Empi Baryeh's Blog, page 30

I Survived #NaNoWriMo: A Pantsers Tips for Successful NaNo-ing

For those of you who don’t know what NaNoWriMo is, here’s what you need to know. NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month and the idea is to write a novel in one month – specifically the month of November – and ‘novel’ is defined as 50,ooo words or more. That translates to 1667 daily for an entire month. Now if you think that’s easy, think about the last time you had to write a speech or even an email that was more than two paragraphs long.

Now that we have the basics down, you must be asking yourselves, if she was supposed to write 50,000 words, why is she boasting about her measly 18,802. I will tell you why.

I’m a pantser – that means: (1) I do not write on a schedule, (2) I have to edit as I go along, because new things crop up as the story unravels that need an adjustment to be made in a previous chapter/page.
I’m an emotional write – meaning I usually write when the mood hits, so I can spend days/weeks having written nothing and I can spend an entire day in my room writing.
I have never written new material every single day for any significant length of time.
This is my first time following through and actually participating in NaNoWriMo. I’ve signed up two times before but I never wrote anything.
…well, you get the picture

So considering that I wrote new material every single day in November, I’d say 18,802 words is pretty good. Plus, I actually wrote more than that. 18,802 is just the new material that fit chronologically in the story. There were several scenes I wrote that I shelved for later.

Anyway, this brings me to the actual purpose of my post: my tips for successful NaNo-ing.

Fill your mind with your story. I know writers who say they write during lunch breaks and other pockets of free time during the day. I don’t know how they do it, because if you’re like me, you often need some 10 minutes to read over the last couple of paragraphs, or gather your thoughts, or summon your muse. If your break is only 15 minutes, that strategy isn’t going to work well.

What I did was to use my pockets of free time to think about (read: plot) the scene I was working on – e.g. what I last wrote, what should happen next etc., so when I sat down to write in the evening, I was already pretty much in the zone.
Be creative about finding time to write. One thing I did was let my hubby drive so I could write on the way to work. It’s not more than a 30-minute ride, but it often got me on average 250 words each morning.

If you can’t have someone else do the driving (or carpool), maybe you can take public transportation. The other alternative is to have your recorder on and talk as you drive – works best if you’re driving alone :-).
Stay an hour longer: if you work in a place where you are allowed to stay late, spend an extra hour after work writing. If you’ve been doing point #1, you should already have material that will help you maximise the time. This is especially important for those with home/family commitments.
Limit TV time: If you’re like me, you follow quite a few TV series, or sometimes you’re more comfortable just lounging in front of the TV and unwinding after a full day at work. Snap out of it! Choose your top three or four shows and forsake the others – especially those you watch because the TV is on and they are kind of interesting.

If you’re going for a short-term writathon (like NaNo) and you want to cut out TV completely, be my guest. As for me, I have never been a proponent of drastic measures when it comes to food and guilty pleasures – just moderation.

Well, that’s what I have for you today. So here’s my question to any writer who stops by this post:

Did you NaNo?
If so, what are your top four tips (whether you ‘won’ or not)
If not, what’s your regular routine for writing consistently?
Do you think my tips will help you?
I look forward to all your comments. Have a wonderful weekend.

Winners of the #ColorOfLove Blog Hop @EmpiBaryeh @KiruTaye @NanaPrah

First of all I want to say a huge thank you to all the authors and bloggers who made donations and signed up for the Color of Love blog hop, and then to all lovers or IR/MC romance who stopped by to take part in the hop by leaving comments and taking part in the rafflecopter promotion. This hop wouldn’t have been a success without all of you.

A special shout out to everyone who stopped by my blog and left a comment or followed me on Facebook or Twitter. I don’t want to brag or anything, but I’m thrilled about the results, so THANK YOU.

Please remember to check out my updates, especially since I am more than half way done on my current WIP.

And  now, it’s time to announce winners of my blog prize!

Okay, so I said my blog prize was a $10 gift card, right? Well, I have changed my mind (in a good way, so keep reading). In honour of US Thanksgiving Day, I’ve decided to give one additional prize! Since random(dot)org picked a winner from the rafflecopter, I decided to add an additional prize of a $5 amazon GC to one of the three people who followed me on Twitter, Liked my FB fan page and left me a comment.

And winners are…

Winner of $10 Amazon Gift Card*

Shelley Summers

Winner of $5 Amazon Gift Card*

Belinda Green

*prize can be traded in for a gift card from All Romance E-Books, Evernight Publishing or Black Opal Books.

Winners of the blog hop prizes will be announced by Monday, so if you didn’t win on my blog, keep your fingers crossed.

***

 Congratulations to all the winners, and happy Thanksgiving.

 

 

MMMBop by Hanson

I am at M now in my AtoZ of my all time favourite music and today I’m  heading to the 90s. The pick is MMMBop by Hansons. For a song that says absolutely nothing, it’s awesome. It is their most successful song, and it’s simply fun to listen to. Or maybe it’s just the fact that it was sung by kids. It appears on Hanson’s 1997 album Middle of Nowhere.

In case you’ve never heard it, here it is – and if you’ve heard it, I hope you get good memories:

There was a close second, and just because it’s from Ghana, I’ve decided to put that here too. The track is titled, “Me Dɔfo Pa” by Ghanaian artiste, Kojo Antwi.  In the 90s, he was easily the biggest name in Ghanaian music. Now, you have to believe me when I say being romantic in my language isn’t easy, but Kojo Antwi just knows how to string together words to make them oh so sexy. I am sure the Ghanaians among my fans and friends would appreciate this one . The rest of you who don’t understand Twi…if you only knew what he was saying… Anyway, I hope you enjoy this Ghanaian tune from Kojo Antwi (aka. Mr Musicman)

Here you go : ”Me Dɔfo Pa” (My True Love)

Honourable Mentions

Make Me Lose Control – Eric Carmen
Me Love – Sean Kingston
Mrs Robinson – Simon and Garfunkel
My Hart Se Hongersnood – Dewald Wasserfall ft. Karlien Van Jaarsveld
My Love – Westlife
My Only – Coleske

If you have time, I hope you will listen to all the honourable mentions on You Tube as well. Let me know which ones you like.

Color of Love #BlogHop – @EmpiBaryeh @KiruTaye @NanaPrah

AND it’s a go! The COLOR OF LOVE Blog Hop is on today until Monday (25th). That’s five whole days of discovering new books and new authors and winning prizes.

So here’s the deal. You’ve got 5 days to hit 38 blogs, each featuring an interracial and multicultural romance book that you may not have read yet! As with all hops, you will have the chance to win various prizes on each site you visit as well as our grand prizes:

Color of Love Blog Hop Prizes

1st prize: $50 Amazon gift card + 8 ebooks


2nd prize: $30 Amazon gift card+ 8 ebooks


3rd prize: $20 Amazon gift card + 8 ebooks


4th prize: $10 Amazon gift card + 8 ebooks

….unveiling the prizes…

Don’t forget to enter the rafflecopter (below) because that’s how we will choose the winners for our grand prizes.

FEATURED NOVEL

If you love romance (of course, you do) then you probably love Valentine Themed stories. I know we’re in November, but it’s Thanksgiving month and I’m thankful for Valentine , so I am featuring my valentine season novel, MOST ELIGIBLE BACHELOR.

MOST ELIGIBLE BACHELOR (Men of Distinction, #1)

Magazine columnist Chantelle Sah doesn’t celebrate Valentine’s Day—not since her fiancé’s betrayal three years ago—and after botching her first assignment as a feature writer, she’s more than willing to put in a hard day’s work this Valentine’s Day; even if it means going on a date with gorgeous construction Tycoon, Lord McKenzie, and opening herself to an onslaught of all things love.

When Lord—his given name, not a title—sets his sights on Chantelle, it isn’t just work he has on his mind. But even he couldn’t have predicted the magnetic attraction between them when they meet, nor the evening ending with more than an interview. Now he has to convince Chantelle that their one-night stand wasn’t a mistake. Can he win her love without revealing a secret from their night of passion, which could prove fatal for both their hearts?

BUY: Evernight Publishing | Amazon | Amazon UK | All Romance eBooks | Bookstrand

MY PRIZE

I am giving away a $10 Amazon gift card to one lucky commenter (including those who enter the rafflecopter – even if they don’t comment), but you know I love hearing from you, so please don’t leave without saying hi.

Winners will be announced on Saturday 23rd November, 2013.

RAFFLECOPTER

Click to sign up in our Rafflecopter giveaway

Visit other blogs in the hop, use the links below, and happy hopping!

1.
Kiru Taye
14.
Nikki Prince
27.
Vallory Vance


2.
Dee Little (Love Books? Blog Books!)
15.
Zee Monodee
28.
LENA HART


3.
Nana Prah
16.
Empi Baryeh
29.
kenya wright


4.
Love Bites and Silk
17.
Laurel Cremant
30.
Sharonda @ Salacious Reads


5.
Romance Novels in Color (diversity in romance)
18.
Shyla Colt
31.
Sabrina Devonshire


6.
Cora Blu
19.
RWOWA
32.
Lyric James


7.
Georgia Lyn Hunter
20.
Haley Whitehall
33.
Nevea Lane


8.
Shewanda Pugh
21.
Olivia Linden
34.
Sharita Lira


9.
Sharon C. Cooper
22.
Nulli Para Ora
35.
Natasha Blackthorne


10.
Rhonda Laurel
23.
Zrinka Jelic
36.
Doris O’Connor


11.
Stella Eromonsere-Ajanaku
24.
KH LeMoyne
37.
Book Sniffers Anonymous


12.
Courtney Seetsh
25.
Debbie Christiana
38.
Tatiana Caldwell


13.
Toye Lawson Brown
26.
Bookswagger

Letters by Watershed #AtoZ

Ah, the letter of LOVE. I should have known this would be a difficult one. There were two top contenders for this slot, but eventually, I decided to go with Letters by South African band, Watershed (I know, I keep going to SA). It’s on their Album Mosaic. I was hooked from the first moment I heard this song and it was enough motivation to buy the album without listening to the other songs.

I hope you enjoy, Letters:

As I said, there were a lot of ‘L’ songs, so here are my honourable mentions:

Life is Going on (Without You) – Coleske
Living Years - Mike and and Mechanics
Love is Life – Hot Chocolate
Le Téléphone Pleure by Claude François
Landslide – Dixie Chicks
The Last Goodbye – Atomic Kitten

Any of the above on your list?

Knock You Down by Keri Hilson #AtoZ

Hi people. Remember when I said I’ll blog my all time fave songs and left off halfway? I had very good reason, but I hope you’ll forgive me for leaving you high and dry. I have decided to continue the list, and hope you’ll join me each week as I release a new one:

R&B and Hip-hop aren’t my favourite genres (I know *gasp*), but for every generalisation, there are exceptions. Knock You Down by Keri Hilson is one such exception. It comes from her album, In a Perfect World… and features Ne-Yo and Kanye West.

At one point, I had burnt  this song back to back to fill an entire CD and played it in my car for my commute to work. Yes, I do that when I love a song.

You’ve probably heard it countless times, but in case you haven’t, here you go…

Honourable mentions:

Kiss Me by Sixpence None the Richer

Happy Monday!

November Treats – #ColorOfLove

It’s November! For many in writing world that means NaNoWriMo, but for me it also means the Color of Love Blog Hop is at hand.

Bloggers/Writers, have you signed up yet?

The Color of Love Blog Hop which runs from 21 – 25 November, is co-hosted by Empi Baryeh (moi), Kiru Taye and Nana Prah. As African romance authors, we’ve decided to celebrate romance books featuring characters of color either in multicultural or interracial settings/relationships. We hope you’ll join us and sign up using the linky link below.

We’re offering overall hop Grand prizes of a Kindle Fire, gift cards and multi-ebook packs.

Donation to the grand prizes is not required for the sign up.

However, you are welcome to donate just $5 (or more) to the grand prizes and contribute an eBook to the multi-eBook pack. In return the cover to your eBook will be displayed on the blog hop sign up page from now to the end of November 2013. Also your ‘Follow-me’ details will be added to the overall Grand Prize rafflecopter which will be posted in each blog.

Please contact Empi (me) here if you’d like to make a donation.

Here are the sign-up details:

FOR AUTHORS

Sign up using the linky link below.
On the 21st of November your post should go live by midnight EST featuring an Interracial/Multicultural romance novels you’ve written and why you wrote it or an IR/MC book you’ve read and why you enjoyed the book.
The blog post must be your top post for the day on the 21st.
You are encouraged to donate an ebook/$5 towards the overall blog hop prize.
If you make a donation, you do not have to run another contest on your blog. If you choose to run an individual blog contest, you will be responsible for the prize on your blog giveaway.

FOR BLOGGERS

Sign up using the linky list below.
On the 21st of November your post should go live by midnight EST featuring an Interracial/Multicultural romance novel you’ve read and why you enjoyed the book.
The blog post must be your top post for the day on the 21st.
If you have not made a donation to the Grand prize, you are expected to run a contest and give away a prize on your blog. You will be responsible for the prize on your blog giveaway.

All contest winners should be announced within one week of the end of the Hop.

If you have any questions about the hop, you can leave a comment below or email us here.

Sign-ups will close on November 11, 2013.

The more people who get involved, the more successful the hop. So spread the word. Share this with your blogger/writer friends.

Sign up here.

 

 

 

 

The Color of Love Blog Hop 2013

Bloggers/Writers, you may have already heard, but if not … you’re invited to participate in the Color of Love Blog Hop which runs from 21 – 25 November. This event is co-hosted by Empi Baryeh (me), Kiru Taye and Nana Prah.

For this hop we are celebrating romance books featuring characters of color either in multicultural or interracial settings/relationships. We hope you’ll join us and sign up using the linky list below.

We’re offering overall hop Grand prizes of a Kindle Fire, gift cards and multi-ebook packs. Details to be confirmed closer to the hop dates. Donation to the grand prizes is not required for the sign up.

However, you can donate up to $5 to the grand prizes and contribute an eBook to the multi-eBook pack. In return the cover to your eBook will be displayed on the blog hop sign up page from now to the end of November 2013. Also your ‘Follow-me’ details will be added to the overall Grand Prize rafflecopter which will be posted in each blog.

Please contact Empi (me) here if you’d like to make a donation.

THE RULES (more like guidelines that you MUST follow)

Authors

Sign up using the linky list below.
On the 21st of November your post should go live by midnight EST featuring an Interracial/Multicultural romance novels you’ve written and why you wrote it or an IR/MC book you’ve read and why you enjoyed the book.
The blog post must be your top post for the day on the 21st.
You are encouraged to donate an ebook/$5 towards the overall blog hop prize.
If you make a donation, you do not have to run another contest on your blog. If you choose to run an individual blog contest, you will be responsible for the prize on your blog giveaway.

Bloggers

Sign up using the linky list.
On the 21st of November your post should go live by midnight EST featuring an Interracial/Multicultural romance novel you’ve read and why you enjoyed the book.
The blog post must be your top post for the day on the 21st.
If you have not made a donation to the Grand prize, you are expected to run a contest and give away a prize on your blog. You will be responsible for the prize on your blog giveaway.

All contest winners should be announced within one week of the end of the Hop.

If you have any questions about the hop, you can leave a comment below or email us here.

Sign-ups will close on November 11, 2013.

The more people who get involved, the more successful the hop. So spread the word. Share this with your blogger/writer friends.

Sign up here.

Spotlight on The Blind Date by @DelaneyDiamond

Hello peeps. I know how much you love discovering new books/authors, so it is  my pleasure to introduce you to Delaney Diamond’s latest release The Blind Date. I won’t talk too much. Check out the blurb excerpt below.

***

THE BLIND DATE

One night changes everything . . . again.

Years ago, when Ryan Stewart saw Shawna Ferguson, it was love at first sight. Unfortunately, he wasn’t a free man, and his deception caused him to lose her after a weekend that changed his life.

When Shawna’s sister and brother-in-law set her up on a blind date, she has no idea it’s with Ryan, with whom she’d spent a weekend she wishes she could forget. She reluctantly agrees to finish the date with him, but doing so leaves her vulnerable to his charms and the heat he ignited in her that very first night.

EXCERPT

Yvonne Wallace looked at Shawna from across the table in the kitchen. They were having breakfast, and as usual, Little Miss Homemaker—as Shawna liked to teasingly call her sister—had set out a feast of homemade raisin bread, butter and homemade jam, scrambled eggs, and fruit cups.

Only two years separated the sisters, but their personalities were as different as black and white. While Shawna had dreamed of opening her own boutique, which she’d accomplished four years ago, Yvonne had dreamed of becoming a wife and mother. At twenty-four she’d married a doctor, and by their second anniversary, she’d quit her job to make that dream a reality. After six years of marriage, they had a four-year-old daughter and two-year-old son, and Yvonne was seven months pregnant with her second son. Taking care of her family and getting ready for the baby filled her days.

Yvonne was one of those people who, because she was happily married, wanted the same for everyone else. She’d found her Mr. Right and claimed he existed for every woman. Shawna knew better. Finding a good man—with whom one was compatible—seemed as unrealistic as finding a diamond mine on her property. Basically, it wasn’t gonna happen, and Shawna had resigned herself to the fact.

Her sister couldn’t seem to understand she was perfectly happy being single, and she kept trying to help Shawna find a man through “chance” meetings and “unexpected” visits when Shawna came to visit her.

When the conversation came up about her paltry dating options, Shawna had a solution. “I’ll hire an escort the next time I need to attend an event with a date.” She shrugged.

“Ew. You will not. No sister of mine is going to pay for a date.”

“There’s nothing nasty about it,” Shawna said. “Lots of women do it nowadays.”

“Desperate women.”

“No. Women who don’t have the time or energy to sift through what’s out there. The companies match you up with someone who has similar interests, you go out, and then you’re done. Bam. No fuss, no muss.”

“Why do that when I have the perfect man for you?”

“I’m not looking for a man.”

Yvonne rolled her eyes. “Okay, whatever. I have the perfect escort for you. Is that better?”

“No offense, but you haven’t exactly done a good job setting me up with the right men in the past.” Shawna pretended to be in deep thought. “Let’s see, remember the guy from your church, Steve, who started singing hymns in the car on the ride back home and prayed for my soul as we stood at the front door?”

“He loves the Lord. What’s wrong with that?”

Shawna narrowed her eyes and continued. “David, who wouldn’t stop talking about his ex-wife the entire night. Our date ended with him crying on my shoulder about how much he missed her.”

“Look at the bright side. You got a free meal, and at least you didn’t waste any more time with him than necessary. One date in and you already knew he was wrong for you.”

“And I can’t forget Nolan. Sexy, suave, rich. What a surprise to see his face on the evening news as the person who’d robbed several banks in the area and left lines of poetry as his trademark. Just think, I can say I dated the Poetry Bandit.”

“Granted, I should have dug a little deeper when he said he worked in banking.”

Shawna sighed. “I know you mean well, but your choice in men leaves me a bit . . . how should I say this? Terrified.” Shawna slathered butter on the bread and bit into a crunchy slice.

“This guy could be right for you, though. I really think the two of you will hit it off.”

“How do you know him?”

“So you’re interested?”

“Answer the question.”

“He’s a friend of William’s.”

The fact that he was one of her brother-in-law’s friends meant he was probably better vetted than the men her sister had introduced her to in the past. Interest piqued, she said, “Tell me about him.”

“I thought you weren’t interested.”

“Would you tell me about him!”

Yvonne giggled, cocky in her triumph. “Like I said, William knows him better, but I’ve also met him, and he’s really nice. You’ll like him.”

“What does he look like?”

“He’s about six feet tall. Great personality, really nice guy.”

Shawna watched her sister closely. She seemed evasive, which made Shawna suspicious. “You mentioned nice twice, but not whether or not he’s attractive. Does he have an eye in the middle of his forehead or something?”

Yvonne waved her hand and snorted, as if to say, don’t be ridiculous. “Of course not.”

“Then what does he look like?”

“Don’t worry, he’s attractive. He’s not your usual type, that’s all. So please don’t do that thing you do.”

“What thing?” Shawna asked, already offended.

“You know that thing you do when you’re trying to cover up your surprise or when you don’t like something—you smile, but it’s this weird, creepy smile. Be open-minded.”

“I don’t do that. And why would I need to be open-minded? What’s wrong with him, Yvonne?” Concern started to set in.

“Nothing. But really, I don’t want to spoil the surprise. Trust your big sister on this one, okay?”

Get it now for FREE until October 7, 2013: Amazon

CONTEST

Not only is Delaney Diamond giving away a free copy of her book, she’s having a contest!

Prize: Winners choice of four (4) of the following items:

Delaney Diamond T-shirt in large or extra large
Delaney Diamond two-tone tote bag
$20 gift card to Amazon or Barnes & Noble
Delaney Diamond keychain
an autographed copy of Hot Latin Men Vol. I
an autographed copy of Hot Latin Men Vol. II
four bookmarks with Delaney Diamond book covers.

Eligibility: You must be a subscriber to Delaney’s blog. Prizes open to U.S. and international entrants.

How to enter: Correctly match each blog on her tour with its description. Visit the contest post on her website for the details.

Deadline to enter: October 13, 2013 at 11:59 pm EST

Winners will be notified by email and announced on the contest post on her website.

ABOUT DELANEY

Delaney Diamond writes sweet and sensual romance novels and is the site manager of Romance Novels in Color, where diversity in romance in celebrated. When she’s not reading or writing she’s trying out new recipes or traveling to an interesting locale. Find free reads and the first chapter of all her books at her website.

Contact Information:

Website | Facebook fan page | Twitter | Romance Novels in Color

Birthday Bash Winners

I know. I said I’d announce the winner on the 21st and I haven’t. I’ve been away attending a workshop and my internet access is limited. But I’m here now with the list of winners, so here goes…

Winner of the $15 Amazon gift card

For this prize, I selected the person with the highest score – who basically did it all: tweeted the blog post, left me a comment, has read both of my books and is a fan on Facebook. And the winner is…

Celestine Nudanu!

Congrats, Celestine! Your prize will be in your in box shortly.

Winners of one free book

This was a conditional prize with up to five free e-books up for grabs. To be eligible, commenters had to have read one of my books for a chance to win a copy of the other. You were to tell me which of my books you’ve read, what you liked about the book and where you got your copy. Only one person fulfilled this, so she gets the prize!

Iris Anie-Annan

Congrats, Iris. You’ve won a free copy of Most Eligible Bachelor. Your prize will be in your in box shortly.

Since only one person was eligible for the free ebook, I’m giving away one  special prize for the person who made my day by letting me know she was off to buy my book(s).

Kim

So, Kim, if you got only one of my books, I am gifting you the other. If you got both books, first of all, thank you, and I will gift you another ebook of your choice from either of my publishers – Black Opal Books or Evernight Publishing. Just let me know your pick and it will be in your in-box. I will email you shortly.

Congratulations to all winners and a big thank you to all who took part in my birthday bash.