Confessions...

I have a few confessions I need to admit to:

I sometimes dog-ear library books. *cringes* I do it very lightly but still, I bend the page.
 Please don't tell the librarians.
There are just certain sentences or phrases that I love and sometimes I want to go back and reread my favorites. Sometimes, they are an answer to my writers block of the book I'm working on. Other times, I just love the words and want to hold onto them
When I confessed my guilt to a friend, she gaped at me in surprise and repulsion. Then kindly suggested those little sticky tabs. Brilliant! Why hadn't I thought of that? So I now have two packages of sticky tab thingys.


* How many of you mark a book you're reading? With, uh, those sticky things?

Next, I collect quotes.
There is is. I am a quote junkie.
My biggest Pinterest board is "Quoteth."
I enjoy making memes for my blogs, which become my Foto Friday posts.
I get emails from value.com that send me a couple of quotes a week.

This is one of my favorite writing quotes:

If there's a book you really want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it.

Toni Morrison

* What is your favorite quote?


Here is a link for more writing quotes. There are some good ones here:

Stuck for ideas? 20 Quotes to help

Thanks for stopping by and being part of my confessional. There are many more confessions I could tell but two is enough for this month. Phew.

Foto Friday~ Dream

Writers on Wednesday ~ Nicole Giles Book Blitz Interview AND Giveaway!

Today we have Nicole Giles on her blog tour for her book DESCENDANT! 

Welcome, Nicole!

What what your favorite scene to write?

    NG: Kissing scenes. My favorite scenes to write will always involve kissing. I’m just a romantic like that.

How long did it take you to write Descendant?

    NG: Ttwo years. But that included some very serious rewrites and restructuring and world building. There was never an outline involved, and I should also add that Descendant was my first solid, real experience with finding a unique idea I felt was interesting enough to pursue publication. The next book I wrote was more like a year, and the one following that was a little less. Every book is different for me, and this particular story has a lot of complicated layers.   

Will Descendant be a standalone or are you going to write a sequel?

    NG: Birthright (book 2) is already drafted and rolling toward a spring publication. I hope to also write a third in this series to round out and complete the story.

What are you currently working on?

    NG: I am always working on more than one project. For instance, as I focus on rewrites, edits, and other details for Birthright, my agent also has one of my manuscripts on submission, and another one in her inbox for consideration. I am currently fleshing out a new idea which may involve either a co-author or a lot of research, and I am also writing something fresh and new this month for National Novel Writing Month.

Who designed the cover of Descendant?

    NG: Originally, Descendant was published by Rhemalda publishing, which was a high quality small publisher. The company president came up with the cover concepts using author input (I know, I loved that!), and then sent the ideas to the Rhemalda cover designer, Melissa Williams, (aka Michelle Davidson Argyle) who finished the final designs. When the company closed, I was given the option to keep my cover art, and paid the designer to make the necessary adjustments to remove the Rhemalda logo and add the one for Jelly Bean Press.

What was the hardest scene for you to edit out?

    NG: My publisher had me cut the first three chapters of DESCENDANT, which meant I had to work a lot of backstory in later to make up for the loss of information. I will say, though, that I’m very happy with the way it turned out.

Did any music inspire you while writing Descendant?

    NG: Music always inspires me, and I actually listened to music often while writing and editing this particular story. I’ve switched computers three times since this book was originally written, and so my iTunes playlist was lost long ago--but I remember that Coldplay’s Fix You was on it, as well as Til Kingdom Come, and Nickleback’s Far Away, and How Does it Feel by Avril Lavigne.  

What is the best book that you’ve read recently?

NG: Seige and Storm by Leigh Bardugo (second in the Shadow and Bone series) and Abandon by Elana Johnson (third in the Possession series). It’s very sad to admit this, but I have a huge stack of TBR books, and have been so crazy busy with my work that I am way too far behind on my reading.

What is currently in your TBR pile?

   

NG: Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by April Genevieve Tucholke, The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen, Everbound by Brodi Ashton, Finding It by Cora Cormack, Lady Outlaw by Stacy Henry, Pivot Point by Kasee West, Catch by Michelle Davidson Argyle.

Thanks, Nicole! 

Now for the giveaway! 

Nichole is offering a grand prize pack that includes a print copy of DESCENDANT, a signed poster and bookmark, a wrist band, DESCENDANT lip balm, and a healing crystal AND a $20 Amazon gift card.Then Nichole is also giving away another 1st edition print copy of DESCENDANT  and three e-book copies (which will be the new version with the bonus material).

a Rafflecopter giveaway



  The Book:

Descendant by Nichole Giles
Published May 1st, 2013
Published by Rhemalda Publishing (now self published)
Genres: Ya, Fantasy

Seventeen-year-old Abigail Johnson is Gifted.

Blessed—or cursed—with Sight and Healing, Abby lives an unsettled life, moving from place to place and staying one step ahead of the darkness that hunts her. When she arrives in Jackson, Wyoming, she is desperate to maintain the illusion of normalcy, but she is plagued with visions of past lives mixed with frightening glimpses of her future. Then she meets Kye, a mysterious boy who seems so achingly familiar that Abby is drawn to him like he’s a missing piece of her own soul.

Before Abby can discover the reason for her feelings toward Kye, the darkness catches up to her and she is forced to flee again. But this time she’s not just running. She is fighting back with Kye at her side, and it’s not just Abby’s life at stake.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17332031-descendant
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Descendant-Nichole-Giles/dp/1936850672
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/descendant-nichole-giles/1114967746?ean=2940148648581

About the Author:
Nichole Giles had early career plans that included becoming an actress or a rockstar, but she decided instead to have a family and then become a writer.

She was born in Nevada, the oldest of seven—a number which increased to eleven with the addition of four step brothers—and has lived in Utah, Nevada, Arizona, and South Texas.

Her future aspirations include owning a home on a tropical island, even if it's just a vacation home. For now, she plans to travel to as many tropical locations as possible, scouting for her future paradise.

Currently, she lives with her husband, one of her two sons (the other is in college), two daughters, two golden retrievers, and one lucky bunny rabbit.

Writing is her passion, but she also loves to spend time with her family, travel to exotic destinations, drive in the rain with her convertible top down, and play music at full volume so she can sing along.   
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=128455014233
Twitter: https://twitter.com/nicholegiles
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/3384651-nichole-giles
Blog: http://www.nicholegiles.blogspot.com/

Pep Talk from James Patterson

James’s Website
James’s Books

So Writer, you’re trying to write a novel in 30 days. Has anyone told you you’re crazy yet?
You’re not crazy. I promise. I know because I’ve written a novel in a couple of months. And yes, I’m a human being (just ask my editor, or my wife) and I do sleep. The book even got published. So anyone who tells you it’s impossible is wrong and you should probably stop taking their advice. Unless it’s your mom. Then just stop taking her advice about writing (you should still floss once a day).
There’s no getting around the fact that it’s hard, though, is there? By now you know that better than anyone. Maybe you should give up on this whole novel business and go relax. Or work at a paying job. But I say, keep at it. Because, like I said, it’s possible. And as you must suspect, it’s a pretty fantastic feeling to have written a book.
So how do you do it? Here are some tips on making it to December 1 without going crazy or giving up. (Though if you have to do one of them, I’ve always found sanity overrated.)
Outline. If you already have: gold star; proceed to the next piece of advice. If you didn’t, don’t worry, because it’s never too late to go back and make an outline. An outline isn’t something to be scared of, it’s just a chapter-by-chapter description of the scenes that, lined-up together, make your book. On the count of three, tell me the story that unfolds in your novel. All the way to the last chapter. Now write that down. There’s your outline. Easy, right?
Lie to yourself. Honesty is a great quality, but we’re writing fiction here, so you’d better get used to a little light lying. Tell yourself you can do this. Tell yourself your book will be great. The world will love it and you’ll be the next J.K. Rowling, J.D. Salinger, Art Spiegelman, or whatever flavor of author you hope to become.
Get into a writing routine. Think it’s hard to write every day during NaNo? Most professional writers keep this kind of pace all year round. Holidays, birthdays, vacations—you name it, we’re writing. The trick is making writing into a daily habit. Same time. Same place. Same hot beverage of choice. Every. Single. Day. Again. And. Again.
Don’t do it alone. If you live with somebody, tell them to be unpleasant to you if they see you doing anything else during your writing time. Buy them a water gun. If you live alone, have friends call and check on you. And if you have no friends, you will have no trouble writing a book in 30 days. What else do you have to do? (I’m not knocking friendless people. We’ve all been there.)
Don’t stress. I don’t mean to undermine the above, but remember this is one month, not your entire writing career. Try hard, learn from it, and if you don’t get to 50,000 words, figure out what you did wrong so you can get there next time.
Stop reading this. Start writing. Now. (Or at midnight your time.)
James

Foto Friday ~ John F. Kennedy

Chris Ashton Kutcher Advice

I love these three pieces of advice from from Ashton:


1. Opportunity~ "I believe that opportunity looks a lot like work."

2. Being Sexy~ "The sexist thing in the entire world is being really smart. And being thoughtful. And being generous. Everything else is crap."

3. Living life~ "Build a life, don't live one."

Foto Friday ~ Omar Bradley