All posts for the month November, 2011

Six Sentence Sunday

Six sentence Sunday is a fun blog event where authors share six sentences of something they’ve written. Be sure to check out the other participants.

 

I haven’t done SSS in awhile, but thought I’d try to get back into the swing of it. Today’s six comes from my unedited WIP – which happens to be book four in the Amaranthine series (I am still looking for a good title)

************

They followed a set of stone stairs leading down to what should have been a dark, scary, old basement. Instead it was a large cement room rimmed in more metal doors and yellow security lights.  Yellow caution stripes were painted on the walls and large block letters announced “Authorized personnel only” and “Warning, dangerous specimens”.

Jorick surveyed the words. “Either they had high hopes or Kale isn’t their first brush with a nonhuman entity.”

“You don’t really think so – not in Michigan?”

*******

thanks for stopping by and be sure to check out the other participants!

21 Comments
by Joleene Naylor on November 27, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in Six Sentence Sunday
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Posted by Joleene Naylor on November 27, 2011

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Interview with Rebecca Ross

Hello! My name is Katelina, and welcome to Weekend Character Interviews. Using state of the art-mumbo-jumbo author magic, Jo has temporarily bent the laws of fictional space and time to allow various literary universes to converge long enough for me to ask different characters a few questions. Since I spend a lot of time in the Amaranthine series quizzing vampires on what they’re doing, where they’re going and why, Jo thought I would be the perfect interviewer. 

Today we have Rebecca Ross from Wedlocked: A Novel.by Bonnie Trachtenberg.

Wedlocked: A Novel

Katelina: Welcome Rebecca! Can you tell us a little about yourself?

Rebecca: I’m an actress who presently lives in Manhattan although I spent a decade in Los Angeles too. I’m five-foot-five, blonde, and my aunt thinks I look like Grace Kelly. I’m also ambitious, smart, daring, and ultimately pretty strong. I hate cigarettes and will make your life a living hell if you try to smoke them. I also like to adjust thermostats to my liking at public venues and have an intense fear of cockroaches. Otherwise, I’m a very nice, normal, and easy-going person.

K: I’m with you on cockroaches. Those things are SO gross! *shudder* You sound like a pretty well rounded person, so how do you evolve during the story?

R: Well, I start out as a perfectionist Pollyanna growing up on Long Island, but then life deals me a bunch of hard knocks. Next thing you know I’m “a slothful, bedridden disaster,” living back in my old bedroom at my parents’ house and eating homemade macaroni and cheese for lunch every day.  It’s then, when I’m most vulnerable, that I meet Craig Jacobs and decide to give up on all my dreams of fame and fortune and choose a more conventional life in hopes it will bring me some semblance of happiness and contentment. However, I have no idea what I’m in for when, out of fear and desperation, I decide to marry Craig, a man whose full of surprises—none of them good. I eventually realize that taking the easy way out can often mean things will be all the more difficult. I learn a lot about myself, including the fact that I don’t have to be perfect to be happy.

K: I guess there’s not much point in asking if you’re involved in a romance, huh?

R: Actually, I’m involved in three romances over the course of the story. One, is Evan Shays, a Hollywood director and the most exciting and attractive man I’ve ever met. Another, is my sister’s boyfriend, Michael, but don’t hate me. I don’t admit it to him or myself and so it is unrequited. And the last, Craig, can barely be described as a romance, as his favorite pastime is crawling under my skin. Of course he’s the one I end up marrying!

Wedding Rings

by firemedic via flickr

K: Oh wow! So with all those men do you have any enemies?

R:  Well, my mother starts out as a nemesis in many ways, but then happily, she gets into therapy. My real nemesis turns out to be my husband!

R: How to deal with the fact that I just married a lunatic.

K: Man, it makes me feel a lot better about Jorick. Sure, he’s a vampire, and bursts into flame in sunlight, but at least he’s kind of sane. Wait… Erm.. Never mind. Moving on! What is the one event that you feel has helped to shape your personality?

R: Finding out my grandmother was a dancer in a big Hollywood movie gave me the inspiration and fortitude to pursue my dreams of being an actress.

K: That’s cool, kind of like following in her footsteps. So I’d guess the one thing you want most in the world is…

R: On the outside, to be a Hollywood star. But deep down, I just want to be loved for me.

K: I think that’s probably what everyone wants deep down, though most people don’t recognize that. It looks like we’re running out of time, so real quick, if you could say one thing to your readers, what would it be?

R: Thanks for tuning in to my crazy and eventful life story! I’d buy you some popcorn if I were three dimensional.

Popcorn

by Jessica Diamond via Flickr

K: I’ll take some popcorn! *laughs* And if you could say one thing to your author?

R: Boy, we sure do have a lot in common, don’t we?

K: And we’re out of time! Thanks to Rebecca for stopping in! You can find more of her in Wedlocked: A Novel  available at:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Wedlocked-Novel-Bonnie-Trachtenberg/dp/1462022677/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1312143581&sr=1-1

 http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/wedlocked-bonnie-trachtenberg/1103833821?ean=9781462022670&itm=1&usri=bonnie%2btrachtenberg

 http://www.booksamillion.com/search?id=5100030429510&query=Bonnie+Trachtenberg&where=book_author&search.x=36&search.y=7&search=Search

 

And a special thanks to Bonnie Trachtenberg for playing along!

    

If you’re an author and would like your character(s) to be interviewed by me, then check out this very cool page that has all the details:

http://joleenenaylor.wordpress.com/character-interviews/


If you’re an author and would like your character(s) to be interviewed by me, then check out this very cool page that has all the details:

http://joleenenaylor.wordpress.com/character-interviews/


Related articles
4 Comments
by Joleene Naylor on November 26, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in Weekend Interview

Posted by Joleene Naylor on November 26, 2011

http://joleenenaylor.wordpress.com/2011/11/26/interview-with-rebecca-ross/

Lots-O-Links #17

This is the seventeenth edition of Lots-O-Links, posts where I randomly share links. Fun, huh? I can now call it the weekly post that two people have gone on record as liking. Pretty cool!

I know this is usually posted on Wednesday, but the first link is time sensitive – in fact you need to do it today!

Ruth Ann Nordin is running a fun contest with up to Ten winners. Get your creative juices flowing and help her pick a title, a cover image or even the names of the hero’s children for a chance to win two free books!

authors looking for a fun idea should check out Stephannie Beaman’s writing journal prompts. With a prompt for every day of the week, you’ll have no excuse not to be writing something.

Fellow author David Knight passed on this awesome link – ISS Envy: Breathtaking Views of Earth. Be sure to watch the video at the end!

for a bit of humor check out Why I Steal Ink Pens by Whimsy Dreams. Yes, I am an ink pen thief, I admit it. I have quite a collection. Many of mine don’t work, but I refuse to throw them away. It’s a sick hoarder thing, and I don’t care. :p

If you have any links to share please mail them to me at Joleene (at) JoleeneNaylor (dot) com or else post them in the comments! And that’s all I have right now. Have a great week everyone!

4 Comments
by Joleene Naylor on November 21, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in Links

Posted by Joleene Naylor on November 21, 2011

http://joleenenaylor.wordpress.com/2011/11/21/lots-o-links-17/

Questions Every Writer Asks?

I got these questions from Barb’s blog, who got them from – well, go check her blog and see where she got them from ;) *

10. Why is it so much easier to write about writing than to actually write?

I don’t really write about writing. Well, I mean I like to chat about things I am going to write or have written, but I’m not into the “you should do this or that” kind of posts. I’m afraid I don’t consider myself expert enough to tell anyone else what they should or should not do. However, when I am supposed to be writing, anything is easier than writing simply because it’s that old “I don’t want to do what I am supposed to do” mentality.

9. Why is my writing in my head so much better than the writing on the page? 
This is because in your head you don’t notice things like repetitive words, cliché phrases, etc. In fact, generally as I’m writing I am not paying attention to it and think it is literary gold until the dreaded read through. That’s when all those not-so-perfect things jump out. When writing in your head there is no read through.
8. How does time seem to fly by when I’m writing well, but yet crawl when I’m struggling to write one decent sentence? 
Time drags when I’m not in the mood to write because I am bored, and being bored always makes time move slowly, but when you’re in the zone, you’re not bored.
7. Do I have too many characters? Too few? 
I always have too many. I already know that. I try to kill some here and there to knock the numbers down.
6. How did I manage to forget that subplot that I began on page 20 and appears to have vanished without a trace? 
As Barb said, this is what read throughs, beta readers, editors and of curse editing in general is for. I know why I forget them, because in draft one everyone tends to focus on the linear storyline.
5. Good grief. How many more editing passes is this manuscript going to need? 
Finally found one I actually DO ask myself. Ha! The answer is usually “several”.
4. When will I ever consider myself a success?
This is also a good question, though I don’t have an answer for it. I guess it’s when I can stop making book covers because I am making enough from my books.
3. Will anyone really want to buy this book? 
I know there are 14 (yes, I added a new one! ha!) people who will want to buy it, not counting family. my question is: Will those 14 people LIKE it?
2. Will I ever have another good idea? 
Of course I will. I can churn out one novel idea a day. That’s the easy part.
1. What happens next? Really. What happens?
And out of the ten this is the third one I actually ask because I have no outline! Ha!
How would you answer these? do you ask these questions of yourself?

*(okay, okay, it was from The Blood-Red Pencil)

11 Comments
by Joleene Naylor on November 21, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in Random Yacking, Self/Indie Publishing
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Posted by Joleene Naylor on November 21, 2011

http://joleenenaylor.wordpress.com/2011/11/21/questions-every-writer-asks/

Interview with Aria

Hello! My name is Katelina, and welcome to Weekend Character Interviews. Using state of the art-mumbo-jumbo author magic, Jo has temporarily bent the laws of fictional space and time to allow various literary universes to converge long enough for me to ask different characters a few questions. Since I spend a lot of time in the Amaranthine series quizzing vampires on what they’re doing, where they’re going and why, Jo thought I would be the perfect interviewer. 

Today we have Aria from The Black Orb by Sabine A. Reed.

The Black Orb

Katelina: Hello Aria! Would you like to tell us a little about yourself?

Aria: Hi. I am a beautiful woman, a reluctant heroine and a thief by profession. What? Are you judging me already? Well. You would be a thief too if you had to live in Azmeer where it’s hard to find honest work. I’m an orphan, and the only family I have is my brother Marcus who is mentally challenged.

K: I imagine the death of your parents made quite an impact on you?

A: Yes. The loss of my parents at an early age forced me to become independent. I was the only one who could take care of my brother – and a fine job I’ve done of that.

K: What do you mean by that?

A: The evil queen of Azmeer abducts my brother and puts him under her spell. Naturally, that makes me angry, and I vow to bring him back. Of course, in the process, I end up saving the world, but that’s neither here nor there.

K: Wow? Really? Can you tell us a little about how you rescue him and save the world?

A: I have to break the spell the queen has weaved on my brother and in doing so I restore magic to our kingdom Azmeer. It makes me a hero – but then I don’t really crave attention.

K: That’s rare. A lot of characters are really attention hungry. I think it comes from having authors who only write us when they feel like it. *cough*cough*. I don’t suppose you can give us more details?

A: No, because it would be a spoiler – but I will say that I go on a quest, meet the Tsarina of Dryads and escape from fire and magical creatures to save the world.

magic

A: I am already quite evolved, thank you very much. Oh well, for discussion’s sake…we’ll just say that I realize I’m not as greedy or power-hungry as I thought I was. I had a chance to become queen but I shunned it because I love my brother more, and because I don’t want to be corrupted by power. In the end, I leave my thieving days behind, or at least I try to.

K: So with all this running around, world saving and such I’d bet there’s not a lot of romance in this story?

A: My destiny leads me to save the world and protect my brother. Who has time for romance? I certainly don’t.

K: Yeah, that’s what I thought. It sounds like your author is putting you through your paces. If you could say one thing to her, what would it be?

A: She should have me look more beautiful, and would it have hurt her to give me some magical powers? She set me out there to defeat an evil queen who has a powerful magical weapon – and all I got was the companionship of a wizard who couldn’t even use his magic.

K: A wizard? Sounds like you’re not very fond of him?

A: It’s the wizard Bikkar who helps me rescue my brother. And yeah, I hated him at first, but then he saved my life at the cost of his so I realized he can’t be all that bad. He has noble intentions and actually cares about saving the world – while I am just doing it to protect my brother.

K: At the cost of his? Oh my!  Does he come back somehow or – no, no, spoilers. *whispers* you can tell me later* Ahem. Moving on, what is the one thing you want the most?

A: To see my brother safe and happy. And perhaps I wouldn’t mind some magical powers.

Albion_Thegn_Viking_Sword_1

by Albion Europe ApS via flickr

A: I may appear cunning and sharp-tongued, but I’m lovable, brave and kind.

And we’re outta time! Thanks to Aria for stopping in. you can find more of her in The Black Orb:

Amazon Kindle link: http://www.amazon.com/The-Black-Orb-ebook/dp/B005VSIAD0/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1318656181&sr=1-1

Uncial Press Link: http://www.uncialpress.com/The-Black-Orb.html

And a special thanks to Sabine A. Reed for playing along!

Author Bio

Sabine A. Reed is the fantasy author of the e-book The Black Orb. The book has been released by Uncial Press and is available on Amazon Kindle and the Publisher’s website. She is currently writing the first novel of a as-yet-untitled fantasy trilogy. Her blog Writing and Publishing resource offers tips and information to new writers, and she had written articles on the writing and publishing processes for Suite101.

Writer’s website and blog link: http://sabineareed.com/    


If you’re an author and would like your character(s) to be interviewed by me, then check out this very cool page that has all the details:

http://joleenenaylor.wordpress.com/character-interviews/


7 Comments
by Joleene Naylor on November 19, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in Weekend Interview

Posted by Joleene Naylor on November 19, 2011

http://joleenenaylor.wordpress.com/2011/11/19/interview-with-aria/

Interview with Maureen Rogers

Hello! My name is Katelina, and welcome to Weekend Character Interviews. Using state of the art-mumbo-jumbo author magic, Jo has temporarily bent the laws of fictional space and time to allow various literary universes to converge long enough for me to ask different characters a few questions. Since I spend a lot of time in the Amaranthine series quizzing vampires on what they’re doing, where they’re going and why, Jo thought I would be the perfect interviewer. 

Today we have Maureen Rogers from Mark Mackey’s Maureen: A Vampire Tale.

Maureen: A Vampire Tale

Katelina: Hello, Maureen, and welcome! Could you tell us a little about yourself?

Maureen: Sure, Maureen Rogers, eighteen, believe it or not, I’m five foot nine, completely unmanageable jet black hair, a body to kill for.

Loren: *suddenly appears – as if summoned by something Maureen said* Well hello there.

K: Did you need something, Loren?

L: Well, it’s just you’re interviewing a vampire and all, and since Jorick’s busy I thought someone should keep an eye on… things. *winks at Maureen*

K: Uh-huh. And it has nothing to do with that “body to kill for” line, right?

L: No, of course not!

K: *rolls eyes* Anyway, where were we. Oh, right. You were telling us about yourself.

M: My best friend is Wendy Listers, she’s obsessed about vampires, and has fantasy dreams about them

L: Really?

K: You’ve been down that road before, remember? Jorick had to chase them off.

L: Yeah, but they were crazy.

K: Moving on. *looks back to Maureen* So, is Maureen: A Vampire Tale you’re only book?

M: I’m also in a short story in The Comet: An Alison Duncan Tale and Other Stories

K: sounds like you’re pretty busy! How would you say that you evolve or change during the course of your story?

M: Tough one. I started off as a super smart, gorgeous geek, and ended up a blood craving vampire hell-bent on revenge.

K: Okay, that’s a pretty big change.

L: Yeah, it is. I remember when I got changed and-

K: Loren, I’m not interviewing you. Chat Maureen up on your own time. *back to Maureen* I imagine that’s probably going to figure pretty prominently in the events that changed your life and shaped your personality, huh?

M: Yeah, My violent death ranks number one.

K: I could see that. DO you think your life would have been better if you hadn’t been turned into a vampire?

M: No, and this issue will be shown in a future book.

K: That sounds interesting. I always like to see what would have been, you know?

L: Yeah, me too! So-

K: As I was saying-

L: Aw, come on, let me ask some questions at least. I’ve got one! A real one! *turns to Maureen* So, do you have a boyfriend – or a girlfriend *waggles brows*?

M: My precious Peter, he’s my heart and soul, but Miriam’s a close second. It’s sort of unconventional, what with the whole werewolf thing.

A Very Emo Werewolf

Kevin Lavner via Flickr

M: Figuring out this whole vampire thing.

L: So is this Peter like, a vampire, too or-

K: *talking over him* So do you have an arch nemesis or enemy, or is your author nicer than that?

M: Hands down it would be Chelsea Chaseford.

K: Ah. I suspected as much. I’ve met a few of Mark Mackey’s characters before and he seems to be especially evil to them. If you could say something to him, what would it be?

M: Thanks for giving birth to me, to Miriam, a werewolf who was created back then as well, and to the individual who eventually would become Michael Argus, and be responsible for my becoming a vampire – all of which was in a now-lost- forever short story entitled Maureen, that Mark wrote while he was attending Northeastern Illinois University. All his other characters were an afterthought.

K: So, do you think you’re his favorite character? Does he like you better than, say, Elizabeth Duncan?

M: I used my vampire powers to probe in Mark’s mind, and as I came into existence a few years before her, yes, I am.

K: Wow. This is what he does to his favorites? I’m just saying.

L: Our author isn’t any better.

K: No joke. And it looks like we’re almost out of time. If you could say one thing to your readers, Maureen, what would it be?

M: Value life, for you never know when it can be taken away from you.

K: And with that excellent advice I want to say thanks a lot for stopping by and-

L: you know, if you and that Peter ever split up, or you just feel like a change for a night-

The Comet

K: Loren! My God, you’re all hormones! Go away! As I was saying, you can find more of Maureen in Maureen a Vampire Tale and in The Comet: An Alison Duncan Tale and Other Stories.

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Maureen-Vampire-Tale-Mark-Mackey/dp/1461139147

B&N : http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/maureen-a-vampire-tale-mark-mackey/1034092297

And a special thanks to Mark Mackey for playing along!

If you’re an author and would like your character(s) to be interviewed by me, then check out this very cool page that has all the details:

http://joleenenaylor.wordpress.com/character-interviews/


Related articles
9 Comments
by Joleene Naylor on November 12, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in Weekend Interview
Tagged , , , , , , ,

Posted by Joleene Naylor on November 12, 2011

http://joleenenaylor.wordpress.com/2011/11/12/interview-with-maureen-rogers/

Lots-O-Links #16

This is the sixteenth edition of Lots-O-Links, posts where I randomly share links. Fun, huh? I can now call it the weekly post that two people have gone on record as liking. Pretty cool!

Authors, check out DM’s blog Strategic Marketing Pays Part 1 – there are a lot of excellent tips and points in it – especially the “don’t spam” one ;) A lot of authors’ groups will lead newbie writers to believe that spamming and using every available moment to promote yourself is “professional”, but it isn’t.

Looking to make a 3-d image of your book? Have photoshop? Then check out this freebie – 3D Book Cover Template from Selfpub.info Also here is a vertical image base for free.

You can also get a lot of free vector graphics – many of which are available for commercial use. Check the licenses on individual images before you download. For more resources see http://joleenenaylor.wordpress.com/free-cheap-resources/ 

A link from Marisa Meissa; check out I Write Like to see what famous author you write like!  (Hint: each work will probably come up as a different author. Herrick came up as Edgar Allen Poe, while Alexander came up as JK Rowling.) There is also a free newsletter you can subscribe to in order to “learn to be a better writer”.

I know I link to Juli often, but come on, she;s got great blogs! Okay, okay, I’ll skip the Hell, MI series, even though they are fun, and go for the When Memorabilia Goes Too far. Seriously, you HAVE to see the new Twilight products!

And another person I’ve linked to before, Sue has started participating in Sweet Sample Saturday – where she is running her vampire short story – about a school for vampire children! Got take a peak :)

Halloween might be over, but check out a very special Happiness Is from Barb!

And the cool video of the week is the release of 80,000 paper lanterns in Poland to commemorate the shortest night of the year. As the article says – it’s cool!

If you have any links to share please mail them to me at Joleene (at) JoleeneNaylor (dot) com or else post them in the comments! And that’s all I have right now. Have a great week everyone!

8 Comments
by Joleene Naylor on November 2, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in Links

Posted by Joleene Naylor on November 2, 2011

http://joleenenaylor.wordpress.com/2011/11/02/lots-o-links-16/

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