Write Writing Written

1. Read ~ I was musing on this yesterday. Why read when I could be spending the time writing? The answer: Reading helps me with grammar, dialogue, chapter endings, hooks, character arcs, etc etc. I'm not talking about plagiarism but learning from others style. Why did they start the book here? How do they build worlds? Who is the protag? What is the inciting incident?  I may not ask these questions as I read but when I finish, I often ponder on what I can take away from reading the particualr story that will strenthen my writing.
Over on a friends writerly blog, she posted three things she does to be a better writer. That got me thinking: if I wrote a post about what I do, what would I say?


2. Write ~ Every. Day. I don't care if it's blog posts or editing a chapter or writing 500 words, daily writing trains my brain and fingers. This reminds me of something I learned when I took anatomy in college. We have blood vessels feeding our heart and keeping it humming. For ease of …

Today I'm excited to have Janette Rallison, AKA CJ Hill visiting as her newest book, FRIENDS and TRAITORS, releases. We are practically besties because we both have twins and we know where Chandler AZ is. I have to put a plug in for Jeanette's books too. I have enjoyed every book of hers I've read. So far my favorites are IT'S A MALL WORLD AFTER ALL and MY FAIR GODMOTHER.


What is the elevator pitch of your newest book? Slayers is about a group of teens who have superpowers to fight dragons, which is a good thing because dragons are coming back and they don't want to be our friends.

Do you eat or listen to music while writing? I don't listen to music. I want to be so wrapped up in my writing that I don't hear anything that's going on around me. When my story isn't going well, I find that I'm frequently wandering into the kitchen for a snack. When things are going really well, I forget to eat.

What is your favorite food? My fav…

Book Summary: The Slayers – teens who have powers to fight dragons—are back by popular demand in this high-octane sequel, now with a new cover package!

Tori is at a White House dinner party when she hears a horrifying sound: dragon eggs hatching. It means in less than a year, the dragons will be mature and dangerous. The Slayers are well-trained, but their group is not yet complete, and Tori is determined to track down Ryker Davis, the mysterious Slayer who has yet to surface.

What Tori doesn’t bargain for, however, is the surprising truth about her powers: she isn’t a Slayer after all, but a Dragon Lord, with a built-in predisposition to protect dragons, not kill them.
How will she overcome this to save the lives of her friends?





First line:
"It would be ironic, Brant Overdrake thought as he paced around the cabin of his jet, for a man who could fly to be killed in a plane crash."

I think I enjoyed this book more than the first, if it's possible to enjoy a second book in a s…

Dragons exist. They’re ferocious. And they’re smart: Before they were killed off by slayer-knights, they rendered a select group of eggs dormant, so their offspring would survive. Only a handful of people know about this, let alone believe it – these “Slayers” are descended from the original knights, and are now a diverse group of teens that includes Tori, a smart but spoiled senator’s daughter who didn’t sign up to save the world.

The dragon eggs have fallen into the wrong hands. The Slayers must work together to stop the eggs from hatching. They will fight; they will fall in love. But will they survive?

First line:
"Mrs. Harriet Davis had never been afraid of dragons--until now."

Dragons. Knights. Slayers. 
Very cool premise of dragon slayers but there are no damsels in distress in this story. Tori can take care of herself, right down to getting her hair extensions. She's a spoiled, rich daughter of a senator who cares more about her clothes. 
She's sent to a sp…