Nancy LaRonda Johnson's Blog, page 19

Insecure Writer's Support Group

It's another 1st Wednesday of the month and time for Alex J. Cavanaugh's IWSG, a support group for the weary writer. I have to say that this month hasn't produced much writing. Initially I was upset about that as I had two great writing goals set - one was a scheduled alarm three days a week. The second was to write something on a daily basis, even if it was one sentence.

Now, however, I feel my WIP is on hold for a couple of months until I get a book of my short stories and poetry out. About this I'm okay, because there are so many other things going on and sometimes it's good for ideas about the book and where it's going to marinate. But another area I'm not pleased about is exercising. My knee flared up again, so tennis was down for a couple of weeks, but I have yet to get back to it and not because of pain.

God has been blessing me a lot, and I'm looking forward to Friday's Celebrate the Small (and Big) Things. Until then, I will be reading and supporting my support group buddies.

A Scheduled Book Signing

Would be obliged to any and all who would pass this word along!

Who's a jackanapes? Saving that word...

The rules for this fun blog hop are as follows:

1. Create a lovely blog post that links back to The Feather and The Rose blog - our host.
2. Pick an old word you want to save from extinction to feature in your blog post. It really must be an old word, not just a big one. We are trying to save lovely archaisms, not ugly giants (for example, "Dihydrogen Monoxide" is not an acceptable choice). Luciferous Logolepsy is a great database of lovely words if you're having trouble coming up with something on your own.
3. Provide a definition of your word. Use your word in a sentence (or even a short paragraph) vaguely related to the theme we have chosen this week. You may also add visual or musical interpretations of your word or your sentence. In fact, add anything that moves your creative spirit.
4. Add your post to the linky list below (sometimes it's added later in the day). Then hop to as many other blogs as you can in search of as many wonderful words as possible!
5. Use as many of the words as you can on the people in your life. Do leave us a note or add something to your own post to let us all know what wonderful old word you whipped out to befuddle your friends and relations.__________________________________________

Today's theme is: Unicorn
My word for today is: Jackanapes - 1400-1450, late Middle English; noun 
1. an impertinent, presumptuous person, especially a young man; whippersnapper 2. an impudent, mischievous child 3. archaic. an ape or a monkey
And here's this week's writing:

"Jackanapes-jackanapes-jackanapes! Jack..a..napes! Ja..ack...an..apes! Jackanapes!" Simon jumped up and down on his rocking unicorn, his head bouncing along like a bobble head on speed.

"Simon, you're going to break your little neck, and you're driving me crazy! Cut it out. I'm sorry I called you that. It just slipped out. You are not a jackanapes. This is 2013; that word no longer exists!"

Under her breath, Simon's mother muttered, "Oh, but the phrase holy terror is alive and well."

After a pause, Simon jumped off his unicorn and ran around the house crooning, "Holy terror, holy terror, ho...oly terrrrrooorrrr!!! 

Celebrating A Slow Pace

Who said taking small steps along the way is not the pace you're meant to take? Who knows, but often times Americans get so impatient when it comes to reaching our goals and attaining our dreams. If they don't happen as soon as we expect them to, then we either try and rush them and never get to where we truly want to be or give up. I've been there, done that!

Today I'm celebrating waiting... taking time to learn what I need... waiting for the right circumstances to show before I act.
A prayer I made this week was: "God, if I'm meant to speak up about my book [to particular people in my life], then please open the door wide where I will easily be able to go through it and speak." Guess what? That next day, the door opened for me to speak to those people, where if I didn't talk, there would have been awkward silences. With these folks, that never happens as there are always others around taking their attention. To tie this to the above statements, I prayed, waited for God to create the right circumstances and acted.
I'm also celebrating:
* Going to a panel discussion to learn about promoting my work.* Going to the Christian Writers Seminar in Castro Valley last weekend and being inspired to publish a book of short stories and poetry.* Having connections to join one or two writing critique groups. The one I go to at the main library is good but very rushed because of time constraints.* Pegasus Books consigning my book. So they're at the Berkeley and Oakland stores in the Local Authors sections. I ran out of books for the Solano store, but have ordered more yesterday. I have to wait. :)
Thanks everyone for coming, reading and commenting. And thanks VikLit for hosting this blog hop. If you'd like to join this hop, just click on the VikLit's link in the previous sentence and learn all about it.

Why This Book?

I’ve come to the decision to publish another book – one that I was inspired to publish after attending the Christian Writers Seminar this past weekend in Castro Valley. It’ll be a collection of some of my favorite flash fiction pieces and poetry called Paraph. Yes, it’s my word from the Save-A-Word blog hop! How wonderful is that?What’s great is that I can go through CreateSpace again and have the choice of having it in print or just as an eBook on Amazon which would be sold for .99 cents. After having enough critiques I think I’ll go for it. Here’s the title page and the intended preface for the book.



PARAPH
Stories and Poetry depicting the growth ofone child of God


byNancy LaRonda Johnson

Why This Book?

Having been blessed with the foundation of going to church in my youth and singing verses like “Jesus loves me this I know, because the Bible tells me so,” I have always had a strong belief that God is in my life. My favorite books at that time – other than reading the dictionary, which my mother swears I did although I remember just loving the pictures, but I guess that included reading it as well – was a 10 volume set of Bible stories. Yet my understanding of how much God was in my life and loved me, even while I yearned to know who he was in my difficult pre-teens and rebellious teens, took years to be realized.Writing, however, was a good way for me to look into myself and give those confusing emotions a voice. Journaling thoughts, goals, dreams and poetry helped to keep me sane. Story writing came later, along with my interest in reading books that were too adult for my young, impressionable years, including books by Jacqueline Susan, Mario Puzo, Harold Robbins and Sidney Sheldon. Still, the creative flame was lit. And I am sure it was a flame that was ignited by God and that is still being stoked by him.Again, my understanding of God’s will for me as a writer has been long-coming. My endeavors into writing were first depicted by developing the craft, including expounding on emotion, creating a concise storyline, fine-tuning dialogue, and of course, the never-ending journey of grammar and flow. Creating lives in stories was magical and fun.Then came God’s nudging me to write for his honor. To me, this did not mean I had to write only Christian stories, but stories that would bring people to a greater understanding of his love, of life and of others, especially those who are generally discounted by many Christians. As my writing often has a dark edge to it, I believe God has allowed me to develop that interest to reach those who otherwise would steer clear of Christian theology.I am still God’s work in progress. This book, with its myriad of short fiction pieces (called flash fiction) and poetry, is a journey of my growth as a storyteller and sometimes poet, me opening my ears to God’s directions, and finally my desire to write about God’s influence in my life. I hope you enjoy this journey.


~ That’s the preface, which would be followed by flash fiction and poetry. Let me know what you think. 
So, would you consider publishing your stories or poems that would otherwise stay tucked away in blog archives, thumb drives or old file cabinets?

It's time to Save-A-Word!

This weekly blog hop is just right for word lovers and prompt writers alike. Here's how it goes:

1. Create a lovely blog post that links back to The Feather and The Rose blog - our host.
2. Pick an old word you want to save from extinction to feature in your blog post. It really must be an old word, not just a big one. We are trying to save lovely archaisms, not ugly giants (for example, "Dihydrogen Monoxide" is not an acceptable choice). Luciferous Logolepsy is a great database of lovely words if you're having trouble coming up with something on your own.
3. Provide a definition of your word. Use your word in a sentence (or even a short paragraph) vaguely related to the theme we have chosen this week. You may also add visual or musical interpretations of your word or your sentence. In fact, add anything that moves your creative spirit.
4. Add your post to the linky list below (sometimes it's added late). Then hop to as many other blogs as you can in search of as many wonderful words as possible!
5. Use as many of the words as you can on the people in your life. Do leave us a note or add something to your own post to let us all know what wonderful old word you whipped out to befuddle your friends and relations.
Today's theme is: Music
My word today is: Paraph - noun; origin 1350-1400. a flourish made after a signature, as in a document, originally as a precaution  against forgery.
And here's my writing for this stylish word:




"Great gosh darling, what the heck are you listening to and how long do you expect me to be a party to this noise?" Jeremy lifted both arms, whirling his hands above his head before covering his ears.

"Jeremy, why do you have to be so dramatic? You're always twirling your hands as if it's the paraph of your personality."

Daily Blessings - Oh how I celebrate thee!

Can you explain how we can live blessed with our daily comforts and basic needs covered, yet have so many days of frustration, anger, disappointments and depression? Well, I can... we're human!

This past week, I've had many of those emotions, yet I still acknowledge the many blessings that are so constant in my life - first and foremost, the never-ending presence of God, who never bats an eye when I'm "going through it."

During Wednesday night Bible Study at my church, we viewed an amazing documentary, Wanderlust's Production of Father of Lights, directed by Darren Wilson. This is the final installment of the God Trilogy, but is the only one I've seen. It's about love and people of different cultures and religions having experiences of God and Christianity. (A trailer of the movie is below.)

Although above I've acknowledged God's unrelenting presence in my life, my feelings of joy in knowing his presence weren't so evident to me this week. Because of this movie, I realized my disconnection with God was why this week was so difficult for me internally.

Today I celebrate that the Holy Spirit is such a "big boy" (a quote from the movie) that he can handle it when we aren't as strong or open to him in daily life, but that he's always there waiting and searching for us to reach out for him whenever we're ready.



I'm wishing you guys wonderful God connections and celebrations!

Thanks VikLit for another weekly sharing of great and small celebrations.


~~And yes! I've got to join in the fun of promoting blogging guru Alex Cavanaugh's cover reveal:



CassaStorm by Alex J. Cavanaugh


A storm gathers across the galaxy…
Byron thought he’d put the days of battle behind him. Commanding the Cassan base on Tgren, his only struggles are occasional rogue pirate raids and endless government bureaucracies. As a galaxy-wide war encroaches upon the desert planet, Byron’s ideal life is threatened and he’s caught between the Tgrens and the Cassans.
After enemy ships attack the desert planet, Byron discovers another battle within his own family. The declaration of war between all ten races triggers nightmares in his son, shaking Bassan to the core and threatening to destroy the boy’s mind.
Meanwhile the ancient alien ship is transmitting a code that might signal the end of all life in the galaxy. And the mysterious probe that almost destroyed Tgren twenty years ago could be on its way back. As his world begins to crumble, Byron suspects a connection. The storm is about to break, and Byron is caught in the middle…
Release date: September 17, 2013Science Fiction - Space Opera/AdventurePrint ISBN 9781939844002E-book ISBN 9781939844019

She Said What?! Blog Hop

A new blog hop of comedy, tragedy, horror, drama - whichever suits your fancy! Yes, two folks (Michelle Wallace of Writer in Transit and Elise Fallson) are having their 2 year blog-o-versaries and decided to host this fun hop and giveaway. We have to put in the dialogue for the cartoon panels below and see who reaches their hall of fame. 
And of course there are bonus words: Twist, cheek, buzz, honour (don't know if I'll lose points for spelling it the American way!), grey, champagne, tango, vomit.
PANEL 1  
Michelle (one in balloon): Darn it, Elise, you said you'd hold on tight! Do you even understand about the fear of heights?   
Elise: I was holding on until I had an itch on my cheek. Thought it might be a spider and you know about my love of spiders. But it wasn't a spider - a leaf blew across my face. Just wait - I'll get you!
PANEL 2
Michelle: Yeah, you got me alright!
Elise: Don't worry, I'm not afraid. Just let me try and get my bearings and not vomit up my breakfast. I knew it was too early for champagne, but it's our blogoversary! 

PANEL 3
Elise: Let me just twist a little to the right....
Michelle: Do you hear a buzzing sound? You know I hate bugs Elise! Get it away from me!!
Elise: I don't hear anyth... Oh... look!
Michelle: What the... Who is that? Is that a grey 'V' on his cape? What honor! He's coming to save us!
V: Hold on, I have come to save you...

PANEL 4
V: Oh...my...(cough, grunt, sneeze) ...if only I had paid more attention in airspeed momentum class instead of thinking about my tango lessons.
Michelle and Elise: Ahhhhhh!!!!!!

PANEL 5
Elise: Hold your nose Michelle. We're going in for a dive-landing!
Michelle: Man, I just got my hair done!




PANEL 6

Elise: Well, just look at us. Your stylist could not have made you look nowhere as exotic as you do now. 

Michelle: (snickers and smiles) I'll bet!


PANEL 7

Dragon: (sniffs and inches forward) Gruff, spfft, mmmm....

Michelle: Talking about exotic. Seems like that dragon has spotted his lunch.

Elise: Let's do the honorable thing and point the dragon to his real lunch. Looks like it's 'This Way.' I'm sure V will be fine real soon. 


(Elise and Michelle leave arm-in-arm, and the dragon follows along obediently.)
Happy, happy, happy 2nd year blog-o-versary to you both!

Press Release

Nancy LaRonda Johnson

                    Email: nlarondajohnson-author@yahoo.comBlog: www.nancylarondajohnson.blogspot.com



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Local Author Making Her Mark in a Growing Genre
Hayward, CA – February 2013 – Local author, Nancy LaRonda Johnson, is making her mark in the niche genre Christian speculative fiction with her debut novel, Anticipation of the Penitent. Not your typical Christian fiction, it is a novel about a serial killer and his mother, and was a front-runner in the Indie Publishing Contest sponsored by the San Francisco Writers Conference 2012. With a character driven plot, it has enough twists to keep you guessing until the end.
Reviewers on Amazon have said: “If there was 'ever' a first chapter of any book that was going to hook you in- it would be this! Well written with a superb plot. Disturbing, sad, dark and at times-just plain creepy, but always a great read.” - Review by Little Red
“…strong Biblical principals without distracting from the plot…. a very strong command of visual imagery. Once I started reading this book there was no way that I was going to do anything short of finish it!” – Review by Audrey Semprun
With elements of horror, Anticipation of the Penitent is written in beautifully crafted prose that draws you into the characters’ lives and spiritual struggles. After Alezea is trapped by the Devil, she bears him a son and knows her life will never be her own. She is the mother of Thomas, a man reared by Satan to be a killer of life’s most innocent – little girls. When Alezea finds a way out, she will risk her very soul to free Thomas from his father. The fight to save her son will either redeem Alezea or destroy her forever. Rachel knows Thomas’ history, yet she believes her presence can transform him. Her belief in Thomas might send her further into the Devil’s realm or provide an opening for God’s miracles in both of their lives.
Nancy LaRonda Johnson is a passionate writer of Christian and other fiction and poetry. She earned a BA in sociology from UC Santa Cruz and a JD from the University of San Francisco, School of Law. While raising a niece and nephew as a single woman for ten years, she began working as a deputy probation officer in San Mateo County. She currently lives in Hayward. You may contact her at nlarondajohnson-author@yahoo.com for more information, book signings or speaking engagements, and feel welcome to join her blog “Writer’s Mark” at www.nancylarondajohnson.blogspot.com.
Anticipation of the Penitent How far would a mother go to save her son when his father is Satan?ISBN# 978-1479258550Amazon.com, CreateSpace.com, Smashwords.com &Nu Revelations Christian Books and Novelties 22431 Foothill Blvd, Hayward, CA
###

What the heck! A press release?

I'm admitting to being a neophyte when it comes to book marketing and promoting. There are lots of sites out there that teach about getting author interviews, blog tours, reviews on book blogs, and a zillion other methods of marketing. There's so much that it's very easy to get lost, even if you do come across some great sites. 
Below is a Press Release I've written for my book. When I was looking for samples of one on the web, it was slow going. There are many sites that tell you what to put in them, but not many that show you what it should look like. Anyway, the Press Release can be sent to Arts & Entertainment sections of newspapers or other media sources for books. 
To summarize, a Press Release starts with "FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE", has the tag line, a short blurb of who, what, when, why (I'm still figuring this out), samples of reviews received, short summary and bio, and where the book can be found.
A Media Kit is more in depth and has many more parts to it. At a later time I'll post what I've learned about that.
I am thankful to Pauline Wiles for leading me to the site, Duolit and their article, The 3 Do's and Don'ts of Requesting Book Reviews. ALSO, I'm very open to any suggestions, corrections or input. 
So, here's my Press Release:
The Press Release 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
How far would a mother go to save her son when his father is Satan?
Hayward, CA –  February 18, 2013 – Local author, Nancy LaRonda Johnson’s debut Christian speculative novel, Anticipation of the Penitent, was a front-runner in the Indie Publishing Contest sponsored by the San Francisco Writers Conference 2012. It is similar to Ted Dekker’s The Priest’s Graveyard, yet so very different. With a character driven plot, it has enough twists to keep you guessing until the end.
Reviewers on Amazon have said:
“If there was 'ever' a first chapter of any book that was going to hook you in- it would be this! Well written with a superb plot. Disturbing, sad, dark and at times-just plain creepy, but always a great read.” - Review by Little Red
“…strong Biblical principals without distracting from the plot…. a very strong command of visual imagery. Once I started reading this book there was no way that I was going to do anything short of finish it!” – Review by Audrey Semprun
Anticipation of the Penitent is a literary Christian speculative story about a serial killer, his mother and his mate. After Alezea is trapped by the Devil, she bears him a son and knows her life will never be her own. She is the mother of Thomas, a man reared by Satan to be a killer of life’s most innocent – little girls. When Alezea finds a way out, she will risk her very soul to free Thomas from his father. The fight to save her son will either redeem Alezea or destroy her forever. Rachel knows Thomas’ history, yet she believes her presence can transform him. Her belief in Thomas might send her further into the Devil’s realm or provide an opening for God’s miracles in both of their lives.
Nancy LaRonda Johnson is a passionate writer of Christian and other fiction and poetry. She earned a BA in sociology from UC Santa Cruz and a JD from the University of San Francisco, School of Law. While raising a niece and nephew as a single woman for ten years, she began working as a deputy probation officer in San Mateo County. She currently lives in Hayward. You may contact her at nlarondajohnson-author@yahoo.com for more information, book signings or speaking engagements, and join her blog “Writer’s Mark” at www.nancylarondajohnson.blogspot.com.
Anticipation of the Penitent A literary Christian novel about a serial killer, his mother and his mateISBN# 978-1479258550Available in paperback and eBook fromAmazon.com, CreateSpace.com, Smashwords.com &Nu Revelations Christian Books and Novelties 22431 Foothill Blvd, Hayward, CA