After recently participating in Bloggiesta (hosted by Natasha@Mawbooks) I realized how much motivation I gained by tweeting and visiting with other bloggers who were also working on blog related things. I found that, not only was I much more motivated, I met great new people and I learned a lot. I then started to think of other places I could apply this kind of motivation, and after seeing tons of #amwriting hashtags and planning to sign up for the BEA DIY Conference and Marketplace (not exactly sure what that means), I decided I need some of that motivation when it comes to my writing. I've tried getting up early (and staying up late) to write a bit everyday; but these are habits that I really struggle with, mostly for a lack of organization.
Thus — Just Write was born.
This Spring Break, T is on a Baseball trip to Arizona, all my residents and friends will be enjoying their time off, and I'll still be at school as I'll be student teaching (student teachers don't get Spring Break I guess). I want to use this time to really hash out some writing — good writing. While I plan on devoting much of March 5th — March 11th to this cause, I'd like to invite anyone and everyone to participate in Just Write from March 5th — 7th.
Much like my inspiration (Bloggiesta) , Just Write is a challenge to all writers (aspiring or published) to devote as much time as possible to your craft during this weekend. Whether it be actually writing a plot, working on characterization, editing, drafting, outlining, anything... Just Write. I'm not sure if I'll just start writing or if I'll decide to pick everything apart first by character and then plot (and so on and so forth). Of course, words written will be important as well as content. I'll be making a list of things I want to accomplish (it won't be as "crazy" as Bloggiesta) but it will include things such as outline the plot (Introduction, Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action, Conclusion), back stories (when necessary) on characters, etc. Do with it what you will — Just Write.
How to play: 1. Just Write begins at 8am on Friday, March 5th and goes until 8am on Monday, March 8th. But, if you want to devote more time, I'll be working on Just Write when time allows until March 11th. Like Bloggiesta, aim for an hour amount — challenge youself. You can begin Just Write at anytime between March 5th and 8th — so if you work on Friday, don't let that scare you away. 2. When you start the challenge, come back to the "Starting Line Post" here and directly link it to your specific post about starting Just Write. 3. If you Twitter, use the hashtag #justwrite to join in on the chatter. This is important for continued motivation and support from other writers.
Will there be prizes? Yes!
What can you do to help? Spread the word! The more people we have join the challenge, the more moral support we’ll have during the challenge! From Bloggiesta, I know that this is key. Without moral support and motivation — it could be a very long weekend.
If you'd like to host a mini challenge — please email me at google (at) gmail (dot) com. Mini challenges can be (but are not limited to) anything to do with drafting, plot, character, introductions, conclusions, editing, etc. Hopefully we'll get some strong mini challenges going to really get the creative juices going.
Finally, please sign the Mr. Linky below if you intend to participate. If it's just me, I'm not going to be going full out and talking to publicists and authors etc, but if there are others who are interested I want to put the work in (obviously).
PS: Big thanks to Natasha@Maw Books and
Pam at MotherReader for allowing me to “borrow” their format and wordage from Bloggiesta and 48 Hour Book Challenge
" I was completely brought into this novel by the suspenseful writing, 'life-like' characters, and the riveting plot." — Miss Remmers Release Date: April 5th, 2011 Publisher: Simon and Schuster Challenges: 2011 eBook Challenge and 100+ Reading Challenge
"Clara’s relationship with Christian is intense from the start, and like nothing she’s ever experienced before. But what starts as devotion quickly becomes obsession, and it’s almost too late before Clara realizes how far gone Christian is—and what he’s willing to do to make her stay.
Now Clara has left the city—and Christian—behind. No one back home has any idea where she is, but she still struggles to shake off her fear. She knows Christian won’t let her go that easily, and that no matter how far she runs, it may not be far enough... "
Okay, this "Stay" is another victim of me not reading the synopsis before reading the book. I began this book with no prior knowledge of it's plot and as a result was extremely surprised and enthralled. Immediately just by the tone of the book I knew something was amiss and I had to find out exactly what happened. I started picking up on the subtle clues and began to dissect and over-analyze every line.
The pacing of this novel was perfect; I wanted to know what had happened but I never felt like there was a dull moment. I waited for the "ah-ha" moment but my need to understand it was satiated a bit more with each chapter until the "big reveal." Part of this was due to the Deb Caletti's flawlessly elegant and thought-provoking language. I mean, really, on page 10 I was already thinking: "Man, I wish I had a hard copy to put sticky notes and even (God forbid) highlight in!"
I was completely brought into this novel by the suspenseful writing, "life-like" characters, and the riveting plot. It may be due to the fact that I am currently teaching Romeo and Juliet and have to teach each scene five times (five periods of English 9) and that my mind is just enveloped by R&J, but a lot of the bookmarks I made were because I wanted to share them with my students. They are currently struggling with how quickly Romeo and Juliet fell in love and I think that "Stay" describes that kind of "love" so perfectly.
It was also a bit sobering as before I met my Prince Charming I dated a few duds (emphasis on few). While reading "Stay" I remembered my first boyfriend at the age of 16 and saw some definite similarities to that relationship and Clara and Christian's. The jealousy, the rage, the anger, but most importantly the fear of being left and the addiction and obsession that came with my first "love." I remember editing myself, like Clara, in front of this boyfriend out of fear of his reaction. Like Clara, I have been addicted to love and lost myself in that obsession.
I think that "Stay" is the perfect read for any high school student and, after my book talk yesterday in class, I hope that many of my students go and pick up this book after it's release next week. When reading Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet they roll their eyes and say "that never happens in real life." While I pray that they are never in a situation like Clara or even a relationship similar to the one I had, I think it's important that they realize that this does happen but it doesn't always have to have a tragic ending.
Quick note: I think I would have really enjoyed the annotations (as that's how I tend to write, think, and talk) but on an eReader it was hard to follow.
Final Quick Note: When I was looking at Deb's website I realized that the characters are linked! I think that is SO cool — Nine Miles Falls!!! It reminds me of the Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon.
Originality: 10/10 Ending: 10/10 Characters: 9/10 Plot: 10/10 My reaction/enjoyment: 9/10 Cover: 7/10 Overall: 55/60 A
Because the language of this novel was caught my attention first and left me analyzing Shakespeare and my life, I'd like to share a few of my favorite quotes found in the ARC Galley. Please remember that any of these quotes are subject to change in the actual published novel.
"But something had already been set in motion, and I wonder and wonder how things would have been if I'd have just let that moment pass, the one where our eyes met. If I had just taken Shakti's arm and moved off, letting the electrical jolt that passed between us fade off, letting the girl return to his side, letting fate head off in another direction entirely... " (10-11).
"I had already made him into someone he would never be, and I didn't know it then, but he was already doing the same with me" (12).
"Dad was a priss about jaywalking... Or maybe he just liked to stare down what he'd testily call the "grammatical error sanctioned by the state." There is, of course, no apostrophe in the DONT WALK sign" (43).
"I tended to give a book chance and another chance and another, sometimes seeing it al the way to the end, still hoping for it to turn out different. Maybe I was confused about what you owed a book. What you owed people, for that matter, real or fictional" (49). Talk about a blogging reference!!
"I tried to read that book again before I went to sleep. I didn't like that book, but I kept going for all the reasons a person hangs in with something that isn't good — you feel bad about not giving it a chance, you've already come too far to give up now, you believe it's going to get better" (77).
-Visit Deb around the web here: Website | Goodreads -BUY THE BOOK: Amazon | Kindle | Barnes and Noble | Nook
Amy Plum, author of the new book Die for Me, is here today to discuss the book and her writing. Die for Me will be released tomorrow!
Check out the bottom for a link to follow the rest of the tour stops.
1. From reading some of the background of Die For Me, it's easy to see how much thought you put into the story long before you began writing. Can you share with us 3 things that you were determined to achieve with this story?
1. I wanted to write a book that would be as much a love letter to Paris as a love story between a boy and girl. 2. I wanted to create a brand new paranormal mythology where I could let my imagination roam and have the freedom to form my own little universe.
3. And thirdly: redemption. Kate is strong and independent in a way that I wasn’t at her age. And I gave her a family I would have loved to have had.
So, although I hadn’t thought about it ahead of time, as I wrote the book (especially figuring out Kate’s past, although much of it isn’t spelled out) I was aware that I was rewriting my own past. In a small way, the book is a sort of redemption for a childhood and adolescence that included lots of not-very-nice things. And although Kate’s parents die when she is sixteen, up until then her life is what I wish mine had been.
2. Many of the locations in Die For Me were ones from your past. What made you decide to do that and is there any other place special to you that you wish you could include in a book? I am very visual, so places are important to me. And dropping my characters into locations I myself have known is—again—like recreating my past. I loved putting Jules’s art studio in my old apartment, placing a lot of the action in my old neighborhood, the Marais, and then there’s the Pont des Arts… *sigh*. So perhaps it’s a bit of a crutch. I know these places so well that I can easily go to them in my mind when I’m writing a scene. It might just facilitate the action to be able to close my eyes and be right back there.
Although… I made up the interior of Jean-Baptiste’s house from my imagination (dropping in a few elements that I knew: the staircase, Charlotte’s heart-shaped windows… ). BUT even though I’ve never been there, I know every room in that place like it was my own house. And yes – I would write a book that takes place, at least partly, in New York City, my other urban love besides Paris. It is just as magical as Paris, but in a completely different way.
3. What is the hardest part of juggling family time and writing? Do you have any tips for anyone who may be struggling with the same thing?
I can’t write if my children are in the house with me. (Unless they’re asleep, and by that time I’m usually too exhausted to write.) They’re only three and five, and if I am around they want to be rightnexttome. I’m lucky enough to have an office outside of my home. It’s a little building that’s just across the yard from our house. And when I go there I know that no one is going to bother me. I can immerse myself completely in my writing without my concentration being broken.
So my advice would be to find a place where you know you can let your mind reign supreme. Without listening for that next knock on the door or ringing phone. In Stephen King’s book ON WRITING, he spoke of writing his first two published novels “in the laundry room of a doublewide trailer, pounding away on my wife’s portable Olivetti typewriter and balancing a child’s desk on my thighs.” He says that John Cheever wrote in the basement of his Park Avenue apartment building, near the furnace. It doesn’t matter where it is or if it is even comfortable. If it is YOURS AND ONLY YOURS—for the time you are writing—that is what matters.
4. What has been the biggest adjustment for you since you started writing? What is your favorite thing to do that helps you relax after a long day of writing?
The biggest adjustment has been having a project that is long-term. When I was an art dealer or a professor or wrote articles for magazines, I had short-term projects that I could work hard on and then be done with in a relatively short amount of time. Now, writing the draft of a book usually takes me a few months. I’ve had to learn to chop that up into short-term goals. One day will be just for planning. The next I will write one chapter. I can’t stop until I finish it, but once I do I’m done for the day. Or if I’m editing, I have to finish two chapters per day. Whatever it is, I have to look at it as small tasks, because seeing it as a whole is too overwhelming for my impatient, impulsive personality.
And favorite thing to do at the end of a long day of writing? Usually after writing, I am busy splitting parenting activities with my husband: making dinner, getting the kids’ bath, pajamas, bedtime books, etc. So it’s not until the kids are in bed that I have time to relax. At that point, I’m usually so exhausted that I flop into bed with a book or my New Yorker magazine, or bring my laptop with me and read scandalous celebrity gossip! (Shhh… shameful confession!) When my husband offers to do all the kiddie stuff himself (when he sees that I’m falling over), I take a one-hour bath with a book and a glass of wine.
5. Can you tell us something that people would find surprising about you? I don’t have a television connection… by choice. My tv set is only used for DVDs! So when people talk about different television series or personalities, I don’t have a clue what they’re talking about. (Except for True Blood – my friend Kim sent me the series on DVD. Which I LOVE.)
6. What else can people expect from the Revenants series? Do you know how many books will be in the series?
DIE FOR ME is a trilogy. But I certainly have enough of a story to write another book or maybe spinoff books. I also have another series I’d like to write however, so who knows what will happen! So as far as the actual books go—your guess is as good as mine.
However, as for the story line, you can expect to discover more about the revenant mythology. You will learn more about the other characters. And you will see how Kate and Vincent respond to new challenges posed both by their relationship and by this dangerous supernatural world that Kate is just beginning to discover.
Die for Me by Amy Plum Publisher: HarperTeen (May 10th, 2011) Reading Level: Young Adult Hardback: 341 pages Series: Revenants, book #1 My life had always been blissfully, wonderfully normal. But it only took one moment to change everything. Suddenly, my sister, Georgia, and I were orphans. We put our lives into storage and moved to Paris to live with my grandparents. And I knew my shattered heart, my shattered life, would never feel normal again. Then I met Vincent. Mysterious, sexy, and unnervingly charming, Vincent Delacroix appeared out of nowhere and swept me off my feet. Just like that, I was in danger of losing my heart all over again. But I was ready to let it happen. Of course, nothing is ever that easy. Because Vincent is no normal human. He has a terrifying destiny, one that puts his life at risk every day. He also has enemies.. immortal, murderous enemies who are determined to destroy him and all of his kind. While I'm fighting to piece together the remnants of my life, can I risk putting my heart—as well as my life and my family's—in jeopardy for a chance at love?
As the first Author Interview of the New Year, I'd like to welcome Barbara Fifield, author of "Lucifer Rising."
Tell us a little bit about you. Who is Barbara Fifield?
I am an Army Brat and lived in Germany and Japan as a child. I’ve been writing since I was 11 and won the best short story contest in sixth grade. I had to read my story in front of a class of 45 students (this was the 50’s during the Baby Boom). They loved my story so much they had me read it three times, even though there were other students who had to read theirs. I’ve been writing ever since and majored in journalism in college. I continued to write stories, poems, and plays. One of my poems about dancing was selected by a music company to be made into a song, but I never followed up on it. When I was 18, I wrote my first novel, "The Early Autumn," a teen love story. It was too long and needed editing. A publisher told me to throw it away and write another book. I wrote another one in my 30’s, called "Only Time Will Tell," a novel loosely based on my first marriage which was crumbling at the time. I kept parts of it which I plan to use in my next novel and tossed the rest away, after sending it out to only one literary agent and getting rejected. At this time, I had also returned to college to finish up my journalism degree which had been delayed due to the births of my two children. After writing on newspapers for several years and not making much money, I went back to school and received a Master’s Degree in Social Work as there were a lot of jobs in that field during the 1980’s. I wrote another novel called "Letting Go," where the main character, Marjorie, works as a social worker with abused women, then meets her second husband. That is the next book I plan to publish, maybe in a couple of years, after several more rewrites. My first novel, "Photographs and Memories," published last spring, is about how the character Angela coped with moving to Florida and the death of her second husband.
Describe the publication process you went through after writing "Lucifer Rising."
"Lucifer Rising" is my second novel and was published the end of June, 2009. It’s a fantasy romance about a female reporter, Elsa, who falls in love with a cult leader who happens to be a reincarnation of the angel, Lucifer. After many break ups, she finally leaves him, hopefully for good, although she questions her decision at the end. I base a lot of my characters on people I’ve known, and using my imagination, I concoct fictional personalities. The events that happen in the novel, such as Elsa finding her lover with another woman are made up but could have happened in real life to the characters, based on the personalities of the individuals they depict. The novel was published by Outskirts Press in only six months after it was submitted.
What was the easiest thing about writing "Lucifer Rising?" The hardest?
"Lucifer Rising" just flowed from me, with little rewriting, while I was waiting for my first novel, "Photographs and Memories," to be published. I’ve never found an easier book to write. The hardest thing about writing "Lucifer Rising" was expressing feelings of pain and rejection through Elsa, the main character. Although she realizes her lover, Tyrell, is evil, she still cares about him and keeps trying to make it work.
Describe "Lucifer Rising" in three words.
In three words, "Lucifer Rising" could be described as “Cultist captivates women.”
Do you have any habits when you write? If so, what are they.
Writing habits: I write for hours on end, rewriting as I go, then rewriting what I wrote earlier the next day. Sometimes it takes me weeks to finish one chapter. When my head starts spinning from all of the rewrites, I often go out to take a walk. That clears my mind.
What is something surprising or shocking about you that most people don't know?
Many events and characters I write about I’ve experienced which may surprise many readers.
Where do you hang out offline?
I am involved in many clubs off-line. I am the newsletter editor for a local chapter of the American Association of University Women (AAUW). I also attend Toastmaster’s which is training me how to speak to audiences about my novels.
Where do you hang out online?
Visit my website at http://fifieldauthor.com/
If after reading the review and readers want to purchase the novel, where should they go?
Those who wish to purchase "Lucifer Rising" may find it on Amazon.com, Barnesandnoble.co,m or Outskirtspress.com’s bookstore.
Thank you, Barbara, for stopping by and answering a few questions. My review of "Lucifer Rising" will be posted soon.
I did no snarky fancy editing with comments on this vlog simply because I only had 30 minutes to get it all done and ready. Tonight is stress free night at the high school for teachers (so why am I stressing over being there? Ugh!) and then Prim's hair cut is at 6pm and then hockey at 7:45! So... insert your own snarky remarks — just kidding, I'm sensitive:)
Today is another day of the Indie/New Adult feature where I provide you with mini-reviews from the many (mostly New Adult) books I've read lately. I had a ton of books get a 4 star rating from me and this is the 3rd day I'm featuring those. Check my previous posts for the other 4 star books and my 5 star favorites that posted on Monday.
Waiting for You by Shey Stahl Add to Goodreads
This book started out for me as a raving, sparkling 5 stars. I absolutely loved Bailey and the fact that she wanted to escape her"perfect" life. She chooses to do this by jumping in the car with Dylan, the local bad boy, and heading off to who-knows-where. I am a sucker for road trip books and this one had so many amazing parts. Dylan started out as the perfect bad-boy character and I actually liked Bailey a lot because she showed how independent and rule-breaking she could be. Then, about 2/3rds through the book it took some strange turns. I won't say what happened but I will say that Dylan did something to Bailey that raised some reg flags for me. I couldn't brush off that uneasy feeling and the book never quiet grabbed me again after that. Either way, this may not be an issue many people find in this story. Maybe it just hit a sore spot for me, but I'd still recommend people give this one a try.
The Future of Our Past by Kahlen Aymes Add to Goodreads I'm a sucker for books that involve teenagers who have been friends forever and question their relationship. I think many girls want to have that male best friend that we adore, and then we find out that maybe that's who we are meant to be with. In this book, Julia and Ryan are at that moment and neither know what to do. Once together, they deal with typical relationship issues, like distance, and it was good to see how they worked through those problems. By the end, the drama was a bit more boring and I hated that it ended on a huge cliffhanger. I still plan to read the next book in the series soon to see what happens.
Falling Into You by Jasinda Wilder Add to Goodreads
I know so many people who just looooved this book. I enjoyed it a lot but it didn't blow me away like I expected. I will say though, the first part of this story had me in tears. It was the saddest thing ever! As with many titles I've read, the beginning was fabulous. I got the emotional connection with the characters after the accident and Nell and Colton were believable and obviously had a lot of chemistry. Towards the end I just wasn't into the story as much. I started skipping a few parts and didn't get the drama going on. But again, that beginning was insanely good and I do plan to read more from this author.
Fire Always Burns by Krista Lakes Add to Goodreads This is a book you may not have heard of before but it's definitely worth the read. In this story we meet Holly, a young girl who lost her scholarship after too many late nights. This is something we rarely see in NA books (a person who fails at college and ends up back home in their small town), but it happens every day! She has best friends still in the town and one of them is Luke, a guy who is dealing with his parent's divorce and his little brother having to move. Then we have Andrew, a guy forced to take care of his mother after his father passed away. They all felt so stuck. I totally got these situations. They were similar scenarios but so relateable. Some parts I didn't fully understand (like how Andrew's mother was a nurse, but she was bats*it crazy sometimes), but I still enjoyed the overall story in this book.
Take This Regret by A.L. Jackson Add to Goodreads I adored this story. Christian abandons his girlfriend, Elizabeth, after finding out she's pregnant. Now he tries to come back and connect with her and his child. I was frustrated at Christian at times because he let his families control go so far, but I felt that once he came back he really did want to try to make things work. I felt bad for Elizabeth who had been forced to raise her child with just the help of some family and friends, always regretting that her daughter wouldn't have a dad. The side characters we meet in this book are incredible. I think everyone would want to have a group like them.
Before You Go by Clare James Add to Goodreads In this story we meet Tabby. She's had a public sex scandal that forced her to leave her college and go somewhere else. Now she wants to get back the control she felt she lost. She meets Noah and he pushes through the walls she's built up. They work on a newspaper together and slowly get closer. Noah was a sweetie. It was a bit harder for me to love Tabby because I didn't get some of her actions but I still enjoyed their relationship. This book does have some heavy issues and I liked how it showed how one single moment can really destroy a life. Tabby was faced with what happened every day and sadly, this is an issue that many teens face with social media and viral pictures/videos going out.
Wide Awake by Shelly Crane Add to Goodreads I was a bit hesitant to pick up this one because I'm not really into the amnesia, lost memories, type of story but I'm glad I gave this one a chance. Emma wakes up from a coma as a completely different person. She doesn't know who she was before but through her friends and family she soon realizes that, well, she was a biotch! The new Emma is trying to adjust with the help of her physical therapist Mason. Their connection was great. Some things I didn't understand, like why Emma would want to join the cheer team so soon after waking up and not being able to walk? That would be the last thing on my mind. But besides the inconsistencies, the overall romance and building up of Emma was great to read about.
Promise Me Darkness by Paige Weaver Add to Goodreads Woah, this book has the award for most surprising of the year. I was expecting what the blurb says which is that Maddie sees her childhood best friend Ryder one night and she realizes that she likes him as more than a friend now. We've seen this type of scenario often but this one adds a little more to that. It's a story that involves the before, during, and after apocalyptic setting and wow, it kept me on the edge of my seat! There is a ton that goes on in this story so the romance was just a bonus. I liked the way the world was portrayed after the attack. Sometimes I questioned Maddie's thoughts though and wondered if I'd really be that focused on a guy when the world was falling apart. Regardless, after the cliffhanger (GRR!!) I know I'll be reading the next book!
After Math by Denise Grover Swank Add to Goodreads Scarlet is a quiet college girl who deals with a lot of social anxiety. Then she has to tutor the school soccer star, Tucker Price, and he manages to really push her boundaries. I enjoyed these characters and how Scarlet was able to see who the real Tucker was. Once they begin getting closer their affections go from zero to sixty pretty fast. It may have been a bit too fast and sometimes Scarlet got on my nerves with her constant over-thinking. But Denise is a fabulous author who really knows how to bring different aspects of a story together. Everything flowed nicely and I hope to continue with his series. The next book will focus on Scarlet's roommate.
Born by Tara Brown Add to Goodreads I think this was even a free book when I got it but I've really been into the whole"post-apocalyptic" angle lately. When we meet Emma she has been on her own for over 10 years. Most people are dead (or, sort-of-dead) from an illness and the rest are just trying to survive. This book paints a scary picture of the world but it seems realistic for how I feel it would be 10 years after something like that took place. Emma meets some new people (Jake, Anna, and Will) plus several others along the way. She finally sees how the world has really been since she's been holed up for so long. This book has some editing issues but it didn't take too much away from it. It doesn't shy away from the gruesome parts of war, which was a nice thing. I have read the second book too and that review will be posted tomorrow.
