C.J. Sullivan's Blog, page 14
October 18, 2013
WINGS OF THE DIVIDED FREE FOR KINDLE TODAY AND TOMORROW ONLY!
To celebrate its one-year publication anniversary this month, I'm giving away WINGS OF THE DIVIDED: THE DIVIDED BOOK 1 on Kindle for FREE today (10/18/13) and tomorrow (10/19/13) only! Now's the chance to get your copy, or if you already have it, "gift" it to a friend!
October 13, 2013
Celebrating 30 and 60 with the Concert of Concerts: Sarah Brightman!!
This month marks my mom's 60th birthday and my 30th birthday! So I thought it'd be a special treat for both of us to see one of our favorite musicians, Sarah Brightman, in concert this month because she was going to be doing a show right here in the Dallas/Ft. Worth Metroplex. I got some good tickets, and Mom came down to go to the concert with me and spend the night.
Here we are posing in front of my Halloween wreath (and Kaiser, of course, had to join):
Mom said, "Let's look at each other," for one of our poses, so we have a nice little shot here:
And I always like doing bunny ears, so here's my fave pose:
Now...onto the concert!!
While we were waiting, I could barely contain my excitement. Here's the view of the stage before the concert started:
A few fun facts about Sarah Brightman:
- She is the bestselling soprano of all time.
- She was the first Christine in Phantom of the Opera.
- She was married to Andrew Lloyd Webber for many years but is now divorced from him.
- Webber wrote the part of Christine just for Sarah Brightman and her lovely voice.
- In 2015 she will be the first person ever in the history of the world to perform a concert in outer space.
When the concert began, I totally lost my mind and had a "fan girl" moment. There she was! Mere yards away from me! This miracle of humanity whom I have adored for over a decade! SARAH! Singing! LIVE! How could anyone not be just crazy about her???
The acoustics of the place were perfect. Her band was spot-on. And the backdrops were mesmerizing. I thought I was in a dream!
When the organ music from "Phantom of the Opera" started up, I and about half of the audience nearly came up out of our chairs, freaking out. Even though she's 53 years old, she still (as Mom so eloquently put it) "hit notes that made your teeth rattle"! The audience totally erupted in cheers, whistles, and applause when she landed that final note in "Phantom." Woooooow!
I had no idea I could get that many goosebumps! **SIGH**
So, needless to go on about it, it was an experience of a lifetime. I'll close with a video of Sarah singing live from a previous concert so you can see exactly what I mean when I say her voice is AWESOME - make sure you wait until that note at the very end. Have a great week, everyone!
Here we are posing in front of my Halloween wreath (and Kaiser, of course, had to join):
Mom said, "Let's look at each other," for one of our poses, so we have a nice little shot here:
And I always like doing bunny ears, so here's my fave pose:
Now...onto the concert!!
While we were waiting, I could barely contain my excitement. Here's the view of the stage before the concert started:
A few fun facts about Sarah Brightman:
- She is the bestselling soprano of all time.
- She was the first Christine in Phantom of the Opera.
- She was married to Andrew Lloyd Webber for many years but is now divorced from him.
- Webber wrote the part of Christine just for Sarah Brightman and her lovely voice.
- In 2015 she will be the first person ever in the history of the world to perform a concert in outer space.
When the concert began, I totally lost my mind and had a "fan girl" moment. There she was! Mere yards away from me! This miracle of humanity whom I have adored for over a decade! SARAH! Singing! LIVE! How could anyone not be just crazy about her???
The acoustics of the place were perfect. Her band was spot-on. And the backdrops were mesmerizing. I thought I was in a dream!
When the organ music from "Phantom of the Opera" started up, I and about half of the audience nearly came up out of our chairs, freaking out. Even though she's 53 years old, she still (as Mom so eloquently put it) "hit notes that made your teeth rattle"! The audience totally erupted in cheers, whistles, and applause when she landed that final note in "Phantom." Woooooow!
I had no idea I could get that many goosebumps! **SIGH**
So, needless to go on about it, it was an experience of a lifetime. I'll close with a video of Sarah singing live from a previous concert so you can see exactly what I mean when I say her voice is AWESOME - make sure you wait until that note at the very end. Have a great week, everyone!
October 10, 2013
John Lennon's Birthday
It's John Lennon's birthday. Happy birthday, John, wherever you are now! You were--ARE--truly an amazing soul.
I had the privilege of watching a documentary called LENNONNYC on PBS not too long ago. It was really, really cool, and if you want to learn more about John and who he was post-Beatles in his later years living in the US, then definitely check it out.
I'll close with some Lennon quotes for you to chew on as we remember this remarkable man:
"Time you enjoy wasting was not wasted."
"Love is a flower you've got to let grow."
"The more I see the less I know for sure."
"If someone thinks that love and peace is a cliche that must have been left in the Sixties, that's his problem. Love and peace are eternal."
I had the privilege of watching a documentary called LENNONNYC on PBS not too long ago. It was really, really cool, and if you want to learn more about John and who he was post-Beatles in his later years living in the US, then definitely check it out.
I'll close with some Lennon quotes for you to chew on as we remember this remarkable man:
"Time you enjoy wasting was not wasted."
"Love is a flower you've got to let grow."
"The more I see the less I know for sure."
"If someone thinks that love and peace is a cliche that must have been left in the Sixties, that's his problem. Love and peace are eternal."
October 7, 2013
C.J.'s Top 10 Movies Countdown (#1)
I thought it'd be fun to share my top 10 favorite movies with you. These are the shows that I have to watch at least once a year or I'd go into withdrawal. So in no particular order, here is #1:
If you missed #2, here it is.
If you missed #2, here it is.
September 29, 2013
Cousin Bobby's Wedding: Windows Phone Pics
This weekend was a wonderful reminder of what needs to be priority in my life: the people I love. I almost didn't go to this wedding because I was worried it would be too difficult to get away from the ever-stressful Rat Race. But I'm sooo glad I went... And apparently so was everyone else!
It was a fantastic time, getting to see this particular branch of my family (a spunky, stubborn, hilarious group, this one). It was healing to be around so many people who know me and love me, and whom I'm equally crazy about. And it was deeply fulfilling to my heart to get to share this monumental weekend with my cousin who's always been very special to me.
My dad and I took a few pictures with my new Windows phone, so I'll share those with you now:
Me with cousins Bobby and Teresa
Bobby's parents, Aunt Annie and Uncle Ronnie
Me and Aunt Sue
Diana and Bobby, Bride and Groom
A View from the Wisteria Arbor, where the ceremony was held in the San Antonio Botanical Garden
It was a fantastic time, getting to see this particular branch of my family (a spunky, stubborn, hilarious group, this one). It was healing to be around so many people who know me and love me, and whom I'm equally crazy about. And it was deeply fulfilling to my heart to get to share this monumental weekend with my cousin who's always been very special to me.
My dad and I took a few pictures with my new Windows phone, so I'll share those with you now:
Me with cousins Bobby and Teresa 
Bobby's parents, Aunt Annie and Uncle Ronnie
Me and Aunt Sue
Diana and Bobby, Bride and Groom 
A View from the Wisteria Arbor, where the ceremony was held in the San Antonio Botanical GardenSeptember 23, 2013
Another Reason Why Adoption Rocks
I just posted this pic on Twitter, but I'll share it here, too. Here I am with my little sister Natalie.
My mother and step-dad adopted her and her younger sister and her older brother a few years back, and I love them all to pieces. Natalie may look sweet and innocent, but she is quite the no-nonsense diva and hilarious - two amazing qualities that make her sparkle as a person - and I'm selfishly hoping that one day she'll get into theatre like her big sis *me* did in high school and college. But whatever she does, she now knows she is loved and that she is part of a family.
I'm not so convinced I need to have my own children, as in giving birth to them. I do, however, hope that someday I can adopt some kids that are already out there wanting and needing a place to call home and a woman to call "Mom." I know it isn't in everyone's heart to adopt, but it sure does make an enormous difference to the young one or ones you're taking into your home. I wish more people would consider it.
Though it's not a central part of the story, there's a little girl in Wings of the Divided who gets taken out of a horrible situation and placed into a loving home. My passion for adoption has gone into my fiction. ;)
A number of my long-time friends were adopted. My brother Caleb, whom I grew up with, was adopted. Adoption's just part of my ongoing life! And it's something I'm proud to say I support.
My mother and step-dad adopted her and her younger sister and her older brother a few years back, and I love them all to pieces. Natalie may look sweet and innocent, but she is quite the no-nonsense diva and hilarious - two amazing qualities that make her sparkle as a person - and I'm selfishly hoping that one day she'll get into theatre like her big sis *me* did in high school and college. But whatever she does, she now knows she is loved and that she is part of a family.
I'm not so convinced I need to have my own children, as in giving birth to them. I do, however, hope that someday I can adopt some kids that are already out there wanting and needing a place to call home and a woman to call "Mom." I know it isn't in everyone's heart to adopt, but it sure does make an enormous difference to the young one or ones you're taking into your home. I wish more people would consider it.
Though it's not a central part of the story, there's a little girl in Wings of the Divided who gets taken out of a horrible situation and placed into a loving home. My passion for adoption has gone into my fiction. ;)
A number of my long-time friends were adopted. My brother Caleb, whom I grew up with, was adopted. Adoption's just part of my ongoing life! And it's something I'm proud to say I support.
September 16, 2013
How I See Math Word Problems
I'm studying to take the GRE in attempt to get into grad school. There is a LOT of math on this test, ladies and gentlemen. I am one of those people who, try as I may, have an exceedingly difficult time wrapping my head around the majority of algebra, especially word problems. So I located this meme to have a laugh and to properly display just how my mind doesn't want to function when I'm trying so hard to get it right:
For heaven's sake, I'm a writer, not a mathematician! **SIGH**
For heaven's sake, I'm a writer, not a mathematician! **SIGH**
The Things of My Nightmares
I'm studying to take the GRE in attempt to get into grad school. There is a LOT of math on this test, ladies and gentlemen. I am one of those people who, try as I may, have an exceedingly difficult time wrapping my head around the majority of algebra, especially word problems. So I located this meme to have a laugh and to properly display just how my mind doesn't want to function when I'm trying so hard to get it right:
For heaven's sake, I'm a writer, not a mathematician! **SIGH**
For heaven's sake, I'm a writer, not a mathematician! **SIGH**
September 13, 2013
C.J.'s Top 10 Movies Countdown (#2)
I thought it'd be fun to share my top 10 favorite movies with you. These are the shows that I have to watch at least once a year or I'd go into withdrawal. So in no particular order, here is #2:
If you missed #3, here it is.
If you missed #3, here it is.
September 5, 2013
Giving Birth to Characters and Dreaming Details
So...I'm kind of excited. I've been mulling over this new story idea, letting it blossom in my mind for as long as it would. (Some stories wither and die, as they just aren't meant to be written.) But this one I think has a good chance of going all the way.
I conceived a couple of characters a few weeks ago, both 11-year-old boys, and gave them names. But last night I did the thing that "gave them birth," as I like to say: I filled out character charts for them. I rapidly wrote down their every last detail, from their eye color to their order or birth to their bad/quirky habits. For me, I can brainstorm all I want, but filling out the character charts is usually what gets the story ball really rolling.
Here's a glimpse of my two boys' info. I kept it a little blurry so you couldn't cheat and find out too much about them before it's time. ;) (Oh, and thanks, Kaiser, for the photo bomb.)
I'll tell you something interesting that happened after I filled out these two charts. I had a dream last night that one of my characters didn't have the blond hair like I'd given him, but instead, he had red hair. This morning I changed his hair to red on the chart because I'm a firm believer of listening to the subconscious, even for seemingly inconsequential details.
The same thing happened to me when I was writing Wings of the Divided . If you've read it, you'll be familiar with my character the dark angel Malynko. When I first created him on his own character chart, I gave him snowy white hair. Well, somewhere along the creation process of that story, I had a very vivid dream...
The apocalypse was upon us. Bombs were going off everywhere - bombs that angels were setting off. It was pure chaos. I was in a crumbling house, scrambling to gather my things and escape, when suddenly the doorbell rang. It was strange because the only thing left of the house at that point was the frame and the door. Terrified, I felt drawn to the door - I had to answer it. When I opened it, there stood Malynko. I was too petrified to look up into his eyes, so I was stuck staring at his chest and his mouth, which grinned in that evil Malynko way. He wore his red general's jacket, but instead of white hair, his was long and raven colored.
When I woke up, I promptly his hair from white to black in my notes.
*****
Add C.J.'s angel trilogy to your library. -->Shop here!<--
I conceived a couple of characters a few weeks ago, both 11-year-old boys, and gave them names. But last night I did the thing that "gave them birth," as I like to say: I filled out character charts for them. I rapidly wrote down their every last detail, from their eye color to their order or birth to their bad/quirky habits. For me, I can brainstorm all I want, but filling out the character charts is usually what gets the story ball really rolling.
Here's a glimpse of my two boys' info. I kept it a little blurry so you couldn't cheat and find out too much about them before it's time. ;) (Oh, and thanks, Kaiser, for the photo bomb.)
I'll tell you something interesting that happened after I filled out these two charts. I had a dream last night that one of my characters didn't have the blond hair like I'd given him, but instead, he had red hair. This morning I changed his hair to red on the chart because I'm a firm believer of listening to the subconscious, even for seemingly inconsequential details.
The same thing happened to me when I was writing Wings of the Divided . If you've read it, you'll be familiar with my character the dark angel Malynko. When I first created him on his own character chart, I gave him snowy white hair. Well, somewhere along the creation process of that story, I had a very vivid dream...
The apocalypse was upon us. Bombs were going off everywhere - bombs that angels were setting off. It was pure chaos. I was in a crumbling house, scrambling to gather my things and escape, when suddenly the doorbell rang. It was strange because the only thing left of the house at that point was the frame and the door. Terrified, I felt drawn to the door - I had to answer it. When I opened it, there stood Malynko. I was too petrified to look up into his eyes, so I was stuck staring at his chest and his mouth, which grinned in that evil Malynko way. He wore his red general's jacket, but instead of white hair, his was long and raven colored.
When I woke up, I promptly his hair from white to black in my notes.
*****
Add C.J.'s angel trilogy to your library. -->Shop here!<--
