Pema Donyo's Blog, page 3

Let’s Talk Time Management

Recently, I’ve been feeling the college assignments struggle. The midterms struggle. The sophomore year struggle. The stay-up-until-who-knows-when struggle. And lots of struggles equal not so much time for writing and editing. I recently published a piece on Go Teen Writers about time management – or as it could definitely also be titled, “how I somehow miraculous find time every now and then.” I hope some of the tips below help you carve out timeas well, whether you’re juggling work, school,...

Author Lily Paradis on writing: “Don’t give up” + IGNITE Book Review

I wanted to preface this post by saying that I don’t usually cover book reviews or author interviews on this blog. I prefer to focus mainly on the writing struggles process, but I love supporting the work of other young authors.

I recently had the fortune of interviewing a fellow young author, Lily Paradis, about her debut work IGNITE, which I was able to read and review this past month. Lily Paradis is only 22, but she’s already working on her next few books. Read on for writing advice from L...

Promoting strong female heroes in fiction

Female heroes, female heroines – take your pick.

About ayear ago, I was watching the movie Jack Reacher, eating some buttered popcorn, admiring Tom Cruise’s fake-fighting skills … and then something clicked – where were the female thriller heroes?

I’d just finished reading The Bourne Identity around the same time. While I love thriller novels, overall the genre has a lack of stories focused on females as the protagonists. When females are mentioned, they’re usually in need of being rescued by t...

Lessons learned from my first book launch + One Last Letter is going on tour!

Hello, everyone!One Last Letterhas officially released today! *throws up all the confetti* If you want to learn more about my historical romanceOne Last Letter, the blog tour information is posted below for you to follow along.

In honor of my second book launch, I thought I’d share an article I wrote for Authors + Readers Book Corner about my first book launch and lessons I’ve learned – “Book Launch Lessons: Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff!”Stress, mistakes, surprise, and Amazon issues galore abou...

#8sunday – 8 Sentences from my WIP & 8 Literary Links for the Week

Hey Pema, what the heck is #8sunday?

It’s the hashtag for Weekend Writing Warriors, an awesome post that links to multiple writers posting story snippets on Sunday. In honor of #8sunday, I thought I’d also include eightequallyawesome links I’ve found this week regarding writing and reading and editing and life.Read on after the snippet to discover the week’s round-up on pesky day jobs/college classes, Twitter talk for bloggers, coping with criticism, and the hottest YA author.

The excerpt below...

#1 Editing Tip + I’m live-writing my next novel for you to see!

The editing tip is actuallydirectlyrelated to the “live-writing” part. Also, pretty sure “live-writing” isn’t a word. But I digress. On with the story and invaluable editing method!

Remember the New Adult contemporary romance version ofPride and Prejudicethat I discussed in my blog hop post?For now, I’mposting the story on Wattpad!

The first three parts are already up, and I’ll be posting the next part later today.Find the story here!You can also browse excerpts ofThe Innocent AssassinsandOne L...

Gratitude & why Mindy Kaling should be every writer’s writinspiration (it’s a word now)

What’s something you know now about happiness that you didn’t know when you were 18 years old?
When I was 18 years old, I took a semester off from college and was an intern at Late Night With Conan O’Brien. It was the most glamorous job I ever had, and I idolized the writers there. I remember lying in bed every night telling myself that if I ever got a job as a comedy writer, I would be so happy and all my dreams would have come true. Six years later I got that job, working on The Office. I fe...

Writers’ Blog Tour + exciting pre-order news! + a college story

First things first – my historical Western romance One Last Letter is now available for pre-order from Amazon US, Amazon UK, and Amazon Canada! Thanks to Julie Sturgeon, my editor at Crimson Romance, for the heads-up. You can also add the book to your Goodreads TBR! Browse the book’s page on my site to read theentirefirst chapter, check out the summary, and see a complete list of links for the novel.

AND SECOND BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY -

I was tagged by the lovely Victoria Davenport (@vdavenportwrite...

From Trashy Tales to Canon Critiques

{Reblogged from my original post on Casual Readers}

“How a human being could have attempted such a book as the present without committing suicide before he had finished a dozen chapters, is a mystery. It is a compound of vulgar depravity and unnatural horrors.”
- Graham’s Lady Magazine (USA), July 1848, review of Wuthering Heights

It’s no secret that public perception of a novel changes over time. When Lolita was released, reviewer John Gordon of Sunday Express deemed it “the filthiest book I ev...

Lessons Learned from Anne Shirley & Jo March, Literary Wonder-Women

{Reblogged from my original post on Dana’s lovely book blog, Dana Square}

When I was growing up, Anne and Jo were my childhood heroes. The women fromAnne of Green GablesandLittle Womenare not only talented writers, they are also amazingly awesome female role models. My main character, Jane Lu, (from my novelThe Innocent Assassins) borrows from the characters’ independent spirit. Anne and Jo haven’t just inspired my writing, they’ve also inspired several life lessons!

Also, sass. They inspire a...