New Year's Contest-y Goodness

I Need SNOW! I can't believe I said that, but I'm feelin' it. Remember this picture? It's from last MAY! BRING BACK WINTER!!!

I'm sick of being busy, and I thought I would do something fun... Like post a picture of tulips and... give away BOOKS, why not?

I'm dangerously close to finishing my revisions of two new books and a way to get it off my mind is to share what I have with you.

Starting Jan. 1st my book THE VIVATERA will be available for FREE download with AMAZON PRIME. This is in preparation for my SPRING release of THE CONJECTRIX - 2nd in the Everstar series.

Also, on my Goodreads blog I just posted a contest

http://www.goodreads.com/author_blog_posts/1908072-good-news-everyone

Follow the link and follow it's easy to win. I have a bunch of books I'm just staring at all day and I'm ready to part with them.

Good Luck!!!!

NaNoWriMo... Na -NO -Wri - NOT!

Now with November is about over I think I can report on my progress with this year's NaNoWriMo writing adventure.

C o m p l e t e B u s t . . . . . . .

I completely failed. My idea went nowhere and I was completely distracted by life.

I recently completed my second novel in the Everstar Series and I was excitedly rewriting and going through it. I forgot how Fun these characters are... and not how much I hate them some times for being in my head so much. That made my mind drift away from Writing Month.

I also had many more opportunities to talk to young people about writing - that also was way more fun than staring at a WORD screen hoping for inspiration.

And one more thing - Vampire-ish is much closer to being finished. It is now in book form and I have it running through a critique group and am very excited to get that out for everyone. It is stinkin' funny!

... so I guess I can't call myself a failure. That fact is, I didn't try. Last year I tried and that is how I got my Vampire story out. This year it was a different story, but I will leave that for a different time. I still believe in it, but just not this November.

To all you other Wrimos... Hats Off to you! I hope you did well, because I ....ummm.... didn't...

Breaking Dawn Crap-tacular

Thought I would give Breaking Dawn a BIG Pie-In-The-Face from me!! Here are some random pictures and thoughts of the Blockbuster.
Spoilers!! Sort of... I mean, how could I really spoil it, eh?
Midnight release with me, Janny, and Drea.
Our shirts read "Imprinting is for Babies."
I think I'm so stinkin' clever some times.

• Barf is a funny word you know? But during all the lovey junk in the beginning... yes, I could've BARFED!!

• And what was Stephenie Meyer doing at the Wedding? I thought that was TA-a-a-CKY!!! And they like, focused on her. I guess Joe Shmoe wouldn't know, but that is not who is seeing this film. Remind me NEVER to make a Cameo in my Book - Films. Ugh...
  

• I couldn't stop laughing at the wolf talking bit. I was relieved the theater was so loud.
  

• But there were parts that I thought were lovely, like when Edward had to chew his way through Bella's stomach. Now that's love.

• I also thought Seth Clearwater was the best part of the whole show. Boo Boo, you rock!

• I tried to count how many times Jacob ripped off his shirt. I lost count. It was, in fact, the opening scene.

• I however, thought the Imprinting was lovely, which I thought was so so creepy in the book.

• ...and the Anticoagulant in the blood was not safe for anyone who is pregnant. No wonder she was a demon baby. I have a whole schpeel about that. Having worked in a Blood Bank for ten years ruins Vampire fiction a little.

• 

This is Friday night with my friends, RayRay, Sare bear, Cyndi-loo, and Preggers.
These are the Isle Esme shirts with the Wrong Black Box on them. And of course I have the green shirt so we look like Christmas.

I had two different groups I promised to go with so I thought I would share both. I had a blast! I just can't take these movies too seriously. It was fun. I can't call me a mega fan, since I couldn't stand the last book, so going in with no expectations has something to be said about it. Will do it again with my TWI-HARDS friends next year I am sure.

Murray High School ROCKS!!

This last Wednesday was so Super fun! I got to hang out at Murray High School and represent with other writers on a panel for their career day. I just wanted to send a loud S H O U T O U T!!!!! To Murray High Students and how absolutely AWESOME they are. I had a blast talking to them about the creative process. I hope to get the chance to come back and do some creative writing exercises.

Karl Beckstrand, Patricia Potts, and Me

It was fun to inspire so many. Each session was full. I gave away 12 books and talked with many young writers about their ideas and I hope that the guidance I could give was helpful. There is such a surge of creativity coming from these teenagers. I can't wait to see what becomes of them. I also placed a book in their Library if anyone is interested.

Bones, Muscle, and Skin

NaNoWriMo... Here I go!!!

It's now November and I am participating in National Novel Writing Month again. This will be my third year doing it. The goal, as always, is to reach 50,000 words. And it is not about having a perfect product, it's about getting the story out of you.

If I could give advice, which I don't ever like to do, since if one thing works for one person does not guarantee it will work the same for another, but people who want to write many times get stuck on the little details and rewrite... and rewrite... Truth is you could rewrite forever and never feel satisfied. Many published books are publish simply because the author finished them.

As I see it, there are three stages in writing - Bones, Muscle, and Skin.

The Bones of a story comes out to a completed manuscript, but is never perfect. Bones are only the framework of what can be accomplished. If you are worried and missing details, I wouldn't. If they are in your head at one moment, they return, I promise.

The Muscle is the second rewrite - gives your work strength and a strong bond to characters, situations, and gives you better clarity and understanding of, not only the reality of the story, but also background, or what's to come.

And Finally the Skin. The skin of course it the beautiful package. It is where the story begins to live on its own. The Characters could make decisions and stand on their on without you; the world turns, the plants grow - you believe it and then others will believe it too.

You are giving birth in a sense, to this child and soon it will walk away from you. So don't stop writing, give your ideas a chance to live. NaNoWriMo is a great opportunity for that. Give that idea you have been kicking around some bones and see what happens.

Wish me luck!

If any of you are thinking about doing it, search for me - cani-jo and see how we do.

http://nanowrimo.org/

http://youtu.be/miBhmLA62O4