Changes are for the best

billrini.com

At least, I hope so. :D

I've already begun to make a big one. Interested? Read on....

What is Memorial Day?

Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation's service. There are many stories as to its actual beginnings, with over two dozen cities and towns laying claim to being the birthplace of Memorial Day. There is also evidence that organized women's groups in the South were decorating graves before the end of the Civil War: a hymn published in 1867, "Kneel Where Our Loves are Sleeping" by

Writing About Writing

It seems redundant. Why would we do it? Furthermore, why would we even read it?

Writing about the craft of writing is a tricky concept when you write fiction, which, by nature is "imaginary". How do you define writing when your personal voice is so important? When concepts are from your own mind ?

I've read quite a bit about the craft of writing fiction. Since you're reading this, you obviously know that I blog about writing.

There are two major questions that come up when talking about writing about the craft of writing fiction:

1. Why do it?

2. When is it too much?

I'll talk about Question 1, first, since it's a perfect segue into Question 2.

18 & Over Book Blogger Follow #30

18 & Over Book Blogger Follow is a weekly feature that begins on Fridays and runs through the weekend, hosted by Crystal from Reading Between the Wines. This is a Friday blog hop with the objective to find and visit other book blogs that share the same interest as you, namely books geared towards the 18 & over crowd, and make some new friends!  

 

Question of the Week:

Do you feel the need to write a review for your personal reads, as oppose to requested reviews, or are there some books you read just for the joy of reading?  

 

 

 

 

There are some books that I won't leave a review for, but generally, I always do. I love to share my thoughts and opinions on books I read because reading is so important to me.

 

However, if I think the book is really bad, I generally won't leave a review out of respect for the author. This is still their creative work and they don't need me trashing it just because it didn't suit my tastes. 

 

I will leave a bad review generally only if I find a book offensive in ways that are accepted across society to be wrong: sex with minors, active encouragement of racism or other prejudices, things like that.

 

There's a big difference, however, reading for pleasure and reading because a review is needed. You tend to read differently and I think that's where the phrase "reading for pleasure" really kicks in. Yes, it's often a pleasure to read the book, but because you know that you have to review it, you tend to read it with a much more skeptical eye, right off the bat. You want to be honest to your own opinion, of course, but at the same time, you want to allow for some objectivity and so you don't just read to enjoy it: you read the book trying to maintain the stance of "overall objective observer". 

I enjoy writing reviews, though, and find that it has really helped me with my own writing! I take a lot of my own reviews into accounts on my later drafts of stories, and use my "Reviewer's Eye" to scan my piece. It helps step me away from my own work and read it as someone else might.

What are your thoughts? Do you leave reviews? If so, what inspires you to review a book?

Interested in joining the 18 & Over Book Blogger Follow?

How to join in:

-You should run a book blog that features and reviews mostly adult reads, some Y.A.’s are okay but 18 & over adult reads should be your majority.

-Make a separate post for the 18 & Over Book Blogger Follow on your blog.

-Copy the html for the button above and place it at the top of your post.

-List & answer the ‘Question of the Week.’

-Place your name and blog title in the linky below and the url for a direct link to your post

-Visit the other blogs on the list and say 'Hi!' Following each blog is not mandatory but I know it is always appreciated, and if someone comments saying they’re a new follower it’s polite to follow back. J It’s always nice to spread the 18 & Over Book Blogging love!

-Contact me (readingbetweenthewines10 at gmail dot com) with any questions!

 

 

Writing to my Peeps

I've had to pause my main WIPs because they were just too dramatic. I didn't realize this was why until I gave myself the chance to "free write".

I pantsed a WIP and I liked it!

In fact, I was really enjoying the story. I wanted to know more about it as I wrote. I wanted to see what these characters would do.

Furthermore, my hero, truly took shape in my head. I hadn't realized how formulaic my characters were, until I met- wait for it........ - Val Draig! I had no idea who this man was. In fact, I knew as much about him as my heroine, Ace Stanning. She and I were both wondering who the hell this hottie in our store was. Then he started to tell me. I looked at names for him and he kept saying "Seriously? You think that is my name?" and then rolling his eyes at me. Until I finally landed on "Draig" to which he responded, "Finally!" Then as stroke of luck happened and my friend Jodie (who's stories I love!) happened to mention that the name I was using for him, made her think of "Val". My hero konked me on the back of the head and said: "She gets it, why don't you?"

And Val Draig "became".

The story is slapstick. I'm 3k into it and the antics of Val and Ace are hysterical. I mean, seriously: they are really funny together. Ace is funny by herself, but he really brings the humor out in her.

As I wrote, I realized something....

18 & Over Book Blogger Follow #29

Missed last week because I was out of town. But here's this week's...









<center><a href="http://readingbetweenthewinesbookclub.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" src="http://i916.photobucket.com/albums/ad3/folksohana/RBtWBC%20Memes/Follow.jpg"width="200" height="300"/></a></center> 18 & Over Book Blogger Follow is a weekly feature that begins on Fridays and runs through the weekend, hosted by Crystal from Reading Between the Wines. This is a Friday blog hop with the objective to find and visit other book blogs that share the same interest as you, namely books geared towards the 18 & over crowd, and make some new friends! 

So I'm a little late. Again! But better late than never! :)

Question of the Week: What are you currently? Do you love it? Is it a new-to-you author or an old favorite? Tell us all about it! 

 

Just finished Cara Elliott's "Too Tempting Too Resist"! I'll have a review up, shortly. :) Ms Elliot is definitely not a new author to me, and I think she's already made the list of "old favorites". 


I'd talk about it, here but I already have a review up! So don't forget to stop by and take a peek at my thoughts on Cara Elliott's second installment of her Lords of Midnight series!


Starting a new book in a day or two. Can't wait! More news on that, later!








So let me know!


What are *you* reading, right now? How's it going so far? 

How to join in the 18 & Over Book Blogger Follow!

-You should run a book blog that features and reviews mostly adult reads, some Y.A.’s are okay but 18 & over adult reads should be your majority.

-Make a separate post for the 18 & Over Book Blogger Follow on your blog.

-Copy the html for the button above and place it at the top of your post.

-List & answer the ‘Question of the Week.’

-Place your name and blog title in the linky below and the url for a direct link to your post

-Visit the other blogs on the list and say 'Hi!' Following each blog is not mandatory but I know it is always appreciated, and if someone comments saying they’re a new follower it’s polite to follow back. J It’s always nice to spread the 18 & Over Book Blogging love!

-Contact me (readingbetweenthewines10 at gmail dot com) with any questions!

Turning Words into People

Writing people is really difficult.

I write descriptions really well. I like to think I have pretty good dialogue.

In fact, the writing bit is simple.

The hardest part?

"Who are these people?"

Vacation from the Vacation

Back from my vacation. Actually, I've been back for a few days. I've just spent the last few days sleeping.

It got me wondering: how do Twenty-Somethings function on so little sleep?!




Seriously. I spent the time with my twenty-something siblings and they partied hard. They are also back to work only slightly more tired than normal.

What happened to me? One weekend where I stay up late and I'm DONE IN. Exhausted. Fatigued! Tuckered out!

I'm bushed!

What happened that took so much of my energy?

When did this happen?

theideagirlsays.wordpress.com

Was it this?

cartoonresource.com

Maybe it was this?

Actually, I think it might have been something like this..........

crazytownmayor.com

But I'm surviving. Sort of.

My job is slacking, my writing is way behind, but the dishes are almost done and the house is only somewhat messy, right now. So I call that a success!!

Yay! Go team!

But I'm back and hopefully going to be writing soon. Blogging, too.

Just as soon as I get over being jealous of my younger siblings. Jealousy is such a silly thing, anyway. They stress about stuff and work hard, too!

I'm just wallowing in my own exhaustion. :)

At any rate!

I'm going to try to come up with something evocative to post about. Suggestions totally welcome.

I'm also trying to push the "Author Interview" route, a bit. So if you're interested, click that huge "Contact Me" button to the right and let's get to chattin'!

T'care, folks, and thanks, as always, for stopping by!

Again... suggestions welcome!

Encouraged!!

Graciously accepted and requested...

:D

Out of Sight, Out of Mind

Well, my dear readers, the nigh impossible has occurred and I am going out of town.

Vacation, you ask?

Eh.. sort of. :p

I'm very nervous: it's been over six years since I was away from my children for longer than 24 hours. Pheewww... I can do this!

Anywho. I'll be around occasionally, but likely no posts and my Tweets will be low. ;)

See you real soon!

britishdesigns.blogspot.com

Publishing: A New Era

I'm interested in what folks think about publishing options, these days! There are so many to choose from:

Traditional publishing
Traditional publishing house with online imprints
eBook with POD (Print On Demand)
Self or Indie Publishing


So I want to see what ya'll have to say. When I get the total survey, I'm going to write up the answers and what I think about them.

So give it a quick shot!

Thanks, folks!!

18 & Over Book Blogger Follow! #27

Question of the week!

Since it's Cinco de Mayo weekend here let's have a fun question this week! What's your favorite beverage to drink while reading? 

Ooo, I luvs me a couple of drinks.

www.theperfectlyhappyman.com

 


My day-time drink. Luvs me some Harp!

www.theveganwoman.com

This is my favorite evening drink: A Lemondrop Cocktail. Sour and oh so good!

www.pcglobaltech.com

And this... is my favorite "reading drink." I don't drink it socially as it makes me waaay loopy, but a good glass of red wine and a good book with the fire burning in the fire place? HEAVEN.

So what about ya'll? What do YOU like to drink? And what drink makes a good book "taste" oo that much sweeter? ;)

18 & Over Book Blogger Follow is a weekly feature that begins on Fridays and runs through the weekend, hosted by Crystal from Reading Between the Wines. This is a Friday blog hop with the objective to find and visit other book blogs that share the same interest as you, namely books geared towards the 18 & over crowd, and make some new friends!

How to join in:

-You should run a book blog that features and reviews mostly adult reads, some Y.A.’s are okay but 18 & over adult reads should be your majority.

-Make a separate post for the 18 & Over Book Blogger Follow on your blog.

-Copy the html for the button above and place it at the top of your post.

-List & answer the ‘Question of the Week.’

-Place your name and blog title in the linky below and the url for a direct link to your post

-Visit the other blogs on the list and say 'Hi!' Following each blog is not mandatory but I know it is always appreciated, and if someone comments saying they’re a new follower it’s polite to follow back. J It’s always nice to spread the 18 & Over Book Blogging love!

-Contact Crystal (readingbetweenthewines10 at gmail dot com) with any questions!

Author Interview, Tonya Cannariato

Hello, everyone and thanks for dropping by!

Today I'm excited to say you're about to see this blog's first interview!! Read on, dear reader, for writing tips and How-To ideas from a published author (ain't we swanky!).

I am very proud to present......

"Weeps and Beeps": Word and Book Sheep

50 Shades of Grey by E. L. James has become today's hottest book fad. It's become a statement, a label of pride. No longer do people feel the need to buy their erotica wearing "Spy v Spy" get-up and carrying it out with a locked suitcase for fear of discovery.

lutheranconfessions.blogspot.com

No, now people set up shining brilliant light displays that rival Vegas, and scream: "Look! I am SO awesome because I'm buying this!"

I haven't read the book and won't judge it. Nope. I have heard good and bad about it, but it, like anything else, deserves judgment based on its own qualities.

The purpose of this post isn't to flame a book; a book is a book and I don't do "burnings", "flamings" or "fire" anywhere near books. Not my bag, baby.

Today's post is about the people who read these books because it makes them feel worthy, somehow.

Take the Kardashians. I honestly don't know much about them and I tend to stay away from magazines, etc., that would carry such information. Not because I don't like them, but because the "genre" simply isn't my thing.

What I've gathered, however, is that the Kardashians are famous because

Woot! I'm a wiener!

www.reedberry.com

 Damn. Now I'm singing the Oscar Meyer song.









Seriously, though. I won! I totally lucked out and just found out that I won Sins of the Son by Linda Poitevin! Super excited!! Many thanks to Seeing Night Reviews for putting the contest up! And super extra thanks because they emailed me twice to let me know and the first had gotten lost in the Ether of Cyberspace; I'd have never known!

So it's time to party!! I love winning. It makes me feel all giddy inside. :D

I can't wait!! The book has seen some AWESOME reviews. Totally coincidentally, I'm currently reading Sins of the Angels, the first book of the series. How awesome is that?!

So thank you, ladies!!

bodywelltherapy.com

WIPs and Chains

The Muse found me this past Tuesday.

I was folding laundry, yesterday, when an idea hit me.

I ignored it. See, I already have a novel and a novella in the works.

"Hahaha!" Said I, "Take that, silly Muse!"

"Bitch, please," said The Muse.

funny-pictures-blog.com

  

Five minutes later I found myself In The Zone writing the first five thousands words to a new WiP.

I haven't read over it, yet, so while I know what has happened and have a general idea of what will happen, I don't quite remember the specifics, lol.

So today's post is about WiPs and the chains that bind you to them. All of them. Each and every one as they solidify and take form.

And The Muse- the coy, devilish woman that she is- insists on appearing when we are least able to handle her.

Futurama via livinteractive.com

I'm knee deep in both WiPs, you see. One is a short story that's making me pull my hair out (I'm not efficient in anything, let alone writing) and the other is my novel (see shameless plug: my excerpts) that I'm working very hard on and quite enjoying, actually.

So why, oh why does the Muse have to bother me, now?

The thing is:

I have the memory of a goldfish. I have to completely flesh out a book in order to remember what I was thinking.

So now I have three WiPs. They all need attention. It's like having triplets, only.. I gain the weight AFTER they're here, *I* am the one forcing me up in the middle of the night, and my husband can still get some. Sometimes. When I'm not writing. Or hungry. Or thinking about writing. You get the idea.

I feel schizophrenic enough as it is with these weird people (read: characters) in my head.. now I have three whole universes. I'm either super smart or super insane. I may be both. It's not unrealistic to say I'm both.

But I have to write them. I have to. I hear the words to their stories as I drive. No joke. Seriously. Totally not going poetic on you.

blogabingblogaboom.com

I was driving on the freeway, today, and it occurred to me how it "felt" to be driving. The scents, the feel, the sounds, the people around me, the other cars, folks who would likely never touch my life again, but for that quick moment in time, we were next to each other on the freeway.

And then it became part of the story.

Which story? All of them. Insane, right? Talk about multi-tasking!

So now the question is.. what to do .. what to do...

As it stands, I'm sort of rationing my attention amongst my "literary children" and none of them are too pleased about it.

motivationalpostergallery.com

I wrote a heart-wrenching scene in one of them, today. The story is pleased. My other two stories are glaring at me balefully. I figure I'm just never going to win, anyway, so to just keep on keepin' on.

Most folks seem to take down notes of their ideas and can return to their main projects. Me? Naaaah, I'm WAY too ADD for that.

So here's to hoping that juggling three WiPs is enough activity to keep my attention bouncing contentedly between them!

I don't know if I could handle a menage a quatre!

Storyboarding Techniques

Ahh, it's the end of Monday and I'm still kicking! This is always good news. :)

This last week and this week are simply full of mass insanity when it comes to activities, but I'm still managing to squeeze in time to get my writing done. Yay!

I haven't touched my main WIP in a while (I know, I know) but, instead, I've been fiddling with a little side project. I'm working on a novella.

The idea was that with a quicker storyline (and it being a stand-alone book with no further plot arches) it would be simpler to write, as well, and would help me to view my main WIP with a bit more confident an eye.

livinglindsay.com

It's actually been harder!

In order to make a believable storyline, I now have to squish all the necessary bits in more efficiently.

Haha! Joke is on me!

So I decided to tackle my issue, head-on. I know, crazy concept, right?

The issue, for me, lies entirely in the complexity of planning. I always write up an outline when The Muse visits. Unfortunately, I have Writer's ADD and my scenes sort of drift off the necessary path-Oo squirrel!

So I started looking up ways to correct this issue.

Right now, I have two separate methods that I'm trying. In fact, they seem to be helping, but only together. Ugh. If it works, though, I won't knock it, lol.

Idea Numero Uno!

#LuckySeven, Taunting The Sin

My turn! I got tagged by one of my dear crit partners, Sabrina Garie. Drop by her blog and give her a shout! She got tagged before me, so don't miss a chance to catch a quick excerpt from her WIP, Fires of Justice!

So what's lucky seven you ask?

A chance to show off your writing, with a twist. You have to post it as is at the time of the tagging, warts and all. Here's how it works!

• Go to page 7 or 77 in your current manuscript
• Go to line 7
• Post on your blog the next 7 lines or sentences -- AS THEY ARE!
• Tag 7 other people to do the same

My seven sentences are from page 77 of my WIP novel, Taunting the Sin. Quick summary: Jaime (our darling hero) has just had a run-in with his mother, Titania, Queen of the White Court; a run-in that reminds him of his father's execution at his mother's hand. And now someone near and dear to Jaime may be under Titania's vengeful and spiteful eye.

"His death had subdued her instant fury but hadn’t managed to sate the desire for vengeance against his co-conspirator.

Jaime shuddered as agonizing memories surfaced.

Silence.

Jaime filled himself with silence. His tears dried. His mind emptied.

And still the secrets whispered in his ears… bidding him listen… listen to their descants of death."

"So who's up next" you ask?

Why, how thoughtful of you to wonder. Let me sate quench your curiosity!

If you'd prefer not to, no prob! But if ya have a min to post it up and don't mind, it'd be an awwweesome dealy!

Don't forget to follow these lovely ladies on FB and Twitter, as well! LOTS of incredible info upcoming, all the time!

Jodie, Riverina Romantics
Sarah Cass, Redefining Perfect
Jennifer James, Caught in the Smex Beam
Buffy Kennedy, Buffy's Ramblings
Jenn LeBlanc, Illustrated Romance

18 & Over Book Blogger Follow

Question of the Week:

"Has a book ever left you feeling depressed?"

(If so, make sure to share what it was and why)

Oh, most definitely. Karen Marie Moning is one of my favorite UF authors, but I won't lie: a few of her Fever series books broke my heart! I won't put up any spoilers for those of you who haven't had the pleasure of them, but she doesn't play! Deaths, heart breaks... even the unrequited love!! It was almost too much to bear. Thank goodness I did, though, because Shadowfever was amaaaazzziinngg. :)

While this one didn't "depress" me, per se, it's the only book that I can remember straight up crying while reading. I was sobbing my little heart out.

What about ya'll? What books have torn you up? :)

Important Information for Any and Every Author

I loved it. Just loved it. Had to pass it along. :D

Cupid's Literary Connection: The Perfect Query Letter!! (More from the CIA gues...: *Guaranteed to get you an agent **Or earn you a restraining order from your agent of choice Hi, everyone! Recently, the YA Confide...

Inferiority Complexes, Romance Novels, and Critics

First and foremost:

elisabethhubert.com

Woopsies.... Yeah. Sorry about that, folks. Got swamped suddenly.

So let me apologize right quick!






Moving on to the main event:

There's been a lot of discussion, lately, about reading romance novels. The words "ashamed" and "embarrassed" have been bandied about quite a bit.

So I felt it was time to speak up, both as a reader, myself, and as an aspiring author.

Please allow me to dissuade you, my dear reader, from any particular disillusionment to the contrary: I am not ashamed that I read romance.

Read that as: "I am not ashamed that I read a book that has graphic sex scenes and whose sole purpose is a relationship of some sort."

Pundits of the "You read WHA'?" camp can be generally (albeit somewhat vaguely) separated into two camps: