Hart Johnson's Blog, page 38
June 4, 2013
Some Stuff You Oughta Do
Crimson Romance Blog Hop
So I'm mostly absent today... daughter graduates high school and I got stuff to do, but there is a blog hop for some friends with Crimson Romance books that has some cool prizes! There's two $50 gift cards up for grabs, a seven ebook bundle from the seven authors who wrote a round robin style story (My friend Tara sort of headed that one up - must be mad *snort* - and most of the hoppers are doing individual book giveaways too.) Now Tara is a ton of fun, so why don't you start there, but I've met a number of these people now, and they are all fabulous, so go win stuff!
http://cardiffellanews.blogspot.co.uk/p/blog-hop.html
Dragonfly Release
So you guys are all friends with Leigh, right? Well here latest book, a teen romance in a town full of deeply buried secrets, is releasing THURSDAY. You guys are going to want this! I had the good luck to beta read this one and love the MC, and especially all the juicy secrets!
Here is the Goodreads scoop on it.
Seeking YA Authos!
My buddy Marianne Sheldon is starting a blog whereby she interviews YA authors... are YOU a YA author? If so, go visit and pop her a note!
Here is here new blog https://mtsheldon.wordpress.com.
And if you want to reach Marianne about being interviewed, she is on facebook or you can email at sheldonmarianne@gmail.com.
June 3, 2013
Wait... Am I Supposed to Blog?
I had a full, scatter-brained weekend. As anyone here last week knows, I started BuNoWriMo and made good progress THERE. If anyone is ever curious where I am on that, I keep the meter to the right fairly updated. Saturday was my highest single-day wordcount ever—over 7000. But I was getting ahead because I know this week my time will be sort of limited.
I also had a lot of cleaning to do this weekend. My parents haven't been to visit in a few years and there is nothing that motivates a person who hates to clean quite as well as a mother visiting. Especially MY mother—she is meticulous. In fact I sometimes claim my aversion to cleaning arose in her too clean house. She could give Aunt Petunia a run for her money. Though if I'm honest, I really hate to clean because... you know... cleaning's no fun... and you just have to do it again in a few days... in fact the less you do it, the less you do it, if you know what I mean... you could do it all the TIME and never be done and really, where is the fun in that?
And then there is the graduation gift... we know the WHAT of it, but there are a lot of choices and I don't want to muck it up.
I feel a little like at the end of June, I will breathe a sigh of relief. I've had too much going on for too long and I'd like to just put some of these things behind me, even if I have been looking forward to them. There is THIS here at the start of the month, the writing ALL month, and then the road trip and memorial at the end of the month... Anyone else get that way? Surely I can't be the only one.
All that is just a long way of saying that while I have a few blogs I will post this week, they will be 'Tart-light'--shortish... but hopefully not sharpish, brownish and mossy, or even oldish or bossy... wait. No. Tomorrow's blog is a little bossy. But never mind...
May 31, 2013
An Interview and a PLAN *Buwahahahahahahaha*
So Marcy over at Maine Words interviewed me and asked some GREAT questions. I think the answers weren't so shabby either... largely about my writing journey and cozy mysteries, so I'd love it if you'd come over and see us!
Also, TOMORROW is the first day of BuNoWriMo... and I have some challenges this year, so I feel the need to commit to specific goals, since they aren't the normal 50K in 30 days goals these things are.
First: The CHALLENGES
1: Daughter graduates from high school Tuesday so I have family in town most of the week.
2: On June 23 (my birthday) my family is embarking on our first ever cross-country road trip. (so I will be partially off line, though I do plan on taking a computer... but what we rent MAY not have in car charging (and I get carsick if I don't watch the road)... So I am 8 days SHORT on computer time...
My PLAN *Buwahahahahaha*
Between the two, I don't think 50K is feasible... So here is my hope:
40K before June 22. And then I will take A Shot In The Light with me (hard copy) to decide where I need to break and what needs to be added/cut to release it as a serial next fall... it won't be the actual editing, so much as a read/reminder and rethinking so I can revise efficiently when we get back mid-July.
(with the door open to keep writing this book
My BOOK
This is a brand new, less than a week old idea that was sort of a convergence of thoughts but I haven't SEEN it and I think I can tell this story well, as I LIVED pieces of it:
Title: Also Appearing...
(YA Coming of Age or Finding Self)
Leah XX feels like a bit player in her own life. A supporting actor. An 'also appearing'. She is the 'nice friend' of the popular girls who never gets the guy. The shadow of her pretty outgoing sister. And the afterthought of her parents' summer plans. But the forced summer at the lake isn't all bad. She meets Trey Schreiber, who makes her feel pretty, interesting and wanted. She feels like a new self is born in her summer romance. Sadly, back at home, her friends all see the same old her. Reliable, boring Leah.
She tries to fight her way back to the feeling of being someone special, trying all the tricks at hand: alcohol, sex, a little recklessness. But as her attempts spin out of control, she begins to wonder if it wasn't all an illusion. Maybe she just wasn't meant to stand out in the crowd.
That is what I can share... I have more figured out, but it sounds too spoilerish as I write it... it is a self-discovery of sorts...
May 30, 2013
Visiting Patricia Stoltey Today!
Halo, fine friends! This is the penultimate stop on my blog hop today... It's been a marathon, I think... Still trying to catch my head before I can find out for sure, but I sure appreciate all my fabulous friends who've had me!
So PLEASE come over and see me at Pat's place today!
And RE-heads up! BuNoWriMo! Two days!!!
May 29, 2013
Define Hawt… with Stacy Gail
So my buddy Stacy writes some of the hawtest characters I know, and I thought, here on the release of her latest novel, WOUNDED ANGEL, it would be fun to explore inside her brain a little to see what she likes, what inspires her and how exactly she goes about infusing hawtness…
Tart: So tell us about the first CELEBRITY you fell in love with and how he defined hawtness for you… or… was it foxiness back then?
Stacy: BACK THEN?!? What do you mean, BACK THEN??? *desperately covers gray hair* Though, yeah, I guess since Rob Lowe was the first dude to trip my girlish trigger (and he’s now looking like a mile of bad road), I think that’s a fair cop. ^_^ What about you, Your Tartness? Who was first to rev your motor, and does he fall into the hawtness era, or the foxiness era?
Tart: Erm... Shaun Cassidy. And no comments from the peanut gallery. But in my defense, he made a mighty fine Joe Hardy...
Say... were there early book heroes you fell for, too?
Stacy: Omigosh, I have SO MANY book-boyfriends! I think my first one ever was one of the main characters in the Trixie Belden series. Jim Frayne was a bad-boy-turned-good hero that made my grade-school heart melt. Strangely enough, though, the one that always stuck with me was Stu Redman, a hero in Stephen King’s “The Stand.” I know that Stephen King’s name doesn’t usually pop up when talking about book-boyfriends, but Stu was something else again. At least I didn’t say Tom Cullen. M-O-O-N, that spells Tom Cullen ;)
Tart: Stu, huh? I wouldn't have pegged you for a Stu sort... or maybe that is me who he didn't quite work for. Probably because I had an actual Stu, or rather Stew, and I confounded the two... So have you analyzed a little? What are those special qualities that make your heart patter and your knees go weak?
Stacy: *snort* It’s funny how you expect me to analyze things. How long have you known me again??? But back to the question… The hottest thing in the world HAS to be the brain, since both Jim Frayne and Stu Redman used their wits when the heat was on. Sapiosexual – that’s me.
Mmmmmmmmmm, brainsssss. AMIRITE??? Sexiest organ the human body has. *nods*
Tart: Ah, yes... sexy brainy boys... I can go along with that... And how do you tap that when you’re writing characters?
Stacy: *struggles to keep straight face* Um… “tap that”, Your Tartness? Did you really just say… tap that???
Okay, okay, I’ll behave. :P
Before I officially start writing any book, I do character outlines, including names that almost always have a hidden meaning, to hair color (which has no meaning whatsoever *snort*), to multi-layered backstories. Example: the book that’s releasing this week, WOUNDED ANGEL, is the third in a four-book miniseries called The Earth Angels (published by Carina Press). Before I wrote one word of any of these books, I spent an entire night outlining the four sets of characters that would populate these books, as well as mapping out the story arc and what would happen in each book. If memory serves, I wrote over four-thousand words that night, but ultimately I had these wily, multi-faceted characters who have vital roles to play and mysteries to solve. At least in part, their collective intellect will help bring the world back from the brink of an apocalypse.
Annnnnd now you don’t have to read the series since I just let the cat out of the bag. *facepalm*
Tart: Okay, I walked into that... At least it's a llama... Who’s your favorite character you’ve written and why?
Stacy: *moons The Tart* Which of your children is your favorite?
Tart: The one that loves me most, so there. But that changes regularly... So you're a visual person and I know you've kept a pinterest file of images for the last several books you've written. Would you mind sharing these images for your latest book and giving a little explainer as to how the images inspired you while you were writing?
Stacy: Sure! When I put together a storyboard, I scour Teh Interwebz for the right look/feel of the characters. In WOUNDED ANGEL this was kind of tricky, since the heroine, Ella, had once been Gabriella Littlefield, with blonde hair, blue eyes and a naïve, "soft" look. Ella had not only changed her looks after enduring a life-changing traumatic event, she also changed her name, location and even her attitude and aspects of her personality. Eventually I stumbled upon some great Charlize Theron photos that best depicted this profound change. These photos proved to me anew that if given enough time and motivation, a person can change their appearance to the point where they're almost unrecognizable, and that helped me define Ella.
Tart: Oh, nice--same woman, different look.
Stacy: Now, if you want to talk about the photo depicting how Nate and Ella get to cooking in the kitchen... well, you know what they say--one picture is worth a thousand words. :D
Will
that do? Also, here's the link to my Wounded Angel Pinterest
board:
http://pinterest.com/stacygailauthor/building-a-book-wounded-angel/
Tart: *snort*
Wounded Angel Blurb:
Book three of The Earth Angels
A descendant of the
Angel of Vengeance, Nate da Luca was gifted with an uncanny ability to
find things. It made his job as a detective a breeze—until he learned
the hard way that some things should remain hidden. After that, his
powers vanished, along with his belief in himself. Which is going to
make tracking down Gabriella Littlefield for his latest client a
challenge.
Personal trainer
Ella Little paid a hefty price for her life—now all she wants is to
live it in peace. Then a sexy hulk of a man turns up in her gym,
reigniting desires she thought she'd left behind along with her real
name and hair color.
Desires she can't deny even after she discovers Nate's no stranger to her dark past.
Before
he can convince her the attraction is mutual, Nate's going to have to
earn Ella's trust. But a demon is playing for keeps in the world of
humans, using Ella as bait, and the last thing they have is time…
Stacy Gail
– Website | Facebook
| Twitter | Goodreads
Tart: So tell us about the first CELEBRITY you fell in love with and how he defined hawtness for you… or… was it foxiness back then?
Stacy: BACK THEN?!? What do you mean, BACK THEN??? *desperately covers gray hair* Though, yeah, I guess since Rob Lowe was the first dude to trip my girlish trigger (and he’s now looking like a mile of bad road), I think that’s a fair cop. ^_^ What about you, Your Tartness? Who was first to rev your motor, and does he fall into the hawtness era, or the foxiness era?
Tart: Erm... Shaun Cassidy. And no comments from the peanut gallery. But in my defense, he made a mighty fine Joe Hardy...
Say... were there early book heroes you fell for, too?
Stacy: Omigosh, I have SO MANY book-boyfriends! I think my first one ever was one of the main characters in the Trixie Belden series. Jim Frayne was a bad-boy-turned-good hero that made my grade-school heart melt. Strangely enough, though, the one that always stuck with me was Stu Redman, a hero in Stephen King’s “The Stand.” I know that Stephen King’s name doesn’t usually pop up when talking about book-boyfriends, but Stu was something else again. At least I didn’t say Tom Cullen. M-O-O-N, that spells Tom Cullen ;)
Tart: Stu, huh? I wouldn't have pegged you for a Stu sort... or maybe that is me who he didn't quite work for. Probably because I had an actual Stu, or rather Stew, and I confounded the two... So have you analyzed a little? What are those special qualities that make your heart patter and your knees go weak?
Stacy: *snort* It’s funny how you expect me to analyze things. How long have you known me again??? But back to the question… The hottest thing in the world HAS to be the brain, since both Jim Frayne and Stu Redman used their wits when the heat was on. Sapiosexual – that’s me.
Mmmmmmmmmm, brainsssss. AMIRITE??? Sexiest organ the human body has. *nods*
Tart: Ah, yes... sexy brainy boys... I can go along with that... And how do you tap that when you’re writing characters?
Stacy: *struggles to keep straight face* Um… “tap that”, Your Tartness? Did you really just say… tap that???
Okay, okay, I’ll behave. :P
Before I officially start writing any book, I do character outlines, including names that almost always have a hidden meaning, to hair color (which has no meaning whatsoever *snort*), to multi-layered backstories. Example: the book that’s releasing this week, WOUNDED ANGEL, is the third in a four-book miniseries called The Earth Angels (published by Carina Press). Before I wrote one word of any of these books, I spent an entire night outlining the four sets of characters that would populate these books, as well as mapping out the story arc and what would happen in each book. If memory serves, I wrote over four-thousand words that night, but ultimately I had these wily, multi-faceted characters who have vital roles to play and mysteries to solve. At least in part, their collective intellect will help bring the world back from the brink of an apocalypse.
Annnnnd now you don’t have to read the series since I just let the cat out of the bag. *facepalm*
Tart: Okay, I walked into that... At least it's a llama... Who’s your favorite character you’ve written and why?
Stacy: *moons The Tart* Which of your children is your favorite?
Tart: The one that loves me most, so there. But that changes regularly... So you're a visual person and I know you've kept a pinterest file of images for the last several books you've written. Would you mind sharing these images for your latest book and giving a little explainer as to how the images inspired you while you were writing?
Stacy: Sure! When I put together a storyboard, I scour Teh Interwebz for the right look/feel of the characters. In WOUNDED ANGEL this was kind of tricky, since the heroine, Ella, had once been Gabriella Littlefield, with blonde hair, blue eyes and a naïve, "soft" look. Ella had not only changed her looks after enduring a life-changing traumatic event, she also changed her name, location and even her attitude and aspects of her personality. Eventually I stumbled upon some great Charlize Theron photos that best depicted this profound change. These photos proved to me anew that if given enough time and motivation, a person can change their appearance to the point where they're almost unrecognizable, and that helped me define Ella.
Tart: Oh, nice--same woman, different look.
Stacy: Now, if you want to talk about the photo depicting how Nate and Ella get to cooking in the kitchen... well, you know what they say--one picture is worth a thousand words. :D
Will
that do? Also, here's the link to my Wounded Angel Pinterest
board:
http://pinterest.com/stacygailauthor/building-a-book-wounded-angel/
Tart: *snort*
Wounded Angel Blurb:
Book three of The Earth Angels
A descendant of the
Angel of Vengeance, Nate da Luca was gifted with an uncanny ability to
find things. It made his job as a detective a breeze—until he learned
the hard way that some things should remain hidden. After that, his
powers vanished, along with his belief in himself. Which is going to
make tracking down Gabriella Littlefield for his latest client a
challenge.
Personal trainer
Ella Little paid a hefty price for her life—now all she wants is to
live it in peace. Then a sexy hulk of a man turns up in her gym,
reigniting desires she thought she'd left behind along with her real
name and hair color.
Desires she can't deny even after she discovers Nate's no stranger to her dark past.
Before
he can convince her the attraction is mutual, Nate's going to have to
earn Ella's trust. But a demon is playing for keeps in the world of
humans, using Ella as bait, and the last thing they have is time…
Stacy Gail
– Website | Facebook
| Twitter | Goodreads
May 26, 2013
Doin' it with HELENA!
Erm... and of course by DOING it, I mean living through our characters...
I hope everyone is having a FABULOUS long weekend, but if you need any reading... there we are! (me, visiting Helena) http://www.becominglayla.com/
(Through Tuesday, because we will be JUST as amusing then!
Things I hope you are doing this weekend...
Things I hope you are NOT doing this weekend...
May 24, 2013
Getting Fresh
Good stuff happening! Wednesday was nice. I hadn't really been getting reviews and so was feeling reasonably paranoid, but On Wednesday I got notification (Google alerts) that The Begonia Bribe had been mentioned and I went and found THIS terrific 5 apple review from Debbie's Book Bag. It made me a little teary it was so nice... she said my characters jump off the page and she'd like to be friends with them!!! (there is a giveaway, too, if you want to try to win it!)
I went to see if the review was on Amazon. It wasn't, but in addition to the 3 star review (which I appreciate, but sat there all alone for a few weeks) there was a 5-star one from blogger buddy Mason Canyon. It was definitely encouraging!
And then this month, I am featured at Sharon's Cozy Corner, So Fresh Fiction invited me to do a guest spot... I've written it on Writer's Brain...
I wish all of you a FABULOUS long weekend, with a mix of remembering and honoring lost loved ones and time having fun with your friends and family. I just wish the nice weather would come back.
May 22, 2013
Two Places at Once!
Rob Columbus, Cam's love interest and
long time boyfriend is giving himself an introduction at Dru's BookMusings, and Dru is giving away a copy of The Begonia Bribe to
commenters!
And at noon today, I have a post at
Writer Space about the Murderous Bystanders all around us. Would
love it if people could drop by for a visit!
In the meantime... some gifts I'd like
from my boyfriend... erm... husband...
He could start with this...
Because honestly, is there anything better than truffles?
Assure me this would be taken care of forevermore...
Hotness keeping house... as easy as winding him up...
And send me for this...
When I return, he'd have tickets to go here...
And then set up dinner like this...
See... I'm easy to please!
May 21, 2013
Countdown to BuNoWriMo!!!!
HALO, Peeps!!! It's that time of year again!!! Have you been thinking about it? Are you ready?
Ready for WHAT you say? Have you been ASLEEP!?
BuNoWriMo is FOUR this year, if you can believe that. We began it BEFORE they began the summer Camp WriMo, and even during NaNoWriMo, we are a fabulous SUPPORTIVE writing group. During NaNoWriMo in November, it is just a place to talk with people you know better. So you can do this INSTEAD of Camp NaNoWriMo or you can do this on TOP OF Camp NaNoWriMo...
What do you DO? Why write a 50K book in 30 days! (the 30 days of June) What else.
But we are super bendy and if you want to shake up that goal, that's cool with us. Just look at your MONTH and what needs DOING and set a goal that is a little ambitious... that will get you writing more than you normally do. If you only have part of the month, then only DO part of the month.
What you REALLY need to know is WHERE.
BuNoWriMo is hosted by The Burrow, which is my writing group (made up of 4 score blondes and brunettes between sixteen and nineteen and a half...)
And we host it on Facebook HERE:
There are over a hundred of us there, so it is much larger than just the Burrow—has been from the beginning... and ALL of you are WELCOME!
First year I wrote Kahlotus Disposal Site (currently going through big eval, but this was an ABNA semi-finalist, so it will eventually get out there.
Second year wrote What Ales Me (my current editing project)
Last year I wrote Shot in the Light (or half of it... it is at 120K now and not quite done...)
Not sure what this year's project will be... I may do an evaluation of endangered, restructured as a serial, and try to jam out the rest of that. I am going to miss the last week, as my family is traveling, so I may put a 40K goal instead of 50K... Still thinking... but see... we are flexible that way...
So who's in!?
May 20, 2013
Over at Johanna's Blog!
Halo fine friends!!! I hope you had a spectacular weekend. I'm over visiting Johanna today, talking about whether we really love our second babies the same way we love our first... book babies, I mean, but MAN the metaphor works...
And since Johanna lives in my very favorite place, I'm going to leave you with some pics of amazing Oregon... Stop over and visit us over there, eh?
Multnomah Falls
Note: Crater Lake was a volcano that blew and created an inversion that filled with snow... that peak in the middle is still growing--which means at some point, this could blow, though it's considered dormant.
Crater Lake
Nice view of several of Portland's bridges (there are 11)
Haystack Rock at Cannon Beach, Oregon
And a view of Portland with Mt. Hood in the background (also a dormant volcano)
And since Johanna lives in my very favorite place, I'm going to leave you with some pics of amazing Oregon... Stop over and visit us over there, eh?
Multnomah Falls
Note: Crater Lake was a volcano that blew and created an inversion that filled with snow... that peak in the middle is still growing--which means at some point, this could blow, though it's considered dormant.
Crater Lake
Nice view of several of Portland's bridges (there are 11)
Haystack Rock at Cannon Beach, Oregon
And a view of Portland with Mt. Hood in the background (also a dormant volcano)
