Off for a Few Days

I'm not here today and though I have a post for tomorrow, which is Insecure Writer's Support Group day, you might not see me around.

Why? Because we are having a new shingles put on our roof.  To avoid the noise and mayhem, I am escaping to a motel for the duration. I'm hoping I'll be able to take this time and work on revisions.

Being Thankful

Today I'm thankful that insurance is covering at least part of the cost for the new roof, which we badly need.

What are you thankful for?

Write-Edit-Publish August Challenge Spectacular Settings

Denise Covey and Yoland Renee  

From Write-Edit-Publish comes this nice blog hop.

For this challenge you will:

1.    Firstly share a paragraph from a novel, or an extract from a poem, or a photograph that stopped your heart with a spectacular setting etc. 

2.    Describe how your chosen 'setting' spoke to you. Why did you like it?

3.    Then you have the option to:

     a)     write your own 'setting' piece in any genre, or share a ‘setting’ from your WIP, or…

     b)     write your own poem which highlights 'setting', or 

     c)     share a photograph that blows you away every time you look at it and tell us why.

     d)     share an artwork that shows a 'setting' you love and tell us why you love it.

     e)     write a small playscript which highlights 'setting'.

I've chosen a photograph. This was a real sunset. I took the picture. Growing up in the Caribbean I've seen my fair share of beautiful and spectacular sunsets, but this one wins first place. Every time I see this picture I'm reminded of nature's incredible ability to create art and beauty. And always it is ever changing and ephemeral. Though I was able to capture this particular moment, it doesn't do it justice because we, the viewers, are unable to experience the expanse, the immensity, of sky and ocean. Here it has been framed, boxed in, limited. This picture is merely the essence of something that was much grander and ceased to exist long ago.

For my setting piece, here is an excerpt from a novel I've been working for far too long. It's one of those stories that's dear to my heart. To set the scene, picture eleven-year-old Sam and her best friend, Nick. Between them, their imaginations are inexhaustible. They are playing a game on a beach and have taken on the personas of the superheros, Mosquito Man and Tentacle Woman. 

The Squalsh are as big as hundred pound dogs and look like a cross between a sea cucumber and a spiny sea urchin. They can throw their spines like javelins and are altogether repulsive. The only thing in the superheroes favor is that the monsters are as slow-moving as sloths, which makes it easy to stab them - avoiding the spines of course - with their spears.

“Tentacle! Behind you!” Sam whirls around. Three of the pukey green-black things are squalching towards her. She extends her eight tentacle arms towards the slow moving slugs and stabs at them with her spears. It only takes one well-placed jab to kill them. 

The Squalsh fly around like popped balloons making a farting noise and expelling a stinking non-deadly gas. Tentacle and Mosquito dance around to avoid being smothered by the deflating stinking blobs of goo that are ejecting spines. It isn't long before the beach is littered with piles of oozing dead slugs. The monsters, realizing that today they cannot invade this beach, retreat into the sea. Mosquito zips around triumphant and Tentacle waves her arms in victory.

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Hope you enjoyed today's Special Edition blog post. Are you taking part in this blog hop? 

Hot Pink in the City by Medeia Sharif

From one the writingest ladies around, here's ANOTHER release by our own Medeia Sharif.

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HOT PINK IN THE CITY, Prizm Books/Torquere Press, 
Release Date: August 19, 2015
Ebook
Purchase from Prizm, Amazon (vendor links will be updated on the author's site)

Asma Bashir wants two things: a summer fling and her favorite '80s songs. During a trip to New York City to stay with relatives, she messes up in her pursuit of both. She loses track of the hunk she met on her airplane ride, and she does the most terrible thing she could possibly do to her strict uncle... ruin his most prized possession, a rare cassette tape.

A wild goose chase around Manhattan and Brooklyn to find a replacement tape yields many adventures -- blackmail, theft, a chance to be a TV star, and so much more. Amid all this turmoil, Asma just might be able to find her crush in the busiest, most exciting city in the world.

Find Medeia – YA and MG Author

Blog   |   Twitter   |   Goodreads   |   Instagram   |   Amazon

Enter the HPITC book blast giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Alternatives, Titles to Write By, One Stop for Writers Tip, Being Thankful

Alternatives is a recurring post in which I give synonyms for an over used word. Click on the tab above for a "complete" list of over used words.

Today's word is:

For those who write crime, it might be alleged that this word is over used. 

Depending on how you use it, this list may come in handy for finding another way to say the same thing.

affirmed, apparent, asserted, assumed, averred,

claimed

declared, described, designated, doubtful, dubious

hypothetical

ostensible

presumed, presupposed, pretended, professed, purported, putative,

questionable

reputed, rumored

so-called, stated, supposed, suspect, suspicious

unproved

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In which we play with a single word and turn it into, what else, titles! Afterwards the object is to pick one of them and write a little something.

It was Ray Bradbury, in his book ZEN IN THE ART OF WRITING, who taught me about making lists of words and turning them into titles. If you haven't read it I highly recommend it.

For no particular reason today's word is: 

Button

Actually there is a reason why today's word is button, and it's not because I happen to like buttons and have written an article about them. No, it because the other day in a conversation with my hubby he blurted out a great title for a story. Which was: 

Death of a Former Button Pusher

Button, Button, I Know Who Has the Button

Button-Nose Bobby

The Button that Saved the World

Buttons: More Than Just Closures

Buttons in History

Belly Button Billy

I'll Be Your Button if You'll Be My Button Hole

Do any of these strike your fancy? The article I wrote was called Buttons in History. You'd be surprised at the roll they've played...

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Since this post seems to be about words, here's a tip from Angela and Becca of Writers Helping Writers fame. They are getting ready to launch a new writerly tool at One Stop for Writes. Today's tips is, what else, a short list of OVER USED WORDS!

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Being Thankful

Today I'm thankful for books. Cicero wrote: A room without books is like a body without a soul.

The to-be-read stack.

Part of my collection of fairy tales and myths.

Books on writing and words.

Part of my hubby's scifi collection.

General information.

Classics and poetry.

What are you thankful for? How many bookshelves do you have in your home? Do you collect a variety or a few particular kinds of books? Do you know about Angela and Becca? Care to share a button title in the comments?

Six Impossible Things, Monday Muse, One Stop for Writers, and Being Thankful

It was the White Queen, from Through the Looking Glass, who said to Alice: "When I was your age, I always did it for half-an-hour a day. Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast." 

When life gets you down think of, or believe in, six impossible things before breakfast. Take a deep breath and close your eyes. If you are aren't smiling by the sixth thing, think of six more. Keep thinking of impossible things until you smile, or until you understand that life itself is impossible. Yet here we are.

Here, for your entertainment, are Six Impossible Things. You can believe them or not as you wish.

1. Being the world's best speller.
2. Riding on the back of butterfly.
3. Knowing what dogs dream.
4. China returning Tibet to the Tibetans. (One CAN hope!)
5. Writing the most beautiful symphony anyone has ever heard.
6. Having tea with Dorothy and Ozma of Oz.

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Today's Monday Muse is a prompt brought to you by none other than Angela and Becca of The Emotion Thesaurus fame. They are embarking on a new enterprise, One Stop for Writers, where we writers will be able to find everything we might need in one place. You can also find them on Facebook and Twitter @onestop4writers. 

I told my parent I didn't know being a Buddhist would get the crowd so riled up. I thought they trusted me to tell the truth. I guess I'm naive to believe what was written centuries ago in our Freedom Documents, and what our elders teach us in school, what my parents preached at me almost every day that, "ALL are to be loved equally for ALL is made of Star Dust and there is NO difference between humans or any thing that IS within the UNIVERSE."

Yet here I am, tied to a stake, my parents ready with the lit torches. I bet the Hippies from the Long Back times are rolling in their graves.

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Being Thankful

Today I am thankful for BEES

whose very existence is being threatened by pesticides from Monsanto.

Think of a world without honey.

Think of a world without:

apples, mangoes, kiwi, plums, peaches, guava, pears, strawberries, onions, cashews, apricots, avocados, allspice, kidney beans, green beans, cherries, walnuts, flax, lemons, limes, cotton.

Think of a world without: 

cucumbers, cantaloupes, broccoli, watermelon, papaya, chili peppers, bell peppers, raspberries, blackberries, tamarind, vanilla beans, cocoa, coffee, tomatoes, grapes... 

And this is just a small list.

***

Have an impossible thing to believe in? Please share. How about that prompt, has it inspired you with an idea for you next novel or short story? And what are you thankful for today? How about that cup of coffee or piece of chocolate the bees have unselfishly and without thought, given to you?

Insecure Writer's Support Group

Posting first Wednesday of every month YOU can sign up HERE to find out more about the purpose of the Insecure Writer's Support Group, the brainchild of Alex Cavanaugh.

In an effort to keep these posts short and sweet, I'll be sharing an appropriate quote. 

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"NeilGaimanNov04". Licensed
under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons.

Today's quote is from Neil Gaiman and it's for those of us who can't seem to get our thoughts down on paper.

"Write the ideas down. If they are going to be stories, try and tell the stories you would like to read. Finish the things you start to write. Do it a lot and you will be a writer. The only to way to do it is to do it."

Can it really be as simple as that? Yes.

Today I'm co-hosting IWSG, so I'd best be off to visit! Come follow me HERE and we can visit together. My awesome co-hosts for the August 5 posting of the IWSG will be Nancy Gideon, Bob R Milne, Doreen McGettigan, Chrys Fey, and Pat Garcia! 

Guest Post with Misha Gerrick

Today I'm thrilled to have Misha Gerrick as a guest, one of many stops she'll be making as she promotes her series WAR OF SIX CROWNS. 

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When Bish asked me to interview one of the side characters in my series, I ended up seeking an audience with the King of Nordaine. Partly because I like him, but mostly because he probably knows Darrion and Gawain the best.

Things didn’t really go as planned, though, which leaves me about as puzzled as you. The transcript of our conversation follows. 

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Me: *putting my hand on my left shoulder and bowing* Thank you for seeing me, Your Majesty.

King Conal: *Gray eyes shining as he nods in welcome.* Of course. I could hardly deny a visit with our foremost chronicler. *Gestures me to walk with him to the fire and takes a seat, indicating the other armchair to me.* Sit, sit. *Warms his hands by the fire.*

Me: *Sits down, watching him with a little smile.* Cold, sire?

King Conal: Only a little. Spring may it be, but it’s never warm enough to stop a Fury in her tracks. And… *wry smile* I suppose my advancing age doesn’t help much.

Me: *glances around for a servant* Would you like for me to bring you something? Blankets? Furs?

King Conal: *Relaxes back in his seat, shaking his head* No, dear. Tell me. Has Darrion been giving you a lot of trouble, then?

Me: Not really. I mean… he… can be difficult, but now that we know each other, I really don’t struggle all that much.

King Conal: Mmm. As I suspected.

Me: … What did you suspect, sire?

King Conal: The boy’s capable of almost anything, but he doesn’t like to upset ladies.

Me: Oh. *Sits back, not sure how to proceed.* He’s good at it, though.

King Conal: He’s good at a lot of things he doesn’t enjoy.

Me: Is he your favorite, then, sire?

King Conal: *Chuckles* Now, dirael, you know that would be like picking a favorite grandchild.

Me: *Smiles* So you see the three of them like that?

King Conal: Yes, but I suppose I do have a special place for Darrion. Gawain and Quin both have family here. Darrion only has us.

Me: And then… he doesn’t really count Quin as a friend anymore.

King Conal: No. *Sighs* I hope that, one day, they might find peace again and rebuild. They used to be…

Me: Like Darrion and Gawain?

King Conal: I suppose, except, Darrion and Gawain see each other as brothers. Quin was… the one they picked.

Me: And Siofra?

King Conal: *Softly* Siofra came in later. When I picked her as the fourth candidate.

Me: You regret it.

King Conal: *Sharp look* Wouldn’t you?

Me: You only did what you were supposed to, sire. The Tree picked her.

King Conal: *Stirs himself and stands* I’m sorry, but I just remembered something. Excuse me.

Me: *Stands at the same time, eyes widening.* Sire?

King Conal: I will see you again soon. I truly need to go, though.

Me: Yes, sire. *Does the Nordian bow again, then watches him leave, frowning at his back.*

See? He definitely did not want to talk about Siofra. I wonder why… I know she was killed under mysterious circumstances, but I’m sensing there’s more to the King’s reticence.

Good thing I have the rest of the series to figure this out.

What’s your feeling about this?

Thanks for having me over, Bish!

You're welcome, Misha! To learn more about her series WAR OF SIX CROWNS, read on.

***

The Vanished Knight

The entity living inside Callan’s soul orphaned her at age eleven. By the time she’s sixteen, it’s ensured her being shunted from one foster family to another.

Her thirteenth foster assignment should be routine. Except... it's not. A psycho in medieval armor kidnaps her and she ends up in a magical world. There, she accidentally discovers a secret her parents had kept until the day they died.

Both actually came from this magical world, but left before Callan was born. To cover their tracks, they’d lied about everything. Even who they really were.

Driven to find out where she comes from, Callan’s trapped in a race for life and death. Walking away isn’t an option, but if she stays too long, the entity will find its next victim.

In this world where secrets are sacrosanct and grudges are remembered, finding the truth will be near impossible. Especially when Callan has her own homicidal little secret to deal with.

One with a taste for destroying her life.

Goodreads | Amazon | Amazon Universal Link | Apple | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Heir’s Choice

After discovering her parents had kept a whole world secret, Callan races to discover her past. Not easy to do with an increasingly agitated entity living in her soul.

Going to her long-lost elvish roots should answer all her questions. Instead, she ends up in the middle of a nightmare.

The elves are on the verge of an apocalyptic war. Their enemy, King Aurek of Icaimerith, will only be appeased if Callan marries his heir. It’s either her life getting messed up, or an entire country’s lives lost. Simple enough, right?

Wrong.

Because when the entity wants the elves blotted out of existence, saving them gets taken to a whole new level of complicated.

Goodreads | Amazon | Amazon Universal Link | Apple | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

 Bio

Misha Gerrick has been creating stories long before she could write and is currently going after her dream of making a living as a writer.

If you’d like to see how that’s going, you can visit her on her blog , where she also discusses all things related to writing and publishing.

Or, if you’d just like to know what she’s reading and get updates on what she’ll be publishing next (Sorry, no newsletter just yet.): You can follow her on Tumblr, on Twitter: @MGerrick1 and you can circle her on Google Plus: +MGerrick

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I decided to join this bloghop because answering a thoughtful/challenging question every month is one way to expand one's mind. Hosted by Michael D'Agostino at A Life Examined , the question this month is:

“If your parent or child committed a major crime, would you turn them in?”

The short answer is, yes I would. The longer answer is includes the question, "why?" 
1. It's a major crime which could include things like child abuse, grand theft, perhaps even murder. I don't care who you are, I'm going to turn you in. It's how I was raised. 
2. If it were discovered that I knew about the crime and did nothing, then I could be charged with being an accessory. So on a personal and selfish level, I would turn them in. 
3. I worked for 23 years with the abused, neglected, and emotionally disturbed children so I've seen and dealt with the aftermath of child abuse. It's not pretty. So yes, I would turn them in. If it's elder abuse, I'd turn them in. If it's animal abuse, I'd turn them in. 
4. Turning the perpetrator in wouldn't necessarily be easy, in fact it would probably be very emotional on several different levels, but it's the compassionate thing to do for all involved.

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See you on Wednesday for IWSG. I'll be co-hosting so I hope you'll follow along with me HERE and we can visit together.

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Do you follow Misha's blog, on Tumblr, Twitter, or Google? Have you read Misha's books? If not, are you interested?  Personally, the whole tree picking thing has me very curious. Do you follow Michael? Are you taking part in his monthly hop? What about IWSG? If you're a writer, I strongly recommend checking it out!