My Book Addiction

 

Since I’m a confirmed addict, I thought I’d share a few of my favorite books today. Each one on the list has impacted me in some way or another with their characters, worlds, themes, and writing. List number one...

 

10 Stand Alone Books

1. A Knight in Shining Armor - Jude Devereaux
2. Elsewhere – Gabrielle Zevin
3. Thirteen Reasons Why – Jay Asher
4. Island of the Blue Dolphins – Scott O’Dell
5. Before I Fall – Lauren Oliver
6. Watership Down – Richard Adams
7. The Handmaids Tale – Margaret Atwood
8. Timeline – Michael Crichton
9. Remembrance - Jude Devereaux
10. Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh – Robert C. O’Brien

Number one and number nine are phenomenal reads for romance and time travel. I believe Jude Devereaux was offered a movie contract for number one and turned it down. I read both in high school until my copies disintegrated, and then I bought two more. I think of them at least once a week, especially while I do research for my books. My second, third, and fifth picks are all YA, and they deal with young death. Each is haunting and poignant with soul shattering messages, and all will stay with me forever. Numbers four, six, and ten have lingered in my mind for decades. I look at fields, islands, and rodent holes differently because of these stories, and I DO NOT eat rabbit; never have, never will. N-E-V-E-R. Number seven creeps up on me whenever I put on hand cream. This was my first dystopian world book, and it still scares me! My eighth book is a thrill ride. Crichton and his mastery of science and literary talent make this book, like all his others, an edge of your seat page-turner. Temporary Time, my book, is based on Quantum Mechanics and the multiverse theory, too, but it's a romance.  On to list number two…

10 Book Series

1. Emily of New Moon – L.M. Montgomery
2. Little House in the Woods – Laura Ingalls Wilder
3. Percy Jackson and the Olympians…All - Rick Riordan
4. New Moon – Stephenie Meyer
5. The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins
6. Reckless Magic – Rachel Higginson
7. North and South – John Jakes
8. Maximum Ride – James Patterson
9. Dead Until Dark – Charlaine Harris
10. Fallen – Lauren Kate

I think I’ve read number one’s trilogy at least a dozen times. My idea of Heaven is a farmhouse on Prince Edward Island. My mother read number two’s books to me even when I was old enough to read myself. They hold a special place in my heart because of the bonding time we had with all those fabulous stories. Number three goes full circle with me as the mom, and my son as the child. We gobbled up this series, and still talk about the characters as if they were family friends. Number four is the second book in the Twilight series, and it came out at a time when I really needed to cry and mourn the loss of something in my life. Weeping, sobbing, and grieving with Bella gave me the excuse to bawl freely. “It’s the book,” I said over and over again to concerned family members. I read all three books of number five so many times I had dreams I WAS Katniss. That is the only time I’ve ever book dreamed. Six is a series about an immortal girl who, well…go read it. Imagine you can live forever, you don’t have to drink blood, and you have incredible powers! I love fresh concepts and a gorgeous hero. The series is self-published, and the first book is free on Amazon's kindle and Barnes and Noble's nook. Book seven’s cover and its first fifty page corners disintegrated on me in middle school. I loved the mini-series of the book, too. For my number eight pick, James Patterson turns words into magical stories with bite. How could something so wonderful as a bunch of kids who can fly not make my list?! Number nine and number ten are polar opposites: vampires and angels, and are both filled with lasting qualities.

My honorable mentions list has six book series, one stand alone book (until Meyer writes book two for number seven), and four writers. Number eleven has inspired me more throughout my lifetime than the majority of best selling authors have, and yes, he did write stories, poems, and even a song before creating Star Trek.

 

1. Outlander – Diana Gabaldon
2. Anne of Green Gables - L.M. Montgomery
3. Matched – Ally Condie
4. Divergent - Veronica Roth
5. The Selection – Kiera Cass
6. Firelight – Sophie Jordan
7. The Host – Stephenie Meyer
8. Shakespeare
9. Isaac Asminov
10. Robert Frost
11. Gene Roddenberry

All these books and authors have influenced the person I am today. They continue to affect me, and the way I write, on a daily basis.

What are your favorite books?

Who inspires you?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NaNoWriMo Success!

I did it! I finished with a final tally of 50,002 words.

 

NaNoWriMo...National Novel Writing Month

It's November 7, and after almost one week of daily writing, I am 37,133 words away from my goal of 50,000 words in one month!!

Here's the synopsis of my novel in process...

Temporary Time

Twenty-year-old Tris Savoy is consumed with studying the past. From fencing lessons at the age of ten, a college major immersed in medieval politics and history, to learning the dying language of Occitan, the events that happened eight hundred years before her birth are sometimes more real to her than her present. Her one, unattainable wish is to someday meet her namesake: Beatrice of Savoy. When a fellow student asks her for help with a secretive project, she agrees, and is given the staggering opportunity to enter the era she’s studied her entire life…for one hundred and eighty minutes. But on arrival, she’s a witness to Beatrice’s brutal murder and coerced into a dangerous deception. When the three-hour time limit expires and there’s no sign of help, she must commit to her role as the countess to survive, even if her potential killer lurks inside the castle.

A combination of the book Timeline, TV show Sliders, and the movie Stargate.


Fingers crossed I can keep up the pace and follow my detailed outline.

Guest Blogger at My Dog Ate My Manuscript...and other excuses that keep me from writing.

Today I'm a guest at my friend and fellow writer, N. Gemini Sasson's blog where I talk about how to begin researching your genealogy.

You can view the blog here: http://ngeminisasson.blogspot.com/2013/11/genealogy-101-where-to-begin-guest-post.html

Gemi is the author of seven historical novels set in 14th and 15th century Scotland, England and Wales, including The Bruce Trilogy and Isabeau, A Novel of Queen Isabella and Sir Roger Mortimer (2011 IPPY Silver Medalist in Historical Fiction). Her latest release is In the Time of Kings.

http://ngeminisasson.blogspot.com/2013/11/genealogy-101-where-to-begin-guest-post.html

Becoming My Mother...Or...The Difference Between Richard and Tom Petty

The other day I read Disney Dining's blog, Top Ten “Outside The Box” Things To Do At Walt Disney World. I.E.—no rides. They mentioned something I’ve wanted to do ever since my family and I saw it on our first trip to the Magic Kingdom: The Richard Petty Driving Experience.

 

What is it? You ride on an actual racetrack, in the passenger seat of a racecar that’s driven by a professional driver. Whew. FUN. There are variations to what they offer, based on this general definition, but this is what most people do.

 

My excitement about the blog, my lack of Nascar knowledge, and my love of 1990’s music caused me to blurt out, “Next time we’re at Disney, let’s do The Tom Petty Driving Experience.”

 

Oops.

I realized my mistake about ten seconds later when my husband, laughing, played Mary Jane’s Last Dance, by TOM Petty on YouTube. Sigh. I’m becoming my mother; switching the first and last names of celebrities.

But, my mix up made me think. What would that experience entail?

First and foremost, instead of racing jumpsuits, everyone would be required to wear a costume from Alice in Wonderland. Two reasons why: It’s on Disney property, and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0JvF9vpqx8 (Check out the video after you finish reading)

Second, everyone would receive complimentary tea and cookies while they watched a short documentary about Tom Petty’s life and career, in lieu of the instructional video about racing they show if you’re doing The Richard Petty Driving Experience.

Third, you’d pick your car and several Tom Petty albums to listen to as you meandered your way around the racetrack. Your driver would be an expert on Tom, and by the time your ride was finished, you’d know all about Mudcrutch, the Traveling Wilburys, and the Heartbreakers.

Fourth, any herbal extras would be at an additional cost and coincide with the law, but the hookah pipe, with your choice of flavored tobacco would be included to all adults, 18 and over. Your driver’s talents would also include knowing how to smoke one while driving.

 

There you have it…The Tom Petty Driving Experience.

I wonder, when I do experience the real attraction, if the professional driver beside me will ask why I can’t stop giggling.

Researching the Book

I have a BA in history, and a Master’s Degree in archives, museums, and editing history. I love the past so much I devoted my entire college career to studying things that happened waa-a-aay before I was born. I spent the 1990s learning about everything from Ancient Egypt to the early twentieth century. While other people look at places, names, and dates as is, I take the facts and build stories around them by asking questions. My why, what, and how fill in the gaps the who, where, and when leave behind.

 

Why did noblemen train themselves to fight? What did people eat in fifteenth century England? How were women treated? Finding answers to these questions requires research if I want my fictional world to be plausible. While Wikipedia may seem like the logical place to start, it’s not. Some of their ‘facts’ are as fictional as the conversations I want to write between my protagonist and their love interest. Instead, I use primary sources to create a credible world for my characters. I’m not an expert on the middle ages, but those that are who read my book might ridicule me if I miss a detail or misrepresent the timeline.

How do I do my research?

 

I start with books or articles written from primary resources and published within the past three years that can connect me to the time period I’m basing my story in. Then I double check to make sure no one has made an important discovery in the last few months that discounts what’s already written. Next, I look for pictures, letters, wills, deeds to homes, marriage certificates, and other resources that are relevant and will give me a greater understanding of the people and their daily lives.

 

For The Promise, I researched castle life, clothing, food, pastimes, attitudes, and so much more. I wanted to know anything that was relevant to early fifteenth century England. For Time School, I toured Gettysburg and asked a million questions of my guide. She even helped me after the tour was over by gathering more information from the local historical society, and sending it to me via email. I also read books and accounts by people who lived in the town during the Civil War battle, and actual newspapers from 1863. I studied maps and pictures of the town, too.

 

My history degrees were born from an intense desire to step behind a museum's red velvet rope and touch the past. The books I write are what would happen if I could touch those artifacts in their original surroundings.

 

Why I Think Edits are Like Haircuts

Today is haircut day for the whole family. We venture onto the nearby IUP campus, park our car in the lot by the Hadley Union Building, and roll into the Hair Hub. In my humble opinion, it’s the best place to go in Indiana, PA for a haircut. After two hours of work by their amazing stylists, my eyebrows are shaped, my hair is springy, and all the dead, split ends that weigh my ‘do down decorate the floor in a choppy brown circle around my feet. The transformation is a lot like editing my WIP.

 

I write in basically three large chunks relevant to my story’s structure: the introduction, the struggle—where the meat and problems happen, and the resolution. After each section, I edit.

 

I clip away all the dead weight, the confusion, the scraggily paragraphs that don’t flow with the rest of the story, and I sweep all my cut bits onto a page labeled: Discard File for [insert title]. Then I rip and pluck stray words or sentences from the manuscript until the remaining chapters are shaped and springy, ready for a critique. Once the sections grow into a finished book, I snip away again until I’m comfortable with the final product.

 

I’d love to say I’m satisfied after a few hours of editing, but that would be a lie. Sadly, my results aren’t as immediate as my hairdresser’s are. Sometimes it takes a week or two before I’m happy, and sometimes, it takes even longer. The curse of a perfectionist!

 

To me, writing is like growing my hair; it just happens. The real skill and work lie in the editing. Fingers crossed that mine’s as sharp as the Hair Hub’s scissors.

Celebrating the Word Count

Today I’m celebrating! Time School is over one hundred thousand words and three hundred and fifty pages.

The thing about reaching this milestone that makes it so impressive to me, is the fact that almost every word I type is formed by the hunt and peck method. Pretty funny, right?! AND for the first time in my writing week, I'm averaging 1000 words a day! When I used my hands to type, I flew over the keyboard. Now that my hands don't work, I use my head to direct the mouse to my virtual keyboard and click away...one letter at a time! Check out: http://naturalpoint.com/smartnav/products/videos.html  to see how I operate my computer and write. Someday soon I hope to add actual video of me using my SmartNav and SofType, but this video gives you an idea of how the technology operates. I don't use a click switch or any of the voice operated features, but I love my dwell clicker! My sticker attaches to the bridge of my glasses, not my forehead.

If you know anyone suffering from a disease or a condition where their hands are affected, you may want to mention this to them. It has been an absolute miracle for me.

Enough chatting! I'm off to wrack up more quality words to my count.

The Power of Imagination

In my quest to see things differently, I’ve opted out of the trite method of standing on a desk, lying on the floor, doing a headstand, or looking backward through a mirror. I write fiction, and I use my imagination to picture the bizarre, scary, and disgustingly cute aspects of life even when I’m not writing. Here are some of my examples...

 

Behind the uniform and smile of my friendly mailman lurks the madman plotting ghastly deeds with every mailbox he fills. The woman at the grocery store who rushes ahead of me to be first in line isn’t rude. If she doesn’t finish her shopping within half an hour, she will be doomed to live the rest of her life trapped in another dimension. The auto mechanic who overcharges me becomes Lord of the Rats when his shop closes, and reigns supreme over his disease-ridden minions. How about an even larger example of my out of control imagination...

At my local Walmart, dozens of pigeons live on top of the roof. I think that’s the case with every store. I believe they're hired as security birds. Imagine the scene every morning as each one clocks in, has a miniature camera strapped to their leg, then positions themselves on the roof as proud members of the Security Bird Fleet, or the S.B.F. Their mission: to stop any suspicious person in the parking lot by madly beating their wings against the helpless offender until human help arrives. Ahh, what an interesting place my head is to live and work in. Never a dull moment, that's for sure. If I wasn't a writer, I may just be labeled as a loon. My plots, however, save me from that.

My imagination thought an Agency that protected the Earth's timeline from changing would make a decent story with lots to talk about. She thinks several books will cover the topic, and I agree. We're to the exciting part with kidnappers and rescuers at the almost end of Time School, and she's shouting ideas at me for book two! She came up with a situation about loving someone from one of your past lives, and The Promise rose from our collaboration. I'm in love with three fictional males at once, and hang on every word of their side of the story when my imagination whispers what they're thinking to me. They talk directly to me, too, but my imagination fills in what they leave to her.

She is one of the most powerful and productive resources I own, and I take it as a compliment when someone tells me I have an overactive imagination. If I didn't have her, I'd be so bored!!

Returning to the Grind

This time last Thursday, I was finishing my last few sips of Jungle Juice (a mixture of guava, orange, and passion fruit juice) and pushing one last bite of bobotie into my mouth at Boma--the all-you-care-to-enjoy buffet restaurant at Walt Disney World's Animal Kingdom Lodge. After eating, our group went to the outside overlook and watched zebras, ostrich, and giraffes room around. All week we never had to make our beds, wash our dishes, or worry about calorie counts. I laughed so much my diaphragm muscle ached on day three. After such a wonderful vacation, returning to daily life where the used towels don't magically disappear within hours of your shower, replaced with fresh, fluffy clean ones is a challenge. But, I'm up for it.

I have at least five pages to write today, and a whole chapter to do next week if I want to stay on schedule for finishing book one in my Time School series by Thanksgiving. I want to re-edit and revamp my book about reincarnation by February, and complete book two in my series by June. This all leads to a self publishing debut in July of 2014. Gasp. That's a lot to do, so why does my mouse keep slipping back to the Disney trip planning websites? Or going to Gap or Old Navy because someone in the family needs another pair of jeans? Or Amazon to find those elusive shelf organizers that will make my life so effortless? I wonder, will they write the next two hundred thousand words for me while I eat chocolates and sip wine? Because that would make my life effortless.

There's a commercial out now that's pretty interesting. I saw it over the top of my computer screen the other night, while writing. The people operating the show give someone a marker, and then ask them to write down what they want to be on their wall. One woman says, in a hushed, awe filled voice, "A writer." Oh honey, do you really want to be a writer, or do you want to be a famous, published author at a book signing? 'Cause before you're the latter, you're a w-r-i-t-e-r trapped at your computer for hours a day, shushing people around you while you work so you can concentrate. You are a hermit with a love affair with your laptop and no social life. Unless you hear stories in your head and get antsy when you can't write them down, you do not want to be a writer. The grind would eat you up and spit you out after a few days!

Ahh...the grind and I are familiar partners. I love the satisfaction I get after I reveal something about a character I didn't know myself, and it's because I'm slogging away, grinding out words, that I can do this. I will miss the fun time I had on vacation, but I have to acknowledge that it's called vacation for a reason. Okay, time to stop stalling, chatting, whining, and start creating so I can one day soon be that published author. It's time to return to the grind.