Linzé Brandon's Blog, page 35

Book Review: BLOOD AND MAGIC by Ilana Waters

An ancient, ruthless vampire. A gutsy witch hippie. Both walk into a bar. And all hell breaks loose.
From USA Today bestselling author Ilana Waters:
Bloodseeker Titus isn’t looking for trouble—just a quick meal. But when his path crosses the witch Abigail’s, that plan gets shot to Hades. Abigail is a member of the Paranormal Investigation Agency (PIA), a secret organization that can spell death to supernaturals. Titus vows to stay as far away from her as possible. But when Abigail suspects a h...

It is a new year, isn't it?

Wishing you all a happy and prosperous 2018!
Don't we all want to start a new year with hope and positivity? Unfortunately, mine did not. I went back to work on 2 January to the news that two of my colleagues had died. The first was a young woman (I do not know the circumstances) and the second was a man was murdered in a home invasion. While this is shocking and sad, it is not that unusual in this country.While it makes me angry, I am not going to dwell on the incompetencies of our justice sy...

Words, Statistics and Time — the creative life's little problems

Linzé's iWatch on its charging standI recently read an article where the blogger/author mentioned that if you wrote 1000 words in an hour, it shouldn't take you more than 50 hours to write a 50 000 word book. It also means that a full-length fantasy or other novel, typically in the order of 100k+ words, can be done in 100 hours. Now we are talking first drafts here. Editing and all the other activities to get a book to publishable quality, are not included in those hours.So that means NaNoWri...

Eyes wide shut...a book review

The Unstoppable Creative by Todd Brison I don't know about you, but I have been getting tired of the new 'writing books and courses' that are being advertised all over the internet. I mean what's wrong with the thousands (yes, thousands!) of books and courses already available? Are authors now telling the rest of us that writing is not the thing anymore, it is teaching? Then I guess we should go into teaching.Personally, I own more than a handful of books about writing, writing better, writing...

Why do we write? Let me count the ways by Richard Beynon

Why do throngs of people around the world feel the urge to record their thoughts and feelings and observations, but, more than that, to shape them into narratives that engage and enthrall others?The internet age – with its promise of instant publication and worldwide distribution – has ushered in millions more writers who dream of firing the imagination of readers, and making a mint of money in the process.But it’s not simply money that drives us, I don’t believe. Even the most commercial wri...

Review: The Blue Unicorn's Journey to Osm by Sybrina Durant

illustrations by DasguptartsIt is a story for young adults featuring a tribe of unicorns threatened by an evil overlord. It is mainly a story about finding friendship, love, and learning to fight together to defeat the evil that threatens them.Buy the book: Amazon The main characters set off on a journey to help fulfil the prophesied destiny of Blue, born without a metal horn. The story details their adventures and how they all learned that together they could find their way back home.It has b...

Now is not the time to study writing...

My NaNoWriMo historyIf you are a writer, your inbox has probably been inundated with emails about NaNoWriMo. Websites that sell all kinds of writing advice books that want you to buy their offerings before November. Others that offer online courses about writing just in time for November. All of these are of course marked down by 50% or more to entice you to their websites to buy their products, to make you a better writer. I have terrible news for you: at this late stage of the game (NaNoWr...

Preptober...NaNoWriMo is coming!

Linzé's Story Cubes October is preparation month. Preparation for the writing challenge of the year: NaNoWriMo. It doesn't really matter which type of writer you are, planner or pantser, or even a combination of the two, November is an exciting time for writers.And it is not only about bleeding over the keyboard (to paraphrase Hemingway), but it is also about the togetherness and support from other writers struggling to get to that elusive 50k target. Infographic SourceMy October is alrea...

Book Feature: Circumstances of Childhood by John Howell

Circumstances of Childhood by John W. Howell

Available from Amazon at $0.99 for the introduction.

This is a different story for John. It is in the Family Life genre and tells the story of brotherly love, riches to rags, redemption and a little paranormal thrown in. Normally John writes thrillers but this time he has stepped into a different place. This book was written with love for the story and the hope it will be an enjoyable read.

Blurb:
When a former pro football star and broadcast...

When the Muse strikes or the sh*t hits the fan

Kick the muse to the curbMany creatives will tell you to kick the muse to the curb and just get on with it. And they would be right. Waiting for that spark, that bright light bulb to appear overhead before getting to work on the novel, or that painting only creates a whole new level of frustration. So no, don't wait for Madam Fickle and her gang of muses to show up before creating your next project.When the Muse strikes or the shit hits the fan (depending on your point of view)One day she wil...