Quotations to Start the New Year

Want 2013 to be a good year? Then prepare for it! Make it so!

“Talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work.”

–Stephen King

“It’s not the will to win that matters. Everyone has that. It’s the will to prepare to win that matters.”

–Paul “Bear” Bryant

“Nobody’s a natural. You work hard to get good, and then work to get better.”

–Paul Coffey

“Life is like a combination lock; your job is to find the right numbers, in the right order, so you can have anything you want.”

–Brian Tracy

“Luck happens when preparation meets opportunity.”

–Seneca

Quotation for 12-30-2012

Proactive? or paranoid? Me, I am always paranoid first, it usually saves time.

–Clif High

(What a great line for a character in a story!!!! Thanks, Clif.)

Quotation for 12-29-2012

“The further a society drifts from truth, the more it will hate those that speak it.”

-George Orwell

Evolution of a Cover: A Study in Design

Behind-the-Scenes: Early Cover Designs.

A special thanks to the author of aftermathasagabegins.wordpress.com who shares the evolution of the cover of his book from his first concept sketch through influences of other artists to his final design. It’s interesting to follow how the reality evolves from the first idea in the writer’s mind to the final interpretation.

As writers, we create beyond the words on the pages. Finding the right artist to help us translate our story into an encapsulating image is a labor unto itself. I appreciate this little look behind the scenes to prep me for what lies ahead.

Are you on the verge of e-publishing or self-publishing your book? You may want to read the article by using the link above. The more input you get, the better your output will be.

When Procrastinating Made Me a Super Star!

Rarasaur is a charming blogger, full of enthusiasm and charisma. (www.rarasaur.wordpress.com) She nominated moi for an award about a month ago before a bunch of craziness took me out of circulation for a bit. When I mentioned the award before Christmas, it was the Blogger of the Year Award. However, Rarasaur has had a change of heart regarding BOTY, and re-issued her awards as

I promised to fulfill the requirements for the award after the end of the world as Mayan enthusiasts predicted. Oops. The Big Pffffft didn’t happen and neither did my promised 12/22/20012 response to Rarasaur’s nomination.

Today I discovered the change in her decision about which award she was bestowing. So procrastination paid off this one and only time. I like the new award better, Rarasaur. It’s prettier, shinier, more sparkly. Woo hoo! Thank you from the bottom of my heart for nominating me.

So here’s my fulfillment of the obligations.

1. I love a white Christmas, so I got my wish this year!

2. I am a birding enthusiast. I like feeding them, watching them, creating habitat for them, documenting sightings of them.

3. A favorite waterfowl watching site is Assateague and Chincoteague Islands. Every year on Thanksgiving week, the park opens remote areas that are normally inaccessible to tourists. One can roam and see migrating waterfowl and wild ponies all in the same place. It is glorious to see hundreds of snow geese bobbing in inlets with all manner of ducks, swans, gulls, terns and other wild geese.

4. My recurring nightmare is being drowned at sea. Or eaten at sea. Or both.

5. I decorated a Christmas tree this year for the first time in many years. Often we travel at Christmas, but not this year. In fact, this year Christmas is getting spread out over several days. So between getting snow, having a tree, and loving on family and friends, I am really enjoying Christmas this year!

I am nominating the following blogs of writers who help other writers as my Superstars:

M. S. Fowle  at http://msfowle.wordpress.com  cover design

E-BookBuilders at http://www.e-bookbuilders.com/ ideas galore

Karen Gadient http://karengadient.com/ cover design and more

C. J. Gorden http://cjgorden.wordpress.com/resources/  list of resources

Paige Nolley http://paigenolley.wordpress.com/ the bare naked truth of the writer’s path

The following entity is not a blog, but an honorable mention:

Kickstarter www.kickstarter.com uses cash to support creativity

SHINE ON, YOU TWINKLY PEOPLE!

The Origin of the Fantasy Genre Is Noble

Fantasy Masterworks: The King of Elfland’s Daughter.

I am not a fantasy reader or writer. But after spending time reading the post I’ve linked from the blog Fabulous Realms, I am tempted to give the genre a try.

An Irish lord created the genre. That, in itself, seems  ironic, since the romanticized life of princes, princesses, lords and ladies dominates the imaginary world of fairy tales and fantasy worlds. It seems most fantasy readers want transported into a royal realm to vicariously experience it. With Lord Dunsany, you have a nobleman capturing his own culture using the fantastical. His escape is no escape at all.

I was encouraged to read that Dunsany refused to be restrained by genre in his work. He was a versatile and creative writer, with works including fantasy, drama, poetry, science fiction, prose and autobiography. According to Fabulous Realms, Dunsany’s surviving published works exceed 80.

Yet, I was floored to learn the skill of this 20th Century author. Once he imagined a tale, he may practice it orally before an audience. But once he started to write–by hand–his manuscript, he rarely rewrote it. His first draft was the draft which ended up with the publisher.

He had an interesting writer’s ritual. He wrote sitting upon a crumpled hat. It’s as if it were a magician’s hat, conjuring up rich vistas and characters to populate Dunsany’s story. As the story goes, the hat was stolen by a visitor to Dunsany castle.

My guess is the thief was cursed, if not with a pox, then certainly with bad dreams, where the thief is chased to his death by dragon-riding elves.

Need a nudge this morning to get the writing started? Take a moment to read about writing Lord Dunsany-style. I think you’ll be bewitched.

A Gift for You

Make the Merry in Christmas your gift to yourself this year. You deserve it!

Using Science in an Action Scene

Today I found the coolest video that shows what happens to boiling water when it is pitched into the air in arctic temperatures. It makes INSTANT snow. Cooler yet is the science behind it: hot water is easier to freeze than cold water. How’s that for defying logic?

According to Mike Krumboltz, writing for Yahoo’s quasi-news segment “The Sideshow:”

The man boiled water and then tossed it over the balcony of his apartment. Normally, that sort of thing would get you arrested. But in arctic-like temperatures, the result is quite beautiful. As soon as the man tosses his pot of boiling water into the freezing air, it turns to snow and leaves behind a trail of mist across the sky.

If you paid attention in high school chemistry, you might remember that boiling water freezes faster than cold water. Known as the mpemba effect, the phenomenon remains a mystery to many. Not even scientists can agree why hot water tends to freeze quicker.

I envision a bad guy on a high balcony trying to hurt the hero standing below in the snow. The fiend pitches boiling water at the man below him. The hero cringes, bracing for a scalding, then laughs and bounds through the snow veil into the building to apprehend the crook. What do you see?

To see the science in action, watch this video.

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/boiling-water-turns-snow-siberia-171453719.html

Turning Your Manuscript into an Audiobook

Turning Your Manuscript into an Audiobook.

My daughter is a busy lady. She was telling me recently about several books she wants to read. She lamented that she doesn’t have time.

“Now if the author put the book out as an audiobook, then I’d buy it and listen in the car.”

Bingo!

I forget that audiobooks are another avenue for reaching the public. Like paperbacks or e-books, it’s another version to sell to broaden your audience. Sell more by releasing your book in an audiobook format.

Click the link at the top of this post for more information.

Here’s the Link to Preview the Anthology

http://www.amazon.com/Writers-Desert-Cafe-An-Anthology-ebook/dp/B00ARYTOYC/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1356216202&sr=1-1&keywords=writers+of+the+desert+rose+cafe#_

Clicking on the link takes you to the cover and a brief look inside the first few pages of the new Anthology. Coincidentally, my work appears first in the book, so it is my work that is open to be read as part of  a free preview. Talk about pressure. If my work doesn’t nab a reader, then the rest of the authors may never get read. My work has to convince the site visitor to buy the book.

We priced the book at an affordable $2.99 because we want many people to take the chance to buy the book, then read it.

Remember, if you purchase a copy of the book and have constructive feedback for any of the authors, please share it here. The book is the first product of our writers group, reflecting our growing as writers. You, as reader, matter to us and we want to hear what you think, good or bad. Just make the critique constructive so an author can improve based on what you say.