Crystal Collier's Blog, page 28

Learn From Genius

I think true genius is be willing to imagine, experiment, and make mistakes. My oldest thinks Einstein is the ultimate role model--except for how he got lost biking to his own home, or forgot his wife's name on occasion... Well, I guess there's something to be said for balance too.

I especially loved Einstein's last bit there--as an animate believer in the power of imagination. I think envisioning our potential is how we find something worth striving for, and the fight is what makes life worth living.

Which is your favorite piece of advice and why? Do you have any heroes you think are pure geniuses? Have you ever imagined something up and then made reality?

And finally, enter an editing giveaway and sign up for my cover reveal/book release here! *squee* 

Do you Love Sherlock Holmes?

My hubby and I stumbled across this series about year ago, and I LOVE it. I also get a kick out of Kim Possible. (I know, I know, I'm SO old.)

Happy Funny Friday!

P.S. You really do have to watch this to the end to get the full potency. ;)



Who else has seen Sherlock, and are you as in love with it as I am?

P.P.S. Did you see my AMAZING announcement and book release info? Join the blog tour HERE.

Squee worthy ANNOUNCEMENT, and an Editing Giveaway

GUESS WHAT?!?

I'm bursting out of my skin today because it's finally time to announce my debut novel, MOONLESS, will be released November 13, 2013 by Raybourne Publishing. Yippee!!! Who wants to celebrate by eating cheese with me?

Better yet, who is so incredibly awesome that they'll help me spread the word?

Sign up for the blog tour or cover reveal HERE. (Please?)


And now to the business of our Writerly Wednesday Truth and Lie game. *rubbing hands*

As part of last week's major giveaway including multiple awards, I offered a free ebook ($5 gift card to Amazon) for one lucky person who shared their favorite cheese and took a stab at guessing my random number.

Well, there were a number of awesome (and brazen) guesses, but the magic number was actually 49. Nice try people!

And the winner is:


...DRUM ROLL...
Carol Riggs

Congrats, Carol!

On to today.

So, you've written a really great book. Everyone says so. (Your mom, your brother, your friends.) You want to publish it, but there's a nagging sensation at the back of your mind, a little voice that whispers, "You're not ready. It's not good enough. No one will want to read this."

How do you silence that voice?

The answer for me was acquiring an editor. Understand, I have the most amazing critique partners, and such fabulous beta readers. I've even been blessed to work with a writing coach who handled slush pile entries at a small publishing house, and many years ago, a wonderful literary agent friend.

But that voice rarely dims below a scream in my head.

So an editor. I received recommendations and researched probably fifty of them, searching for someone who specialized in ALL of my genres--someone who would be a personality match for me/my writing. This couldn't be just any editor. It had to be THE editor. You know what I'm talking about? The person who loves your work like you do, the person who strives to help mold your story by YOUR vision, the person who energizes you when you're ready to throw in the towel?

A synergist.

Narrowing it down to 10 editors who worked on books I adored, I started the "interview" (email) process. I had some wonderful and very professional discussions with several editors. There are so many fabulous ones out there, but I knew when I found the one. Her enthusiasm for the project was enough to silence that screaming doubt at the back of my mind.

Dead. Silence.

And it went that way for the entire duration of our exchanges.

It's with great pleasure that I recommend Bethany Kaczmarek at A Little Red, Inc. I can't say too much good about this woman--and the selfish monster sitting in my brain wants me to shut up right now so I can keep her all to myself, but that would be wrong. (Or would it?)

Bethany kept me laughing while editing, and sought to preserve and cultivate my vision for the characters/plot. Her communications were regular and timely. Her feedback came in pieces so I wasn't overwhelmed by the immensity of the entire project. These interactive edits left me feeling 100% certain I could stop listening to that voice at the back of my head permanently. And let's talk timetable here: this woman is wicked fast.

So, why do I tell you all that? Because if you need an editor (and you do), you have to find the one that's right for you--but you can't do better than Bethany. No, seriously.

And, lucky for you, Bethany is offering a free 5 page edit to the winner of our Truth or Lie game today!

So here we go! Can you guess the lie?

     1. Bethany tore her ACL watching a Steelers game. On her couch.     2. Bethany has been bitten on the hand by a flamingo.     3. She learned to drive stick on the dirt roads of a little place called Hell Hole Swamp.
Alright human lie detectors, which is the lie? And have you signed up for my blog tour yet? *batting eyes*

Born to Be...

One upon a time I thought I'd grow up to be a singer.
Or an actor.
Or a teacher.
Or an artist.
Or an ad specialist.
Or an author.
But the truth is...

Enough said.
Are you feeling awesome today?

Sparkly Vampires: Are you a Twilight Fan?

I don't get into the whole "culture" of fandom, but when it comes to vampires, well, there's a soft spot in my heart. (See the secret project.) It was thus a slap to the face for me, and every other vampire fan when sparkles became associated with them.

Anyhow, happy Funny Friday!



That last 7 seconds gets me.

Are you a fan of sparkly vampires?

A Blogpost Full of WIN (And a Chance to Win)

You know how life can just get backed up on you, like a drain that slowly clogging over time--and eventually it has to get cleared out or something will explode? Well, I like to occasionally wait to the point of explosion. 

BUT FIRST, yes, I know the suspense is killing you (or more likely me,) so let's get to our Writerly Wednesday winner!

Writerly Wednesdays here are dedicated to writers and readers. If you've published anything for Young Adults with a fantastic twist (fantasy in all varieties, paranormal, speculative fiction, horror, sci-fi, dystopian, etc.), shoot me an email (crystal AT crystal-collier DOT com). I'll be shouting about awesome books, sharing new covers, or participating in book releases every week--and I'd love to share yours. Spots are filling up quick, so schedule a date now. 

Before the fun, let's announce the winner for last week. Sandra Ulbrich Almazan shared with us Twinned Universes last week and blew my socks off with the premise. She told us two truths and one lie about herself, and those who guessed correctly were entered into a random drawing to win her ebook. The options were:
1. Sandra can make both bread and cheese from scratch. 2. Sandra has a black belt in karate.
3. Sandra occasionally walks around at work and home balancing a book on her head.
And, the lie is: 
#2 Sandra is not a black belt, although she got half way to being one. Guess that means I'm going to have to adopt her, because I totally need a cheese maker in my house. (You heard me Sandra--so when that black bag flies over your head and someone shoves you in the back of a van, go peacefully. I promise eternal servitude will be awesome.)
Way to go those of you who guessed right! You are officially human lie detectors. And the winner is: 
...DRUM ROLL...
Madeleine Sara
Yay, Madeleine! 
And now who wants to WIN?
I've been stock piling blog awards for a couple months, and it's time to purge. First, from the every generous, super supportive and cheese deserving S.A. Larsen--and thank you TONZ for these: 





RULES:
These two have pretty much the same guidelines. 
1. Display the Award Certificate on your website.  2. Link to whoever presented your award. 3. State 7 things about yourself.4. Present the award to 7 deserving bloggers.5. Notify nominees.6. Post 7 interesting things about yourself.


This third one is a bit different. 
1. Thank the Super Sweet Blogger that nominated you.2. Answer 5 super sweet questions.3. Post the award.4. Nominate a bakers dozen (13) bloggers.5. Notify your nominees. 



And if that weren't enough, the super suspense writer,  Michelle Wallace was kind enough to nominate me for this one. (You rock, Michelle!)
The only rule is to pass it on to 10 to 12 other amazing bloggers. 

So here's how this is going down. I'm going to give 7 facts about myself and answer 5 questions. PLEASE tell me something completely random about you in the comments. Anyone who mentions their favorite cheese will be entered to WIN a free ebook of your choice (also known as $5 at Amazon). If you mention your favorite cheese AND guess the magic # I'm thinking of (how many mind-readers are out there?) you win. Period. (I'll give you a hint, it's more than 1 and less than 500.) The winner will be announced next Wednesday.  
THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE WINNER. WILL IT BE YOU? 
FACTZ...1. I'm an accent chameleon. If I hear it, I can speak it. (And probably will. Unintentionally.) 2. Along those lines, I sing anything from first soprano (burst-your-eardrums high) to tenor. 3. My first blind date was with my amazing husband.  4. I still delightedly answer to the nickname of "chicken."5. I despise politicians. All politicians. Everywhere. (Sorry, politicians.)6. One of my favorite places to live was Yellowstone National Park. 7. My debut book will be available for purchase some time in the next six months. (Squee!)
My Super Sweet Questions:   
What is your favorite dessert?  Creme Brulee Cake or ice cream? Ice Cream. Hands down.When do you like desserts most?  Truth? Most the time I can do without dessert. Would you choose cookies or cake? Definitely cookies. Vanilla or chocolate? Vanilla.And now the nominees (And seriously, there were about 50 others I wanted to include!): 
Dragon's Loyalty: LizCatherine StineDianne K. SalerniNatalie AguirreIan RenaMedeia SharifShine on: Melanie SchultzGwen GardnerBeverly FoxLynda R YoungKeith WynnPk HrezoJulie DaoSuper Sweet Blogger: Michelle WallaceCarol RiggsEmily R. KingJaiCeleste HollowayMurees DupeC. Lee McKenzieCarol KilgoreElizabeth SeckmanSuzanne FurnessM PaxConnie KellerJyoti MishraSisterhood of World Bloggers: Heather HoldenMary WaibelDenise CoveyPatsy CollinsTheresa MilsteinNicole ZoltackMadeline Mora-SummonteRachel MorganIlima ToddMiranda HardyNutschellLynn ProctorOkay, hit me with your randomness!!! 

Where do YOU Come From?

To whom do you belong? Who claims you, and in turn, who do you claim?

When I was young, there was more a culture of "family" in the USA. I grew up half an hour from grandpa and grandma's and enjoyed monthly get togethers with my MANY cousins. To this day, I treasure my relationships with each of them. I have a large community of support.

My husband grew up across the country from the few extended family members he has. He has very tight family relations, people who would beat the tar out of you for looking at any of them the wrong way. (I love his family.)

As you can imagine, this has made for an interesting mesh of views.

Saturday, we had the opportunity to listen to a man who has researched how to strengthen families. He showed us statistics about the influence parents and siblings have on individuals, and how it diminishes over time. The pattern is that kids who go their own way break free from their parent's patterns between ages 14 and 18.

He also presented a study that was performed by psychologists about the factors that make for well grounded kids--or ones that deal well with the stress and change. The potential answers included:
A. Eating breakfast together as a family every morning B. A deep understanding of their family historyC. Regularly attending religious services
Can you guess the answer? I was rather shocked.

B. A deep understanding of their family history.

And that's why I ask the question. I guess if you know where you come from and the legacy passed to you from your ancestors, you feel a greater obligation to live up to or be better than them.

Do you know who your ancestors are, and do you have any stories of their lives you cherish?

P.S. Here's an awesome tool for figuring out who you belong to, if you haven't done it already.

Why Youtube is Awesome

I'm a huge Youtube fan--hope you are too. Here are some giggles for your Friday!




Which part is your favorite scene?

SCI-FI FANS, Can You Guess the Lie (and WIN)?

It's game time! But first, let's meet the winner from this last week.

Writerly Wednesdays here are dedicated to writers and readers. If you've published anything for Young Adults with a fantastic twist (fantasy in all varieties, paranormal, speculative fiction, horror, sci-fi, dystopian, cheese, etc.), shoot me an email (crystal AT crystal-collier DOT com). I'll be shouting about awesome books, sharing new covers, or participating in book releases every week--and I'd love to share yours. Spots are filling up quick, so schedule a date now. 

Before the fun, let's announce the winner for last week. Celeste Holloway shared with us Sebastain Falls and offered an ebook to the human lie detectors among us. She told us two truths and one lie about herself, and those who guessed correctly were entered into a random drawing to win. The options were:

1. Celeste is an avid fisher and hunter.2. She grew up playing in the graveyard next door.3. Celeste is scared of crows. 
And, the lie is: 
#1 (and 3). Celeste is not a hunter and fisher. *gasp* But what's more, I've been in final edits for the last couple weeks, and my poor, over-used brain has apparently reached its max because Celeste is not actually afraid of crows, she's afraid of cows. (Can you see what my brain did there?) Anyone who guessed 1 or 3 was entered in the drawing for this week.
Way to go those of you who guessed right! You are officially human lie detectors. And the winner is: 
...DRUM ROLL...
Lexa Cain! 
Today's amazing feature is:

Paul Harrison always wanted to play Hamlet, but he never expected he’d live the role first.
In the aftermath of a family tragedy on 21stcentury Earth, Paul discovers he’s the clone of Sean Lyon, his great-great-grandfather and a famous TwenCen musician. Suspecting his mother’s death was no accident, Paul comes up with a plan to trick the answers out of the great-uncle who had him cloned. But in order to make his plan work, Paul needs help from Sean himself—and Sean’s time is running out in the TwenCen universe next door. Although Paul’s family lives on the spaceship that travels between the universes, he’s never been allowed on TwenCen Earth. Now, with the help of his friends, his disguise-creating holoprojectors, and a quantum quirk, Paul must make his way to Sean while evading other time travelers who fear he’ll change the history of the TwenCen universe. If Paul is to achieve justice, he must not only risk his own life, but the wormhole connecting the universes. “To be or not to be” was a simple question in comparison...
Now shall we meet the author?
Sandra Ulbrich Almazan started reading at the age of three and only stops when absolutely required to. Although she hasn’t been writing quite that long, she did compose a very simple play in German during middleschool. Her science fiction novella Move Over Ms. L. (an early version of Lyon’s Legacy) earned an Honorable Mention in the 2001 UPC Science Fiction Awards, and her short story “A Reptile at the Reunion” was published in the anthology Firestorm of Dragons. She is a founding member of BroadUniverse and a long-time member of the Online Writing Workshop for Fantasy, Science Fiction, and Horror. Her undergraduate degree is in molecular biology/English, and she has a Master of Technical and Scientific Communication degree. Her current day job is in the laboratory of an enzyme company; she’s also been a technical writer and a part-time copyeditor for a local newspaper. Some of her other accomplishments are losing on Jeopardy! and taking a stuffed orca to three continents. She lives in the Chicago area with her husband, Eugene; and son, Alex. In her rare moments of free time, she enjoys crocheting, listening to classic rock (particularly the Beatles), and watching improv comedy.
Sandra has several cheese of choice, but especially loves cream cheese on toast for breakfast. 
She can be found online at her website, blog, Twitter, Facebook, and Goodreads. 
And now for the fun! *rubbing hands*
Sandra gave me two truths and one lie to test your "lie detector" skills. Can you figure out the lie? Those who do will go into my magic hat for a chance to win an ecopy of Twinned Universes. How cool is that? You have until Tuesday, August 20th at 1 p.m. to guess--and be sure to come back for the answer on August 21st!
TRUTH OR LIE
1. Sandra can make both bread and cheese from scratch. (If this is true, I'm adopting her, btw.)2. Sandra has a black belt in karate. (Eek, watch out!)
3. Sandra occasionally walks around at work and home balancing a book on her head.Okay human lie detectors, which is it? 

SCI-FI FANS, Can You Guess the Lie?

It's game time! But first, let's meet the winner from this last week.

Writerly Wednesdays here are dedicated to writers and readers. If you've published anything for Young Adults with a fantastic twist (fantasy in all varieties, paranormal, speculative fiction, horror, sci-fi, dystopian, cheese, etc.), shoot me an email (crystal AT crystal-collier DOT com). I'll be shouting about awesome books, sharing new covers, or participating in book releases every week--and I'd love to share yours. Spots are filling up quick, so schedule a date now. 

Before the fun, let's announce the winner for last week. Celeste Holloway shared with us Sebastain Falls and offered an ebook to the human lie detectors among us. She told us two truths and one lie about herself, and those who guessed correctly were entered into a random drawing to win. The options were:

1. Celeste is an avid fisher and hunter.2. She grew up playing in the graveyard next door.3. Celeste is scared of crows. 
And, the lie is: 
#1 (and 3). Celeste is not a hunter and fisher. *gasp* But what's more, I've been in final edits for the last couple weeks, and my poor, over-used brain has apparently reached its max because Celeste is not actually afraid of crows, she's afraid of cows. (Can you see what my brain did there?) Anyone who guessed 1 or 3 was entered in the drawing for this week.
Way to go those of you who guessed right! You are officially human lie detectors. And the winner is: 
...DRUM ROLL...
Lexa Cain! 
Today's amazing feature is:
Paul Harrison always wanted to play Hamlet, but he never expected he’d live the role first.
In the aftermath of a family tragedy on 21stcentury Earth, Paul discovers he’s the clone of Sean Lyon, his great-great-grandfather and a famous TwenCen musician. Suspecting his mother’s death was no accident, Paul comes up with a plan to trick the answers out of the great-uncle who had him cloned. But in order to make his plan work, Paul needs help from Sean himself—and Sean’s time is running out in the TwenCen universe next door. Although Paul’s family lives on the spaceship that travels between the universes, he’s never been allowed on TwenCen Earth. Now, with the help of his friends, his disguise-creating holoprojectors, and a quantum quirk, Paul must make his way to Sean while evading other time travelers who fear he’ll change the history of the TwenCen universe. If Paul is to achieve justice, he must not only risk his own life, but the wormhole connecting the universes. “To be or not to be” was a simple question in comparison...
Now shall we meet the author?
Sandra Ulbrich Almazan started reading at the age of three and only stops when absolutely required to. Although she hasn’t been writing quite that long, she did compose a very simple play in German during middleschool. Her science fiction novella Move Over Ms. L. (an early version of Lyon’s Legacy) earned an Honorable Mention in the 2001 UPC Science Fiction Awards, and her short story “A Reptile at the Reunion” was published in the anthology Firestorm of Dragons. She is a founding member of BroadUniverse and a long-time member of the Online Writing Workshop for Fantasy, Science Fiction, and Horror. Her undergraduate degree is in molecular biology/English, and she has a Master of Technical and Scientific Communication degree. Her current day job is in the laboratory of an enzyme company; she’s also been a technical writer and a part-time copyeditor for a local newspaper. Some of her other accomplishments are losing on Jeopardy! and taking a stuffed orca to three continents. She lives in the Chicago area with her husband, Eugene; and son, Alex. In her rare moments of free time, she enjoys crocheting, listening to classic rock (particularly the Beatles), and watching improv comedy.
Sandra has several cheese of choice, but especially loves cream cheese on toast for breakfast. 
She can be found online at her website, blog, Twitter, Facebook, and Goodreads. 
And now for the fun! *rubbing hands*
Sandra gave me two truths and one lie to test your "lie detector" skills. Can you figure out the lie? Those who do will go into my magic hat for a chance to win an ecopy of Twinned Universes. How cool is that? You have until Tuesday, August 20th at 1 p.m. to guess--and be sure to come back for the answer on August 21st!
TRUTH OR LIE
1. Sandra can make both bread and cheese from scratch. (If this is true, I'm adopting her, btw.)2. Sandra has a black belt in karate. (Eek, watch out!)
3. Sandra occasionally walks around at work and home balancing a book on her head.
Okay human lie detectors, which is it?