tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80504821057366100392024-02-19T23:54:36.557+00:00Ravaging ThoughtsA writers world is never a safe one to be in, nor would a writer wish to change that.
Every hope and every dream chased upon the whim of inspiration is what keeps a writer writing.Jennifer Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00430775567469621053noreply@blogger.comBlogger67125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8050482105736610039.post-34466121811272817932013-02-08T18:22:00.000+00:002013-02-08T18:22:11.700+00:00Echoes of Winter - Giveaway!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Echoes of Winter – Review. <br /><br />Echoes of Winter is an
extraordinarily realistic tale of what wolves endure to survive. It
comes across as though it was written to inspire the next generation
whilst aiming to build a keen understanding of the trials they must go
through. Not only does it involve wolves as we cross paths with Cougars,
Bears, Lynx’s and many more animals. Echoes of Winter crosses the
boundaries of reality with fantasy and opens the mind to a world of
wonder whilst staying true to each animals characteristics. I’ve never
crossed a book that wraps you up so much into the world of your
characters where you love some, and love to hate others. This debut
novel has it all, and its author Dominique Goodall has every right to be
proud of the world she has endeavoured to create. <br /><br />As we turn the pages we are greeted with a young wolf by the name of Convel, as he returns to his pack having brought winter upon them with his song. It is within his mind that he is born to lead, and lead he shall. Tensions build with his birth pack and he takes the challenge with the Alpha, his father, and wins. After winning over the Alpha, he decides to leave in search of his own pack rather than lead the one he had claimed. What lies in wait for this young wolf waits to be seen within the pages that will hold your attention long after you’ve turned that very last page. It is guaranteed to leave you desperately wanting more. He is the novice within the wolf world but carries with him everything that is needed to run his own pack – will he succeed? <br /><br />Not only do we follow the tale of Convel, but we also cross paths with Siltin, the Cougar that goes out of her way to control everything and everyone within what she sees as her own territory. She is the character that every novel should contain, the one character you just love to hate but are gripped by her behaviour. The more you read about her, the more you want to understand her behaviour, the more you want to dig deeper to the roots of her reasoning. She is the one character that is willing to kill one of her own just to weave her spiteful thinking into those that follow her, will this be her downfall? <br /><br />But wait, there is yet more. There is yet another character worthy of mention. A young she-wolf wandering for that place that calls to her, one place that will become her home. Singer is the young she-wolf that travels not alone as she sets out to find the pack where she belongs. Her story is one of heartbreak, and you can’t help but fall in love with her and feel sorry for what she has had to endure in the past. But the past, as we learn, cannot be held onto while danger waits the lives of those she walks with, and of those she will come to cross. She is strong, yet vulnerable to her own emotions as she is pulled ever onwards to a fight that she knows nothing of. She can’t explain the calling she feels within only that she knows her presence will be needed in order to tip the scales in favour of the hand that deserves it. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGYrpDxWwQR5mcFU7wAq_1phcsqgdrGHp9GOQ2y7vpn3-icGXz96aU9ABeYwwjAsvj6tKdqFT621ukMPlVc8QhSpKs0AzT2vdbvBkhDnOChMRbCl-QVK64NgFuZU3s2NRAJw6oDCDaKJ2f/s1600/EoW_Cover_2+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGYrpDxWwQR5mcFU7wAq_1phcsqgdrGHp9GOQ2y7vpn3-icGXz96aU9ABeYwwjAsvj6tKdqFT621ukMPlVc8QhSpKs0AzT2vdbvBkhDnOChMRbCl-QVK64NgFuZU3s2NRAJw6oDCDaKJ2f/s320/EoW_Cover_2+%25282%2529.jpg" width="247" /></a></div>
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<br />Truly it has
taken an imagination of a grand scale to write such an engrossing story
that holds you right to the very end. How the author was able to keep
track of so many characters whilst throwing in some unexpected twists is
beyond my current state of comprehension, and deserves some noted
credit and attention on its own. I’m sure that it was of no easy task in
the long run, or at least it would have a challenge for many authors
out there.<br /><br />You can see with clarity the level of understanding
this author has of how her characters would behave in the wild and has
strived to keep that reality within her story of imagination and well
defined descriptions. To turn the page and read the detail was to jump
straight in and be right there as the events unfolded. This is a must
read for anyone who holds a spark of interest in wolves of animals as a
whole, from the young to the young at heart – this one is one that
should fill shelves everywhere. I can only hope that the next book in
the series holds the same level of imagination and keeps you as captive
as each page of this one has. That very fact waits to be seen, with
great interest might I add. </div>
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Rating - 5 stars out of 5!<br /> </div>
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How would you like your chance to win one of THREE ebook copies of - Echoes of Winter, the stunning debut novel by Dominique Goodall?<br /><br /></div>
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<a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/1d02b50/" id="rc-1d02b50" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a><br />
<script src="//d12vno17mo87cx.cloudfront.net/embed/rafl/cptr.js"></script>Jennifer Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00430775567469621053noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8050482105736610039.post-34828275849128139152013-01-01T23:56:00.001+00:002013-01-02T11:48:06.262+00:00Farewell My Friend<h5 class="uiStreamMessage userContentWrapper" data-ft="{"type":1,"tn":"K"}">
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<span class="userContent">Farewell My Friend.<br /> <br /> Like a breath in the wind, the spirit carries you,<br /> A memory to hold, and a smile so true,<br /> You entered my life a small ball of fur,<br /> So soft and sweet, yet scared and shy,<br /> When we came to see you, you hid under a car,<br /> Only for a hand to take you and place you in my arms,<br /> <br /> It was there in that moment that I knew you were meant for me,<br /> But it wasn't set in stone that day,<br /> No we had to go and talk it over, but not for long,<br /> For the following day arrived and the decision made,<br /> And that afternoon you were wearing your small blue collar,<br /> With pride in your heart you never wanted it off, never struggled against it,<br /> <br /> With your half white face, and tear-drop markings,<br /> You marked my heart for life.<br /> That first week you were uncertain, but the bond was there.<br /> Not a whimper you made, no cry you shed.<br /> You knew you were home, no longer the shed,<br /> Your name was already set, and held just for you.<br /> <br /> It's meaning - of light, and that's what you were.<br /> The light of my life, the shadow of my heart,<br /> But 10 years on it was time for you to depart,<br /> With words shared between you and me, on Christmas day,<br /> You stayed strong for as long as you could,<br /> But the day came when you had to go,<br /> <br /> You chose not to spend your last hour with me,<br /> You knew it would hurt me even more to see you go,<br /> Your last breath was of your own accord,<br /> Surrounded by the people and things you loved most,<br /> But now a hole you have left in me,<br /> But rest my friend, for now you are free.<br /> <br /> No more pain to feel,<br /> No more tears you shed,<br /> You are needed elsewhere now,<br /> But I won't ever forget the love you gave,<br /> Or the trust you bestowed to me,<br /> And with tears I must say, farewell my friend.<br /> <br /> Jennifer Don © 2013<br /> <br />
Dedicated to the finest four legged friend anyone could ever hope to
share their life with. Life doesn't feel right without you at my side.
I'm going to miss your cuddles every night and your cheeky fun filled
face each time I come home. God bless you Lucy, my angel, my friend.
Always in my heart xxxx</span></div>
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Jennifer Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00430775567469621053noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8050482105736610039.post-47587315719117150482012-10-24T20:35:00.000+01:002012-10-24T20:35:11.757+01:00Ameria's Next Author - Guest PostWell, I have a surprise for you all. This week, I have a very special
guest post by one of the contestants of America’s Next Author. Please
give your attention to Dominique Goodall as she tells you what she is
doing right now.<br />
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<a href="http://wolvenheart.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/amneau.png"><img alt="" class="aligncenter wp-image-150" height="100" src="http://wolvenheart.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/amneau.png?w=400&h=100" title="AmNeAu" width="400" /></a></div>
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<em>Dominique Goodall says…</em><br />
<br />
For the past two weeks (and a few days) I’ve been involved in a huge
competition which makes use of your skills in social media as well as
writing. I used a piece which involves characters from my upcoming book,
Echoes of Winter but in a different setting where magic flows and
wolves can fly. (But only if they have wings, of course!)<br />
<br />
It’s been an interesting thing to do – I’ve asked people for honest
reviews and mostly the feedback has been amazing! Short stories aren’t
my forte but this one seems to have appealed to people for some reason.
Some people didn’t think the pacing was too fast, or that I told rather
than showed the reader what was happening/in the scenery. Some people
believed that this was part of a larger piece (which it isn’t, but I do
plan another short ‘instalment’ to finish the story.)<br />
<a href="http://wolvenheart.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/eow_cover_2-2.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-148" height="300" src="http://wolvenheart.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/eow_cover_2-2.jpg?w=231&h=300" title="EoW_Cover_2 (2)" width="231" /></a><br />
Other people are fascinated by the ideas represented in the story.
Two friends, close enough to call themselves sisters, are torn apart by
the depression of one and her failure to care about the responsibilities
she has. What made people even more interested was that these weren’t
humans – these were wolves and yet they had emotions like those everyone
feels.<br />
<br />
Relying on other people to review and vote is a patchy business and
yet I’ve managed to remain in the top ten for the last week and a half!
I’ve had a lot of support from friends and writing groups, who often go
and hit the tweet button. The reviews count as well, as I prefer honest
reviews. If you love it, write that and more importantly…tell me why! If
you hate it, again – I want to know why you hate it.<br />
An author can only progress with the constructive criticism of the
type I’ve received, so thank you to everyone who HAS reviewed it.<br />
<br />
Interested in reading yourself? Does this synopsis sound like something you could enjoy?<br />
‘When winter springs a challenging blizzard onto a pack besieged with
doubt? What will happen to the wolves that have been chased from their
home, have lost their Alpha male and are watching their Alpha female
die? Well, if Kamduis has anything to do with it, she’ll have a lot to
do with it! Read on for this tale which mentions the wolf goddess Luna,
winged wolves and betrayal between two sisters who have no real bond but
the love in their hearts and the song which joins them together as
pack.’<br />
If so, then take a look here!<br />
http://www.ebookmall.com/author/dom-goodall<br />
<br />
<a href="http://wolvenheart.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/477101_10150892671994898_516174897_9476817_561265260_o.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-149" height="300" src="http://wolvenheart.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/477101_10150892671994898_516174897_9476817_561265260_o.jpg?w=200&h=300" title="477101_10150892671994898_516174897_9476817_561265260_o" width="200" /></a><br />
<br />
Dominique Goodall is the author of the soon to be released Echoes of
Winter, book one in the Seasons of the Wolf series and a self-confessed
wolf addict. She has currently been published in two anthologies by
Crushing Hearts and Black Butterfly Publishing and is currently working
on getting herself better known by sending in manuscripts for as many
different anthologies as she possibly can.<br />
As much as she loves to admit it, she never will be able to count her
wolf stuff- there’s nothing left for her to be truly able to collect
without her own home.<br />
<br />
She can be friended on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/WaterSinger<br />
Her author page on Facebook is here: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dominique-Goodall-author/250907358312446<br />
The page for Echoes of Winter is here: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Echoes-of-Winter/355235744499607<br />
Her twitter name is: https://twitter.com/#!/DomGoodall<br />
And her blog can be found here: http://dominiquegoodall.wordpress.com/<br />
And the trailer for her book is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kix63EXBW50&feature=plcp<br />
There you have it folks, head on over and read the short story and let her know your thoughts on it.Jennifer Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00430775567469621053noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8050482105736610039.post-77082708224338547972012-09-09T17:59:00.000+01:002012-09-09T18:56:57.804+01:00The Last Post<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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Well it’s finally here. The last posting for the Virtual
Blog Tour, organised by Tasha Turner and her helpers, is finally here. It has
been a long and gruelling 16 weeks but we arrived here all the better for it.
Well, perhaps that would be true if I managed the last two posts, but I had to
back out for those two weeks. However this post isn’t about that. This post is
about the experience gained over the tour. It’s about the fun and new found
friendships. Yes there were hard times and tough moments but the less said on
those the better for everyone I think.</div>
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For many, this was the first tour they had ever participated
in. Very few knew what to expect from it and many were left asking – What did I
just get myself into?</div>
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<br /></div>
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Yes there were doubts throughout the tour, but through those
doubts many realisations were made. From the start you could see the
friendships forming, you could see a small community growing and each were
willing to support each other through it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>From the very first task we were taught how to see things from the
perspective of the reader, from the perspective of our target audience’s. Not
easy I can assure you, but certainly helpful. </div>
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16 weeks, 16 posts – that’s quite a feat isn’t it? Can you
imagine the amount of planning it took to build this tour? No, neither can I.
But from a participant’s side it has shown me that if you work together and
help each other, you make better progress through the harder parts. 17
assignments were presented to us over the weeks, 16 of them were posts for the
tour and one was the short bio of ourselves that we added to each post as it
was sent to our hosts for that given week. </div>
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But what was learnt from the tour? I don’t know about the
other participants, what they learned could be so different from me that you
may never have guessed we were all in the same tour. My own experience can be
referred to as being on a rollercoaster where the highs outweighed all the
lows. </div>
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When I signed up for the tour experience, I was nervous and
scared. I was excited by the prospect of what could come from it. I looked
forward to the experience of doing something that I had never done before. To
checking off one more item on a long list of things to undertake. But let’s
face it – Blog Tours didn’t stand a chance of my list before this one. That’s a
good sign. It means I’m up for others in the future, depending on the context
of the tour of course. </div>
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I struggled, I wavered and I threw in the towel when life
became too much to cope with. Yes, I gave up but I didn’t lose anything from
giving up, quite the opposite in fact. So what, I didn’t complete all 16 weeks
of the tour. It doesn’t make me a failure. I’ll never see it that way. 13 half
decent posts, not including this one, with hours spent on each post is what I
have to show for my time on this tour. What they don’t tell you is how
important those 13 posts have come to be. They don’t show you the time spent
behind the scene’s trying to word it just right and still not managing to do
so. They don’t show you what writers in general go through on a daily basis.
Nor do they show you the dedicated level of restraint and control that
professional bloggers develop as they maintain a high standard of postings for
those that follow what they do. </div>
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I’m not one them, a professional blogger is not what I want
to be. But blogging is necessary. So is interaction and FEEDBACK. Feedback is
important. Not only does it help the blogger make better what they have, but it
helps those that are reading over it to see how they too can improve upon
themselves. But that’s for another time. </div>
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This tour has shown me that anything is possible when you
put your mind to it – so long as you don’t become too absorbed in stress and conflict.
Easier said than done and seemingly contradictive of my own predicament that
saw me miss the last two posts, I’ll grant you that. However, at the same time
it has made me realise that I am not alone and every fall is followed with a
steady climb back up.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN-o4hK-2_HuXPa6PDBzEXMlJETzxSKRsoeAU456F9iwswqydcDKb55eSAZvzLYbYuYymkTd_0CEMy9mLt8bgaxN8xE1KoA_td7oGKf1Hs6kbb-69_l_86l5dUvV6XgUcklAv79phARVhN/s1600/VBTSurvivor3-1.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN-o4hK-2_HuXPa6PDBzEXMlJETzxSKRsoeAU456F9iwswqydcDKb55eSAZvzLYbYuYymkTd_0CEMy9mLt8bgaxN8xE1KoA_td7oGKf1Hs6kbb-69_l_86l5dUvV6XgUcklAv79phARVhN/s320/VBTSurvivor3-1.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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I didn’t survive the entire 16 weeks, but for the 13 weeks I
posted faithfully and on time where possible. I posted with love and admiration
for my guests and wished everyone the best. I posted because I cared and I was
learning all the way through. This post marks my 14<sup>th</sup> of the tour
and I’m proud to be able to join everyone for this very last post of what has
been an amazing tour experience. If I were to list everything I learned over
the tour then I’d need a second posting, perhaps even a third just to make sure
everything was there. </div>
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I’ve learned just how important it is to tailor to your
market audience and grab their attention the best you can. I’ve learned how
important your pitches are, whether on Facebook, twitter or somewhere else. If
it stands out – then you’ll get the hits you’ve been looking for. Short and
snappy tends to work. Invite your audience in with questions; invite them to
discuss your post. Invite them to ask you question. Interact with your audience
and you will grow from strength to strength. I’ve learned just how supportive
others can be, and I’ve learned that no matter what you do, you are never alone
in your experience. You are never alone in your growth. Someone, somewhere is
standing facing the same or similar to you. Never be blind to your own struggles,
reach out to those around you and you will get the help you need. Always ask
questions and listen to what’s being said. It is from this – asking and listening,
that you will find your answers and your way forwards. </div>
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This… is what I’ve learned from this tour. 16 weeks of
asking questions, 14 weeks of finding my answers. 16 weeks of understanding the
support that was always there and 14 weeks of standing strong. 16 long weeks
with 16 guest posts and 16 host blogs, of which only 14 weeks did I find my
feet. I may not have lasted the entire tour like others have. I may have backed
down due to stress for the previous two weeks. But, I did not fail. I am not a causality
of the mighty pen. I am writer. I am a survivor in my own rights. I… will
always be here. </div>
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Would I take part in another tour knowing what know now? </div>
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Of course I would. We learn from experience. To learn we
must step into the shadows of the unknown and brave the adventure that we have
never travelled before. We must boldly go, where we have gone before. Yes, we’ll
hit walls. Yes, we’ll panic and cringe. But we will survive. We will live fight
another day. Giving in, throwing the towel in does not make you a failure. It
makes you stronger. </div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
To Tasha Turner, her staff and fellow participants, I must
thank each of you. It has been a long journey of ups and down, a journey of
tears and journey of wit. But we have grown together, we have laughed together
and we have struggled together. But we have had each other. So raise your
glasses and let’s toast to our hosts, to our guests and our organizers. Without
each other, this tour would never have been as successful as it has come to be.
Some said it would never work; it would never last because it wasn’t done as
other tours had been done. But each of you proved that wrong and each of you,
whether you lasted the 16 weeks or not, should be proud. Take what you have learned
and let it build. You are not the same person you were 16 weeks ago. Together
we have grown and together have shared in an amazing experience that was worth
participating in.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH_Ih-jUDl70ZphAWuyZBheOhB3FENxLmHC3A-745cb42CEOQg55QqukFuspqrH4QuAR_F8BkrnIKZJrcpCgklvLoS3nCuVwC63ajdKC7IQfCYHN9r5Z_TZwdfStrSF5ZJjKmnUtaq3GFV/s1600/thank-you.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH_Ih-jUDl70ZphAWuyZBheOhB3FENxLmHC3A-745cb42CEOQg55QqukFuspqrH4QuAR_F8BkrnIKZJrcpCgklvLoS3nCuVwC63ajdKC7IQfCYHN9r5Z_TZwdfStrSF5ZJjKmnUtaq3GFV/s320/thank-you.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
Without many of you, I would never have lasted as long as I
did. I only wish that could I have managed those two missing assignments but
real life proved to be too difficult to balance for those two weeks. I know you
all understand this and I look forward to working with you all in the future.
Many, many thanks to each of you!</div>
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Can you relate to what I’ve mentioned about the tour?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Have I missed an aspect that deserves some attention?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If I have, please leave a comment and let us know. Others
will gain from what you have to say. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Until the next post, or tour, live life for the experience.
Live for the fun of learning something new and never be too afraid to step into
the unknown. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<h3>
<i>About Jennifer Don</i></h3>
</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNkdNXnk9ENQNIOT0UVoL3cAiK0mirvjzvm6Z-7QD27_GpawE1Kwf9EXJnnHRivZ4o2SMT3B4bzaYbL71u9xLP7LMznpzEvX6kdPazI-wjZqllHPZlR9_RBAhxydaHcTegAJK3eT7pLTlx/s1600/Snapshot_20120729_8.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNkdNXnk9ENQNIOT0UVoL3cAiK0mirvjzvm6Z-7QD27_GpawE1Kwf9EXJnnHRivZ4o2SMT3B4bzaYbL71u9xLP7LMznpzEvX6kdPazI-wjZqllHPZlR9_RBAhxydaHcTegAJK3eT7pLTlx/s320/Snapshot_20120729_8.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-no-proof: yes;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Jennifer spent many years without daring to lift a pen,
without writing a word that wasn’t forced. But 2008 arrived and with it, her
love of writing. She began with poetry which quenched her thirst to begin with
but soon that wasn’t enough to satisfy her. 2011 arrived with a dream to write
her first novel – Awakening, which is on-going. November saw her attempt her
first NaNoWriMo, and so Timber Varden was born, with the bulk of it being
written within that month. Now she finds herself aiming to re-write that draft
and turn it into her first published novel.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Contact</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
While she aims to work through the edits needed, updates on
her progress can be found on here -<a href="http://www.facebook.com/AuthorJenniferDon" target="_blank">http://www.facebook.com/AuthorJenniferDon</a><br />
To find out more with regards to her other projects, then check out her blog
here - <a href="http://thoughtsgowild.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">http://thoughtsgowild.blogspot.co.uk/</a><br />
And should you wish to follow her on Twitter, or ask her any questions please
see here -<a href="https://twitter.com/#%21/Voice_Of_Spirit" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/#!/Voice_Of_Spirit</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
You can also add and follow Jennifer over on Goodreads. You
will find that link here – <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6155054.Jennifer_Don">http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6155054.Jennifer_Don</a></div>
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Jennifer will be more than happy to answer any questions you
have for her. You can contact her at any of the links posted above. Or email
her at authorjenniferdon@hotmail.co.uk</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /></div>
Jennifer Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00430775567469621053noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8050482105736610039.post-82162018855326479782012-08-28T19:27:00.000+01:002012-08-28T19:35:23.744+01:00In My Dreams - A ReviewIt's time to post a post that hasn't been done on this blog for a long long time. It's time for a book review. Doing one, is like being back at school trying to remember all the key points and factors that we're meant to refer back to, but in reality do we ever do what we were taught in school? I can't remember one factor from the rest, but that doesn't matter. Personal book reviews and reviews for authors don't fall into such strict routines. They don't look for the same thing over and over again. They want honesty.... your honesty. That's all that matters. <br />
<br />
So on to the Review. The following is something that is close to my heart. Not only is it paranormal based but it highlights aspects of the real world for many that people dismiss. In My dreams - highlights aspects of our dreams that can help us in reality albeit not based as they are within this book. It also shows an author who is acceptant of the world around them and isn't afraid to approach that bridge and stand comfortably on it. So for me that is extra bonus points for this Indie Author. You see, I've always held a special connection to those that pass before us. It's what keeps me going when I myself am not writing. The afterlife for many is unthinkable, but place it within a book and it's all the rage! Kudos to those that do! It's for this very reason also that the bulk of my work is based within this theme. <br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/In-My-Dreams-ebook/dp/B004WOY8ZS/ref=cm_rdp_product" target="_blank">In My Dreams</a> by Cameo Renae, is a Young Adult Paranormal Novel.<br />
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Elizabeth
Hayes, better known as Liz to her friends and family, suffers a fate
worse than death. She is held tightly by her dreams, dreams that are
visions of foresight. Dreams that reveal events that have yet to happen.
She doesn't know that they will when she has them, but from her past
experiences she knows not to dismiss them.<br />
<br />
When the life of her
friends, and herself are endangered, she must remember the way out that
her dreams revealed to her. But she doesn't just rely on her dreams. She
has Michael to help her. Her friend since childhood, and boyfriend of 4
years would never let harm befall her if he could help it.<br />
<br />
But
what happens when Liz wakes from a dream so real? When she wakes to her
phone ringing, the caller on the other end gives her some bad news that she
finds very hard to accept. Another dream of hers has come to pass, and
reality breaks before eyes. She now finds herself in danger and must
trust her dreams even more.<br />
<br />
In My Dreams is a heart-breaking tale
bound by love and compassion, wrapped in forgiveness and sorrow. From
the moment you turn that first page, you will be left grasping tightly
as you yearn to know what will happen. In a world where love is stronger
than you can imagine, the lives of those affected will be changed
forever - and with it your perception of your own reality.<br />
<br />
Cameo
Renae has done a wonderful job in creating fluent characters that you
could trust and bond with. Characters that you can connect with from the
start, is a hard thing for writers to portray but Cameo managed it with
apparent ease. Such ease to the reader is hard for the writer. Credit
given where credit is due. This is one writer to keep your eyes open for
in the future!<br />
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In My Dreams keeps you turning through the pages waiting to see what happens next. It has you firmly locked upon its pages as you pray for Liz to survive, but the question is... does she? For that answer you'll need to go and read the book to find out! <br /><br />I give this one 5 out of 5!Jennifer Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00430775567469621053noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8050482105736610039.post-39302861099345697162012-08-26T15:47:00.002+01:002012-08-26T15:47:28.073+01:00Adding Not SubtractingInstead of removing scene's, my guest turned it around and added scene's instead. So let's see what Tara Chevrestt has to say on this weeks topic of Deleted scene's as we near the end of our Virtual Tour.<br />
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I’ve never done deleted scenes. Really. So when I saw the “deleted scenes” topic, I griped, bellyached, thought real hard, then decided to talk about added scenes. I’ve done quite a few of those. Here’s where I started:<br />
When I penned my first romance novel, I said, “I’m not going to have a sex scene. Nobody needs it. We all know part A goes into part B.” And so I wrote a lovely little story about two people meeting, falling in love, all that, and though I had them “doing it”, it was closed door. They entered room, shut door, kissed, said words of love, end of scene. The next scene was pillow talk.<br />
This book got contracted with a romance publisher. I received my first edits from an editor. To the right of my ms was a little comment box. “We don’t do closed door sex. Tell us what happens here.” And even though there was a little smiley face with it, I gasped. “Noooo! I cannot write sex! My family will disown me!”<br />
I said this to the editor. The editor asked the higher ups. They said, “No sex at all, not even implied OR the scene must be there.”<br />
This being a contemporary romance and the characters being who they were, I needed them to have relations for the story line to reach the satisfying conclusion (yes, that’s a pun) I was aiming for. I felt between a rock and a hard place (another pun). I was deeply embarrassed and frustrated by this turn of events. A consultation with a very important person was in order.<br />
I texted my dad. The conversation went something (not exact) like this:<br />
Me: Dad! So I signed over this romance story I wrote, and they want me to add sex! And it’s already contracted! I’m so upset!<br />
Dad: Why?<br />
Me: Cause it’s SEX! How will you and mom feel about me writing that?<br />
Dad: Sex doesn’t have to be nasty. Make it special between two people that love each other. It will be a beautiful thing then.<br />
And later, my editor said, “It will help show their relationship evolve.”<br />
After two hours of pulling my hair, texting my dad, emailing my editor, and ranting to my pug, I finally sat down at the computer and wrote my first sex scene.<br />
I’ve wrote many more since then. You could say I finally broke a barrier (bad pun!) that night. The book has done decently. It’s well-liked, and readers really love the romance between the characters.<br />
I ran into the same awkward moment when I subbed a f/f story a few months ago. The publisher liked it, said they wanted it, but added a note, “Now’s a good time to add that ménage.”<br />
*sigh* There was a reason that ménage was missing. I didn’t want to write it! LOL<br />
Regardless, I texted my husband, griped at my pug, sat down, and typed. And you know what? I actually enjoyed it. *grins*<br />
You’ll see the results of my labor this October when When Hubby’s Away, the Ladies Play releases from Secret Cravings.<br />
Meanwhile, if you wish to sample another f/f piece, The Submission is available from Evernight: http://www.evernightpublishing.com/the-submission-by-d-f-krieger-and-sonia-hightower/<br />
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Blurb: The editor is always right... Katia Lane, a down on her luck writer, finds this out the hard way. When she submits an erotic tale to Daring Desires Publishing, one head strong woman meets another as an author/editor war ensues. There’s no room for a diva in the publishing industry...and Sylvia L. Avers means to demonstrate this to the fledging writer. When you submit a manuscript to Daring Desires, you submit more than a book...you submit yourself.<br />
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As a BDSM conference nears, both women prepare to face off. Which one is going to be on top?<br />
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Tara Chevrestt is a deaf woman, former aviation mechanic, writer, and an editor. She is most passionate about planes, motorcycles, dogs, and above all, reading. That led to her love of writing. Between her writing and her editing, which allows her to be home with her little canine kids, she believes she has the greatest job in the world. She is very happily married.<br />
Tara also writes as Sonia Hightower. Sonia writes the racy stuff and argues that she was here first. She just wasn't allowed to be unleashed until the last year.<br />
While Tara and Sonia continue to fight over the laptop and debate who writes the next book, you can find buy links, blurbs, and other fun bits on their website: http://tarachevrestt.weebly.com/index.html or their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tara-Chevrestt-Sonia-Hightower/218383211513877.Jennifer Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00430775567469621053noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8050482105736610039.post-89967478128272131462012-08-19T10:10:00.000+01:002012-08-19T10:10:48.847+01:00The Low Down, Show Down. It is with our pleasure that we welcome back an amazing author, friend and inspiration all rolled into one. Please everyone stand as we introduce this weeks guest.... (drum roll) ... Kim Mutch Emerson aka Author KD Emerson!<br /><br />Welcome Kim, please make yourself at home as we share some knowledge with the outside world on what it is you actually do. Refreshments will be served in due course, so please state your poison now or forever hold your peace.<br />
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So without further adue, let the games begin!... Erm, I mean interview, let the interview begin!<br />
<br />Can you remember the moment when you realized you wanted to be a writer? <br /><br /><i><b>Kim:</b></i> I remember it was after I could talk… that’s about as close as I can come. It has always been with me.<br /><br />You’re not just a writer though, and what you do helps others find their footing. So for those that don’t know, can you tell us more about MasterKoda.com and how it came to be?<br /><br /><i><b>Kim:</b></i> Masterkoda.com is a book marketing and publishing company. It came to be out of my two great passions: writing and assisting others in realizing their dreams.<br /><br />While we’re on the topic of MasterKoda.com, an amazing place may I add – can you perhaps explain to those that don’t know, where the title came from and what Koda means?<br /><br /><i><b>Kim:</b></i> I got the name for my business from some clients that started calling me Master Koda. They said it was a combination of Kim and Yoda because I have always had the ability to powerfully manifest things into my life. I liked the name, it seemed to resonate with me, so I searched the meaning of the name Koda and found that in the Lakota language it means “friend of the people”. I strive I live up to it while being realistic and know that I will always disappoint some because I am human.<br /><br />MasterKoda by the way, is not only a well-built website offering fantastic services to all authors, it is also a fast growing community on Facebook. Has the growth of MasterKoda helped you to define your own goals and destination points, whilst at the same time, keeping that level head for those who need help?<br /><br /><i><b>Kim:</b></i> No, the FB group hasn’t defined my goals. My goals and the FB group are really two different things. I created the group for authors and others in the industry to have a safe haven and support group and it is just exactly what I hoped it would be.<br /><br />Okay, let’s now go back to the writing that you so obviously love. Can you tell us why you have chosen to write in the genre that you do? <br /><br /><i><b>Kim:</b></i> Our world is filled with many trials and challenges. If the human race is to survive and thrive we must take responsibility for our communities and the earth itself. I have a heart for the future of the world and the future is in the hands of young adults. I write stories that cause the intelligent mind to stop and ponder.<br /><br />Have any of your characters been inspired by people you know in real life? <br /><br /><i><b>Kim: </b></i>Of course, my characters all have traits from real people.<br /><br />How much of your own lively, yet compassionate personality do you inject into that of your characters? <br /><br /><i><b>Kim:</b></i> Bits and pieces show through in each character I suppose. .<br /><br />Have you ever unwittingly written yourself into one of your own books only for someone to make that connection? <br /><br /><i><b>Kim:</b></i> There are times I will throw a personal experience in, but the characters themselves are not based on me.<br /><br />When writing, do you have any rituals or routines that you go through in order to aid the creative flow? Please don’t say you run around with pants on your head like my muse claims I do… which by the way is entirely falsified in order of his amusement. <br /><br /><i><b>Kim:</b></i> I wear a bowler hat when I write. It’s a long story…<br /><br />Are there any Authors who have positively influenced your own goals, and those that you admire? <br /><br /><i><b>Kim: </b></i>Many authors have influenced me, far too many to mention.<br /><br />Where do you see yourself being in 10 years’ time? <br /><br /><i><b>Kim:</b></i> In a space ship with Yoda.<br /><br />What advice do you have for your fellow writers out there; those who wish to write, but don’t know where to begin? <br /><br /><i><b>Kim:</b></i> Pick up a pen and write the first thing that pops into your mind. Don’t worry about editing it; don’t worry about “what if it’s not good enough”. Set a timer and put the pen on the paper and write without stopping even if you repeat the same word over and over. Just move your pen and it will start to come to you.<br /><br />Have you ever suffered from Writers block? If so, how did you break the barrier in order to continue?<br /><br /><i><b>Kim:</b></i> I have gone periods in my life when I didn’t write, but it wasn’t because of writers block. Those were times I chose not to write because of events that were happening in my life.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDGSCsFREzQ9zAHxkjHqP4DmbFCm9020SJpaioSJrzocnQc6hCSjfuXFaUE-cKkm0GzBkdVlzVqoIKK3-5n53N1n-SwGW_4AndCzrJFvPoAeNXbe0BSdbikhglMb4qK5BTK6vY8mwTmMp-/s1600/Digitus+working+Book+Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDGSCsFREzQ9zAHxkjHqP4DmbFCm9020SJpaioSJrzocnQc6hCSjfuXFaUE-cKkm0GzBkdVlzVqoIKK3-5n53N1n-SwGW_4AndCzrJFvPoAeNXbe0BSdbikhglMb4qK5BTK6vY8mwTmMp-/s320/Digitus+working+Book+Cover.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><pre>"Working Cover for Kim's upcoming novel, Digitus 233; a novel of
on-the-edge-of-your-seat thrills and intrigue.</pre>
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Thank you Kim for your time and your honesty. One day, you'll have to tell us all about that Bowler hat of yours. But we will leave that for another time. It has been a pleasure getting to know you better and to know more about what you do when you are not writing.<br />
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You see folks, writers don't write all the time as stereotypes would have us think. They need some down time too or they would burn out, or explode from exhaustion.<br />
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Unfortunately, we have run out of time on today's interview but we may see you back here in the near future. To you my readers, the tide has turned. I now give you the floor and ask, If any of you have burning questions for Kim, what would they be? Can you open further the growing can of worms that Kim maintains to keep hidden? <br />
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Until next time, here is Kim's Bio. <br />
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<h3>
<i><b>Author Bio</b></i></h3>
<br />Author, KD Emerson was born (or is that hatched) several years ago. We won’t go into how long it has been because she has this fantasy that she is still a teenager off to conquer the world. She has a passion for the written word and assisting other writers in becoming the best they can be. She also loves to promote others and cheer them on to victory. Follow her on twitter @MstrKoda or you can find her at www.masterkoda.com and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/kimmutch.emerson Jennifer Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00430775567469621053noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8050482105736610039.post-73925580711699912852012-08-13T21:37:00.000+01:002012-08-13T21:37:21.283+01:00Swamped Under The Review Pile
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<span lang="EN-US">Normal posts are the theme of the day, but since when is anything ever normal? How do you define that word? Let's think on that some other time. Right now I want to introduce you to Aurora Martinez, as she blesses us with a guest post this week. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Stressing Over Reviews.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">By Aurora Martinez</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Reviews have been an integral part of my
blogging. It’s amazing to see all the fabulous writers and then to have them as
you for an opinion is just flabbergasting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I have been a bit remiss on keeping up with them, but I can say in all
honesty that it was not without reason. First, I had a bad sort of luck with my
“external” technology. I use that term to describe my e-reader and my phone
that had an “app” to read.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well a few weeks
ago my e-reader died the deaths of a well-loved electronic that like so many
other things its screen cracked.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then in
the space of a week I lost my prized Motorola Cliq 2 that was my “back-up”
e-reader with my 32GB SD card inside. I felt like screaming and crying over the
loss of my 2000 ebooks, but I didn’t I loaded some new programs on my laptop to
assist with what I had left. It is a lot harder to follow but at least I am now
reading now. In fact, I just looked at my TBR (To-Be-Read) pile and have found
myself some 20 reviews behind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My heart
fell and I know that I must apologize to all my authors awaiting my
thoughts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These days are just passing
too quickly and then on top of my loss of technology, real-life is happening. I
went from doing absolutely nothing but blogging and reviewing to:</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1 1)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span lang="EN-US">Having a successful
relationship</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2 2)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span lang="EN-US">Starting a business</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3 3)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span lang="EN-US">Preparing to move into a new
house, that we affectionately call the Tardis (an ode to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Doctor Who</i>, it is small on the outside but large on the inside.)</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4 4)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span lang="EN-US">Setting a date to release my
own book and </span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5 5)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span lang="EN-US">Working harder to overcome a
physical disability, through a series of stretching, pain medicines and minty
muscle rubs (it will never be normal, but I am doing what I can to make things
more manageable.)</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Things are looking up my dear Authors and
friends; I will review your books soon. I’m moving my spotlights to a weekly
thing in November so that I can get caught up on reviews, as well as adding any
new ones.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It has been a wild ride. I
hope you can all hold on for just a few more weeks before things become a
little stable. I do stress a little; you know how life really likes to throw us
curve balls. With that last thought I bid you Adieu and pray that you
understand my predicament. </span></div>
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Bio: <br />
I have always been a writer. When I first learned to
write in Kindergarten, I wrote about pigs who "groo" wings and became
"butterfys." I knew way back then that I would have a love affair with
writing. It over took my life and has been a constant companion. Now
over 20 years later, that love flows over into writing blogs, reviews,
poetry and fantasy novels. <br />
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Jennifer Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00430775567469621053noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8050482105736610039.post-75291285707406547942012-08-05T12:28:00.001+01:002012-08-05T12:28:08.962+01:00Summer's Bounty<br />
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><i>We are now into the home stretch of our Virtual Blog Tour. The end is nigh but we are not done. This week announces week 11 has arrived and with it we have for you an amazing writer who has very willingly disclosed an excerpt of their book. </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><b><i>Announcing Penelope Price!</i></b> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Summer's Bounty</span></h2>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">by Penelope Price</span></h2>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Greetings
friends! This week I'm debuting an excerpt from my forthcoming novel,
"Incandescence". The very first section I ever wrote, in fact! It
features the teenage mage, Hannah Brighton and- well, better to read it than to
read <i>about</i> it.</span></div>
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further ado... "Summer's Bounty":</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">* * * * * * * * *</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>A
longer day she had never known. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Rising
from a lumpy nest upon a lumpy futon at an hour just shy of dawn, she had
toiled until noon beneath a scorching July sun. She plied rake and hoe upon a
brown, withered garden with nothing but a single puny break for lukewarm tea
and a sad, dry sandwich of stale wheat bread and cheap bologna. Afterword, she
spent several hours more trying to coax life back into rows and rows of
picked-over vegetables, tubers and herbs. She had hauled a mismatched pair of
five gallon buckets - one that still smelled faintly of the fast food pickles
it had once contained, the other bearing patches of white paint upon its
sun-faded red surface - from the creek at the bottom edge of the property until
her shoulders burned and her legs refused to carry her any further. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Exhausted,
she stood now, surveying the disappointing result of her futile labour, and
wiped a dirty forearms across her forehead. Flexing her shoulders, Hannah
Brighton closed her eyes - changeling eyes, her mother had called them - and
took a long deep breath. She exhaled slowly, lightly, her lips tightly pursed
to control the flow of air. Her toes tingled in her boots and she found herself
clenching her fists at her sides. With effort, she flattened them against her
thighs, still gently blowing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">It seemed to last an hour, that single
breath, and she began to feel light-headed. When at last she opened her eyes,
Hannah felt her lips curl into a broad grin.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>"Beautiful,"
she whispered to herself. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Where
moments before there had been only parched, thirsty earth and rows of wilting
plants, now stood a verdant garden in full vibrant blossom. Spring peas swelled
enticingly in their pods, a web of delicious produce upon narrow stakes, and
cucumbers of two varieties dangled in a vaguely obscene manner nearby. She
could see the ruffled heads of red lettuce beside the pretty, flowering tops of
potato plants. Onions and carrots sprouted with green beans, cabbage, kale,
peppers, zucchini and a whole multitude of squashes. Tomatoes ripened
temptingly on their vines and the fragrant bouquet of various herbs - she could
identify basil and bay and thyme for sure - wafted upon a weak, hot breeze. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Her
eyes drifted in delight toward the briar thatch at the south edge of the
garden; raspberries, blackberries, huckleberries and blueberries were juicy,
heavy burdens upon their brambled branches. And best of all, a vast patch of
crimson, heart-shaped berries that fairly exploded with the colorful little
fruits that were her favorite. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
whole scene made her wax poetic. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Spring
crops mingled with winter ones, summer plants blossoming with those typically
reserved for autumn. All were gloriously ripe, a riot of color and scent that
assaulted her sense and like a siren's call, beckoned the long absent birds and
insects.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>She
chuckled to herself, shaking her head in amazement. Hannah bent at the waist
reaching down to grab both the pickle bucket, in which she had tossed her
handtools and the paint bucket which was empty and thus, blessedly light. As
she straighened, a heavy hand fell upon her shoulder. Her heart suddenly
leaden, it dropped to her feet as her body turned to ice despite the sweltering
head of the evening.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>"Such
a waste of effort, my precious jewel," came the sickening, sweet voice. It
slid like honey from his tongue to her ear; a taste of nectar tainted with a
vile toxin that almost, but not quite, concealed the foul rot within. Her skin
crawled beneath his touch.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Lifting
her chin, Hannah spoke softly. "The effort is never wasted,
Alexander."</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>His
grip on her shoulder tightened reflexsively. His annoyance betrayed him for
Alexander abhorred being disputed. Pain flared across her chest and down her
arm - he had momentarily lost his hard-won control - and she knew when he
lifted his hand, the imprint would remain, seared upon her flesh. She reminded
herself to wear a sweater over her tank when she returned to the house. It
would not do for Luke to see the blisters and be inspired to do something
foolish. His temper was short these days and, God love him, he was in serious
denial about the realities they were facing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>"
do not like it when you talk back to me, sweet flower." Alexander withdrew
his hand. "Your continued insolence is most vexing."</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Good."
She straightened her shoulders, refusing to turn and meet his gaze. "Get
used to it."</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Heat
flared up behind her and she winced, cursing the stubborn streak she had
inherited from her father - the trait that forced her tongue.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>"You
<i>will</i> give me what I want, pet. In time."</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>She
hadn't even time to form a snarky reply; he was gone. Hannah knew it before she
turned, the burning warmth of him had passed. His fury, so strong as to be
tangible when he was present and the tangy, sulferrous odor that accompanied
it, had vanished. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">* * * * * * * * * *</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>And
there it is... the very first words I ever put to paper when I began
"Incandescence". Okay, granted, they've been through a first edit
since then (and a second one is still coming) but I just couldn't wait to share
this scene! </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>How
did I do? Too verbose? Did it leave you wanting to know more about Hannah and
Alexander and magic and- well, anything at all? Any suggestions or other
comments? Please, let me know in the comments below.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">About Penelope Price </span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Penelope Price:
author, gamer, nerd. Though she has been writing since she learned to read,
P.P. did not emerge from her coccoon to join the writing circuit until the year
of Tangerine Tango. She is the crazy chick behind this summer's<u>
Incandescence </u>and its sequel, <u>Inferno</u> and can usually be found
plotting projects with her partner-in-crime, Jack Morgan of
PunchJackMorgan.com. Get updates, gossip and geekery by following P.P. on
Facebook (http://facebook.com/PP_TheWriter), Twitter (http://twitter.com/#!/PP_TheWriter),
and at her blog (http://www.penelopeprice.net).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><i>Well, how do you like that? I personally want some more to read! This is one fine young writer and certainly one to be watched as the years go on. </i></span></div>Jennifer Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00430775567469621053noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8050482105736610039.post-12302778664523400122012-07-30T23:07:00.000+01:002012-07-30T23:07:03.384+01:00Plan Ahead or Jump Straight In?<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt;">
<span class="ecxmessagebody"><span style="font-family: "Times New\00000d\00000a Roman";">Welcome to Ravaging Thoughts. The one places where anything creative and wild can be found. This week we have a special guest with us as part of the VBT Group on Facebook. My guest is Ed Griffin and he is talking about whether he plans what he's going to write about, or whether to just dive in and pull out what he can. Let's see what he has to say. </span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt;">
<span class="ecxmessagebody"><span style="font-family: "Times New\00000d\00000a Roman";"> </span></span><a class="GKY2L2ICA2B" href="javascript:void(0);" kind="click"> </a></div>
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<h3 style="margin-bottom: .0001pt;">
<span class="ecxmessagebody"><span style="font-family: "Times New\00000d\00000a Roman";">Plan your
writing or just jump in?</span></span></h3>
<h3 style="margin-bottom: .0001pt;">
<span class="ecxmessagebody"><span style="font-family: "Times New\00000d\00000a Roman";"> </span></span></h3>
<div class="ecxMsoNormal">
<span>I’m a
planner all the
way and what helps me be a planner is my writing group. We’ve
been in existence
for over ten years, and we call ourselves the Rainwriters,
because when we were
first forming, it rained for every single meeting. There are
seven of us, never
any more.</span></div>
<div class="ecxMsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span>I think I’m just an average writer, but with the help of
this group, I
become a little above average. My work reflects six minds, not
just one. I know
some people do not do well in groups, but I couldn’t live
without the
Rainwriters. </span></div>
<div class="ecxMsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span>First of all, I feel that I have to turn in something at
every meeting.
That pressure puts my butt in the chair and makes me start
typing. I go over
and over my submissions to the group, but they inevitably find
things I missed.
Like motivations that don’t work, like descriptions that are
given little
attention, like too many characters in the opening and so on.</span></div>
<div class="ecxMsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span>Of course, I don’t take every suggestion. But when three
out of the six
commenting on my paper say that something doesn’t work – then it
doesn’t work.</span></div>
<div class="ecxMsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span>Another advantage of our group is the variety of
opinions. One man never
misses a wrong spelling or the mistaken use of a word. Another
man sees the big
picture, but doesn’t do any line editing. A woman calls
attention to my lack of
using the five senses in describing a scene.</span></div>
<div class="ecxMsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span>Some people do well meeting with a friend in a coffee
shop, others get
feedback from a few trusted friends. But I think everyone needs
feedback. Try
as we might, we can’t see it all.</span></div>
<div class="ecxMsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span>“Some people come to writers’ meetings for cheap
entertainment.” You’ve
heard that expression, I’m sure and sadly it’s true. So we are
very careful
about who comes into our group. Even though several people have
asked to join,
we decide on new members, not by their place on the waiting
list, but by who’s
good for the group. And then we have a ‘three meeting’ trial
period, in which
we evaluate the newcomer and they evaluate us.</span></div>
<div class="ecxMsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span>Some go to writers’ groups and find they are just social
groups, with
very little attention given to writing. We are on the other end
of that
spectrum. While we are friendly to all the members of the
Rainwriters, our
meetings are business meetings. They start on time and end on
time – two hours,
no more.</span></div>
<div class="ecxMsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span>Our procedure is this:</span></div>
<div class="ecxMsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="ecxMsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span>We hand out printed copies of our manuscripts at the
previous meeting or
leave them in dropbox for the others in the group to get. If we
leave them in
dropbox, we have to send a message that our next manuscript is
there.</span></div>
<div class="ecxMsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span>We don’t read at the meetings, unless someone has
something that has to
be edited right away. We do our editing in the quiet of our
rooms at home. At
the meeting one of us assumes the chairperson role and we start
through the
manuscripts. Figure it out –</span></div>
<div class="ecxMsoNormal">
<span>120
minutes = our
meeting, 2 hours</span></div>
<div class="ecxMsoNormal">
<span>3 minutes
– each
writer is allowed to comment on another writer’s work</span></div>
<div class="ecxMsoNormal">
<span>18
minutes – the total
time each writer has to comment on others’ work</span></div>
<div class="ecxMsoNormal">
<span>126
minutes – If all 7
of us used our full three minutes, that’s how long our meeting
would be.</span></div>
<div class="ecxMsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="ecxMsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span>We start with one manuscript and go around the room. One
member brings a
little timer that sounds a bell after three minutes. When a
person’s story is
being discussed, that person is not supposed to argue back. The
proper
etiquette is to thank the other members and take or ignore the
advice. </span></div>
<div class="ecxMsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span>You might call this a free editing process, which it is.
I don’t remember
the actual quote but Jean Auel talking about writing a half
million words
before she joined a writers’ group. After that, her writing
blossomed. </span></div>
<div class="ecxMsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span>Do you belong to a writers’ group? Does it help you? How
do you get
feedback on your writing?</span></div>
<div class="ecxMsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="ecxMsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span>Ed Griffin teaches creative writing in the community and
in a federal
prison. He is passionate about prison reform, the subject of his
other blog,
Prison Uncensored. <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8050482105736610039" target="_blank">http://prisonuncensored.wordpress.com/</a></span></div>
<div class="ecxMsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<h3 style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt;">
<b><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt;">Find Ed
online at </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;"></span></h3>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt;">
<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt;">Personal FB </span><u><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8050482105736610039" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1024992482</a></span></u><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;"></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt;">FB page <u><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8050482105736610039" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/EdGriffinWriter</a></u></span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;"></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt;">Twitter <u><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8050482105736610039" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/#!/EdGriffin2</a></u></span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;"></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt;">Personal Blog <u><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8050482105736610039" target="_blank">http://edgriffin.net/</a></u></span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;"></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt;">Writer’s Write Daily Blog <u><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8050482105736610039" target="_blank">http://writerswritedaily.wordpress.com/</a></u></span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;"></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt;">Prison Uncensored Blog <u><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8050482105736610039" target="_blank">http://prisonuncensored.wordpress.com/</a></u></span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;"></span></div>Jennifer Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00430775567469621053noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8050482105736610039.post-1391102984053421332012-07-23T19:17:00.001+01:002012-07-23T20:53:32.345+01:00A Mouse? No, I'm a Lion!This week I'm pleased to welcome back Amadi Kyymm as my guest blogger of week 9 of our Virtual Tour. This week she tells us what it feels like to hit a magical number in life and her thoughts upon that subject. <br />
<h3>
On Being Fifty</h3>
<br />
When I hit the big Five-Oh a lot of people (friends, co-workers) asked
me “So, what's it like being fifty?” To me that question was on par with
“What's it like to have six toes instead of five?” Well, I've got an
extra one just in case. . . . . . <br />
<br />
Actually at the age of 50,
it felt just like it was when I was 49, only I'm older by one digit.
That was 6 years ago. Now, that I am rapidly approaching my 57th year of
existence, I've noticed some significant changes.<br />
<br />
For one, I'm
much more focused on goals in life. I don't have time for the stupid
distractions. Hang out and shooting the breeze are a waste of time to
me. Neither do I have time to party, go clubbing, and all the crazy
stuff I used to do when I was younger, like get drunk or high. These
things were exciting back when I was half my age, now I just shake my
head chalk it all up to teenaged and young adult stupidity. <br />
<br />
Also, back in the late 70's and early 80's it was much safer for women
to go out and paint the town red. Now. . . . well, according to my NYPD
co-workers, you'd have to be nuts to do that.<br />
<br />
Plus, back 70's
and 80's there was much better music. The stuff the recording industry
palms off as music these days is pure trash. In my humble opinion, of
course. . . . .<br />
<br />
I've also noticed that I have a lot more
freedom to be who I am. When I was younger, in order to fit in with the
crowd I had to keep up with the Jone-es. It was of up most importance to
wear the right clothes, have my hair done just so, and to hang out at
the right places. Yeah, I lived in Clique City. Now, I look back at that
and laugh because though I did the dance, I never had a partner.
Meaning, I was never truly accepted even though I tried like the dickens
to fit in. A fie upon them I say, I'm proud of being a GEEK, a book
worm, a neebish, whatever you want to call me. <br />
<br />
Nowadays, I
couldn't care less about having brand name clothing (unless it's on
sale), having my hair done (unless it's washed and trimmed), etc. As
long as I'm properly groomed and dressed, I'm good to go. That can mean
anything from jeans, sweatshirt, a sweat suit, t-shirt, running shoes,
mocossins, or Uggs. It is tantamount for my clothing and footwear to be
comfortable.<br />
<br />
I've also discovered that I've become a straight
shooter, a sort of female version of John Wayne. I've grown a lot less
tolerant of Bravo Sierra (The United States Military slang for BS). It's
like I can see people coming a block away, with the bucket of crap to
dump on me. Like my late West Indian Mom used to say in her heavy
accent. “You tink I born yesterday?” She warned me I wouldn't understand
that question until I got older. Well, I did and I do.<br />
<br />
I'm no
longer the shy and quiet mouse I used to be. I find myself standing up
and speaking out against wrongs and injustices at work and life in
general. The expresions on folks faces are priceless. All they've known
for the past 20, 30, or 40 years was a convienent doormat for them to
wipe their feet upon. Now the doormat has turned into a lion. Listen to
that roar, and watch out for those teeth!<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA40DkJ3TgPdxWTCotl2nYirFk6nfxSJrmpAIb9adferhfyYT4lgLNZfmuloi0uoIkp9-isF_fcl_cHiAgGYRTWUVSY43fc2Zxx2WqQ24YI_ZiAuj0uAAD3pjpd8oriduLK-GodvaWVdw5/s1600/WHITELION-ME.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA40DkJ3TgPdxWTCotl2nYirFk6nfxSJrmpAIb9adferhfyYT4lgLNZfmuloi0uoIkp9-isF_fcl_cHiAgGYRTWUVSY43fc2Zxx2WqQ24YI_ZiAuj0uAAD3pjpd8oriduLK-GodvaWVdw5/s400/WHITELION-ME.jpg" width="317" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
I'm no longer part
of the women's rat race. With the onset of Change Of Life (*cough*
Menopause) my whole outlook of the opposite sex and the dating scene
changed. I seriously wonder what was I thinking back then? Why was I in
competition with four other women for one man who was a “creep”? <br />
<br />
I gladly bid that nonsense adios and continued with my life. I'm
perfectly happy with my family, my cats, and my writing. What more do I
need? If The Creaor wants me married with or without children, He will
send the guy to me. I don't need to chase him down the way cheetah
chases the gazelle on the Serengeti. . . . . .<br />
<br />
Last but not
least, I have room to breathe and the freedom to write. In fact, I
didn't seriously take up my pen until the age of 50. <br />
<br />
I had
been writing most of my adult life, but had stopped for twenty years
because I was taking care of my Mom. But during the last two years of
her life I was introduced to and started blogging. I used my blog (named
“The Pot Calleth The Kettle Black”) as an outlet for my pain and
frustration. It short, it became a digital shoulder to cry on. <br />
<br />
I had no clue I was documenting my last years with Mom. Now that I look
back at it, I'm glad I did it. I'm now seriously considering editing
and publishing it. <br />
<br />
To me, growing older meant cutting the fat
out my life. Like all of those ridiculous things I used to cling to, and
thought I couldn't live without. They're gone, never to be seen again.
The things which remain, including my unencumbered writing, are
definitely here to stay, and I'm enjoying it!<br />
<br />
<br />
Do you agree
with Amadi's opinions on turning 50? Do you consider her outlook to be
a positive one? What is your personal opinion on growing older? <br />
<br />
<h3>
Bio</h3>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgInTv_JchxelbbvBs7t_cmHDmjk0J7iCVaKQOiNKYsejU3_qosfOZz5UM-lW-0IMcfLV4QfUC9QXTG1JOi6LCk2Z2ncHeMy3EviOVSDi_upe6Xl7u0LgyHAcioSEAcGe7kW1TFP7eegnsc/s1600/ME+-+At+work.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgInTv_JchxelbbvBs7t_cmHDmjk0J7iCVaKQOiNKYsejU3_qosfOZz5UM-lW-0IMcfLV4QfUC9QXTG1JOi6LCk2Z2ncHeMy3EviOVSDi_upe6Xl7u0LgyHAcioSEAcGe7kW1TFP7eegnsc/s320/ME+-+At+work.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
I, Amadi Kyymm (aka Nanci E. Maynard) am a humble writer. I've written,
fanfiction, and written RPGs for Star Trek fandom for years. My latest
adventure into fiction writing started with NaNoWriMo 2011, and I've
been officially been bitten by the writing bug. I'm now working on
editing and publishing my very first novel,“The Knight Riders”. I am a
life long New York City resident where I reside with my two fur-kin
(cats). I'm also a mild mannered woman, who works on a not so mild
mannered job as an NYPD police clerical.<br />
<br />
<br />
Contacts:<br />
My mixed bag blog: Radical Scribblings<br />
<a href="http://radicalscribblings.wordpress.com/" rel="nofollow nofollow" target="_blank">http://radicalscribblings.wordpress.com/</a><br />
My Facebook Writer's Page:<br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Amadi-Kyymm/223218331131277" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/pages/Amadi-Kyymm/223218331131277</a> <br />
My Twitter Handle: @WriterKyymmJennifer Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00430775567469621053noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8050482105736610039.post-76111036106118718672012-07-15T12:12:00.000+01:002012-07-15T18:54:23.848+01:00The Birth of Creation<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">This week on our Tour, I am joined by the amazing Peggy Brown as she tells us how her Title and Character came about for her book/s. This gives us a deeper look inside the mind of an author, so let's see what she has to say. </span></div>
<h4>
<i><span lang="EN-US">Guest Peggy Browning:</span></i></h4>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br />Our assignment this week is to explain our
process of choosing the title and characters in our book. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Hmmm…. this may be difficult! There is some
method to this madness, but it was not what I anticipated. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I thought it would be a more orderly
process to find the personalities of my characters. I never expected the
characters would lead me to them, rather than following <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">my</i> lead.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I had contemplated writing a book for many
years, but could never come up with enough substance to fill one. I had titles,
beginnings, endings, a character or two, but…nothing to splice all that stuff
together. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Somewhere along the way, I decided to write
about the frustrations and insecurities of being fifty + and female. I listened
to my friends talk about ageing and their changing ideas and attitudes. Then I did
some academic research about the ageing boomer population. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">One thing that we all had in common was
that our lives were changing and we were evolving into another life phase. I
thought I could give a voice to our collective concerns…. and apply a little humour and mystery to the acts of ageing and reinventing our lives.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I believe that after a certain time…50 or
so... women come of age again. I believe that with the passing of time we
develop fully (sort of like a perennial plant that comes back each Spring)
having already established our roots. I believe that we bloom again and that
the blooming grows more beautiful each year. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I chose The Big 5-0 for my book’s title
because turning 50 was a huge catalyst for change in my own life. After I chose
the title, I saw those words used to describe changes in the lives of
celebrities. It seemed everyone was having their 50<sup>th</sup> birthday and
it was a big deal. When George Clooney celebrated his 50<sup>th</sup> birthday
and it was announced as The Big 5-0 for him, I felt my title was validated.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">When I developed my characters, I made a
list of the main ones I planned to use in the story. I wrote a description of
each of them: their physical, emotional and spiritual features as well as their
dreams, desires, frustrations, flaws and talents. Their characteristics are in
line with my own, my friend’s and those of people I have known or observed. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">The main character of The Big 5-0 is Mattie
Mason, a woman who has just had her 50<sup>th</sup> birthday and is just trying
to muddle through her ordinary life in search of the extraordinary. She has a
best friend, a husband, a daughter, a mother, co-workers and colleagues. They
all play a part in her story because our own lives are comprised of our
interactions with the people around us. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">The characters have taken on a life of
their own as the story has progressed. I’ve added a few characters when the
story needed to be expanded. I may do away with a few of the characters when I
do my final editing and re-writes, but for right now…everyone is safe! </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I am trying to stay in control of my
characters, but right now I am trusting them to tell me their role in this tale.
They reveal their own part in Mattie’s life as we go along together, moving
through our world, trying to get to the end of the story. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Do I sound as if I am a little bit off centre and suffer from <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Multiple
Personality Disorder</i>? That, my friend, may certainly be the case.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"> I prefer
to think that I have a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Multiple
Personality <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Order</b></i>, rather than a
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Disorder</i></b>.
I just hope it will be entertaining, cohesive and believable when I have every
one of the personalities in their proper place!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h4>
<i><span lang="EN-US"> Bio and Contact Info</span></i></h4>
<h4>
<span lang="EN-US"></span></h4>
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<span lang="EN-US">Peggy Browning is a writer who views her
life after age 50 through rose-colored bifocals. She writes about issues facing
the boomer crowd with humor and wit. She has reinvented herself many times
through life’s exciting adventures, varied jobs and diverse careers. She’s been
a special education teacher, social worker, waitress, newspaper carrier, newspaper correspondent, fruit stand owner, nurse’s
aide, janitor and writer/entrepreneur.
And that’s just a few of the jobs she’s been paid to do during her first 5
decades…Catch her musings about life after 50 on her blog at her website, <a href="http://fiftyodd.com/">http://fiftyodd.com</a>, her opinion column and
feature news stories at <a href="http://pioneer-sentinel.com/">http://pioneer-sentinel.com</a>,
and blogs at <a href="http://galtime.com/">http://galtime.com</a> and <a href="http://zestnow.com/">http://zestnow.com</a>. Visit her Facebook page at <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Fifty-Odd/327132190645107">http://www.facebook.com/pages/Fifty-Odd/327132190645107</a>.</span></div>
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<br /></div>Jennifer Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00430775567469621053noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8050482105736610039.post-16297298162364332172012-07-08T21:07:00.000+01:002012-07-08T22:54:55.734+01:00The Solar Dance - A Journey Of Discovery.<br />
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<span lang="EN-US">Where does it all begin? The one question that writers world over are asked all the time, and this week, my guest was posed a similar question. Join us as Catrina Taylor explores how it began with her book.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Recently I was posed the question: What
started your current work of fiction? Although I could say that it is simply
inspiration, dedication and drive to create something fun to read, the reality
of this work is far deeper than that. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">In 2003, while I was in the middle of a
four month separation with my then husband, Xarrok was born. It was born 500
years ahead of the time I have been writing about. In that world, a utopia was
shattered as the people were reminded of their roots, and how their planet came
to be. Eventually, my husband and I reconciled and my writing had to stop.
Seven years later I picked it back up, after my divorce. I asked myself what
the Great Wars, as referenced in the original book, were like. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">At the time I was actively engaged in storytelling,
through role play character development on twitter. Set in a Star Trek fan fiction alternate
universe, my primary character and her family endure significant hardships,
face off against the Borg and challenge everyone who dares to attempt to separate
them. That’s when the answer to the Great Wars question hit me. It’s like the
RP only darker, much darker, as 100 years of war is not pretty. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">My mind dances between each world in the
universe. Each story that needs told reminds me there are thousands more, but
every universe must have a beginning. That is what I’m creating now. I’m
creating the beginning. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipE2-bWPv59p2VRbGFQzybq4Eqwt4n5rwGJQSFLrvL7CppnG0o3fRizTAZgOExirl-s5fs63p8F3a6p6mAi5YBq4zxSRezdTIrrJJl8JGlCpXU8edhmd6JV_JMlN9Ciy_MYSRfaFYdLCCe/s1600/Bk1TheBeginning+2a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipE2-bWPv59p2VRbGFQzybq4Eqwt4n5rwGJQSFLrvL7CppnG0o3fRizTAZgOExirl-s5fs63p8F3a6p6mAi5YBq4zxSRezdTIrrJJl8JGlCpXU8edhmd6JV_JMlN9Ciy_MYSRfaFYdLCCe/s320/Bk1TheBeginning+2a.jpg" width="238" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">This is the beginning of many things to
come. Birth of an Empire marks the beginning of a new science fiction series,
and the beginning of my new life. A life of freedom to create, freedom to love,
freedom to enjoy the same universe readers enjoy. In this universe, in this
world, new beginnings happen all the time and my new beginning will ever be
renewed through every story and every word woven together. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">At the time of this post, my universe has
three books published. Birth of an Empire is the primary book and the first in
a four part series that showcases the beginning of the world of Xarrok. My
editor and I are diligently working to be ready to release Birth of an Empire:
Consequences by July 31<sup>st</sup>, 2012. We are slightly behind schedule,
but not without benefits. </span>The wait for book three will be far shorter than the wait for book two was. <span lang="EN-US">.
It is our goal to achieve a print release of the four part book by April of
2013. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">~About my Guest~</span></h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDK3AoiDGtr6IVXT00C_o8Yi6w6sc2Y3WnacRWZihX5oJx8q_sQarhcESML8fxxDpqSqpelCyKZkAGeuoPBV_F1FdB9seB-rGXohVw39SV29_poODkY40_4zgK9vy8DTpWqH3bssP2jCUY/s1600/215404_1691118208291_2444563_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="189" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDK3AoiDGtr6IVXT00C_o8Yi6w6sc2Y3WnacRWZihX5oJx8q_sQarhcESML8fxxDpqSqpelCyKZkAGeuoPBV_F1FdB9seB-rGXohVw39SV29_poODkY40_4zgK9vy8DTpWqH3bssP2jCUY/s200/215404_1691118208291_2444563_n.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Catrina Taylor is a single mom who dances
with her children, both real and fiction. Her imagination compels her to push
the limits of reality in order to create the universe around Xarrok. Her two
children give her the drive and renewed perspective required to develop each
new story. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">The first book in the Birth of an Empire
series was released November 2011, since then she has completed and released
two short stories and is preparing to release the second book in the Birth of
an Empire series, alongside two more short stories in the Origins Series. You
can find her books on <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/Catrina-Taylor?keyword=Catrina+Taylor&store=allproducts">Nook</a>,
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_1_6?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=xarrok&sprefix=Xarrok%2Caps%2C176">Kindle</a>,
<a href="https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/TheWritingNetwork">Smashwords</a>
and popular online retailers everywhere. </span></div>Jennifer Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00430775567469621053noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8050482105736610039.post-43296058074866119152012-07-01T21:42:00.001+01:002012-07-01T21:43:04.924+01:00In Silence Pictures Speak<br />
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<span lang="en-GB" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span><span lang="X-NONE" style="font-size: 12pt;"> In the silence a picture speaks where no one listens... that is, until Scott heard the words that were uttered. This week announces week 6 of The Virtual Blog Tour and with it brings my guest Scott Seldon. A warm welcome be bestowed to Scott as he shares with us, a moment of inspiration that was born from the picture below. Let's dive for a moment into the depths of his creative mind and as always your comments and feedback are welcomed at the end. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilkX0SgQlCLz_pGiAcKpwYEhQ-_DvCCY_p_nLYVJfErx1GCVIYJiI2qRu-Y_Y4hYuxF4JQAy_dLtFCb3dXTU5tHnXNFCAVdop2OXmYSP-BB3nhUwS_BRbnWfUwToRABcnuOcRB6vJ_tAdl/s1600/4336632288_2590a61d6d_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilkX0SgQlCLz_pGiAcKpwYEhQ-_DvCCY_p_nLYVJfErx1GCVIYJiI2qRu-Y_Y4hYuxF4JQAy_dLtFCb3dXTU5tHnXNFCAVdop2OXmYSP-BB3nhUwS_BRbnWfUwToRABcnuOcRB6vJ_tAdl/s320/4336632288_2590a61d6d_o.jpg" width="233" /></a></div>
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<span lang="X-NONE" style="font-size: 12pt;">Naomi’s Mural</span></div>
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<span lang="X-NONE" style="font-size: 12pt;">by Scott Seldon</span></div>
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<span lang="X-NONE" style="font-size: 12pt;"> Naomi
Lewis couldn’t make up her mind if she was excited or nervous. It probably was
some combination of the two, but there was way too much going on for her to
nail it down.</span></div>
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<span lang="X-NONE" style="font-size: 12pt;"> She
was the lead agricultural botanist for the colonizing expedition to Washio
Delta near the Eagle Nebula. Their colony ship, Ashimo-maru, had completed its
trials and was fully outfitted and stocked. It would be docking with the
station later in the day. Once it docked she would be working non-stop until
they departed. That was why they had scheduled a special tea ceremony before it
arrived. It would be the last time any of the colonists would be available at
the same time. It was special because following the traditional ceremony, the
Chanoyu Master was supposed to make an announcement.</span></div>
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<span lang="X-NONE" style="font-size: 12pt;"> She
wasn’t sure just how many generations ago her father’s family had moved to
Japan. She’d been born there but she had the alabaster skin of her English
ancestors. Yet she never for a moment considered herself anything than
Japanese. Overcrowding on Earth’s surface coupled with an unbeatable
opportunity had caused her father to move up to the station when she was still
a child. They had made occasional trips to the surface to visit family and she
had climbed Mt. Fuji more than once, most recently just two years ago, just
before her application to be a colonist had been approved.</span></div>
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<span lang="X-NONE" style="font-size: 12pt;"> The
intercom beeped and she rose to answer it, her kimono swishing as she moved.
“Lewis here,” she said.</span></div>
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<span lang="X-NONE" style="font-size: 12pt;"> “The
ceremony is being moved back. Captain Yoshimura will be delayed.”</span></div>
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<span lang="X-NONE" style="font-size: 12pt;"> She
didn’t let the disappointment affect her speech and quickly said, “Understood,”
before the emotions could rise to the surface. This delay likely meant the
entire ceremony would be canceled The scheduling was way too tight. She stood
next to the intercom for many long minutes and was considering changing when
someone chimed at the door to her cabin. She walked over and answered it.</span></div>
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<span lang="X-NONE" style="font-size: 12pt;"> “Miss
Lewis,” the young man in traditional black kimono and gray hakama said, “Master
Hayashida requests that you come to the tea room immediately.”</span></div>
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<span lang="X-NONE" style="font-size: 12pt;"> “Of
course,” she said with a slight bow. She donned her <i>geta</i> and followed
the young man.</span></div>
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<span lang="X-NONE" style="font-size: 12pt;"> Walking
in the traditional kimono and <i>geta</i> was challenging on the station. The
gravity was not quite Earth normal, but it did match what they would have on
the ship for the next few months. She had finally mastered it only a few months
ago when Master Hayashida had arrived to finish her Chanoyu training before she
left.</span></div>
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<span lang="X-NONE" style="font-size: 12pt;"> While
she was not the only Chanoyu student making the voyage, she was the only one
who was more than a novice. She had striven to become a master herself and had
she not signed on to this expedition she was certain she would have made it.</span></div>
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<span lang="X-NONE" style="font-size: 12pt;"> She
was quite surprised to find she was the only one in the tea room. The young man
indicated that she should sit on the cushion placed in front of the port that
dominated one wall of the tea room. She took her seat and waited. It was very
hard to hide her surprise when she discovered that she was the guest of her
Master. It was a great honor.</span></div>
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<span lang="X-NONE" style="font-size: 12pt;"> She
sampled the proffered sweets, enjoying the red bean treat the most. She watched
in awe as Master Hayashida made the tea and set it in front of her. She tried
to take in every experience and treasure it. There would not be another chance
unless he made the long journey to Washio Delta to see her. She was certain she
would never return to Earth. They had stressed how much work it was to be a
colonist. That and this was Japan’s first colony ship to make use of the new
hyperspace drive technology. She was bound by honor to do her best and put the
rest of her life into making the colony succeed. One small area was to make
sure the tea plant would thrive, even if that meant some genetic enhancements
That was one reason Master Hayashida had come to the station to personally
supervise her training.</span></div>
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<span lang="X-NONE" style="font-size: 12pt;"> “Please
excuse me, but I think I will have some tea,” Master Hayashida announced after
he picked up the tea bowl. He made another bowl of tea and turned to face her
before sipping it. When he was done, his eyes met hers.</span></div>
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<span lang="X-NONE" style="font-size: 12pt;"> “You
have been a good student, Miss Lewis. My best, if I might say.”</span></div>
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<span lang="X-NONE" style="font-size: 12pt;"> “You
are too generous,” she said with the expected modesty.</span></div>
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<span lang="X-NONE" style="font-size: 12pt;"> “It
is time for you and I to have new roles. After today I will no longer be your
instructor. You have learned all I can teach you. In many ways your technique
is better than mine.”</span></div>
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<span lang="X-NONE" style="font-size: 12pt;"> “Master,
I do not see how that is possible.”</span></div>
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<span lang="X-NONE" style="font-size: 12pt;"> “It
is what I was hoping to see and why I have been here teaching you. I apologize
that I waited until today to say this. It is long overdue. The reason we will
have new roles and a new relationship is that from today, you are a Chanoyu
Master. I have filed all the appropriate documents. I know that is what you had
your sights set on and you thought you would not achieve it now that you are
leaving Earth, but you truly are that good. It is fitting that you carry on,
not only our traditions, but that you will bring tea to a new world. It is a
bold move, but one the Emperor himself has heard of and is pleased with.”</span></div>
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<span lang="X-NONE" style="font-size: 12pt;"> He
raised his hand and the young man entered with a small tray with two documents
on it. Master Hayashida took the tray and set it between he and Naomi. He
lifted the first document, written in the traditional manner on rice paper.
“This is a message from Emperor Fujitsubo. I have taken the liberty of sending
you a transcription in modern Japanese.”</span></div>
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<span lang="X-NONE" style="font-size: 12pt;"> She
took it and looked at the ancient script and antiquated language. She would
need a transcription.</span></div>
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<span lang="X-NONE" style="font-size: 12pt;"> He
lifted the second document, also on rice paper. “This is the official proclamation
that as of now, you are a Chanoyu Master.”</span></div>
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<span lang="X-NONE" style="font-size: 12pt;"> As
she took it, his eyes were diverted to the port behind her and a smile broke
his serious features. “And my timing has worked. Look at where we are over
Earth.”</span></div>
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<span lang="X-NONE" style="font-size: 12pt;"> Naomi
turned and looked down a the planet she’d been born on and saw the unmistakable
shape of Japan. She could just make out the white dot that was the snowcapped
Mt. Fuji. In orbit with them was Ashimo-maru with its bulky hyperspace engines.</span></div>
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<span lang="X-NONE" style="font-size: 12pt;"> “I
had hoped to time it like this,” Master Hayashida said. “Remember this moment,
Master Lewis.”</span></div>
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<span lang="X-NONE" style="font-size: 12pt;"> Naomi
took a small supply of <i>matcha</i> with her, enough to use sparingly until
she could cultivate the first tea bushes and make the first harvest of green
tea. Adapting the tea bushes to their new world took longer than she expected,
but her training paid off and she was able to breed a variety that would grow
on their new home.</span></div>
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<span lang="X-NONE" style="font-size: 12pt;"> She
ran out of <i>matcha</i> long before she had a harvest so she had to rely on
her memory when she finally had the first batch of <i>matcha</i> grown on
Washio Delta. She found the taste to be very close, but with slightly more of a
variation than the different crops on Earth produced. Yet that variation seemed
to be a subtile improvement. The red beans had taken off with no need to adapt
so she had her favorite sweet when she held the first tea ceremony on the new
world.</span></div>
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<span lang="X-NONE" style="font-size: 12pt;"> Following
her Master’s advice, she held on to the memory of that last tea ceremony from
Earth and painted a mural in the new tea room on the wall where the port had
been in the tea room on the station. As the colony slowly grew, the new
generation hungered for pieces of culture from Earth and she had more who
wanted to be her student than she had time to teach. She took the opportunity to
find those who could teach others. The Tea Ceremony would live on and the story
of her mural became the new tradition on Washio Delta.</span></div>
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<span lang="X-NONE" style="font-size: 12pt;">Scott Seldon
lives with his family in Colorado and works as an IT administrator. Visit his
website (sites.google.com/site/scottrseldon/) for the latest updates and to
find where his books are sold.</span></div>
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<span lang="X-NONE" style="font-size: 12pt;">What are your thoughts upon Scott's Flash Fiction? Would you have followed a similar route with the picture posted? If not then please share with us what you would have written about. </span></div>Jennifer Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00430775567469621053noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8050482105736610039.post-67105641040887655242012-06-24T00:46:00.000+01:002012-06-27T00:27:31.063+01:00Richelle Mead: Where Is She Going?Welcome to week 5 of the Virtual Tour. This week, I am honoured to welcome the amazing Natalie Star as our guest blogger. This week we asked, what book or author was she reading and what she felt about it. So let's see what she has to say and remember, we invite and welcome your comments.But the bigger question here is = Richelle Mead: Where is she going? What's happening in her books right now. Let's see what Natalie has to say on this one. <br />
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<b><span lang="EN-US">It’s All About Adrian</span></b></h4>
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<span lang="EN-US">I just finished reading <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Golden Lily</i>, by Richelle Mead. I really, really, really wanted to fall in love with this book. I just couldn’t. I give it three stars. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">This book is the second instalment of The Bloodlines Series – a spin-off from the Vampire Academy books. The VA series is one of my all time favourites. The first book was sort of iffy in my opinion, but it caught my attention, and I continued on. Boy, am I glad I did, Richelle Mead made me fall in love with her world and the characters within. The Vampire Academy series as a whole is a five-star read. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">When Richelle put out there would be a spin-off I was out of my mind. Let me explain why.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Such as many of the young adult books I read, there is a love triangle. In the original series the triangle was between the narrator Rose, her protégé Dimitri, and Adrain. Poor Adrian lost out because Rose and Dimitri were destined to be together. Now I didn’t always think that throughout the storyline. I pulled for one or the other at different times; only in the end did I see that Rose and Dimitri belonged together forever.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Now in Bloodlines it’s time for Adrian to find love. Or is it? We shall see. At the end of book two there is a very good possibility that it might happen in the future, but I have to wait along with everyone else to find out. The next in the series, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Indigo Spell</i>, isn’t due out until February 2013! </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">So why did I rate The Golden Lily so low? </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Adrian is kind of just there, I know he isn’t the main character, but he’s isn’t anything major to write home about. He just doesn’t have his oomph; I mean he has his humour, but not his usual snark. It’s like he lost his mojo. Maybe that’s how he’s supposed to be, it’s only been a few months since Rose left him for Dimitri. But while Adrian isn’t himself, the book also reads slowly. There isn’t as much action as in the previous books by Mead. And in this one the narrator, Sydney is (dare I say) sort of boring. I love her, but she was more exciting in the previous stories. I hope she spunks up because I do plan on seeing this series through to the end. I’m a devoted fan. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Golden-Lily-Bloodlines-Novel/dp/1595143181">http://www.amazon.com/The-Golden-Lily-Bloodlines-Novel/dp/1595143181</a></span></div>
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Are you familiar with Richelle Mead's work? If so have you read this book and what are your thoughts? <br />
What book or author currently has you wanting more? </div>
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<span lang="EN-US"> About Author Natalie Star</span></h3>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Natalie Star is the author of the young adult paranormal romance, The Keeper. When she isn’t reading or writing, she<span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; color: black;"> can be found with her husband supporting their two children on the soccer fields. Or maybe running around with her camera taking photos while camping and/or hiking. Or lastly, and most probable – she’s watching movies on Netflix while simultaneously perusing Facebook.</span><span style="color: black;"><br />
<span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;">Their family resides in the state of Virginia along with their old-unintelligent-diabetic cat named Lucky.</span></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="color: black;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;">Where can you find her?</span></span></span></h4>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Natalie loves to hear from her fans, you can find her on these sites:</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/iamjustnatalie">https://www.facebook.com/iamjustnatalie</a></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://www.authornataliestar.com/">http://www.authornataliestar.com</a></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://authornataliestar.blogspot.com/">http://authornataliestar.blogspot.com</a></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://twitter.com/#%21/iamjustnatalie">https://twitter.com/#!/iamjustnatalie</a></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8x0K05MHWA">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8x0K05MHWA</a> – book trailer</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">You can find her eBook for sale at many fine online stores, but she would love it best if you purchased it from her publisher: </span><span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://bonobookstore.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=20&zenid=m2s9fo5nuu67uo8rqb1eul9452">http://bonobookstore.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=20&zenid=m2s9fo5nuu67uo8rqb1eul9452</a></span></div>
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<br />Jennifer Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00430775567469621053noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8050482105736610039.post-72723924984969554272012-06-17T00:00:00.000+01:002012-06-17T00:00:04.453+01:00Guest Amadi KyymWelcome to week 4 of the tour. This week I have author Amadi Kyym as my guest on Ravaging Thoughts. Today she will be revealing to you whom her favourite author is and why. So without any further delay, let's dive in and divulge the small treat of influence this author has presented us today. <br />
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Two For One Sale - My Favorite Author(s) <br />
By Amadi Kyym<br />
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My all time favourite author is Tom Clancy. By reading his novels,
which really didn't read like novels, but true life. I've been turned
on to military, spy and political thrillers ever since. <br />
<br />
I
started reading his first book “The Hunt for Red October” because of a
co-worker of mine. Barbara's husband had served in the Marines in Nam
(Vietnam) with Tom Clancy and they were great friends. He had just
published new book ( the aforementioned), and my co-worker came in to
hawk it.<br />
<br />
“You gotta go out, buy, and read this guys book! He
writes great stuff!” she told us. Then she went on to tell the history
of the book.<br />
<br />
Apparently the facts in the books were so real
that Mr. Clancy was visited and questioned by the Three Letter Agencies,
The CIA, FBI, and The Secret Service. Why? According to Barbara they
wanted to know where he had gotten such sensitive information. He
honestly informed them that the information was available under the
Freedom of Information Act, and all of it had been previously
“declassified”. Therefore it had been deemed safe for public
consumption. <br />
<br />
In other words, back then (in the late 1980's
and early 1990's) he merely went to the library and spent some quality
time with the card files, reference books and microfiche, the old
fashioned way! I can just imagine our young digitalized teens trying to
do that now.<br />
<br />
I went right out and bought “The Hunt For Red
October”, read it and loved it from day one. I've been a fan of Tom
Clancy ever since. <br />
<br />
I'm also a fan of Anne Rule. She
investigates and writes true crime novels. She is the cause of me
staying up late at night into the wee hours with my hair standing on
end. It's through her I became interested in law enforcement and
criminal investigations. You can say this helped influence my career as
a police clerical.<br />
<br />
<br />
Who is or who are your favourite
authors? What books have you recently read by them? Tell us in a brief
paragraph how said author(s) have influenced your life.<br />
<br />
<h4>
<b><i>Bio</i></b></h4>
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I, Amadi Kyymm (aka Nanci E. Maynard) am a writer. I
originally started writing for my first love: Star Trek, then WRPGs
(Written Role Playing Games), and blogging. I'm currently working on my
first novel, “The Knight Riders” which I hope to publish soon.
Additionally, I am a mild mannered woman, working a not so mild mannered
job as a police clerical. I'm a life long New York City resident, and
live with my two cats Biscuit and Spiral. <br />
<br />
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<i>Contact Links</i></h4>
<br />
My Rant Blog: Radical Scribblings<br />
<a href="http://radicalscribblings.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow nofollow" target="_blank">http://radicalscribblings.blogspot.com/</a><br />
My Book Review Blog: The Red Shoe Review<br />
<a href="http://theredshoereview.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow nofollow" target="_blank">http://theredshoereview.blogspot.com/</a><br />
Facebook Writer/Author Page: Please LIKE if you LIKE<br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Amadi-Kyymm/223218331131277" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/pages/Amadi-Kyymm/223218331131277</a> <br />
Twitter: @WriterKyymm<br />
Email: electladynanci@gmal.comJennifer Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00430775567469621053noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8050482105736610039.post-36029677374725177312012-06-10T15:02:00.001+01:002012-06-10T15:30:06.022+01:00Guest Kim Mutch Emerson<br />
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<span lang="EN-US"> Week three of the Virtual Blog tour welcomes a wonderful, spirited lady who is a friend to the people, a friend to me. Please hold out your arms and welcome<i><b> Kim Mutch Emerson</b></i> as this week's Guest Blogger for Ravaging Thoughts. I pre warn you all, she can be a bit mad but you just HAVE to read her post! For this week, our guest had to write a post that they would have written for their own blog. </span></div>
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<b><i><span lang="EN-US">Ranting of a mad writer – oops, hold on;
let me grab my writing hat. ~ Kim Mutch Emerson </span></i></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">You probably think I am joking, but nope. I
wear a bowler hat when I write. It’s a tradition left over from when the days
of my early childhood; a six years old bent over the little folding table I
adopted for my desk. I also wore red plastic sunglasses that I poked the lenses
out. I have no clue why I thought writers wore hats and glasses, but in my mind
it symbolized the genius behind the words that created magical worlds and bigger-than-life
characters. There was nothing I wanted more than to have my book in the school
library. The reasoning behind that was a deeper desire. I wanted to give other
people the same experience I had when I had the first really good book read to
me. I wanted to inspire love, determination, victory over evil, hope,
imagination, and dreams. I was an odd child, I know.</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.masterkoda.com/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd6om_2m0SiLOE_r3R9DciqjepYgiYTChOKZUlEuQWmXfmKB9quuGVnoYA4Q3vY9Xdd5jOm4qBHJsKuJXZQDzkLN_-Saq1SoPAhDw_L0HsiO9aiPIRUq5ot7ha89VMOsdH07sLWYgDvkbN/s400/Boy+reads+under+cover.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We've all done this before</td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-US">At any rate, today I am thinking about
dreams, I am wondering what dreams people had when they were children. I know a
lot of other girls my age dreamt of the day they would be mothers, some wanted
to be nurses, one wanted to be a banker. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><i><b>What did you want to do with your life?
Have you fulfilled that dream?</b></i> I left my dream behind for many years. I didn’t
stop writing; I just stopped dreaming about sending my writing out into the
world. And then one day I said, “It’s time.”
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<b><i><span lang="EN-US">If you have left your dream behind, what is
stopping you? Is it fear of failure or fear of success? Is it fear of rejection
or too much attention? </span></i></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">I would love to discuss this and perhaps
together we can break through that barrier.</span></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-US">Author, KD Emerson was born (or is that
hatched) several years ago. We won’t go into how long it has been because she
has this fantasy that she is still a teenager off to conquer the world. She has
a passion for the written word and assisting other writers in becoming the best
they can be. She also loves to promote others and cheer them on to victory.
Follow her on twitter @MstrKoda or you can find her at <a href="http://www.masterkoda.com/">www.masterkoda.com</a> and on Facebook at <a href="http://www.facebook.com/kimmutch.emerson" target="_blank">www.facebook.com/kimmutch.emerson</a></span></i></div>Jennifer Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00430775567469621053noreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8050482105736610039.post-74950066593136894682012-06-06T16:01:00.000+01:002012-06-06T16:01:14.478+01:00Would You Believe It?Who would have thought that it would be so difficult to come up with a
truly work able idea for a Young Adult short story based on the theme
of All things Paranormal. This is a huge genre with several workable
lines, but that doesn’t mean each line is right for the writer. I mean,
this is supposed to be my genre. The Paranormal and all things there
connected to are what I love, and is to a degree, what I am involved in
when not writing or working.<br />
<br />
So then why is it so hard to come up with an idea that is….<br />
A) Original…<br />
And…<br />
B) Captivating enough to keep the reader wanting more.<br />
<br />
If you are able to find out that answer then could you come and seek
me out, where then you can tell me what it is that I am here. It’s silly
really. I have all these other idea’s, and do I write in the paranormal
genre. But the idea’s I have, I know will extend way beyond the set
criteria for the intended short story.<br />
<br />
There is the Idea of writing about Vampire/Lycan hybrids – now before
you say anything on this matter, I know this hybrid aspect has been
covered in the Underworld Films. But that’s not the direction of the
thought within my mind.<br />
<br />
The other Idea i have begins with a girl running through the woods,
following the path of a wolf whom is leading her away from danger. But… I
can’t use this one as it’s part of the main base of the novel I’m
planning to write in November.<br />
<br />
So who would have thought that a mind that is full of different
idea’s for different novels and story’s, is as blind to the prospect of
finding one that will work for a short story as shadow is in the
dark.I’m not panicking though, I mean there’s 5 months before the last
day of the deadline, and in that time I’m sure I could formulate some
ripple or another and place it down on paper. 5 months is a while away
yet isn’t it? …<br />
<br />
Hold on… 5 months… Isn’t that when NaNoWriMo begins in November? Okay
so perhaps I was wrong on the panic stakes… I am panicking (slightly).
You see I keep building up my work load that is then only pushing other
matters backwards. I have a novel waiting for me to attend to its edits
and another waiting for me to grace its presence in order to finish it.<br />
<br />
So would you believe it when I say… I have everything under control?Jennifer Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00430775567469621053noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8050482105736610039.post-77030953954184242052012-06-05T20:16:00.001+01:002012-06-05T20:16:03.808+01:00Challenge Set!Well, the challenge has been set, the theme laid down and the gloves
are now well and truly off. Only, I haven’t yet decided the context of
what I will be writing about for said such Challenge. Wait, I haven’t
mentioned this challenge yet have I?<br />
<br />
*Rewind 10 steps* Okay now let’s start again. I am an avid follower
of a wonderful book related page on Facebook. This said page has just
recently announced the theme of their new charity short story contest.
An with it the opening date for sending in those short stories, as well
as the closing date.<br />
<br />
I have 5 months in which to write, edit and send off a short story consisting of 5000 to 7500 words. It must be YA genre and there is a
specific theme for this event, chosen by the page’s followers.<br />
<br />
But now the issue becomes questionable on what I will write about and
how I will run with it. I have some idea’s in mind but they have been
hovering for a while. Basically, I want to take them longer than the
short story length which means I need to come up with something else.
Paranormal based is the theme that suits me, but now I am finding myself
seeming lost for ideas for this theme.<br />
<br />
I will update on the progress as it comes together.Jennifer Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00430775567469621053noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8050482105736610039.post-20923863138482318182012-06-04T15:57:00.002+01:002012-06-04T15:57:52.906+01:00Oh The Choices<div class="post-entry">
The First Choice for NaNo 2012 is Braevar Forest. The following is the Synopsis:<br />
<br />
<strong><em>Destiny is one of the last few known descendants of
Brahameer, whose very bloodline is capable of telepathic communication
with the world around them. Whilst unable to communicate freely with
Humanity, the Animal Kingdom is more willing and forthcoming. </em></strong><br />
<strong><em>A small settlement resides in the heart of Braevar Forest
and it is within this pocket of civilization that destiny can be found.
Her family bloodline has long since been forgotten in her mind, but not
from those that surround her. Until one afternoon, she finds herself
alone in Braevar Forest, facing her biggest fear straight on, straight
into the eyes of a snarling black wolf.</em></strong><br />
<strong><em>It is here that new friendships are born.</em></strong><br />
<strong><em>What will this bring to her, and what will it mean for her community?</em></strong><br />
<strong><em>The road ahead is uncertain, as her life hangs in the balance of fate.</em></strong><br />
<strong><em>Will Destiny live to tell her story?</em></strong><br />
<br />
The Second Choice for NaNo 2012 is Shadow Of Death. The following is the opening:<br />
<br />
<em><strong>‘Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of
death, I will fear no evil.’ The words brought comfort to Michael as he
sought shelter from the threatening storm and consolidated his thoughts.
He had left everything behind him. His home, his friends and his life,
but he couldn’t return to what he once knew. All Michael could do, was
to keep pushing forward into the unknown and through the shadows in the
valley. His thoughts now were his only friends, no matter how absurd or
obscure they might be. Though they brought him little comfort as he
considered the reason for taking flight from all he knew. Nor could they
answer for his apparent state of insanity. His friends wanted him to
get help, but no-one could help him, he had to work through it alone.</strong></em><br />
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Character background (basis work on going)<br />
Michael is branded, literally. A marking upon his skin for all eternity
from those he considered to be close to him. The resulting factor is
that he had to flee his home and remains the reason for his
unwillingness to return. His friends pleaded with him over time to get
some help for his apparent streak of recent insanity but he refused and
they took matters into their own hands…<br />
Having said that, there is now another option worth considering, the
title of which is still unknown but that option is as follows:<br />
<br />
<em><strong>Startled, Kaila shot up and out of bed as a shrill scream
reverberated through the morning air. At first she assumed the sound
had escaped from her very own lungs, as her dreams tormented her. With
unseen hands pulling at her, tearing her apart. Scorching her soul with
burning embers of coal, those very memories haunted her, endlessly.</strong></em><br />
<em><strong>But then she heard it once more, closer, almost shaper
the second time around. Her heart pounding against her chest in a
thundering pace, as if it were telling her not to go venture towards the
window, but her mind and body had other ideas. She soon found herself
peering out over the horizon, searching in reluctant anticipation for
any clues as to what or who had been responsible for those eardrum
shattering screams.</strong></em><br />
<em><strong> </strong> </em><br />
As you can see, none of them are greatly detailed and as such, I
can’t continue working on them if I want to do them for NaNo. That is,
unless I want to be a rebel. I think perhaps continuing the character
building on each would be the best way forward for now, and allow them
to take me where they need to go. Then when November arrives, I’ll at
least have a strong foundation of information to work with.<br />
</div>Jennifer Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00430775567469621053noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8050482105736610039.post-50684256874432565252012-06-03T13:00:00.000+01:002012-06-03T13:17:03.913+01:00Guest Dominique Goodall<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif";">Week two of the Virtual Blog Tour and boy do I have a treat in store for you! Not only do I have a superb Guest for today, but she has also given me the honour of helping her to do her Brand NEW Cover Reveal. Today's Guest is not all that new to the field of writing, but she is due to release her very first full length novel. At such a young age, she knew that this is what she wanted for herself and she has made that dream come true. It's my pleasure to welcome Dominique Goodall, and today's posting is all about music and the songs that inspire the writer.<br /><br />I'm rather odd compared to a lot of writers. If asked to compile a
playlist for Echoes of Winter, I'd be unable to- I find music an awful
distraction while I write. That's not to say I haven't listened to music while
writing but even then it tended towards stuff I could sing to while writing
light music that's rather chilled out, rather like myself. I've always been
that way, so musically minded that I've struggled to do other things when I can
hear music.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif";">I blame being a singing and a dancing person, so whenever I'm allowed to
do it, but if I WAS questioned about a song to describe each of the main
characters...they'd have rather odd songs, with a few sharing each other’s.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif";">Teira and Morte would share - Now I'm That Chick, by Livvi Frank</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif";">Amore would be something by Christina Aguilera</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif";">Convel would be something in the Blue's style, mellow and chilled out
for the most part.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif";">They are the only four characters for whom music, or a musical genre
jump out at me - as I said, the book has no real musical influences, and I
doubt any book I write in the future will, either. I've always loved music,
just really do find it an almost annoying to write to. Constantly needing to
shift and change the music just as I fall into my good point.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif";"><br /><i>And here it is. The moment you've all been waiting for... Well I know I certainly have - The soon to be released (no date yet) cover for Echoes Of Winter! .... Just look at this - How fantastic is that? I can't tell you how thrilled I am to have been given this honour of revealing this to you!</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGYrpDxWwQR5mcFU7wAq_1phcsqgdrGHp9GOQ2y7vpn3-icGXz96aU9ABeYwwjAsvj6tKdqFT621ukMPlVc8QhSpKs0AzT2vdbvBkhDnOChMRbCl-QVK64NgFuZU3s2NRAJw6oDCDaKJ2f/s1600/EoW_Cover_2+%282%29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGYrpDxWwQR5mcFU7wAq_1phcsqgdrGHp9GOQ2y7vpn3-icGXz96aU9ABeYwwjAsvj6tKdqFT621ukMPlVc8QhSpKs0AzT2vdbvBkhDnOChMRbCl-QVK64NgFuZU3s2NRAJw6oDCDaKJ2f/s640/EoW_Cover_2+%282%29.jpg" width="492" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif";">Dominique Goodall is the author of the soon to be released Echoes of
Winter, book one in the Seasons of the Wolf series and a self-confessed wolf
addict. She has currently been published in two anthologies by Crushing Hearts
and Black Butterfly Publishing and is currently working on getting herself
better known by sending in manuscripts for as many different anthologies as she
possibly can.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif";">As much as she loves to admit it, she never will be able to count her
wolf stuff- there's nothing left for her to be truly able to collect without
her own home.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif";">She can be friended on Facebook here: </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/WaterSinger"><span style="color: #3b5998; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; text-decoration: none;">https://www.facebook.com/WaterSinger</span></a><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif";"></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif";">Her author page on Facebook is here: </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dominique-Goodall-author/250907358312446"><span style="color: #3b5998; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; text-decoration: none;">https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dominique-Goodall-author/250907358312446</span></a><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif";"></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif";">The page for Echoes of Winter is here: </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Echoes-of-Winter/355235744499607"><span style="color: #3b5998; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; text-decoration: none;">https://www.facebook.com/pages/Echoes-of-Winter/355235744499607</span></a><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif";"></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif";">Her twitter name is: </span><a href="https://twitter.com/#%21/DomGoodall" target="_blank"><span style="color: #3b5998; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; text-decoration: none;">https://twitter.com/#!/DomGoodall</span></a><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif";"></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif";">And her blog can be found here: </span><a href="http://dominiquegoodall.wordpress.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #3b5998; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; text-decoration: none;">http://dominiquegoodall.wordpress.com/</span></a><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif";"></span></span></div>Jennifer Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00430775567469621053noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8050482105736610039.post-69235204440423038342012-05-27T15:09:00.001+01:002012-05-27T20:54:10.651+01:00Guest Jennifer Starks<br />
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<span class="messagebody3"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif";">Welcome, to the first guest posting as part of the Virtual Blog Tour sponsored by <a href="http://www.facebook.com/groups/masterkoda/" target="_blank">MasterKoda.com</a> and organised by <a href="http://tasha-turner.com/virtual-blog-tour-mk/#.T8I6LMWuXZx" target="_blank">Tasha Turner and friends.</a> This week, I have a treat for you. Today we have a post written by Jennifer Starks on how she got into writing. So let's have a read of what she has to say and should you feel an incline to comment then please feel free. </span></span></div>
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<span class="messagebody3"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif";"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jennifer-Minshall-Starks/376756749003411" target="_blank">Jennifer Starks</a> says.... </span></span></div>
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<span class="messagebody3"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif";">I am not
sure how I got into writing. My mother writes poetry. She was always working on
her poems and there were always crumpled old notebooks lying around our house.
I can see it right now. Her perfect cursive, the smell of pencil lined pages
and words crossed out in a fit of frustration.</span></span></div>
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<span class="messagebody3"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif";">My
mother is a fine person, so the fact that the fine arts are so ingrained into
her personality has never surprised me. The first memory I have of writing was
on summer vacation. I believe I was eight and my mother and I had just moved in
with a friend who ran an adult foster care home out of her house. The people
living there were so wonderful. They each had such different personalities and
it was entertaining as hell to watch them interact, but being cooped up with a
bunch of old people every day could be a bit dull especially for an eight year
old.</span></span></div>
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<span class="messagebody3"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif";">So, I
took a pen, notebook and lawn chair out to the back yard and started writing a
story. I don’t recall what that story was about, but I remember the main
character had a thing for apples. Like so many of my stories, I don’t think I
ever finished it, but that day was one of the best days of my life. I felt so
free, so unencumbered sitting in the sun roaming around a world of my own
making. I don’t know how long I stayed out there. Most the day, I’m sure. </span></span></div>
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<span class="messagebody3"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif";">This was
my very first taste of writing and while I’ve taken some breaks from it, I’ve
never stopped. Not completely. Not since that day under a bright, hot sun with
the smell of dirt, grass and an occasional gust of wind keeping me and my handy
notebook company. </span></span><span lang="EN-US"></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Jennifer Starks has been writing since the
tender, but still wise beyond her years, age of eight. She gets giddy at the
thought of visiting a book store, loves that good ole Library smell, is most at
home on the couch reading or at her desk writing. She adores her children
(though they make it entirely difficult to keep any kind of writing schedule)
and is humbled beyond belief to have a mother who fostered her love of the arts
and a husband who supports the lifestyle even when it means listening to her
type at 5 AM. Messy Death will be Jennifer’s début novel. Updates on its
progress can be found at<a href="http://www.jenniferstarks.wordpress.com/" target="_blank"> www.jenniferstarks.wordpress.com</a>
</span></div>Jennifer Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00430775567469621053noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8050482105736610039.post-3413361879909452282012-05-23T19:26:00.000+01:002012-05-23T19:26:11.427+01:00Broken Angel - review<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-cBya7cfpzNh4scYYpd0E3RLYabptQDifqt7kOYxG7SvVMqqZidkEOGbw3efQJZK7pEWkQX-QbhBEmcfgIVqm3K2-gq5Hst1BmlMmoTp_YzSXeuMqAatTIfCWIyqx7eHy7ZDHj4wVchyd/s1600/5151T6kyKwL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA278_PIkin4,BottomRight,-64,22_AA300_SH20_OU02_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-cBya7cfpzNh4scYYpd0E3RLYabptQDifqt7kOYxG7SvVMqqZidkEOGbw3efQJZK7pEWkQX-QbhBEmcfgIVqm3K2-gq5Hst1BmlMmoTp_YzSXeuMqAatTIfCWIyqx7eHy7ZDHj4wVchyd/s1600/5151T6kyKwL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA278_PIkin4,BottomRight,-64,22_AA300_SH20_OU02_.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Title: <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Broken-Angel-House-Phoenix-ebook/dp/B004GHN424/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1337797446&sr=8-1" target="_blank">Broken Angel (House Phoenix)</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Author: S.W. Vaughn</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Review by: Jennifer Don</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When I think of what books I would normally pick up and
read, this wasn’t one of them. Being honest, I didn’t read much of the description
for the book before I decided it was one I needed to read. What captured my
attention were the title, and the cover. I knew then, that I needed to read it
and I’m so glad I did.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The book begins with Gabriel Morgan searching for his sister
who had apparently disappeared and his searching led him to the underground
fight scenes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He had learned from his
past searches that the people he was looking for were involved with the fights.
Eventually, the one place where someone recognised the photo he had presented,
represented his last day of freedom, his last day as Gabriel Morgan.<br />
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Slade, the very man responsible for Lilith’s disappearance,
had sent out orders for Gabriel’s capture. And once handed to him, Gabriel had
no option but to take up his offer of fighting for Slade in order to gain his
freedom and that of his sister.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But Gabriel can’t submit that easily and must endure pain,
upon pain in order to try and have him under control. But no matter what has to
go through, Gabriel allowed it to happen, he would do anything for his sister. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As the book goes on, Gabriel is no longer by that name; he
under much regret and anger had to go by the name of Angel. The anger it caused
him that his situation caused him, he put to good use and used it to try and
win his fights. <br /><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"></span>But nothing is as it
seems, the further the book goes on, the more you want to read. This one is
page turner from start to finish, each fight Angel had to go through, left you
wondering whether he would win or not. If he loses then his sister pays, and
that’s not an option for him.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I can’t say more without giving away too much detail within
the book, but I will say, Broken Angel is a must read for anyone. I’m looking
forward to getting my hands on the rest in the series. I want to find out what
happens in the next. Seriously, I loved this book from start to finish. So much
so that I need to give it 5/5 stars!</div>Jennifer Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00430775567469621053noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8050482105736610039.post-49485132499900922592012-04-26T18:21:00.002+01:002012-04-26T18:24:31.242+01:00Koda Post 6<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name">
Writing from the heart. - Guest post by Wendy Siefken.</h3>
<div class="post-header">
</div>
A friend of mine recently told me I should write a blog and write from
the heart. I have always been a very private person, not letting anyone
get too close to me. I have kept people at arms length if not more. I
can relate to a lot of people's pain whether it be from abuse or a
painful past or even surgeries. I don't talk about my own much but am
willing to talk to others and help them with theirs. I let them know
that I have been there too so can understand. I used to talk when I was
young but found no one really cared. One person even said, "the further
in time you get from the incident the less people care." So I stopped
talking about it. <br />
Now flash forward a life time with kids and getting them raised and
again I find myself talking about something I never figured anyone would
want to hear about. My son, Charlie who has learning difficulties while
in school, people want to know about! Charlie has dyslexia and cross
modalities. Together we have written a book called "Kai's Journey". We
are indie authors and have come a long way. I found that people wanted
to know more about Charlie's struggles and how he overcame them and
still graduated high school. When we were querying agents I was told by
an ISU professor to not share too much. Less is more. So I stopped
telling the agents about Charlie and his struggles to become an author.
Now that we have joined the MasterKoda site on facebook and gone onto a
few of their parties and talked, People want to know about him! <br />
The local school has contacted us asking if we would talk to a student
about how to become an author. The AEA is wanting to talk to us also to
maybe help set up a new way of teaching for kids who don't learn in the
"normal" way. As the principal Mr. Kozak stated, "teach outside the box"
by incorporating their passion with the lessons needed to be taught. To
go along with that, I have also contacted the guidance councillor to talk
about doing presentations to schools concerning some of the perils to
watch out for when walking the road to getting published. I have found
that here in Iowa,even authors who have been published for a long time
really don't' want to impart much information as for the ways of getting
published. I want to let those kids know that while it is something to
strive for to be careful out there and question everything! <br />
I am by far an expert on any one thing in regards to getting published,
but I am learning everyday new things and new ideas. I hope to pass that
knowledge on to new and upcoming authors from Iowa. We may not have
Chicago, or New York here but I am here and all it takes is one snow
flake to start an avalanche! I am quoting a friend there. Just because we
are out in the boonies doesn't mean we can't help others find their
way. While we don't know how this will all come about we are pro
actively reaching out to others to possibly help out aspiring authors
and poets to realize their dreams. I realized long ago, no one is going
to come knocking on my door asking for my knowledge or to ask us to
speak. I am taking the initiative and going out to our local school and
using them as a pilot to see how it goes and how we could improve if
needed. We are still working on stories but also trying to start other
venues in our area too. <br />
Our journey to getting published wasn't' just us writing a story, it was a
group effort. Our local school helped us, friends helped us. Our local
newspaper took an interest in us and helped us. Our local library was a
great resource for information we were looking for. No matter how
outlandish it sounded. Even our local vet helped us too! We hope to
repay all those people who have helped us by paying it forward and
helping others who are also looking to reach their dreams. So to sum all
this up. You never know who does want to hear your life's story, good
or bad. You never know who you can help until you try. Most important of
all, if you have a dream, never give up!<br />
<br />
A Link to Wendy and Charles' book can be found <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Kais-Journey-World-Chronicles-ebook/dp/B0067RJZS8/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1333928750&sr=1-1" target="_blank">HERE </a><br />
<br />
Find Wendy on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/wendy.siefken" target="_blank">Facebook</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://siefkenpublications.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/writing-from-heart.html" target="_blank">Siefkenpublications Blog </a>Jennifer Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00430775567469621053noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8050482105736610039.post-37514033254781872082012-04-20T23:11:00.003+01:002012-04-22T14:32:36.688+01:00Anathema ReviewAnathema, by K.A Tucker - The Review. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEcgf-dNAV9c68wvs6WwOvRXzecL7KQ_I0NZSx1iuOIyC42e0FDyKN92D_sB3dUyzryCRy-2FBKIBUplDmy624IAadr5DJVFgUcdj0VW7bp4GYprlzPhS2SDPMjpDA5LIY9gVxrHfVszyM/s1600/416umyTYcmL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA278_PIkin4,BottomRight,-68,22_AA300_SH20_OU02_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEcgf-dNAV9c68wvs6WwOvRXzecL7KQ_I0NZSx1iuOIyC42e0FDyKN92D_sB3dUyzryCRy-2FBKIBUplDmy624IAadr5DJVFgUcdj0VW7bp4GYprlzPhS2SDPMjpDA5LIY9gVxrHfVszyM/s400/416umyTYcmL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA278_PIkin4,BottomRight,-68,22_AA300_SH20_OU02_.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Anathema-Causal-Enchantment-Series-ebook/dp/B0052ZZWC4/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1334958675&sr=1-1" target="_blank">Anathema</a> is a well written, smooth flowing, Young Adult Paranormal
novel written by K.A. Tucker, and is not your typical Vampire novel. It is
filled with twists and turns to keep you yearning for more, drawing you deeper
into Evangeline’s world.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Anathema follows Evangeline’s journey between two worlds,
one dominated by humans and the other by vampires alone. A Journey built on
naivety and unwilling trust to do what is right to survive. Between these two worlds she learns the truth
of what surrounds her and finds love in the most unlikely of places. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Friendships built on lies fall apart like badly woven
string, while new bonds are formed from the old. Caden, a Vampire, does all he
can to protect Evangeline from harm whilst she remains in his world, as she
makes friends with Amelie his sister, Fiona and Bishop. All the while trying to
avoid being caught by the Council, who would either kill her for being human,
or torture her until she reveals where others like her remain. .</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Evangeline later discovers that her dreams to this world
were not dreams at all. In fact they were real and it scared her, but she
longed to be there, despite the danger. Not only that, but she had no choice.
If she wanted to live, she had to follow what was demanded of her from Sofie,
Viggo and Mortimer. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Best laid plans don’t work out as spells twist and work unexpectedly
putting Evangeline’s life in even more danger despite almost having the one
thing she wanted. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This novel had me gripping its pages, waiting for
more,
wanting more. I was so pulled by it, that even when I wasn’t reading its
well written prose, I would dream about Evangeline, I would imagine
different scene's that hadn't been written. I could see myself as being
her
and wanting what she wanted. I could feel everything that she felt, and
to me
that’s the tell-tale signs of a book well worth it. Before I leave you
to
decide whether it is a book for you or not, I wanted to share a small
section
that truly highlights just well this book is written. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
‘A relentless, bone-chilling drizzle had laid siege to
Portland for the month of September—the kind of gloomy, wet weather that made a
person dream of hibernating under a heavy blanket until spring.’ – Anathema, by
K.A. Tucker.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A novel I found hard to put down, but whether you enjoy
Young Adult novels or not, surely the pull of Vampires is enough to tempt your
blood thirsty compulsion to read this book. I am now ready to dip into Asylum,
the second book in this the Casual Enchantment Series. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Rating 4 out 5</div>Jennifer Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00430775567469621053noreply@blogger.com0