, it's wrong.

So you might ask: "What is the silver lining to this?" 

Your novel, if someone has taken their time to put your novel up on a website, it means that you're worth something. It means that they're saying something great and wish for more people to read it, and of course people like the free things in life. Or maybe someone heard something about your novel and have downloaded it.

I'm not going to preach anymore about how bad pirating is, because I download films and music all of the time from the internet, and I bet you do as well, that is if you're not either of my friends who are completely against it, and I doubt they read my blog anyway :P however, indie and mainstream or two different things.

Please support the indie guys! Buy from the indie guys; read their books, listen their music, watch their films--spread the word, and let us live on.

Peace out--

Joseph

The Much Needed Update!

I haven't posted anything in over a week, and I'm sorry, I really am. But (yes, I do have excuses) I've been really ill, with a major head cold and only the past day or two have I been able to apply myself.



So since recovering, I've wrote four poems, which I think have been well needed, considering the inspiration in that area has been MIA for a month or so now. And I've also done some MAJOR thinking, and so sometimes I procrastinate too much with the thinking and I end up with screwing my habitual writing habits.



Oh, one major update which I may have forgotten, if it wasn't for damned procrastination. I have a university place to study English and creative writing at a university quite close to home, but hopefully I can still move out and go to halls (fingers crossed) because it is something that I really want to experience--moving out that is, I still don't understand all this hype about 'the student life' and I guess I won't, until my course starts on the 19th of September.



In other news, I have rekindled my love for an old project, 'The Salem Gates', it was my JulNo project---but that went out of the window somewhat. And I've probably not talked much about this, partly because I wasn't as pumped about writing it as I was about Lumen and now Clandestine, but The Salem Gates has appealed to me once more---I actually have a vision for it!



I am doing something, which I never thought I would---I'm writing two things at once! So keep your eyes pealed for more information on Clandestine and The Salem Gates!! xD



Bullet Point Updates!



4 poems!
Secured a place at university! YAY!
Still editing Lumen.
Clandestine & The Salem Gates are being written.


Happy Writing & Happy Reading!

Joseph Eastwood

Writer Interview -- K.T. Hanna!

Tell us a bit about yourself.



My name is K.T. Hanna and since I'm female, I graciously decline to give my age. Suffice it to say you're only as old as you feel.



Originally I'm from Brisbane, Australia. I met my husband in on online game called Everquest 2, moved to Kansas USA in 2007 and got married, and have been here ever since.



What genre are you most comfortable writing?



Anything dark – be it sci-fi or fantasy. What I write usually verges on the speculative or weird side of things, and I do have a penchant for horror.



Do you ever try out different genres?



I've tried to dabble in romance before, but I'm very bad at it. Whenever I try to venture into mystery crime fiction, it always ends up having supernatural elements. So, though I do try them, I never actually succeed in staying within their parameters.



What do you write? (Novels, novellas, short stories, poetry, non-fiction, flash fiction)



Most of my ideas are far too complex and involved for anything but a novel, or a series of novels. Thanks for that brain.



I have, however, been practicing my hand at short stories. A few of my ideas seem to be perfectly comfortable just being a short story. I hope I continue to have those, I do like short stories.



How long have you been writing for? Is writing your full time job?



It sounds very clichéd but I've been writing since I was about eight years of age. On and off I've written multiple books, but I've never been published. I have a bad habit of writing, finishing and never revising, which isn't really conducive to getting published.



Writing is sadly not my full time job, although that might help me develop a more consistent habit of it. I work full time and squeeze writing in all other times of the day – even in my lunch hours.



What do you prefer to read, stand-alone novels or series?



Either or. If the cover appeals to me, and the blurb on the back catches my attention, I'm fine with reading pretty much anything. I love stand-alones, trilogies, and long running series just as much as each other. Although stand-alones often leave me wanting more of those specific characters.



What can I say, I get attached easily ;)



Who is your favourite author? Did they inspire you to write?



Louise Cooper is my favourite author. Probably a little obscure for most, but I remember the first time I read her Timer Master trilogy and being blown away by the fact that at the end of the books I couldn't tell if the side who won was good or evil.



She didn't inspire me to write, but she inspired me to be an author.



Was there anyone else or anything else that inspired you?



I loved the stories my mother would read to me as a child. When I got old enough to read by myself, I was so surprised that my name wasn't in the books. She'd inserted me as a character as she read them to me.



So, I guess in a way, my mother inspired me to write and create worlds of wonder.



What's your favourite book? How many times have you read it?



My favourite book is a series of three books by Louise Cooper called: The Time Master Trilogy. The Initiate. The Outcast. The Master



I think I've read the entire trilogy at least twenty times.



Do you have any fears? If so, give us a list!



I hate spiders. I hate bugs



I also hate thunder.



Do you write with music, or without?



It depends. Sometimes the story calls for me to write with music. Sometimes I require complete silence.



And other times, I have to write music, but that's a different story



Are you forever coaxed on caffeine (like so many)?



Not always. I like decaf as well. I just love the flavour of coffee, not always the caffeine. I don't sleep much anyhu.



What's your poison ;)?



If you're meaning alcohol? I don't drink. If you mean poison, then I'm rather partial to arsenic ;)

So that's your coping mechanism, arsenic.



Are you planner or are you pantser?



I used to be a pantser. EverythingI ever wrote was pantsed. But I found it extremely difficult to finish what I started or to care about it if I did finish it.



Recently I've started planning and developed a system that is very involved and complete – and completely perfect for me.



It let me write the first book in my current trilogy inside of nine days. Granted, it's only a 90k first draft – but hey, the story has to start somewhere, right?



Would you like to share any writing tips?



Love what you're writing and don't try to be anyone else while you're writing your work. It's your story and should have your voice and style, not a mimicry of what might happen to be popular at any given time.



Believe in yourself.







Do you have anything published (self-published)?



Not yet – I'm still practicing, but I will get there, hopefully soon.

Where can people find YOU!



Blog: http://www.kthanna.com



Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000887343491 (this is just my personal facebook, I do not yet have a writer/author page… yet)



Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/KTHanna



Other: http://kthanna.livejournal.com/



Thank you for this opportunity :D

No problem, it was great having you here!

~Joseph Eastwood

Writer Interview -- Dominque Weldon!

Say "Hello" to everyone, nobody will bite here. 



Hello everyone!! My name is Dominique Weldon; I'm seventeen years old and next week a senior in high school.



I'm from the middle of nowhere, better known as Iowa. I've lived here all my life, and plan to change that as soon as I can!



What genre are you most comfortable writing?



Well, I like to write many different styles, but somehow I always manage to steer myself back towards a mix of paranormal-horror. The darker the story the better! Sure, any writing is good, but nothing beats writing a good scene about a blood-bath between immortal demons, right?!



Do you ever try out different genres?



Actually that's what I'm doing now! I know I still have a lot to learn, and a lot of time to use for my growing. So I'm trying to write a book in every type of genre I can imagine. My next new attempt is more real-life, or drama. Hopefully that doesn't end up too bad!



What do you write? (Novels, novellas, short stories, poetry, non-fiction, flash fiction)



I write novels, although I'm trying out short stories as well. I enjoy books where you can actually learn to like the character, and not finish the story in thirty minutes... And that occurs with lengthy novels! Sometimes I dabble in poetry, but that's for pure fun!



How long have you been writing for? Is writing your full time job?



I've been writing since the age of five-heck, maybe even earlier! Ever since then I've always been writing; the funny thing is, I didn't even realize it until recently! I must of became oblivious to the piles of stories of stories in my closet! However, it is not my full-time job. I am also a checker in a local grocery store. It's a great job, it's easy to balance both checking and writing.



What do you prefer to read, stand-alone novels or series?



That would definitely be series! I think I said earlier how I like to get to know the characters, and with a series you're able to do that! Besides, it's fun knowing that another book, another chapter of your favourite character's life, is going to be released soon!



Who is your favourite author? Did they inspire you to write?



I think I have two. They're completely different and they aren't classic writers, but I love the both of them! The first one is Darren Shan; he's a wonderful horror writer. The average person would insert Stephen King earlier, but there's something about Shan that I love. I can never put his books down, they're so twisted-in a good way! My other is Lurlene McDaniel; she's more into drama, and real-life issues. Her stories are so true, and strong-she's actually made me shed a tear or two! So I want to become a sort of mix of the two. If I could form a story from the both of them and make it one, then I would have the perfect novel! The two of them definitely inspire me to become better!



What's your favourite book? How many times have you read it?



I don't have a favourite book, because that changes yearly. Although when I was into Twilight, I read that series over twenty times! As of today, some of my favourites are: City of Glass (The Mortal Instruments) by Cassandra Clare, Bec (Demonata) by Darren Shan, The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier, and Always and Forever by Lurlene McDaniel.



Do you have any fears? If so, give us a list!



Dying alone, never reaching my dreams, and never gaining the confidence I desperately need to get through life. Now my friends, you know my fears!



Do you write with music, or without?



I HAVE to write with music-unless, I'm at school, that's different. The music definitely helps get in the mood I need for my scene. It varies between Disturbed, to Lady Gaga, to Japanese Vocaloids (I pretty much like everything!!). Anyway, the silence drives me insane! Yes, I use music; after all, it's my third love-after writing and art.



Are you forever coaxed on caffeine (like so many)?



See, I'm young and therefore don't need caffeine to get me through the day. All I need is an hour of sleep, and I'm good for the day!



Are you planner or are you pantser?



Well… I try to plan! But somehow that never seems to work out for me. Don't worry though, everything always gets done, just not as soon as I'd like sometimes…

Would you like to share any writing tips?



Sorry to say, but I really don't have any brilliant writer's tips. All I can say is that you have to write as much as humanly possible! If you don't practice something you can't get better at it, it's common sense! The more you practice, the better you become, even if all you can manage a day is ten minutes. You'll realize how much it'll help.



Do you have anything published (self-published)?



I wish! I'm only an aspiring author. I've written fifteen books, and plan on writing plenty more! Still, I want to wait a little bit longer before I take the road of publishing. It gives me time to figure out which path to take- traditionally or self- publishing.



Where can people find YOU!



Blog: http://dominiqueweldonsbooks.blogspot.com/



Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Dominique.Weldons.Books



Twitter: @dwkeiko



Other: http://dwkeiko.deviantart.com/

Another GREAT interview! Thanks Dom!

~Joseph Eastwood

Author Interview -- Lissette E. Manning!

Introduce yourself, I promise that I won't bite, but I'm not sure about the readers.

Hi. I'm Nancy Medina, an author from Connecticut. I'm 33 years old and I write under the pseudonym of Lissette E. Manning. I've a cat named Mikey and enjoy reading, as well as playing video games. And of course, my main passion is writing.



What genre are you most comfortable writing?

Currently, that would be Science-Fiction/Fantasy, short stories, and also poetry.



Do you ever try out different genres?

Yes, indeed, I do. I also write Romances and Young Adult stories.



What do you write? (Novels, novellas, short stories, poetry, non-fiction, flash fiction)

Novels, short stories, poetry, and flash fiction.



How long have you been writing for? Is writing your full time job?

I've been writing since I was 6-years-old. At first it wasn't, but it is now.



What do you prefer to read, stand-alone novels or series?

I read both types of novels.



Who is your favourite author? Did they inspire you to write?

My favourite author is Elizabeth Haydon. She's the reason I started writing Science-Fiction/Fantasy stories.



Is there anyone else or anything else that inspired you?

I mostly gain inspiration for writing from every day things, such as when watching a movie or listening to music. A randomly spoken word or phrase by someone has also given me inspiration, at times.



What's your favourite book? How many times have you read it?

Rhapsody, by Elizabeth Haydon. I've read the book so much that the cover has fallen off.



Do you have any fears? If so, give us a list!

I sometimes wonder if my work is truly being read. Not that many people have said much about my work, although I do know that some have read what I share.

I suppose this is a fear all writers have, I know that I sometimes fear that my writing isn't being read as well.



Do you write with music, or without?

I can write with, and without, music.



Are you forever coaxed on caffeine (like so many)?

Not really.



What's your poison ;)?

Chocolate.



Are you planner or are you pantser?

I'm a little bit of both, I think. It primarily depends on the situation, really. When a story doesn't feel write, I start outlining it to see if I can start to get a feel for where it wants to go. Other times, I tend to go with the flow and write what I feel as it comes to me.



Would you like to share any writing tips?

Write what you know.



Do you have anything published (self-published)?

I'm currently self-published. My first book is titled Closure.



http://www.amazon.com/Closure-ebook/dp/B005110CJW



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My next book, Stuck, is due out on the 29th of September of this year.



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If so, what's Closure about?

Closure is about a man whose wife has left him because she's unhappy with their current situation. Ben reflects upon his current situation in hopes of coming to terms with what has happened.



Stuck takes place in a post-apocalyptic world about a woman who strives to provide for her family when the military fails to deliver what they promise. She gets caught in the crossfire while out one day and now has to face the consequences of her actions.



Where can people find YOU!



Blog: http://www.simplistik.org/lissetteemanning



Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/LissetteElizabethManning



Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/xLizzieBethx



Other: Email: LizzieBeth@simplistik.org



It was a pleasure!

~Joseph Eastwood