tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80835966645479994942024-03-18T05:48:02.215-04:00Boston daydreaming...Karen McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00417540242558444954noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8083596664547999494.post-69993019278346702092011-04-22T08:00:00.001-04:002011-04-22T08:00:15.534-04:0013 Questions for Christopher Hoare<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtIuyrJFRQsbvGt4p_z906xj9LVgHfI_p8rNmEpm_9taHZ7kSduisPjAgXC4aYWi9IoaKm7_cB7Sm2MoU7wKEc1PIOOngb0pdDr2E4mONxral0Xbjt0k4oYDmBjVQux3WE30-E6kK6F8wH/s1600/ChrisHoare2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtIuyrJFRQsbvGt4p_z906xj9LVgHfI_p8rNmEpm_9taHZ7kSduisPjAgXC4aYWi9IoaKm7_cB7Sm2MoU7wKEc1PIOOngb0pdDr2E4mONxral0Xbjt0k4oYDmBjVQux3WE30-E6kK6F8wH/s200/ChrisHoare2.jpg" width="160" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Greetings everyone! This week Christopher Hoare is visiting with us. He lives with his wife, Shirley, and two shelter dogs, Coco and Emmie, in the foothills of the Canadian Rockies. After a working life mostly in some segment of the oil business he’s glad to return to Earth and write the kinds of stories that ground him and his readers in the humane rather than the exploitative side of life. The worlds he portrays in fiction are colored with memories of his oil exploration in the Libyan Desert, the Canadian Arctic, and the mountains and forests of Western Canada, but the emphasis is on the hopes and fears of the characters, rather than the success or failure of grand designs. He says that stories map the way our culture evaluates its motivation and direction; come and see <em>Rast’s</em> way.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ksm: Chris, thank you for joining me today and answering these questions. It’s great to have you here. My readers are excited to learn more about you and your work. Congratulations on your contract with MuseItUp Publishing. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You know I have to ask this question first… when and why did you start writing?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Chris: Very early, the headmistress of my village school used to show off some story I wrote around the age of nine. I wouldn't call that the best of all possible launches, but my wish to write was probably engendered by my mother's love of reading. It was about nineteen years later that I sold my first writing -- some articles about living and working in the Libyan Desert to the owner-editor of a Tripoli English language weekly.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Then there was a bigger jump of thirty years to my first published novel. I suppose a good question would be why did I keep writing? Guess I'm just stubborn. </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ksm: Please tell us a little about your book.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Chris: <em>Rast</em> is high fantasy; a bit of romance; a bit of satire; plenty of trouble and action.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When the magic revolts to destroy the reigning Drogar, unleashing old enemies against <em>Rast</em>, a new danger lands upon the coast, an adventurer who scoffs at the thought of magic, Commander Antar. He comes to pillage <em>Rast</em> for the burning stone that can fuel his nation's iron furnaces, and to conquer the magic kingdom.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Prince Egon must tame his father’s deadly magic before he can withstand these assaults. His sweetheart, Jady, must ride alone to thwart the evil Deepning’s ascendance, released by the weakened Drogar. She also rides to confront the princess who must displace her, torn between duty and fury. Egon's poor spying makes him Antar’s prisoner and the invaders’ guide through the mountains, but it allows him to take their measure. Can the young peoples’ courage and magic repel the materialists from the sea?</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ksm: What inspired you to write this book and why did you choose to write this in the fantasy genre?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Chris: The idea of writing about a young man faced with a perilous future was prompted by Mervyn Peake's Gormanghast novels -- not that I'm a fan of them. I thought I could write a story with more reasons for Prince Egon to bemoan the fate ahead of him than Titus Groan could offer. I'm not a Gothic reader, so the fantasy canvas offered wider choices in plot and scenario.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ksm: What research did you do for this book?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Chris: Most of <em>Rast</em>; scenery, terrain, and history came from my travels and experience in oil exploration. It was all in my head. I did need to learn about animal locomotion because I wanted the riding mounts of <em>Rast</em> to be six legged and the size of elephants. In fact, most animals in the world of <em>Rast</em> have either six or two legs, and feathers rather than fur or hair. That's the beauty of fantasy, you can create any marvels as long as they fit coherently into the story.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ksm: They say that books choose their authors. How has writing this particular book affected you?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Chris: I wrote the first half in a very short time one summer, in a style otherwise foreign to me -- but that fit <em>Rast</em> -- and so different than my previous writing that it really did seem that <em>Rast</em> had chosen me. I couldn't get back to the novel until the following summer and then it was quite a challenge to find the same voice.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ksm: What do you want readers to take from your writing? What do you want them to understand and why?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Chris: <em>Rast</em> turns a few fantasy expectations on their heads. Magic isn't an art to be learned, it is a dangerous force of nature that ultimately kills the sorcerer king who wields it. The materialist invaders are parodies of Western imperialists, while the simple folk of <em>Rast </em>are the 'helpless' savages they expect to conquer. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I hope readers won't be 'keeping score' on these aspects as they read, but by the close of the story will appreciate the contrarian version of our imperial past.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ksm: Longhand or typing? Do you carry a notebook with you all the time?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Chris: Years ago I had to write longhand -- some 'magic' between the hand and the page, but it didn't take me long to find the word processor invaluable. I often write the first drafts in a once through rush, and the first edits are then to shift the sentences and paragraphs to where they make most sense in the text rather than where my speeding thoughts dropped them.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I rarely take notes. I found many years ago that if an idea in my head wasn't good enough to stay in my memory it probably wasn't good enough to go on the page.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ksm: Do you consider yourself a full-time writer or do you have a day job? Where do you see yourself in five years?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Chris: I was always a part time writer, but now that I'm retired I work at one or more of the writer's tasks full time. More promotion things than new fiction at the moment, unfortunately. In five years? I hope to have a publicist who does all of this for me.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ksm: Are you working on any new projects? Can you give us a short preview?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Chris: I'm polishing one more of my Iskander series novels with my local novel writers' group. Masquerade is another young Gisel story about a modern female security officer/spy on a 17th century world. Here's a short excerpt:</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Chapter Two</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<br />
<br />
When their carriage drew up in front of the Marsden mansion, Gisel peered out at the string of coloured lanterns draped across the portico and the gaily dressed crowd swirling to and fro under their light, greeting friends and entering the masked ball. Everyone – even the liveried footmen – wore masks, which scratched M’Tov’s plan that she would identify possible Imperial agents for him. The women all seemed to be dressed as shepherdesses or courtesans and the men were Greek gods, hoplites in short white fustanella, a kind of kilt, or philosophers in long robes. She fitted her radio earpiece into her right ear and pulled her jewelled ‘bandit’ mask down over her eyes. Wonder what they’re wearing under those kilts?<br />
M’Tov looked her way and muttered into his throat mic. “Do we have communication?”<br />
She raised her faux fan and answered into it. “Matah, loud and clear.”<br />
Hannan, sitting in the far corner of the carriage answered. “I read you, Colonel.” <br />
The older woman had been quite a surprise in costume. They’d both chosen to be courtesans but Hannan even looked the part. Her black hair, coiled up onto her head shone like a starling’s wing, and her decolletage threatened to reveal her navel if she leaned forward. Her SEALs had stared open-mouthed as she’d left the Hidden Creek crew quarters to enter the carriage. The full face ‘cat mask’ she manipulated in her left hand to offer teasing glimpses of identity added to the effect.<br />
Gisel felt embarrassed even with the uplift produced by a little padding Hannan had pushed into her bra. She wore her own dark hair unbound, down to her shoulders to hide the thin wire snaking to her earpiece. Her billowing gown was not new – the one she’d worn the year before at her audience with King Heri. Hope no one recognizes it.<br />
A blue-clad footman stepped to their carriage to open the door. M’Tov gestured for her to step out. “I’ll go last, so both lose yourselves in the crowd before anyone associates you with me.”<br />
He had a long toga-like costume with a laurel wreath about his balding head and a trident ready for his hand – a fair copy of the god Poseidon. Gisel rose and stepped over his legs to reach the door. <br />
As the footman handed her out she took a quick look around. The Lady Blanche had told her she would wait for her in the anteroom – which way was that? No time to stand around, she heard Hannan reach the carriage door behind her.<br />
Another footman approached her, this one dressed in lace edged jacket and breeches, long silk stockings revealing legs that many women might envy. Guess this guy could be a supervisor of sorts. “If you wish to follow me, my Lady. The entrance to the ballroom is this way.”<br />
She couldn’t stop her right hand pressing against the slit in her gown where her automatic was holstered. She felt the cool metal. Calm down, nothing will happen out here in plain view. She raised her fan to her lips as she followed the stranger toward the building. “Crockley – are you there?”<br />
“Up on the terrace steps, Ensign. I sees you an’ that feller.”<br />
Good going, Crockley: he remembered not to call her Missy. “Why is he dressed differently than the others? Do you know who he is?”<br />
“Nay, lass, but I’ll walk over toward ‘ee.”<br />
Hannan’s voice chimed in. “I’ll keep you in sight, Girl, but don’t act spooked.”<br />
Spooked? But her pulse was racing. Maybe this damned gown has given me away after all.<br />
The terrace doors swept open as two blue-clad footmen bowed them inside. Who the Hell is this man? The music and smells of perfume and food in the masquerade enveloped them as they entered. The orchestra played a chord to signal the next set and couples surged forward onto the multicoloured parquet of the ballroom for a courante.<br />
Her guide threaded his way through the crowd, his hand lightly resting on her arm. Not a footman after all, but why is he not in fancy dress? <br />
They arrived at a long table set at the side wall, covered with crystal bowls and platters of sweets and pastries, stacks of cut glass tumblers, and wine glasses with both red and white wine. “A refreshment, Lady?”<br />
“Yes, if you would. A sweet white if you please,” she answered absently. “If you were to remove your mask . . . would I know you?”<br />
His lips smiled as he picked up a glass to hand her. “You might, but we hardly spoke six words last year. I am an equerry to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. I saw you then, both at your audience with the King and at the hunting lodge.”<br />
She took the proffered glass and studied him over the rim as she took a sip. His appearance began to revive memories. “It’s Sir Lacey, is it not? My apologies for not recognizing you.”<br />
“A young lady can be forgiven for not remembering one courtier out of a hundred – while she herself imprinted on all the Court.” His eyes scanned her rather familiarly as he raised his own glass for a drink.<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ksm: What is the hardest thing for you as a writer?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Chris: I'm always behind with my networking; last one to join the publisher's chats that Muse is good at offering us for promotion. And, mostly lost in the stream of chatting by the time my answers appear. I've joined Twitter twice but never seem to find anything to tweet about. I guess I'm just tuned for more thoughtfully considered pieces -- not necessarily 90,000 words but snap answers and repartee are not my thing. Although I do like my characters to be good at all these things-- I wish Gisel was around sometimes to help out.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ksm: Do you have any pearls of wisdom to pass on to aspiring writers?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Chris: Avoid 'hurry disease'. Never become carried-away-enthusiastic over a new piece of writing until you've studied it thoroughly -- if you're a writer you can always improve it. Don't submit it too soon. In fact, editors expect you not to.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ksm: Can you tell us what your favorite pastime is? Other than writing, of course!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Chris: I've always been interested in history; the history of nations, of technology, of war, and of shipping. That's why my fiction is usually set in the past -- either real or invented. Today, with the internet I follow current events on world newspapers and magazines with an eye to their place in history; commenting on articles and blogs; and saving the most interesting posts for some future research I may do. </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ksm: If you could do anything you’d like, go anywhere in the world without time or money constraints, what would you do and why?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Chris: I'd visit all the real sites I write about, that often I've only seen on Google Earth. I'd do a historical ship tour, visiting all the recovered wrecks on display around the world. I'd like to have a military historian escort me to the scenes of historical conflicts and help me visualize the events. I'd like to visit more of the world sites where humanity rose a little farther above the </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">mire -- I've done many in Europe and N. Africa; Athens, Giza, Stonehenge, Houses of Parliament, etc -- but there are whole continents more out there that wait.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrns0rZL7tg_os9kQnx-wcASOyVsEOfUJoscpapkqC0P6EnYcouJIsZleeuLL6n75WIW_10h_SlXwobN_jo2gwFTlZfkVeHruvPVSe9k2nO8MAANcq9v6SuxubjM6WuFXPdu2rBCfxUU86/s1600/rast_333X500.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrns0rZL7tg_os9kQnx-wcASOyVsEOfUJoscpapkqC0P6EnYcouJIsZleeuLL6n75WIW_10h_SlXwobN_jo2gwFTlZfkVeHruvPVSe9k2nO8MAANcq9v6SuxubjM6WuFXPdu2rBCfxUU86/s200/rast_333X500.JPG" width="133" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ksm: Thanks for joining us today. How can your fans find, follow and friend you? For his virtual book tour, Chris is giving away a copy of Rast to two lucky people . You can comment here or another blog and when the tour is over, he’ll choose the names out of all of the comments. Each time you comment is another chance to win!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Chris: I'm on Facebook at <a href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=668091003">http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=668091003</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My sig file lists the rest --</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My fantasy, Rast, released by MuseItUp Publishing March 2011 <a href="http://museituppublishing.com/bookstore2/">http://museituppublishing.com/bookstore2/</a></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Download a free copy of my Iskander series promo, Gisel Matah and the Slave Ship, from my website.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My Iskander series novels from Double Dragon -</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>Arrival, Deadly Enterprise, The Wildcat's Victory, The Wildcat's Burden</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
<em></em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.double-dragon-ebooks.com/eAuthor.php?Name=Christopher%20Hoare">http://www.double-dragon-ebooks.com/eAuthor.php?Name=Christopher%20Hoare</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My Website <a href="http://christopherhoare.ca/">http://christopherhoare.ca/</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Iskander Blog <a href="http://thewildcatsvictory.wordpress.com/">http://thewildcatsvictory.wordpress.com/</a></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Rast blog <a href="http://trailowner.blogspot.com/">http://trailowner.blogspot.com/</a></span><br />
<br />
Photo credits: Cheryl Maladrinos<br />
<br />
</div>Karen McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00417540242558444954noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8083596664547999494.post-17568280774263209322011-04-08T08:00:00.001-04:002011-04-08T08:00:02.868-04:00Thirteen Questions for Janet Glaser<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaTofAp1TKEYoxw7iOmzpmp0Q3SPTAQ24fXNaONRROCx2zTqjIQ2T4uOHy-KmakgKZtPCvikDAGbrhqupsEHSDm84BS2DTAVDU984Oe5ZiUd46wwOlJ6Jdqf_mFHXWvWz_-DIwiZQutlWm/s1600/Janet+Glaser.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaTofAp1TKEYoxw7iOmzpmp0Q3SPTAQ24fXNaONRROCx2zTqjIQ2T4uOHy-KmakgKZtPCvikDAGbrhqupsEHSDm84BS2DTAVDU984Oe5ZiUd46wwOlJ6Jdqf_mFHXWvWz_-DIwiZQutlWm/s200/Janet+Glaser.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Greetings, everyone. I’m excited to share Janet Glaser with you today on Boston DayDreaming. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">She is an avid reader of diverse genres and photographer of family, (especially grandkids), friends, nature, and food that she prepares from her garden. She likes to try new recipes and share them on her blog, <a href="http://www.thegardenforeatin.blogspot.com/">The Garden for Eatin</a>. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Janet and her husband are snowbirds. They leave their northern home every fall and migrate to sunny Florida for the winter. She prefers to be called a sunbird because they are flying toward sunshine. Summer allows them fun family time camping with their grandsons (and granddaughter when she gets out of diapers). They enjoy campfires and fishing and especially hunting toads, frogs, and salamanders with the boys. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Please welcome Janet Glaser, author of Sunshine Boulevard from MuseItUp Publishing.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">ksm: Thank you for joining me today and answering these questions. It’s great to have you here. My readers are excited to learn more about you and your work. Congratulations on your contract with MuseItUp Publishing.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">JQ: Thanks, Karen. I appreciate this opportunity to guest on Boston Daydreaming today and meet your readers.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">ksm: You know I have to ask this, when and why did you start writing?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">JQ: I started writing, like so many writers, in second grade at my public school. I had to do something to keep out of trouble---my mother was my second grade teacher…way before home schooling became an alternative. I believe the impetus to keep writing came when I was in seventh grade. My dear grandmother, Ma, took my handwritten “novel” and typed it up so it looked like a book. I was thrilled to see my words in this format instead of scrawled on the yellow-lined notepad.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-CgRNk9Lp2U0DUwooXdl6PuXvSYSIDPXv5Jdha6I4eFWTnkH2OMatmhkAY6Ada3dzme4-3F7FzOe3pgtZhIGWd3ELIytsP0X_BsT6DTZqJCTH8ObwHZzLCrc1I2V6OAZQNC6knsvPWafS/s1600/SunshineBlvd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-CgRNk9Lp2U0DUwooXdl6PuXvSYSIDPXv5Jdha6I4eFWTnkH2OMatmhkAY6Ada3dzme4-3F7FzOe3pgtZhIGWd3ELIytsP0X_BsT6DTZqJCTH8ObwHZzLCrc1I2V6OAZQNC6knsvPWafS/s200/SunshineBlvd.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">ksm: Please tell me a little about your book.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">JQ: Sunshine Boulevard is a mystery/light horror novella from Muse It Up Publishing. The story takes place in a Florida retirement community, Citrus Ridge Senior Golf and Resort Community. Someone or something is killing the senior residents on Sunshine Boulevard. Jim Hart, co-captain of the community’s volunteer first responders, is drawn into the investigation of the mysterious deaths. His friends are keeping shocking secrets which are revealed as a result of one of these inexplicable deaths. The story is a fun, quick, entertaining read. You can find the e-book at Muse It Up Publishing Bookstore http:/ tinyurl.com/2c53noz / , Amazon.com, BN.com and major e-book stores online. </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">ksm: What inspired you to write this book and why did you choose to write this in the mystery/light horror genre? </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">JQ: We spend winters in Florida and meet lots of wonderful characters. Florida is known for having strange crimes and events happen, so it is a perfectly believable place for a quirky story like Sunshine Boulevard. I wrote this because I love reading mysteries and trying to pick up the clues to solving the who-dun-it. Sometimes I am right on and other times I am way off the mark. I love to discover a twist or surprise ending. </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">ksm: What research did you do for this book?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">JQ: I did have to do some research for the book, but if I tell you what topics I studied, it would give away the ending!!!</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">ksm: They say that books choose their authors. How has writing this particular book affected you?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">JQ: There are some scary spots in the book. After writing those scenes, it affected my sleep. I learned NOT to write before bedtime. Having a respected publisher like Muse It Up Publishing accept my story affirms that I am a storyteller. I am proud to be associated with MIU.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">ksm: What do you want readers to take from your writing? What do you want them to understand and why?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">JQ: I want them to escape into a different world. I want readers to put aside their every day life and make them smile or make their heart race with suspense. Since the book is about boomers and senior citizens, I think it is the perfect stage to present these folks as worthwhile, contributing members of our society. Just because people retire, it doesn’t mean they are brain dead or useless.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">ksm: Longhand or typing? Do you carry a notebook with you all the time?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">JQ: I am definitely a keyboard kind of gal all the way. I write poems long hand, but not pages of a story. I must admit my best creative time is in the shower, so no notebook. I think I have fantastic ideas just before I go to sleep. However, I doubt my husband would appreciate me switching on the light to write them down. I know I wouldn’t like it if he did that to me!</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">ksm: Do you consider yourself a full-time writer or do you have a day job? Where do you see yourself in five years?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">JQ: I am not a full-time writer if you consider full-time as a 40 hours a week job. I enjoy writing several hours a day, but I fit it into a schedule that allows me plenty of time to spend with friends and family as well as reading and playing cards.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">ksm: Are you working on any new projects? Can you give us a short preview?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">JQ: I am working now on a mystery, but with a romance between a professional woman and a detective. I am also researching information about a brave woman who actually crossed the country in an automobile before there were roads. I think it will make a great story for girls.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">ksm: What is the hardest thing for you as a writer?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">JQ: The middle. Yes, I usually know the beginning and have an inkling of the ending, but making the middle of the story interesting is difficult. I just want to hurry up and get to the end. I think the middle is the most demanding for me to write in order to keep the reader’s interest.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">ksm: Do you have any pearls of wisdom to pass on to aspiring writers?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">JQ: No matter if you are learning how to ride a bike, play the piano, or hit a softball, you have to practice. It’s the same for writing. Write, write, write. That is the only way you will improve. I usually write a story, article, or even answers to interview questions, and then put the writing away for a few days or more. When I return, errors pop out at me. Odd sentence structure jolts me. Repeated words jump up at me. I think taking a break from your project gives you a chance to read it with fresh eyes. So write another project. Write, write, write.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">ksm: Can you tell us what your favorite pastime is? (other than writing!)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">JQ: I truly enjoy getting together with our friends for a very competitive, rousing game of Pegs and Jokers. It is a game similar to Sorry. We have all played it so much that we know the various strategies, so there are a lot of clever moves needed to finally get the last peg home. It is never the same game twice. I love the game so much I have a <a href="http://www.squidoo.com/pegsandjokers">Squidoo site</a> to teach others. I had a record number of hits over New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. It’s a privilege to share this fun game, sometimes called Social Security, with everyone.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">ksm: Thanks, Janet. If you could do anything you’d like, go anywhere in the world without time or money constraints, what would you do and why?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">JQ: In our forty years of marriage, my husband and I have taken trips to a lot of places including Europe, Costa Rica, and Hawaii. We traveled in our RV full-time for over eight years and saw most of the USA. I would still like to visit Nova Scotia and Alaska some day to see the beautiful scenery and meet the people of those areas.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">ksm: Lovely interview, Janet. Thank you for joining us. How can fans find, follow and friend you? </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">JQ: It would be fun to hear from my fans at my <a href="http://www.jqroseauthor.blogspot.com/">JQ Rose blog</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">At Facebook J Q Rose, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Email me through the <a href="http://tinyurl.com/24mefbj">MuseItUp Author page</a> for JQ Rose.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you wish to purchase the ebook, it is available at the <a href="http://tinyurl.com/2c53noz">MuseItUp Publishing bookstore</a>, Amazon.com, BN.com and major ebook stores.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">An excerpt from Sunshine Boulevard is on my author website at <a href="http://www.jqrose.webs.com/">http://www.jqrose.webs.com/</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/6ttwC03EkcE?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">photo credits: Janet Glaser & MuseItUp Publishing</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div></div>Karen McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00417540242558444954noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8083596664547999494.post-55400329718986763402011-02-04T08:00:00.001-05:002011-02-04T08:00:05.111-05:00Thirteen Questions for Frank Scully<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQdlLaKYwX-jcjb4ahd_zZ7P3xVbxqXxenXzfGnylEJoPt2szispY91ig_qNg1uegT3wqlGlT2O8jTBIcLU4qNAtOTYCH90q3BcYJJs2zE-7V1XCBzTjRoqXkeoVCGyM0D6QjERkRxz5KQ/s1600/Frank+Scully.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQdlLaKYwX-jcjb4ahd_zZ7P3xVbxqXxenXzfGnylEJoPt2szispY91ig_qNg1uegT3wqlGlT2O8jTBIcLU4qNAtOTYCH90q3BcYJJs2zE-7V1XCBzTjRoqXkeoVCGyM0D6QjERkRxz5KQ/s320/Frank+Scully.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Today I have the pleasure of introducing you to Frank Scully, a MuseItUp Publishing author who writes excellent mystery novels.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Frank was born at the end of World War II and grew up in a small town in North Dakota. He remembers a time when radio provided the entertainment and then along came TV with very few channels. While in college getting his Bachelor’s degree in History and a Juris Doctor in Law, TV graduated to color and the first Star Trek series arrived, the Beetles landed on the Ed Sullivan Show, Kennedy was assassinated, and Armstrong walked on the moon. He served in the U.S. Army as a Judge Advocate General Corps officer in the U.S., Vietnam and Thailand before getting his Masters in Business Administration from the Thunderbird School and embarking on a business career. Currently he is a Contracts Manager for a major aerospace and defense manufacturer.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Frank was always a voracious reader with a preference for mysteries and suspense novels. After many years of saying he would get around to writing a book someday, his wife decided that it was time for him to put up or shut up. Since that day, he has diligently worked at his writing until, finally, the first book, <em><a href="http://museituppublishing.com/bookstore2/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage-ask.tpl&product_id=31&category_id=1&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=1&vmcchk=1&Itemid=1">Resurrection Garden</a></em>, has been published and others under contract are due out shortly.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>ksm:</strong> Frank, thank you for joining me today and answering these questions. It’s great to have you here. My readers are excited to learn more about you and your work. Congratulations on your contracts with MuseItUp Publishing. You know I have to ask this, when and why did you start writing?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>FJS:</strong> I have been writing since I was in college. I had a professor that encouraged me. She said I had some talent. I was never able to actually do much more than dabble in fiction writing for my own pleasure for a long time. After graduating from college I served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. After that I went on to get an MBA and began my professional career. It wasn’t until many years later that my wife finally got me to sit down and start writing a novel. That was almost twenty years ago. It has taken that long to polish my writing and get something published. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>ksm:</strong> Please tell us a little about your book.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>FJS:</strong> Resurrection Garden is a mystery novel set against the backdrop of the settling of the North Dakota prairie at the turn of the 20th century. Railroads and the telegraph were changing transportation and communication. The pace of life was speeding up. The land was filling up with settlers. Opportunity grew out of the newly plowed ground. Deputy Sheriff Jake Turner, a man with a past he would like to leave behind, discovers the body of a murdered man in a thawing snowdrift. While investigating the roots of the crime, Jake uncovers threads leading toward his best friend, who is the brother of the woman he is falling love with. Jake is almost killed and an orphaned boy who has attached himself to Jake is kidnapped and almost killed. Jake is convinced the people behind the murder will kill again to cover their tracks but solving the crime might destroy his dreams. The characters and story are true to their time and place. Interwoven into the fictional are aspects of real life culled from newspapers and letters from the era. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>ksm:</strong> What inspired you to write this book and why did you choose to write this in the mystery/suspense genre?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>FJS:</strong> The idea behind the story came to me while I was driving through one of North Dakota’s harsh winter blizzards. The idea led to research which fed the story background. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Resurrection Garden is a part of my Decade Mystery Series. I am writing at least one novel set in each decade from the beginning of the 20th century to the current time set in different locales with both continuing and new characters in each one. There is something unique in each decade that marks it as separate from what went before or what follows. I shall explore aspects of what is unique as it is expressed in the locale chosen and how it affects the culture, characters and the tenor of the times and yet also see the common humanity that never changes. Resurrection Garden is unique among the books in the series in that it is set where my grandparents settled.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I write mystery/suspense novels simply because it is what I most enjoy reading. The genre incorporates a range of styles which allows an author a wide latitude for story telling.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>ksm:</strong> What research did you do for this book?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>FJS:</strong> I have photos, letters and other material from my grandparents and relatives that provided a wealth of information. I also used the local museum which was a tremendous resource of material from the early settlement days. The local newspaper has archives of the papers from the time that I read and many stories that were in the paper appear in the book in one form or another. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>ksm:</strong> They say that books choose their authors. How has writing this particular book affected you?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>FJS:</strong> I thoroughly enjoyed writing the book. The time in which the story takes place is significant to me since my father was six years old at the time and my mother was just born. My grandparents were pioneers and settlers on the prairie. My paternal grandmother took out a homestead as soon as she was old enough and proved it up which required her to live on the land and make improvements. A hard life for an eighteen year old girl. She built a soddy the first year and plowed the land herself. She had a gun by the door for unwelcome visitors. I grew up with the stories and it was fun to bring some of them to life.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>ksm:</strong> What do you want readers to take from your writing? What do you want them to understand and why?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>FJS:</strong> I have no pretensions of literary greatness. I write for enjoyment, mine and the readers. I want the reader to come along for a ride, to have the story unfold in their mind and get them involved in the characters. To live alongside them as they go about their day, to feel the grit and grime, the fear and anxiety, and the joy and love also.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>ksm:</strong> Longhand or typing? Do you carry a notebook with you all the time?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>FJS:</strong> I work on my computer now. When I first started way back when I wrote in longhand first and then typed it out on an old unpowered typewriter. Then I graduated to electric typewriters. The next step was dedicated word processors. When I got serious about writing twenty years ago I was using a word processor that was considered the latest and greatest. Today, the simplest laptop is so much better.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>ksm:</strong> Do you consider yourself a full-time writer or do you have a day job? Where do you see yourself in five years?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>FJS:</strong> I have a full time job that requires my full attention for 8 to 10 hours a day. Writing must take place on my time. In five years I will finally be retired and able to spend more time writing and getting my Decade Mystery Series written.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>ksm:</strong> Are you working on any new projects? Can you give us a short preview?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>FJS:</strong> I have another book coming out soon from MuseItUp called Dead Man’s Gambit. This is a story set in the 1990’s in California. Mike Johnson, former detective and current Assistant DA, has fallen into a comfortable rut, but the murder of a friend in prison is going to turn his life upside down, drag him into a deadly dangerous investigation of a brutal crime and rekindle his passion for justice.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Another book entitled Empty Time will be coming out shortly after that. Jim Lang is a corporate bureaucrat lost in empty time where life has little meaning beyond daily drudgery when he is set up to take the blame for international industrial espionage, stock fraud and murder. Pursued by the police and the killers, Lang must find a way to turn the tables on the corporate titans who betrayed him before they kill everyone he loves.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">More follow these.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>ksm:</strong> What is the hardest thing for you as a writer?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>FJS:</strong> Finding enough time to write. With my full time job it is very difficult to get enough time to do all the writing I want to do.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>ksm:</strong> Do you have any pearls of wisdom to pass on to aspiring writers?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>FJS:</strong> Nothing new. The usual platitudes are true. Perseverance pays off. Don’t give up. Practice, practice, practice. Write, and then write some more. When you don’t write, read. Write because you like to write, not for the money.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>ksm:</strong> Can you tell us what your favorite pastime is? (other than writing!)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>FJS:</strong> I like to spend time in the yard and garden or take a long walk. When the weather does not permit this I read or play poker online.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>ksm:</strong> If you could do anything you’d like, go anywhere in the world without time or money constraints, what would you do and why?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>FJS:</strong> I would be hopping from one place to another. Although my work has enabled me to travel to many places in the world there are still so many more I would love to see and spend more time visiting. The Tuscany region in Italy is at the top of the list but so many more clamor for attention. New Zealand and Australia, Chile, Brazil and Argentina, the Great Wall of China.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>ksm:</strong> Thank you for joining us here at Boston Daydreaming, Frank, and congratulations on your recent award from the Preditors and Editors Readers Polls! How can fans find, follow and friend you? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">FJS: Thanks for inviting me. It has been a pleasure. My website is: </span><a href="http://www.frankjscully.com/"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">www.frankjscully.com</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> I have a blog there and all are invited to come and take a look and leave a comment.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmUsbZgg2GbXnYlRlUBEMGDM5J6eUp_0qAdAEDW4RQ6QQZFX6FJGoBRW3JTqiouPp8nhSdpflVCz8TrFqWq1OFMPRJRGifUiIpo1AvaOjsy-gQKiwSZvFKuxHjPsKBeanFG-odB-ZywvQT/s1600/ResurrectionGarden.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmUsbZgg2GbXnYlRlUBEMGDM5J6eUp_0qAdAEDW4RQ6QQZFX6FJGoBRW3JTqiouPp8nhSdpflVCz8TrFqWq1OFMPRJRGifUiIpo1AvaOjsy-gQKiwSZvFKuxHjPsKBeanFG-odB-ZywvQT/s320/ResurrectionGarden.jpg" width="212" /></span></a></div><span style="color: #660000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><em><strong>Resurrection Garden </strong></em></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Jake Turner, a scarred veteran of the charge up San Juan Hill, has been a lone drifter through much of the settling of the west. Opportunity was growing out of the newly turned sod of the North Dakota prairie in 1904 when he stopped to take a part time job as a Deputy Sheriff, expecting to move on again when the dark parts of his past catch up to him. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">An investigation into a murder of a man hated by everyone has threads that lead to his best friend, Isaac. Jake is ambushed and almost killed, but is nursed back to health by Isaac. While Jake follows the clues into a labyrinth of hatred, sordid crimes and missing money he becomes attached to an eight year old orphaned boy named Andy and falls in love with Isaac’s sister, Alice. After being alone for so long with no hope or care for what tomorrow might bring, Jake finds it difficult to accept these new emotional attachments.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Jake believes in Justice, but before he had only his own life on the line. When Andy is kidnapped and almost killed, Jake knows the killers will do anything to stop him. In order to protect Alice and Andy, he must break their hearts and leave them and North Dakota behind.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Jake knows he’ll be back. So do the killers. Trap and counter trap are laid. Jake knows there will be graves. He just doesn’t know who will be in them.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Excerpt from </span><a href="http://museituppublishing.com/bookstore2/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage-ask.tpl&product_id=31&category_id=1&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=1&vmcchk=1&Itemid=1"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Resurrection Garden</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">:</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The sheriff joined me in my contemplation of the body. It wasn’t pretty. Thor had never been handsome and the ravages of being frozen under the snow for the winter and having birds and other animals picking away at the skin as the snow thawed and exposed the body made what was left of him downright disgusting.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One thing was evident though. He hadn’t died easy. Freezing to death is relatively painless. Wander out in the cold, get lost, fall asleep and don’t wake up. That wasn’t what happened to Thor.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“What do you think? Shotgun, maybe?” the sheriff opined.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“At least,” I answered. The hole in his chest was big enough to put a fist through. “But why? He musta been dead already when he was shot.”</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Yeah, first someone beat him to a bloody pulp, then gutted him and slashed his throat. And then shot him. Ain’t that what you said, Doc.”</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Looks that way to me,” Doc answered. “Can’t tell you much more until he thaws out all the way.”</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Somebody wanted him deader than dead,” the sheriff shook his head.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Takes some hate to do all that,” Doc commented. “Got any suspects?”</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Doc and the sheriff both turned to face me. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I let out a deep sigh. “I suppose you want me to find out what happened to him.”</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Also available at </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Resurrection-Garden-Decade-Mystery-ebook/dp/B004HO6A90/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1296759190&sr=1-1"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Amazon</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Photo credits: Frank Scully and MuseItUp Publishing</span></div>Karen McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00417540242558444954noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8083596664547999494.post-18440963795748165472011-01-25T14:52:00.000-05:002011-01-25T14:52:57.269-05:00Preditors and Editors Reader's Polls<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwrT9te5dOAjOpkfwN7nWikjb7fIw6HOjs7DUE-nnXsT6RNR0Iv-t3d3UDA4sEUmNdtHruDLuZFoOdivq6stTicjd5HDE07ZLwKcC5k2PAP4zmTHdidxBSfvI9PFmuRBT9k06egTpkxExq/s1600/ebookpix-r2-360.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwrT9te5dOAjOpkfwN7nWikjb7fIw6HOjs7DUE-nnXsT6RNR0Iv-t3d3UDA4sEUmNdtHruDLuZFoOdivq6stTicjd5HDE07ZLwKcC5k2PAP4zmTHdidxBSfvI9PFmuRBT9k06egTpkxExq/s200/ebookpix-r2-360.jpg" width="150" /></span></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Preditors & Editors Reader’s Polls </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It’s that time of year again when everyone votes on their favorites! Preditors & Editors has a well-known reputation for bringing us the skinny on who’s who in the publishing world. It’s a very handy service for writers. This year the dates were extended through January 26th, tomorrow, because there were technical difficulties at the site earlier in the month. Since some of the books I edited last year were published in 2010, I'm in the line-up as an e-book editor!</span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Please vote for me!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Please go to this </span><a href="http://critters.org/predpoll/bookeditor.shtml"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">link</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> (same as the one below) and scroll down to my name, Karen McGrath. Click the box next to my name, and then scroll down to fill in your name and email. They will send you an email right away with a code number. Just click the code number in your email or copy to your browser and your vote will be cast. This cuts down on spammers and double voters.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">While you’re there, please check out MuseItUp Publishing for a publishing house and for our bookstore. We aim to bring you the stories you love! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Thanks so much for voting for me as an editor! </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Have a great day!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://critters.org/predpoll/bookeditor.shtml"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">http://critters.org/predpoll/bookeditor.shtml</span></a> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"></span> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"></span> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">photo credit: critters.org polls ebook poll site (blog page)</span> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"></span> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div></div>Karen McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00417540242558444954noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8083596664547999494.post-82303751404193596832011-01-18T10:30:00.000-05:002011-01-18T10:30:56.150-05:00Catching up with things...<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Today I realized I haven't updated since December 4th - my apologies. We've been involved in a family crisis and miracle which is simply astounding. I remember the plans I had for that week after the 4th of December, even the post I planned for the following Friday but everything melted away in the white heat of the trauma on December 7th. You can read about the details of our </span><a href="http://museituppublishing.blogspot.com/2010/12/true-christmas-miracle-2010.html"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Christmas Miracle 2010</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> at this link.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">DeeDee is now laughing and speaking three words regularly. She is coming back to us, slowly but surely. Many of you have asked to send her cards which is the lovliest thought, thank you. She will be thrilled getting cards from everyone, and reading them when she's able to (make sure you date them for her and tell her your connection so she can piece it all together - you know her aunt, me.)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I think it will amaze her that so many people around the world have been praying for her; it's amazed me. On behalf of the Spada and McGrath families, thank you so very, very much.</span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Dierdre Spada </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Room 312</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">c/o Spaulding Rehab Center</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">125 Nashua Street<br />
Boston, MA 02114</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'd also like to say that the town of Dedham donated so much to help at this time, as well as many known and anonymous doners. We thank you all from the depths of our hearts. We are simply blown away by all of your care and concern. If you are interested in donating, please contact me privately at karenmcgrathauthor(at)gmail(dot)com for the trust fund information.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">With much love, Karen</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPafEwP7pn_jcru4a3Jal_vieYmqwm9FOuiu62uYw22oBpDPeo5xGhCl4fJIdm17XtzP_qfV7tElaIdJoR0RTm_7mFJBjxrIcEhDzZQcxbhFFx1RxC7-UJv6rmDjnV4JY91Xp1VSa3O-qY/s1600/file9811260046943.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPafEwP7pn_jcru4a3Jal_vieYmqwm9FOuiu62uYw22oBpDPeo5xGhCl4fJIdm17XtzP_qfV7tElaIdJoR0RTm_7mFJBjxrIcEhDzZQcxbhFFx1RxC7-UJv6rmDjnV4JY91Xp1VSa3O-qY/s200/file9811260046943.jpg" width="188" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">photo credit: morguefile.com</span></div>Karen McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00417540242558444954noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8083596664547999494.post-62198168614875527782010-12-04T23:29:00.000-05:002010-12-04T23:29:45.864-05:00Thirteen Questions for Rebecca Ryals Russell<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">.</span> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9rREBn9rD9FeudvkvlKYW4s2mHKeRY7_WUn-0qqAbOPIWmCibRz00Y_Vs_OlGYU1Cj4aDM6d1G3LcsJxmwXFCBkaChOrVEHHcsK9VI_n7FhWpYXqIP4zTFVG3Vig17CWXLl8vMx7lT5iP/s1600/rebecca.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9rREBn9rD9FeudvkvlKYW4s2mHKeRY7_WUn-0qqAbOPIWmCibRz00Y_Vs_OlGYU1Cj4aDM6d1G3LcsJxmwXFCBkaChOrVEHHcsK9VI_n7FhWpYXqIP4zTFVG3Vig17CWXLl8vMx7lT5iP/s200/rebecca.jpg" width="170" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Greetings everyone! Please welcome MuseItUp author, Rebecca Ryals Russell. She is an ex-teacher, grades four through seven, and loved teaching English, especially writing. She lives in a 101 year-old Victorian home in Florida. She has a vacation rental business – Florida Black Bear Cabin LLC on her property. She married an Irishman new to the US by six months almost thirty-five years ago and loves him as much as when she first fell for him! They married six months after meeting. She knew by their third date that he was the one. Her daughters hope to follow their romantic beginnings. Her youngest child is ten-years-old from Vietnam. Her next is sixteen and all boy. Her next is nineteen and a freshman at U of F studying Psychology and Pre-Law. Her oldest is twenty-two, and as the ice-breaker first child, finding her way in the world. Rebecca obviously loves and enjoys each of her children!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>ksm:</strong> Rebecca, thank you for joining me today and answering these questions. It’s great to have you here. My readers are excited to learn more about you and your work. Congratulations on your contract with MuseItUp Publishing.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>RRR:</strong> Thank you for this opportunity, Karen.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>ksm:</strong> You know I have to ask this, when and why did you start writing?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>RRR:</strong> I began writing at age eight with stories in school. Then I moved on to poetry and stories throughout high school. By college it was newspaper articles, stories, poetry and photography all published in the Broward Community College Literary Magazine for the two years I attended. I also wrote thousands of love songs (met my hubby there). Then I didn’t write for many years. All of my energies went into the classroom, and then my family. Finally, three years ago I quit teaching and wrote Odessa, my book coming out in April. Since then I can’t turn off the spigot.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>ksm:</strong> Please tell me a little about your book.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>RRR:</strong> Odessa is the first book in a five book series written for YA. The book is about eighteen-year-old Myrna Watts who is from Jacksonville, FL, but wakes one morning on a distant planet populated by dragon-demons who shape-shift to blend in with the native population. A cute young man explains her reason for being there which is to fulfill her destiny and make an ancient prophecy come true. She must collect and train six teens called the Vigorios, demon-hunters, who will help the Seraphym win the final battle between good and evil. Throughout Book One, Myrna and several others are chased by monsters and demons while fighting their own inner demons. Myrna must come to grips with her feelings for three men while dealing with the repercussions of a rape two years previous.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>ksm:</strong> What inspired you to write this book and why did you choose to write a YA Fantasy book?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>RRR:</strong> I have always loved reading YA lit. You can’t fool teens with sloppy plots or weak characters. Writing for them is a challenge that pushes my writing skills. I also love Fantasy because of the freedom it allows to just let go of reality.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This particular book was born of my need to alert teens to what is happening around us, which is so slow not many notice. ALL of the evil/violence in my series actually occurred and came directly from recent news accounts.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>ksm:</strong> What research did you do for this book?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>RRR:</strong> Of course I had to research the news, which was a depressing task. I also have included A LOT of mythology in the creatures, names of the characters, relationships and all of that required research. Plus I have classic Fantasy creatures which had to be researched.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>ksm:</strong> They say that books choose their authors. How has writing this particular book affected you?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>RRR:</strong> My kids say I have become more religious since starting it. I guess writing about demons and evil, it’s hard not to think about both sides-the good and the bad. There have been times after writing a scene that I scared myself. I don’t particularly like feeling that someone’s watching through the window or hiding under the bed. But it comes with the story.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>ksm:</strong> What do you want readers to take from your writing? What do you want them to understand and why?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>RRR:</strong> I desperately want people to take a look at what is happening in the world. Listen to rock music lyrics, notice the popular movies (Saw, 6 or Them!!) and television programming, read the news. It’s a scary world we live in and it’s gradually getting worse.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>ksm:</strong> Longhand or typing? Do you carry a notebook with you all the time?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>RRR:</strong> Absolutely. At least one. I also bought a Netbook recently that I carry and use.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>ksm:</strong> Do you consider yourself a full-time writer or do you have a day job? Where do you see yourself in five years?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>RRR:</strong> As of today I am a full-time writer. I still have kids in school and activities so there are plenty of interruptions, but I spend eight to ten hours a day writing or marketing.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In five years I hope to have my series in development for a movie, video game, graphic novel and be working on more series. I love writing and reading series.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>ksm:</strong> Are you working on any new projects? Can you give us a short preview?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>RRR:</strong> I’m excited about the YA Dystopian Romance I’m writing for NaNoWriMo. The story is really coming along and the main characters, Izzy and Josh, are terrific. My husband read the first 10,000 words and said it was awesome, and he’s a tough critic.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There are also several middle grade books and a series I’m working on.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>ksm:</strong> What is the hardest thing for you as a writer?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>RRR:</strong> The hardest thing is wanting to write but being interrupted or not having time for some reason. Very frustrating.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>ksm:</strong> Do you have any pearls of wisdom to pass on to aspiring writers?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>RRR:</strong> Write. Before I started writing I had A LOT of trouble coming up with plots and ideas for future stories. Once I got into the habit of writing daily, I can’t keep up with the ideas and find I have to sort through for the best ones.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My new motto is: Write Often, Write Well</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>ksm:</strong> Can you tell us what your favorite pastime is? (other than writing!)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>RRR:</strong> Lately I’ve been attending live theatre with my daughter who is attending U of F and is taking a theatre class. It has been so much fun and enlightening.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>ksm:</strong> If you could do anything you’d like, go anywhere in the world without time or money constraints, what would you do and why?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>RRR:</strong> I would buy a house on a cliff in southern Ireland where we would live for half of every year. My hubby is from west Ireland, County Clare, and we’ve been over numerous times. I love it there and would totally enjoy writing overlooking the Atlantic.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>ksm:</strong> Thank you for joining us. How can fans find, follow and friend you? </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Website: </span><a href="http://rryalsrussell.com/"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">http://rryalsrussell.com</span></a><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Other Websites: </span><a href="http://seraphymwars.com/"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">http://seraphymwars.com</span></a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://stardustwarriors.com/"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">http://stardustwarriors.com</span></a><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Twitter: </span><a href="http://twitter.com/vigorio"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">http://twitter.com/vigorio</span></a><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Facebook: </span><a href="http://facebook.com/rebeccaryalsrussell"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">http://facebook.com/rebeccaryalsrussell</span></a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://facebook.com/myrnawatts"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">http://facebook.com/myrnawatts</span></a><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">MySpace: </span><a href="http://myspace.com/rebeccaryalsrussell"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">http://myspace.com/rebeccaryalsrussell</span></a><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Teen Blog: </span><a href="http://teenwordfactory.com/"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">http://teenwordfactory.com</span></a><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Email: myrnawatts (at) gmail (dot) com</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Zarena.Nuara (at) gmail (dot) com</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhM4bJRB7vOh-hJtUXnzPeo92aYG9Cuznzjh6H87DpVbprh_ahVdO5_MoWxxkKRhu0ID6yM_4xHsiVEjNuxzk8KTTc1VtW4Ao31gmS_cPkZt_bU7s1bE4wZA4WYjc8AXWGJ8EwYUZW-bzV/s1600/odessa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhM4bJRB7vOh-hJtUXnzPeo92aYG9Cuznzjh6H87DpVbprh_ahVdO5_MoWxxkKRhu0ID6yM_4xHsiVEjNuxzk8KTTc1VtW4Ao31gmS_cPkZt_bU7s1bE4wZA4WYjc8AXWGJ8EwYUZW-bzV/s320/odessa.jpg" width="211" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>Seraphym Wars Prophecy Book 1: Odessa</em>, a YA Fantasy novel with Steam Punk undertones and elements of Mythology:</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On the primal planet of Dracwald, eighteen-year-old Myrna reluctantly confronts her destiny to become leader of six demon-hunting teens. Battling monsters and demons, the seven chosen Vigorios quest across evil-infected Dracwald toward the island of the Majikals to be trained for the final battle. Only after surviving this battle can Myrna return to Earth and her family. But the love of a warrior demon-hunter, a dragon egg concealed through betrayal and Destiny itself threaten to undermine that goal. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Tag Line:</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Demonic influence on the rise, Myrna is recruited against her will to unite six teens as the Vigorios in the war between Heaven and Hell. -- <em>The Seraphym Wars.</em></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>Odessa</em>, Book 1 of the YA Seraphym Wars expected release April 1, 2011</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>Guardian (of the Prophecy),</em> Prequel expected release September 1, 2011</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>Harpies</em>, Book 2, expected release in 2011</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>Majikals</em>, Book 3 being written</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>Zarena</em>, Book 1 of the middle grade <em>Stardust Warriors</em> series expected release July 1, 2011</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>Jeremiah</em>, Book 2 expected release November 1, 2011</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>Laman</em>, Book 3 expected release February 1, 2012</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>Mercy</em>, Book 4 at the publisher for approval now</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>Stregone</em>, Book 5 being written</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Horror Story-<em>Don’t Make Marty Mad</em> expected release October 1, 2011</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Although <em>Odessa</em> is not yet available, you can read about it and reserve your copy at the <a href="https://museituppublishing.com/bookstore2/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=64&category_id=6&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=1">buy page</a>:</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>Don’t Make Marty Mad</em> <a href="https://museituppublishing.com/bookstore2/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage-ask.tpl&product_id=97&category_id=3&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=1">buy page</a>.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Unedited excerpt for <em>Odessa, Book One in The Seraphym Wars</em>:</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> I shook my head, “I can’t stab a child in the chest! I can’t kill a child!”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> He rested both hands on my knees and said in a firmer voice, “That is not a child. It is a demon. He wouldn’t think twice about killing a child. Or you. Get your sword and go now.”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> Like a zombie I rose and picked up the sword where it leaned against the corner. I carried it to the door of the bathroom where I looked back down the hall at Michael who stood there mouthing “now” and shooing me with his hands. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> I stepped into the bathroom just as she-he slid the curtain open. Twelve-year-old Tien stared at me with wide oddly-colored eyes and long black dripping hair. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> “What are you doing, Myrna?”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> I stepped forward and thrust the sword into her-his chest where I hoped the heart was. I couldn’t imagine how a simple shard of metal could destroy a demon, but I watched in fascinated horror as he swelled and changed.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> The screeching wail that ensued did not issue forth from a twelve-year-old’s throat. It climbed in timbre until the roar was a train running through the bathroom, echoing off the shiny, wet tiles. The demon, no longer able to hold the image of the child, displayed his usual golden scaly skin and horned head with large toothy maw. Claws with long nails scraped at the tiles, shredding them to dust as he thrashed madly, trying to pull the glowing sword from his chest. I wondered why the sword glowed. It hadn’t been doing that when I held it. His barbed tail lashed back and forth knocking down walls between the bathroom and utility where he struck and overturned the washing machine and water began gushing everywhere.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> It seemed to take forever, but eventually the evil creature stopped thrashing and lay still on the floor. I hesitantly stepped forward to retrieve my sword. I was sure at any moment he would grab my ankle. I tugged and pulled on the handle of the now normal-looking sword until it yanked free with a sickening glurg. Black acidic blood oozed from the wound, puddling on the tile floor as it bubbled and ate its way through to the ground. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> “Lop off the head before he disappears,” Michael called from the doorway.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> I raised the sword over my head, ignoring the few drips of black blood that fell onto my hands and brought it down hard on what should have been the demon’s neck. But as the sword dropped he poofed into thin air. The blood began bubbling on my skin and I ran to the kitchen to wash it off before it burned me any further.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> “Well. I guess you’re officially a demon slayer.” Michael sidled up beside me as I stood crying into the lather on my hands. “You’ll have some cool scars as proof, too.” He rinsed my hands with warm water and gently dried them with the towel. “Let me put something on those burns so they don’t get infected.”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> As he applied antibiotic cream and gauze he asked, “Did your sword tell you her name yet?”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> “Her?” I asked. I glanced at the black blood encrusted blade which I had been shining recently. “It’s Tyrannoctonus.”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> “Tyrant Slayer,” he rolled the name around his tongue, “I like it. Now don’t tell anyone else, ever. It gives them power you don’t want anyone else to wield.”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Photos courtesy of Rebecca Ryals Russell and MuseItUp Publishing.</span>Karen McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00417540242558444954noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8083596664547999494.post-36634977846920548792010-11-30T12:21:00.000-05:002010-11-30T12:21:15.681-05:00Celebration Time!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1v9yslRCg4vutBweVb06QSNGKkHH98LQkG9Mz5fgRo2MUHm6eTvqPVcSlBTPXHgxEMobWalJ0jCbzxoyGiq9x8IgU1M8ffsm2j-A5kI5EoJRbar3M1p2SpT8E1Xd0uhbHo39AzkDu2wpI/s1600/nanowrimo_participant_06_100x100.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1v9yslRCg4vutBweVb06QSNGKkHH98LQkG9Mz5fgRo2MUHm6eTvqPVcSlBTPXHgxEMobWalJ0jCbzxoyGiq9x8IgU1M8ffsm2j-A5kI5EoJRbar3M1p2SpT8E1Xd0uhbHo39AzkDu2wpI/s200/nanowrimo_participant_06_100x100.png" width="200" /></a></div><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong>NaNoWriMo</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Today is the last day of NaNoWriMo! We’ve all raced, sweated and slogged water, food and chocolate on the run - and now, now we are at the finish line with words in tow! Yeah! Don’t forget to validate your word count on the website so you can collect your special prizes. By the way, you can still add to your word count after validation in case you’re waiting to eek out that last little phrase.</span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #660000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong><em>Congratulations, NaNo’ers! </em></strong></span></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This is no small feat!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you have won by passing 50,000 words, you must be elated! If you have not passed 50K don’t fret – as every writer knows, having some word count is far better than no word count. It’s just that those over 50K now have more work ahead of us in editing, lol!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong>MuseItUp Publishing Launch!</strong></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1AJgDJjY9bdIDxkqy-NExSdPINADR5WZd5y-su7MvIHmJjgPgojUDhlf9LsiJGbk4BzmoM0B77pTBhS3XcpHf384eAacZ1_XA6ggIHHCXtgyDBBBuzuSe44fZHgayyXw4QSLDptskPbK_/s1600/mainstreamreadersgroup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="93" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1AJgDJjY9bdIDxkqy-NExSdPINADR5WZd5y-su7MvIHmJjgPgojUDhlf9LsiJGbk4BzmoM0B77pTBhS3XcpHf384eAacZ1_XA6ggIHHCXtgyDBBBuzuSe44fZHgayyXw4QSLDptskPbK_/s320/mainstreamreadersgroup.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And at this turning point, MuseItUp Publishing is having our launch party all day tomorrow! Please join the <a href="http://ca.groups.yahoo.com/group/MusePub_Readers/">readers group</a> (this is mainstream) to be eligible for spectacular door prizes! It gets even better… we’re having a sale in the bookstore.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Holiday Special: Get 25% off any purchase from today until December 10th.</span><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Use code: HC2010D at checkout in the discount code box before going to Paypal.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjReDlLpM6f7Kmkv2V-J1xAU0lnRa18driRI6HYreeTv_2OBg9wacGvRDq-RD2C0wNXJbFIJxyhE6oseDx4rXXl5PzshqIZPjAgRTpkENtWLY5ujj2t_37hUs8UCpzPzfI630ZYhuXQP6Il/s1600/laptop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="143" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjReDlLpM6f7Kmkv2V-J1xAU0lnRa18driRI6HYreeTv_2OBg9wacGvRDq-RD2C0wNXJbFIJxyhE6oseDx4rXXl5PzshqIZPjAgRTpkENtWLY5ujj2t_37hUs8UCpzPzfI630ZYhuXQP6Il/s200/laptop.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong>Celebration Giveaway!</strong></span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">To celebrate my household skating over the finish line for NaNoWriMo (me and my teens have won!) and to celebrate MuseItUp Publishing’s December Launch, I’m offering a giveaway through the good folks at CNS stores!</span></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One lucky winner will receive a $35.00 gift certificate. All you have to do is join my blog and leave a comment on this blog post. Also, optionally, if you’d like to be on my email list for my writing newsletter, please leave your email with your comment like so: avidreader-at-gmail-dot-com. That way spammers can’t grab your email off the internet and I can send you the newsletter when it comes out. You can join my blog through Facebook on Networked Blogs or through Blogger. Through Blogger you’ll need a gmail account which is fast, easy and free. If you have already joined this blog, just leave a comment on this post.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This will run from today through Thursday night at midnight and then Molly will pick a name out of a hat which I’ll announce on Friday in this blog post. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As some of you know, I carry my backpack with me everywhere, yes, even to fancy social events. I always have my notebook and pen handy and more often than not, my netbook as well. My teen authors-in-training are carrying notepads and pens with them everywhere in their own backpacks now – it’s becoming a family tradition...or quirk, lol! It’s never too early to encourage a budding writer and CNS has an amazing selection of <a href="http://www.luggage.com/Kids-Backpacks-C14226.html">children’s backpacks</a> if you have a child who would like their very own writing kit - it would make a lovely Christmas and/or Chanukkah gift.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hope to see you at the party tomorrow for MuseItUp Publishing and for Boston Wrimo’s, I’ll see you at the TGIO party in the Hub! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Write on! </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;">photo credits: morguefile.com</span>Karen McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00417540242558444954noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8083596664547999494.post-9862110759511245392010-11-22T13:08:00.000-05:002010-11-22T13:08:51.214-05:00December First Launch!.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNrtN3XpM-DC0Zdohe44NFPI0pS1JQArsNJtvcejboOuRAqT-LO0LMQM05n8kDEuti-JSBAP7NZ4DTXPwXRqMNNBELkQU5SY-IPs9f2vskvt8VF9-EAp3gOzBHbyFI-IS7igkO2gEasYp-/s1600/file0001741171022.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="182" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNrtN3XpM-DC0Zdohe44NFPI0pS1JQArsNJtvcejboOuRAqT-LO0LMQM05n8kDEuti-JSBAP7NZ4DTXPwXRqMNNBELkQU5SY-IPs9f2vskvt8VF9-EAp3gOzBHbyFI-IS7igkO2gEasYp-/s200/file0001741171022.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">December 1st is <a href="http://museituppublishing.com/">MuseItUp Publishing's</a> official launch! We have opened two reader's groups. One is for MuseItUp Publishing, our mainstream house, and the other is for MuseItHOT! Publishing, our erotica house.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9WW9-9LiV1uBW0fA5Aonq2g5E0fIy_HUgefAMcQOki975G_tQIm55sMAfCeNxNXO-ZZMsuD6V1EZN4fFKgBoY_XbxBf3gzL3M0qU35NN_5ESHDsM0h-5MAMFZ8RNVZWP0xLrOfGp4yesp/s1600/mainstreamreadersgroup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="93" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9WW9-9LiV1uBW0fA5Aonq2g5E0fIy_HUgefAMcQOki975G_tQIm55sMAfCeNxNXO-ZZMsuD6V1EZN4fFKgBoY_XbxBf3gzL3M0qU35NN_5ESHDsM0h-5MAMFZ8RNVZWP0xLrOfGp4yesp/s320/mainstreamreadersgroup.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The <a href="http://ca.groups.yahoo.com/group/MusePub_Readers/">mainstream reader's group</a> includes all mainstream, young adult and tween publications. The rules are the same, come join us and chat with the authors and staff and be eligible to win a free ebook each month. For our launch, we'll have door prizes and lots of fun things to do as well as excerpts and chat time with authors in both reader groups. I suggest registering ahead of time so you'll be all set for the party!</span></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And....ta da... every Monday night from 7:00 to 8:00 EST the <a href="http://themuseonlinewritersconference.com/joom/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=14&Itemid=13">Muse Conference chat room</a> is open for Writer's Chat. Throughout the year we're hosting various workshops as well. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So plan on joining us in the <a href="http://ca.groups.yahoo.com/group/MusePub_Readers/">mainstream reader's group</a> for our December 1st launch!!! And on Monday evenings for different fun and exciting workshops.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I am hosting a contest here on this blog on November 30th to celebrate the end of NaNoWriMo and Muse's launch, so keep your eye's open for that announcement soon! </span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong>Happy Thanksgiving!</strong></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhtA4qzYmeCiUo1BPm5BrjwoDTV29qe7u3Wf8UDsB-1Lhcj9fefgx4HPMaqpkAIfXsTXQBbGtlz4WMQmMJ1OAN8YDPdWdvOrEw4q8CIr9fu05tJScE2NKm3NzPWBAqI3gltv3DHx5B2juR/s1600/file0002043695191.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhtA4qzYmeCiUo1BPm5BrjwoDTV29qe7u3Wf8UDsB-1Lhcj9fefgx4HPMaqpkAIfXsTXQBbGtlz4WMQmMJ1OAN8YDPdWdvOrEw4q8CIr9fu05tJScE2NKm3NzPWBAqI3gltv3DHx5B2juR/s200/file0002043695191.jpg" width="159" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Incidentally, we almost had a turkey couple for dinner...Driving near Blue Hills the other day, I had to stop short for Ma and Pa Turkey crossing the highway. They looked pretty tasty. Massachusetts is loaded with wild turkeys.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">photo credits: morguefile.com, MuseItUp Publishing</span>Karen McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00417540242558444954noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8083596664547999494.post-56387377174642588572010-11-09T19:00:00.001-05:002010-11-09T19:00:01.350-05:00NaNoWriMo Trench Tips<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">.</span> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2P0SXZg1ShnRO7F6w6YED9z2aRW-acRUlDAU4uL74ba-WcyHhN7gKbEZHGaOG9WDOfVhKOS6ZOoazH-7wnXkHuXXErsRHABRtUKlgEGX506SSX-A28U74veAT6N-v6q3za9tOQ4qjCn2T/s1600/laptop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="143" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2P0SXZg1ShnRO7F6w6YED9z2aRW-acRUlDAU4uL74ba-WcyHhN7gKbEZHGaOG9WDOfVhKOS6ZOoazH-7wnXkHuXXErsRHABRtUKlgEGX506SSX-A28U74veAT6N-v6q3za9tOQ4qjCn2T/s200/laptop.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For those of you who are safe at home outside of the literary madness known as NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month, we are in the swing of it here, blasting into the second week. I am doing NaNo updates daily on my Facebook author page for those who want to follow the <a href="http://www.facebook.com/KarenMcGrathAuthor#!/pages/Karen-McGrath-Author/128041710541581">frenzy</a>. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Today is day number nine. By midnight, each NaNo’er will have 15,003 words written in our new novels. I'm over 20,000 because I'm doing a higher word count so that come January, I will have an entire manuscript to rework. December I will ignore the whole thing, of course. </span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzNw3uSx0QeMK6C2OhXPxBw7oqE33sl6cnx2v1gYZACziRL0E1xdM0jhmOIRRbNXPJwbBTpMDCzNN6LC3Pn1K134KHGbH7NulNGaM9EIeqT8ckt_wXqVOkkgY4xe8bDL5jzcgR7UTarluY/s1600/climbing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzNw3uSx0QeMK6C2OhXPxBw7oqE33sl6cnx2v1gYZACziRL0E1xdM0jhmOIRRbNXPJwbBTpMDCzNN6LC3Pn1K134KHGbH7NulNGaM9EIeqT8ckt_wXqVOkkgY4xe8bDL5jzcgR7UTarluY/s200/climbing.jpg" width="150" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">NaNo is such a unique experience. It's sort of like mountain climbing. You get all your gear ready, you've taken your safety classes and you're in that chimney climb and suddenly you think, "What the hell am I doing here?!? Who talked me into this?!" Or maybe, "If I hear On Belay one more time..." Ha ha!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">You find your weaknesses real fast. Do you hate Pollyanna? You will slam the delete button when the pep talk emails come in from the Offices of Letter and Light. Do you despise those who are happy when you're miserable? You will seethe at every NaNo'er who is above the necessary word count for the day. Do you have perfectionism issues? You may have to sit on your hands in order not to edit what you've written. I've actually modified this by rereading what I've written and adding words in, not deleting any. This is still editing, folks. I obviously have a way to go...</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlQPpOaWGDT8TmaywP77C7u0XqVUTiFsysAFh6M3KjHcyrSkDauYTO7_aXviPWV7jslvA-5pwpzYmXApOrTYc-UlK1Y6IBMcLm6xvTdbY4JBRf-_mLMltbr_eUtgMvk_ykfF0DpTgb9xBZ/s1600/file000775425470.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="126" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlQPpOaWGDT8TmaywP77C7u0XqVUTiFsysAFh6M3KjHcyrSkDauYTO7_aXviPWV7jslvA-5pwpzYmXApOrTYc-UlK1Y6IBMcLm6xvTdbY4JBRf-_mLMltbr_eUtgMvk_ykfF0DpTgb9xBZ/s200/file000775425470.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana;">You will also find your strengths fast. You will be inspired by things you've never dreamed of before. Every walk in the park and/or grocery store will speak to you about your novel. Every conversation will contain clues for your next dialogue. Or perhaps, if you're working on a suspense novel, every drive by the seedy part of town will have you glued to the sidewalks looking for material to incorporate. I learned a few organizational tricks last year that have me sailing through my chapters this year. And I learned that although I tend to tell a story "backwards" - don't ask me to explain this, you don't want to know - I found a remedy so I can still write freely but fix the order later.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Writing used to be a mandatory course in every high school curriculum because it helps you organize your thoughts so you can articulate well enough to communicate to someone else. Sadly, it's missing in most these days.</span><br />
<br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie0T0zE6KQapZ5ximY_YZkr5-vUTPIvRbOyT1geEfjCIvJZXBdK0nLbXhcJB5MczaMwLFQkOR1eYlfXof1gYEUW4s-NQfExkLhA4ivlgLmMQ0fZiL_NPVR0opYPystW9-bdlSIqZ_1w089/s1600/jungle+stream.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie0T0zE6KQapZ5ximY_YZkr5-vUTPIvRbOyT1geEfjCIvJZXBdK0nLbXhcJB5MczaMwLFQkOR1eYlfXof1gYEUW4s-NQfExkLhA4ivlgLmMQ0fZiL_NPVR0opYPystW9-bdlSIqZ_1w089/s200/jungle+stream.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Here's a few tips from the trenches:</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">1. Try to stay ahead of your word count even if only by 50 words a session. This will give you a buffer on those days you'd rather do anything else than write.</span></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">2. Don't be afraid to write in a new genre, or from a location and time period you know nothing about. Do your best from memory and do your research later. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">3. Keep a NaNo tip sheet for things that help you get through sticky places because next year you will do this all over again. NaNo is very addicting!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">4. If you hit the doldrums, hit the forums. You'll find lots of tips and encouragement there. But I warn you, they can help you procrastinate!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">5. Date your novel. I like to think our stories choose us. It's like sitting down with my sweetheart and catching up with him at the end of the day, maybe watching a movie together. Love it!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you have a NaNo Trench Tip you’d like to share, please post in the comments. NaNo'ers need all the encouragement we can get as we continue on this amazing novel adventure. </span><br />
<br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5WvwEm1-8Z_EJbdNWBtARw0uasIpI9S1wHSAdEM8rUDraylAEqK6oEDPSXQnlGWDlUE9oIjkpw1LDNbJ9hssm5oIsKegR9Q3pEv2ufkDoTNDpi1C2T1nA_4dE0LXZ8UkH5SwLZIc1FGuu/s1600/teenwordfactory3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="137" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5WvwEm1-8Z_EJbdNWBtARw0uasIpI9S1wHSAdEM8rUDraylAEqK6oEDPSXQnlGWDlUE9oIjkpw1LDNbJ9hssm5oIsKegR9Q3pEv2ufkDoTNDpi1C2T1nA_4dE0LXZ8UkH5SwLZIc1FGuu/s200/teenwordfactory3.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana;">For info about <a href="http://www.teenwordfactory.com/2010/11/from-nanowrimo-trenches.html">Sophie</a>, my annoying little internal editor, please visit my grog, Teen Word Factory.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Happy NaNo’ing, everyone!</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/user/552818">http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/user/552818</a></span></div><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">photo credits: morguefile.com</span>Karen McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00417540242558444954noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8083596664547999494.post-57300957213784620202010-11-02T11:16:00.000-04:002010-11-02T11:16:57.198-04:00And.... We're Off!<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ92CtE6WpY1u_AMAwzrPUAwbxH_Wlgfq0IUj-_AWrrwGPuuP-anqtWvRTpFqGK55-LGYa3hdyb2BPUEeRLy8SgC9wHLRy-yliYaPZoK8vGmDRyV_J1B5UpX4HhAMuBRwq4E1tfc2CRjL_/s1600/nanowrimo_participant_06_100x100.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ92CtE6WpY1u_AMAwzrPUAwbxH_Wlgfq0IUj-_AWrrwGPuuP-anqtWvRTpFqGK55-LGYa3hdyb2BPUEeRLy8SgC9wHLRy-yliYaPZoK8vGmDRyV_J1B5UpX4HhAMuBRwq4E1tfc2CRjL_/s1600/nanowrimo_participant_06_100x100.png" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ladies and Gentlemen, NaNoWriMo has officially begun!</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Midnight, October 31st, Molly, Elizabeth and I hunkered down at our various writing places in the house and waited for the minute hand to cross over... 00.00.01 on November 1st we hit the keyboard running!</span></div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">If you don't know what NaNoWriMo is, (National Novel Writing Month) please go <a href="http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/whatisnano">here</a> and find out what literary madness we've committed ourselves to! Then pray for us, ok?! ;)</span></div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Molly's first word count yesterday clocked in at 1700, mine at 2208 and Elizabeth went way over the required daily word count of 1667 to beyond 13,000...she stayed up all night writing, she was so excited! Needless to say she went to bed quite early last night. </span></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My NaNo novel this year is a YA Fantasy. One afternoon several weeks ago, I swung the mini-van out of a parking lot after an appointment in town right into mega traffic at 3:00 p.m.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">That's when I had a vision of a teen whose face had been scarred terribly in battle so that she had to wear a robe to cover herself. She began to tell me her story and I pulled out my notebook from my backpack to take dictation at the red lights. I have a lead foot anyway, but I made it home in record time that day, itching to get to my computer. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I played around with some literary devices and came up with a bland title. I don't plan anything but I do usually start out with plot points even if I never use them. Last year I had a list of 25 and went astray by the third one, never to return to the original idea. C'est la vie! This year, I started some word count pages early to get some extras in if I have to miss a day - I still haven't gotten to my first plot point. See what planning does for me?! </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I write my tagline first and do character sheets after writing the story - I'd never make it in a traditional writing class. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For now, for your reading enjoyment, here is the tagline and an excerpt with the new improved title for my NaNo 2010 novel. NaNo is such a rush!</span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #20124d;">The Bleeding Doves of Killeen</span> </span></span></strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">by Karen McGrath </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">NaNoWriMo 2010</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">YA Fantasy</span></div><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhULUfxDHE3ABzQ1IwLc2Nh1FB-B0GDstWG1-FLYKddChemNRyQRTgLzoV_zPjMDirkHYi-tw7dgxwr2tdDtt8z0o0OUwCJpQKvEl2M6Hh_fNe04AsFST2yMT4994n7iF9OPGClo6r-P9s/s1600/file0001885192404.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhULUfxDHE3ABzQ1IwLc2Nh1FB-B0GDstWG1-FLYKddChemNRyQRTgLzoV_zPjMDirkHYi-tw7dgxwr2tdDtt8z0o0OUwCJpQKvEl2M6Hh_fNe04AsFST2yMT4994n7iF9OPGClo6r-P9s/s200/file0001885192404.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Roseline accepts her father's calling after his early demise; the mantle of leadership for her poor town and with it the weight of the Revolution. The secrets of an ancient order rise to the surface in the whirlpool of war as she trembles in the boots of her ancestors and raises her sword to the wind. The future is sketchy but one thing is certain, the doves are in flight signifying change. Destiny calls to us all but only one will bring a nation to it's knees and raise a world long forgotten in Killeen. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">* * * *</span></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">She leaned behind the large oak tree, hidden in the background amongst the forest shrub. The King had called for this clandestine meeting and she'd obliged. Reardon moved past her quickly, touching his hand to her shoulder.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"I will handle this now. Don't let them see you."</span><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"Aye. I have your back, my friend."</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"I want for more than that."</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"I cannot leave them, you know I love you..."</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"Shh, if I don't survive, kill them all for me, promise? Every last one, like you did for your father?"</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">She smiled then allowing her hood to reveal the ragged line across her lips. "Aye, of that you can rest assured. The pleasure twould be all mine. Remember, if they make a threat, glint the sword. The doves are flying high. It is a time for victory."</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">He walked with purpose toward the men in the glade, with seven others. All swords were drawn on both sides.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"We were told your army is led by a woman, why is she not here? Do you mock us?"</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"Nay she is among us but I speak for her now. What will you to say? We will not hear you at arms."</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The men immediately sheathed and the leader and Reardon laid their swords on the ground between them as was the custom. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"The King wishes a meeting in the castle. There will be finery. He is for peace, he calls a truce."</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Roseline kneeled by the tree and peered through the throng of legs beyond to the tethered horses. The dove sat on one of them; it was covered in blood. There was no time. She glinted her sword to blaze across Reardon's face in the scant sunlight through the trees. He turned discreetly and she gave the signal.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"Tell the King we will not come. Our leader has spoken." He took up his sword. The meeting was over.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"What shall we say her name is?" The man drew his sword as Reardon smiled. Good work, she thought, show no fear. The dove never lied.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"Tell him she is Roseline, the Bleeding Dove of Killeen."</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Gasps and murmurs rode through the crowd and Reardon thrust his sword in the air.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"Tell your King he will not defy us or he will suffer at the hand of the Doves. I trust you have work to do, lad," he shouted.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The man flashed angry eyes on Reardon and searched the edges of the clearing. Roseline arose with her sword in the air and her men returned to the forest. She watched from the covering of her hood as the King's men rode off, rage trailing behind them. The dove painted blood in their path. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"Aye, tis trouble they bring and trouble they'll see," she said.</span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">* * * * </span></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here is </span><a href="http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/user/552818"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">my NaNo author page</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">, please friend me there! Meanwhile you can track my progress either on my author page or here in the upper right hand corner with the little NaNo widget.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Happy NaNo'ing everyone!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">photo credit: morguefile.com</span>Karen McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00417540242558444954noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8083596664547999494.post-50620673393721560552010-10-29T08:00:00.031-04:002010-10-29T16:59:15.469-04:00No Baby Cthulhus Allowed<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This is a free read also published on the company blog last week at MuseItUp Publishing. I'm stepping outside me genre here with horror but I had quite a bit of fun writing both this and Shadow Trick or Treating last week. Enjoy!</span> <br />
<br />
<span style="color: #e69138; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><strong>No Baby Cthulhus Allowed</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghf3c2MQ4G6OQn-KUZmbyX4vFNjYT01hUd3gnmij1_P5NZF6peEqgVZsQClaox2QYT_51HMGvpo2Te5k0YqC1qOa7bxU-rzWpCtNEYGDR6oYUfKdKC2Dvwzuk7fP-eIhVjMR0V_A8idBkz/s1600/file0001778826192.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghf3c2MQ4G6OQn-KUZmbyX4vFNjYT01hUd3gnmij1_P5NZF6peEqgVZsQClaox2QYT_51HMGvpo2Te5k0YqC1qOa7bxU-rzWpCtNEYGDR6oYUfKdKC2Dvwzuk7fP-eIhVjMR0V_A8idBkz/s200/file0001778826192.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Mark, why is your room twenty degrees colder than the rest of this house, I can see my breath in here.”</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">He stopped clearing off his desk and gave me an exagerated sideways glance. I ignored his cute melodrama although it slayed me every time. Handsome devil that he was.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“C’mon, spit it out, I can’t believe your mom let’s you get away with turning off the heat in here!” I said, feeling the radiator for any sign of warmth. It had to be thirty-two degrees outside and dropping. It was perhaps forty in this room. I breathed out a puff of steam and stomped my feet to get my blood moving hugging my elbows. The moonlight glinted on the frost in the narrow cobbled street two stories below. I blew my breath on the window pane and traced Mark’s name on the glass.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“It’s always like this. C’mere, I’ll warm you up.” He slipped his arm around my waist and I slipped away artfully. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Later, baby, Ellen and Joe will be here any minute and if we leave them on the doorstep for too long, you know they’ll disappear.” I protested half-heartedly. The door chimes in Mark’s parent’s house were hard to hear.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlG7XCX54-jQL4mYE35KzH5brxi6sL-u9QJ5HptXneagZR4wFdOeJ0I2zNZ80sJho_OGJ3o7btIEhTJG369bAu__H5OCkzH-5A7pqZjkWsrSWttievq1jeQvf5au0zuXtFt5Osw-7gv9e9/s1600/spider+moon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlG7XCX54-jQL4mYE35KzH5brxi6sL-u9QJ5HptXneagZR4wFdOeJ0I2zNZ80sJho_OGJ3o7btIEhTJG369bAu__H5OCkzH-5A7pqZjkWsrSWttievq1jeQvf5au0zuXtFt5Osw-7gv9e9/s200/spider+moon.jpg" width="150" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“I can live with that,” he said winking at me and I flashed him a wicked grin. I looked out over the city from his bedroom window as a wave of lights came on in the twilight, blinking through curtains and drawn shades. The view from the hill at this height was enchanting. Only a few windows were bare giving me a long distance peek into some of the posh living rooms of the old mansions on the East Side of Providence. The history in this part of town oozes out of the bricks and church bells. Secrets, ancient and forgotten beckon just beyond the well-worn steps of the Victorians and marbled gates hidden between them. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Look, what’s that?” I pointed to a weathered house two streets over. The attic window flamed as if a fire was roaring in the fireplace inside.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Hmm,” Mark said, hugging my shoulders and holding a film strip up to the bare bulb hanging from the ceiling. “Hey, these are pictures of us at the beach this summer. Oh, that’s Lovecraft’s house, the weird one over there? Yeah. He lived there with his aunts. Weird guy. Died in the nineteen thirties pretty young. They say his monsters killed him…”</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Who lives there now? Or is it a historical landmark?”</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs_dwEnyOG4uCggdZJ_L0DVVw2FeqlijoqHtLTGIpJtb5ThWrak8-X_VNUBYSckpajVVPdMGCUk7SuXzT7ADg9yajkhtbJUqYAEg1bTOKoJizlVgYsoiReSjSdMHlTEEIR0uW96QsccxvI/s1600/file0002131731930.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs_dwEnyOG4uCggdZJ_L0DVVw2FeqlijoqHtLTGIpJtb5ThWrak8-X_VNUBYSckpajVVPdMGCUk7SuXzT7ADg9yajkhtbJUqYAEg1bTOKoJizlVgYsoiReSjSdMHlTEEIR0uW96QsccxvI/s200/file0002131731930.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Oh, I don’t know, Mom says the place is up for sale or something. No one’s in there, if that’s what you mean. He wrote all those crazy stories up there you know, right in that room at the very top. The backyard is really creepy. I’ll take you there sometime…” he said, laughing low and bugging his eyes at me. I swatted his hand gently. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“You cad! Is that his room, the one with the fire?” What was taking Ellen and Joe so long? Maybe it would be nice if they didn’t show after all. A quiet evening watching a movie sounded good to me.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“What fire?” Mark asked edging in to the window beside me. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I looked again; he was right, no fire. It had to be a figment of my imagination. Or the last rays of the sun blazing it’s reflection off the warped panes…but the sun had gone down an hour ago and the full moon was shining bright now. Maybe it was moonlight, I supposed, and turned my thoughts to our party plans.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As I peered into the dusk, avoiding looking at Lovecraft’s house again and feeling the curse crawl down the street, two dark figures scurried to the door below. The doorbell rang and Mark disappeared to let our guests in. We had his parents beautiful home to ourselves for the evening so naturally a party was necessary. Ellen brought the wine and we set appetizers out on the dining room table. Our parents would kill us if they knew, but at seventeen we ruled the world and gave little thought to consequences. </span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpdoNeze9fUnJUX2FVjPA_JtOgoRu-BC26aVxAtDWVAHj_WuAb4kz9X_iQP3BEPXr4CUd-fCTwk0DuAKL59mWHgGPK2nqTSbyoGHcl3wn1Xf3q_cW6QvXp02NHMhyL4MnzhIGlwAROKvTO/s1600/file3311285547839.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpdoNeze9fUnJUX2FVjPA_JtOgoRu-BC26aVxAtDWVAHj_WuAb4kz9X_iQP3BEPXr4CUd-fCTwk0DuAKL59mWHgGPK2nqTSbyoGHcl3wn1Xf3q_cW6QvXp02NHMhyL4MnzhIGlwAROKvTO/s200/file3311285547839.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We soon took to eating, drinking and laughing uproariously. Mark was in fine form entertaining us with his crazy jokes and monster impersonations. I put my arm on his shoulder. However cold his room was, it must not have mattered since he was always feverish. It was his metabolism, he claimed. At almost six feet tall and thin as a rail, that was believable.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">He ducked into the kitchen to pull the stuffed mushrooms out of the oven while Ellen and Joe sat locking lips on the white velvet loveseat. I opened a music box on the credenza that played a haunting tune, I couldn’t quite place it... I heard Mark swear from the kitchen but Ellen and Joe were oblivious to everything. I thought he burned himself and was about to go to the bathroom for band aids when he came into the living room crawling on his knees. Ellen and Joe slid off the couch to the floor and the room swirled with a thick green smoke that covered everything, blinding me and then it separated into strands and wavered. Then it flowed through the room. Then it shot about in slow motion. What was Mark cooking? Was the stove on fire?!</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaI4-yMMQawTtgHt1Q90DDOhiIeO_HXeq9_8_YT9hR-Fsv_uqZ9QXDxSv5G8ssOwm6QJNMtz0NRNOqhcg7HS7q6g9JhhpPAanEXUYOxBoAE5qP9lxFSuUrTQXNnGdeh85_Vo9OJP1zA8bb/s1600/file2761274629266.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaI4-yMMQawTtgHt1Q90DDOhiIeO_HXeq9_8_YT9hR-Fsv_uqZ9QXDxSv5G8ssOwm6QJNMtz0NRNOqhcg7HS7q6g9JhhpPAanEXUYOxBoAE5qP9lxFSuUrTQXNnGdeh85_Vo9OJP1zA8bb/s200/file2761274629266.jpg" width="132" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Mark?! Mark!” I called to him through the mist falling to my knees to the clear air near the floor. It smelled like sulphur but he wasn’t cooking eggs… The house was burning down and his parents were going to be furious with us. Where was the front door again? As I crawled around the couch, Ellen and Joe got on their knees and the mist disappeared as quickly as it came, into all three of them, through their eyes, ears and mouths.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Guys, did you see that?!” I screeched at them.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“No, I didn’t see a thing,” Mark growled, snarling and pawing the Oriental rug with his long fingers. His eyes shone with an unholy light and I gulped audibly. Ellen writhed and pounced a little too close to me and Joe nudged her forward. They seemed like… like animals…</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Dear God, what the hell is going on?!” I shrieked.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">They came closer and closer, circling me, making strange gutteral noises. They smacked their lips flicking their tongues and there was a clicking sound coming from somewhere. Finally standing up, I dodged one of them and scrambled to the front door but my conscience kicked in; I had to save them. They were… howling. My stomach lurched. I had to do <em>something.</em> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>“Shanta kolaman tantook!”</em> I shouted into the wild array of hostile noises. <em>“Shantaloaman kataston deetanto!”</em> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Mark jumped to his feet and ran toward me. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>“Shantalovan! Mekanto, statalomato!”</em> He stopped short and shook his head.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Karen, are you alright!?” he yelled.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcAtPIhpQEdUMPDwH2IMt1mQewyLFGIaAgCB4kwGbmUiHifKa1RIQc9Bthm38d4tjDYqrzHsPu87ZmsWujaFd3ZKF5ADu273ohcg3WQSzNrtC17O4JWZ-AUKt5yti6Bm4KWZ28KIPh46Et/s1600/file0001406290075.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcAtPIhpQEdUMPDwH2IMt1mQewyLFGIaAgCB4kwGbmUiHifKa1RIQc9Bthm38d4tjDYqrzHsPu87ZmsWujaFd3ZKF5ADu273ohcg3WQSzNrtC17O4JWZ-AUKt5yti6Bm4KWZ28KIPh46Et/s200/file0001406290075.jpg" width="121" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Tears streamed down my face as the smoke swirled behind him and fled out the window. He looked normal again and I ran to his arms. Ellen and Joe stood up, snarls ravaging their faces. Mark shot me a look of horror and I pushed myself between them and him.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>“Chilanto makan, venatak lo asvan!”</em> I cried out at my friends transforming into the most bizarre things I’d ever seen.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ellen shook and Joe slumped onto the couch. She fell at his side and green mist poured out of her eyes onto the floor and sped to the windows. Joe opened his mouth and it slithered out of him, too. They shivered for a moment, and then turned to stare at me.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Karen, are you alright? What the heck are you saying?” Ellen said, fixing stray hairs that had come loose from her head band in the fray. She looked none the worse for the wear. Joe tucked in his shirt, his face turning red.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Mark held me as I stifled my sobs and tried to compose myself.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“You’re scaring me. That is the craziest thing I’ve ever seen.” I buried my face in Marks chest. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“What language are you speaking, we can’t understand you, sweetheart,” Mark said smoothing my hair with his hands.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Umm, nothing, I was speaking English, what are you saying?”</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I relaxed realizing my friends were completely normal again. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Safe, we were all safe, finally.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Whatever that was, it was cool,” Joe said. “But, what were you saying?”</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Look, guys, I was speaking English the whole time, I don’t know why you didn’t understand me unless that green stuff stopped your ears up…”</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ellen flipped her head sideways and stared at me. “I think I heard you, but you were saying something in another language. I heard you in my head in English. What was it? What green stuff? I didn’t see any green stuff. What have you been drinking, girl?”</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Nevermind. Maybe we should just have some more wine and play a board game, huh? I think I’ve had enough excitement for awhile. Mark, is there a decent movie on tonight?”</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Well, we can always take a walk to Lovecraft’s backyard tonight, that should be a hoot,” he offered. </span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ2TzpPi4uOuB1bBj3zYcM5vc1wK1IOEk2lPMdCs6jsjmBlHYVBmhf086is6_JYhxv99WXacZPdTWBzQCCo1jBlhJFWb_hAU-GvIt1iNT9XMcNL-nfc5uqSE9lzbVqQ4WeXQhwHF-XOTet/s1600/file000704292456.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ2TzpPi4uOuB1bBj3zYcM5vc1wK1IOEk2lPMdCs6jsjmBlHYVBmhf086is6_JYhxv99WXacZPdTWBzQCCo1jBlhJFWb_hAU-GvIt1iNT9XMcNL-nfc5uqSE9lzbVqQ4WeXQhwHF-XOTet/s200/file000704292456.jpg" width="150" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“<em>NO!</em> I mean, I’d rather sit here with you guys and hang out. Are there any appetizers left?” Anything to stay away from that house. The curse had come from there, I was sure of it.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Yes, help me get the other batch from the oven?”</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Once in the kitchen I recovered more and tried to piece it together. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Mark, do you believe in Lovecraft’s monsters?”</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“No, he was a weird old guy. Crazy as the day is long. Do you?”</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Nah, I believe in monsters but I don’t think they were his. I think he just saw things. Scary things.”</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Yeah, maybe that’s why my bedroom is so cold. Spirits like to play around with humans sometimes.”</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Yeah. Well, they can’t get in here now.”</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Karen, did you see the looks on Ellen and Joe when they got up off the floor. What were they doing on the floor? They snarled. I saw something sort of drain out of them, did you see that?”</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">He had no clue he had been acting the same way moments before.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I ran to his arms and lifted my chin to look up into his clear brown eyes. “Kiss me quick, baby. I don’t want to lose you again.” </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Again? What do you mean again? You’re not going to lose me, ever!” </span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguDEHBnV723kO0lvKLEAJdr7ns2O3iGwFMlooEtsx7bkFK48uqUva2znoKrUeNDIsycOVNyqHpc1PIjJJUkglNFsdpIBGQdcUmCOroOyf_463Jq51CcAvs92XKaEGBwnLiCm0_YU2JXI5b/s1600/crypt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="142" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguDEHBnV723kO0lvKLEAJdr7ns2O3iGwFMlooEtsx7bkFK48uqUva2znoKrUeNDIsycOVNyqHpc1PIjJJUkglNFsdpIBGQdcUmCOroOyf_463Jq51CcAvs92XKaEGBwnLiCm0_YU2JXI5b/s200/crypt.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">He flashed me his best smile then and gave me that cute little sideways look. The melodrama was thick and a welcome comfort at that point. Mark was back and green smoke be damned, we were going to have a good night anyway. I was more than a little relieved we all returned from the edge of hell, and not too sure how it happened, but I’ve heard Lovecraft was never as lucky.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This is a true story. The names have been changed to protect the innocent. H.P. Lovecraft’s stories were a mix of horror, fantasy, sci-fi and weird fiction. He claimed there is a world beyond us where beasties live that are incredibly evil. I don’t think he was entirely wrong. </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj22YeE8BXHmAH-1Htq1gpLWSm5FbhIB3E7YOY-98S1lnkGV2wlJQN_clXgbA5Hlqxkv8Sigywojg0ixTnHaclU3pG_7qS82vmTT-9AKurvl-O9rFAxOV4MfSmVpzNhfyg-Blq2ICIPdeRZ/s1600/untitled.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj22YeE8BXHmAH-1Htq1gpLWSm5FbhIB3E7YOY-98S1lnkGV2wlJQN_clXgbA5Hlqxkv8Sigywojg0ixTnHaclU3pG_7qS82vmTT-9AKurvl-O9rFAxOV4MfSmVpzNhfyg-Blq2ICIPdeRZ/s320/untitled.bmp" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir0OtiTjaGoE8M9hIMoUOxUyW4Wqn2a9np4j3IPPX8z_ly9pLJhVtuPuidUfP15KFMV-nxkVhZglLNP6e0xd0Up3CksgLz7lFZdmBSMWT2smArjk6VyU4BXDibCtMUAFW1qSJEIrtTXDHH/s1600/cool+eye.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="260" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir0OtiTjaGoE8M9hIMoUOxUyW4Wqn2a9np4j3IPPX8z_ly9pLJhVtuPuidUfP15KFMV-nxkVhZglLNP6e0xd0Up3CksgLz7lFZdmBSMWT2smArjk6VyU4BXDibCtMUAFW1qSJEIrtTXDHH/s320/cool+eye.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Photo credits: morguefile.com</span>Karen McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00417540242558444954noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8083596664547999494.post-5552114111568434122010-10-25T11:59:00.004-04:002010-10-25T11:59:00.217-04:00Free Reads!<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here is part three and the conclusion for this short story, Shadow Trick or Treating. Check back on Friday for my memoir story about H.P. Lovecraft!</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: orange; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><strong>Shadow Trick or Treating</strong></span><br />
<span style="color: #e06666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Part Three</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLfQhhqBWLfHM2qVpXGKDlg3_jauHNbhlLMnmzlcK-lAmtO33fr20KFqTJnBBeARAn88Tt1zpXtQ6KD6MJJnD6GOsYDclrClMjw5mMUkK8kb4qRrRxh23iYP64PsNX4YkXUCJ6H6hEmBJn/s1600/scary+house+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLfQhhqBWLfHM2qVpXGKDlg3_jauHNbhlLMnmzlcK-lAmtO33fr20KFqTJnBBeARAn88Tt1zpXtQ6KD6MJJnD6GOsYDclrClMjw5mMUkK8kb4qRrRxh23iYP64PsNX4YkXUCJ6H6hEmBJn/s200/scary+house+1.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Mom killed a Shadow Man? They Trick or Treat for <em>children?! </em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I motioned for my sibs to come out and they climbed out of the gutter dragging their candy bags in the grass. Michael lost a shoe somewhere and Ava’s trousers were covered in mud. We’d find it in the morning, I told him and promised Ava I’d hide her from Mom seeing her muddy pants, evidence of the gutter. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“It’s ok to go in,” I whispered. “Mom got the one guarding the house.” Ava gave me a funny look, but then she always did that. There was movement in the trees near the back door, but it must have been the wind. We bolted to the comforting light of the back porch. Mom got there when we did, coming out of nowhere. I didn’t even hear her turn off the car but I wasn’t thinking much about it then.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Look! Here’s that Shadow Man.” Mom kicked a big black pile of cloth on the porch and we stood there in shock. Was it really dead? It looked like it moved a bit so we ran screaming by it.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“We’ll just leave it outside for the Shadow Men to pick up.” She said laughing.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Maybe she was making it up but sitting at the kitchen table in the kitchen light, we wanted to forget we had seen them at all. I didn’t want to know how she killed it, I was scared enough. We counted our loot and I got my share for standing watch on the rich street. Three Baby Ruth’s from Ava, Two O’Henry’s from Michael and a pile of Tootsie Rolls and gum balls. It wasn’t anything near what they got on that street but it was good enough for me. I didn’t want to go Trick or Treating again for a very long time.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As we chomped our candy, Mom leaned over and asked for a candy bar. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Doesn’t dear old Mom get some, too? After all, I killed one of those creatures. “ </span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzQxV9oj6YXSvKF1-uC_DNP_EIn0-JyIYg74O5Bz9unQ5VB17JUTReDznlZat2GgBdqeEtWJmzuyTELnxhDKsiFyxQRXjBb_cn-bUHBonDuif8GXWu3u-5JmihBZ5cmORIk8OGEssRTizu/s1600/scary+night+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzQxV9oj6YXSvKF1-uC_DNP_EIn0-JyIYg74O5Bz9unQ5VB17JUTReDznlZat2GgBdqeEtWJmzuyTELnxhDKsiFyxQRXjBb_cn-bUHBonDuif8GXWu3u-5JmihBZ5cmORIk8OGEssRTizu/s200/scary+night+1.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We laughed…nervously.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Aw, Mom, there’s no such thing as shadow men. They’re ghosts. We know you didn’t kill one, that’s just one of Dad’s old tarps for the tent. You don’t have to kid us.”</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Is that right?” She asked grinning. She made us all some hot chocolate and put us to bed but before saying prayers with us, she ducked into her room for a minute and came out with a top hat on. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We laughed again…more nervously. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I slept through the night, walking to four hundred houses wore me out, I didn’t even dream. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Mom chuckled over breakfast. “Darn old shadow men invade my neighborhood on Halloween, I don’t think they’ll do that again.” She left to get something in the basement, I forget what it was she said she needed. I didn’t think anything of it…then. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We guffawed when she was out of hearing range. Mom had really lost it, we told each other. Only kids see Shadow Men, right? Since when do grown-ups play kid games? Me, my brother and my sister looked at each suddenly, my brother’s mouth forming a perfect circle. I knew what they were thinking, was it a game? It was Mom who told us about them in the beginning, way back when... </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We ran to the porch to see if the tarp was there. It wasn’t. Had the Shadow Men come for the body? At least we didn’t have to call the cops to come get it. We traipsed back to the table to finish breakfast when Michael dropped his fork on the floor and ran to the pantry to get another one. When Ava and I heard the ting on the floor of another fork falling, we ran after him. He was staring out the back window. We joined him in time to see Mom dragging the tarp and the body out to our garbage bin. I suddenly became aware of four little hands clutching my arms, two on either side of me. We couldn’t move, not one of us. We could only stare in shock.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPWa9Ffdn8Ta5-oIikkg8S3cIoB5VadA5t3ze7L4E2s4yhk6K2yi7Z1ycS4YUaUgNTp0R1RRO-8_uqdi6yjJ4dt3H217Mg087uQ2ByLw5CJ7_j_hf4MW1J6Ap0idFpBWhLeI2Jw0aUUNKy/s1600/shadow+mask.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPWa9Ffdn8Ta5-oIikkg8S3cIoB5VadA5t3ze7L4E2s4yhk6K2yi7Z1ycS4YUaUgNTp0R1RRO-8_uqdi6yjJ4dt3H217Mg087uQ2ByLw5CJ7_j_hf4MW1J6Ap0idFpBWhLeI2Jw0aUUNKy/s200/shadow+mask.jpg" width="150" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I noticed her scarlet mouth first and then her flattened nose. Her skin was unnaturally white and her hair blew away in the November wind. She dropped the body and ran after the wig. For a moment she twirled her hands around each other in that weird sort of way. I could almost hear her say something in that high pitched language and make those slurping noises through the window but I must have imagined it. Then I saw the fangs, millions of them like curved jagged combs in her gums, on the top, and on the bottom. One leg flopped out of the tarp and the Shadow stuffed it back in but not before we saw Mom’s favorite shoe on the foot.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Michael regained his speech first. “We’ll pretend, ok?” he pleaded. “We’ll just pretend we don’t know and maybe it will go away. I mean, if we don’t say anything, it has to pretend to be our mom, right?”</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sheesh, little kids… “How long do you think it will do that before it eats us? You heard it, this is Shadow Trick or Treat for them. Look what it did to Mom. You can stay but I’m outta here. Grab the candy and run!” I yelled.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDjKx2pxG-8Lj7sjCJ-81yQL4npMnQJGgfFXB0qUm96tV9dX58QvTOJuUunalgb1boBakxncpf8c2-rZIyHGQREKcri-f-2z5ub9GMRxqamoslLSXrOShApryw1srh3DcF0efsEiMCudKX/s1600/eyes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="113" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDjKx2pxG-8Lj7sjCJ-81yQL4npMnQJGgfFXB0qUm96tV9dX58QvTOJuUunalgb1boBakxncpf8c2-rZIyHGQREKcri-f-2z5ub9GMRxqamoslLSXrOShApryw1srh3DcF0efsEiMCudKX/s200/eyes.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">All I know is I ran way past the seven blocks we were allowed to go in the neighborhood. At one point I turned around and my sibs almost knocked me down running into me. Not bad for little kid legs, keeping up with me racing the wind, that’s for sure. Never mind carrying those bulging pillowcases, too. I figure that much candy will keep us for a week or two before we have to go home, we can keep watch from under the William’s porch. Maybe by then the Shadow Mom will be gone... that is, if they haven’t taken over the neighborhood.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Beware the Shadow Men!</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOeUHcJMc-rQCzhwKIfP_AlMt_fEBYBOXTxu3Rppmq9L_7PdMReArYbPp2a0lswVYkcUH5F2a1FJxuquY5Jyhp4plWcmpBC58MzXPdYEKrODPaXY4kDIYgtwac2ckbgYkPNDKs4SPXgAeu/s1600/scary+house+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOeUHcJMc-rQCzhwKIfP_AlMt_fEBYBOXTxu3Rppmq9L_7PdMReArYbPp2a0lswVYkcUH5F2a1FJxuquY5Jyhp4plWcmpBC58MzXPdYEKrODPaXY4kDIYgtwac2ckbgYkPNDKs4SPXgAeu/s320/scary+house+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd8j_rHDVwz-8VloSBdYOdzYpkDIUrO71Mmna56mFcVSloZxEb9_EIrlnV2-SgeeXF90UuvMX4udRVKhZbnrjCahvXRe1lm8d6QlsRiMwHxD_OhaKaq1rstjTAEKDofL5ZgdhmHb07f5Ez/s1600/tophat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd8j_rHDVwz-8VloSBdYOdzYpkDIUrO71Mmna56mFcVSloZxEb9_EIrlnV2-SgeeXF90UuvMX4udRVKhZbnrjCahvXRe1lm8d6QlsRiMwHxD_OhaKaq1rstjTAEKDofL5ZgdhmHb07f5Ez/s320/tophat.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">photo credits: morguefile.com </span>Karen McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00417540242558444954noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8083596664547999494.post-76821334233417905702010-10-24T11:59:00.007-04:002010-10-24T11:59:00.450-04:00Free Reads!<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here is part two for your reading enjoyment. Part three will publish tomorrow at noon. This one's for the Tweensters although I love a good mystery/horror story no matter the ages!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: orange; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><strong>Shadow Trick or Treating</strong></span><br />
<span style="color: #e06666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Part Two</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2J46zH4fHWHvLFeMGOrhrKvjOYenG6l9V4MpxDxhzztqEv3IKZ6jn0MTL_SnjSEqYXD-rj18KUF8_VuQOycTOR8UllhcWZHWfJ1GGK5I3IUKwvLaY2Gs1D6FshLcxnKQxDCG4D3Pw_jNt/s1600/file000739065562.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="114" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2J46zH4fHWHvLFeMGOrhrKvjOYenG6l9V4MpxDxhzztqEv3IKZ6jn0MTL_SnjSEqYXD-rj18KUF8_VuQOycTOR8UllhcWZHWfJ1GGK5I3IUKwvLaY2Gs1D6FshLcxnKQxDCG4D3Pw_jNt/s200/file000739065562.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Then I heard them... </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">They were right in front of my bush on the sidewalk… and they were whispering. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Up close they didn’t look that scary, maybe I could reason with them if it came to that. I was just about to step out of the shrub when I caught my name in the middle of their gibberish, then my brother’s and my sister’s. I froze. My legs refused to move. I peeked through the leaves to see what was happening, holding my breath and willing my heart to slow down. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One spun his face toward me, his beady eyes flicking all around like an insect. He had no nose, and just a small slit for a mouth. Then I heard something that made my insides clench and my hair curl. One spoke in English. To this day I don’t know if they really did or if some sound warp made me able to understand them.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Where did the tall one go?” one of them said, his voice high and fast.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“I don’t know but she left the smaller ones alone. Heh, heh, heh. We can pick off the runts now.”</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Did she go home?” </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“The guard hasn’t seen her yet and he’s right outside her back door.”</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Well, no mind. Let's get the little ones and eat them behind the Temple. Then we’ll find her.” </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">They smiled viciously, their mouths turning scarlet in the street light. My blood pounded in my veins, I was sure they could hear it. I had to get to Ava and Michael. I had to find them immediately! </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Shadow Men hovered over the sidewalk twirling their hands together and making slurping noises. I swore I saw fangs when they laughed, fangs that looked like the fine teeth in a comb. I choked down my cries of terror. If they found me now, my siblings didn’t have a chance, that was certain. They floated over the curb in a weird little dance. I bit my fist stopping my screams. </span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEf7W4NOOiK_B6af8_zfzyDo6r-IV_C8RbRErk5vx3X5YT5SYR2bb1zNlf7i6bjYy595cVJSc1P3fkJ9Qlyqg4UZurIy-zzBKfFke7UyggkS6jlg81VW4rs0CYUNnMuXYb3crDTvjohx0p/s1600/scary+house+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="142" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEf7W4NOOiK_B6af8_zfzyDo6r-IV_C8RbRErk5vx3X5YT5SYR2bb1zNlf7i6bjYy595cVJSc1P3fkJ9Qlyqg4UZurIy-zzBKfFke7UyggkS6jlg81VW4rs0CYUNnMuXYb3crDTvjohx0p/s200/scary+house+2.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I scanned for lights in nearby houses but Halloween suddenly seemed long over. Folks were going to bed. It had to be ten o’clock. If we were any later Mom would be searching for us in the car soon, that is, if the guard back at the house hadn’t gotten her already. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Finally they moved along and I crawled out from behind the bush. I watched carefully until they were about half a block away and I ran to Rochambeau Avenue and one block up and one block over to head Michael and Ava off at the middle pass. I hung behind a large maple tree trying to catch my breath in the dark. Ten minutes dragged by and I didn’t see them. Then I heard rustling and giggling. I spotted them a few houses down. The Shadow Men were just beyond them hiding behind some cars.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The kids went inside one of the houses; thank God, they were safe for a moment. The Shadow Men positioned themselves ahead at the next house, waiting for them in the bushes. Once Michael and Ava got their next treat, they were toast.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin4beI5IL2eZausLYrLeyCvCVu68UX9XnjIg60iJM176zysXBIreDKYAoGwOPpUnAQh0RyJTzNQDA2p-ixcpu6tEnD3aAT1R6H6koK1epnu9MOQFu3ztvst5Dg74Ulssk9Jq9tqjSnC7i3/s1600/crazy+old+tree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin4beI5IL2eZausLYrLeyCvCVu68UX9XnjIg60iJM176zysXBIreDKYAoGwOPpUnAQh0RyJTzNQDA2p-ixcpu6tEnD3aAT1R6H6koK1epnu9MOQFu3ztvst5Dg74Ulssk9Jq9tqjSnC7i3/s200/crazy+old+tree.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My siblings came out to the street and ran to the next house. The Shadow Men loomed out of the shrubs and opened their black arms. I whipped a rock down the street in the opposite direction which scared the heck out of Ava and Michael so they screamed bloody murder. Lights came on in a few of the houses and the ghouls faded into the shadows, snarling. Someone called out and my sibs said they were ok. They ran up the sidewalk and I stood out from the tree so they could see me. I put my fingers to my lips. They halted and almost dashed the other way until they realized it was me. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Shadow Men, over there,” I whispered. “They’re after us.” </span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt_nsCuEVb_9I7hDivht_-X2zI-3ngn5N3G5snqabCMBzrGDTbz19qYebfZ4n4IUTkTk1FmcE-FptIhcF9nL6u22ikMF-8l0Daupkr9Y9sIFPRtCnMLSinXuu_tqtTQB0PghRCY7ItmmGw/s1600/eye+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt_nsCuEVb_9I7hDivht_-X2zI-3ngn5N3G5snqabCMBzrGDTbz19qYebfZ4n4IUTkTk1FmcE-FptIhcF9nL6u22ikMF-8l0Daupkr9Y9sIFPRtCnMLSinXuu_tqtTQB0PghRCY7ItmmGw/s200/eye+2.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">They shook in their hobo suspenders, their little faces red from carrying their overstuffed candy bags. What a haul. I begged them to ditch the bags but they refused. Each one had to weigh more than each of them, we’d go faster if we left the bags but no… </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“We got the leftovers,” Michael said proudly. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ava hid hers behind her back; it was a losing battle to get them to drop them.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I whispered the plan quickly. We threw more rocks and the neighbors came out. The porch lights snapped on stopping the Shadow Men from following us. We saw them fidgeting in the shadows and licking their scarlet lips. They smiled at us twirling their hands in front of them.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGuxSwZVHFqKstuop6pAlvDx40H4QkahzeL9ojadRv6MT-2HEzr2PcMt17ydlQlJDW4lpKUDAlhglsoFsJ7761CzcYWUI_ebETEMJwfQyDOSB4GmRdywm1B3JiSyG7AzI1fKz-t8Ej9yu9/s1600/b+and+w+graveyard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGuxSwZVHFqKstuop6pAlvDx40H4QkahzeL9ojadRv6MT-2HEzr2PcMt17ydlQlJDW4lpKUDAlhglsoFsJ7761CzcYWUI_ebETEMJwfQyDOSB4GmRdywm1B3JiSyG7AzI1fKz-t8Ej9yu9/s200/b+and+w+graveyard.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We dashed around the block and down the back road behind Rochambeau. Once we hit our row of houses, we ducked into the backyards we knew like the back of our hands and hid behind the garbage bins. The shadow men were in hot pursuit but they lost sight of us and split up. We squatted behind the bins moving our lips in silent prayer. And gorging on chocolate bars for extra energy, whipping the wrappers in the trash. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We waited between our house and the William’s when I realized the guard might still be at the back door. Then we heard the car start in the garage. I made Ava and Michael huddle in the cellar window gutter. Good thing they were small, they just fit with their candy bags. Their heads barely cleared the ground. I circled around to the door of the garage. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Mom caught me in the glare of the headlights.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Where the heck have you been? Where’s your sister and brother?” She was ripping mad but I was so relieved she was alive. “Do you know it’s eleven o’clock at night?” Of course I knew it was night but I wasn’t about to tell her that then.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“There were so many houses. Ava and Michael are in the back yard.” I didn’t dare tell her they were in the window gutter, Dad’d punish us all for sure.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9HS6NDZuajjGtlg-Li4wxq_y62UUJ4aLOC9xjtUk19LMyW0JuNJA-rtqIfz8JVFF4Y-FOSaRBFd846Okzi1HG1lnzXp8UwBpuugFYTrC2z4FvXtpbTcvzJYRTO9K_j1OUCvZuPSFOqBg_/s1600/gross+cat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="135" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9HS6NDZuajjGtlg-Li4wxq_y62UUJ4aLOC9xjtUk19LMyW0JuNJA-rtqIfz8JVFF4Y-FOSaRBFd846Okzi1HG1lnzXp8UwBpuugFYTrC2z4FvXtpbTcvzJYRTO9K_j1OUCvZuPSFOqBg_/s200/gross+cat.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Well, go get them and get in the house right away. And just step over the Shadow Man, when you walk in. I had to kill one. Why they insist on coming here for Halloween I’ll never know. Children are not candy, they can’t just come to our house and expect us to give away our children…”</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“What? Yes, m’am,” I said scurrying through the back yard. Mom killed a Shadow Man? They Trick or Treat for <em>children?!</em></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Part three tomorrow at noon!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">photo credits: morguefile.com</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span>Karen McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00417540242558444954noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8083596664547999494.post-28949868137119423392010-10-23T12:51:00.000-04:002010-10-23T12:51:27.229-04:00Free Reads!<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hey everyone! I'm recuperating from the writing whirlwind at the Muse Online Writer's Conference. It was spectacular. I presented the workshop <em>Sacrificing Your Novel to the Editor Gods?</em> which I plan to available as a PDF on this blog soon. I took some great workshops on author promotion, making book trailers, and quick plotting. All of this is excellent info at any time but especially now, just before NaNoWriMo starts November 1st. Any one else doing NaNo this year? Please friend me! My id is Karen McGrath. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I've also been hostessing at the company blog for Muse for our Masquerade Festival in October. I posted a number of ghoul things, lol, and here is one of my free reads for the Tween Set. The next installment will publish tomorrow so stay tuned...</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: orange; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong>Shadow Trick or Treating </strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #e06666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">(the real reason parents accompany their children on Halloween nowadays...) </span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUjd59Wex314zE6z8Jv1JtygeSzZUps5eAVzvl6gwbdPaHQHz_pXLKaFBKjYo5IuqYTx9GUsIEubMdLz7x6x0VbX16UfDOws8XLMXV6ANJekwGB7hPvSzlGINbtzh8IAzCF4hqsOn3Tsid/s1600/wild+children.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUjd59Wex314zE6z8Jv1JtygeSzZUps5eAVzvl6gwbdPaHQHz_pXLKaFBKjYo5IuqYTx9GUsIEubMdLz7x6x0VbX16UfDOws8XLMXV6ANJekwGB7hPvSzlGINbtzh8IAzCF4hqsOn3Tsid/s200/wild+children.jpg" width="153" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Instead of the usual sheet with holes cut for eyes, I decided to wear black and a pointy hat Mom picked up from the local drugstore. The better to hide from the Shadows, I thought. My siblings were far more inventive with hobo outfits. The big day was here. We drooled for hours waiting for the sun to set and the moon to rise. Candy time!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We slipped the cases off our pillows and lined up at the back door for last minute instructions from Mom. Don’t go past Hope St., don’t go in the other direction past Main St. And only one street on either side of ours, Rochambeau. I tabbed it in my head. Seven blocks east to west, three streets north to south, counting both sides of the streets at ten houses a block, it was a little more than four hundred houses altogether! Maybe I should have grabbed another pillow case, just to make sure I could carry all the loot. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“And visit the William’s…” Mom was saying bringing me back from candy heaven. “They want to see your costumes. If anyone invites you inside their house, be polite but don’t wear out your welcome and stay together. I won’t be able to find you in the dark if you get separated.”</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“K, Mom, bye,” we called. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Watch out for the Shadow Men,” She yelled. Yeah, yeah, stupid legend. I saw one once but he ran when I yelled. That was two years ago. Supposedly they came here every Halloween but you know, that’s just one of those grown-up tricks to make you go home on time.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdIScK6srTGqVRpbwNFzmtPslznJHY9frv6BVEwYfVqm78AvdPphtL808MtQYlSt1Ze-q351hA19We4y-Qz0zC8z9WXpahmVX3os-QX4J5ar2se49NMi6UEvMqF151clxlMNRGMXFrs5ka/s1600/night+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdIScK6srTGqVRpbwNFzmtPslznJHY9frv6BVEwYfVqm78AvdPphtL808MtQYlSt1Ze-q351hA19We4y-Qz0zC8z9WXpahmVX3os-QX4J5ar2se49NMi6UEvMqF151clxlMNRGMXFrs5ka/s200/night+5.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I walked a lot faster than my baby sister and brother, leader of the motley pack that I was at twelve years old to their eight and nine. They beseeched me with dirty hobo-smeared faces as soon as we got out into the night.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“We’re going to the street behind the Temple. Do you want to go?” They asked, eyes shining with candy greed. Granted, Mom’d never know. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Yeah, let’s go!” I said, racing to the first house next to ours. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The William’s loved our costumes and told us to stop in on the way back home to show them our haul and have a cup of hot chocolate. We said yes, but the minute we hit the streets again, the idea vaporized as thoughts of chocolate danced in our minds.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Look, that house has no outside light but the living room one is on. Whaddya think?” Michael called. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Yeah, ring the bell.”</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We breathed heavy. I felt the sweat through my grease make-up. No answer. Drat… We trudged to the next house. No light. The next one, no light. The next one, a score – a handful of jawbreakers, yes! And a popcorn ball each, gross.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfmnLSLfQHO0W2934WbEe6tf2xo06gXq72PuTveusZxy62r82Ge6olZl-SKqJclKQhVOplss_t_iZIfAIzEAI3GM0GRNcLL9AIcdRiNjiDF35i55qieYLxtST5Ez5xug7xlhHaLE-yf_Yo/s1600/steps.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfmnLSLfQHO0W2934WbEe6tf2xo06gXq72PuTveusZxy62r82Ge6olZl-SKqJclKQhVOplss_t_iZIfAIzEAI3GM0GRNcLL9AIcdRiNjiDF35i55qieYLxtST5Ez5xug7xlhHaLE-yf_Yo/s200/steps.jpg" width="170" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The next one had a light, too. We fidgeted, banging on the door. My tunic was itchy.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Trick or Treat!” we screamed in unison as loud as we possibly could. A nice old lady handed us each an Almond Joy bar and we drooled into our pillowcases.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Are you goblins?” she asked in that baby voice all kids hate.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">She acted surprised that we weren’t. What is it with adults anyway? She even had her glasses on. We scrambled by some other kids pushing us on the way down the path to the sidewalk again. My brother fell in the leaves and the older kids laughed. Ava kicked one of their shins before the nice old lady distracted them with her goblin question. We heard the snickers.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Our regular route took hours it seemed and my feet hurt. By the time we got back to the Temple, our half way marker, most of the neighborhood kids were long gone, there were just a few teenagers running around boo-ing at stray kids. Michael was panting and Ava whimpered but we pressed on. We dragged ourselves to the extra street. This was where the rich people lived where the candy was always better.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Then I saw them. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Just out of the corner of my eye, mind you. </span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvFsJuwBN9GZ1qNvpzpcW-vlEcMYcz3x6rI7Bigu8suJ_3bcLvotAQWWzOHd5M7Baxp9hYktT_0McT5JRT64gQEfjKvdVB-nu-kOsXJb3bIzmKJjMAyINk0k5zXlDCYlA1YMGOk3fvsbTz/s1600/shadow+person.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvFsJuwBN9GZ1qNvpzpcW-vlEcMYcz3x6rI7Bigu8suJ_3bcLvotAQWWzOHd5M7Baxp9hYktT_0McT5JRT64gQEfjKvdVB-nu-kOsXJb3bIzmKJjMAyINk0k5zXlDCYlA1YMGOk3fvsbTz/s200/shadow+person.jpg" width="145" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Three of them in long black trench coats and top hats, faces whiter than the moon. They floated along and I held my breath. They spotted us and ducked behind some trees.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Look you two, we should go home. The shadow men are here.” I whispered huddling them together.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“What?” My brother asked incredulously, his eyes like saucers.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Yeah, keep it down, they’ll hear you! They saw us and hid in the trees, maybe they left. I don’t want them to catch us.”</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“For crying out loud, they’re ghosts, they can’t touch us,” my sister said, stomping her feet.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“I’m not so sure… and I don’t want to find out. They’re probably out ‘cause everyone will think they’re kids like us. They can get away with it, you know? I never heard of them actually taking a kid but we better hurry home.” </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My brother shook in his sneakers and my sister pouted.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Alright,” I said giving in. They’d never agree to call it a night. “I’ll wait here in the bushes for you, ok? If they follow you, I’ll run around the other block and meet you at the end and we’ll take the other way home, got it? If you don’t see me, come back here and get me before you head home.”</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Two little hobo faces nodded quickly with gleaming eyes. I saw candy dancing in their eyes, I was sure of it. And I was left alone to guard. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“You guys owe me.” They double scout promised me extra M & M’s before I let them take off.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAOCBgnnFGjkphZWrTa3qWW3WqEhtX6J9LeBKT_Kx3_RkNYHiKGlZNuQn6aK3CiWGo026Qa11WETGCozlu7Joxw-pTCfLNl57Ph6sbtRXh1UIt2LYMXht2okKer0N6LJTHkUttVNHqrzEi/s1600/pumpkin+in+dark.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAOCBgnnFGjkphZWrTa3qWW3WqEhtX6J9LeBKT_Kx3_RkNYHiKGlZNuQn6aK3CiWGo026Qa11WETGCozlu7Joxw-pTCfLNl57Ph6sbtRXh1UIt2LYMXht2okKer0N6LJTHkUttVNHqrzEi/s200/pumpkin+in+dark.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">They looked both ways and tore into the new street. I found a small bush and set up camp behind it. I would have loved some of that hot chocolate from the William’s right about then. The wind whipped through my hair and my sweaty tunic making me colder by the minute. I hunkered down rubbing my sore calves that felt like aching lead weights.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Then I heard them...</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Part two will publish tomorrow at noon so stay tuned!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">photo credits: morguefile.com</span>Karen McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00417540242558444954noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8083596664547999494.post-7920482161411535062010-10-08T18:08:00.000-04:002010-10-08T18:08:44.504-04:00The Seven Stages of Editing Grief<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB1U5WI4dEpzjliWN7c1LCYX7dX7Kmqxs6qSKrd3CT1qytNuWg-7212rt4W4oZkbQsy2ar6gqbmtmZe8Vnq59CeHVdMB9-unnr4pX3Tzn7UkOoNW2vggQcm_3LWDavf2xeLy3mEMY7HKFc/s1600/file2731261134392.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ex="true" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB1U5WI4dEpzjliWN7c1LCYX7dX7Kmqxs6qSKrd3CT1qytNuWg-7212rt4W4oZkbQsy2ar6gqbmtmZe8Vnq59CeHVdMB9-unnr4pX3Tzn7UkOoNW2vggQcm_3LWDavf2xeLy3mEMY7HKFc/s200/file2731261134392.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Next week I'll be at the Muse Online Writer's Conference. I have the entire week reserved to enjoy all the workshops! Today and next Friday, we'll forego Thirteen Questions in light of the Conference. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For today, here's a preview of one of my hand-outs for my one-day workshop on editing. If you'll be at the Conference, please stop in for a visit! It's called <em>Sacrificing Your Novel to the Editor Gods? </em>at the MuseItUp Publishing forum.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Verdana; font-size: large;">The Seven Stages of Editing Grief</span><br />
<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Verdana;">by Karen McGrath</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Editing is a process. Sometimes writers go through editing grief. If this happens to you, please don’t feel bad, it’s very common. It’s next to impossible to edit your own work. I’m an editor and I still need one myself. My backyard looks lovely from my kitchen window but I’m sure my neighbor can see the weeds growing near the porch – that I can’t see! We all have blind spots and use comfort words. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My goal is to fix any editing issue while preserving your unique voice in your manuscript. If at any time you feel uncomfortable with an editing change, please let me know so we can work it out. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here are the stages. They’re funny but they do happen! </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1. Denial - "That editor doesn't know what she's talking about. My manuscript was fine 'til she got hold of it." </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2. Pain & Guilt - “I can't believe this is such a mess. If only I used that word there, I wouldn't be stung by that stupid red pen." </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3. Anger - "What the *%$&# does that chick think she's doing? Does she even know how to write?" </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">4. Depression - "Why did my publisher ever send me a contract? I should have been an architect." </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">5. Acquiescence - "Well, maybe I should look at this and see what she has to say. I mean, she's supposed to fix things, right? How bad can it be?" </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">6. Reconstruction - "Hey, this is fairly decent, in fact some of these changes make the story stand out a little better than before." </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">7. Hope - "Wow, this is pretty cool. I wonder what else I can fix to make it more compelling?!" </span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggkGfM-xQU6DthV9ZC-GS-qv6ySIpDfqz4mqVc4587HmYYfMuhOQX1C6wt2tpdrY0j4bk18oQ10Gz6xetT-_4OC6xs-59m49toZ1bvb158Ql3K_wojyl34u3le4aXwXU8eVGo6MKmpCJeY/s1600/file0001177647008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" ex="true" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggkGfM-xQU6DthV9ZC-GS-qv6ySIpDfqz4mqVc4587HmYYfMuhOQX1C6wt2tpdrY0j4bk18oQ10Gz6xetT-_4OC6xs-59m49toZ1bvb158Ql3K_wojyl34u3le4aXwXU8eVGo6MKmpCJeY/s200/file0001177647008.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It really is a process. Sometimes when you get done with the first edit, you find so many other things, it’s like layers. Other times you edit something out and discover you liked it better the first way later on. This is all normal, don’t worry. You don’t have to be a grammar pro to write well. And every writer needs an editor!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">08/2010</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span>Karen McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00417540242558444954noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8083596664547999494.post-70738849130299657132010-10-01T14:30:00.000-04:002010-10-01T14:30:22.288-04:00Thirteen Questions for Debra K. Dunlap<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPfhjVU_9QQbiSAkm1US3PfpY5rw6Azllcu_nqGt2de4-D8ikvYI1rhwEQiRpa2MY9bdx5NdQap1rA39kbLm2ULuB9ZnrY5KceoSX88RxAXhXrIXGvB4SrvY4ch6VehFKP1V1fLWSTcfvR/s1600/Debra+K.+Dunlap.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPfhjVU_9QQbiSAkm1US3PfpY5rw6Azllcu_nqGt2de4-D8ikvYI1rhwEQiRpa2MY9bdx5NdQap1rA39kbLm2ULuB9ZnrY5KceoSX88RxAXhXrIXGvB4SrvY4ch6VehFKP1V1fLWSTcfvR/s200/Debra+K.+Dunlap.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Today I have the pleasure of introducing Debra K. Dunlap to Boston daydreaming… Debra is an author at MuseItUp Publishing. Her debut YA novel, <em>Fallon O'Reilly and the Ice Queen's Lair</em>, released in September 2010. Debra weaves together her education, love of Alaska and experience as a Children’s Librarian to create a hidden world of magic in the far north.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>ksm:</strong> Debra, thank you for joining me today and answering these questions. It’s great to have you here. My readers are excited to learn more about you and your work. Congratulations on your contract with MuseItUp Publishing.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Debra:</strong> Thank you for inviting me, Karen!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>ksm:</strong> You know I have to ask this, when and why did you start writing?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Debra:</strong> I wrote my first “novel” at age twelve using a toy typewriter. The title escapes me, but I had read a book about a group of children who found an underground world. I wanted to find my own underground wonders, so I begged my parents for a typewriter for Christmas. As soon as I unwrapped the gift, I carried it to my room and wrote the entire masterpiece in a day. Thankfully, it’s long lost!</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>ksm:</strong> Please tell me a little about your book.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Debra:</strong> Fallon O’Reilly & the Ice Queen’s Lair is the first book in the Magic in the Americas series. Set in the Alaskan wilderness, the book tells the tale of a young girl’s first year of magical education. Together with her wheelchair-bound cousin and new friend from Wyoming, she seeks the source of a great evil in Alaska and fights to protect her school and friends.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>ksm:</strong> What inspired you to write this book and why did you choose to write this in the YA genre?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Debra:</strong> An interviewer asked J.K. Rowling if she planned to introduce any Americans or other nationalities in her books. She replied…if anyone wants to write about American wizards they are, of course, free to write their own book. I started wondering how an American magic school would differ and ultimately, a plot began to unfold. When my oldest son referred to my living room as “the ice queen’s lair,” I had an ah-ha moment and that became the title.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I enjoy both reading and writing in the YA genre. I think as adults bogged down by worries and responsibilities, we forget that the world is a wondrous place. To me, YA literature imparts that sense of marveling at the world. How can one not wake up every morning in awe at a world where you can listen to Ode to Joy?</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>ksm:</strong> Did you do any research for the book and what was it?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Debra:</strong> I spent a great deal of time researching before I began writing. As an Alaskan, I am familiar with assorted historical figures and events, but I refreshed my memory on those so I wouldn’t make mistakes! Latin words were next on my list and there’s a great online English-to-Latin dictionary (</span><a href="http://catholic.archives.nd.edu/cgi-bin/lookdown.pl"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">http://catholic.archives.nd.edu/cgi-bin/lookdown.pl</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">). As my research sources, I use my home library, local public library and the internet.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>ksm:</strong> They say that books choose their authors. How has writing this particular book affected you?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Debra:</strong> It made me terribly homesick for Alaska! Although I live in Wyoming now, I’ve spent most of my life in Alaska. My parents moved from Missouri to homestead in Alaska when I was a baby, so I grew up in the wilderness. It’s a fantastically beautifully and rugged place.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>ksm:</strong> What do you want readers to take from your writing? What do you want them to understand and why?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Debra:</strong> I wrote the book mostly as entertainment, although you will find hints of the importance of family relationships and a portrayal of a few Americanisms. Those things will become more obvious later in the series. In the simplest terms, I think I’d like people to understand that things will always get better. You know, sort of “Don’t worry. Be happy.”</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>ksm:</strong> Longhand or typing? Do you carry a notebook with you all the time?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Debra:</strong> Neither! Keyboarding only! We have a typewriter at work and it’s my arch-enemy, a thing of dread. Give me my laptop! I don’t carry a notebook, but I use my Droid for note-taking when I’m away from home and want to jot down ideas.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>ksm:</strong> Do you consider yourself a full-time writer or do you have a day job? Where do you see yourself in five years?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Debra:</strong> I have a full-time job, so I write whenever I can manage the time. I would love to be writing full-time in five years!</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>ksm:</strong> Are you working on any new projects? Can you give us a short preview?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Debra:</strong> I’m working on several things, like the second book in the Magic in the Americas series. I recently finished a new novel unrelated to the series. In this novel, a fifteen year-old girl finds herself responsible for sixteen orphaned children when the King’s army destroys her village. I’m also plotting a “boy book,” but that hasn’t been committed to paper yet.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>ksm:</strong> What is the hardest thing for you as a writer?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Debra:</strong> Time, time! With a full-time job, a new fixer-upper house in dire need of remodeling and family commitments, it’s hard to find time for writing.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>ksm:</strong> Do you have any pearls of wisdom to pass on to aspiring writers?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Debra:</strong> Get started! It amazes me that so many people tell me they’ve always thought of writing a book. Just do it! It can’t hurt and you might surprise yourself with a terrific story.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>ksm:</strong> Can you tell us what your favorite pastime is? (other than writing!)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Debra:</strong> There are many things I enjoy, but reading is at the top of the list.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>ksm:</strong> If you could do anything you’d like, go anywhere in the world without time or money constraints, what would you do and why?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Debra:</strong> I’d spend time castle-hopping in Scotland and soaking up the history, partly for pure fun and partly because that’s my ancestry. Next, I’d head to Iceland to ride the horses and read the sagas in the original Old Norse. My list would be endless if I truly had no money or time limits!</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>ksm:</strong> Thanks for sharing your time with us, Debra! How can fans find, follow and friend you? </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Debra:</strong> Here are a few places:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<a href="http://museituppublishing.com/"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">http://museituppublishing.com/</span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<a href="http://debrakdunlap.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">http://debrakdunlap.blogspot.com/</span></a><br />
<a href="http://www.manicreaders.com/DebraKDunlap/"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">http://www.manicreaders.com/DebraKDunlap/</span></a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://debrakdunlap.com/"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">http://debrakdunlap.com</span></a><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My blog and website both need updating. I promise I will do it as soon as I can! On Facebook, I am “Debra Dunlap.” People are welcome to email me at: dkdunlap2002@yahoo.com .</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Thank you so much for inviting me, Karen. I’ve enjoyed answering your questions!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>ksm:</strong> Fallon O'Reilly is an excellent read! Here's the buy link for everyone. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><a href="http://museituppublishing.com/bookstore2/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=27&category_id=6&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=1&vmcchk=1&Itemid=1">http://museituppublishing.com/bookstore2/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=27&category_id=6&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=1&vmcchk=1&Itemid=1</a></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKhjswkcsmrYjKRrQZBnlvFDtVFCDXCgnyO08nfgLBGpAFwZkF9hDq4gT20vuBygvVoCo3YkI_UnrgE7WGYPFuUZHbAIVvM1mLq0u7MuOuoNzIwVPb5gtBVz7T1obNGowxz8iEjgyf6ft-/s1600/fallon333x500rgb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKhjswkcsmrYjKRrQZBnlvFDtVFCDXCgnyO08nfgLBGpAFwZkF9hDq4gT20vuBygvVoCo3YkI_UnrgE7WGYPFuUZHbAIVvM1mLq0u7MuOuoNzIwVPb5gtBVz7T1obNGowxz8iEjgyf6ft-/s200/fallon333x500rgb.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>Karen McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00417540242558444954noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8083596664547999494.post-3384180119173801532010-09-24T08:42:00.000-04:002010-09-24T08:42:49.268-04:00Thirteen Questions for David J. Normoyle<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAcr7nK5nIp-xEF9oyMCp4V4a3FB9u8KLSPmWB36WCtRb5zwl_8rPQT7ALpCCk_Pf_fbv3xr3EynN2CTmqzaTUeHPUNL5xDTjuQNvVuBzdkQiwBClAa3vLYyyWQwdBmTRFFb1FNSUgkBKL/s1600/David+J.+Normoyle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAcr7nK5nIp-xEF9oyMCp4V4a3FB9u8KLSPmWB36WCtRb5zwl_8rPQT7ALpCCk_Pf_fbv3xr3EynN2CTmqzaTUeHPUNL5xDTjuQNvVuBzdkQiwBClAa3vLYyyWQwdBmTRFFb1FNSUgkBKL/s200/David+J.+Normoyle.jpg" width="132" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Today I have the pleasure of introducing David J. Normoyle to Thirteen Questions at Boston daydreaming… David is an author at MuseItUp Publishing. His debut YA novel, Crimson Dream, is under contract releasing in February 2011. David is a thirty-five-year-old Irishman residing in Dublin. He’s an electronic engineer but he says he’s taking a break from that right now and kicking up his heels in Columbia where he’s writing, but not as often as he should! </span></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Welcome to Boston daydreaming… David. It’s great to have you here today. Thanks for joining us and answering these questions. My readers are thrilled to learn more about you and your work. Congratulations on your contract with MuseItUp Publishing.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>ksm:</strong> You know I have to ask this, when and why did you start writing?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>David:</strong> I started emailing travel updates to friends and family while traveling in Latin America. They expanded from a few paragraphs to full blown stories where I'd spend hours in an internet cafe writing them up and then I'd email them to myself, and come back the next day to edit them before sending them back home. Or I'd email them to myself again for one more edit the next day. (Back then editing three times seemed ridiculous, little did I know...) You can read one of those travel stories on my website.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">That was about six years ago and I started work on my first novel when I returned. That novel became Crimson Dream. (The six years involved quite a few stops and starts.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>ksm:</strong> What an interesting beginning. Please tell me a little about Crimson Dream.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>David:</strong> It's a young adult fantasy, set in a world where one nation became dominant. The hero's people think they have escaped this nation by fleeing to a remote valley. Then the hero foresees his sister's death at the hands of soldiers from this dominant nation, and the story begins...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>ksm:</strong> What inspired you to write this book and why did you choose to write this in the YA genre?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>David:</strong> I adore fantasy novels. I've read the first four books of Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time over five times. And some of my favourite characters start young and then change and grow such as Raymond Feist's Pug in Magician. So I wanted to write a fantasy with a young main character.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The idea I came up with was a teenager who dreams that his sister will be killed by soldiers of an evil empire. How would he cope? Would he be able to stop them?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When I finished writing the book, I realised it was more suitable to the YA genre than mainstream. I tend to avoid descriptions and try to get to the heart of the action quickly. That along with the length of the book and the young main characters made YA it's natural home.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Given my style, I'll deliberately aim on writing YA for the next few books at least.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>ksm:</strong> Did you do any research for the book and what was it?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>David:</strong> Most of the research I did on this book involved learning how to write. I spent a great deal of time studying the art and craft of writing over the last five years. There wasn't a huge amount of specific research for this book. My next one, on the other hand, has boatloads of research. Luckily, we have the internet these days.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>ksm:</strong> They say that books choose their authors. How has writing this particular book affected you?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>David:</strong> If it has affected me, I'm not sure how. (I probably need to work on my self-awareness.) Art tells more about the artist than the subject, and I definitely think there is plenty of me in the depths of the book, but I don't care to delve too deeply.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>ksm:</strong> What do you want readers to take from your writing? What do you want them to understand and why?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>David:</strong> I want readers to be entertained. I write to tell a story, not to send a message. Of course there are themes and elements that, say, modern teenagers can relate to despite the fantasy element. However I just let them come out naturally and don't realize they are there unless I look for them. If I've done my job well, certain parts will resonate with different readers.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>ksm:</strong> That’s so true, David. Do you prefer longhand or typing? Do you carry a notebook with you all the time?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>David:</strong> I don't carry a notebook with me. Unfortunately, I don't get writing inspiration from Heaven as often as most writers seem to do. I have to sit down in front of my computer and force the ideas out. Any random writing thoughts I get, I let percolate. If I forget them before I get a chance to write them down, they possibly weren't worth the ink.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I find that when I'm writing longhand, I write in ideas and snippets and thoughts. When I'm typing I write in sentences and scenes. So outlines are done on paper and the first draft is done on screen. It works out to be a pretty good system. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>ksm:</strong> Do you consider yourself a full-time writer or do you have a day job? Where do you see yourself in five years?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>David:</strong> I'm taking a career break from electronic engineering and I'm traveling and writing at the moment. But I don't spend enough time writing to consider myself a full-time writer.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I've no plan and like to follow any opportunities or adventures that crop up. So I'd like to be somewhere in five years that I could never imagine now.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>ksm:</strong> Are you working on any new projects? Can you give us a short preview?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>David:</strong> I'm working on a book about a teenager who lives through both Norse and Greek myths in my head and uses the lessons he learns to help himself through his real life problems. I think I have an exciting concept but have a long way to go yet. Hopefully the final version will live up to the potential.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>ksm:</strong> That sounds very interesting. What is the hardest thing for you as a writer?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>David:</strong> Getting first drafts out. I love editing and refining, but put that blank page in front of me, and I'll think of any excuse not to start writing.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>ksm:</strong> Do you have any pearls of wisdom to pass on to aspiring writers?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>David:</strong> I think the best advice I've heard is just get your butt in the chair and start writing. Once you do that, everything else is possible. It's still bloody hard from that point, but once you get words on a page you have something to work with. After that, I don't think there's many general pearls of wisdom. Like most things in life, it takes hard work to achieve anything and there's no shortcut. I have some more advice and some writing links on my website if you want to check that out.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>ksm:</strong> Can you tell us what your favorite pastime is? (other than writing!)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>David:</strong> Like most writers, one of my favourite pastimes is reading. I guess I could say traveling is another major one if that counts as a hobby.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>ksm:</strong> If you could do anything you’d like, go anywhere in the world without time or money constraints, what would you do and why?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>David:</strong> This is a strange question for me because it's not hypothetical. I don't have many commitments and am good at saving money and taking career breaks. So I've lived a year in Australia and nine months on a backpacking trip in Latin America. I've spent a number of months in Asia and Africa. These days I prefer to go to a country and stay in the same place and get to know the area and the people well, rather than traveling around as much. So, to answer your question, I'd choose to go Colombia because it's got good weather, has a nice lifestyle and the people are really friendly. (It's not nearly as dangerous as it's reputation, it's quite safe.) And here I am. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>ksm:</strong> Living in so many places will give you a lot of details for your future books, I think. Thank you for joining us, David! How can fans find, follow and friend you? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>David:</strong> Check me out on my website <a href="http://www.davidjnormoyle.com/">http://www.davidjnormoyle.com/</a>. And follow me on my Facebook page: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/David-J-Normoyle/157832707561908">http://www.facebook.com/pages/David-J-Normoyle/157832707561908</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn5rLpOrWgOYbZs4-nc5LOTjeTPBNzd-JqlPb2Ps-CvGyJHwwH9E7qzEJBR9YgwNZAem8R2nxMr-d0EEg7d5nq50wrEgwieQ4cBf8zp65YIE2dbu-JoU3AnVHbegm1bTbr5cq0Hm6vZfpP/s1600/Crimson+Dream.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn5rLpOrWgOYbZs4-nc5LOTjeTPBNzd-JqlPb2Ps-CvGyJHwwH9E7qzEJBR9YgwNZAem8R2nxMr-d0EEg7d5nq50wrEgwieQ4cBf8zp65YIE2dbu-JoU3AnVHbegm1bTbr5cq0Hm6vZfpP/s200/Crimson+Dream.jpg" width="131" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong>Crimson Dream</strong></span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Haunted by a dream of his beloved sister's death, an asthmatic seer leads his people against a long forgotten enemy.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Blurb:</strong></span></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Centuries ago, Deren's people fled to a hidden valley deep in the mountains chased by the Domain whose powerful Seers could not find them.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Deren’s safe world disintegrates when his vision foretells his sister’s death by a Domain soldier. Deren can't defend Bennie because of his asthmatic attacks, so he trains her in archery and prepares his people for war against their ancient foe.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As the invasion advances, Bennie's mastery of the bow leads her along unexpected paths. Although she hates killing, she must make hard choices. Her loved ones will die if she doesn't help them.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Will Bennie’s encounter with an enemy prince prove the key to survival? Can Deren overcome his physical weaknesses and the doubts of his own father to lead his people?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">With fate and overwhelming force stacked against them, it seems their best efforts will be in vain.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Excerpt:</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Deren tried to get up to help Oso and Bennie and fell onto his back. He began to gasp, his breath labouring through his lungs, fighting for every mouthful. He took deep sucking drags of air, clutching his neck with his hands. His own lungs were drowning him, refusing to breathe. He looked into the sky, thinking he would die. Although it was only twilight, a ghostly moon peeked over the trees.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Whistling noises crept up and down his throat. He prayed to the Goddess of the Moon. Yenara, help me. Please, don't let me die. Bennie needs me. Please.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A face swam across his vision. "Deren, are you okay?" the face asked. "Deren, try to calm yourself."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The voice was laden with worry. A hand touched the side of his face. Warm drops landed on his forehead. "Don't give up on me," the voice said in a fierce whisper.</span>Karen McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00417540242558444954noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8083596664547999494.post-6734785916268475112010-09-17T20:13:00.000-04:002010-09-17T20:13:20.984-04:00Thirteen Questions for Lea Schizas<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwkO9pINMUJxKpfXK20Uyn0670-BiwFSxGjENbVG1O0zdDo9O2CiwQWckL8fIDBWrrjqyTouy_qTr-cMtVl5dYO-NzxzDc6yDKK4tdLTq_gyV2_khdnW7x56PweWDQti-a_I_sii0FsU-f/s1600/lea.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" qx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwkO9pINMUJxKpfXK20Uyn0670-BiwFSxGjENbVG1O0zdDo9O2CiwQWckL8fIDBWrrjqyTouy_qTr-cMtVl5dYO-NzxzDc6yDKK4tdLTq_gyV2_khdnW7x56PweWDQti-a_I_sii0FsU-f/s200/lea.jpg" width="146" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Today I have the pleasure of introducing Lea Schizas. Lea is an award winning author, an edtior, a publisher, and she has just debuted her new middle grade series, <em>The Mystery Adventures of Jillian Waylan</em>. </span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">She is the founder of the award-winning ezine Apollo's Lyre, co-founder of the FREE and award-winning Muse Online Writers Conference held each year during October, founder of the award-winning MuseItUp Community, and publisher of MuseItUp and MuseItHot Publishing. </span></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Ksm:</strong> Greetings Lea and thanks for joining me here for my author series, Thirteen Questions. My readers are excited to learn more about you and your work. Congratulations on your contract with MuseItUp Publishing. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You know I have to ask this, when and why did you start writing?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Lea:</strong> Many have already heard that I began writing from within my mom’s womb when I mistook the umbilical cord for a neat writing implement. Long cord, plenty of organs to write on...hehe.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I began writing as a young tot because I was an avid reader and always said, “I can do this.” Watching the faces of my childhood friends as I read them a few of my ghost stories was always neat and exciting and that passion has never left me. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I write to entertain.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Ksm:</strong> Please tell us a little about your book.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj62eMCVWWDRKqFrZNl6Cs-l3xGB3GffUB4AcoI_aLF472jxg41WONP73nnzAM3q6jjVvfsK1iLSYeRPBBVL8cBpQVLWkh9zyAY-c160xm85FyxvjrkBjOP3qQCkC8NqoNyophwlDyPQ2SP/s1600/DinoTrip_200X300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" qx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj62eMCVWWDRKqFrZNl6Cs-l3xGB3GffUB4AcoI_aLF472jxg41WONP73nnzAM3q6jjVvfsK1iLSYeRPBBVL8cBpQVLWkh9zyAY-c160xm85FyxvjrkBjOP3qQCkC8NqoNyophwlDyPQ2SP/s200/DinoTrip_200X300.jpg" width="133" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Lea:</strong> <em>The Mystery Adventures of Jillian Waylan</em> came to me when my youngest kept complaining how she loves history and hates when her friends complain that it’s boring. So I asked her do you think they’d be more interested in history if it was in a fictional book, with fun characters traveling and meeting these historical figures and times? Her head nodded and shook as though it was going to fall off. I took that as a yes.</span></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One of her favorite series was <em>The Magic School Bus</em> so I fashioned the idea close to that but with my own personal touches. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Each book will take Jillian and a few of her friends back in time to meet historical figures or in a period their history teacher has a lesson on. The twist to this series is that each book will contain a clue. A clue to what you ask?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In book one, "The Halloween Dino Trip", Jillian is preparing for her first Halloween Bash. She discovers an old and tattered witch’s spell book in her big, black Halloween tent her dad put up for the party. She figures one of her parents bought the prop since she’s dressing up as a witch…until…</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">She chants playfully one of the passages in the book to her friends that night…</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And suddenly…</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Her party is invaded with dinosaurs.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Basically, in each book, Jillian tries to get rid of the witch’s spell book and that book keeps ending up in front of her, so who is placing that book there?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Ksm:</strong> How fun, I love a mystery. What inspired you to write this book and why did you choose to write this genre?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Lea:</strong> It’s actually a tween chapter book for middle grade, but fun for all ages—a family book to read and enjoy. Short and sweet. As to why I wrote it my answer above explains it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Ksm:</strong> Did you do any research for this book?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Lea:</strong> Yes, I searched through several dinosaur fact books to get the times, plants, and periods correct because in "The Halloween Dino Trip" the children will go through three distinct periods.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Ksm</strong>: They say that books choose their authors. How has writing this particular book affected you?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Lea:</strong> It furthered my passion to write more fun and educational books for this age group. When I finished this first book I read it to several children in that target audience. They were my beta testers. Asked them several questions on the characters, the topic, ease of understanding, and more to get feedback. Just the look on their faces while I read inspired and fortified that more books needed to be written.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Ksm:</strong> What do you want readers to take from your writing? What do you want them to understand and why?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Lea:</strong> I’m not sure I want them to understand anything in particular other than the hope they fall in love with my simplistic writer’s voice and come back for more because they enjoyed the read.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Ksm:</strong> I can vouch for this, it's very entertaining, I loved it. Longhand or typing? Do you carry a notebook with you all the time?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Lea:</strong> I do both…always. If I begin a story on the computer then I open my notebook to jot down the last paragraph where I left off and continue the story longhand just to get off the computer for a spell. If it’s the reverse, then I type what I wrote longhand into the ‘puter. So the stories are always moving forward in one way or the other.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Ksm:</strong> Do you consider yourself a full-time writer or do you have a day job? Where do you see yourself in five years?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Lea:</strong> I used to own a hair salon but closed shop about five years ago to pursue a fulltime writing career. And where do I see myself in five years? Honestly? I don’t see ‘myself’ but I see a unit called MuseItUp Publishing in five years with a reputable and solid name, one both writers and readers know they can contact or purchase books through our bookstore and know the customer service is there for them always. And I say ‘unit’ not because I don’t visualize my career, but I have a habit of including others in my dream and they are as much a part of my success, so rightfully deserve to be included.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Ksm:</strong> Lea, you are one of the few people I know who open their blogs for other authors. You really are a team person. Are you working on any new projects? Can you give us a short preview?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Lea:</strong> Right now I haven’t had a chance to work on new or old projects because around this time of the year I am swamped with my Muse Online Writers Conference, but yes, I have several projects I need to finish in this lifetime, one of them being book two in the Jillian Waylan series where the kids go to Greece, to the Temple of Zeus.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Ksm:</strong> That sounds like a lot of fun. What is the hardest thing for you as a writer?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Lea:</strong> It’s not time because I’m a fulltime at-home writer.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It’s not ideas because I have enough of them for several lifetimes.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It’s the interruptions while my Muse is on a roll that bother me. If I could I would opt for an island, isolated just me and my computer to finish my books.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Ksm:</strong> Do you have any pearls of wisdom to pass on to aspiring writers?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-78jAY6yuN8p5GNGJpNOAaOqpfiI4-ySAArF8dambTUKG4_y6CWc5trDvtjOMGNy4IE9kr3Easm-nM_uDOPOG4LZwU2-unR2iLkj1khjktKcppdNDP8xsf4m2vAkZh72ipf7NDRohGdKL/s1600/2010Banner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" qx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-78jAY6yuN8p5GNGJpNOAaOqpfiI4-ySAArF8dambTUKG4_y6CWc5trDvtjOMGNy4IE9kr3Easm-nM_uDOPOG4LZwU2-unR2iLkj1khjktKcppdNDP8xsf4m2vAkZh72ipf7NDRohGdKL/s200/2010Banner.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Lea:</strong> Yes, don’t frown at rejections. Take them and allow them to strengthen your will that you can do it. Rejections are part of a writer’s life and the sooner writers realize this the sooner they will discard that negativity streaming through them, threatening their Muse and all their writing passion. Rejections are like bad reviews but at times these reviews explain why they felt the book wasn’t up to par. Be objective and really ‘see’ what they are telling you, then go back to your story and improve.</span></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Also, never send out a first draft. Editing typos doesn’t make it a thorough and fleshed out draft. Go over the entire story looking for several things through each draft:</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Characters different from one another and not mirror images?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Characters believable?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Dialogue moves story forward or repetitive and mundane?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Five senses used to bring the story alive for the reader? Can they see, smell, touch, hear, taste the surroundings?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">These are just some things to help further flesh out a manuscript. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Ksm:</strong> That is excellent advice, thank you for sharing it. Can you tell us what your favorite pastime is? (other than writing!)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Lea:</strong> Shoot…editing…reading…going to the movies…used to crochet dolls and sell them at fairs or give them away…communicating with writers.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Ksm:</strong> If you could do anything you’d like, go anywhere in the world without time or money constraints, what would you do and why?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Lea</strong>: Oh, if money would not be an issue and I had tons of it I would definitely buy myself an island like I mentioned but make it into a writers retreat where blue skies, blue calm waters, trees, and peace and quiet are your friends.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Ksm:</strong> Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to join us here on Boston daydreaming. How can fans find, follow and friend you? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Lea:</strong> The easiest way to follow me is to visit my conference website because that’s where I am going to add my personal info from now on. There’s no page for me there yet but the conference site is:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.themuseonlinewritersconference.com/">http://www.themuseonlinewritersconference.com/</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I also have a website that needs updating: <a href="http://www.leaschizas.com/">http://www.leaschizas.com/</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Also, you can follow my series here:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="https://museituppublishing.com/bookstore2/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=48&category_id=10&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=1">https://museituppublishing.com/bookstore2/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=48&category_id=10&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=1</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Twitter: @museitupeditor or @MusePublishing</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Blogs: <a href="http://thewritingjungle.blogspot.com/">http://thewritingjungle.blogspot.com/</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> <a href="http://museituppublishing.blogspot.com/">http://museituppublishing.blogspot.com/</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> <a href="http://museithot.blogspot.com/">http://museithot.blogspot.com/</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Thank you, Karen, for hosting me today. I had a blast.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>Ksm:</strong> You can buy "The Halloween Dino Trip" <a href="https://museituppublishing.com/bookstore2/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=48&category_id=10&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=1">here</a> and read an excerpt. Here is the blurb, also on the buy page.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Blurb for "The Halloween Dino Trip":</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Jillian is planning her first big Halloween party and hopes the weather holds out</span><br />
<br />
<br />
Well, the weather does...but after Jillian, in her witch's outfit playfully chants the following from a prop witch's spell book:<br />
<br />
“Changes are due…<br />
Not many but a few<br />
To meet your history<br />
And see it’s not misery<br />
Ghosts will abound<br />
Trekking all around<br />
For you will now travel<br />
In a land full of marvel”<br />
<br />
Everyone is in for the surprise of their life. Her backyard is gone. In its place greenery filled with tall trees, a variety of bushes, and...DINOSAURS?<br />
.Karen McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00417540242558444954noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8083596664547999494.post-10462848950168994112010-09-11T16:56:00.000-04:002010-09-11T16:56:15.779-04:00The Muse Reader's Group<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPzklcTQHkwBR-6WdzL0oPgaGU5K8YxgxZMXuijaAiDnt69ARJFZo44VAjxdjUXTAouR4xmT_hyJDQPCPAquNrm9eAt6CyyuSrhR3f-PqtrAuE-3R59dOpx9odkdzcrGet0Wyja4Lcb0GB/s1600/MusePublishingbanner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="176" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPzklcTQHkwBR-6WdzL0oPgaGU5K8YxgxZMXuijaAiDnt69ARJFZo44VAjxdjUXTAouR4xmT_hyJDQPCPAquNrm9eAt6CyyuSrhR3f-PqtrAuE-3R59dOpx9odkdzcrGet0Wyja4Lcb0GB/s320/MusePublishingbanner.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It’s time, to announce what Muse has in store for everyone...one surprise at a time.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Beginning October 1st, and on the first of each month, one lucky reader will win a FREE e-book.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The rules you ask?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Join our discussions, ask our authors questions, have fun with us, that’s it. Participate and you have a chance to be one of our monthly winners.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">To join our readers group go here:Give your friends the link above and ask them to join us too. Come October things are going to begin hopping and a'boppin' all over the place.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Please join the reader's group here:</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">http://ca.groups.yahoo.com/group/MusePub_Readers/</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But that’s not all:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Join us in our readers group for our December 1st Launch Party and you will have a chance to be one of our two lucky winners:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">First prize: a year’s worth of ebooks (12 in total)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Second prize: six month’s worth of ebooks (6 in total)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hold on, we’ve got more...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Between October 1st and 31st we’re hosting a Masquerade Blog Festival. Each day one of our authors will entertain you with a variety of posts, from short stories, recipes, historical facts of the Halloween season, to decorating tips. In-between these posts there will be random YouTube videos posted and the first reader who jumps in the loop and calls out the title of the song posted will have his or her choice of any one of our released or soon to be released e-books. If soon-to-be-released you will receive the e-book once it debuts.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So tell your friends to join us because we’ve got tons of goodies in store for you each month.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjjktWWV-DFC_FOurtB1Oby1XIQuQTjALQFCxiij5nwUSvNH8aUZB4Zm1MDphFjYKl01Aht9lpLqw2kUoTiBCPZZgiVOPMJvjZGPg4I4NFkGmOfQVcTYe6d-FTL13O-0z0KbzdFQTccXar/s1600/beach+banner.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="67" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjjktWWV-DFC_FOurtB1Oby1XIQuQTjALQFCxiij5nwUSvNH8aUZB4Zm1MDphFjYKl01Aht9lpLqw2kUoTiBCPZZgiVOPMJvjZGPg4I4NFkGmOfQVcTYe6d-FTL13O-0z0KbzdFQTccXar/s400/beach+banner.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> <a href="http://museituppublishing.com/musepub/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=90&Itemid=82">Please visit my author page at Muse</a></span></div><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a name='more'></a><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div></span>Karen McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00417540242558444954noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8083596664547999494.post-55820927479265766532010-09-01T14:46:00.000-04:002010-09-01T14:46:04.964-04:00Watch out for the Subaru<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWZ-R29vQEfUFXk6eCE7S1kbiDmDI3c0CBaguRbvQ80gtenUrKzNyDC5EdnAnYzCR1IeDLdWPmunz4gslr6l4yGVJlyVq3EpxPSc21jrYPi-9VeqSG0JoF6f_I_qopsdbHpIz2az0xOfVv/s1600/living+room.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="143" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWZ-R29vQEfUFXk6eCE7S1kbiDmDI3c0CBaguRbvQ80gtenUrKzNyDC5EdnAnYzCR1IeDLdWPmunz4gslr6l4yGVJlyVq3EpxPSc21jrYPi-9VeqSG0JoF6f_I_qopsdbHpIz2az0xOfVv/s200/living+room.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A few years ago I told a friend that I felt like my author’s wife, always nagging him about his writing habits. If I didn’t’ tell him to pick up his dirty socks off his manuscript’s floor, who would? I’m sure I drove him crazy as his editor. His manuscript was wonderful to begin with and together we tidied his literary living room so he could have company over.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The definition of editing from the Online Dictionary is to collect, prepare and arrange for publication. I’m sure many of you have heard of the Red Pen. This refers to the red marks of an editor’s red pencil in a manuscript that tells the author what works and what doesn’t.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Why is it traumatic somtimes? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXNb_nBxTBiHYl29t8z1q_z1pKreExIQ12b6e2ZrD55lf5K4WyiX6qjew0qBducXHx2zdS-5ITqFuJIJZVStRngxUq3MU-NixOOTCsJmxurbG5CYLiQUEh4GqqmfICd7_UaAyEjtnCPJLn/s1600/doctor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXNb_nBxTBiHYl29t8z1q_z1pKreExIQ12b6e2ZrD55lf5K4WyiX6qjew0qBducXHx2zdS-5ITqFuJIJZVStRngxUq3MU-NixOOTCsJmxurbG5CYLiQUEh4GqqmfICd7_UaAyEjtnCPJLn/s200/doctor.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I liken editing to surgery. The editor, ahem, surgeon, cuts open the body, manuscript, and takes out what isn’t necessary or what causes problems. The trouble is, we love our words so much, after agonizing over each one, it’s hard to let go of our darlings. Besides that, the word, “offentrumount”, carried just the right nuance we were aiming for, right? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And there’s one other thing…</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">An editor has the task of looking at our work and finding out what makes it tick, by intuition many times, and what will make it tick louder, by technique, and sometimes by intuition, as well. It’s taken years for my husband to let me edit his posts. The reason is not because he wants to keep his perfect words, although he does that sometimes. He doesn’t like that he has a blind spot. No one likes this. All of a sudden some little Subaru comes out of nowhere and you swore you checked the rearview and the side mirrors. Guess what? You did. And you did nothing wrong. We all have those blind spots because of the seat we’re in. If we were in the back seat we’d see something totally different. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">An editor is kind of like the back seat driver. The person in the driver’s seat cannot see the little car sneaking up on the side but the passenger can quite easily. Does that mean the passenger should drive? Perish the thought, especially if the driver is my husband and the back seat driver is me. He likes to be in control, we all do. But I can give a pretty good view of what’s going on from my position and help keep him out of a jam. </span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjKdu13vbldYmEoahYNYNVFXDX_oC6xHJIZkC-DNhqOF4tjR-LbpWAcRdD6B1FAu4710CLWmbSb5wDKaxYy-3CVMUqw1kpMMcfj_if9URIlhXT3y2gt8kZvIUdh13MlLHmqrYYoj9qlD2L/s1600/subaru.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjKdu13vbldYmEoahYNYNVFXDX_oC6xHJIZkC-DNhqOF4tjR-LbpWAcRdD6B1FAu4710CLWmbSb5wDKaxYy-3CVMUqw1kpMMcfj_if9URIlhXT3y2gt8kZvIUdh13MlLHmqrYYoj9qlD2L/s200/subaru.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">An editor is one who rearranges your masterpiece so it communicates well to the targeted audience. An editor helps you give a more complete picture of what you’re presenting. Is this unnerving? At times, yes, because none of us like to be out of the driver’s seat. We want to be in control and the fact that we all have blind spots, no matter how logical and normal that is, emotionally upsets us and says we’re mortal. Why we think we aren’t mortal is another matter!</span></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I just got back first edits for Primordial Sun, the Heart of the Amazon from my editor, and she found my blind spots. I’m so grateful and a little freaked out that I had some uncovered bases. I meant what I said but I didn’t communicate it like I thought I had. This is why authors have editors. My editor is in the back seat warning me about the killer Subaru coming up on the left side out of my rear view. I am mortal after all.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMT3JxvFNO67keuVRECdPafoEZftQGPJxHL3fAhWuwbAOMnGCBf3hFQPxF0nSbowaIHsHBpmvB_YO0uMeqpNifnFSUQ2gZkjT94RuAgHUjC9DGn2AKoya7fjrGvZDWvH1Pq5bsoAxgeDcP/s1600/toast+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMT3JxvFNO67keuVRECdPafoEZftQGPJxHL3fAhWuwbAOMnGCBf3hFQPxF0nSbowaIHsHBpmvB_YO0uMeqpNifnFSUQ2gZkjT94RuAgHUjC9DGn2AKoya7fjrGvZDWvH1Pq5bsoAxgeDcP/s200/toast+2.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The last back seat driver I had while driving the family van prevented me from getting in an accident, thank God I listened to them. Your editor will do the same for you in publishing. The Red Pen is your friend and as much as your editor may seem like a nag, they are pointing out the blind spots so you don’t end up as toast in reviews. You might end up as toast in reviews anyway, and if you do, keep in mind that a good controversy can drive sales. But let’s not go there because of plot holes or spelling errors! We want all toasting to be the celebratory kind when your spouse, family, editors and publisher raise their champagne glasses to congratulate you on your great literary success.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you have anything you want me to post about editing, please leave a comment or shoot me an email. karenmcgrathauthor(at)gmail(dot)com </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">photo credits: morguefile.com</span></div>Karen McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00417540242558444954noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8083596664547999494.post-30864357719663755012010-08-20T11:55:00.000-04:002010-08-20T11:55:33.277-04:00Websites or Blogs? (Website & Interview update)<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX76MXTe0Lg_ewNVnnZmYgMtSthI5VktPxwzwy4Mo-g1SZ-rR_JJn7V2Ac1DCrlpSIQxukLPJSs1C1IvJcUqPZVJkHICBPbg7KauwdY93H1S1yCO0UVr9j630DHN3jJcKqp89rQ0AiER1e/s1600/esm04.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX76MXTe0Lg_ewNVnnZmYgMtSthI5VktPxwzwy4Mo-g1SZ-rR_JJn7V2Ac1DCrlpSIQxukLPJSs1C1IvJcUqPZVJkHICBPbg7KauwdY93H1S1yCO0UVr9j630DHN3jJcKqp89rQ0AiER1e/s200/esm04.bmp" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.ericascottmcgrath.com/">http://www.ericascottmcgrath.com/</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I spent this week working on the new website. Have a look when you get a moment! </span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.karenmcgrathauthor.com/"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">www.karenmcgrathauthor.com</span></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I wanted to get it ready for my next interview which is today at Ginger Simpson's blog, <a href="http://mizging.blogspot.com/2010/08/meet-karen-mcgrath.html">Dishin' It Out</a>.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I had to put 'author' on the end of my domain because there are many Karen McGrath's. We are taking over the world, don't tell anyone! It feels odd having this new appendage but I'm glad to have a domain name for interviews and promotion purposes. </span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I used Dot5Hosting.com. They have two web editors, one for non-techs like me and the other for computer gurus. The non-tech web editor is drag and drop meaning you drag the elements you want from the tool bar and you drop them onto the page you're working on. Simple enough. There aren't a lot of elements to work with but I was able to use what I had with ease and efficiency so no complaints here! Of course, for triple the money it will do magic for me but text and pictures are enough for now. </span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm staying with the branding, "making dreams come true one page at a time..." That is the genius of my middle daughter, Molly. I told her I needed a slogan for the website to keep in line with the Dream branding I have for the blog and of course, with my writing. In seconds, literally, on a bus ride to the dentist, she quipped that one. I love it! She is a talented songwriter in case you're wondering. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcta-a8KuVVihnKMbDhs-qTJJbor6CqtB9jgIA9dzOswpxSAfjNU2j9yKS7s-PGcpMma4kmeGYKNpPusRc44uP9JzkYjCxVNHZIazzdMGPJFwCtj3BjjrCYdQocABtacLE1NIIZ3DlhlZ5/s1600/cottage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcta-a8KuVVihnKMbDhs-qTJJbor6CqtB9jgIA9dzOswpxSAfjNU2j9yKS7s-PGcpMma4kmeGYKNpPusRc44uP9JzkYjCxVNHZIazzdMGPJFwCtj3BjjrCYdQocABtacLE1NIIZ3DlhlZ5/s200/cottage.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Why a website? I've been mulling this over for the last few months. Friends say having a website is a waste of time and money since blogging sites are free and have more pages now. Some say you need a storefront and blogging is still considered sub par. I didn't want to give up the interaction here on the blog for a non-relational site. I came to some conclusions after sifting through many opinions. </span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJWcAKEuUueDgr23YPWxUN1Gj2V_mq8gNjGfqr8WCOEFvTnYG9UGhRq3A3l8NI_uVkXwsiU9Jc04ZjESLcP0x3pbuCKG0Ta5NjdjDnA4Z9tLayJihfCH1_IjN0HL2DVxtzacDf8TSxrL3t/s1600/bbq+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJWcAKEuUueDgr23YPWxUN1Gj2V_mq8gNjGfqr8WCOEFvTnYG9UGhRq3A3l8NI_uVkXwsiU9Jc04ZjESLcP0x3pbuCKG0Ta5NjdjDnA4Z9tLayJihfCH1_IjN0HL2DVxtzacDf8TSxrL3t/s200/bbq+5.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Having a website is more professional '<em>looking'</em> than 'just' having a blog. The public perception is that a blog is camp but a website says you know what you're doing. It's just a perception thing but those perceptions can make a difference. A website presence is necessary. But I didn't want to give up this blog, this is where the interaction happens and I didn't want to lose that. The website editor had blog pages available but I just linked the blog page to here. The website is the cottage by the sea while the blog is my backyard cook-out.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUvSBL6xE5W0dElTcZZGvXjal-lTR4pwTzR-Q7aVUZU3vCaOCfPD1FpdKNe2xEmctXnwDwqYF-cfoZ1PuKO0GEyqhZQv4o5N0lI7rwOgAaB0u9UUedVzk6VDKItYKjYgd7OXu6jCJmwBMh/s1600/Kitten+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUvSBL6xE5W0dElTcZZGvXjal-lTR4pwTzR-Q7aVUZU3vCaOCfPD1FpdKNe2xEmctXnwDwqYF-cfoZ1PuKO0GEyqhZQv4o5N0lI7rwOgAaB0u9UUedVzk6VDKItYKjYgd7OXu6jCJmwBMh/s200/Kitten+1.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.ericascottmcgrath.com/">http://www.ericascottmcgrath.com/</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">All in all, I'm happy with it for now, or for the next year at least! I can change pictures in seconds so I'll update the sidebar and text ones from time to time. and I plan to add a photo page so everyone can see our kitten who has taken to stealing potato chips. I'm setting up a sting so you can see her in the act! That, and her sugar paintings...</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The guest book was improvised from elements in the editor. Technically it's not a real guestbook, whatever that is... but it functions perfectly well the way it is. Please have a look and sign it!</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What do you think about websites and blogs? Are websites necessary anymore? </span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What do you want to see when you visit an author's website?</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;">photo credits not captioned: morguefile.com</span></div>Karen McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00417540242558444954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8083596664547999494.post-87595648310148445152010-08-12T19:58:00.000-04:002010-08-12T19:58:23.726-04:00The Muse Online Writer's Conference.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9OjaIvgfUsePO3Ujwz8rah6TJbomg8t3EnFma-jPP6eJRvTNzSZq4n6dTXyFrbGNAE_dqaNvsEuA6k2W2dvI7PnavfVUKMaZcgQQ9plXgSMPIYhit6B2dtxEpGOHdXKtL6eijhR0dw0Rz/s1600/2010Banner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9OjaIvgfUsePO3Ujwz8rah6TJbomg8t3EnFma-jPP6eJRvTNzSZq4n6dTXyFrbGNAE_dqaNvsEuA6k2W2dvI7PnavfVUKMaZcgQQ9plXgSMPIYhit6B2dtxEpGOHdXKtL6eijhR0dw0Rz/s320/2010Banner.jpg" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hi everyone, Here is the info on the Muse Online Writer's Conference. Click the post title for the link.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Every year Lea Schizas coordinates the Muse Online Writer's Conference. It's free and online. Donations are accepted. Also check out the two books on the right sidebar. Both are excellent and on my bookshelf.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The free registration closes August 15th, which is this Sunday. After Sunday, there will be $5.00 late fee per person and registration will close completely on September 10th. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There is something for everyone at the Conference. There are workshops and pitch sessions with publishers and agents and chats with authors, editors and publishers. If you don't know what you're doing, pick a few workshops and hang out, ask questions and soak. If you know what you're doing, I don't need to tell you anything!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Get a head start and register today. Lea will upload the workshop agends by the end of this month and will begin uploading handouts in September.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Some special tips: As soon as you register, write down your password and keep it handy. This will save you a lot of time later. The front page says that Muse is accepting submissions. We are, but only for MuseItHot. Mainstream is closed until October 1st.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Enjoy and hope to see you there! ....and of course, Happy Writing!</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ0ZbNoBNKIzWELBVAcongh-ozBJQJLwlqTj0WV-WP60VX885DIqOP2bA45vSqijUwdN6A6iXvI0qaoi1Ko7-ER6pZQRXFu2rLEHE0iDluyiNlHlYCWKSp_TZ41AaIXG7A0oyn4Ey1A36h/s1600/2008_101BestSites.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="185" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ0ZbNoBNKIzWELBVAcongh-ozBJQJLwlqTj0WV-WP60VX885DIqOP2bA45vSqijUwdN6A6iXvI0qaoi1Ko7-ER6pZQRXFu2rLEHE0iDluyiNlHlYCWKSp_TZ41AaIXG7A0oyn4Ey1A36h/s200/2008_101BestSites.gif" width="200" /></span></a></div><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Photos from The Muse Online Writer's Conference website.</span>Karen McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00417540242558444954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8083596664547999494.post-74191592431582019962010-08-08T16:22:00.000-04:002010-08-08T16:22:54.514-04:00Primordial Sun, The Heart of the Amazon<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The cover art is in by the amazing </span><a href="http://www.dkrenders.com/"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Delilah K. Stephans</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">. Thanks Delilah!</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWXR98tbuDH9G1cvP4CmC2zKH3o_Z2ppus4DCPLHBeU2bz2US3OqWnhOat0kKstPMuhl7CpUFNpHU5uKJzESeDAmKeelEOSEEIJ4kCRWRHcwyGpssxu8gugiOQpq2-4zf5CSH3CPsiEAel/s1600/HoA_333X500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" bx="true" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWXR98tbuDH9G1cvP4CmC2zKH3o_Z2ppus4DCPLHBeU2bz2US3OqWnhOat0kKstPMuhl7CpUFNpHU5uKJzESeDAmKeelEOSEEIJ4kCRWRHcwyGpssxu8gugiOQpq2-4zf5CSH3CPsiEAel/s640/HoA_333X500.jpg" width="424" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Primordial Sun, The Heart of the Amazon</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">coming from MuseItUp Publishing</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">April 2011</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Attorney Kylie Watson returns to Brazil to mourn her missionary parents where she's swept into the Amazon's current with vivid nightmares, family secrets, church corruption and international espionage.</span></div>Karen McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00417540242558444954noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8083596664547999494.post-85773278660103052112010-08-05T23:04:00.000-04:002010-08-05T23:04:15.515-04:00From Papyrus to Plastic<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT_oUrMh9xNJfFTv8N7_1ltXlHMuMJRMJSZamMJtI76NHy_MC7-jo3sStFotsTjeO7YHXs75qSDm-JEnswT8i1sOY5fyzqYCFotCP7W7YpIu95gdJGQFo6lCwmLKzIWNuSGlthoC-8zaSy/s1600/marketing+books.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" bx="true" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT_oUrMh9xNJfFTv8N7_1ltXlHMuMJRMJSZamMJtI76NHy_MC7-jo3sStFotsTjeO7YHXs75qSDm-JEnswT8i1sOY5fyzqYCFotCP7W7YpIu95gdJGQFo6lCwmLKzIWNuSGlthoC-8zaSy/s200/marketing+books.jpg" width="200" /></a>Two years ago I emailed a best-selling friend of mine in Ireland who told me he didn't want to wait two years for a publisher to print his latest book so he decided to make it into an ebook for sale on his website. I was a little skeptical until he told me he sold 3000 copies in the first six months. That's impressive! </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div>Since then Ebooks have taken the Publishing World by storm. I held out for a short while saying I prefered print books, thinking to myself every time that of course I did, that's all I'd ever known! <br />
<br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTDxVqXUwBeFqx2LIpvmEnQLIymSlc2He5SPYTgZifTJ6PN9H2jZRn_Lv_UWwRU14MVqoblKS3gitWnc5k3XV2_uHypnzS1fYNGpK8TXwjA81TQUxrdRLTrxQHJX9WRKz3XyU3w2cxQmVJ/s1600/paperback.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" bx="true" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTDxVqXUwBeFqx2LIpvmEnQLIymSlc2He5SPYTgZifTJ6PN9H2jZRn_Lv_UWwRU14MVqoblKS3gitWnc5k3XV2_uHypnzS1fYNGpK8TXwjA81TQUxrdRLTrxQHJX9WRKz3XyU3w2cxQmVJ/s200/paperback.jpg" width="200" /></a>Well, it didn't take long. I got some free ereading apps downloaded to my pc and before I knew it, I was ordering tons of free ebooks in seconds flat and some others under ten dollars each. The clincher came when I took out a paperback from the library and became annoyed when I had to turn the page instead of pressing a key! And worse, I had to push the paperback open because the words got lost in the middle toward the binding, instead of being flat like it is on my ereader... I'm a goner! </div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiccMly3zwiC4g-c75JsvCU5r-jXMao_mU6RH55bm7b8kYLI1c0b1RHoBkCowJdeiZMVXsDgdXcjwAhlenv71zWMjha7bHZQ2HJW-oFHEqArrvCj93hMJyXgkQf-1QlHnak0hgvO_2eIFI/s1600/papyrus+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" bx="true" height="141" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiccMly3zwiC4g-c75JsvCU5r-jXMao_mU6RH55bm7b8kYLI1c0b1RHoBkCowJdeiZMVXsDgdXcjwAhlenv71zWMjha7bHZQ2HJW-oFHEqArrvCj93hMJyXgkQf-1QlHnak0hgvO_2eIFI/s200/papyrus+2.jpg" width="200" /></a>Ereaders are like Mp3's for books. And you can download many of them for free to your pc or phones. Pretty nifty! Amazon Kindle has one for free download, Barnes & Noble, Borders, Adobe Digital are all free ereaders for your pc, laptop, netbook, phones and other gadgets. Simply go to the website of your favorite bookstore and find the free download. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">And the prices of ebooks are usually under ten dollars, another plus. I searched for a book that I discovered is not in ebook yet and guess what I did? Ordered the hardcover,right? No, I decided to read a bunch of others instead that are in ebook and email the author to find out when it will be in ebook. Yes, I love this instant gratification thing.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhamRpxKVNGro3SND4Ui6OWkSilabgenAq4h79zjCF6sZnh544mL3tHDW-NGM1OaAMXhk98-WnsAHMRsBBX9XZBODKIydaL2rFtebdl0rXISisGUBdN4KqwCSOR_acs4ZMMKgVPcWu-odlZ/s1600/readebooksforfree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" bx="true" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhamRpxKVNGro3SND4Ui6OWkSilabgenAq4h79zjCF6sZnh544mL3tHDW-NGM1OaAMXhk98-WnsAHMRsBBX9XZBODKIydaL2rFtebdl0rXISisGUBdN4KqwCSOR_acs4ZMMKgVPcWu-odlZ/s200/readebooksforfree.jpg" width="200" /></a>Most ereaders run from $100. to about $150. with the more expensive ones going to approximately $300. and more. Amazon's Kindle was about $270. but recently came down in price and connectivity to compete with Barnes & Noble's Nook at $150 with WiFi. The numbers here are a few cents to a few dollars off but you can research it yourself. One thing you'll want to know is Kindle will only read Kindle books downloaded through Amazon so if the book you want isn't there, you're out of luck. The Nook supports three efiles, pdb, pdf and epub which is the industry standard. The Jetbook, Kobo and Sony Ereader support other files as well as epub. Thank goodness most places will give you a choice of files to download. There are many ereaders I didn't mention. Be sure to do some homework before you buy one as there are different features and "feel" to each. But then why buy one when you can get it free on your pc?! </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">What do you think of ebooks? </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo credits: morguefile.com & Nook website</span></div>Karen McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00417540242558444954noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8083596664547999494.post-22983262845697824542010-07-28T19:32:00.000-04:002010-07-28T19:32:29.419-04:00Love in the Time of Mortals<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoAWaMAkHwOVLGfa5S0iC6JkkY5TeG4aH3KUIO6YJXYaHbfXFNHt-hqm84V68wCg4DYJVL_cnBUkevjSaMLmEYpbrtuGnRPq1P4QJBMBqjc-t4tK_gNf4VGXNDMfDVDPTx4ggrEdfJOZg3/s1600/Lucille+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" bx="true" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoAWaMAkHwOVLGfa5S0iC6JkkY5TeG4aH3KUIO6YJXYaHbfXFNHt-hqm84V68wCg4DYJVL_cnBUkevjSaMLmEYpbrtuGnRPq1P4QJBMBqjc-t4tK_gNf4VGXNDMfDVDPTx4ggrEdfJOZg3/s200/Lucille+3.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Last week I had the wonderful pleasure to sign another contract with <a href="http://www.museituppublishing.com/">MuseItUp Publishing</a>. The feeling is exquisite. There is something deeply satisfying about getting the opportunity to share my words, to have the chance to give to someone else and hopefully make a difference and inspire. </span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Muse is the company of all companies to work with. Honest, hard working and lots of fun. We have a great time in our author's group and my colleagues are the best editors on the continent. Really, I am so blessed and grateful.</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH2d8FRq1W9QvipwYW6sJUu0tvp6gnGZMaPCJHcqr5QOKOWtTJzXRCiOEk8FLN1TEDlriJ6rSyUpVv40QuQ4DXefh88aSMsdYCIlnXsAkJjPOh99xNzLRO9kASZ_UjnD_09IL6cx9sCtCv/s1600/fish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" bx="true" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH2d8FRq1W9QvipwYW6sJUu0tvp6gnGZMaPCJHcqr5QOKOWtTJzXRCiOEk8FLN1TEDlriJ6rSyUpVv40QuQ4DXefh88aSMsdYCIlnXsAkJjPOh99xNzLRO9kASZ_UjnD_09IL6cx9sCtCv/s200/fish.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A few months ago, Muse put out a theme call for Summertime Romance stories for the summer of 2011. Immediately an idea whooshed by and I grabbed it, committing it to paper as soon as possible. I love how those little things work. It's like I'm sailing on the ocean with the sun at it's zenith sparkling on the water like a thousand diamonds strewn about. A jewelfish rushes by in the current and I capture it in my hand carefully, peeking through my fingers as light streams out. If I hold it gently and let it breath, it blossoms into a living story. I've got my nets out, let me tell you!</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0uh2LW50vLMVV2VaIB8NL3GkJLEpYib6T97GtRKUi29a454OqeGsIlksdEzZwn4Uxe4sGNyhuCriYbtpTQSrMz4iAQES5IHFMHH6YC0oqoB-smpAaDRVU69GfPv02FP7K2PlMg-p0HIxG/s1600/palms+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><em><img border="0" bx="true" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0uh2LW50vLMVV2VaIB8NL3GkJLEpYib6T97GtRKUi29a454OqeGsIlksdEzZwn4Uxe4sGNyhuCriYbtpTQSrMz4iAQES5IHFMHH6YC0oqoB-smpAaDRVU69GfPv02FP7K2PlMg-p0HIxG/s200/palms+5.jpg" width="200" /></em></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>Love in the Time of Mortals</em> is about Lucille Lamphere's crazy world. Lucille is on her wedding anniversary all by herself because her beloved Jack drowned at sea on their wedding day 15 years ago. Lucille has a lifetime reservation for their tropical getaway on their anniversary as a tribute to his memory. Except this year someone joins her...the hotel has apparently double-booked her suite. Lucille, ever the diplomat, decides to make the best of it and despite her best efforts, falls madly in love with her handsome roomie. Moments collide to an unusual ending when Lucille discovers all is not what it seems and the ocean holds more secrets than she realized. </span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM9J3uFqTm_4ViLSaMSqS15sDxTOCRQjhLATx_nl-tJ1_mqr1l8WvsdMBiMCcexAUZJ4y9WHxS0cjZV4V4x2pKcshMphVE5V6wh0d7WjuVRzhh7KcW4LPCOP6sWxsTRz7HUqwB9Hxx_4l7/s1600/Lucille.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" bx="true" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM9J3uFqTm_4ViLSaMSqS15sDxTOCRQjhLATx_nl-tJ1_mqr1l8WvsdMBiMCcexAUZJ4y9WHxS0cjZV4V4x2pKcshMphVE5V6wh0d7WjuVRzhh7KcW4LPCOP6sWxsTRz7HUqwB9Hxx_4l7/s200/Lucille.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sometimes love slips through your fingers, only to return like waves on the sea... </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>Love in the Time of Mortals,</em> August 2011</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;">photo credits: morguefile.com</span></div>Karen McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00417540242558444954noreply@blogger.com6