hint-hint

Yes, a shameless add for myself :)
There's some pretty cool stuff coming up!

Some pictures, of course.
Some other posts, like the usual.
An interview with Lois Lowry. (yeah, you read that right)
An interview with Sharon Draper. (you read that one right, too!)
A book giveaway- an autographed copy of Sharon Draper's 'Out of My Mind'.

so, I'm just saying, and I suppose I'm a bit biased, but I think you should make sure you don't miss any of it!

something that goes tick-tock

for those days when a watch doesn't cut it

Interview with Kara Bartley

Marie: Are any of the characters in your books based off people you know?

~Yes, many of them actually. With my first novel, ‘The Siamese Mummy’ most of the characters were based on my family and friends. The names were changed but I kept (in most cases) the first letter of my family’s names. For my other three novels including ‘Habock’ I continued to do that, while inserting parts of myself as well. Many of my characteristics and behavioural traits can be found within each female lead. Doing that gave me a closer vantage point—as if I were writing the books from the inside out.


Marie: Do you listen to music as you write? Why or why not?

~Usually I don’t. I find that I get too distracted by music. To me, music is another form of communication—words in the form of notes. And I love music, I’m a pianist. But I find that when I try to listen to music while writing—it’s like someone trying to read to me and I can’t do both. Sadly, I’m not very good at multi-tasking. And yet I can listen to music while doing everything else hmm...I haven’t figured that one out yet....


Marie: What do you do when you get a 'mind block'?

~My ‘blocks’ come in days rather than at certain points of writing. When I sit down to write, I can’t stop. I just keep on going. I have to physically close my computer to stop myself. My ‘blocks’ come to me when I wake up. There are certain days when I open my eyes to the morning and say ‘I just can’t write today’. For whatever reason, those days do happen. Maybe it’s my mind and body telling one another that they need a break. But eventually that passes and I return to my writing.


Marie: Time and money aside, what would you rather be doing?

~If I weren’t writing, I’d be knee deep in dirt and rock. I’d be happily digging up my next fossil. Paleontology is in my blood—that lust for the past will never leave me. It’s what inspired me to write and what keeps me grounded—literally!


Marie: If you were stranded on a desert island, what three things would you
Bring with you, and why?

 ~If I were stranded on an island, hopefully it would be off of the coast Costa Rica. Then I could bring my two favourite novels ‘Jurassic Park’ and ‘The Lost World’ and use them as guides to finding dinosaurs and paleo-worlds. Thirdly, I would bring as much Coca Cola as possible to make my desertion thoroughly enjoyable.



Marie: What is your favorite genre to write, and why?

~ Up until now, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed writing mystery and thriller as with my first three novels. But with ‘The Moon In Habock’s Mirror’, that changed somewhat. I fell in love with fantasy. There was a creative freedom that came with it. Talking animals, awakening the cosmos—there was something very exhilarating about it. I guess I’m torn now, I love mystery but I also adore fantasy. I’ll stick with those and see where they take me.  



Marie: Could you tell us three random things about yourself?

 ~Hmmm...I guess I’d have to say that— 1. My favourite colour is orange. 2. I have a smiling clown fish named Herbit—he’s not real but adorable just the same. My three Siamese cats won’t allow me to keep any edible pets in the house. He’s made of paper mache and sits in a glass fish bowl, looking happy all the time.  3. I have a brown belt in karate.



Marie: How long have you been writing?

~I used to write little books when I was little, mostly about family pets and whatnot. I remember collaborating with friends in elementary school to write a magazine we called ‘The Hairy Canary’. We had big plans, boy did we ever. We were going to bribe everyone in the school to buy one. But alas, our plans did not work.  Creative writing then disappeared from my life when I went off to school in pursuit of science. The funny thing is, that when I was digging fossils in Kansas in 2002, writing found me again. And definitely when I least expected it. And I’m glad that it did. It seems that my life has always been this strange mix of science and creativity. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.  


Marie: In an average week, how much time do you spend working on your
Writing?

~I’d say about three or four days. I try to get in as much writing as possible. I work full time elsewhere so sometimes that’s difficult.  I usually write at night—I’m definitely a night owl. And sometimes those nights turn into days and that’s when I have to stop myself and take a break.


Marie: What is your favorite part about being an author?

~As simple as that question might seem—it’s a hard one to answer for me. There are so many facets to writing and being a Libra and all, I have a hard time choosing just one. I think I might have to say—self-expression. I love so many things about writing but using myself as a portal to the written page would probably be what I like the most. The words are born through my mind, driven through my body and translated through my fingers. The result is a part of me donated to others, in the hopes they might appreciate it.



Marie: Can you tell us anything about a current project you are working on?

~I am currently working on the sequel to my first novel ‘The Siamese Mummy’, and I’m having a lot of fun working on it.


Marie: What is the first thing you do when you get a new story idea?
~I just start writing before I forget it. Sometimes it’s at the beginning and sometimes it’s further in. But as long as I write it down somewhere so that my brain doesn’t accuse my fingers of losing it!



 Marie: How do you decide if an idea you have for a story is worth keeping?

 ~I try to keep all the ideas that I have. If one doesn’t work out a certain way, then I just pluck it out and rewire it to work in another scenario. Usually I can find a home for any idea that I have, I just have to change the neighbourhood sometimes.
 

Marie: What obstacles would you warn beginning authors of?
 

~I would warn them of taking too much on. Don’t overwhelm yourself with everything that has to be done. It’ll all get done in time, your time and no one else’s.  



Marie: Which scenes did you find the most fun to write?
 ~For me it would have to be any of the scenes that included dialogue. I love writing dialogue. It could be adventure scenes or emotional scenes, just any part that lets the characters speak out and embrace their external voice.


Marie: What question have I not asked that I should, and what is the answer?

~Maybe, what is your advice to other authors? And my answer to that would be: Do not be afraid to fail. To me, success and failure go hand in hand—each one helps the other improve. They each lend a helping hand to each other.

The Moon in Habock's Mirror by Kara Bartley

 Scarlet lives in Canada with her mom, dad, twin sister 'Gweny', dog Odin, and cat Adonis. Scar is the trouble maker of the family, sneaking out at night to go on dates, missing meals because she was busy hanging out with friends or boys. Her parents don't even know half of what she does, but her twin, Gweny, is fully aware, and keeps her sister's secret.

            Life as she knows it changes for Scar when her mom can't handle any more of Scar's nonsense, and grounds her on a Saturday. The other half of her punishment is that she has to clean out the dreaded attic. This tale involves talking cats, time travel, close friends, betrayal, a tragedy during a sixteenth birthday party, and, overall, the moral that, when it comes down to it, all the power and courage one needs can be found within ones' self.

            That was one of the things I didn't particularly like about the book; what I saw as the moral. "True power comes from within (210)". Because, as I've found in my own life, and through watching others, when it comes down to it, you just cant do it on your own. Especially something as monumental as saving the world; past, present, and future. Another thing thing that made the story hard to read was that there were several typos that jolted me out of the story, reminded me that it was only a book in my hand. There was also this strange new-age-y undercurrent that made me a little uncomfortable. Also, unfortunately, there was quite a bit of swearing and misusing God's name.  And, while noting the good in people, the book failed to also reference the evil that is in all people, as a part of human nature.  This is rather hard to do in a novel, I know, but it’s a truth that was neglected.

            And there were some phenomenal things that I loved. At one point, Scar is having some trouble with forgiveness, and she wants revenge. She is advised against taking this other person's life because it is not her job- her job is to protect the innocent, and right the wrongs she can right, but not to punish those who are evil. That job falls to someone else. Another plus was that, although it took some time for me to get into the story and care about the characters, after some time I did- I could hardly put the book down. I also liked the few creatures the author created for the story, I really wanted to see one in real life, not just in my imagination! One of the final things that I will mention that I liked about the book was Scar's imagination. Sometimes she would go on tiny rabbit trails of imaginings, only to be brought back to reality by something. I loved that.

           

Les Mis

I am just under 600 pages into this epic novel, and not even half way through the book. It is taking me quite a while to get through, but thats not all bad. Some parts do drag on, but other parts are wonderfully described and plenty of background is given so the reader understands what is going on.

Sometimes I think that all the background information is worthless, it is a waste of my time to read it and it will do me no good to read it. However, in retrospect, when those parts have been read and I have gotten to the more interesting parts, it does shed an interesting light on them. I understand them better, and understand those parts of the movie and musicals better.

I am enjoying the book, though, and have not given up on it yet. Its a book you have to think through when you read, and I can't read too much of it at a time or retain none of it. Its slow going, but there is progress.

Interview with Steve DeWinter

About Steve DeWinter

If you like super-charged thrillers that merge high-tech gadgetry with ancient mythology and pit the outcast against powerful clandestine organizations, you are among friends.

My goal as a writer is to transport you to fresh and exciting worlds that not only take you on a white-knuckle ride but leave you hungry for more when you finally turn that last page and reluctantly slam shut the back cover of the book.

This is my promise to you the reader.

I will continue to satisfy your never-ending desire for more. So keep reading!

When one story ends, another begins.

Steve’s debut thriller is Inherit The Throne. http://www.amazon.com/Inherit-The-Throne-ebook/dp/B004V9GKNW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=digital-text&qid=1307149362&sr=8-2

You can visit his website at www.stevedw.com. Connect with Steve on Twitter at http://twitter.com/#!/stevedw, on Facebook athttp://www.facebook.com/mythmakersdw and Myspace at http://www.myspace.com/stevedewinter.

Marie: Are any of the characters in your books based off people you know?

Steve: I sure hope not! As a thriller writer, I look for worst case scenarios and push them to the limits of believability. If any of my friends behaved like the characters in my book, I would be on the phone with the FBI constantly. And I need to write. I don’t have time to be talking to the FBI every day.

Marie: Do you listen to music as you write? Why or why not?

Steve: I have a ton of motion picture soundtrack CD’s that I put on based on the scene I am writing to get me in the mood. I also listen to music with words as they don’t tend to distract me from what I am writing. As an example, if I am pounding out an action scene, Nickelback goes into the CD player. Heck, I’m listening to Donna Lewis right now. Calm and serene for a nice fireside chat like this.

Marie: What do you do when you get a 'mind block'?

Steve: I am a heavy plotter and generally know what happens next with regards to pacing and story as I write each scene. I have never really suffered from writer’s block. Sometimes, I will stall out while writing a scene. But that is not so much a block as my subconscious telling me that I am going about the scene all wrong. A change in the point-of-view character usually results in a much better scene than I had been writing previously. When I get blocked, it’s because the other character in the scene had the more active and interesting point of view for what was happening in that scene, and my brain instinctively knew it long before I did.

Marie: Time and money aside, what would you rather be doing?

Steve: If all my wants and desires were taken care of, what would I do with my time? I would lay around on the beach of a tropical island and watch three sunsets before I would end up right back in front of the computer (or iPod Touch in my case) writing more books. Confucius, China's most famous teacher, philosopher, and political theorist said, “Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life.”

Marie: If you were stranded on a desert island, what three things would you bring with you, and why?

Steve: Ahh. I have washed up unexpectedly on the white sandy beach of my tropical desert island from the last question. Fortunately for me, I washed up with my iPod Touch, Apple Keyboard and solar panel power system all in working order. As soon as I am rescued, I will have plenty of books ready to publish.

Marie: What is your favorite genre to write, and why?

Steve: I love writing in the thriller genre. People who operate in the shadows of government and the military are always heavily involved in the thriller genre, and I just love all that spy stuff.

Marie: Could you tell us three random things about yourself?

Steve:

1. I can hear the Magnetostriction (that high pitched hum) from older televisions when they are on, even if they are in another room from the one I am in. It has been nice to switch all the TVs in my house to flat panel displays. No more irritating whine while feeding my Netflix addiction.

2. By my senior year of high school, I was the only one who had been in the marching band all four years. That’s right. One time, at band camp…

3. My last name, DeWinter, is from the book (and subsequent Alfred Hitchcock movie) Rebecca. I had it legally changed in 1998 as it was way cooler than my, then current, last name. The downside? None of my high school classmates will know that they went to school with this great thriller writer.

Marie: How long have you been writing?

Steve: I have been writing off and on since high school, but only recently did I produce any real marketable product, i.e. a complete book. Most of my writing had been sporadic because I was only able to write in spurts. But in 2006 I was laid off and spent the next six weeks crafting a cohesive and exciting book. I finally had something I could bring to market and consider myself a serious writer with a career in fiction.

Marie: In an average week, how much time do you spend working on your writing?

Steve: I try to get in at least a couple hours per day. But that puts me at about ten hours a week when I would much rather put in ten hours per day.

Marie: What is your favorite part about being an author?

Steve: The flexibility it affords me. I can write from anywhere and with how connected we are with the internet, I can publish at any time; from anywhere.

Marie: Can you tell us anything about a current project you are working on?

Steve: My current project is a six book novelette series, titled Hired Guns, which is modeled after the U.K. television serial format. Each novelette follows the adventures of Joe and Kat, two Las Vegas private investigators, just like a television series follows recurring characters. Each episode, or book in my case, is a complete story, but since my primary format for writing is the long-form novel, I have included an overall plotline that will spread across all six novelettes. The question posed in the first book will be answered by the sixth book. I am pleased to announce that Book 1 is already available on Amazon.com.

Marie: What is the first thing you do when you get a new story idea?

Steve: I write it down in my idea log. The ideas come in waves, and if I don’t get them all down, they just might wash away with the tide, most likely never to be seen again.

Marie: How do you decide if an idea you have for a story is worth keeping?

Steve: When I am looking at what idea to pursue next, I do some pretty intense research to see if there are enough “real world” facts I can use to enhance the story. The more I find from history and cultural mythologies that fit with the story, the better chance it has of becoming my next full-time project.

Marie: What obstacles would you warn beginning authors of?

Steve: Albert Einstein said it best. “What a person thinks on his own without being stimulated by the thoughts and experiences of the other people is even in the best case rather paltry and monotonous”. After you have written something, get it in front of others. Have them read it and listen to what they have to say. While you may not use every suggestion, the ones you do use will improve your writing and your story beyond anything you could have done on your own.

Marie: Which scenes did you find the most fun to write?

Steve: The action scenes. I try to write my novels cinematically, and action scenes give me a chance to blow things up, textually of course.

Marie: What question have I not asked that I should, and what is the answer?

Steve: I expect the question I will get most often is, “Why didn’t you just wait for an agent to accept your manuscript rather than become an indie-author?” And the answer is a rather simple one. I like to have fun in what I do. And getting over a hundred rejection letters from agents (and that’s just those who took the time to respond) just wasn’t any fun. Publishing my book and doing the research for my next book is much more fun!

About Inherit The Throne

"Just like "24", only better!" "A female Jason Bourne!" -- Textnovel Readers

Some lines should never be crossed.

Living under a new identity in the tiny Northwestern tourist town at the base of Mount Hood, Melissa thought she had finally escaped her past. That is until an assassin tries to kill her and forces her back into a treacherous shadow world she vowed never to return.

That same night an unmanned robotic SUV slams into the limousine of the Vice President of the United States and detonates with several hundred pounds of explosives. Melissa soon discovers that the attack on the Vice President and the attempt on her own life are related.

And time is running out to find out who wants her dead and why she alone holds the key to saving the President of the United States

RePost

This poem is by J. M. Roberts, over at AgapeFish


Up or Down


Falling
Can be fun
Falling
Is free and easy
But falling
Leads to landing
Crashing
Which hurts.
Falling
Isn’t good
But landing
Is worse

Climbing
Is hard
Climbing
Takes a lot of work
But climbing
Leads to the top
To rest
Which is good
Climbing
Is not easy
But in the end
It is better

Than crashing
Landing
Falling
Falling is scary
Climbing is too
Because we know we might fall
And falling
Is easier than climbing

Which is better?
That which is easy
That which is hard
We cannot escape
One or the other
Climbing, Falling
Pain and sweat
Falling, Climbing
Living
Where do you want to be in the end?

Summer?

It may be summer, but it doesn't feel like it.

Between my summer class, work, helping around the house, and keeping my room (mostly) clean, I have no time for things I like to do.

Such as reading, and writing, and drawing, and just hanging out with friends and sisters. There's always Something Else I should be doing.

When will summer be like it used to be, when I was a kid? When I had no cares besides sleeping late, reading, and playing outside? Are those days gone for good?

I hope not. I sincerely hope not.

I want summer, to be Summer, as I remember it from Summers Past.