Beth Overmyer's Blog: The Blog of Beth Overmyer, page 50

Wee Hours of the Mornin'

What time is it? 5:22. AM. Very, very AM.
I'm aware that most of my blog followers are fellow writers. There may be some lurkers in there *peers through the ether* and they may be *le gasp* readers. Yes, I know you all read. I'm talking about people who read what *I* write...besides these silly posts. Which brings me to my dilemma:
To post for writers, new and aspiring?
or
To post for readers?
or
To post for both?
What are YOUR preferences?
Do you HAVE a preference?
Do you have some CHOCOLATE? I'm all out :(

Casting Call?

If you're anything like me, you like casting different people in movie roles...especially if it's an adaptation of a book.
For example, my lovely friend (and s talented opera singer) Megan Welenc would make a wonderful Luna Lovegood in Harry Potter. Evanna Lynch did a fab job. Megan would've as well. She's just got this sweet whimsy thing going on. And she can act.
Then there's casting actors in movie roles. There's been lots of debate as to if this guy will do a good job of portraying Suzanne Collins's Another fun thing to do--don't judge--is to cast characters in certain franchises/fandoms in other franchises/fandoms.
Say they had made A Christmas Carol episode of the 80's/90's TV show Full House?
Danny, of course, would be Scrooge. Instead of a miser, he'd be his usual dust-a-phobic self. My family sat down and thought up which FH characters would play Dickens's. We even had the plot twisted to fit...___
What about you? (Please tell me my family is not alone in this madness!)
What actors or friends would you cast in an adaptation of your favorite book?

Blogger Failure

I want to apologize to those of you whose comments have landed in my spam filter. I keep forgetting to check the derned thing!

Also, I have been informed that at least one of you is receiving multiple notices of the same comment being made on my blog. Honestly, I didn't know I had the "Email me when additional comments are posted" feature and have no idea how to rectify the double- triple-mailings.

I will try to look into it soon, and I apologize for the inconvenience.

Beth

Loverly Peeps

'Ello, peeps!

Currently #am...
Music: Radioactive by Imagine Dragons
Book: Princess Elizabeth's Spy
Writing: The Disorderlies

I'm just checking in to remind you that In a Pickle is still $2.80 from my publisher (link on the right.) Get it for the cheap while you can!

Also,

What are you reading at the moment? Anything I should add to my TBR (to be read) pile?

I love hearing from fellow readers, so feel free to pop me a line here or at my email: bethovermyer@gmail.com

You are all wonderful. There is no one like you. Remember that :)
Beth

And the Winner is...

Marian Lanouette
Congratulations, Marian, you have won a copy of In a Pickle!Please send your email to: bethovermyer@gmail.comand I will be in touch about what formats I can offer.
Beth

Happy New Year!

It's here!

The winner of the free e-book copy will be announced tomorrow. Have a safe, healthy, happy year filled with people (and books) that you love :)

Beth

Books Read in 2012

Starting in 2011, I've competed with my friend Christopher to see who can read the most books in one year. So far, he's beaten me severely (I think the current score might be Christopher=30, Beth=16, but it's all in good fun.) Here's what I've read in 2012:

1. Harvest Moon (Krista D. Ball)
2. The Moonstone
3. The Woman in White
4. Sugar Rush
5. Ivanhoe
6. 11/22/63
7. The Wednesday Wars
8. Okay for Now
9. The Breakaway
10. Artemis Fowl (book 1)
11. The Scarlet Pimpernel
12. North and South
13. The Night Circus
14. Wives and Daughters
15. The Perks of Being a Wallflower
16. Pride and Popularity

I've also started many books that I need to finish, Mansfield Park being among them...

Anyhoo, I'd like to hear what you've read this year. Tell me in the comments for a chance to win a free (e)copy of In a Pickle . All participants will be entered in a random drawing. Want to increase the odds of your winning? Here's how:

- Anyone who has read more than 20 books this year will be entered twice (honor system)
- Tweet the contest (and give me a link) to be entered another time
- Facebook the contest (and give me a link) to be entered another time
- Blog about this (and give me a link) to be entered yet another time

So, everyone's name can be entered up to 5 times.

Oh, and you don't need a e-reader in order to read In a Pickle (I can send a PDF copy.)

Have fun, and happy New Year! You have until 12/31/2012 11:59 pm to enter.

Beth

Merry Happy!

Merry Christmas, all!
Sorry this blog has been so quiet lately. I've been taking care of family stuff. I really need to take care of writing stuff *slaps wrist*
Hope your days are merry and bright, and (if you so choose--and don't live within a thirty-mile radius of me) may your Christmas be white! I, for one, want a nice, dry holy day.
Peace!Beth

Author Interview: P.A. Estelle

Today I have P.A. Estelle, author of the novelette At What Price, on the blog. Here we go!


Cover art:



Me: Welcome to the blog! Thanks for agreeing to do this interview. To start off, tell us a bit about your book. 
P.A: Katherine Gardner is awakened at 6:30 in the morning with a call from a strange woman who claims to have her granddaughter, Rio. This woman is calling the police if Katherine doesn’t make arrangements for somebody to pick this little girl up.
Katherine is a fifty-six years old woman and all alone, since her husband died over three years ago. Her life takes a dramatic turn when six-year old Rio comes to stay with her. Rio is a scared little girl whose life is filled with uncertainty and fear. 
In her grandmother, Rio finds a safe haven and an unconditional love that she has never known in her six short years and Katherine has found a love to fill the void that has been absent for way too long.
Unfortunately Katherine’s daughter, who deserted Rio, has other ideas.
Me:  Is this your debut book?
P.A.: This is my first “adult” story. 
I have written three stories for the MG/tween age group.Hike Up Devil’s MountainBilly Cooper’s Awesome NightmareA Float Down The Canal
I have also written one non-fiction story with my hubby on our life “off the grid”.Solar – One Family’s Reality
Me: How long did this book take you, from draft one to ready to submit?
P.A.: About two months.  I had this one in the back of my mind for a while.  The little girl, Rio, is actually my granddaughter and I think it’s a really unique name. 
Me: As an author, who has influenced your work the most? 
P.A.: This is a tough question for me.  I was never a reader as a kid or into my teen years and I’ve never, to this day, read books for MG kids.  Of course I read to my own children, which was about 100 years ago, but those were for smaller children.
I worked for an elementary school for twenty-one years so if I had to pick someone that influenced my writing I would have to say all the students I worked with.  I wanted to see the older kids reading more.  I feel I missed out on all kinds of adventures simply because I didn’t read.
Me: Random question time: Your main character is locked inside a department store (like Target or WalMart) overnight and is unable to contact anyone for help. What does s/he do?
P.A.: HMMMMM – Since she is a woman in her late 50s, I would say, she tried on clothes, maybe ate some ice cream, pulled a futon mattress to the floor and said, “Good Night”

Me: Here's my favorite question to ask authors: "Do you believe in the dreaded Writer's Block?" If so, how do YOU get past it?
P.A.: I can honestly say I have never had it.  If I come to a part where I can’t seem to figure out what should happen next, I take my black Lab, Blacky, and we go walk.  Since we live way out in the sticks, there are lots of dirt roads for me to come up with something and that usually does the trick.
Me: Care to tell us anything about your current work-in-progress?
P.A.: My story, Billy Cooper’s Awesome Nightmare – The Wickware Sagas, was supposed to be a series.  My publisher asked if I would be interested in doing another 4 or 5 stories and making them all into a book, the Wickware Sagas, Volume One.  I am finishing up the last story right now.  I can tell you it’s about a well off 7th grader in Miss Wickware’s history class and he finds himself on an Orphan Train in 1875.
Me: And last but not least: Do you have any words of wisdom for new and aspiring authors?
P.A.: Write, write, submit, write, write, submit……AND write because you love doing it, otherwise, find something else to do.
Thank you so much for letting me come by and visit today, Beth. 
Me: Thank you for the interview! Good luck with your writing career.

Beth
___About the author: My name is Penny Estelle.  I was a school secretary for 21 years and retired in 2009.  We moved to our retirement home in Kingman, AZ and we live on 54 acres in a very rural area.  Actually we live “off the grid”.  We live on solar and wind.  A real adjustment for a city girl.  I must say – I love it.  Nothing like walking out your front door and hear coyotes howling in the distance and seeing a sky bursting with stars.  It is breathtaking!
I started writing for kids right before I retired.  There is always material when kids are involved.  I am pleased to say I have several MG/tween books out and my debut book for adults was just recently released.  I also have a non-fiction story out about our life with solar.
Visit Penny Estelle at her website or blog!
At What Price is also available from these retailers: Amazon, Smashwords, and Barnes and Noble.

My Christmas Traditions

Ah, it's the most wonderful time of the year! Here are some traditions I look forward to every year:

- Trimming the tree (the day after Thanksgiving. Our tree is up and decked. Huzzah!)
- Opening ornament gifts on Christmas Eve
- Listening to Christmas music

And so forth and so on. One of my favorite *blog* traditions is posting parodies. Here's the first one for you enjoyment (or horror): The Rewrite Before Christmas

'Twas the first draft of my novel, and all through the book

There were typos and blunders, not even a hook;

The scenes were all tied together by a hair,

All hoping the editors soon would repair;

The characters were voiceless, all bland and cardboard,

They talked and they rambled, no sense in their words;

And my alphas and my betas put on thinking caps,

"How do I keep reading? I want a long nap!"

And out of my prose there arose such a clutter

Of dialogue tags such as "murmured" and "muttered;"

"Away," "through" and "of" all ended each sentence;

I misspelled all words without a hint of repentance;

All descriptive words were abused shamelessly;

The luster and shine was very much lacking.

When pressing my brain on to make this thing better,

There appeared on my desk an over-sized shredder.

With a clunky old hard drive, so ancient and sick,

I rigged up old Bob with the help of a fork lift.

More vapid than prairies my stories I shredded,

Lit them with a match, doused with unleaded,

"Now burn, you! Now, die, you! Now shred, burn and fry, you!

"No and's, if's, or but's: I'll burn short stories, too!

"To the top of the shredder, to the top of the wall!

"No dashes, m-dashes, n-dashes; away, all!"

As dry as leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,

I watched the smoke drifting up, up to the sky;

So shiny and lovely, the ashes, they flew,

With smell of burnt plastic and toxic waste, too.

And then I'd an inkling, a nudge in my head,

The itching and clawing, as that of the un-dead.

And I drew in my head an outline so sound

For a shiny new novel, and then went to town!

So, hear me exclaim as I drop out of sight:

"A novel isn't written; thou must re-write!!"