HOW DO YOU FIND THE TIME TO WRITE? GUEST AUTHOR, JENNY BRIGALOW - THE CHILDREN OF THE MIST. WITH A GIVEAWAY!

Hello friends!

Thanks for stopping by. After a period of not reading any paranormal books, I've recently read a couple that I really liked. I shared one with you--Kelly Steel's One Bite Leads to Another, and Kelly recommended Jenny Brigalow's new book to me. I've really enjoyed reading it, so if you like a good paranormal YA novel, you will be swept away with Morven and Zest.

As a writer with work commitments, family commitments, blogging commitments, travel commitments...ad infinitum, I struggle to find the time to attack my WIPs and polish them to submission standard, so I asked Jenny to talk us through what works for her.

Tuned Out To The Titanic

It’s a regular occurrence to come upon articles about wonder women that work full time, have three kids under the age of four, study a degree and still find time to write. I feel it only fair to warn you right now, that I am not one of these women.  Indeed, I cannot even imagine being one of those women.

I almost feel guilty (but not quite) that I have ample time to sit down at my cluttered desk and tap merrily away at my latest work in progress. To a large degree this happy state of affairs is circumstantial. I’m forty nine years old, my daughters are aged seventeen and eighteen and both hold a driving licence and I work part time.  And, I am delighted to tell you, I only have six more weeks left of the dreaded school run. Freedom beckons.

Of course, this has not always been the case. When I started writing, the kids had just started high school and I had a busier schedule, but I always found time to write. Ironically, the secret to my success was a personality quirk, which had been the source of constant criticism when I was a child. I was always in disgrace for not paying attention to important matters when I had my nose in a book (and often when I didn’t). You know how it is; the Real World Vs. The Famous Five. Need I say more?

This curious trait has been a blessing in my writing years. When the school holidays kick in or on weekends when our house vibrates with activity, I can sit down in the dining room and tune out, utterly oblivious to the bickering, baiting and the blare of the TV. If I were reading or writing when the Titanic went down I wouldn’t notice until my toes got wet!

Now here's a little taster from my book--

The Children Of The Mist

An original paranormal YA about an unconventional girl, an unconventional boy, their extraordinary transformations, and the secrets of the Scottish Highlands.

When skater girl Morven Smith turns sixteen, she develops boobs, acute appendicitis...and a pair of pointy teeth. While she is stunned by her metamorphosis into vampire, her best mate, the enigmatic Zest, is not. For the young werewolf, Morven’s transformation is an answer to his lonely prayers.

But they are unable to celebrate their mutual paranormalcy for long — there are too many dangers, too much suspicion, and too many questions. It’s only in Scotland that Morven can learn the truth about her past. But she discovers more than she bargained for when she meets her birth family — an ancient feud between vampires and werewolves. They may both be Children of the Mist, but only one species can survive.
Denise butting in again. Interested? You must agree the plot sounds riveting--and it is! A trip to the Scottish Highlands is an added bonus!

Read Reviews

Buy Links

Escape         Amazon

Amazon UK

B&N

Jenny around the web:

Facebook   Twitter

Website  Author Page

• What have you been reading lately? Any good paranormals? I just got my hands of Roland Yeoman's latest, a Halloween book, Her Bones are in the Badlands. 
• Speaking of Halloween, Jenny has signed up for Write...Edit...Publish's Halloween Haunted theme. Have you? Love to see your name on the list.

Writing #BookReviews -- 10 Tips.

Hello friends!

I've been on blogger a long time now and during this time I've written many book reviews. Many were short and sweet, some a bit long and convoluted. Now that I've joined the excellent Cephalopod Coffeehouse Book Review Club, ably hosted by Armchair Squid, I've been aiming to write better book reviews.

My first book review shouted loud and long about my favourite read of the month, The Bookseller, by Mark Pryor, an excellent thriller set in Paris, the first in a series. I took my time writing this, and it paid off. Mark saw it and emailed me. The upshot is both he and his publicist were thrilled, and a result of this is I'm being sent the second book in the series and an ARC of the third, yet unpublished. As if this wasn't enough of a thrill, Mark has also agreed to be interviewed on my blog, in between crafting his next Hugo Marston novel which entails a trip to Barcelona. Tough life.

I read recently that the best reviewers are often practising writers, so most of us fit the bill. If you love reading as much as I do (I aim for 100+books a year - I don't need much sleep), it's nice to write about the best.

Source: frenchlarkspur.blogspot.com/

HOW TO REVIEW - my 10 tips

1. Make notes as you read. 
2. Be on the lookout for quotable quotes. These give readers an idea of the writer's style.
3. Get your introduction right; be worthy of the book you're reviewing. Hook the reader.
4. If you have any criticism, give a concrete example; don't generalise.
5. Write about the book, not yourself. Don't show off at someone else's party by trying to prove your own writing prowess.
6. Try to avoid: 'I think/In my opinion'. Readers know the whole review is your opinion.
7. Compare when appropriate -- perhaps make connections between the book and current issues. Or measure against similar stories in the genre. 
8. Don't retell the story blow by blow.
9. Never give away the ending.
10. Reviewing requires respect.

• It's Halloween month. Please sign up in my right hand sidebar to join those submitting creepy stories, photos or artwork etc for the Write...Edit...Publish bloghop.

• Do you have some book review tips to add to my list?

It's nearly NaNoWriMo month! I'm excited, are you? Or are you smart enough to avoid the 'first draft' rush?

Hello writers!

NaNoWriMo is just around the corner and I'm getting excited as I have for five years in a row.

Are you willing to ignore your family, forget socialising, eat chocolate instead of regular meals, put aside showering, do without sleep, up the coffee intake? In that case, consider joining the thousands of masochists who do all of these in the pursuit of 50,000 crappy words of a first-draft novel in 30 days. 

Thirty-seven thousand masochists wrote a novel in 2012. Of course, first drafts need a LOT of work -- editing, feedback, professional editing, and so on before the manuscript is ready for submission, but anyone who finishes a novel has achieved something amazing.

In case you're a NaNo newbie, here's how NaNoWriMo works:

1. Write a 50,000-word (or longer!) novel, between November 1 and November 30 (in your time zone).

2. Start from scratch. None of your own previously written prose can be included in your NaNoWriMo draft (though outlines, character sketches, and research are all fine, as are citations from other people’s works). You really need to have your story idea, some sort of outline before November 1st, or you will have a nearly impossible task ahead of you.

3. Write a novel. A novel is a lengthy work of fiction. 50,000 words is a small novel. Nothing stopping you writing the next 30,000 words or so when NaNo finishes.

4. Be the sole author of your novel. 

5. Write more than one word repeated 50,000 times. Sure, some non-masochists cheat, but who are you kidding? What's the point in writing 'nada' 50,000 times. I don't want to read that novel, do you?

6. Upload your novel for word-count validation between November 25 and November 30. [Time zone specific].

Daily Word Count

50,000 words sounds like a lot. And it is! But you've got 30 days to finish, so here's how the word count breaks down:

Write every day:
50,000/30 = 1,667 words per day

Take one day off a week:
50,000/26 = 1,923 words per day

Two days off a week:
50,000/22 = 2,273 words per day

I try to write well over the daily word limit, so if something comes up I can't avoid, I don't panic.

Sign up - how?

It's easy, and free, to get involved. Just head on over to the official NaNoWriMo website and sign up. You can work alone, but the site can put you in contact with NaNo-ers in your area. There's often a welcome BBQ and regular write fests in a coffee shop near you (in Brisbane, anyway). Or you can buddy up with fellow masochists just like you and message each other instead of breaking the computer, the wall or your sizzling brain.

Preparing For NaNoWriMo.

NaNo groupies have their own methods for preparation. After 5 years of participation, this is what works for me.

1. Write as many words as you can daily on a regular basis, all year round, so that when November comes around, as it does with great regularity (lol) you find getting 2,000 words on the page easy bikkies. 

Regular blogging counts--it is writing, you know.  Write flash fiction, short stories, guest blog posts, magazine or newspaper articles. Whatever floats your boat. That's why I've hosted a writing meme for over 2 years (Sign up here!). Many of my flash fiction stories have been extended, polished and submitted/published in women's fiction magazines. Cool.

2. Work on the structure of your story

You're allowed to outline your story before November 1st and I think it's a fabulous idea. Here are a few links with thanks to Karen Woodward:

The structure of a story

Orson Scott Card & The MICE Quotient: How To Structure Your Story
Short Story Structures: Several Ways Of Structuring Short Fiction
How Plotting Can Build A Better Story
How To Write A Story
Chuck Wendig On Story Structure
The Basics of Good Storycraft: 5 Tips
A Perfect Plot In 6 Easy Steps
Chuck Wendig on Plot, Complication, Conflict and Consequence

The structure of a scene within a story

Making A Scene: Using Conflicts and Setbacks to Create Narrative Drive

Outlining

Kim Harrison's Character Grid
4 Ways Outlining Can Give A Writer Confidence

3. Prepare meals in advance if you want to eat anything other than junk food.

4. Find a place to write

Coffee shop? In the middle of the family's hustle and bustle? Hidden away in your home office, or reclining beside the pool or at the beach or on a resort balcony or in the cool, crisp mountains?

Do whatever works for you.

5. Tell your friends and family you're going to write 50,000 words in 30 days.

Maybe then they'll  understand your zombie status and the glazed look in your eyes when they're speaking to you. All you'll be able to think of is what your protagonist is going to do next. 

Or something.

Are you up for NaNo this year? How prepared are you?

• Don't forget to sign up for some writing practice pre-NaNo. You can sign up for the WEP blogfest right here in my sidebar.

• I'm still on holidays in North Queensland. Having a great time. Here's another photo for you if you didn't catch it on fb. 

The Strand along the waterfront in Townsville with Magnetic Island in the background.

Insecure Writers Support Group - Travelling through the Queensland Outback

Hi Everyone!

Well, this October IWSG caught me napping, or actually, on holidays. It's Aussie school holidays, second week, so I've taken a trip to Northern Queensland to catch up with family.

Every outback town has its pub, or two or three...

NaNoWriMo begins next month. I have my story idea, which will be set in Outback Queensland, so I'm doing some research while I'm here on the spot. A writer doesn't have to be insecure if he/she has done his/her research. Maybe this time I'll even get an outline done before I start writing!

I've been busily taking photographs, so today I'll share some with you. 

This morning Geo and I hit the road from Townsville to Charters Towers, an historic gold-mining city on the edge of the Queensland Outback.

Smoky mountains west of the port city of Townsville, self-proclaimed
capital of North Queensland.

First stop -- lunch at the Old Stock Exchange Cafe in the centre of the
city of Charters Towers.

Charters Towers City Hall - 1888

• I hope you enjoyed my day's snaps of Outback Queensland. 
• And don't forget to sign up for the HAUNTING bloghop in my top right hand sidebar.

Denise

Prepare to be HAUNTED. A real-life haunting in Beijing. Three Halloween blogfests.

Hello everyone!

Well, it's October which means all kinds of awesomeness. It's the month where writing prompts abound with the theme of haunting. Halloween or All Hallows Eve, isn't much of a deal in Australia, but it is gathering momentum. What better way to celebrate than to write ghostly stories, or to post stories about ghostly happenings?

I was intrigued by a story I read in a newspaper today and I'll share it with you. For those who have entered a haunting blogfest, it may give you an idea...

Chaonel No 81

It happened in 1949. The Communists had just defeated the Nationalists in the Civil War in China. Legend has it that in the rush for the losing army to evacuate to Taiwan, a high-ranking Nationalist official based in Beijing abandoned his wife, leaving her to fend for herself as the Communists marched on the city. This was a bloody time in China, perilous if you did not belong to the Communist Party. 

Understandably, the wife was terrified--it is rumoured she was a Concubine--she chose suicide over her well-founded fear of being slaughtered by the communists. She hung herself from the rafters of the three-story French-Baroque style home. 

Locals say the spirit of the spurned woman haunts the mansion to this day. With its floor-to-ceiling cobwebs and crumbling floorboards, Chaonel No 81 certainly seems like the perfect breeding ground for paranormal activity. 

"Always, people thought the house was haunted," claims Li Yonjie, who grew up in an alleyway behind Chaonel No 81. "As children we would play hide and seek in the house, but we didn't dare go inside by ourselves." Li claims the Red Guards who used the house during the Cultural Revolution got scared and left. I wonder what scared them?

Despite the building's location in the centre of Beijing where a small courtyard home sells for several millions of dollars, there are apparently no official plans to do anything with this abandoned building. The building is on the historic list, so cannot be torn down, but can be renovated. There are no prospective buyers rushing to buy the home, which may be due to the Chinese tendency to avoid all things related to death. Who wants to live in a haunted house? Not too many of us.

The local police and the Catholic diocese (the owners of the building) reject the ghost tale, claiming there is no Kuomintang official living there.

There are conflicting histories regarding the building's provenance, but the most popular is that it was built in 1910 for a French manager of the company that built the railway between Beijing and Hankou. Whatever the history, locals are convinced it is haunted, so it sits there, crumbling, unloved and abandoned, much like the Concubine who hung herself in 1949.

You know what they say...truth is stranger than fiction...

Here are three Halloween bloghops I know of. Perhaps one entry could suit all three.

First, if you would like to post something just before Halloween (October 30) you are welcome to join my Write...Edit...Publish blogfest---theme--HAUNTING. Francine Howarth is donating a Kindle book to a random WEP entry and I am donating a $10 Amazon Gift Card to the most captivating entry.

Francine Howarth is running her own Halloween blogfest, where authors, writers and readers will be TRICK or TREATING. 

Devin Berglund has her own Haunting October Blogfest. Each day she posts an image to stimulate your writing juices. Go to Devin's blog to learn more. 

You can sign up here for the WEP blogfest in my right-hand sidebar and visit the other ladies to check theirs out.

I'd like to recommend an excellent book I bought on writing ghost stories--Ghost Stories and How to Write Them by Kathleen McCurl.