ReBlog – If your detail oriented like I am then you need to read this.
Source: Mike Wells Official Website: Does Bruce Willis Have a Dog? Less is More
Month: July 2016
ReBlog – Five Famous Authors and Their Strange Writing Rituals – The Writer’s Circle
ReBlog
By Stephanie Ostroff
Routines keep us focused when we start drifting off course. They snap us back to reality and remind us that yes, we can do this. The words will come to us. Turning to a familiar writing ritual can help us find balance. Most authors have that one thing they do, even subconsciously, that sets the tone for a solid writing session. Sometimes it’s as simple as creating the right lighting in a room or hearing songs from a favorite album. It’s the difference between churning out pages of your best work and wasting an afternoon staring at a blinking cursor. At times, these rituals are taken to an extreme. Some of history’s most celebrated authors swore by unusual and bizarre rituals. It’s possible we owe many great pieces of literature to the fact that they were so meticulous in maintaining these strange habits.
In honor of the writers who embrace their quirky routines, the Writer’s Circle is highlighting a few of the oddest rituals practiced by famous authors:
1. James Joyce Crayons, a white coat, and a comfy horizontal surface. These were Joyce’s essentials. The author of Ulysses found his words flowed better while lying flat on his stomach in bed. Since he was severely myopic, crayons enabled Joyce to see his own handwriting more clearly, and the white coat served as a reflector for light onto the pages.
2. Maya Angelou Most writers can’t afford to check into a hotel when the urge to scribble hits, but for Angelou, it’s the key to great writing. In the wee hours of the morning she’ll book herself a room with a special request: all distracting wall décor must vanish. Armed with a bottle of sherry, a deck of cards, some legal pads, a thesaurus and…
Source: Five Famous Authors and Their Strange Writing Rituals – The Writer’s Circle
ReBlog – How To Write Character Emotion: Guilt & Shame
ReBlog – Another installment of the how to show emotion posts.
New emotional food for thought: Are guilt and shame the same thing? Is it possible to feel one without the other? Do we ever “get over” shame and guilt? What’s the dividing line between the two? Are there some people who only feel these emotions when they get caught?
Synonyms: disgrace, self-disgust, humiliation, degradation, dishonor, infamy, remorse, self-abomination, embarrassment, mortification, chagrin, unworthiness, contempt, disrespect, debasement, disappointment
Dictionary Definitions:
Source: How To Write Character Emotion: Guilt & Shame | BlogHer
JM Darhower – Monster in his Eyes
Ahhh!!! I know how the character Karissa Reed feels.
Monster in his Eyes is the first book in the series of the same name.
In Monster in his Eyes JM Darhower has left us trying to wade through a swirl of emotions. I hate this book and love it! I wish it gave more answers and didn’t leave me feeling like I HAVE to read the next one.
I WILL, read the next one to get my answers! A tiny dark part of me WANTS to read the next book, begs me to. So, I am back to sympathizing with the character Karissa and her struggle to love Monsters, this book being mine.
It’s not a book I would recommend reading, if you don’t have time to read the next or if you prefer your monsters less real. I personally would have never picked this type of book out to read; the monsters are too close to being real villains. I like books that transport me somewhere I’ve never been. Not take me somewhere I could go on the 10 o’clock news. This book could easily be the character Karissa’s biography if she were a real person.
The character Karissa is accustomed to the less finer things in life. Karissa is a college student trying to keep her GPA high enough to keep her scholarship. She unwittingly sets herself in the path of Ignazio (Naz) Vitale. Her mother had warned her for 18 years of the dangers of the real world. Real monsters, men who steal, rob and kill that all exist in the big city. Karissa allows herself to see none of that in Naz; she sees just a dark night. In his eyes is where the monster lies, only visible at dark heated moments when Ignazio Vitale reveals his true self. Karissa is set afire by Naz’s touch causing her to willingly ignore the monster she sees staring back at her.
Naz, her counterpart is a broken man whose job is to “clean up” as he explains. He is seeking revenge against one of his own “family” for a past betrayal. He warns Karissa that he was not one to stop in the middle. If he proceeded, he was all in and she had better be ready for that. He is almost overly concerned with Karissa’s happiness and goes to great links to make her smile. After I learned why he was broken I began to understand this concern. It made me love his character but I still hated his darkness, the monster in his eyes. He is a contradiction, which leads to some steamy turmoil between him and Karissa, sometimes dangerously steamy.
#Writerslife Pen names
Pen names are great but do you need one?
I understand the purpose of pen names. Some use them for separation. (Clears throat.) Some use them for privacy. But when do you know you need one?
The gap from children’s books to adult books is a good example. (Whistles innocently.) But what about closer gaps?
Like the gap from sweet romance to smutty romance? Should you use a pen name then?
(If you do or don’t I would love to hear from you.)
I can see the downside of starting over if you’re a well established persona. It takes time to build up a following. It takes effort to open social media accounts and keep up with them. I also understand that if a reader of sweet romance picks up a piece of pure smut expecting sweet your in trouble. And vise versa with smut readers being let down by a sweet romance. I love both but expectations can make or break you.
The upside is as an author you have two separate sets of readers. Two voices to express yourself. That can be huge for you as an author.
I know there’s no set guidelines for this type of things and from my poll on twitter it seems most of you are as divided about this as I am. I go back and forth on it.
I would love to hear your thoughts.
ReBlog – X is for “XO” – @simplymarquessa #love #atozchallenge @AprilA2Z
ReBlog – Ready for more of these two?
Continued from “Video”
XO (Delaney)
The kitchen hummed with the sounds of sizzling oils and hissing pots. Alma was cooking up a storm for dinner and the smells of adobo and sofrito fill…
Source: X is for “XO” – #love #atozchallenge @AprilA2Z | Simply Marquessa
Today’s Inspiration
ReBlog – LOGLINES AND TAGLINES ARE DIFFERENT And You Need Both For Your Novel
ReBlog – I’ve heard of taglines but never loglines.
“Cannot. Stress. This. Enough. Every week I see scores of pitches – sent to my inbox, my ears or via script listing sites – and every week I see Loglines and Taglines being mixed up. PLEASE S…
Source: LOGLINES AND TAGLINES ARE DIFFERENT And You Need Both For Your Novel by R. Ann Siracusa
ReBlog – Top 10 Ways To Get Good Quality Backlinks
ReBlog – This could be helpful.
While the amount of backlinks your blog or website has is not that important, the quality of them is. These ten tips will show you how to get them.
ReBlog – Blood Bound’s a Gothic Number One!
ReBlog – Go Team Blackthorn! Blood Bound’s doing great!
We did it again, Team Blackthorn!!! 😀
I’m thrilled to be able to share that BLOOD BOUND went right in at #1 in Gothic Romance on Amazon UK within hours of it going live for pre-order! It also made it into the Top 10 in Gothic Fiction on Amazon.com! That’s now the fourth Blackthorn book …
Source: Blood Bound’s a Gothic Number One! – Lindsay J. Pryor
Jamie Farrell – Blissed
Blissed is Book One in the Misfit Brides Series.
I was already a big fan of Jamie Farrell and Blissed just secured her spot as one of my all time favorite authors. I fell in love with her Officers’ Ex-Wives Club and had high hopes for the Misfit Brides. Jamie Farrell didn’t disappoint. I loved Blissed so much I already own the second book, Matched. Now, if only school was back in session and I had some mommy time to read it.
Natalie grew up in the lovely town of Bliss and her life was scripted out much like every other child of Bliss. Her future involved following in her mother’s footsteps and seeing that the biggest festival of the year went off without a hitch. She just had one problem and that was that her nemesis CJ was the only way to make that happen. But she has to suck up her pride and get him to work with her to make the festival happen. CJ and Natalie have both loved and lost, locking up their hearts when they did. What does Jamie hold in store for their future’s? Pick up Bliss and see. (It was free on Amazon when I bought mine. But always check prices before you hit that one-click button.)
This was a well written book. I have since listened to the audiobook of this and it flowed so nice. The story sucked me right in from the very beginning. The characters could be people I knew they were so well written. They had flaws and imperfections mixed in with their lovable personalities.
I always have trouble deciding my favorite character. I liked Natalie, she reminds me of me a bit. But she’s a bit narrow sighted. That’s great because it makes her all the more believable but I think I liked CJ’s family as a whole the best. They are such a wide variety of fun personalities. They always made me smile.
And I usually can’t tell my favorite part without giving away the plot… But I can tell you my least favorite part was when the evil video running the town did everything in her power to ruin business for Natalie at her family’s shop. The scenes were always well written I just didn’t care for the protagonist but that’s nothing new for me.
So if you like to laugh and maybe cry a bit while reading a lit fun romance I suggest you look into picking this book up. It would be a great addition to your summer reading list.
Jamie Farrell – Merried Cover Reveal
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Cover Design: Jaycee at Sweet N Spicy Designs
Release Date: October 4, 2016
Blurb
He’s the Spare Heir of Bliss’s most famous jewelry shop
Max Gregory’s family is best known for creating and displaying the infamous
Mrs. Claus diamond ring, but here in the bridal capital of the world, Max is best known for having a cursed love life. Not that he believes in curses. Or he didn’t, until he met her.
Mrs. Claus diamond ring, but here in the bridal capital of the world, Max is best known for having a cursed love life. Not that he believes in curses. Or he didn’t, until he met her.
She’s the daughter of a notorious jewel thief
ReBlog – Lindsay J. Pryor – Blood Bound Cover Reveal
ReBlog – I haven’t got to read the last one yet but I can’t wait. This series has me on an emotional roller coaster.
I am beyond excited to be able to share the cover for BLOOD BOUND – the penultimate book in my Blackthorn series! Our Eden is back! And so is Jessie too! Read on for the blurb of what’s in store… Love can be heaven. Or it can hurt like hell. For exiled angel Jessie, falling for Eden …
ReBlog – 7 Mistakes Indie Authors Make Designing Their Book Cover
ReBlog – I wish I had found this sooner.
This is a guest post by Kari Anders, the designer behind Free eBook Covers. Learn about the seven most common mistakes indie authors make when designing their book covers. As self-publishing become…
Source: 7 Mistakes Indie Authors Make Designing Their Book Cover | Keystroke Blog
ReBlog – V is for “Video” – @simplymarquessa #love #atozchallenge @AprilA2Z
ReBlog – Another scene with Delaney and Alejandro
Continued from “Chocolate High”
All we hear is the ocean whispering. Delaney and I have been sitting out here in silence for over an hour without saying a word. But we…
Source: V is for “Video” – #love #atozchallenge @AprilA2Z | Simply Marquessa
Brickley Jules Writes 