My Endless Summer of Reading by Jina Bacarr
May 11, 2018 by Jina Bacarr in category Jina’s Book Chat, Writing tagged as author, books, friend, Library, May, prom, promposal, reading, SummerIt’s the reading month of May!
In case you didn’t know it, May is #GetCaughtReadingMonth, so I decided to challenge myself to do “a graphic a day with someone reading a book.”
I’m a third of my way through the month, and I’m hanging in there. So for this month’s blog, I’m going to post some of them for your viewing and reading pleasure.
First, here’s a graphic I really love because it says so much about how lucky we are to choose what we read.
Which brings me to my own version of the Endless Summer
When I was thirteen, I spent my free time in the old library by the beach with its dusty shelves and cracked, wooden floor. It was the summer I discovered boys and surfing.
And the library’s adult section.
Reading everything I could find there. Romance sagas in hardback, mysteries with provocative covers. Adventure stories girls weren’t supposed to read.
Until a lady wagged her finger at me and told me to go back to the kids’ section.
I didn’t.
Even then I knew I wanted to write, and to write what was in my heart, I needed the freedom to discover all kinds of writing.
Enjoy the freedom to choose what you want to read!
By the way, I didn’t listen to her and kept sticking my Irish nose wherever I smelled a good story…
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So for #GetCaughtReadingMonth, here are some of the graphics I’ve posted so far:
You can find all the #GetCaughtReadingMonth graphics I’ve done so far and check them out all this month of May on Twitter and my Facebook pages:
And finally, since it’s prom month:
Ever wanted to be Prom Queen?
Kaylee is tired of being bullied by the Duchess in Crystal Girl and sells her soul to get thin
Here’s the story of Kaylee and her promposal . . . from a hottie devil!
CRYSTAL GIRL: Kindle & KU: http://a.co/ipzidx8
2 0 Read more
Have You Ever…Reread Your Own Book
March 5, 2018 by Tracy Reed in category Pink Pad by Tracy Reed tagged as editing, Growth, reading, writing
Happy pre-spring. It’s almost time to shed the winter gear and replace it with light weight fabrics.
A couple of months ago, after I completed my Goodreads reading goal for 2017, I got the urge to read one of my own books as a reader…a fan. It was never my intention to “edit” it. But sixty plus pages into reading the print copy, I spotted a typo. I was all set to ignore it. But then I spotted another one. When I finished, I had eight typos. Crap.
I like the story and wanted to continue reading the series. The second book was worse. It felt like the typos wouldn’t stop coming. I couldn’t believe I released a book with so many typos.
This little exercise made me aware of something…not every book is free of mistakes. As a creative, it’s difficult to wrap my head around the fact that I could have been so careless…unprofessional…and a host of other adjectives I care not to use.
So here’s my question. Have you ever read your own book for pleasure? Did you enjoy the story as much as when you wrote it?
This wasn’t the first time I’d read one of my books, but it was the first time, I experienced this many typos. I have no idea how I missed the typos.
Something amazing occurred from this exercise. I saw my growth as a writer. Of course I’m going to fix the typos. But although it’s only been a little over a year since I wrote the books, I was tempted to go back and mature them up. By that I mean, I could have gone in and changed the writing style to be reflective of my growth as a writer. But if I did that, it could effect the tone of the book and the series.
Did I enjoy the story when I read it again? Yes, I immediately wanted to read the next book in the series, which I did. I can honestly say, it’s horrible. Because the story was written when I started writing. It’s filled with so many mistakes, it’s embarrassing. Here’s the sad thing, when I wrote it, I thought it was good. Fast forward and I couldn’t even finish reading it.
It’s been a couple of weeks since I finished reading the books and I am faced with the inevetible…end the series. Or re-write the book.
What would you do?
Tracy
A California native, novelist Tracy Reed pushes the boundaries of her Christian foundation with her sometimes racy and often fiery tales.
After years of living in the Big Apple, this self proclaimed New Yorker draws from the city’s imagination, intrigue, and inspiration to cultivate characters and plot lines who breathe life to the words on every page.
Tracy’s passion for beautiful fashion and beautiful men direct her vivid creative power towards not only novels, but short stories, poetry, and podcasts. With something for every attention span.
Tracy Reed’s ability to capture an audience is unmatched. Her body of work has been described as a host of stimulating adventures and invigorating expression.
http://www.readtracyreed.com/
https://www.facebook.com/readtracyreed
https://www.bookbub.com/authors/tracy-reed
https://www.instagram.com/readtracyreed/
https://twitter.com/readtracyreed
https://www.pinterest.com/readtracyreed/
H.O. Charles December Featured Author
December 21, 2017 by marianne h donley in category Featured Author of the Month tagged as books, fantasy, HO Charles, reading
H.O. Charles is an Amazon Top 100 Sci-Fi and Fantasy author of The Fireblade Array – a #2 best-selling series across Kindle, iBooks and B&N Nook in the Sci-Fi and Fantasy categories (#1 would just be showing off, right?)
Okay, it did hit #1 in Epic Fantasy in all those places… BUT DON’T TELL ANYONE because no one likes a bragger.
Though born in Northern England, Charles now resides in a white house in Sussex and sounds like a southerner.
Charles has spent many years at various academic institutions, and cut short writing a PhD in favour of writing about swords and sorcery instead.
Hobbies include being in the sea, being by the sea and eating things that come out of the sea. Walks with a very naughty rough collie puppy also take up much of Charles’ time.
The Write Spirit by Jenny Jensen
December 19, 2017 by Jenny Jensen in category On writing . . . by Jenny Jensen tagged as holidays, reading, reading about writing, writing
We’re in the midst of the celebration season: Solstice, Hanukkah, Christmas, Cuanza, Wilkie Thumbnoggin. (Okay, that last one is just me but he’s a dear old friend and I only hear from him at this time of year; he leads such an interesting life. Can’t wait to hear what’s happened since that kerfuffle last year on the Isle of Jersey with the sea lions and Prince Charles.) It’s also the season of giving – or if giving isn’t practical, then sharing.
I’d like to share with you some wonderful books – the fiction kind – about writing. We’re all readers and writers and we all read and write for different reasons. I read to learn something, to escape, to relax, to be entertained and, of course, to edit. But sometimes I read for therapy (as a 21st century American, I need a lot of therapy). My favorite therapy books are the fictional tales about writers. These stories deal so satisfyingly with the fears, annoyances and obstacles I run up against in my work in the same way you experience them in yours.
There’s nothing like a good writer examining the perils and pains of their craft through the lens of fiction. It’s not only enjoyable but also comforting to read an author’s take on the hazards we all face when we sit down to write. They address the dreaded writer’s block, the struggle for discipline, the angst of working with publishers and dealing with fans (think King’s Misery). The concept of a writer writing about writing is rich with a million possible premises because this business is – and always will be – about limitless possibilities.
[tweetshare tweet=”Editor Jenny Jensen’s Top Five Picks … On Writing” username=”A_SliceofOrange”]
Here are five of my picks. Some you may already have read but if not, I hope you’ll enjoy them.
Foul Matter, Martha Grimes (2004)
Ms. Grimes gives a grand romp through the egos, posturing and Machiavellian plotting of the industry of writing.
Blind Submission: A Novel, Debra Ginsberg (2006)
A wonderful indie look at delicate author sensibilities, the struggle for those next 1,000 words and the uses of an editor.
Piranha to Scurfy and Other Stories, Ruth Rendell (2001)
The title story offers the most satisfying rebuttal (or is it revenge?) to those obsessive readers who cannot let go of what they perceive to be a misplaced comma or an ‘incorrectly’ used word.
Plot It Yourself, Rex Stout (1959)
Every writer fears a charge of plagiarism. This tale is about a sort of reverse plagiarism and makes me ponder the infinite possibilities one can spin off an original premise.
Breakfast At Tiffany’s, Truman Capote (1958)
We never learn much about the narrator except that he’s a struggling writer. It’s through this writer’s eye that a rather tawdry story becomes magical. It’s the narrator’s portrayal of Holly Golightly, the way he invests her with an almost mystical quality that reaffirms for me the power of a writer’s vision.
If you can add to this list, I hope you will share. I’d love to read those tales about writing that have given you, if not therapy, at least a little wry solace. So happy reading and celebrate well this season!
Jenny
0 0 Read moreThe First…by @denisemcolby
December 12, 2017 by Denise M. Colby in category The Writing Journey by Denise Colby tagged as First, First Line Friday, reading, writing
The First…
Several words come to mind when I hear those words…
- The First Noel.
- The First Time in Forever. Yes it’s a Frozen song.
- And a few others I couldn’t quite remember the entire title.
We all know that Firsts are important.
Babies have a first laugh, a first word, their first step, and so on. Every stage of life has a first to it. The first day of preschool. The first day of high school. The first day of college.
There’s always a first for everything.
The dictionary defines first as; coming before all others in time or order; earliest; 1st; never previously done or occurring.
It’s no wonder that as writers, we all have and celebrate our firsts too:
- The first time we enter a contest
- Submit our work for a critique
- The first time we sign a contract
- The first time we are published
[tweetshare tweet=”@denisemcolby explains … The Firsts” username=”A_SliceofOrange”]
Even within our fictional manuscripts we have firsts:
- When our hero and heroine first lay eyes on each other
- Their first kiss (which is their last first kiss)
- The first time they realize they love the other person.
And part of the fun of writing is to get it right (a whole subjective term, I know, but that’s for a different post).
So, in our first book, getting the first Chapter correct is necessary. Writing the first paragraph in a way to grab readers is crucial. And delivering well, the first line of the book, is essential.
- Vital.
- Imperative.
I think you get the idea.
First Lines in books.
Now that I understand this in my writing journey, I’ve been tracking the first line in the books I read and study (thank you Leslie for the idea). And let me say, it’s amazing how different these lines are. Some start with dialogue, some start with action, and some start with an inner thought from the main character.
And they all start us on a mini adventure we are willing to sit and explore for hours.
Recently, my critique partner introduced me to her blog posts First Line Fridays, which are hosted by a blog called hoarding books.
Authors and readers write their own post on their blog, then post a comment at https://hoardingbooksblog.wordpress.com/ with a link to their posts. The post includes the first line from whatever book is near them or they are reading. I’ve seen this as a Facebook challenge before, but not as a blog post. It’s a great way to share books and authors with other readers, so I decided to join in the fray and post my first, First Line Fridays post this past Friday.
See how I did that? It’s my first! And I’m super excited about it.
If you’re so inclined to read it, you can check it out here. http://denisemcolby.com/first-line-friday-12-8-17/
And if you want to learn more about the hoarding books blog, you can go to https://hoardingbooksblog.wordpress.com/
Happy Reading,
Denise
P.S. I googled ‘The First’ quotes and found a website that organizes quotes by topic. There are a lot of quotes with the word first in them. Go to https://www.brainyquote.com/topics/first if your inclined to take a look.
Although new to the writing fiction world, Denise Colby has over 20+ years experience in marketing, creating different forms of content and copy for promotional materials. Taking the lessons learned from creating her own author brand Denise M. Colby, Denise enjoys sharing her combined knowledge with other authors.
If you are interested in a marketing evaluation and would like help in developing a strategy for your author brand you can find out more here http://denisemcolby.com/marketing-for-authors/
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