Beautiful Books – Plottery Talk {October 2014}

You all probably know by now Beautiful People is like my favorite blogging thing ever. I get to answer a list of questions about my characters, which happens to be my favorite thing to talk about. Um, yes please! Well, the beautiful Beautiful People (yes, I just said that) hosts Sky and Cait decided to do something awesome for the next three months. Yes, Beautiful BOOKS. In honor of NaNoWriMo (which happens in less than a week? WHAAAT???) they’re doing a linkup revolving around our NaNo books (or any current WIP if you’re not doing NaNo). For this month they’re…

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Magic Storytelling

Have you ever watched a show or seen a movie or read a book and by the end you’re just sitting there stunned, wondering how the writers produced such magic? And, more importantly, how can you incorporate that same magic storytelling into your own novels? I think us writers are always on the search for better storytelling, hoping maybe, someday, somehow we can stun people with our beautiful stories just as much as you were by that one special book or that mind-blowing show. I find myself in this position for, well, the majority of my life. I consume stories…

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That Time October Exploded

We interrupt your peaceful blog reading to announce. . . NANOWRIMO BEGINS IN 10 DAYS. Um. . .excuse me? 10 days? *cue the scrambling around, hastily making plot notes, assuring coffee supplies are sufficiently high, all affairs are in order, laundry is caught up, and farewells to your friends and family are taken care of* Yep. In 10 days those bravely insane writers will be locking themselves up in their writing spaces to pound out 50k or more words in a month, only showing their bleary-eyed faces for more caffeine. Because writers aren’t already mad enough people, right? Of course…

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The NaNo ‘14 Cast

It’s that time of year again, peoples! Where that last smidgeon of sanity us writers have gets flung out the window and locked out for a month. That’s right, NaNoWriMo is coming! Which means October is NaNo-prep month. I’m a wee bit behind on my prepping this year, but I’m starting to get into the swing of things. It hasn’t been easy though, this year’s novel is being stubborn, but I’m starting to discover its secrets and pull a story out of it. As I know I’ve mentioned, every year of NaNo since my first in 2010 I write each…

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Kindred Spirits and a GIVEAWAY

Once in a blue moon, you may stumble right into a person, and as you get to know them you begin wondering if you were separated at birth. Maybe you spilled your coffee on them in Starbucks and now, years later, you laugh about it and are grateful for your clumsiness. Because how else would you have gotten to know this awesome person? Or maybe it was something more direct, like another acquaintance introducing you. Or maybe, chance of chances, you find each other’s blog in the infinite vastness of the internet. It seems impossible to discover such a person…

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Dear Writer

Don’t be scared. If there’s a story in your heart, write it. And write it bravely. Through my journey of writing, I would often come up with some wild ideas and always thought, “Oh, I could never write that.” For my current WIPs, plot points popped in my head on a constant basis and you know what I would do? I’d laugh, think that would be fun to put in the book, but be too scared to actually write it. I always kept it safe. I was scared. “Is that idea too out there?” “That’s too complicated to sort through.”…

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Naps, Roses, and Hobbitses

I’ve been staring at the screen for several minutes trying to think of a clever way to open up this post, but my brain’s all, “Haha, nope. Go take a nap or something.” I tend to ignore my brain, but a nap sounds awfully nice. So Thursday my throat started feeling like murder, and then as the day progressed I slowly seeped into a state of death. Then over the weekend it all came in full force—fever, a throat that felt like a dragon was lodged inside trying to claw and burn its way out, a headache akin to a…

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Beautiful People – Visance {September 2014}

Oh, look at that, it’s a new month. Oh, look at that, it’s. . .halfway through an apparently not-so-new month. Well then. That’s right. New month means new Beautiful People, and per the Christine norm I’m late in jumping in the boat. But hey, it doesn’t leave the dock for another half a month, so not too late. Riiight? I believe you’ve got this down pat by now. Beautiful People is a writerly linkup by the oh-so fabulously fabulous Sky and Cait. Each month they give us 10 questions to answer about any character of ours. Useful and fun. What’s…

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The Maze Runner Book Review

When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. He has no recollection of his parents, his home, or how he got where he is. His memory is empty. But he’s not alone. When the lift’s doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade, a large expanse enclose by stone walls. Just like Thomas, the Gladers don’t know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning, for as long as anyone can remember, the stone doors to the maze…

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“A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes. . .”

I like the simple things in life. My favorite time of the day is right before bed when I can curl up and read before drifting off to sleep. Sometimes I like to just sit outside and do absolutely nothing but watch the clouds pass by. My heart did a little trill at the sound of thunder just now, the prospect of a stormy day to write thrilling me. But, despite how nice the simple things in life are, we all need a little excitement. Even the quietest people dream big. Me, I love the idea of adventures and excitement.…

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