6.19.2012

Can characters survive a bad work of fiction?

This video from cracked dot com is so funny, I had to share it!



6.18.2012

What if?

A blog post on Crimson Romance today talked about writers that transform a "what if" into a story.

And "what if" is really how everything starts, isn't it?

The editor asked the readers to share their "what if," here's mine:

art by Svenja Liv
What if all the life in our planet came from within Earth itself; everything connected into a grid of energy invisible to humans. The guardians of this "living energy" are women who call themselves witches.
The witches share a deep connection with all the elements and are mighty powerful, but they have one weakness: a soulmate - few humans in the entire world whose life energy is a perfect match for a witch.
When a witch meet a soulmate their attraction is uncontrollable and because the witch's power will grow exponentially if she's with her soulmate an ancient organization is out to hunt and kill them.


This is the "what if" that resulted in my latest manuscript.

It was such a fun story to write, I finished the first draft in less than eight weeks, now I'm editing and hoping to find a home for it soon.

So, what is your latest "what if" ?



6.17.2012

Dialogue Nugget Sunday - The Reluctant Debutant


Ginger‘s blush rose from her toes to her cheeks, which became inflamed with color. She stared up at him again and gasped. “You threatened me on our fateful day in the livery, saying you would like to strip me of my bloomers and have your way with me. Did you ravage me?” She squeaked out the question.
  “You were unconscious, and ill. I would not take advantage of you under such circumstances.”
  “Damn,” she whispered. She pummeled her hands on the covers. Then she smiled up at him. “But I‘m awake and well now.”

Available July 2
Check out more about Becky Lower at her website www.becklowerauthor.com and all of the Crimson Romance Titles at www.crimsonromance.com

6.16.2012

Guilt-y Pleasure

The thing about absolutely loving the story you're writing you're in danger of being totally absorbed by it.

Everything becomes secondary: water the plants, feed the dog, tend to the child. What child? {er…totally kidding}

But when the creative juices run low only one thing can help: sugar.

Since my sugary treat today is writing related (as it helps me write) I've decided to share it with you.


Behold Cake-batter cookies

Chocolate Cake mix
2 Tablespoons cream-cheese
1/4 oil
2 eggs
Confectioners sugar
  



1. Set your oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a cookie tray by coating it with cooking spray, shortening and flour or parchment paper.
2. Blend the ingredients such as the cake mix describes, except omit one egg and water.
3. Add cream-cheese and mix well with a fork or whisk until batter is smooth.
4. Scoop out 1″ amounts of batter, shape into a ball with your hands and roll the ball in a small plate of Confectioners sugar. {I wasn't able to roll mine, too gooey. I used two spoons and spooned first on the Confectioners sugar, then placed the balls on the baking sheet}
5. Place cake-batter balls 1 1/2″ apart from each other on a cookie sheet.
6. Place in oven and bake for about 15 minutes. Insert a tooth pick to check consistency, the tooth pick should come out clean. Cool for 5-10 minutes.

The original recipe comes from the Strawberry Koi site, which is a visual treat in itself.
I often go there just to pretend I live in a wonderful world of pastels and vintage beauty.

The cookies are truly yum! However, they didn't come out as gooey as I hoped. I was dreaming them more mousse-y or brownie-y like.

-y {suffix forming nouns: denoting a state, condition, or quality : glory | jealousy | orthodoxy.}


See, this was writing related after all.






6.10.2012

Dialogue Nugget Sunday - One Hit Wonder

“Are we in the same room?” He’d muttered when Isabel left.
“Does it offend your maidenhood?”
“Your parents are right down the hall.”
“We were in the same room at your dad’s.”
“It’s just…I don’t know.”
“Don’t worry, Dad knows you’re marrying me tomorrow.”
At night, Audrey had tickled him under the covers while he shushed her nervously and pleaded for silence.
“How about a last lay as a single guy?” She’d slid her hands under his undershirt. “You can pretend it’s your bachelor party and I can give you a lap dance.”


6.09.2012

Meet Jade

Hey guys did you notice my kick-ass new banner?

My friend, Leah, said "I don't know…this girl's eyes are scary." To which I responded, "Hell, yeah!"

That was the validation I needed.

Now that my contemporary novel, ONE HIT WONDER, has hit the e-shelves. I felt it was time to concentrate on the urban-fantasy story I'm writing and as a visual artist, I needed visual motivation.

I've contacted the artist Svenja Liv to create the portrait of Jade. I found Svenja's site by accident when looking for a word-meter to display my work-in-progress. (the nifty word-meter on the left sidebar was designed by her.)

I visited her gallery on devianart and voilá, she was open to take commissions!

It was a leap of faith, but it certainly paid off. After only a few emails, I've sensed Svenja was a serious artist and when the time came to close the deal I've sent full advance payment for the drawing.

Svenja then send me several work-in-progress sketches and was incredibly open to all my requests. AND she designed the banner above--for free!

Moral of the story: Take chances!

I now have a great illustration to go with my work (perhaps even a book cover) and I got to know better this amazing artist that lives halfway across the world who guess what? Is also a writer.

Here's a little about Svenja in her own words:

I started drawing when my mother put a crayon in my hand, when I was a year old. I haven't really stopped since, but I did exchange the crayon for some slightly better tools! Now I'm a freelance artist and designer. I do game art, character portraits, and a lot of book covers and illustrations. I'm originally from Germany, but I've lived in Ireland for more than half my life and call it home. And yes, I am a writer, although not a published one, unless you count academic stuff. I'm still working on finishing my first novel so I can send it out into the world.

You can see Svenja's work at: http://svenjaliv.deviantart.com and http://facebook.com/svenjaliv

6.04.2012

Hello World.

The sky looking out of my window may be gray, but today is all sunshine for me. 
It's JUNE 4TH and I'm officially a published author. 
But what is a writer without a reader? I'll tell you: a lonely and bitter creature bond to wither in her own sorrow.
 
So, don't leave me alone. Check out One Hit Wonder on Amazon, B&N, Itunes, and pretty much everywhere ebooks are sold.
 
Pick up your copy, I guarantee you'll be entertained.