Fiction Scribe

On behalf of author/editor Lea Schizas, I’d like to invite everyone who loves to write for children or who has thought about writing for children to join Lea and her twenty-two guest bloggers through April 5th for the blog fest extravaganza: Writing for Children.

The Writing Jungle

Meet such amazing authors such as:

Margot Finke
Beverly Stowe McClure
Kim Chatel
Joyce Anthony
Lori Calabrese
and many, many more.

You also have a chance to be one of the lucky random draw ebook prize winners on April 5th. How? All you have to do is leave the guest bloggers a comment and your name is placed for Friday’s draw.

Ask the guest writers questions, read their excerpts, hear about their characters and read why they love writing for children.

Along the left side bar of Lea’s blog, you can find a list of the blog fest contributors, many of which are linked so you have an easy directory of great authors websites and blogs to check out.

So if you are interested in writing for children, are writing for children, or have ever even thought about writing for children, be sure to stop by The Writing Jungle for some excellent guest posts by published authors and your chance to win an ebook.

Author Gillian Polack is the first person to say her writing isn’t suitable for the mass market. Her writing career thus far has mostly depended on small press.

So when the news came out that Amazon.com is pairing up with BookSurge and the duo appear to be on the track to monopolizing small press, possibly putting small presses and the careers of authors published with them in danger, she was not happy.

According to Writers Weekly, “Reports have been trickling in from the POD underground that Amazon/BookSurge representatives have been approaching some Lightning Source customers, first by email introduction and then by phone (nobody at BookSurge seems to want to put anything in writing). When Lightning Source customers speak with the BookSurge representative, the reports say, they are basically told they can either have BookSurge start printing their books or the “buy” button on their Amazon.com book pages will be “turned off”.”

What would this mean? Book information would stay on Amazon.com, but if you wanted to buy the book you would have to hunt down somewhere else to buy it from.

Amazon.com wants to play the game its way or it’s taking its ball and going home.

I think Victoria Strauss has the right way of it in deciding to reserve judgment. It’s hard to believe something like this is actually happening. We know Amazon has the balls, but does it really have the power (and lack of sense) to do this?

Reserving judgment may be the sensible thing to do, but I’m adding a bit to it by boycotting Amazon.com until this is resolved. (Funnily enough, I was planning on making a fairly large order in the next week.) I loathe monopolies and large companies that feel they can do as they wish.

Join me in the boycott if you like, but please post about this where you can. It’s not only a hot topic, it’s something that could change the lives of small presses and their authors.

*Writer’s Weekly has an excellent post about all this here along with a lot of responses to the news in the right sidebar.

**Help spread the news by digging/stumbling this post.

***Sign the petition for Amazon.com to stop by going here. You do not have to donate to sign.

Hello everyone. Today we welcome Tinisha Johnson to the site. She is the author of the mystery Searchable Whereabouts. I hope you’ll join me in welcoming her to the site.

Hello and thank you for stopping at Fiction Scribe, Ms. Johnson. Tell the readers a bit about yourself.

Thank you, I’m glad to have the opportunity to be present on FictionScribe.com.

I reside in Denver, Colorado. I’ve now been living there several years. And I’m married with two children. I knew I wanted to be a writer at the age of eleven. My first passion was poetry, and then short stories which later turned into finishing my first novel at the age of 23.

What brought you into the world of writing? When did you start?

Well, like I said, eleven is about the age I knew I was passionate about writing. English and creative writing were my favorite subjects in school.

You’re currently on virtual tour for your mystery novel Searchable Whereabouts. Could you tell us a bit about the book?

Yes, Searchable Whereabouts is the story of Rahkel Williams who’s trying to unravel the mysterious death of her beloved uncle. After his death, Rahkel begins finding clues into his life that has her wondering who was this man, she thought she knew so well.

Rahkel then hires a private investigator, Darrin Miller, which soon turns into a love interest. And after awhile strange things begin to happen, like people of interest in the case who turn up dead and Rahkel soon fears for her life and knows she can’t trust anyone. But she sets out to find the answer at all costs.

What inspired you to write Searchable Whereabouts? Where did the idea begin?

Well, I’ve always been a huge fan of mystery shows and movies. And I wanted to take on the challenge of writing a mystery novel. As far as where the idea to write Searchable Whereabouts came about– the idea really just evolved while writing it.

I didn’t have an outline before I started the book. Believe it or not, I just started writing with an idea of a mystery in mind. So I wrote and wrote and wrote, and eventually Searchable Whereabouts was born. I don’t suggest that though. I’d wish I started out with an outline first.

What character do you relate to the most and why?

(more…)

1. Blog. Blogging is a favourite distraction of mine. Blogging and reading other blogs and easily take up all my writing time.
2. Cook. Either someone is hungry or someone will be. Cooking never truly ends…
3. Laundry. A tried and true classic - especially for the stay at home spouses and parents. Who has time to write when there is so much laundry to do?
4. Vacuum. Again, there is always vacuuming to be done when those tough scenes come up.
5. Play computer/video games. Who cares if you might hit that moment of true inspiration tonight? Donkey Kong has the princess!
6. Read. You won’t feel guilty reading. After all, you’re supporting other writers, right?
7. Brush your teeth. And don’t forget to floss. Dental hygiene is a must.
8. Sleep. We all could use a bit more of that.
9. Stare at your computer screen. Everybody’s doing it.
10. Paint the house. It’s one of those things on your to-do list that never gets done…until now.
11. Find and download all your favourite childhood songs.
12. Write some poetry instead. Or attempt to, anyway.
13. Go to the pub and reinforce a widely know writer stereotype.

Check out my other Thursday Thirteens at Write Anyway, Long Relationships, and The Book Stacks

Do you write one story at a time, focusing all your time and effort on that one story or do you like to write two or three (or even more) at once? Is one or the other the ‘right’ way to go?

I usually have a few story ideas bouncing around in my mind when I choose one and decide to have a go with it. That doesn’t mean I ignore the other ideas. Note cards are oh so useful that way. I’ll write down all the ideas and go with one from there.

However, does that mean I’ll stick with that one? Not necessarily. I might switch around a few times before I really settle down into one story. The settling down process could see me with many pages written/typed in each story idea or just leaving the other note cards in my idea drawer. It all depends on the story.

When I was younger and always “busy” with everything in my life, I often kept about five stories going. I didn’t really stop any to finish one so much as I paused with others for a brief amount of time.

Is writing more than one story the makings of foolishness? I don’t think so.

Obviously when you start narrowing down to the end of one story and then get into the first edit, you should probably focus on one story. That way you don’t get mixed up or confused in any way. As for just the writing of the first draft…

…why not? If you can keep everything straight, then go for it.

Do you focus on one or many when you write?

There are murder mysteries you read where you know within the first few chapters who the murderers. At this point you either read on, enjoying the book because it is well written even though you know who it is who likes to kill using Kleenex, a toothpick, and a bandaid. Or there is the other option – you read on for some reason (perhaps you doubt your conclusion?) until it becomes so utterly obvious who the killer is that you want to shove the novel through your eye socket.

Or, perhaps, the eye socket of the author.

Naturally, to avoid all the eye-gouging, murder mystery authors will often try to point you in the wrong direction so you are surprised by who the actual murderer is. False clues helped by a main character – often the detective or investigator – who starts planting the wrong ideas in your mind.

This is fine so long as the reader doesn’t find out who the murderer is and think, “What the…?”

I am tired of mystery authors who are so desperate to surprise you with who the ‘bad guy’ is that they pick someone as the murderer who doesn’t make sense.

Too often the murderer is either someone we never had a chance of figuring out (someone we don’t meet until the end) or someone who, yes, may have had some far-fetched motive but was just picked for the surprise. That’s not fun to read when Susie was in the lounge, holding the candle stick, and wanted the million dollars. Bringing along Uncle Earl as the murderer because he took an unassisted tumble down the victim’s stairs is not good mystery writing.

So stop. Read some classic mysteries so you can learn how to write them.

I say … and you think … ?

1. Money ::
2. Unhappy ::
3. Joking ::
4. Chipmunk ::
5. Date ::
6. Slideshow ::
7. Chicago ::
8. Lifetime ::
9. Skid row ::
10. Edward ::

Courtesy of Luna Nina

I began reading a fantasy trilogy early last year and in the first book I became rather attached to one character. She wasn’t a major character – at least not at the level she should have been after the first book – but I identified with her all the same and looked forward to the chapters with her in it.

I finished the first book, then the second, and hoped that in the third book, there would be something great for her. Her own happy ending. Unfortunately for me, she was (quite literally) ripped apart toward the end of the book along with her lover.

Needless to say, I was a bit upset and nauseated at the turn of events.

As a reader, I felt a bit pissed off for a while, but the writer in me emerged eventually and calmed me down. See, the writer in me recognized the brilliance of the move. Of course it would be more potent to kill her and her lover off because first, she was expendable, and second, it just might get the reader to feel something.

Goal accomplished.

Writing within your comfortable boundaries might satisfy your grandmother and Uncle Dick, but it won’t get your reader to feel much or take anything away from the story once s/he is done reading. (That’s assuming you’re talented enough to keep their attention through an entire story.)

The quote “Kill your darlings” is actually a lot better advice than you might think. In fact, it might be one of the more important pieces of advice you’ll ever hear.

If you need a little exercise in the killing department, take a character you like from your current work in progress and create a scene in which s/he dies. Violently. If anyone thinks you’re a bit off, you can tell them I told you to do it.

Interested in reviewing books on your blog? Would you like to interview authors?

We are seeking qualified bloggers who would like to become tour hosts for our clients. If you are a blogger who would be interested in either interviewing our authors, letting them guest post on your blog or would be willing to review their book and posting their review on your blog (or any other type of promotion) on a certain day that both you and we set up together, we would be interested in talking to you.

We are only looking for blogs who receive substantial traffic and are updated frequently.

All our tour hosts receive a link on our sponsors’ page (if you prefer hosting your banner, that’s fine, too), links on our in house blogs, and will receive copies of books where applicable for their time and effort in hosting our authors. You will also receive substantial traffic on your blog while the author is touring as we highly publicize each and every one of our tour stops.

We also spotlight our tour hosts at random in our monthly newsletter. All tour host spotlights will include blog information and an interview with the blog host as part of their feature in the newsletter. More added exposure! And…not only that…we will include your link on this page so that others can see what an outstanding blog you have.

If you are interested, you can visit Virtual Book Tours for Authors, look in the right hand sidebar for the list of authors touring, and let us know which author you would prefer to host.

Once you have decided which author you would like to host, copy and paste the below information into an email and send it to us at thewriterslife(at)yahoo.com. Please put “I Want to Be a Tour Host” in the subject line of your email.

Original source here.

Announcing the newest project from published writer and award-winning poet April Gilford: Living for Christ, Serving Our Country: Christian Women in the Military

After being contacted by a reader searching for information, it became clear to April that very little information is available from Christian sources specific to women serving in the military. This project hopes to fill at least part of that gap by giving military women the opportunity to tell their own stories of how faith, God, and/or other Christians helped them deal with situations particular to military service.

Have you faced temptations while stationed away from your family? Have you found strength through faith to deal with difficult situations? Has God led you through you through the healing process after engaging in combat or being wounded? Tell your story so others may be inspired to continue in service to their country while living for Christ.

Living for Christ, Serving Our Country: Christian Women in the Military is a book to uplift, sustain and inspire women in any branch of the armed services, and from any country.

Tell your own story, or pass along stories of your relatives who may have served in previous wars or battlefronts. Separation, temptation, fear, doubt; pride, self-worth, determination, accomplishment; these are all emotions and situations faced by women in military service. Help others bring their best to their military service by sharing your inspiring story.

For full writer’s guidelines, please e-mail April@aprilfreelance.com or use the contact form on this site. For more information, visit Aprilfreelance.com.

Copyright 2007. April Gilford. All rights reserved. Links to this project are welcomed.

Hello and thank you for stopping at Fiction Scribe, Ms. Silva. Tell the readers a bit about yourself.

You mean, aside from being a bit off-center? Eccentric? Your typical too-much-going-in-my-pea-brain writer? Hmm…okay.

Well, for a living, I teach at several online universities and love it. I teach at three community colleges (Oregon, Wisconsin and Georgia) and two technical colleges. I love it, but that pretty much means I am on the computer all the time. I think that’s just made me love writing more because I write my first draft in long hand with a fountain pen.

Didn’t I mention eccentric?

What brought you into the world of writing?

My imagination, I suppose. I figured if I didn’t get these characters out of my head and onto paper, they would drive me insane. The truth is, the greatest disappointment of my childhood was the moment I realized I had to stop pretending. I think I was 15…lol…okay, maybe 13, but still, that’s OLD to be figuring out that you HAVE to leave your old pretend friends behind.

When I realized that I could actually bring them with me into the adult world through writing, my disappointment lifted and here I am! When did you start? I started a couple of years after I was a cop. A friend said, why don’t you write cop stories? I didn’t want to because I wasn’t a good one and preferred to leave that chapter behind me. (At that time, in the state of California, it took 9 months to become a licensed hair dresser, and 3.5 months to become a cop. What?)

However, the character of Delta Stevens refused to shush, so I had to write a book about her…and then 5 more.

You’re currently on virtual tour for your book Across Time. Could you tell us a bit about the book and what inspired you to write Across Time?

(more…)

Hello and welcome to another Thursday Thirteen.

I would like to say that this week’s list isn’t meant to be insulting. I’m not against self-publishing. I have a slightly negative opinion, but I’m not completely against it and this list certainly isn’t meant to be against all self-published writers.

Honestly, I’m just a little tired of reading books that are so obviously self-published…

1. Your story is fine and perhaps even engaging, but the editor in me is distracted enough to disturb the reader in me
2. Unchecked comma addiction…that continues through the story
3. Mixed up present and past tenses
4. The pacing isn’t smooth – and not because it works for the book
5. Your characters sound like each other despite age, race, cultural background…
6. …or your characters speech habits aren’t individually consistent
7. Spelling mistakes
8. I begin to wonder if you have in the beginning pages/chapters of the book
9. Using the wrong words
10. The writing style – slang, pacing, tense, everything – isn’t consistent
11. Grammar mistakes
12. When I read your book, I have the urge to get out my red editing marker
13. I end up looking your publishing company up on the internet instead of reading your book just to check to see if my instincts were correct

Check out my other Thursday Thirteens at Write Anyway, Long Relationships, and The Book Stacks

The news is traveling fast that well known author Arthur C. Clarke died this week in Sri Lanka. Clarke, who had been battling illness for most of his life, is said to have had breathing problems before passing away early in the morning.

Clarke was born in Minehead, England, December 16th 1917 and found his love of science fiction at a young age. It wasn’t long before he began writing his own short stories and articles.

The author and inventor is probably best known for his novel 2001: A Space Odyssey and for the movie by the same name. However, Clarke did and wrote much more beyond that. While his life certainly held its own fair share of controversy, I still tip my hat to a man who could write so much in one life.

Here is a list of just some of the many things he has written.

Prelude to Space (1951)
Islands in the Sky (1952)
Childhood’s End (1953)
Earthlight (1955)
The City and the Stars (1956)
The Deep Range (1957)
A Fall of Moondust (1961)
Dolphin Island (1963)
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Rendezvous with Rama (1972)
Imperial Earth (1975)
The Fountains of Paradise (1979)
2010: Odyssey Two (1982)
The Songs of Distant Earth (1986)
2061: Odyssey Three (1988)
A Meeting with Medusa (1988)
Rama II (1989) (with Gentry Lee)
Beyond the Fall of Night (1990) (with Gregory Benford)
The Ghost from the Grand Banks (1990)
Rama Revealed (1993) (with Gentry Lee)
The Hammer of God (1993)
3001: The Final Odyssey (1997)
Time’s Eye (2003) (with Stephen Baxter)
Sunstorm (2005) (with Stephen Baxter)
Firstborn (2007) (with Stephen Baxter)

While Mr. Reasons of 101 Reasons to Stop Writing would love it if I talked about this as a permanent thing, that’s not the case. However, I am going to tell you what you think I’m going to tell you.

It’s okay to stop and put the pen down.

Yesterday I went to the air conditioned library to escape the brain melting 100+ degree heat of the Australian sunshine. While there, I had one of the best writing days I have had in a long time, finishing up the work day at over 3,000 words typed for the day.

Do I attribute this to a fabulous muse? The delicious smoothie I had while there? The wonders of air conditioning?

Perhaps, in part, but by and large I attribute it to the fact I took a few days off writing. I tried not to think about it. I relaxed. I went people watching.

Basically, I did what every writer needs to do now and then not only to write better but to manage to keep whatever amount of sanity you have:

Get out of the writing room!

Yes, writing is about putting your ass down in the chair and getting some writing done, but it’s also about living. If you never get out of the writing room and experience life, then who do you think you are going about as if you have something to write about?

If possible, sometime this week get out and go somewhere new. Or, at least, go somewhere you rarely go. On your lunch break, after work, whenever works best for you. Go somewhere new and live it up. Experience things.

Do it because this is one of the few times I’m going to tell you to get your bum out of the chair.

LOVE MOVIES? WRITE ONE!
Some of you may not know that we run two ginormous, free writing events: NaNoWriMo in November, and Script Frenzy in April. For Script Frenzy, the goal is to write a movie, play, graphic novel script, comic book script, or a collection of TV shows or shorts in 30 days. You can even do a screenplay adaptation of your NaNoWriMo novel!

Script Frenzy’s finish line is 100 pages, and it has the same raucous energy and unpretentious atmosphere as NaNoWriMo. ScriptFrenzy.org is also home to the legendary Plot Machine, which issues all visitors a free, guaranteed Oscar-winning plot for their scripts. I took part in the Frenzy last year and writing a screenplay was the biggest creative shot in the arm I’ve had since first doing NaNoWriMo in 1999. Give it a try; you’ll see what I mean.

Also, a shout-out to teachers and parents: Script Frenzy has a separate Young Writers Program created with budding scriptwriters in mind. We spend March getting young authors up to speed on movie, play, and TV scriptwriting basics before unleashing them on their own projects in April. Come on by! http://ywp.scriptfrenzy.org.