Kate Padilla's Blog, page 21

IN DEFENSE OF THE NON-ROMANTIC LOVE STORY

I'm going into this knowing that I probably should have written this post closer to Valentine's Day. It would have been way better that way, but here we are regardless ...

It's a question I've been asking, and something I think needs to be addressed. In literature we've got an entire genre dedicated to romantic love -- called, aptly, romance. And there's this idea that in order for a love story to be at the forefront of a story's plot, it must be romantic. Think of any romance novel (or chick...

INDIE: LET GO

LET GO (BILLIONAIRE'S WORLD, #1), BY ABIOLA OKINOYI
Self-published, 50 pages. November 2015 Buy 'Let Go' on Amazon
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THE STORY
Josephine Meyer's quiet and plain life gets turned upside down when Kane Brough walked into her life with his domineering attitude. With temptation and desire flooding her along with family restraints crashing in on her, could Kane Brough possibly be a right choice?

Kane Brough thought h...

GOOD DESCRIPTIONS: A LESSON FROM 'THE GOOD LIAR'

The first rule of writing is: read

You've heard this before, and you'll hear it again, but today I want to highlight why good writers are first good readers. Reading other people's craft -- both good and bad -- helps us immensely in our own writing. Reading everything, including and except for the genre we're writing, allows us to expand our capabilities and create our best work, unique to us.

I just started Nicholas Searle's The Good Liar, for review next week in my newspaper. But, even in the...

INDIE: LETTING GO

LETTING GO, BY ZVIKA URI
Contento Now, 540 pp. April 2015
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I am speaking of the physical home in which we live, but my thoughts wander to the other meaning of the word, namely one's home in general. What does home mean to us? Where is our home? Where is it that we can lay down our head, close our eyes, relax, and feel secure? I only know one single place where I can indulge in this...

INDIE: FORGOTTEN SIN

FORGOTTEN SIN (AVENGING FATE, 1), BY BRIAN HERSHEY
McWood Publishing, 262 pp.
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Dr. Mya Bishop, an expert on medieval mythology and folklore at the University of Cambridge, is more than she appears to be. Cursed, haunted by guilt, and desperate to be free from her terrible past, Dr. Bishop seeks the help of an animal specialist, Marcus Hol...

6 WAYS TO FIND WRITING INSPIRATION FOR YOUR NEXT STORY

You know the feeling. You want to write something but you don't know what you want to write. Maybe you've exhausted all of your story ideas. Maybe you have a pretty bad case of writer's block. Whatever it is, take a deep breath. We've all been there. Here are six ways to rekindle your imagination and find new stories to write.
1. MUSIC I find a lot of inspiration from music. Often, when I listen to a song that really impacts me, I can begin to see a story form in my mind. Sometimes, it's noth...

INDIE: DAUGHTER OF ZEUS

DAUGHTER OF ZEUS, BY RED HARVEY
Champagne Books, 221 pages. December 2015
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Follow Red on Twitter THE STORY The future can be a terrifying prospect, especially when Ada Freyr discovers she can manipulate electricity. Ada is grief-stricken when her abilities result in the death of her husband and terrified of being discovered by the Prominent-run State. Unusual citizens are la...

INDIE: PIGGY SENSE! SAVE IT FOR A RAINY DAY

PIGGY SENSE! SAVE IT FOR A RAINY DAY, BY REED ABBITT MOORE
Self-published, Amazon. October 2015
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Like Reed Abbitt Moore on Facebook SYNOPSIS Piggy Sense! ... is a fun, educational children's book that will instill in children the basic fundamentals of work ethics, saving money, and spending wisely. Age level: 4-11; Grade level: P-5. Parents will...

INDIE: OCHOCO REACH

OCHOCO REACH, BY JIM STEWART
Word Hermit Press, 289 pp. September 2015
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Check out the book on Goodreads Mike's unusual strategy was to gently stir the pot and wait for patterns to emerge, but this case was boiling over from the day Willimina showed up at his office ... THE STORY Freelance investigator Mike Ironwood doesn't hesitate for a moment when a lovely stranger asks him to help her get to the bottom of suspicious happenings on her family's ca...

INDIE: THE TWINS

THE TWINS, BY RG MILLER
Self-published, 221 pp. November 2015
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THE STORY Thirteen-year-old Stacey and Jannifer McHill, who were identical twins, celebrated their birthday with family and friends at their parents' lavish estate in Shreveport, Louisiana. Terry and Linda McHill, who did their best to shield their precious angels against the ugliness that was in the wor...