Jen McConnel's Blog, page 49
December 16, 2012
12 Authors of Christmas, day 4: Wynne Channing
I’ve teamed up with 11 other authors to bring you a bit of holiday cheer. We all know about the partridge in the pear tree, but if you’ve been really good this year, maybe your true love will give you books, instead!
Wynne Channing
What Kills Me
An ancient prophecy warns of a girl destined to cause the extinction of the vampire race.
So when 17-year-old Axelia falls into a sacred well filled with blood and emerges a vampire, the immortal empire believes she is this legendary destroyer. Hunted by soldiers and mercenaries, Axelia and her reluctant ally, the vampire bladesmith Lucas, must battle to survive.
How will she convince the empire that she is just an innocent teenager-turned bloodsucker and not a creature of destruction? And if she cannot, can a vampire who is afraid of bugs summon the courage to fight a nation of immortals?Show More Show Less
December 15, 2012
12 Authors of Christmas, Day 3: Thomas Winship
I’ve teamed up with 11 other authors to bring you a bit of holiday cheer. We all know about the partridge in the pear tree, but if you’ve been really good this year, maybe your true love will give you books, instead!
Thomas Winship
Vaempires: Revolution
It is the morning of Princess Cassandra’s sixteenth birthday. Everyone’s attention is focused on the heir to the vampire throne. World leaders, the rich and famous, and VIPs from every corner of the globe have gathered in the nation’s capital to celebrate the momentous event.
Cassandra’s boyfriend, Daniel, is late for the party. He’s still outside the city when all hell breaks loose. What he believes is an act of terrorism proves to be a full-fledged revolution. Væmpires–former vampires who mutated into warm-blooded creatures with an insatiable hunger for cold blood–have launched coordinated attacks across the globe, with three goals: the eradication of humanity, the enslavement of vampires, and the ascension of væmpires as the dominant species on the planet.
The vampire and human leaders are killed. Cassandra is missing. Daniel is the acting king. Desperate to find the princess, Daniel and his friends fight their way across the besieged city. With the hopes of the free world resting on the shoulders of four vampire teenagers, væmpires unleash their secret weapons: a new breed of væmpire that is far deadlier than any ever seen before.
What can four teens do against an enemy that can shape-shift, fly, and walk through walls?
Vaempires: White Christmas
It’s almost Christmas. With the global holiday days away, the people of the world should be turning their attention toward celebrating peace and goodwill, but tension between humans, vampires, and væmpires is at an all-time high. Desperate for solutions, King Brant schedules a secret summit deep in North America’s Northern Forest. Along with Queen Anne, Princess Cassandra, Daniel’s family, and the human president and First Lady, the vampire leader seeks to reaffirm the ties between humans and vampires, while brainstorming ways to respond to the growing hostility among væmpires.
Meanwhile, Daniel and Cassie’s relationship is at an all-time low. The princess is still reeling from her breakup with Vielyn, and Daniel doesn’t know what he should or shouldn’t do to help. Little does he know that the summit will be flooded with surprises–guests, allegations, accusations, proposals, and even Christmas Eve revelations–but not all of the surprises will be pleasant.
Vamepires: Zombie Rising
The tale of the Evolutionary War resumes in Væmpires: Zombie Rising.
Væmpires have taken control of twelve major cities. Their leader, Vielyn, seeks the atomic weapons that will bring the rest of the world to its knees.
Vampire forces are reeling. As Linq and Ray race to the royal estate to rendezvous with Cassandra and Daniel, the princess is captured and Daniel falls.
With the fate of world shifting to their teenage shoulders, Linq and Ray must deal with tremendous losses while battling a most unexpected—and undeadly—new foe.
December 14, 2012
DEAR CASSIE cover reveal
I’m so excited to take part in this EPIC cover reveal. Also, there’s a contest going on:Lisa is hosting an EPIC CONTEST to celebrate DEAR CASSIE’ s cover reveal. Lisa wants you guys to share diary entries of your favorite fictional characters with me. That’s right, choose ANY character from books, TV, movies, a cereal box and write a 500-750 length diary entry from their point of view.
She will choose the top 5 and then let the masses vote on their favorite. The favorite will be published in the final version of DEAR CASSIE. You read that right, published with the author’s name! The additional four will win $20 book buying gift cards.
So get diary-ing! Send you entries to prettyamystories@yahoo.com by January 1st!
Voting for the top 5 will begin January 7th, with the winner being announced January 14th!
Now, for the cover you’ve all been waiting for:
DEAR CASSIE official Blurb:
What if the last place you should fall in love is the first place that you do?
You’d think getting sent to Turning Pines Wilderness Camp for a month-long rehabilitation “retreat” and being forced to re-live it in this journal would be the worst thing that’s ever happened to me.
You’d be wrong.
There’s the reason I was sent to Turning Pines in the first place: I got arrested. On prom night. With my two best friends, who I haven’t talked to since and probably never will again. And then there’s the real reason I was sent here. The thing I can’t talk about with the guy I can’t even think about.
What if the moment you’ve closed yourself off is the moment you start to break open?
But there’s this guy here. Ben. And the more I swear he won’t—he can’t—the deeper under my skin he’s getting. After the thing that happened, I promised I’d never fall for another boy’s lies.
And yet I can’t help but wonder…what if?
DEAR CASSIE excerpt:
We kept walking on the lake trail, the bullfrogs croaking. There was also a humming in my ears from the nicotine.
It could only be from the nicotine. It had nothing to do with being outside, at night, alone with Ben. It had nothing to do with Ben coming to the cabin and taking me instead of Nez and it definitely had nothing to do with the stars above us shining like they were the sky’s tiara.
I stopped on the trail and looked up, taking them in, when all of a sudden bright colored lights exploded in the sky—fireworks, one after another, on top of each other, huge kaleidoscopes of light, like sparkling rainbow spiders.
“How did you know?” I asked, my voice going softer, like if I talked too loudly they would stop. It was so beautiful, after weeks of so much ugly.
Ben turned to look at me, the colored lights in the sky turning his skin pink, blue, green. “I’m magic.” He shrugged.
I geared up to tell him to fuck off, because that was some corny-ass shit, but then I realized that he really kind of was. In that moment he was able to actually make me forget being me.
“I would try to kiss you,” he said, “but I’m afraid you’d kick me in the balls.”
“I probably would.” I laughed, the sky filling with noisy color like paint launching from a giant popcorn popper. “But like I said, it wouldn’t be about you.”
“I guess I’ll have to figure out how to make it about me,” he said, taking off his boots and socks and standing. “Come on.”
“There is no way I am getting near that water again,” I said.
“I’ll make sure nothing happens to you,” he said, holding his hand out to help me up.
I looked at his palm, open, waiting, just wanting to hold mine. For once, I didn’t think about anything except that there was a cute, sweet, smart-ass boy standing in front of me with his hand out.
I pulled off my boots and socks and took it.
We stood at the lakeshore, our hands still clasped, the water licking our feet, fireworks decorating the sky.
I turned to him. He was looking up, his mouth open in wonder like he was trying to swallow the moment.
It was definitely one worth keeping.
DEAR CASSIE pre-buy links:
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13628374-dear-cassie
The Book Depository: http://www.bookdepository.com/Dear-Cassie-Lisa-Burstein/9781620612545
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Dear-Cassie-Lisa-Burstein/dp/1620612542/
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dear-cassie-lisa-burstein/1113610316
PRETTY AMY Links:
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13375237-pretty-amy
Powells: http://www.powells.com/biblio/62-9781620611197-0
The Book Depository: http://www.bookdepository.com/Pretty-Amy-Lisa-Burstein/9781620611197
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Pretty-Amy-Lisa-Burstein/dp/1620611198/
Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/pretty-amy-lisa-burstein/1108930786
Additional links to Lisa’s pages:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/LisaBurstein
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LisaBursteinAuthor
Website: http://www.lisaburstein.com
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Lisa Burstein is a tea seller by day and a writer by night. She received her MFA in Fiction from the Inland Northwest Center for Writers at Eastern Washington University. She lives in Portland, OR, with her very patient husband, a neurotic dog and two cats. Dear Cassie is her second novel.
12 Authors of Christmas, Day 2: Noree Cosper
I’ve teamed up with 11 other authors to bring you a bit of holiday cheer. We all know about the partridge in the pear tree, but if you’ve been really good this year, maybe your true love will give you books, instead!
Noree Cosper
A Prescription for Delirium
Ninety years ago, Gabriella di Luca promised to protect the family of her dying lover. She failed to keep that promise. She was too far away to stop the devil that murdered the eldest Van Helsing son. Years later, Gabby learns the devil has resurfaced. She arrives in Hampton, TX, determined to stop the devil before it can lay a bloody hand on the remaining three brothers.
However, madness is spreading through Hampton. She suspects the devil is using this madness to test a drug which has a side effect of demonic possession. Gabby rushes to end the source of the madness only to fall victim to it. For a woman cursed with eternal life, dying is no threat. However, Gabby must stop the devil’s plot or risk losing her most precious possession: her mind.
December 13, 2012
Guest post and promo: I HAVE PEOPLE by Taylor Dean
A Day in my Writing Life
To be honest, I keep an offbeat schedule. I’m completely out of sync with the rest of the world. Writing is an isolating profession. Yet, I don’t feel lonely. My characters are alive and well inside my head!
I tend to stay up late. I get some of my best writing done in the wee hours, when the house is quiet and phones, emails, and texts don’t disturb me. Hence, I tend to collapse onto my pillow at around two AM. (A habit I really need to break). I usually get up around nine or so—a freedom I never, ever take for granted. I spent years raising my four children, driving them to school and every other activity under the sun. It seems a great luxury to be able to sleep in, to have my time belong to me. At any rate, I digress. After getting out of bed when I want to and not when an alarm clock tells me to, I get dressed, walk on the treadmill while watching House Hunters (LOVE!), clean my house from top to bottom (I’m obsessive), plan dinner, do laundry, pay bills—and THEN I get to work. Ha! As if I haven’t already worked. Usually I’m at my computer by 1 PM. I tend to write till around six or seven at night. Then I take a break with my hubby. We have dinner and watch whatever reality TV show I’m addicted to at the time. My hubby sits through them with me and even acts like he’s interested. (so sweet) Then I go back to my computer and work for another couple of hours before falling into bed. I work long hours. Too long. My favorite quote is: Choose a job you love and you will never work a day in your life. While writing is work, I LOVE it and I enjoy it immensely. Call it escapism. Hence, it doesn’t feel like I’m working. It’s the best job in the world and the most relaxing thing I do all day. Seriously. Cleaning the house is harder! Paying the bills is drudgery. Writing is fun.
So, that’s my day. Most days anyway. There’s always the exception. That’s the beauty of writing though. I can take a day off if I want to. I can spend time with my children whenever they need me. It’s the perfect job for me.
Contemporary Romance
Title: I Have People
Author: Taylor Dean
Date Published: 9/20/2012
Missing any memories?
Holly Sinclair is happily married to the love of her life, Gabriel. Young and in love, Holly hopes to have their first child soon. Of course, Gabriel wants to wait till Holly’s health is restored, much to Holly’s dismay. She feels perfectly fine. So what if she just woke up from an eight-month coma? So what if some of her memories are missing? She remembers Gabe and that’s all that matters, right?
That is, until HE enters her life again . . . she forgot about HIM.
Virtual Book Tour November 29 – December 27
November 29 - Reading Addiction Blog Tours – Meet and Greet
November 30 – Anatea’s Bookshelf - Guest Post/PROMO
December 1 – Book Nerd - Review/Guest Post
December 2 – Books, Books, the Magical Fruit – Interview/PROMO
December 4 -Dive Under the Cover - Review
December 6- The Library Haunt – Review
December 7 – My Reading Addiction – Review
December 8 – Oh! Chrys - PROMO
December 9 – Bunny’s Reviews - Guest Post/PROMO
December 10 – The Life and Lies of an inanimate Object- Review/Guest Post
December 11 – Colormetry – review/Guest Post
December 12 – Izz Bookish Place - Guest Post/PROMO
December 12 – Fiction Addiction - Guest Post/PROMO
December 13 – Jen McConnel - Guest Post/PROMO
December 14 - A Date With a Book - Review
December 15 – Up All Night Reviews – Guest Post/PROMO
December 16 -Jersey Girl Book Reviews - Review/Guest Post
December 17 – My Bookmark Blog - Review
December 18 – Books For Me – Review
December 19 – My Cozie Corner – Review
December 20 – Paulettes Papers – Review/Guest Post
December 20 - December 8 - A Chick Who Reads - Review/Guest Post
December 21 - 5 Girls Book Reviews – Review/Guest Post
December 22 – Oh, The Books That You’ll Read – Review
December 23 – Lov Liv Life Reviews – Guest Post/PROMO
December 26 – Kaisy Daisy’s Blog – Review
December 27 -Laurie’s Thoughts and Reviews - Review/Interview
Taylor Dean
Author Bio
Taylor Dean lives in Texas and is the mother of four grown children. Upon finding herself with an empty nest, she began to write the stories that were always wandering around in her head, quickly finding that she had a passion for writing, specifically romance. Whether it’s paranormal, contemporary, or suspense—you’ll find all sub-genres of romance in her line-up.
Twitter – @taylordeanbooks
Links to Buy
Amazon
Smashwords
Barnes and Noble
12 Authors of Christmas, Day 1: Rebecca Hamilton
I’ve teamed up with 11 other authors to bring you a bit of holiday cheer. We all know about the partridge in the pear tree, but if you’ve been really good this year, maybe your true love will give you books, instead!
Day 1: Rebecca Hamilton
The Forever Girl
“Whatever you do, fight.”
Sophia’s family has skeletons, but they aren’t in their graves.
At twenty-two, practicing Wiccan Sophia Parsons is scratching out a living waiting tables in her Rocky Mountain hometown, a pariah after a string of unsolved murders with only one thing in common: her.
Sophia can imagine lots of ways to improve her life, but she’d settle for just getting rid of the buzzing noise in her head. When the spell she casts goes wrong, the static turns into voices. Her personal demons get company, and the newcomers are dangerous.
One of them is a man named Charles, who Sophia falls for despite her better judgment. He has connections that might help her unveil the mystery surrounding her ancestor’s hanging, but she gets more than she bargains for when she finally decides to trust him.
Survival in his world, she learns, means not asking questions and staying out of the immortal council’s way. It’s a line she crossed long ago. If Sophia wants to survive the council and save the people she loves, she must accept who she is, perform dark magic, and fight to the death for her freedom.
The Forever Girl is a full-length Paranormal Fantasy novel that will appeal to lovers of paranormal romance, urban fantasy, witches, vampire fiction, ghost stories, paranormal mystery, and paranormal horror.
Her Sweetest Downfall
*Her Sweetest Downfall is a short story/novella of 30,000 words. This is not a novel/full-length read, but works as a companion novel to THE FOREVER GIRL, Rebecca Hamilton’s bestselling paranormal fantasy debut.*
Ophelia’s been successful at hiding her true identity, until the mark of the serpent appears on her neck—a death sentence, should it be seen by anyone in her town. Hiding the mark might save her from falling victim to the witch hunts of her era, but the scorching sensation it carries can’t be ignored.
When the mysterious Ethan is sent to collect her for a life of something more, she learns concealing the mark is the least of her worries. She’s destined to don a new mask—to join a dark, supernatural world and protect the future of people she may never meet.
What she doesn’t know—what she learns too late—is that her initiation won’t be complete until she kills the man she loves.
Set in an alternate Regency England, “Her Sweetest Downfall” is a standalone novella in the “Forever Girl” series, written as a gift to fans of the Forever Girl series.
HER SWEETEST DOWNFALL will appeal to lovers of paranormal romance, fantasy, and vampire fiction.
December 12, 2012
12-12-12: Be Bliss
Be Bliss!
All images copyright Jen McConnel, 2012
December 11, 2012
TREASON book tour: Guest post from S.M. Boyce
World Building: How to Develop a Realistic Setting for Your Novel
Hey everyone! I’m S. M. Boyce, a paranormal and fantasy novelist and author of the Grimoire Trilogy. I also designed Boyce’s Guide to Writing to encourage other authors to constantly strive for excellence. My online guide is free and rife with how-to posts, lists of helpful vendors and awards sites, guest posts, and more to help writers learn from the mistakes I (and other successful writers) have already made.
But today, Jen asked me here to talk about world building and how I do it.
Because of the heavy high fantasy influences I’ve had in my writing career, I tend to give the setting a fair amount of detail. I do my best to keep it as secondary, but many tell me the worlds I create become characters all their own. That’s one heck of a compliment, right?
In my opinion, setting is crucial to a novel. It establishes the where and settles the reader into the novel by giving them a concrete location. With a stable setting, the reader can dream as big as they want and let the characters move through what is for all intents and purposes a real place. The background becomes solid, and in making the setting as realistic as possible, the author lets the characters take ownership of the space.
The process of world building itself is incredibly complex and subject to massive rewrites and revisions. It’s all about finding a balance between too much and too little description. Fact is, you’ll never make everyone happy. I hear reviewers say the setting was perfect just as often as I hear others complain the description went on too long. So I do what makes me happy.
Step One
When I sit down to create a place, I’ve already daydreamed about it. I’ve pulled in my past experiences or looked up amazing pictures (which you can see on my Pinterest boards “Swipes & Ideas,” “Creature Swipes,” and “Character Swipes”). I’ve let my mind wander, and I have a sense of what it looks like. If you’re going to build a world, you need to already have an idea of how all its pieces fit together. That’s step one.
Step Two
Step two in world building is to start out small. Plan out how you’ll introduce your bits of the world and plan out why each bit of the world matters. You may not talk about every nook and cranny, but you should know about them. Realistic writing comes from understanding even details that are never shared.
If you’re building an entirely new world like I do in Lichgates (Grimoire Trilogy #1), you can’t info dump. Telling the reader all about this crazy world all at once in the first chapter will make them slam the book closed. Don’t inundate the reader; spread it out instead. Let the characters visit the various places in your world and explore it with the reader. Have a character who knows all about the world join up with one who doesn’t—having this dynamic will prompt dialogue that explores the nuances that aren’t visible to the naked eye, like the land’s history (or city’s, or whatever). It lets the reader learn along with the character.
Step Three
Step three to building your world is to sit down and actually write out your first draft. It’s okay if it sucks. The point is to get it out.
Visualize the location, right down to any movement within it. Ask questions. If you’re in a forest, what do you see? Are the trees close together, or separated? What’s on the ground? What kind of canopy do you see—green leaves, fall colors, or dead limbs? Are there animals? If so, what kind? If not, why not? Are your characters taking a path, or are they wandering, lost?
Write the details as your narrator—not you—would notice them. Use cues from all five senses to bring about action, rather than just describing the world. So instead of describing the red and yellow leaves on the forest floor, describe the crunch they make under your narrator’s boots as he runs through the woods. Show us how a gust kicks them up, and how the wind’s biting chill races down the nape of his neck.
I heard someone tell me I used too much “telling” in my world building, and I’m sorry, but I laughed. That debate is so old. That’s a whole other post, but you’ll need to balance showing and telling in your world building, and that is why I bring it up. Visual cues will obviously be telling, and frankly, you’ll see mostly telling while establishing your setting. I mean, don’t get carried away with it or anything. “The woods were dense” is just weak. But, you can tell us how the trees congregated close together. Use active verbs, and you’ll make your writing both strong and interesting.
Continue to build the setting. Take risks. Let it interact with your characters as much as they interact with it. Let it breathe, and I think you’ll be impressed with what you create.
Step Four
Rewrite. And rewrite. And tweak. And rewrite again. Sigh deeply. Repeat.
That’s how I work, anyway.
First drafts are typically pretty bad. Don’t let that discourage you. As you build your world, it will teach you things. It will grow and develop, and your subconscious will uncover new nooks and crannies you hadn’t realized existed.
Feel free to drop me a line if you have questions, or go ahead and check out my online blog Boyce’s Guide to Writing to get more insights on the writing world and publishing industry. Keep writing. Write well and often. And above all else, stay awesome.
About S. M. BoyceBoyce writes fantasy and paranormal fiction. She’s a sarcastic twit, but she still has friends because some people seem to like that. Her Creative Writing degree qualifies her to serve you french fries, but it helps her write books, too. She’s currently working on the YA epic fantasy series the Grimoire Trilogy.
Connect with Boyce
Blog | Website | Store | Boyce’s Guide to Writing | Events
Google+ | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Youtube
Amazon Author Page | Goodreads Page
Buy Your Copy of Boyce’s Books
Win a guest appearance in Heritage (The Grimoire Trilogy #3)
Lichgates
Grab Your Copy:
Amazon: USA | UK | Germ
any | France | Spain | Italy
Buy the Paperback | Goodreads | Book Trailer | VIP List
TreasonGrab Your Copy:
Amazon: USA | UK | Germany | France | Spain | Italy
Barnes & Noble | Smashwords | Buy the Paperback
Goodreads | VIP List
December 9, 2012
Scottish Sundays: The Isle of Skye
After my dip in a fairy stream
Welcome back to another Scottish Sunday! Heat up your tea, and settle in for a spell.
Today, I’m highlighting the magnificent, misty, and magical Isle of Skye. The beautiful island is filled with mystery and legends, not to mention friendly folk and rugged beauty.
Skye
When I traveled to Scotland in 2007, the day I spent on Skye was my favorite part of a two-week trip.
While there, I dunked my face in a fairy stream for luck and beauty, absorbed countless myths and tales, and almost fell down a sharp cliff trying to get a look at a beautiful waterfall.
Skye
The island made such an impression on me that it figures heavily into the start of my debut novel, The Burning of Isobel Key.
Skye
Want to travel to Skye in the pages of a book? Check out The Burning of Isobel Key.
When Lou travels to Scotland, she’s a mess. She’s twenty-six, unemployed, and unsure of herself. It doesn’t help that she’s traveling with Tammy, her best friend, who is everything Lou is not.
At first, the trip pushes Lou towards the brink of depression, but then she meets Brian, a handsome local tour guide. When Brian tells the tourists about
the countless witches burned in Scotland, Lou starts to listen. And when she discovers information about Isobel Key, one of the victims of the seventeenth century, Lou finds renewed purpose.
She sets out to learn the truth of the condemned witch, but she isn’t prepared for the knowledge that waits for her. Lou must face her demons if she has any hope of righting the wrongs of the past.
Skye
THE BURNING OF ISOBEL KEY, available from Amazon Fall 2012.
Book Extras
Official Book Website | Book Trailer | Reading Guide
Grab Your Copy
Amazon (US) | Amazon (UK) | Goodreads
December 7, 2012
Interview and Giveaway: Robert Zimmerman, author of FROM WHERE I STAND
I’m thrilled to be interviewing poet Robert Zimmerman. His powerful debut collection of poems, From Where I Stand, is available now.
1. When did you start writing?
I started writing (serious writing) in the eleventh grade. I got more and more into it as time moved along. Though, it wasn’t until I was almost done with my creative writing degree, that I admitted that I was a writer. Before that I was just a person who wrote.
2. Why do you write poetry?
I write poetry because that’s the discipline that comes most naturally to me. Especially when I started out, I was just putting my pencil to paper and letting whatever words out that wanted to come out. I didn’t really have to think about it.
Whenever I try to write anything like a short story or other prose, it takes a bit more thought and concentration than I have. I admire writers who can write a story, especially if it’s an entire novel. I don’t have the attention span to create something like that. It’s just not the way my mind seems to work, though I’m open to trying it if an idea ever comes.
I have toyed with the idea of writing story as a poem. My efforts for a project like that haven’t panned out well, so far.
3. Can you give us an idea of your writing process?
I used to be able sit down and words would flow out. In recent years though, this hasn’t been the most productive method to writing.
I tend to come across poems a lot less often now. I think it’s because I (over)think more about what I want to write. At first I thought I was just going through a dry spell, but in reality I think not having as much material just pop out has made the poems that I do write, better and I appreciate them more.
Then after it’s written, I go through the obvious edits/rewrites that every author/poet goes through. It’s really only an issue of getting the words out in the first place. That’s the only process I really seem to have, and still wrestle with.
4. Which authors have influenced your work?
There’s really one author who I can honestly say has influenced my writing. He’s the poet, James Allen Hall. He was also my poetry, fiction, and senior seminar professor in college. He really got me out of my shell and helped me find my strengths and to point out my weaknesses.
It’s not only his help as a professor that’s become my influence. His poetry seems to be with me every time I write, as well. The way he recites his poems, the way he puts his heart into each line. That’s how I write my work. I don’t think I’d have as profound a response from my readers if it wasn’t for a little piece of my professors teaching and writing influencing my work.
5. What are you plans/future projects/new releases that we should be aware of?
Right now, I’m working in a few poems for a project I’m doing with a few other poets. Amber Jerome~Norrgard, Ben Ditmars, Scott Morgan (who is also a skill editor), and I will be putting our work together in an anthology for release later in December.
It started out as a random idea that I had, just for fun and to get a sampling of our work out there. I suggested we give it away for free, because everyone loves free. But then the idea of putting a price on it and donating the proceeds to a charity came up. We couldn’t say no to this idea.
We’re hoping to donate 100% of the proceeds to Operation Kindness. It is the oldest and largest no-kill animal shelter in North Texas. A place like this I always in need of help, and as an animal lover when this organization came up, I had to approve. We’re still working out the details on the donation.
6. Any tips for new writers?
I’m a new writer as well, at least the realm of publishing and being serious about my work. So my advice is to keep writing, keep perfecting your craft. I work best without deadlines, so that might help, as well. My goal was to get my collection done and perfected. My goal was NOT to get it published (whether traditionally or self-published). I was writing for my own enjoyment and to be proud of myself.
Once you’re ready to go to the next step of publishing, that’s when to focus on it. I’m not saying don’t research everything while you’re writing, but it’s not use having the extra stress of deadlines and fans leaning over your shoulder 24/7 while you write.
And always….HAVE FUN!!!! Once the fun’s gone, things change and it becomes a job. That’s not something I would enjoy.
7. Any tips for old writers?
You’re old…but don’t feel ashamed to look for help with your writing or anything else. And if you think you know everything, you don’t. Every writer needs to keep learning and keep working on their craft. Keep the attitude that you can always do better and grow as a writer.
Also, like I would say to younger writers, if you are still writing and haven’t gotten a book out there…don’t worry. Keep writing. Keep striving toward your goals.
Oh, and HAVE FUN!!!!
About Robert
Robert has been writing poetry since the eleventh grade. His writing started as impulsive rambling, but soon became a passion. A few years later he attended SUNY Potsdam where he received a B.A. in Creative Writing.
His main focus is poetry, but at times you can find him dabbling in short fiction. Robert has also created the blog A Life Among The Pages, where he posts his writing as well as book reviews.
When he’s not reading or writing, Robert enjoys spending time with his dog, Deuc. Deuc ran out of the woods in August 2011 and they have been inseparable ever since.
Blurb:
From Robert Zimmermann comes From Where I Stand, an emotional debut poetry collection. Zimmermann explores strained parental relationships, loss of life, and the despair associated with grief. Alongside these darker themes, he delves into the small areas of life that often go unnoticed but become the hope we are searching for.
Links:
Blog - http://alifeamongthepages.wordpress.com/
Twitter - https://twitter.com/miztrebor
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Robert.Zimmermann.Writer
Goodreads - http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/6435657-rob-zimmermann
PURCHASE LINKS:
Amazon US – http://www.amazon.com/From-Where-I-Stand-ebook/dp/B00A5AVLO4
Amazon UK – http://www.amazon.co.uk/From-Where-I-Stand-ebook/dp/B00A5AVLO4
Smashwords – https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/253778
GIVEAWAY
I’m going to give away 5 ebook copies of the book. What I’ll ask of all of you is to put something like this at the bottom of the post. (I’d do a rafflecopter but I don’t want to have to deal with people (like myself) who use WordPress and can’t get RC on their blog.)
“Robert will be giving away 5 ebook copies (.mobi, .epub, or PDF) of From Where I Stand at the end of the tour. To enter, please leave a thoughtful comment on this post and be sure to leave an email to be contacted with if you’re a winner.
One comment per person per post, feel free to comment on multiple posts for an extra entry for each. Winners will be gathered together from all the blog tour stops and then chosen randomly.
Giveaway ends December 9th at 12:01AM. Winners to be announced soon after they are selected.
