Jami Gray's Blog, page 33

You Survived NaNo…now what?

So we’ve survived the madness that was NaNo and we actually did it! Consider it a major miracle.  I know the whole point of having this in November is to test your ability to meet your goal under severe duress, but seriously, folks? I think you’ve gone beyond severe, into freakin’ terrifyingly horrendous…but now that we’re done, what happens next?

Well there’s this minor celebration involving an overly decorated tree, hastily wrapped packages (some reappearing from last year), and a never ending stream of family and friends just “popping by” to get through.  If you could find the time to write during the wild halycon days of November, I promise, you can find the time in December.  Now, whether or not your brain is able to focus and make sense, well that’s another story.

I have to credit NaNo with getting me through SHADOW’S MOON’s mid point and well on the speed track of the last handful of chapters.  The goal is to have this first draft done by (what month is it or yeah…) December, get it out the other Evil Ones for dismemberment, then it’s onward to the polishing stage.  By end of January it should be winging it’s way out into the query world.  I will keep you updated.

Apologies ahead of time but my posts this month will be embarassingly short as something has to give and my family has already started to wonder who I am. 

So to keep the conversation going, what all do you guys have planned for this holiday season?   For me and mine, much celebrating with loved ones has the starring role!

Cooking , however, is no where on my list unless it’s a move to invite the local fire department over. 

Until next week…

The Amazingly Wonderful @CE_MURPHY is Here for a VISIT!

Red Dwarf:  Psstt…Wicked?

Wicked *looking up from current reading choice RAVEN CALLS*:  Mmm? What? I’m kind of in the middle of a really good part here…

Red:  I’ve brought you a surprise.

Wicked *looking up, squinting*: OMG! Is that…? Where did you…? How did you…?

Mighty *hushed awe*:  It’s C. E. MURPHY!

Smokey: What? Did I see a Smurphy? What the hell is that?

Wicked: Not Smurphy, MURPHY! You know, awesome authoress of URBAN SHAMAN, TRUTHSEEKER, Belinda, Joanne, Margrit…any of these ringing any bells?

Snarky *w/contemplative look, running newest supple whip through hands*: This aught to be fun!

Eerie w/Mischevious on his shoulder:  Are you sure those bonds are going to hold her to that chair?

Quirky: Yeah, if she falls, Eerie’s pets are going to have a feast.

Dreamer:  Umm, guys, I think perhaps you might want to consider that kidnapping and imprisonment might not be the best way to make new friends.  *under breath* Or have them come back.

Wicked *dancing manically with uber Fangirl glee*:  It’s CE Murphy, CE Murphy and she’s going to talk to us…we are soooo cool!

**Swamp disclaimer: We promise to release Catie as soon as we’re done and no harm was done to this or any writer during this interview**

Catie was nice enough to answer all our questions, so sit back and enjoy the visit!

As children we tend to have an idea of what we want to be by the time we’re ten.  Before you decided to pursue the artistic dream of being a writer, what did you want to be and why?

…a writer. No, seriously, my earliest memories of job ambitions are that I was going to be the first woman Senator from Alaska (I may have grown up in a somewhat political family *wink* ) and a writer. An astronaut and a writer. A fireman and a writer. A laywer and a writer.

The writing stuck. The other things, not so much.

                                            We’re glad the writing stuck, we’re kind of partial to it as well!

If your character(s) came with a warning label, what would it say?

Joanne Walker, from the Walker Papers, would probably have one that says, “WARNING: TENDS TO SAY THE FIRST THING THAT COMES INTO HER HEAD. RESULTS ARE NOT NECESSARILY PRETTY.

Margrit Knight from the Negotiator Trilogy would have one that says, “DON’T GET HER STARTED, BECAUSE SHE NEVER BACKS DOWN.”

Belinda Primrose from the Inheritors’ Cycle’s warning would just be that: “WARNING! STAY AWAY! DANGEROUS!”

If you turned your laptop/computer/pen/typewriter (yes, some of still use these!) over to your character(s), how would they describe you?

I would not care to have my characters describe me, given the things I put them through.

We all have favorite characters, either main or secondary, and there are always bits and pieces of them we don’t share with our readers, but keep close to our hearts.  Choose your favorite from your cast of characters and tell us a couple of things that you haven’t shared in your books/writing.

Dude, if I was going to tell you those things, they’d be in the books!

                                          Awww man, c’mon, we promise it will stay just between us!

Personally, I tend to be a bit on the introverted side so the thought of being in the actual presence of one of my favorite writers makes my heart race, my knees shake and tangles my tongue (yes classic fan girl behavior).  Who could reduce you to such a level and how do you imagine your initial meeting?

Meeting Guy Gavriel Kay pretty much turned me into a gibbering idiot. The worst part was that he’s kind of shy, so after I babbled at him I literally couldn’t figure out a way to keep–or more accurately, *start*–an actual coversation. “I love your books!” I said to him. “They make me cry!”

“Everybody says that,” he responded, a little wryly. “I’m afraid that’s what they’ll put on  my gravestone: “He made me cry.”"

Me: *inane attempts to assure him I meant it in a good way, followed by slinking off feeling silly*

Really, though, I mean–shortly after I got published I ended up on a mailing list with Mercedes Lackey, for example. I managed to keep my cool, but then I was invited to be in an anthology with her. At that point I emailed her privately and I was like, “Okay, look, I know that to you you’re just Mercedes Lackey, but to me you’re MERCEDES LACKEY AND OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG *SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE* I GET TO BE IN A BOOK WITH YOU *flails like an idiot fangirl*”‘

She was very nice about it. And most writers are, really, so at this point it’s much more difficult to think who I’d become incoherently fangirl at (I did it to Marjorie Liu fairly recently, though, again via email, and in a CLASSIC MANUEVER, I sent it to THE  WHOLE MAILING LIST instead of just her. *dies in a pit*).

                                               Yes, they are, much like the graceful patience you showed me as I demonstrated my best airheadedness (yes, it’s a word) when you *gasp* spoke to me! *squeeee*

Growing up, what was your favorite book, comic, game or movie and did you create a character/player that might resemble you?

Of course I did. Some of the most lingering ones–ones who’ve spun off their own stories that I might tell someday–were from the Highlander tv show universe and, well, from the breadth and width of Marvel comics. My online moniker, Miz Kit, comes from that.

                                               Oooohhh, Highlander, loved that show!  Marvel universe…Wolverine, Gambit…’nuff said!

Many writers have that first novel which will never see the light of day. Out of curiosity, do you have one stashed somewhere?  Inquiring minds want to know: what was  your first attempt at writing and how old were you?

My first attempt at a novel was when I was 8. Sadly, I don’t have it anymore, but it featured red-headed twin girls and their 3 best friends, all of whom together were a mystery-solving cadre a la Trixie Belden or the Happy Hollisters. It was intended to be a long, on-going series like those books. Even at age 8 I grasped how success in writing worked.

My first full novel I wrote when I was 19, and I’m afraid to look at it again.

                                          OMG, Trixie Belden, that was a great series and sadly not many recognize it nowdays! Can’t forget Lloyd Alexander’s Book of Three or Susan Cooper’s Dark is Rising though…

Whether we’re plotters or pantsers (outlines not needed), creating our stories takes us on very memorable journeys.  Sometimes we may be part way through before we realize some major aspect of our story is just not working (plot, character, setting).  Have you ever hit this sharp, pointy snag and if so, how did you escape? We’re you battered and bruised or a bloody mess?

*snorts* It happens all the time. I’m suffering from a bad bout of it right now, in fact, which is why I’m enthusiastically answering interview questions instead of stabbing a knife through the heart of the book I should be working on.

The fastest I’ve ever gotten through that is about seven minutes, when I once wrote Joanne Walker into a corner from which she could not be extricated. Like, if the scene happened the way I wrote it, that was the end of the series. No, she didn’t die, but somebody else did (no, nobody you’re thinking of), and there was *no way* the book or the series could continue with that person’s death. So I had to reverse, throw things out, and start again. Usually it takes a lot longer than 7 minutes, but being on deadline helps.

Seriously, though, you escape by gritting your teeth and accepting it and going back to fix it. It’s the only way you can escape. It sucks, but it’s all you can do.

What’s some of the funniest/sweetest/strangest things you’ve heard from your readers?

I’ve had some utterly lovely commentary over the years. My favorite is always when people email to say they stayed up too late reading one of my books. I love that one particularly because I know just what that’s like, so from my perspective it’s the greatest compliment ever.

But there was one guy–this was quite wonderful–who was standing in line for the 6th, I think, Harry Potter novel, at, y’know, 11:30 at night at all, and as he wound his way through the SF/F section, he picked up URBAN SHAMAN and started reading it. And kept reading. And bought it along with the Potter book. And went home and started reading Harry Potter, but then couldn’t take it and had to put it down and finish reading URBAN SHAMAN first because he JUST HAD to find out what happened!

It’s the only time in my life I’ll ever trump JK Rowling, so I’ll totally take it.

What’s the one genre you won’t ever try and why?

Straight-up industry romance, not because I disdain it, but because I have tried it and I flat-out don’t have the skill set to write it. People belittle industry romance, but honestly, it takes real knowledge of how that style of romance works in order to tell a story that way.

What is some of the best advice you were ever given?

About writing? Get the character’s motivation on the page. It makes them much more relatable and much less cardboard. In general? Forgive me for going all -Galaxy Quest- on you, but “Never give up! Never surrender!” I think it’s a good mindset.

What is the best advice you can share with others?

You can’t get what you don’t ask for. Always let the other guy say no.

Blades, guns, fists or feet?       

Feet! Run away! Run away!

Favorite Fairy Tale of all time?

Beauty and the Beast.

Three titles and their authors sitting on your nightstand/bookcase/table/floor waiting to be read? 

UNSPOKEN by Sarah Rees Brennan, THE GODS OF MARS by Edgar Rice Burroughs, and AGATHA RAISIN & THE VICIOUS VET by MC Beaton.

Greatest one liner of all time? 

Ron Perlman, Aliens 4, “I am not the man with whom to fuck.” I get a lot of mileage out of that one, anyway.

Sarcastic witticism, Southern sweetness or Geeky disdain? 

Depends on what’s called for.

Strangest item currently taking up space in your writing cave?

…there is nothing in here I would consider strange, but perhaps from another’s POV the 15+ Rogue and Gambit figurines would be a little odd…

                                                            I wouldn’t call that odd, Catie, but if some of your Gambits went missing, I have no idea where they could have gone….

Favorite supernatural creature?

Oh, Dean Winchester, definitely. No doubt abo…that’s not what you meant, was it…

                                                           Yummm….Dean…what? Oh no, that’s okay we’ll take that answer!

Huge THANK YOU to the lovely C.E. Murphy for taking time out of her busy day and spending some fun filled moments with us!  Want to see what makes her such a great writer? Come over to Amazon and check out her Author Page:

http://www.amazon.com/C.-E.-Murphy/e/B002D656ZI/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1351208530&sr=8-2-ent  

or just swing over to her place at:

CE Murphy.net

#NANO FINAL WEEK/COUNTDOWN!

YOU’RE ALMOST DONE! DON’T GIVE UP!

The battle is almost won! With only a couple of days left, write! WRITE HARD! I know you can do it!

Get your final numbers in and no matter if you hit the glorious 50K or not, know YOU ARE A WINNER! You’ve survived another year of NaNo, and I, for one, am so very proud of you all!

As a matter of fact I’m so proud that I have a special treat for next week!  Oh yes, I have a great guest post coming from none other than C.E. MURPHY! Yep, you saw it right! C.E. Murphy, the wildly wonderful authoress of such awe-inspiring stories as seen in the Walker Papers, the Negotiator Trilogy and the Inheritor’s Cycle!  So come join next week and let your cramping hands relax as we visit with Catie Murphy!

And for those curious minds, my word count as of 11/29/12 is now….50,870!

See you all next week and rejoice, you are now a NANO VETERAN!

Week 3 #NANO check in…

Tally ho, my fellow writing warriors! We have hit the climax of our NaNo Battle! That’s right, we are now in our third week of conquering the blank page.  I’m sure there have been some grevious injuries, maybe a few fatalities, but fear not, there is light at the end of the tunnel. If nothing else there should be a stuffed turkey with your name on it this week!  Happy Thanksgiving!

So how am I faring?  It’s been a struggle–you would not believe how much crap Fate can throw in the path of your good intentions, but my word count as of 11/22/12 is:

35,464 

Take a deep breath, slip out and run around with the small humans for an hour, leave your cave, get away for a brief breather.  Promise it will help you refocus before you dive in for the second half of the storm.

Stay strong, writer peeps…until next week!

#NANO wk 2 check in…

Are you all still out there? Anyone poking their heads up out of their writer caves?  I noticed the world still seems to be marching on…

So now it’s two weeks in and I’m sure you’re wondering, just how dedicated have you been, Jami?  You have that job that pays the bill, the Prankster Duo, the Knight, the Hellhound the Garden Gnome in-laws…have you been able to keep it up.

Well, let’s find out:

Word count as of 11/15/12 is at….

25,449

Keep going, I promise you’re doing great.  If you’ve stumbled, pick yourself up, grab that implement of creativity and dive back in, there’s time. 

#NANO weekly check in…

Okay so we’re now just over a week in to NaNo? Are we all hanging there?

Let’s see where my word count is today shall we?

November 8th and we are at:  

13233 words

Keep writing my dedicated creative warriors!

Until next week…. 

IT’S TIME FOR #NANO!

5….4….3…2….1…. WRITE!

Were you ready? I’ve been gorging on my “to-be-read” book pile on my nightstand all last week because I knew with November 1st looming on the horizon my free time was about to drop to below non existent.  The Evil 7 (technically 8) have all taken up the crusade and will head out today to begin our NaNo battle. Come join the mayhem!

 Even my Knight in Slightly Muddy Armor understands the battle before us…he’s agreed to become a Writer Widow for the next month and survive on the good graces of our local food delivery places.  Even the Prankster Duo has been warned!

My muse is armed and ready.  We have laid out our battle strategey, sharpened our pens, strengthened our fingers and cleared our calendar as much as possible. Don your weapons of choice, my friends, it’s time to march into the wild wicked world of writing!

Fair warning: my posts this month will just keep you updated on my kill counts…I mean word counts…for each week.  If your trust stead falters, shout out and we’ll be there to get you back in the saddle and on the warpath. 

FORWARD HO!

…and don’t forget to see how many butchered phrases and bloodied punctuations we have conquered next week!

Prepping for NaNo…

Welcome back, Swamp visitors!  I hope you enjoyed last week’s jaunt into the wonderful world of new writers.  I hope you found something wickedly cool to add to your reading lists!

In honor of the looming presence of NaNo, I thought I’d share a bit of my prep experience for this year with you.  Yes, I know, a pantser who preps? What an oxymoron.  Except I’m finding it necessary before I dive head long into the roaring abyss of NaNo next week.

Writing by the seat of your pants is not only a creative whirlwind, but it’s terrifying.  Here’s why:  when you get stuck, you get stuck and sometimes you can’t tell up from down and start digging deeper into the mire of fragmented concepts and useless plot points. I call myself a pantser, but in actuality, I cheat because I do plot out the major plot points.  You know the ones, this happens in the first third to start the ball rolling, this happens in the second third because this is where everything is going to change for the characters, and this has to happen in the last third because now that my characters have a new reality, this is how it will solve the problem.

Since I’m stuck just past the first third of Shadow’s Moon, I have been paying attention to various blogs about structure and plot and planning.  I know, I know, I can hear the screams of denial from my fellow pantsers–but really, what else can you do if you want your story to work?

As I continue to write and improve my craft, I’m discovering that the OCD that rules my life in every other aspect, is starting to bleed over.  Not as much as it can, but enough so that yes, I am preparing for NaNo to make sure I can get unstuck and tuck Shadow’s Moon under the “completed” section of my writing checklist.   I am going back to make sure that I have down my characters’ motivations, what’s driving my protagonist and why, where is the central conflict (romance or mystery?), what other conflict layers are there (and there are more than one!), what are my three major turning point that change my characters’ goals/motivations, drive their darkest moments, and then enable them to beat the bad guy.

Do you see how the picture is starting to form.  Not really an outline per se, but more of road map.  I’m hoping it will allow me to keep my pantser identity, but I have a feeling no successful writer is really a true pantser, because at some point we all have to plot.

Because I’ll be swimming with the NaNo sharks all of November, my blogs will just be a word count with maybe one or two sentences (if I can form them) on what’s happening.  Keep your fingers crossed I survive NaNo and bring forth some awesome habits and new writing skills!

Now onto NaNo!

PS: If you want to add me to your NaNo buddy list, feel free! I’m at NaNo Wrimo under Jami Gray!

Did I Notice Your Book Blogfest!

Today’s post is a little early because we are taking part in Ciara Knight and Ninja Captain Alex’s “Did I Notice  Your Book” Blogfest.  Yes, my loyal Swamp followers, I’m here to share my discovering with you.  The coolest part of this blogfest, I’m not the only one sharing awesome new writers.  In fact, there are over 80 of us doing the same thing today, so if you need to add to your towering “TO BE READ” pile, stay tune at the end of this post for a link to a list of all participating authors where you can discover your next favorite writer!

Choices, choices, choices…you would not believe how many really great stories are sitting out there, all by themselves, trying to be heard over the roar of the masses.  So today I chose…

 

Yes, that’s right, Bloodstorm-Heart of a Vampire is Amber Kallyn’s introduction into an entertaining world of vamps, shamans, shifters and castles in the desert.  It all starts out with our lovely vamp, Nikki, doing what vamps do best, hunting for blood.  Not just any blood, mind you, but the one flowing in the veins of the monster who slaughtered her family and turned her.  Unfortunately, she’s tracked her Maker into a small desert town where the ruggedly handsome sheriff and the Magic Council’s Keeper of the Peace, Shane calls home.  When the two meet, Nikki’s desire for revenge is soon eclipsed by her desire for Shane.   Problem is, her mad sire has been creating a few newbie vamps–in someone else’s territory and Nikki’s sudden appearance puts her front and center for the local supernatural community’s suspicions, leaving Shane caught between his heart and his duty.

This is an awesome read and a great start to Ms. Kallyn’s series (the second book, Hungerstorm is also out!) and the best part–right now it’s free in e-book format, so what are you waiting for? Go check it out!  Here’s the link for her author page at Amazon so you can see all her titles!  

http://www.amazon.com/Amber-Kallyn/e/B006HAOP3U/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1

And if you’re eager for more, swing over to Alex J. Cavanaugh’s place for a complete list of participants in today’s Blogfest, I promise you’ll discover new favorite reads! Don’t forget to spread the word!

Did I Notice Your Book Blogfest’s list of participants

 

 

 

It’s a PARTY with LYNN RUSH!

IT’S PARTY TIME! COME JOIN THE FUN AS WE CELEBRATE THE RELEASE OF LYNN RUSH’S

Violet Midnight

Let the Hunt begin…

Pursuing a normal existence by attending college proves difficult for vampire Hunter, Emma Martin, considering the mystical tattoo on her wrist glows whenever Vamps are near. And after three months of silence, the glow is back with a vengeance.

Jake Cunningham witnesses Emma using her powers and reveals a few of his own. Finally, after three years of searching, he realizes his newfound abilities must mean he’s a Hunter like Emma. Thankful not to be alone in the fight against the Vamps, Emma finds hope and comfort in Jake’s arms. 

As she learns more about her new love’s family and its dark heritage, she may be forced not only to hunt them, but also to sacrifice her life to save Jake’s soul.
***A portion of all proceeds benefits cancer treatment & awareness***

 
Come join the fun from 7-9 pm EDT today, 10/16/12, at Lynn’s Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/LynnRushWrites). There will be prizes for commentors as various questions/tasks are posted during the Release Party.  Even cooler, every entry earned during the party will be entered to win a Kindle Fire!  The winner of which will be announced on October 25th!  (The contest ends on Oct. 23rd.)
 
So, don’t be left–come on over an meet a great bunch of writers and chat with Lynn!