Book Review: Eel’s Reverence by Marian Allen

Eel’s Reverence by Marian Allen

When elderly priest of Micah, “Aunt” Libby, goes on a Final Wandering, she’s accosted and then befriended by an amphibious mugger. The area known as The Eel is infested with worse than minor criminals–it’s under the thumbs of a coalition of greedy, brutal priests. Aunt Libby is a frail barrier to stand between peace and violence, and the worst violence may not come from her enemies…but from her friends

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Mermayds and humans oh my!

A great story with conflict, peace vs violence and an excellent look into human (and not so human) character.

Love Marian’s writing style and voice. If you haven’t checked out her new book Force of Habit you better go read it too!

Price $2.99

Read about it and sample it.

Buy it on Amazon for Kindle.

Buy it at Barnes & Noble for Nook.

Buy it at OmniLit for all electronic formats.

Horror: Defining a Genre by Alex Laybourne

What is Horror? Is it a genre on its own merit or merely a sub-genre? This was a question that I saw posed in writers group that I follow online. Obviously, this got me thinking.

I am a horror writer. If people ask me what I write, what genre my books fall under, then that is what I (used to) tell them. Yet I am now, more than ever before convinced that this is really a small deception on my part, and one that ultimately works to my deficit.

The best answer I heard in this online discussion was

Fantasy is a superset of which horror and SF are subsets. SF is what might be, horror is what must not be, fantasy is what seemingly could not be.

I love this description, and while it was not the final answer or offering, it was my favorite.

At the time of reading this, I was staring at my then unfinished manuscript, the first novel of the trilogy was done, unfinished only in terms of editing. However, the remaining two novels were disjointed. I had each act planned out; however I was missing something to tie them all together. I had been lost for months. Then I stumbled onto the above conversation and overnight my problems were solved.

I stopped thinking of myself as just a horror writer, but moved myself up a level into the superset itself. I was a fantasy writer. I had never even thought of it before, but there is was. The link I was missing was simple something I was ignoring. By limiting myself to a subgenre I was reducing not only my ultimate sales option and angles, but also my own growth as a writer. Within a matter of hours I had outlined the movement of my characters from one scene to the next simple by opening my mind and creating a fantasy element that I could easily place over the horror context without disrupting the overall tone of the novel.

If we think about it, there is no horror with fantasy, and there is no fantasy without horror. It is in our mind that the greatest horrors live, and without fantasy we cannot hope to unlock these dark corridors of the mind. People often tell me that they do not like reading horror stories because they do not like being scared. What I think is that they avoid reading horror because they are scared that they will like it.

Horror is designed to scare people, and yes at times repulse them. If anybody has read the Stephen King short story about the drug dealing doctor injured and alone on a small island will understand where I am coming from there. Horror is dark and it is there to make people feel uneasy. If it wasn’t then there would be no need to break the fantasy superset down. While it could exist on its own merit, I would be hard pushed to recall a horror novel that I have read recently which does not have fantasy elements somewhere. Mr. King himself is a big fan of Tolkien and H.P Lovecraft, and if his Cthulhu mythology doesn’t include fantasy then I do not know what does.

There are a great many real horrors in the world, and more often than not the real monsters are so extreme no reader would accept them, but that is a post for another day.

Author Bio:

Horror writer Alex Laybourne was born in the UK but relocated to The Netherlands to be with his wife. Together they have three wonderful children who despite their young age are showing all the signs of following in their father’s creative footsteps.

Alex’s debut novel Highway to Hell is a 96.000 word horror novel and the first in a trilogy that will take readers on a journey not just into hell, but through it.

Highway to Hell can be found on Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, and Amazon.de, and for all non-kindle readers via Smashwords.com for just $2.99. You can also download a free sample of the novel at all of the above sites.

Alex is always interested in making new friends both readers and writers alike. You can find him at most hours of the waking day on Twitter under the name @vanplank or on his blog www.alexlaybourne.com

Book Blurb

Heaven and Hell, Angel and Demons, these things were once considered opposites, but now you will see that they are neighbors, allies…. friends.

Marcus, Becky, Richard, Helen, Sammy and Graham. All complete strangers, different ages, backgrounds and even countries, but they all have one major thing in common…They all must DIE.

Sentenced to offer their penance in the many chambers of Hell, their lives are nothing but a torturous experience. They are brought face to face with their past, their mistakes and the implications that had for others. Until one by one they are rescued and thrown together. Waking in a dying world, they are introduced to their rescuers who do anything but conform to their angelic stereotype.

Together, bonded by an unknown destiny the group is set on their quest; to find one individual buried deep within the many Hell worlds. Not only does the fate of their world rest on their shoulders, but that of existence itself.

Let’s Talk Websites with Author Jim Bronyaur

Super big thanks to Jim for stopping by today with an excellent post on websites. Don’t forget to check out all of his work too or I will swat you! And of course… his website

Let’s talk web sites… yeah, that’s right – web sites.

In today’s world of online presence and in the spirit of selling books, a web site seems like a necessity. An online place you call home. A piece of virtual world you can use to promote your books, even when you’re not online.

But how much is too much for a web site? And what exactly do you need on a site for it to be effective?

I choose this topic today because I just spent the past weekend, yet again, changing my site. In the past year, I’ve changed my site – without lie – almost a dozen times. I’ve changed themes, plugins, links, etc. I’ve done it all. And now that I sit back and look at my site and finally feel that I have something that works, I realize that (1) it’s the most basic concept of all I had and (2) I’ve lost enough hours working on my site that I could have written another book.

What should a web site do?

We’ve all seen crazy animated sites with elaborate menus and more links than we care to count. But if you’re a writer, step back, and think about what your site needs to offer. Sometimes the best sites are the most basic ones. The ones like Jen’s here… you’re greeted with her pretty face, followed by a subscription option, and then her books, her pages, her links. It’s simple and it works. It’s what she needs to make sure anyone who comes here (on purpose or on accident) knows where they are.

I started way back in the middle of last year, dead set on creating a site so cool, people would worship me. I bought WordPress for Dummies, upgraded my hosting through GoDaddy and went to town… I quickly found myself lost in themes and plugins.

Themes and plugins. Themes and plugins.

And yes, these are big decisions to make, but when deciding what you’re going to put on your site, make sure it maximizes the viewers experience without annoying them. On my original site, I had so many links to Facebook and Twitter, half the time the site wouldn’t load, and it eventually crashed.

*Fail*

Back to the drawing board I realized that there were some features from the WordPress.org site that were different from the free blogging service of WordPress.com. Each of which had features that I liked! I felt a little stranded… I wanted a functioning blog but a site that showed off my books all at the same time. (Please note that I mainly talk about WordPress because it’s what I’ve always used. I’ve tinkered with Blogspot before but find, as a reader, their comment system is so annoying, I often leave sites without commenting because I don’t have an hour to spend waiting for it to work…)

Those who want a quick, effective site, can register your name through the WordPress.com site and then purchase the domain name. You can buy it for about $12 a year to have YOUNAME.com (if available). And if in time you decide to upgrade to the hosted WordPress.org you can actually export your blog files and import them into the new site. Now that is handy.

I also have to note that when decided your site name, please try to use your author name. I say this because another goal you have is to be picked up by search engines. If your site is www.IEnjoyTheIdeaOfEatingPizzaAtTwoInTheMorningWhileWatchingOldTVShowReruns.com and you’re an author, I can’t say that can help you. I’ve personally seem some strange name for sites for people who are just authors and nothing more. If you have a secondary hobby and need a second blog set up, that’s fine, but I would try and go with your name first. That way if someone is looking for you, it’s a little easier.

So what finally cracked me on the blog versus site thing?

Well, I decided I needed a blog and I needed a site. Not one or the other. I needed both. I needed an actual blog where I can share my writing experiences and have it be functional as a blog. And I wanted a site to have for basically reference. I’ve seen other authors out there do this and it works for them. I wanted interaction on my blog, the ease of use, changing, posting, etc. I wanted to be able to manage my blog from anywhere, at any time, which I have now.

So I registered my blog (www.JimTheWriterB.wordpress.com) and that is where I blog from. I keep it about writing, the business of writing, news about writing, etc. I try not to make it a big sales pitch for myself because I want people to go to that site with the intentions of learning something about writing or the business of writing.

My main site is www.jimbronyaur.com and that has the pages for my books with previews, where to buy, the trailers, etc.

What this gives me the capabilities I’ve been dying for. People can visit my blog, read, learn, and yes, I have a link to my books from there. And the same for my main site. If someone goes there, there’s a link over to my writing blog. It works for me and I’m finally happy.

So what about your site? What to do?

Well, a registered domain is not required. There are plenty of authors out there who don’t have a “true site” (meaning their sites have .blogpost or .wordpress after the name). Having a web site and selling books don’t have to hand in hand. Just ask an author like Terri Reid who has sold over 60,000 ebooks and has NO site and NO blog. (Interview is here on my blog with Terri: http://jimthewriterb.wordpress.com/2011/08/22/terri-reid-sells-60000-ebooks-in-her-first-year/)

When you do make the decision for a site, consider your options. I’ve spent hundreds upon hundreds of dollars on my site only to revert back to the most basic form I can put it in. I’m selling books, not trying to mesmerize you by having flash all over my pages. Go to my site now… it’s simple. A welcome message, links to my books, and my Twitter feed. That’s all I need. You can see my book trailers, find out how to email me, and you can click over to my writing blog. The system works for me. I can manage my blog everyday, with ease, and then when it’s time for my main site, I can log in, change what I need, and be on my way.

Jim Bronyaur is the author of the thriller novel, The Devil’s Weekend.

He’s active on his writing blog www.JimTheWriterB.wordpress.com.

You can follow him on Twitter @JimBronyaur

His upcoming release is a horror novella  titled No Laughing Matter.

 

How to Edit Like a Gleaning Monkey by Heather Cashman

Author Heather Cashman is by the blog today to share some great editing tips! Check them out!

I remember when I finished writing my first novel. I felt like I could conquer the world. I thought I had worked a miracle. It was wonderful, complete, and finished. I moved on to the next novel, read many wonderful classic novels with a keener eye, and even copied them by hand to improve my own writing. Then I reread my first novel.

It was horrible.

I began to study the art of writing. I had great stories, but lacked the skills to present them to the world. The only way to gain the skills was through a lot of hard work. The Elements of Style became my writer’s Bible. I searched the MLA handbook, went to my favorite website for grammar (http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/1/), and began to pick each sentence of my manuscript apart.

From that day until its publication, I revised my original first novel more than sixty times. Friends who read the first draft and the last draft were left speechless. This isn’t to say my published novel is without fault, but it isn’t an embarrassment either. I am still learning and honing my craft.

For the first draft, I write without hesitation. I make mistakes, get down the general idea, and make sure the plot is dynamite. Then, I set to my manuscript like a monkey gleaning lice and fleas off its mate.

Below is a brief outline for how I revise: sentence to sentence, paragraph to paragraph, page to page, and chapter to chapter. These are the things I check, but I am always adding to this list when I find another mistake I tend to make more than two or three times in a MS.

WAIT first. Give yourself time between writing and revising. I like the span of two or three weeks. You need enough time to forget.

SENTENCE check:

1) Spelling. Don’t you dare trust spell check. Use it, but don’t trust it. For example, it might sell me that he should we me.

2) Use a dictionary or suffer an “inconceivable” fate. (“You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.” ~Inigo Montoya, The Princess Bride)

3) Is there a subject and verb? Is it a compound sentence, and if so, does it have the proper conjunction and comma placement, or is it a run-on sentence?

4) Do the reflexive pronouns reflect properly? This is a grammar issue as well as a writer issue. For grammar, know how pronouns work. As the writer, I know exactly who said what in any given scene. That doesn’t mean the reader will.

5) Have you mixed up your/you’re, to/too/two, and there/their/they’re?

6) Check for missing apostrophes on every word that ends in s.

7) Is every word necessary? Words are like make-up. Most often, less is more, and more makes you look fake. Readers like to use their imaginations. If that weren’t the case, they would be watching a movie. Don’t overuse adjectives and adverbs. One adjective is enough; pick the best one. Only necessary adverbs that change the meaning should be included.

PARAGRAPH check:

1) Sentence structure—does it vary, fit the mood of the moment/scene? Short sentences can make the scene move faster.

2) Are you showing, not telling?

3) Use dialogue to reveal your characters’ thoughts, not to expound narrative.

4) Are all the sentences a cohesive unit?

5) Are you structuring so that each character’s dialogue is in a different paragraph? If so, check for discrepancies.

PAGE check:

1) General formatting errors.

2) The size of each paragraph.

3) Have you included sensory stimulating words for setting, each character, and the mood of your scene?

CHAPTER check:

1) Is the first sentence a hook? This is especially necessary for the first chapter.

2) Does the last sentence leave them hanging? Each chapter should be like a short story that urges readers to continue and leaves them wanting more.

3) Is each character his or her own person, or do they all sound like you?

BOOK check:

When you think you have everything right, read every word aloud—slowly. This is invaluable. I find myself wanting to bold, highlight, and capitalize this point. There are so many errors I find when I read my novels aloud to myself.

After this, I have rounds of readers. First are the people who like me, love me even. They will be kind, perhaps too kind, but will sift out the blazing inconsistencies. Once fixed, I give the manuscript to my critique group and do the same thing. The last place I go is my professional editor. (And she’s a gem. If you need one, her information is on my blog.)

To make an outline like this for yourself, know your own common errors. Do you write like you speak: “me and Dave” rather than “Dave and I” or “Dave and me.” Do you know which version is appropriate? Do you repeatedly use dangling participles? And if you don’t know what a dangling participle is, you should learn the basics of the English language before sending out your first draft.

You will probably never find all the mistakes in your own novel, but your work should be as manicured as perfectly as possible. Too many lice and bugs in your manuscript’s hair will give the gleaning editor-monkey a belly-ache, and it costs extra to take him to the doctor.

Author Bio:

Heather Cashman graduated from the University of Arizona with a Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry but has always loved to write, winning her first contest in the second grade. Married since 1992, she has three unique children and has moved from Arizona to New York to Kansas. She loves to kayak and canoe down the windiest rivers she can find. She welcomes opportunities to visit schools, libraries, and book groups in person or via Skype. Born in Tucson, Arizona, Heather currently lives near Wichita, Kansas with her husband and three children.

Her Book!

Your perception will sharpen once you see through a tiger’s eyes.

More than five hundred years after the apocalypse, the survivors of off-grid genetic experimentation have refined their mixed DNA to the point that humans and their animal counterparts share physical and mental links. Varying species have divided into districts, living in a tenuous peace under the President of Calem.

Ardana and her tiger ingenium Rijan leave their life of exile and abuse in the Outskirts, setting out with their twin brothers to redeem themselves and become citizens of the Center. But shedding their past isn’t as easy as they had hoped. When the system that shunned them becomes embroiled in political conflict and treachery, their unique abilities and experiences from the Outskirts make them invaluable to every faction. The runaways become pawns to friends as well as enemies, and with every step it becomes more difficult to tell which is which.

http://www.heathercashman.com/
Blog http://heathercashman.com/better_off_read/
Buy Books at http://www.heathercashman.com/perception/perception.html
Twitter https://twitter.com/#!/HeatherCashman

What Comes Next- Guest post by author David Hulegaard

Before I decided to try my hand at writing, I received a lot of advice from other writers. Though no two writers ever take the exact same path, much of the tips and tricks of the craft are universal. I remember specifically being told, time and time again, that writing the first novel was going to be the hardest part, and if I could make it through that, the rest would be a breeze. Well, I was able to write and self-publish my first novel in about six months. That’s not to say that it didn’t offer one heck of a challenge, but when I had completed it only a little worse for wear, I was eager to sit back and bask in the joy of the “hardest” part being over with. If you’re smiling right now, then I’m guessing you’ve been there—maybe even shared those same thoughts.

However, in all of the words of wisdom that I received, not one person ever warned me about one of the next big challenges: What do you follow up your first book with? Choosing your next project is a huge commitment, and since writing a book is a process that requires an enormous investment of time (sometimes over a year), how do you know if you’re placing your bets behind the right one? For some, this question can be easily answered. A lot of writers, me included, start their careers with a series of books planned. They are anxious to begin work on the next one right away. For me, the decision was not quite that simple.

After six months of living and breathing nothing but the universe of my first book, Noble, I had plenty of notes regarding where I would take the story in the sequel. The problem was, I wasn’t entirely sure that I was ready to dive back into that world right away. I keep a “project pile” full of all my ideas for potential books, and I was feeling a strong pull towards one of those ideas. I felt as though I would have been foolish to resist the temptation of a story idea that was calling to me. With that, I placed the “Noble” universe temporarily on hold so that I could explore a new world and see what possibilities it may contain.

This led me to the recent completion of my second book, a novella entitled The Jumper. It’s about a middle-aged man that unfortunately discovers he has to get a new job, just weeks into his early retirement. With the job market being what it is, the only position he can find is that of a Night Custodian for a youth community center. The pay and the hours are too good to be true, and for good reason. The community center is home to the angry spirit of a teenage boy that is not shy about making its presence known, and leaving clues behind to help solve a 25-year old mystery.

With The Jumper now published, I was chomping at the bit to get back to work on the Noble trilogy. The time I spent away from the series was incredibly valuable because my writing had improved with the extra experience, and I found that the time also fueled many new ideas that I hadn’t considered before. To think, if I had moved on ahead in the series right away, some of these new ideas might never have been created, and the book would’ve only been a shell of the story I’m working on today. I am very excited with how the new book is progressing, and when it releases late this fall, I know that it will be a representation of my complete vision. Even in writing, absence makes the heart grow fonder… and productive.

About the Author

David K. Hulegaard is an author and student of film and music. From an early age, he was encouraged by his parents to read a little bit each day, and developed an extensive imagination while burying his nose into a mixture of R.L. Stine books and literary classics.

With an established professional background in the real world of category management, consultation and marketing, he felt unable to quench the thirst for creativity he’d been harboring for years. This led to the release of his debut novel Noble in October 2010.

Hailing from the postcard-perfect Pacific Northwest, where he currently lives with his fiance, there is never a shortage of inspiration. Citing a variety of influences, he loves to dabble within many different genres and settings to tell a story.

Find info on his new book The Jumper at his publishers website!

Check out Davids books on Amazon

The link to his website is: http://davidhulegaard.com

Follow David on Twitter @HulegaardBooks

Want to write? Be a superhero! by my guest John Mierau

No matter where you are in your journey as a writer, one thing is true: it’s a hard road. Every writer faces a hard path. The more you want from writing (for instance, to earn enough to pay your bills and make time to write more?) the more treacherous the obstacles in your path.

I’m talking treacherous, like a steaming locomotive racing towards a heroine tied to the tracks, or henchmen lying in wait to overpower a hero!

No matter how daring your protagonist, no matter how fiendish the danger you’ve created for him to overcome, there is something that can foul your own plans to ensnare the reader in your story at every turn!

You.

Authors, musicians, actors, athletes, anyone at the pinnacle of their profession all have to face their demons: self-doubt, fear, panic…laziness. Everyone that wants something bad enough will find a way to overcome all those things, and more, to reach their goal.

How *do* you get past your fear, or preserve your dedication to write regularly and often? Especially in the face of disbelieving friends and family, job and home responsibilities and distractions like social media, apps on your phone or computer, or friends tempting you AFK?

You have to discover your powers -your talents- hone them and believe in them, starting long before the characters in your stories will ever enthrall a reader, best a villain and save the day.

What do you have to do to make it as a writer?

Simple…

*Be a superhero*

A writer needs to believe -and remind him or herself- that inside them are stories worth telling. That their stories MATTER. A writer needs to set a course towards a platform from which he can tell those stories-whether that be a blog, magazine, self published ebook or dream-contract with a traditional publisher.

*Keep your Secret Identity*

No, this doesn’t mean hide your writing. Sometimes a writer has to keep a job spitting out other people’s words by day, and fight the crime of bad plotting and characterization by night. That can be a struggle when you don’t fully buy what ‘the day job’ is selling but: don’t quit your day job.

Even Spidey snapped pictures for the Bugle!

Hold on, there’s more to this ‘secret identity’ thing: Sometimes a writer has to fight against other people. People who use words like ‘it’s not good enough’ or ‘you are wasting your time’! A writer has to fight twice as hard against these external ‘Big Bads’, because we hear the same doubts in our heads too… and because there will always be more who doubt we can win the marathon than will support us all the way to the finish line.

Those doubts are our kryptonite: the things that take away our power – if we let it.

Don’t let it.

*Make hard choices*

The heroes in your stories have to remember what they want. That focus is what will lead them to victory. You need the same focus. Schedule your heart out, so your day job and your family won’t suffer, yet still leave a block of time for you to write the words.

Then grab a whip and a chair to deter that boss or family member who wants to take your writing time away, after the deal is struck. Someone (Maybe it’s even you, hmm? Reaching for that xbox controller or TV remote?) will always try to tear you down no matter the alliance you’ve forged.

*Remember what you’re fighting for*

You have something to say, and share. Don’t lose that focus. Green Lantern visualizes what he wants clearly to create his ring-willed creations. Batman gets to the big bad only after he defeats a seemingly endless number of soldiers-and he does it by taking one down at a time, using his training and careful planning.

Decide what you want to do in the long run-say, write a novel- and that will help you choose smaller goals that will get you there. These smaller steps may be a daily word count, or editing a manuscript to send out the door.

*Learn to walk, then run, then fly*

That’s your battle: choose goals, knock them down and set new ones. Pick a short story developing believable characters this week, a short story focusing on pacing next week, a novella dedicated to experimenting with components of a mystery plot or young adult story after that.

Once you can leap tall buildings of paperwork and chores around the house to make it to your keyboard? Keep it up. Those muscles will atrophy if you don’t.

Ditto your imagination: if you don’t try new things, it only gets harder to try them later. Pull out all the stops, and let something crazy happen. MacGyver a solution no one’s tried before!

So let’s say you’ve vanquished the time-stealing villains, buried your head-gremlins in a box, and finally meet the goal of the day! Or, you visualized writing the end of your chapter, or the end of your novel, and now it’s done!

One day, if not already, you’ll turn around and see you’ve written a complete story! Now what? Remember what Mr. Miyagi told the Karate Kid (yes, the original one!):  Wax on, wax off.

Yes, that’s right: you celebrate your victory, then you start all over again. Set new goals or, if you think it important, change the next goal in the chain you’ve planned to reach your ultimate goal (another novel, a podcast, submitting each week to pro magazines or e-publishing something).

The little goals, the daily, and weekly victories, are the ways you conclude your journeys and start new ones. All those little battles sharpen up your superpowers to help you reach your ultimate goal. For me, that’s being a full-time writer.

*Live by the superhero code*

A writer needs to live by a samurai code, a bushido governing your behavior in every little thing you do.

You only get a coke after so much exercise.

You only play a video game after writing so many words.

You only take a night off from your word-count after finishing a story, or submitting your third manuscript, or finished formatting your next ebook!

*With super-power comes super-responsibility*

Your power is writing. Believe it.

Superheroes pick their battles, and they pick their words carefully.  Even Iron Man wouldn’t swear in front of a kid (okay, maybe the Robert Downey version would, but he’d apologize after!).

A writer who wants to go pro, or full-time, or hit some other meaningful goal needs to live in the writing world and develop a reputation for reliability.

It’s called professionalism. Model your actions to match your promises and support your goals: the Lone Ranger wears a white hat, and he acts like a ‘white hat’. He doesn’t spit and he doesn’t swear, doesn’t kick his dog and always stops to save the family from the scoundrels even if something better is waiting for him.

Your mode of interaction with people who read your work. Your code of ethics. Your words in and out of your narrative. Your stories and your communication with other writing professionals and readers. All these things have to be reliable, consistent and positive.

Always be professional, even on bad days, when the super-villainy of life has you down. That’s the mark of someone who will endure, and other people will notice when you take the high road, and sometime later they may be ready and willing to help you on your hero’s journey.

Someday, somehow, keeping your cool and turning the other cheek will pay off, trust me–even if it takes years before you see the fruits of your work. Always strive not to get any dirt on your costume. You might not even be asked to help with the derring-do and the dynamic rescues, if all people can see is the dirt you rolled around in.

*Respect your origin story*

Every success makes it harder to remember how to fight the good fight, or how far you’ve come. Booster Gold wanted to be a superhero so bad, he’d take money and spout corporate slogans. Captain Hammer didn’t get that super-strength isn’t what makes you a hero.

We’ve all read stories about the little guy who fights his way to the top, and then fails to honor the code and the people who got them there. That’s usually the end for the hero, or the beginning of a long, painful journey of rediscovery. Don’t let success go to your head. Keep setting up goals, and keep giving props to the support system: family, writer’s groups, peers and people who pay for your work!

*Challenge the Unknown!*

The greatest heroes will defend others even when the odds are against them. Red-shirts can see what color their tunics are but they still step on the transporter pad! You have to do the same: you have to take risks.

When you’ve found a small piece of success, work past the comfort zone it affords you: keep taking chances with your words, keep working with people asking for the kind of help you once needed, and fight hard to share your precious time.

Some of the greatest superheros in the world are the volunteers who run into burning buildings, hold back floods or rebuild homes after tragedies. You don’t have to do anything so grandiose to be a hero. Someday, someone will come to you asking for a favor. To you it will mean little, and to them it will mean much.

If they are honest, genuine and passionate, do it. Help them out.

Finally, don’t only be brave with your time. Be brave when you type out new words. Let ‘em rip, wild and unedited. Be you a discovery writer or outliner, follow slim chances, see what pays of when you bet long odds. Originality and opportunity are hiding in the weeds, like the last piece of a puzzle you need to level up your powers as a writer!

Here’s where the superhero proves himself best: when he takes on a fight he doesn’t know he can win. Be that hero! Take a leap of faith -faith in  the super-powers of your imagination- and see where you land.

To me, that’s the greatest part of being a writer.

Do you believe in your words? Do you have a need to share them? Do you want to make a life as a writer? Jump in the trenches. Fight the good fight and I’ll see you in battle, true believers!

BIO:

I’m John Mierau: a husband, father, dog-walker and writer.

I strive to bring you crazy adventures in impossible places, filled
with admirable and despicable people, and equal parts humor and
wierdness. I sells some, and give some away as podcasts.

I’m fascinated by social media & net culture, and believe learning
about things you love, or need to tear down to understand, makes you
better.

]If I said something that made you a creator yourself, that would be
nice… Hopefully I entertain, make you think and get you coming back to
ServingWorlds.com for more!

END OF SELF-AGGRANDIZING BIO (grin)

My most YA story for sale on Kindle is Mountain Challenge

My website is http://ServingWorlds.com

Write with Style, Professionally by Lisa A. Shiel

Writers should each have their own style. We know this. Create your own voice, your own way of turning a phrase, and your own take on the subject at hand. But writing involves another kind of style too—the kind found in style manuals.

What is a style manual and why should you care about it? A style manual is a set of guidelines for the layout and presentation of your writing. Style manuals typically include everything from grammar and punctuation to the intricacies of citing sources to explanations of what information belongs on a copyright page. Although a writer may choose from any number of style manuals, the biggies are The Chicago Manual of Style, The Associated Press Stylebook, The MLA Style Manual, and the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. The titles are often abbreviated as Chicago, AP, MLA, and APA, respectively. My grad school instructors preferred the APA manual, but as a freelance writer, today I rely on Chicago. I also consult MLA for issues concerning reference citations.

Now we know what a style manual is. But why should writers care about them? If you’ve gone the traditional publishing route, you may feel that stylistic decisions are your editor’s problem. Yet submitting a professional, polished manuscript to your editor makes a better impression than sending in a manuscript full of punctuation errors and other blunders. Also, since every writer these days has a blog, ask yourself another question. Don’t you want your blog to look professional? If you’re self-published, then owning and using a style manual becomes even more important. Publishing a book that includes stylistic errors may sound like no big deal, but style manuals exist for a reason. Style guidelines provide consistency and encourage readability.

Independent book publishers and some magazines use Chicago style. Unless you’re a journalist, Chicago is the best bet. Don’t let the size of The Chicago Manual of Style intimidate you. Yes, it’s 1026 pages long. But you don’t need to memorize the entire book. Familiarize yourself with the sections that have the most relevance for your writing (e.g., grammar and punctuation). Though I’ve used Chicago style for years now, I still consult the book regularly. No one can remember every recommendation. That’s why we call it a reference book—you don’t memorize it, you refer to it!

You might say that readers don’t care about style manuals and won’t notice the errors anyway. First, whether they notice depends on how egregious the error is. Second, readers may not realize how many style decisions go into producing a book, but they will subconsciously feel the effects of a well-produced book. If your goal is to attract the attention of an agent or publisher, then applying professional style to your writing is essential. Most style decisions will, in time, become second nature.

How much do you need to shell out for a style manual? The print edition of the Chicago manual has a list price of $65 but generally sells at a substantial discount on Amazon. The online version costs $35 per year for an individual. Choose whichever version works best for you and make the investment. The cost of producing unprofessional, sloppy work outweighs the price of a good style manual.

*****

Lisa A. Shiel writes about everything strange, from Bigfoot and UFOs to alternative history. As a fiction writer, Lisa developed the Human Origins Series, which includes the novels The Hunt for Bigfoot and Lord of the Dead and the forthcoming novel Ancient Ones. Her nonfiction books include Forgotten Tales of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Strange Michigan, and the award-winning Backyard Bigfoot. Lisa has a master’s degree in Library Science and previously served as president of the Upper Peninsula Publishers & Authors Association.

Visit Lisa’s home page and read her blog at LisaShiel.com.

Follow Lisa on Twitter at Twitter.com/LisaAShiel.

Find Lisa on Facebook at Facebook.com/lisa.a.shiel.

Learn more about Lisa’s books on her Amazon page at Amazon.com/Lisa-A.-Shiel/e/B001JS286G.

 

Goodreads Book Giveaway- Sweet Light by Jen Wylie

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Sweet Light

by Jen Wylie

Released June 01 2011

giveaway details »

Enter to win

 

I love Goodreads and am quite addicted to wandering around and seeing what’s new to read. I also enjoy the giveaway section and have even won a book once. Now that I have some print copies of my own of Sweet Light, I thought I’d give others a chance to win one of their own! Entering to win is FREE! If you do win, I’d be happy to sign it too! Good luck!

Giveaway is open until Sept 1st!

~~rainbows and sunbeams!~~

Jen

Kindlegraph- now that’s cool!

I recently signed up with a very cool site called Kindlegraph.

Why is it cool? People can get a personalized autograph from me for their copies of my kindle books. Neat eh? Of course trying to sign my name on the computer isn’t all that easy- but still a fun idea for people who don’t have a paperback to get autographed in person.

You can read all about it here. They even have a video!

I wonder what they will come up with next?

Check out my page on their site! CLICK HERE

What do you think about this sort of autograph?

Interview with Debut Author Julie Drew

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

I’m an English Professor at The University of Akron in Ohio. I’m married to Bill, also an academic, and we have two boys, Philip and Brian. And a dog, Annie. I grew up in Florida and moved to Ohio in 1997 for the job. It was a good decision, though I miss the Gulf of Mexico.

2)When did you first start writing and when did you finish your first book?

The first creative writing I remember doing was when I was 15, I guess you’d call it poetry (it would be very, very kind to call it poetry). It is filled with teenage angst, very melodramatic, and takes itself way too seriously. Daughter of Providence is my first novel, and I completed it in 2007.

3)How did you choose the genre you write in?

I’m not sure I ever did, at least not consciously. I wrote the kind of book I like to read and didn’t think about how it might or should be categorized. I like literary fiction, relevant fiction, personal, human drama that unfolds amid broader social forces that help shape events and people. I think good stories are found in every genre, and I’d be delighted if I could write and publish in more than one.

4)Do you ever experience writers block? Do you work with an outline, or just write?

I absolutely work with an outline—more than an outline, really. The idea of trying to “just write” is both puzzling and terrifying to me. I can’t imagine how people do it. I spend months doing research to establish setting, to fill my head with the details of time and place, both for accuracy and to create the kind of fleshed out stories I prefer. I draw character and plot arcs and lay them out on the floor, I plan the dramatic movements and tensions in a way that allows me to “see” the entire book. I write back stories for my characters. I sort of percolate all that, and then scenes and dialogue begin to suggest themselves, the characters take on a life and volition of their own. Then I outline: I know exactly what I want to accomplish in each chapter, all of them working at the micro and macro level to accomplish the overall goal(s) of the book. It’s very methodical and pragmatic for me, it feels like building something, which is not especially romantic, but it gets the job done. I mean, if you’re going to build a house you probably start with an inspired idea of the finished product, a vision of yourself living in this building, or yourself as someone who has built a house; but then you have to move past that and make a blueprint and you pour the foundation and you go from there, right? Structure, plan, follow-through.

It’s work, frankly, but seeing it as work frees me up from the things that cause writers block. I don’t worry about whether what I’ve written on any given day is “good,” because it’s just a draft. Every time I sit down to write I advance the story, and it’s progress, it’s words on the page. Plenty of time to pore over word choice, imagery, sentence structure, metaphor. Time for beauty and art, the turn of a phrase that stops you dead, the perfect metaphor.

5)Can you tell us about your challenges in getting your first book published?

I wrote the book in about 12 months, then I went to the then-current Writers Market and did my homework, looking for NYC literary agents who might be a good fit for me/my book. I queried 100 agents with a one-page, business-like letter that included a carefully written, 2-paragraph synopsis of the book. During the next 6 months I received many rejections (some very kind, some perfunctory, a few downright rude), and about a dozen requests for the first few chapters. Again, some rejections, some requests for the full manuscript. The process whittled itself down. Eventually I wound up with my agent; he loved my book, thought he could sell it, and I liked his manner, his approach to the whole business (and of course the fact that he loved my book). Then it took 3 years to secure a publisher, which was very difficult; I had to accept that this book would never see the light of day, and then I had to work pretty hard to get myself to the point where I could begin another project, because my overwhelming sense was that I was clearly not a writer, and that I was kidding myself to think that I could do this successfully.

6)Is anything in your book based on real life experiences or purely all imagination?

Yes, a key plot point came from personal experience. I don’t want to say too much on this, but when I needed a tragedy, something that would devastate my main character and illustrate a prominent theme, something horrible that readers would really feel, there was only one choice, really: I had to kill a young girl. My younger sister died horribly in a car accident, and I drew heavily from that experience. I couldn’t think of anything worse, and I used it.

7)What project are you working on now? Will you have a new book coming out soon?

I’m about 230 pages into the first volume of a YA trilogy; I’m past the point of uncertainty, and am pumping out the pages. I’m completely in love with my characters, in love with this book, in love with the concept of the whole series. And the remaining two books are loosely plotted as well, so I’m essentially feeling like there aren’t enough hours in the day for writing. I go back to teaching in just a few weeks, so my summer of writing is coming to an end, which I hate! In a perfect world I would write until the book was complete, then teach for a while, then head into the next book. When I write I like to just write.

Cross your fingers that this book and the series will indeed be published!

8)Do you have any advice to give to aspiring writers?

This is probably a bit banal, but don’t be a perfectionist—I think that’s the single most destructive thing for writing. Yes, there is inspiration and genius, but this is about practice—keep reading and writing—honing your craft, building a text. And then it’s about teaching yourself about publishing, reading everything, talking to other writers, figuring out what you need to do to position yourself and your book in the best light for agents and editors. Writing a book is about working every day, and getting it published is about business.

1)If you were a superhero (or villain!) what would your power be? Would you wear a cape?

I would be fluent in every language and dialect. And no, I would not wear a cape, but I would wear awesome, badass boots.

2)What sort of coffee would you order? Simple coffee, complicated soy-non-fat-extra-espresso-half-caff-nightmare?

This question tells me something about you and coffee, but I will just go ahead and say it anyway! Vanilla-soy-latte, a hot milkshake of a coffee nightmare, full fat everything. The simplest coffee I will drink has to have 3 sugars and a lot of half and half. A cup of Joe, plain old black diner coffee? Blech!

3)Is there any food you refuse to eat?

In general I don’t eat organ meat or raw fish, though I have on occasion eaten both (and kept it down). I like to travel, and I like to eat, and the combination of the two is a happy one in terms of foodie adventures.

4)Drink of choice?

Alcohol: red wine with spicy overtones (dry), citrusy white wine in summer (dry, and never, ever Chardonnay), Jameson-rocks on occasion.

Other: I grew up in Florida, and I love love love an icy cold Coke in a glass bottle, though I try really hard not to drink them often.

5)If you could visit any world ever written about, where would you go?

Middle Earth. No question.