Marissa De Luna's Blog, page 19

Everybody walks past a thousand story ideas every day.

Everybody walks past a thousand story ideas every day. The good writers are the ones who see five or six of them. Most people don't see any.
Orson Scott Card



What have I been doing? Too busy to do anything. I did however go to a literary festival the other Saturday where I heard two authors speak. One being traditionally published and the other being self published. Both books seemed interesting – 'A Diamond in the sky' by Margaret Pelling and 'Invisible' by Frank something or the other- he...

All that we are is the result of what we have thought.

All that we are is the result of what we have thought. The mind is everything. What we think, we become.
Buddha
I apologise- I havent blogged in how long? I dont know a long time. I have been swamped by family things and work.... ughhh. Dont you just hate it when work takes over and you have less time to concentrate with the things you love doing?! Well work has taken over a bit and family like I said and a short trip as well to Budapest and Vienna... both beautiful in their own magical ways I ...

There's no secret about success.

There's no secret about success. Did you ever know a successful man who didn't tell you about it?
Kin Hubbard


So today I got a plug on the Ocelot Magazine!! http://www.theocelot.co.uk/modules/news/article.php?storyid=1597


Take a look- its on page 28! very excited about it. Goa Traffic is on its way up. Its funny writing a book and then promoting it. It is such a journey and a learning curve but I am glad to be on it. 


On the reading front. I have just read One Day- a modern day great - it has...

Prose is architecture, not interior decoration.

Prose is architecture, not interior decoration.
Ernest Hemingway


So I did a Goodreads.com book give away for Goa Traffic. I would have published details of it here on my blog.. but truth be told I thought I had more time on it left. Goodreads.com is a great way to not only publicize your stuff but to apply for a good new book to read. 


very happy that 1192 people applied for Goa Traffic and the lucky winners will be receiving a book in the post shortly! 


If you are a member on my book club on...

Novelists...fashioning nets to sustain...

Novelists... fashioning nets to sustain and support the reader as he falls helplessly through the chaos of his own existence.  ~Fay Weldon


So I bought a website.... check it out www.marissadeluna.com and now I need to create a website for this domain name. Take a look it has my name and says under construction. I am aiming to get it up and running by the end of October- it will be a little project. 


I feel a bit lame... I havent done much with my books to blog about lately... family taking...

It is impossible to discourage real writers...

It is impossible to discourage the real writers - they don't give a damn what you say, they're going to write.  ~Sinclair Lewis
So today I felt a little blue. Really blue about the state of affairs and getting published and self publishing and the complexities of promotion. It's a tough world out there. Let me tell you even if you go out into the world with the expectation of not selling many copies etc etc you still feel slightly dejected sometimes.
Apparently the average self published book...

Intuition is the conception of the whole at once

Intuition is the conception of the whole at once - Johann Kaspar Lavater
So the other day I promised the moon the a stick - not really- I promised big news for authors and photographers- well you will have to wait and it may well amount to nothing. I am working on an idea and if it comes off I will let you know.

In the meantime I have created a website- well not exactly created but I have bought my domain name: www.marissadeluna.com Take a look- It just says it is under construction but it is b...

Thank you!

Thank You!
Well I received my royalties statement and I am super happy with it! In total the sales I have made myself and the royalties add up to 150 sales in the first quarter. That's 150 people reading Goa Traffic !!! Here is what I hope to achieve with GT:1)   Goa Traffic is not a crusade but there are topics I wanted to explore with the book. Cruel realities that happen in far flung places that we just don't take notice off. If you are a regular reader of my blog you will see that I am...

The best way to waste you life...

The best way to waste your life, ... is by taking notes. The easiest way to avoid living is to just watch. Look for the details. Report. Don't participate."-Chuck Palahnuik


My eyes hurt!!! from all the editing I have been doing lately- I was going to have a break from 'The Book Club' and work on some more promo stuff for Goa Traffic but that has evaded me. I am stuck with the book club. More showing than telling this time around. Can I just say that two out of the four people who I have given...

Editing is a labour of love

Editing is a labour of  love.
Here is a tip, once you have finished your first draft – go online or enrol yourself in a workshop and learn about symbolism, themes, developing characters etc. If you are anything like me don't do this before your first draft- why? Because you need to get the bare bones of your story down first. So this is where I am with 'the book club'– Let me give you an update.
I completed my first draft and I have emailed it out to a friend, a mother in law and printed a...