Kate Padilla's Blog, page 5

INDIE FEATURE: READ THIS IF YOU WANT TO BE A GREAT WRITER

READ THIS IF YOU WANT TO BE A GREAT WRITER, BY ROSS RAISIN
Nonfiction: Resource. Laurence King Publishing. 136 pp.
BY READ THIS IF YOU WANT TO BE A GOOD WRITER This book demystifies the writing process, empowering you to write your own novel or short story. The author explains expert technique in a clear and jargon-free way, with examples from twenty-five masters of prose.

For aspiring writers of all ages and abilities, Read This If You Want to Be a Great Writer will motivate...

THE STORY MAP: INTRO TO PART 2 -- 'THE RESPONSE'

The Story Map, Part 2: "The Response" -- The protagonist's reaction to the new goal/stakes/obstacles have been revealed in the First Plot Point from Part 1. The protagonist doesn't need to be heroic yet. Let him/her retreat, regroup, and be reminded that there are antagonistic forces at work. 

This part takes up approximately 1/4 of the book.
Define the "B Story." Often, the B Story uses a new, "funhouse" version of the characters.Character flaws should be very apparent in this pa...

NEW RELEASES: AUGUST 5-11

AUGUST 6 THE SHADOW MINDS JOURNAL, BY KIA CARRINGTON-RUSSELL
Fiction: Fantasy. Crystal Publishing. 310 pp.

New series from international award-winning author Kia Carrington-Russell:
In this world, there are creatures lurking in the shadows. As a child, I once played with them. As a teenager, I began to fear them and became victim to their attacks. As an adult, I now realize that no matter how much I try to escape the grasp of this world, I was inevitably born into it.

AUGUST 7 DARK...

HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW YOUR CHARACTERS? (PART 2 OF 2)

If you've read the first part of this post (from last week), you'll know that there are only three things you need to figure out when outlining and developing a character: Identification by communication (a name)Identification by observation (a general look about them)Identification by association (a group of people they spend time with, or none at all) I mentioned in my descriptions that the area most people tend to spend a lot of time and energy on is the way their character looks, but that...

NEW RELEASES: JULY 29 - AUGUST 4

AUGUST 1 DON'T LET ME GO, BY JAMILA MIKHAIL
Fiction: YA. Keep Your Good Heart. 229 pp.

On top of battling the normal teenage angst that everyone goes through, Joan is also reeling from her parents' bitter divorce and having to cope with her mother's new boyfriend and father's new family. Alone in a new town and without friends, she turns to passing the time by indulging in her longtime hobby of making toy models of soldiers and is both amazed and shocked when one of them comes to life.

HOSTILE...

HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW YOUR CHARACTERS?

This is a question I see come up constantly in the writers' groups I'm in online: How do I create a character outline? What do I need to know about my character? I'm having trouble developing my character -- does anyone have a good outline?

I have 100% been in this space. I have a novel that I outlined years ago using the Snowflake Method (one of the methods I used as inspiration in building The Story Map). And I have a 1-inch binder full of double-sided printed pages, just of this outline (an...

NEW RELEASES: JULY 22-28

JULY 24 30 BEFORE 30, BY MARINA SHIFRIN
Nonfiction: Biography. Wednesday Books. 304 pp.

A charming, relatable, and hilarious collection of essays documenting a young woman's attempt to accomplish thirty life goals before turning thirty.

BEYOND BEAUPORT, BY JAMES MASCIARELLI
Fiction. Koehler Books. 329 pp.

Shannon Clarke raised a family and worked waterfront jobs in America's oldest seaport. Her childhood dream to become a sea captain is revived when her long-lost seafaring uncle Patrick visits...

NEW RELEASES: JULY 15-21

JULY 16 BAD NIGHT STAND (BILLIONAIRE'S CLUB, 1), BY ELISE FABER
Fiction: Romance. Self-published. 256 pp.

The man had seemed so innocent in the bar -- okay, not innocent, per say. He had been hot, hard, and possessed a butt that I wanted to bite like the last chocolate chip cookie in my stash ... I didn't want a baby or a payday or a sexy, stubborn man in my life. I wanted to go back in time and pretend none of it had happened.

JULY 17 HEART LAND, BY KIMBERLY STUART
Fiction. Howard...

INDIE REVIEW: FIRST SURVIVOR

FIRST SURVIVOR: THE IMPOSSIBLE CHILDHOOD CANCER BREAKTHROUGH, BY MARK UNGER
Nonfiction: Health. Self-published. January 2018. 193 pp.
An inspirational real-life cancer memoir of a family's journey and impossible miracle that led to their son's becoming a childhood cancer survivor. This is a real life thriller about a family's battle to save their toddler son from a "zero chance of survival" diagnosis. With the world's best doctors and the advocacy of his parents, Louis Unger would...

INTRODUCING: BLONDIE MARIE ON FACEBOOK!

Hey everyone,

I've got something exciting I want to share with you: The Blondie Marie Facebook Group! 
I want to tell you a little bit about my idea behind this. I do a lot of reading and podcast listening to collect all the wisdom I can on how to make this blog better. Over time, I want to use various social media platforms to create a sort of media company around writing and self-publishing. And this is the first step of that.

For me, Facebook has always been about engagement. If you already l...