I've been trying to read more lately, and I've finished a few books that I wanted to share my thoughts about. At some point I will post a larger review on Goodreads, but I thought I'd put something smaller here first.
I'll start with:
The Queen's Vow by C.W Gortner - I've never been disappointed by anything Gortner has written. I'd been waiting for more on the Spanish royal family since The Last Queen, one of my absolute favorite works of historical fiction. The Queen's Vow is about the early years of Isabella of Castile, the mother of Juana, the main character in The Last Queen.
I thought I might be bothered by the fact that Isabella's whole life wasn't covered in this book but I wasn't. It covers from her childhood until just after she and Fernando have a huge win against the Moors and I think that was just enough. Gortner's skill with words is incredible, and few people can do what he does. I recommend all of his books, and I'm looking forward to see what he does with Lucrezia Borgia.
The Last Word by Lisa Lutz - I'm a bit obsessed with Isabel Spellman and the Spellman series. I wish she was my best friend in real life. It's rare that I laugh out loud when reading and I've done that with every Spellman book to date. Lutz has wrote some of my favorite characters ever and I look forward to them. She even did an etiquette book, which is amazing!
If you enjoy amazing characters, a mystery, and some laughs, I recommend any and all of Lisa Lutz's books.
The Secret Circle: The Initiation and The Captive Pt 1 by L.J Smith - It took a little while for this book to pick up but once it did, Holy Shit is all I can say. I want to go by the next one. Right Now. And that rarely happens to me.
I originally picked this up because I was a huge fan of the tv series, and when it got cancelled I needed to get my fix somewhere. It's not identical to the tv show, thank goodness, and its hard to put it down once it picks up. It still deals with Cassie and what happens to her when she is moved to New Salem (Chance Harbor to the show's fans) by her Mother. If you're a Y.A fan you should pick this series up. And I ask those Vampire Diaries fans, are those books good as well? I couldn't get into the tv show but if the books are half as good as Secret Circle then I'll pick them up.
What am I reading now? I'm waiting for my copy of The White Princess by Philippa Gregory to be delivered, and Omens by Kelley Armstrong is coming very soon. But I might be buying L.J Smith's books tonight. Jesus.
Tuesday, 6 August 2013
Tuesday, 16 July 2013
Smashwords 2013 Summer/Winter Promotion
Hello dear readers!
Are you interested in reading Rebirth, but haven't got a copy yet?
Well, do I have some great news for you!
Rebirth is FREE from today until July 26th as part of Smashwords's 2013 Summer/Winter Promotion!
It's a site wide promotion, so make sure you check out the other great books that are available!
Type in the coupon code SW100 at checkout to get your free copy!
And don't forget to please review, tell your friends, share it around!
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/287087
Are you interested in reading Rebirth, but haven't got a copy yet?
Well, do I have some great news for you!
Rebirth is FREE from today until July 26th as part of Smashwords's 2013 Summer/Winter Promotion!
It's a site wide promotion, so make sure you check out the other great books that are available!
Type in the coupon code SW100 at checkout to get your free copy!
And don't forget to please review, tell your friends, share it around!
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/287087
Monday, 8 July 2013
Leading up to
Hello all!
Next week will be the six month anniversary since I released Rebirth. And, I must say, what a ride!
Being an Indie author (some say self published, but I prefer indie. Tomato, Tomatoe, in my mind) is definitely an interesting part of this journey. When you do everything on your own you have to wear many different hats, and some of those hats take time to adjust to get a good fit, but I feel like I'm in a groove.
I'm constantly trying to learn and evolve, not only from my mistakes but from watching others, and I'm working on filling the holes of things that I don't know.
When I started I never ever thought I would be doing this all on my own. During college, I had forgone the idea of choosing my own cover and other simple, little things that a first time author would never get to do with a large company. There was a time when writing courses really pounded the idea that you need an agent or else into young writer's minds, and if you couldn't do that you were essentially screwed. Self publishing meant that you weren't good enough, that for whatever reason no one would touch you, and if you did end up putting your work out yourself you could kiss the idea of ever finding an agent goodbye.
But then. something changed.
I don't know exactly what it was, or who. So I won't try to say that I do. All I know is that something happened, and there was a shift. Self published authors became recognized and noteworthy, enough to develop a name change to indie. And now that a bit of the shame has been removed big things are happening, and books like WOOL are paving the way for new and exciting things in the world of publishing. Authors will have more control.
Why did I decide to go indie? I've talked a bit about what happened with me, the name change, the shift over. The Rebirth, if you will. I decided to give this way a try because I could connect with my own work and the way it was being put out into the world in a different way. And while I have to rely on myself, I have no one to disappoint and no one or nothing to be disappointed by.
It's just me, and only me, and somehow that makes sense right now.
May I try something else? Maybe. I'm not a one trick pony. I do have other stories, The Afflicted is just where my focus is at this present moment. What's important to me is producing the best product I can and being able to connect with my readers.
So, enough of me, I have some news! I'm planning a free promotion leading up to July 20, the six month anniversary. I haven't figured it all out yet, but I will post more when I have more information.
Keep checking back, it's your chance to pick up a copy of Rebirth for absolutely free!!
Next week will be the six month anniversary since I released Rebirth. And, I must say, what a ride!
Being an Indie author (some say self published, but I prefer indie. Tomato, Tomatoe, in my mind) is definitely an interesting part of this journey. When you do everything on your own you have to wear many different hats, and some of those hats take time to adjust to get a good fit, but I feel like I'm in a groove.
I'm constantly trying to learn and evolve, not only from my mistakes but from watching others, and I'm working on filling the holes of things that I don't know.
When I started I never ever thought I would be doing this all on my own. During college, I had forgone the idea of choosing my own cover and other simple, little things that a first time author would never get to do with a large company. There was a time when writing courses really pounded the idea that you need an agent or else into young writer's minds, and if you couldn't do that you were essentially screwed. Self publishing meant that you weren't good enough, that for whatever reason no one would touch you, and if you did end up putting your work out yourself you could kiss the idea of ever finding an agent goodbye.
But then. something changed.
I don't know exactly what it was, or who. So I won't try to say that I do. All I know is that something happened, and there was a shift. Self published authors became recognized and noteworthy, enough to develop a name change to indie. And now that a bit of the shame has been removed big things are happening, and books like WOOL are paving the way for new and exciting things in the world of publishing. Authors will have more control.
Why did I decide to go indie? I've talked a bit about what happened with me, the name change, the shift over. The Rebirth, if you will. I decided to give this way a try because I could connect with my own work and the way it was being put out into the world in a different way. And while I have to rely on myself, I have no one to disappoint and no one or nothing to be disappointed by.
It's just me, and only me, and somehow that makes sense right now.
May I try something else? Maybe. I'm not a one trick pony. I do have other stories, The Afflicted is just where my focus is at this present moment. What's important to me is producing the best product I can and being able to connect with my readers.
So, enough of me, I have some news! I'm planning a free promotion leading up to July 20, the six month anniversary. I haven't figured it all out yet, but I will post more when I have more information.
Keep checking back, it's your chance to pick up a copy of Rebirth for absolutely free!!
Friday, 5 July 2013
Writer's Block
I will openly admit that since my Mother died a little over a year ago, I have gone through periods of writer's block that have been worse then any I have ever suffered.
I think they have been so brutal because writing has been where I have turned when things have got crazy in my life. When I couldn't deal with the world I would escape into my own, and after my Mother died the last place I wanted to be was in the regular world. But, I would put a blank screen or, more often, a blank page in front of me and nothing would want to come out. An idea would pop into my mind and quickly fizzle out, and I would be left with nothing other than frustration.
As most writer's have, I've read a lot about writer's block. What causes it, how to beat it, and how to never get it again. There isn't really a consensus on any of those subjects because it's different for everyone. And I've tried many things, and this current bout I decided to try to write through it. It doesn't matter if it sucks, just keep writing and see if it lifts.
For the most part, it's worked. I've been working on fresh material and doing more self editing of Book 2. I've been able to self edit during writer's block, its the fresh material I've had difficulty with.
So, dear readers, I put out a question to you.....what do you do for writer's block? Do you have any tips or tricks that you'd like to share with the world, because I'd love to hear them!
And, as I have said before, thank you to all of those who came to check out my blog, and who keep coming back. If it wasn't for you I wouldn't be coming up to 2500 page views! I am so excited!
I think they have been so brutal because writing has been where I have turned when things have got crazy in my life. When I couldn't deal with the world I would escape into my own, and after my Mother died the last place I wanted to be was in the regular world. But, I would put a blank screen or, more often, a blank page in front of me and nothing would want to come out. An idea would pop into my mind and quickly fizzle out, and I would be left with nothing other than frustration.
As most writer's have, I've read a lot about writer's block. What causes it, how to beat it, and how to never get it again. There isn't really a consensus on any of those subjects because it's different for everyone. And I've tried many things, and this current bout I decided to try to write through it. It doesn't matter if it sucks, just keep writing and see if it lifts.
For the most part, it's worked. I've been working on fresh material and doing more self editing of Book 2. I've been able to self edit during writer's block, its the fresh material I've had difficulty with.
So, dear readers, I put out a question to you.....what do you do for writer's block? Do you have any tips or tricks that you'd like to share with the world, because I'd love to hear them!
And, as I have said before, thank you to all of those who came to check out my blog, and who keep coming back. If it wasn't for you I wouldn't be coming up to 2500 page views! I am so excited!
Tuesday, 2 July 2013
WINNERS!
The winners of the rafflecopter giveaway are:
April Parmelee
Tori Whitaker
Donna Clerkin
Please contact me to collect your prize! Thanks again to everyone who entered, come back soon for more contests!
April Parmelee
Tori Whitaker
Donna Clerkin
Please contact me to collect your prize! Thanks again to everyone who entered, come back soon for more contests!
Friday, 21 June 2013
Giveaway!
Welcome to my first official giveaway!
Enter here to win one of four ebook copies of Rebirth!
a Rafflecopter giveaway Thanks for entering, and good luck!!
Enter here to win one of four ebook copies of Rebirth!
a Rafflecopter giveaway Thanks for entering, and good luck!!
Tuesday, 11 June 2013
Research
For me, research is really part of the fun in writing something with history involved. I love being able to make what I see in my mind come alive, and being able to tie it to something that actually happened is amazing.
I have to say that with historically involved fiction research is a constant and ongoing process. It does not end, because as the story evolves you have to be able to keep it going and you need information to do that. So your mind is constantly spinning and things are constantly growing. And it is absolutely not true that you can find anything on the internet.
When it comes to Countess Bathory there was not a lot of information to begin with, and not very much in English. Raymond T McNally's book 'Dracula Was A Woman', at one time the book about the Countess, was released in 1984 (for a little perspective, I was two years old) and I was desperate for something more current. I found some of what I needed in Tony Thorne's book 'Countess Dracula' and Valentine Penrose's book 'The Bloody Countess', but I still felt like I was missing something.
I started work on Rebirth anyway, and left some blank spaces where I needed more information. And when I was about knee deep in it, I stumbled upon Dr. Kimberley Craft's biography 'Infamous Lady'. Since then she has also released 'The Private Letters of Countess Erzsebet Bathory', and my depiction of the Countess was shaped because of both these books.
Both books include translations of documents that have never been in English, Infamous Lady has trial transcripts and Private Letters has correspondence written in the Countess's own words. Infamous Lady is easy to read, unlike most royal biographies that are chalked full of the politics in the country at the time and very little about the actual person, you get a real sense of who this amazing woman was.
I spent a lot of time thinking about the moment the Countess enters the book. After watching this video of Hilary Mantel, author of Wolf Hall and Bring Up The Bodies, and the amazing historian David Starkey and listening to them talk about the moment Henry VIII enters is really amazing, and I found it inspiring.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRQbyjvpYwU
After Rebirth, writing the second book was a bit different. I'd developed habits, good and bad, for writing and researching and I fell into a groove and things began to gel rather well. I took on some new challenges for the research aspect, I had them going to new places and experiencing new things that I knew nothing about so I had to give myself a crash course in things like food, customs, and regional changes in Europe at the time. Because borders have changes, place names have changed also.
I have had amazing luck with a series of children's non fiction books published by DK. You know those great kids books that are full of pictures and laid out beautifully? I've used those quite a bit, for small details like names of weapons and clothing and little details that DK books are so amazing for.
I guess what I am getting at is when it comes to research you have to do what feels right for you. Someone may be able to recommend a book to you, but how you go about researching your work is a style all your own. Whatever works for you is exactly how you should do it.
I have to say that with historically involved fiction research is a constant and ongoing process. It does not end, because as the story evolves you have to be able to keep it going and you need information to do that. So your mind is constantly spinning and things are constantly growing. And it is absolutely not true that you can find anything on the internet.
When it comes to Countess Bathory there was not a lot of information to begin with, and not very much in English. Raymond T McNally's book 'Dracula Was A Woman', at one time the book about the Countess, was released in 1984 (for a little perspective, I was two years old) and I was desperate for something more current. I found some of what I needed in Tony Thorne's book 'Countess Dracula' and Valentine Penrose's book 'The Bloody Countess', but I still felt like I was missing something.
I started work on Rebirth anyway, and left some blank spaces where I needed more information. And when I was about knee deep in it, I stumbled upon Dr. Kimberley Craft's biography 'Infamous Lady'. Since then she has also released 'The Private Letters of Countess Erzsebet Bathory', and my depiction of the Countess was shaped because of both these books.
Both books include translations of documents that have never been in English, Infamous Lady has trial transcripts and Private Letters has correspondence written in the Countess's own words. Infamous Lady is easy to read, unlike most royal biographies that are chalked full of the politics in the country at the time and very little about the actual person, you get a real sense of who this amazing woman was.
I spent a lot of time thinking about the moment the Countess enters the book. After watching this video of Hilary Mantel, author of Wolf Hall and Bring Up The Bodies, and the amazing historian David Starkey and listening to them talk about the moment Henry VIII enters is really amazing, and I found it inspiring.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRQbyjvpYwU
After Rebirth, writing the second book was a bit different. I'd developed habits, good and bad, for writing and researching and I fell into a groove and things began to gel rather well. I took on some new challenges for the research aspect, I had them going to new places and experiencing new things that I knew nothing about so I had to give myself a crash course in things like food, customs, and regional changes in Europe at the time. Because borders have changes, place names have changed also.
I have had amazing luck with a series of children's non fiction books published by DK. You know those great kids books that are full of pictures and laid out beautifully? I've used those quite a bit, for small details like names of weapons and clothing and little details that DK books are so amazing for.
I guess what I am getting at is when it comes to research you have to do what feels right for you. Someone may be able to recommend a book to you, but how you go about researching your work is a style all your own. Whatever works for you is exactly how you should do it.
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