
She caught him by his cloak and said, “Come to bed with me!” But he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house. Genesis 39:12
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Me with Spawn Number Two |
Young Adult and Middle Grade Author
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Me with Spawn Number Two |
Hi Everyone! I have to pull the plug on this blog for a while. Sometime life happens, and so this is when it happens for me.
However, because I have some IMPORTANT PEOPLE and IMPORTANT HOPS and it my favorite HOLIDAY MONTH that I said yes to, these are the days I’m here.
A Little Dab of Horror in Honor of Halloween
If all goes well, I’ll be back December 7. Sooooo if you are launching a new book or want to do a special giveaway in December, email me and I’ll put you in the Hat’s Off Corner.
My Quote for the Week: “The difference between successful people and others is how long they spend time feeling sorry for themselves.” Barbara Corcoran, Real Estate Mogul
Why I Blog
by
C. Lee McKenzie
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I started blogging because my publisher told me to, and back then I did everything my publisher told me to do. The interesting thing that happened is this: I liked it. So why?
I learned a lot of new stuff for one thing, and that’s always a motivator for me. I had to figure out which program to set my blog up on, and then how to use it. Blogger worked for me because it didn’t have a long learning curve. I quickly learned where the undo button was, so what could go wrong?
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I quickly learned that, too. A lot could go wrong if I didn’t have content that was of value. What was valuable content anyway? I wasn’t a marketing guru. I didn’t have hot tips for writers. What was my platform? What was a platform? See? I had a lot to learn, so I kept going.
Then I discovered things like Awards and Hops and Groups. Yay! Now I was on a roll because more than the family cat was reading what I posted.
Then just as I had this blogging thing down, I burned out. Yep. Dry as a summer hill in California, and it happened overnight. I was quitting. I was burrowing into my writer’s cave and blowing off all this blogging business.
So why didn’t I? Why did I take a break and return? Here’s one reason: I missed the contact with the people I’d connected with. I missed knowing when they had new releases or rejections or a great new WIP.
Was there any other reason? I thought about that and decided that without blogging I might have continued to read within my preferred genres. I wouldn’t have sampled books that I usually passed up. Because I was curious about what writer friends had created and I wanted to support their work, I found myself reading much more widely.
And that thing about showing up to the blank page? Well, blogging taught me a lot about doing that every single day.
So why blog? I guess those are three compelling reasons for me.
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Hats Off Corner Welcomes Stephen Tremp
Visit Stephen at his BLOG.
Quote for the Day: “The different and the novel are sweet, but regularity and repetition are also teachers.” Poet Mary Oliver
Why do you blog? Ever think of giving up? Does Salem’s Daughters look interesting?
Part 3: The Pros Give Us Some Advice and Happy Launch Day to Me
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AVAILABLE NOW AT B&N |
7/27 Beverly Stowe McClure
7/27 Jess and Stephanie–Author Tracker blog
7/28 Alex Cavanaugh
7/28 L. Diane Wolfe–Spunk on a Stick and Circle of Friends
7/30 M. J. Fifield
7/30 Julie Musil
7/30 Crystal Collier
And Now My Contribution to ELIZABETH SECKMAN’S
Totally Imaginative HOP–The Year Was 1865
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Thanks to Dianne Salerni for asking me to be on The Not So Accidental Blog Tourist Hop. (Eat your heart out Gary!)
Dianne’s credits are impressive. She’s the author of The Eighth Day MG fantasy series (HarperCollins) and YA historical novels, The Caged Graves (Clarion/HMH) and We Hear the Dead (Sourcebooks). Dianne was a public school teacher for 25 years before leaving the profession to spend more time hanging around creepy cemeteries and climbing 2000 year-old pyramids in the name of book research.
1.What am I currently working on?
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CARRIE’S BLOG |
(If you already have one this, I’ll figure something else out!)BY
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Earl53 |
All you gots to do is identify the Mystery Blogger each day. I’ll give you hints when I can. I’ll post the answers and the winner each Monday.
The last winner will receive a signed copy of The Princess of Las Pulgas
BY
1) identifying the most bloggers correctly=2 points.
2) leaving witty comments=1 point or more depending on glibness
3) adding to the information and making it more valuable=2 points
TIES WILL BE BROKEN BY MY CAT. SHE’S FAIR AND IMPARTIAL.UNLESS CATNIP IS INVOLVED, THEN SHE GOES WITH THE BEST SUPPLIER.
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Y is for Yeth Hound |
Mystery Blogger Y’s 2013 theme: “This year will be all things supernatural…. those beings and creatures we all know and love/hate. And, because I’m a glutton for punishment, there’ll be a poem added to each post as well.
“Yeth Hound— one of the incarnations of the “Black Dog” myth, this one located specifically, in Devon, England.
“Black Dogs” appear in myths across the world, most are associated with death and bad omens… i.e. Hell Hounds.
The Yeth Hound is said to be the spirit of an unbaptised child that takes the form of a headless black dog. The Hound wanders the woods at night making pitiful wailing sounds (though, I’m unclear as to how it makes wailing sounds without having a head).
The Black Dogs were possibly one inspiration from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s ghost dog in The Hound of the Baskervilles– “an enormous coal-black hound, but not such a hound as mortal eyes have ever seen.”
HINT: This blogger’s a book seller by day. A book writer by night.
Who was it?
SIGN UP or VISIT the others who are on this AtoZ Challenge and check out the HOSTS:
Damyanti @ Amlokiblogs
Nicole Ayers – The Madlab Post
All you gots to do is identify the Mystery Blogger each day. I’ll give you hints when I can. I’ll post the answers and the winner each Monday.
Week 4) a signed copy of The Princess of Las Pulgas
BY
1) identifying the most bloggers correctly=2 points.
2) leaving witty comments=1 point or more depending on glibness
3) adding to the information and making it more valuable=2 points
I loved this motivating post last year. Hope you love it in this deja vu 2014.
Mystery Blogger X’s 2013 theme: “Promo and other tips for writers”
X is for Xtra Mile
(Yes, extra begins with an E – just go with me on this one!)
What is the xtra mile?
It’s doing more than what’s required.
It’s going out of your way.
It’s taking the initiative.
It’s stepping past the masses.
It’s being your best toward others.
It’s doing what others are not willing to do to succeed!
Are you going the xtra mile to fulfill your writing dreams?
Hint: This blogger is always full of spunk.
SIGN UP or VISIT the others who are on this AtoZ Challenge and check out the HOSTS:
Damyanti @ Amlokiblogs
Nicole Ayers – The Madlab Post
3) Why do I write what I do?
4) How does my writing process work?
All you gots to do is identify the Mystery Blogger each day. I’ll give you hints when I can. I’ll post the answers and the winner each Monday.
Two visitors (one each week) can win:
Week 3) an ebook of The Princess of Las Pulgas
Week 4) a $10 gift certificate from Amazon
(If you already have one of the prizes, I’ll figure something else out!)
BY
1) identifying the most bloggers correctly=2 points.
2) leaving witty comments=1 point or more depending on glibness
3) adding to the information and making it more valuable=2 points
TIES WILL BE BROKEN BY MY CAT. SHE’S FAIR AND IMPARTIAL.UNLESS CATNIP IS INVOLVED, THEN SHE GOES WITH THE BEST SUPPLIER.
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Cover of The Shining [Blu-ray] |
Mystery Blogger W’s 2013 theme: “The films that I’ll be listing in my April postings will not necessarily be films that I’d call my favorite films, but they will be favorites in the genres I’ll be naming. The A to Z genres are very specific micro genres as opposed to the broader genres like action, romance, or comedy.”
W is for Writers In Movies: Here are some of this bloggers favorite movies about writers. It made a great list of TO SEE MOVIES
8 1/2 (1963)–Okay, I know I already used this film in my post Movies about Making Movies, but that’s how much I like this film. This is one of my top ten films. If you are a serious writer you should see this film and take it to heart. A masterpiece of the genre of thinkers’ films. Forget this one if you’re an action fan unless you’re in the mood to just sit, listen, and learn. I’ll warn you that it’s in Italian and you’ll have to read the subtitles if you don’t know the language. I just can’t rave enough about this film. Oh, and did I say it’s good?
The Shining (1980)— Jack Nicholson stars as a writer who gets more than he bargains for when he secludes himself and his family so he can get some writing done. Chalk up another hit for Stephen King. One writer’s nightmare is another writer’s dream. A shot of Red Rum anybody?
Misery (1990)–Famous novelist crashes car and is rescued by his “number one fan”. Fans like this we don’t need. Stephen King strikes again.
Shadowlands (1993)— Based on the true relationship between author C.S. Lewis and poet Joy Davidson, this one’s a weeper. Grab the popcorn and the Kleenex.
Shakespeare in Love (1998)— A liberal dose of poetic license results in a lot of fun with one of the most famous writers of all time. This film won a few awards as well.
Adaptation (2002)–Great cast of actors in a curious tale. This is one of those films that I rewatched as soon as I had watched it the first time. Great film.
Secret Window (2004)–Johnny Depp as a writer suffering from writer’s block. But it doesn’t end there. Now he’s being accused of plagiarism and it only gets worse. Oh yeah, and Stephen King is in on this one too.
Sideways (2004)–If the writing career is not working, you can always go get drunk. The focus of this film is wine, but it’s really about a writer and writing.
Freedom Writers (2007)–Brand new idealistic English teacher gets assigned to tough class of inner city students. She gets them involved in journaling and they in turn fall into the writing life. Inspirational film about teaching and the power of words.
Midnight in Paris (2011) — In one of the best films directed by Woody Allen, a writer vacationing in Paris time travels back to the 1920’s and meets famous authors and others. Doesn’t matter if it’s a dream, a fantasy, or what–it’s fun.
Hint: This blogger juggles a lot of online activities.
SIGN UP or VISIT the others who are on this AtoZ Challenge and check out the HOSTS:
Damyanti @ Amlokiblogs
Nicole Ayers – The Madlab Post
All you gots to do is identify the Mystery Blogger each day. I’ll give you hints when I can. I’ll post the answers and the winner each Monday.
One visitor (one each week) can win:
Week 3) an ebook of The Princess of Las Pulgas
Week 4) a $10 gift certificate from Amazon
(If you already have one of the prizes, I’ll figure something else out!)
BY
1) identifying the most bloggers correctly=2 points.
2) leaving witty comments=1 point or more depending on glibness
3) adding to the information and making it more valuable=2 points
“And I’ve been pushing them at you all week. What makes a good villain? We’ve seen they need purpose,sympathetic credibility, and to believe they’re doing the right thing. Add in some troubled backgrounds to explain their villainy, and of course, throw in a side of charisma to keep them intriguing.
From what I’ve gathered from your comments, readers and movie-goers LOVE to HATE great villains. And I’m no different. Many of my favorite characters ARE villains. They’re so much fun to live vicariously through.
Speaking of villainous V characters, here’s one of my faves:
photo credit fanpop.com
Hint: This blogger has silent letter in the last name.
SIGN UP or VISIT the others who are on this AtoZ Challenge and check out the HOSTS:
Damyanti @ Amlokiblogs
Nicole Ayers – The Madlab Post
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Thanks VIKLIT |
I only have 4 letters to go and then I can forget how to spell anything for a while.
All you gots to do is identify the Mystery Blogger each day. I’ll give you hints when I can. I’ll post the answers and the winner each Monday.
One visitors (one each week) can win:
Week 4) an ebook of The Princess of Las Pulgas
Week 5, almost) a signed copy of The Princess of Las Pulgas
BY
1) identifying the most bloggers correctly=2 points.
2) leaving witty comments=1 point or more depending on glibness
3) adding to the information and making it more valuable=2 points
Mystery Blogger U’s 2013 theme: “Unified Theory of Writing”
U is for a Unified Theory of Writing
“It’s important to know that no matter how obvious and sensible a piece of writing advice might be, there are always going to be circumstances when it won’t hold true. Or when there are other, equally as effective ways to tell the story. . .An unmitigated disaster in the hands of one writer may be an unqualified success in the hands of another.”
Who is it? This blogger has some moods, but regardless of those moods always informs the readers.
SIGN UP or VISIT the others who are on this AtoZ Challenge and check out the HOSTS:
Damyanti @ Amlokiblogs
Nicole Ayers – The Madlab Post