Seasons Greetings

See you next year everyone! Blogs will start up again in 2011. May all of you have a wonderful holiday season!

The Reveal! The Dare!

During my NaNoWrimo interview series I asked the five lovely ladies a truth or dare question. No one was brave enough to take on the dare! Maybe the dare was a bit crazy to add into their NaNo story! 

Here was the big dare! They had to write it into a scene.

Banana cream pie!

                                                           In your face!

Dear character

NaNo is finished and I have a very rough first draft. If I could only apply NaNo year round I could see the creativity flowing. I fear the internal editor will break out of the closet next month. Yikes!

During NaNo a participant in my region posted Dear (character name) and you had to write a letter to them. I was SO in! This really helped to break up writing and get into my character's head.

Here was mine.


Dear Bee,


      What is wrong with you? As your friend who secretly is doing everything to mess up your life and back you in a corner, I beg you to reconsider your love interest. He is a Grim Reaper for jeepers crow. You will die for loving him. Don't get taken back for those baby blue eyes, look at the ugly black cloak he wears. It's a crime not having a sense of fashion. I understand you are the only one who can see death, but I would have to vote no! Yup, not so healthy of a relationship. I would suggest you join the group YES I AM A PSYCHO!

PS I think your brother is pretty cute, can you give him my number :)

                                                                                           Thanks,
                                                                                           Me



Give it a try and show me what you've got :)
 
A side note my kids think the Whip My Hair song is the hottest thing going. Help me! They go around the house whipping their hair around. It's an epidemic *looks to right, then left*

Ending NaNo with a bang! Welcome Cheree Smith.

NaNo is coming to an end. Crazy, right?  Just think by next month you could be drowning in revisions or you could take a much needed vacation. I'm opting for a vacation with lots of eggnog (preferably spiked)!


Sit back and relax because Cheree Smith is ending my NaNo interview series with a BANG!

You can visit Cheree at her blog Justified Lunacy


If you want to buddy Cheree her NaNo username is cherry_chez

Current word count 48912/50000

Tell us what the name of your NaNo story is Scripted

What is Scripted about? The only thing Michaela remembers is her name, but that's probably because it's embroidered into the jumpsuit she finds herself wearing when she awakens aboard a plane. After being forced to jump out of it before crashing, she finds herself trapped on an island where is given details about who she is. Michaela feels like she's been given a character to play, and everything she's been told isn't the truth. Michaela has to piece together her life and distinguish between the truth and the script she's been given to play. Can she escape from the island before she becomes the person they say she is?


Why in the world do you NaNo? It actually forces me to write and get something completed. I have a habit of starting projects and then being sidetracked by something else. This helps me focus.

Do you plan for NaNo or are crazy like me and NaNo on the fly? I had an outline of a plot to start with, but had to chuck that away on day 2 when my characters didn't want to follow the story I had imagined.

Where did you get the idea for Scripted? From watching so much reality television. I found it funny that for being reality it is very scripted and the show only shows what they want. My original story was about a girl who went to school on a reality television show, now I was intrigued about whether a person without any memories could be programmed to follow the character that someone else has created for them.

What is your down and dirty tip for upping your word count? Turn off your self-editor and DON'T erase anything. The more times you rewrite sections the lower the count will be, even if you hate it, keep it.

Quick it's day thirty at five at night and you have 45,000 words, what are you going to do to finish? Probably pull an all nighter.



Cheree I truth or dare you! truth

If you were a character in any story, who would you be and why?
I actually would like to be a character out of another story I'm writing called Swayed. My MC is Jace and she's a strong girl who is a bit geeky at heart (but doesn't like to show people that side). After playing a video game she finds out that she has been given super powers. Her power is the ability to open wormholes and transport herself to another location. That would be a cool power to have, and a time saver.


Thanks so much for stopping by Cheree and Good Luck! I think she will be in the winners circle pretty soon!
Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Stay tuned next week I will reveal the big dare no one was brave enough to accept.

NaNo interview with Lisa and Laura Roecker

Holy mother of chocolate bars can you believe we are seventeen days into NaNo. Thats's right HALF WAY! Where did the time go? Yup, drooling over keyboards,drinking gallons of coffee, and praying they will show re-runs of Glee all month.

Take that coffee break because the Fantastic sister duo is rocking the house LISA and LAURA! **jumping up and down clapping and then doing a happy dance**


Lisa and Laura Roecker are sisters-turned-writing-partners and their first book THE LIAR SOCIETY releases March 1, 2011 by Sourcebooks Fire.


Website: www.lisaandlauraroecker.com
Blog: http://lisa-laura.blogspot.com


Laura and Lisa (see how I mix it up so I don't play favorites) I'm so excited to have you here today! It has been a pleasure and tons of laughs to follow your journey. We all eagerly await for your book in March. Thanks for hanging out with us today and answering some burning questions we are all dying to know!

If you want to spy on buddy LiLa their NaNo username is LisaLaura

Current word count 17,583/50000

Tell us what the name of your NaNo story is BLOODLINES

What is Bloodlines about? Amnesia + An Abduction + Family Secrets + False Identities = BLOODLINES


Why in the world do you NaNo? This is our first time ever trying and honestly it is so much fun. Granted there are two of us, so we flip the document back and forth and aim for 2,000 words a day! The owner of the document has it from midnight to midnight, but we've been known to write past curfew much to the dismay of our husbands.


Do you plan for NaNo or are crazy like me and NaNo on the fly? We tried to do NaNo on the fly, got frustrated and came up with an outline. Now our outline doesn't work anymore and we're back to NaNo on the fly. I'm sure we'll be frustrated any day now and have to adjust our outline. With two writers, writing by the seat of your pants doesn't work as well!

Where did you get the idea for Bloodlines? This idea is a combination of a bunch of random ideas we've gathered over the last few months. We had actually started writing it before November and had to scrap everything and start again. But the characters have all stayed the same and we're super-excited about them. There are sisters in this book--woohoo!


What is your down and dirty tip for upping your word count? It's all in the details. We usually spew out the plot of our chapters and before sending off, read back through and add all of those sensory details that help the reader visualize our scenes. And, although it's near impossible, we've really tried to silence our inner-editors and just put words on the paper. This is tricky, but once you get the hang of it, the words really start to flow. And seeing that number tick up is incredibly motivating! I mean we've never written 17,000 in 10 days before!


Quick it's day thirty at five at night and you have 45,000 words, what are you going to do to finish? Ugh...thinking about this kind of gives me a stomach ache. My biggest fear is wrapping up the novel! I think we'd have to play hot potato on this one, but in a matter of hours. We would each be responsible for 3,000 words and hope for the best!


LiLa I truth or dare you! truth
If you were a character in any story, who would you be and why?
In this story, Laura is most definitely Laney, the nice and sometimes shy sister and Lisa is Rina, independent and bitchy. HA!


Thanks ladies!

Day Sixteen! The light! The light!

If you were on Bloggerville this morning and saw my oops for a nano second, darn! If you didn't ha ha! I thought I scheduled and didn't and ya know. I blame it all on my big, clumsy fingers. BUT you're going to have to wait until tomorrow to read my NaNo interview with Lisa and Laura aka Laura and Lisa aka LiLa.

It is day sixteen and we should be halfway through NaNo with 25000 words of vomit written! It's halfway from the beginning, but still halfway to the light at the end of the tunnel. I find myself writing crap the more I get behind to catch up. I often daydream about killing off a character and then bringing them back to life for kicks. Right now my NaNo project mirrors the image below. Notice the small beam of light.

I'm still going to spew out vomit to reach that light of poop at the end of thirty days. In the end I hope to have the makings of a cool plot and interesting characters. My light could possibly end up looking like below image instead. Notice the bigger stream of light but I'm not sure if the dog just had a big bum. 

Nancy Cavanaugh Takes the Stage

We are ten days into NaNo and I hope you are plugging away and not pulling your hair out. Take a break, grab a cup of coffee and please welcome Nancy Cavanaugh. **gives a woot woot and claps**

If you want to buddy Nancy her NaNo username is  crafty1_nh


Current word count 0/50000 As of 10:30 a.m. on day 2 I have 2,733 words


Thanks for hanging out with us today and answering some burning questions we are all dying to know!

Nancy take it away! Nancy A. Cavanaugh is a single, work at home mom living in Keene, NH. She shares her tin can with her teenage daughter, two bratty cats and a Betta fish named Phreddie. She works from her living room doing freelance writing, web design and desktop publishing. Nancy has one self-published book, Mini Tales, which can be bought for the Kindle or as a PDF from her web site at http://www.nancyacavanaugh.com . You can follow her NaNo journey at http://aepyornis.weebly.com/nano-blog.html.

Tell us what the name of your NaNo story is The Egg Mystery (David and Brian's Eggcellent Adventure)

What is The Egg Mystery about? David Stitson is 16 years old and the new owner of a large house and all of his grandmother’s possessions, including a large crate in the attic. David and his best friend Brian Jacobs discover the crate contains a huge egg and a letter with a hidden surprise. Follow along as David and Brian discover more about the egg, the bird who lays it, and the surprise as they find themselves on a plane heading to Madagascar. Mystery and adventure abounds.

Why in the world do you NaNo? I love to write and I love challenges. I just wish they did this in the summer when there are fewer family commitments and no major holiday in the middle of it all.


Do you plan for NaNo or are crazy like me and NaNo on the fly?
I have tried to do NaNo on the fly and was fairly successful. This year I did a lot of planning, like writing out a full plot summary (or mostly full) and creating a character list with some of the details filled in about each character. Age plays a huge part in the story so I needed to figure all that out first. Ack! Answering this just made me have a rethink on part of the story, thankfully not the part I'm working on.


Where did you get the idea for The Egg Mystery?
I was doing research on the aepyornis, an extinct bird native to only Madagascar, for a non-fiction book I want to write for kids. I discovered that the Denver Museum of Nature and Science has two aepyornis eggs that are whole, or mostly whole as one has a hole at one end and something rattling around inside it. No one, as far as the guy knew, had looked inside, which is unfathomable to me. It triggered a story idea about a museum curator's daughter finding out about the rattle inside and doing her own investigation. When she looks inside she discovers a map from Madagascar. She and her best friend tag along on an expedition to find more eggs and bones, then sneak off to follow the map with a guide they hire. Eventually they find a valley or something with hundreds of aepyornis. The next day I had a rethink and came up with the version of the story I'm writing now.


What is your down and dirty tip for upping your word count? Copy/pasting: "I thought I could, but I couldn't so I'm typing this instead." Just kidding. I have no tips for that. I just plan on trudging along, following the story summary or going wherever the story wants to take me.

Quick it's day thirty at five at night and you have 45,000 words, what are you going to do to finish? I will make sure they have provisions then I will close myself in my bedroom and tell the child and cats if they do anything to distrub me it will cause the end of the world and if that happens it will be all their fault. I'll add in something about not wanting to have all that guilt so it is best that they just not disturb me. That or I'll just threaten to pull her Internet access and take away all the cat toys if they do.


Nancy I truth or dare you! truth

If you were a character in any story, who would you be and why? Hands down, Nancy Drew. Well, for a long time it was because we had the same name, but as I got older it was because we had the same first name AND she got to go on all these super fun adventures with her two best friends and occasionally her boyfriend too. The seemingly endless supply of money to support the adventures was a bit of a lure too.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Why NaNo???

It's been fun interviewing my fellow Wrimo's. My favorite question to ask was why do you NaNo. So, I thought I would give you my reason. By the way come back tomorrow to read my interview with Nancy Cavanaugh. It is stellar!

Ah, November the days are getting shorter, the holidays are just around the corner, apple pie smell wafts in the air, AND WE NEED TO WRITE 50000 WORDS IN A MONTH!! Are they NUTS. I love it!

 I love kicking my internal editor in the closet, I love swearing at her and telling her to shove it, and go suck on a dirty sock. I love being on a deadline, and to know if I can accomplish NaNo then I can do anything (well not anything). I love knowing that there are a gazillion writers doing the same and if I need support or a pep talk they are there in cyber world waiting to help. I love connecting with other writers in my state, and possibly meeting up with them. I look forward to my daily check in with my region, I love reading all the blurbs. Oh gosh all the numbers and stats, yea awesome! What about 30 covers in 30 days? FUN! I love all the hype.

Wow was that a mouthful or what? Steven Tyler eat your heart out.

AND what about the young writers program. What a great opportunity for the young folks. I'm so excited that my excitement rubbed of on my daughter, and then rubbed off on her friends and school! How easy is it to print out a flyer from the site, give it to your kid to hang at school. Great stuff.

BTW 13600/50000

Give me your best Steven Tyler about NaNo!

Brenda Drake is in the Spotlight

Today we have the lovely Brenda Drake visiting and answering questions about NaNoWriMo. **Shouts and claps**
Visit her Blog at Brenda Drake Writes

If you want to buddy Brenda her NaNo username is Brenda Drake

Current word count 1636/50000



Thanks for hanging out with us today and answering some burning questions we are all dying to know!

Tell us what the name of your NaNo story is. Knight Owls

What is Knight Owls about? When seventeen-year-old Graciela Zamora's Spring fling drowns right before their date, she's about to discover that there's a fine line between the living and the dead and if she doesn't heed the warnings in the diary of girl killed in 1904 she may very well cross over that line.

Why in the world do you NaNo? This is my first year participating and I just thought it would be challenging and fun to try it.

Do you plan for NaNo or are crazy like me and NaNo on the fly? I planned for NaNo, because I didn't want to get blocked. I researched every setting and the traditions of each place, printing pictures of them. I then picked my characters, did bios on each, and found pictures on the internet that resembled them. And finally, I wrote out ideas for scenes to prompt me if I get stuck.


Where did you get the idea for Knight Owls? I was hiking the foothills of my neighborhood with my walking buddy. She was talking about the college her daughter attends and its crazy traditions. They were so fantasy like and mystical that I was inspired to write a story about a girl going there and finding out that she is more than an ordinary girl.


What is your down and dirty tip for upping your word count?
I've set a goal of writing 2000 words a day for 25 days and then I'll have five extra days just in case something happens. You know, like, life stuff getting in the way or something.


Quick it's day thirty at five at night and you have 45,000 words, what are you going to do to finish?
Accept failure
 

Brenda I truth or dare you! Truth

If you were a character in any story, who would you be and why? Though I absolutely love my MC, Gracie, I would definitely be Hannah, she's a Kate Hepburn wanna be and she is so like her. She's going to be a blast to write about. She's the comic relief of a sometimes dark ghostly story.




Thanks again Brenda. Now go get writing!

Next week Nancy Cavanaugh is up to bat.

NaNo update

We are three days into NaNo and my word count is 3066/50000  If only blog posts could be added all us bloggers would be set! Truth be told I wouldn't have got this far without the support of others.

So how am I going to make it to December?

My album of choice this November is Taylor Swift with Speak Now. The song Dear John is priceless!

Beverage will be hazelnut coffee, on the strong side.

Fuzzy animal buddy are my button quail chicks I hatched last week.

Desperate pleading to my kids that housework is fun.

So how are you guys/gals in blogger land doing?

Stop by tomorrow for my NaNo interview with Brenda Drake.

Step Three and off we go! The Blurb

If you are a newbie to National Novel Writing Month this will help you to get started. By the way today is November first if you haven't checked the calendar, and THE PARTY HAS BEGUN! It's never too later to sign up.

Writing a story blurb for NaNoWriMo can help keep your story on track. Sure it can veer off and do crazy unexpected things, but in the scheme of things you don't want to lose perspective of the characters motivation. So here is mine that I put together last week.

Aiden
The life of a reaper is easy you track, kill, and collect the soul for escort to the other side. Bee was next on Ad's list when the birth of her twin cousins upset the balance of death in her family.(Conflict that sets story in motion) When he goes to deliver the kiss of death to Bee he is flooded with a warmth he hasn't felt since his human life. His hesitation traps part of his soul in Bee making her immortal like him, and the only way he knows to get it back is to kill her with his scythe. (the incentive moment) But killing her isn't so easy when she brings light to his darkness, and not killing her would mean he would be forced to ascend. (character motivation) Sometimes being a grim reaper sucked.

Beatrice
Bee could always see the Grim Reapers who collected souls. She accepted it as a part of herself long ago, and even used it to warn her cousin Sabrina of her death. When the reaper comes after her next she tries to convince him not to kill her, but first she has to convince herself that she doesn't love him. Loving him is a dangerous game when one kiss could kill.

So, I hope that has helped. Don't forget to fill out your NaNo profile and for the love of chocolate START WRITING!

FYI- Scrivener beta program is out for Windows (FREE). Woohoo! It's pretty neat and I'll be giving it a try to see if it will be worth buying when the full program hits shelves next year. I like the feature of a split page for editing. Anyone use it for their Mac's?

Another FYI. I'm very excited to announce my first interview series for NaNo. Stay tuned for these Wrimo's!
Brenda Drake
Nancy Cavanaugh and she also has a website, click here

Six Days to Go NaNoWriMo, Step Two: The Setting

Let's hope by now you have a good idea about your characters. That's all you have been thinking about since I posted last, right? Alright, good!  Moving on.

                                               The setting. Da Da Dum.....

If you're like me and have had a brain fart about setting here are some down and dirty tips to get your brain moving.

-Be really lame and use somewhere you know.  Yup, my dudes are going to live in a small New England town like me. It's going to be Fall with colored leaves and apple pies. I spent yesterday hiding because they came after me with a pitchfork because they wanted to party in New York City. SORRY NOT THIS TIME. Crud, I ducked from a shovel being thrown.

-If you have a certain scene in mind do a Google image search. Pictures and art are a terrific way to spark imagination. I Googled historical cemeteries in my state this weekend. I know I'm the pillar of happiness!

-Make up your own world. Then you don't need to figure anything out.

Good luck!  Be ready, next up is the BLURB.

My NaNoWriMo

Name: Kiss of Death
Characters: Aiden the lost soul vs Bee the free spirit
Setting: Small New England town, population under two thousand, season Fall
Words: 0/50000
User name: kerri192804

Countdown to NaNoWriMo, Step One: Characters

Pick a title for your soon to be creation because you will have to put it in your profile :)

Now, quick establish your main characters. Here are some tips to get started.

Look to people around you and steal borrow their personality traits.

Use media outlets like your blog, Facebook, or Twitter to get opinions of others. Feel free to steal borrow their ideas.

Google is your best friend. So, don't be afraid to Google until your fingers come off about personality traits. A whole slew of them pop up, and can help you get a feel for how your character will be.

How about those type A and type B personalities.

If you're really stuck then stick to the basic-ya know- the bad boy vs good girl, opposites attract, the tortured soul, the mean girl, the bully, the princess and so on. You can always multi-layer their personality and change it by the end of those 50,000 words.

AND if all else fails get ten pieces of paper. Write your favorite characters of all times from shows or movies that you would die without watching again. Fold it. Put it in a hat and pull one out and use it!

I told you quality is getting thrown out the window but I warn you if you are serious about the story good luck with revisions bawhahaha!

My NaNoWriMo
Name: Kiss of Death
Characters: Aiden the lost soul vs Bee the free spirit
Words: 0/50000
user name: kerri192804

Blogging on the Go

The juggling act of life can get crazy at times. Kids, soccer, work, supper, writing. How can we forget the endless work of pets, dirty dishes, and laundry. And HOW can we fit blogging into the mad dash of colored balls in constant motion bombarding our creative time? Easy B.O.T.G. dear friends.

       BLOGGING ON THE GO

Thank you modern technology!

I should mostly thank hubby though for hijacking my old out of date phone and replacing it with a smart phone. I admit to being terrified at first. Yup, like afraid to touch it and how the bleeping heck do you turn it on terrified. I liked my phone that you flipped and dialed. Simple, and to be honest I picked it out mostly because it was purple.

But then something happened......

Something marvelous.

Something fabulous.

I figured the darn thing out and cut blogging time in half. Yes I said that right, IN HALF!

Now I blog at the bus stop, at soccer when my kids are taking a water break, in line at the supermarket. There is no limit!

Just ignore my previous ranting post about dissing the commercials that say "there is an app for that."

I am now a fan of smart phones and happen to love the blogger app.

For anyone who has one and needs a push to maneuver the thing go to the blog

CK Droid

Watch for more posts on this modern marvel of B.O.T.G.

SO, does anyone use the blogger app? Spill the beans and tell me how you like it.

Eat What the Brain Wants! Chocolate!

So, I may be a little obsessed with eating chocolate. It is like my brain food. I mean I don't go crazy and eat it like a mad woman wearing it on my face or snarfing down five chocolate bars a day or anything.  But a small piece a day is my reward! My brain wants it and I don't deny myself the delicacy.

Well BOOO YA it is actually good for your health. Just the excuse I need hahahaha! Chocolate that contains 60% cocoa can improve your heart health, lower blood pressure, reduce bad cholesterol (LDL) but wait because that is not all. IT INCREASES BLOOD FLOW TO THE BRAIN. WOOHOO! I feel smarter already, don't you? It also boosts serotonin levels that helps with mood and get this GREATER CONCENTRATION. Beat that little Debby.

Why you ask. Well since chocolate is made from plants it contains benefits of dark veggies. Hell ya, but gosh don't tell the kiddies since Halloween is coming soon. It's got antioxidants and free radicals going on. Rumor has it that there is only 1/3 bad fat in it!

So, you want a little something something while writing you have my permission to EAT SOME CHOCOLATE!

Here you go, pass some around. Hey, I saw that share now. So what is your brain food?

Creating Compelling Characters

What makes a character compelling? Is a characters likability in the eye of the beholder? Maybe, but maybe not.

We as writers have the power of words. Words are powerful and give us the ability to make a reader fall in love with a character or loathe a character. Watch out because writers will put a spell on you dear readers! So, how are we as writers going to make you love or hate a character?

 Know your characters better than they know themselves. Know what makes them tick early in your writing and create a character profile. It is a great way to get to know those fabulous characters that live in the depths of our brains and come to life through our words!

Here are some ideas to add in a character profile.

-Age

-Past experiences- good or bad experiences, environment they grew up in, their family, friends.
     A teen who grew up in New York City will sure think and act different than say a teen who grew up in the middle of Kansas.

-Character motivations-What internal and external motivation makes that character tick.
         Think character goal, motivation, and conflict.
   
-Physical appearance- eyes, weight, height color hair.

-Environment- Do they live in the country, city, or another planet?

 -Quirks-bring on some bad habits, nail biting, hair twirling, addiction to candy.

 -Actions- how do characters react to negative or positive situations? Are they followers, take control of situations, or run away morphing into a mouse?

-Style-Do they wear overalls and don't care about what they look like or are they addicted to shopping at the Gap?

-Hobbies-What brings them happiness?
              Need a hobby? CLICK HERE for 101 hobbies

 -Pet peeves-We all have them! Bad driving, not putting the toilet seat down, leaving laundry in a pile  
  on the floor.
               Need ideas? CLICK HERE for a list of 500 pet peeves

Now quick take that character and slap some handcuffs on them, don't forget to read them their Miranda rights. Take them to the local precinct. They are in a room now with a one way mirror. You put a cup of day old Joe in front of them and take off the cuffs. First you do good cop. Then you walk out of the room behind the mirror and put on a wig. You go back in and do bad cop.  Interrogate the heck out of them and be amazed at the things you learn from your character!


                                             Happy Writing!


I just want to add a link. The ladies of SEEKERVILLE have a wonderful and informative post on developing characters today also. They write christian fiction and their blog was the very first blog I read on writing and they have become blogging mentors for me. It is an example of how just because you write a certain genre doesn't mean you can't learn a thing or two by writer's of a different genre. (Oh and I love their books). Variety is the spice of life!

I LOVE experiments. For anyone who is ever afraid their writing will mirror another writers, go see Elana's blog (in the side bar to the right) for a full list of participants who are blogging on this same topic. I guarantee that the 80 plus participants will all having something different to add! Bring on those compelling character!

Contest Alert!

There is stuff going on in the blogosphere today. Epic stuff! The epic of epicness! So epic you will....

Well how about I throw some links out to you and you can check it out yourself.

Click here    and   click here and also here


Enjoy!

Have a Brain Fart? 50 Things to Blog About

2. Favorite shows


3. Something random

4. Reality shows

5. Character motivation

6. A cool craft

7. What not to wear

8. What would Nancy Botwin say (Weeds)

9. Glee

10. Creating a character arc

11. Internal and external character motivation

12. The Query process

13. A vacation

14. A much needed vacation

15. A playlist

16. Pictures that have inspired a story

17. Coffee

18. Chocolate

19. Most common spelling errors

20. Grammar lesson

21. Inspiration

22. Book review

23. Interviews with other bloggers

24. Movie review

25. Your dog or cat

26. Share writing techniques

27. Outlining

28. Synopsis writing

29. A hobby

30. History lesson

31. Your kids Science experiment that has gone wrong (or right)

32. Memorable characters

33. Books we can't live without

34. Books that have gone to movie

35. Sagging middles (and not baby got backs but stories)

36. The crazy 80's

37. Using social media outlets

38. Promoting yourself through your blog

39. Branding

40. Paying it forward with a contest/giveaway

41. Venting and ranting (But not offending or negative to others please)

42. Clip art

43. The Smurfs

44. Creating worlds

45. Must try bakery's in every state

46. Technology

47. E-books

48. Kindle

49. Funny pet peeves

50. Hollywood trash



If all else fails blog about something that your fellow blogger has blogged about that has inspired you (obviously not word for word) and don't forget to give them props!

Have any others to add to the list?

Sir Fartsalot hunts the booger

My trip to Borders was suppose to be just to browse, yeah as if!  The agenda was browsing because I have been stalking my mailbox for Mockingjay, Paranormalcy, and Clockwork Angel. I think the mailman is scared of me because he holds up mace like I'm a rabid dog. *wink, wink*

But....

Of course, there is always a but. I found a funny book for my middle grade child.  Let me explain. She is nine, loves squishy stuff (play dough, slime) anything with dirt, fart noises, boogers, butts, and talking about poop. Yup, she is one of a kind and she is mine!

Introduce the perfect book for her. I couldn't resist. Yes I know this will be the talk of the house for weeks to come but the twinkle in her eye when she read the title was absoulutly PRICELESS!  She has been on the couch reading us funny parts about farting all night.

        Sir Fartsalot hunts the booger
        By Kevin Bolger


As the hubby was oogling sports magazines I sat down and started reading.  I busted out laughing and I got curious looks.  What is this adult woman doing in the kids section reading a book about Sir Fartsalot?  Well, one my last baby started kindy and I am home childless. It is habit to head to the kids section and I need time to let it sink in. Two it's really funny and I'm snatching it from my daughter the second she is done.

Synopsis:

Sir Fartsalot's on a quest to defeat a villain most foul!


Things really stink in the Kingdom of Armpit. King Reginald the Not Very Realistic has had it up to here with his naughty son Prince Harry, who loosens the tops on all the Royal Pepper Shakers, teases the moat monster, and prefers magic tricks to rescuing fair damsels. Even Sir Bedwetter can't rein in the prince's Royal Clowning Around!

Enter Sir Fartsalot—the bravest, boldest, FARTIEST knight in all the land! Sir Fartsalot's on a quest to solve the riddle of the Foul West Wind—a green, ghastly odor that turns up wherever danger's lurking. Misbehavin' Harry decides to play the biggest— and boogeriest—prank of all time! He convinces Sir Fartsalot that The Booger, a frightful, dreadful, repulsive villan, is on the prowl. Harry, Sir Fartsalot, and the knight's old buddy Sir Knotaclew set out on a hilarious quest to rid the world of the Dreaded Booger, Once and for All!


Then when that book pops up on the book website a whole slew of funny is plastered on the screen (The Day My Butt went Psycho, Pencil of Doom, Just Disguisting).  I think I'm changing reading habits people!

Bluberry Jam

You have seen the rambling and randomness. I bet there is more randomness than the random number generator. Yes, I can just hear everyone begging me to stop. I just can't help myself. Hey if I had more chocolate over here the rambling might stop, just sayin. I have chatted about writerly things. Um, between the randomness, oogling Eric Northman from True Blood and comparing things to Nancy Botwin from Weeds.  But where the heck did the crafty crafts go????

Now if I was smart I would do a weekly blog of crafty crafts but because I blog what my hazlenut coffee with lots o' cream and a pinch of sugar brain is telling me, I don't. I have been feeling the crafty again though.  I'm not lost in la la land in a current WIP and have been having fun querying. Yes, I said fun!! Horrors! Don't get me wrong some days I hang off the edge of my seat, but then I lay off the caffeine and put on Blue October. I may wail, I mean sing, "Hate Me." Oh, I finally know ALL the words. Screech! Then Adam Lambert, "What do you want from me" and no I will not vlog it.

I must admit that you all make it fun querying. Why?? What is she nuts? No! Well Write on con and all the support on bloggerville is inspiration enough. So shout outs to you all and also to hubby who just loves answering one million question about basketball. And now on with the show.

The craft is a super easy Blueberry Jam recipe

1.Wash blueberries well. (especially if they are picked off the bush. You would be surprised how many bugs get in there)

2. Put bluberries in pan over medium heat and mash with a potato masher. If you want a smoother jam use the blender but for an easy jam potato mash it.

3. Add sugar or splenda to taste. I throw in a half cup at a time. Mix and taste.

4. Add pectin to thicken it. Or not if you don't have any. It just won't be as thick.

5. Put in 1/2 cup lemmon juice if canning the jam OR store in fridge in air tight container.

                                                            ENJOY!

~Winner~

Congrats to the cooking and canning blog for winning Single White Vampire!

Hope whoever attended write on con enjoyed the conference and learned a thing or two. I had a blast this week and want to thank everyone who made it possible. It was amazing and if you missed it don't worry everything will still be there. Check out the wealth of info and be prepared to be blown away!

Have a great weekend!

~Day 4~Last Day to Enter Book Giveaway!

Thanks everyone for playing along and hope you enjoy the books. I will mail them out all at once.  Today is the last day for a chance to win.  The last book is Single White Vampire By Lynsay Sands. The contest will close by midnight tonight.  Good Luck!

Roundhouse publishing editor Kate C. Leever's first letter to her newest legacy author was intended to impress upon him growing demand for his "vampire romances." Though he'd expressed little to no desire for publicity, book tours or the like, it was clear that this was a writer waiting to be broken out. Correspondence with Mr. Lucern Argeneau tended to be oddly delayed, but this time his response was quick and succinct.

But Kate was adament: Luc will attend a romance convention to meet his fans. By hook or by crook,despite his reclusive nature, odd sleep schedule and avoidance of the sun, the surly yet handsome Luc was going to be recognized as the real charmer a nationally bestselling author should be. But soon Kate wouls learn that his novels were more biographies than bodice rippers, and it'd be her neck on the line.

A sweeter surrender, or more heartwarming a love story-his own-Luc has yet to write.



The winner (using the random.org number generator) of Glimmerglass is Chenderson! Snail mail addy please.

~~Book Giveaway Day 3~~

Just have to say that WriteonCon is pretty freakin awesome!  I spent most of the day lounging in comfy clothes just chillin with the kids and writerly peeps. Oh and it's my dog's Birthday. Happy 6th to Sera!!

For day three of the giveaway we have Glimmerglass By Jenna Black
To win just leave me a comment and spread the word that there is only one more day left of the contest. The contest closes at midnight and the winner will be picked randomly (lets face it your chances are pretty darn good that you will win something lol).

Dana Hathaway doesn't know it yet, but she's in big trouble. When her alcoholic mom shows up at her voice recital drunk, again, Dana decides she's had enough and runs away to find her mysterious father in Avalon: the only place on Earth where the regular, everyday world and the captivating, magical world of Faerie intersect. But from the moment Dana sets foot in Avalon, everything goes wrong, for it turns out she isn't just an ordinary teenage girl- she's a Faeriewalker, a rare individual who can travel between both worlds, and the only person who can bring magic into the human world and technology into Faerie.

Soon, Dana finds herself tangled up in a cutthroat game of Fae politics.  Someone's trying to kill her, and everyone seems to want something from her, from her newfound friends and family to Ethan, the hot Fae guy Dana figures she'll never have a chance with...until she does. Caught between two worlds, Dana isn't sure where she'll ever fit in or who can be trusted, not to mention if her world will ever be  
                                             normal again.

The winner of yesterday's drawing by the random number generator (gotta love randomness) Melissa Comfort. Congrats!  Send me your snail mail addy please.

~Contest Day 2~ WriteonCon Day 1~ Party on!

Today's giveaway is Bitten By Kelly Armstrong! Leave me a comment, follow, and spread the love to play along. See you at WriteonCon

Elena Michaels seems like the typically strong and sexy modern woman. She lives with her architect boyfriend, writes for a popular newspaper, and works out at the gym. She's also a werewolf.

Elena has done all she can to assimilate to the human world, but the man whose bite changed her existence forever, and his legacy, continue to haunt her. Thrown into a desperate war for survival that tests her allegiance to a secret clan of werewolves, Elana must reckon with who, and what, she is in this passionate, page-turning novel.




 Don't forget today is take home Tuesday at The Knight Agency Blog
You never know what new book you will discover!


Winner of the Freak Observer Is Lucille!! Congrats! Send me your snail mail addy please.

Lets get this party started-Day one!

It's getting hot in here!  The Freak Observer By Blythe Woolston is heating up this blog!  Leave a comment by midnight today and a random name will be selected and announced Tuesday. Good luck and come back for another chance to win!  On a side note don't forget (Ha,Like we could forget) WriteonCon starts tomorrow, a kidlit online FREE conference!  Woohoo!

For eight years, Loa Lindgren's world ran like one of those mechanical models of the solar system, with her baby sister, Asta, as the sun. Asta suffered from a genetic disorder that left her a permanent infant, and caring for her was Loa's life. Everything spun neatly and regularly as the whole family orbited around Asta.

But now Asta's dead, and 16-year-old Loa's clockwork galaxy has collapsed. As Loa spins off on her own, her mind ambushes her with vivid nightmares and sadistic-flashbacks-a textbook case of PTSD. But there are no textbook fixes for Loa's short-circuiting brain. She must find her own way to pry her world from the clutches of death.

Paying it Forward SO Mark Your Calendars

 It's a glorious sunny day here in Whoville today.

So what is a gal to do when her computer has crashed and burned not once but twice?  Duh, go shopping!  I had to come on the old and ancient one just to connect today.  Not to mention my iTunes library is GONE! I know the horrors. Grrrr.

Anyways, the pay it forward event...(ignore the crazy one coddling her laptap crying "come back")

This is to the fabulous duo Lisa and Laura, who so kindly had a pitch contest and decided to do a critique of everyone's query.  How awesome are they.  So, I am spreading some love AUGUST 9-12th.  Don't forget to take a visit to their very funny blog. Tell them I sent you to torture talk to them !


 All my fabulous followers have to do is leave a comment on the contest day and give me a shout out on their blog to help me spread the love to others.  I'm thinking gift cards and books!!!

If there is a book you want me to get for the contest, let me know :)  I'm up for requests!  Want some romance, young adult, crime mystery, funny, gory...well you get the point lol!



Monday update   Contest Giveaway Aug 9-12th


-The Freak Observer  By Blythe Woolston  (Just have to add this one in! Congrats on her new book!)
 Click here to visit her blog

-Glimmerglass   By Jenna Black

-Bitten   By Kelly Armstrong

More to come!

Dog Days of Summer

Is anyone else having trouble anchoring down with your computer to write?  Summer writing has been a challenge.  If it wasn't for Writeoncon I might have been lucky to get one sentence a day done.  There has been the beach, sun, True Blood on Sundays, summer reading, fireworks, kids, more beach. Crazy!

Some Tips to get anchored

Put down all the shades and pretend it's raining outside.

Imagine your favorite character from True Blood will do bad things to you when you complete a chapter.

Have some bubbly and write whatever comes to mind.

Think of Lady Gaga's ugliest outfit, and just think how much more artistically gifted you are than her fashion designers.

Ok how about some real tips...

Take it day by day

Try to set a daily goal as to what you want to accomplish

Keep your goals simple.  If it's creating a scene for your story while sitting on the beach or imaging a non control freak character like Edward while watching Eclipse.  Come on you can't tell me he isn't one.

If all else fails bribe yourself.  When I accomplish this sentence I'll go to Dunkin' Dounuts and treat myself to a Coolata

Happy Writing!

Summer Books I have read

The Girl Who Played With Fire   By Stieg Larsson

Fragile Eternity & Radiant Shadows By Melissa Marr

Salem's Lot  By Stephen King

In the Darkest Night  By Patti O'Shea

Some Girls Bite & Friday Night Bites By Chloe Neill  (repeat read so I can refresh my brain to read the new 3rd book)

Claire De Lune  By Christine Johnson

Sookie Stackhouse Series  By Charlaine Harris

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner  By Stephanie Meyer

Tales from the Sideline Blogfest

Cheree at Justified Lunacy  hosted a tales from the sideline blogfest featuring a minor character.  When she first announced this blogfest I knew exactly the scene to share. It is a short scene and the only one were the sidekicks are in the spotlight.  I had FUN writing it and hope you enjoy!


Minor characters: Jared and Scott (werewolves)
MC: Jana (wolf/vamp) Elliot (wolf)
Scene setup:  After duking it out with the bad guys they cram into Elliot's Mustang to go home.

      Elliot threw the keys of his prized possession to Jared through the open window of the car. A grin spread across his face.

       “Seriously man?”

      “Dude today is your lucky day.” 

        Scott looked at Elliot still outside and yelled.  “What you don’t trust me to drive?”

       Elliot opened the back door and closed it gently.“No way Scott. Not after you wanted to run over pedestrians last week to give as a gift to your vampire girlfriend. I don't want my car messed with blood. Gross.”

      “But she likes organic blood and if you hit them just right they only break not bleed.  I would have definitely gotten my way with that kind of gift.”

        Jana cleared her throat.  “Why don’t you just bring her a live victim.”  She was part of the gang when they stopped minding their manners around her.  Burping and farting became part of the normal conversation.

     “Don’t encourage him would you.”  Elliot rolled his eyes.  “Man how did you stand sitting back here.  My legs are going to be numb being crammed  for so long.”

    “Don’t worry maybe Jana can rub them better for you,”  Scott joked.  He was going to rag on Elliot the whole trip since he wasn’t driving.

      “Is that like legal because she is your sister by law or something?”  Jared asked.

     Scott chimed in again poking fun of them until Jana couldn’t take it anymore.  She leaned over and planted her lips firmly on Elliot’s with a quick release.  

      “Does that answer your question? You know that we’re not related so stop.”

      “You better watch out for her. She is a little she-wolf!”

       “Grrrr!” Jana bared her teeth at them.

      Now not cursed Elliot allowed his heart to race at the feel of her lips.  Maybe there was hope for them yet.  That kiss would surly keep him up all night.

    “Your boyfriend doesn’t mind you kissing werewolves?”  Jared asked Jana.

      He just had to ask.  “He never was my boyfriend.  I mean we acted like it but it was never spoken or official or anything like that.”

      “What a stupid vamp!  Heck if you’re not taken I’ll ask you out.”

      Elliot gave a low growl and smacked him in the back of his head.  There were minions in the parking lot who were looking over with curiosity.  “Drive before the humans call animal control on us.”

    Scott and Jared started talking about the Red Sox and Jana was glad because she was drained of energy. She snuggled into Elliot’s warm body ready for the long car ride home.  Elliot didn’t think twice to respond by wrapping his arm around her.
     “Get some sleep babe!”

      “Elliot….thanks for …everything.”

     “What can I say I’m awesome!”

     Jana laughed.  “You are something!”  Her eyes closed drifting into sleep. It wasn’t a peaceful sleep that would leave her rested because nightmares took over. She couldn’t tell if it was real or the stress of the day playing tricks in her dream.

I'm jumping off the diving board

I sucked it up.  I did!  Maybe I was having a crazy moment because my computer crashed.  Maybe because I feel like a burnt piece of bacon from sitting on the beach.  No, it had to be kids on school vacation.  Yea they were making me crawl up the walls like Spiderman.  Ha, more like hide in my hidey hole with a bar of chocolate.  Hmm, maybe it is all the excitement from Writeoncon.

Well whatever happened to me I jumped off the diving board and opened myself up to Facebook.  Watch out family and friends the bloggy peeps are coming to town.  Will it be a hostile takeover????

Okay don't make me look stupid here.  Give my Facebook badge a click if you want to see how pathetic I am about Farmtown. I really need a virtual farm to keep busy because I don't have a real one right outside my door.  You think my goats are jealous because I am cheating on them with virtual ones? Maybe.

Anyways, there I am :)

Here is an FYI sunblock does not work!  I possibly could be more red than a cooked lobster. Ouch and ouch!

Character Goals, Motivations, & Conflict

Everyone has their own secret formula when writing.  There is no write right or wrong way. Here is mine. I start with my favorite part: characters, personalities, and names.  Up next I establish the characters goals, motivations, and conflict.  I think this is just as fun as playing with baby goats.  Okay, so if you're not a goat person we can insert puppies or kitties.  If you're not a puppy and kitty person insert snakes and lizards.

Goal- n. 1.object of ambition or effort; destination    (What your character wants)

Motive- n. 1. thing that induces a person to act in a particular way; incentive   (What makes them go after their goal)

Conflict- n. 1a. a state of opposition b; fight struggle v. 2. clash; be incompatible (What is going to get in their way)

When thinking about my characters goals and motivation I factor in their past history, personality, and their internal conflicts.  Throw in some external conflict and we have some good drama going on!

Let's play with the classic boy wants girl scenario....

                     
Meet the boy who wants the pretty girl. We will call him Bob.  Bob is insecure chews on pencils and resents his parents.

Throw in some conflict, a wizard. He seeks him out to change him into a hunk.              

                                                                   
                                                                        and more conflict a wolf who wants him for dinner.

Don't forget the boy's motivation. Megan Fox. Oh la la.

 Some internal conflict.  I am a lion hear me ROAR!

Yea, it's kinda like that!  Hmmm let's hope Bob finds the wizard while avoiding the wolf.  Will Bob get the girl or continue to chew his pencils for the rest of his life.  Roar Bob roar!  You can do it!

So tell me where do you start with a newbie story?

Dudes seriously this is funny!

Okay, so I'm not one for posting videos unless they are worthy of your viewing entertainment!  Seriously I love Snoop and after this song for the HBO show True Blood I love him more!  OMG I just about rolled on the floor with laughter!  If you haven't seen his music video yet give it a click.

An adventure with a blogger buddy!

I love to blog and best of all I have made some great blogger friends.  One of my buddies has a talent of making the coolest hats ever.  

I was fortunate enough that she made two hats for me as a special request. So please click and check out her blog and read our adventure.

 

     Noon to Two

Are you a Cheerio? (and not the cereal)

Whether you are Quinn who takes on a permanent cheerio status or Kurt and Mercedes who joined for a short time, they all have one thing in common. They did it.  They joined the team. They put themselves out there and cheered their little hearts out. We all can be Cheerios.

You know those certain buddies we go to for writing advice. Some helps us with plot, others with grammar when we slaughter it mercifully.  Then there is the buddy you call for whining and complaining.  Yup, your cheerio squad!

Ahhh, coach Sue.  Hate to say it but someone has to give us heck.  We wouldn't want to get to full of ourselves.  If we have someone like this though we would either laugh, cry or go slightly insane. Seriously, the stuff she comes out with....
        
      "I'm going to ask you to smell your armpits. That's the smell of failure, and it's stinking up my office."

     "I'm about to projectile express myself all over your Hush Puppies."

     "You think this was hard? Try auditioning for Baywatch and being told they're going in another direction.    That was hard."

     "I'm all about empowerment. I empower my Cheerios to live in a state of constant fear by creating an environment of irrational, random terror."

    "I don't trust a man with curly hair. I keep picturing small birds laying sulfurous eggs in there, and I find it disgusting."

     "You sunk my battleship Rod.  And you sunk it hard."

So, join the squad.  Cheer away.  Get that query written. Stop procrastinating or Coach Sue will be all over you, making you smell your armpits. Failure is for wusses.  Cheer for yourself and cheer for others!  Put in the hard work and reap the rewards!

How is that for a dose of inspiration!  Yea, you go Cheerios!

Oh gosh I am such a Gleek. I'm going to put the i-pod to Glee songs now.

There is an app for that

There is a running joke with the hubby and I ever since he got the new droid phone. The phone claims to be uber smart and I am not convinced.  See I still have a cell phone that when you text you have to press the numbers a couple of times to get the letters.  Now these smart phones claim to have an app for this and an app for that.  I tease my hubby when he asks me something and tell him to go look for an app. He thinks he can find an app for anything (what a know-it-all).  I put him to the test and here is what I asked him to search for to prove him wrong.

There is an app for that!

*E-book reader

*Blog manager

*Blogs. I see a potential marketing tool!

*Chocolate of the day app

*Glee

*Tons of free books. Hmm, not so good for authors.How do you guys/gals feel about that?

*Coffee -find coffee shops, kinds of coffee. Caffeine addicts dream come true!

*Documents to go app-create slideshows, pdf , powerpoint viewing, word processor, edit

*Hella emo- Provides quotes and rants.  

*Stinky Radio- record thoughts and comments for all to listen to.

Ha!  I could not find an app for writing a query letter for you.  Nor, could I find an app for literary agents.  There was none for a fairy godmother.

If you don't have one of these crazy phones and want to help me torture ask the hubby what to find an app for to prove there is NOT AN APP FOR EVERYTHING, leave a comment.  There just can't be! If there is then, I would want a crazy smart phone too.

Contest Alert

We interrupt your regular broadcasting to bring you this contest alert. Chloe Neill at The Daily Snark (I just love the name of her blog) is having a giveaway!

Mark the calendar! The release date for Twice Bitten is July 6.  

On May 15th a winner will be announced for the ARC.

This message is in no way encouraging you to sign up because the writer of this blog  seriously and totally wants to win.  Since the writer is not a party pooper and gave her word to post an alert to gain entry points, here it is.  The writer is in no way using voodoo to not get you to sign up.  The writer is not responsible for giving you a false link that will lead you to the Godiva chocolate website. The writer is not hypnotizing anyone with computer wavelengths to deter them away from this contest. Nor is this certain writer doing crossies in any way to increase her chances of winning.  If this writer does not win it will be okay because she is nice but might be cursing for a minute or two anyway.  So, good luck and go sign up!

Beware: Things that make you go awwwww

What to do when you can't write?  Play with goats.  Here is our first baby for the season.

              INSERT  Ohhhh and Ahhhh's

Couldn't resist sharing him with you.  Here is where writing 101 will come in.  Obviously to busy for writing. So lets think of a gazillion words for this babe.  You know, just to keep the brain working. Wink,wink.

cute, adorable, fuzzy, kissable, darling, precious, charming, delightful, enchanting, handsome, sweet, gorgeous, delectable, hugging, engaging, charismatic, mesmerizing, spellbinding, alluring, amusing, enjoyable...

Okay, so that was really my way of bragging inconspicuously. I know, this has nothing to do with query's, agents, books and is totally not informative.  Hey, half my posts aren't anyways.  Can't help being random but hope you stopped by anyway to oogle the goatie babe! This is stop and smell the roses Thursday, lol!

Anyone want to have a go at some names?  Huh, huh.  I am horrible at naming but the kids are worse.  He could end up being called brownie because he is brown.  HELP!

Fast and Furious or Slow and Methodical!

So I think...yes I sometimes do that.  I think there are two types of writers.  

The fast and furious type.

Then there is the slow and methodical type.

Fast and Furious-we can shut off our internal editor.  Even if it means taking the internal editor by force, kicking her in a closet and duct taping her mouth shut.  Our first drafts are getting the story out of our brain.  It invades our life and dreams.  It takes us by force until the story is told.  We sit over the computer with coffee.  If interrupted we snap, look up and dare anyone to ask us anything. They usually back off because they are afraid of the look in our eyes.  Spelling errors, who cares. Characters changing eye color, totally fixable.  The story taking an unexpected turn, totally cool!  Get ready for hours of editing.

Slow and Methodical- I envy this type.  The nice outline and knowing where your story is going.  Careful for spelling errors but flexible.  Character interviews, flow charts, organization.  Sitting at the computer knowing each scene and reaction from your character.  Having friendly conversation with Miss Internal Editor.  Maybe offering her some lemonade.  Avoiding the slumping middle....somewhat.  Edits that are not to off the top and crazy.

Spill the beans.  Do you guys have a method to your madness?

Alright Boys--LISTEN UP!

In my opinion I think us women are pretty easy to figure out.  Boys you make things up about us and I am setting you straight!  This is what we really mean aka the secret lingo of women. Feel free to print this out for reference. Ladies feel free to print this out for your boys and tape it to the toilet, the only place they are guaranteed to see it.


-YES really means NO


- NO means YES


- MAYBE means NO

- WE NEED means I WANT

- I am sorry = you'll be sorry (better start running)


- We need to talk = you're in trouble (possibly big trouble)

- Sure, go ahead = you better not (if you know what's good for you)

-Do what you want = you will pay for this later (and possibly for weeks to come)

 - I am not upset = of course I'm upset, you moron! (flowers could come in handy now, better yet chocolate...the good kind)


- Whatever! = Lordy, you are dead if you do that. In the doghouse for you

Now that the secret is out of the bag some light bulbs might go off for the boys...most likely not though.  Do you infuse any of this in your stories?  Do you do it on purpose?  Do you do it without thinking (come on ladies you know this is how we really are lol).

Hey who said curiosity killed the cat?
      

Whats on your pre-order list

So, yea I have been thinking and mulling...mulling and thinking on what to chat about today.  I am in a jubilant mood, sun is out this gorgeous New England day.  Went and stopped for coffee at my blogger buds cribs.

Also got some good reads in.  The House of Night Series (Marked, Betrayed, Chosen, Untamed,  Hunted, Tempted).  I got a bit addicted in the life of Zoey and the rest of the fledglings.  A book full of great characters and drama.  The next book, Burned, comes out at the end of the month.  Can't wait!

A new favorite series of mine by Chloe Neill is Some Girls Bite: A Chicagoland Vampire Novel.  You won't be disappointed with this series.  Twice Bitten will be released in July.  Merit is a total kick-ass chick!

Mocking Jay, the last book of the Hunger Games series will be out in August.  I can't stop raving about The Hunger Games and Catching Fire.  I'm trying to get hubby to get the audiobooks.

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephanie Myer, June.

There are a bunch of middle grade books that my daughter will enjoy.  Like most kids she mostly pokes through my stash of YA books.  I am having fun reading the same books as her!

Curiosity has me wondering what is on your pre-order list and what good books have I missed that I need to add.

Book Excerpt Tidbits

 Okay so I thought it would be fun to post a little excerpt today.  The funk is over and I am back, grrrrr.  I'm sure this needs more work but oh well I want to have FUN!  Feel free to comment away.  Hope you all enjoy.  Thanks for being such great blogger buds!  Your blogs are a constant source of encouragement and inspiration.

Scene setup:  Poor Elliot (werewolf) ran after Jana (half wolf/vampire) to get sliced by a silver blade.  In his desperate attempt to escape death he begs to be healed by any means.  A dark witch takes advantage of his begging.  Her angelic face makes it easy for Elliot to agree to anything she has to offer in his semi conscious state.

      Elliot wondered if someone on the inside made an alliance with Underworld.  It seemed everyone knew Jana or was after her down here.  This so called “payment” he knew would haunt him for a long time. “Let’s hear it witch.”

    “Just remember wolf I saved your life.  There are not many who are equipped to heal a wound encased with that much silver.  Argust is powerful down here and has many contacts on the outside.  It is hard to come by a sword that pure. I’m sure he paid a pretty penny for it.  I only ask a simple thing in return for healing you.”

   Elliot knew she was right. Argust held power down here by the way his lair was richly decorated.  He also knew if it wasn’t for this angelic looking dark witch he would be a pile of ash.  He did owe her but hopefully not the price of his soul.  He braced himself for the words she was about to spill.

    “So here goes it werewolf!  All you need to do is stay away from the mixed blood girl.  I know how you fancy beautiful girls and seduce them.  But that girl will be off limits to you.  You sealed it with blood.  You begged for me to take away your pain by any means necessary, so I obliged.  I will know if you disobeyed because news of your death would travel fast.  You are free to leave now,” She pulled at his arm not giving him any chance to argue his case, and let out a cackling laugh. A push out the door sent him into his awaiting pack.  He went pale faced, fully absorbing the witches contract.  To his awaiting pack it looked as if someone had died.

   “Elliot!  What happened man?” Josh asked.


     He tried to come off casual, not to let his pack know the details of his trickery. “I knew Argust was back in town,  He would have information about the Wood’s so I took Jana to question him.  While I was inside a renegade pack rushed in, kidnapped Jana and maybe vampire bat for brains.  I smelled him as I ran to try to find her.  They were heading northwest.  One of them ripped off her necklace. I found it while tracking Argust. I then had a little encounter with a silver blade and was healed by a witch.  Let’s get out of here and get the rest of the pack together for a search party.  Vince is who is after Jana.”

     Josh stood aghast as he looked at Elliot.  “Vince?  Are you sure.  We would have know if he entered our territory.”

    “Not unless he had help. I’m sure. It makes sense because he is afraid Jana would take over her birthright and lead over his pack.  He is assuming the girl will want the power.  We need to be careful his pack has become very powerful over the decades.”

    “Go get us a car.  I have a tracking chip in Jana’s cell phone.  We need to intercept them and find her.  I think Isaac is involved with Vince since he has just as much to loose,”  Elliot grunted.

       His cell phone rang he answered it to hear Andi yell into his ear.  “What were you thinking taking her into Underworld without consulting me in the matter.  I should curse you right now!”

        “Join the party of witches who curse me then, stop hollering.  I’m going to intercept them with my pack and bring her home.  I want her away from the vampires.”

      Andi was furious at his comment as she punched the wall. “Shay is capable of keeping her safe too.  I’m moderating not you. I won’t allow you to fight over her.  I know you have feelings for her it is written…..”

      “Stop and listen would you firecracker,” Elliot was in no mood to deal with a cranky witch. “There is reason to believe Isaac was involved with getting Vince over territory lines and possibly plotting to kill Jana.”

    “That is preposterous,” she stated, “And never call me firecracker again.”

     “Oh is it so preposterous? Then explain why Argust is not clan leader after Anja gave her allegiance and confidence in him. What about your Aunt Erica? I need to have a little talk with your grandmother.”

    “I…I…I was unaware I had an Aunt,”  she was at a loss for words.

    “When I catch up to Isaac they will be escorted to council so I won’t kill him.”