Wednesday 31 July 2013

Diantha Jones on Greek Mythology, and All Things Writing

Last week I reviewed Prophecy of the Most Beautiful: Oracle of Delphi Book One by Diantha Jones and today I'm sitting down to ask her a few questions about life, writing and being sassy as PART TWO of the OOD Tour. Check it out:

  1. Greek mythology has become almost a staple in Fantasy. What made you choose it and what makes yours so special?
    I've always has a love for the Greek myths and there was never a question about what my series would be based around. The hard part was finding a focus. I wanted to find a bit of mythology that hadn't really been dealt with on any grand scale. The Oracle of Delphi has always been a minor character in most Greek myth series, but in my series, she's center stage. The series is about her, in all of her mythical glory. Each book is about a single prophecy that surrounds a greater, darker prophecy. As far as I know, this hasn't really been done before. But I haven't read every book in the world so I may be wrong. Still, this series is special in its own way :)

Tuesday 30 July 2013

After the Dawn: A Twisted Princess Short Story

This short short story was inspired by Jeffrey Thomas's Disney Character drawings - particularly Aurora.


I love the idea of taking the common conceptions of these characters and putting them down a darker road. It's so much more interesting, in my mind - to explore the darkness. So this was born of my creepy little imagination. Let me know what you thought in the comments and if these stories are something you'd want to read more of. I have a few more twisted ideas.

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Monday 29 July 2013

26k in 26 days and an Update on Fiction

So it's not NaNoWriMo level but it's certainly the most I've ever written in one month. Less than a month, really. From July 1st to July 26th I wrote approximately 1,000 words per day as part of a fan fiction series called "Rule 12" for the tv show NCIS. The prompts used for each scene were words in Hebrew and they ranged from cheesy comedy to fits of depression that were actually pretty hard to write. I'm proud of myself - I am - it was a little reminder that I can, in fact, do this writing thing. Plus the whole 'write every day' thing might not be a load of bollox after all.

Who knew?

Anyways, if you want to read all 26 stories then just click the link below and I'll see you tomorrow with a new short story that is fan fiction in a different way.

Rule 12

It doesn't have to be posted online in a forum setting to be fan fiction. Anything based on another piece of work is technically fan fiction. One of my favourite examples is Wicked.


It's the origin story of the Wicked Witch of the West from the Wizard of Oz...not written by L.F. Baum. FAN FICTION!

The story I'm posting tomorrow has been stewing around in my brain for a while now and I'm a little nervous about writing it. I haven't done that macabre-style for a little while and I miss it dearly.

We'll see what happens tomorrow.

Cheers!

Friday 26 July 2013

Review of Prophecy of the Most Beautiful

As part of the Oracle of Delphi Tour, here is my review of the first book in the series
Prophecy of the Most Beautiful
 
Diantha Jones was born the day thousands of turkeys sacrificed their lives to fill millions of American bellies on November 22 which also happened to be Thanksgiving Day (Her mother says she owes her a turkey). She is a Journalism graduate who wants to be a career novelist (of books, not Facebook posts). When not writing or working, she is reading on her Nook, being hypnotized by Netflix or on a mission to procure french fries. 

The Oracle of Delphi fantasy series is her first series. She is also the author of Mythos: Stories from Olympus, a companion series, and there is another fantasy series in the works. She also writes (new) adult fantasy/paranormal romance under the name A. Star. Invasion (An Alien Romance) is her first title released under this pen name. Future releases under A. Star include, the Love & Steampunk series, the Purr, Inc. stories, and more.

Website  |  Twitter  |  Facebook  |  Goodreads  |  Amazon  |  Pinterest  |  DJ's Book Corner

Email Diantha Jones at: theauthor (at) diantha-jones (dot) com


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Wednesday 24 July 2013

A Missing Peace Cover Reveal and Giveaway

Just as the title says, my luscious darlings, today I have the cover reveal of Beth Fred's A Missing Peace, as well as a giveaway. Ready?
 
 
 
A turbulent, emotionally charged YA novel that breaks down barriers and challenges the status quo...

Angry, seventeen-year-old Iraqi war refugee Mirriam Yohanna hates her new life in Killeen, Texas, where the main attraction is a military base, populated with spoiled army brats like Caleb Miller.

Caleb has much to be angry about too, including Mirriam who turns him down flat in front of everyone. Eager for retribution, Caleb agrees to a dare that will see him take Mirriam to the prom and regain his pride.

But their relationship soon moves beyond high school antics. Mirriam and Caleb are bound together by more than location, and as they are forced to work closely together on a school assignment, they start to uncover an explosive story that has the potential to ruin lives — and both of their futures. One single truth changes everything and strengthens their bond.

When Mirriam's family discovers their relationship, they decide it's time to arrange her marriage to a proper Iraqi man. Caleb must convince Mirriam that he is in it for forever — or risk losing her for good.

About the Author

Meet Beth Fred! A full time ELF keeper and part time writer/blogger/writing instructor. Beth likes her tea hot, her romance sweet, and her guys chivalrous. Real men hold open doors, refer to you as ma'am, make promises they keep, and aren't afraid to profess their undying love. It's not breakfast if there aren't carbs (at least, not in the South). Fajitas, carnitas, and churros are just a few of Beth's favorite things. Bet you can't guess where she's from.

bethfred.blogspot.com | twitter.com/bethfred08
 
 
AND THE GIVEAWAY

Monday 22 July 2013

Review of Prep School Confidential: The Unputdownable Read

As part of the Prep School Confidential Blog Tour hosted by Itching for Books, here is my review of Prep School Confidential by Kara Taylor.


In this breathtaking debut that reads like Gossip Girl crossed with Twin Peaks, a Queen Bee at a blue-blooded New England prep school stumbles into a murder mystery.

Anne Dowling practically runs her exclusive academy on New York’s Upper East Side—that is, until she accidentally burns part of it down and gets sent to a prestigious boarding school outside of Boston. Determined to make it back to New York, Anne could care less about making friends at the preppy Wheatley School. That is, until her roommate Isabella’s body is found in the woods behind the school.

When everyone else is oddly silent, Anne becomes determined to uncover the truth no matter how many rules she has to break to do it. With the help of Isabella’s twin brother Anthony, and a cute classmate named Brent, Anne discovers that Isabella wasn’t quite the innocent nerdy girl she pretended to be. But someone will do anything to stop Anne’s snooping —even if it means framing her for Isabella’s murder.

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13411546-prep-school-confidential

Expected Publication: July 30th 2013
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Purchase: Amazon
 
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Thursday 18 July 2013

Interview with a Paranormal Writer: Avery Olive

 
Today I'm sitting down with the author of "A Stiff Kiss", Avery Olive, who was very kind in handling my last minute antics of getting this post together. Thank you Avery!

 
About the Author:
Avery Olive is proudly Canadian. She is married, and when she’s not helping raise her very energetic and inquisitive son, she can be found working on her latest novel-where she devilishly adds U's into every word she can.
When she is looking for a break Avery enjoys cake decorating, losing herself in a good book, or heading out to the lake to go camping.
The release of Avery's first novel proves to her it won't be the last. As long as her family continues to be supportive, she can find the time, and people want to read, Avery will keep on writing.
 
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1. What's your writing process (are you a plotter or a pantser)?

I'm very much a pantser which sometimes works good. Other times, not so much. I tend to make very few notes, letting the story, and the characters propel me forward. I usually have a rough idea of where the story is going to go, with a few major plot points and an ending.

But I've been trying to change my ways. And have been doing a little more basic outlining. It's come to my attention that if I don't have a novel sort of planned out and I don't write it basically straight through, sometimes it doesn't get finished! I'm hoping if I become a plotter, I might have a higher finish rate!

2. What inspired you to start writing (and publish)?

I'm not sure I was really inspired. That sounds silly, but, it just sort of happened. The story goes something like this (the short version) I broke my leg a few years back. I was on bed rest, reading books as fast as I could get my hands on them (what else is someone to do? When they can't or shouldn't move more than a few feet at a time?) I read one book, and thought, shortly after, you know what, I could do that. I could write a book. So, instead of reading books, for the remainder of my bed rest, I wrote a book. It wasn't very good, it might not ever see the light of day, but I found I really enjoyed the process. I've since written many novels! But getting published seemed like the next natural step. I was writing them, so I needed to see if someone actually wanted to publish them.

3. What drew you to the macabre?

As you can imagine, I get asked this question a lot since A Stiff Kiss has some morbid scenes, the main character is a little 'off'  and it surrounds around death. As it would seem, most of my novels have sort of a slightly dark tone to them. I'm not sure if I was drawn to them, but maybe more so it was because of curiosity. For A Stiff Kiss, my character really has a hard time with death, she doesn't understand it. People have left her, and she's was desperate to understand why, and getting as close to death as possible was a way to cope and a way to gain insight. This is sort of true in my own life. I have a fear of the unknown, and death is sort of that big unknown. So, in writing about it, researching it, putting my own thoughts and twists, I think I'm able to understand it more. If that makes sense. I think it's an interesting topic that never seems to get old.

4. How do you write? Do you have a certain spot? Do you listen to music? What's your drink of choice?

I have a home office, a laptop and sometimes I listen to music, sometimes I don't. I tend to chew lots of gum and drink tons of Dr. Pepper. I like the cherry one, in the black can. I don't really have certain things I need to do, or certain mantras I say to get the juices flowing. I'm pretty laid back. I tend to do most of my writing at night, when the house is quiet.

5. What books do you recommend for people who want to get into Paranormal Romance?

Oh wow, books. I read a lot of them. But I usually keep quiet about my thoughts, opinions and suggesting them. I never want to upset or offend anyone, or play favourites, so this is really tough for me.

Naturally, I'll recommend my own, A Stiff Kiss.

How about a just list some of my favourite authors? That might be easier.

I really am a fan of the Vampire Academy books by Richelle Mead.

I just read Born of Illusion by Teri Brown and really enjoyed that.

Love the Roswell High Series by Melinda Metz

The Need Series by Carrie Jones is great.

I'm loving The Protector Series by M. R. Merrick. The last book just came out, and I have to catch up.

I recently read The Divergent books and eagerly waiting for the third and final in the series.

Haha, okay, the list could go on, but really, I covered a lot of genre's there.

 6. What are your next writing plans?

Writing plans. Okay, so I have a twist on a ghost story called Won't Let Go coming out this fall. I hope to have the blurb and cover released in the next while.

My agent is trying to sell a novel that's got a hottie alien tattoo artist in it.

And I've got a few more things on the go. Not really anything I can talk too much about at the moment. I like to keep things hush, hush, until I've got something concrete to share. Always afraid I'll jinx things!





Book Description:
Who knew kissing a corpse would change everything?

Death always hits Xylia Morana too close to home, but she likes it that way. She hangs out with the terminally ill, attends random funerals, and every so often, when the weather is right, she sleeps in open graves.

But after Landon Phoenix, the high school hottie, dies in Xylia's arms, she sneaks into the morgue to say goodbye. How could she know stealing a kiss from his corpse would wake him up?

With Landon returned to the living and suddenly interested in Xylia, life has new meaning. But what Xylia doesn't realize is that by kissing Landon back to life, she's thrown Life and Death off balance. The underworld demands a body, and it might just have to be Xylia's this time.

Short Excerpt:
No way should I be in the morgue. If I'm caught, I'll lose my job. My dad will probably get fired, too. He's been warned to keep me out of here.
The walls are lined with thick, square doors, clearly marked with numbers. I stop in front of the one I want. In the middle of that wall, at waist height, is number twelve. Beyond the door, lying on a sliding metal table, is the body of Landon Phoenix.
I've always had a crush on Landon, ever since freshman year when his family moved to Silver Springs. I've watched him grow into his looks, no longer a gangly boy with braces. And I've longed to hear my name roll off his tongue in that deep voice of his. To press my lips against his as he holds me in a tight embrace. To share the same air as him.
Though now, all those things are impossible. Except one. I can pull open the door, slide the table out, and at least for a moment I can share the same air, even though his lungs can no longer pull in that air.
I hesitate, my hand on the handle. Besides my mother, this will be the only other person who's died that I've really known. The others have just been people, random ones at that. The guy from the grocery store who jumped off Whibley Bridge into the icy waters below, the occasional patient of mine who'd succumbed to old age, and many, many others. But this is personal. This is someone I'd known. Or at least, someone I'd held secretly in my heart.
But I need to say goodbye.
 

Tuesday 16 July 2013

Random Acts of Writing: A Guest Post by Julia Kent



Julia Kent stopped by to talk about her journey writing Random Acts of Crazy. Check it out!

 
Random Acts of CrazyI never intended to pick up a naked hitchhiker wearing nothing but a guitar. A guitar. Really. I don't collect guys like that (don't ask what kind of guys I do collect), but when you spot a blonde, tanned, sculpted man with a gorgeous smile and his thumb poking up and practically begging you to stop - you stop. And I definitely never thought I'd be staring into the bright blue eyes of Trevor Connor, the lead singer for Random Acts of Crazy, an indie rock star I followed like the slobbering fileshare fangirl I am. How he came to be nude and lost six hundred miles from home is quite the tale, but how we fell in love is even more unreal. Because someone like Trevor Connor, headed to Harvard Law next year, isn't supposed to want someone like me, a rural Ohio chick majoring in Boredom at Convenience Store University who is all curves and frizzy blonde hair and manners so unpolished they have sharp edges that make you bleed. But he did. When his best friend, Joe Ross, the bass player for Random Acts of Crazy and a man who makes Calvin Klein models look like Shrek, drove eleven hours through the night to rescue him, though, it got real complicated. It's one thing to like two different guys and be torn. What do you do, though, when maybe - just maybe - you don't have to choose? As my Aunt Josie says sometimes, "It's always complicated." * 
 
Random Acts of Crazy is a standalone, full-length novel featuring Darla Jo(sephine) Jennings, the 22-year-old niece of Josie Mendham from the Her Two Billionaires series. It has, like many New Adult novels, an exploration of sexuality for the three main characters, doesn't shy away from mature content, and Darla has a sailor's mouth.
Release date: May 21st 2013

Purchase: Amazon 
About the Author
Julia Kent turned to writing romance novels after learning that she could not work as a fighter pilot because her fear of flying disqualified her. Turning to her second love, she became a dog groomer, but had to abandon that job after adopting too many strays. Writing about very real, very flawed people is a natural extension of her life and, well, her. She lives on the east coast with her partner, two small children, seventeen dogs that weigh less than fifteen pounds each, and a monthly consumption of Nutella, brie and french bread that makes cardiologists cringe.
 
 

 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Friday 12 July 2013

Forensic Friday Part 5: Stab Wounds

It's Friday! And not just any Friday: Forensic Friday! This week we're talking about stab wounds.

We're talking briefly about stab wounds because Vicki was very disorganized and didn't quite get it done the way she wanted to. Alas.

You can read all of the past episodes of Forensic Friday here

Stab wounds are pretty straight forward: a sharp object is inserted into flesh and a wound occurs. Okay that was a pretty lame explanation but stab wounds are not just for swords and assorted knives, anything sort of piercing instrument from scissors to a pencil fall into the category of “stab wound”. And like morbid, bloody butterflies, stab wounds are unique. Depending on the angle and the depth of the thrust, the width and length of the weapon, the power of the thrust, along with a number of other of factors, medical examiners can make an accurate description of the murder weapon in the absence of one. These factors include:

·         Length, width and thickness of the blade

·         Single/ double edged

·         Degree of taper from tip to hilt

·         Nature of back edge e.g. serrated or squared off

·         Face of hilt guard

·         Any grooving, serration or forking of blade

·         Sharpness of edge and extreme tip of blade

Wednesday 10 July 2013

An Old Review Dusted Off: The Fourth Queen

The Prince of Earth by Mike Robinson is taking longer to finish than I expected (it would help if I actually read on a consistent basis) so this week I'll be dusting off an old review of "The Fourth Queen" by Debbie Taylor. This was probably my first real adventure in Historical Fiction and it remains one of my favourite stories.

Inspired by true stories of 18th-century kidnappings, debut novelist Taylor produces an imaginative and bawdy romp through the harem of the emperor of Morocco. Young Helen Gloag, bound from Scotland to the colonies in 1769, is captured by pirates and brought to the slave markets of Tangiers. There, she is purchased for the emperor's harem by the dwarf Microphilus, who procures and manages the hundreds of women selected as royal chattel. Instantly smitten with Helen's pale skin and red hair, Microphilus conceals his passion for her as she learns to make her way in the languorous-and competitive-world of the harem. Initially at a loss in terms of language and culture, she is dismissed by the emperor; under the tutelage of Queen Batoom (the first of the emperor's four wives), she eventually charms him and is soon his favorite. But with favoritism comes danger: one of the other queens has succumbed to a mysterious wasting illness, and when Helen is chosen as the emperor's fourth wife, it appears that she is also doomed. Instrumental in unraveling the mystery is Microphilus, who-having long been Queen Batoom's secret lover-eventually becomes close to Helen as well, as the two take comfort in remembering their shared homeland. Alternating between third-person sections from Helen's perspective and entries in Microphilus's diary, Taylor conjures up the shimmering exoticism of the emperor's court. Most notable is the concentration on fleshy exuberance (the emperor's women must be fat, and nearly all of them, including Helen, become giddy with sex in their forced idleness). Amid all the rolling rumps and alliterative saucy sex talk, Taylor manages to tell a highly unusual and satisfying love story.

Monday 8 July 2013

Writing with ADHD

This weeks rant is about...


*drumroll*


AD/HD or Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.
 I'm sure I've talked about this before but I have ADHD Inattentive type. My younger brother has ADHD Hyperactive type and we've both had pretty different experiences with learning about and developing ways to combat our ADHD.

Firstly I should say, I don't consider this a disorder despite it's title. Having ADH(D) just means that you have a little more trouble concentrating than others. That's what it boils down to, beyond all the other symptoms, it's about lacking the signals in the brain to grab and maintain attention. It comes with it's own laundry list of difficulties: depression, anxiety, dyslexia, rejection-sensitive dysphoria, oppositional defiant disorder, pick something. It's a lot more serious that people give it credit for. All of those little symptoms add up to a lot bigger problem than just day dreaming in class.

This all started because I was going through my desk and decided to go through my old copies of ADDitude: a magazine for people with ADHD. A lot of it's focus is on helping parents and teachers help children develop good habits but it has a small section on helping adults with ADHD because there just isn't as much research for adults. There's even less research, it seems, for young adults. Looking for tips that are college-student friendly is quite the challenge.

While my brother was diagnosed in elementary school, I was diagnosed last year which means I spent a lot of time struggling without really knowing why. But then I got the little booklet that says "Congrats, you have ADHD" and I thought now what? What does that actually mean? What am I supposed to do about it? I felt a little like I was left to my own devices on that last one and I've continued to struggle. Especially in my writing.

For me, writing with ADHD means that I have a lot of stories floating around in my head and am unable to communicate them. It's either that I can't concentrate long enough to write it out or I can't fully explain the stories in my head which is a big frustration for me.

Of course there are great, positive, attributes to it but the negative is more widely publicized. People with ADHD tend to be very creative, outside-box-thinkers, with a great empathy and an ability to feel things very deeply. Our heads are sometimes equated to watching 14 tv shows at once (or trying to read that many books without getting to go back and skim the previous chapter). It's a little scary and a lot intimidating but once we learn the little tips and tricks that work for us - with or without medication - then we're pretty awesome people.

And with that, I go back to my cave to write more stories.

Friday 5 July 2013

Where I Get All Sentimental And Talk About Death

Over the Easter holiday I spent two days cleaning out my great-grandmother’s house. She moved into the city to be closer to her family since my great-grandfather died last year. Looking around this house that I have so many memories in made me exceptionally sentimental. And then I went out to visit my great-grandfather and it just got worse. I started thinking about his funeral and all the people I would eventually bury in my lifetime and how I would handle it – like I said, it was really bad.

I decided to use the bad, crappy, feelings to use and figure out what my characters would do if a loved one died. Continuing with something I've talking about before with realism in fiction I think it’s essential for a writer to know how every single one of their characters would handle the death of a loved one (especially if that doesn’t happen in the plot). It’s very telling to know how a person reacts first in the initial shock and then the funeral and finally in the days, months and years afterwards. Do they wear their emotions on their sleeve? Do they take advantage of the situation? Do they internalize or get sentimental? Next time you’re creating a character and you fill out a character sheet, add this question to the page:

How does your character handle death?

It’s important to be accurate in the technical aspect of death but it’s just as essential to create a world that honours the emotional side of death. It has become desensitized in reality and it’s all because of fiction.

Death is a tragedy. There is no question about that and every person - every character - handles it differently. I see those New York-style cops on T.V. standing around a corpse making jokes and I find it disgusting. Don’t misunderstand, I think those characters are often essential if not stereotypical, I just think it’s the job of the writer to remind the audience that it isn’t the best way to handle things. Writers are teachers especially in a genre that is so close to reality and you can’t cut corners.

I sometimes think writers create characters who "never cried at the funeral" because they're chickening out; they don't want to feel so they create a world where they don't have to. But that's more telling of the character than the writer. Not every person is a blubbering mess, or the strong, silent type. It's a combination of traits. It's a unique reaction but it should not be considered lightly in fiction. Take into account their childhood, their religious beliefs, even their financial situations. Every little bit of them.

Death is so much a part of life that it is one of the most telling parts of a character's personality. So figure it out with all of your main characters and if you are writing about the death of a loved one or the murder of a loved one: know what kind of message you're sending to your readers.

It is the difference between reality and fiction.

Wednesday 3 July 2013

Blog Tour: Creators Cover Reveal

Today Tiffany Truitt and Entangled Teen are revealing the final cover for The Lost Souls Trilogy, CREATORS. Along with an exclusive excerpt and a pre-order giveaway that Tiffany has set up on her blog!



On to the reveal!


Blurb:
Heartbroken but more determined than ever after a tense showdown in the woods, sixteen-year-old Tess once again returns to the safety of her community of Isolationists. Bolstered by new alliances and desperate to protect those she loves, this time she knows she can return stronger and more powerful than ever to take back what is hers.
As she trains in combat and grows more confident, Tess receives beautiful letters penned by her forbidden love, the chosen one James, from his prison in Templeton. He is now serving as a bodyguard to the creators—the team of scientists who created artificial life in the first place. And what he has discovered about the true origin of the illness that halted natural life could change everything.

Enemy will become ally and death will bring new hope in this stunning conclusion to Tiffany Truitt’s epic Lost Souls trilogy.

Exclusive Excerpt!
Somewhere, James was just as trapped as I was.
            I thought of the morning when we lay with each other, curled against one another, never beginning and never ending. How we’d stayed like that till the sun began to rise.
            James had reached down and pulled me off the ground. He wore a satisfied grin on his face. “Someone is mighty proud of himself,” I teased.
            He laughed. It bounced through the forest, calling it awake. Readying it for the day. “I’m just insanely happy.”
            I stood on the tips of my toes and kissed him gently on his scar. “I’m insanely happy too,” I whispered.
            James looked down at me, and I was lost all over again. I would never tire of looking into those mismatched eyes. They didn’t make him different. They made him him. He chuckled as he reached over and pulled a leaf from my tangled hair. “They’ll know just by looking at you that we’ve been up to no good.”
            “No good?” I purred. “I thought it was very, very good.”
            James growled and lifted me into the air. I wrapped my legs around his waist as he pressed his lips hungrily against mine. I moved my hands to his hair, curling my fingers into it, attaching myself to him. I never wanted to let go. Every part of me ached to be touched by him, and every part of me ached to touch him right back.
            “Do you know how much I love you?” he breathed into the base of my neck. His lips fluttered against my skin.
            I nodded, kissing the top of his head. “As much as I love you.”
            James slowly put my feet back on the ground. He cradled my face in his hands. “That will never change. No matter what.”
            I looked deep into his eyes. “I know.” Because I did. It was one of life’s few assurances. I would always love James.
            I pressed my lips once again to his scar. “I adore this scar,” I whispered, unable to hide the smile that seemed etched on my face all morning.
            “You’re enough to drive a man crazy,” he said The tremble of his voice caused my toes to curl. I wanted him again. And again. And again.
            My fingers traced the waist of his pants. “Tonight?” I said, knowing full well it was a promise that I probably wouldn’t be able to keep.
            James grabbed my hand and brought it to his lips. “Tonight,” he echoed.
            As the sun climb higher into the sky, I knew our moment was coming to an end. James reached down and placed his hand over my heart. “Thank you,” he said.
            “For what?” I asked, my voice choked with emotion.
            “For everything.”
            As the memory slipped away, I looked back up at the night sky. Praying and hoping that James knew how much I wanted to thank him too.
            For everything.

About Tiffany:
Tiffany Truitt was born in Peoria, Illinois. A self-proclaimed Navy brat, Tiffany spent most of her childhood living in Virginia, but don’t call her a Southerner. She also spent a few years living in Cuba. Since her time on the island of  one McDonalds and Banana Rats (don’t ask), she has been obsessed with traveling. Tiffany recently added China to her list of travels (hello inspiration for a new book).
Besides traveling, Tiffany has always been an avid reader. The earliest books she remembers reading belong to The Little House on the Prairie Series. First book she read in one day? Little Woman(5th grade). First author she fell in love with? Jane Austen in middle school. Tiffany spent most of her high school and college career as a literary snob. She refused to read anything considered “low brow” or outside the “classics.”
Tiffany began teaching middle school in 2006. Her students introduced her to the wide, wonderful world of Young Adult literature. Today, Tiffany embraces popular Young Adult literature and uses it in her classroom. She currently teaches the following novels: The OutsidersSpeakNight, Dystopian Literature Circles: The Hunger GamesThe GiverThe Uglies, and Matched.
Tiffany is proud to call herself an educator and Young Adult author. Her first book will be published by Entangled Publishing.


Also Tiffany has a Pre-Order Contest going on over at her blog http://tiffanytruitt.wordpress.com/ three lucky people that pre-order CREATORS will win a signed Cassandra Clare poster!

Monday 1 July 2013

Where I justify my insanity

It's July 1st (holy crap) which means we're more than halfway through this year AND it's Canada Day. July 1st also happens to be the first day of my Alphabet series. This is the fifth year I'll be doing it which is pretty awesome.
 
The Alphabet series is a fan fiction thing

 
 (yes, you all sigh and roll your eyes) it is a fan fiction thing in which I write a scene every day for 26 days using a different alphabetized theme. One year it was flowers from Ambrosia to Zinnia; another year it was fruit from Apple to Zizyphus Mauritiana. This year I'm using the Hebrew Alphabet which only has 22 letters but I doubled up on a few words so it adds up to 26. All the prompts are in Hebrew so I'm kind of excited to write it.
 
I won't be posting it here, though, unless there's a day that I need to fill (which there shouldn't be but whatever). The other fan fic story I'll be working on is a story called "P.S. I Love You" which is based on the story I posted last month "I Don't Love You". I also won't be posting it here. I just needed a segue.
 
You see the story, P.S. I Love You, is centered around a murder investigation - well two, but one is caused by the other - and so when it came time to plot, I needed a way to figure out the logistics of the investigation. That's where STORYBOARDING came in. My way of storyboarding is to find a flat surface (this time it was my wall), a bunch of sticky notes and to go crazy writing down plot notes and forensic evidence and whatever I need to figure out how a cop would solve this murder. It's actually kind of fun.
 
But then at about 2am I paused and stepped back from the wall. Why the hell was I spending so much time plotting a piece of fan fiction. Most people don't even consider this legitimate writing. It didn't take long for me to realize that...screw them! I'm not writing for the people that don't believe in me. I'm writing a story about characters that I care about and sharing it with people that also care about these characters. More than that, I'm writing these stories for me. I'm developing good writing habits:
 
I'm learning how to write consistently, how to tell a story. I'm developing my own writing style, my own method of plotting and storytelling. I'm learning to stay true to a character regardless of whether or not the character is mine.

That's one of my favourite parts about fan fiction; the pre-made characters. You don't have to spend pages and pages introducing the character to the reader, you can just dive in and get down to the meat of the story. That's something I always strive for in my non fan fiction stories: just bringing the character into the scene and... going.
 
Okay well I think that's it for my ranting. It is Monday so I should post something of my own creation. This is from a play I was writing last year called "Love Letters". I need to rethink some of the relationships before I keep going but you guys should tell me what you think in the comments below.