Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Meet Puppy #2: Champagne! By Kathryne Kennedy

A couple months back I adopted a new puppy from http://www.homeanimalrescue.com/litter1.html#top. I named her Pikachu (Yes, from the Pokemon game my son loves). A mix of Chihuahua and some mystery breed, I proceeded to fall in love. And Pikachu proceeded to find joy in being spoiled rotten. Problem was, my old dog couldn't handle a bouncing, playful pup, and would growl at Pikachu every time the puppy came near. And I couldn't blame either one of them. My poor old Baggins needed a comfy snooze and three meals. Pikachu needed...someone to play with. I mean, I tried, I truly did. But I couldn't play with her 24-7, I have to work. And despite the fact that I work from home, I knew my Pikachu was lonely.

You know what's coming next, right?

Having all these thoughts in my head, I did a crazy thing and walked into a pet store (NO puppy mills here, all the dogs are from reputable breeders) and saw the scrawniest, scraggliest little Yorkshire Terrier. Despite all the other fluffy, pretty little puppies, I named her Champagne, and took her home.

How can I even describe the joy on Pikachu's face when I brought that quivering bundle home? There was no hesitation, just a few inquiring sniffs, and then like me, Pikachu fell instantly in love. And I truly think that dog thinks Champagne belongs to her, not to me (although I'm the one who stayed up half the night when Champagne caught reflections of herself and me in the big mirror. I took her close to the mirror and showed her it was just us, but dang if she didn't keep freaking. I think it was new environment nerves, cause she's been just fine ever since.)

Anyway, those two puppies play constantly. They pick a toy to fight over and then chase each other around the yard, just for the sheer joy of running. And even though Champagne is so tiny, she's a scrapper, and keeps up with Pikachu just fine. And even though Pikachu is bigger and heavier, she has never hurt Champagne, even when they get to REALLY tussling.

I do find time to be alone with Champagne, to love on her without Pikachu barging in and dragging her away to play. And I find time with Pikachu, so she knows she's still my first pup.

But the two of them together are just magic. And despite having three dogs for the first time in my life (I have always said I only have two hands to pet 'em, so I can only have two dogs at a time) I have never regretted that split moment of craziness that brought Champagne home.

As Always,
My Magical Best,
Kathryne

 
  From Left to Right: Champagne, Pikachu, and Baggins.

Sunday, January 26, 2014

Don't Miss the Desert Dreams Writer's Conference



http://www.desertroserwa.org
click on conferences


April 4-6, 2014
Tempe Mission Palms Resort
Tempe, Arizona


Speakers Include:

  • NY Times Best Selling Author Christie Craig: Keynote
  • #1 NY Times Best Selling Author and #1 International Best Selling Author Sylvia Day
  • Award-winning Author and speaker Mary Buckham
  • NY Times Best Selling Author Allison Brennan
  • NY Times Best Selling Author Karin Tabke
  • NY Times Bestselling Author Jennifer Ashley
  • And many more
This national bi-annual conference gives writers a chance to ready their manuscripts and pitch to sell them to big-name editors and agents. New York Times bestselling authors Christie Craig, Sylvia Day and Mary Buckham are just a few of the speakers who will keep the 200+ attendees’ creative juices flowing.
Powerhouse agents and editors—including editors and senior editors from Grand Central Publishing, Random House, Decadent Publishing and Boroughs Publishing, as well as agents from Trident Media Group, The Nancy Yost Literary Agency and The Bradford Literary Agency—will be on hand to give advice and present workshops. Agents and editors visiting the conference actively seek the high caliber of talent found among those who come to Desert Dreams.
In addition to workshops and opportunities to mingle and meet authors, Desert Dreams attendees are given a one on-one appointment with an agent or editor of their choice free of charge. There’s one catch: attendees must sign up early for their choice since agents and editors are scheduled on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Desert Dreams also offers a book signing open to the public on:
Saturday, April 5th from 7:00-8:30 p.m. in the Mission Palms Ballroom.
To sign up, just click on the Online Registration tab at the left side of the page.
Member price is now only $205 and non-member price is just $235, so sign up now.
Desert Dreams Writers’ Conference provides authors of all skill levels – from beginner to multi-published – with the tools necessary to take their writing to the next level. Session included general writing, career development, genre-specific, agent/publisher spotlights, as well as an agent/editor panel. Check out our roster of acquired editors and agents along with our keynote speakers and workshops. Did you miss the 2012, 2010, or 2008 conferences? Order workshop conference CDs and MP3s.

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Winter Wonder Man Blog Hop Giveaway going on until the 19th!

The Winter Wonder Man Blog Hop Giveaway starts today and ends on the 19th. The hop consists of over 50 author and book related blogs and a grand prize of $50.

Each blog has a giveaway on top of the grand prize which can include ebooks, author swag, gift cards and more! This is a great chance to discover new authors and have fun on the way! You can start on my own author blog (hdthomson.com) and click on the links to the other sites at the bottom of my post. Hope you have fun!! :)

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

This Day In History.....


Did you know that on this day January14 all this stuff happened? And I found it all in one place at History.com. How cool is this? Need a tidbit for your current WIP? Or just want to get your creative juices flowing? Then log on and take a look. I don't know about you, but I'm adding this to my favorites because it will feed my curious mind.

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history

American Revolution
Continental Congress ratifies the Treaty of Paris, 1784
Automotive
Dodge co-founder dies, 1920
Civil War
House Committee proposes amendment to protect slavery, 1860
Cold War
United Nations vote "deplores" Soviet intervention in Afghanistan, 1980
Crime
Benedict Arnold, American traitor, born, 1741
Disaster
Explosion rocks USS Enterprise, 1969
General Interest
The first colonial constitution, 1639
George Wallace inaugurated as Alabama governor, 1963
Gold prices soar, 1980
Hollywood
Marilyn Monroe marries Joe DiMaggio, 1954
Literary
Joseph Conrad returns to London, 1894
Music
Diana Ross and the Supremes perform their final concert, 1970
Old West
General Miles reports on Sioux, 1891
Presidential
Adams, Jefferson and Madison help to ratify the Treaty of Paris, 1784
Roosevelt ushers in Japanese-American internment, 1942
FDR becomes first president to travel by airplane on U.S. official business, 1943

Because inquiring minds want to know. Until next time,
Kim

Sunday, January 12, 2014

Don't Miss This Conference!


Register at desertroserwa.org
Click on conference

April 4-6, 2014
Tempe Mission Palms Resort
Tempe, Arizona


Speakers Include:

  • NY Times Best Selling Author Christie Craig: Keynote
  • NY Times Best Selling Author Sylvia Day
  • Award-winning Author and speaker Mary Buckham
  • NY Times Best Selling Author Allison Brennan
  • NY Times Best Selling Author Karin Tabke
  • And many more
This national bi-annual conference gives writers a chance to ready their manuscriptsand pitch to sell them to big-name editors and agents. New York Times bestselling authors Christie Craig, Sylvia Day and Mary Buckham are just a few of the speakers who will keep the 200+ attendees’ creative juices flowing.
Powerhouse agents and editors—including editors and senior editors from Grand Central Publishing, Random House, Decadent Publishing and Boroughs Publishing, as well as agents from The Kristin Nelson Literary Agency, The Nancy Yost Literary Agency and The Bradford Literary Agency—will be on hand to give advice and present workshops. Agents and editors visiting the conference actively seek the high caliber of talent found among those who come to Desert Dreams.
In addition to workshops and opportunities to mingle and meet authors, Desert Dreams attendees are given a one on-one appointment with an agent or editor of their choice free of charge. Unlike larger writers’ conferences, every attendee is offered this option, not just those who are published or willing to pay extra. There’s one catch: attendees must sign up early for their choice since agents and editors are scheduled on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Desert Dreams also offers a book signing open to the public on Saturday, April 5th from 7:00-8:30 p.m. in the Mission Palms Ballroom. To sign up early and pay the reduced price, just click on the Online Registration tab at the left side of the page. Member price is now only $205, so sign up. Desert Dreams Writers’ Conference provides authors of all skill levels – from beginner to multi-published – with the tools necessary to take their writing to the next level. Session included general writing, career development, genre-specific, agent/publisher spotlights, as well as an agent/editor panel. Check out our roster of acquired editors and agents along with our keynote speakers and workshops. Did you miss the 2012, 2010, or 2008 conferences? Order workshop conference CDs and MP3s.
Check back often for more details on the 2014 Desert Dreams Conference.
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and on the Desert Dreams Blog for all the latest news and updates.

Thursday, January 9, 2014

Getting into the Swing of Things

It's the time of year, New Year, when everything is possible. Then I get a week or so into itand I start falling behind on my to do list.

So this year, I'm not making one. I don't need the stress. Life is twisting me up enough as it it but I'm not willing to give up my plans to write. Yet summoning the energy to even put one word down on the page is a struggle.

Or maybe Candy Crush is just too addicting.

Then again, I have to wait for all those lives to replenish so I should be writing. I should be, but I find excuses and things to do. Cursed by the blinking cursor on the empty page, I decided to seek advice from other writer friends on how they coped with the inertia (It's not writer's block, I have the story; I just don't want to write. Period).

Alas, I'd already tried most of their ideas and still no increase in word count.

So then I used brute force. I wrestled myself into a chair and forced myself to stay until I'd written 3 pages. 2 hours later, I got up.

To say that I was looking forward to the next day when I would get to do so all over again is a bald face lie.

But then a funny thing happened. When I opened the file, I returned to the beginning and read and revised those pages then started writing anew. I pounded out 8 pages in two and a half hours. 8! So now, I make sure I always begin the next chapter/scene before quitting for the day. That way I can build on something I've already done and am not stalked by that blinking cursor and blank page.

Of course, I'm still open to tips so pass 'em along if you've got 'em and happy writing.

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Eleven Steps to Getting Published.

So You Want to be a Pro . . . ?
by Connie Flynn

Not in the world’s oldest profession way, of course, but as in professional writer . . . one who produces books regularly and, gasp, even gets paid for them.  The question always is, how do you get from rank beginner to a place where others pay you for your work?

It’s a simple path, but seldom an easy or one-step-follows-the-other process, and those who succeed almost always use these not-so-easy steps.

1.    Read, read, read.  Everything. Novels you love, novels you hate. Nonfiction in subject you love and those that bore you to death.  Newspapers, magazines, blogs.  Learn to recognize good writing and bad writing.

2.    By the time you get serious, choose a genre.  There are dozens. Way too many to cover here, but you need to know about them and if this is a foggy topic to you, start here. Everything seems to be well covered except for the romance genre, which is totally missing, so I found it elsewhere.


3.    Make sure the genre you choose to write is something you love reading or you’ll eventually hate your books. But if publication is your ultimate goal – and since you’re reading this blog, I suspect it is – it’s a good practice to write what is currently selling.

4.    When you’re educated about the marketplace, start getting familiar with the internal structure of a novel.  Just because you read them and have neat descriptions about theme and character building doesn’t mean you yet have the tools to do this yourself.

5.    Learn how to write a synopsis.  Boy oh boy, do writers hate those, but unless you self-publish – where, let’s face it, the publisher can read your mind – you’ll need to tell influential people about your book, clearly and with an entertaining voice.

6.    More and more writers are bypassing traditional publishers and putting their work out there as an independent publisher. This is, however, no license to ignore these steps because your first audience is your reader, the same one that traditional publishers are also aiming for, and they will judge you much more harshly if you slip up than they do the commercial publishers.

7.    Write your book.  Set a disciplined schedule.  If possible, do something on your book every day.

8    Finish your book.  Unless you have unusually good connections, your chances of selling an unfinished novel are nil.  So finish the baby.

9.    Revise your book, proofread it, then proofread it again.  The competition is so stiff these days you can’t afford to send out a sloppy manuscript.

10.    Don't let rejections or bad reviews get you down for long because some are harsh enough to send you into a  fetal position. Don’t indulge this urge more than a few days.  Submit again and keep submitting. If you're publishing independently, be careful not to dismiss the reviews. These are coming directly from your audience and you should study and learn from them. Just keep in an intellectual process, don't let them pierce your heart.

11.    There used to be six secret rules published authors never violate:  Write, write, write.  Submit, submit, submit.  Now there are nine: If you are an independent author, you must: publish, publish, publish. Do this repeatedly and well and you will succeed. And remember, you haven’t failed until you quit.



She woke up one morning on a Mississippi riverboat casino with a huge headache and no clue to who she was. With the help of new friends she rebuilt her life. Now, nearly two years later, a tall dark man with killer good looks comes after her. A bounty hunter, who claims she killed her father then ran out on her bail. She says he's got the wrong woman. He says she's guilty as sin. One of them is right . . .

Suddenly so many people are after her, she can't tell the good guys from the bad guys. But one thing she can do is KNOW WHEN TO RUN.


Award-winning, bestselling author Connie Flynn writes both long and short fiction and is published in multiple genres, including paranormal romance, romantic comedy, mystery and suspense, and contemporary fantasy/sci-fi. She lives in Arizona on a lush green park where she walks her dog and escapes from the hot desert sun. Her latest release is the-twists-and-turns romantic suspense, KNOW WHEN TO RUN.

Sunday, January 5, 2014

Writing a Series



Writers can learn a great deal from watching movies. This weekend we watched the second movie in The Hunger Games series. I admit I did not read the series and my comments are based only on the movie. I enjoyed the movie, but felt like it ended in the middle of the story. Many writers will tell you that each book in a series needs to have its own gratifying ending even if it is part of an overall story. If you don't believe this, watch the first two movies in The Hunger Games series and ask yourself how you feel at the end of the second movie. You do want to see the next movie in the series, but until it comes out, you are left feeling like you put a book down in the middle. Your audience may hang in for the next movie/book or they may be upset and feel like they wasted their money.

The owner of a bookstore once told me she has customers who won't read a series until the entire series is in print. They don't want to get caught up in something that makes them wait for another installment. By giving your audience a happy ending in each installment they walk away with a feeling of contentment that can carry them until the next book/movie comes out.

Experienced authors often say your career is only as good as the ending of your last book. That is what a reader remembers when they decide to purchase your book- or not.

Until next week,
happy reading/writing.
Tina Swayzee McCright