De's Stories

Joan of Arc: My Very First Suite101 Article

2012-02-24T12:23:00.002-08:00

My mind is feeling quite full today, so I'm going to share with you the very first article I wrote for Suite101.com in December of 2008.

Saint Joan of Arc, 1412-1431

Born 1412 in Domremy. Died 1431 in Rouen.

Jeanne d’Arc, a young peasant woman, believing she was commanded by God to unite the French people and repel the English invaders, led the French army in a crushing victory at Orleans that severely crippled English attempt conquer France during the Hundred Years War. A year later Joan was captured by Burgundians, French collaborators to the English, and was burnt at the stake as a heretic.

France in the 1420s

At the time, an ensuing conflict between the dauphin Charles VII, son and heir of the Valois King Charles VI, and the Lancastrian English King, Henry VI, was taking place. The dispute was over the empty French throne and control over French lands. King Henry was in alliance with Philip the Good, duke of Burgundy, and their armies were occupying much of the northern part of the Kingdom of France.

At the end of 1427, five years after his father’s death, Charles had still not been crowned. All of his hopes to ascend the throne, unite the French people and oust the English invaders had faded. To make matters worse, Reims, the traditional city for the inauguration of French Kings, was well within English held territory. As long as the French throne remained uncrowned, the dauphin’s rightful claim to be king was subject to challenge.

Joan the Maid of Orleans

Since Domremy lay on the frontier between the lands of the Anglo-Burgundians and that of the dauphin, the village was subject to constant threats by Burgundian and English knights. Many villagers fled their homes before the raids, others perished at the hands of their attackers.

Joan first heard the voices of St. Michael, St. Catherine, and St. Margaret in her early teens. They implored her to release France from the English. Led by her divine voices, Joan travelled to Vaucouleurs and exhorted the local commander, Robert de Baudricourt, for permission to send her across English held territory to see the dauphin in Chinon. Insisting she had lost her sanity, he refused to believe the sixteen-year-old girl’s accounts of her visions and sent her home. Early in the year of 1429 Joan returned to Vaucouleurs. This time her steadfastness and piety won the respect of the village people and the commander permitted her to travel to Chinon, accompanied with six knights. Joan’s purity and virginity earned her the title ‘Maid of Orleans’.

On 6 March 1429, Joan was allegedly invited to the dauphin’s court. Charles, preparing for the Maid’s arrival, strategically disguised himself as one of his courtiers. Joan’s success in identifying him was instantly interpreted as divine confirmation of Charles’s legitimate claim to the throne. She was also successful in the ecclesiastical examination to which she was subject at Poitiers. Consequently, she was given charge of French Army.

The following month Joan led the French Army against the English forces in Orleans and by early May successfully forced the English to lift the siege and leave the Loire valley. Soon after, Joan, with the aid of 12,000 soldiers accompanied the dauphin to Reims where he was crowned King. At Charles’s coronation, Joan the Maid of Orleans was granted a place of honour next to the new King.

Joan’s Trial

In the following year, Charles VII rewarded Joan’s services for France by placing her as head of the French Army, but failed to support her future military endeavours. Therefore, she took matters into her own hands. Her campaign to take Paris failed miserably, and her later march on Compiegne ended with her capture by the Burgundians. Joan was sold to the English, who, after a lengthy trial conducted by the Inquisitor Bishop Cauchon, was charged with sorcery and witchcraft. She was taken out into the Churchyard at St.Ouen and burnt at the stake on 30 May 1431.

Joan of Arc, Patron Saint of France

Joan’s achievement created a national consciousness among the French people that grew stronger after her death. Twenty-five years after her execution, when the English were finally driven out, the Pope at Avignon ordered a rehearing of Joan’s trial. At the time, the French people already revered her as the saviour of France. After hearing from witnesses, Joan was declared as innocent of the charges against her. In 1920, nearly five hundred years later, Pope Benedict XV canonized her as a patron saint of France.

Sources:

Danuta Bois, “Joan of Arc (1412-1431)” (1999) http://www.distinguishedwomen.com/biographies/joanarc.html
(accessed 16 December 2008)

Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc., “St. Joan of Arc Biography (1412-1431)” (1994-2008)
http://www.biography.com/search/article (accessed 11 December 2008)

Eternal World Television Network, “Saint Joan of Arc Virgin—1412-1431: Feast May 8”
http://www.ewtn.com/library/mary/joan.htm (accessed 16 December 2008)

Steven Kreis, Joan of Arc, c.1412-1431 in “The History Guide: Lectures on Ancient and
Medieval European History” (2000) http://www.historyguide.org/ancient/joan.html
(accessed 11 December 2008).

Some Very Weird Thoughts (One of Them Actually Didn't Come From Me)

2012-02-22T10:33:00.007-08:00

This is what I read on one publisher's blog yesterday. It was his thoughts on 'easy' marketing techniques for new authors.

"Get a large piece of dirty cardboard box and write: “Help a starving writer. Please buy my book.” Put on a shabby set of clothes. The ones you have on right now will do very nicely, actually. Then take a box of your books and park yourself in front of a shop in town and look pitiful. Caution: stay away from the entrances to Wal-Mart. The panhandlers there are very territorial about their spots."

Mmmmm. Sounds like a really weird way to promote a book. I wonder if an author has actually tried this.

On another note, last summer when talking to someone about getting 'To be Maria' ready to query en mass, I refered to my query letter as my query litter. I immediately imagined shipping one literary agent a litter of kittens along with my book proposal.

Imagine that! A number of cute, adorable kittens hiding, playing and running around the office of an agency. Maybe--if the agent happens to LOVE cats, she or he would request to see the full manuscript? The likelihood of that, next to nothing, especially if the agent hates cats or is allergic to them.

Story Theatre: New Opportunities

2012-02-20T14:02:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago Mike and Radhika asked me to write three short plays for the 2012 Story Theatre season. The one that Mike wants us to perform, in particular, is 'The Ant and the Grasshopper', an Aesop fable that he is going to direct. He also asked me to write two other plays which I am currently working on.

I have to say that I'm excited to take on a larger role in story theatre beyond acting and Facebook management, happy to use my writing skills in a new way and looking forward to seeing one or two of my stories performed throughout the summer months. The one thing I'm going to have to get used to, though, is having to give up most control over my creative projects. Mike and Radhika will be directing the plays, so they will have ultimate say where the actors come on stage, how they use the space and where they exit the stage. It will be like working with an editor--which I will be doing with 'To be Maria' somewhere down the line--so this is a good place to start, to get used to the idea of giving up my creative control.

Regardless, I can't wait to see my stories come to life. Hey, I might even act in one of them. You never know.

I found out yesterday afternoon that Bob would like to see story theatre perform off coast this summer. He would like to see us perform in outdoor venues on Bowen Island and Gambier Island. I'm not in charge of story theatre, but if we could make this happen, this would be a gold feather in story theatre's cap. It would also provide everyone a wonderful opportunity for networking, and a new place to showcase their talents.

Day of Revenge Info

2012-02-17T11:32:00.000-08:00

You can read the PDF of the first chapter of 'Day of Revenge' on Scribd.

If you would like to purchase a signed copy of the book, I have 4 copies left. I'm selling them for $22.00, no tax, but shipping included.

I also have the entire first chapter posted in installments here on De's Stories.

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6

Speaking In Public

2012-02-15T11:39:00.000-08:00

This is a guest post by Imogen Reed. Imogen is an experienced motivational speaker who loves to share her experiences and knowledge. She covers all areas from alcohol intervention programs to business seminars and uses her talents to help others. In her spare time, she likes to write about her experiences so others can benefit.

To some people public speaking appears to come so naturally, the relaxed authoritative manner, the easy wit, the pithy anecdote are all readily at their disposal, and yet for others the thought of standing up in front of a room full of others is the stuff of nightmares, sometimes real nightmares. However, mostly it is not the actual act of public speaking that causes them to wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat, the image of a thousand accusing eyes staring at them still stark in their mind, but rather it is the fear of doing it badly, of looking foolish in front of others, or of drying up completely.

Given a relaxed social setting they can keep a room of friends spellbound with their traveler's tales, or have them in stitches of laughter over a ribald joke, but inject any formality into the occasion, or transfer it to a business or civic setting, and that’s when terror strikes at their hearts. Well they shouldn’t feel too badly about themselves because even the majority of those who seeming have the knack of speaking to an audience are in fact putting on a show, and are secretly terrified that it will all end in humiliation. Remember that actors and entertainers, who perform for their living in front of hundreds and sometimes thousands of people at a time, often speak about having ‘stage fright.’

The only way to get better at public speaking is to do it, and it’s important to take whatever opportunities that present themselves and make use of them. The dilemma is how to overcome the main pitfalls involved in speaking to an audience and thus have the confidence to prevent your nervousness crippling you. Well here are a few suggestions.

Know Your Audience

Know your audience. If it’s an occasion such as a wedding or birthday party, then the people there are likely be quite forgiving of any slip ups, but what they want is a funny anecdote about whoever it is your speaking about, and lots of kind words and warm wishes.

In a business or civic environment you have to keep it relevant and highlight a few key points that you want them to remember, because if they want detail they can always go to the notes or leaflet you provide them with or maybe ask you in the Q & A slot you’ve built in if it’s appropriate. Remember too that it’s quite different speaking to those who already have an interest or knowledge about the subject you’re speaking about, and a more general audience. Address a town planning meeting and start giving them explanations of what zoning means and they’ll think you’re an idiot. But, tell a town meeting that you think parking charge increases should be based on RPIX rather than CSI and they’ll look at you blankly.

The American journalist Kin Hubbard gave pithy advice on the subject when he asked “Why doesn't the fellow who says, ‘I'm no speechmaker’, let it go at that instead of giving a demonstration?”

Make a Plan

Make a plan. Don’t try and simply do it off the cuff, only the real maestros can get away with winging it. If what you have to say is relatively short or perhaps a reading, then write it down and read it through to familiarize yourself with the content. The audience will forgive you for looking down more if you are quoting from a source, but if it’s your own words they’ll expect you to be looking at them most of the time. If it’s something longer, or if you’re simply expected to make a few comments then create a list of key words and phrases, highlight things if necessary, and whatever you do make it legible, because there’s nothing more embarrassing than not being able to read your own notes, and it gives the impression that you simply cobbled something together on the taxi ride in. Type and printed is best, and maybe even in a larger type than usual to ensure it’s easy to read when you’re glancing at it.

Speed Limits Apply

Speak up and don’t garble. Survey the venue which you have to speak and try and judge what volume you need to achieve to be heard comfortably. If you’re using a microphone, try it out beforehand if possible. Speak as clearly and naturally as you can and don’t race away. The temptation is to get things over with quickly, but don’t, because that’s when you are most likely to stumble or misspeak. If you’re reading something out and have practiced it, then don’t rely exclusively on the grammar to slow you down, we all have different speech patterns, so perhaps mark up where your natural pauses occur.

Celebration of Excellence: To Honour Volunteers

2012-02-13T12:14:00.000-08:00

On Saturday I received an email from Pat Hunt asking me if I would nominate Bob (founder of Story Theatre and former director) for the Celebration of Excellence event, an event that honours outstanding volunteers here on the Sunshine Coast. I don't know if any given volunteer will win an award, I believe that this event is to honour all of the volunteers who had made a significant difference in people's lives in this community.

I'm excited to nominate Bob Hunt because he made a big difference in my life. If Story Theatre had not existed, or was inclusive, I wouldn't be the person I am today. And I certainly wouldn't have made the friends that I've made. Bob created Story Theatre with the intention to make theatre accessible by anyone, regardless of acting experience.

I'm happy to give Bob this credit because he deserves it, especially after what he's done in the theatre community and in the community at large.

This event will be held at the Chatelech High School (the first high school I attended) on April 14th, in the evening. I'm very much looking forward to being there with the people I cherish to share in the celebration.

Ode to the Underdog

2012-02-10T11:50:00.000-08:00

There was a time when I hated it when someone referred to me as an underdog. I felt degraded, worthless, unlikeable. It felt as if that person attached the words, 'insignificant me' to my forehead.

To me, an underdog was someone who was:

misunderstood

friendless

awkward

ignored

all of the above

I realize that when I was a child, I was all of those things, but I'm not upset. I don't let the weight of the past drag me down. And, I'm no longer ashamed to admit that I'm an underdog.

An underdog may be the bullied, the ignored, the geek, the person no one wants to understand. But, that's what makes underdogs so unique; they are the way they are because they march to their own tune. They're creative, inspirational in their own little way. They are not your wanna-fit-in-with-the-crowd type individuals because they have boundaries with people. They don't party every weekend because they're working around the clock to prosper.

The underdogs are those super-talented individuals who rise from nothing, complete obscurity. They are the inventors, best-selling authors, soldiers, fathers, mothers, entertainers, caregivers, doctors, missionaries, astronauts, leaders and gurus. They are you and me.

Underdogs are significant people and they have a place in this world just as much as everyone else does.

To be Maria Revised

2012-02-08T08:32:00.000-08:00

When I set out to re-write the first chapter I decided to go through the entire manuscript one more time. What I hadn't anticipated was doing another huge edit: I ended up writing two more chapters, adding onto existing scenes and re-writing other scenes. It was a lot of work, yes, but I actually enjoyed it.

Now that I'm finally done, I'm going to share with you a short excerpt from the new chapter 1.

Anya leaves her journal then walks over to one of the open cupboards. As predicted, it is empty save one box of Macaroni and Cheese and a package of Mr. Noodles. Anya shuts the door then peers into the next cupboard. All that remains in there is a box of Cheerios. She grabs the box, realizing that it is more than half-empty but thinking that it should be enough to satisfy her until lunch.

As she opens the fridge door, she hears a shuffling noise from behind. Thinking that it is Sophia, she turns, ready for a round of confrontation. But, it is her father and he stands less than one foot away from the doorway. He very rarely is up this early, so Anya is surprised to see him. For the first time in a long time, he is clean shaven and he is dressed in a red, button-down, flannel shirt that is tucked into blue jeans. Anya suspects that his clothes are also clean because she does not smell any foul stench.

"You're up early," she says, her left eyebrow slightly cocked.

"Yeah. I got a new job."

"Where?"

"At Home Depot."

Anya purses her lips. That's not a step up from your last job at Canadian Tire. "Cool. Is the pay better?"

"Yeah. Enough to get me by."

Anya narrows her eyes. Enough to get us by, you self-centered jerk. "Well, I hope you last at this job," she says, slamming the milk and Cheerios down on the table. I hope your new boss doesn't fire your dumb ass like your last boss did.

"I think so. You going to clean this up," he says, pointing at the counter.

Anya glares at him. "Uh, no."

"Why not?"

"Because you were the one who made the damn mess. That's why!"

He casts her a sharp look. "Don't talk to me like that, young lady."

Anya shoots him a defiant look. "I can talk to you however I want."

"Fine then. Be that way. I'm off."

"Clean your stinking mess when you get home from work," Anya yells after him. She slumps into a chair, her eyes brimming with tears. "Don't cry. He's not worth it. Don't let him get you down," she whispers to herself over and over again until the anger ebbs. But, when she looks at her diary, the feeling returns. She flips through it until she comes to a blank page.

The Craziest, but Funniest Thing

2012-02-06T10:09:00.000-08:00

I posted this article on my Skirt! Magazine blog last week. But, I've decided to share it here as well.

The craziest, but funniest thing happened last Thursday evening.

The Matkins--a family we've known for seven years--invited us over to dinner last night. They live out in the woods in Halfmoon Bay where houses are scarce and wild life is plenty. For that reason, they have three dogs--one of them belongs to their daughter-in-law--and two kittens.

These dogs are not the average, medium-sized dogs. They are big dogs. Yet, they are well-trained and quite friendly.

After dinner, when we were all sitting in the living room, Maureen brought out a platter of butter then plastered some of it on the kittens. First one kitten. Then the other. The friendly giants then licked their tiny backs until the butter was all gone and their thick, grey fur wet and standing on end. What surprised me the most was that these kittens actually liked having the dogs lick their backs. They seemed to relish every moment of it.

It was quite a site. Never before have I seen someone rub butter on a kitten's back to have a dog lick it off. I laughed, wishing that I had my camcorder. I would have filmed the entire thing, then uploaded it onto YouTube. Maybe next time, I'll have my chance.

My Writing Plans as of Now

2012-02-03T12:42:00.000-08:00

After a dry spell, my book sales are back up, quite up. In early January, IUP (The Indiana University of Pennsylvania) placed another large order through Inkwater Press, and my online sales are better by quite a lot. This is making me very happy, especially to know that my efforts are paying off. Finally!

That said, no time is a good time to take a break. I have to keep it flowing, not only in book sales but in other ways as well. For the longest time, I've been writing for online magazines for no pay--there is nothing wrong with that because it's finally paying off. And, since I've made some good connections, I'm not about to give it up.

I've found some online and print magazines that pay their writers, so now I have to get writing. It will be nice to be able to promote my book(s) via writing articles and short stories while getting paid to do it. I can't wait until I get that going.

As for To be Maria, it turns out that I'm still in the thick of the editing process. I'm writing yet another chapter, the new chapter 27. The following chapters will be bumped up in numbers, making this book a total of 38 chapters. I know, it sounds quite big for a young adult novel. But trust me, it's still going to be well under 85,000 words, within the range of the typical YA novel.

I'm not in any hurry to complete this novel, yet I don't want to keep it on hold for too much longer. Editing can be a writer's worst nightmare. It's so damn tedious. I used to think of it this way, but now I've let that mentality go. How am I going to make my project 'good' when I'm not enjoying the editing component?

I can't wait to get back into the querying game, yet I have to admit that I'm enjoying reading through my manuscript--yet again--and making more changes.

At the beginning to January, I had planned to get back into the querying game in early March. I'm going to stick with that goal. But if all goes well, I'll start earlier.

5 Best Ways to Minimize Stress

2012-02-01T12:25:00.000-08:00

Most often than not, stress is a negative emotion. Every person, to varying degrees, has stress in their lives. The amount of stress depends on the individual’s circumstance and the intensity of it depends on how well the person copes with it. There are a number of factors that cause stress including, jobs, school, relations with family, friends and relatives, and church events. Regardless of the situation, if not dealt with in an appropriate manner, over time stress will wreak havoc on your body, mind and spirit. This article will discuss five strategies you can take to minimize stress in order to prevent future physical and mental illness.

1. Talk to a friend. If you just had a fight with your roommate, call up a friend and meet her or him at a local coffee shop to talk about your situation. Good friends are always there to lend a listening ear and comfort you when you most need it. Most of the time they will always give you good advice on how to deal with the situation. Together, you and your friend can come up with ways to mend the relationship between you and your roommate without creating further conflict. Talking with a friend eases the anger you may feel toward your roommate and releases the burden of the past conflict off your back so you can continue your life without having it weigh on your mind.

2. Think positive. In extremely tough situations, this can be tough to do, but it is a necessary skill to acquire in order to prevent from having a mental break down. Having a positive outlook will help you pull through any negative situation. Thinking positive will also strengthen your coping skills and build your resiliency to any bad situation. If the situation is too much for you to bear, than get out of it. Nothing is worse than being in a situation that you either have no control over or cannot cope with.

3. Exercise. If you are feeling stressed out over a math exam that you have spent hours studying for, but still do not understand all of the material, do not keep studying. Over studying for any exam creates more confusion, stress and exhaustion. Instead, go for a long walk or take a short trip to the gym and work out or swim laps. Exercise will clear any confusion or stress you are feeling and will make your mind feel renewed and prepared to tackle that math exam. In any situation, being active will keep your body, mind and spirit healthy and happy.

4. Eat healthy. Eating fruit, vegetables and meals that includes portions of meat, chicken, rice and salad, gives the body and mind more energy and helps the mind to think more clearly in given situations. Eating these kinds of food keeps the body trim and reduces the likelihood of getting diabetes, heart and other cardiovascular related diseases in the future.

5. Organize your time wisely. Getting out a day time planner and organizing your priorities in order from the greatest to the least will help you get things done much quicker and will free up your time. In the end, you will feel relaxed and will not have to worry about scrambling to make ends meet at the last minute.

Taking these important steps will significantly reduce the stress in peoples’ lives, and help people live better quality lives.

To be Maria: Back to the Editing Stage

2012-01-30T11:05:00.000-08:00

I'm itching to query To be Maria en mass, but I realize that it's still not ready for the submissions stage. After re-writing the first chapter twice--I'm happy with the latest draft--I've decided that it would be wise to read through the entire manuscript once more.

The last time I read through To be Maria was back in the summer time, almost half a year ago. For this reason, and after receiving feedback from a friend on the second draft of the first chapter, I am able to read my manuscript with a genuine pair of fresh eyes. Based on the new first chapter, I've made some revisions in the proceeding chapters, and I'm tightening up the writing in places where it's wordy. I'm also making additions where I feel that it will strengthen the story.

So far, I've gotten through 25 chapters, which at that point, I've decided that I need to include another chapter. Chapter 26 won't be the chapter 26 as it is. It will be a brand new chapter, giving this story a total of 37 chapters.

I'm actually enjoying this editing process because I'm not stressed out over anything--like I was when I first started the editing process last spring. I'm also in no hurry to complete it, although I plan to get back in the querying game in early March. Still, that gives me ample time to get done what I need to get done.

Book Marketing: Finding A Method That Works Best for You

2012-01-27T11:07:00.000-08:00

This coming Monday, I will be on Donna Amos's Solo Talk radio show talking about the importance of book promotion. I'm not going to regurgitate the usual: why authors need to promote their books, how to promote them, where to promote them, blah, blah. I think, with the amount of information on the world wide web, all new and aspiring authors know how essential marketing/promotion is to their success. And, they all know about the 'author platform'--their readership.

What most new authors don't know when starting out is what method of marketing and promotion works best for them. Marketing and promotion is something, unless you studied it in university, you learn as you go. When you start out, you make the wrong moves, the wrong connections, you promote your book in places that don't give you any results in terms of sales or lasting professional connections. Sometimes your efforts are met with a hard slap in the face by some callous person who just doesn't give a damn. That actually happened to me a year ago. I dealt with it, but it stung. Yet, I forced myself to move forward.

Day of Revenge has been in publication for over a year now and I'm in the process of preparing my second novel, To be Maria for publication. I'm currently doing some more edits on this new novel, but plan to have it finished before March commences.

Regarding Day of Revenge, it took me one solid year to experience a measure of success in terms of sales. Why? Because I was the brand new author on the block--I still am--but because business wasn't my focus in university I had to teach myself the art of marketing. And, since I had very little help from my publicist, I was on my own. It's a good thing I'm good at research because if I wasn't, I'd still be stuck on square one. Like everyone else, though, I did stumble along the road.

Eventually, I did find two methods of online marketing that work best for me--internet radio interviews and guest blogging. However, I learnt that even these two methods needed a degree of strategy. They only work when you use them the right way. I plan to talk about how they have worked for me and how you can utilize these methods to stimulate your book sales. So, tune in to Solo Talk Radio on Monday afternoon. The times are listed on the right sidebar.

Interview With Writer Amanda McDonald

2012-01-25T10:13:00.000-08:00

I don't interact with other writers in my community. All of my interactions is done online, so once in a while it is nice to read the opinions of other writers. That is why I decided to interview Amanda McDonald. We actually attended UNBC together for a few years. She started UNBC when I was in my third year. I didn't know until later on that she is another writer.

Here is what Amanda has to say about her writing and her publishing aspirations.

Deanna: Tell me about your book.

Amanda: My book is an urban fantasy set in the Vancouver area. It is based on the premise that supernatural creatures and beings exist, and this has really messed the political world up. In Canada, we have an Intelligence Agency that is really unlike any other agency in the world. Their regulations are different and although they are in contract with the government they are independent. It is called the Canadian Security and Intelligence Service, CSIS for short. My protagonist is an Intelligence Officer with this organization when the United States decrees that all supernatural beings need to get out of the country and she experiences, from an intelligence level, how this mass exodus affects Canadian society. She’s also charged with a high-profile, high fail-rate project that could mean the difference between staying human or becoming one of the creatures.

Deanna: What is it about fantasy that intrigues you so much?

Amanda: I think I’m inspired not by fantasy, but by the products of other fantasy authors. When I look at J.R.R. Tolkien’s works and how his personal skills really made his story world not only unique but also more genuine, it makes me catch my breath. These are entire creations of the mind. Not just the characters but the world, the languages, the back-story and world history. Tolkien studied languages and eventually invented his own languages for his books.

I think that fantasy and sci-fi are genres that are literally open ended; there are no limitations to what can be created in the mind and world of the reader. When I begin thinking about creating a fantasy story, I start with a character and a problem. Sometimes my stories come from religious or theological questions I have. When I was a preteen I fell in love with Greek myth and story. I began writing my own versions of how the world came into being, and the same happened when I had been introduced, years before, to First Nations’ culture and myth.

Deanna: What are your publishing aspirations?

Amanda: My long term goal is to get published through a major publishing press and to eventually make a living off of my writing and book sales. I think that I’m a bit of a granny in the writing world, I really can’t see myself self-publishing. I grew up going to the library, smelling the pages, the binding and the ink; I really can’t see myself ever giving up the physical book for a digital one. I bought a book digitally recently and I had a hard time figuring out how to transfer one book to another reader etc. I understand that a lot of writers are using or pushing e-publishing, but I find myself hoping that I don’t write something that people will be happy to keep on their computer. I think I’m just naive enough that I hope readers will buy my book because they want to keep it, they want it to remain in their collection permanently. But, that’s me shooting for the stars. (Embarrassed grin)

I would also like to bring some legitimacy to the genre-writing world in Canada. Right now the major fiction market is in the United States while Canada is a major literary and non-fiction market. I’ve spoken with so many aspiring genre-fiction writers here in Canada who are being told by the literary groups not to “sell-out” by pitching to American publishing houses but where else are they going to publish their work? There are smaller Canadian publishing presses, but when I think of aiming high, I think of the biggest market. I wrote a book with the intention to pitch to American publishers but it’s Canadian content; another no-no, writing about Canada for the American market.

It’s funny, Canadians almost act ashamed of themselves when they’re writing for the American market. If there’s one thing that television has taught me, it’s that American’s are fascinated by new content. Look at programs such as “Ice Road Truckers,” based in Canada, or the newest season of “Gold Rush,” based out of Dawson City in my home territory of the Yukon. Even Stephanie Meyers mentioned Vancouver in her first book, Twilight. I guess I’m unlike most writers because I’m not shy, my goals are lofty and I’m not scared to mention them, nor am I scared that my Canadian nationality is going to stop me from getting published south of the boarder and being successful.

Deanna: Do you plan to stick with fantasy, or will you write in another genre?

Amanda: I’ve had a lot of positive feedback on my non-fiction recently at some events where my short non-fiction work was featured so I might write a book in non-fiction. I recently wrote a play based on non-fiction; but I think that I covet the fantasy world in my head so much more than the harshness of reality that writing in this genre is pure joy. I honestly believe that it’s the only reason I’ve been able to finish this book.

Stephen King was quoted in the book, On Writing Horror: A handbook by The Horror Writers Association, as saying this: “We understand that fiction is a lie to begin with. To ignore the truth inside the lie is to sin against the craft, in general, and one’s own work in particular.” I would have to agree with the famous horror writer. It really doesn’t matter what genre or style you use to write your story; it only matters that you stay honest to the story you’re telling, honest to the characters.

Deanna: Where can readers find out more about you?

Amanda: I currently have a blog, Writer McDonald; they can find me on Twitter @writeramcdonald. I also have a group on Facebook for closer friends, but once the book is published, I plan to launch a Facebook group that’s more open to the general public.

Books I’m Looking Forward to in 2012

2012-01-23T10:11:00.000-08:00

This is a guest post by Erin O'Riordan. You can keep up with her reading choices and writing at her blog. Authors, would you like to share approximately 100-200 words about a current work in progress? Erin’s blog features WIPs every Wednesday. You can contact her at erinoriordan@sbcglobal.net.

Every writer is also a reader. I read a wide variety of fiction and nonfiction, but the genre that brings out my inner squealing fan-girl is paranormal/urban fantasy. Each of these series has me hooked, and I look forward to a new year of releases by these, a few of my favorite authors.

1. Dead is a Battlefield by Marlene Perez. Due to be released on March 6, 2012, according to Amazon.com, this is the sixth book in Perez’s Dead Is series of young adult paranormal mysteries. It will represent a major shift in the series, though. The first of five books--starting with Dead is the New Black-- focused on Daisy Giordano, a budding psychic going to high school in the quirky town of Nightshade, California. In the fifth book, Dead is Not an Option, Daisy prepared to go off to college.

The new volume will follow Jessica Walsh, a Nightshade high schooler who appeared as a minor character earlier in the series. According to the buzz on Goodreads, some fans of the series are not looking forward to the shift. Perez’s series is so addictive, though, I don’t see how they’re going to be able to resist picking this one up.

2. Lover Reborn by J.R. Ward. Speaking of addictive series, J.R. Ward’s definitely not-for-kids Black Dagger Brotherhood novels is the definition of must-read. Ward’s noir storytelling style (it may remind you of Robert B. Parker) and original vampire world-building must strike the uninitiated as rather strange. For those of us who were hooked from Dark Lover, this twelfth book in the series will be a much-needed fix. Wikipedia says, “Lover Reborn will be released on March 27, 2012. Tohrment, the Brother who had it all, but lost everything to the enemy, is destined for a second chance at love and life. But will the past and his bitterness hold him back?” When Tohrment’s wife was murdered, many Ward fans were shocked and saddened, so it will be nice to see Tohr happy again. (Yes, we all know that the couple in question will end up together in the end. It’s happened 11 times before.) We also need to know what will happen with Blaylock and Qhuinn, the best friends whose relationship is infinitely complicated by the fact that Blay is in love with Qhuinn.

3. Deadlocked by Charlaine Harris. Keeping pace with Ward, Charlaine Harris will release the 12th book in the Southern Vampire Mysteries series on May 1, 2012. Reportedly, this will be the second-to-last book to feature Harris’ iconic character, psychic waitress Sookie Stackhouse. Chapter 2--which Harris has posted on his website--features the faeries heavily. The faeries interest me, especially since they always signal a strong element of danger. But, what I really want to know is whether Sookie will ever get back together with her dead ex-boyfriend, vampire Bill Compton. (Sorry, fans of Eric.)

A History of Piracy in the Caribbean: Part 3

2012-01-20T10:21:00.000-08:00

Check out part 1 and part 2.

England, until the mid-sixteenth century, was Spain’s strongest ally. The friendship between the two countries, however, ended with the death of Mary Tudor in 1558 and “the accession to the throne of Elizabeth I.” Under Elizabeth I, England became a Protestant nation. Queen Elizabeth firmly maintained it was England’s God given right to have a share in the wealth of Spanish America. Every attempt the Queen made to secure friendly trading relations with Spain ended on the brink of disaster. As a result, her attitude towards Spain became bitter.

Throughout the reign of the Tudors, English sailors and merchants engaged in small-scale raids in the Caribbean, not funded by the English crown. Their aim was purely out of individual interests for personal wealth and profit. Under Elizabeth I, piracy became a national business. It was one which attracted Protestant men from other parts of Western Europe. “Between 1568 and 1572 French and Dutch Protestant privateers went into partnership with England’s West Country pirates.”

One of the most notorious pirates of the era was Sir Francis Drake. He was most renowned for his skills as a seaman and privateer. In 1572, Elizabeth I granted him a commission to sail over the Atlantic, plunder Caribbean and coastal villages, and bring the booty back to the English court. Drake’s voyage almost ended in disaster. More than half his men, including his brother, died from disease and injuries in the swampy jungles of the Panama. His dismal expedition made a drastic improvement when he and his men came across a mule train stacked with bars of silver and gold. Drake, with the help of his remaining crew captured it, violently seizing all of the precious metal from the helpless Spanish merchants. This expedition earned him a title and immense fortune when he returned to England. His success on this commission also earned him the firm respect and backing of the Queen. Elizabeth granted Drake a second commission, and in 1577, he sailed once again across the Atlantic with the intention of sailing through the straight of Magellan in Southern Chile.

It took him sixteen days to sail through the Magellan straight before he entered the Pacific Ocean. Drake then sailed up the Coast of Southern America, ruthlessly attacking Spanish merchant ships. He took more than half of all precious metals and other exotic goods from these ships. His ship, the Golden Hind nearly sank underneath the heavy weight of the gold and silver bars, gems and minted Spanish coins. Even after throwing half of his booty into the ocean to keep his ship afloat, Drake still “yielded a 4,700 per cent profit.”

When Drake arrived in Plymouth Harbour, his ship filled with treasure and spices, he was welcomed by the Queen with a huge public celebration. She gave him royal approval for his piratical activities in Spain’s imperial waters by knighting him on board the Golden Hind. This greatly encouraged many common English sailors who sailed for the Caribbean in increasing numbers. Of course, not all sailors were sanctioned by the crown. Much like the pirates of the Tudor era, these men were attracted to the precious metals and other treasures of Spanish America. They were determined to obtain a significant portion of this wealth for themselves.

As the seventeenth century progressed, piracy in the Caribbean increasingly became an individual business not sanctioned by the crown. This form of piracy reached its zenith in the last decade of the seventeenth century and in the first quarter of the eighteenth century. Piracy declined throughout the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries with the development of steam engines and the growth of the British and American navies. Piracy, however, did not vanish altogether. In recent times, a number of cargo vessels have been the target of modern-day pirates. Piracy in the Caribbean still continues today but is most prevalent in the “waters off Indonesia and Somalia.” It is highly doubtable if piracy will ever end. It will last as long as people continue to create new and criminal ways of obtaining economic wealth without having to work for it.

Sources

A Brief History of Piracy on The History Channel Website, http://www.history.com

Cawthorne, Nigel. A History of Pirates: Blood and thunder on the high seas. London; Toronto: Arcturus Publishing Limited, 2003.

Koeller, David W, “The Treaty of Tordesillas: 1494” in the Central and South America
Chronology (1998) http://www.thenagain.info/WebChron/Americas/Tordesillas.html
Accessed 29 July, 2008.

Top 4 Ancient The Top 4 Wedding Customs That Will Make You Feel Fearful

2012-01-18T10:18:00.000-08:00

This is a guest post by Katherine. Katherine specializes in weddings. She shows us deluxe & fashionable wedding dresses on Micweddingdresses.com. To learn more about wedding customs and creative wedding ideas, visit her blog.

In recent years, some terrible wedding customs are widely spread online. Sometimes, the bride will be teased. And sometimes, the groom will be asked to do some incredible things by the guests. So, some newlyweds tend to adopt foreign customs to avoid their unpleasant moments. However, how much have you known about foreign wedding conventions? In this article, the top 4 ancient customs in different countries are reviewed. Some of them will probably make you feel fearful.

Top 1: in ancient England - to marry means to clean together.

Before 1753, when the law of marriage was modified, the groom and bride needed to clean together on their big day. There was no European style wedding gown, expensive diamond ring, let alone marriage certificate. What you will face are only the broom and the house stacked with rubbish.

Of course, there was also a wedding ceremony. Under the management of the local administrator, the groom and bride would step into the kitchen, carrying the divine broom. It’s said there were organizations where grooms-to-be and brides-to-be could learn how to do housework. These organizations were often established by the local government.

Top 2: in ancient Bulgaria - bride needed to dress as a clown.

Generally speaking, the wedding is the most important day in our lives. Everybody will spare no efforts to show their best on that memorable day. But, if you were born in Bulgaria, you would never achieve this. According to the local convention, brides wouldn’t be made to look charming. On the contrary, they were required to dress as clowns. They aimed to surprise all guests present on their nuptial. And this definitely makes all people remember the most significant moment in their life.

Days before the wedding, the bride learnt how to dress like a clown. First, they would make the face black, then they would put on fake ears and badly fitting clothes. On their wedding day, they would act foolish. For example, they would throw excrement at guests or dance with animals’ bones. They behaved as crazily as they were permitted. And, only after doing these will they feel the wedding is complete.

However, why do people in Bulgaria do this? They do this to exorcise evil spirits. They hold the opinion that if the bride elaborately makes up and looks appealing, she will draw on envy from the evil and that brings black luck to her husband later. So, each bride will dress to appear ugly, expecting to live a joyful and stable life.

Top 3: in ancient Sparta - bride needed to dress as a man.

Spartans are warlike. They even desire to have a fierce fight on their weddings. But, they certainly wouldn't do this.

In ancient times, brides in Sparta would paste mustaches on their faces and dress in men’s clothes and shoes. They would sit in a black house, waiting to be stolen by their grooms. They would only take off mustaches and costumes after being carried back home by the grooms.

It’s said this convention originated in a certain era when most Spartans were homosexual. People having heterosexuality were even afraid to make their relation public. So, this method enabled them to avoid the doubt. Eventually, this became a convention.

Top 4: in ancient France - the groom and bride ate rubbish together.

The name of France is filled with overwhelming romance. It’s believed most people do hold this opinion. To generate a French wedding is definitely desired by most girls. But in the ancient times, this didn’t make sense, especially in La Soupe. The groom and bride couldn’t have delicious food. On the contrary, they would drink and eat inedible rubbish.

Based on the local convention, the groom and bride would be assigned to clean their new house on their wedding day. The garbage they found would be their food and drink. It’s hard to imagine what this would look like, but to make it fair, there would be gourmet food at the feast, making up for the previous nausea.

How to Get Rid of Writer’s Block

2012-01-16T09:14:00.000-08:00

This is a guest post by Mark Weikel. Mark is a guest post author who contributes to us his tips for overcoming writer’s block. Mark also writes for Gay Dating Sites where he offers gay singles advice for safe online dating.

So you’ve sat down to compose your next big masterpiece…but instead of working you’re staring into space, logging onto your Facebook account every five minutes and catching yourself in vivid daydreams of claiming a coveted spot on the New York Times Best Sellers List. When you finally bring yourself back to the blank Microsoft Word document on the screen before you, the cold reality sinks in that you are never going to have a book to sell if you don’t find a way out of the pit of despair (i.e. writer’s block) that you’ve fallen into.

But fear not, all you blocked writers…there is a way to escape! Here’s how it’s done:

Have a change of scenery. If you are locked up in your room day after day, trying to come up with new and exciting material, it’s easy to fall into a dull routine that leaves you feeling short of the creative genius that you are. Mix things up and find new writing spots that will encourage the passion and creativity to emit from within you. Pack up your laptop and visit the park on a beautiful day, frequent your favorite coffee shop or head to the local library to submerse yourself in an atmosphere of thousands of books—what could be more inspiring than that?

Get organized. Maybe you’re not the most organized person in other realms of your life, but when it comes to your writing it’s time to revamp your ways. Set aside some time and create a strict writing schedule to which you can adhere. Categorize your ideas and make outlines of how you will execute them. When you have an organized plan of attack, you will find the clutter in your head creating the writer’s block will soon disappear.

Get inspired. To come up with new ideas for your writing, start branching out and searching for new sources of inspiration. Try other forms of artistic expression—taking piano lessons or enrolling in a sculpture class are great ways to ignite a spark of creativity that can be transferred to your writing. What are you passionate about? Hone in on whatever it is, focus on that inspiration and let it flow into your best writing yet.

Take a break. When you’re working on a particularly time-consuming project, break it up into pieces to make it easier to tackle. Work on portion by portion so that you don’t get overwhelmed and stuck in a frustrated state of writer’s block. Be sure to give yourself mini-breaks during long days of writing—whether it’s taking a walk, grabbing a snack or talking to a friend, this little breather will give you the chance to clear your head and come back to your work with a fresh mind.

Don’t be so hard on yourself. Every writer—even the greats—experience writer’s block from time to time. Whenever it creeps up on you, it is often due to feeling inadequate in your craft. Don’t let these feelings get the best of you and discourage you from doing what you love. Remember that when you write, you are constantly improving and becoming a better writer. So keep going, stay positive and be sure to follow these tips for overcoming writer’s block!

A History of Piracy in the Caribbean: Part 2

2012-01-13T10:54:00.000-08:00

A continuation from Part 1.

Two of the three ships Cortes initially sent after his conquest never made it back to Spain. Near the Azores, they were “attacked by a half-a-dozen French privateers under Captain Jean Fleury of Honfleur.” Only one of the ships went to the court in Madrid. The other two “went to Fleury’s patron Jean Ango of Dieppe.” The Spanish rightfully claimed that their booty had been stolen by Fleury. The French, on the other hand, claimed that seizing Spanish goods “was a legitimate act of war.” Francis I even “encouraged the corsairs of La Rochelle, St. Malo and Dieppe to cross the Atlantic” and plunder Spanish towns and coastal villages for treasure. “‘I should like to see the clause in Adam’s will that excludes me from a share in the world,’ said Francis I, speaking of the Treaty of Tordesillas.”

The English were next in line to engage in organized piracy. In 1497, John cabot discovered Cape Bonavista, present day St. John’s Newfoundland. When the English began colonizing the north Atlantic territory, today known as the Canadian-United States Eastern seaboard, they quickly discovered that the land was barren and did not produce the valuable and exotic resources that were produced in Mexico and on the Caribbean Islands. So, the English, also desiring the wealth Spain enjoyed, turned to piracy.

What amplified tensions between Spain, France and England over the wealth of Central and South America was Spain’s unwillingness to share it with other European countries. All Spanish ships carrying gold, silver and other goods from Spanish America were, by strict orders of the Monarch, to return to Spain. All trade was restricted between Spain and Spanish America. French and English merchants seeking to trade on friendly terms with Spanish America were met with cold and even hostile treatment by Spanish authorities.

Charles’s stingy trade policy was to become a detriment to the financial well being of both Spain and her overseas colonies. European Monarchs not only sponsored and funded privateering in the Caribbean in retaliation to Spain’s selfishness; they also used religion to justify their actions. Protestant Monarchs firmly maintained that it was “every Protestant’s duty to seize the goods of Catholic Spain.”

Sources:

A Brief History of Piracy on The History Channel Website, http://www.history.com

Cawthorne, Nigel. A History of Pirates: Blood and thunder on the high seas. London; Toronto: Arcturus Publishing Limited, 2003.

Koeller, David W, “The Treaty of Tordesillas: 1494” in the Central and South America
Chronology (1998) http://www.thenagain.info/WebChron/Americas/Tordesillas.html
Accessed 29 July, 2008.

Dear Journal: I Discovered That 'To be Maria' Needs More Work

2012-01-11T11:07:00.000-08:00

I haven't subbed 'To be Maria' out to any agents, other than the few that I contacted in October/November of last year. I haven't heard back from all of them, but yesterday I received this email in my inbox from the agent I queried at the SiWC:

Dear Deanna,

Thank you for submitting the opening chapters of TO BE MARIA per our discussion in Surrey, and for your patience while we reviewed your material. You have an interesting premise and some lovely, detailed writing here, but I’m afraid that the pace is slowed considerably by the amount of back story you tell the reader starting with the second page. While much of the information is important, you need to find a way to weave it more fluidly into the narrative over the course of the book rather than stopping the action early on. Your writing shows promise, but this project is not quite ready for the submissions stage. I wish you the best of luck with it and with all your writing endeavors.

When I first read this email, I felt my heart sink. Initially, I thought no way. I'm not going to change Anya's back story in the first chapter. I received good feedback on it from a few avid readers, so I'm not changing a single thing. But then, I read the message again and again and again. The more I read it, the more reflective I became. It's not a bad rejection notice by any means. In fact, I'm thankful that she took the time and effort out of her busy schedule to provide me with constructive feedback.

As good as the first chapter is, it still can be way better. I took her message to heart and have decided to re-write the first chapter. The next step in my plan--before I query any more agents--is to send the revised chapter out to people for feedback.

I'm finding that writing is like life. You live and you learn. You leap one step forward and then suffer one step back. You stumble and you fall along the way, but then you pick yourself up and move forward with the determination to learn from those mistakes. At times (like I just experienced) you come across that one kind person who lends you a helping hand, even though it might be a short critique or a small piece of advice.

My writing skills continue to evolve as I continue to experience new things--good and bad--in my personal life. I do realize that I'm the kind of person who gets wrapped up in my own ideas. Over the summer and fall months, I had this obsession with "back story". A story just isn't a story without back story. That is true, but as this agent gently pointed out, I need to incorporate it within the body of my novel without bogging the story down. So, the important lessons I learnt yesterday are moderation and balance. No story can exist without these two things. Nothing in life can exist without these two things for that matter.

How to Keep Your New Year’s Writing Resolutions

2012-01-09T11:26:00.000-08:00

This is a guest post by Erica St. Claire. Erica St. Claire is a guest post author who shares with us her tips for sticking to your New Year’s resolutions for writing. She also writes for Best Catholic Dating Sites where she focuses on educating readers on safe online dating.

Just days into the New Year, we are filled to the brim with optimistic plans for actually maintaining our resolutions past the month of January. If you are a writer who has resolved to set forth on a journey that will land you a spot on the New York Times Best Seller List (or maybe you’re just aiming to start your own blog), here are a few steps for keeping up with your writing resolutions that will add to the happiness, prosperity and health that you are looking forward to in 2012.

Step #1: Define your goals. Sure, “become a better writer” is a great resolution, but to make your resolution one that you keep, you’ve got to hone in on a more specific goal. Rather than a generalized resolution, make precise promises like “I will compile a collection of my poetry in a book by the end of the year” or “I will pen my thoughts in a journal every single day.” When you clearly define your resolutions, you will find it easier to track your progress and reach your end goal.

Step #2: Be realistic. Don’t get me wrong—you’ve got to have dreams. Dreams are what inspire us when the world feels nothing short of cold and cruel. However, it’s important to be realistic with your New Year’s resolutions. If you are committed to a day job or have a lifestyle that doesn’t afford much extra time to dedicate to your craft, you’ve got to factor that into your writing equation. Set attainable goals that coincide with other parts of your life so you don’t get frustrated or overwhelmed with the urge to throw your resolutions and your laptop out the window.

Step #3: Put it in writing. If you put your resolution on a notecard in black and white and hang it somewhere you will see it each day (next to your laptop, on the fridge, in your wallet, etc.) you will be reminded of what you are working towards. Write down your overall goal and include mini-goals with deadlines along the way. As you cross each checkpoint off the list, you will be encouraged to make it to the finish line!

Step #4: Don’t be too hard on yourself. If you are having difficulties achieving success with your New Year’s writing resolutions, don’t beat yourself up about it. Your resolutions are goals that you will be working on throughout the year. All great writers know that great writing takes time, practice and dedication. They also know that a few steps backwards are bound to happen; look at them as small bumps in the road and as opportunities to get back on track after learning from mistakes.

Step #5: Visualize success. With a positive outlook and a mindset geared towards your 2012 resolution, visualize each step along the way as you near closer to fulfilling what you set out to accomplish with your writing. To stick to your resolution, think of the good feelings that you will have as you make progress towards reaching your goals. Visualize a successful end result and have a Happy New Year!

A History of Piracy in the Caribbean: Part 1

2012-01-06T11:09:00.000-08:00

Very often when people think of piracy, famous historic pirates Captain Kidd, Bartholomew Roberts, Calico Jack, and Disney’s renowned Captain Cook and Jack Sparrow come to mind. Throughout the ages, writers and filmmakers have aggrandized the lives of pirates without fully acknowledging why ‘piracy’ in the Caribbean began and why such men chose to live outside the law. In order to delve into this subject, one must first examine the historical events that lead to the rise of piracy in the Caribbean.

In response to Columbus’s discovery of the Caribbean Islands, Pope Alexander VI took action to clear up confusions that might arise between Spain and Portugal over newly acquired territory. He issued the Treaty of Tordesillas, a decree that “established an imaginary line running north and south through the mid-Atlantic.” Under these terms, Spain held possession of unclaimed territory west of the line and Portugal held possession of unclaimed territory to the east of the line.

In 1519, a decade later, Hernan Cortes “mounted an expedition to Mexico” and with a few hundred Spanish conquistadores and thousands of Indian allies, he “crushed the Aztec empire.” After his victory, in August 1521, Cortes sent three ships full of remnants of the fallen Aztec empire home to Spain to prove King Charles V of his triumph. On board included “gold and silver bars, three hundred pounds of pearls, large emeralds, jade statuettes, feathered masks, ceremonial robes and three live jaguars.” These goods were to show the immense wealth of Spain’s newly conquered territories.

Both the Treaty of Tordesillas and the Spanish conquest of Mexico brought on the attention of other western European powers. Neither the French nor English Monarchs were willing to accept this Treaty. These powers commonly agreed that they were being robbed of their economic prosperity. Throughout the sixteenth century and for half of the seventeenth century much of the money in Royal coffers was spent on the improvement of land based warfare, and on the building of elaborate palaces. As a result, Monarchs’ could not afford to fund navies and pay sailors to fight Spain for access to the precious metals and other valuable resources of her overseas colonies. At the same time, they were not willing to let Spain have all the wealth. Monarchs’ privately funded bands of privateers to plunder Spanish vessels and bring back stolen goods to heir home country. The first of these Monarchies was King Francis I of France.

Sources:

A Brief History of Piracy on The History Channel Website, http://www.history.com

Cawthorne, Nigel. A History of Pirates: Blood and thunder on the high seas. London; Toronto: rcturus Publishing Limited, 2003.

Koeller, David W, “The Treaty of Tordesillas: 1494” in the Central and South America
Chronology (1998)http://www.thenagain.info/WebChron/Americas/Tordesillas.html
Accessed 29 July, 2008.

What Exactly is Writer's Wrist and How do I Fix it?

2012-01-04T11:00:00.000-08:00

This is a guest post by Anthony. Anthony recently completed his graduate degree in English Literature. A New Mexico native, he currently resides and writes in Seattle, Washington. He writes primarily about education, travel, literature, and American culture.

Whether you’re a writer who’s chained to the computer all day, or, like Stephen King, you do your creating on a big yellow legal pad, you may notice that it becomes painful to write after a period of time. You might have a tingling feeling in a few of your fingers or have problems holding a pen without cramping or contractions in your hand. In either case, you may be developing one of the forms of writer’s wrist, and that is definitely a bad thing.

Wrists have a lot of mechanical things going on in them. There are tiny bones that move, tendons, nerves and ligaments all compressed into a relatively small space and working together in precision. Doing the same tasks over and over without thought of how it affects those mechanics can cause minor cumulative injuries and irritations that eventually result in potentially painful and debilitating conditions, such as carpal tunnel. For instance, typing or writing can cause tendons in the wrist to swell, leaving them with no place since it is such a small area. As a result, the tendons end up compressing the median nerve, which runs through the wrist area, causing anything from a mild tingling to numbness to a horrific pain. It may hurt so bad that it feels like your hand, arm and even shoulder are on fire, and it’s often worse at night.

Another common condition associated with wrist pain, focal hand dystonia, shows itself as a cramping or contraction of the muscles of the hand. This often forces the hand to twist into unnatural positions making it difficult or impossible to hold a pen or anything else. Focal hand dystonia is often “task specific” and only shows up with certain activities, but can spread to other areas of the hand. The nasty part of both of these conditions is that once they show up, they cause stress, pain and tension, which can snowball, making the original condition worse.

Luckily, if you are afflicted with one of these conditions, there are things you can do to help yourself. Start by paying attention to ergonomics, having the proper wrist support and positioning at the keyboard will make writing much less painful. You may also want to consider implementing the following tips:

• Whether you're filling out applications for graduate programs or on a roll writing that great American novel, stop and do a little exercise to relax your hand and get it into a different position. Try rotating your wrist, opening and closing your hand, wiggling your fingers and squeezing one of those rubber exercise balls; anything to relax the muscles and change to a different position for a few minutes.

• If you’re a pen and paper kind of writer, be sure to use a pen that is comfortable in your hand, preferably one with a larger barrel. Try not to grip it too tightly, and make sure it writes easily so you don’t have to press too hard against the paper. Also, be sure to set the pen down when you’re not actually writing, just to change the position of your hand.

• Most importantly, take breaks. Get up and walk around every hour or so, even just for a few minutes to relax your hand, arm and shoulder. This can make a huge difference in your comfort level over time.

Finally, your doctor can be your best friend. A good diagnosis and some professional input can only help, especially if you are having anything more than minor symptoms. Carpal tunnel can be a serious issue requiring surgery to correct, if you ignore the problem and just try to tough it out. When relaxation and ergonomic changes aren’t providing you relief, or if you think your symptoms are getting worse, do not hesitate to get a professional evaluation and advice.

The Year 2011 Went Out Like a Lion

2012-01-02T12:55:00.000-08:00

Well, we have now entered 2012. So far, it's off to a fairly relaxing and quiet start, better than I thought it would be given what I had very recently gone through.

On December 30th, I had a little misfortune. I decided to haul the garbage tin up the long, asphalt laden driveway that leads to my parents home--the home where I also reside. I had been feeling under the weather that day, I had this annoying scratchy feeling in my throat that wouldn't go away.

I couldn't have waited for a worse time to retrieve the empty garbage tin. It was beginning to get stormy outside, the rain was getting heavier. By the time I reached the bottom of the driveway, the rain was starting to come down harder than it already was. I have this phobia of being stuck in a downpour, so naturally I began to run up the driveway while holding onto the bin. About half way up the driveway, I lost my footing, fell onto my left shoulder and also hit the side of my head. I got myself up immediately, but I was in shock. Two of my fingers on my right hand were bleeding and badly bruised. But, I was mostly terrified of the pain in my shoulder even though it wasn't acute.

Luckily, when I walked over to my neighbour's home, she was there. She cleaned the cuts in my hand, bandaged them and then gave me two painkillers for my injuries. I then made my way back home and tried to relax, but I was in much pain. So, I eventually drove myself to the hospital.

Two and a half hours later, I was immensely relieved to find out that I had not broken any bones, just strained the muscles in my shoulder. A couple of friends--who I had planned to have dinner with that evening--met me at the hospital just as I was getting out and they took good care of me for the rest of the evening until they returned me home.

For me, the year 2011 came in like a lamb and went out like a lion.

I am feeling much better, but I still have a long way to go. Since the injured shoulder happens to be the one I use to write with, I am faced with the challenge of having to get back into the writing groove without putting too much strain on these bruised muscles.

I owe my friends and my neighbour many thanks for being there for me in the time when I needed them the most and for going out of their way to take care of me.

Big Plans for 2012

2011-12-27T18:19:00.000-08:00

I have a number of big things that I plan/want to accomplish in 2012, but I'll only mention four of them.

1. I've written a few articles for StupidDOPEnet. Shane, the blog manager, is very happy with my work even though I haven't written much for him. He's happy because my very first article was featured on Google News. My plan is to write many more articles in the new year with the goal to have more of them featured on Google News.

2. I'm doing all this guest posting with the ultimate goal to build my author platform. It's clearly obvious that, in order to get a book published and to have that book sell well, you must have a good following. I'm currently doing just that by guest posting for various blogs. Unfortunately, I realize that I'm not the most consistent blogger. I'll write something that will gain much exposure, but then I don't follow up immediately on it with another article of the kind. My resolution for 2012 is to be more consistent with my article writing/publishing efforts.

3. I plan, hope, want to find a good home for my YA novel, TO BE MARIA in 2012. The only way to accomplish that is through consistency and stability.

4. I plan to contribute articles to paying, paper/e-magazines. I'll be crossing my fingers, hoping that I don't get too many rejections.

And, those are my New Year's resolutions for 2012. Big plans? Yes. But anything is possible when you put your heart, soul, mind and effort into it.

Christmas Through The Eyes of My Characters: Maria Hernandez

2011-12-23T14:48:00.000-08:00

This is my last Christmas in Spain--well for a while at least. In the new year, my family is moving to Canada because my father got a job with Altec, some engineering company based in Peach Valley, British Columbia. I'm sad and excited at once. It's my grad year and I've made some good friends along the way, so I'm really going to miss them. I'm also going to miss my grandparents and my relatives.

I'm not going to miss my boyfriend, though. Ex-boyfriend that is. Last week, I found out that he two-timed me with some sixteen-year-old dancer. All of my friends think she's a total slut and I had the honour of telling her that to her face. It felt so good to see the pitiful look on her face. She didn't argue with me because she knows it's the truth. And the truth hurts. Hopefully this Christmas she will either change her ways or switch schools. Frankly, I think it would be best for her to go to another school because no one likes her.

As for my guy, I dumped his ass the moment I found out that he was a cheating, lying, son-of-a bitch. But, I didn't realize how much I actually loved him until I broke up with him. I cried for several hours. All of my friends tell me that I'm better off without him, but it took me a while to believe them.

I love my friends, but my family doesn't. My parents keep telling me they're no good for me, that I need to make better choices in terms of friends and that I need to start thinking about my future. I'm seventeen. I have my whole life ahead of me. Why should I have to hurry to make a ton of money? I don't want what my parents have. I really want to be a hairstylist. That's what I want the most in my life. But, my parents seem to think otherwise.

I also love my friends. Okay, they like to party and they're not from rich families. We've snuck into night clubs a few times to many this year and we've skipped classes so many times to hang out at the mall or to play soccer in the park. We've also smoked cigarettes in the girls' washroom. One time, we were caught by the grade eight socials teacher and the principle suspended us for two days. I had to stay away from home during school hours because god forbid what my parents would have done to me if they found out.

You can guess by now, we're not high achievers. I flunked eleventh grade science, so I was forced to take it again this semester. My parents were quite pissed at me, they grounded me for, like a month. But, I just don't care what they think about that. My friends have been there for me through everything and I'm really going to miss them.

Yet, I'm one to embrace a new adventure. I've always been that way. Meeting people is always exciting. Besides, I've moved twice before I entered high school and I've had no problem making friends the two times I was the new kid on the block. So, this should be no different. I heard from several people that Canadians are really nice. That gives me a lot of hope.

Every early December, my family, grandparents and relatives make the long pilgrimage to Seville. We rent a house, large enough for everyone to live inside for the entire month of December. On Christmas Eve, we attend the great cathedral and watch a group of choir boys perform. Later, several actors play out the nativity story. Then, we all go carolling through the streets of Seville. We stay in Seville until January 6th and then we make the long journey back to Madrid.

Christmas has a special place in my heart. There is no school, no useless homework, but it's also the only time of year when I truly get along with my parents. I love the lights, the carolling, the joy and the togetherness. I wish it could be this way all year long.

This Christmas, I'm determined to forget about my ex-boyfriend and I'm not going to think about moving away. I'm going to live for the moment, like there will be no tomorrow.

Christmas Through The Eyes of My Characters: Carly Newman

2011-12-21T12:22:00.000-08:00

I love Christmas because there is no school and it's party all the way. Every year my parents let me have a huge party. I only invite the cool kids, though. My party is always on the evening after school ends for the holidays. We have so much fun. Everyone who's anyone loves the parties I throw. Every year is a different theme. I remember last year, everyone had to dress in red and white. I bought this really cute Misses Claus dress. It was really short and kinda low cut. My dad didn't approve, but everyone else did. Besides, it felt good to be the center of everyone's attention. Hell, I'm always at the center of everyone's attention. Everyone loves me. What can I say? It just feels more special to be doted on at Christmas.

Last year at this time, I also started dating Matt Devries. He's like Brad Pitt and Michael Jordon put together. He's the captain of the senior boys basketball team this year, he's the most popular guy in school and his dad owns Peach Valley mall. I'm so glad to call him mine. He has plans to play for the NBA and I'm going to be a movie star. Yes, we make a formidable team. No loser is going to ruin our star status.

I'm going to audition for Mr. Hawthorne's advanced acting class. I'm not nervous at all because I know I'm going to get a spot in his class. Anya and Patrick--two of Peach Valley Senior High's biggest losers--are also auditioning to get into the advanced acting class, but they have nothing on me. I'm going to win that sponsorship of Vancouver Film School hands down. And those losers will be kissing my ass when I do. It's about time they know their peking order.

Oh yes, I really strayed away from the topic didn't I? This year for Christmas, we're going to Hawaii for two weeks. I mean--my family and I--are all going. I've never been to Hawaii so I can't wait to hit the beach and build up a nice tan. But, it's going to be different. I won't see Matt or my other friends and there won't be a Christmas party because we're leaving the morning after school ends. I'm going to miss them all, especially Matt. Oh well, I'll be living it up in Hawaii while they'll all be freezing their asses here in Peach Valley. Just joking, haha. I'll be sending Matt and all of my friends Christmas wishes from the beach.

Christmas Through The Eyes of My Characters: Patrick O'Connell

2011-12-19T11:40:00.000-08:00

I love Christmas. It is my favourite time of year. It's the only time of year, other than summer time, that I don't have to be in school.

I love everything about Christmas, but what I love the most is spending time with my family. I haven't seen my relatives much since we came here to Canada. We've spent the last four Christmases with each other and with few of the friends that we've made along the way.

Since eighth grade, Anya has been with us on Christmas Day. She is so close to the family that she is like family. We're best friends. Well, I'd like to say we're more than best friends. I love Anya. I love everything about her. She lights up my world. She always brightens my mood and I likewise when she's struggling. Life is not kind to her. I mean, she comes from a family that is abusive and she's bullied a lot at school.

I also get bullied a lot. I thought that things would have gotten better for us by the time we entered senior high. We're both seventeen, in twelfth grade. In half a year, we're all going to enter the real world. Given that, I'd like to think that people would grow up. But they haven't. It's too bad for them because they are going to seriously regret it one day. I'm a firm believer in karma. What goes around eventually comes around.

I just let their rude comments roll off my shoulders. I can't be bothered to care anymore. I have plans to become an actor, so I just can't waste my time and energy on them. I wish, though that Anya would act the same way. She also wants to become an actor, but she's so worried that her lack of friends will hinder her ability to make it as an actress. Sometimes she acts like she doesn't care, but really she does. I wish she would realize that I'm her good friend. She only needs one good friend to get her through the day. I'm there for her and I always will be. Hopefully one day soon, she'll wake up and realize that.

This Christmas, my family and I will be spending Christmas and New Years in Dublin with our other family. I asked my parents if we could take Anya with, but they don't think it's right to take her when we're not yet boyfriend-girlfriend. Although I'm really excited to see my grandpa, aunts, uncles and cousins, I'm going to miss spending time with Anya. It makes me sad to think that she'll have nowhere to go on Christmas day. She deserves so much more than what she gets, you know. I hope that one day soon, I'll be able to give her a good life.

Christmas Through The Eyes of My Characters (To be Maria)

2011-12-16T17:06:00.000-08:00

Part 1: Anya Preschnikov

Christmas. As far as I can remember, no one in my supposed family has ever celebrated Christmas. I mean, my dad's a chronic alcoholic. And a loser. He can't even hold onto a job. I mean, I don't think he can. He hardly even talks to me, so I don't know anything about the latest job he works at.

Sophia, my younger sister, apparently got invited to a friend's place for a celebration on Christmas day. I didn't think she had any good friends. She's quite the bitch you know. So, when I heard that she was invited out, I was quite surprised. And jealous and hurt. Of course, Sophia had to tell me that she's spending all of Christmas Eve with that friend's family.

"I can't wait to spend Christmas with my best friend," she had to tell me.
I felt incredibly insulted by that comment, so I had to ask, "Well, what about your older sister? Am I not good enough to spend Christmas with? I'm your sister for god's sake."

You know how she responded? She cast me a side glance and said, "Dream on, Anya. You can't give me what I want. Besides, I'd far rather be with my friend than with you, Dad and your stupid boyfriend."

Boy did I lay into her. "Fine! Go! A very Merry Christmas to you too. I hope you choke on your friend's turkey while you trip over a gift." I still don't regret saying that to her. Ever since she entered the sixth grade, she turned into a self-serving, snot-nosed little bitch. I'm so sick of her shitty attitude. Now that I think about it, I'm glad I don't have to see her over Christmas. Hopefully, she'll stay with her friend for the entire holiday. I'd rather spend Christmas alone than with her.

At the beginning of November, Patrick told me that his family will be spending Christmas with his relatives in Ireland. Like I said earlier, I've never celebrated Christmas and frankly, I've never liked it, but I don't want to be alone. I've spent Christmas with the O'Connell's the last four years and we've always had a really good time, despite the fact I don't like Christmas. They sure know how to celebrate. Their house is always decked out with bright lights that make the snow sparkle at night.

I really like the nativity scene that they put on display in their living room. I'm not a Christian, yet I get so drawn in by the baby Jesus and his father and mother. I've heard the Christmas story so many times. I always think about how tough their lives were in those days and I can relate to them. They were poor, like me. There was no room for them in the inn. They had no house, no family to take them in. Whenever I think about them, I don't feel so bad.

When I first heard that Patrick won't be here, I was really upset. I cried for several hours after I got home from school. I've been secretly hoping that they'd take me with them to Ireland, but Patrick hasn't asked me and I don't think it would be right to invite myself. Besides, his relatives don't know me. It wouldn't be the same. So, I guess I'll have to do something to keep myself from going nuts. I could really use some steady income, so I think I'm going to get a job. I'm also going to get ready for my auditions.

We have to audition for Mr. Hawthorne's--my acting teacher--advanced acting class. The auditions are in the middle of January. I want to be an actor so bad, so I have to get into this class. It means all the world to me. So, I better get ready for it, like now.

Things I Like to Blog About

2011-12-14T11:05:00.000-08:00

Not to long ago I created a list of things that I'd like guest bloggers to adhere to when submitting content to me. Like any other blogger, I do have a list of wants and don't wants. That said, since I am offering my expertise to other bloggers, I should list my areas of expertise, the things I know best and the type of things that I like to write about.

Here they are...

1. Creative Writing
2. Blogging
3. Social Issues
4. Inspirational/motivational
5. Productivity
6. History
7. Book Promotion
8. Public Speaking
9. Flash Fiction

Thanks.

Photos From A Performance

2011-12-12T12:47:00.001-08:00

Performances are still in the making, Story Theatre will be performing 'A Christmas Carol' two more times--Saturday, December 17th and Sunday, December 18th. Yet, I can't wait until it's over to post some photos.

Me as the Spirit of The Present.

Carole Carlton as Marley.

Radhika Samwald as Ebenezer Scrooge.

Julie Eyers as Bob Cratchit.

Mike Barcroft as Tiny Tim.

left to right: Rob Wilson (musician), Carrie Zadrazil (sound effects) and Mike.

Carrie, Julie's understudy, has now taken over the part of Cratchit.

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever

2011-12-09T12:45:00.000-08:00

Last night, I went to the Heritage Playhouse with a few friends to see The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. I have to say that I was impressed by the acting, but I was also taken in by the story.

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, a play based on a children's novel written by Barbara Robinson, follows the story of the Herdmans, six rough and tumble children from a broken family who all live in the poor side of town. No one in the church community likes these people. The other children are afraid of them and the parents are extremely critical of them.

Much to everyone's greatest dismay, the Herdman's take over the Christmas Pageant. Well, they don't exactly take over the play. Grace, one of the upright, middle class churchgoers, gives these children a chance to perform in the pageant. Even in the face of doubt and disapproval, she believes that it will be the best Christmas pageant ever. She is determined to make it the best Christmas pageant ever.

I'm not going to give away the ending, but I will say that it was a touching story. The story is Christian oriented, but not in a religious or self-righteous manner. The Christianity that I saw was genuine and sincere. That is what makes this story so moving. One day soon, I'm going to purchase a copy of the book.

If you reside on the Sunshine Coast (southwest, British Columbia) I encourage you to see The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. You will laugh and you might even shed a tear. The play is held at the Heritage Playhouse in Gibsons. It is playing from December 9th (tonight) until December 16th. All evening performances begin at 7:30pm.

You may also want to see A Christmas Carol put on by Story Theatre, a division of Driftwood Players. You can check out our schedule here.

Spirit of The Future

2011-12-07T11:24:00.000-08:00

"Watch Ebenezer. Watch what is yet to come."

I do not come from above. I come from the grave. They call me the Spirit of The Future because I show people their fate should they continue on the garden path. I am the spirit of death. I have existed since the time of man. I have spoken to millions of men, women and children from around the world.

Ebenezer Scrooge was devastated when I showed him his fate.

I'm not a spirit that talks much as there is not much to describe me.

Back to Deanna.

I know that Dickens had a different idea of what the three spirits were. They're spirits, they could have been anything really. I happen to play all three spirits in A Christmas Carol, so I wanted to create their stories, stories that I can relate to just so I can get deeper inside their character when I perform onstage.

Spirit of The Present

2011-12-05T12:11:00.000-08:00

"I am the Spirit of the Present. Hold onto my robe and we'll travel together this Christmas morn."

I am referred to as the Spirit of the Present, yet I do not come from the present. I have lived long ago in the time when men adhered to the ruling of the Catholic Church over that of kings. I was born in the Year of Our Lord, 1143 and died in 1193 on my journey home from the Holy Land.

I should have had a good life for I was born into privilege. I was the eldest of four sons. My father owned vast tracts of land in southern England and he was also a knight, renowned for his wealth and for his military prowess. I had everything. Since I was the eldest son, I eventually inherited my father's lands, while his money was divided between my mother and his four sons upon his death. Yet, I lived a terribly miserable life.

Alfred, my youngest brother, was given to the monastery at the age of seven. The rest of us were trained vigorously in the art of warfare. I was knighted on the day of my fifteenth birthday. Two years later, I went with my father to the Holy Land. We traveled back and forth from England to our estate in Outremer until my brothers were well trained and of age to join us in the Holy Land.

My two younger brothers soon found ladies and were married in haste. Yet, I remained loyal to my knighthood status. I joined the Order of The Temple and rose through the ranks as all men marvelled at my military prowess. I became so entrenched in my duties to the Temple and to the defence of the Holy Land that I lost my soul. I became ill-mannered and hot-tempered. It did not take me much to lose my temper. Several times, I spilt blood in anger. Even my fellow men-at-arms feared me. I had no friends.

I fell prey to outlaws on my way back to England. They showed me no mercy. Neither did my men-at-arms to my greatest dismay.

One may wonder why I am so jolly much of the time and why God would give me a second chance after all I have done.

I was visited by Saint Nicholas in my death throes. He came to tell me that I had one last chance to renounce my sins. I did. But, I soon found out after I entered heaven that God had a special plan for me. I was to speak to the living who have chosen to walk the destructive path I have walked. Ebenezer Scrooge was one such individual.

Saint Nicholas was my patron saint in life and in the spirit world. I learnt so much from him. He taught me how to love and laugh. He also taught me that happiness is not for the faint hearted--a belief I've maintained in my years on earth. Happiness is what draws people together. It is what strengthens communities.

I do not live in remorse for the life I lived, rather I quickly forgot about my miserly earthly life. I've started anew and I look forward to living an eternal life of happiness with a mind at peace.

I believe my cheerfulness penetrated the thick fortress around Scrooge's heart and, even though I showed him some things that pained him, I believe that he will change his life and his character for the better.

The Spirit of The Past

2011-12-01T09:57:00.000-08:00

This is to help me get into character...

"I am the Spirit of the Past. Walk with me."

I am angel from heaven. I have been in heaven since the time Christ came to earth as a man to spread the gospel. Yet, I return to earth frequently to speak to people. I have spoken to thousands of people since my ascent into heaven. I have spoken to many in dreams, but to some, I have appeared in spirit form. Ebenezer Scrooge is one such person.

Scrooge is on a very dangerous and destructive path. If you would know of his past as well as I do, you would better understand why he is the way he is. Yet, his selfishness and cold-heartedness has left him miserable and empty inside. Even his wealth cannot comfort him. If he does not change, a worse fate than loneliness awaits him on the day of his death.

God has tried to speak to the man for many, many years, but only to be shoved out of his life. Yet, God is a God of love. He will not give up until Scrooge listens. That is why God has called me to speak to Scrooge. He has called upon me to deliver His message to Scrooge. I know what I am going to show Scrooge will be very difficult for him to see. It is going to pain him beyond words, but I trust that he will see the light.

A Christmas Carol: Performance Dates

2011-11-27T10:57:00.001-08:00

We're in the final countdown 'til performancess begin.

Here is the Driftwood Players' A Christmas Carol performance schedule.

Tim Hortons:
November 27 - 7:00-7:30pm (That's tonight)
December 3 - 2:00-2:30pm
December 4 - 4:00-4:30pm
December 11 - 4:00-4:30pm
December 18 - 4:00-4:30pm

Sunnycrest Mall
December 17 - 2:00-2:30pm

December 3 - 4:10-4:35 - Elves Telethon at the Heritage Playhouse

If you live on the Sunshine Coast (British Columbia), I invite you to come and enjoy this delightful tale of redemption.

The Man With The Plastic Sandwich

2011-11-25T10:48:00.000-08:00

A couple of friends of mine--Daniel and Simone--are putting on a production, The Man With The Plastic Sandwich, a play originally written by Playwright Roger Karshner. They reserved Mike, Radhika and myself a ticket to see their show which was very kind.

We went to see it at the Heritage Playhouse Wednesday night and I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed the show. The acting was good and the story engaging.

The play is about white-collar worker, Walter who was laid off and has been unemployed for six months. White collar is the best description for Walter because he is an engineer. Understandably, he is down and out about having no work. However, he is very blessed. His wife has willingly taken over the role as provider by accepting a job that pays her a decent salary. And, his brother-in-law is very gracious, offering money upfront to help them through this tough time. Well, tough times have not fallen on Walter because his brother-in-law is quite wealthy himself. Unfortunatley, Walter cannot see his blessings through his pride. He sits on a bench in the park every day, nibbling away at a sandwich while he swallows in self-pity.

Until three people force him to self examine himself.

Enter Ellie, a young, carefree woman. She's a little obsessed with sex to put it lightly, but she is one cheery woman. She tries to lighten Walter's mood with her upbeat attitude. She gives him a shoulder massage and--invites him to have sex with her. Of course, he declines, but nonetheless he is intrigued by her in his own stiff way. When he tells her about his wife--the lady he had been married to for twenty years--she tells him how lucky he is to have a woman who is so loving and so loyal as she must be.

Next comes Haley, a rather distinguished hobo. Haley takes the half-eaten sandwhich from Walter and eats it. Walter soon finds out that Haley was once a celebrity entrepreneur who ran a multi-million dollar advertising business. While he was making money hand over fist, his marriage deteriorated and the stress of having to be successful mounted. Until he couldn't handle it anymore. He walked away from it all.

To Haley, money dictated his actions, his life. But now, he is not bound by the chains of it's control. He may have given up everything he had, but he is finally content, at peace with himself. This is the message he gives to Walter.

Last, comes Lenore, a prostitute. Walter finds out that she does not come from a rough background. In fact, her upbringing was quite solid. She had two loving parents who paid for her way to college. Lenore trained to become a teacher, but somewhere down the road, she lost her way. She didn't like being paid such a small wage, so she moved to LA and decided to sell her body in exhange for a good wage. And, she actually enjoys being a prostitute. Well, she says she does until she hears Walter's story. In honesty, she would give anything to have what Walter has. So, when he starts ranting about how useless he feels because he's not making any money, he doesn't want financial help from his wife or his brother-in-law because he's supposed to be the breadwinner, Lenore lays into him.

Her words weave their way into Walter's impenetrable brain, forcing him to take a good hard look at himself and the situation around him. He finally sees the light.

The Man With The Plastic Sandwhich was delightful, but so true to life. Below the lightheartedness was a solemn message that everyone can learn from.

If you live on the Sunshine Coast, I encourage to to see The Man With The Plastic Sandwich. It is held at the Heritage Playhouse in Gibsons, but it ends on Saturday night.

The Writers' Cafe: Sharing Work?

2011-11-22T10:12:00.000-08:00

I was browsing the CCA (Coast Cultural Alliance) events listing this morning, looking to see the event listing for Story Theatre's--our--Sunday, November 27th performance at Wendy's/Tim Hortons. Low and behold, I found a golden nugget--The Writers' Cafe. the Writers' Cafe is an event where writers come together to read from their works. Every writer gets a seven minute time slot reading session. Seven blessed minutes!

I want so much to attend and read from To be Maria, but the event is held in lower Gibsons in the evening--the same time as ping pong. It turns out that I will be in Gibsons that same day for a rehearsal and since I'm getting over a cold, I'm going to have to pass on this event but with much regret.

The reading event is held at the Arts Building in lower Gibsons (already mentioned that part). I don't know how often, but I'm definately going to look into it deeper because this is something I want, need to do. Besides, it would be great to meet new people.

Driftwood Players Story Theatre: Sponsor Letter

2011-11-21T15:22:00.000-08:00

Check out Driftwood Players Story Theatre on Facebook.

Driftwood Players has been providing quality theatrical entertainment on the Sunshine Coast for over 40 years. We have extended our community outreach with Story Theatre, a public theatre troupe that has, in four short years, grown into a vibrant part of the Sunshine Coast cultural scene.

It is our mission to provide theatre to the young, and young at heart. With free admission, Story Theatre brings the magic of storytelling to our streets and parks.

Throughout the summer season, Story Theatre entertains children of all ages, at markets and festivals along the Sunshine Coast. For many families, this will be their first exposure to the performing arts.

We are currently moving into our first ever winter season, with public performances to be held at Tim Hortons/Wendy’s, at Sunnycrest Mall, and aired live on the annual Elves Telethon!

As a volunteer-run organization, we rely on the generosity of local sponsors to maintain overhead costs such as troupe transportation, rental fees for workshop/rehearsal space, and advertising.

Your sponsorship supports both the development of community arts, and the promotion of your business. Sponsors of $200 or more are recognized both visually and vocally at all Story Theatre performances. In addition, a tax receipt will be issued, certifying that a donation has been made to a charitable organization.

Thank you in advance for your support of live theatre on the coast. We look forward to another successful summer of Story Theatre entertainment.

Sincerely,
Radhika Samwald
Producer and Director - Story Theatre
radhikabowering@hotmail.com

Popularity Isn't Glamorous: Part 2

2011-11-17T19:01:00.000-08:00

To be Maria was the best thing that ever happened to me. As I wrote the story, I was moved in ways that I cannot describe. It was an outlet for my negative emotions. It was a source of healing in my life. It was written with the intention to speak to people who are--or was--bullied at school and to all those girls and boys who are struggling to fit in.

I want everyone to know that popularity isn't glamorous. It is more important to have one good friend than ten pretend friends--the ones who say they're your friend because you dress like them and act like them. Your ten pretend friends won't be there for you when you're down and it doesn't take much for them to turn against you. They will only drag you down until you have nothing. The wrong choice of friends can even lead to your death.

It is important to be an individual. Stand out amongst the crowd, don't get lost in it. Surround yourself with people who will like you for who you are and who will uplift you.

The Pain of Changing Genres: I Was Treading New Waters

2011-11-16T14:47:00.000-08:00

It turns out I decided to make this post as part of Adriene's monthly Sunday Blog Carnival.

Changing genres has been a reoccurring theme on this blog and it's funny that I would bring it up again. It's just that, yesterday I read this guest post on Agent Jenny Bent's blog. The guest article was written by an author whose name is Jennifer Archer. Guess what? The article was about changing genres. She talked about what it was like, what it felt like, changing the genre she writes in and how afraid she was of losing her agent and publisher because of it. In the end, her agent--Jenny Bent--stuck by her side and she was not dropped by her publisher.

Although I don't have the worry of losing an agent or publishing deal--as I have neither--I did reflect on my own creative circumstance. I've changed my genre and I'm not going to get into any detail. I've already done that. If you want to know the details, you can read this older post.

As a budding author starting out in her writing career, one would think that changing genres would be no big deal. After all, I haven't built up a large readership, so who cares? And, common belief has it that if you want to strike it rich, you have to try different things. But, here's the thing: It's not ALL about the money. It's about what I want to write. I've always believed in staying true to myself as a person and as an artist. I'm not going to write for current trends because trends come and they go. I want to write something that I'm passionate about.

I did just that with my first historical fiction book, Day of Revenge, but I was moved even more by To be Maria. So, why did it hurt to change my genre? Everyone in my family knows that I love history and so they naturally believed that I would stick with that genre. I even made it clear that that's the genre I plan to write in. Until the story for To be Maria made a permanent home inside my head. I kept To be Maria a secret until a certain loved one (not going to mention names) overheard me reading a short excerpt to my brother over Skype. Over the next few months she tried to persuade me to give up the writing of my new novel. She also told me that authors don't change genres. I should start writing my next historical fiction book and stick with that genre.

I couldn't stop writing this novel as I was entrenched in it. I found my niche with young adult so I was not going to write another historical--not now anyway. But, I didn't have this person's support and that hurt. I also admit that it even took myself time to adjust to this change. I had changed my style of writing (for the better) but I was also giving up my old passion for something new. I was treading new waters, although not foreign to me, but foreign to my passion for history. I was a different person, though, so I needed to push myself in a new direction. I did and I am ever so thankful for it.

Stay tuned for part 2

Guest Posting Guidelines

2011-11-14T10:44:00.000-08:00

I welcome guest posts from other writers. The great thing is, you don't have to have a ton of writing experience to be published on my blog. However, I do have guidelines that I expect you to follow:

Here is what I'm looking for:

1. Categories of Interest:

-the craft and business of writing
-publishing trends
-short stories/poetry
-Inspiration
-Motivation
-Productivity
-Public Speaking

I will accept articles on Social Media, Blogging and Online Marketing, but articles pertaining to these three topics should entail how they have benefited your efforts in marketing your product(s) online and how they can help others as well.

Please send articles as .doc attachments.

2. Articles should be a minimum of 300 words and no longer than 800 words. If your article is longer than 800 words, I will ask you to break it into two parts. Your article should be unique in that it has not been published elsewhere.

3. All articles should be well written and proofread prior to submitting them. I will read over all articles and make slight changes if needed but without changing the meaning of your article. However, if I have to make too many changes, I will delete your article.

4. I will accept list articles and essays. Articles can be researched or based on personal experience, so long as they are geared to help people in their everyday lives. Researched articles should contain a Works Cited section at the end. If quoting from another source, mention the full name of the author before or after the quote.

5. I will provide up to two links in your byline, ones that direct back to your website and/or blog. All bylines will be published at the top of the article.

6. I will allow up to two links to external websites in the body of the article.

7. Photos are optional. You don't need to include a photo with your article unless you want to.

Reasons I will reject your article:

-Article is poorly written
-Article is not in any category I listed.
-Any article that contains derogatory language and content that discriminates an individual, company and/or organization.
-Articles that have been published elsewhere.
-Articles that have obviously been based on research, but fail to acknowledge the sources where information was found. Note: Plagiarism is an infringement of copyright. It will not be tolerated.
-Any article that contains links to spammy websites, websites that contain
inflammatory content and/or affiliate websites. Note: If you are working for a virtual company, you are welcome to include a link to that website so long as it's legitimate.

I'm normally a very easy going person. I am open to different writing styles and different ideas. As long as you adhere to these guidelines, I assure you that your post will be published.

I look forward to seeing your work.

Story Theatre Live on YouTube

2011-11-14T09:54:00.000-08:00

This is what I love to do when I'm not writing. These are just a glimpse of the memories from 2010 and 2011 that I will take with me forever.

Hansel and Gretel

The Talking Cat

Mike and Radhika will be posting more videos soon.

NaNoWriMo and To be Maria 2

2011-11-12T10:55:00.000-08:00

This is the month of NaNoWriMo, a virtual event that is designed to bring professional and amateur writers from around the world together. It takes place every November and runs throughout the entire month. The idea for this event is to write a novel--or part of one--in one month. I've debated about joining in on the fun, but decided that I can't in all honesty write a novel in one month. I write my novels long hand, so it wouldn't work for me anyway.

However, I do find NaNoWriMo very inspiring. It has, in part, motivated me to work on my third novel, Bad Innocence, the sequal to To be Maria. Just so you know, I haven't thought of a title for my third novel yet, but I didn't want to leave it untitled either. I initially thought Bad Innocence would be a killer title, but only for a Harlequin Paranormal Romance maybe? Book three (To be Maria 2) is a YA suspense, so it needs a different title, one that is gripping and one that goes along with the genre of the book.

Anyway, to get to the point, I've already completed 5 chapters and am in the process of writing the 6th chapter of this novel. This time, I'm not setting a deadline for completion. I'm not going to put that stress on myself like I did with To be Maria and Day of Revenge. I'm just going to let the story unfold as I write it and I'm going to enjoy it. When it's done, it's done so long as it doesn't take two years to write.

Writing Across Genres

2011-11-03T16:55:00.000-07:00

This is a guest post by Patricia Parsons. Parsons writes non-fiction health and business books, historical fiction and has recently published her first memoir.

Goethe said that “every author in some way portrays himself [sic] in his works, even if it be against his [sic] will.” For those of us writers who work in more than one genre, this might be a bit worrisome. Although it may be a symptom of some kind of mental confusion, I’d prefer to think of it as the output of a flexible personality with many interests. So, just as an athlete might be both a great runner and a great jumper, it’s possible to write in different genres – and write well. I’d like to also propose further that writing in one genre can actually improve your writing in others.

I believe that in general, our personal skill sets can cross many disciplines – and our writing skills can be used across genres. The notion of writing across genres, however, has two different meanings. One refers to process; the other to outcomes. First, let’s talk about the process: applying your individual skills as a writer to a number of different genres.

I started my writing career as a medical writer. Skills honed in that genre took me into medical communication which morphed into communication in general – most of my past work has been writing about health and corporate communication. But, I’m a writer. To me this means that I can use my skills to write anything that takes my fancy. I decided to move into creative non-fiction and wrote my memoir; then I took my research skills into an area that I love to read – historical fiction.

In my view, writers, like everyone else, have particular strengths – and my strengths are probably not the same as yours. I think it’s important to know what those strengths are and see how you can use them across genres. For example, my meticulous research skills, honed in the areas of non-fiction, have been enormously useful to me in moving into historical fiction. Story-telling is also a strength that many of us have – it’s a skill that is important both to non-fiction (creative or otherwise) as well as to fiction writers.

The second way that you can think about the concept of “writing across genres” is the notion that there are discrete categories of writing and to create a mash-up, to use the current parlance, is to create a cross-genre genre. Make sense?

Here’s my example: I have a secret – I sometimes read chick lit, and I’m not apologizing for it. Since I like a bit of escapist reading from time to time, and only if it’s well-written like some chick lit is, I am also interested in creating some of my own. But I don’t want to be formulaic. So, I’ve taken my interest in travel and travel writing and put it together with my interest in chick lit, and I’m writing a travel chick lit book. Is this a cross-genre? Maybe, but who’s to say? Who is the arbiter of what is and is not a genre? And who says that because my book is funny, with a young, modern woman as the protagonist, that it’s chick lit anyway? Maybe it’s just women’s literature – ooh, that sound a lot better, doesn’t it?

In any case, cheers to coming up with your own genres and writing whatever moves you.

Things to consider when crossing genres with your writing:

• Each genre has a different audience. Although I rarely recommend writing just to please an audience, if you’re actually going to be published in a number of genres, this is an important consideration. For example, the audience for a junior picture book is certainly not the same as the audience for your memoir.

• The same “voice” doesn’t work for every genre. Practicing working in different voices and styles is a way to improve your writing in general.

• You don’t have to publish everything you write in different genres. Writing across genres can be your own personal exercise to improve your writing.

• Don’t’ be put off by people (no matter who they are) who suggest to you that if you are one kind of writer, you cannot be another. In my experience, literary agents are particularly adept at making this kind of judgment.

• Keep meticulous records of research you do in each genre. It is possible that some day, the research that you use for that historical novel might just become important as you embark on your first children’s book for example.

Writing across genres is closely related to the notion of cross-writing. Just as cross-training is important to athletic performance, cross-writing can be a training exercise for your primary genre. Expanding your skill set as a writer is so important as new opportunities arise.

5 Tips for Well-Designed Business Cards

2011-11-01T13:41:00.000-07:00

Andrew has been helping businesses with their brand communication through business cards and promotional products. He specializes in the production of branded promotional pens.

Business cards are a must-have for businesses and organizations nowadays. A business card can go a long way in helping to build a networks and relationships with customers and other businesses. A well-designed business card is the need of the hour, as it is an effective representation of your company. It is one of the most economical ways to make a name for your business and create your own brand. Regardless of their nature, almost all businesses use business cards.

With the increase in usage, different concepts, themes and designs have been developed for business cards. It is another area where businesses can compete with each other. The importance of a well-designed business card isn’t lost on anyone. Here are 5 tips for well-designed business cards.

1. Incorporate Necessary Information

All necessary information about your business should be printed clearly on your business card. This includes contact information, such as cell phone number, landline number, email address and fax number and correspondence address. Your company name and logo should also be displayed prominently. These are the basic pieces of data a person looks for in a business card. One thing you have to consider is that all information should be printed neatly and be legible. Using a standard font with adequate font size will do the needful.

2. Use Paper of Good Quality

The paper quality has to be good so that the information printed on it also looks good. There are many options for choosing paper type, such as matte, glossy, perforated edges or textured. Whichever paper you select as the material for your business card, make sure it is of a good quality. It is a good idea to have your cards printed on a paper on which people can write. Sometimes people want to jot something down on the card and they won’t be able to if the card is made of metal.

3. Get a Professional

Getting a professional touch for your business card is important. If you don’t have the budget for hiring the services of a graphic designer, at least consult one before you proceed with the designing. Show a preliminary design to the designer and he will advise you on how you can improve it. Even a short chat with a professional graphic designer can make a huge difference to the end product.

4. Don’t Leave the Backside Empty

Business cards have two sides and you can use them both. While the front is for the necessary information mentioned above, the backside can be used for providing extra tidbits of information about your business or mentioning special offers that customers can avail. Often, businesses have a map printed to their location on the back of the card.

5. Choose the Best Design Possible

The best design for your business card doesn’t have to be sophisticated or any avant-garde piece of art. A simple design that includes all the necessary information and your company’s logo, while being legible and printed on good quality paper should suffice. Try comparing it with the cards of other businesses in the same industry to know where you stand.

A well-designed business card can serve as an effect representative of your business. Make sure you follow the tips listed above and get the most out of your business card.

The Kitty Song

2011-10-26T12:34:00.000-07:00

I've had this song stuck in my head literally all morning. It's a great song, one that I heard sung on Big Bang Theory a few times. If you have seen the show, Sheldon sings it to Penny (once because she practically begs him to). When Penny sings it to Sheldon, he cuts her off a number of times and orders her to start over. So, it takes several minutes for Penny to sing a very short song.

Anyway, here is how the song goes...

Soft kitty, warm kitty.
Little ball of fur.
Happy kitty, sleepy kitty.
Purr purr purr.

It's just too cute of a song.

Postcard by Fellow Author, Ginny Jaques

2011-10-25T11:02:00.000-07:00

Ginny is an author and teacher from North Vancouver. Her science fiction book was self-published (I have to admit the cover is amazing). I met her at the SiWC Book Fair on Saturday evening. She was seated at the table next to ours.

She took a few photos of me signing my book and then made them into a postcard.

Thank you, Ginny, for doing this for me. It was a pleasure to meet you and I also wish you much success with your novel.

The SiWC Book Fair Starring Deanna Proach, Robert McCammon, Jack Whyte And The travelling Guillotine

2011-10-24T14:17:00.000-07:00

Me at the SiWC Book Fair, selling copies of Day of Revenge. I don't know why my travelling guillotine was placed so that it faced the wall.

Me standing between best-selling authors, Robert McCammon (left) and Jack Whyte (right). Every author shared a table, so it turns out that I was situated next to Robert McCammon. Robert was a ton of fun! He was quite impressed with the model guillotine.

Jack Whyte also came up to our table and signed a copy of his book, Standard of Honor, the second book of his Templar Series, in my hand. I had purchased the first two novels at Talewind Bookstore back in the summer.

I have to admit that I thoroughly enjoyed my company with Robert McCammon and Jack Whyte. Not only are they successful and talented, they are great people.

Since we're getting really close to Halloween, I thought I would add this for spooky flavor. I mean, come on. Who wouldn't want to look up at that??

If you take my word for that, then I have a freezer to sell you in Alaska...:):)

I did manage to sell a few books at the Book Fair and I gave away a number of cards and bookmarks. The next day I pitched my second novel, To be Maria to Nephele Tempest of The Knight Agency. I'm glad to say it went well, I enjoyed speaking to her, she's a great person. Now, I'm keeping my fingers crossed...

6 Ways To Save Money on Your Kids' Christmas Gifts

2011-10-17T10:34:00.000-07:00

This is a guest post by Mike. As a father of 2 with a limited budget, Mike is always looking at ways to save money. When he is not sharing tips online, Mike distributes toys online. He specializes in action figures.

Christmas is the time of year to give. It is the season children wait for the entire year to get what they want, in terms of gifts, candies, parties, and so much more. Christmas is the best time to spread love within your family. To plan parties or buy gifts, you should plan your spending and look for ways to save money and at the same time, spread the message of Christmas - love!
Saving money nowadays is important for everyone. There are many ways to save your money, some of which are given below.

Baking yourself
No one in the world knows what their kids love other than their mothers. Kids love cookies, cakes and other bakery items. Baking yourself saves a lot of money; you pay at least twice the price of items. Apart from saving money you can get special appreciation from your kids. It will also allow you the freedom of flavors and size without worrying about costs.

Handmade items
Handmade items like sweaters, cards and baskets are much cheaper to make rather than buying. If you are good enough you can create something which cannot be made at stores, such as a shirt with your name on it. Your time and efforts will be appreciated by your kids, plus you will be able to save a lot of money in the process.

Buying from Wholesale shops
Buying from a wholesale shop can save you hundreds of dollars. It could be a lot more if you have a big family. Search for a wholesale dealer and find as many gift items which would suit your requirements. You have to search for wholesale shops which provide bulk items, shop for small items such as crayons and coloring books. Kids are not interested in quality, so you should not worry about it, but quantity is important to them. When going for a wholesale shop, always remember to check a few of them out before making the purchase; compare prices and pick the best one.

Family Gift
If you have a couple of kids running around the house all day, it would be better to buy them some board games or a gaming console. Not only will these be useful to keep them quiet, but they will also love it as well. If you cannot afford a gaming console, go for board or card games such as UNO or Scrabble. This brings the family together in Christmas season.

Christmas Sale
During the season, almost every store in the world offers Christmas sales, especially on toys and candies. You can either get a percentage off, a ‘buy one get one free’ deal or get an item free such as chocolates or candy.

Story Books or Cartoon Movies
Kids love listening to stories. You can get them a Christmas movie, such as Jeremy Creek or The Grinch who stole Christmas and teach them the spirit of Christmas. You can also buy storybooks which contain Christmas fables and tales which have been told for centuries. It will not be a very expensive gift, but will contain a message and love from the sender.

Occupy Wall Street and The Publishing Industry

2011-10-14T11:49:00.000-07:00

I've been avidly following the 'Occupy Wall Street' via news and internet and, being an author myself with a second book ready to be queried en mass, I've been keenly interested in knowing how this rapidly growing movement is going to affect the publishing industry, if at all. Eventually, my curiosity got the best of me. I went on the AW and put this question out there with the desire to read other people's thoughts on this issue.

Here is what some of my fellow writers have to say. The names that they use are their made-up AW Forum names.

Button: Occupy Wall Street is the 99% complaining about the 1% that screwed it up. But they're still waiting on the 1% to fix it, because they don't have a solution themselves. But the people protesting are generally the ones who aren't working right now. The rest of us still have work to do, and we're doing it.

Not necessarily about how this relates to the publishing inudstry, but although the protestors have good intentions, they are not organized and while some are genuine cases of people who are struggling to make it, few of them are have-nots who don't want to work--no shadow of a doubt.

Delusional: It's gonna completely revamp not only the publishing world, but the world itself.

Shadow Ferret: What's "Occupy Wall Street?"

Lyxdelsic: Michael Moore's lovechild.

Funny joke, guys:)

whistlelock: It won't. Publishing is small potatoes.

BenPanced: OWS is aimed more at the banking industry and politicians that throw money at it. The publishing industry is the furthest thing from the participants' minds.

Gale Haut: Would think only as much as it manages to affect the economy...Then again, maybe a broader interest in political works will spur from it. Who knows.

Miss Plum: Well, since OWS's demands include free college educations for all, a minimum $20 wage, a global forgiveness of all debt, an end of the fossil fuel economy, $2 tril for infrastructure and environmental rehabilitation, and a livable income for everyone regardless of employment status, I'd say its chances of success are zero. So no effect on the publishing biz.

If OWS even came close to success, the publishing industry would die along with all the others.

Gregg: I don't think it will have any impact on the publishing industry - but new industries might sprout:

I sincerely hope so, Gregg. We need innovation in the worst way.

So, will the 'Occupy Movement' affect the publishing industry? Based on these answers and on my own intuition, probably not. But, it sure doesn't seem like the protestors are going away anytime soon. And the movement is fast becoming a world wide phenomena. So, I guess time will tell.

Low Cost Book Publicity

2011-10-12T11:21:00.000-07:00

This is a guest post by Bill Johnson. Johnson is the author of A Story is a Promise and The Spirit of Storytelling, a writing workbook. He is also the web master of storyispromise.com, a web site that explores principles of storytelling through reviews of popular movies, books and plays. Spirit is now available on Amazon Kindle.

As the office manager for a writers group with over 1,500 members, I'm often asked by newly published or self-published authors, what do I do to promote my book?

First, it's easier to get an announcement about a talk into a local newspaper than a lone author doing a book signing. Many authors have some lifetime experience they can speak about at a local library. Some libraries also allow book sales for a nominal commission. Local community colleges also often rent rooms on weekends for a small fee, and such locations generally offer easy parking and access.

My most dependable resource for getting the word out about these kinds of events has been a local alternative weekly (most major cities have one). These weeklies generally have a bulletin board in their print editions that anyone can put notices in for .95+ cents a word. (Online bulletin boards are vastly cheaper, but you get what you pay for).

If you have an event, always keep fliers and have a few books in your car. Bookmarks and post cards are also good resources that you can distribute; Avery provides templates for creating them. There are online services that will print small quantities of inexpensive business cards that can include the cover of your book.

If you are near a community college, see if they have a continuing education program that offers non-credit classes. Such programs are frequently open to instructors with new class ideas. Teaching a workshop at a community college will help raise your newsworthy standing.

If an author is determined to do a book signing at a book store, I suggest they set up a signing with at least three other authors who write in a similar genre. I've also known authors who banded together to set up a signing at a table in a mall.

I advise new authors to think long and hard about putting down money for table space at another author's book fair, unless money is not an issue. If you choose to be involved in a book fair, look for one that is part of a larger event that generates foot traffic.

If you do want to do a book release party, contact a local book store and see if they can accommodate you. Many book stores are set up to handle authors giving short presentations. This is where a well-designed media kit can make a great first impression.

If you are really determined to promote a book on the internet but have limited computer skills or internet access, I suggest a web site like authorsden.com. On this site an author can copy and paste info about their book, start a blog, post articles and news of events, all for $25 for three months.

This kind of site can be especially valuable to people self-publishing books of poetry, because poems can easily be posted on the author's page and receive comments from other authors and visitors. Knowing you have readers is encouraging.

Prlog offers a free service for sending out PR announcements. I've never had great success with these kind of announcements for local authors getting picked up for distribution, however.

If you can't get a response from a major newspaper in your area, contact someone at your local neighborhood paper. I've known a number of authors who have been interviewed and featured in smaller, community papers.

Does your town have a local public access radio station called Golden Hours? See if you can get interviewed about your book.

Whatever kind of event you set up, NEVER depend on anyone else (including book stores, loved ones, friends, or fellow authors) to send out your PR. Always do it yourself to be sure it gets out. And if you send out notices to local papers or magazines, make the effort to read their submission guidelines. A third of the PR notices I receive are deleted because the authors didn't bother to find out my guidelines, like someone sending me a website link and telling me I can go there and write an announcement for them.

Ask your extended family if anyone has any media contacts or would be willing to do a book review and post it online. In general, the more relevant links you have on the web, the higher your search engine rating (some search engines discount links on link farms, where thousands of links are posted indiscriminately; that's what you're getting with some of the paid services).

Writing a book is a creative process, but marketing a book requires a different kind of mental focus, determination and planning. But if you put yourself out there in the world, you'll come across avenues to promote your book you never knew existed.

3 Book Promotion Ideas That Worked

2011-10-10T11:45:00.000-07:00

This is a guest post by Susanna Carr. Carr writes sexy contemporary romance books. You can visit her website at http://www.susannacarr.com.

I've read many business books that suggest you should spend most of your effort and budget on the customers who have already bought from you. Over the years I have found this to be true. Here are three promotion ideas that I know work:

Website: I recently refreshed my website so I can frequently add new content. I keep it active by blogging and offering a serialized free read. I also included all my social media on my community page, and if I have news, it goes on the website first. I don't want a stagnant site that is only updated when there's a book release. I'm doing everything I can to encourage browsing and repeat visitors.

Monthly e-newsletter: If my website is king in my promotion strategy, my e-newsletter is queen. I get more visits on my website when I send out an e-newsletter than when I do any other promotion. I don't just announce new releases on my opt-in e-newsletter. I also offer contests, exclusive events and special features. Not many authors want to produce an e-newsletter every month, so a member's only section on a website could serve the same function. I think it's important to maintain a connection with readers even when you don't have a book out.

Scavenger Hunt: I once hosted a scavenger hunt on my website and it was designed to highlight my backlist. This was a year-long project that was connected with my e-newsletter. I offered a monthly prize and a grand prize at the end. It required pre-planning and keeping track of the entries, but it was worth it. Not only did a lot of readers participate in the hunt, but it bumped up my sales numbers on my backlist. These promotional ideas aren't about selling one book, and that's why they work. These ideas are about supporting a long-lasting relationship between the reader and author.

Here Comes The Judge: A Guest Post by K.S. Brooks

2011-10-06T14:01:00.000-07:00

K.S. Brooks is an award-winning action-adventure novelist, children's book author and photographer. Brooks is the author of Lust for Danger, The Kiss of Night, Night Undone, The Mighty Oak and Me, Postcards from Mr. Pish, and Mr. Pish's Woodland Adventure. She is also a freelance editor and recurring judge of the Maryland Writers' Association's Novel Writing Contest.

I've been honored that an extremely reputable writers' association has invited me to be a top-level judge for their annual novel-writing contest numerous times now. I recently received a follow-up email from them with a point I found to be most curious:

Issue: A few writers complained vehemently about the critiques. Their feelings were hurt. They told me that they only wanted to know whether they won or lost. Next time, we could have the writer opt in if they want the judges’ written remarks. What do you think?

What I answered: I will write my comments anyway because it helps me to score the manuscript. I would say NOT to tell the judges if the writer opts out because that could influence the judging in some way as it becomes obvious that they do not wish to become better writers by learning from others. I'd say whoever coordinates the information back to the writers should control if they see the critiques or not.

What I was really thinking: Seriously? Their feelings were hurt? They're lucky to get judges who are conscientious enough to provide them with feedback. Most agents and publishers won't do that, so how will they learn what their strengths and weaknesses are? The idea of this is just completely absurd to me.

If you have a tendency to use the same word three times in the same sentence, wouldn't you want to know? If you don't know how to properly use punctuation, wouldn't you want to know? If you're point is lost due to wordiness, wouldn't you want to know? Perhaps a more important question is: Why wouldn't you want to know?

I always make an effort to note not only the bad parts of the manuscript but also the highlights, like a nice bit of imagery or a clever line of dialogue. I try to follow "The One Minute Manager" style to keep things balanced even if the writing is so bad it's nearly unbearable to read. There's no reason to tell someone that you'd rather slit your own wrists than read one more word of their pathetic attempt at a manuscript.

Once I traveled from Boston to New York City at the invitation of a literary agent. I handed her my manuscript and was promised a detailed critique when she was done reading it. Time passed, and I didn't hear anything so I dropped the agent a line. Her response was a curt rejection. There was no critique. There was no explanation.

Critiques are worth their weight in gold.

Guest Post: Judith Marshall On Writing Dialogue

2011-10-05T12:56:00.000-07:00

This is a guest post by Judith Marshall on writing dialogue in fiction. Marshall is the author of Husbands May Come and Go but Friends are Forever, which has been optioned for the big screen. The book is available in both print and as an ebook on Amazon. For more information, go to www.judithmarshall.net.

Tips on writing good dialogue:

1. Resist using adverbs in dialogue tags, e.g., She said shyly.

2. In a two-person conversation, don’t tag every line with he said or she said. The reader can figure out who’s speaking.

3. Don’t have a character laugh at what another character says. Let the reader decide if something is funny.

4. Avoid introduction dialogue, e.g., "Hi, how are you?" Cut to the meat of the conversation.

5. Don’t use dialogue as a data dump to inform the reader, e.g. "remember the time we…"

6. Don’t apologize for a change of subject. Don’t say, “Like we were talking about earlier …”

7. Summarize where possible: They shared pictures of their grandchildren. When you do this, it’s fine to add something colorful, like, Helen thought Jackie’s grandkids were more attractive than hers. Remember, dialogue should be there because the characters want to talk. It should either reveal something about the character or move the story forward – one or the other.

More Memories From Penticton

2011-09-23T12:43:00.000-07:00

Memories of Penticton

2011-09-19T14:56:00.000-07:00

These photos were taken at the two booksignings I did when I was in Penticton in August.

At Coles Bookstore.

At Hooked on Books.

September Featuring the Waiting Game

2011-09-16T15:12:00.000-07:00

Summer, as far as I'm concerned, is over. This month began on a very good start weather wise. It was hot, sunny, the sky intensely blue with no clouds in sight. On the day of my birthday--September 10th--I was blessed with heat and sunshine. It was also our last performance of the 2011 Story Theatre season. And it was the best one yet. We had a great turnout and everyone was on their game. After our performance, we moved the party over to Roberts Creek beach where we had a birthday/cast party. Everyone had a wonderful time. It was so nice to enjoy late summer thinking that it would last at least another month.

Well, I couldn't have been more wrong. Less than one week later, the clouds rolled in and the temperatures cooled. It was great to see some rain here after one month of dry weather, but not it doesn't seem to want to leave...quite usual here lately.

This month has been a good one, but certainly not an exciting one. To be Maria is done. I know I've mentioned that a lot on this blog, but when I say it's done, I mean it's ready to be sent out to agents and editors. I even have a working query letter. So, why am I sitting around waiting?

In terms of publicity, all of the exciting stuff happens next month. A personal story I wrote for Dr. Christina Schlachter back in March will be published in her upcoming release, She Leads: Change Your Career, Transform Your Life and the Stories of Women Who Did that is scheduled for October sometime. In my story, I mention Day of Revenge, but I have a little more info on To be Maria because it goes along with the story much better.

At the end of October, I will be attending the Surrey International Writers Conference to sell copies of Day of Revenge at their book fair, but then to pitch To be Maria the very next day.

So, yes, I have much to look forward to in terms of both novels. I just want something to show on the To be Maria query letter. Aside from the novel itself, I want agents and publishers to know that I have gone the extra mile to gain exposure. That is why I'm playing this waiting game.

I have started the writing of Bad Innocence, the sequal to To be Maria, so its time to get back into the writing of it.

New Season: New Beginnings

2011-09-06T14:03:00.000-07:00

It's Tuesday, September 6th. The Labour Day weekend has officially come to an end, thus bringing an end to the summer holidays, even though the summer season has not yet ended.

I had a wonderful summer, although I must admit that I'm looking forward to a new season. A new season means new beginnings, a chance to work on new projects, pursue new opportunities, meet new people, dream big and pray lots.

While Story Theatre 2011 is coming to an end, opportunity lays on my horizon. Our final show for Story Theatre's fourth season is on Saturday, September 10th--my 26th birthday. I'm really excited for this event because after our performance, we are going to have a potluck at the beach. It won't all be centered around me. We will also celebrate Janet's (the producer) birthday and it will also be a farewell and thank you to Janet and to Bob (founder and director) for all their hard work, and for making Story Theatre a reality on the Sunshine Coast.

On September 12th, the 2011-2012 Toastmasters season commences and that same week, my new pre-novel writing course will commence. This will be my very first independent teaching course and I'm very excited about it. I also hope that this new project flourishes.

If you are an aspiring novelist and are thinking about taking a novel writing course, feel free to contact me for more details about the Pre-Novel Writing course. You can reach me at deannaproach@gmail.com.

Happy Birthday, 'Day of Revenge'!

2011-09-01T14:33:00.000-07:00

Today, I'm celebrating one year of being a published author. Exactly one year ago--September 1, 2010--Day of Revenge was released by Inkwater Press. I remember how excited and anxious I felt about this new adventure. Day of Revenge was actually scheduled to be released sometime in the middle of October--a month and a half later, but it turned out that my publisher had everything ready before then.

Being a new, published author with no large platform to work with was quite the challenge, but it was not a bad one. I did all the marketing on my own and continue to seek new ways to promote Day of Revenge. It took almost one whole year to see any really good progress with my book in terms of sales and I pray that it continues on this upwards trend. I also know that, in the process, I have given my second, unpublished novel, To be Maria a good jump start in terms of publicity.

And now, here is a short recap of all the defining moments in the past year...

December 20, 2010--I received two stellar reviews-one from Publishers Weekly and the other from Apex Reviews.

January 27th, 2011--I had my first, of many, internet radio interviews with Brad Grochowski on the Indie Book Man Show. I remember how red and blotchy my face was when doing that interview.

February 15th--I had my first formal live radio interview with Paige on C-VUE FM, our local radio station.

April 18th--My written interview went live on Author Michael Murphy's Emerging Novelists website.

April 20th--I had a recorded interview with Don McCauley from The Authors Show. Several minutes later, I was interviewed by Nanci Arvizu on her Promotion a la Carte show.

April 21st--I delivered an inspirational speech at the Sunrise Rotary Club in West Vancouver.

End of April--I found out that Dr. Christina Schlachter had chosen my story, out of a number of stories, to be published in her upcoming book, What Smart Women Know: Your Guide to Success and Happiness, and the Stories of Women Who Have it!

May 16th--My interview with Don McCauley on The Authors Show went live for one whole day--24 hours.

August 12th--I did a booksigning at Coles Bookstore in Penticton, B.C.

August 13th--I did a booksigning at Hooked on Books bookstore in Penticton, B.C.

Today, September 1st, 2011, I met a new friend through my former story theatre comrad, Joanne Bennison. I sold her a copy of Day of Revenge, signed it for her and made a connection for life.

I can only pray from here on that good moments will prevail, sales will continue to increase and that To be Maria will find a good home.

My Pre-Novel Writing Course

2011-08-29T11:51:00.000-07:00

Good day world! I'm back after a wonderful weekend of camping with friends.

I've decided to give a more precise detail on the novel writing course I plan (hope) to teach starting in September. It is not a course on 'novel writing' it is a course on 'pre-novel writing', the writing before the actual writing of the novel.

Yes, believe it or not, you can't just pick up a pen and start writing a novel without any material to work with. You have to get all of your ideas out of your head and on paper first. You wouldn't start a business without a plan, so you wouldn't write a book without a plan either.

Writing a novel takes a lot of imagination, effort, work and time. The purpose of the pre-novel writing course is to provide aspiring novelists with the information and help needed to give them a good start to their writing career. They will learn about character profiling, outlines and research and how all of these three things serve the story and compliment each other. They will learn that, without these things, a story cannot exist.

Once the basics are established then everything will fall into place once the novel writing process begins. A good platform will make for a very good story.

To sum up what I have just said, the pre-novel writing course is not intended to help you with the writing of your novel. It is intended to give you the tools needed to build your masterpiece.

To be Maria: Just a Short Excerpt

2011-08-24T11:36:00.000-07:00

Okay, I broke down and have decided to share a little bit from my new book, 'To be Maria'.

Anya sits herself down comfortably in her usual spot--the old, chipped desk in the third row at the front of the classroom. She ignores the noisy chatter of her peers and tries to memorize the notes from last English class. Every week Mrs. Cummings gives the class a surprise quiz and Anya is never prepared. But this time, she is determined to ace it.

Just as she delves into the information, her thought process is rudely interrupted when someone snatches the notes off her desk.

"Hey, what the..." Anya stops short when she sees Carly glare down at her, her blue eyes like sharp-edged daggers.

"If I were you, I would not finish that statement," Carly says.

Normally Anya is not bothered by Carly's snide remarks, but this time she is flabbergasted. "What are you talking about, Carly? Can you please give me back my notes?"

With little effort, Carly tears the loose-leaf pages right down the middle, then throws them on the ground. Everyone in the classroom bursts into laughter--everyone except for Maria.

"You better stay away from me, loser, or I am going to make your life a living hell!" With an indignant flip of her long hair, Carly walks brusquely over to her seat at the back of the room, leaving a stunned Anya sitting alone.

The cheers of "Wow, Carly. Way to go, Carly," and the slapping of high fives cuts deep into Anya's soul. So much for acing that quiz, and so much for English today! On impulse, she grabs her books. She nearly runs right into her teacher as she dashes out of the room.

My Fall 2011 Novel Writing Course

2011-08-23T12:53:00.000-07:00

This summer has been a very good summer so far: story theatre, two booksignings in Penticton while on holiday, the completion of To be Maria and good times spent with friends. Now that the season is starting to wind down, I'm seeking to find new ways to connect with new people in the 2011 fall season.

This fall, I am starting up a course on novel writing. This course will include most of the information that I have written about on Quips and Tips. I've decided to run this course as an online/offline independent course, meaning that you don't have to live on the Sunshine Coast to take it. If you live on the coast, then we will arrange a day, time and location to meet based around your schedule. My goal for this course is to provide you, the aspiring novelist, with the information and the help needed to give you a good start on your novel.

For more information on the course, you can contact me at deannaproach@gmail.com or at 1-604-885-7289.

Day of Revenge: Six More Sentences

2011-08-03T15:00:00.000-07:00

I sure took a long time off from Six Sentence Sunday.

These following six sentences are taken from chapter 5 in 'Day of Revenge'. In this scene, MC Samuel La Font reveals his plot to overthrow the revolutionary government with his best friend Pierre La Metz in a letter. Unfortunately, Pierre was caught by the ferocious Jacobins.

This matter of which I am about to reveal to you, you already know of. But it is now more urgent than ever. That heartless dictator Robespierre and his Jacobin followers grow bolder and more vicious as each day passes. Unfortunately, my friend, our plans for a crusade against this despotic revolution has become disorganized. As this new regime they call a democracy grows more oppressive with each passing day, more and more are we forced to act upon our actions with little chance to think through the potential consequences. But, I believe it is no longer a matter of how or when the oppressed will rise up and fight to restore freedom and justice to this torn country.

On Monday, I will be off to the land of the fairies and will be there for one blessed week. I shall be back at my office desk on Monday, August 15th.

Writing Prompt: Sunshine

2011-08-02T15:37:00.001-07:00

I am now happy--very happy--to say that To be Maria is finally complete. No more tweeks and changes until I work with an editor.

Now, onto something completely different. I'm going to do a writing prompt. The goal of this prompt is to write three sentences in one minute. Let's see if I can make this challenge.

Now that summer has finally arrived, I've decided to choose 'sunshine' as the word of the day.

The sunshine was bright that day. It glared through my window, heating up the room quite quickly. Within minutes, I changed into lighter clothes.

I did it with just one second to spare. I think I'm going to do this more often.

A Summer of Writing

2011-07-26T13:55:00.000-07:00

This summer, unlike every other summer, has been quite uneventful so far. Well, I shouldn't say it has been uneventful because I am in Story Theatre and we have performed at a number of festivals. I also have been out with friends every weekend. What I mean by 'uneventful' is, I haven't been able to do the one thing I truly love to do in the summer: swimming. Most of July has been quite cool and wet.

On a more positive note, I have managed to put most of my energy into writing. I've written a few articles for Cmvlive.com--an online magazine that I write for--and for Quips and Tips, the online magazine I've been writing for for a few months. I've also managed to complete 'To be Maria'--the revisions and copy editing included. A friend, Ralph Fraser read through the entire manuscript, marked the mistakes I made and gave me his overall thoughts. I took them all to heart and made further revisions at the end of the book based on that feedback.

I now have a good, working query letter ready to go--my other friend, Joanne Bennison, helped me with that. All I need now is a synopsis. That is the last thing that I need to write.

In the meantime, I'm getting ready to write my third book, 'Bad Innocence', the sequal to 'To be Maria'.

Hansel and Gretel: Why I Love Playing the Witch

2011-07-20T13:41:00.000-07:00

This year in Story Theatre, I play various characters who are very unique: the feisty Grandma in Little Red--the modernized version written by Joanne Bennison--the downright evil witch in Hansel and Gretel, the confused stranger in The North Wind and The Sun and an eager-to-please-the-king stranger in The King and His Dirty Feet.

Although I love all the characters I play, I LOVE playing the witch the most because I thoroughly enjoy being totally out of character, being someone who is the complete opposite of me. I really feel that in playing the role of the villain in at least one of the plays, I have been able to take my acting skills to new heights.

The other reason why I love playing the witch...

I get to wear an outfit that makes me look Scaaary!!!

AW July Blog Chain: The Worst Opening for A Story

2011-07-14T17:27:00.000-07:00

This month's writing prompt: the Mini Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest

The Mini Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest means trying to write the worst possible first line of a book or story in the spirit of Edward "It was a dark and stormy night..." Bulwer-Lytton. "Worst" in this case is subjective, but florid and ridiculous purple prose is probably closest to the spirit of the thing.

I've decided to have a crack at this just for the hell of it.

Here we go...

Rubbing her sleep crusted eyes, Anya slowly lifts herself out from underneath the thick, pink, downy blanket that is so comfortable, she cannot resist its warmth. Yet, she knows she must be at work in under two hours, so she must force herself to leave the comfort of her bed for the next twenty-three hours.

By now I'm hoping that you have the urge to scratch your eyeballs out.

And NO. If you think that I'm going to start the sequal to 'To be Maria' with this sentence, you are seriously misguided my friend...:-)

I invite you to read what all the other participants have or have not yet written.

orion_mk3
AuburnAssassin
dolores haze
Horseflye
xcomplex
Proach (ME)
BigWords
jkellerford
Ralph Pines
Euclid
Diana Rajchel
pezie
Guardian
egoodlett
Alpha Echo

A Moment to Never Forget

2011-07-11T11:37:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday--July 9th--was a blast, and it was a day that I will never forget. We--the Driftwood Players Story Theatre troupe did our third performance of the season. Actually, we did two performances that afternoon. We had an excellent turnout for our first performance. There must have been close to fifty people in the crowd. I should say, not bad for a small town and for a day that was not the warmest. The best part about it, though, was that we enjoyed ourselves and we entertained our audiences.

The best part of the day happened after our performances. My friend Mike's parents, who are from Sarnia, Ontario, were visiting the coast over the past week and so, came out to see our second performance. After the performance he introduced me to his parents. Actually, I introduced myself first and then gave my friend the honour to introduce me to his parents. I was quite exhausted, so I didn't say too much which is quite unlikely of me. When he introduced me, Mike told his parents about how I'm an author, so, when they asked me about my book, I told them about what it is about and gave them a bookmark--luckily I had a few with me because I always make the mistake of leaving them behind. I also told them a little about my WIP, 'To be Maria'.

They both took an interest in 'Day of Revenge' and asked me if it is available for purchase in one of the local bookstores. I suddenly remembered that there was still one copy of 'Day of Revenge' in Coast Princess Books, a tiny boutique bookstore just down the street from where we performed. I told her that she could purchase one at that bookstore.

Several minutes later, as a couple of friends and I walked down the block, we caught up with Mike's mother, Barb. She turned to me then said that she was going to buy my book. She asked me where she could find it, so I lead her into the store to where my book was on display. As she handed the book over to the cashier to pay for it, I asked the cashier for a pen. I then signed the copy of 'Day of Revenge' right there and then just as she was about to pay for it.

It was one moment that I will never ever forget. It was a special moment. I can now officially say that I did a book signing at Coast Princess Bookstore, even though I didn't do a reading and only sold one book on that occasion.

Elle and Emile Love Scene

2011-07-06T10:29:00.000-07:00

It's time to share six more sentences from my novel, 'Day of Revenge' for this coming Sunday.

This scene is taken from the end of chapter 1 and--I'm not going to say anything more. I'll just let these words speak for themselves. But, I will mention one thing. The back cover of 'Day of Revenge' has recently been altered to accomodate my reviews from Publishers Weekly and from Apex Reviews. It also includes my website underneath my author blurb.

And now, for my six...

Caught up in his excitement, Emile lets his shirt fall to the dirty floor below. He then unlaces the back of her dress and petticoat and eagerly pulls them down her thin torso. Normally, she would be humiliated, but tonight she feels strangely comfortable in her nakedness. She loves the way he lays on her cot and the way he looks up at her with that seductive smile on his face.

“I’ve been waiting for this moment for years,” she whispers. A strong feeling of bliss comes over her when she feels Emile’s cool, smooth hands against her body.

Happy July!!

2011-07-04T11:21:00.000-07:00

I'd first like to wish all of my American friends a very happy 4th of July!!

The summer was officially officiated with the dawn of Canada Day. Ottawa celebrated Canada's 144th birthday with Prince William and Princess Kate. What an amazing moment that must have been for the royal couple and for thousands of Canadians who saw them in person.

All the way across the continent, the little town of Sechelt held a celebration of its own. Every year, we ring in our country's birthday with a parade which is then followed by a festival in Hackett Park. Like usual, the park was teaming with people. This was also the second year that the Driftwood Players Story Theatre troupe performed at the festival in Hackett Park.

Our performances went well--even better than last year. Former Story Theatre people--John, Laura, Joanne and Ed--were there to watch us perform. It was great to catch up with old friends and to see fans from last year return to see what new stories and fresh creativity that we bring to the table. Yes, we have some very unique individuals in this year's story theatre troupe, but that is what makes this new season all the more enjoyable. Hey, unique is much better than plain.

It was cold this Canada Day--even colder than last year--but it did not hamper people's spirits. We managed to amass a generous audience for the first performance, thanks to fellow S.T. friend Mike for organizing the 'flash mob'. And no, it is not the kind of mob that pillages and muders. It is the entertainment mob, the kind that you see on Improv Everywhere. In the case of Story theatre, it is used to attract people to our performances. It is hard to explain what we do in words, but I'm hoping, contemplating on getting our flash mob filmed and posted on YouTube in the very near future.

Story Theatre: Then and Now

2011-06-27T12:33:00.000-07:00

This year we--the Driftwood Players Story Theatre troupe--are off to a really good start. We are more organized than we were last year. This year we have a producer, director and co-producer/co-director. We also have a stage manager, something we did not have last year.

Our producer and co-producer--Janet and Radhika--have been working harder than ever to put Story Theatre on the map and so far, their efforts are paying off. Our name was mentioned in the Children's festival brochure and in the local newspaper. Last year we were not included in the list of performers who were scheduled to perform at the Children's Festival.

Last year, we were only given a small time slot of fifteen minutes. There were several families, but we had only gathered a small audience of small children. And, the noise almost drowned us out. I clearly remember the shrill sound of an ambulance siren filling the air all around us as we performed. This year, the weather sucked, but things were much better. We had a much larger time slot--one hour--and our audience was much larger. I should also mention that Ingrid's theatre students performed and their performance was stellar.

Story Theatre has a very diverse and wonderfully unique group of actors, some who have little acting experience. We also have two very talented musicians. Regardless of experience though, everyone shone on Saturday's performance.

We are scheduled to perform at several events this summer, so I believe that we will grow strong as a group.

Six Sentences: The Guillotine!

2011-06-22T11:07:00.000-07:00

Whenever I--or any other person--thinks about the French Revolution, the first thing that comes to mind is the guillotine. The guillotine played a huge role in the French revolution. It symbolized revolutionary justice. It also represented the terror that was inflicted upon the French people.

This sunday, my six is going to represent just that.

And now for my weekly six sentence installment from 'Day of Revenge'.

In the center of the city square, between the tall buildings and the Seine River stands the guillotine. Its wooden scaffold is tall—more than three feet higher than Henri’s head. A set of stairs lead up to the scaffold. Perpendicular to the base of the tall frame lays a six foot long plank where the condemned are forced to lay. Two sets of leather belts, attached to either side of the low plank, are used to tie them down to prevent them from escaping. A large basket stands on the opposite side of the platform to catch the heads when they fall.

Happenings in June: Anticipation for the Summer Months

2011-06-21T13:20:00.000-07:00

This month has not yet come to a close and, even though I feel exhausted, I have accomplished a lot. Last night--Monday--I completed my TM Competent Communications manual with a speech titled 'How to Defeat your Inner Jerk'. I am thrilled that I managed to complete this manual in one year and a half. Although, I must admit that it was not a breeze.

The first seven speeches were delivered with a red face and blotchy chest. I even stammered over some words and there were a few awkward hand gestures and pauses in there as well. It was not until my eighth speech that things really came together. I have to thank all of the hosts who were so kind to interview me on their internet radio shows--and the Sunrise Rotary Club for having me as a guest speaker. It gave me the opportunity to improve my speaking skills and to build up my confidence. Once my confidence was in check, then everything else fell into place.

Now that I've completed my CC manual, it's onto another manual, or two. I've chosen to work through the Storytelling and Interpretive Reading manuals because they both fall in line with my two passions--acting and writing. I will now be able to use my imagination. The boundaries are less strict. That is why I can't wait to begin this new adventure in Toastmasters.

'To be Maria' is the second thing that I accomplished this month. On new years day of this year 2011, I set out to complete 'To be Maria'--writing and editing--in June. I spent the entire winter months researching places to promote 'Day of Revenge' that I had allowed no extra time for myself to work on 'To be Maria'. In the spring I had managed to type out what had been written, but I could not pick up the pen and write.

April slipped by and I still had not progressed with this novel. I was beginning to believe that I would not fulfill my new years resolution. Then came May. I was thinking about my new story all the time. In my brain, I followed my characters around. They were nagging away at me, begging me, imploring me to finish their story. I couldnt' take it anymore, so one soggy day in May, I picked up the pen and couldn't put it down. Every day, I lived and breathed the story. I walked in my characters' shoes. I was so involved in their lives that I could not think about anything else.

I completed the novel at the end of May, then typed out the words that had not been transfered onto computer. Then came the editing...the hardest, most gruelling task a writer has to face. Little by little, I printed my manuscript from my humble, six-year-old printer, then read through the entire manuscript. After that, I read through the story twice--adding onto scenes and rewriting portions that were in need of a grammatical makeover. Although it did not take me nearly as long to edit 'To be Maria' as it took me to edit 'Day of Revenge', it was still a lot of work and it has left me feeling a little low on energy and in need of a short break.

That said, Story Theatre is going to be a nice diversion from the writing world. Our first performance is this Saturday--June 25th--at the local Children's Festival in Gibsons. This performance will precede several more performances throughout the summer. Alongside Story Theatre, I am excited to get my second book launched.

It is going to be a very exciting summer. I can feel it. There will be plenty of wonderful times with friends and much will be accomplished.

Changing Genres?

2011-06-17T13:27:00.001-07:00

'Genre' is what defines a writer, or does it? Should a writer be confined to write in one genre? Is it risky for an author to change the genre that he or she writes in?

I, for one, am one author who has changed my genre--from historical fiction to contemporary YA suspense. I know that there are several authors who do not write in one genre. Some write in more than two genres, yet, I have wanted to hear from other authors about what they feel about changing genres. So, I have contacted three authors--Aimee Laine, Michael Murphy and Dannye Williamsen.

Aimee Laine has written several novels in the paranormal romance genre. Her latest novel Little White Lies is due for release on July 1, 201l.

Michael Murphy is an award winning author. His latest book, Scorpian Bay--a contemporary suspense--was released in April 2011.

Dannye Williamsen is an author and owner of the Breakthrough Bookstore, an online bookstore dedicated to promoting self-published authors and authors of non-fiction books.

Here is what they had to say...

What do you think about writing novels in two or more genres?

Aimee: I think it's great for people who like to write a variety of stories.

Dannye: As a writer I think you should write in whatever genre your muse leads you.

Michael: I would encourage writers to consider crossing genres.

What if the perfect story comes to you, but it isn't within the genre that you normally write in?

Aimee: Then I'd have to consider it, however, I truly believe, for me, that it would morph into a romance. I always called myself a people photographer when people asked me what kind of photographer I was. I'm a writer of people, too. I love the dynamics of a relationship and seeing that to fruition. But my stories aren't just about that. They are mysterious, thrilling, suspenseful, etc. I love mixing and intertwining, but I call them romance because ultimately, it's still the story of how two people got together.

Michael: I am facing this now. I've had seven novels published, six are the types of books I like to read, mystery and suspense with a touch of humor. About a year ago, I was inspired by a combination of factors to write a novel about about people now who attended Woodstock. People who've enjoyed my mysteries, will also enjoy Goodbye Emily, because it has humor throughout like my mysteries. In a mystery, the plot moves along with a hero trying to solve the crime. My challenge was to move the plot along without this device I'm so used to.

Would you switch your genre if you felt compelled to?

Aimee: Yes, but see above. I think they'll morph for me. I do, however, switch age groups. I write for both Adult and YA ... which takes a completely different 'tact' and feel to it. In fact I write 3rd person for Adult and 1st person for YA. It sets apart the style of writing and the type.

Dannye: If I felt "compelled to," my answer would be that it depends on what was compelling me. If the pressure was coming from an outside force, I would not. If the pressure was coming from within me, I would certainly make an effort to see if something would come of it.

In terms of readers and book sales, do you think that changing genres is risky?

Aimee: It's only risky if you want to think of it as such. I believe we make our own successes and if the story you want to tell is one that's different than what you 'normally' do, you'll just build another following and perhaps inspire your own fan base to read something new.

Dannye:In terms of readers and book sales being affected by an author switching genres, I think it's highly possible which is why some authors use pen names when they switch genres. That said, I doubt I would write under a different name.There are always readers who understand that writers work with words and stories and that genres are just a convenient means of categorizing books, not pigeon-holing writers. If some readers are so anxious to put me or anyone else in a particular pigeon-hole, that is their problem, not mine.

Michael: I'm confident that I've succeeded, so I would encourage writers to consider crossing genres and see what they can accomplish.

Interview With Aimee Laine: Author of Little White Lies

2011-06-16T08:53:00.000-07:00

I had the pleasure of interviewing Aimee Laine, the author of paranormal romance, Little White Lies. Her book is scheduled to be released July 1st--that is just two weeks from now. I should also mention that Little White Lies will be available in paperback and in ebook format. Here is the interview...

What is Little White Lies about?

Little White Lies is about long lasting love, tainted by untruths. Charley Randall, the main character, does what she believes is best in separating herself from Wyatt Moreland, because he can't know about her -- the real her. She's a shape-shifter and in general, shifters and humans don't need to know about each other. But she's totally in love with him and just keeps pushing him out of her life. Of course when he finds out, what looks to her like bravery and thoughtfulness is really just a bunch of lies and they have to get over that to come back together. They aren't the only ones that know about Charley though and someone else is ready to jump on the chance to make their latest reunion a permanent separation.

Is this a stand-alone debut novel, or do you plan on writing a sequal to this novel?

This is a stand-alone novel, however, there are two (at least) sets of characters in the story who I already have planned for their own story. So that gives Little White Lies the series title of 'Mimics of Rune' #1 because when I write the next two, they will also be Mimics of Run.

What inspired you to write this novel?

There is a road in my town that I drive on almost every day. Some days, as I drive down it, my head conjures up ideas. I don't know why, but it's always that road. So I was driving down it and out pops this idea. "What if there was a shape-shifter who's job it was to be a shape-shifter and she fell in love with a human, but refused to be with him because she's 200+ and he's not even 18. Then what happens if her time as a shape-shifter is about to end ... but she won't end. What would happen?" And out 'popped' Little White Lies 45 days later. ;)

Who is your favorite character and why?

I love Charley. People ask me why I named a girl Charley and why I didn't spell her name the 'right' way. So first my answer is because I wanted to and the spelling, well I look at my own name and go ... it's okay to be unique. And eventually, that uniqueness will fade as other people like the spelling. That's not why I love her though. She's tough and strong, but emotionally invested in Wyatt and just can't let go. She's not obsessed, but she gives him up so he can have a good life ... of course he doesn't know this. She's like the Mom of the family -- always giving, giving, giving and no one really realizes how much she's given until one day, she's not going to be able to do it. In this case, her 'family' helps the process along. And, of course, she's a shape-shifter. Who doesn't want to be able to do that?? :)

Will you ever write in another genre, or will you stick to paranormal romance?

You know, I don't know. By 'romance' my story is the relationship between my two main characters. I LOVE the paranormal aspect simply because I can make up stuff that some don't believe is possible and make it seemingly possible. I don't read to get educated. I read to get out of my life, to stretch my imagination, to live vicariously through others. Knowing they can do something I can't? Even better. I want to be there, to enjoy it and thus I write it. However, much of my novel is heavily geared toward mystery and suspense with a little bit of thriller in there. It's not sweet romance by any stretch of the imagination. It's dark and gritty. And that is probably where I will stay -- in that 'area' ... but always with a focus on two people. Even in my young adult novels I write that way.

Can you share with us a little bit from your upcoming release, Little White Lies?

Here is the official book blurb:
When the government needs a body double for a covert operation, they hire shape-shifter Charley Randall. For two centuries, she’s played every part from foreign dignitary to office drone. The role she wants most, though, is one she’s denied herself three times already.

FBI Agent Wyatt Moreland believes Charley’s photographic memory is the key to his latest assignment. He’s oblivious to the true extent of her abilities, but he can’t deny the sense of déjà vu at their introduction.

Unlike Wyatt, Charley knows this isn’t their first meeting. It’s their fourth.
The girl he vowed to love, sixteen years before, stands in front of him in her true form - one he’ll never recognize.

With each reconnection, Charley loves him more, though she realizes this is her last chance to explain. Only absolute truth can bring them happiness, but can Wyatt forgive her deceptions? Or will lies tear them apart forever?

And here is a the first 250 words (ish)...

The in-dash display of Charley Randall’s burgundy roadster read eleven fifty. She needed every minute until midnight to reach her destination. Pedal to floor, the car hugged the curves with nothing more than a slight adjustment left or right. Headlights burned through the dark, illuminating the double, center lines.
Charley blew past warning signs for fallen rock, deer, and the oncoming dead-end at double the posted speed. She relied on her knowledge of her mountain’s terrain to get her home in one piece.

Another check of time revealed only eight minutes remained.

Her teeth ground together, knuckles paled. “You’ll make it, Char.” She blew out the breath she held and pounded the leather wheel with her palm. If she hadn’t stayed late for a celebratory drink, she’d have been on time.
The clock blinked eleven fifty-five.

She pressed the accelerator, as if to will the car faster, but slowed as the most dangerous of turns approached.

Eleven fifty-six.

The rapid blink of a vehicle’s emergency lights jumped into view as she rounded the curve. A single gasp accompanied the swerve. The steering wheel shook under her palms as the tires objected to the force of her turn and squealed into the dark of night. A cloud of dust rose around her as the car slid to the edge of the road and came to rest in a shallow ditch.

Read more

You can also check out Little White Lies on the J. Taylor Publishing website.

I'd like to thank you, Aimee, for taking the time to answer these questions. I sincerely wish you much success with this new release.

Six Sentences Brought to You by Elle and Emile

2011-06-15T08:54:00.000-07:00

Well, its back to 'Day of Revenge' again. I've decided to altnernate my six sentences between 'Day of Revenge' and 'To be Maria'.

This short scene is taken from chapter one and it involves two of my minor protagonists--Elle and Emile. Emile is the best friend of Emmanuel d'LeVasque--the main character--and he is the son of a nobleman. Elle is a lowly servant girl who works on a vineyard. She is Emile's lover.

Here are my six.

“Elle, dear, the moonlight cannot hide the look of fear upon your face,” Emile says. He flips the mass of curls behind her thin shoulders.

Elle lowers her head so to avoid the worried look on his face. “Then why do you bring me here every night? You know how I feel, Emile.”

On impulse, Emile grabs her by her shoulders and presses his lips against hers.

Editing, Acting and...Query Letter writing?

2011-06-10T17:48:00.000-07:00

This week has been a very busy, but fruitful week. I am getting close to completing the editing of 'To be Maria'--although I'm still one week away from completing my own editing. I'm also getting ready for my very first performance in Story Theatre season 2. Actually, I can't say it's 'my' performance when several other people are involved. I'll say it's 'our' performance.

Last night (Thursday) we held a seperate rehearsal for 'Hansel and Grethel' in Hackett Park (that's in Sechelt, just down the road from where I live). 'Hansel and Grethel' is one of the stories we will be performing this summer. My friend, Radhika Samwald is directing this play and she is doing a wonderful job because everything is coming together so well. I play the stranger--in other words, the witch--a part I truly relish. I love playing the antagonist, a personality that is totally out of my character, because it allows me to expand and enhance my acting skills.

Getting back to 'To be Maria'--the time has almost come where I must write another query letter. The last time I wrote a query letter was for my first book, 'Day of Revenge' and that was in the fall of 2009. So, I must admit that I will be a little rusty on my query writing skills. It is a good thing that I've given myself until September to prepare this book for publication.

My Thoughts

2011-06-06T09:29:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since I last posted on this blog--an entire week, I believe. The entire week last week, there was a very poor internet connection at our house until Friday, it disappeared altogether. A worker from Coast Cable came by to investigate the problem and fix it. It turned out that the motim was performing updates. That is why the connection in the rauder failed to communicate with the motim. Okay, I'm not a techy, so my explanation of this probably doesn't make sense, so I'm going to change the topic.

I found plenty of work to do without the use of the internet. I thrust all of my heart and soul into the editing of 'To be Maria'. I printed out the entire manuscript in installments and went through it, just like I did with 'Day of Revenge' a year and a half earlier. I finally completed that process last night. And now, it is time to start the transcriptions. I'm feeling really exhausted. Editing sure takes a hell of a lot out of me--any other writer for that matter. It is the toughest part of being a writer. Besides that, though, I'm enjoying it. Once I have transcribed all of my corrections, I'm going to pass on the manuscript to two people, and they are going to be my pre-publication readers. I'm really thankful to have them because I know they will catch the mistakes that I'm sure I will miss.

I'm going to give 'To be Maria' a generous editing period--I plan to have the editing done by early September. I know I will have it completed before then, but I want to give myself that additional time to perfect a book blurb and to build buzz for this new book.

Oh--I should also mention that, last Wednesday, I had an internet radio interview with Nanci on her Page Readers show. I really enjoyed connecting with her again and look forward to the time when I can promote 'To be Maria' on internet radio.

Six Sentence Sunday: To be Maria

2011-05-31T13:43:00.000-07:00

This Sunday, my six sentences are going to come from my WIP, 'To be Maria'. Actually, in one way, 'To be Maria' is not a work in progress because I completed it and am now onto the editing/revision part of it.

'To be Maria' follows the story of two seventeen-year-old girls who, in their quest for popularity, befriend people who have dangerous connections that will put their lives at stake.

The two main characters are:

Anya Preschnikov--poor and underestimated aspiring actress.
Maria Hernandez--Incredibly gorgeous girl from Spain, but very rebellious.

The following six sentences are taken from Anya's point of view.

Unlike most other girls in her school, she never has to rummage through her closet in search of the perfect outfit. Oh God, here we go again. Now, for the same jeans, faded tank-tops, baggy t-shirts and sweatshirts. I can't wait until the day comes where I can throw away these ugly hand-me-downs. I just wish I had the money to buy new clothes, fashionable clothes, the ones all the other girls wear to school every day. Anya traces her finger over the delicate cloth of her one and only bohemian-style summer dress.

'Day of Revenge': Six Sentences

2011-05-26T17:51:00.000-07:00

The resentful look on Samuel’s face darkens. “I’ve been to visit my family in Corsica more times than you know, Emmanuel. I know him well enough to realize that he hates me for absolutely no reason. He is only doing this for his family—not for me.”

Emmanuel gives him a bewildered look. He is so taken aback by Samuel’s sudden outburst that he cannot find the right words to ease his friend’s pain.

Six Sentence Sunday: May 29th

2011-05-26T17:30:00.000-07:00

During last Sunday's interview with Ashlynn Monroe on her Must Love Books show, she told me about a blog called Six Sentence Sunday. It is a place where any writer--published, self-published, or not published--can share six sentences of their work. I think this is a fantastic idea and since I have two books to promote now, I'm going to jump on board.

This is how I'm going to fit this into my personal schedule. I will submit my posts every Thursday or Friday at anytime during the day or evening. Until I get my new history blog going, I'm only going to submit two posts per month. The posts will alternate between 'Day of Revenge' and 'To be Maria.

In other words, here is how my schedule will look:

May 29th--'Day of Revenge'

June 5th--'To be Maria'

June 12th--'Day of Revenge'

July 3rd--'To be Maria'

July 10th--'Day of Revenge'

And so forth...

When I start my new history blog in the early fall, here is how the schedule will look.

Sunday 1--'To be Maria'

Sunday 2--'Day of Revenge'

Sunday 3--History Blog

It will be a rotating schedule, so one month, I will begin with 'Day of Revenge'; the next month, it will be 'To be Maria', the following month, it will be my history blog and so forth.

I can't wait to embark on this new adventure.

'To be Maria': How it all Started

2011-05-23T11:10:00.000-07:00

November 2009. 'Day of Revenge' is complete. I'm on the editing stage, but I'm searching for another idea for a new historical novel. I'm thinking and I'm thinking. Finally, I found what I thought would be the perfect idea for a historical. I found one at last. The story would be set in 1600s France and would entail the story of a noble girl who seeks revenge on her power hungry Uncle for the murder of her parents. This is a great idea and would make for one hell of a story. But, just as I was building a list of characters, another story appeared on my horizon.

It was the most simultaneous thing because it came to me and not the other way around. The story came to me in early December of that year. It was 'To be Maria'--my WIP. I set to work on it in January, but my creativity was blocked by the stress of rejection and by having to search for a new job. The story just wasn't coming out the way I wanted it to. And, besides, my heart was set on writing another historical novel. So, I put 'To be Maria' on the shelf and decided that I would not visit it again.

A few months later, something happened to me that has never happened before. My mind was haunted by my infant story, 'To be Maria'. I could almost hear a voice inside my head telling me to write this story. It needed to be told and I'm the only one who could write it. So, at my friend's office in early April, I rewrote the first two chapters of 'To be Maria'. The right words flowed from my head and onto paper like a waterfall, free falling from a cliff to the stream below. It was like magic.

I spent the rest of April, completely absorbed by this story. I lived it; breathed it. I could not get my mind off of it. While I found the writing process much easier than that of 'Day of Revenge', it was a hard story to write. 'To be Maria' entails the story of two teenage girls who, in their quest for popularity, befriend people who have dangerous connections that will put their lives at stake. Anya Preschnikov--my MC--is an aspiring actress, but she is very poor, neglected and downtrodden. She believes that, in order to get her stepping stone to stardom, she needs to be surrounded by friends. Maria Hernandez--my other MC--sees the potential in Anya that everyone else refuses to acknowledge and so she takes her under her wing.

This story was hard to write because it covers some very heavy subject matter. Also, when I started writing it, I was going through a significant change in my personal life. It was a bitter-sweet experience. I was moved by this story, pained by this story and satisfied by this story.

What Do Your Story Characters Sound Like?

2011-05-20T14:28:00.000-07:00

This post was a part of the 2010 May AW Blog Chain.

What do my story characters sound like? I could talk about my characters in 'Day of Revenge' or about my characters in 'To be Maria'. I think I'll stick with my DoR characters since the post was originally about them.

If all the protagonists in my novel, ‘Day of Revenge’ started singing at once, I’d have to run out of the room with my hands cupped firmly over my ears. If all of my antagonists started singing at once, you better find a way out of Paris fast, because these guys are preparing for a blood bath—seriously.

It is unfortunate that I did not give any of my characters voice talent. However, I do have a question mark with Emile. Being the romantic suck that he is, he is bound to sing songs to his love, Elle. But, because they are struggling to keep their heads attached to their necks, no one dares to sing.

Sadly, I don’t even have a sound track in mind for my book. I love listening to music, but I am not musically inclined, so this does not come easy to me at all. Since ‘Day of Revenge’ is an intense, edgy suspense story, the theme music would have to correspond with it. I think James Horner would be the perfect guy to create music for ‘Day of Revenge’. I absolutely love his style of music.

The most intense scene in my book should be accompanied by complete silence. Silence will make it ten times more ominous and frightening. That’s the extent of my knowledge of musical characters—I meant to say music.

It’s great to write about topics like this, because you can let your imagination soar. With questions like these, there are no boundaries...

Important Announcement

2011-05-18T13:34:00.000-07:00

For those of you who have seen me less and less on the internet in the past few weeks, I have given it a break for a few reasons.

One: my physical health was starting to decline. Long hours, staring at the flashing computer screen was starting to take a toll on my energy level and I was having chronic pain in my joints.

Two: I no longer want to refer to 'To be Maria' as a work-in-progress. I am writing the novel longhand. That is why it's taking time to complete it. But, I'm near the finish line and I am determined to complete the first draft in early June. After that, I will have no choice but to spend long hours before the computer, transfering what I have written to second draft. That will be complete sometime in the middle of June.

Three: I have a few speeches coming up in the next month--two at Toastmasters, one at a Social Media workshop at my local community employment center, and two interviews on internet radio.

I should also mention that I will be visiting my good friend, Neelam, in Vancouver early next week. I havn't seen her in a while, so it will be good to catch up. I'm also really looking forward to seeing her baby girl, Ananya.

Last, but certainly not least: Story Theatre. I have yet to learn all of my lines before performances commence this summer.

Don't worry. I'm not going to go away anytime soon. I will still be posting on this blog on a weekly basis and on my new author page on Facebook. I will also write the occasional article for Quips and Tips and Cmvlive emagazines. I will also throw my two cents in on Linked In writer groups from time to time. I'm not going disappear completely. After all, I have a second book to push.

Cast your Antagonist in a Sympathetic Light

2011-05-17T10:19:00.000-07:00

This post was originally a part of the July 2010 Blog Chain, almost one year ago. This post was posted on my 'Everything Historical' blog, but after I transfer all of my posts to this blog, I am deleting that blog.

Can any writer cast the "Antagonist" in a sympathetic light?

This is where butterflies start to flutter in my stomach because the antagonists in ‘Day of Revenge’–Robespierre, Louis de St. Just, Joseph Chereuse and Francois Rouchon are so evil that they cannot be cast in a sympathetic light. But, there is one character who starts out in the story as an evil doer, but turns for the better as the story progresses, and that is Henri Varennes.

I hope that the following scene will evoke some sympathy for Henri Varennes.

While the two families, and Emile and Elle, sleep safely and soundly in their beds within the vicinity of their homes, Henri and his four comrades walk slowly through the sleeping city. All of them, except for Joseph and Francois, are too exhausted to speak, or to pay attention to any activities that might be happening behind the closed doors of the two-level houses. There is not a light shining through the shutters of homes, and not a murmur of voices is to be heard other than drunken guards pacing the vacant streets. Much to the disappointment of Joseph and Francois, who revel in the excitement of arresting disloyal citizens, the entire city of Lyon is virtually black and lifeless. Although, as the men wonder through the countryside north of the city, they happen to notice a bright light shining through one of the ground level windows of a large stone manor. For a few moments the tired men stand there and scrutinize the building as if it is a faulty musket.

Joseph Chereuse breaks the silence when he says, “Well, Captain, seeing that there was no other lights coming from anywhere else, there must be something strange going on here. So what in the hell are you waiting for?”

Henri glares at all of his men. “I am awfully damned tired now, so I can stay here till dawn if I bloody well wish.” Henri pauses for a few moments. The only sound to be heard is the loud chirping of the crickets nearby.

“Oh hell, I agree. I guess we should go in for an investigation. If the citizens are guilty of attempted conspiracy than of course we will arrest them. The next morning we will return to Paris.”

The five men then descend upon the home.

Pierre La Metz, the owner of the stone manor, is completing finishing touches on a coffee table which had been requested by his close friend, Samuel La Font. For many years Pierre La Metz served in the French army as a military engineer and had fought in the Seven Years’ War with Samuel.

To this day Pierre remains a single man. He never hires any servants to help him upkeep his manor. After his retirement from the military in 1788, he settled in the Rhone valley, and ever since then, he has been working as an artisan. Pierre plans to have the table sent to Samuel’s estate the next morning. Of course, he is going to make the trip himself, for a month ago he received an important, but dangerous letter from Samuel. So, he needs to see him as soon as possible.

As Pierre puts his tools away, he hears an unexpected knock at the door. The knock is so loud that it almost makes him jump out of his skin. Nevertheless, he thinks that it is likely his old friend, Rachelle, seeking to obtain some bread and butter. She is a poor widow who lives in a tumble down cottage not far from his manor. She comes to visit Pierre on a regular basis, sometimes for food, but other times for company. Pierre has often thought to himself that he is the only soul in the area who is kind enough to provide her with food, warmth and acceptance. But, tonight he cannot not comprehend why old Rachelle would come knocking at his door at such a late hour.

“I am coming right away, Rachelle,” he calls out as he slowly makes his way over to the door.

All the exhaustion drains from his body when he finds Captain Varennes and four other red-capped Jacobins standing at his door. This cannot be real. I am having a nightmare. Wake up. Pierre pinches his cheeks in vain, only to realize that this is in fact real. Unfortunately this does not make the situation any better. Henri’s men take much pleasure in playing upon poor Pierre’s fear. They make crude gestures at him.

“Man, you better have a damn good reason to justify your late activities or else we will show no mercy,” Henri says.

“W-What do you mean,” Pierre says.

His response infuriates Henri. “Great God, how I hate to always have to make myself clear! We are here by orders from Robespierre to find all enemies of the Republique. So, seeing that your house is lit up well after curfew, we thought it would be wise to investigate. If we find no documents conspiring against our new government, we will be on our way. But should we discover anything of the like, I promise we will treat you worse than a stray dog. So I suggest you stand aside while we search your house, before we inflict severe injury on both you and your elaborate estate.”

Unable to expel the intruders and fearing the worst from them, Pierre reluctantly allows the men into his home and follows them. He horrifyingly watches them rage through his house, turning over furniture, tearing up couches, pillows and curtains, and violently breaking paintings, including his most cherished crystal plates his mother gave to him before she passed on. One burly man kicks over his newly crafted table hard enough to send it flying across the stone floor, crashing into the wall, causing two of the legs to break off completely. At this moment, Pierre is not concerned about the broken table, he is fearful for his life. He meekly follows the furious men to his sleeping quarters.

“Citoyen Varennes, I promise you, I have nothing to give you reason to arrest me. I therefore beg you to leave.”

This attempt on Pierre’s behalf to prevent the captain from finding the letter fails miserably. Upon hearing his desperate cry for mercy, all the other men come running into the room. Francois grabs his arms and forces them behind his back. Pierre fights against him, but finds himself overpowered and pinned to the floor by both Francois and Joseph. Upon hearing the commotion, Henri turns around and loudly commands his men to release Pierre at once. Joseph and Francois immediately stand up and rigidly walk over to the small night stand. Joseph kicks it as hard as he had kicked the small table in the workroom. All five men pick through every letter, written document, and even steal the Medal of Honor Pierre received for his service in the Seven Years’ War. They scrutinize every letter while Pierre helplessly watches them. A deathly silence engulfs the room as they read. This frightening stillness ends when Henri reaches underneath the bed and picks up the very letter Pierre feared these dreadful men would find.

For a few seconds Henri stares at the sealed envelope. He opens it very slowly, being careful not to tear the envelope.

“What does the letter say, Captain?” The answer to Jacques’ question is read out loud by Henri.

“To my friend Pierre La Metz.

This matter of which I am about to reveal to you, you already know of. But it is now more urgent than ever. That heartless dictator Robespierre and his Jacobin followers grow bolder and more vicious as each day passes. Unfortunately, my friend, our plans for a crusade against this despotic revolution has become disorganized. As this new regime they call a democracy grows more oppressive with each passing day, more and more are we forced to act upon our actions with little chance to think through the potential consequences. But, I believe it is no longer a matter of how or when the oppressed will rise up and fight to restore freedom and justice to this torn country. We must repel these despots, for if we hesitate they will devour France, and the rest of Europe. Therefore, I propose we strike at the core of their strength. Once you have completed the coffee table, I implore you to come to me as soon as possible. My family has been very gracious with their help. They have already recruited two lieutenants, eight officers and forty-six generals. When you arrive I will place you in charge of the first unit and we will engage in one final practice before we lay siege to Paris and have every one of those tyrants guillotined. I would have, since our last meeting, come to visit you, but these days it has become much too dangerous to do so. So, once you have read this letter, hide it well and do not speak of it to anyone. You must travel to my estate and leave at the crack of dawn while the country still sleeps. I promise you, my friend, that this will be the only way to travel without being caught. I pray to the good Lord that he will bring you here safely and all will go as planned. I shall see you soon. Long live the king. Signed anonymous on the day of July 25th of this year—and—long live the King.”

All suspicions of the lit house are proven to be true. Jacques walks over to Pierre and glares down at him. He spits on the man’s face and then gives him a sharp kick in his ribs. Joseph and Francois force Pierre on his feet and drag him out of the room with a gag bound tightly around his mouth. This time, Henri does not stop his comrades. A lump grows in the back of his throat. Of all of the times I mercilessly beat and arrested people in the past, I never felt guilty and there is no difference in my actions now. This man is a conspirator and a traitor to the Republique. He does not deserve any sympathy. So, why do I feel this way? He swallows his feelings and follows his men out of the room.

While walking through the house, Henri continues to wallow in his thoughts. There is one piece missing to this puzzle. Who is the man who wrote the letter, and where is he from? The only evidence we found in the letter is that the man who wrote it is a soldier.

Henri walks back into the workshop beside the foyer and puts out all four of the burning candles. He then finds his way back to the front door. Once outside, he walks up to the arrested man.

“Pierre La Metz, I arrest you in the name if the Republique for planned conspiracy to depose the Robespierre government.”

Pierre’s eyes bulge open. “But, Citoyen, I did not write this letter.”

Henri walks up to the victim and, placing his face within inches of Pierre’s face, says, “Well then you better reveal to us the name of this conspirator and where he is hiding. If you are able to do that you will go to prison, but will be spared from the guillotine.”

Pierre’s body stiffens. The very thought of having to choose between prison and the fate of Samuel is terrifying. He certainly cannot do the latter without living the rest of his life in grief.

“Damn you,” Henri shouts. “If you do not answer my question now, we will force it out of you.”

Joseph, Francois and Jacques snicker. Alphonse, though, remains quiet.

This time Pierre looks bravely into the captain’s stormy brown eyes. “That I cannot reveal, for the letter was passed on to me by another friend. I do not know the name of the man who wrote the letter.” Pierre feels a hard blow to the ribs on the left side of his body, so hard that he hears them crack as they break. He screams and doubles over, gripping his injured ribs.

Henri is growing angrier by the minute. However, he is not enraged over the victim’s obstinacy—he is extremely furious at his comrades. I hate my comrades. I hate Robespierre and his administrators, and I hate myself for becoming like them. If I had the chance, I would invade their sleeping quarters at night and slit their throats and their wrists. Yet, here I am again, committing sin and injustice against all mankind simply because of my own fear. The guilt and bitterness in him continues to build, taking control of his emotions and his actions.

He reaches out and seizes the unfortunate man by the throat. “Liar! Do not attempt to escape me by pretending you are oblivious as to where your friend lives,” Henri screams. He then turns to his men. “One of you, tie this man’s hands together. We will stay here all night with the traitor if no one passes by.”

The Genre Combo

2011-05-12T09:02:00.000-07:00

History is a wonderful genre because it is so vast. Unlike any other genre, you can choose any era, country and event to write about. You can even create fictional characters and have them interact with non-fictional characters. Heck, your main character can be a non-fictional character for that matter. The great thing about historical fiction is that you don’t have to ask people for permission to use them as characters—unless they are still alive—because they are long gone dead.

You could also cross over into other genres. This is what I call the ‘genre combo’. Examples: Historical romance, historical fantasy or historical mystery. It seems that if you have written a beautiful book that fits into either of these genre combos, you have a strong chance of getting a literary agent or editor in your first round of submissions. But what about a historical suspense or a historical thriller?

Well, the popular genre combos, historical romance, historical fantasy and historical mystery have been proven time and time again to be successful. For this reason, literary experts have ignored the possibility of a best-selling historical suspense or thriller. There are many famous historical romance authors out there, so many that literary experts now play it safe, preferring a genre crossover only if it crosses over into romance or fantasy.

So where does that leave the author of historical suspense? In my frank opinion, no author of the less acquired genre combos should be ignored. If you are intending to write a historical suspense or thriller, than do so by all means and don’t worry about category restrictions. There may not be a whole lot of publishers who are willing to take a chance on something completely different from an unknown writer, but there are the exceptional few who are willing to take these kinds of risks. It all depends on timing and on you, the author.

To enhance your book’s chance of becoming a best-seller, you must write a compelling and engaging story with vivacious characters and a heart-stopping plot. Additionally, the writing itself must be superb. Once you have finished your book, it’s never a bad idea to have a friend, a family member, anyone who can give you honest, comprehensive feedback, read your work. When this is all accomplished and you feel confident in your work, it’s time to get it out there.

If you receive a pile of rejections, don’t panic. Just because you have written a book that is truly unique and different from everything else in the market that does not mean it won’t be successful. There is a place for genre combos (referring to historical suspense and historical thriller) on the bookshelf in all of the major book stores.

AW May Blog Chain: Anya and Patrick

2011-05-10T17:59:00.000-07:00

This month's theme for the blog chain is relationships. Not speaking of romantic relationships, but the relationships between fictional characters.

The goal of this month's BC is to...

"Show a character's approach to relationships in a short scene. A harmless exchange between mother and daughter? A submissive character overwhelmed by a dominant partner? A passionate lover's quarrel? A forlorn, unrequited letter?

Use your characters' interaction to show the dynamics of their relationship, show how they're growing together or growing apart, or just have silly fun. Character descriptions at the beginning are forbidden this time around--let them speak or act for themselves!"

So, I'm going to choose yet another scene from my WIP, 'To be Maria'. Lights turn down. Everyone in the theatre grows silent.

A loud knock at the front door startles her from her thought process. Could that be Maria, or Kirsten, or dad? A louder knock sounds upon the door. That can't be Kirsten. She's away with her mom at some hair styling thing for the evening. And Maria is with Shondra. It couldn't be Carly. She lives south of Westbank, and that is a good twenty minutes away from here. And dad--he's probably sitting at a bar, half way to drunkenness by now.

"Anya, it's Patrick," Sophia yells from the living room.

Anya heaves out a heavy sigh. "Ugh, what is he doing here?" she says under her breath. She reluctantly makes her way over to the front door.

Patrick's eyes bulge open when he sees her in the slinky dress. "Where did you get that dress?"

Anya can tell by the sharpness in his tone that he is not impressed. "I bought it," she says.

Patrick folds his arms across his chest. "Yeah, with whom?"

Anya purses her lips. That is none of your damn business. "No one. I bought it myself, with my own money. I have enough money in my bank account to afford one item of expensive clothing."

The suspicious look on his face tells Anya that he does not believe her lie.

"Well, I'll let you know, that dress does not make you look attractive."

Anya feels the anger rise within. "How do you know, Patrick? You've never seen me in anything other than baggy clothing. So, you have no right to judge me like that. And, I don't care what you think. I love this dress and I feel good in it. So, if you have a problem with it, then you will just have to deal with it," she almost shouts.

Patrick recoils. "What has come over you, Anya? I mean--why are you suddenly friends with Maria Hernandez and--Carly? Carly was so mean to you throughout Junior High. And Senior High wasn't hard enough for her to change her attitude."

"Until today," Anya says.

"You wish."

"Patrick."

"Anya, get with it. She and Maria are only being nice to you because they want what you have. They want to bring you down so they can get what they want."

Anya's heart flutters. It's not true. They wouldn't have spent the money on my clothes if they didn't care about me. "That's so not true, Patrick."

The look on his face darkens. "Yes it is. And you know it is, Anya. Why the hell would you even want to be friends with Carly after the way she treated you? And Maria--she's quite the slut. Popularity isn't as glamorous as you think it is. I wish you would realize that."

Anya shoots him a furious look. "How would you know, Patrick? The only friend you've had since you came to this country was me."

Patrick's face flushes red. "And I'm not good enough, Anya? Who let you sleep at his parents' house after all the times your brother beat you? Who took you out for dinner after Mr. Hawthorne told us that we were both accepted into his advanced acting class? Who spends all of his free time with you?"

"Patrick--I had nothing to do with Maria's plot to get Carly to do what she did. She did it all on her own. And now that I think about it, I'm glad they did decide to take a chance on me, because if they hadn't, I would still be miserable. And, Maria is one of the nicest girls I've ever met. She is so bold and confident. I've always wanted to be that kind of person, and now I finally can. I want to be just like Maria."

Patrick's lips tremble and his eyes glaze over. "Anya--I came here to apologize for the way I treated you earlier. But now I don't feel any remorse. I can't believe you are willing to throw away a good friendship. I don't mean anything to you, do I."

Anya averts her gaze to the old, wool slippers on her feet. Her feet start to sting from the coldness, but she is to confused and angry to care. She breathes out a heavy sigh, her breath lingering in the air.

"Well, that answers my question," Patrick says, his voice slightly hoarse. "I'm going now. Until you figure out who your real friend is, don't call me and don't talk to me." He turns away and then strides down the short, narrow pathway, disappearing around the corner.

Take a moment, or two, and read my fellow bloggers' posts.

orion_mk3
Proach (ME)
Yoghurtelf NEXT
AuburnAssassin
aimeelaine
Della Odell
jkellerford
juniper
Steam&Ink
LadyMage
pezie
xcomplex
Inkstrokes
dolores haze

The Reign of Terror

2011-05-09T16:46:00.000-07:00

The French Revolution began with good intentions—to abolish the feudal system forever and to establish a democracy in France, just like was done in the United States. The newly founded National Convention put an end to slavery and declared all French citizens equal, including Jews and Protestants. The King and Queen were dethroned and the aristocracy stripped of all its power. The rigid system that had been in place for hundreds of years was dismantled in a space of a few months.

When an immense social change happens this fast, there are bound to be many problems. And that was what happened in France in the early 1790s. Once the King and Queen were overthrown there was no sound leader to replace them. France was plagued with anarchy. There were those who were on the side of the revolutionaries, but there were many more people who were so attached to the monarchy and the Church that they were not prepared or even ready to adhere to the new order. This ultimately caused friction between the two factions, resulting in violence and civil war.

The leading members of the National Convention were desperately afraid that royalists would flee the country and conspire to re-establish the Feudal system in France. So, in order to prevent this from happening, they had to act fast. On 5 September 1793 the revolutionary government, headed by Robespierre, Saint-Just and Marat declared Terror the order of the day. This set the reign of terror on an upward climax.

The guillotine, created by the infamous Dr. Guillotin, became the dominant symbol of the revolution. Prior to 1793, only criminals were executed underneath the guillotine. But, during Reign of Terror, as many as 60 people were guillotined per day. Those numbers depended on how foul of a mood Robespierre was in, but they also reflected his intolerance towards citizens who showed any kind of apathy towards the revolution.

The exact number of people guillotined is unknown, but it is estimated that between 40,000 and 50,000 people met their fate underneath the blade of the guillotine

The Years Before the French Revolution

2011-05-07T08:44:00.000-07:00

Famine, starvation and a bankrupt nation lead by a feeble King was one recipe for strife and disaster in France. Once Louis XVI emptied his coffers, funding military aid for the Americans during the American War of Independence, he was faced with a big problem—how he was to replenish the royal treasury. To make matters worse, he did not know how to deal with the aristocracy. Unlike his grandfather, Louis XVI shared his power with the nobles. In other words, the nobility under Louis XVI flourished. They become wealthier, more powerful and more arrogant.

The only way Louis might have alleviated much of France’s debt is if he extended the taxes to all classes, with the heaviest levied on the nobles. However, when this idea was presented to Louis it caused an outrage, not only amongst the aristocracy, but the king was outraged himself. He was afraid that if he taxed the rich, he would be dethroned. So, Louis XVI shut them up by promising them that he would allow them to keep their ancient rights. But, this only added fuel to the fire.

No matter how wealthy the bourgeoisie got, they were still kept from all high positions in society. And, they were still forced to pay taxes. But, as mentioned, the heaviest taxes were forced upon the poor. While the bourgeoisie were exempt from some taxes, the poor were required to pay a tax on salt, grain and an additional tithe to the church. This left many French citizens impoverished, homeless, hungry and angry.

Underrepresented and driven by hardship, the working class citizens and peasants (who made up the Third Estate) demanded total equality before the law at the Estates General in the spring of 1789. They demanded political representation and to have the same rights as the aristocracy. When Louis XVI failed to grant them these privileges, all hell broke loose.

Why the French Revolution Happened

2011-05-05T15:44:00.001-07:00

This is a concise history of the real history behind 'Day of Revenge'. I want to let everyone know that very soon, I'm going to shut down my other blog, 'Everything Historical'. It is a very inactive blog and I won't be posting any more information on it. Sometime this fall, I'm going to launch another 'History' blog of a different sort.

All of the posts on 'Everything Historical' are really good and I don't want them to disappear when I delete EH. So, I'm going to transfer them to this blog.

We are going to begin with my very first EH post...Why the French Revolution Happened.

In a nutshell, the French Revolution happened because of the grave injustice that was inflicted on the peasants and the poor working class.

For thousands of years, society was defined by social class, divided into what we call a social stratum. During the middle ages, the Church owned thousands of acres of land, dominated all institutions and even ruled over Kings. However, that all changed during the 16th century with overseas expansion, the invention of new technology and the change in intellectual thought that went along with it.

Starting in the 16th century, the idea of absolutism gained strong roots in Europe. Kings ruled with the notion that God gave them the divine right to rule, and everyone under them were obligated to adhere to their policies. But, while Kings achieved supreme authority over their nations, they still granted Clergy members and nobles a large amount of power. Bishops and priests continued to own huge chunks of land and only persons of noble birth were permitted to attend the King’s court and obtain any high rank order in society.

In France Louis XIV prevented the aristocracy from gaining too much power because if he did, he would have subjected himself to malicious conspiracies. Louis XIV was very successful in keeping the nobles under his thumb. Yet, he did exempt them from paying taxes.

So where does that leave the bourgeoisie and the peasants? The bourgeoisie were forced to pay taxes, but the heaviest taxes were levied on the poor peasants. People who fell into these two classes were prevented from any high position in society. They were enslaved, forever indebted to the wealthy nobles with no freedom and no opportunity to obtain wealth. A written law forbade all working class citizens to wear satin, lace and silk. If a working class citizen was caught, dressing above his or her station, he or she was heavily fined. Even if a working class citizen did become wealthy off of his business, he was still considered a lesser person in society.

Of course, poor weather and warfare only added to the peasants’ misery. Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, starvation was the primary cause of death in France.

April 21st: The Day I met the Sunrise Rotarians

2011-05-03T13:46:00.000-07:00

I've been meaning to post this on my blog for a short while now, but I've been so caught up with other activities that I kept forgetting...

Anyway, I am going to tell you a little bit about my experience at the Runrise Rotary Club in West Vancouver on April 21st. I was invited by two Rotarians--Christopher and Judith--to speak at their club. Actually, it was Jim Ling--a member of the Gibsons Rotary Club and friend--who connected me with Christopher and Judith. They, in turn, invited me to speak at their club.

In February, Chris contacted me by phone. We chatted a little bit. A few days later, I received an email from Judith with an invite to speak at their Sunrise Rotary Club. She gave me two available dates--April 21st and April 28th. Both dates happened to fall on a Thursday. And, they meet quite early in the morning, at 7am. I responded, saying that I would be available to speak on April 21st.

Judith and I connected via email over the next month and a half. Five days before I was to deliver my speech, she connected me with Joan, a fellow Rotarian who resides in North Vancouver. Joan had offered to host me as a guest at her house for that Wednesday night.

Joan was a very kind lady; very hospitable and energetic. She picked me up at the ferry terminal. We drove to her place in North Van. I had eaten with my parents before I got on the ferry, but by the time I arrived at her place, I had built up an appetite. She offered me a delicious meal of vegetables in rice and a large, stuffed green pepper--all homemade. I drank a Ginger Ale on the side.

A few days before, when talking to Joan over the phone, she told me about the music her daughter and son-in-law create. They are Argentinean, so naturally their music captures that culture. It also contains a mixture of Reggae and Jazz.

Joan asked me if I was a night owl. No, I'm not. Especially since I have to get up early to speak the next morning, I could have responded. But, she was my host and I did not want to be a disrespectful bore. Her daughter's band was scheduled to play at a bar on Granville Island, Wednesday night and Joan wanted to take me. Besides, I love music and so I wanted to go hear them play. I mean, it wouldn't hurt to stay up late just once.

That is what we did. It was a cold, wet night, but it was fun. I met Joan's daughter, granddaughter, grandson, and other friends of the family. Everyone was so kind and welcoming. I felt right at home. Despite the fact that I was exhausted to the bone, I forced myself to get on the dance floor and dance.

We didn't get home until midnight. I fell deep asleep the minute my head hit the pillow. That night I had a terrible nightmare. I don't know why such negative thoughts would creep into my mind when I was happy and having fun. But, I was thankful when Joan's voice woke me from that dream.

We hit the road immediately after I poured myself a cup of coffee. It took us within a few minutes to reach the Capilano Golf and Country Club, an exquisite place located on the British Properties in West Vancouver.

The people there were friendly. I enjoyed spending every minute with them. I also enjoyed talking about my journey as a writer. Well, it was more of a thank-you speech to the Rotary Club. It was because of them that I've made it this far in my young life. In my speech, I talked about 'Day of Revenge' and even read the review from Publishers Weekly. I also mentioned my work-in-progress, 'To be Maria'. Some people were very keenly interested in 'To be Maria', as well as 'Day of Revenge'. I sold both copies of 'Day of Revenge' that day--the only copies I had left. I sold one to the Rotary Club to raffle off, and one to Joan. I also gave her a number of bookmarks to give away to family, relatives and friends.

The Rotarians enjoyed my speech so much that they want me to return to speak again when 'To be Maria' is released--or due for release. I was much honoured to speak to these people and I look forward to connecting with them again.

Dear Diary. I Must Organize my Goals

2011-04-29T19:05:00.001-07:00

There are a few new things that have occured to me in the past day or so, and one of them is nagging away at my brain relentlessly. That thing is the 'Facebook Author Page'. Like most authors, I don't have my own author page. Right now, I'm using my personal account as my author page. Anyone who looks up Deanna Proach on Facebook will notice that. You can read everything I post on my profile, even if you're not on my friend list, because my status is open to everyone. I've got a good following on Facebook, but as I'm getting more and more opportunities to be featured on blogs and on internet radio shows, I'm thinking it's high time I create my own author page, seperate from my personal Facebook page.

However, I don't want to create an author page that's centered only around me. I want to be able to offer other authors a place where they can promote their books. My motto is: We work together. We succeed together. That is what I want my author page to reflect alongside my push to sell my own books. As of today, I've officially made this my one month plan.

In terms of books, my deadline to complete the second draft of 'To be Maria' is set for sometime in June. I don't have a set date, but I'm going to stick with my plan.

The next thing on my to-do list is to start a new blog that is dedicated to warfare in the Middle Ages. I'd like to give all the gory details of battles, biographies of famous Knights and Kings and relate religion to warfare, ie, the Crusades. I'd also like to elaborate on armour, military techniques used and weaponry. It would be everything medieval warfare, roughly from AD 800 to 1500. I might even sneak in the Spanish Conquest of Mexico, although that is considered the beginning of Early Modern Europe.

I realize this is not a priority. It's simply all about me following my latest passion. I'd like to launch this blog in the early fall, but I just might launch this blog much sooner.

“How I Wrote The Smell of Gas” by Erin O’Riordan

2011-04-26T10:24:00.000-07:00

The Smell of Gas is a crime thriller released April 23, 2011 by Melange Books. The title is meant to evoke fumes of gasoline. It wasn’t my debut novel, but it was the first one I wrote. This is the story of how it came to be.

Although I earn a living as a writer now, I didn’t study English in college. I studied Psychology, and after I graduated I worked in a mental health hospital. In July 2005, I was feeling stressed out at my job. I took a two-week vacation. My husband, who goes by the pen name of Tit Elingtin, was installing a vinyl floor at the time. I agreed to help him finish the vinyl job while I was on vacation so we could have some time off together. After that, I decided I would quit my job and come to work for my husband at his remodeling job.

In February 2006, we were finishing a lengthy remodeling job. I was too inexperienced to be much help with the later stages, when things had to be exact. My husband told me to stay home for a week, and he encouraged me to write a book while I was there. I’d been talking about doing it for years, but I’d never seriously started. Mr. Elingtin had an idea about a large cast of characters and a book that used them all in one scene and various groupings of them in all the other scenes. He wrote a basic outline--one of the reasons he’s credited as my co-author.

I filled in the outline with characters and situations culled, in part, from short stories I’d written. These stories had never seen the light of day; I was anxious about letting other people see my writing. I found a way to make these scenes intersect, and in seven days I had written an 80-page novella. Being about to print it out was one of the proudest moments of my life.

Then I had to learn how to accept my husband’s criticisms. The funny part about this is, he doesn’t read. Reading puts him to sleep, so I had to read the whole thing, out loud, to him. At first I would get upset every time he stopped me with a note. I had to learn to get over it. One complete revision later, I let a graduate student at a local college critique it. She liked it, so I queried it for publication. It was rejected again and again.

I had gotten over some of my shyness about letting people see my work, and my first short story was published in January 2007. Between 2007 and 2008, I started the Pagan Spirits series of romance novels with a touch of paranormal magic. Part one, Beltane, was published by Eternal Press, and I started to learn more about writing. Mr. Elingtin and I revised The Smell of Gas at least 6 times. It grew to its present, full-novel-length size.

Since my husband and I discovered I could write from an outline he provided, we’ve written a second crime thriller together. Our second novel together, called Eminent Domain, will be self-published through Amazon.com soon. It’s a much-exaggerated tale based on our real-life situation with our home town threatening to take our house, tear it down and replace it with a fancy sidewalk.

The Smell of Gas Official Book Blurb: Love pulp fiction? Just try putting down The Smell of Gas. TSOG is full of saints and sinners you'll love to hate. There's Brigid, the high school basketball player and secret heroin addict. Fred, a Catholic lesbian teen, loves Brigid, but doesn't know about her affair with Edward, a married Evangelical preacher. Sex, ethics, religions and mythologies clash as you dig deeper into their connection to the death of a young couple.

You can find Erin's book on Melange Books.

The AW April Blog Chain: Interview with Anya Preschnikov

2011-04-24T17:49:00.000-07:00

This month's blog chain, hosted by Orion_mk3 is a killer blog chain. Every theme so far has been very enjoyable, but this one is the best.

This month's blog chain is another two-parter. First, we must describe one of our characters in 50 words or less. Second, we must have that character interview us. Little did I know how much stress my characters (To be Maria) would put me through.

I talked to Anya Preschnikov (the MC in my WIP, 'To be Maria') and asked if she would be interested in interviewing me. However, she told me that she's no good at interviewing people. I spent the rest of the week, talking to the other characters. But no one wanted to interview me. And, Carly even slammed her door in my face (Bitch). I really didn't want to back out of this blog chain, so with much effort on my behalf, I struck a deal with Anya. I would interview her.

Anya is age seventeen, poor and very attractive. But she is painfully misunderstood by most of her peers, especially by her own family. Her lifelong dream is to become an actor, but her longing for popularity obscures her vision.

In a businesslike manner, I flip through a small stack of papers. All of the pages are blank, but I pretend that they are filled with information pertinent to the interview that I am conducting with my character. Her name is Anya Preschnikov and she is the most gorgeous young woman that I have laid eyes on. A pang of jealousy beats against my chest. I wish I had hair like that. I steel a glance at her. Her caramel brown hair is straight and very thick. It tumbles over one shoulder in a sleek mass, falling almost to her waist. Underneath all those old, baggy clothes is a slim body fit for Hollywood. I long to tell her that, but I keep my mouth shut.

She peers back at me timidly. I can almost feel the tension emanate from her body. She is awkward and uncomfortable and I can understand why. A complete stranger, sitting on the opposite side of the desk, is staring at her, sizing her up. All I'm really doing is admiring her beautiful hair and her innocence. I want to tell her this, but I too am slightly withdrawn.

In my twenty-five-year-old wisdom, I fix my hazel eyes on her face and say, "So, Anya. I heard you want to be an actor."

She stares back at me. I can feel her gaze harden.

"Yes. Did Patrick tell you?" Her response is not exactly friendly.

I blush faintly. Wow, I had hoped that my own character would be much more receptive to me. I guess I'm wrong. "Uh--no. I never even saw Patrick," I say at last.

Her eyes narrow. I can detect a hint of hatred in those chocolate brown eyes. "Then, did Carly tell you?"

Her resentment chills me to the bone. I suddenly don't want to do this interview anymore. Every fibre in my body pleads with me to call it off. But, I force myself to progress with the next question that pops into my mind. "Mr. Hawthorne told me." By now, my hands are sweaty and my heart is racing. I feel as if I'm in an open battle field, preparing to meet the enemy in combat. "Why do you want to be popular, Anya?" I blurt out.

The resentful look on her face turns to one of desperation. "Because I'm sick and tired of being a loser. I hate myself! I'm not going to make it as an actor being me!"

All of my anxiety melts into sadness. I stare at her with a mixture of compassion and pity. I can see the tears gather in her pretty eyes. "You're not a loser, Anya. You don't need to be popular in order to make it as an actor, honey."

She stares at me almost defiantly. "I don't believe you. I don't believe a word you say."

I breathe out a heavy sigh. "I'm not lying, Anya. I'm just being upfront and honest with you."

"How should I know you are? I mean, I don't even know you. And--you don't even know what I'm going through. So, you have no right to tell me what to do!"

My stomach churns with anger. Yet, I force myself to remain calm. "I'm not telling you what to do, Anya. I'm just trying to give you some friendly advice. The popular kids aren't really popular. Their popularity is only a play. They stick together because that way, they keep each other down. Really. All they do is party. They're probably going to amount to nothing in life because they're putting all their energy into fitting in. It's all fun fun fun. Where's the individuality, the creativity, the motivation to be better people and to do great things?"

There is a long pause. I know Anya is digesting my response by the way she chews on her lower lip. "You might be right," she says at last. Her voice is very soft, but I can still hear every word that escapes her lips.

Might be right? I know I'm right, girl, I long to tell her. Inside, I'm seething with angry at her stubbornness. This interview is going nowhere. "Anya, you're drop-dead gorgeous. You're talented. You have an acting teacher who firmly believes in you. And..."

"He believes in Patrick too," she says, leaning forward in her seat.

"Oh, so what about Patrick. I'm not talking about him. I'm talking about you. You're a young woman, and you're far more attractive than everyone in your acting class combined. I'm very sure that you're advanced acting teacher looks at that as well. I wouldn't doubt if he has already chosen you as the recipient of his sponsorship to Vancouver Film School."

Anya looks at me, her eyebrows sharply raised. "How do you know?"

I give her my most determined look. "Trust me. I know how teachers think. But, you are about to throw your chance out the window because you want to fit in with your peers, people who hate your guts." I shake my head from side to side. "I don't understand you."

Anya jumps out of her seat. "This interview is over. Besides, Maria is here to pick me up." She turns and then strides over to the door.

"That Maria is nothing but trouble," I say on impulse.

She whirls around to face me. Her eyes flash with fury. "Don't you dare speak about my friend that way."

I bite down hard on my lower lip. I'm numb from the anger, frustration and sadness that flows through my limbs. Here I thought I could have a nice chat with my main character. I couldn't have been more wrong. Next time we do a character-author interview, I'm going to talk to one of the protagonists from 'Day of Revenge'. They are so much more matured and they have no problems with interviews.

Oh, forget about it, Deanna. You're not the only author who doesn't get along with your characters.

Please feel free to read the other interesting character-author interviews with the following writers.:

orion_mk3
Yoghurtelf
COchick
Steam&Ink
xcomplex
pezie
aimeelaine
auburnassassin
Della Odell
Juniper
Proach (ME)
allmyposts (Next)
jkellerford
LadyMage
dolores haze

April 20th: The Day of Internet Radio Interviews

2011-04-22T15:25:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, two days ago, I had two internet radio interviews--one with Don McCauley and one with Nanci Arvizu. This was the very first time since the release of my book that I've had two internet radio interviews in one day. Although it was a little nerve wracking at first, it turned out to be fun and exhilarating.

The first interview was with Don McCauley from the Author's Show. He called at 10 am Pacific time (my time) and asked me questions about 'Day of Revenge'. It was a recorded interview, so I was required to use my theatre voice which, of course, I used with much ease. The interview was fifteen minutes long, and in those fifteen minutes, Don asked me close to fifteen questions. I only had one minute to respond to each question. I responded, using drama in my voice to illustrate significant parts in 'Day of Revenge'.

The most interesting question that Don asked me is, "what is your favourite part in the book?" I wrote the book, so I love every scene and every word. I responded saying something like this: My favourite part is where Henri and his young comrade, Philippe enter Joseph Chereuse's flat and assassinate him in cold blood. For those of you who haven't read the book, Joseph Chereuse is an intensely violent revolutionary, a feverish member of the Jacobin club. Naturally, he deserved to die a horrible death. First, Philippe plunges a sword through Joseph's stomach and then Henri slits his throat. Yes, oh yes, there is a lot of bloodshed in this scene. Why, out of all the scenes in 'Day of Revenge' would I choose this scene as my favourite? Henri and Philippe give a man a taste of his own medicine. That's why.

On getting back to the interview: it was a great interview. I thoroughly enjoyed chatting with Don. He was business like, but in a relaxed way. And that had a powerful effect on me. My interview will be sent to Arizona (if it hasn't already) to be professionally edited and once that is complete, it will go live on the website. That should take up to two-four weeks, so Don told me. He said he would notify me through email, but told me to check the site every week. Once my interview goes live, it will only be on the website for twenty-four hours.

My next stop on my short, one-day internet radio tour was on Nanci Arvizu's Promotion a la Carte show (Blog Talk Radio). I first learnt about the PAC show on Linked In. Another author, Aggie was promoting the show on 'Book Promotion: The Invisible Arts' group. I struck up a virtual acquaintance with her and eventually inquired about being a guest on her show. She said that she wasn't in charge of booking guests on that show anymore, but she connected me with Nanci, the host of the Promotion a la Carte (PAC) show. Nanci was the first person who contacted me. She had two available dates for interviews--April 20th and 21st. Thursday the 21st wouldn't work for me because I was scheduled to deliver a speech at the Sunrise Rotary club in West Vancouver that morning. So, I chose Wednesday.

The interview with Nancy took place at 12 pm Pacific Time and it too went very well. This interview, though, was not centered around 'Day of Revenge'. The Promotion a la Carte show is all about the business of marketing and promoting books. Now that I'm getting close to completing 'To be Maria'--my second novel--I'm avidly seeking ways to promote it without giving too much away. So, that is what I discussed with Nanci on the show. She gave me some excellent tips and even invited me to be on her other show, Page Readers sometime in the middle of May. I plan to provide more information on 'To be Maria' on that show.

Nanci was also a wonderful host and I look forward to keeping in touch with her. And Don as well. Good connections are hard to come by in today's society, so when you find them, cherish them.

You can listen in on my interview with Nanci by clicking the first link on the top, right hand side of my blog under the heading 'Publicity for Day of Revenge'. You can also download the show on iTunes.

Next post, I will talk about my speech in West Vancouver.

5 Steps to Overcome Writer's Block

2011-04-13T10:57:00.000-07:00

This article was originally written for Laurie's 'Quips and Tips' blog, but since someone already covered the topic, she had to pass.

The hardest part of being a writer is starting an article. Here you are, sitting in front of a blank computer screen. You may have a three-word title for your article typed at the top of your page, or you may not. Nevertheless, you have a great idea for an article, but where do you begin? This is where ideas flood your brain. All these ideas are great, but for some reason, you cannot transfer them from your brain to the computer. You want your article to be superb, one that editors and readers will not resist. So, you write and re-write your opening sentence over and over again, trying to make your sentence catchy and grammatically perfect. When you fail to come up with a blockbuster sentence, you start to get frustrated.

Before the tips, a quip:

"People have writer's block not because they can't write, but because they despair of writing eloquently." ~ Anna Quindlen

We all worry that our work will not be good enough, that the right words won't jump out of our heads and onto the computer screen. If we stopped worrying about our writing, writer's block wouldn't exist. We need to realize that worrying accomplishes nothing and instead focus our energy on our writing.

Here are five steps you can take to overcome writers block.

Maintain a Healthy Diet

Eat regularly and eat foods that are rich in protein, carbohydrates and fiber. You should also supplement your diet with vitamin supplements. You should have at least three meals a day. If you are unable to do this, have your main meal in the middle of the day and supplement it with snacks throughout the rest of the day. Remember, the brain needs food for thought and for energy. A healthy diet will help the brain work faster and for a longer period of time. You can alleviate writers block just by maintaining a healthy diet.

Be Physically Active

When you start to get frustrated leave your computer for an hour, go for a walk, a jog or a bike ride. Do any activity that will momentarily take your mind off your work. Physical activity will increase the blood flow in your body, which in turn, stimulates energy. When you are energetic, you will be able to think much more clearly and creatively.

Do Background Reading on Your Article Topic

Do some background reading on the topic you are going to write about. Give yourself at least a half-an hour reading time. If you are not too familiar with the subject, you will need to know about it before you can write about it. Ideas flow much smoother when you are knowledgeable about the subject matter.

Write an Outline

Sometimes the blaring computer screen generates writers block. If this happens, grab a blank piece of paper or two and create an outline. List the main points you plan to write about in order of how the body of the article will flow. It might even be helpful to write your introduction. Sometimes ideas flow much smoother when you are not staring at a bright computer screen.

Write first, Edit Later

Thinking too much about what to write and worrying too much about writing a fantastic article is the number one cause of writer's block. Worrying about the outcome of your article causes stress. When your brain undergoes stress, its thinking process shuts down. Do not do this to yourself. Stress will not help you to write an impressive article. Besides, it is completely unnecessary. Write first, edit later. Besides, you will have to go over it and make corrections more than twice before your article is good enough to submit to editors. Your brain is most relaxed when you are not thinking too much. Ideas will flow and the next thing you know, you will have written that breakthrough article.

If you follow these five simple steps, you will be able to overcome writers block and the pain it causes.

Story Theatre: Another Season

2011-04-11T10:30:00.000-07:00

Saturday, April 9th, a new season of Story Theatre commenced. It is the fourth season, but my second season of being a part of this amazing experience. Out of everyone from the 2010 Story Theatre troupe, only four of us returned for round two: Simone Tyrell, Mike Barcroft, Radhika Samwald and myself. This year, Radhika is assisting with the producing and directing and she is acting as well.

Saturday's first workshop went as well as expected. It was incredibly fun and there were several new people. Most people came with little to no experience in acting, but their talent is immense. And they all have great attitudes. I have no doubt that, together, we will dazzle our audiences all throughout the summer. I even found myself much more confident than when I first started out in Story Theatre one year ago.

At my very first Story Theatre workshop, I was recuperating from the stomach flu. So, I didn't have much energy in me at all. The next workshop, I was still reeling from an argument I had with a friend the night before, so my energy was directed elsewhere but on Story Theatre. I came across a little shy and awkward, but soon found my way into the group. Like I said before, I also thought I knew everything about acting. But I didn't.

One year later, I came to the first workshop with much more energy, passion and experience. My hope for this year is to make new friends and to expand my skills. Last year's experience in Story Theatre and in "A Bedfull of Foreigners" gave me the perfect idea to incorporate into my new novel, 'To be Maria'. But this year, I don't know what other door will open. I'm excited to find out.

An Excerpt from 'Scorpian Bay' by Michael Murphy

2011-04-07T11:19:00.000-07:00

Check out the 'Scorpian Bay' video book trailer:

“I need a tattoo as soon as possible, to hide the cut on my side.”

“I don’t do tattoos. I’m a mechanic.” Justin grabbed a beer from the refrigerator. “Want one?”

Parker shook his head. “Marissa figured out I’m the Scorpion Bay Vigilante. She’s going to go with the story.”

“You can kiss your career good-bye.”

“More important, the media will be all over me. I won’t be able to get near Biotech.

I’ll never prove Bradley was behind the bombing.”

Justin popped the top on a can of Budweiser, took a long gulp and sat on the motorcycle. “I’m not understanding what that has to do with you needing a tattoo.”

“On Monday, Marissa saw the bandage Tina had placed on my cut. I told her I’d gotten a tattoo. She would have slept with me to check out my story.”

“What a slut! Here’s what you do. Get a nice Jerry Garcia on your side, nail her and then show her the tattoo.”

“Why would I want to sleep with Marissa?”

“Dude, she’s smokin’.”

“Not going to happen.”

Justin guzzled the beer then wiped his mouth with the back of one hand. “What you need is for the Scorpion Bay Vigilante to be seen while you’re at the station with Marissa.”

“But how can...”

“We’re about the same size. I’ll just borrow your clothes, helmet and Harley. I can be the Vigilante, but I’ve got to kick some ass for it to work.”

“I can’t let you risk it.”

“Check it out. There’s a basketball game tomorrow night at the high school down the street from my shop. There’s always a fight after a game. I’ll come riding in, break it up, plenty of witnesses. I know all the nooks and back alleys to get away in case someone tries to follow me. I’ll hide the bike in my shop, change clothes and reassume the identity of the charming bike shop owner.”

That might work, but he didn’t want to endanger Justin.

“Look, mi amigo, it’s no more dangerous than me hooking up with married women.”

“Okay, but something tells me I’ll have to show Marissa a tattoo to convince her.”
“There’s a shop a block from my place, but I wouldn’t let them tattoo my worst enemy’s ass.” Justin ran his hand through his hair. “There’s someone Tina talks about highly. You ought to see this one tattoo on the inside of her thigh...no you shouldn’t.”

“Baby, you coming to bed?” A woman’s voice came from the back bedroom.

Parker glanced down the hall. “I didn’t realize you had a girl with you.”

“It’s been known to happen.”

“Don’t tell me you brought that perky redhead home with you.”

“Perky redhead?” Tina stepped into the living room, cinching a terry cloth robe, eyes riveted on Justin. She grabbed a handful of Justin’s chest hairs and twisted. “Tell me about this perky redhead.”

Justin winced. “Tell her, Parker!”

“Yeah, let’s hear it, Parker, or these won’t be the only hairs I rip out tonight.”

“While you were having dinner with Art, Justin and I met at the Rusty Nail for an after work drink. We were minding our own business when these two girls came over.”

“You’re a terrible liar.” Tina let go of Justin’s chest hair and shoved him away.

“What about you?” Parker asked. “I thought you were out with Art.”

“The lobster was terrific, the snake wasn’t. The evening ended early, at my insistence.” Tina walked down the hall and returned carrying a black leather purse. She reached inside and held out a business card. “I overheard your tattoo problem.”
Parker took the card and read. “Mickey’s Mobile Tattoos and Body Piercing. If it’s clean, we’ll pierce it.” Parker stuffed the card in his jacket pocket. “Is he reputable?”

“Oh yeah. He looks like Satan, but he’s very hygienic and customer service oriented. A regular Martha Stewart of tattoo artists. If you’re willing to pay extra, Mickey works twenty-four seven. He’ll bring his van right to your house and ink you there.”

Slipping his arm around Tina’s shoulder, Justin stared at her body with a look of pride, like the possessor of an acclaimed fine art piece. “Mickey does good work, but you’ll have to take my word for it.”

Grabbing the Bud from Justin, Tina finished the beer in one gulp then handed the can to Parker. “Tell Mickey, Tina sent you. He still owes me a nipple ring.”

“I’ll do that.”

“Pull up a chair. I’ll take your stitches out so Mickey can ink over the cut, while Justin tells me about that perky redheaded slut.”