Loni Townsend's Blog, page 27

This World Bites – Killing Darlings

For today’s stop on the This World Bites blog tour, I’m over at Sarah Foster’s, talking about killing my darling ending. Come on over and see if you can relate!

Have you ever had to kill a section of writing dear to you?

The post This World Bites – Killing Darlings appeared first on Squirrel Talk.

This World Bites – Can you tell when I’m lying?

It’s day two of the This World Bites blog tour and I’m over at Melissa Maygrove’s.

Come on over and guess which of the “facts” I’ve provided is a lie. If you’re right, you might win a free e-copy of This World Bites!

The post This World Bites – Can you tell when I’m lying? appeared first on Squirrel Talk.

Happy Release Day! This World Bites

Woohoo! Cera Chronicles: This World Bites is live and available for purchase!

Add it on Goodreads. Pick it up on Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

Today also kicks off the first day of the blog tour. Come over to Alex J. Cavanaugh’s blog and see the top ten zombie influences I had for This World Bites.

Do you have any zombie movie recommendations? Have you picked up This World Bites yet?

The post Happy Release Day! This World Bites appeared first on Squirrel Talk.

Creating Audiobooks?

The problem with reading is that I can’t multitask. I love stories and books, but reading always competes with my job, children, chores, and even my WIPs. Audiobooks, on the other hand, work really well for me. I also absorb more when I hear things.

I’ve decided I’m going to make an audiobook for This World Bites. It might take me a while, because the microphone I’m using is really good (thanks to my best friend who was a music major in school) and it picks up my daughter’s TV sing-along playing in the background. To avoid having unintentional mood music, I’m going to have to find someplace quiet, which is downright difficult when you have two young kids.

Now, I’m among the people who say, “I hate my voice.” In my opinion, I always sound stuffed up, and my husband has occasionally mixed up my voice with my daughter’s. Yes, I sound like a 4-year-old.

But I’m going to make an audiobook anyways.

Why not use a professional service like ACX? I’ve been considering it. But as an eternal DIYer, I want to give it a try first. I have the resources to do it anyways. And This World Bites is only a novella, which makes it a great candidate for a test project.

So how does this relate to my inability to multitask with my reading?

I’ve decided to turn some of the books I have on my TBR pile into computer-read audiobooks using Balabolka. I’ve listened to two books so far, and I must be getting used to Microsoft David’s voice, because it’s starting to sound natural to me…as if it wasn’t a computer reading to me. Yeah, he doesn’t have much personality in his rendition, but I can at least listen to him while I cut code for my day job.

What’s your opinion of audiobooks? What audiobook services have you heard of? Have you ever wanted to do voice acting?

The post Creating Audiobooks? appeared first on Squirrel Talk.

IWSG – New Year, New Adventures

Today is the first Wednesday of the month. That means, it’s time for Insecure Writer’s Support Group!

You can find the sign up for the IWSG here. We owe Alex J Cavanaugh a huge thank you for thinking this blog hop up.

Edit: I’ve been offline for a while, so I missed the message that we’re all supposed to introduce ourselves this time around. Hi. I’m Loni. I’m a squirrel. Yes, I know I look human, but that’s because I’m a ninja squirrel. Shhh! Don’t tell! I’m also a wife, a mother, a writer, and a Red Bull addict. *twitch* Welcome to my blog.

It turns out the entry of the new year isn’t some magic time warp that makes us smarter, healthier, and all around super human. *sigh* But while I juggle sick kids with answering interview questions, designing the back cover to my upcoming novella, and the usual tasks of housekeeping and my job, I can’t help but marvel at the people who handle it all and still have hair.

What am I insecure about? In less than 2 weeks, I’m releasing This World Bites and kicking off a blog tour. What if I don’t get my guest posts done? What if I’m a boring person to interview? What if all of my truths are dull? What if they hate my book? Gah!

When I start stressing, I focus on the things I’m proud of.

Based on the Breaking it down… blog series by Carrie Butler, I updated my “brand” (it feels weird calling it that) across all of my social media outlets. I’m still not good at interacting with people, but at least I’ve got a uniform look and feel. And I like my squirrel. I just hope Carrie likes it.

And then there’s the Seven. Due to an unfortunate hiccup, our first release, The Ancient, got pushed by another month. But the guy organizing everything complimented my story, Smokeless Flame. That made my night.

And then there’s Really Slow Motion: OF MIST AND MAGIC. I was incredibly honored when Samantha Redstreake Geary asked me to participate in the upcoming collaboration. I squealed and danced around the living room. I hope my story, Piper, lives up to the epicness of the soundtrack.

How do you pull yourself out of your insecurities? What are you proud of lately? Have you made resolutions to add a little magic to your year?

The post IWSG – New Year, New Adventures appeared first on Squirrel Talk.

The 777 Challenge

Chrys Fey tagged me in the 777 challenge. For the challenge you have to choose a WIP, go to the 7th page, scroll down to the 7th line, and share the next 7 lines or so.

I debated which WIP to open. I could do the one I just finished, but it’s a short story, so the details on page 7 are quite telling. Then I thought I’d do Isto, but again, the details might spoil anyone who hasn’t read Thanmir War. So I opened yet another WIP, and found (much to my horror) it was too boring to post as a snippet. That’s probably a sign I need to revise.

I decided to go with This World Bites, which I’m releasing next month. I suppose it’s still technically a WIP, even though I’ve gotten the final edits back from my editor and am now formatting everything. I’m working on it, so it counts, right?

Here you go!

“Alright, we have one parsley burger, one sweet potato shake with a tofu sandwich, three orders of cabbage fingers, a corn cake, and a bowl of beet soup.”

I liked the way his voice drawled, and mentally tallied it as one of my favorite otherworldly accents. I batted my eyelashes. “What’s your name?”

He grinned, showing straight white teeth and elongated bicuspids. “Duke.” He pointed to the tag attached to the front of his shirt. “And what’s yours, pretty lady?”

Fues cut me off before I could respond.

Not the most action-packed snippet, I know. But hopefully you enjoyed it.

I’m supposed to tag other people to continue this challenge. I suck at this part, because I never remember who has done the challenge, who has been tagged, who doesn’t participate, who is on blogging hiatus, and who really enjoys this type of thing. So I’m just throwing some names out there.

Carrie Butler – I hear she’s been rocking her latest WIP and is on FIRE!! That gets me excited because I enjoy her books. Plus I heart Cole.

Philip Overby – He’s got a story up on Tablo, and who wouldn’t want to see more?

Aldrea Alien – She’s been without Internet for a while, but she mentioned she was working on a fanfic for a game she’s playing. I miss her writing, so even a snippet would be great for me.

Beth Ellyn Summer – She’s got the sweetest personality you’ll find on the Internet. I don’t know if she’s allowed to share snippets, since I know she’s working with an agent, but if so, I’d be interested to read.

Ernesto San Giacomo – He’s local to my area, and I got to meet him during NaNoWriMo. He’s entertaining in real life, so I’m interested in what his writing is like.

Chemist Ken – It looks like he’s in edit mode, and in the process of moving things around, but he’s mentioned his book, his hopes, his worries, and it’s really piqued my interest. I’d love to see a snippet.

Liz Blocker – I don’t know if she’s got seven pages worth of non-fiction to go through for this challenge, but it’s been her passion lately, and I’d love to see a piece of it. She always writes with such vitality that I can’t help but be caught up in it.

Well, I’ve named 7 people to stick with the 7 motif. I don’t think that’s necessary, but hey, why not? Snippets from them means more for me!

What’d you think of my snippet? Do you currently have a WIP? If you would like to participate, consider yourself tagged.

The post The 777 Challenge appeared first on Squirrel Talk.

IWSG – A Place For Pygmies

Today is the first Wednesday of the month. That means, it’s time for Insecure Writer’s Support Group!

You can find the sign up for the IWSG here. We owe Alex J Cavanaugh a huge thank you for thinking this blog hop up.

I won NaNoWriMo last Friday. Though I was pleased with that fact, something bothered me. The pygmies didn’t seem to tie into the overall plot. They are necessary to the main character’s arch. Plus one of them is in the novella I’ve got coming out next year. But how did they relate to the monsters that were killing everyone? That made me insecure. Have you ever found yourself where you knew something was a bit too loose within your story? I brainstormed with my husband (he was channeling his inner pygmy) and I realized the pygmies could take the place of another group of characters I’d intended on bringing in. Not only do I have a place for my pygmies, I now have less of a cast (having a large cast is one of my writing flaws). I’m feeling more secure now. Things are going better. I even found an image that represents my main pygmy, Fues.

Witch Doctor by APetruk on deviantArt

Isn’t he great? Fues’s mask is bigger, but otherwise, he’s how I pictured him.

What are your insecurities this month? Have you had to tighten a loose plot? Do you have a problem with too many characters?

The post IWSG – A Place For Pygmies appeared first on Squirrel Talk.

Snow Day

Thank you all for the condolences for my cousin. Chris’s funeral was last Saturday, but I unfortunately couldn’t attend. Snow dumped its baggage on my doorstep just a couple of days before my anticipated 280 mile drive. Rather than risk the roads, I sent my love from afar via phone call.

Beyond my phone call to my cousin and also to my parents, I haven’t done much else socially. I’ve avoided the Internet, reduced my facebook time, and only left the house to go to work. It’s like the onslaught of cold has sent me into hibernation mode.

You’d think this low activity level would be good for my word count. Though I’m still ahead, I don’t have the same lead as I did before. I’m just under 35K, and I’ve gotten to that dreaded point where the scenes aren’t already fully visualized in my head. That makes progress slow-going. It doesn’t help that I’ve been jumping to books 3, 3.5, and 4 in my brain (when I’m trying to write book 2). I blame this song, the newest addition to the playlist:

I hope you are all warm and safe out there. I saw the snow Cathrina got, and I read Ken helped someone who slid off the road and flipped. It’s scary. I think I’m staying indoors.

The post Snow Day appeared first on Squirrel Talk.

This End of Town

Have you ever had so much you wanted to say that you didn’t know where to start? I’m at that point. Like in everyone else’s life, I’ve had a lot going on offline.

I’m rocking NaNo! Up to 27K, and I have a clean house, fed children, and a non-neglected husband. My mood has suffered for it though. I’ve found myself sleep-deprived, quick to annoy, and easily flustered. As such, my Red Bull reliance has drastically increased. You know it’s bad when my husband buys me a 20oz can before we go out for a family lunch.

Despite the mood swings, I’ve done a lot of thinking. My husband and I have a wonderful relationship. Yesterday was his birthday. I dropped off my children at daycare and he and I went out on a date. I think I was more excited than he was. We did boring stuff like have an uninterrupted conversation, eat our meal without fending off tiny hands, and take a nap in the middle of the day.

This celebration of life comes three days after I hear the news that my cousin’s love of her life died. Chris Knudson wasn’t much older than my husband and I. His unfortunate death happened while my cousin was away on a trip. My heart cries for her. Though they had never married, he made her happy, made her laugh, and their time together was well cherished. It was something she needed. They knew the damages each had suffered before going into the relationship, and they loved and accepted each other regardless.

This mortality reminder makes me appreciate my husband even more. Next month, it’ll have been 10 years since our first date. He is all I could ever ask for, and I have him here in my life to celebrate with me.

Hug your loved ones today. Tell them how much you care. You never know when life might take a turn.

The post This End of Town appeared first on Squirrel Talk.

IWSG – Scrapping Words and Drastic Changes

Today is the first Wednesday of the month. That means, it’s time for Insecure Writer’s Support Group!

You can find the sign up for the IWSG here. We owe Alex J Cavanaugh a huge thank you for thinking this blog hop up.

Have you ever had to scrap a large word count because of drastic changes to the plot? For the third year in a row, I am NaNoWriMoing it up. In 2012, I did 62K, and I rocked it! In 2013, I juggled my time with a month old baby and barely scraped by, getting 50K in the last few hours on the last day.

Going into 2014, I reread what I’d written for book 2 of my series. I’m working with four different POVs, and the earthquake in one POV wasn’t lining up with the earthquake in the other. I had no idea how many days had passed with this character wandering in the desert, while this other character tried to find his way off the pygmy islands. And that was important, because character 2 had to leave the islands and get to the desert before the monsters killed off character 1.

I sat down and created a spreadsheet that would make Liz proud. It has a column for each POV, and rows blocked out for the major events (earthquake, monster attack, etc.). I filled out each column with events I knew needed to happen, and moved them around until they fit. This wasn’t easy for me. I’m a pantser. But doing this brought to light another major issue. The antagonist in one POV wasn’t enough. After much brainstorming with my sis-in-law, I finally found the solution to my story problems about the middle of last month.

I ended up scrapping 55K from what I’d written in 2012. Therein lies the insecurity. Some of the events I’d written still occur, but a handful of characters have different roles now. I tried approaching these scenes from scratch, but the voice in my brain keeps whispering, “Your writing isn’t going to be as good. You’re going to forget and leave out those lines you love.” It squashes my creativity. I whip open my other document and comb through the scenes thinking, “Maybe I can just revise this.” But then I spend time debating if each line would fit…time not writing.

I’ve since changed my tactics for NaNo. I started at the midpoint in a POV I didn’t focus on in the previous years. This is fresh stuff, stuff I need to write, and I’ve gotten 14K of it so far this month. I’m shoving my insecurity aside, leaving it for the end. And the best part? So long as I stay with the world-wide event limits of my spreadsheet timeline, I can pants it as much as I want.

Are you doing NaNoWriMo? Have you ever had to start from scratch with a story? Do you hear those voices whispering that you’ll never do better than what you did before?

My NaNoWriMo screen name is hippiechos (only 1 e). I’d love to be your buddy!

The post IWSG – Scrapping Words and Drastic Changes appeared first on Squirrel Talk.