My Author blog feature with Sally C. Check it out. Her questions were the bomb!
Tag: novel
Title Reveal On 5/29: My 2017 Novel In Progress #MayChallengeDay19
My Stella Trilogy has been a huge experience. I have come to network with so many talented authors and aspiring authors both online and face to face. I’ve grown as an artist exponentially in regard to my understanding of book publishing and it is one of the finest aspects of Self-Publishing. That is, with every book I publish I learn something new about myself and about my work. I notice the discrepancies that I may have been blinded to in the writing process and every piece of advice and constructive criticism I hold in my heart with the intention of learning from my mistakes and building on my strengths. I definitely do not see myself as some big author. The last thing I want to do is get comfortable. The moment you get comfortable and start to think you are something when you are not, that is the moment you fail. For that, I am most humbled by everyone who has supported and continue to support my work. Because of you, one fact remains: It’s been over a year since the publication of the first book in the Stella Trilogy and people are still talking about it.
Lots of people however, have been asking me about my WIP (work in progress). I’ve gotten questions from is there going to be a Stella Book Four? To what am I working on now? It’s almost like there’s a secret service of readers who know that I’m working on something and why haven’t I said? Lol. Well yes, I have not mentioned anything about another book. To start, I’m a real private person. Especially when it comes to my behind the scenes work. That’s right, I’m stingy in the beginning. I do not like to share much while in the beginning stages of writing. I think its most important to stay focused, for the foundation is the most critical aspect of any building. So I, a builder, have kept closed lipped on the details of my next work. Until now.
On Sunday, May 29th, I’ll finally reveal the title to my work in progress, along with some details on what the impending book is about. Speaking of this project, I will say for now that it is not a Stella book and this one is a full length novel. The projected release of this project is Spring of 2017, an exact date will be revealed toward the end of this year, time permitting, with the book cover debuting at the beginning of the year.
In the meantime, how about you? Are you an author? At what stage do you share your works in progress?
The Snowflake Method For Designing A Novel
I don’t usually use an outline when writing my books but I found this really neat method I’d like to try. While I can’t say I’ll stick to it like glue, it looks like something that will help me to organize my thoughts without the confusion. For my next project I’ll be using The Snowflake Method. Click Here to check it out. After your reading, research, and daydreaming is done (when you have an idea of what the story is about), here is Step #1 from the article:
Step 1) Take an hour and write a one-sentence summary of your novel. Something like this: “A rogue physicist travels back in time to kill the apostle Paul.” (This is the summary for my first novel, Transgression.) The sentence will serve you forever as a ten-second selling tool. This is the big picture, the analog of that big starting triangle in the snowflake picture.
When you later write your book proposal, this sentence should appear very early in the proposal. It’s the hook that will sell your book to your editor, to your committee, to the sales force, to bookstore owners, and ultimately to readers. So make the best one you can!
Some hints on what makes a good sentence:
- Shorter is better. Try for fewer than 15 words.
- No character names, please! Better to say “a handicapped trapeze artist” than “Jane Doe”.
- Tie together the big picture and the personal picture. Which character has the most to lose in this story? Now tell me what he or she wants to win.
- Read the one-line blurbs on the New York Times Bestseller list to learn how to do this. Writing a one-sentence description is an art form.
Another important point: It doesn’t have to be perfect. The purpose of each step in the design process is to advance you to the next step. Keep your forward momentum! You can always come back later and fix it when you understand the story better. You will do this too, unless you’re a lot smarter than I am.
*******
Sounds exciting! There is also a book which you can find here. Are you writing a book? Share the method to your madness! How do you stay organized?
Yecheilyah’s Book Reviews – The Mistreatment of Zora Langston by Lisa W. Tetting
Title: The Mistreatment of Zora Langston (Paperback)
Author: Lisa W. Tetting
Website: https://rebirthoflisa.wordpress.com/
ISBN 13: 9780996142908
Published: March 15, 2015
Publisher: Lisa W. Tetting
Pages: 158 pages
Genre: Coming of Age, Young Adult, Drama, Fiction
The Mistreatment of Zora Langston is a coming-of-age novel surrounding the abuse experienced by nine-year-old Zora Langston.
Set in Goldsboro, North Carolina, there is so much to relate to and learn in this powerful testimony of abuse, betrayal, and the ability to still love and be loved through it. Ironically, the cause of her father’s death becomes the epitome of tragedy for Zora in more ways than one. His enemies become hers, and when it seems things are getting better everywhere she turns, they only worsen.
Zora is not given a chance to mourn her father before her mother’s boyfriend moves in. Instead of her shining example of womanhood, her mother despises her existence. Her sister burns with intense jealousy, and her brother’s nonchalant attitude further illuminates Zora’s invisibility.
As a result of continual physical and emotional abuse, Zora is sent to live with her Aunt Terri and Uncle Jim and, for the first time, gets to experience what it means to be happy and to have a family. I was excited to see her get excited at those little things that children love.
What makes this a moving piece is that it is told from the eyes of a nine-year-old. I did not expect Zora to endure what she did, and the abuse she encountered was shocking. Children tend to be very open and honest even amid grown-up experiences, and Zora is no different. She approaches the situations of her youth with the same level of naïveté as most children. Yet, while Zora’s perspective is rightly childlike, the tragedies she endured strengthen her. Thus, her reaction to the situations surrounding her is in many ways also mature, surprising the adults around her, who are often taken aback.
What I found especially educational is how the author incorporated the life lessons of Zora’s dad and the parenting of her Aunt and Uncle into the tragedies of her life and how those lessons were used to strengthen Zora in the moments she needed them most. Despite her hardships, Zora could still hold on to a level of innocence deserving of a nine-year-old. “I usually wore a swim cap…but that made me look like an alien” (Tetting, 102) is just one of the many sayings of little Miss Zora that made me laugh out loud. I could have sworn I thought the same thing at her age!
The Mistreatment of Zora Langston is a book of shocking revelations and raw emotion. As adults, we have much to learn from children like Zora. It is not just a book about her; we also get to see how adults view situations.
Debut Author Lisa Tetting proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that “it’s not the love that hurts; its the denial of love.”
Ratings:
Plot Movement / Strength: 4/5
Entertainment Factor: 4/5
Characterization: 5/5
Authenticity / Believable: 5/5
Thought Provoking: 4/5
Recommendation: 4/5
Overall Rating: 4/5
The Mistreatment of Zora Langston is available now on Amazon!
Are You Just Seeing Your Writing on The Side?
“Is your writing going to be a lover in the center of your life? The thing you pulse toward, the fever in your soul? Or is your writing life more of a casual crush, something you think about, but don’t do much about? You know how when you are in love, lying with your lover, time stops–goes so fast and doesn’t move at all? You feel mushy and goopy, and you are wet and hot and cool and loved and lovely, all at the same time?
Here’s the thing, there is one way to make time stop. And only one way: Fall in Love.
When you have a lover or a baby, you fall out of time, and into the beloved. Love is the only time in our lives when we are out of time. To create a writing life, you will need to fall in love–deeply, seductively, passionately–with your writing life. It will become not a habit or a job, but a lover. If you keep it a second-string lover, your back-up lover, your Tuesday night sex-as-friends kind of lover, it might always be cranky with you. But if you make your writing life so lovely you can’t take your eyes off it, you will space out during meetings, and dream about it as you go through the day, just like when you’re in love. – Heather Sellers, Page After Page, Chapter 3
***
Heather Sellers is an Award winning writer and professor who has taught writing workshops for twenty years, has a Ph.D. in writing and is an associate professor of English. Her book, Page after Page, is a great resource for writers looking to jump-start, begin, or keep the writing juices flowing. She presents great advice on how to dedicate yourself to writing, enjoying the process, and writing exercises to help keep you passionately, seductively, and totally in loooovveee with writing.
Yecheilyah Book Reviews: A Tale of Three Cities by Alexander McCabe
Title: A Tale of Three Cities
Author: Alexander McCabe
ISBN: 978-0-9940447-1-6
Release Date: November 2, 2015
Advanced Review Copy Edition
A Tale of Three Cities is a fantastic story involving two women who do not intimately know each other but whose lives become connected in a horrific span of events that will forever change both women.
While occupying the waiting room of a dental office, bank cashier Melissa Chisholm is reading a magazine when her attention is snagged by a missing persons headline accompanied by a photograph of a woman she is sure she knows. Enticed by the million-dollar reward for any information regarding Kristy Bradley, Melissa sets out to redeem the much-needed cash, being reassured that she does know the woman who changed her name to Lady Penelope Munro.
According to the article, the two love birds married out of High School. They settled into a financially stable and happy life before Kristy was allegedly kidnapped by Anthony Di Silva, a mob boss masquerading as CEO of a Waste Management Company and currently serving 25 to life after 34 million dollars, and Michael’s wife went missing. Now Melissa is flying from Glasgow, Scotland, to Harrison, New York, to assist Kristy’s poor husband find his long-lost wife.
Sitting in her car outside Michael’s front door, Melissa is unaware of the man behind the smile in the magazine. As she waits nervously for him to read the documents she slipped into his home and to listen to her message on his answering machine, she has no idea of the maniac she has just involved herself with. As she waits, watching Michael faint at the contents of the documents with tears colliding down his face, Melissa doesn’t know about the secret hatred more than love pulsating through his veins. When his true character is revealed, it made me think about the stigmas surrounding a woman’s submission, what it means, and how abusive men take advantage of women who do. Nonetheless, as Melissa waits, it will be a hard lesson for her.
I was pleasantly surprised. I was not too excited when I discovered this book was 500 pages long. However, McCabe has written an adventurous tale that will engage all of your senses. His attention to detail is remarkable, and I found Z’s sense of humor hilarious at times. I also enjoyed how the author displays Michael’s deranged demeanor against Melissa’s sympathy for his loss. Having lost her parents in a car wreck years ago, her loss drives the naivety and compassion she feels for a man who has seemingly, like her, lost everything. I also enjoyed the parallels between Melissa’s life and Kristy’s, and like a single thread that weaves fabric together, the dynamics involving the two women bring it all in.
A Tale of Three Cities releases November 2, 2015. Please visit Alexander at his social networking sites and be sure to pick up this book! It is a must read. Though I read it already, I would love to still purchase the paperback for my collection when it releases.
Website: http://aasmccabe.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/aasmccabe
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alexandermccabeauthor
Instagram: https://instagram.com/aasmccabe/
Special Writer’s Quote Wednesday + #BeWoW Edition Part 2 – Finishing
I have a treat for you! It’s been awhile since I’ve participated in #BeWoW and I am elated to discover that Ron has deemed BeWoW to be an acronym, not just for Be Wonderful on Wednesday, but also Be Writing on Wednesday! Whoop. He has also teamed up with my girl Colleen’s Writer’s Quote Wednesday. So, for this reason, today’s post is a two part Special where I combined both together. I hope my post is sufficient for both. Here’s a basic overview:
‘And that means “Be Writing on Wednesday to Be Wonderful on Wednesday and make the world a better place to visit.” You do this by sharing your inspirational and positive posts, books, poetry, even favorite get you movin’ music videos. You use #BeWoW as a hashtag on Twitter and as tag, if you like, on your post so people can find all of the offerings in the WP Reader if they want to go that route.’
That said, my positive blog share has to do with my finished book cover to the second edition of my novel.
In part two, I am revealing the cover to a novel I wrote three years ago. In 2012, I wrote my first novel, The Aftermath, a Sci-Fi Thriller. I have since taken it off market and have not added it to my website. I have taken it down because I am revising it and will be re-adding it to my collection under a new edition very soon. The cover design is by Clarrisa Yeo of Yocla Designs. Her work is amazing and I highly recommend her for your next project. (She is not accepting any new clients at this time but she has some great pre-mades ready to go) Below is the Book Cover Reveal along with some reviews I received from those who have read the book at its initial launching. (If you would like to receive a free PDF to review this book just send me an email. Please know you will receive an unedited copy as the revision is not finished). I am only revealing the cover at this time and not the entire layout, front and back. (Hey, gotta save something good for when it releases hee hee).
So, without further ado (please click on the image to see it bigger. The larger file wouldn’t show so I had to go medium) here’s what I’m writing this #BeWoW:
Be sure to check out my Writer’s Quote Wednesday Post to see what this book is all about!
“I just finished the book. Excellent EC. When I got to Chapter 29-33, wow….I don’t want to spoil it for the others but you did a great job.”
– Annette, California
“This book holds great suspense! Love it! Excellent read, but this should be a movie! Highly recommended for all readers!”
– Vivian, Shreveport, LA
“Woooow! This book had me gripped from page one lol… I finished reading it a couple days ago… well done!! I thoroughly enjoyed it. …. stay obedient, encouraged, determined, motivated and inspired…”
– Abiyah, UK
“What a wonderful book. From page one I was hooked. Wonderfully written EC, It was an awesome book! For those that do not have it, it is a must read.”
– Constance, Fort Wayne, IN
“When is the movie coming out? The Aftermath is an action packed book, and I am just in the beginning.”
– Leahe, Detroit MI
****************************************************
That’s it for my contribution to #BeWoW and Writer’s Quote Wednesday.
The PBS Blog 