Constance Burris's Blog, page 14
December 6, 2014
Dia of the Dead
Last weekend, I had the extreme pleasure of reading Brit Brinson's debut novel DIA OF THE DEAD. It was awesome!!! I loved Dia, the main character, so much I had to have an interview. Luckily for all of us she agreed:
Protecting Romero High from all things
supernaturally spooky as Dia Muerto is a
tough gig for sixteen-year-old actress Dia
Summers, but it’s nothing compared to
protecting the ones she loves from real, live—well, formerly alive—zombies. Unlike
the zombies that shambled around on set, the real deal don’t follow a script.
At the majorly important birthday party of her boss’ daughter, Dia experiences a series of potentially career-ruining social disasters. Before the night is over, she soon discovers that the possible cancellation of her show isn’t her biggest worry.
Armed with what they can find around Bixby Studios, Dia and her friends band together to find out why everyone they know has begun popping up as gray-skinned, black-eyed, limb-nomming zombies. With the ailment spreading, time is running out before Dia is swept up in Hollywood’s latest trend.
So Ms. Dia Summers, you’re the star of a hit series show on one of the biggest networks on tv. How did you get your start into acting?
Dia of the Dead is not only my first starring role, it’s also my first role. Other than acting out scenes from my favorite movies in my living room for my dog, Frank, I haven’t done much acting.
How did you land a deal like “Dia of The Dead?”
With a little bit of luck [laughs]. I attended a cattle call for a new show on Bixby. There were tons of other girls there. Some I’d seen on other shows. I didn’t think I would get the part but my mom gave me a pep talk before I went in to read. I must’ve done well because they called me back for a second audition [laughs].
What can you tell us about your hit show “Dia Of The Dead?”
Dia of the Dead is a show about Dia Muerto--zombie high school student by day, kick-butt crime fighter by night. Dia was once a regular old ninth grader until she got into a freak accident and was brought back to life by Romero, California’s resident mad scientist, Dr. Fink. He kinda acts like her dad but not even he knows she protects the town from all the supernatural baddies that stop by to wreak havoc. It’s a tough job but someone has to do it.
Anything “crazy” ever happen on set?
Once my co-star Mason Jackson brought his pet pig Li’l Mason with him to set. He was supposed to keep the pig in his dressing room but somehow it ended up on set and ran through the studio audience. It look like three hours for people to catch him. We had to end filming early.
Do you do your own stunts?
I typically do but we have used a stunt double once or twice.
We just have to know? Any Bixby Studio set romances brewing? I hear Mason and Brendan are totally single!
[Giggles] No comment.
Who’s been the most exciting person to work with on set?
I’m going to say Kaci Miller. Even though she plays Addison, Dia’s nemesis at Romero High, Kaci is totally not like her character at all. She has the ability to turn a long day of filming into a party. She’s really fun to work with and so friendly and caring. I just love her.
What is it like for an actress of color to retain a presence on screen for a MAJOR network?
It’s an honor. My mom and I talk about this all the time. When I first got the role of Dia Muerto, it was a big deal but I didn’t think it was a big-BIG deal but my mom…my mom like broke it down for me. She explained how important I could be to some little girl or boy of color that sees me on TV because the media needs more diversity. She said seeing me as Dia Muerto might inspire them to
pursue their dreams. If I were able to actually do that, it would make me so happy.
What’s the best advice you’ve learned in the industry?Be yourself. While it might seem pretty simple, sometimes it’s really hard to do.
Have anything next lined up and where can we see you next!I have a few scripts for movies that I’m looking currently looking over so hopefully you all will see me on the big screen soon!
Doesn't she sound awesome? Dia the Dead can be purchased from Amazon here . Stay Tuned for the plot summary:
Protecting Romero High from all things
supernaturally spooky as Dia Muerto is a tough gig for sixteen-year-old actress Dia
Summers, but it’s nothing compared to
protecting the ones she loves from real, live—well, formerly alive—zombies. Unlike
the zombies that shambled around on set, the real deal don’t follow a script.
At the majorly important birthday party of her boss’ daughter, Dia experiences a series of potentially career-ruining social disasters. Before the night is over, she soon discovers that the possible cancellation of her show isn’t her biggest worry.
Armed with what they can find around Bixby Studios, Dia and her friends band together to find out why everyone they know has begun popping up as gray-skinned, black-eyed, limb-nomming zombies. With the ailment spreading, time is running out before Dia is swept up in Hollywood’s latest trend.
December 1, 2014
To Publish or Not To Publish
To publish or not...
A year and a half ago, I went to a writer’s conference and pitched my idea to an agent. He didn't like it. In fact, he said writing about dwarves and elves were racist. That was heartbreak number 1.
Heart break number 2: I attended a YA panel where I learned my chances of publishing a novel with a character of color was slim.
Needless to say, I walked away from the conference heartbroken. I didn't feel as if there was any point to finishing or perfecting my novel.
However, through Google+ I met a butt load of authors who chose to self-publish and they still made a good amount of money.
Now I'm on the cusp of confidently self-publishing my first novel. But lately, traditional publishing references keep appearing on my newsfeeds. In addition, I reconnected with a writingbuddy who is dead set on traditional publishing. Is the universe trying to tell me something; should I be looking for an agent?
To answer those questions, I decided to look at my mission statement: When I was younger, I wanted to read speculative fiction with black characters. I found a few, but not nearly as much as I wanted. So my mission is to write speculative fiction from the perspective of a person of color. And at least 10% of my profits will be used to buy diverse speculative fiction books to donate to public schools"
I felt kind of silly writing this statement, but I've gone back to this more than a few times.
If you refer to the original blog post, I also talk about querying and getting a $20,000 publishing deal.
I also googled my question. Here is my favorite answer from From Harold Underdown at www.underown.org
A year and a half ago, I went to a writer’s conference and pitched my idea to an agent. He didn't like it. In fact, he said writing about dwarves and elves were racist. That was heartbreak number 1.
Heart break number 2: I attended a YA panel where I learned my chances of publishing a novel with a character of color was slim.
Needless to say, I walked away from the conference heartbroken. I didn't feel as if there was any point to finishing or perfecting my novel. However, through Google+ I met a butt load of authors who chose to self-publish and they still made a good amount of money.
Now I'm on the cusp of confidently self-publishing my first novel. But lately, traditional publishing references keep appearing on my newsfeeds. In addition, I reconnected with a writingbuddy who is dead set on traditional publishing. Is the universe trying to tell me something; should I be looking for an agent?
To answer those questions, I decided to look at my mission statement: When I was younger, I wanted to read speculative fiction with black characters. I found a few, but not nearly as much as I wanted. So my mission is to write speculative fiction from the perspective of a person of color. And at least 10% of my profits will be used to buy diverse speculative fiction books to donate to public schools"
I felt kind of silly writing this statement, but I've gone back to this more than a few times.
If you refer to the original blog post, I also talk about querying and getting a $20,000 publishing deal.
I also googled my question. Here is my favorite answer from From Harold Underdown at www.underown.org
... do not consider self-publishing until you have spent at least a few years working on your writing, making submissions, and learning about the business of publishing. That won't be wasted time, because even if you don't get published, if you do decide to self-publish later you will be much better equipped to do so successfully. You will have a more polished manuscript or manuscripts. You will also have learned something about what you need to do (which is, very briefly, get your book edited, illustrated, designed, promoted, reviewed, and distributed--things a publisher routinely does, but which are difficult and expensive for an individual to do.If I'm honest with myself, I want my books to be found in school libraries and I want to be a great writer who gets invited to conferences. So as much as it pains me, I'm going to hold off on self-publisng at least until I finish Coal Book 2. Who knows maybe by then elves and dwarves will be popular again. Hopefully, I don't die in between now and then.
November 29, 2014
PIG PARK by Claudia Guadalupe Martinez
We need diverse books, so when Twinja book reviews decided to start diverse book tours I jumped for joy and signed up. And so I get the honor of telling you about Pig Park a Contempory YA novel by Claudia Guadalupe Martinez. That title sounds AWESOME! But here is what its about:
Plot Summary:It's crazy! Fifteen-year-old Masi Burciaga hauls bricks to help build a giant pyramid in her neighborhood park. Her neighborhood is becoming more of a ghost town each day since the lard company moved away. Even her school closed down. Her family's bakery and the other surviving businesses may soon follow. As a last resort, the neighborhood grown-ups enlist all the remaining able-bodied boys and girls into this scheme in hopes of luring visitors. Maybe their neighbors will come back too. But something's not right about the entrepreneur behind it all. And then there's the new boy who came to help. The one with the softest of lips. Pig Park is a contemporary Faustian tale that forces us to look at the desperate lengths people will go to in the name of community--and maybe love.
And the Excerpt:
Pig Park Chapter 1
I stuffed the letter from the bank back into the drawer and slipped into the kitchen to turn the vent out toward Pig Park. The smell of cinnamon and butter escaped into the street. Living above Burciaga’s Bakery—and being a Burciaga—meant it was my job to keep the kitchen spotless and to do any other number of things from bringing in the mail to answering the phone.I was sort of the Cinderella of crumbs—minus the ugly stepsisters and the singing mice. The last thing we needed was mice.“How are you doing over there, Masi?” my dad asked. “All right,” I said. I grabbed a crusty bowl, ran it under hot water and scrubbed hard, scratching at it like it had the kind of itch that requires a good dose of calamine lotion. I tried not to think about the letter. It wasn’t so easy. See, my dad started the bakery with nothing but an old box of recipes. He liked to say that the bakery, like most of Pig Park, sprouted in the boom and shadow of the American Lard Company. The company had even donated land right in the middle of everything for the park our neighborhood was named after. That’s why our neighborhood got named Pig Park, because pig fat made lard and lard had more or less made our neighborhood.As the company grew, so did we. Hundreds of company employees lived and worked here. They ate and shopped here. We baked twice a day just to keep up. That’s until the company closed down, and people left with the jobs. “Economic downturn.” That’s how the big wigs at American Lard explained away how our good old Chicago neighborhood got left behind. My dad said that just meant they didn’t think they were making enough money. So they packed up their jobs and took them some other place—like a whole other country. Never mind the irony of American Lard made somewhere other than America.I knew from that letter in that drawer that with no one to buy the bread, the bakery would close down for good too. We would end up leaving Pig Park like everyone else. This is what else I knew: I’d lived in Pig Park my whole entire life. I still had a few friends left. So—even after everything—I couldn’t wrap my head around the bakery closing and us leaving also. It kept me up at night, wondering about tomorrow and the day after. Maybe I would never see my friends again. My family lived upstairs now. Maybe we’d end up homeless. My dad was always saying not to think like that, to leave the worrying to him and my mom, but—I just couldn’t help it. I couldn’t help it about as much as I couldn’t help breathing or just being me.My dad tied an apron around his waist, rolled his sleeves up and grabbed hold of the masa resting on the counter. Sweat dampened his shirt across his thick broad back. He pounded down on dough the color of dirt clay. “How about some music?”“Music?” “Yes.” “Like what?” I grabbed a dish towel and dried my hands. “Anything.” I switched on the radio. My dad sang along to that old song, “Amorcitoooo Corazon.” I imagined him making his way down a cobblestone road on a bike—balancing a big basket of freshly baked rolls on his head—belting out the song like in one of those old black and white movies they used to play in the park to bring the neighborhood together. “Dad, I like it when you sing. It makes me feel like I am all wrapped up in a fuzzy blanket,” I said. It made me think of how it was before, when things were good and my dad sang all the time.My dad sang even louder and smiled like it made him think of it how it was before too. I felt a little better. I pulled a sheet of ginger pigs from the oven and put them on the counter to cool. There was no ginger in the pig-shaped treats, just homemade molasses that made the cake-style cookies look like ginger bread when they baked. I grabbed one, broke off a piece, and put it in my mouth. It was perfect—warm, plump and moist on the tip of my tongue. Sure, I wanted not to worry like my dad said. I’d spent almost every summer of my life in what felt like a 350-degree kitchen. I wanted to spend my summer with my friends outside the bakery for a change. I wanted a chance at being fifteen and “normal.” I wanted to make like nothing was wrong. “Ready?” my dad asked. He untied his apron and threw it down on the counter. I listened for my mom’s footsteps on the stairway. “Yeah.” I shoved the rest of the treat into my mouth. Something had to happen.Pretty interesting, huh. You can find PIG PARK at the end of the following links:
Book LinksAmazon: Purchase Link
Barnes & Noble: Purchase LinkGoodreads: Connect about it on Goodreads!Book Depository: Pick up internationally!
Author InformationBiography
Claudia is the author of The Smell of Old Lady Perfume (Cinco Puntos, 2008) and Pig Park (Cinco Puntos, 2014). She grew up in sunny El Paso, Texas where she learned that letters form words from reading the subtitles of old westerns with her father. She now lives and writes in Chicago.
Author LinksWebsite: http://www.claudiaguadalupemartinez.com/Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/pages/Claudia-Guadalupe-Martinez/107095645999600Twitter:https://twitter.com/maquilagorillaGoodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1010472.Claudia_Guadalupe_Martinez
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Plot Summary:It's crazy! Fifteen-year-old Masi Burciaga hauls bricks to help build a giant pyramid in her neighborhood park. Her neighborhood is becoming more of a ghost town each day since the lard company moved away. Even her school closed down. Her family's bakery and the other surviving businesses may soon follow. As a last resort, the neighborhood grown-ups enlist all the remaining able-bodied boys and girls into this scheme in hopes of luring visitors. Maybe their neighbors will come back too. But something's not right about the entrepreneur behind it all. And then there's the new boy who came to help. The one with the softest of lips. Pig Park is a contemporary Faustian tale that forces us to look at the desperate lengths people will go to in the name of community--and maybe love.And the Excerpt:
Pig Park Chapter 1
I stuffed the letter from the bank back into the drawer and slipped into the kitchen to turn the vent out toward Pig Park. The smell of cinnamon and butter escaped into the street. Living above Burciaga’s Bakery—and being a Burciaga—meant it was my job to keep the kitchen spotless and to do any other number of things from bringing in the mail to answering the phone.I was sort of the Cinderella of crumbs—minus the ugly stepsisters and the singing mice. The last thing we needed was mice.“How are you doing over there, Masi?” my dad asked. “All right,” I said. I grabbed a crusty bowl, ran it under hot water and scrubbed hard, scratching at it like it had the kind of itch that requires a good dose of calamine lotion. I tried not to think about the letter. It wasn’t so easy. See, my dad started the bakery with nothing but an old box of recipes. He liked to say that the bakery, like most of Pig Park, sprouted in the boom and shadow of the American Lard Company. The company had even donated land right in the middle of everything for the park our neighborhood was named after. That’s why our neighborhood got named Pig Park, because pig fat made lard and lard had more or less made our neighborhood.As the company grew, so did we. Hundreds of company employees lived and worked here. They ate and shopped here. We baked twice a day just to keep up. That’s until the company closed down, and people left with the jobs. “Economic downturn.” That’s how the big wigs at American Lard explained away how our good old Chicago neighborhood got left behind. My dad said that just meant they didn’t think they were making enough money. So they packed up their jobs and took them some other place—like a whole other country. Never mind the irony of American Lard made somewhere other than America.I knew from that letter in that drawer that with no one to buy the bread, the bakery would close down for good too. We would end up leaving Pig Park like everyone else. This is what else I knew: I’d lived in Pig Park my whole entire life. I still had a few friends left. So—even after everything—I couldn’t wrap my head around the bakery closing and us leaving also. It kept me up at night, wondering about tomorrow and the day after. Maybe I would never see my friends again. My family lived upstairs now. Maybe we’d end up homeless. My dad was always saying not to think like that, to leave the worrying to him and my mom, but—I just couldn’t help it. I couldn’t help it about as much as I couldn’t help breathing or just being me.My dad tied an apron around his waist, rolled his sleeves up and grabbed hold of the masa resting on the counter. Sweat dampened his shirt across his thick broad back. He pounded down on dough the color of dirt clay. “How about some music?”“Music?” “Yes.” “Like what?” I grabbed a dish towel and dried my hands. “Anything.” I switched on the radio. My dad sang along to that old song, “Amorcitoooo Corazon.” I imagined him making his way down a cobblestone road on a bike—balancing a big basket of freshly baked rolls on his head—belting out the song like in one of those old black and white movies they used to play in the park to bring the neighborhood together. “Dad, I like it when you sing. It makes me feel like I am all wrapped up in a fuzzy blanket,” I said. It made me think of how it was before, when things were good and my dad sang all the time.My dad sang even louder and smiled like it made him think of it how it was before too. I felt a little better. I pulled a sheet of ginger pigs from the oven and put them on the counter to cool. There was no ginger in the pig-shaped treats, just homemade molasses that made the cake-style cookies look like ginger bread when they baked. I grabbed one, broke off a piece, and put it in my mouth. It was perfect—warm, plump and moist on the tip of my tongue. Sure, I wanted not to worry like my dad said. I’d spent almost every summer of my life in what felt like a 350-degree kitchen. I wanted to spend my summer with my friends outside the bakery for a change. I wanted a chance at being fifteen and “normal.” I wanted to make like nothing was wrong. “Ready?” my dad asked. He untied his apron and threw it down on the counter. I listened for my mom’s footsteps on the stairway. “Yeah.” I shoved the rest of the treat into my mouth. Something had to happen.Pretty interesting, huh. You can find PIG PARK at the end of the following links:
Book LinksAmazon: Purchase Link
Barnes & Noble: Purchase LinkGoodreads: Connect about it on Goodreads!Book Depository: Pick up internationally!
Author InformationBiography
.jpg)
Claudia is the author of The Smell of Old Lady Perfume (Cinco Puntos, 2008) and Pig Park (Cinco Puntos, 2014). She grew up in sunny El Paso, Texas where she learned that letters form words from reading the subtitles of old westerns with her father. She now lives and writes in Chicago.
Author LinksWebsite: http://www.claudiaguadalupemartinez.com/Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/pages/Claudia-Guadalupe-Martinez/107095645999600Twitter:https://twitter.com/maquilagorillaGoodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1010472.Claudia_Guadalupe_Martinez
November 25, 2014
4 Tips To Help You Control The Crazy of Social Media
I woke up depressed and checking my social media sites just made my depression worse. Blogging seems a silly today with all of the problems we're having right now, but my post "4 Tips To Control Social Media Addiction" is being featured over at Kathryn Trattner's blog. It's a timely post because it'll be really hard for me to stay away from Twitter and Facebook today. But I'm going to fight to stay off these sites because most updates aren't going to focus on the injustice or the protesters just the looters.
Anyways in the blog post, I suggest reaching for a cup of water instead of you phone, but today I am replacing the water with a prayer for healing and peace.
November 24, 2014
My Plan For Financial Independence
My Plan For Financial Independence
I done write much about this on the blog, but besides writing I love to learn about managing my BackgroundI was raised on welfare with five brothers and sisters. More than a few times we went without electricity, water, and/or food, so I'm always scared of not having enough money to pay bills or provide for my kids. Fear of lack inspires me to be frugal. Personal finance blogs have helped me turned my fear into a weapon. Budgeting and frugality has helped me feel secure and save for things I love like travel.
The Strength to Change JobsThere are three sides to financial independence: living frugal, having multiple streams of income, and increasing pay. Because I had a pretty secure job working with people I loved, I stayed at a job that paid 30% below market.
Once I met my hubby (then fiancé), I got the courage (and permission) to quit the job I loved and venture out to make more money with a seven year goal of paying off my student loans, HELOC, and our two mortgages. All in all that totaled $151,000. Paying off that amount of money sounds impossible, but according to this debtcalculator by sacrificing an extra $1,200 a month I could pay everything in 7 years.
Not Everything Goes to Plan Both my hubby and I found new jobs for a 30% pay increase for each of us. However, we made plans and God laughed at us. My hubby lost his job six months later. I didn't feel confident with my new job either. It had great people, but the work wasn't stable.
Because I have a professional degree and I'm registered (thank you Jesus for my aptitude for math), I ended up changing jobs again with a slight pay increase. However, my husband’s career has gone the way of the dinosaur. We talked about it, and instead of going back to work at his previous job, which would have gladly took him back, he decided to back to college full-time.
You'd think that pretty much destroyed my get out of debt plan, but I tweaked it.
Staying On TrackTo keep some semblance of my plan to reach financial independence:
We cut out travelIn addition to writing and learning about money, I love to travel. To compensate for the loss of income, I cut travel out of our budget. Thankfully, I've been every place on my bucket list except Australia and Paris. If I go to my remaining places, I want to stay at least three weeks. That requires no kids. So I have to wait until they are older anyway.
I decreased my retirement contributions significantlyThis is horrible. It reads like I’m sacrificing my future for the present. But the security of knowing I'm not dependent on any job is priceless. Once I am out of debt, I can easily bump up the contributions. Also, according to the calculator, I'll be saving $30,000 over seven years. And the stock market isn't guaranteed, saving $30,000 is.
Used a portion of my emergency fundThis is also horrible. An emergency fund is for emergencies! But I have back-ups, I have a revolving HELOC and a Roth IRA, which I can withdraw my original funds from penalty free.
Delayed our honeymoonMy hubby and I were married in July, in lieu of presents we asked for monetary donations for our honeymoon, but because of my hubby’s job loss, we used the money to pay for the wedding. I felt bad not using the funds for their original purpose, but it’s irresponsible to honeymoon if you don't have a job. And its just delayed, not canceled.
Did the Sacrifices Pay off?Between a wedding and a layoff, am I on track? Let's look at the numbers. Original Balance February 2014 $151,089 Planned Balance November 2014 $137,632 Actual Balance November 2014 $137,121
In nine months, I was able to pay off $14,000 in debt even with my hubby being out of work. Not bad! I'm even $500 ahead of schedule.
Do you have financial plan? What would you have to sacrifice if you're hubby was ever laid-off?
I done write much about this on the blog, but besides writing I love to learn about managing my BackgroundI was raised on welfare with five brothers and sisters. More than a few times we went without electricity, water, and/or food, so I'm always scared of not having enough money to pay bills or provide for my kids. Fear of lack inspires me to be frugal. Personal finance blogs have helped me turned my fear into a weapon. Budgeting and frugality has helped me feel secure and save for things I love like travel.
The Strength to Change JobsThere are three sides to financial independence: living frugal, having multiple streams of income, and increasing pay. Because I had a pretty secure job working with people I loved, I stayed at a job that paid 30% below market.
Once I met my hubby (then fiancé), I got the courage (and permission) to quit the job I loved and venture out to make more money with a seven year goal of paying off my student loans, HELOC, and our two mortgages. All in all that totaled $151,000. Paying off that amount of money sounds impossible, but according to this debtcalculator by sacrificing an extra $1,200 a month I could pay everything in 7 years.
Not Everything Goes to Plan Both my hubby and I found new jobs for a 30% pay increase for each of us. However, we made plans and God laughed at us. My hubby lost his job six months later. I didn't feel confident with my new job either. It had great people, but the work wasn't stable.
Because I have a professional degree and I'm registered (thank you Jesus for my aptitude for math), I ended up changing jobs again with a slight pay increase. However, my husband’s career has gone the way of the dinosaur. We talked about it, and instead of going back to work at his previous job, which would have gladly took him back, he decided to back to college full-time.
You'd think that pretty much destroyed my get out of debt plan, but I tweaked it.
Staying On TrackTo keep some semblance of my plan to reach financial independence:
We cut out travelIn addition to writing and learning about money, I love to travel. To compensate for the loss of income, I cut travel out of our budget. Thankfully, I've been every place on my bucket list except Australia and Paris. If I go to my remaining places, I want to stay at least three weeks. That requires no kids. So I have to wait until they are older anyway.
I decreased my retirement contributions significantlyThis is horrible. It reads like I’m sacrificing my future for the present. But the security of knowing I'm not dependent on any job is priceless. Once I am out of debt, I can easily bump up the contributions. Also, according to the calculator, I'll be saving $30,000 over seven years. And the stock market isn't guaranteed, saving $30,000 is.
Used a portion of my emergency fundThis is also horrible. An emergency fund is for emergencies! But I have back-ups, I have a revolving HELOC and a Roth IRA, which I can withdraw my original funds from penalty free.
Delayed our honeymoonMy hubby and I were married in July, in lieu of presents we asked for monetary donations for our honeymoon, but because of my hubby’s job loss, we used the money to pay for the wedding. I felt bad not using the funds for their original purpose, but it’s irresponsible to honeymoon if you don't have a job. And its just delayed, not canceled.
Did the Sacrifices Pay off?Between a wedding and a layoff, am I on track? Let's look at the numbers. Original Balance February 2014 $151,089 Planned Balance November 2014 $137,632 Actual Balance November 2014 $137,121
In nine months, I was able to pay off $14,000 in debt even with my hubby being out of work. Not bad! I'm even $500 ahead of schedule.
Do you have financial plan? What would you have to sacrifice if you're hubby was ever laid-off?
November 19, 2014
THE LIEBSTER AWARD: 10 QUESTION BLOG HOP
Kathryn Trattner tagged me in the Ten Question Blog Hop about my Work In Progress. Kathryn writes the most beautiful flash fiction I've ever read 1, 2. You can also check her out on Twitter . If you stop by her blog, tell her I sent you.1. What is your WIP about?
Book 2 of my first novel is about a boy who spent most of his life in the fey realm. Now he's in the human realm trying to fit in with human teenagers while looking for his parents.
2. What is your main character's greatest strength?He has a strong sense of right and wrong.
3. What is your main character's greatest flaw?Coal's greatest flaw is his greatest strength. It challenges his loyalties because most things aren't completely right or completely wrong.
4. Name your main character's favorite food and drink.Butterfinger. He associates the candy bar with memories of his mother.
5. What animal would your main character be and why?Lion, he'd be perfectly happy to sit and be served, but when he's pushed he protects his own.
6. If you and your main character were in a coffee shop, what would you discuss?I'd ask him what is the biggest difference between the fey realm and human realm. He'd probably ask me why I let his ass get kicked so much in Book One.
7. Who would your main character like to date/marry and why?Even after all of the lying, the betraying, and the fighting, Coal still imagines that he'll marry Chalcedony. He fell in love with her the moment he saw her. But don't tell anyone. After all that's happened, he thinks that's a pretty horrible fact to admit.
8. What superhero does your protagonist act like? Why?
He is obsessed with the hulk. He wishes he could go crazy and let his anger guide him.
9. If you made a music video starring your antagonist, what would be his or her song?I don't have an antagonist in COAL. At some point, you are going to both love and hate all of my main characters. But the closest person I have to an antagonist would probably say she liked "Turn down for What?" By Lil Jon because she doesn't believe you should mute yourself. Life is too short for that.
10. What fictional character do you like the most and why?
I love Ged from the Earthsea Series by Ursula K. Le Guin. He is a strong mage, but he never boasts about his strength.
November 18, 2014
Check Me Out Writing For Someone Else
I wrote my first guest post (guest blogging? I'm not sure of the term) over at Katie Cross's blog. I'm comparing Crossfit to Writing. It's a pretty awesome post. Please check it out and comment.
November 17, 2014
Tablo and the Spirit of NaNoWriMo
There is a new Wattpad-ishlike site on the interwebs called Tablo. It's distinguishing itself as a start up and as a site for writers by initiating a writing contest for the best nano:"If you publish your NaNoWriMo progress on Tablo and attract a following, you could score a publishing deal with Momentum, the digital imprint of Pan Macmillan."
My initial reaction: Tablo's contest is not in the spirit of NaNoWriMo. National novel writing month is about finishing a novel and fostering the "I can do this" attitude most new writers don't achieve until they've finished their first nano.
Anyways, I made up my mind to do a big rant about how the contest goes against the spirit of NaNoWriMo because it fosters the "I must edit attitude" which will kill most nano-ers. Well, I should have of created the post when I was thinking about it, because Tablo has extended their deadline. You now have a full month after NaNoWriMo ends to refine your 50,000 words. You hear that? A WHOLE entire month. Good luck with that.
After I've complained about it, I want to give a shout out to Philip Overby. +Philip Overby is getting it in. He is writing his nano, The Bloody Unicorn, on Tablo and it looks good. He might even meet the 50,000 word goal. No Pressure, +Philip Overby.
Full disclosure: I won a contest and a character created in my likeness is in Chapter 7. See if you can tell who I am, and cheer a brother on by liking his page. Maybe his nano will win and he'll get a publishing deal and then he hook me up.
Aside and random:While researching this post, I learned Tablo is also different from Wattpad because it can publish novels, short stories, or whatever you want directly to Amazon and iBooks for a 20% commission. That might be a good deal if you can get around the commission you have to pay to either site, but alas, you still have to pay:
You accept and understand that this commission is on top of any commission sought by distributors and retailers such as the 30% commission received by the Apple iBooks Store and the Amazon Kindle Store.
For example, if you set your list price to $9.99 then Apple will retain ~$3 of this list price, Tablo will then receive a ~$2 commission from this sale, and the author will receive a ~$5 royalty. Pasted from <https://tablo.io/terms>
So if you use Tablo you lose an 20% more of your profits instead of going directly to Amazon and iBooks yourself.
This post turned out more negative than I planned it to be. But ultimately any platform that gives authors a way to connect with new readers can't be all bad. And the site looks beautiful! Once I get more time, I might go over there and work on a story. Until then please hop on over to Philip's page and check out Khanee the Big-Eyed Corpse Eater.
Please explain to me why anyone would do this? Seriously. Let's discuss.
October 31, 2014
Happy Halloween. Medusa Is Live
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Happy Halloween!!
In honor of my favorite holiday, I've posted my short story Medusa onto Amazon and Smashwords. (I get a bigger cut if you use Smashwords).
And don't forget Chaos is free on Amazon right now. For every honest rate/reviews of Chaos, you'll get Medusa for free in the format of your choice from Smashwords if you send me the link or a snapshot.
August 30, 2014
Chaos Created by Me
In honor of my birthday and because I've been given the precious gift of time, I went ahead and published my short story CHAOS to Smashwords and Amazon. And because its my birthday, I made it free on Smashwords for today. I always thought that if I was going to publish something it would be my novel first, but ebooks have created a big demand for short fiction. Something than can be read in one sitting or two.
The short story can be found here: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/471453
I'm hoping to get 100 ratings/reviews of the book. So if you read the book can you please rate it for me. Good or bad, all ratings are welcome. The book blurb is below:
Dr. Michael Chauncey is a naval psychiatrist who uses his secret ability as a telepath to help his patients, but when a suspected AWOL and fellow telepath walks into his office, he’ll have to go to extraordinary lengths to learn where this woman has been for the past seven years.
