Shiloh Walker's Blog, page 141
September 9, 2011
Blogger call…
Want to review IF YOU HEAR HER?
A CRY IN THE WOODSThe scream Lena Riddle hears in the woods behind her house is enough to curdle her blood—she has no doubt that a woman is in real danger. Unfortunately, with no physical evidence, the local law officers in small-town Ash, Kentucky, dismiss her claim. But Lena knows what she heard—and it leaves her filled with fear and frustration.
Ezra King is on leave from the state police, but he can't escape the guilty memories that haunt his dreams. When he sees Lena, he is immediately drawn to her. He aches to touch her—to be touched by her—but is he too burdened by his tragic past to get close?
When Ezra hears her story of an unknown woman's screams, his instincts tell him that Lena's life is also at risk—and his desire to protect her is as fierce as his need to possess her.
FYI… this is not a contest-leaving links/comments below is all well and good, but it doesn't do much good 
Thank you!
If you want to be considered, please email Nicole, my admin, at grimmhunter.shilohwalker(at)gmail.com.
Please include a link to your blog.
I'm only sending out a few. We'll contact those who'll be getting the ARCs in a few days.
If you request an ARC…please do so only if you intend to review it. Good review, bad review, doesn't matter…just review it. The review needs to be posted sometime in October. Thank you!
Shiloh
A Grimm Giveaway
Dying is hard enough… coming back to life is brutal.
Read more…
Locked in Silence is due out on 9/20! It's time for a Grimm Giveaway.
Starting soon, we're having Grimm guests… several authors are stopping by with excerpts, guest blogs, and prizes.
Commenting each day will enter you for that day's prize, and all comments left on the Grimm giveaway posts will be entered to win my prize…an angel wing pendant by Luxe Deluxe.
Naturally, my regular contest rules apply…make sure you read the disclaimer. Some are open internationally, some aren't. FYI, my prize is open to international readers, so make sure you comment anyway…
Contest winners will be posted here at the blog and that is how you're notified, so make sure you check back.
Contest winners will probably be posted the week of 9/26/2011 and winners have two weeks to contact me. Yes, even the guest post's winners have to contact me and I'll get you in touch with the author.
FYI, my contests are not to be posted on sweepstake sites, twitter sweeps, etc. Should this happen, I reserve the right to end all contests without awarding the prizes.
The first guest will be here…tomorrow.
September 8, 2011
Soldiers/Helping out… they are moving out soon!
I just got this info from Kelley…if you're one of the ones who has been writing to the guys/gals in this unit, you have until 9/15 to write/send packages…otherwise, they probably won't get them.
Derek Rusnak
1/3 H&S Co Pat Team 2
unit 44015
FPO,AP 96607-4015
They are leaving around mid-November and the letters and packages take a while. So if you want to send something, get it in the mail before 9/15.
I'm not sure if Kelley will be getting me another group or not after this, but if I get more names, as always, I'll get them posted here.
If you have questions, please check the soldier FAQ first-most of the questions are already answered there.
September 7, 2011
Writer Wednesday with Farrah Rochon
It's time for another Writer Wednesday…
Today's author is Farrah Rochon!
What's the one thing that remains unchanged during your writing process,
from one book to another? (ie: Intensive plotting? Music?)
A: After much trial and error, I've developed a pretty set process, but
the one thing that never changes is my story bible. As soon as an idea
sparks, it gets it's own notepad, and I carry that notepad everywhere.
Plotting ideas may pop up while I'm waiting in line at the bank, or stuck
in traffic, and my cute little story notebook is never far away.
What's the one piece of advice you'd give a new writer?
A: Do this job because you love writing; no other reason. If you've
decided to become a writer because you want to be Kathleen Turner in
Romancing The Stone, you are in for a rude awakening. You must love
creating stories because that is where you will find your joy in this
business.
What's the one piece of advice you wish was wiped from the minds of
writers everywhere?
A: Head-hopping, or point-of-view switching, is a cardinal sin punishable
by a slow, brutal death. Okay, that's a bit dramatic, but you hear this
all the time. You should never, under any circumstances, switch
point-of-view. Some of my favorite books of all time hop back and forth
between the hero and heroine's POV. If you can do it well, there is no
rule of writing that cannot be broken, or at least bent a little.
What's the one book you think everybody, writer or not, should read?
A: Judith McNaught's Whitney, My Love. Some people love it, others
absolutely hate it, but I think that's one of the things that's so special
about Whitney, My Love. Any book that can evoke such strong emotions in
it's readers is worth reading. It's also one of my absolute favorite books
of all time, so, of course, I think everyone should read it.
Want to do Writer Wednesday? Read about it here…
September 5, 2011
Upcoming…
Locked in Silence comes out in about three weeks.
In about another week or so, I've got something special planned to celebrate the release…guests and giveaways. :)
Here's one of them…
more details coming soon…
September 3, 2011
Saturday Snippets…Weather
From If You Hear Her
The late summer sun beat down on his back as Ezra King hauled a two-by-four up onto the deck. Hot as a bitch outside, miserable hot, edging close to ninety degrees, but he didn't let it slow him down.
Nope, he was going to get this damn deck built before fall. He wanted it done so he could spend the cool—assuming it cooled off—fall nights out on the deck, staring into nothingness while he contemplated the best way to waste the rest of his life.
read more…
Other authors participating
Anne Rainey
Jody Wallace
Eliza Gayle
McKenna Jeffries
Myla Jackson
Taige Crenshaw
Alison Kent
Denise A. Agnew
Helenkay Dimon
Lacey Savage
Shelli Stevens
TJ Michaels
August 31, 2011
Writer Wednesdays…Claire Ashgrove
Another Writer Wednesday…(if you'd like to do one, check out this post for info)
Today we have Clair Ashgrove/Tori St. Claire
What's the one thing that remains unchanged during your writing process, from one book to another? (ie: Intensive plotting? Music?)
A: Plotting by far. Everything else from environment, to physical setting, to background music changes with my mood. But plotting is consistent. I'm a heavy plotter. I stick to my outlines as rigidly as possible. And I plot until I can write down, chapter by chapter, what's going to happen next, where my cliffhangers are, etc. It's a start to finish process, or sometimes a finish-to-start process. But it is unchanging.
What's the one piece of advice you'd give a new writer?
A: Writing is like every other job, sport, or art form out there. You very rarely can overnight yourself into success (no matter what your version of success may include). You have to work at it. You have to take 'continuing education'. If you truly want to be published, develop a training schedule, train yourself to write like you're already an in-demand novelist, and don't deviate unless there are emergencies. Gold medal Olympians train daily, Pro Quarterbacks are always studying the game – follow those successful examples and create your own regime. If you want it badly enough, make that evident in your daily life. Make it part of your daily life.
What's the one piece of advice you wish was wiped from the minds of writers everywhere?
A: "When you finish a book, you must revise it." No. You mustn't. You may choose to go into revisions, or you may be aware there are gaps you need to fill in. But revisions are not mandatory. What is, is an editing pass. A read through where you check for loose ends, fix that sentence that accidentally changed direction in the middle of it because you were interrupted. It is okay to be happy with your completed product and feel like it is as tight as it could be when you reach the last word the first time around. Repeated revisions can (and often do) destroy an author's voice. Believe in yourself. When you're done, be done. Even if that means facing down a cocked eyebrow or wide eyes when you inform "so-and-so" you omitted revising the book. If it should happen that the book doesn't sell, don't dwell on it. You haven't done anything wrong. Write the next one and don't get buried in the "I must revise, revise, revise to be any good" mindset.
What's the one book you think everybody, writer or not, should read?
A: Oh gosh, this is hard… very hard. There are so many books that have made an impact on me… I would love to say Hamlet, but I know Shakespeare is a difficult chore, and not many would follow through. I'll have to go with John Jakes' North and South. It has all the elements of a great story – internal and external conflict, outstanding three dimensional characters, layered plots and twists, romance, action – it's really a wonderful read. An unforgettable read. So yes, that's my answer – at least for today! Ask me tomorrow and it might end up being, "As I Lay Dying," by Faulkner… but that one too… well let's just say it could require patience to appreciate.
August 28, 2011
August 26, 2011
Friday 56… Cat's Tale
I so love Betty Sharpe.
"Where are your maidenly blushes, Lady Catriona?" he asked. "You stand naked before me, brazen as a harlot."
"Nonsense," I said. "I am still wearing my stockings and shoes. I can never feel truly naked, so long as I am wearing shoes."
A twist on Puss in Boots…and my next read.
About the Friday 56
Grab the book nearest you. Right now
Turn to page 56.
Find the fifth sentence.
Post that sentence (plus one or two others if you like) along with these instructions on your blog or (if you do not have your own blog) in the comments section of this blog.
Post a link along with your post back to this blog.
Don't dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST
August 24, 2011
Writer Wednesday…Michelle Lee
Another Writer Wednesday…(if you'd like to do one, check out this post for info)
We're talking to Michelle Lee today…
What's the one thing that remains unchanged during your writing process, from one book to another? (ie: Intensive plotting? Music?)
A: While I do have a pretty thick digital files of writing music (anything moody, good mood, bad mood, sexy, anything that sets the intensity I want in my fiction) the big thing that never changes is my writing method. I'm a half plotter-half pantser.
I've found that I can't outline a whole book because I don't know where it's going to go. But that same uncertainty can kill my ability to write in the time I can steal away from the rest of my life. So I outline 4-6 chapters at a time so I know where I'm going and often leave myself notes when saving for the day about where I'm going next. Sometimes it's simple "climax scene here" and sometimes it's funny "Next time on [Novel Title] Bad guys, poisonous bulldogs and please gods can I get some caffeine".
And when I do my first pass of edits I outline how the book ended up and decide if the novel is organized correctly and what needs more fleshing (I'm an under-writer, not an over-write. My drafts often come in between 60 & 70k and I have to add more to get it up where I want it.)
What's the one piece of advice you'd give a new writer?
A: I never got a single story done until I sat down, fought against the "I don't know what's next"s and just got the first draft out. I got stuck in polishing the same 6 chapters over and over. I got stuck not writing for months because the muse wasn't hanging out with me anymore. And I got discouraged when someone didn't immediately like my story idea or when a similar sounding story came out. I got lost in life and just never seemed to have time.
If you want to actually have completed writing you have to sit down, inspiration or not, time or not (I stayed up late, I wrote while in waiting rooms, I wrote in the bath tub, or for fifteen minutes while dinner was cooking), and sometimes even ability or not, and just get the story out there. Later you can make it better, make it smoother, change the plot, but you won't get anything done if you don't sit down and get the whole thing out.
What's the one piece of advice you wish was wiped from the minds of writers everywhere?
A: Any piece that starts with "never" or "always". There is NO one way to success, whether that success is just writing a novel or building a lasting career. So many people will tell you how to (and for some reason people love to hear authors ramble on about their process) but you HAVE to find out what works for you and to do that you cannot keep comparing yourself to other people, especially the kinds that tell you to "always" do this or "never" do that.
What's the one book you think everybody, writer or not, should read?
A: Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. I remember the first time I read it in high school even the nonreaders seem to be stricken by the idea of censorship on that level. Because it's not just about book burning, but about altering people and society to make it more palpable. Also, hopefully, it can help us realize that opinions, like information, has the right to be shared, even if we don't believe it's true, or don't like what it means
