Laurisa White Reyes's Blog, page 3

WRITER 2 WRITER: WRITING THROUGH THE BAD DAYS

You’ve set a goal to write regularly, if not every day. But then something happens: a child gets sick, the plumbing backs up, the car gets a flat tire…

You know what I’m talking about. And it doesn’t have to be “big” problems that throw a wrench in your day. Maybe you just have too many other things on your plate and writing isn’t a high priority. It’s easy to say you’ll get to it later, or tomorrow, or next week. But be careful.

As Professor Harold Hill in The Music Man said: “Pile up enough tomorrows, and you’ll find you are left with nothing but a lot of empty yesterdays.”

If you want to be a writer, you must WRITE.

Writing isn’t a hobby or something you do to pass the time. For many of us, writing is a serious pursuit, a career. You wouldn’t wake up to a crazy day and say, “I guess I won’t go to work today.
Too many other things to do.” So, make writing THE priority. Here are three ways to do it:

1. WRITE FIRST – No matter how long your to do list is, writing should always be at the very top.  

2. SET REACHABLE GOALS – If your day doesn’t allow for 2,000 words or three hours of writing, write 500 words, or 250. Set a timer for 15 minutes. Whatever you can realistically manage, but write something. 

3. BE FLEXIBLE – If you’re faced with a serious challenge, and you don’t feel like working on your latest sci-fi novel, then write something else. Write in your journal, or a letter to a friend, or a poem. The goal is to avoid procrastination, to keep your writing schedule in tact. But if you need to change up what you write today, then do it.

$25 GIVEAWAY - A WEAPON'S JOURNEY by Frank Martin

A Weapon's Journeyby Frank MartinGenre: SciFi
Living in poverty with his abusive father, Adam Judson never considered himself special. Not even when the authoritative American government abducted him to be part of its secretive weapons program. But becoming a highly-trained child soldier was just the start of Adam's journey. After being condemned to undergo the program's most brutal procedure, Adam became a super human of unimaginable power. Now he faces the burden of deciding if his newfound abilities make him a god or just another weapon.

Goodreads* Amazon

Frank is a comic writer and author that is not as crazy as his work makes him out to be...seriously.Since his writing career began he's had multiple short stories published in horror anthologies by both Burning Willow Press and Stitched Smile Publications. Frank has also had comic shorts appear in the "fluff noir" anthology series Torsobear and the all-ages horror anthology Cthulhu is Hard to Spell.Frank also wrote and produced the comic anthology series Modern Testament, which featured a wide ensemble of artists throughout its four volumes. Frank's novels include the YA sci-fi thriller Predestiny published by Crossroads Press and the zombie horror Mountain Sickness published by Severed Press.Frank currently lives in New York with his wife and three kids.

Website* Facebook * Twitter * Instagram * Goodreads

Follow the tour HEREfor exclusive excerpts, guest posts and a giveaway! a Rafflecopter giveaway

$25 GIVEAWAY - OF SOUND MIND AND SOMEONE ELSE'S BODY by William Quincy Belle

Of Sound Mind and Someone Else's Bodyby William Quincy BelleGenre: SciFi Romantic Comedy
Alan Maitland is a successful businessman on his way up the corporate ladder. Life is good, but life is also full of the unexpected. A scientific experiment goes awry and Alan’s mind is transferred to the body of Hana Toussaint, a high-class escort. Suddenly, he must not only contend with a new identity, but with the eye-opening experience of living as a female: how to walk in high heels without falling; how to put on a bra without dislocating a shoulder; how to deal with makeup without poking out an eye; and how to get along in a society which in many ways is still male-dominated.

When Alan discovers that Hana has taken over his body, the two of them must work together to find the scientist who can reverse the experiment and give them back their respective lives. Along the way, they must cope with living as each other and learn what it's like to be a member of the opposite sex. And as their adventure goes on, Alan the woman must figure out his growing feelings for Hana the man.
Alan faces the biggest challenge of his life which Hana sums up with one decisive question:
“Are you man enough to be a woman?”


Goodreads* Amazon

William Quincy Belle is just a guy. Nobody famous; nobody rich; just some guy who likes to periodically add his two cents worth with the hope, accounting for inflation, that $0.02 is not over evaluating his contribution. He claims that at the heart of the writing process is some sort of (psychotic) urge to put it down on paper and likes to recite the following, which so far he hasn't been able to attribute to anyone: "A writer is an egomaniac with low self-esteem." You will find Mr. Belle's unbridled stream of consciousness floating around in cyberspace.

Website* Twitter * Bookbub* Amazon* Goodreads

Follow the tour HEREfor exclusive content and a giveaway!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

$25 GIVEAWAY - METROFLOAT NEW YORK by William Quincy Belle

Metrofloat New Yorkby William Quincy BelleGenre: Science Fiction
A Post-apocalyptic Sci-Fi thriller.

Several hundred years in the future, Earth is a different planet. Antigravity has been invented and “flying” has given way to “floating”: giant platforms with cities remain above the growing surface temperatures as enclaves of the privileged. A global pandemic has wiped out 80% of those on the ground, and a virulent, flesh-eating disease, necrofasc, has left most with artificial body parts. Insects are the main food staple. A utopia for some, a dystopia for others.
Metrofloat New York, a futuristic city of thirty million, is run by an oligarchy of five rich and powerful people. An unknown assassin, working from within the system, attempts to seize control and declare himself dictator by methodically removing all rivals. Detective Matthew Heart of the Metropolitan Police must deal with his partner, a cyborg policewoman, his unofficial family, a transgender woman and her one-legged daughter, and a mysterious assailant bent on taking over the world by killing anyone who stands in his way.



Goodreads* Amazon


William Quincy Belle is just a guy. Nobody famous; nobody rich; just some guy who likes to periodically add his two cents worth with the hope, accounting for inflation, that $0.02 is not over evaluating his contribution. He claims that at the heart of the writing process is some sort of (psychotic) urge to put it down on paper and likes to recite the following, which so far he hasn't been able to attribute to anyone: "A writer is an egomaniac with low self-esteem." You will find Mr. Belle's unbridled stream of consciousness floating around in cyberspace.

Website* Twitter * Bookbub* Amazon* Goodreads

Follow the tour HEREfor exclusive content and a giveaway!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

WRITER 2 WRITER: WHEN ARE YOU "DONE" WRITING?

When I visit schools, I teach kids about the writing process. I explain that it takes me months to write a first draft for a novel, but then the work is just beginning.

I ask students how they feel when they turn in an essay or story only to have their teacher mark it all up with red pen. Inevitably, the kids groan. They know what I’m talking about. Revision is hard work.

I’ve written sixteen novels over the past twelve years. Each first draft took four to twelve months to complete, and I rewrote (not just edited) each book an average of nine times. Some more than that. And those revisions can take years. For example, I just completed the ninth revision of a novel I first wrote seven years ago.

I teach college composition, and I require my students to turn in three drafts of each essay. They hate it! But each draft improves upon the one before it. A question I often hear in both my school visits with kids and from my college students is, “When am I done writing?”

My answer is: “When it’s published by Random House and sitting on a shelf at Barnes & Noble.”
In other words, until a book or essay is actually bound and printed, there is always room for improvement.

If you’ve submitted a novel to agents or publishers and haven’t gotten a contract yet, your book needs more work.

If you’ve self-published, but the book isn’t selling well or is getting negative reviews, your book needs more work.

If you’ve only written two or three drafts, your book needs more work.

Have you hired a professional editor? No? Your book needs more work.

Keep going. Your story deserves to be the best it can be.

$20 GIVEAWAY - REVELATIONS by Robert Sells

Revelationsby Robert SellsGenre: Science Fiction
Aster Worthington spearheads the First Contact Team to unravel a message from an alien race. “The Lambdons” promise free energy if humanity builds a few special robots and downloads their message into a super computer to direct construction of the fusion reactor. An excited world agrees and builds a massive structure called the Dome to house the alien enterprise.
Seven years later, there’s no “free energy” and strange things happen in and around the Dome. Aster and her colleagues mount an expedition under the protection of Army Rangers to investigate the interior. Instead of friendly aliens, they discover hordes of deadly intelligent humanoids with insect-like characteristics.When the military team is brutally murdered by the Lambdons, the scientists scatter. It’s soon apparent that the Lambdons intend to take over the planet using biological warfare. The only hope for humanity lies with a two-thousand year old scroll hidden by the church. The question is, can Aster and her team unravel the scroll's mystery in time to save the planet?


Goodreads* Amazon


I attended college at Ohio Wesleyan where I struggled with physics. Having made so many mistakes in college with physics, there weren’t too many left to make and I did quite well at graduate school at Purdue.I worked for nearly twenty years at Choate Rosemary Hall, an exclusive boarding school in the heart of Connecticut. More often than not, students arrived in limousines. There was a wooded area by the upper athletic fields where I would take my children for a walk. There, under a large oak tree, stories about the elves would be weaved into the surrounding forest.Returning to my home town to help with a father struggling with Alzheimer’s, the only job open was at a prison. There I taught an entirely different clientele whose only interaction with limousines was stealing them. A year later Alfred State College hired me to teach physics. I happily taught there for over ten years. A rural, low income high school needed a physics teacher and the superintendent, a friend, begged me to help out. So, I am finishing my teaching career in a most fulfilling way… helping kids who would otherwise not have access to a qualified physics (and math) teacher.My wife pestered me about putting to “pen” some of the stories which I had created for the children and other relatives. I started thinking about a young boy and a white deer, connected, yet apart. Ideas were shuffled together, characters created and the result was the Return of the White Deer. This book was published by the Martin Sisters.Years ago I gave a lecture on evolution. What, I wondered, would be the next step? Right away I realized that silicon ‘life’ had considerable advantages over mortal man. Later this idea emerged as the exciting and disturbing story called Reap the Whirlwind, my most recent novel.I have many other stories inside my mind, fermenting, patiently waiting for the pen to give them breath. Perhaps someday I will even write about those elves which still inhabit the woods in the heart of Connecticut.

Facebook* Goodreads

Follow the tour HEREfor exclusive content and a giveaway!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

SWAG GIVEAWAY - SHERLOCK JR. DETECTIVE AGENCY by Marc Morgenstern

The Sherlock Jr. Detective Agencyby Marc MorgensternGenre: YA, Teen Mystery

Chas, Zoe, Xander, Nickie and Patricia and Sally make up the Sherlock Jr. Detective Agency. Even though they are only 12 years old, each one of them possess their own unique specialty. Patricia is a computer whiz, Zoe and Xander, the twins, are inventors, Nickie is a mathematician, Sally is their administrator and Chas is the leader. In this adventure, they are hired by Skids, the local skate boarding champ, to find his missing dog Casper which was stolen out right of his back yard in broad daylight. Suspecting foul play their detective skills and the Sherlock Jr. Network in the neighborhood. They must put their best foot forward to solve the crime before time runs out and the kidnapped Casper is sold on an auction web site to the highest bidder.

**only .99 cents**Goodreads* Amazon

Marc Morgenstern has been a part of the film industry for at least 25 years, but became a serious writer/director in 2004 when he shot his first feature film, The Vampire Conspiracy, that went on to receive worldwide distribution. In addition, it has been translated into four languages and sold in Wal-Mart, Blockbuster, Target, and more. It launched Fangoria's, the nations largest resource for horror fiction's online streaming service Fangoria TV, and during its release was searched in the top 700 searched movies on imdb.com. After it was turned into a graphic novel, it won a silver medal at the 2010 Independent Publishing Awards.

Since then, Marc has achieved international recognition with his Cannes Lions Shortlisting commercial "Poker Face", that either placed or won in 10 different award shows. 
One of Marc's greatest industry accomplishments was as the creator of the variety show HouseCapades with Mike Bullard, and achieved the #1 show of its kind in its time slot and ran for over 250 episodes, one of the longest running television shows in Canadian history. 
After that, he ended up becoming the Broadcasting Creative Director at Avid Life Media, where he created and produced over 80 international commercials for over 30 markets and directed the documentary Affairs Across America. With Avid Life Media, Marc has written and developed a variety show, a reality show, two feature films and a sitcom. 
Marc is no stranger to directing children. He also created the three award-winning nationally renown live-action shorts titled: Operation: LabBrats. In 2013 Marc moved to California where he immediately went into production, writing and directing the feature film 'Vitals' with Christopher Showerman, Charlene Amoia, Tim Russ, Claudia Wells and Sachin Mehta.
He currently lives in Burbank, CA with his loving wife Tanya.


Facebook* Twitter * Amazon* Goodreads

Follow the tour HEREfor exclusive content and a giveaway!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

$25 GIVEAWAY - TRIFLES AND FOLLY by Gail Z. Martin

Trifles and FollyA Deadly Curiosities Collectionby Gail Z. MartinGenre: Urban Fantasy
A collection of nine adventures: Buttons, The Restless Dead, Retribution, Coffin Box, Wicked Dreams, Collector, Bad Memories, Shadow Garden, and Spook House. 


Cassidy Kincaide runs Trifles & Folly in modern-day Charleston, an antiques and curios shop with a dangerous secret. Cassidy can read the history of objects by touching them and along with her business partners Teag, who has Weaver magic and Sorren, a 600 year-old vampire, they get rid of cursed objects and keep Charleston and the world safe from supernatural threats. An extension of the Deadly Curiosities book series.
Revised Edition 2, 2018. Includes an updated cover, minor edits and the BONUS section with three stories chronicling Sorren’s early days: Vanities, The Wild Hunt, and Dark Legacy.


Goodreads* Amazon

Trifles and Folly 2A Deadly Curiosities Collection 
Cassidy Kincaide runs Trifles & Folly in modern-day Charleston, an antiques and curios shop with a dangerous secret. Cassidy can read the history of objects by touching them and together with Teag (a hacker and weaver witch) and Sorren, a 600 year-old vampire, they get rid of cursed objects and keep Charleston and the world safe from supernatural threats.

An extension of the Deadly Curiosities urban fantasy novel series, this collection contains three full novellas and four short stories: The Final Death, Predator, Fair Game, Fatal Invitation, Redcap, Bloodlines, plus three bonus stories: Among the Shoals Forever, The Low Road, and Steer a Pale Course.


Goodreads* Amazon

Gail Z. Martin discovered her passion for science fiction, fantasy and ghost stories in elementary school. The first story she wroteat age fivewas about a vampire. Her favorite TV show as a preschooler was Dark Shadows. At age 14, she decided to become a writer. She enjoys attending science fiction/fantasy conventions, Renaissance fairs and living history sites. She is married and has three children, a Himalayan cat, a Maltese and a golden retriever.

Website* Newsletter* Facebook* Pinterest * Twitter* Goodreads* Amazon

Follow the tour HEREfor exclusive excerpts, guest posts and a giveaway!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

$25 GIVEAWAY - HENRIETTA THE DRAGON SLAYER by Beth Barany

Henrietta the Dragon Slayer Henrietta the Dragon Slayer Book 1by Beth BaranyGenre: YA Fantasy Adventure
She's a legend at 17, but only Henrietta knows the price she paid for her fame … and it was much too high.

From the Winner of the California Fiction Writer's Book Contest comes this thrilling adventure of a young warrior on one final quest … against an opponent she swore never to face again.
Henrietta, the legendary Dragon Slayer of Bleuve, can't face the thought of another kill. She's lost family, friends and home on her rocky road to fame. But when the young warrior is summoned by a King to retrieve the Dragon Stone from the last dragon in existence, she can't re fuse--her mentor lies dying, and the healing stone is all that can save him. This quest will be her most harrowing of all, for it means facing mysterious assassins, the dreaded choppy sea, and all with a misfit band--a young witch, a jester and a surly knight. And at journey's end, someone must die … the dragon, or Henrietta.
Perfect for fans of Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, Collins' The Hunger Games, McKinley's Hero & the Crown, and Paolini's Eragon. Get your copy of Henrietta the Dragon Slayer today!



Add to Goodreads Amazon* Apple* B&N* Kobo* Smashwords

Henrietta and the Dragon StoneHenrietta the Dragon Slayer Book 2
What if all those you loved were threatened by a force you couldn't see or fight?

Henrietta the legendary ass kicking dragon slayer wants to return to her village for a heroes’ welcome. But an unknown sorcerer rides after her and her Dragon Stone, and aims to destroy everyone she cares about. Can she claim her newfound powers sparked by the Dragon Stone and keep her loved ones safe, especially her more-than-friend, and her stalwart bodyguard, before the sorcerer destroys her and everything in his path?
A medieval-set world with magic and magical creatures.
A 86,000-word novel.
Beth Barany empowers young women to be the heroes of their own lives.


Add to Goodreads Amazon* Apple* B&N* Kobo* Smashwords

Henrietta and the Battle of the Horse MesaHenrietta the Dragon Slayer Book 3
Finally, the sweeping conclusion to the Henrietta The Dragon Slayer trilogy!
Parted by destiny, the four friends struggle to rejoin forces and face for a final time, the ruthless sorcerer intent on destroying them all.

In the biggest challenge of her life, Henrietta the legendary Dragon Slayer of Bleuve must lead her people into a battle that may end life as they know it. For they face no ordinary army, but the dark forces of a powerful sorcerer bent on overtaking all five kingdoms. And unless she can rescue her dauntless knight Franc, she must do it without his support.
Franc will follow Henrietta anywhere. But on a mission to find allies among the Horse People, he is kidnapped and taken by minions of the evil sorcerer Eyvindir. Will he find the strength and courage to survive, and fight again at Henrietta's side?
Paulette, the young fire witch, must stand trial for a murder committed out of desperation. In despair at her imprisonment by forces acting against her dearest friend, Jaxter, she escapes and flees to the frigid, forbidden land of Varangia to find a witch powerful enough to help her finally master fire. But what must she give up to gain the power to aid her friends?
Jaxter, now a king, must come to terms with the heavy responsibilities of ruling the Oro Islands, newly emerged from over 75 years of evil rule. This means doing right, even when it means going against ancient customs and protocols. Worse, the marauding Varangians press at his borders. He must find a way to defend his home, or none of them will survive.
Will Henrietta and her friends be able to stop the ruthless sorcerer from obliterating her, claiming the Dragon Stone, and ruling over the Five Kingdoms?


Add to Goodreads Amazon* Apple* B&N* Kobo* Smashwords


Award winning author, Beth Barany writes in several genres including young adult adventure fantasy and paranormal romance.

Inspired by living abroad in France and Quebec, she loves creating magical tales of romance, mystery, and adventure that empower women and girls to be the heroes of their own lives.
For fun, Beth walks, gardens, and watched movies and travels with her husband, author Ezra Barany. They live in Oakland, California with a piano, their cats, and over 1,000 books.
When not writing or playing, Beth runs an online school, BARANY SCHOOL OF FICTION. helping novelists to write, market, and publish their books to the delight of their readers.


Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram* Amazon* Goodreads

Follow the tour HEREfor exclusive excerpts, guest posts and a giveaway!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

$20 GIVEAWAY - AUGUR OF SHADOWS by Jacob Rundle

Augur of ShadowsThe Destined Book 1by Jacob RundleGenre: Dark Urban Fantasy
The story has always been told that the end of the world is the end of everything. In AUGUR OF SHADOWS: BOOK 1 OF THE DESTINED SERIES, Seventeen year-old Henri and his two friends, Etlina and Siméon, are burdened with the responsibility to bring about a cataclysmic event in order to save the entirety of existence from the primordial evil. Through the guidance of otherworldly beings, Henri and his friends venture on their paths to fulfill what is needed to ensure the survival of the universe. With their intertwining endeavors, Henri and the others venture on exploits through lands of myth and mystery. In the process of fulfilling their obligations, they begin to form a much-needed bond, which helps propel them forward to do what is needed to guarantee existence in the future.

Goodreads* Amazon


Jacob John Rundle was born on September 27, 1985, in Galesburg, IL. He attended Knox College, earning a Bachelor's Degree in Russian Language and Literature. He served eight years in the United States Navy as a Nuclear Mechanic.
After finishing his time with the Navy, he moved to New Orleans, and it is where he resides, pursuing his dream of being a writer.



Website* Facebook * Twitter * Instgram* Amazon* Goodreads

Follow the tour HEREfor exclusive excerpts, guest posts and a giveaway!
a Rafflecopter giveaway