Vashti Quiroz-Vega's Blog, page 42
June 19, 2015
Haiku Friday – Lock & Gab
Hello and welcome to Haiku Friday! Today’s prompt words are Lock and Gab via RonovanWrites Weekly Haiku Prompt Challenge. Visit Ron’s blog, RonovanWrites, and join in the fun! I had a hard time with the prompt words this week. I tried to write a slightly humorous haiku this week. Let me know what you think.
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Babble, Jabber, Blab
by Vashti Quiroz-Vega
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Unfastened the lock
Let yourself into my heart
Gabbed your way back out
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“The road to hell is paved with gossip.”
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“Words! What power they hold. Once they have rooted in your psyche, it is difficult to escape them. Words can shape the future of a child and destroy the existence of an adult.
Words are powerful. Be careful how you use them because once you have pronounced them, you cannot remove the scar they leave behind.”
Tagged: gossip, haiku, haiku friday, poems, poetry, RonovanWrites, Vashti Quiroz-Vega's Blog, words
June 18, 2015
BLOG TOUR: Author Olga Núñez Miret – Angelic Business 1. Pink Matters
First of all thank you very much for taking part in my Blog Tour for Angelic Business 1. Pink Matters . Reader, don’t worry, I’m not here forever, just twisting the arm of your favourite blogger and borrowing a bit of space.
Author Olga Núñez Miret
My name is Olga Núñez Miret and I’m a writer, translator, reader, and psychiatrist. I love movies, plays, fitness, owls and have recently taken up meditation (mindfulness). I thought I might as well summarise and not take too much of your time. I’ll leave you some links at the end just in case you want to find out even more about me (I’m not sure I’d recommend it, but hey . . . do your worst!).
I’ve been writing since I was quite young and I write in whatever style the story I have in my head wants to be written in. So far literary fiction, romance, YA, thriller . . . and a few unfinished works.
Around five years ago I discovered and read quite a few interesting Young Adult books and had an idea for what I thought could be a series. At the time I wrote the first of the novels and after trying to find an agent or a traditional publisher without much success, I started self-publishing, but decided to publish some of my other books first. Since then I’ve published 12 books (6 original books and their translations, as I write in English and Spanish).
I kept thinking about Angelic Business and a few months later wrote the second novel in the series: Shapes of Greg.
And last year, as part of NaNoWriMo I wrote the third novel in the series, Pink, Angel or Demon?
As I had written the three, I thought I’d publish them pretty close to each other so people wouldn’t have to wait to know what happened next (at least not too much).
The three books in the Angelic Business collection are now available for pre-order at the special price of $0.99 each. It’s a bargain price and they’ll go up shortly after publication.
Video:
https://youtu.be/ZKWP_Q89CiQ”>https://youtu.be/ZKWP_Q89CiQ;
Don’t worry. My writing is better than my video-creating skills, but as I’d been taking all those pictures of angels, I thought I might as well.
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The series:
Angelic Business 1. Pink Matters
You are Pink, not the prettiest girl, but smart and with plenty of resources. What do you do when your best male friend offers to have sex with you, because he thinks you’re a lost cause? You plot your revenge with your two best female friends, of course!
It seems you’re in luck when a new and mysterious student appears. And, to top it all, he seems interested in you too. He could take part in the plan. But then, he seems to have a plan of his own… He insists he’s not just an ordinary boy. And what seemed so easy to begin with, gets more and more complicated when Heaven and Hell come knocking at Pink’s door.
Pink Matters is the story of Pink, a 17 year old girl, good student, articulate and smart. What she has never been the centre of attention or made the top ten of the most popular and attractive girls at school. When two guys, both claiming to be angels, insist that she is, indeed, ‘special’, fight for her attention and help and tell her she is the key to the future of the universe, she can’t help but ask: Why me?
Snippet:
“Who are you?” Lorna asked. Before she could say anything else, she froze as if paralysed. And the same happened to Sylvia.
“Oh no, not again” I said.
“Hi Pink. I’m Azrael. I’m…”
“Let me guess…You’re an angel.”
I could say he smiled but it was more like a white light radiating from between his lips. His voice also seemed slightly “otherworldly”. He was nothing like G. Flesh and blood didn’t seem to be his priority.
“Yes. I am.”
“O…K….And…to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit? If you are going to make an announcement of some sort…I could have done with some notice.”
The light now seemed to radiate from his whole “body” if that was what it was. Somehow his show was much more believable than G’s. And scarier.
“It’s not an announcement as such. But you should know…G…”
“Yes?”
“I know he told you he’s an angel.”
I looked at him. Maybe he was different to G but he could be as annoying as him. And interfering.
“Yes. I also “know” things…In my case it is because “I” am an angel. He has not been truthful about his identity.”
Pink Matters is currently available for pre-order and will be published on June 26, 2015 (Amazon time). So, if you’re reading this post after the 26th of June, you’re in luck and can get the book straight away! (I’m also publishing it in other platforms although as their processing speed is different the dates might vary. Do check there or in my website, that I regularly update).
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In case you’re intrigued, I leave you the cover (reveal!) and links to the other two books:
Angelic Business 2. Shapes of Greg
What more could happen after the death and resurrection of your mother? What could Heaven and Hell toss at Pink to top that? Well, to start with, she gets a new hellish babysitter, who is seriously hot. And although everybody likes him, he only has eyes for her. When she learns what the price was for the ‘miracle’ of saving her mother, she realises that she must be careful, as Hell doesn’t lose gracefully.
One of her friends wants to find the perfect man, the other one gets into a relationship she refuses to talk about, there’s a demon who doesn’t know when to give up and an angel who seems to have his own agenda. What on Earth, Hell or Heaven is going on?
Shapes of Greg is available for pre-order and will be published on July 15th.
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And last, but not least:
Angelic Business 3. Pink, Angel or Demon?
OK, OK, OK. Pink gets it. She’s the Elected, whether she likes it or no. Heaven and Hell are closing in, and their envois are closer home than ever. So close she can’t ignore them. And she’ll do everything but.
However long she has, she’s determined to make it count. She’ll sort her friends out, she’ll help her family and, she’ll live a bit. And then, she’ll take charge. Because no one will say that Pink went down without a fight. However big and bad the enemy.
Gender benders, romances, old loves that come to fruition, new challenges, divine interventions, tears, laughter and magic. All of that and more. Because, if you’re gonna go, you might as well go with a bang.
Pink, Angel or Demon? is available for pre-order and will be published on July 30th.
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As I threatened you before, here are some more links:
Twitter: @OlgaNM7
Pinterest: (Don’t miss my board about angels)
Thanks so much for allowing me to visit and post, thanks so much for reading, and as I always tell them in my blog, if you’ve found it interesting, like, share, comment and CLICK! Oh, and I love reblogs! Ah, and thanks to http://www.lourdesvidaldisseny.jimdo.com/”>Lourdes Vidal for her covers. ♥
Tagged: amazon, Angelic Business, author, blog tour, Books, guest blogger, Heaven and Hell, new release, Olga Nuñez Miret, Pink Matters, writer
June 17, 2015
Writer’s Quote Wednesday
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“There are three rules for writing a novel.
Unfortunately no one knows what they are.”
~W. Somerset Maugham♣
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If you’re a fan of the HBO series Game of Thrones then you may also be a fan of the author whose books the series is based on, George R. R. Martin. Whenever I talk about the rules of writing I tend to think of several popular writers, George R. R. Martin being prominent in my mind. He’s broken so many ‘rules’ I’ve lost count. But yet, he is genius in the choosing of which rules to break, and his timing is impeccable. His writing is unique and fascinating because he takes many risks. The HBO series is as captivating as his books because he is also one of the screenwriters of the show.
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What makes your writing different from that of other writers? Do you take risks when it comes to your writing?
Tagged: Colleen Chesebro, Game of Thrones, George R. R. Martin, HBO, quote, quotes, Silver Threading, Writers, Writers Quote Wednesday, writing, writing a novel
June 12, 2015
Haiku Friday – Inspire & Loss
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Today is Haiku Friday and today’s prompt words are provided by Ron from RonovanWrites Weekly Haiku Poetry Prompt Challenge. The prompt words are Inspire and Loss.
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Deadheading
by Vashti Quiroz-Vega
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New blooms are inspired
As flowers shed their petals
Lose one gain many
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Sometimes you have to sacrifice the one for the many. Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you had to make a tough decision that meant someone would suffer for the sake of the many? I watched last week’s episode of Game of Thrones and without giving anything away, I have to say that if you thought the ‘ Red Wedding ‘ episode was shocking––prepare yourself. Anyway, last week’s episode got me thinking about how far I would go to get what I want. How far would you go?
Tagged: blooms, deadheading, flowers, Game of Thrones, haiku, haiku friday, poetry, Red Wedding, RonovanWrites
May 29, 2015
Haiku Friday – Think & Fresh
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Hello! Welcome to Haiku Friday! Today’s prompt words, provided by RonovanWrites, are Think & Fresh .
(Click the link above if you’d like to participate)
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The Thinker by Eduardo Goméz
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Don’t be a drone
Someone who thinks outside the box
Is so refreshing
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11 Ways to Think Outside the Box
The link above will take you to a great article that will show you how you can start thinking differently––from a new perspective, in other words, thinking beyond the box. I believe these tips can also help writers be more creative in their storytelling. Check it out and let me know what you think.
Tagged: Eduardo Goméz, haiku friday, haiku poetry, poetry, RonovanWrites, thinking outside the box, thinking-woman, Writers
May 27, 2015
Writer’s Quote Wednesday
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I’m a bit of a ‘writing rebel’, so it was no wonder this quote got my attention. There are so many rules in writing nowadays that I wouldn’t be surprised if a group of bitter, disgruntled librarians made up half of them. Just kidding. In all seriousness though, writers need to master all the rules of writing, so that we can then break some of them.
“If it sounds like writing, I rewrite it. Or, if proper usage gets in the way, it may have to go. I can’t allow what we learned in English composition to disrupt the sound and rhythm of the narrative.”
—Elmore Leonard♦
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Are there some rules that have you seething out of your writerly mind? What writing rules do you find ridiculous?
Tagged: Elmore Leonard, quote, Silver Threading, writer, Writers Quote Wednesday, writing
May 26, 2015
Be Your Own Idol
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Hello everyone! I hope you all had a great weekend. There was a lot of hard work involved in my weekend, but I did it with a smile on my face (okay, I didn’t wear a smile the entire time), because I was cleaning up my new house and getting it ready for us to move in, after the last of the renovations were done. I can’t wait to move and settle in my new home. It’s been a long hard road.
Anyway, a friend and brilliant blogger we’ll call Mrs. AOK is hosting a very cool Link-Up Party on her blog, Mrs. AOK, A Work In Progress, called That’s What She Said . . . where she shares a quote with us and we write a post inspired by the quote and then share it at the party. It’s a very cool idea. :D
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Mrs. AOK:
Join us each week as we provide you with a quote (by a woman); and you let that quote inspire your written word! Allow it to lead your writing in whatever way works for you. And we mean that! Literally, wherever it leads you to write is wonderful, and perfect, and worthy of sharing! Share, share, share! Let yourself be inspired each week at That’s What She Said! Write on!!
#1 rule: Have fun and be creative ♡
Go find out what she said. Check out the other blogs linked up and show them some love.
Don’t hold back! We want to read what you are writing.
Okay, we do ask you to hold back ONLY if you are NOT following the rules. This link-up is for those who are inspired by the quote of the week. Get inspired!
Not a rule but a suggestion… please share That’s What She Said on your social media. Example: Join @Mrs_AOK & @Courtneynoel Tuesday’s for #TWSS a weekly link-up inspired by women’s words.
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This week’s quote
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When I was very young a teacher that I thought highly of, once told me to imitate the people that I admired. Of course, I took this literally and began mimicking her every move. After she stopped laughing, she explained what she meant, and till this day I believe this was sound advice.
That said, there’s a difference between imitation and mindless devotion. My teacher was talking about imitating character traits for your personal improvement. She was referring to being attracted to qualities that an admirable person has that you’d like to polish up within yourself, admiring in that person what you want to do or be more of yourself. It’s likely that you’re attracted to your role models precisely because they have qualities that you harbor undernourished within yourself and seeing the prominent display of these qualities in action in another sparks your desire to do the same.
As younsters we imitate others anyway. Sometimes knowingly and other times subconsciously. As kids we imitate our parents, teachers, classmates, and even cartoon characters on television. I was a wise-cracking kid partly because of Bart Simpson.
We read books, magazines, and newspapers. We watch television. We use the Internet. We observe people to see how they dress, how they walk, how they talk, how they interact, and much more.
A great way to learn is through imitation. It is a great learning technique. As babies we learned how to do everything by imitating others. Later in life we became embarrassed at the thought of imitation, although we do it all the time.
Handpick the quality of a person you admire. If you admire the general demeanor of a person, or wish that you could be disciplined like her, speak like her or carry yourself like her, start observing that person carefully. Mimics do this very effectively. Notice how they get the speech pattern, the idiosyncrasies and the finest nuances of a person down to a tee.
Imitation is a great tool for learning how to develop your own awesome character traits, so that you can develop into the best you possible. Do not confuse imitating others with lack of thinking for yourself. Imitating a person does not imply that you lose your individuality or that you become a stalker. Rather, it means observing individuals you admire so that you may learn something valuable.
You can only be your own idol when you grow and develop into a person you admire. Until then, expend as much energy as you need working on your life and imitating the people you admire, whether that be Jesus Christ, Budha, Martin Luther King Jr., Bill Gates, Angelina Jolie, Hillary Clinton, Condoleeza Rice, Stephen Hawking, Helen Mirren, Xi Jinping, Barack Obama, Dalai Lama, Malala Yousafzai . . .
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Do you believe that it’s a waste of time to imitate the people that you admire? Is it a good idea for very young people to aspire to be like people who have proven throughout their lives to be amazing? Who do you aspire to be like?
Tagged: Angelina Jolie, Barack Obama, Bill Gates, Dalia Lama, Hillary Clinton, link party, link up, Malala Yousafzia, Martin Luther King, Mrs. AOK, quotes, Stephen Hawking, That's What She Said 
May 22, 2015
Haiku Friday – Pitch & Time
Hi and welcome to Haiku Friday! Ron created ‘RonovanWrites Weekly Haiku Poetry Prompt Challenge‘ to have a place for people to share and gain a little exposure to other readers they might not have otherwise AND of course to enjoy Haiku. We all have different people who visit our blogs. Visit the link and take part in this fun challenge. You don’t know what a Haiku Poem is or how to write one, no problem, read this.
This week’s prompt words are Pitch and Time. I had a hard time with these words. Since I’m currently working on my Fantasy Angels Series, I drew inspiration from my story and came up with this.
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Divine Melody
by Vashti Quiroz-Vega
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God’s entertainment
Since the beginning of time
Pitch of angel’s song
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Artist: Tsuyoshi Nagano
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Do you believe in angels? If not, why do you think so many people claim to have heard and/or seen them?
Tagged: angels, fantasy-angels-series, haiku, haiku challenge, haiku friday, Haiku poem, poetry, RonovanWrites, Vashti Quiroz-Vega's Blog
May 20, 2015
Writer’s Quote Wednesday
Hello and welcome! It’s Writer’s Quote Wednesday! Visit Colleen at Silver Threading and join in the fun! You can post a favorite quote by a writer you admire or post your very own quote.
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“Don’t try to figure out what other people want to hear from you; figure out what you want to say. It’s the one and only thing you have to offer. ~Barbara Kingsolver
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“I went for years not finishing anything. Because, of course, when you finish something you can be judged.”
~Erica Jong
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Does fear of rejection, criticism, ridicule paralyze you from finishing the project you’ve started? How much do you focus on what you think others may want from you?
Tagged: Barbara Kingsolver, Erica Jong, fear, quotes, Silver Threading, Vashti Quiroz-Vega's Blog, Writers Quote Wednesday, writing
May 15, 2015
Haiku Friday – Charge & Lovers
Welcome to Haiku Friday! I hope everyone is having a great day so far. Today’s prompt words are a little spicy, so I’m just going to go with it. I’m wondering what Ron’s mood was like when he thought of these prompt words. If you’d like to participate in Ronovan’s haiku prompt challenge click on the link above. It’s a lot of fun and you get to read many other great haiku on his review post on Sunday. My haiku has no title this week. I’ll let Ron give it a name. ;)
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Charge your batteries
The lovers that take all night
Are doing it right
(Check out the musical sound of my haiku––thanks Ysobel)
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Can you have a healthy marriage without sexual intimacy? Do you think ‘making love’ is the most meaningful way for a couple to express love to one another? Do you enjoy sex? Or is it just a ‘bad’ word to you?
Tagged: haiku, haiku challenge, haiku friday, Love, Lovers, making love, Marriage, poetry, RonovanWrites, sex, Vashti Quiroz-Vega's Blog
