Happy Mother's Day (a little late), with a side of Meh for Monday

I intended to post something for the moms out there. Nothing too special, just a little note to say Happy Mother's Day and you're awesome. Then I forgot about it because my weekend flew by oh so fast.  So, all the moms out there (even the ones whose children are of the furry and/or feathered kind), you're awesome. Perhaps I'm slightly biased because I am a mom myself, but I think moms are so wonderful. It could also be the fact that my own mom is so wonderful. Either way, happy Mother's Day (a day late) and I hope your day was as awesome as you!

Now, onto the MEH...

My weeks and weekends are full of cleaning. I haven't quite found that balance of some cleaning/organizing and the other stuff (like writing/critiquing/blogging/etc). I'm still working on it and I constantly dream about writing, think up new WIP ideas, and even beg father time to give me one day where time stands still long enough for me to catch up...

Since it hasn't happened, I'm just going to keep on pushing myself to get back where I want to be.

Luckily, one of my best friends and CPs is finally out of school and now will have a little more time to write and whatnot, so that should help me. She's also back to blogging and you can check her out over here. Her name is Kendra and I know I've got followers who follow her already, but in case you don't, you should because she's awesome. :)

I think that's it. I haven't had much time to visit blogs, but I'm working on it. And sometimes I visit and don't comment because I just have enough time to skim through. I hope to change this very very soon.

I hope you all have a wonderful Monday (and week if I end up not posting again this week :/ ).

Thankful Week, Day 2

I'm thankful for my CPs and crit group over at Agent Query Connect. If it weren't for them, all of them, there's a good chance I would've given up writing. They all showed me how to improve without tearing me down and making me feel worthless.

Caterina Torres is now the best friend I've ever had. She's there for me when I'm struggling with getting the words out. Even when I kept redoing my first MS, she kept recritiquing it. We talk every day and when we don't I feel lost. She picks me up when I'm down, knocks sense into me when I'm being stupid, makes me laugh, and everything else that a real friend is supposed to do. She's like a sister to me and I don't know what I'd do without her, but I know I never want to be. What makes her so much more than my CP is that she's there for me in general, not just writer stuff, but life stuff. I love you, chick and thank you. :)

Kendra Conine is a close second to Cat. It's funny that I call her a CP-she hasn't really critiqued critiqued my stuff, but she's given opinions and she's awesome. We BS about everything not writerly and we still manage to squeeze some writerly talk in. She also is there for me when I have silly requests that most people would find annoying. You're really awesome, Kendra. I'm glad I wasted time in the AQC chat room so that I got to meet you. :)

Lori Sjoberg, Gina, Jen, and Cami are my critique group and had it not been for them, that first MS wouldn't have been rewritten 500 times. And I'd be the idiot with a terrible MS, no conflict, no real plot, and no chance in this business. These ladies told it like it was, called my MS out for all the tons of flaws it had. I'm thankful for all the harsh words that need and needed to be said. I'm thankful that Gina sent me a message all those months ago telling me about the group because I need you ladies and I'm glad I met you. (The inspirational views that Lori posts for us are a fantastic bonus :P )

Okay, now that I've gushed on and on about these fabulous people. That's what I'm thankful for on day two of my week of thanks. CPs and friends are wonderful. Especially when they're both and can still shred your work without a second thought about it.

I hope everyone has a fantastic Tuesday. :)

Mention Monday - Book Releases and More

I have quite a few mentions for today...

One, for anyone who does not know it yet...The AWESOME Ali Cross just released her second book in the Desolation Series. AND to make this even more awesome? I'm having a GIVEAWAY!!! So, click RIGHT HERE to go enter for a chance to win not only an eBook of DESOLATE, but an eBook of BECOME (book one in the Desolation Series) as well. And then check Ali's website out for all the awesomeness that is her. :D

Next up, a friend of mine from AQC has a book that was just released on Amazon yesterday. THE MAGIC IN THE RECEIVER by Paul Dillon. Paul is an awesome guy and his book sounds intriguing. It will take you on a journey to the beautiful Greek island of Kefalonia.  Check it out. :)

Another announcement of sorts for myself...I've signed up for a blogfest hosted by the awesome ladies over at Falling For Fiction. The fest is called Hookers and Hangers-things like this title is part of what makes that group of ladies so awesome. (The little picture there on the left-perhaps you may need to scroll down a little-will send you to the linky list if you'd like to sign up). On next Monday (July 16) I'll be posting my 'hookers'-The first sentence of each chapter from my MS, CREATED: WITH LOVE. And then, on Wednesday (July 18), I'll post my 'hangers'-The last sentence of each chapter. It's exciting, so come back by next week and check it out. :)

Now I want to mention a few people/blogs/books-some I've mentioned before, but they're awesome enough that I'd like to give them another shout-out...

Lori Sjoberg: I had a Thursday TAG! with her a few weeks back and she didn't have any links yet. Now, she has a Facebook and a website. Check 'em out. Lori is AWESOME!

Kendra Conine: I just did a TAG! with her last Thursday and she's still building her blog following, so check her out if you haven't yet.

SC: He's a writer and also a new Tweep and blogger. I can only give you his initials because that's all I know. (He likes to be anonymous at the moment. :p  ) But he's still awesome, so check him out.

Utsav M and Brighton L: These two witty characters have their blog, Pineapple Lightning. The blog is still new and they're building a following. Plus, they like to do query crits and author interviews.

Jacqueline Gardner: I've not mentioned her in a while. I have a TAG! with her here though, so check that out. Also, she's got a few books out...Mutiny, Thoughtless, Jade, and Crystal. I've got Mutiny and Thoughtless on my TBR, but I can say that her short stories-Jade & Crystal- are great reads.

Jean Oram: This awesome lady has been a topic in a few posts. She's the super mod over at AQC. She's an awesome writer, who also (if I'm remembering correctly) has a short story coming out in an anthology. (I'll post about that anthology when it's out. :)  ). She also did a TAG!-here- and she's got a Facebook page and website all about fun activities to do with the kids in your life. (Her site is for parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and anyone else who has a child in their life in anyway. Plus, some of the activities on her It's All Kids Play site are fun in general. Maybe just some ideas for the kid at hear. ;)  ). So, check her out as well.

That's going to wrap up my mentions for today. I think I've done enough. There are always a ton of people I want to talk about, so if I don't cut myself off I'd go on and on. :D

I hope y'all have an AWESOME Monday!

Happy Mentioning. :)

Thursday TAG! - Kendra Conine

This TAG! today features a very good friend of mine which I met through my favorite site. (Agent Query Connect if you're new here and don't know. :D  ). Kendra is fairly new to blogging and could use a few more followers, so check her out (she's such a sweetie). She's in the revision stage on an MS about elemental magic and the concept is awesome. You can find her on her blog, Twitter, and Facebook.


1. When did you start writing? 
I started writing when I was 9 years old, in third grade.

2. What made you want to write? 
I'd just finished the book Kittens in the Kitchen as part of the Animal Ark series. You would not believe how much of a sucker I was for cats. I wondered, "Why can't I make a story of my own?" Thus my journey began.

3. When did you decide you wanted to write to be published? (As opposed to writing just to write) 
I wrote short stories after my little 'revelation' in third grade and garnered quite a bit of attention. I'd say it was around the time I started reading Eragon by Christopher Paolini in late sixth grade that I wondered, "Why don't I do the same [as him]?" I was pretty sure by then that writing was my calling, so I definitely needed to make something of it.

4. What genre(s) do you write? 
I mainly focus on the realm of urban fantasy and regular fantasy, but I've been exploring dystopian and post-apocalyptic settings.

5. Why that(those) genre(s)? 
They're my favorites! It's also being the issue of being a comfort zone I'm reluctant to leave. Anything I read I usually think, "I might write something like that one day." The only genres I've continuously gone back to are fantasy and urban fantasy.

6. Do you have any particular ritual when you write? (A specific way things are done during the process) 
I've been trying to create a new ritual for myself. Currently it works like this: Open Microsoft Word and iTunes, find a song to listen to and open the document, and sit there. Sometimes before I begin I'll recite a prayer I found somewhere. One of the greatest pieces of advice I've gotten (only recently, unfortunately) is to warm up. Writing isn't just to write. It's like art, sports, anything. You have to stretch before you really begin. So I've really been trying to get in the habit of warming up with something else before I begin.

7. Do you use an outline, or do you just start writing? 
I do have outlines. I just think it's so much easier to keep my ideas and thoughts organized with an outline rather than try to keep everything straight in my head—I butchered one of my stories when I tried to go without one.

8. Is there something you MUST have when you're writing? (Aside from the typical writer tools-computer, pen, paper, etc) 
Music. Music is my saving grace, my best friend, my writing partner. Every piece of my book has a musical piece to accompany it in my mind, and therefore I have to have it!

9. Do you write out your story on paper and then transfer to a computer, or straight to the computer? 
I used to write it out before I typed it up, but then a 44,000 word story went to 144,000. So, not really. I do write my outlines out on paper (color-coding for the win!) but I type the entire story up.

10. How many books/short stories have you written? (Published or not, even those you wrote and then thought-what the hell?) 
Unfortunately the amount of books/short stories I've begun and lost/quit is very high, much higher than my completed list. I've completed nine books/short stories, and two and a half of them had "what the hell?" results, haha!

11. Is there, or has there been, anyone in your life (real or online) who thought you being a writer is/was just another hobby? Or that you are/were wasting your time as a writer? 
Some people still do, I believe. Several of my teachers don't understand why I write when they think I have such a great future in politics (But I don't even watch the news!) or science. But the amount of people who have faith in what I do is much greater than those who don't.

12. Do you do Social Media sites? If so, which ones? If not, why don't you? 
I use YouTube, Twitter and Facebook. I used to have MySpace, but it was just a complicated place. I've not really checked out Google+ or Tumblr, anything along those lines. I don't like having too many social media sites, because I tend to forget about them.

13. Any advice for writers that makes you cringe every time you hear it? (I know there is some cringe-worthy advice still worth following, so only advice you don't follow.) 
"Write what you know." I used to follow this advice to a T, but then I realized if I did that, every single story I wrote was going to be stuck in little towns of only 800 people. You can't just write what you know, or you're never going to learn anything! In some instances, you can stick to this advice. For example, if you want to put a story in South Africa or Afghanistan, but you know nothing about the cultures there or the events that have taken place there, that's not the best idea. It isn't that it's bad advice, but it's advice that can mislead you.


14. What's a Flame Dancer? 
A Flame Dancer is something part of a unique 'Mastery Stage' in my book. A 'Dancer' is the first, most inexperienced stage that only signifies vague control over the element. Over time, it would progress to 'Flame Warrior' and, if lucky, the final and most experienced: 'Flame Master'. Since there are other elements with the same stages, it gets diverse—Darkness Warrior, Wind Dancer, Water Master... etc.

15. Would you want to be a Flame Dancer if you could? 
Yeah! I've always been a bit of a pyro-lover (not in a BAD way)—I love to watch fire, to watch it grow and shift and shape itself, how it reduces to the soft glow of coals. To be able to touch them and communicate with them? Sign me up!

16. What is your favorite song for each type of scene you're writing? (IE-action, love, arguing, fighting, etc.) 
This is going to be my favorite question out of the whole interview.
Action/Fighting - For a normal battle it would be Blinded by Light from the Final Fantasy XIII Soundtrack. For a 'boss', it would be Dismiss from Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep.
Love - Fabula Nova Crystallis from Final Fantasy XIII.
Arguing - Those For the Purge from Final Fantasy XIII.
"Doom" moment - Key of Darkness from Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep.
Travelling - Currently, Run~Full Speed Ahead from Final Fantasy XIII-2.

17. What inspires your writing? 
My music more than anything else. Usually I already have the ideas in my head, but music helps me give them shape and set the mood in the writing itself.

18. What's your favorite part about writing? What's your least favorite part? 
My favorite part is the experience of writing something for the first time. You're writing, and you've just gotten to a piece you've had planned forever. It's finally here! Your heart pounds, your mind is going 90 miles a minute, and your hands are sometimes shaking from the intensity of the anticipation. I don't know if it's only me that gets that feeling, but I do. Now, my LEAST favorite part is running into a wall. Your writing is going great, then BAM. Something's wrong, and you don't know what. You sit and try and figure it out for AGES, but nothing comes. Then you have to force yourself away from your work and figure it out from there, and sometimes you end up having to butcher the work and put it back together. I don't feel like my characters appreciate this very much.


19. What do you do when you aren't writing? 
I read books, walk around town, or play Final Fantasy. I'm a bit of a recluse most of the time, so it's rare that I go to hang out with friends—but it does happen. Sometimes. (;

20. Any words of wisdom for anyone who is thinking of becoming a writer, or just something you think all writers should know? 
Follow your dreams and write what you want, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. If you want to write the goriest books, do it. If you want to write the trashiest, do it. Writing is all you and it's no one's place to say otherwise. As for advice, don't be afraid to experiment. Dapple into everything to find what fits for you. Also, don't use adverbs and passive tense! They're a death trap!