tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29143730957646850392024-03-13T03:08:06.937-07:00Brenda's books and blogThank you for stopping by. Please enjoy a browse through my books. I love to hear from both readers and other writers. If you would like to submit a review or a comment about any of my books - please do - good or not so hot. If you are a writer and would like to present your book or do a guest blog or have a chat - I look forward to hearing from you.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13163128507705064874noreply@blogger.comBlogger92125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2914373095764685039.post-52609903853640938942015-04-02T15:28:00.000-07:002015-04-02T15:28:04.297-07:00The Chase Guest Post by author Xyla Turner<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">
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<span itemprop="name"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Xena is an independent woman who recently started her own school in Brooklyn, NY. She is an introvert, does not go out much, but receives sexual maintenance from a neighbor whenever she wants. A chance meeting with Xavier, who is a rich play boy that likes to invade her space, bite and spank her. Xavier is a venture capitalist, who owns many businesses, buildings and has ties with people all around the country. He is used to getting what he wants from women and despite Xena’s defenses; he seems to wiggle in and momentarily traps her under his spell.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After their first meeting, Xena spent most of the time running away, but still somehow felt drawn towards him. Soon she gave in, liking that Xavier was possessive and showed her an abundance of interest. However, there were several times where he crossed the line. Eventually, his possessiveness goes from endearing to overbearing, and trust becomes an issue. Needing space, Xena heads out of the country to clear her mind. However, on her return she learns of Xavier’s hidden secrets that put her safety in jeopardy.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Will Xena be able to forgive and forget the wrongs that have been committed against her privacy. Will Xavier become the man that Xena needs and win the battle between lying to her again and telling her the truth? Will he risk giving up his obsession to possess her in order to prove how he truly feels?</span></div>
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<span itemprop="name"><i><b>About the author</b></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Xyla Turner was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. She has always been a writer, even as a teenager, she wrote short stories and essays that won awards and nation-wide competitions. Xyla is an avid reader of romance novels and a sucker for sassy females and dominant males. She is a lifelong learner, Vice-Principal at a Brooklyn High School and a pretty good Auntie. Outside of reading, Xyla likes to spend time with her family and friends, experiment with dangerous adventures and travel. She writes different genres, but her favorite is contemporary romance.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span id="freeTextauthor13580203"><br />Xyla has her Bachelor’s degree in Education and Masters in Education Administration. She is also a web designer and a Life Coach. She will forever be an educator, innovator and entrepreneu<span style="font-size: 12px;">r.</span></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hey, my name is Xyla Turner and I am brand
new to the Romance Literary World. I am an avid reader of contemporary romance
novels, including some of my favorite, R.L. Mathewson, Kylie Scott, Maya Banks,
Sylvia Day and Kristen Ashley. Currently, I worked at a high school in
Brooklyn, NY as a Vice-Principal. My students are the best, funny, and keep me
young. I have a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Education and in the near
future, I plan to take some classes to start my Life Coaching Practice. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Even when I was young, I have always been
an avid reader. In grade school, once a month, they would pass around the book
catalog and every month, I would highlight each book that I wanted. As I grew
older, I became an avid R.L. Stine and Babysitter’s Club fan. Even starting my
babysitting business and charged my mom every time I had to watch a sibling. As
you can see, I’ve always been business-minded and ambitious. Through high
school and college, I read more for school and not for leisure, except the occasional
Terry McMillan, Eric Jerome Dickey and Sistah Souljah. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In 2013, I made a major transition in my
life, which required me to be on the road for extended amount of hours, so
Audio Books would halp me get through the five-hour drives. Once I reached my
destination, I would sit in the car to finish the book. At the time, I did not
have cable or a television, so reading became my hobby again. When I stopped
traveling, I finally started to use my iBooks app and spent probably over a
$1000 on eBooks. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One evening, as I finished two Romance
eBooks, I felt like I was not being productive. The Xyla Turner productive. So,
I made a pact with myself that for every three books that I read, I need to
write one. Well, after writing my first romance novel in four days with little
sleep and aching fingers, I knew after 55,000 words, I could do this. I had
come to learn after a few months, it was not the most well written novel, but
it was done. After I finished this, I started writing another one that took me
a week, then another that took two weeks and finished the fourth one that took
three weeks. The more I wrote, the more I started to get better, develop the
characters, fall in love with their stories and I found myself making time to
write on the train, at lunch, in the car (audio), and parking lots. So, I guess
there is no need for a pact anymore. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now, I spend my time promoting and editing.
I plan to continue writing between book releases, until I run out of stories. Two
of these books will become a series and one of them, The Chase, will have a
Part II. My writing will fit under the category of African-American Romance,
Contemporary Romance, Women’s Fiction, and Interracial/Multicultural Romance.
All of my books have social nuances embedded within them, because that is who I
am as a person. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I foresee myself continuing to write, not
just romance, but other genres, now that this has become a reality. Currently,
I have nine semi-finished non-fiction books, a comedy and a memoir that I wish
to finish by the end of 2016. </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13163128507705064874noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2914373095764685039.post-61026196867794029942015-03-18T10:47:00.000-07:002015-03-18T10:47:11.543-07:00The Shadow of the Unicorn Author Guest Post<div class="MsoNormal">
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<img src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51PvN53wTfL._AA324_PIkin4,BottomRight,-54,22_AA346_SH20_OU15_.jpg" /><img alt="Suzanne de Montigny" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pAQAghx7ceA/UVHMbaCW8zI/AAAAAAAAAIo/qGjBaUU3lBI/s300/s06.jpg" /></div>
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<b><u><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">BIO:<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Award winning author, Suzanne de Montigny, wrote her first novella when she was twelve. Years later, she discovered it in an old box in the basement, thus reigniting her love affair with writing. A teacher for twenty years, she enjoys creating fantasy and paranormal for tweens and teens. She lives in Burnaby, B.C., Canada with the four loves of her life – her husband, two boys, and Buddy the dog.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So what is
it that makes people intrigued with unicorns? Is it their beauty, their
majesty, their grace? Or is it their magic? But more fascinating yet is why is
it impossible to find unicorns anywhere except as statues or on coats of arms?
Find out when you read Suzanne de Montigny’s <b><i>The Shadow of the Unicorn</i></b>
series.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Watch the
book trailer for her award-winning novel, <b><i>The Shadow of the Unicorn: The Legacy</i></b>,
book one. </span><a href="http://youtu.be/St9OsyK974o" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">http://youtu.be/St9OsyK974o</span></a><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Then watch
her most recent release, <b><i>The Shadow of the Unicorn II: The Deception</i></b>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What’s great about these books is that Ms. de Montigny
donates half of all her proceeds to the Third World Eye Care Society, a group
of eye specialists who travel to third world countries delivering thousands of
pairs of glasses and performing surgery for free. Ms. de Montigny was directed
to TWECS by her ophthalmologist when she developed a visual impairment that has
now been mostly cured as a result of good eye care. Because she has two foster
children in third world countries, she knew how difficult it was to get the
proper eye care she received, and so decided to give back. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>The Shadow of the Unicorn</i></b> also comes with a reproducible study
guide for free download from her website. <a href="http://www.suzannedemontigny.com/">http://www.suzannedemontigny.com</a>.
Second guide to come soon.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Shadow of the Unicorn II: The Deception<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Amazon: </b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Shadow-Unicorn-Deception-Book-ebook/dp/B00TVTPB50/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1424798163&sr=1-1&keywords=the+shadow+of+the+unicorn+II%3A+The+Deception"><b><span style="color: blue; mso-themecolor: hyperlink;">http://www.amazon.com/Shadow-Unicorn-Deception-Book-ebook/dp/B00TVTPB50/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1424798163&sr=1-1&keywords=the+shadow+of+the+unicorn+II%3A+The+Deception</span></b></a><b><u><span style="color: blue; mso-themecolor: hyperlink;"><o:p></o:p></span></u></b></span></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Shadow of the Unicorn: The Legacy<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://store.kobobooks.com/en-ca/Search?Query=the+shadow+of+the+unicorn%3A+the+legacy"><span style="color: blue; mso-themecolor: hyperlink;">http://store.kobobooks.com/en-ca/Search?Query=the+shadow+of+the+unicorn%3A+the+legacy</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/shadow-of-the-unicorn-suzanne-de-montigny/1114304816?ean=2940044263338"><span style="color: blue; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: hyperlink;">http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/shadow-of-the-unicorn-suzanne-de-montigny/1114304816?ean=2940044263338</span></a><u><span style="color: blue; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: hyperlink;"><o:p></o:p></span></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/ca/book/shadow-unicorn-legacy/id596639026?mt=11" target="_blank">https://itunes.apple.com/ca/book/shadow-unicorn-legacy/id596639026?mt=11</a><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13163128507705064874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2914373095764685039.post-10740167257177844132015-02-26T09:17:00.002-08:002015-02-26T09:24:56.756-08:00H.A.L.F. The Deep Beneath by Natalie Wright Author Guest Post<div class="MsoNormal">
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</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US">Title:</span></b><span lang="EN-US"> H.A.L.F.: The Deep Beneath<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US">Author:</span></b><span lang="EN-US">
Natalie Wright<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US">Genre:</span></b><span lang="EN-US">
YA Science Fiction<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-drx1gdJVfpg/VO9UR-iJqbI/AAAAAAAAA3E/TIIHoyyrNJA/s1600/Natalie%2BHead%2BShot%2BCropped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><u style="background-color: transparent;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Creating
A Character with Sass: Meet Erika Holt</span></u></a></div>
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</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Some writers conceive a character first
then build a story around them. I, however, tend to have an idea for a plot
first then create characters to people my new world.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">The
plot for <i>H.A.L.F.: The Deep Beneath</i>
came to me nearly whole in a flash while I was driving. I hurried home and
jotted down my idea in a few quickly scribbled pages.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">But
a story is nothing without characters. I wanted the female lead character for
H.A.L.F. to be very different than Emily Adams (the main character in my first
series, <i>The Akasha Chronicles</i>). What
fun is it to write the same character over and over again?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">I
started with physical traits. Where Emily is somewhat tall and lanky, Erika is
small and scrappy. Emily has red hair and fair skin of Irish descent. Erika has
dark hair (nearly black), brown eyes and mocha skin from her Latina mother.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=4b6fb7be88&view=fimg&th=14bc54dad2749ad0&attid=0.3&disp=inline&realattid=f_i6lz0qxi2&safe=1&attbid=ANGjdJ-txXeUPl1J4m7cl7zHRyar8sZXAviZJbsErpS7uBBIJs6epc7WZb5s05_oU97QV6WTuOWnCbqzrTLLqXNMNYYTCZ8TYsvaT9XLxkFOiSqWc_mK9j46Gh0p2oA&ats=1424970352979&rm=14bc54dad2749ad0&zw&sz=w1342-h523" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Displaying Erika_by_jodeviant.jpeg" border="0" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=4b6fb7be88&view=fimg&th=14bc54dad2749ad0&attid=0.3&disp=inline&realattid=f_i6lz0qxi2&safe=1&attbid=ANGjdJ-txXeUPl1J4m7cl7zHRyar8sZXAviZJbsErpS7uBBIJs6epc7WZb5s05_oU97QV6WTuOWnCbqzrTLLqXNMNYYTCZ8TYsvaT9XLxkFOiSqWc_mK9j46Gh0p2oA&ats=1424970352979&rm=14bc54dad2749ad0&zw&sz=w1342-h523" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Emily
Adams from The Akasha Chronicles</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Emily
runs for fun. Erika only runs if something is chasing her.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">But
the contrast between the characters doesn’t stop at physical features. While
Emily wants nothing more than to fit in with her peers, Erika could give a
rat’s hind end less what people think of her. Emily’s journey is to find
confidence in herself. To own who (and what) she really is.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Erika
knows who she is, and if someone doesn’t like it, they can kiss her …<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Well,
you get the picture.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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o:title=""/>
</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<img alt="Displaying COVER ART.jpeg" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=4b6fb7be88&view=fimg&th=14bc54dad2749ad0&attid=0.1&disp=inline&realattid=f_i6lz0qww0&safe=1&attbid=ANGjdJ-5_q575HsWOtob02B5KEI0i4TuTz7jcGg5e_hzn_RkJqNRfYCBP-OVjHdRcNH0vKUK2QwAmHWArbRzunJR4cMrBXgGsxrXIClE_c2F1tVhiEErw3GymiUB5aE&ats=1424970352979&rm=14bc54dad2749ad0&zw&sz=w1342-h523" /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">As I
reflect on the two lead female characters I’ve created, I think Emily more
closely resembles how I was on the inside when I was a teen (and perhaps still
am to some degree). Erika represents what I aspire to be: self-assured and
confident.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">But
both characters are brave as heroines need to be, and far more courageous than
I will ever be.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">The
beauty of writing a series is the thrill of seeing how the characters grow and
change. Erika has confidence in herself, yes, but sometimes even a self-reliant
person needs to accept help.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">And
love.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Erika’s
growth as a character has only begun. I’m excited to see where she’ll be four
more books from now! ;-)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13163128507705064874noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2914373095764685039.post-718271179640314602015-02-17T12:32:00.001-08:002015-02-17T12:32:26.396-08:00Mr. 8 - A Thriller by David Thirteen - Guest Post<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
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<img alt="Image result for David Thirteen Mr. 8" src="https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSSy2CLHi3dtk0OWyJjEZBYDt9taZmYDZMTsS0VbcKlheCsaksr" /><a href="https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS7EJtdCv1_pd6KMyUMtL0yNp4M6HPc7yTt5iU57fK4x-3H1pQy" imageanchor="1"><img alt="Image result for David Thirteen Mr. 8" border="0" src="https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS7EJtdCv1_pd6KMyUMtL0yNp4M6HPc7yTt5iU57fK4x-3H1pQy" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></b></span></div>
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<b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">Title:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Mr. 8</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US">Author</span></b><span lang="EN-US">: David J. Thirteen<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US">Genre:</span></b><span lang="EN-US"> Psychological Thriller / Horror<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Psychology professor Denton Reed has been
pulled out of the classroom to find a killer. Bodies are turning up all over
the quiet town of Bexhill. They are found dismembered and burned beyond
recognition in a snow covered farmer’s field, by the abandoned mill, and under
the train bridge. The only clue linking the victims is the bizarre figure eight
patterns left behind in their homes.<br />
Denton must use his unique profiling techniques to uncover the murderer, who
the police have dubbed Mr. 8. As he begins to unravel the mystery, a strange
pattern begins to emerge. Before their deaths, each victim was seized by dark
obsessions and inexplicable changes in behavior. Whatever strange forces are
affecting the people of Bexhill, they may actually be more dangerous than any
killer.<br />
As a wave of insanity sweeps the town, Denton will put his life on the line to
get to the source of the madness and risk all to protect the woman he loves.<br />
But is it already too late?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Author Bio<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">David J. Thirteen has studied English
Literature, Film Making, and Media Studies. He has lived and worked in the
technology field for twenty years throughout the North East, in both Canada and
the U.S. Writing has been a hidden passion for most of his life.<br />
<br />
Mr. 8 is his first published novel and will be in stores on February 5th, 2015.
It was first written as a serial story on Wattpad, where it became a #1 ranked
feature novel. He still writes and posts new stories on Wattpad every week.<br />
<br />
David currently lives in Toronto, Canada and lives a bright life, while
dreaming dark dreams.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Guest Post: </b></span><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Shifting Genres: Perils and
Lessons Learned</span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When
I began planning out my novel, <i>Mr. 8,</i>
it became obvious that the story would experience a genre shift about halfway
through. I couldn’t remove it or change it, since the plot hinged on this
twist. But I knew this would not be easy to pull off and began to worry about
dealing with it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> A genre shift is nothing original.
There are many examples in literature although it does tend to be a rarely used
device. It occurs when a story starts out fitting neatly into one category and
then because of a twist in the plot, it diverts into an entirely different set
of tropes. A classic example is <i>Psycho</i>
(the novel by Robert Bloch or the film by Alfred Hitchcock, take your pick). It
begins with a <i>noir</i> tale of an embezzler
on the run but quickly changes to horror, when she is brutally murdered. And it stays horror for the rest of the
story.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> In my own novel, things start off in
the vein of a traditional crime mystery. An unlikely but skilled sleuth,
Denton, gets mixed up in a series of murders that the police are attributing to
a serial killer. But in the process of tracking down the culprit, he uncovers
something unexpected and the plot turns toward the supernatural.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> There was a big risk in doing this. A
genre shift has the ability to surprise and shock an audience, but it can also
frustrate and alienate them. One of the key aspects of genre fiction is that
there are certain expectations about what can and can’t happen; by flipping
genres those expectations become subverted. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Knowing the peril of pursuing this
story, the fear of a possible negative reaction became as much a part of the
writing process as plot, characterization, and scene setting. I knew I had to
work out a way that readers would accept the twist and stay with the story. What
I started to focus on was making sure the reader was in Denton’s shoes every
step he took. Every surprise, discovery, revelation for Denton had to be felt
just as intensely by the person reading. It pushed me to look at the narration
in a way that I never had before. Getting in the head of my characters was
nothing new, but trying to glue the reader into Denton’s head was. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> So what happened when the shift occurred,
when the detective story was gone and the inexplicable took over? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> My main concern was that readers
would not believe it. The story had been grounded in reality up until that
point, so it seemed that introducing a supernatural element would only pull
people out of the story and cause them to scoff at the ridiculousness of the
situation. I needed to change that. I needed for the reader to accept it and to
continue on with the story. They solution ended up being simple: Denton doesn’t
believe it either. He is sceptical—despite overwhelming evidence he fights for
the rational. He fears that it might be real…but it can’t be…can it? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> By anticipating a readers’ reaction,
I was able to get out in front of the problem. The identification with the main
character acquired depth from not just telling the audience what they should
feel, but by mirroring their own feelings back to them. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> It was a hard fought lesson to learn, but once I got to
the end I realized that it is a lesson about good storytelling that goes beyond
just dealing with genre shifts.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13163128507705064874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2914373095764685039.post-20679022962943770912015-02-03T08:55:00.000-08:002015-02-03T08:56:03.123-08:00Guest author post "Mysticism and Myths"by 6 authors<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b style="font-family: CenturyGothic, AppleGothic, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 24px; text-align: justify;">Title:</b><span style="font-family: CenturyGothic, AppleGothic, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 24px; text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="font-family: CenturyGothic, AppleGothic, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 24px; text-align: justify;">Mysticism & Myths</span></span></div>
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<b>Genre:</b> Paranormal Collection (Sampler) by Jaxx Summers, Karen Perkins, Margo Bond Collins Dormaine G., Perri Forrest,Abby Vandiver</div>
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A MUST READ FOR FANS OF THE MYSTERIOUS WORLDS OF GHOSTS, SEA DWELLERS & SHAPESHIFTERS!</div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Have you ever wondered about different myths of the world? These include the stories that so many cultures live by and the ones that of the best movies are based upon? You do know that these interesting concepts haven’t just appeared out thin air, right?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Introducing Mysticism & Myths, a sampler by six authors of varying genres. Each author has chosen a legend or culture from various regions, and embellished the details. Webs have been spun, and fantasies have been built in an effort to deliver to a collection that is sure to be entertaining.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The worlds captured in these stories are many! From ghosts and vampires to sea dwellers and shapeshifters, and even ancestral rebirths! There’s something for everyone.</span></div>
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For detailed synopsis, please visit:<a href="http://mythsandmysticism.wix.com/mam1#!about/c10fk"> http://mythsandmysticism.wix.com/mam1</a></div>
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<b style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="color: #cc3117; font-size: 24pt;"><a href="http://jgrwriter.wordpress.com/2013/10/01/oh-for-the-love-of-words/">Oh, For The Love Of Words</a></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What
is this desire that many have with books? Whether we choose to read in a
traditional state by way of tangible works or by way of an electronic device,
the ability of mere phrases to transform is astonishing. Can anyone think back
to the first time they fell in love with a book? My first enticement was in
reading “Wuthering Heights” at about eight years old. Sure I’d read more age
appropriate titles before that time, but there was just something about the
language that seduced my young mind. And then, I moved from Emily Bronte to
Charlotte Bronte’s “Jane Eyre”. With either book in hand, a dictionary in the
next and notepad (with pen) on my bed; I became bedazzled by great writing. I
would sniff each book, inhaling the musky aroma because they held a promise of
life – a life that I could claim whenever I read. Talk about imagination! I
would consider each unfamiliar term, look it up in the dictionary, write it out
and use it in a sentence to make certain I understood its meaning. I was
desperate for stories, and felt my life too simple. And would you know, any
life at all would do. I tried not to limit my reading because you never really
know what treasure you might find within the pages of a book. And so I read the
wonderful “Things Fall Apart” by Chinua Achebe, and a book that I am not sure
of how I ever got hold of, “Dianetics.” All that mattered to me was that I was
reading. Oh, for the love of words!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’ve
grown since then and continue to enjoy words, books, learning and even my own
writing. I still know how to appreciate great reading and remarkable words. But
these days, I read on my <u><span style="color: #cc3117;">tablet</span></u>. It has a built in dictionary, I’m able
to highlight and comment on my thoughts. Boy, do I take full advantage of those
features. This enables me to daydream and hold my spot at the same time. You
see, each book offers a life of its own. And for those writers that gift us
with work that serves up the deepest most intimate thoughts of their
characters, I thank you for feeding my needs. Thank you Paulo Coelho for every single
book that you have ever written! And thank you to the newer published authors
that have fed my need for words.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As
for with my work, I strive to do the same. It’s about what a writer includes
and how they include it all. I love to be seduced by remarkable characters,
clever wording, and believable circumstances. But then, there is also that need
for a story to captivate all of my senses, keeping me alert and aware at every
moment. I strive to give this to my readers. I write to make that connection as
real as possible. Oh, for the love of words!<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13163128507705064874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2914373095764685039.post-69158181612348371122015-01-22T10:12:00.002-08:002015-01-22T10:12:28.884-08:00The Fire Mages Author Guest Post<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 8.45pt;">
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<b>Author</b>: Pauline M. Ross</div>
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<b>Genre</b>: Epic Fantasy Adventure / Romance</div>
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Kyra has always been drawn to the magic of spellpages. She is determined to leave her small village far behind and become a scribe, wielding the power of magic through her pen. Halfway through her training, she has a mage as patron and her ambitions are within her grasp. But a simple favour for her sister goes disastrously awry, destroying Kyra’s dreams in an instant.</div>
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Devastated, she accepts an offer from a stranger to help her find out what went wrong. The young man sees growing power within Kyra, potentially stronger than spellpages or any living mage. The answers to unlocking that power may lie within the glowing walls of the Imperial City, but its magic is strong and the unwary vanish without trace on its streets. Thirsty for knowledge and desperate to avoid another accident, she feels compelled to risk it.</div>
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While she focuses on controlling her abilities, a storm of greed and ambition boils up around her. Kyra is a pawn in the struggle for dominance between unscrupulous factions vying for rule of her country. Trusting the wrong side could get her killed–or worse, the potent magic she barely understands could be put to unthinkable evil.</div>
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Author Bio</h2>
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Pauline lives in the beautiful Highlands of Scotland with her husband, her grown up daughter and a mad cat. She likes chocolate, whisky, her Kindle, massed pipe bands, long leisurely lunches, watching TV with her daughter, chocolate, going places in her campervan, eating pizza in Italy, summer nights that never get dark, wood fires in winter, chocolate, the view from the study window looking out over the Moray Firth and the Black Isle to the mountains beyond. And chocolate. She dislikes driving on motorways, cooking, shopping, hospitals. ‘The Fire Mages’ is her second published work. ‘The Plains of Kallanash’ was published in September 2014.</div>
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Links</h2>
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<a href="http://paulinemross.co.uk/" style="-webkit-transition: color, background 200ms ease-in-out; color: #c62b02; transition: color, background 200ms ease-in-out;" target="_blank">http://paulinemross.co.uk/</a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="font-size: 14pt;"><u>Oh no!
There’s romance in my fantasy</u></b><span style="font-size: 14pt;">!</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Or should it
be: there’s fantasy in my romance? Fantasy romance (or romantic fantasy) is a
difficult genre. I can’t even decide what to call it, so that’s not a great
start. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I used to
get flummoxed when people asked what genre my books are. “Well, it’s sort of
fantasy,” I’d say, floundering a bit. “Swords and magic and stuff. And then
there’s romance…” And then I’d get asked about werewolves and vampires and such
like. But fantasy romance is much broader than that. The urban setting with
non-humans and the feisty young woman is just one aspect. There are more and
more authors now writing stories that are very much in the tradition of epic
fantasy, with kingdoms and wars and quests for the magic McGuffin, but which
also have a romantic subplot more developed than the princess produced in the
final chapter for the new king to marry.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I love
reading epic fantasy stories that also have romance in them, but for me, they
need to have three things to work well:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">1.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Deep, thorough world-building. That means all the
details of the background world need to be properly worked out, and need to be
consistent. I find it much harder to get into a story if there are moments that
have me going: but wait, why are there dragons here, but nothing else? What do
they live on when there are no questing humans passing through? And why is this
world entirely forest or desert, right up to the city walls? Where are all the
farms to feed the population?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">2.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">The characters have to be fully fleshed out and
feel like real people, with believable motivations and reactions to events. And
sometimes this clashes with the romance aspect. I’ve read books where the
tension ramps up and up, and war (or some other major catastrophe) is imminent,
and what do the characters do? They put on their party frocks and have a ball,
that’s what. Erm, really? Wouldn’t they be sharpening their swords, perhaps?
Checking they have enough arrows and boiling oil? I realise that authors love
to have the big romantic moment, but please, be a bit creative. Place that
romantic moment while our doughty couple is sheltering from a hail of arrows on
the battlements or hiding from the bad guy.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">3.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">The romance needs to be more than a perfunctory
insta-lurve. As in real life, love at first sight is a bit rare, and it’s not
always the best foundation for a lifetime of happiness, so I find it more
believable if the couple are also friends, or at least have something in
common. The prince marrying the peasant girl? The farm-boy marrying the
princess? Not going to work. Or at least, it will take more than eyes meeting
across a crowded room to convince me.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My own books
are fantasy through and through. There’s a world still recovering from a
magical catastrophe, there are numerous different countries, all with their own
social customs, there are border disputes and tensions and the occasional
outbreak of war. But at the heart of it are people, with all their emotional
hangups and dreams and insecurities and fears and needs. It’s inevitable that
they fall in and out of love, but they tend to do it slowly, gradually getting
to know each other. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The romances
I write are of the three steps forward, two back variety, and it may even be
the very last chapter before the heroine realizes that this man is truly for
her. And although I love a happy-ever-after as much as the next romance fan, I
also like it if my characters decide for themselves just how that’s going to
work out. Don’t want to get married? No problem? Don’t want to choose between
two men? Still no problem. Don’t want to give up the career or the man?
Absolutely fine.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Just so long
as it all works out well in the end. Because that’s what romance is all about,
even when there are sword-wielding guards outside the doors, images in the
basement and dragons in the sky.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13163128507705064874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2914373095764685039.post-66907482048615817882014-11-12T09:01:00.002-08:002014-11-12T09:01:35.527-08:00Guest post Divine Scales author Jennifer Blackstream<div class="MsoNormal">
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<a href="http://www.jenniferblackstream.com/resources/author%20photo%20two%20200.jpg.opt200x263o0%2C0s200x263.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.jenniferblackstream.com/resources/author%20photo%20two%20200.jpg.opt200x263o0%2C0s200x263.jpg" /></a><span lang="EN-US"><img alt="DivineScales 500x750" src="http://www.enchantedbookpromotions.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/DivineScales-500x750-200x300.jpg" /></span></div>
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<b>Title</b>: Divine Scales</div>
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<b>Author</b>: Jennifer Blackstream</div>
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<b>Genre</b>: Fantasy Romance</div>
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<b>A warrior with a hunger for sin . . .</b><br />Driven by a terrible hunger for the black souls of evil men, Patricio, divine executioner of the gods, patrols the kingdom with blood on his hands and ice in his heart. The families of his victims sing his praises–the result of a witch’s cruel curse that condemns him to be forever surrounded by false adulation. When the curse sours the first hint at romance Patricio has had since becoming the king’s heir, his rage is all consuming. Disgusted, he leaves the mermaid in the sea and returns to the palace…only to be shocked when she bargains for the legs to follow him.</div>
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<b>A mermaid out of her element . . .</b></div>
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Marcela’s world has been turned upside-down–literally. Once a proud member of her father King Triton’s royal guard, she’s now the victim of an angel’s curse. Enchanted into false adoration bordering on obsession, she traded her tail–and her voice–to the sea witch for the legs she needed to pursue the object of her desire. In a cruel twist of fate, the very magic that gave her the means to pursue her passion also broke the spell that caused it. Now she’s in the angel’s arms, but how can either of them trust the desire churning inside them when so much magic has muddied the waters?</div>
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<b>Trust isn’t easy when nothing is as it seems . . .</b></div>
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A mermaid with legs and no singing voice. An angel with a curse. A witch with a chip on her shoulder. The world is full of magic and mayhem, and for an angel and a mermaid, it will take more than a kiss to balance…the Divine Scales.</div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Author Bio</span></h2>
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Jennifer Blackstream is a psychology enthusiast with both a B.A. and M.A. in Psychology. Her fascination with the human mind is most appeased through the study of mythology and folklore as well as any novel by Sir Terry Pratchett.</div>
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Jennifer enjoys listening to Alice Cooper, trying new recipes (to which she will add garlic whether it calls for it or not), watching television with her family, and playing with her woefully intelligent young son. She lives in Ohio.</div>
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Jennifer spends most of her time drinking coffee from her X-Men mug and desperately trying to get all her ideas written down before her son can find that all magical button on her laptop to make her latest work vanish.</div>
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To learn more about Jennifer Blackstream and her novels, visit her website at<a href="http://www.jenniferblackstream.com/" style="-webkit-transition: color, background; transition: color, background;" target="_blank">http://www.jenniferblackstream.com</a>.</div>
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<span lang="EN-US">I get a lot of questions about inspiration.
What inspires my characters and plot? To be honest, it’s hard to say. Usually,
the ideas just come to me out of the blue. But every once in a while, something
I’m reading will spark an idea. I’ll read something another author’s done and
think, “Now, if it were me, I would have done this a little differently…” And
then my muse takes the idea and runs with it. So, I suppose what I read has a
great deal to do with my inspiration. With that in mind, here are a few of my
favorite authors. I’ve tried to stay in the fantasy/paranormal romance genre in
case my readers would like to try them out.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US">Laurell
K. Hamilton<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Technically, Laurell is urban fantasy.
However, her books (particularly later ones) have a great deal of romance (and
an even greater deal of sex), so I’m counting her. Laurell is not for the faint
of heart. Her gore is outmatched only by her eroticism (again, this is mostly
later books, her earlier ones were much less romance/sex and more
mystery/horror/paranormal). Her Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter series is about a
necromancer (Anita) who helps the police solve crimes when there is a
paranormal element involved. She is also a necromancer for hire, and those
cases can get very interesting as well. To top it all off, Anita has a
protective streak, and often finds herself involved in someone else’s mess
because she simply isn’t willing to walk away and leave someone who needs help.
I love the combination of mystery/paranormal/romance, and I highly recommend
the series.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-US">What
I love about Laurell’s books</span></i><b><span lang="EN-US">:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US">The mystery keeps the suspense
very high, which makes the books hard to put down<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US">Jean-Cladue, her vampire, is
deliciously Machiavellian <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US">The erotic scenes are
incredibly well-written and very intense<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US">Her plots are usually complex
enough, that the books can be re-read over and over and you still won’t predict
everything that happens<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-US">What
I love less about Laurell’s books:<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US">She tends to have whiner-men.
There’s almost always a man in there that’s emotionally needy, and he usually
takes up a lot of screen time. It becomes a bit tiresome when there’s more than
one.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US">In later books, the sex gets a
bit more attention than the plot<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US">Anita has become something of a
Mary Sue (again, in later books, she starts off beautifully). Honestly, to save
the series, Anita is going to have to be stripped of some serious power.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US">Katie
MacAlister<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">I love Katie’s Aisling Grey: Guardian
series. They are about a human, Aisling, who discovers she’s a guardian. She
also discovers that she is apparently the mate of the head of the Green
Dragons. Oh, and she’s accidentally claimed a demon servant who appears as her
dog. As Aisling struggles to figure out just how all this paranormal stuff
works, she ends up involved in various plots and mysteries that happen in that
new world. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-US">What
I love about Katie’s books:<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US">They are laugh out loud funny<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US">Her mythology is very
entertaining, as are her dragon politics <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US">I enjoy the mysteries she
infuses in with the romance, they really pull you through the book<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-US">What
I love less about Katie’s books:<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US">I found some of the description
a bit confusing, but it wasn’t confusing enough to turn me away. Specifically,
I’m a bit unsure of how draconic Drake (the leader of the Green Dragons) is?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US">Sometimes I’m laughing so much
that it keeps the mystery from being as suspenseful as it might otherwise be<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US">The books usually end with
something tearing Aisling and Drake apart (romantically speaking), so that they
can get together again in the next book. Sometimes, the break up seemed a
little thin<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">I could go on an on about other favorite
authors, but I’d hate to completely take over my host’s lovely blog, so I’ll
leave you with these two. Check out the Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter series and
the Aisling Grey: Guardian series. You’ll be glad you did!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13163128507705064874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2914373095764685039.post-52119667140412903062014-11-04T09:05:00.001-08:002014-11-04T09:05:20.630-08:00Guest post for "The Wraith"by Arielle Strauss<a href="https://ci4.googleusercontent.com/proxy/PZm2WkcZsCqSFhEASBD4I6IP59bsQkja2G9cXD0hAnz6b83JSujdjzZrUYwCcNFTJcu2AFWJi7Pq-0bbMlSJRezcWgVr8S_fuigzTsaJ9VPz7CeK6_tSoJFi4ISigIkPA-0R6q4=s0-d-e1-ft#http://www.pumpupyourbook.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/The-Wraith-200x300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The Wraith" border="0" height="320" src="https://ci4.googleusercontent.com/proxy/PZm2WkcZsCqSFhEASBD4I6IP59bsQkja2G9cXD0hAnz6b83JSujdjzZrUYwCcNFTJcu2AFWJi7Pq-0bbMlSJRezcWgVr8S_fuigzTsaJ9VPz7CeK6_tSoJFi4ISigIkPA-0R6q4=s0-d-e1-ft#http://www.pumpupyourbook.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/The-Wraith-200x300.jpg" width="0" /></a><strong style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: large;"></strong><br />
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<strong style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://escapeartistpress.com/wp-content/authors/Arielle-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Arielle Strauss" border="0" src="http://escapeartistpress.com/wp-content/authors/Arielle-3.jpg" style="background-color: transparent;" /></a><img alt="The Wraith" src="https://ci4.googleusercontent.com/proxy/PZm2WkcZsCqSFhEASBD4I6IP59bsQkja2G9cXD0hAnz6b83JSujdjzZrUYwCcNFTJcu2AFWJi7Pq-0bbMlSJRezcWgVr8S_fuigzTsaJ9VPz7CeK6_tSoJFi4ISigIkPA-0R6q4=s0-d-e1-ft#http://www.pumpupyourbook.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/The-Wraith-200x300.jpg" /></strong><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Arielle Strauss</b> is a twenty-two year old author, actress, and percussionist originally from Freehold, New Jersey. She graduated with a BA in Liberal Arts from Sarah Lawrence College, where she began to write “The Wraith Trilogy.” She’s pleased to finally share her first novel, “The Wraith,” with the world, and is currently working on its sequel.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>The Wraith</b> – Ophelia Weller never believed in ghosts until the night she became one. But when the aftermath of a frat party on the most haunted campus in America leaves her face to face with her own naked corpse, she really has no other option. Now a wraith, Ophelia is a spirit hidden amongst the living. Forced to conceal her undead identity from the world, and struggling to remain visible to the humans around her, how will she ever manage to convince her dearest friend of the truth? Or muster the courage to tell her beautiful gym partner that she just may be in love with her? And, with no memory of her death, how will Ophelia solve the mystery of her murder?</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">NaNoWriMo...With A Twist</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I always admired people who successfully completed National Novel Writing Month. I mean, to write an entire 50,000 word novel in 30 days is hugely impressive. But what if you only had 28 days? And it had to be a young adult paranormal romance novel? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">February is Antwinowrimo, Anti Twilight Novel Writing Month. Now, don't get me wrong; I read the complete Twilight Saga. And I enjoyed it. Yes, there were aspects of the series I didn't appreciate, but as a whole I had a great deal of fun reading those books. The challenge of Antwinowrimo is to write a novel that's <i>better</i>. On February 1st 2010, I began to attempt this crazy task.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I had no idea what I wanted to write about at first. I figured since there were so many stories about vampires and wolves, I would write a story about a ghost. Her name would be Ophelia, after the Shakespearean heroine. And her love interest would be a living girl she met at school. To this day, I've never read a young adult paranormal romance novel where the lead character is bisexual. Sure, I've seen bisexuality represented in television and in movies, but never in the form of a book geared toward people my own age. So I wrote Ophelia in the hopes that young people like her might finally see themselves represented.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Let me tell you, the first draft of this book is vastly different from the published version. I wrote "The Wraith" my freshman year of college. It was published three months after I graduated. Needless to say, the editing process was a long one. But during those four years, I completed the trilogy as schoolwork. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you're a creative writing student, I urge you to try and convince your professors to oversee the projects you <i>want</i> to focus on. I know I wouldn't have come as far as publishing if my professors hadn't lent me their guidance every step of the way. "The Wraith" is a story of a tortured soul who comes to find love and meaning all around her. I hope you enjoy the first two books. Book 3 will arrive before you know it!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://escapeartistpress.com/author/arielle">http://escapeartistpress.com/author/arielle</a></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13163128507705064874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2914373095764685039.post-27219533744112598422014-10-20T09:24:00.001-07:002014-10-20T09:24:14.005-07:00Washed Hands,by Jonathan Charles Bruce - Guest Post<div class="MsoNormal">
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<a href="http://www.jonathancharlesbruce.com/images/author.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Bonjour." border="0" height="134" src="http://www.jonathancharlesbruce.com/images/author.png" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 24px; text-align: justify;">Title:</b><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 24px; text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 24px; text-align: justify;">Washed Hands</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Author:</b> Jonathan Charles Bruce (<a href="http://www.jonathancharlesbruce.com/" style="-webkit-transition: color, background 200ms ease-in-out; transition: color, background 200ms ease-in-out;" target="_blank">http://www.jonathancharlesbruce.com</a>)</span></div>
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<b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Genre</b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">: Mystery, Thriller</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Release Date</b>: October 14, 2014</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Publisher</b>: Booktrope Publishing (<a href="http://booktrope.com/" style="-webkit-transition: color, background 200ms ease-in-out; transition: color, background 200ms ease-in-out;">http://booktrope.com</a>)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Price</b>: $13.95 (paperback)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>ISBN: </b> 9781620154656</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Synopsis: </span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Breaking up can be one of the hardest things a person can do, something that the dedicated team at Washed Hands, Inc. thoroughly understands. Whether one’s soon-to-be-ex is manipulative, violent, or anything else that makes a clean break difficult, the company’s rejection counselors ensure that the split is established and maintained in no uncertain terms. And in the toughest cases, no one’s better at this than Monica Deimos. Brought in on what appeared to be a relatively straight-forward domestic nightmare, Monica realizes all-too-late that she has been set up to take the fall for the murder of a wealthy socialite. As the police close in, Monica needs to discover who she can trust, who wants her out of the way, and why she was framed. She’s no fool, though. The best case scenario ends in a jail cell… the worst in a body bag.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Links:</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Website: <a href="http://www.jonathancharlesbruce.com/" style="-webkit-transition: color, background 200ms ease-in-out; transition: color, background 200ms ease-in-out;" target="_blank">http://www.jonathancharlesbruce.com</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Goodreads: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23212555-washed-hands" style="-webkit-transition: color, background 200ms ease-in-out; transition: color, background 200ms ease-in-out;">https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23212555-washed-hands</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jonathan Bruce began writing what amounted to terrible Star Trek: The Next Generation fan fiction when he was four. Although the original manuscripts are lost (or perhaps destroyed), we can rest assured that his prose has improved significantly since then. After high school, he began writing and directing plays which gradually improved depending on whom you ask. He discovered his love of a good fight scene after writing a Dracula knock-off which took a 19th century classic and made it less about Victorian yearning and 300% more about stabbing things in the jugular.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And yes, this means he wrote vampire fiction before Stephanie Meyer made it cool to sparkle in the sun.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He has a Master’s Degree in History, thanks largely to his thesis focusing on MUSIC, a Milwaukee-based school desegregation campaign during the 1960′s. He also enjoys discussing/making fun of pop culture of the 20th century and reading books of a non-historical nature. In his off moments, you can catch him writing for fun or making inane movies about nothing in particular. He also occasionally provides work for Twenty Four Pages a Second, a pretty keen website you should totally check out.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It’s hard coming up with something to write
today that isn’t going to be a bit on the sullen side. I apologize for that. I
blame the slow shamble toward winter for the somber tone.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><span lang="EN-US"> Washed Hands </span></i><span lang="EN-US">had started life as a one-off gag post for my blog. The central idea
behind it was no joke however—an agency created for the sole purpose of
assisting people with their breakups is something that I think would make
things a lot easier all around. It sounds tremendously impersonal, I’m sure, but
I’ve been through breakups where I’ve turned into an awful person, desperate to
maintain a hold on something that had long since died. It’s sobering (and
honestly embarrassing) to realize the kind of darkness and general pettiness
that we’re capable of. And it’s not just me; I’ve seen friends deal with their
significant others as the latter devolve into selfish, angry monsters,
professing love one moment before lashing out the next.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Washed
Hands mission, to preserve a client’s day-to-day life as much as possible, will
probably strike some as callous and outright cold. I see it as a sad, but
logical, extension of the world we live in. Toxic relationships are all around
us—our Facebook and Twitter feeds are filled with drama that we divert our eyes
from because we know that it’s better to stand by and watch the meltdown than
get involved.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> I’m
not saying that it’s a solution, of course. What we’d need is a complete
re-education process. Teach people to define themselves as single entities that
partner with people rather than engage in some kind of abstract contract that
confers companionship at the cost of autonomy and individuality. Stop writing
stories that put heroes and heroines meeting <span style="font-variant: small-caps;">the
one </span>when they’re barely old enough to vote. Admit that it’s totally fine
to not have everything figured out when you’re in your 20’s. And maybe, just
maybe, that respect—not jealousy, or attractiveness, or sexual compatibility,
or any of the other superficial motes of advice profound idiots hand out—is
something you absolutely <i>need</i> before
getting involved with another person.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Washed
Hands, fictional business that it is, is dedicated to basically providing a
barrier between exes. And, since it’s a business, it costs money for the
service. Some would see the triumph of capitalism. I see something that, at
best, is a band-aid on a tumor. Sure, it helps people that may not have the
means—emotional or otherwise—of affecting a breakup in a safe and secure
manner. But wouldn’t it be better all-around if it didn’t have to exist at all?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> And
even then, there would be those that fall through the cracks—those that
couldn’t afford the service, those trapped in an all-controlling abusive
relationship, those who normalize their suffering as “just something couples go
through”, those who blame themselves… I made the business from the ground up
when writing it, and even as I typed I was all too aware of the holes, the
gaps, the bleakness of something like that even existing in our world would
mean.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> I’m
not trying to say that I don’t love <i>Washed
Hands</i>—I certainly do. It’s just a lot heavier on a philosophical level than
I was really anticipating. That’s pretty cool. I’ve mentioned elsewhere that I
write to figure out who I am and how I fit into this crazy world of ours, and <i>Washed Hands</i> is no different. It took me
to some interesting places, and at the very least, I hope you get to see some
of them, too.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> And
then there’s the whole “reading it for enjoyment” thing. I hope it’s
entertaining. It’d be really terrible if it wasn’t.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13163128507705064874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2914373095764685039.post-19873394147074436122014-10-09T07:40:00.001-07:002014-10-09T07:40:20.542-07:00Guest post Hooked by Bobbi JG Weiss<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></u></b></div>
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<img height="320" src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/551ee5_cf894fd61ff74a37bbbfd7bbba5f74b8.png_srz_p_285_453_75_22_0.50_1.20_0.00_png_srz" width="201" /><span style="font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">His name is Jonathan Stuart, and he’s just an ornery post-alcoholic bookstore owner from Pasadena with a mania for fencing and a bad habit of disappointing his girlfriend. He doesn’t want to be in the Neverland, impossibly trapped aboard the </span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: italic; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Jolly Roger</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> with a horde of greedy stinking pirates. He was tricked there by Peter Pan.</span></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="color_8" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; color: black; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Pan happily invites children to come to his wondrous magical island, but he has to trick adults. No adult in their right mind would go willingly. Adults, you see, don’t have a very good time in the Neverland. The fairies and mermaids are against them. The island itself is against them. Most of all, Peter Pan is against them.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="color_8" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; color: black; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> In particular, Peter Pan is against Jonathan Stuart. Why? Jonathan had better figure that out, and he’d better do it fast before his mutating memories insist that, not only does he indeed belong in this nightmarish hell of bloodthirsty children, ticking crocodiles and vengeful boy gods, but he’s never existed anyplace else.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="color_8" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; color: black; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> So you see, he’s definitely not Captain Hook.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="color_8" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; color: black; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Well, not yet.</span></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u style="font-weight: bold;">The following author bio is taken from the author's web site </u><a href="https://www.blogger.com/goog_1577560316"> </a></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.weisswriters.com/">http://www.weisswriters.com/</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Hi! Bobbi here!</span></div>
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<span class="color_8" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; color: black; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">David and I have been successful full-time freelance writers for over 20 years. Yes, it can be done! We, however, have done it by writing a vast array of really unusual stuff.</span></span></span></div>
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<span class="color_8" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; color: black; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">You know those products you see in stores that seem to always just <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; font-style: italic; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">be </span>there, as if nobody really created them, they’re just part of the big jumble of goodies always on the shelves? Things like kids’ video games, trading cards, children’s activity books, coffee mugs with funny slogans* – heck, even clothing tags with blurbs on them**. David and I have written that stuff</span></span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">. Sure, we’ve written plenty of things with our names on them, like novels, magazine articles, cartoons, interviews and such. But much of our work has involved “invisible” tie-in products, things that don’t have creator credits on the box, things that people buy all the time without ever wondering how such products ever got there.</span></span></span></div>
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<span class="color_8" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; color: black; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Well, we’re the <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; font-style: italic; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">got there</span> part. And it’s given us a unique perspective on the written word and what it can do.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">David and I like to say that we’ve sold just about every form of writing there is, from James Bond collector cards to LensCrafter ads, from Disney’s</span><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Pirates of the Caribbean</span><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">MMO to the silly little comic strips that used to be printed on Donald Duck Orange Juice containers. Now we've entered the wild world of self-publishing. It's about doggone time we write our own stuff, woot!</span><span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">t Captain Hook.</span></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Guest post</span></span></b></div>
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<b><u><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">HOOKED: Setting and Point-of-View<o:p></o:p></span></span></u></b></div>
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<b><i><u><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This article contains spoilers!<o:p></o:p></span></span></u></i></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The various settings I use in <i>Hooked</i> aren't arbitrary locations — they
are the plot, they <i>define</i> the plot.
The settings form the basis of the whole story. The protagonist, Jonathan
Stuart, starts out in the real world, which is already giving him problems, and
he ends up in a fantasy world that's worse. Much much worse. And he wants out. So
setting is everything in <i>Hooked</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I opened the story in 1989 because 1) I
wanted to use the Loma Prieta Earthquake, and 2) I wanted Stuart to live in an
area of upheaval. <i>Hooked</i> is a story
about one of the worst upheavals a person can experience — abduction — so I wanted
to foreshadow it in a clear, almost obvious, way. I decided on Pasadena because,
in 1989, the downtown area was a mass of construction (I know what it was like,
I lived nearby!). <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In any major city, construction areas
create a feeling of environmental change-by-force, and they bring inconvenience
and stress, especially in downtown locations. Downtown Pasadena in 1989 was a
mess, and this reflects Stuart's own life before the story even begins. Also,
construction implies an architect in charge, someone who is changing things,
even rebuilding things from the ground up, for a pre-determined purpose. That's
the plot of <i>Hooked</i> in a nutshell! (Side
note: I also just love the word <i>Pasadena</i>.
It's intrinsically funny, as when Stuart says, “I’m just a bookstore owner from
Pasadena!” Yeah, yeah, it's like "the little old lady from
Pasadena..." Not quite as good as Cucamonga, but close.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Another setting in Stuart's reality is his
bookstore. I made him own a bookstore because I wanted him to have one foot out
of reality from the start. He loves to read. He loves just being around books
because stories are a way for him to escape the tragic aspects of his life. His
house is also full of books, by the way. The fact that his ultimate Hell becomes
the Neverland, one of the most beloved of all storybook worlds, is therefore made
all the more ironic.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Once in the Neverland, setting is
everything — not because Stuart is now in a fantasy world that’s really cool,
but because his goal is the opposite of what most people would think. He wants
to <i>get out</i>. Everything he does from
the moment he arrives is an attempt to get back home. Sure, he can see how
beautiful the Neverland is, and he wishes he could have been there as a child,
but he's an adult, and that makes the place Hell. No, even worse than that —
it's a Hell designed specifically for <i>him</i>
(I did mention an architect earlier, right?).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Neverland is a place of beauty. The
verdant greenery of Pan’s island serves as a symbol of newness, of growth, of
potential. The place is full of life and practically humming with glorious
magic. It's designed to please children so, naturally, Stuart can't experience it
that way. That aspect is not for him. He has to sit there and yearn for all the
goodness but not be allowed to partake of it. All he gets is the bad stuff, and
there's plenty of bad stuff there!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I want <i>Peter
Pan</i> fans to know that I have not turned Barrie’s amazing creation dark.
That is to say, I have not written a story where Peter Pan is evil and the
Neverland is a scary place full of evil magic and monsters or something. I
admire Barrie too much to do that, and I love the original story of <i>Peter Pan</i> too much to even think of
doing it. The Neverland of <i>Hooked</i> is
the same wonderful magical place that Barrie created, and Peter Pan is the same
wonderful child hero. But to <i>adults</i>,
well… that's another matter. Stuart’s predicament takes nothing away from
Barrie’s original setting. It’s all still there. It just depends on your point
of view, that of a child or that of an adult. Even in Barrie's novel, the
adults (pirates) had a pretty rotten time in the Neverland. That's where much
of the idea for <i>Hooked</i> came from.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Our real world seems to operate the same,
don't you think? As kids our planet is a wonderful adventurous place. But the
older we get, the more dangers we recognize, the more worries we develop, the
more we experience how things can go wrong and hurt us. Yes, the wonder of the
world remains (hopefully), but adults have been through too much to just leap
around and laugh all day. Adults have to face the dark aspects of reality
because we must take care of the little ones. It's sort of a vicious circle.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So that's how I approached setting in <i>Hooked</i>. The novel, obviously, goes into
great detail about all I've mentioned above, and poor Jonathan Stuart must
struggle with it all. But hey, it's a dark fantasy/horror. Stuart doesn't stand
a chance. Or does he?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm not telling. </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13163128507705064874noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2914373095764685039.post-38009113785913063752014-10-01T09:17:00.001-07:002014-10-01T09:17:18.440-07:00The Baker's Men by Donald Levin - author guest post<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US"><img alt="The Baker's Men" src="http://www.pumpupyourbook.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/The-Bakers-Men-197x300.png" /><img alt="Donald Levin" src="http://www.pumpupyourbook.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Donald-Levin-193x300.jpg" /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <b style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Title</b>: <em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><strong style="font-style: normal; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">The Baker’s Men </strong></em><b style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Author</b>: Donald Levin <b style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Publisher</b>: Poison Toe Press <strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Publication Date: </strong>April 20, 2014</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Pages</b>: 338 <strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">ISBN: </strong>978-0615968568 <b style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Genre: </b>Mystery / Crime Fiction / Police Procedural</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Format</b>: Paperback, eBook, PDF</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Easter, 2009. The nation is still reeling from the previous year’s financial crisis. Ferndale Police detective Martin Preuss is spending a quiet evening with his son when he’s called out to investigate a savage after-hours shooting at a bakery in his suburban Detroit community. Was it a random burglary gone bad? A cold-blooded execution linked to Detroit’s drug trade? Most frightening of all, is there a terrorist connection with the Iraqi War vets who work at the store? Struggling with these questions, frustrated by the dizzying uncertainties of the case and hindered by the treachery of his own colleagues who scheme against him, Preuss is drawn into a whirlwind of greed, violence, and revenge that spans generations across metropolitan Detroit.</span></div>
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<em id="__mceDel" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="http://www.pumpupyourbook.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Divider-9.jpg" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #154a7f; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="Divider 9" class="aligncenter" height="43" src="http://www.pumpupyourbook.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Divider-9.jpg" style="border: none; display: block; margin: 0px auto; padding: 0px;" width="380" /></span></a></em></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 200%;">Guest Post On Writing Fiction and Poetry</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">By Donald Levin<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Are writing poetry and writing fiction
different activities? On first blush, the answer seems obvious: of course! Poetry
and fiction are two different genres, they don’t look the same, they don’t
sound the same, they take very different amounts of time to read, and they have
very different effects on the reader.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So case closed, right?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well, not so fast. As someone who has
published both poetry and fiction, I can tell you that writing poetry and writing
fiction are more alike than you might think . . . maybe they even have more similarities
than differences.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For example, a writer goes through the
same processes when she writes a poem as when she writes a piece of fiction,
whether short story or novel. Poets and fiction writers all wrestle with issues
of form, structure, tone, diction, point of view, and message. Poems and pieces
of fiction are all products of the intersection between our creative
imaginations and the world around us. We might think fiction takes longer to
write than poetry, but it’s not unusual for poets to work for months and even
years to get a single poem “right.” I once published a short story,
“Freewheelin’,” that I cranked out in a couple of days, yet I typically work
over drafts of poems for months before I share them with anybody, let alone try
to publish them. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Even the sources of inspiration for both
genres are similar. People often think poets are inspired by going out and
contemplating the moon or, as Wordsworth said, meditating on “emotion
recollected in tranquility.” But my experience suggests we’re more inspired by
what we read. As a poet I get inspired by reading other poems, just as I get
inspired to write fiction by reading novels and short stories. Then too,
sometimes reading a novel inspires a poem. Writing a poem might suggest an idea
for a short story.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Poets and novels have the same kinds of
impact on their readers. Both touch people’s minds and hearts, and both, when
they’re good, enlarge our sympathies about the joys, sorrows, and possibilities
of being human.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For a writer, a key question is, Does
writing in one genre impact my writing in another? Mainly, I think writing
outside your primary genre can increase what musicians call your “chops” . . . your
technical skills. It increases your overall dexterity and versatility. Learning
how to move a plot along in fiction teaches you how to stage the effects of
your poetry; the increased attention to words that a poem requires makes you
more sensitive to the power of language in your stories.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bookshelves are full of works by people
who wrote outside their customary genres . . . Poets like James Dickey and Margaret
Atwood wrote novels, and even the novelist Ernest Hemingway published poetry.
Maybe the entire notion of genres is something made up by critics to pin down
the slippery genius of writers?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So what does all this mean for you? If
you think of yourself as primarily a fiction writer, try your hand at poetry. If
you’re a poet, take a crack at a short story or, if you’re ambitious, a novel.
You don’t have to produce “The Waste Land” or <i>War and Peace</i> to grow as a writer in meaningful ways. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You might discover a knack for a kind of
writing you never knew you had. And you’ll have given yourself a whole new
literary world to explore.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Author Bio</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">An award-winning fiction writer and poet, <strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Donald Levin</strong> is the author of <em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">The Baker’s Men</em><em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">, the second book in the Martin Preuss mystery series</em>; <em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Crimes of Love</em>, the first Martin Preuss mystery; <em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">The House of Grins</em>, a mainstream novel; and two books of poetry, <em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">In Praise of Old Photographs</em> and <em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">New Year’s Tangerine</em>. Widely published as a poet and with twenty-five years’ experience as a professional writer, he is dean of the faculty and professor of English at Marygrove College in Detroit. He lives in Ferndale, Michigan, the setting for his Martin Preuss mysteries. You can visit Donald Levin’s website at <a href="http://donaldlevin.wordpress.com/" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #154a7f; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">http://donaldlevin.wordpress.com</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Connect with Donald:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Author Website: <a href="http://donaldlevin.wordpress.com/" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #154a7f; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">http://donaldlevin.wordpress.com</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Author Blog: <a href="http://donaldlevin.wordpress.com/" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #154a7f; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">http://donaldlevin.wordpress.com</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Donald-Levin/121197194659672" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #154a7f; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">https://www.facebook.com/pages/Donald-Levin/121197194659672</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/donald_levin" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #154a7f; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">https://twitter.com/donald_levin</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Goodreads: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4074490.Donald_Levin" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #154a7f; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4074490.Donald_Levin</a></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13163128507705064874noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2914373095764685039.post-59734723463815333412014-09-02T09:00:00.000-07:002014-09-02T09:00:29.484-07:00This Beautful World by Elisabeth Jackson Guest Post<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
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<b><span lang="EN-US"><i><span style="font-size: large;">Title:</span></i></span></b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">
This Beautiful World </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://dwtr67e3ikfml.cloudfront.net/bookCovers/1d64ea7a670a25ef47d1946b1a2468fdebffd0f2-thumb" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://dwtr67e3ikfml.cloudfront.net/bookCovers/1d64ea7a670a25ef47d1946b1a2468fdebffd0f2-thumb" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US"><i>Autho</i>r:</span></b><span lang="EN-US">
Elisabeth Jackson<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US"><i>Genre</i>:</span></b><span lang="EN-US">
Romantic Suspense / Mystery</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As children,
RaeAnne and her sidekick King were held captive after they discovered the body
of a boy their age in a crate of apples in their small town’s peculiar orchard.
Now RaeAnne is grown and the mother of a troubled young daughter. After her
mother is killed in an accident, she travels home to her father with her
daughter. But RaeAnne finds that she is not welcomed by everyone, and
frightening incidents start to happen involving her and her family. As RaeAnne
unravels the mysteries of her childhood, including what happened to her older
brother, who vanished on the same night RaeAnne and King found terror in the
orchard, she reunites with King. The boy she knew has grown up to be very
handsome and guarded. But can the two ever be more than old friends who share a
terrifying secret?</span><sub><o:p></o:p></sub></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><b><i>Author Bio</i></b></span></div>
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<a href="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=4b6fb7be88&view=fimg&th=147fe562e1541ae6&attid=0.1&disp=inline&realattid=f_hz5oaw8t0&safe=1&attbid=ANGjdJ9B4hM6-clsLXrJqnebUQIfbZuMxw590NdilGDgsC3meySBMr4cNvUqRgPVp5GuftosE0q506B5KOSWWeZFBok7Wf216252NIlVin9H3QzdQ8DGJygkQ6AN4gU&ats=1409672754900&rm=147fe562e1541ae6&zw&sz=w1336-h502" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Displaying Elisabeth_Jackson_author_photo.jpg" border="0" height="200" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=4b6fb7be88&view=fimg&th=147fe562e1541ae6&attid=0.1&disp=inline&realattid=f_hz5oaw8t0&safe=1&attbid=ANGjdJ9B4hM6-clsLXrJqnebUQIfbZuMxw590NdilGDgsC3meySBMr4cNvUqRgPVp5GuftosE0q506B5KOSWWeZFBok7Wf216252NIlVin9H3QzdQ8DGJygkQ6AN4gU&ats=1409672754900&rm=147fe562e1541ae6&zw&sz=w1336-h502" width="156" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Elisabeth Jackson
loves the outdoors and dogs, rescued dogs in particular. <i>This Beautiful
World</i> is her debut novel and blends haunting childhood secrets, romantic
themes, second chances and a mystery in a small town setting, with a dash of
Gothic elements. When she is not writing small town Romances and Mysteries, she
works as a freelance business writer. Her characters are inspired by the rural
towns she has visited and lived in. She welcomes readers to connect with her at
ejacksonbooks.com and Facebook.com/ejacksbooks.</span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Guest Post</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Using
a First Person Narrator<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When
a writer and mentor I admire once told me he thought a first person narrator I
had crafted was, as he put it, “kind of strange,” for a while I thought I’d
never write in the first person again. I have a much thicker skin these days
and a poodle-hound adopted dog who keeps my perspective grounded by reminding
me there are far more important things in life, like throwing tennis balls she
can chase. But I continued to wonder if it would be harder to get a reader to
like a first person narrator than a third person narrative.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One
of the benefits of using a first person narrator in my debut was that I was
able to handle emotionally difficult topics and scenes in a sensitive, active way,
and the reader is (hopefully) able to connect with RaeAnne partly through the trauma
she and King experience as kids. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">An
advantage of a first person narrator is that if a writer manages to craft a one-of-a-kind
narrator, then the character’s voice can draw the reader in and hold them
throughout the story. If done well, readers can really connect with a first
person narrator. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On
the other hand, a disadvantage is that if a reader doesn’t connect with your
narrator, then they might have a hard time connecting with the whole story. Opinions
vary, and what someone else loathes, somebody else might just adore. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Another
thing I have always been cautious about when writing a story is incorporating
the past and the present into the narrative. I will openly admit that I’ve written
pieces where this did not work, and it took some effort and revisions to make
it go smoothly for <i>This Beautiful World</i>.
But it can be done. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Who
are some of your favorite fictional narrators?</span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13163128507705064874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2914373095764685039.post-78763872327921771292014-08-18T09:29:00.000-07:002014-08-18T09:29:39.347-07:00Guest Post by Dallas Sutherland author of The Greying<div class="MsoNormal">
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bqDgb-mGZec/U_IpQLa7LnI/AAAAAAAAAyM/kt3aBD15_rQ/s1600/guest%2Bpost%2BThe%2BGreying.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bqDgb-mGZec/U_IpQLa7LnI/AAAAAAAAAyM/kt3aBD15_rQ/s1600/guest%2Bpost%2BThe%2BGreying.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US">Title:</span></b><span lang="EN-US"> The Greying (Book One in the Landland
Chronicles)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US">Author</span></b><span lang="EN-US">: Dallas Sutherland<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US">Genre:</span></b><span lang="EN-US"> Fantasy Novella<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">L</span><span lang="EN-US">ANDLAND CRIES OUT FOR A SAVIOUR... Upon the
death of her mother, Meah is pulled across the boundary that separates this
world and another time and place where the dog-like Firbog have brought the
mists of the greying. Under the evil Queen Berilbog they threaten to claim all
the lands. With her Mother dead and her Father missing - she is on her own! Can
Meah learn how to use the power of the thinking? Will there be enough time to
save both Landland and herself? Will Meah ever find her way home again? She
must triumph over grief and sadness on her journey into a world made cold,
grey, and colourless by the ravages of the greying. Meah travels into the
depths of Bigriverland to find the mysterious sage, The Biggo. In the heart of
Dead Wood, Meah meets Josh O'Tosh, the last of the warrior Pictish Priests.
Battling lurking homunculi and the horrors of the many-headed-winged-thing,
they set out to recover the only thing that will save Landland ...her mother's
Book-of-Colours.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<b><i><u><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Guest Post by Dallas Sutherland</span></u></i></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-weight: normal;">·</span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-AU">METAFICTION in FANTASY<o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-weight: normal;">l</span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-AU">Metalepses,</span><span lang="EN-AU"> Mise en abyme, </span><span lang="EN-AU">Slipstream,
Metaxis<o:p></o:p></span></span></h2>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-AU"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Have you ever wanted to do something
more with a straight fantasy quest story? Well, I have. Here I will describe
some of the concepts used within my own novella, <i>The Greying,</i> which is really a parody of the fantasy genre. I've
utilised the above elements to bring the story into the here and now. Of
course, the novella is written for a younger reader, but that does not mean
they need to understand all of the underlying concepts I am about to discuss
here. There are many more themes to be found within the book that directly
relate to the genre's humble beginnings in the realm of Faery Tale.
Nonetheless, I do hope the young reader will give the book the thumbs up.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<h3 style="margin-left: 0cm; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo4; text-indent: 0cm;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-weight: normal;">l</span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-AU">Metafiction Defined<o:p></o:p></span></span></h3>
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<span lang="EN-AU"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Generally speaking Metafiction is
writing about writing. This means the reader becomes aware of the fictional
nature of the tale when the narrative folds back upon itself; the writing
becomes self-reflexive. In <i>The Greying</i>,
metafiction is used as a fictional strategy. Quite apart from its narrative
term which highlights the unreality of the story, when used as a fictional
strategy metafiction can serve to broaden our understanding of the dual nature
of storytelling: the reader who is reading, and the reader who through their
imagination has become a part of the story. Linda Hutcheon in her book<i> Narcissistic Narrative: The Metafictional
Paradox</i> (2013, p. 20) expands upon this '… it is the human imaginative <i>process</i> that is explicitly called into
action, in both author and reader.' In this sense, the author is calling upon
the reader to explore their own imagination.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-AU"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'll have to ask you to explore your own
imagination by reading <i>The Greying</i> if
you want the full picture. I can't give it all away here; that would be spoiling.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<h3 style="margin-left: 0cm; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo5; text-indent: 0cm;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-weight: normal;">l</span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-AU">Metalepses, Mis en abyme,
Slipstream, and Metaxis Defined<o:p></o:p></span></span></h3>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-AU"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Metalepses are where narrative folds
back upon itself and any boundaries that may have existed between the teller of
the story and the reader are dissolved. A metalepsis is a metafictional device
and can be used to give a story an element of 'slipstream' (sliding into realms
of the strange), or to provide what is known as <i>mise en abyme</i>, a frame within a frame. In <i>The Greying,</i> the protagonist, Teah, realises she exists within a
story she is reading about in the here and now, but that here and now is
another world away; frames within frames. Metalepsis, <i>mis en abyme</i>, and slipstream combine to provide a metafictional
undercurrent that becomes 'metaxis' (see Vermuelen & van der Akker 2010)
and Teah is simultaneously here, there, and nowhere. Now that is very strange.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-AU"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This leaves the reader in an uneasy
position for the usual codes of the genre have seemingly been subverted and
they are left with the same confusion that exists within the story; they become
one with the unreality of the situation. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-AU"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If interested, you can read more about
the narrative structures underlying <i>The
Greying</i> at my blog dallasws.wordpress.com. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-AU"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here, you will find more about pastiche
and parody.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-AU">Happy imagining.</span><span lang="EN-AU"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Author Bio </span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GjTO625XyV4/U_IpLKjO3yI/AAAAAAAAAyE/wiDF0QL5oJQ/s1600/Guest%2Bpost%2BDallas%2BSutherland.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GjTO625XyV4/U_IpLKjO3yI/AAAAAAAAAyE/wiDF0QL5oJQ/s1600/Guest%2Bpost%2BDallas%2BSutherland.jpg" /></a></span></b></div>
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Over
the last twenty-five years, the Author has exhibited a creative bent across a
range of industries including graphic design, fine arts, and trompe l'oeil
murals. He has lectured in fine arts and studied Art History, Literature, Adult
Education, and Creative Writing. Works include play scripts and short stories. <i>The Greying</i> is his first published
novella, with further books planned as part of the fantasy series. He draws
inspiration from myth, legend, and fairy tales. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He
lives on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia with his partner Kerri,
and daughter Ruby.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Links<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.dallassutherlandauthor.com/" target="_blank">www.dallassutherlandauthor.com</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://dallasws.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">dallasws.wordpress.com</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://twitter.com/dalkerri" target="_blank">twitter.com/dalkerri</a><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://www.createspace.com/4619258" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">https://www.createspace.com/4619258</span></a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10pt;"> (30% off code AV64GVYE)</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/424260" target="_blank"><span lang="NL-BE" style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/424260</span></span></a></span><span lang="NL-BE" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: NL-BE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> ($1.99 code NP84W)</span><span lang="NL-BE" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: NL-BE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13163128507705064874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2914373095764685039.post-7870286000795516252013-09-11T11:23:00.001-07:002013-09-11T11:23:17.281-07:00Guest post by Keira Michelle Telford - author of a dystopian lesbian romance.<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
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<img alt="KM Telford headshot.jpg" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=4b6fb7be88&view=att&th=1403f628f0e6ab3c&attid=0.1&disp=thd&realattid=f_hjvh5d0j0&zw" /><img alt="Magistrate 12 ecover.jpg" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=4b6fb7be88&view=att&th=1403f628f0e6ab3c&attid=0.2&disp=thd&realattid=f_hjvh5d0s1&zw" /><b><span lang="EN-US">Title</span></b><span lang="EN-US">: The Magistrate</span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US">Author</span></b><span lang="EN-US">: Keira Michelle Telford<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US">Genre</span></b><span lang="EN-US">: Dystopian SF / Lesbian Romance<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">THE PRISONWORLD TRILOGY -- VOLUME ONE<br /><br />Poverty is rife in twenty-fourth century London, England. Crime rates are at an all-time high, and living conditions for many are bleak. Capital punishment and public hangings have been reinstated, and Magistrates, in their new role, are tasked with patrolling the streets to enforce arrest warrants and ‘terminate’ any civilians who attempt to evade justice -- which isn’t always a noble pursuit.<br /><br />The laws are strict, illiberal, and unsympathetic. If you can’t afford to feed and clothe yourself, you’ll be sent to the workhouse. If you fall behind on your rent, you’ll be sent to debtors’ prison. If you’re gay, you’ll be hanged.<br /></span></div>
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For Carmen Wild, the latter becomes a potentially deadly problem when the discovery of a murdered prostitute brings her back into the life of her first love -- the Madam of an East End cathouse -- and the illicit passions between them are swiftly reignited.<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Michelle Telford is the award winning
author of a series of post-apocalyptic, dystopian science fiction books, The
SILVER Series, featuring the character Ella ‘Silver’ Cross, and now also The
Prisonworld Trilogy – a dystopian lesbian romance. She’s a British ex-pat, now
living in British Columbia, Canada with her husband and 10 guinea pigs.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Yes, 10 guinea pigs :)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Fun fact: Her pet guinea pigs (all adopted
from animal rescue shelters) were the inspiration for the monsters in The
SILVER Series, the first one of which, <i>SILVER:
Acheron (A River of Pain)</i>, was released in November 2011.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Amazon Author Page: </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Keira-Michelle-Telford/e/B0068SARG0/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1343462771&sr=1-1">http://www.amazon.com/Keira-Michelle-Telford/e/B0068SARG0/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1343462771&sr=1-1</a></span></span><div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Facebook: </span><span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/thesilverseries"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">http://www.facebook.com/thesilverseries</span></a></span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Goodreads: </span><span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5356646.Keira_Michelle_Telford"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5356646.Keira_Michelle_Telford</span></a></span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Twitter: </span><span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://www.twitter.com/mylostanddamned"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">http://www.twitter.com/mylostanddamned</span></a></span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Website: </span><span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://www.keiramichelle.com/"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">http://www.keiramichelle.com</span></a></span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Books: </span><span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://www.ellacross.com/"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">http://www.ellacross.com</span></a></span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"> and </span><span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://www.carmenwild.com/"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">http://www.carmenwild.com</span></a></span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="text-indent: 0cm;"><u><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Outline In Pencil, Eraser To Hand</span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">I never used to outline anything. Quite often, I’d start writing a book and be 20,000 words in before I had even the slightest clue where I was going with it. If I got to 30,000 words without developing some kind of solid idea, I’d start to get a little bit nervous.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">When I confided this to someone not that long ago, they looked at me as if I was Frankenstein’s monster. They wondered why it didn’t frighten me to leap into something with no destination in mind, and no clear path to get there, and flat-out couldn’t fathom how I managed to pull a well-paced book together after having drifted aimlessly through the first 20%.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">But the thing is, it never feels aimless. I always sort of trust that my brain knows what it’s doing, and I just follow it blindly. I might not consciously have any design, but that doesn’t mean my subconscious isn’t completely in control of what’s going on. (At least, I hope it is. And I’m not necessarily talking a consecutive 20,000 words, either. Sometimes, I might start at the beginning. Other times, I write random scenes that leap into my head and have no relation to one another whatsoever).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">I’ve also started writing chapters backwards, which is most odd. Finding myself stuck at the beginning of a chapter, I’ll start at the tail end of it and piece it together in reverse order. That doesn’t feel at all logical, but somehow, it seems to work. I don’t question it. I just let it happen.</span></div>
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<i style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The Magistrate</span></i><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0cm;"> was one of the
few books I almost plotted out completely, but the book I ended up with
scarcely resembles the original plan at all. For example, the relationship
between Carmen and Lina—the entire focal point of <i>The Magistrate</i>—wasn’t in my original outline. The first love story
arc was completely different, but as soon as I started writing, I knew it
didn’t feel right. After I wrote the first scene with Lina, I knew she was the
one Carmen was meant to be with. (I also fell a bit in love with her myself,
but that’s a confession for another day).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I almost did the same in my current
work-in-progress—<i>SILVER: Lex Talionis</i>—as
well. I plotted it out from beginning to end (which is very unusual for me, and
moderately disconcerting), but I had to rework the entire ending. Again, my
love story arc felt inauthentic and forced, and the trajectory I ended up taking
was drastically different from the way I’d first imagined it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">The conclusion I’ve come to is that outlining
can be a great way to organize the cluttered thoughts inside your head, but if
you’re not willing to be flexible and go with the flow as you write, I think
the danger is that you’ll end up with something strained and disjointed—you
have to do what feels right. I’m not saying all writers should just completely
wing it (jumping in with no organization at all can feel like freefalling from
a plane without a parachute), but don’t carve </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0cm;">write, I think the danger is that you’ll
end up with something strained and disjointed—you have to do what feels right.
I’m not saying all writers should just completely wing it (jumping in with no
organization at all can feel like freefalling from a plane without a parachute),
but don’t carve your plots out in stone. Outline in pencil, and always keep an
eraser handy.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13163128507705064874noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2914373095764685039.post-87284826128922835422013-09-05T14:11:00.001-07:002013-09-05T14:11:27.015-07:00I'm back....<img src="http://www.healthinharmony.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/cartoon-leaving-brain.jpg" />For a while now I've thought that my writing days were over. I felt quite heartbroken about that, but my life stage, family demands, a busy career, my mother's death, and getting totally stuck on my Cleah sequel pretty well did me in. I gave myself some thin comfort through the writing I do on my blogs, but I was really living win a hollow place.<br />
<br />
Well, yesterday morning, I was driving to work, and without forethought or warning, the entire book for a sequel to the Shay James mysteries downloaded into my brain.<img src="data:image/jpeg;base64,/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAQAAAQABAAD/2wCEAAkGBxMHEhMTEhITExUVGRYaFhgXGBsaGhccFhsWHBwYFR0YHCgjGRoxGxgaITEiKCosLi4uGx8zODMtNygtLisBCgoKDg0OGhAQGy8kHyQsLCwwLCw0LCwsLCwsLCwsLCwvLCwsLCwsLCwsLCwsLDQ0LCwsLCwsLCwsNCwsLCwsLP/AABEIAOEA4QMBIgACEQEDEQH/xAAcAAEAAgMBAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAABQYDBAcBAgj/xABAEAABAwIEBAMEBwUIAwEAAAABAAIDBBEFEiExBkFRYRMicTJCgZEHFFJiobHRFSMzcuFDY4KSorLB8FPS8cL/xAAZAQEAAwEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQIDBAX/xAAiEQEBAAICAgIDAQEAAAAAAAAAAQIRAyESMUFRBBMiMmH/2gAMAwEAAhEDEQA/AO4oiICIiAiIgIiICIiAiIgIiICIiAiIgIiICIiAiIgIiICIiAiIgIiICIiAiIgIiICIiAiIgIiICIiAiIgIiICIiAiIgIiICIiAiIgIiICIiAiIgIiICIiAiIgIiICIiAiIgIiICIiAiIgIiICIiAiIgIiICIiAiIgIiIC8e4MBJIAGpJ2AHMr1VnHa/wCuuMTfYYf3hI0JbY2v9kHfqbDqqZ5zCbq/Hx3PLUfVRiz6nUExsucoHtO7noO3fVYopHkXDpLDnncfzP6rGwCNueS5GzG83kfkPyX1JXGABz/aOjGjZv8AKOvdedlyZZXdr0scMcZrGM7I5JPecPWV36rC8yQkkPeOX8Rx/O4Wuyred8o9SAlS9zxq5vwN/wAlXyv2v4d96b8GMyQe2A9vM7H/ALbt8VNUVcytF2HbcHcb7j4Knwl7OWYelvwK+I5zTPBjdkdrkJ27seOY6f8Axb8f5GUusu4y5fxccpvHqr4i08LrxiLMwGUjRzb3LSORt8x1BC3F3S77jzbLLqiIilAiIgIiICIiAiIgIiICIiAiIgIiICIo7G8TGGsuNXuuGDW1+ZNvdG/4c1Fsk3UyW3UaXEOJuaRBCbSO9oj3Wm+x5ONvgNeigriMNYyxHLo8j3j90ch8elviM3zXN3PJMh5m+pA6a7/JYa+pFOwzixa0ZQOpv1/7svO5OS55PV4uKceLO6QzzDMfK1up9dmgchzXjadlc4SEnKPYFyBY8z+i8w8kRDMbOf5nnueQ/JZYJWUwDWgAD4/msm+mwyBsezQfSyzB9v7M/h+qzQVDKgWIAPJyhsdraqjs2GITFxIBuBb+a9h8U1tnbflJGR32APU/0UbV0Mkz8xDcltQNyQQRfRaUWG4jVayPiiHbM7/gKapKSSPw2yTZrHYCwPrqfX4JrRMp8MM0jsNc2aK7XAAPYfZe3obbHoeX4K2UGJMrvZJBtfKQQbfHffkqdxJN4DSeihcOxh7QHRvsRqP+9Fvw8txn/GPNw459/Lq6LXoKoVsbJG7PaHfMbLYXoPMEREBERAREQEREBERAREQEREBCbItOrm8ZpZGcxuA6x2F/Nc8jYEddUHw2dtQC5zrM5N2uOruZv02sqdxPjcc8togD4TCHOtzcQGtHx1+CkuL3vrPDp2QvbJK7K14Ng22riSNLBoJt2XPsDwk4s+RsLnlmZ2UuOuW5Ac6wFyRY7LDmy/nt0fjz+9/S2wgQxG1ybG55laZpBW0eTW0dyCD7T2g/6bkhV52MSQB9PK1zJG3aTyNtyD3t+KsPDtUGU0YPRcVlnb0plMumChqn1zR4bXEddh8ytkYPPNr4jGdtT89l7WYyIBuAtGm4sjLrZxf1Ud/ELr1a2ctVhOsjQ9g95hJt3LTqPhdTtBiMeINHmB2X3h2KR1Is7UH5hRuKcJeM4yUswhJ1cAAWu7lpIyn0Ue1LddVLyhp9qQ/F5/VazJoqc3zXPc3/ADUGzhCeQ/vaxx7RtDfxJKxP4LZfzVExHTN+ian2mX4kecUTOxZroYBme7TfRoPvOPILRpsAnw6MZnsJA2F/z/orMww4NHZgDQPme5PMqjY5xb4r8rCr47vUMvGd5OjcB1vgRshe7zOuQL3yu3cwW5bu9SVcVwvBsaLJIX6ktkjNgbX8w0v32+K7ou3htuOq878jGTLc+RERbMBERAREQEREBERAREQEREGnK/xpPD90DM7ve9ge2l1qUONMnmfTOGSRmzTpmbyc3qFmidapkH3Iz/u/RQHEfEDMKmEj4sxY1zWkC5BNv0VLe0rPNaa8eazrXaRuOWYehXOODHjAXviefYBBPUt0I+RC0cM4xkZUumexz5JAWtYdAG8hc6b6lWDD6+KqpaiKrkDC9xfmHul+vl01sR8brPkx8414s5hbv1UZMxnE/wBYjBETnBpjfbbKTlc7qL79iqcytnwginLRIdbOYdDqeqkqCnqx4r42B4ju248rpGnmxp1GljY+mq94dMeL1Izxn9206OBG5H6Ll9b+nd7s17RFdDLI5oldvrkb/wDo/oo+ORsHke0C19wNR17rptPVR4RU2yBofsTr/hueW+nqt/F6CnxBzXmNt2m4NhcfHmn7E/rtvTmdDPNSu/dktHJr7/hzA+alxxXU07shYcx2s4W0+KkMbq4554Yi0OF9erR1vy1sovirD3YfIx48zSTbra2x7puX3Cy4y6rJJxBVuuco/wA36LWhx+qqLWaASSLF1jpzN+S0214kIazzOPIcu56LYc7KR1U6k+EeV+2nidRUVIOdw0OrQT+JWB1GaoBsgDW8su7T1W1J7bgdnBZ/q5c1rL+ZxAaPiNT2Vt6V1tm+jXB3YjXsa912QXlNgbl0b2ZAenmOb/Cu8Lln0VuFNW1UWpLmZr9Mj7a/5/zXU11cf+duHl/1oREWjMREQEREBERAREQEREBERBVOJcT/AGDUMlf/AA5GhpP2Swn2ugIdvtoqzxHj1LWZXZ2uvuAQfgrpBiTKaonjnIY5zgWZtnMDQBlv3vfvde1uIUeHgvtDfsG3+dlS6S5xhfDdRxE41FO+BjWusGvc7M0C/tNa02Bvpc3NlAmWXDa58dQLGMuDQRbW/le2/IjUFdC4Mqf2tXzzxACIMyyEH2nEgt09Gu1Vg4xpqWogIqYw8uu2PKB4mY6jwj7puAb7C2uijLHeK+GXjltRKKrNDlkv5X6O7O3B/MfJZ6Wp8SVzyd7WVPlmnpo3wyM2uPaGZpB03tqOoShxKdkbpPCe9jDldIxpLAbX8xA8unXsuL9dvp6P7pNbWPHIpMUOSEZn/IC2tyfd15rFgFNWV7LPlYwC41BLtCQbjQDbqsHD/EjqDN4jMoed9DfTQG239Vp4ZxeyjADie+ijxutSJ8sd7tWd3BzIyJBLIZAQSTaxtysBoFj4gpf2lLTwXtmLi49A1pJP/eq1WccwuGhJPQA3Wth+JOrZZJnXaGgsbffUi9/ko1l7q28dajNVR4fg92MJc8e04v8AMT6CwHwCicNyVUr3Oa5rW+y08+57KVjlpqQG8bCd7n+q1MTqP2u0GLQx7Fo8oB5OtsNFMVskYK2mZVOvowDbKtTBnNikLiS7LfU9rgfmop+ISvdk+bhsO5Ulh1FFJLF9YfIyA6OLCARf3nXB0vv0+C0mPwyuc96XD6JYDU1VVUWOUNDAeV3EEj18g+a6mo/A8JgwaJsVO0NZvvcuJ95zjq49/RSC7McdTTgzy8rsREVlRERAREQEREBERAREQEREGCro46wWkjZINdHNDt991yj6QOETgznVMDc1O43e0D+CeoA/sv8Ab6bdeXj2h4IIBB0IOxB5FRZuJxurtwrh2sfQyePC7K5o2914O7XjmP6EK5NxMVOasl3cLRtJ0iZp5R3JFyeZ7AAaXEnAsuGSGWhZ4kLtXQggOjP93c+Zn3dxsL6WyYTwjUY0GCoa+mp2+7ceJJrqND+7bqdTr22K5ssMr/Pw6seTCf18oahweXjipJaHRwA2kltva/ljuLOfy7c+QPSMZw+PDMNqYYWBjG084AH8j9T1N9SVMUdKyiY2ONoYxgAa0aAALS4oGajqx/cTf7HLfHCYzUc+edyu64pgLY6yLw3mzyNCdiOhWo7DhRudE8WvcA9QeQPX81jwoXA+G3/CkqnPVwufKwmNjvDMnu30IzfZd5hY7Hl0XJZd9O6ZSztCRUz6Z2rn25FouPj0UlTVcZ0ex7uro3HX1CwwF0TrXB6XNr/Hmey2XVzX2BJ03sAbfIpe0zpvR1NLEARTucfvte7/AHaLoP0eYvFVxPaMrH5jdugsOWg7LlVTiPjgNZfpmcR/pAupfgbCBW1Lg50kYEbiJG3Ba7My1+R3Iyn89RfimsmXPd4upYxwlSYuHZ4WBzgRnaAHC4tfTcjcFc5k4RqMJlEMpDonE5JhfLbkHj3X9tjyVvpKfE6YkMdDKLCz3hzM3+A6tNlZIRNK3LKIr2FwLkE9ie/ZbZY7jmwzuNQeA34ZY2N8hlhvoT/Z35N+525emitqiqSqbiLSyRoINxqN7bg91nw0ClHgXv4YGS51LOXy9n4DqrYSyat2jOy3em8iIrqCIiAiIgIiICIiAiIgIiICIiAiIgL4mjErXNOzgQfjovtEH51o4Pqb3Rn3HFoPUNJF/wAF1f6LIclLI/7czzt9kNb8dlUJMIEwlzCzmPlB7FrnA7b6hdF4FgFPQUoHOMOPq8lzj/mcSsOP/VdPL1jHlfwbQ1181OwE3uWXZqeZyEAn1uvig4JoaEgiAOI2Mhc/ne9nEtB72VhRbajn8r9qjHglFHiUpdHH4joYntBADQM0jCQ3Ynyt1t0U1WY1T4YLGRgtsxupNuQaFRvpipQ19HM12V93xmxs4tIDhtqQC09hm767v0bYNNQGeWSK3iCMRuedQB4mbe7tczfW3YKu+9La/naQqeJqmrY409JIwAXzTDwhrtl8S2Y+l198INrq131ir/dNLbMi9431u/p6KwfV2xnxJXBxGxOjWfyjl67lVXFuKJsUl+rYe3O735T7DB1J+ClVKY480cjBHpnuT0BGoK3I6v6xUQlljeJxd1AOUi/TVaWMRjDqVsWYyzmzIibZnvOx7C5+AW/gGDNwhm5fI4N8R55kcm9G3JsO/PdJBKoiKyBERAREQEREBERAREQEREBERAREQFB8Z44eHqV8zQ0vu1rA7bM8gX03sLut2U4ucfS7Umc0tKCLOL5Xk8hGLAnTbzPOn2VM9ovpWYuNqWJsvism8SQucbNAbmcSSW6mwuSbd1avon4oOLtkpi2wgAMZO5YXOADrk7aAdlD0ogoGxAzU1NGQA+KeFsj6hpt+8m3MbCLgCwA6lYuGwzCcZidEMsVQ2SMN9oDyNkGRw0LDZrmuHJ1uRVZjjN2JueV1K7AiLXxGqFDFJKdo2OceXsgn/hSOA8QcTubjU0z7SRwzhjW3uAyItBDfiHH1JXYJ+MoSxjoWvldI0ujaPLnsNmF9sx7DVcEwmmz/ALyQB8j3F7idQXOOYm21rldSxSKV8sbG0YrZ4y6733ayEaFgBddoeSA7YADyjkVOUVlWJmGS8QgPqNBoWsNxGBofY0Mht9qzezhvJM8HA2iCBgdK+5DBu4nd8h91vf4DkFrMxubEH+AyM08nvulaTbQkmMDR/rcDX4KZw/D2UINruc7V73WL3nq4gfhsqrsOHYUKZxkkd4szt3kez92Me63fueZKkURSgREQEREBERAREQEREBERAREQEREBERAXIfpDxUnE2sY6Lyw+HmeLtYX5i4uAPmcBYhvM2HNddc4NBJNgNyeS5Jg2ADEamWqkFzK8uaHa5QdvjYJvSLNvIRK2MtjoqM3JPizSRSSSXJ87xG5oaT9kE22uVXcbxN2HvpXZYYxFNHIY2OD8vhm9mPab+GQ55yO1aSbEghdnp8FYG2VQ4r4cjrAWvbfoeY9Comf2eLodPM2pa17CHNcA5pHMEXBHwVW+k+rfDQyRxgF894wD0IJdb72UGyyfR5WF9N4Dx54DlJ+2Lmzxrf17r36QcIkxanb4Tc5jdnLObhYjyfeFwR6aa2UpcNoneEDfS24VnoJ210DfGbKY2uc6Rxmytke69nvJY50jg3K1rRtY9dNH6iMYeG5w2S9sztM45td/eD8Quhz8LsxWmjhjcI/DIIuOgIOYeh3U5ZzSsw7VHDcdZgbw6jZJv5w578rxzGVzyG+oaNh6LqPDHE0PETCWXZI0DPG7dt+Y+02+l/yVGNPR4YCyK9RL/wCRwHht7sb7x9bhQM00mFytnidaRpuPvdQ4DcHYhU8l9O5ItPBq39owQzWt4jGut0zAFbisgREQEREBERAREQEREBERAREQEREBERBG8SvMdJUEbiN5HwBVV4bxaF2VlxG//wAb/K4fy39sdxp3Ku9VTtqmOY8Xa8Frh1BFiqieHpaMZCxtTFra4aTb7zXaE25jpsFXKJi1MqLj2T82/wDsq5xLikNMPO9rSdm3zOPZrW3zH0WH6lBT6GicLcmwuLf9ALSn7Ee4lsFMyAHd2VrBrv7Op/8Amyqlq/RzO6pnqyWFjQ2INB33lN3dHG97ctPRXxRPDeCNwOMtBzve7NI61rmwFh0aANB69VLLSKqJxpwl40hqYIw/NbxowNSQf4rNfa6215jW942mimnhfHFU7tILJWZyNPZBDmuab6Xdcrpq156CKpN3xscepaCem6ixO3FYIJyHG0dm7m77Dlr09Fr1VK+by5r5tmxMILu17lx+Fiuyv4dp3tLSxxadx4kmv+pbdHhsND/CijZfctaAfmFHibanC1AcLpKeIizmMbmF72cdXb9yVKoisgREQEREBERAREQEREBERAREQEREBERAREQEREBERAREQEREBERAREQEREBERAREQEREBERAREQEREBERAREQEREBERAREQEREBERAREQEREBERAREQEREH/2Q==" /> I had the plot, the characters, some of their important lines, the setting....it was all there as if I had always known it. Very weird. Of course, this came to me at a time when I am overloaded, already getting up at 5 a.m. to get my tasks done for the day, but I can write when a client does a last minute cancel, or if I travel I can write in an airport....the time will open up for me, I know that.<br />
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So, now I am energized and I feel quite jubilant.<img src="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT51uSGLBUOdYkv8upsKeji4oV8UUqo_C9AXCS_a4ATIyVEshAm" /> I am also energized to start promoting other writers again so will renew author guest posts next week.<br />
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I'm looking forward to being back, to connecting and re-connecting with you all.<br />
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Writing is a funny thing, eh.<br />
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Have your best day possible.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13163128507705064874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2914373095764685039.post-61083522281977059922013-05-29T09:58:00.001-07:002013-05-29T09:58:33.843-07:00Guest post - by author Jeannette Pekala YA paranormal<br />
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<b style="color: #797979; font-family: CenturyGothic, AppleGothic, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 24px; text-align: justify;">Author:</b><span style="color: #797979; font-family: CenturyGothic, AppleGothic, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 24px; text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="color: #797979; font-family: CenturyGothic, AppleGothic, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 24px; text-align: justify;">Jeanette Pekala</span></div>
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<b>Genre:</b> YA Paranormal</div>
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<a href="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=4b6fb7be88&view=att&th=13e831a17543b706&attid=0.1&disp=thd&realattid=f_hgg7a71r0&zw" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="_DSC2162b&w.jpg" border="0" height="320" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=4b6fb7be88&view=att&th=13e831a17543b706&attid=0.1&disp=thd&realattid=f_hgg7a71r0&zw" style="background-color: transparent;" width="217" /></a><img alt="culturebanner.jpg" height="205" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=4b6fb7be88&view=att&th=13e831a17543b706&attid=0.2&disp=thd&realattid=f_hgg7adir1&zw" width="320" /></div>
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<i>CULTURE SHOCK is a witty tale of mystery and romance with a large helping of southern hospitality.</i></div>
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<i>Macy Holmes is a seventeen-year-old socially-isolated introvert since her best friend’s death a year ago. When her family decides to move from Manhattan to the quaint country town of Bougainvillea, Florida, Macy finds she’s in a completely different world. Macy is no longer the outsider hiding behind designer clothes when she is sought out by three strange students, one of whom she is particularly interested in. The more time she spends with Chad the more things don’t add up. When his true identity is finally revealed, Macy is pulled into a supernatural society with its saturation of inhabitants residing in Bougainvillea.</i></div>
<i style="font-size: 13.333333969116211px;">You would think she has enough on her plate, but no, then her dreams become infiltrated by an external magical force, Macy and her band of supernatural misfits must find the culprit behind the magic-induced nightmares. They must dodge zombie assassins, shifty shape-shifters and high school bullies in order to stop this perpetrator before Macy, her friends or her parents pay the ultimate price. Especially when Macy has the sneaking suspicion that these dreams are reality...</i><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">GUEST POST by </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Photography Fuels Creative Juices</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">My photographer friend and I found babysitters for the day, so the moment we shut the front door of her house, we turned to each and laughed. Freedom! We ran to my truck and hopped in. She, with her camera in hand and me, with my notebook. A writer and a photographer on a journey for inspiration. We had a plan in mind; we were going to Cedar Key, the setting of Shock Wave, the second book in the CultureShock Series.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I’ve been to Cedar Key a few times, but I couldn’t quite describe it as thoroughly to give the reader a pure visual of what the island town is like. Even internet searches turned up nil. I needed to go to Cedar Key. Period.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Once we arrived in Cedar Key, we found the main hub in town and pranced around snapping pictures. I opened my notebook and sat there on the pier while writing. The sea air, the birds, the people, the old historic buildings built from shells, and the salt-washed wooden structures basked me in a frame of mind that was inconceivable from an internet search or memory of vacations passed.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">That day we traveled through the old graveyard, the bustling main street, passed historic beach homes, the ancient shell mound, and observed the people who call the island their home. The pictures we took that day have inspired me long after the trip ended. Just last weekend I was struggling on a scene, trying to make it more realistic and see how the locals would react to a certain scenario. I flipped through the pictures taken that day and it helped to immerse me in the culture of Cedar Key and become one of the locals in order to give the reaction I was looking for. Photography has helped me “see” things from a new perspective which is an invaluable asset to a writer.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Author bio</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16px;">My name is Jeanette Pekala and I write urban fantasy for young adults. After getting my degree in Sociology from the University of Florida, I became a stay-at-home mom of two and started re-evaluating my life. What do I want to do? Yes, I was thinking about that in college. And no, I had not come up with an answer. So staying at home raising my children while my husband was deployed overseas was what I did. On a lonely night with nothing to do and a striking concept for a book, I figured I would give writing a shot.<br /> Turns out I have a knack for it. Once I started, I couldn't stop. I wrote my first novel <em>Culture Shock</em> in three months. I was inspired by the country setting in which I live and that's why I based the setting of my first book in gorgeous north central Florida. Oh, and did I mention the wicked nightmare that led to the concept for the book?<br /> Though the <em>Culture Shock</em> series is based on a real setting, the actual town of Bougainvillea, FL is fictious. There is virtually nothing but "nature" along the highway between the towns of Micanopy and McIntosh so that has become the home of Bougainvillea.<br /> The characters are witty and one of a kind.</span></div>
<span style="color: #8c8c8c; font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, Kalimati, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"> Make sure to check out the character profiles and the town's profile.</span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13163128507705064874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2914373095764685039.post-26395843938192666022013-05-09T14:08:00.000-07:002013-05-09T14:08:06.407-07:00Guest post by Nicole MacDonald author of the Birthright Trilogy<br />
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Author Bio<img alt="Image of Nicole MacDonald" src="http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/ciu/a0/30/b5c46ce90cfa0ad8956ecb.L._V369814980_SX200_.jpg" /></h2>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Nicole MacDonald is a thirty something year old Kiwi who loves to read and moonlights as a novelist. From a young age she fantasized about being the heroine in the books and/or movies she watched and credits the series ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ for really inspiring her. Writing only occurred to her a few years ago after reading an abysmal tale with silly useless females where upon she decided to write a tale solely for herself where the girls got to kick butt without the usual sob story—betrayed/abused/abandoned etc. That little tale eventuated into the BirthRight Trilogy.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Nicole’s current daydream is that Joss Whedon (aka the genius of film) will discover the BirthRight Trilogy and demand the film rights to it. Until then, she’s working on several other writing projects and aiming to explore the world with her partner.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A whole new world<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Writing fantasy is both a blessing and a
curse. A whole new world is yours for the creating, but, if you don’t plan it
carefully and abide by your own rules, you can turn it from fantasy to pure
nonsense. Having now completed a trilogy of fantasy novels I’ve experienced
researching like I never would have fathomed prior to it. For example;<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US">How far can a griffon fly in a
day? Or an hour? What is ‘top’ griffon speed.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US">How would syrens work, and why?
Because as silly as it might seem debating a mythical creature, to make it
believable in a tale it has to seem logical…<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US">Why do dragons breathe fire?
And would they all?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US">If you have dragons and
griffons, what would they eat? Surely a cow wouldn’t be big enough.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US">How long would an ‘average’
human live?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US">What colour are the oceans, and
why?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US">Is there magick on this world,
and how does it work?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Creating another world, with believable
creatures and characters, all in a completely foreign setting requires some
meticulous note taking (well, that or flicking back and forth between your
drafts *grin*) and an absolute dedication to make it read as logical as
possible. It can create some writer’s block like you’ve never experienced but
at the same time the sense of freedom, and adventure, in being the first to pioneer
your ‘ne world’ makes it all worth it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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Links</h2>
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The first book, The Arrival, is FREE everywhere.</div>
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Amazon US</div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Arrival-BirthRight-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B004HD5WAE/ref=pd_rhf_gw_p_t_3_KMFR" style="-webkit-transition: color, background 200ms ease-in-out; color: #c62b02; transition: color, background 200ms ease-in-out;">http://www.amazon.com/The-Arrival-BirthRight-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B004HD5WAE/ref=pd_rhf_gw_p_t_3_KMFR</a></div>
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Amazon UK</div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Arrival-BirthRight-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B004HD5WAE/ref=pd_rhf_gw_p_t_1_B4EK" style="-webkit-transition: color, background 200ms ease-in-out; color: #c62b02; transition: color, background 200ms ease-in-out;">http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Arrival-BirthRight-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B004HD5WAE/ref=pd_rhf_gw_p_t_1_B4EK</a></div>
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Barnes & Noble</div>
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<a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/arrival-nicole-macdonald/1100093005" style="-webkit-transition: color, background 200ms ease-in-out; color: #c62b02; transition: color, background 200ms ease-in-out;">http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/arrival-nicole-macdonald/1100093005</a></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13163128507705064874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2914373095764685039.post-87803379399275063232013-02-08T09:59:00.003-08:002013-02-08T09:59:43.756-08:00Book promo for Trinity by Clare Davidson<img alt="trinitybanner" src="http://www.enchantedbookpromotions.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/trinitybanner.jpg" /><br />
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<a href="http://www.enchantedbookpromotions.com/scheduling-pr-services-for-trinity/img_4721/" rel="attachment wp-att-2210" style="-webkit-transition: color, background 200ms ease-in-out; color: #c62b02; font-family: CenturyGothic, AppleGothic, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 24px; margin: 0px 15px 15px 0px; text-align: justify;"><img alt="IMG_4721" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-2210 imgborder" src="http://www.enchantedbookpromotions.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/IMG_4721-292x300.jpg" style="background-color: white; border-bottom-left-radius: 2px; border-bottom-right-radius: 2px; border-top-left-radius: 2px; border-top-right-radius: 2px; border: 1px solid rgb(230, 230, 230); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0392157) 1px 1px 3px 1px; float: left; margin: 0px; max-width: 98%; padding: 7px; vertical-align: middle;" /></a><br />
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<strong>Title</strong>: Trinity</div>
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<b>Author:</b> Clare Davidson</div>
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<b>Genre</b>: YA Fantasy</div>
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‘Trinity’, released July 2012, is Clare Davidson’s debut novel. It is an epic fantasy, targeted at young adult readers, with strong crossover appeal into the adult market.</div>
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Kiana longs to walk through a forest and feel grass between her toes. But she is the living embodiment of a goddess and has enemies who wish to murder her. Her death will curse the whole of Gettryne. Locked away for protection, she dreams of freedom.</div>
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Her wish comes true in the worst possible way, when her home and defenders are destroyed.</div>
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Along with an inexperienced guard and a hunted outcast, Kiana flees the ravages of battle to search for a solution to the madness that has gripped Gettryne for a thousand years. Pursued by the vicious and unrelenting Wolves, their journey will take them far beyond their limits, to a secret that will shake the world.</div>
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Author Bio</h2>
<div style="color: #797979; font-family: CenturyGothic, AppleGothic, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px 0px 10px; text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://www.enchantedbookpromotions.com/scheduling-pr-services-for-trinity/img_4721/" rel="attachment wp-att-2210" style="-webkit-transition: color, background 200ms ease-in-out; color: #c62b02; float: left; margin: 0px 15px 15px 0px;"><br /></a>Clare Davidson is a character driven fantasy writer, teacher and mother, from the UK. Clare was born in Northampton and lived in Malaysia for four and a half years as a child, before returning to the UK to settle in Leeds with her family. Whilst attending Lancaster University, Clare met her future husband and never left. They now share their lives with their young daughter and a cranky grey cat, called Ash. Clare juggles family life with writing, teaching and a variety of fibre craft hobbies.</div>
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<a href="http://claredavidson.com/" style="-webkit-transition: color, background 200ms ease-in-out; color: #c62b02;">Website</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/ClareMDavidson" style="-webkit-transition: color, background 200ms ease-in-out; color: #c62b02;">Twitter</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ClareMDavidson" style="-webkit-transition: color, background 200ms ease-in-out; color: #c62b02;">Facebook</a> | <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6445758.Clare_Davidson" style="-webkit-transition: color, background 200ms ease-in-out; color: #c62b02;">Goodreads</a></div>
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<strong>Purchase Trinity:</strong></div>
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Paperback: <a href="http://amzn.com/1478222204" style="-webkit-transition: color, background 200ms ease-in-out; color: #c62b02;">Amazon</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1478222204" style="-webkit-transition: color, background 200ms ease-in-out; color: #c62b02;">Amazon UK</a></div>
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eBook: <a href="http://amzn.com/B008MYHASG" style="-webkit-transition: color, background 200ms ease-in-out; color: #c62b02;">Amazon</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B008MYHASG" style="-webkit-transition: color, background 200ms ease-in-out; color: #c62b02;">Amazon UK</a> | <a href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/206771" style="-webkit-transition: color, background 200ms ease-in-out; color: #c62b02;">Smashwords</a> | <a href="http://ebookstore.sony.com/ebook/clare-davidson/trinity/_/R-400000000000000766048" style="-webkit-transition: color, background 200ms ease-in-out; color: #c62b02;">Sony</a> | <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/gb/book/trinity/id549840902?mt=11" style="-webkit-transition: color, background 200ms ease-in-out; color: #c62b02;">iTunes</a> | <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/trinity-clare-davidson/1112276175?ean=2940044730625" style="-webkit-transition: color, background 200ms ease-in-out; color: #c62b02;">Barnes and Noble</a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13163128507705064874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2914373095764685039.post-85214442503929442013-01-22T11:06:00.001-08:002013-01-22T11:06:32.082-08:00Guest post by KH Lemoyne for her book Destiny's Choice<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></b>
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<img alt="Cover for 'Destiny's Mark'" src="http://cache.smashwire.com/bookCovers/bc0696270d82c6a9b3861ba868a727bfe1439d62-thumb" /><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-size: 16px; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">K.H. LeMoyne has been writing romance ever since someone told her that she had to grow up and get a real job. Then she switched to writing romantic fantasy to keep real life from getting in the way of a good story. The love of things mystical and magical keeps her writing, with characters who fight for never-ending love against insurmountable odds. Well, that and occasionally she gets to write about elves and dragons … but that’s a different story.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Published by <a href="http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/DigitalCrystalPress" style="border: 0px; color: #336699; font-size: 11.818181991577148px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline;">Digital Crystal Press</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.818181991577148px; line-height: 17.27272605895996px;" /><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 11.818181991577148px; line-height: 17.27272605895996px;">The difference between fate and destiny is choice.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 11.818181991577148px; line-height: 17.27272605895996px;"> </span><br /><span id="longdescr_snip" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-size: 11.818181991577148px; line-height: 17.27272605895996px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br />Tsu Halan, Guardian defense master, has honed his skills and waited patiently over the centuries for the covenant’s promise of a mate to share his soul and a family to cherish. Close enough to taste fulfillment, the dark echoes of the past threaten with danger and death.<br /><br />Jai Dashkov harbors her own painful secrets of harsh betrayal and tender loss. Her desperate search to reclaim her life doesn’t allow room in her heart to deviate for love.</span></span><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-size: 11.818181991577148px; line-height: 17.27272605895996px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 1em; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong style="border: 0px; font-size: 11.818181991577148px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Adult-content rating:</strong> This book contains content considered unsuitable for young readers 17 and under, and which may be offensive to some readers of all ages.</span></div>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></b>
<b id="internal-source-marker_0.16241932846605778" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Brenda, thank you for hosting my on your blog today! </span></span></b><br />
<b id="internal-source-marker_0.16241932846605778" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The main character in Destiny’s Mark, Tsu Halan, is the defense master for the remaining members of the Guardian race. Some readers might think there is a correlation between him and the more famous Sun Tzu of eastern battle strategy and philosophy fame. Well, yes and no. Tsu does share a geographic past with the renowned originator of the Art of War. He shares a deep commitment to logic and philosophy as well. However, the approaches of these two men differ quite a bit. I thought I’d share something that I ran across during my research for the Guardian series. I hope you and your readers enjoy.</span><br /><span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">~Kate</span><br /><span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Interesting Research Tidbits</span><br /><span style="font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I read and research a lot of mythologies, fables, and religious principles looking for items to pepper my stories or morph for fun. I'm no expert on any of these subjects, but I am a lover of taking tidbits and daydreaming about ‘what if.' Out of this process, I created the Guardians' world, the rules that govern them, their individual powers, their homelands, and many of their difficulties. </span><br /><span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Each book in the series focuses on a different Guardian from Eden’s Sanctum: their struggle to win the hearts and respect of their mates, their battle against the evil intent on destroying them, and their effort to realign the Guardian covenant to provide protection for mankind’s evolution. They represent different geographic regions of the world and so I read through a lot of information, and search through too many name databases to mention. Cool, but a huge stack of info. This is the reason I print most of my research and keep huge binders with lots of Post-it tabs.</span><br /><span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sound pretty dry? Not really. I run across wonderful information – most of which I’ll never use in the story, but no information is wasted on the imagination.</span><br /><span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Here’s an example. The main character in </span><span style="font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Destiny’s Mark</span><span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> is Tsu. He is the Guardian weapons and defense master, and he and his sister Quan originated a few hundred years ago from an eastern province of China.</span><br /><span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My Tsu loosely shares a name and some traits with Sun Tzu, from the Art of War fame. While the book, The Art of War, is a tangible item, there is mixed conjecture as to whether the Chinese general, Sun Tzu actually existed. </span><br /><span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">That said there are some fun mythologies and stories about the man. </span><br /><span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">One being that King Ho-Lu tested Sun Tzu’s skills by ordering him to train the king’s harem as soldiers. Hmm, you can see this problem coming miles away. As the story goes, two of the King’s favorite concubines were positioned in command of the remaining hundreds of concubines. Ordered to perform their maneuvers, the concubines…giggled. To be fair, Sun Tzu gave them a second chance. The giggling repeated. Tzu had the two favorite concubines executed, beheaded. His resolve and judgment was tied to the idea that “If the instructions are not clear, if the orders are not obeyed, it is the fault of the general. But if the instructions are clear and the soldiers still do not obey, it is the fault of the officers.” The two women were replaced with a clear message sent to the troops and needless to say, further training efforts went smoothly.</span><br /><span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">That character profile didn’t fit with my Guardian Tsu character, but I loved the trivia and the notation remains in my series notebook – never know when you might be able to use, reuse, or twist some detail.</span></span></b>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13163128507705064874noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2914373095764685039.post-68055898446366930532012-12-19T13:30:00.002-08:002012-12-19T13:31:13.373-08:00Seasons best wishes...<img src="http://www.workingpoint.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/gift-books-300x265.jpg" />I always take time off during December and early January = being the mom of a large family is a full time job that I fit in around work and writing most of the year, but for the Christmas and New Year seasons they get all of me. Not that they particularly want me - the older ones have their own lives and families and interests and the younger ones are at an age where I am little more than a walking wallet -<img src="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQnkGvZZEXlgDSiN22-v9gDdPPQFxs0uMd-uyMcAK3nnI22pg5WIw" /> but they all like what I provide at this time of the year - and I don't just mean the wallet part - they like the baking days that I organize, and the late night gift wrapping sessions that the teens help with - and they like the calm that comes when the usual sport activities are suspended and we can go to movies on a weeknight evening or maybe even just go for an extra long walk with the dogs. This year we will also head to Victoria after Christmas so the younger 5 can shop till they drop and maybe we'll book a couple of nights in a hotel and ring in the New Year in that fair city.<br />
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There will also be some drama because you just can't have 14 kids + plus their families and not have someone experiencing some kind of drama -<img height="197" src="https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS_tYqMkfkTt_TwldmP5d_6a4_IYfdGJk13u_4mvTVyCqqj5MCd5g" width="200" /> but I can provide a calm to that - the only bonus to aging is that "been there done that" is very true and so I can easily and lovingly provide hugs and strong shoulders as needed.<br />
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I won't get any writing time. I'm 2/3 through the sequel to Cleah: The Lost Fury Chronicles - <img src="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSlRCnZLgfuX1oj3UQ5BAvl1-7yJl2Is9cNl5RQhugukjnDrCqzhg" />but that will have to wait till after I get back to the office in January. I know the ending, of course, but I can't quite figure out how to get there from where I am so I'll at least make some thinking time and hope that my brain can work it out in the next couple of weeks.<br />
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Well fellow writers and fellow wanna be successful writers - I wish you all the best of the season - and may you enjoy health, success, and happiness in the coming year.<img src="https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQqRYMODr6o52fM1-pcsYcwkrixBrtP5YooxXRAnpKdwLdcLsxopA" /><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13163128507705064874noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2914373095764685039.post-72090897843152155212012-12-13T09:23:00.003-08:002012-12-13T09:23:57.993-08:00Guest post by Mya Kay author of A Song For Jordan<img src="http://enchantedbooktours.eternalised.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/ASFJCover-202x300.png" /><br />
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<strong style="border: 0px; color: #1c1c1c; margin: 0px; outline: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Title</strong>: A Song for Jordan<br /><strong style="border: 0px; color: #1c1c1c; margin: 0px; outline: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Author</strong>: Mya Kay<br /><strong style="border: 0px; color: #1c1c1c; margin: 0px; outline: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Genre</strong>: Contemporary YA</div>
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Mya Kay’s A SONG FOR JORDAN (Amazon/Mya Kay Publishing; December 15, 2012; $15.00 Print, Kindle $7.99) is a story that will take you along an emotional and mental journey with Jordan Crystal Myers as she searches for a father that her family hates. Everything fifteen-year-old Jordan Crystal Myers knows about music comes from her father, from arranging notes to playing several different instruments. One day, she’d love to meet him.</div>
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A musician who left her mother, Melissa, when she was born, Jordan longs to have a relationship with the man that gave her the gift of music. Even knowing that her grandparent’s wanted her mother to abort her and that her mother doesn’t want her to find him doesn’t stop Jordan from asking questions.</div>
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A bi-racial teen already facing the pain of being mixed in an image driven society puts her search on hold when she lands a competitive music internship in Atlanta with SyncDeep Music Group, a label run by one of her favorite musicians. For the next six weeks, Jordan gets to arrange music, play and network with some of the music industry’s biggest artists. Two weeks before the internship is over, she’s abruptly fired and finding out her mother is the reason behind her termination causes Jordan to lose all hope – until she realizes she may have just found what she’s been looking for all along.</div>
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All the lies she’s heard come to light in this gripping tale that will leave your heart wrenching for Jordan as she searches for the one thing she longs for most. A SONG FOR JORDAN will leave bitter mothers who keep their children away from their fathers feeling sorry for the pain they’ve caused.</div>
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Author Bio</h2>
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<a class="cboxElement" href="http://enchantedbooktours.eternalised.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Mya1.jpg" rel="lightbox[1455]" style="border: 0px; color: #4d949e; margin: 0px; outline: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0px; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline;" title="Mya1"><img alt="" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-1458" height="300" src="http://enchantedbooktours.eternalised.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Mya1-214x300.jpg" style="border: 0px; display: inline; float: left; margin: 0px 15px 0px 0px; outline: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" title="Mya1" width="214" /></a>Mya Kay is the author or Speechless: Short Stories and a screenwriter. She is currently a teacher in South Korea teaching English as a Second Language. You can follow her on twitter, facebook or learn more about her at her website www.myakbooks.com.</div>
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<a href="http://www.myakbooks.com/" style="border: 0px; color: #4d949e; margin: 0px; outline: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0px; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline;">Mya K. Books</a> | <a href="http://www.twitter.com/writermya" style="border: 0px; color: #4d949e; margin: 0px; outline: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0px; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline;">Twitter</a> | <a href="http://www.facebook.com/myakhadijah" style="border: 0px; color: #4d949e; margin: 0px; outline: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0px; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline;">Facebook</a></div>
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Guest Post</h3>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Building a Strong “Weak”
Protagonist<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;">When I first
created Jordan (my protagonist in my newest novel, A Song for Jordan), I knew
that I wanted her to be weak. But even weak characters have to have character.
Nobody wants to root for an underdog that doesn’t make people sympathize with
them. With Jordan, there were three things I wanted to focus on most:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Malgun Gothic"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Malgun Gothic"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">1)<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;">I wanted her to shine even through her
weakness. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 38.0pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; mso-para-margin-left: 0gd; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Malgun Gothic"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Malgun Gothic"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">2)<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;">I wanted her to be compelling. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Malgun Gothic"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Malgun Gothic"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">3)<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;">I wanted readers to be able to see her
alter ego (the new her that would eventually shine through)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;">I think building a
strong protagonist is hard enough. But when you have a character that naturally
doesn’t put up a fight for the things they want in life, you have to give them
another dynamic so that readers will want to know what’s going to happen next
with this person. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Jordan actually
ended up being stronger than I even I gave her credit for. Whenever she played
the piano or wrote a new song, her strength shined through. It was just a
silent strength. And it didn’t come packaged the way most people would think. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;">I believe writers
should understand that even when you have a character that is supposed to be “weak”
and ends up transforming in the end, there still needs to be a strength that
your readers can see, even if it’s subliminal. Here are some key ways to make
sure your “weak” character has a poise that your readers still find
fascinating:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Malgun Gothic"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Malgun Gothic"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">1.)<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Make
sure you give your character something they have to gain before the end of the
story.</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> Your character
shouldn’t just have an outside end goal, but an internal end goal. A lot of How-To
books say this, but I think people have to remember that this is especially
important with weak characters. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Malgun Gothic"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Malgun Gothic"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">2.)<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Make
sure your character’s internal goal is realistic. </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;">For me, I had to make sure Jordan didn’t get too “strong”
too fast. She had a long way to go from being timid to boisterous when it came
to relationships in her life. If she had just gone off on someone early in the
book, readers would’ve felt like they didn’t know who she was. Even with weak
characters, readers want to feel like they know how the person is going to
react. The pattern of behavior should only break at some point after the
climax. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Malgun Gothic"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Malgun Gothic"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">3.)<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Give
your antagonist some power. </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;">In
a book like A Song for Jordan, there was more than one antagonist. Everybody
wasn’t a bully, but I definitely needed for my antagonists to have some power.
They all were able to control Jordan some way, somehow, even if it was just
mentally. It made Jordan’s weakness seem more believable. It was understood
that “maybe Jordan acts this way because so-and-so is this way”. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Malgun Gothic"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Malgun Gothic"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">4.)<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Finally,
make sure your character’s weakness makes sense.</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> Jordan didn’t have to be super weak for her weakness
to be believable. It was a matter of making her weakness and the plot flow
right together. Of course, the antagonists in the book made this easier. That’s
why it’s important to know what and who your main character is going to have to
face before you start. Map it out so that you can figure out which scenes you
can use to show your protagonist’s weakness and eventually growth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Just as I
mentioned above, even a weak character has to grow. That’s the most important
thing to remember when working with your main character. Show growth. Give your
readers something to root for. Otherwise, you will lose them before your story
even starts. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13163128507705064874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2914373095764685039.post-40081471269479954172012-11-14T11:41:00.002-08:002012-11-14T11:41:34.940-08:00Back again...I had some trouble accessing my blog for a couple of months so it's looked pretty dead here. But, it's all fixed and I'll have more author guest posts coming soon.<br />
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I've been struggling with my own writing - not able to find the time and also stuck with some plotting on the sequel to Cleah. However, God/the Universe provides, and at a recent <a href="http://hazardousparenting.com/tapping.php">EFT</a> training weekend I attended, the discussions about early abandonment managed to put me on the path toward my plot resolution.<br />
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Also at the training, I met <img height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-765PSTnBbCA/UJrG8F4Vu6I/AAAAAAAAAOc/aDFmgtEq9kY/s200/IMG_0004.JPG" width="178" />a fellow writer, <a href="http://www.franfriel.blogspot.ca/p/mamas-boy-and-other-dark-tales-update.html">Fran Friel,</a> a horror author. <img height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0nMbvDUUX2o/UJr7PttImnI/AAAAAAAAAOs/aEk0SBHJp50/s200/mamasboy_20081.jpeg" width="135" />I've always loved reading horror, but didn't want to write it myself- I felt that it wasn't what I wanted to put out into the universe (aren't I special). Or, maybe I didn't know if I was talented enough to go to that kind of place. Fran, in her wisdom, said that if you want to get to know yourself as a writer, horror is the place to go. Well, Fran is a person whose opinion I value so maybe next time I will veer off my current path of YA fantasy and have a go at it. There's one more Cleah to write after this - it's always been a trilogy, so if I live long enough to finish it all - yup, horror - here I come.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13163128507705064874noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2914373095764685039.post-45777031009506708772012-10-11T16:18:00.001-07:002012-10-11T16:20:02.986-07:00Guest post Kristina Knight author of The Saint's Devlish Deal<br />
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<img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lsYSYuYd-Fg/UGkA6h0vHxI/AAAAAAAABPg/YmG_HETy9wM/s320/Knight-SaintsDeal-Cover.jpg" /><img alt="My Photo" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-r6kT8QBxD_Y/T02z8I5vqeI/AAAAAAAAAqs/RatY0X1l1UA/s220/Kristi1.jpg" style="background-color: transparent;" /></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">The Saint's Devilish Deal</span></i></b><i> </i>is a contemporary, reunion romance. Esmerelda Quinn has been looking for a place to belong since her parents were killed in a car crash when she was young. The closest thing to home has always been Aunt Constance's villa in Puerto Vallarta, so after a string of dead-end hotellier jobs, she's coming home to run the villa.</div>
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Santiago Cruz has called the villa home for as long as he can remember. In between surfing events, Constance has always had a room for him. Color him surprised when Constance decides to retire - and leaves a joint interest in the villa to both Santiago and Esme.</div>
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Esme isn't thrilled to share ownership of the villa with the the youngest Cruz brother - especially when she learns Santiago's brother has been after the villa for years. But Santiago has grown up while she's been away at school and soon she finds herself falling for the rich boy down the hall.</div>
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Buy Links: Amazon: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Saints-Devilish-Deal-ebook/dp/B0096D6WFE/ref=la_B0081LO6DM_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1349205407&sr=1-2" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><span style="color: windowtext;">http://www.amazon.com/The-<wbr></wbr>Saints-Devilish-Deal-ebook/dp/<wbr></wbr>B0096D6WFE/ref=la_B0081LO6DM_<wbr></wbr>1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1349205407&sr=<wbr></wbr>1-2</span></a></div>
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iTunes: <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/the-saints-devilish-deal/id559862469?mt=11" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><span style="color: windowtext;">http://itunes.apple.com/us/<wbr></wbr>book/the-saints-devilish-deal/<wbr></wbr>id559862469?mt=11</span></a></div>
<span style="font-size: 13.200000762939453px;">B&N: </span><a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/kristina-knight" style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 13.200000762939453px;" target="_blank"><span style="color: windowtext;">http://www.barnesandnoble.com/<wbr></wbr>c/kristina-knight</span></a></div>
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<b>Author Bio:</b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Once upon a time, Kristina Knight spent her days running from car crash to fire to meetings with local police—no, she wasn't a troublemaker, she was a journalist. When the opportunity to focus a bit of energy on the stories in her head, she jumped at it. And she’s never looked back. Now she writes magazine articles by day and romance novels with spice by night. She lives on a beach in Northern Ohio with her husband and three-year-old daughter. Happily ever after. Please visit <a href="http://www.kristinaknightauthor.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">http://www.<wbr></wbr>kristinaknightauthor.com</a>" or follow her on Twitter @AuthorKristina to learn more.</span></div>
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<b>Guest Post</b></div>
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<b>Oh, Those Boys & Their Boards…</b></div>
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<b><br /></b>I've always been slightly more than obsessed by beaches. Not the muddy-sand beaches of my mid-western upbringing, but by those expanses of white-sand that go on for miles. By the big waves of Hawaii and Indonesia. It isn't that sand itself is sexy – have you ever had a tiny grain of sand stuck between your toes or…some other area? Yeah, so not sexy. There is just something different about those places and the people – okay, the guys! – who inhabit them. So, without further ado, here are four reasons I find beach-boy heros sexy.</div>
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<b>Surfer boys</b> - those wet suits don't hide anything - but also because surfers seen so apart from everyone and such a huge part of the water itself. When I was a kid visiting my great-grandmother on the Outer Banks of North Caroline I listened to them talk about protecting the beach, water and wildlife from pollution, encroachment and global warming before those things were buzzwords that everyone was supposed to care about.</div>
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<b>They're passionate. </b>You have to be passionate about a sport to take the chances these guys take. That also makes them a little bit dangerous – and it's that a little sexy all in itself? I've watched them slide through the waves as if they were a solid mass. I've seen them mystified that everyone else was leaving the beach when a storm raged into the area. They wore $5 flip-flops to $100 dinners and usually looked better doing it than the rich boys wearing Calvin Klein.</div>
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<b>They're contemplative. </b>They wait for hours for exactly the right wave. The watch the water carefully, as if it might hold the solution to world peace…or maybe they're just thinking about dinner and a movie with their favorite girl. The point is you don't know. And surfers are everywhere – they're doctors and lawyers and general lay-abouts. They're incredibly smart and intuitive and that makes me wonder, too…</div>
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<b>They're a little bit crazy. </b>A little bit difficult. A little bit dangerous. These are the boys whose eyes twinkle at the drop of a hat – and many of us have fallen for that charm in a heartbeat. If they're the lay-about sort we want to save them (or join them for a week or so), if they're the driven sort we want to help them save the world and if they're a little more quiet than the rest of the pack…well, that's a whole other level of sexiness, now isn't it?</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13163128507705064874noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2914373095764685039.post-79896117775768896482012-09-05T11:32:00.001-07:002012-09-05T11:33:58.398-07:00 How to be a Writer – One Shuffly Step at a Time by Lani Wendt Young <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span lang="EN-US"> </span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18px;">Title:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18px;"> Telesa – The Covenant Keeper</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18px;">Author:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18px;"> Lani Wendt Young<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18px;">Genre:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18px;"> YA Fantasy Romance<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18px;">When Leila moves to her new home, all she wants is a family, a place to belong. Instead she discovers the local ancient myths of the telesa spirit women are more than just scary stories. The more she finds out about her heritage, the more sinister her new home turns out to be. Embraced by a Covenant Sisterhood of earth's elemental guardians - what will Leila choose? Her fiery birthright as a telesa? Or will she choose the boy who offers her his heart? Daniel - stamped with the distinctive tattoo markings of a noble Pacific warrior and willing to risk everything for the chance to be with her. Can their love stand against the Covenant Keeper?</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18px;"> </span> <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A
thriller-romance with a difference. If you enjoyed Twilight, then you will be
enthralled by Telesa as it blends the richness of Pacific mythology into a
contemporary young adult love story that will stay with you long after you have
turned the final page.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">About the Telesa Trilogy<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">L<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">a</span><span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">n</span>i<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">s</span>e<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">l</span><span style="letter-spacing: .15pt;">f</span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">-</span>p<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">u</span><span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">b</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">li</span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">s</span><span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">h</span>ed<span style="letter-spacing: .2pt;"> </span>h<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">e</span>r<span style="letter-spacing: .6pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">s</span>e<span style="letter-spacing: .15pt;">c</span>o<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">n</span>d<span style="letter-spacing: .5pt;"> </span>b<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">o</span>ok<span style="letter-spacing: .65pt;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Telesa-The-Covenant-Keeper-ebook/dp/B005I3WD8Q/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1318471692&sr=1-1"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: .15pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">‘</span><b><u><span style="color: blue; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: .15pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">T</span></u></b><b><u><span style="color: blue; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">el<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">e</span>s<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">a</span>:<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>The Covenant Keeper’<span style="letter-spacing: 2.7pt;"> </span></span></u></b><b><span style="color: blue; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: 1.6pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"> </span></b><span style="color: black; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">as</span></a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.65pt;"> </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">an<span style="letter-spacing: .7pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">e</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">l</span><span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">e</span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">c</span>tro<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">ni</span>c<span style="letter-spacing: .3pt;"> </span>b<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">o</span>ok<span style="letter-spacing: .65pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">i</span>n<span style="letter-spacing: .7pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">Oc</span>to<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">b</span>er 2011 –<span style="letter-spacing: .15pt;">
</span>a<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">f</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">i</span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">rs</span>t<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">f</span>or<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;"> </span>a<span style="letter-spacing: .15pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">S</span>a<span style="letter-spacing: .2pt;">m</span>o<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">a</span>n<span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;"> </span>a<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">u</span><span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">t</span>h<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">o</span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">r</span>.<span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .15pt;">T</span>e<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">l</span>e<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">s</span>a<span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">i</span>s<span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;"> t</span>he<span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">f</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">i</span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">rs</span>t<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">b</span>o<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">o</span>k<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">i</span>n a<span style="letter-spacing: .25pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">Y</span>o<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">u</span><span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">n</span>g<span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">A</span>d<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">u</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">l</span>t<span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">c</span><span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">o</span>nt<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">e</span><span style="letter-spacing: .2pt;">m</span>p<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">o</span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">r</span>a<span style="letter-spacing: .15pt;">r</span>y<span style="letter-spacing: -.8pt;"> </span>F<span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">a</span>nt<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">a</span><span style="letter-spacing: .15pt;">s</span>y<span style="letter-spacing: -.45pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .15pt;">s</span>eri<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">e</span>s
<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">s</span>et<span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;">
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font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -.05pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">‘</span><b><u><span style="color: blue; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: .05pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">W</span></u></b><b><u><span style="color: blue; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">hen<span style="letter-spacing: .2pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">W</span>ater<span style="letter-spacing: .15pt;"> </span>B<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">u</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">r</span>n<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">s</span>’<span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;"> </span></span></u></b><b><span style="color: blue; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: .4pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"> </span></b><span style="color: black; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -.1pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">w</span></a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">as<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">l</span>a<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">u</span>n<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">c</span>h<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">e</span>d<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;"> </span>on<span style="letter-spacing: .3pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">A</span><span style="letter-spacing: .2pt;">m</span><span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">a</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;">z</span>o<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">n</span>,<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .2pt;">m</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;">a</span><span style="letter-spacing: .15pt;">k</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;">i</span>ng<span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">i</span>t<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>to<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">A</span><span style="letter-spacing: .2pt;">m</span><span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">a</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;">z</span>o<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">n</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">’</span>s<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">‘</span>Hot<span style="letter-spacing: .25pt;"> </span>N<span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">e</span>w<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>Re<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">l</span>e<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">a</span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">s</span>e<span style="letter-spacing: .15pt;">s</span>’<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;"> li</span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">s</span>t<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">i</span>ng<span style="letter-spacing: .3pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;">w</span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">i</span>th<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">i</span>n
the<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">f</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">i</span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">rs</span>t<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;"> </span>48<span style="letter-spacing: .15pt;"> </span>h<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">o</span>ur<span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">s</span>.<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;"> B</span>oth b<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">o</span><span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">o</span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">k</span>s
1<span style="letter-spacing: .15pt;"> </span>a<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">n</span>d<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;"> </span>2<span style="letter-spacing: .15pt;"> </span>are<span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;"> </span>a<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">l</span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">s</span>o<span style="letter-spacing: .15pt;"> </span>a<span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;">v</span>a<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">i</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">l</span><span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">a</span>b<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">l</span>e<span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">i</span>n<span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;"> </span>pri<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">n</span>t <span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">b</span>o<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">o</span><span style="letter-spacing: .15pt;">k</span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">s</span>.<span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;"> </span></span></span></div>
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a<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">u</span><span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">d</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">i</span>e<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">n</span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">c</span>e. <span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .15pt;">T</span>he<span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .2pt;">m</span>u<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">l</span>t<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">i</span><span style="letter-spacing: .15pt;">-</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">vi</span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">s</span><span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">u</span>al<span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .2pt;">m</span>a<span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;">r</span><span style="letter-spacing: .15pt;">k</span>et<span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;">i</span>ng<span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">c</span>a<span style="letter-spacing: .2pt;">m</span>p<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">ai</span>gn<span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">f</span>or<span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;"> </span></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: blue; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -2.45pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> </span></b><span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pazFwblKfkI"><b><u><span style="color: blue; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Tel<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">e</span><span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">s</span>a</span></u></b><b><span style="color: blue; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -.05pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"> </span></b><span style="color: black; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: .05pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">s</span></a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">h<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">o</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;">w</span><span style="letter-spacing: .2pt;">c</span>a<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">s</span>ed<span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;"> </span>a<span style="letter-spacing: .25pt;"> </span>w<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">i</span><span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">d</span>e<span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">v</span>ari<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">e</span><span style="letter-spacing: .2pt;">t</span>y<span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;"> </span>of<span style="letter-spacing: .2pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">P</span>a<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">c</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">i</span><span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">f</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">i</span>c<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">t</span>a<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">l</span>e<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">n</span>t
<span style="letter-spacing: .3pt;"> </span>as
L<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">a</span><span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">n</span>i<span style="letter-spacing: .25pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">c</span>o<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">l</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">l</span><span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">a</span>b<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">o</span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">r</span>a<span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">t</span>ed<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;"> </span>w<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">i</span><span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">t</span>h<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">‘</span>up<span style="letter-spacing: .55pt;"> </span>a<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">n</span>d<span style="letter-spacing: .3pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">c</span>o<span style="letter-spacing: .2pt;">m</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">i</span>n<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">g</span>’<span style="letter-spacing: .25pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">i</span>n<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">n</span>o<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">v</span>at<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">o</span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">r</span>s
<span style="letter-spacing: 1.55pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">i</span>n<span style="letter-spacing: .5pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">f</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">i</span>e<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">l</span>ds<span style="letter-spacing: .3pt;"> </span>of<span style="letter-spacing: .5pt;"> </span>p<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">h</span>ot<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">o</span>gr<span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">a</span>p<span style="letter-spacing: .2pt;">h</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;">y</span>, <span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">f</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">il</span><span style="letter-spacing: .2pt;">m</span>,<span style="letter-spacing: .3pt;"> </span>d<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">a</span>n<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">c</span>e,<span style="letter-spacing: .3pt;"> </span>art<span style="letter-spacing: .6pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">d</span>e<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">s</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">i</span>g<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">n</span>, <span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">s</span>p<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">o</span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">r</span>t<span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">s</span>,<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .2pt;">m</span>o<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">d</span>e<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">li</span>n<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">g</span>,<span style="letter-spacing: -.45pt;"> </span>b<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">o</span>ne<span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">c</span>a<span style="letter-spacing: .15pt;">r</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">v</span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">i</span>n<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">g</span>,<span style="letter-spacing: -.35pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .2pt;">m</span>u<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">s</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">i</span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">c</span>,<span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;"> </span>and<span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">f</span>a<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">s</span>h<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">i</span>on.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -.05pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">S</span></u></b><b><u><span style="color: blue; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">l<span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">e</span>epl<span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">e</span>ss<span style="letter-spacing: 1.5pt;"> </span>in</span></u></b></a></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: blue; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: 2.7pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> </span></b><span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://sleeplessinsamoa.blogspot.com/"><b><u><span style="color: blue; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -.05pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">S</span></u></b><b><u><span style="color: blue; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">am<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">o</span>a</span></u></b><span style="color: black; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">.<span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;"> </span>Her</span></a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.1pt;"> a</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt;">w</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">ar<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">d</span><span style="letter-spacing: .15pt;">-</span>w<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">i</span>n<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">n</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">i</span><span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">n</span>g<span style="letter-spacing: -.45pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .15pt;">s</span>h<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">o</span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">r</span>t<span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">f</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">i</span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">c</span>t<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">i</span>on<span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;"> </span>h<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">a</span>s<span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;"> </span>b<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">e</span><span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">e</span>n<span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">p</span>u<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">b</span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">lis</span>h<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">e</span>d<span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">i</span>n <span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">c</span><span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">o</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">ll</span>e<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">c</span><span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">t</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">i</span>o<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">n</span>s<span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">i</span>n<span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;"> </span>N<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">Z</span>,<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;"> A</span>u<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">s</span><span style="letter-spacing: .15pt;">t</span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">r</span>a<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">l</span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">i</span>a<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">a</span>nd<span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">t</span>he<span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">U</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">K</span>. <span style="letter-spacing: .25pt;"> </span>In 2<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">0</span>0<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">9</span>,<span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;"> </span>L<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">a</span>ni<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;"> </span>was<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">c</span>o<span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">m</span><span style="letter-spacing: .2pt;">m</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;">i</span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">ss</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">i</span>o<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">n</span>ed<span style="letter-spacing: -.6pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">t</span>o
<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">r</span>e<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">s</span>e<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">a</span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">rc</span>h<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">a</span>nd<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;">w</span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">r</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">i</span><span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">t</span>e<span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">h</span>er <span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">f</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">i</span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">rs</span>t<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;"> </span>b<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">o</span>o<span style="letter-spacing: .15pt;">k</span>,<span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;"> </span>n<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">a</span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">rr</span>at<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">i</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">v</span>e<span style="letter-spacing: .3pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">n</span>on<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">-</span><span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">f</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">i</span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">c</span>t<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">i</span>on<span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;"> </span>a<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">cc</span>o<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">u</span>nt<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span>of<span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;"> </span>the d<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">i</span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">s</span>a<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">s</span>ter<span style="letter-spacing: .5pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;">w</span><span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">h</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">i</span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">c</span>h<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>d<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">e</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">v</span>a<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">s</span>ta<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">t</span>ed<span style="letter-spacing: .15pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">t</span>he<span style="letter-spacing: .5pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">i</span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">s</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">l</span><span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">a</span>n<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">d</span>s<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>of<span style="letter-spacing: .7pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">S</span>a<span style="letter-spacing: .2pt;">m</span>o<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">a</span>,<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">A</span><span style="letter-spacing: .2pt;">m</span>e<span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;">r</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">i</span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">c</span>an<span style="letter-spacing: .25pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">S</span>a<span style="letter-spacing: .2pt;">m</span>oa<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>a<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">n</span>d<span style="letter-spacing: .55pt;"> </span>North<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">e</span><span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;">r</span>n<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .15pt;">T</span>o<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">n</span>g<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">a</span>. <span style="letter-spacing: 1.05pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .15pt;">T</span>he<span style="letter-spacing: .5pt;"> </span>pri<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">n</span>t<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">i</span>ng<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>of
</span><span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://samoacoconutqueen.blogspot.com.au/"><b><span style="color: blue; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">‘</span></b><b><u><span style="color: blue; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -.05pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">P</span></u></b><b><u><span style="color: blue; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">a<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">c</span>ific<span style="letter-spacing: .15pt;"> T</span>su<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">n</span>ami<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>–
<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>Galu
Afi’<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;"> </span></span></u></b><b><span style="color: blue; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: .65pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"> </span></b><span style="color: black; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -.1pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">w</span></a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">as<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">f</span>u<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">n</span><span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">d</span>ed<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">b</span>y<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>t<span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">h</span>e<span style="letter-spacing: .55pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">A</span><span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">u</span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">s</span>tra<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">li</span><span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">a</span>n<span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;"> g</span>o<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">v</span>ern<span style="letter-spacing: .2pt;">m</span>e<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">n</span>t a<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">n</span>d<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">a</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">l</span>l<span style="letter-spacing: .55pt;"> </span>pro<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">c</span>e<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">e</span>ds<span style="letter-spacing: .2pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">f</span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">r</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;">o</span>m<span style="letter-spacing: .6pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: .55pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">b</span>o<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">o</span>k<span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;"> </span>go<span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;"> </span>to<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">s</span>ur<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">v</span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">i</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">v</span>ors<span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;"> </span>who<span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">sh</span>a<span style="letter-spacing: .15pt;">r</span>ed<span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;"> </span>th<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">ei</span>r<span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">s</span>to<span style="letter-spacing: .15pt;">r</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">i</span>es<span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">f</span>or<span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;"> </span>pro<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">j</span>e<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">c</span>t.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 114%;">La<span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">n</span>i<span style="letter-spacing: .2pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">i</span>s<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .2pt;">m</span>ar<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">r</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">i</span>ed<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;"> </span>to<span style="letter-spacing: .3pt;"> </span>Dar<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">r</span>en<span style="letter-spacing: .25pt;"> Y</span>o<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">u</span>ng<span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .2pt;">(</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;">w</span><span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">h</span>o<span style="letter-spacing: .25pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">i</span>s<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>pr<span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">o</span>b<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">a</span><span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">b</span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">l</span>y<span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;"> </span>t<span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">h</span>e<span style="letter-spacing: .3pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .2pt;">m</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;">o</span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">s</span>t<span style="letter-spacing: .15pt;"> </span>p<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">a</span>t<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">i</span>e<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">n</span>t<span style="letter-spacing: .15pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .2pt;">m</span>an<span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;"> </span>a<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">l</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">i</span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">v</span>e)<span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;"> an</span>d<span style="letter-spacing: .3pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;">w</span><span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">h</span>en<span style="letter-spacing: .15pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">s</span>h<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">e’</span>s<span style="letter-spacing: .25pt;"> </span>n<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">o</span>t<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;">w</span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">ri</span>t<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">i</span><span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">n</span>g b<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">l</span><span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">o</span>g<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">g</span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">i</span>n<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">g</span>,<span style="letter-spacing: .2pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .15pt;">T</span>wee<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">t</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">i</span>n<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">g</span>,<span style="letter-spacing: .15pt;"> </span>Fa<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">c</span>e<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">b</span>o<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">o</span><span style="letter-spacing: .15pt;">k</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">i</span>n<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">g</span>,
g<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">e</span>tt<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">i</span>ng<span style="letter-spacing: .25pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">d</span><span style="letter-spacing: .2pt;">e</span>pre<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">ss</span>ed<span style="letter-spacing: .2pt;"> </span>a<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">b</span>o<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">u</span>t<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>a<span style="letter-spacing: .5pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">t</span>wo<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">s</span>tar<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>b<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">o</span>ok<span style="letter-spacing: .55pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">r</span>at<span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;">i</span>ng<span style="letter-spacing: .55pt;"> </span>on<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .15pt;">G</span>o<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">o</span>d<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">r</span><span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">e</span>a<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">d</span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">s</span>,<span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;"> a</span>nd
e<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">cs</span>ta<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">ti</span>c<span style="letter-spacing: .65pt;"> </span>a<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">b</span><span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">o</span>ut<span style="letter-spacing: .65pt;"> </span>a<span style="letter-spacing: .9pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">r</span><span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">a</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">v</span>e<span style="letter-spacing: .85pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">r</span>e<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">v</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">i</span><span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">e</span>w<span style="letter-spacing: .55pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">o</span>n<span style="letter-spacing: .85pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">A</span><span style="letter-spacing: .2pt;">m</span>a<span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;">z</span>on<span style="letter-spacing: .6pt;"> </span>-<span style="letter-spacing: .95pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">s</span>h<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">e’</span>s<span style="letter-spacing: .75pt;"> </span>t<span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">h</span>e<span style="letter-spacing: .8pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">f</span>u<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">l</span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">l-</span><span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">t</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">i</span><span style="letter-spacing: .2pt;">m</span>e<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .2pt;">m</span>ot<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">h</span>er<span style="letter-spacing: .65pt;"> </span>to<span style="letter-spacing: .8pt;"> </span>h<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">e</span>r<span style="letter-spacing: .8pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">f</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">iv</span>e<span style="letter-spacing: .9pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">f</span>a<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">b</span>u<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">l</span>o<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">u</span>s<span style="letter-spacing: .6pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">c</span>h<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">i</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">l</span>dr<span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">e</span>n.<span style="letter-spacing: .75pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;">(</span><span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;">W</span>ho are<span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;">
</span>a<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">l</span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">s</span>o<span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">v</span>e<span style="letter-spacing: .15pt;">r</span>y<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span>p<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">a</span><span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">t</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">i</span>e<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">n</span>t<span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;"> </span>p<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">e</span>o<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">pl</span><span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">e</span>)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">She won the
following awards: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12964326-telesa---the-covenant-keeper"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-text-raise: -.5pt; position: relative; top: .5pt;">http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12964326-telesa---the-covenant-keeper</span></a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-text-raise: -.5pt; position: relative; top: .5pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<pre><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">Author Fan Page:
</span><span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lani-Wendt-Young/136359673048533" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lani-Wendt-Young/136359673048533</span></a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Telesa Trilogy Fan Page: </span></span></pre>
<pre><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">
</span><span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Telesa-Trilogy/146318935466086" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Telesa-Trilogy/146318935466086</span></a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></pre>
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<pre><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">Twitter: <o:p></o:p></span></pre>
<pre><span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://twitter.com/laniwendtyoung" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">https://twitter.com/laniwendtyoung</span></a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></pre>
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<span lang="NL-BE" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: NL-BE; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Blog: </span><span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://sleeplessinsamoa.blogspot.co.nz/" target="_blank"><span lang="NL-BE" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: NL-BE; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">http://sleeplessinsamoa.blogspot.co.nz/</span></a></span><span lang="NL-BE" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: NL-BE; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Amazon: </span><span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Telesa-The-Covenant-Keeper-ebook/dp/B005I3WD8Q/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1345137671&sr=8-2&keywords=telesa+the+covenant+keeper"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">http://www.amazon.com/Telesa-The-Covenant-Keeper-ebook/dp/B005I3WD8Q/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1345137671&sr=8-2&keywords=telesa+the+covenant+keeper</span></a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">B&N: </span><span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/telesa-lani-wendt-young/1112092790?ean=9781466253711"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/telesa-lani-wendt-young/1112092790?ean=9781466253711</span></a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As a writer who writes too many different things all the time – I am often asked: “Where do you find the time and the drive to write? How do you overcome writer’s ‘block’?” Such questions are a puzzle to me and so my answer is 105km and 14 hrs long…</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Two years ago, I had a crazy idea. I wanted to put together a women’s team and
run in a 105km relay that went around the main island of Samoa. It was crazy
because at the time I couldn’t even run around the car park without stopping to
gasp for breath. But I was determined. I convinced some other moms to be crazy with me and we started training.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For 5 days a week over three months, we would
meet at the crack of dawn to go for a 5k run. I use the term ‘run’ very loosely
since, at first, I did more of a shuffle, which then accelerated to become a
waddle, which then after a few weeks, became a jiggly, joggly sort of jog. Did
I enjoy it? Hell no. I hated every minute of it. Many times, I only went
because it was my turn to drive and pick the team up. Other times, I only went
because the rest of the team was honking their car horn outside, waiting to
pick me up. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But after 6 weeks, something strange
happened. (No, I didn’t transform into a stunning athletic muscle machine. I
wish.) I found myself waking up early on Saturday mornings…wanting to go for a
run, itching and edgy for a run. Huh? By Wk 9, I was going for a run TWICE A
DAY. And when I got the flu and couldn’t
train for a week? I was raving mad. As if someone had bought all the Diet Coke
on the island, leaving me with nothing but coconuts to drink. By the time the
Perimeter Relay came around, I was running twice a day, sometimes 6 days a
week. But more significantly, the running had become as essential to me as
eating. Sleeping. Brushing my teeth. I wouldn’t dream of going a work-day
without it. It took our team 14 hours to
complete the relay, running from 2am to 5pm the next afternoon. Many times
during that relay, I wanted to puke and die. But many times, I was also running
on an exhilarating high as I gloried in feeling like – I could run forever and never stop. My
Perimeter relay experience showed me that crazy, impossible dreams can become a
reality. One shuffly step at a time.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Writing is just like that. If you want to
BE a writer, you don’t ‘find time’ in your busy schedule to write. You make
time. You start with a goal. A crazy dream. ‘<i>I want to write a romance. A best-selling thriller. A children’s book.
A memoir about my grandmother...</i>’ You set aside a time and a place every
day that you are going to write. You start off small. Shuffling, waddling baby
steps to get you building the consistent writing habit. You write anything and
everything. Start a journal. A family newsletter. Write down those bedtime
stories you tell your kids. Record your family history. Write long, chatty
letters to friends. Start a blog AND THEN STICK TO IT. </span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The best thing I ever did for my writing
career was to start a blog – it forced me to assert and accept responsibility
for my writing. Your blog readers can be like that relay team of runners who force
you to stick to your crazy dream by bugging you every day for your latest piece
of writing. The team mates who will encourage and support you every step of the
way. Even when it’s your turn to run up the final peak of Le Mafa Pass and all
you want to do is sit down on the road and cry.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At first, it will be hard. You will
probably hate it. Complain. Whinge and whine looking for excuses NOT to write.
But if you keep at it, doggedly, persistently - you will hit that point where
you can’t imagine a day, a moment, without writing. When you’re not writing,
you will be thinking about it. If you have an unruly mob of children like me,
you will dread the weekends because it means less writing time. ( And don’t even
get me started on the horror of school holidays…aaargh!) You will write because
you feel like you will die if you don’t. You will write because you are a
writer. </span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And that’s what writers do. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13163128507705064874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2914373095764685039.post-78731470638519924982012-08-31T09:14:00.001-07:002012-08-31T09:14:19.426-07:00Guest post by Samantha Gray - Writer's Workout - How To Sharpen Your Skills<br />
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<a href="" name="_GoBack"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18px;">Samantha Gray is a freelance writer based in Houston, Texas, who offers </span></a><a href="http://www.bachelorsdegreeonline.com/"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18px;">college advice</span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18px;"> to those interested in furthering their studies and careers. She can be reached for questions or comments at </span><a href="mailto:samanthagray024@gmail.com"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18px;">samanthagray024@gmail.com</span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18px;">.</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18px;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Writer’s Workout: How to Sharpen Your Skills<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Writing is a process that never ceases
to change; your imagination in constant flux as you write out what’s on your
mind. In order to write well and to make sense of what it is you want to say,
you have to hone your skills constantly. It’s a clichéd metaphor, but your mind
really is like a muscle. As such, you need to flex and improve that creative
muscle just as much as do Olympians train certain muscles before a big event.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">But what are the exercises involved in a
writer’s workout, for a craft that requires so much solitude, concentration,
and serious thought? Here are three exercises that I have used in the past to
strengthen my writing to great effect. My hope is that they help you as much as
they helped me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Flash
Fiction Exercises<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">A short story is a writer’s best friend.
In a single sitting, a disciplined and seasoned writer can craft an entire
story with a deep character, a moving storyline, and some affecting prose. A
promising short story might even bear the fruit of a future novel or longer
form project.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">But for writer’s who aren’t exactly
adept at writing a complex and moving short story in a matter of hours, there’s
the option of flash fiction. Most flash fiction stories run at a fraction of
the length of the typical short story, many of them clocking in at 200 words or
less. The beauty of flash fiction is that it forces a writer to strip a story
down to its most essential elements. Even more so than a short story, a work of
flash fiction challenges a writer to say what they want to say in the most
straightforward manner possible; there’s no room for fluff and erroneous
phrasing. How’s that for a writing exercise?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Create
a New Character<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Sometimes you spend so much time
struggling to develop characters that you hit a brick wall of creativity.
You’ve spent weeks trying to figure out how to make your protagonist deal with
a conflict, or how a minor character can figure more prominently into your
novel, and now you’re just burned out. I find that a great way to revitalize
your creative spirit it to construct an entirely new character from scratch,
one that doesn’t necessarily have to be in your current work.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The sheer act of fleshing out a new
character can do wonders for your creativity as it forces you to take an
entirely different perspective on characterization. If you’re writing a solemn
and dark story, for example, then creating a humorous and quirky character
might be just the breath of fresh air that you need to keep you from stagnating
in your own work. The point is that creating a new character draws your eye
away from the work you’ve been staring at for ages, so that you can approach it
again later with renewed enthusiasm.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Reread
the Work of a Favorite Author<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">When I’m looking to change things up and
stretch my mind, I often take solace in revisiting my literary roots. The
authors that inspired me to be the writer I am today are no less moving and
rewarding to read now than they were years ago when I first discovered
them. A single powerful sentence from my
literary idols can motivate me to write for hours.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The same could be the case for you. If
you’re feeling lost in your writing, perhaps all you need is some quiet time
with your favorite book. If anything, the task will put you in a better state
of mind than when you struggle in front of a work in progress.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">What exercises help you strengthen your
writing? Let me know!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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