#FirstLineFriday

Posted: April 8, 2016 in ideas, Writing
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It’s Friday again, so you know what that means. It’s #FirstLineFriday!

Now if you’re unfamiliar with #FirstLineFriday, this is a weekly ritual I’ve been doing on my blog for quite a while now. Here are the rules: On each Friday, you;

  1. Create a post on your blog entitled #FirstLineFriday, hashtag and all.
  2. Explain the rules like I’m doing now.
  3. Post the first one or two lines of a potential story, a story in progress, or a completed or published work.
  4. Ask your readers for feedback, and encourage them to try #FirstLineFriday on their own blogs (tagging is optional but effective).

This week’s entry is from an idea for a novel I had last week. My dad and I were on a road trip up to Michigan to visit my grandfather. On the way back, we were listening to NPR, and one of the stories we listened to inspired an idea for a story to go with an idea fragment I’ve been turning over in my head for some time now. Please excuse the profanity, but I really wanted to get the character’s mood across. Enjoy:

Steve stared at the email in his inbox before exploding in a fit of rage. “FUUUUUUUUUCK!”

What are your thoughts? Are they any errors I should fix? Let me know in the comments below.

And while you’re at it, why not try #FirstLineFriday on your own blog? It’s a lot of fun, and for authors it’s great practice trying different openings.

And once again, I’m tagging someone. This week I’m going with one of my new Followers: Kathy Lauren from A View to a Book! You now have to do #FirstLineFriday this week or next! Hope you have fun doing it.

That’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. If there’s anything to update you on this weekend, I’ll make sure to let you know. Until next time,have a great weekend.

The Lull Between Projects

Posted: April 4, 2016 in Living and Life, Writing
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If you’re not on my Facebook page or Twitter feed, then allow me to let you know that on Saturday night, I finished the final draft of Video Rage! And a friend of mine is designing the art for the cover, with the promise that she’ll get it done by Sunday. So all that’s left is to get the copyright (I wonder if I’m the one who gets the copyright for the cover image?), set up everything on the various websites I’m selling VR through, and set a release date! Oh, and see bout doing a blog tour.

In short, there’s only a few months until Video Rage is released!

I know! Exciting, right? Fourth book is finally on the way. Woo-hoo!

In the meantime though, I’m…not really doing anything. Seriously. I’m just kind of this in this funk where I don’t feel like writing or editing. I plan to. At least, I plan to do plenty of editing on Rose. God knows I need to. But not just yet. I’ll have a lot of work to do once I get that cover. And I just don’t want to do anything big, like write or edit or even blog, during that time. Yeah, even writing this post is something of a chore. Which is weird, considering that I normally love blogging.

I think we all go through this sort of thing every once in a while. After a very big project, we don’t really feel like diving deep into the next big project if we can help it. After all, we’ve poured all this energy into getting the previous project done. Who wants to go straight into a new thing? We’d rather just relax for a little while. Which is what I’ve been doing. I’ve watched a couple of movies, caught up on some reading (I’ve got a book on Jack the Ripper I’ve been trying to get through for a while), and just chilled. And unless I’m doing something to prep for the new job (more on that in a later post), I’m just taking it easy.

However, it’s just a lull. Lulls are just that, quiet periods between great periods of activity. And as soon as I get that cover back, I’m going to get right back into work. And I plan to get a whole lot done.

Until next time, my Followers of Fear!

Review: “No Matter How Improbable” by Angela Misri

Posted: April 2, 2016 in Novel, Review, Writing
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"No Matter How Improbable" by Angela Misri

“No Matter How Improbable” by Angela Misri

I’m of the opinion that the third book in a series can be really hard to pull off, especially when the first two books were just that awesome. I’m glad to say that while the third book in the Portia Adams Adventure series by friend and fellow writer Angela Misri is a bit darker than the previous two books, it’s still a great read and I enjoyed reading it from start to finish.

So if you’re unfamiliar with the book series, it follows Portia Constance Adams, a young woman who finds out she’s the granddaughter of John Watson (as in Holmes and Watson), and moves into 221B Baker Street and begins solving mysteries in 1930s London. The third book starts with Portia now known to the great wide world as the new consulting detective at 221B, and, in addition to a bit of annoying notoriety, she’s dealing with some rather upsetting aspects of being human. Namely, you sometimes argue with, and sometimes you even lose some friends.

These themes of struggle with your friends and loss are present throughout the book, and they can be either a plus or a minus, depending on the reader. In my case, I think I’ll go with a plus. Seeing Portia’s struggles with her friends, which often are somehow wrapped up with the cases she’s taking on, makes for great character development, and makes you want to read more to see how she resolves these problems. You also feel a lot of what Portia’s feeling as you read on, which shows how good Angela is at making you feel what the character feels.

I also found the cases in the story very compelling. Again, I struggled trying to figure out who the culprit or culprits were in each case, and each time I was pleasantly surprised (I’m better at figuring out culprits on crime shows than I am in the books, it seems). My favorite was the mystery “Principessa”, which follows the actual Princess Francesca Maria of the Italian royal family. It was pretty cool, seeing an actual figure from history in a historical mystery novel.

If there were things I thought could’ve been improved upon, I did think that the final casebook was a little crowded. So much was going on in that book–a strange death, a couple of odd men following a friend of Portia’s, and a suspicious psychologist–that it’s hard to keep track of what is part of which case when. That, and in the beginning of the last chapter, there’s a scene where Portia shows some really deep emotion, but it’s only glanced over. I really would’ve enjoyed seeing more attention paid to that scene, as I think it would’ve been a very memorable scene if that had been the case.

Other than that, I really enjoyed No Matter How Improbable. It was a great read, and I really can’t wait for the fourth book. On a scale of 1 to 5, I’m giving it a 4.3 out of 5. Definitely check it out (and the first two books, too) if you have the chance.

#FirstLineFriday

Posted: April 1, 2016 in Living and Life, Writing
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It’s Friday again, so you know what that means. It’s time to do my laundry. I’m just joking, of course. Had to do an April Fool’s prank just to get it out of my system. No, it’s #FirstLineFriday!

Now if you’re new here and have never seen this hashtag before, here is a breakdown of the rules. On Fridays, you:

  1. Create a post on your blog, entitled #FirstLineFriday, hashtag and all.
  2. Explain the rules just as I’m doing.
  3. Post the first one or two lines of a potential story, a story in progress, or a completed or published work.
  4. Ask your readers for feedback and encourage them to try #FirstLineFriday as well (tagging is not necessary but you can do it if you want).

This week’s entry comes from a short story idea I had only a couple of hours after I posted the last #FirstLineFriday. I saw this video about flotation tanks and flotation therapy, and it kind of sparked a few ideas in my twisted mind. Enjoy:

Anya floated in warm, salty water, feeling like an astronaut drifting through the vastness of space. Within the darkness, Dr. Manilou’s voice echoed softly, calming her teenager’s mind and wiping away the anxieties that until recently had plagued her mercilessly.

Thoughts? Errors? Let’s discuss.

And while you’re at it, why not try #FirstLineFriday yourself? It’s a lot of fun, and for an author it’s good practice for creating compelling openings. Speaking of authors, I think I’ll tag my friend and colleague Adan Ranie. Adan, you’re up. Do a #FirstLineFriday and let m know how it goes.

That’s all for now. I’m pregnant, so I’m going to go give birth. Kidding again! April Fools. If anything else comes up, I’ll post it here. Have a great weekend, my Followers of Fear!

Video Rage: Begin the Final Draft!

Posted: March 31, 2016 in Novel, Progress Report, Writing
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I came home from the grocery story just a little while ago, and logged into my email after I put the groceries away. I was surprised and pleased to see an email from my fabulous editor, Britney Thompson Mills, with her marks and remarks on the third draft of Video Rage. You know what that means! One more draft and we begin the publication process!

Now if you don’t know what Video Rage is, it’s the sequel to my first novel, Reborn City.  And if you don’t know what Reborn City is, it’s the story of street gangs in a dystopian city-state in Earth’s near future, and a conspiracy involving the leaders of a rising gang known as the Hydras and the leaders of the city. The novel features themes of Islamaphobia, racism, drug addiction, gang violence, and overcoming other people’s expectations. It’s also a bit more realistic than other dystopian stories, with problems that mirror problems of today’s world, and a society that you can actually imagine forming.

Reborn City, my very first published novel.

Reborn City, my very first published novel.

The sequel to Reborn City, Video Rage, follows the Hydras soon after the end of the first novel, as they face the same problems made that much worse, and deal with new threats that are intent on taking their lives. I’ve been working on VR since my third year of college, and I’m glad to see that we’re finally just one step away from publication. So I’ll take a break from working on Rose–I’ve only gotten a tiny bit of that edited, anyway, so no big deal–and get through VR as fast as my little fingers can type.

In fact, I think I’ll start tonight! Look forward to seeing a post with a release date some time in the next couple of weeks. In the meantime, why not check out Reborn City? A lot of people have told me that they really enjoyed reading the book, and that they cannot wait to read VR. So if you think it sounds interesting and want to check the novel out, you can find copies in paperback and e-book from Amazon, Createspace, and Smashwords. And whatever your thoughts, please let me know what you think. Review, comment, I love some good feedback, and I would love to hear yours.

And if you’re an author looking for someone to edit your book, why not check out Britney’s website? She’s got great skills and she’ll give your book the touch-up it needs. I speak from personal experience, and I highly recommend her.

That’s all for now. See you in a few hours, when it’s Friday (you know what that means). I’m off to edit!

Ignore the Naysayers

Posted: March 30, 2016 in Living and Life, Reflections, Writing
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Yesterday someone in one of my writers’ groups on Facebook posted about a recent upsetting experience. She’d told her family that her book was coming out later this year in July, and that she had other books on the way too. Apparently her family’s response was entirely negative, telling her that only rich and famous people actually called themselves authors, and that she should keep her head out of the clouds and on the ground because she obviously wasn’t one.

Not only was this reaction just plain horrible (we should be getting tons of love and support from our families for our writing dreams, not criticism and put-downs), but it’s also ignorant. While not all authors become rich and famous, they don’t need to be to be called authors. And even the rich and famous ones, which are rare to begin with, started out as dreamers with a manuscript they wanted to get published. Seriously, every one. JK Rowling was a single mother living on state benefits while writing Harry Potter. Stephen King was a teacher with three kids and not a lot of cash before the paperback rights to Carrie allowed him to move up the economic ladder a little. HP Lovecraft never saw true success in his lifetime, but he’s considered one of the most influential authors in modern-day horror. We all have to start somewhere.

But that’s beside the point. What I’m actually trying to say is that fame or finances are horrible ways to measure whether or not someone should be called an author. Someone could have millions in the bank or have a reality show and a famous spouse and write terrible fiction. No, if you’re going to measure by what right someone has to be called an author, then do it by how passionate someone is about writing, and by how their work resonates with others. If someone is very passionate about writing, about telling stories and sharing them with others, and that person’s work resonates with readers, I really think they deserve to be called an author. And in the case of this particular author, she’s clearly passionate about her writing, and it resonated enough with her publisher that they want to publish it and believe it’ll do well in sales. In my eyes, she definitely deserves to be called an author.

Of course, there are always people who feel they know better, whether or not they’re inside the industry, and there will always be people who just want to put others down just so they can put others down. I run across those people from time to time. I can’t say which kind the family of the author I’ve been talking about it, but I know what response I would give them: Screw you. Those people don’t hold any power unless you allow them to, and your own opinion of yourself and your work is more important than what they have to say. And if they’re only going to say hurtful or denigrating things, then maybe it’s best to put them aside and find people who will give you the support you need. Let them stew in their own negativity.

Or to put things more simply (and humorously):

So let them naysay. It won’t get them anything if we don’t let them have anything from it. And I don’t know about you, but I don’t intend to let any of my detractors (few that I have) say anything bad about me and bring me down. No, I’ll keep on writing, editing, publishing, and marketing, and listen to the voices who will help me along in that.

And in its way, having those supporters is way better than any riches or fame (though those would be nice).

Self-Pub Authors: How to Deal with Idea Fragments

Posted: March 28, 2016 in ideas, Journalism, Writing
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I just published the other article I wanted to write before I started working on Rose. How to Deal with Idea Fragments is exactly how it sounds: tips on working with characters, concepts, or images that could be great stories but you don’t have enough material yet to really call it an idea. I took a lot of the material for this article from personal experience, and I’m hoping that it proves very helpful to writers everywhere who may struggle with these fragments on occasion.

Go check out the article when you have a moment. And if you get a moment, why not check out the rest of the website? Self-Published Authors Helping Other Authors is a fantastic blog from independent writers, by independent writers, and for independent writers. There, you can find articles on writing, editing, publishing and marketing, all without having to use a big publishing company. I’ve found it extremely helpful in the past, and I’m sure you will too.

That’s all for now. I’m going to try to get some work done on Rose today. I actually started work on the third draft late last night, and while I didn’t make a lot of progress, I at least started the process. Hopefully I can get it a little further along today, right my Followers of Fear?

#FirstLineFriday

Posted: March 25, 2016 in ideas, Novel, Writing
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It’s Friday again, so you know what that means. It’s #FirstLineFriday!

Now if you’re unfamiliar with what #FirstLineFriday is, here are the rules. On Fridays, you:

  1. Create a post on your blog entitled #FirstLineFriday, hashtag and all.
  2. Explain the rules like I’m doing now.
  3. Post the first one or two lines of a potential story, a story-in-progress, or a completed or published story.
  4. Ask your readers for feedback and encourage them to try #FirstLineFriday as well (tagging them if necessary).

This week’s entry comes from a story I’ve had sitting in the back of my head for a while. Without going into details, it involves issues of faith and belief, as well as devotion and power. It’ll be a very dark and probably bleak book when it’s finally written. Anyway, enjoy:

I remember the day I lost faith almost as clearly as if it had happened yesterday. Probably a good thing too, because my lack of faith is what allowed me to survive.

Thoughts? Errors? Let’s discuss.

And while we’re here, I think I’ll tag someone again. This week I’m tagging…Angela Misri of A Portia Adams Adventure! Angela, in honor of your new book, No Matter How Improbable, being released, I hereby tag you for #FirstLineFriday. Hope you enjoy doing it almost as much as I do every week. Or as much as I’m enjoying the new book. I’m about nine or ten chapters in at the time I’m writing this, and I have to say, I find it very intriguing. Especially including real historical figures in the story. That’s a pretty cool touch.

That’s all for now. If there’s anything else to post about this weekend, you’ll hear about it. In the meantime, have a good day and I’ll see you all later. Have a good one, my Followers of Fear!

Self-Pub Authors: PJ Boox

Posted: March 23, 2016 in Journalism
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I’m pleased to announce my latest article from Self-Published Authors Helping Other Authors has gone live on the website. The article, PJ Boox: A Bookstore for Indie Authors, is an update on the Gulf Coast Bookstore I wrote about last year. Apparently since that article, Gulf Coast has gotten a new name and a bigger space, and its got some pretty nice options for indie and small-press authors.

If you get a chance, check out the article. And if you’re a self-published author, I highly recommend you check out the rest of the website. Self-Published Authors Helping Other Authors is a website from indie authors, written by indie authors, and for indie authors. It’s a great place to get tips on writing, editing, publishing, and marketing without the help of big presses.

That’s all for now. Unless something else comes up between now and Friday, I’ll see you all for everybody’s favorite ritual. Until next time, my Followers of Fear. Pleasant nightmares!

Give in to Love, Not Hate: Reactions to Brussels

Posted: March 22, 2016 in Living and Life, Reflections
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Earlier today, Brussels was hit by a wave of terrorist attacks. An airport and a metro station were hit by explosions that killed thirty and injured one-hundred and thirty more. ISIS has claimed responsibility, making this the second attack in Europe the group has perpetrated in the past year. And once again, we are reeling from the horrors caused by these monsters, and coming together to stand firm against them.

In these troubled times, it is good that we come together. ISIS and those who think like them hope that there actions will cow the Western world, fill us with fear and make our governments and our societies collapse. Instead, the Western world comes together in support of our fallen and wounded, vowing to stand against and increase our efforts to destroy vicious cancers like these terrorist groups.

However, at times like these it is tempting, even in our solidarity against terrorism, to give into fear and turn on those whom we should stand with because of a misplaced association. Already in the wake of Brussels, increased calls to monitor Muslims have been sounded from all sectors, including from presidential candidates here in the United States. On social media, the hashtag #StopIslam has been trending, associating Islam with terrorism. And although this hashtag has been condemned by both social media companies and users, the outcry has seemingly only grown the trend. Once again, it seems a lot of people feel that Islam and Muslims are to blame for what happened in Brussels today.

I have met and made friends with plenty of Muslims in my time. I’ve studied the religion, out of curiosity and for my own education. And as many of you know, my first novel featured very prominently a main character who is Muslim. And I’ve maintained for years that the people who commit these horrible acts of barbarism, no matter what they may believe or claim, are not Muslims. Or if they are, they are very poor examples of Muslims, like Westboro Baptist is a poor example of a Christian church, or the man who murdered Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin is a poor example of a Jew.

And yet it saddens me that so many people disagree, and that the world is slowly beginning to look like the fictional landscape of my novel Reborn City.

In these times, it is important to not turn on each other and look for scapegoats. The only people to blame are the actual members of ISIS, the terrorists who set off the explosions and the people who funded them and helped to coordinate their attacks. Not the people who worship in peace, who go to work every day and bring home money for their families and want only to live a good life, and condemn every act of terrorism that is done by these monsters. We must remember this as we move in the coming months to prevent further attacks and to beat back this menace. Only together can we truly stand together in solidarity and win this war.

So in the future to come, let us not give into fear or hate. Let us not blame people who have never done an aggressive act in their lives or just want to live in peace and harmony with their neighbors. Let us not listen to those in power who make it seem acceptable or even smart to give into this hate and fear. Instead, let us come together. because only together are we strong enough. Let us embrace love, unity and kindness, and say to those who dislike our way of life, “You shall not tear us down! We are working together, we are embracing our neighbors, and because of that you shall not win!”

Because only together, only through love and through reaching out and not giving into fear can we beat back this evil and make tomorrow safer. If we give into our fears, we’ll only divide, and victimize, and maybe feed the phenomena we are trying so hard to destroy.

And that cannot happen. We cannot let it happen.

So let us come together. Let us stand together. And let us come out of this so much stronger than we did coming in.

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