It occurred to me earlier today that we are now in a very fortunate position when it comes to writing. I mean, aside from the ability to read and write, we have many opportunities to display our work. We can use traditional methods like pencils and paper (or pens and notebooks), we can type our manuscript onto an old-fashioned typewriter for the authentic, romantic writer appeal. Or we can use a modern desktop computer, complete with all sorts of fancy word processors and digital tools to aid in the presentation and performance of our piece.
And then there are mobile phones and tablet computers. These are something that I am still getting to grips with. I still do all of my ‘important’ work on a laptop computer, which to me is pretty far advanced, because we still used a very bulky desktop computer system up until a couple of years ago. I got my laptop when I made the decision to become a full-time writer. It was something of a prop, I suppose. I had a typewriter when I was a child, and I still vividly remember the joy of sitting down and typing out reams of words, even though back then I was probably still copying pages from books and comics.
This weekend I upgraded my mobile phone. I had already ventured into smartphone territory two years ago, but I spent most of that time learning how to use social networks, and taking photos and videos of my children. It was only this weekend, when I was downloading apps onto my new phone, that I began to explore the possibilities for writing on the go. I know that we can get apps for Blogger and Wordpress. I have looked at them, but am reluctant to try writing and posting via the apps. It doesn’t feel right, somehow. To me the process of writing is a considered and careful activity.
When I sit at the table with my laptop, I mentally prepare myself to write. When I pick up my smartphone, I am usually scanning social media updates as I walk around the house or waiting for food to cook. But maybe I could look at utilizing some of these digital tools. I already backup my documents to the Cloud, and I find it useful to read manuscripts on my Kindle during the editing process. I have used my smartphone for keeping notes before now, because sometimes inspiration will hit when I don’t have a pen and paper to hand. And, it is easier to type a quick message on a mobile phone when you are a passenger in a moving car, or out walking the dog, for example.
So you see, there are many ways we can prepare for our writing. Again, this is a double edged sword, because sometimes I become so engrossed in setting myself up for a writing session, that invariably I run out of time to actually write. These modern apps and digital tools can be both a blessing and a curse to the creative mind. How do you work? What is your preferred method for planning, writing and creating? Please, do share your thoughts and suggestions…
One thing I find about our libraries is that they do a lot to support and encourage children to read and revere books. I mean, it was Cheadle library in Staffordshire that set me on my path all those years ago, back in the 1980s and 90s… Those were the days when I would take out six books every weekend and read them voraciously as soon as I got home. The process of choosing the books was wonderful. My Mum encouraged me to take my time, read every title, and sample a few pages here and there. She was very patient, which is more than I can say for my younger brother (he is not a reader!)
Anyway, now I have the pleasure of taking my own children to the library, and both my girls are voracious book lovers, just like their mother. Neither of them can read properly yet, both being preschoolers, but they recognise shapes of letters, and my elder daughter can read and write her own name, and can recognise most letters of the alphabet. Last year we signed up for the Mythical Maze reading challenge, which we completed, and my daughter was rewarded with a certificate and a medal. Once again we have signed our pledge, and this year we included the youngest, who isn’t quite 2, but enjoys her books.
Do you want to be a part of the #RecordBreakers Summer Reading Challenge? Get down to your local library and sign up. Most libraries have their own Facebook pages and Twitter feeds now, so really you have no excuse. Let’s see how many more horizons we can broaden in the literary world…
That's right folks, you can now obtain your FREE copy of The Darkness of Love, for a limited time only. It is available in most digital formats, including Kindle, Adobe Acrobat, and Epub. Get over to the All Romance Ebooks website and take advantage of this most generous offer... and don't forget to leave your review afterwards! Enjoy...
The sun is shining as we enjoy day 4 of the Great British summer heatwave. I’m not so good in hot weather. My skin is white, and will often turn bright red even beneath layers of factor 50 sun cream. I have auburn hair and lots of freckles (more so during summer). You will usually find me sitting in the shade, a thin shawl draped across my shoulders, my floppy hat pulled low over my sunglasses, book in hand. Or at least, you used to, before I had children. Nowadays you will find me throwing small people into a paddling pool at high speed. They love it!
But back to Camp. My eldest daughter is at preschool. My youngest is having quiet time in bed. She is suffering with the extreme temperatures as well, although neither girl has inherited my hair colouring. I’m enjoying a light lunch, pottering around my virtual cabin, mentally preparing myself for day 3 of #CampNaNoWriMo. I’m off to a good start. So far my vampire protagonist has set the scene. He will not yet reveal his name, however. He likes to play games with people, and he despises humans. Apparently we are only a food source, nothing more. He has communicated that he is bored, and now a lone vampire hunter has come after him. He plans to play with her, to alleviate the tedium of his existence. She, however, has other plans…
Yes, the creative juices are beginning to flow. It is time to grab my laptop, take a glass of fizzy pop, and find a space in the virtual forest, where I can sit uninterrupted and write. I’ve got the sun cream on. My floppy hat is waiting, along with my trusty sunglasses. Let us wander off into the wilderness, and find a suitable spot… ah, over there, underneath that huge, old oak tree. I can lean against its sturdy trunk, balance the laptop on my crossed legs, and lose myself in the story… see you later!
First of all thank you very much for taking part in my Blog Tour for Angelic Business 1. Pink Matters. Reader, don't worry, I'm not here forever, just twisting the arm of your favourite blogger and borrowing a bit of space.
My name is Olga Núñez Miret and I’m a writer, translator, reader, psychiatrist, I love movies, plays, fitness, owls and recently have taken up meditation (mindfulness). (I thought I might as well summarise and not take too much of your time). I'll leave you some links at the end just in case you want to find out even more about me (I'm not sure I'd recommend it, but hey…do your worst!).
I've been writing since I was quite young and I write in whatever style the story I have in my head wants to be written in. So far literary fiction, romance, YA, thriller…and a few unfinished works.
Around five years ago I discovered and read quite a few interesting Young Adult books and had an idea for what I thought could be a series. At the time I wrote the first of the novels and after trying to find an agent or a traditional publisher without much success, I started self-publishing, but decided to publish some of my other books first. Since then I've published 12 books (6 original books and their translations, as I write in English and Spanish).
I kept thinking about Angelic Business and a few months later wrote the second novel in the series: Shapes of Greg. (No, nothing to do with…)
And last year, as part of NaNoWriMo I wrote the third novel in the series, Pink, Angel or Demon?
As I had written the three, I thought I'd publish them pretty close to each other so people wouldn’t have to wait to know what happened next (at least not too much).
The three books in the Angelic Business collection are now available for pre-order at the special price of $0.99 each. It’s a bargain price and they'll go up shortly after publication.
Don’t worry. My writing is better than my video-creating skills, but as I’d been taking all those pictures of angels, I thought I might as well.
You are Pink, not the prettiest girl, but smart and with plenty of resources. What do you do when your best male friend offers to have sex with you, because he thinks you’re a lost cause? You plot your revenge with your two best female friends, of course! It seems you're in luck when a new and mysterious student appears. And, to top it all, he seems interested in you too. He could take part in the plan. But then, he seems to have a plan of his own… He insists he’s not just an ordinary boy. And what seemed so easy to begin with, gets more and more complicated when Heaven and Hell come knocking at Pink’s door.
Pink Matters is the story of Pink, a 17 year old girl, good student, articulate and smart. What she has never been the centre of attention or made the top ten of the most popular and attractive girls at school. When two guys, both claiming to be angels, insist that she is, indeed, ‘special’, fight for her attention and help and tell her she is the key to the future of the universe, she can't help but ask: Why me?
Excerpt
“Who are you?” Lorna asked. Before she could say anything else, she froze as if paralysed. And the same happened to Sylvia. “Oh no, not again” I said. “Hi Pink. I’m Azrael. I’m…” “Let me guess...You’re an angel.” I could say he smiled but it was more like a white light radiating from between his lips. His voice also seemed slightly “otherworldly”. He was nothing like G. Flesh and blood didn’t seem to be his priority. “Yes. I am.” “O...K....And...to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit? If you are going to make an announcement of some sort...I could have done with some notice.” The light now seemed to radiate from his whole “body” if that was what it was. Somehow his show was much more believable than G’s. And scarier. “It’s not an announcement as such. But you should know...G...” “Yes?” “I know he told you he’s an angel.” I looked at him. Maybe he was different to G but he could be as annoying as him. And interfering. “Yes. I also “know” things...In my case it is because “I” am an angel. He has not been truthful about his identity.”
In case you’re intrigued, I leave you the cover (reveal!) and links to the other two books:
What more could happen after the death and resurrection of your mother? What could Heaven and Hell toss at Pink to top that? Well, to start with, she gets a new hellish babysitter, who is seriously hot. And although everybody likes him, he only has eyes for her. When she learns what the price was for the ‘miracle’ of saving her mother, she realises that she must be careful, as Hell doesn't lose gracefully. One of her friends wants to find the perfect man, the other one gets into a relationship she refuses to talk about, there’s a demon who doesn't know when to give up and an angel who seems to have his own agenda. What on Earth, Hell or Heaven is going on?
OK, OK, OK. Pink gets it. She’s the Elected, whether she likes it or no. Heaven and Hell are closing in, and their envois are closer home than ever. So close she can’t ignore them. And she’ll do everything but. However long she has, she’s determined to make it count. She'll sort her friends out, she'll help her family and, she'll live a bit. And then, she'll take charge. Because no one will say that Pink went down without a fight. However big and bad the enemy. Gender benders, romances, old loves that come to fruition, new challenges, divine interventions, tears, laughter and magic. All of that and more. Because, if you're gonna go, you might as well go with a bang.
Thanks so much for allowing me to visit and post, thanks so much for reading, and as I always tell them in my blog, if you’ve found it interesting, like, share, comment and CLICK! Oh, and I love reblogs! Ah, and thanks to Lourdes Vidalfor her covers.
My writing has not been forthcoming of late. It is all my own fault. I have allowed myself to stray from the path. I have become too easily distracted by domestic activities, holidays, social events and the like. At the moment the only writing I manage to do on a regular basis is for my blogs, and even that is becoming sketchy during recent weeks. Life is getting in the way, as the old saying goes. I need a break. I need… #CampNaNoWriMo.
My main problem with writing is that I flutter about and do not immerse myself fully in my work at the moment. It was easier when I was writing the first three installments of the Redcliffe novels. Back then I would put my daughter to bed at night and settle down for three-five hours of solid writing. And it was brilliant. I thrived on it. The story burst forth from my mind, the characters leaped onto the page, and my Muse was alive and vibrant. And then something happened. It was around the time I became pregnant with my second child. My Muse went on strike. And she has not yet properly returned.
I have had flashes of inspiration, but nothing that gives me the incentive to sit down at my computer and just write. I have had a couple of evenings where I managed an hour here and there. I have a couple of completed manuscripts that need further editing so that I can send them to publishers. I also have a complete edited novel that has so far not been snapped up by a publisher or agent. I cannot imagine why. Who wouldn’t want to publish a novel called The Vampire of Blackpool?
Anyway, I am fed up with my procrastinating. I need to write. I need to write properly. And for that I need deadlines, encouragement, a sense of purpose. And here comes #CampNaNoWriMo. Perfect! For the whole month of July I can immerse myself in a virtual log cabin in the wilderness of the wild and distant Internet, and I can write my story, whatever that may be. I think this one is about a lone vampire lurking beneath the streets in Manchester. I am not sure. I will ask my Muse for help. Perhaps she will be coaxed out by the promise of a hot chocolate with marshmallows… Who is with me? See you later, campers!
Join my tribe today, and I
will send you a fabulous FREE book to get you started… (be warned, my vampires
do not sparkle, and my wolves will bite!)
Love Hurts (A Redcliffe Novel) is the first in a trilogy of novels set in Cornwall. In the first book we meet Jessica Stone, just your average single woman, running her business and enjoying the seaside town she calls home. Her life begins to unravel when she falls in love with a sexy police detective, Jack Mason, and meets his identical twin brother, Danny. Here is an excerpt, following a visit from an enemy of the brothers:
“She is connected to the job in Scotland; they both are.” he said, “I’m sorry Jessica; it looks like we have inadvertently drawn you into our mess. I need to find Jack and go sort this out. Please promise me you will stay home, don’t answer the door unless you know who it is, and phone Jack or me if you get worried about anything, no matter how small or trivial. Will you do that?” He grabbed my shoulders, staring directly into my eyes, and I gasped, shocked at his forcefulness. I nodded, feeling sick with nerves. “Yes of course.” I said, “Am I in danger? What about Liz?” He relaxed slightly and eased his grip on me. “Liz will be fine,” he said, “she is of no concern to them. But they seem to have found out about you and your relationship with Jack and me. You don’t need to be overly concerned just yet; hopefully we can settle this tonight. Please just stay home and keep all your doors locked and your mobile phone handy, ok?” I nodded and Danny left, saying he would call Jack on the way.
Intriguing, yes? Ha ha! Well, following this you can read Love Kills (A Redcliffe Novel), where we follow Jessica as she comes to terms with the revelations about her lover and his brother. She also begins to discover her own long-buried secrets and abilities. And then, in the third book, Love Redeems (A Redcliffe Novel), the tables are turned. Our young heroine reveals her darker side, with disastrous consequences:
“Are they alright, Danny?” I asked tentatively. Danny turned his head slowly to stare at me. My heart skipped a beat and thudded painfully in my chest. I swallowed again, forcing myself to hold his gaze and not back down. “They need to hunt,” Danny said gruffly, “The power hit them hard. They lost control and their beasts awoke early. It leaves them in pain and disoriented. They need their master for support and grounding.” “Oh.” Was all I managed to say in reply. Danny shook his head. “I cannot deal with you at present, Jessica,” he said, “We will speak later. I must go.”
You have a nice summer holiday! And if you happen to visit Cornwall, be alert for any unusual characters.
Join my tribe today, and I
will send you a fabulous FREE book to get you started… (be warned, my vampires
do not sparkle, and my wolves will bite!)
