tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30260104398116937762024-03-12T20:55:38.685-06:00Korê AvernaMaiden of the Underworld: A young writer trying to make her way above ground.Alexishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10696788557342550493noreply@blogger.comBlogger31125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3026010439811693776.post-14859443802988317922011-06-05T18:37:00.000-06:002011-06-05T18:37:35.331-06:00Things YA has taught me.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip60bjspVsqDYdsbFnbQ8MWhDC3cQmeOio4lqpZEmYfCoY03dGPcLQWSRyzRlJR_GCg4Tyfi-tdHCJB_oN-ZTUKHEyFJm7gY2nAxn9bTDCVi0h3G5lqhKml-iWaF1C6zxFQ51yWKcs_Ag/s1600/314722267.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip60bjspVsqDYdsbFnbQ8MWhDC3cQmeOio4lqpZEmYfCoY03dGPcLQWSRyzRlJR_GCg4Tyfi-tdHCJB_oN-ZTUKHEyFJm7gY2nAxn9bTDCVi0h3G5lqhKml-iWaF1C6zxFQ51yWKcs_Ag/s400/314722267.jpg" width="242" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</style> <![endif]--> </div><div class="MsoNormal">I’m sure by now most of you have read the <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303657404576357622592697038.html?mod=e2tw">Wall StreetJournal article by Meghan Cox Gurdon</a> and have even taken part of the Twitter camping <a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/search?q=%23yasaves">#YASaves</a>, but for those of you who haven’t I highly recommend reading the article and voicing your opinion. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</style> <![endif]--> </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">But for the short of it, this article condemns any dark YA fiction as damaging to young adults <i>"If books show us the world, teen fiction can be like a hall of fun-house mirrors, constantly reflecting back hideously distorted portrayals of what life is. There are of course exceptions, but a careless young reader – -or one who seeks out depravity — will find himself surrounded by images not of joy or beauty but of damage, brutality and losses of the most horrendous kinds.</i>" and even goes on to say "<i>Alas, literary culture is not sympathetic to adults who object either to the words or storylines in young-adult books</i>" and then goes on to suggest that "<i>the book industry’s ever-more-appalling offerings for adolescent readers spring from a desperate desire to keep books relevant for the young.</i>"</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">Um… what? I’m sorry but the world is not always a happy amazing place full of sunshine and rainbows. That is not the real world, and it has never been the real world. As a society we are just coming to realize that a lot of these problems exist and need to be talked about, and we are not afraid to talk about them anymore. The article talks about the relevance of these subjects and even says that they can encourage young adults onto a self-destructive path. And that is simply not true. I am not going to bog you down with facts but millions upon millions of kids each year are dealing with eating disorders, self-harm, bullying, sexuality crisis, abuse and much more. Proving that these books are not only <u>RELEVANT</u> to the young adult reader but also <u>NECESSARY</u>, ignoring these issues will not make them go away and I believe that we need to talk about them. True it is not these are not easy subject to talk about but that is not a good reason not to talk about them. Books open our eyes; books give us ways to bring these things into the light and into open forums so they can be talked about. </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">Silence is never the answer.</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">YA saved my life, YA has taught me I am not alone, YA gave me a voice when I didn't have one, YA has helped me to better understand my fellow man, YA has shown me that everyone has a story, Writing YA has giving me the voice I never had in high school, YA help me figure out what depression was and how to help myself, YA has made me more compassionate, YA has taught me about problems I never knew existed, YA taught me that is ok to be myself, YA kept me sane, YA taught me that it was not my fault, YA gave me an escape when I needed to get away. </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">I am 25 years old, I still read YA because YA opened my world and changed my life.</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><b>What has YA taught you?</b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Alexishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10696788557342550493noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3026010439811693776.post-60793186325154469742011-05-31T18:05:00.000-06:002011-05-31T18:05:05.282-06:00What's the Score Blogfest<div style="font-family: inherit;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-RQgTQugbI6mJSxHmncG7AgUgd6MBOWnlNRSzRmYUFkfQeT2a81fv-gKR56-vGLltsR05W_cO0ui7YS2eGjwOk91JOQFKO3eglOu0kGS1DGlkwxT6EA51eTkuyHJqV7brT0_epB1BjqI/s320/Score+Blogfest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-RQgTQugbI6mJSxHmncG7AgUgd6MBOWnlNRSzRmYUFkfQeT2a81fv-gKR56-vGLltsR05W_cO0ui7YS2eGjwOk91JOQFKO3eglOu0kGS1DGlkwxT6EA51eTkuyHJqV7brT0_epB1BjqI/s320/Score+Blogfest.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: inherit;">Today’s blogfest is brought to us by <a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/07911305246379355484">Rosie Connolly </a>@ East for Green Eyes and it is all about music! It's the “<a href="http://eastforgreeneyes.blogspot.com/2011/05/changes-constants-and-big-announcement.html">What’s the Score Blogfest</a>” and for a music geek like me it was very necessary to do. The instrustions are simple “Post any number of songs, artists, composers, posers, who/whatever that you might want to include in the soundtrack to your WIP.” Done!</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: inherit;">My WIP <b>Born for This</b> is a futuristic fantasy/ dystopia (for lack of a better word) aimed at the “New Adult” demographic (ages 17-27 ish) <span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">And like I said in my <a href="http://alexisfittinger.blogspot.com/2011/05/keeping-your-head-space.html">last post </a></span><a href="http://alexisfittinger.blogspot.com/2011/05/keeping-your-head-space.html"></a>I love to write to music, I love finding music that fits my themes and every so often I find a song that fits a character or event so completely perfectly I can hardly stand it. And those are the songs I will be talking about today. </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: inherit;"></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: inherit;">And first and foremost is a song by Katy Perry called “<i>What Am I Living For</i>?”. This song<b> IS</b> my MC Calista (you can get the down low on my characters <a href="http://alexisfittinger.blogspot.com/2011/04/now-starring-blogfest.html">here</a>) Now there are a million reasons I love this song but mostly I think Katy cheated. After all the first line of the song is “I can feel a phoenix inside of me” And my MC does have a phoenix inside of her (think totem animal) and is represented by fire and when I first heard this song she instantly had my attention. But it is not only that lyric that applies to Calista, it is every lyric. This song is the musical version of her story. But this song goes beyond just lyrics to relate to my character, it is the tone of the song, this is not the Katy Perry we are used to, and this song is not a pop song. It is deep and dark but also has a feeling of hope.</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIRf-nFKfsU&feature=youtu.be">Take a listen here </a></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: inherit;"></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: inherit;">The next song is “<i>The Drumming Song</i>” by Florence and the Machine and is about my other MC, Tullio, who is Calista’s antagonist for most of the book (have you seen the Avatar the Last Airbender cartoon? Think Zuko’s story line) and this song is pretty much what happens to him every time he is around Calista. And it’s not really a love thing, it’s an energy thing. They are drawn together because of what they are and for Tullio (represented by water) especially he has a hard time dealing with her, she clouds his mind and spins him around, she is the hot to his cold and he has a hard time dealing. And he spends most of the book trying to clear his head of her.</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTeMgb_akfk">Take a listen here </a></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: inherit;"></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: inherit;">Ok, I’ll admit it. My book has a little bit of a “love triangle” (actually it would be more of a love square, or a weird star. Since in the end all 4 of my ensemble all love each other in different ways.) But the song "<i>Breath Again"</i> by Sara Bareilles embodies the connection between Celest and Calista. They have a quick and fast connection in the book but Calista at this point in her journey cannot settle for what is easy, or what she needs. And Celest knows this and does not hold it against her and basically tells her “I love you, but you need to figure your shit out before I can even begin to be there for you. But once you do, call me.” And this song is about knowing who it is that you need but not being able to choose them just yet but hoping that someday you will be able to be with them. And while Calista is represented by fire, Celest is represented by air/wind so in that way this song relates on an even deeper level. </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2yPU5WPwZs">Take a listen here </a></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: inherit;"></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: inherit;">And for the other half of my MC’s love triangle, the Calista/Tullio side, who have an amazing energy together but just ultimately destroy each other “<i>Love the Way You Lie</i>” by Eminem featuring Rihanna is the perfect song for them. Because this song is not about blame, it is about both people knowing they are poison for the other person but also to being able to let go of them. And about half the time I am rooting for Tullio and Calista to work out this song reminds me why they never will. (also i think the video is amazing)</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uelHwf8o7_U">Take a listen here </a></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: inherit;"></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">So that is that. Ultimately I am still looking for the perfect song for Evee and for Celest in their own right but I will know instantly when I find them. So in conclusion I will leave you with a song from Born for This’s companion book that is still untitled. This song is beautiful, but hauntingly so in reflection of what it means in context of the book. This song is for Agalia who is a woman represented by light, and this song in the back drop to her death right after her lover tells her not to worry and they will be able to save her, she kills herself as the only way to save them. “The Light” by Sara Bareilles.</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tf5u0mJQJMs">Take a listen here </a></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
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Anyway, I love music and I hope you all had fun looking at my choices ^.^</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: inherit;"></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</div>Alexishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10696788557342550493noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3026010439811693776.post-50523346655815461962011-05-29T22:34:00.000-06:002011-05-29T22:34:24.090-06:00Heat Wave<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/> <w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/> <w:OverrideTableStyleHps/> </w:Compatibility> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><a href="http://www.boomtron.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/heat-wave-richard_castle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.boomtron.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/heat-wave-richard_castle.jpg" width="210" /></a><b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";"><u>Heat Wave By Richard Castle</u></span></b></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">My rating</span></b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">: 3 stars. </span><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">I didn’t hate it, but it was still missing something</span><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Amazon.com rating</span></b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"> (and break down): 4 Stars (5 star:130/ 4 star:98/ 3 star:50/ 2 star:18/ 1 star:23)</span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Pages</span></b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">: 208 hardcover / 224 paperback </span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Buy or Borrow</span></b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">: at $13 for the hardcover and $8 for the paperback (on Amazon.com) if you have seen the show Castle before then buy the paperback but if you have not then borrow the book</span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Description</span></b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">: (From Amazon.com) </span><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">A New York real estate tycoon plunges to his death on a Manhattan sidewalk. A trophy wife with a past survives a narrow escape from a brazen attack. Mobsters and moguls with no shortage of reasons to kill trot out their alibis. And then, in the suffocating grip of a record heat wave, comes another shocking murder and a sharp turn in a tense journey into the dirty little secrets of the wealthy. Secrets that prove to be fatal. Secrets that lay hidden in the dark until one NYPD detective shines a light.</span><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> </span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">What I thought</span></b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">: This is hard one for me to call, so much of this book rides on the fact that you have not only seen the TV show Castle on ABC, but also that you love the show. The author of this book is “Richard Castle” and this book is a creative way to tie the TV show into real life. I love the TV show Castle, so when I heard ABC had released books that Castle has supposedly written I was excited, </span><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">I thought it was brilliant to tie in the books on top of the show's success. I really expected it to be the type of book worthy of Richard Castle's name, (especially since it has long been rumored that the ghost writers was James Patterson or Stephen J. Cannell since they have both appeared in several episodes of the show and have glowing reviews of the book on its the cover) a celebrated author who'd had 26 best sellers. However, it ended up being almost a book form of an episode, just with different names (that are ridiculous BTW, Nikki Heat? I mentally replaced Heat with Beckett every time I read it). </span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">If you stop to think about what this book is “really” supposed to be, the beginning of a new character and series for Richard Castle (a best-selling author) based on a real NYC Detective I don’t think you can help but feel a little disappointed. This book could not stand on its own without the show, and that was the only real disappointment, and in that regard I think the ghost writer (or ABC, depending on how you look at it) really dropped the ball. I think that they should have given us a little more credit in our ability as readers to draw parallels between Castles “real life” and “real people” and his characters and know the difference. </span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Overall I think it was a fun fast little book, the writing was smooth yet tight and the dialoged was the same smart, biting and fast fun it was in the show, the characters are solid (even if they were the same from the show). The book is not bad; actually, the mystery in it is quite compelling. I just can’t help but wish that it was written at a higher level reader ( I know the book was made for a TV audience so they wanted to make is available to everyone, but I think that goes back to giving us readers a little more credit)</span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Will I read the next two books? Yes, yes I will. Because while this book was not perfect it was like reading a good episode of the show, which leads me to believe that the writer is a writer from the show, but whoever the ghost writer is, it is a fiercely kept secret, and no one is talking. When asked who <em><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-style: normal; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">really</span></em><em><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"> </span></em>wrote Heat Wave, Andrew Marlowe, the show's creator, said, "Richard Castle. The roguishly handsome best-selling author of the Derek Storm mystery series. He's charming. He's a good writer. And I don't know why you're trying to take credit away from him. The guy worked hard on it."</span><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"> <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> </span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">What writers can learn from this book: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Do not underestimate your audience, your audience is smart. They can figure it out and you don’t need to talk down to them or spell things out. They will get it. They are, after all, are not reading in their free time because of you. They probably read a lot in their free time. So you should treat them with the kindness and respect you like to see when you are reading. ^.^</span></div>Alexishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10696788557342550493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3026010439811693776.post-74049212416254477522011-05-13T17:08:00.001-06:002011-05-13T17:18:08.640-06:00Keeping your head spaceSo you may not know this about me but I’m a bit of a film nut, but I mostly blame working at the movie theater for that. Now, I’m not so much into film as some people but I get into what I like quite a bit. A little over 5 years ago my good friend <a href="http://lindzpagel.blogspot.com/">Lindz</a> introduced me to film scores, and it had been a process but I am in love. <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/> <w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/> <w:OverrideTableStyleHps/> </w:Compatibility> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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</style> <![endif]-->But not only did she introduce me to film scores she introduced me to writing to them. And I have found it is the perfect way to set up in my mind the tone of a character/chapter and the best way to keep my mind in the moment. And so I began to collect soundtracks, many to movies I have never seen even just so I have the music if I need it (lol). Now I have well over my fair share of soundtracks, well around 120 or so. and it has opened up so much to me it feels. I tend to not be able to focus very well but I find that even when I wander away and then come back to my writing if I have one of my play-list running I can get back into the bit so much faster than without. <br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing"> </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">I have made so many play-lists for different emotions or character combos but I noticed that I keep returning to a few soundtracks more than a little bit. So I decided to share so of the tracks that I feel best represent my WIP and the overall tone and feel I am trying for. </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">Serenity composed by David Newman - Funeral / Rebuilding Serenity </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtAfe-sY2-g">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtAfe-sY2-g</a></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">Fire Fly composed by Greg Edmonson - Inside the Tam house</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4mQ9-J02dI">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4mQ9-J02dI</a></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">Unstoppable composed by Harry Gregson-Williams - Are you in or are you out</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQ-J2IhsGW0">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQ-J2IhsGW0</a></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">Tron composed by Daft Punk - End of the line</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WujZjzX8WxY">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WujZjzX8WxY</a></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">Tudors composed by <span class="ptbrand">Trevor Morris</span> -Anne’s final walk</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyjVWGn66Uc">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyjVWGn66Uc</a></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><b>What do you do to keep yourself in the right head space for the moment? </b></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">Also stay tuned because on June 1 I will be taking part in <a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/07911305246379355484">Rosie Connolly </a>@ East for Green Eyes “<a href="http://eastforgreeneyes.blogspot.com/2011/05/changes-constants-and-big-announcement.html">What’s the Score Blogfest</a>” she is holding to celebrate her one year blogiversary. She is giving away some wonderful prizes! And it looks like a lot of fun! For her blogfest I plan to share the "popular" music I have picked out for my characters.</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-RQgTQugbI6mJSxHmncG7AgUgd6MBOWnlNRSzRmYUFkfQeT2a81fv-gKR56-vGLltsR05W_cO0ui7YS2eGjwOk91JOQFKO3eglOu0kGS1DGlkwxT6EA51eTkuyHJqV7brT0_epB1BjqI/s320/Score+Blogfest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-RQgTQugbI6mJSxHmncG7AgUgd6MBOWnlNRSzRmYUFkfQeT2a81fv-gKR56-vGLltsR05W_cO0ui7YS2eGjwOk91JOQFKO3eglOu0kGS1DGlkwxT6EA51eTkuyHJqV7brT0_epB1BjqI/s320/Score+Blogfest.jpg" /></a></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div>Alexishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10696788557342550493noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3026010439811693776.post-82242373962262387992011-05-05T18:38:00.000-06:002011-05-05T18:38:03.297-06:00How do you start a book?<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/> <w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/> <w:OverrideTableStyleHps/> </w:Compatibility> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">Today’s blog is because earlier today a friend sent me a text that said “<b>I know this is out of the blue… but how do you know where to start a book your writing?</b>” Now I am far from an expert in the matter but I was touched that this friend was seeking out my advice. And while I tried to give her good advice, you can really only say so much over text so I began to write this to send to her, and then decided it would make a good blog post as well. Because isn’t that a question we all have “Where the hell to I start to tell this story?”</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">Now I don’t want to talk about “tricks” for the first chapter. You know what I mean; amazing first sentences, starting with a BANG, keeping the reader interested, and posing questions. Those are all thing a first chapter needs. But what I really want to talk about is the fact that you have this idea for this awesome story, with awesome characters but beginning are hard and you have no idea how to start the story. Where and how do you introduce your story?</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">For me the start of my story began very organically. I was driving and I just saw the start of it and I literally pulled over to the nearest place with paper (boyfriends work) stole some paper and locked myself away and just scribbled the idea down. It wasn’t until a little later after a had the first chapter hanging around for a while that I began to think about how and why this was the start of my book and began to edit it so it fit a little better. But at the end of the day it was the same, just with a little more context.</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">Now I know that not everyone has an experience like this, so here are a few questions I think you can ask yourself to find the beginning of your story.</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><b>Who is telling your story?</b> I think this is an important question because it solidifies your POV right away but also if you know who is telling your story then you know what is important to them. And if you know what is important to them then you can figure out at what point of the characters journey they would think is the start of the story. </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><b>How do you want to introduce your MC?</b><span><b> </b> </span>I mean first impressions are everything, so I think it is a good idea to think about the first impression of your MC. After all is they are an awesome kick ass fighter it would seem fitting to introduce them in a middle of a fight. That way there are no questions about your characters bad-assness. Alternatively juxtaposition is always fun. But untimely how we meet your MC will always be how they are thought of, at least a little bit, so it should reflect their character strongly.</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><b>Where does your story start?</b> Now this question seems redundant but I think it is important to ask before you start. Did the story start before the first pages or does it need some lead up before their story starts? Do you want to throw your reader into the middle and then sort it out from there or do you want them to go on the complete journey with your characters?</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">Ultimately I believe that if you have an idea you should put it down on paper. If it is good then wonderful! And if it is not so good at least you learned what does not work and you can try another avenue until you find something that feels right. </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><i><b>How did you choose where to start your story? </b></i></div>Alexishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10696788557342550493noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3026010439811693776.post-25433521631228001772011-04-29T16:29:00.001-06:002011-04-29T16:49:55.852-06:00The Now Starring... Blogfest WINNERS!! Happy Birthday to me!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">It's my birthday! I'm 25 today so as a gift to the world (and two lucky people) here are the winners of the Now Starring Blogfest!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDB4bFIaf6e0HydGKNU01aa3TNPyHZKjC_5G2m-OLETFM3o7jZupZPlQyl2evjKzGzEFEKQvbN4KnczEDUSG69qxLRHLUgmtxPKD7fo5tUlWFcfMkoMDvPz3LjZF6cGJibLkIPgd7c29c/s1600/nowstarring.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDB4bFIaf6e0HydGKNU01aa3TNPyHZKjC_5G2m-OLETFM3o7jZupZPlQyl2evjKzGzEFEKQvbN4KnczEDUSG69qxLRHLUgmtxPKD7fo5tUlWFcfMkoMDvPz3LjZF6cGJibLkIPgd7c29c/s320/nowstarring.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">WOW! Thanks to everyone who participated in Lindz and I’s very first blogfest! We had an amazing amount of fun and we hope you did to; it was so great seeing everyone casting choices and learning more about your characters. There are some great story’s in the making out there that I can’t wait to read. But on to the moment you all have been waiting for: announcing the Winners!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Congratulation to <u style="color: #990000;"><b><a href="http://me1ka.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-size: medium;"><u><b>Meika @ Waiting on the Muse!</b></u></span></a></b></u>! You have won yourself a set of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1932289046/ref=cm_gift_uc_gl_r1c3_a3_t?ie=UTF8&coliid=I2AKTH4TSB1852&colid=362TT764SIYUZ">Magnetic Poetry for Book Lovers</a>!</div><div class="MsoNormal">And </div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: center;"></div>Congratulations to <a href="http://jestkeptsecret.blogspot.com/2011/04/last-daughter-of-elhamair-starring-lots.html#comment-form"><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><u><b>Jess @ Jest Kept Secret!</b></u></span></span></a> You have won yourself something to <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003W09LTQ/ref=cm_gift_uc_gl_r1c2_a2_t?ie=UTF8&coliid=IIIQC0XMVO9EI&colid=362TT764SIYUZ">Scribble on in the shower</a>!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Thanks again everyone for taking part. Also I updated the look of my blog, do you like it? </div>Alexishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10696788557342550493noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3026010439811693776.post-29019976396736148032011-04-25T14:37:00.000-06:002011-04-25T14:37:23.246-06:00The Now Starring... Blogfest!!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDB4bFIaf6e0HydGKNU01aa3TNPyHZKjC_5G2m-OLETFM3o7jZupZPlQyl2evjKzGzEFEKQvbN4KnczEDUSG69qxLRHLUgmtxPKD7fo5tUlWFcfMkoMDvPz3LjZF6cGJibLkIPgd7c29c/s1600/nowstarring.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDB4bFIaf6e0HydGKNU01aa3TNPyHZKjC_5G2m-OLETFM3o7jZupZPlQyl2evjKzGzEFEKQvbN4KnczEDUSG69qxLRHLUgmtxPKD7fo5tUlWFcfMkoMDvPz3LjZF6cGJibLkIPgd7c29c/s1600/nowstarring.jpg" /></a></div><br />
FINALLY! It is here! <a href="http://alexisfittinger.blogspot.com/2011/02/introducing-now-starring-blogfest.html">The Now Starring... Blogfest</a>! I’m so excited to show you my cast and to get to see all of your casts and get to know your characters better through the actors you chose!<br />
<br />
For me, because I don’t draw, casting has always been an important part of writing for me. Because I need to be able to picture my characters as people, I never use the actor as my muse or write the character just for an actor. I just find that being able to visually have a physical body to attach to my characters helps me see how they move and act better. I think it is the director in me. If I could draw them, that would be awesome then I could just draw how they look, but unfortunately I cannot. So without much further ado, the cast for my WIP Born For This.<br />
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;">Small note, the drawing of my characters where part of an x-mas gift from the lovely <a href="http://lindzpagel.blogspot.com/">Lindz</a> who is helping me host this Blogfest, she gave me the line work and I half assed colored them in Photoshop just for you, I also Photoshoped the some of the actors badly to look a little more like some of the characters! Also Lindz made the table for me.</span><br />
<div class="separator"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLTGAgMbvseMCrkLGQVvCPiNCVjK8z4BsWGFMNbxeQulGDt0BUfANzcgeA5bFBPFknfCV4tK9XJ-KVVVgfPQRC9nhRTHvtC1Uj76XXtIvLL-3UYUnFgKR9hXSUMuN13Gb48h27X-N005E/s1600/alexistemplate+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLTGAgMbvseMCrkLGQVvCPiNCVjK8z4BsWGFMNbxeQulGDt0BUfANzcgeA5bFBPFknfCV4tK9XJ-KVVVgfPQRC9nhRTHvtC1Uj76XXtIvLL-3UYUnFgKR9hXSUMuN13Gb48h27X-N005E/s320/alexistemplate+copy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div align="center" style="text-align: center;">Click it! It gets bigger!(and readable!)</div><div align="center" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Anyways I hope you all had a lot of fun getting to know my characters a little better! Now I am off to look at all of yours! Also don’t forget to check back and see who the winners are of the box of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1932289046/ref=cm_gift_uc_gl_r1c3_a3_t?ie=UTF8&coliid=I2AKTH4TSB1852&colid=362TT764SIYUZ">Magnetic Poetry for Book Lovers</a>, and a thing you can <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003W09LTQ/ref=cm_gift_uc_gl_r1c2_a2_t?ie=UTF8&coliid=IIIQC0XMVO9EI&colid=362TT764SIYUZ">scribble on in the shower</a>!Alexishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10696788557342550493noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3026010439811693776.post-16598852212490885102011-04-18T21:19:00.001-06:002011-04-18T21:21:31.422-06:00I gonna start doing book reviews...a little / The Horns of Ruin<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: inherit;">OK, it has come to my attention that I read to many books not to be giving reviews of them. So I think I am going to start doing reviews on here. Now I am not going to review EVERYTHING I read because I don’t want book reviews to become the meat of my blog, but every once in a while I am going to post reviews on here. But also I want to review books are a writer not just a reader so hopefully my reviews will also be helpful to writers out there. </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: inherit;">Anyway I am going to rate each book I read on two scales the 1-5 scale below and if you should buy or borrow the book.</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: inherit;">Alexis’ 1-5 scale and what it means:</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: inherit;">1: I couldn’t even finish it / just plain bad</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: inherit;">2: I hope I didn’t pay for this / disappointing</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: inherit;">3: I didn’t hate it, but it was still missing something / forgettable but inoffensive</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: inherit;">3.5: On the line between good and ok / like, not love</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: inherit;">4: Solid mind candy / worth reading</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: inherit;">4.5: So very close to perfection! / must read</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: inherit;">5: I could not put it down and I’m still thinking about it! / a true treasure </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: inherit;">I also plan to always write a section on what this book could teach or show to aspiring authors. I know one of the main reasons I love to read is because I find it one of the best ways to learn about my craft and I would love to share that with all of you. </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: inherit;"></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: inherit;">So let’s start this off with a BANG!</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: inherit;">My I present you with <u><b>The Horns of Ruin by Tim Akers </b></u></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhydNPggFdZRmH25ghzL3XwBL9qn92YoXFGw3m0LbfZYm-rIHzPiIEAWIcu-ee0YPbilHtXMZmgXF0_5w1db8xXfEqsTI1mGhSt_dlj4cPz9a7FJdmoAE4w8shixIbafR03npG7Xpa-ROQ/s1600/Tim+Akers+-+The+Horns+of+Ruin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhydNPggFdZRmH25ghzL3XwBL9qn92YoXFGw3m0LbfZYm-rIHzPiIEAWIcu-ee0YPbilHtXMZmgXF0_5w1db8xXfEqsTI1mGhSt_dlj4cPz9a7FJdmoAE4w8shixIbafR03npG7Xpa-ROQ/s400/Tim+Akers+-+The+Horns+of+Ruin.jpg" width="266" /></a><b>My rating</b>: 5 stars! I could not put it down and I’m still thinking about it!</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Amazon.com rating</b> (and break down): 4 Stars (5 star:7/ 4 star:3/ 3 star:0/ 2 star:2/ 1 star:0)</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Pages</b>: 340 ages</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Buy or Borrow</b>: at $16 ($12 on Amazon.com) the shelf price is a little high for how thin the book is but I think it is totally worth the cash, especially if you buy it online.</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Description</b>: (From Amazon.com) Eva Forge is the last paladin of the dead God, Morgan.</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: inherit;">Eva, forsaken by her parents and forgotten by her family, was the last child dedicated to the Cult of Morgan. Morgan, God of battle and champion of the Fraterdom, was assassinated by his jealous brother, Amon. Over time, the Cult of Morgan has been surpassed by other Gods, his blessings ignored in favor of brighter technologies and more mechanical miracles. Now, Eva watches as her new family, her Cult, crumbles around her.</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: inherit;">When a series of kidnappings and murders makes it clear that someone is trying to hasten the death of the Cult of Morgan, Eva must seek out unexpected allies and unwelcome answers in the city of Ash. But will she be able to save the city from a growing conspiracy, one that reaches back to her childhood, even back to the murder of her God?<br />
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing"><b>What I thought</b>: It has been several weeks since I read this book and every time I think about it I am still blown away. While there are some flaws I felt that overall they were not big enough to really even matter in my final rating. What I love in this book was how beautifully Akers blends religion, sorcery and science, It felt effortless and completely real for his world. Akers describes himself as the only son of a theologian and that is where his book shines, the theology of the three brothers is really what makes this book work. But the theology is not so thick as to be confusing or daunting.</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">Eva is such an amazing character, I believe she might have been the first one to say “shoot first and ask questions later.” She is so intensely honor-bound that you cannot help but side with her even when you think she should think a little more before she asks. But I loved her impatience with pretty much everyone else in the book, she is after all a woman of action and doses not idle well. Everything out of her mouth was entertaining. I loved that her character never wavered. </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><b>The Horns of Ruin </b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;">is an amazingly fast paced adventure packed to the brim with sword fights, gun downs, arcane magic, witty dialog, sorcery, incantations. It is a wild ride that will leave you breathless and begging for more. I really hope there will be more books about Eva, I would follow her anywhere.</span></b></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><span style="font-weight: normal;">Here is one of my favorite (spoiler free) parts from Page 11-12:</span></b></div><i>“Names?” he asked over the clockgeist’s quiet howling clatter. I stepped in front of Barnabas.</i><br />
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<i>“Eva Forge, Paladin of Morgan and sister of the Fraterdom. I demand entry to the house of my brother by my right as scion of Morgan.”</i><br />
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<i>He looked up from my breasts, then down to my holster, then up again to the two-handed sword slung over my shoulder.</i><br />
<br />
<i>“You’ll have to leave your weapons at the gate.”</i><br />
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<i>I sneered and snapped out the revolver, flipped it once in my hand, and spun the cylinder open. I presented the clacking wheel of bullets to him and began to invoke.</i><br />
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<i>“This is Felburn, heart of the hunter, spitting fire of the sky. Morgan blessed the revolver as a weapon of his Cult at the towers of El-Ohah, when the storm cracked the stones of that place and the cannons of his army cracked the sky. This weapon was beaten from the iron of the mountains of the Brothers, the land of their birth. The bullets are engraved with my soul’s name, and blessed by the Fratriarch of Morgan on an alter of war.” I snapped the cylinder shut, passed the barrel across the pale man’s heart, and slammed it into my holster. ”I carry it, whether I live or die, through fire and fear and foes. I leave it nowhere.”</i><br />
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<i>“Well, I . . . uh.” The Alexian grimaced and shuffled his feet. Barnabas leaned out from behind me.</i><br />
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<i>“Don’t ask her for the sword,” he said, then banged his staff against the narrow stone walls all around. ”It’s a much longer show, and there’s not really enough room for the full production. If we step outside for a moment, though, I’m sure she’ll be happy to demonstrate. Eva?”</i><br />
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing"><b>What writers can learn from this book: </b>I think number one is that theology matters, what your character believes in shapes them. I think your character has to believe in something, not necessarily a god or goddess but I find that if the character doesn’t believe in anything then I don’t care. I want them to believe in something, to feel that need in them. That is one of the only things that makes a character feel real to me. </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">The other thing is that even though Eva was a woman I really didn’t care, her sex was not a defining character trait, and I don’t think it should ever be. </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"></div><br />
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">So that wraps up my first ever book review I hope you enjoyed!<br />
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~~~ <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDB4bFIaf6e0HydGKNU01aa3TNPyHZKjC_5G2m-OLETFM3o7jZupZPlQyl2evjKzGzEFEKQvbN4KnczEDUSG69qxLRHLUgmtxPKD7fo5tUlWFcfMkoMDvPz3LjZF6cGJibLkIPgd7c29c/s1600/nowstarring.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDB4bFIaf6e0HydGKNU01aa3TNPyHZKjC_5G2m-OLETFM3o7jZupZPlQyl2evjKzGzEFEKQvbN4KnczEDUSG69qxLRHLUgmtxPKD7fo5tUlWFcfMkoMDvPz3LjZF6cGJibLkIPgd7c29c/s320/nowstarring.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="color: red;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="color: red;"><b>And don't forget, the <a href="http://alexisfittinger.blogspot.com/2011/02/introducing-now-starring-blogfest.html">Now Starring Blogfest</a> being held on April 25<sup>th</sup> by <a href="http://lindzpagel.blogspot.com/">Lindz</a> and myself! It is gonna be a blast! And you have the chance to win some super fabulous prizes! </b> </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div></div></div>Alexishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10696788557342550493noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3026010439811693776.post-59981462330613390962011-04-07T04:27:00.000-06:002011-04-07T04:27:07.486-06:00Defining your world through language<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/> <w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/> <w:OverrideTableStyleHps/> </w:Compatibility> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<div class="MsoNormal">Honestly, I am trying to get better at this whole blogging in regular intervals, but mostly I think I have to actually be saying something in order to blog and I don’t feel you all care or need to hear my every thought, so for right now I think it is better this way. I’m too scatter-brained to try to come up with any sort of blogging schedule.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">But today I do feel like I have something to share! Something near and dear to my heart. The language of books. Now I’m not talking about the language you are writing in or how you are writing but I am talking about how your characters are talking. And I’ll be honest, I do not read a whole lot of contemporary literature, I am more of a fantasy/dystopia/steampunk king of girl, so this is more geared towards that (tough believe me I have read contemporary novels with this problem too). And actually this has become a point of focus for me. But I think how your characters talk to each other is just as important as anything else they do, and as important as any part of your world development. After all if JK Rowling had never written the word “Muggle” or “Mud-blood” how different would those books feel? My bet is very. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Language is such an important part of our everyday lives we a lot of times do not think of all the words that are slag or particular to just us, and I think it is something that is overlooked often when writing. Because honestly if I am reading a book that take part in a fantasy word a random “oh my god!” really pulls me right out of it. I think there are masters at this, Scott Westerfeld for example has such a gift for making the language his characters speak in feel real and organic and it just flows. Tamora Pierce is another I feel is a good example. But just as often as the language is good it is also bad, James Dashner for example I feel really missed the mark in his Maze Runner books. It did not feel truthful and more like he just replaced the words he wanted to use with different words to make it seem different.<span> </span>I really feel that this is what happens most often, that authors just replace the curse words or slang words they want to use with something else they made up to make the language stand out. But to me it always feels cheesy and forced and makes me stop cold.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">But I think I have some tips to help you define the language in your world just a little bit better!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span> </span>I think this is usually a huge one for me when reading a fantasy work but a well-defined Parthenon of Gods can make or break a fantasy book. I think Tamora Peirce’s Tortall books are a fantastic illustration of this. Because if your book does not take place on earth then I do not feel like your characters should be calling on the same gods we do. And knowing what gods your characters worship can do a lot to help you develop not only the characters but the culture they live in as well. After all, a culture that worships a war god and one that worships a sea god are going to be vastly different. And they will have different types of speech as well.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Another thing you can pull from is a well-defined sub culture. This is something that can be very useful when writing a book that takes place on earth, but I think it really helps everyone. Is your character really into punk music? Tattoos? Dancing? <span> </span>Knowing the kind of things and people your character deals with every day will go lengths to helping you know basic words in their everyday vocabulary. Personally being a person who <span> </span>spends a lot of time playing with, cutting, styling and coloring hair I use a lot of words like foils, bonding , developer, brassy, <span> </span>and tone, <span> </span>I’m sure not ever one dose and likewise<span> </span>I do not use the same words a dancer would. <span> </span>Heck I can’t really even say I know very many. Another way is to create your own sub-culture; I think Cassandra Clair did this very well with her Shadow Hunters. Because she did not just say “Here are the shadow hunters…. Deal with it.” But instead she actually wrote them a complete history and blended it with real history so it feels more organic and real. And that seaways into my next point nicely…</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">But a good history will take you a long way, as will knowing your time period. Again I feel this is beneficial to all types of books but I feel it is especially useful for dystopian novels. <span> </span>But you have this world, and I want to know and feel that the human (or not human as the case may be) has evolved<span> </span>since point A to point F, after all the language used in the 70s is not entirely the same as the language we use now. So likewise if you are writing a book that takes place in the future your characters should not be using the same words as me. Scott Westerfeld excels at this, but for those of us not as gifted with words I have a few tips. Knowing your history is number one, if you have events you can riff on or people you can pull those names or events<span> </span>into your slang/cussing. Also if it is a dystopian world, how have the world languages settled? <span> </span>Could you pull slang from other languages into your world? Not a book, but I think Joss Whedon did this well in his show Firefly, deciding that English and Chinese are the only two surviving languages from earth and thusly everyone speaks a mixture of both. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Ultimately, in my opinion, language can make or break a book. And I think that it can do wonders to helping you define your world without having to actually say anything.<span> </span>Because language just is. We need it, your characters need it, and I think it is one of the greatest tools in the constant battle of showing not telling. The way your character talks can show so much of the world to the reader that never has to be fully explained, I think everyone can benefit from thinking about their characters language just a bit more. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="color: red;"><b>~~~~</b></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="color: red;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="color: red;"><b>And don't forget, the <a href="http://alexisfittinger.blogspot.com/2011/02/introducing-now-starring-blogfest.html">Now Starring Blogfest</a> being held on April 25<sup>th</sup> by <a href="http://lindzpagel.blogspot.com/">Lindz</a> and myself.</b> </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div>Alexishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10696788557342550493noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3026010439811693776.post-34580788766576760932011-03-27T13:39:00.000-06:002011-03-27T13:39:12.152-06:00For the singularly minded.<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:RelyOnVML/> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/> <w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/> <w:OverrideTableStyleHps/> </w:Compatibility> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">I love series as much as the next writer. I feel I am constantly picking up books for series I have started that are not finished yet, and I love it! I love spending so much time with the characters and getting to know them and exploring the world with them. But what about those of us who do not think in series? Who want to wrap up their story in just one book? How can we achieve the same staying power with just one book where there seems to be such much pressure to write a series?</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">I have known for a long time that my book would just be one volume and perhaps a companion book or two but mostly I’m just writing one book. And I think just writing one book has a different set of challenges then writing a series. </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">Now I know that series writes have their own problem with timing, because the whole game is stretching out the story without making it feel forced.<span> </span>But for a single book the problem is opposite. How do we condense so that it feels organic but not rushed? How do you pull up all of those little plot threads, detangle them and lay them all out in nice little rows in time? And the only thing I can come up with, plot. Plot until the cows come home, I feel like all I have been doing the last year is plotting but I have finally come to a place where I feel I can do all of my story lines justice by the time the book ends.</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">It’s the same with character development, the only way I can make sure I have a fully rounded set of character by books end is plotting.</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">But here is one little problem that I didn’t know was going to crop up: other writers. If you are writing a singular book then you know what I mean. It’s not something they say *directly* at you but they think they are better then you. It’s like you can hear them in their minds when you tell them you are only writing one book and they are saying things like “oh, your story only takes one book to finish? Mine takes 3/4/5 books to finish; I guess that just means mine is SOOO much better than yours.” <span> </span>Or “One book? How are you going to sell that to a publisher? They want series to hook the reader so they make more money.” Ok, maybe they are not thinking that at all, but it feels like they are. (But maybe that is just my own self-doubt talking lol) but I am going to take a stand.</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">We need solidarity! We need other writes who understand the problems we have. So here I am offering my support. Because our stories are just as wonderful and just as worthy to be told! So I am raising my glass to all of you who are singularly minded and I am giving a toast. Because, bottom line, we rock. So let’s have a drink and then get back to work. Those novels are not going to write themselves. </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="color: red;"><b>~~~~</b></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="color: red;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="color: red;"><b>And don't forget, the <a href="http://alexisfittinger.blogspot.com/2011/02/introducing-now-starring-blogfest.html">Now Starring Blogfest</a> being held on April 25<sup>th</sup> by <a href="http://lindzpagel.blogspot.com/">Lindz</a> and myself.</b> </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"> </div>Alexishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10696788557342550493noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3026010439811693776.post-75227117360732629352011-03-20T01:08:00.000-06:002011-03-20T01:08:32.883-06:00Blogfest Announcement!<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/> <w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/> <w:OverrideTableStyleHps/> </w:Compatibility> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDB4bFIaf6e0HydGKNU01aa3TNPyHZKjC_5G2m-OLETFM3o7jZupZPlQyl2evjKzGzEFEKQvbN4KnczEDUSG69qxLRHLUgmtxPKD7fo5tUlWFcfMkoMDvPz3LjZF6cGJibLkIPgd7c29c/s1600/nowstarring.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDB4bFIaf6e0HydGKNU01aa3TNPyHZKjC_5G2m-OLETFM3o7jZupZPlQyl2evjKzGzEFEKQvbN4KnczEDUSG69qxLRHLUgmtxPKD7fo5tUlWFcfMkoMDvPz3LjZF6cGJibLkIPgd7c29c/s320/nowstarring.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">In about a month we will be hosting our very first blogfest! And this is Just a quick update to tell you that the linky tool is now fixed! (huzah!) Sorry for the technical difficulties, but everything is better now so please continue think up your cast and submissions for the <a href="http://alexisfittinger.blogspot.com/2011/02/introducing-now-starring-blogfest.html">Now Starring Blogfest</a> being held on April 25<sup>th</sup> by <a href="http://lindzpagel.blogspot.com/">Lindz</a> and myself.</div>Alexishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10696788557342550493noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3026010439811693776.post-69772624430074105792011-03-14T16:40:00.000-06:002011-03-14T16:40:56.446-06:00Who is telling your story?<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/> <w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/> <w:OverrideTableStyleHps/> </w:Compatibility> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">Ever since I learned about them I have been fascinated by the concept of POV. And I have always felt limited by the concept of first person <b>OR</b> third person POV, I even remembered getting in a ‘fight’ with my 3rd grade teacher that second person HAD to exist because otherwise why not just call third person second person. I’m pretty sure she went home and drank that night after class; I mean she was just trying to get through her lesson about basic POV’s and this little 3<sup>rd</sup> grader would not let the moment pass without an explanation she was not prepared to give me. </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">I did my best to control my little 3<sup>rd</sup> grader outrage, but this was before Wikipedia and my parents had yet to invest in a real set of encyclopedias so I had no way of knowing. Luckily (for my parents and teacher) it was 3<sup>rd</sup> grad and a few days later something else happened that took my focus away from this prevalent issue. But it was still there someplace, lurking, waiting, and biding its time. </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">Eventually in high school a teacher would break it down for me like this:</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">First person means <b>I </b>am telling the story</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">Second person means <b>you</b> are telling the story</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">Third person means <b>they</b> are telling the story</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">Ah I get it.</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">Choosing a POV to tell my story from seemed to me as big of a task as anything else about plotting. I know a lot of people just pick first person or third person and go with it. But for me, there had to be a reason. If I tell from first person, what am I trying to achieve from showing the story from my MC’s eyes? What special can she bring? But if I tell it from third person how would it be different? What things would change? What meaning would change? And what way is better? </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">Finally being me… I settled on the most difficult thing.</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">Technically, my story is told from first person. But it reads third person omniscient because the character telling the story is not physically in the story till the very end.<span> </span>It’s a precarious balance because I want to hint at this the entire story so it is not a crazy surprise when it is reveled. But not have it obvious either.<span> </span>Oh… and the person telling the story is psychic and tells the story in real time.<span> </span>What can I say?… I’m an earth sign; I like to make my life difficult.</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">So what I want to know is, <i><b>was choosing your POV natural? Did you think about it as hard as me? Why did you choose the POV you chose? Is there anything different about your POV?</b></i></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><b style="color: #cc0000;">~~~</b></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><b style="color: #cc0000;">And for a little bit of more fun, to meet some cool people, and for the chance to win a few more super fun prizes be sure to check out the <a href="http://alexisfittinger.blogspot.com/2011/02/introducing-now-starring-blogfest.html">Now Starring Blogfest</a> that I am hosting with the love of my life <a href="http://lindzpagel.blogspot.com/">Lindz from Rapturous Randomocity</a>.</b> </div>Alexishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10696788557342550493noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3026010439811693776.post-50647419154501802742011-03-13T13:36:00.001-06:002011-03-13T13:36:57.145-06:00Share The Love Blogfest<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8wZASJ1MkMQHMa4bSNBHOfQ6QN1DPYLEkyDrPmQVYnkBYfKfZIg7XP9hoWLNBAxjGF0B9Hfq5Jib0SM4zbLqhqM1oB9VwACn74WjQUFRsgeNy_QpgOeaIAdZXcQhaamyJ4vVp0oh7MC4/s1600/Share-the-Birthday-Love-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8wZASJ1MkMQHMa4bSNBHOfQ6QN1DPYLEkyDrPmQVYnkBYfKfZIg7XP9hoWLNBAxjGF0B9Hfq5Jib0SM4zbLqhqM1oB9VwACn74WjQUFRsgeNy_QpgOeaIAdZXcQhaamyJ4vVp0oh7MC4/s200/Share-the-Birthday-Love-2.jpg" width="158" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"> </div><div class="MsoNormal">Happy Sunday all!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I have been very remiss in my blogging lately but I swear I will have more posts up soon. Who new life could be so demanding sometimes? *lol*</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">What brings me here today is Sari Webb’s <a href="http://writerbelle.blogspot.com/2011/02/birthday-competion-and-lie-revealed.html">Share The Love Blogfest</a> she is doing for her birthday! So happy Birthday Sari! I hope it is an amazing year to come!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Ok I fancy myself a writer so I will ask for help, but anything I want to post is WAY too long (re: 1000+ words) so I think instead I will just ask a question.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">How do you make your battle scenes flow? I can’t help but get lost in them, struggling through every action. So do you have any helpful tips for writing action scenes? </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal">And for a little extra credit I will also talk about the other part of the blogfest I will share about a book I LOVED recently and why.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmtvdR3i23707hwen_46q-1u4Pk1wZhWQtZJ6eMhWlie5x5Csn7RpsHkSX6KOC8mBw_2D1sgQV9_gvyqskCIJIWn5musrCkXUM_-200yE-E1Fb1YlrN3LtaG8yXO85z6qH-cR6-PMyKiU/s1600/tumblr_lddvkcBkaO1qe0xj3o1_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmtvdR3i23707hwen_46q-1u4Pk1wZhWQtZJ6eMhWlie5x5Csn7RpsHkSX6KOC8mBw_2D1sgQV9_gvyqskCIJIWn5musrCkXUM_-200yE-E1Fb1YlrN3LtaG8yXO85z6qH-cR6-PMyKiU/s320/tumblr_lddvkcBkaO1qe0xj3o1_500.jpg" width="216" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal">The book I have fallen in love with recently is Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly. This book was beautiful. Bottom line, it was beautiful to read and it was beautiful to hold. Revolution is a contemporary YA novel but with the added aspect of very well researched historical fiction layered in. and it is layers in beautifully. It is the story of a girl named Andi Alpers who is popping antidepressants and flunking out of her New York prep school, grieving over her younger brother's death. She finds solace only when playing guitar. When the school notifies her mostly absent scientist father that she's flirting with expulsion, he takes Andi to Paris for Christmas break, where he's testing DNA to see if a preserved heart really belonged to the doomed son of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. Andi is ordered to work on her senior thesis about a (fictional) French composer. Staying at the home of a renowned historian, Andi finds a diary that relates the last days of Alexandrine, companion to the doomed prince. The story then alternates between Andi's struggle with depression and Alexandrine's efforts to save the prince.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I truly love this book for touching on so many levels, and wish I had had it to read when I was in high school. Donnelly has such an amazing voice that you really truly feel for each girl and connect with them even if you have never thought about killing yourself or tried to save a dying boy. There are so many layers to this story that I feel are revealed beautiful and at the correct time. You really get to see inside of Andi’s head and to know her completely. Just truly a stunning work. I highly recommend it to any and every one. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div>Alexishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10696788557342550493noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3026010439811693776.post-72694160027868033622011-03-08T22:30:00.000-07:002011-03-08T22:30:38.803-07:00100 followers contest winner!<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/> <w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/> <w:OverrideTableStyleHps/> </w:Compatibility> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">Thanks to everyone who entered! It was so much fun to read how all of you think of fire! But there was one entry that really spoke to me and I will be awarding the $15 gift card to amazon too …. *drum roll*</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="color: red;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span>Gina Blechman</span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">Please send me an e-mail at AvenueBDancer(at)gmail(dot)com with the e-mail address you would like your gift card sent to.</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">Again thank you everyone for helping me celebrate my fist 100 followers! </div>Alexishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10696788557342550493noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3026010439811693776.post-16634153501593310852011-03-06T14:04:00.000-07:002011-03-06T14:04:51.232-07:00My first 539 words<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/> <w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/> <w:OverrideTableStyleHps/> </w:Compatibility> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">Ok, here it is. My first 539 words of my W.I.P Born For This. Specially for the <a href="http://kaykays-corner.blogspot.com/2011/02/yay-for-game-plans-aka-catch-me-if-you.html">Catch Me if You Can Blogfest</a> held by Kristina Fugate over at <a href="http://kaykays-corner.blogspot.com/">Kaykay’s Corner</a>. <span> </span>The idea is to answer the question we all have "Does my W.I.P. catch people's attention right away?" this is the first 539 words; minus my prologue that is still under major construction. Luckily my prologue is not necessary to the start of my book (more so it is for a hint and an overall flow for the book)<span> </span>so it is all good. </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">So here it is, I’m bearing my soul (and a little scared)^.^ but please feel free to comment and critique. I know it is still pretty rough around the edges but it is only my first draft and I would love to improve my craft. If you have a lot to say, or don’t feel like sharing your critique publicly, you can e-mail me at <a href="mailto:AvenueBDancer@gmail.com">AvenueBDancer@gmail.com</a></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">And without further ado, Born For This:</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">She could not run forever. On some level even she knew that, but running was the only thing on her mind. Right. Left. Right. Left. Breathe in. Breathe out. In. Out. The only thing that mattered was putting ground between <span> </span>herself and her pursuers one step at a time. Ahead she saw a fallen tree trunk, pushing herself into sprint her body screamed its protests but the extra speed was what she needed, and with one final push both feet left the ground sending her flying over the obstacle.</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">She landed, crouched, on the forest floor and everything seemed to slow. Her breath catching in her chest as her small pack slammed into her back. Her black boots crushing into the dirt, a sharp pain screaming up her calves. Her deep crimson hair curling around her sweat soaked face sticking to her pale skin. Slowly lids closed over red irises, fingers digging into rocky soil, nails breaking under the pressure, her breath catching up with her again and with it everything was slammed into fast forward once more. She was off again. </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">Leaving the slightly worn deer trail the red head darted into the thick foliage hoping to lose the men that where chasing her.<span> </span>It was an act of desperation, she had never been able to navigate within the tress as well as one would expect from a girl who had lived within their protection for years. To the red head it was as if the tress knew what she was, as if they knew what she could do, that with a flick of her wrist she could destroy this whole forest, and they hated her for it, willing her to be caught, slapping at her face, ripping at her skin and clothing. And just when she thought the forest would have its way she stumbled into a clearing. She would make it out of this alive!</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">The happy thought had barely crossed her oxygen starved mind before her eyes settled on the only thing worse than more trees. A lake, deep and blue, it didn’t expand far but it cut off her exit. She cursed herself for not sensing it, for not making herself more aware to this danger. Somehow over a flurry of frantic thoughts and her blood pounding in her ear she heard them. Cutting through the trees had only cost her time. Shit. They would be on her in a moment. She needed time to think, she needed longer then she had to think, she needed time to breath.<span> </span>Lifting her left hand she could feel the heat of her intentions starting to spread down her arm. She spread her fingers turning her hand so her palm faced up. Closing her eyes she pulled at the primal energy housed within her, heat burned through her for an instant and she quickly lifted her arm above her head setting it free. When she opened her eyes she saw the tress surrounding the clearing had been engulfed in flame. She knew it only bought her a few minutes and the wall of fire was not fool proof, but it was better than nothing. And hopefully a few minutes was all she would need to gather herself. </div>Alexishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10696788557342550493noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3026010439811693776.post-14805997326423932892011-03-05T11:21:00.000-07:002011-03-05T11:21:42.133-07:00Reminder 100 followers contest closes soon.<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/> <w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/> <w:OverrideTableStyleHps/> </w:Compatibility> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">Just a lighting fast reminder to everyone to check out my <a href="http://alexisfittinger.blogspot.com/2011/02/100-followers-contest.html">100 followers contest</a> before I run off to work for the next 12 hours! It ends soon, on<b> March 7<sup>th</sup></b> at midnight to be exact, so be sure to enter for your chance to win a <b>$15 gift card to Amazon</b>.</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">Kisses! </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">*scampers off to a long day at work*</div>Alexishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10696788557342550493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3026010439811693776.post-67612260157560630462011-03-01T03:29:00.000-07:002011-03-01T03:29:02.563-07:00Blogfest, contests and awards... OH MY!!!<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/> <w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/> <w:OverrideTableStyleHps/> </w:Compatibility> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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</style> <![endif]--> <div class="MsoNoSpacing">I know I have a problem,(and a little early but i have a lot to do on the 2nd so i thought i would post this now while i had time) but I can’t help it I love blogfests! And doubly ones that involve writing. Today’s blogfest is held by <a href="http://alisonstevens.blogspot.com/2011/02/super-snooper-blogfest.html?showComment=1297373000533#c8772453985727321338" style="color: #990000;"><b>Alison Stevens</b></a> and it’s all about what your character owns and how they live! The rules seemed simple enough <i>“you need to describe a setting that tells us something about your character's personality. Characters can be of any age, living in any time or place. But don't tell us about the character; tell us about his or her stuff. We'll get to know the character from what you write." </i></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">Now, I’m kinda crazy. When I sit down to create a character after I figure out their basics I figure out their stuff, I have folder upon folders saved of color palettes and home layouts pictures of furniture and all that sort of stuff. So I am sure you could see why this blog fest would appeal to me. </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">I picked the character I did more of less because his lack of stuff, after all I could write pages upon pages about pretty much all of the others. And I did try to keep it short, truly. </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">So without any more of my ramblings: this is the home of Tullio D’Anna the III, a character from my W.I.P. <b>Born For This.</b> </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="color: red;">It was a small living area, no more than 400 square feet total, and it was cold inside. The walls and ceiling where painted a shade of blue so light it was almost white; the floor was made from <span>wenge wood, so dark it was almost black, and polished to a high shine. The small apartment was Spartan, immaculately clean and held only the most essential of items. All of the furniture was made out of the same wood as the floor, held the same polish and was made for function rather than comfort. </span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="color: red;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="color: red;"><span>The door opened into a living room, inside there was a short couch with a wood frame and white cushions that sat next to a short book case that held a few books about strategy and history and a small wooden coffee table. In the corner sat a simple desk that held the first evidence of human occupancy, a sleek black lap top that sat open and hummed softly as it slept. The drawers of the desk held little more than an assortment of pens, paper, envelops and the like.</span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="color: red;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="color: red;"><span>The small living area opened in one direction into the kitchen that held the necessities; a small fridge that was sparsely stocked, stove, sink, and a small wooden table with only one chair. Through the door in the other direction was the bedroom. The bed was made in military precision; its white bedding tucked in tightly and neatly with perfect corners and looked like it might be a little short to hold the man’s six foot frame. On one side of the bed stood a small closet that revealed several sets of the same outfit perfectly pressed; black pants inside of a rich federal blue coat with silver piping and buttons. The coat had a high collar and on the left side of each coat collar sat a perfectly aligned set of silver rank bars. Next to the closet sat a small dresser, the insides of which were a sea of black; perfectly folded pairs of socks, boxer briefs and undershirts. On the other side of the bed was a night stand and on top of that sat the only personalized effect in the whole place, a platinum ring with a wide face that depicted the D’Anna coat of arms.</span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="color: red;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="color: red;">The bathroom was connected to the bedroom and was the only room that held any warmth. While the floor was made of the same wood as the rest of the apartment the walls and ceiling in here where painted a softer pale sky blue. And instead of the standard shower in the corner as all the other apartments on the base had he, had replaced the shower with a large white porcelain tub with gold claws that kept it suspended above the ground a few inches. A few plush towels hung next to it. Above the tub, set into the ceiling, was a light that showed directly down on the tub giving the appearance that it was not a tub but instead an alter for him to worship at. Turning around it was a scant 10 steps back to the front door. It was small, especially for captain’s quarters, but it was more then he needed. </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">Thank you for taking the time to read, hopefully you understand a little more about him now ^.~ comments and critique is always welcome, after all I’m still trying to come into my own in this world of writing.</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">Also since you are here I am holding a contest for my 100 follower so be sure to pot <a href="http://alexisfittinger.blogspot.com/2011/02/100-followers-contest.html">over here</a> and enter! The winner will get <u><b>$15 at amazon</b></u> and who doesn’t like free money?</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">And be sure to sign up and check out the <a href="http://alexisfittinger.blogspot.com/2011/02/introducing-now-starring-blogfest.html">Now Starring Blogfest</a> I am holding with my BFF <a href="http://lindzpagel.blogspot.com/">Lindz</a>. There are <u><b>TWO</b></u> prizes up for grabs there and should prove to be a lot of fun!</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">Finally, but not least of all Thank you to Gina Blechman <a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/16707186693109337726"><span style="color: blue;"></span></a>over at <a href="http://gblechman.blogspot.com/" style="color: #990000;">Kaleidoscope Thoughts: Life, Love, and Dystopia</a> for awarding me the Stylish Blogger Award! </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAp8djReyEJXC2_cwqPcbYiyMYMA-FgL0yqBUti9vPQe5iXXmAVbMeSBzXhzg2tONq7RH-QDjyfVuWsGRJn-cxY5uq56tHRNr52JjFEtWruPmfJQOhaODBHDkRa1OFmXpSdEb-0h6EySh5/s1600/Stylish-Blogger.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAp8djReyEJXC2_cwqPcbYiyMYMA-FgL0yqBUti9vPQe5iXXmAVbMeSBzXhzg2tONq7RH-QDjyfVuWsGRJn-cxY5uq56tHRNr52JjFEtWruPmfJQOhaODBHDkRa1OFmXpSdEb-0h6EySh5/s1600/Stylish-Blogger.jpg" /></a></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">I totally feel the love! And as per the rules here are 7 facts about me</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">1: My biggest dream (besides being published) is to own my own hair salon that specializes in alternative hair styles and colors</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">2: I love Anne Boleyn; she is one of the biggest inspirations in my life</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">3: I’m obsessed with Greek Mythology, I am a virtual hub for all information dealing with the myths and if I don’t know then I can find it very quickly.</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">4: I love to cook</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">5: Tamora Pierce and Libba Bray are my favorite authors</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">6: I’m engaged to the most wonderful man in the world who has turned me into one of the biggest geeks in the world (true the ground work was already laid down, but still…) and proposed to me with action figures of one of my favorite super hero couples. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBdQagXe2mpPYsiLRG1IaOEh5XSawtvu2xg4AKc_WslnFJ3sk_qP-19nAbLdhdf3H1IpzdJaDX5ht4rZ8y6R2x295-D0Tlcro3t8PIxsitx3otVEjdm7B7DHPThjs6R6Iw8x8sgYOO000/s1600/28374_389405969247_500344247_3745507_6459629_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBdQagXe2mpPYsiLRG1IaOEh5XSawtvu2xg4AKc_WslnFJ3sk_qP-19nAbLdhdf3H1IpzdJaDX5ht4rZ8y6R2x295-D0Tlcro3t8PIxsitx3otVEjdm7B7DHPThjs6R6Iw8x8sgYOO000/s320/28374_389405969247_500344247_3745507_6459629_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">7: My cat is currently sitting on my boobs and making it very difficult to type </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div>Alexishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10696788557342550493noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3026010439811693776.post-49998177777927094332011-02-25T15:13:00.000-07:002011-02-25T15:13:01.661-07:00100 followers contest!<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/> <w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/> <w:OverrideTableStyleHps/> </w:Compatibility> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">Wow! </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">I am totally feeling the love! I feel so lucky to have met so many amazing people and to have become a part of such an amazing writing community. And to give some love back in return I’m going to have a little give away! It’s simple really, to enter just leave a comment and <b>tell me what you think about fire or what fire reminds you of</b>. I’ll have the contest open for 10 days and on <b>Monday 3/7 at midnight the polls will close</b> and then I’ll choose one lucky winner to walk away with <b>$15 from amazon</b>! And who doesn’t love free amazon money?</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyOVvHjWroQAby6SeQyw7_DBd0mTLLpXV7EcRFzkhAZunklgHd_yCiBz-uXaecMpIEY8AqC3IrYoG3KSCI4EogDfi9E8MdZPbVzNSzP3Kvg4hbOPjyC5alP1IzWcPbOwH87kGGenCQj5Ku/s1600/nowstarring.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><u><img border="0" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyOVvHjWroQAby6SeQyw7_DBd0mTLLpXV7EcRFzkhAZunklgHd_yCiBz-uXaecMpIEY8AqC3IrYoG3KSCI4EogDfi9E8MdZPbVzNSzP3Kvg4hbOPjyC5alP1IzWcPbOwH87kGGenCQj5Ku/s320/nowstarring.jpg" width="320" /></u></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lindzpagel.blogspot.com/2011/02/introducing-now-starring-blogfest.html"><b style="color: #cc0000;"><br />
</b></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b style="color: #cc0000;">And for a little bit of more fun, to meet some cool people, and for the chance to win a few more super fun prizes be sure to check out the <a href="http://alexisfittinger.blogspot.com/2011/02/introducing-now-starring-blogfest.html">Now Starring Blogfest</a> that I am hosting with the love of my life <a href="http://lindzpagel.blogspot.com/">Lindz from Rapturous Randomocity</a>.</b></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div>Alexishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10696788557342550493noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3026010439811693776.post-8579522119243867532011-02-23T17:31:00.000-07:002011-02-23T17:31:04.932-07:00New adult fiction... the new fronier?<div class="MsoNoSpacing"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/> <w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/> <w:OverrideTableStyleHps/> </w:Compatibility> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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</style> <![endif]--> Wow! 96 followers! I feel so loved! Thank you all and welcome! And stay tuned, when I get 100 I’ll have a contest or giveaway or something!<span> </span>Because free swag is always amazing ^.^ Also welcome fellow crusaders! Especially those from group 7(YA) and 32(<span>New Adult/Crossover) I am very excited to get to know each of you</span>!</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">And what I want to know today is how you chose the age bracket you write in?<span> </span>Did it just work out that way? Have you always dreamed of writing the books for children to grow up on? To help teenagers connect? For people like you? Like your children? Like your friends? Family? </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">For me it was a few things, when I was younger I always dreamed of writing a YA book that would help teens with the issues I dealt with as a teen…well deal with them. That never really panned out, the story never really coming together, but the intention was there. And while I was not working on the next great c<span>ontemporary</span> YA novel I began to devour YA. And I still read a lot of YA, about 8 of every 10 books I read are YA. And I love YA I really do, but at 25 I find it harder to be able to identify with the main characters of most YA’s. After all, I’m 25, living on my own and engaged and have lived more than the average 14-17 year old MC. My world is not a world of first kisses, parental imprisonment, strict teachers, and so on. She when I sat down to plot out my book I thought about this. </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">I also thought about the ‘Adult’ or regular fiction I read. I seem to have the same problems with that. I cannot fully connect to a 35 year old woman with kids, a house and not only a steady job but a career. So when I started to write I wanted to fill in the gap, I figured there had to be a market for it but didn’t really think of it more than that. <span> </span>I just plotted away. It wasn’t till fellow crusader <a href="http://stickynotestories.wordpress.com/">Rebecca Enzor</a> contacted me and gave me a name for my genre, New Adult. <span style="font-size: 10pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">New adult fiction is not, well, new, but it is something until recently I did not have a proper name for. Fictions dealings with 20 something are very rare it would seem, and it seems to be my understanding that most agents are unwilling to venture to new adult section of publishing preferring to choose between targeting the book at teens or adults. After all they know those audiences so well, and know how to make money there, and publishing like anything else is about money. So I can hardly blame them.</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">But despite that I feel like I have found a home. A genera or writing about transitions, about self-discovery, about changing and reevaluating ideals. And it may not be widely accepted, but if I chose the easy road it would not be me. I need a little bit of a uphill struggle to be contented, I am a Taurus after all. And I think it is a voice that is needed, there is a developing age bracket we are seeing form right before our eyes. A whole group of people who are not teenagers, but do not think of them selves as adults. People who have small apartments filled with furniture from Walmart and Target, who are working towards something greater but still have a road to travel to get there, who have real pasts but not solid futures. I think NA is needed, but it need a voice.</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">So why not lend mine? </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="color: yellow;"><b>~~~~~</b></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="color: yellow;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <b style="color: #cc0000;">Be sure to check out the <a href="http://alexisfittinger.blogspot.com/2011/02/introducing-now-starring-blogfest.html">Now Staring...Blogfest</a> I'm hosting with my platonic-life-mate, <a href="http://lindzpagel.blogspot.com/">Lindz</a>. There are a couple of fun prizes, and it should be a lot of fun!</b></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div>Alexishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10696788557342550493noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3026010439811693776.post-78191977103234386682011-02-19T16:23:00.000-07:002011-02-19T16:23:43.135-07:00Fear and writing in Colorado<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/> <w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/> <w:OverrideTableStyleHps/> </w:Compatibility> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">Ok, Colorado doesn’t really have anything to do with this, I’m just being silly.</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">But seriously, writing scares me. Maybe not so much the writing, but what the writing means. Bearing my soul? That some scary stuff right there! But then it’s the little things too, what if it sucks? What if I write myself into a corner and I cannot get out of it? What if I spend all this time and energy and then I never get published? What if I do get published but everyone hates it? What if I end up hating it? </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">The original idea for my story is 12 years old, it was an idea a friend of mine and I came up with to write together after I moved from California to Colorado as a creative way for us to keep in touch even if we didn’t have anything to talk about. 2 years ago I decided that the bones of the story where good and I began the process of remolding it, striping it down to bare bones and then re building. It was a long process; there was a LOT of crap in there and stuff that we just ripped off of movies and books that we liked because it was just for us, no one was ever going to see it. And now I have what I feel like is a solid story, with solid characters but I still can’t make myself write. Its fear that stays my pen, that has me questioning myself so entirely. But I think admitting you have a problem is the first step to making it better.</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">So I am taking this time to take a stand. I will not let this fear rule me. It’s a silly thing to let decide something so important. So I’m not going to take it anymore. I’m going to write my book. And that is that! Sure, I’m still unsure but I will never know unless I try. So I have to try. </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">How you ever questioned yourself like I have? Ever have doubts? Then I encourage to to take a stand with me, to look fear in the eye and not back down. Because this is your story and it damn well deserves to be told!</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="color: yellow;"><b>~~~~~</b></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="color: yellow;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <b style="color: #cc0000;">Be sure to check out the <a href="http://alexisfittinger.blogspot.com/2011/02/introducing-now-starring-blogfest.html">Now Staring...Blogfest</a> I'm hosting with my platonic-life-mate, <a href="http://lindzpagel.blogspot.com/">Lindz</a>. There are a couple of fun prizes, and it should be a lot of fun!</b></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"> </div>Alexishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10696788557342550493noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3026010439811693776.post-13706150048355012222011-02-15T22:11:00.000-07:002011-02-15T22:11:32.255-07:00Bernard Pivot BlogfestFirst of all I want to give a shout out to all of my new follows! Hello and Welcome! I am so glad you have come along and chose to join me on this journey! Now to business.....<br />
<br />
Well it’s time for another blogfest! and i know I'm a little early but i wanted to make sure I got it posted beacuse I am not 100% sure I will have time tomorrow. This time it is from Nichole over at <a href="http://nicoleducleroir.blogspot.com/">One Significant Moment in Time</a>. I could not pass this up; I used to be obsessed with Inside the Actors Studio and used to think about this quiz all the time, so when I saw it up as a blogfest I had to jump at the chance! And here it is! And don’t forget to look at everyone else’s answers <a href="http://nicoleducleroir.blogspot.com/2011/01/my-new-blogfest-come-sign-up.html">here</a>!<br />
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<span style="color: #e06666;">What is your favorite word?</span><br />
This is a hard one! I have like a new word every week!sofor right now I'll say: Myriad <br />
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<div style="color: #e06666;">What is your least favorite word?</div>Douche, I just hate that word.<br />
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<div style="color: #e06666;">What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally?</div>So many things! But to only pick one, I would have to say: Friends, deep connections. Gathering with friends to eat, drink, talk. Nothing turns me on more than being able to have people in my life that can communicate with on the deepest level.<br />
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<div style="color: #e06666;">What turns you off?</div>Intolerance, especially people who say they are open minded but are not<br />
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<div style="color: #e06666;">What is your favorite curse word?</div>Fuck, or really any variation of it. I’m easy like that.<br />
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<div style="color: #e06666;">What sound or noise do you love?</div>Fire, the crackle of the wood burning, the sizzle of the still wet bits, the pops. Glorious. <br />
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<div style="color: #e06666;">What sound or noise do you hate?</div>The same complaint over and over again by the same person. Complaining a few times is ok, but once it is obvious that it is habit and you are doing nothing to improve the situation you are complaining about I cannot stand it anymore and I want to scream.<br />
<div style="color: #e06666;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #e06666;">What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?</div>Well assuming that I finish school and join the career path of my choice(that is owning my own hair salon) I would have to say some sort of museum curator or specialist in Greek history or the Tudor Dynasty.<br />
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<div style="color: #e06666;">What profession would you not like to do?</div>Anything on Dirty Jobs, but especially anything that had to do with the sewage system.<br />
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<div style="color: #e06666;">If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?</div>Welcome, I know we have a lot to talk about, but we have time now.<br />
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<b style="color: #cc0000;">Also, be sure to check out the <a href="http://alexisfittinger.blogspot.com/2011/02/introducing-now-starring-blogfest.html">Now Staring...Blogfest</a> I'm hosting with my platonic-life-mate, <a href="http://lindzpagel.blogspot.com/">Lindz</a>. There are a couple of fun prizes, and it should be a lot of fun!</b>Alexishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10696788557342550493noreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3026010439811693776.post-13981254830501532792011-02-14T16:25:00.000-07:002011-02-14T16:25:43.298-07:00You are what you read.<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/> <w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/> <w:OverrideTableStyleHps/> </w:Compatibility> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">Every published author’s blog/journal/website I have ever read usually has an FAQ, and on that FAQ is usually the question “Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?” and I swear on everyone the answer is “read”. Read what you like, read what you don’t like, read in the genre you want to get published in, read stuff completely different from your own, it doesn’t really matter what just read, read, read! and as an avid reader ( as one who reads about 50 books a year, more if I have a lot of free time and don’t want to socialize) and aspiring author I completely agree. I believe books can change lives, but they can also change your writing. </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">I was not always into reading; actually it was something I kind of avoided. I didn’t used to think books could be that engaging or entertaining. My friends would wax poetic about books we were assigned for class/books they picked up. And I just didn’t care. I found nothing special about ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ or whatever we had to read that month. Sure I had read a read a few things that I liked and I was reading Harry Potter with all of my friends, but that didn’t even click with me till number 4. But I never LOVED a book. But I can pin point the book that changed my life, I know without a doubt that without this one book I would have never become obsessed with writing or reading for that matter. And thinking about that book made me want to write this post. Not to tell you every book I have ever read that changed my life but to pick out the special ones and talk not only about how they changed my life but also how they changed my writing. In order, the 4 most influential books in my life so far. </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz_6pwJRac2LeLVPloGKxL0_oFCd9IMUtzUa0dNSrGG6MTER9G2Z0TRSuArjsBt_CTOCu4OmJcc53g8MAFnEVDD9N0paMwxyPPHDGfMu33x1WFfJHFMjkem2iBWS9lHH3QVsD3CGg54qgy/s1600/Tithe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz_6pwJRac2LeLVPloGKxL0_oFCd9IMUtzUa0dNSrGG6MTER9G2Z0TRSuArjsBt_CTOCu4OmJcc53g8MAFnEVDD9N0paMwxyPPHDGfMu33x1WFfJHFMjkem2iBWS9lHH3QVsD3CGg54qgy/s320/Tithe.jpg" width="199" /></a></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="color: #b45f06;"><b>1: Tithe by Holly Black (2002)</b></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><b>What it did for me:</b></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">I can remember the day I found this book so perfectly. My parents were on the cusp of getting a divorce (that happened a year later) I was spending some time with my dad and he took me to the library and told me to pick out two books to read. I was not thrilled about the idea, but I figured worse comes to worse I don’t read them and I return them. Whatever. (I was a surly and jaded 16, perhaps why I liked Kaye so much now that I think about it.)And Tithe was on display, in the new release section or the staff recommendation section, and it glared at me. Actually I hated the cover. I thought it was hideous. And I made a point of not picking it up. Yes I thought the original cover that ugly (the paperback cover was beautiful however, and even the new paperback covers are not horrid). But it kept staring at me. Like it knew something I didn’t.</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">Finally my time was running out and I had yet to find a second book. So despite myself I picked up Tithe and read the synopsis. <span> </span>Still not sold I put it down. Wondered around. Came back to it. Left it again. Came back. Finally my dad came and found me and said we had to go, so I grabbed it just to make him happy. I didn’t want him to think his efforts wasted or me ungrateful.</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">And to make a long story short, I read it eventually and I was in love. A love so deep and powerful my dad literally had to rip the book from my hands so he could return it (ironically, I still have the library copy of the other book I picked up that day, Sirena by<span> </span>Donna Jo Napoli). Never before had a book spoken to me so deeply, seemed so real. It was not a book that pretended everything was ok, no the world is a messed up place and just because you are the MC does not mean that you are free from pain. Bad things happen to everyone and there is no way to hide from them, but if you are strong you can weather the bad stuff and come out stronger on the other side. <span> </span>The good are not always good just cuz they are supposed to be and the bad are not always bad; there is a lot of gray in the world. And that is how my life felt right then. I will always love Holly Black for this book and changing my life. She opened a door I had closed, and over the next few years I would need a lot of books to make it through the shit storm that became my life.</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><b>What it did for my writing:</b></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">The truth hurts, the real world sucks, but you can still find beauty in it. Holly Black taught me that in my own writing I don’t have to pull punches. I can tell the nitty gritty truth and it can be beautiful. Also it taught me that I can set a fantasy book in the real world, that I don’t have to invent someplace magical for magic to happen because it is happening all around me all the time. <span> </span>Also characters go through the same things that I do, they feel the same things I feel, they can be real people. That they NEED to be real in order to matter. </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPRaS2gaNPEgNZATDhfiK3e6d7pOg2xSM1Y0q7-DCLNjX20KOtXwRaFZ-_gzZYQLV8N8PpzT8LstUta0i9rmBonkFGw8wDY8DKQ7jrKSsz4pHLBTNINLtWps9MmicW2jFk8DxyfM0jjgs/s400/harry-potter-series1627.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPRaS2gaNPEgNZATDhfiK3e6d7pOg2xSM1Y0q7-DCLNjX20KOtXwRaFZ-_gzZYQLV8N8PpzT8LstUta0i9rmBonkFGw8wDY8DKQ7jrKSsz4pHLBTNINLtWps9MmicW2jFk8DxyfM0jjgs/s320/harry-potter-series1627.jpg" width="281" /></a></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="color: #b45f06;"><b>2: Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling (2002+)</b></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><b>What it did for me: </b></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">Ok like most people HP changed my life, I became obsessed, a crazy fan girl, it was something for me and my friends to bond over. Sure I eventually grew disenchanted with the whole thing but I can still respect that HP became a great escape for me and I will be ever grateful for that.</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><b>What it did for my writing:</b></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">You could ask anyone of my high school friends, I hated Harry Potter the character. I hated him. I loved the adult characters and I loved the world. But for any of the main cast I could care less. I didn’t like their characters, but I loved their world. The world is want drew me in JKR did an amazing job of creating a wonderful world that I could get lost in. and in fact I did. I began to RP in the Harry potter world. Lisa Turpin, Pansy Parkinson, Theodore Nott, I loved exploring characters that did not really make into the books for any extended period of time, I loved being able to create characters that already had a defined world. I met an amazing writing partner through HP RP, and to this day we still write together, though now we write original stuff together. And without HP I would have never have found <span> </span>my love for writing again.</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://loftteenwriting.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/song-of-the-lioness.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://loftteenwriting.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/song-of-the-lioness.jpg" width="218" /></a></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="color: #b45f06;"><b>3: The Songs of the Lioness by Tamora Pierce (2003)</b></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><b>What it did for me: </b></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">ok, just to say that just SotL changed my life would be a little bit of a lie, it was all of her Tortall books that did it for me. But started with SotL, and to this day SotL is still my favorite. I was sort of strong armed into reading this by one of my oldest friends and I am forever grateful. I just loved Alanna, and could relate to her (as a redhead with a short temper who hates bugs and cold, I mean come on!) but what I loved most was he struggle. Nothing was ever given to her and she had to work for her dream. I liked that. It seemed to me that to often MC’s just seemed to be able to do things, born with gifts that they just knew how to wield to win the prize. Even her magic she had to work at. But she also had great friends to support her and I think in a way Tamora taught me to have friends and to be a good friend. </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><b>What it did for my writing:</b></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">If there is one thing I think Tamora knows it is Tortall, her world, and her books taught me the importance of knowing your world, knowing the laws and govern the people and the land.<span> </span>She also taught me the importance of character relationships, and that characters need people they can lean on sometimes or at least people to offer to help even if the MC won’t accept it. She also taught me the importance of names, especially pet/animal names.<span> </span>And that bad names can break a book. I love you Tamora, I would consider you my favorite author but I cannot stand how you name animals. Your character names are fine, but ever animal seems to have been named by a 5 year old girl and it kind of drives me insane.</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://west.salkeiz.k12.or.us/contract/Library3.0/Book%20covers%202010/A-Great-And-Terrible-Beauty-ebook-2010-02-07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://west.salkeiz.k12.or.us/contract/Library3.0/Book%20covers%202010/A-Great-And-Terrible-Beauty-ebook-2010-02-07.jpg" width="207" /></a></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="color: #b45f06;"><b>4: A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray (2005)</b></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><b>What it did for me: <span> </span></b></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span> </span>I am sure this book saved my life.<span> </span>And I do not say that lightly, I was in a very dark place when I read this book.<span> </span>And there where so many quotes from this book that I could have sworn were written just for me. Something about Victorian girls trapped by society norms but longing for more, longing for magic, longing to be free touched me. But when I was depressed, on the verge of doing something drastic it was Libba words that spoke to me, that stayed my hand. </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="color: #e69138;">“But forgiveness... I'll hold on to that fragile slice of hope and keep it close, remembering that in each of us lie good and bad, light and dark, art and pain, choice and regret, cruelty and sacrifice. We're each of us our own chiaroscuro, our own bit of illusion fighting to emerge into something solid, something real. We've got to forgive ourselves that. I must remember to forgive myself. Because there is an awful lot of gray to work with. And no one can live in the light all the time.<br />
The wind shifts, bringing with it the smell of roses, strong and sweet. Across the ravine, I see her in the dry crackle of leaves. A deer. She spies me and bolts through the trees. I run after her, not really giving chase. I'm running because I can, because I must.<br />
Because I want to see how far I can go before I have to stop.”</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><b>What it did for my writing:</b></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">It taught me that words can be beautiful. That words can change lives and speak to the soul. That you need to take care with your words for they can make or break you.<span> </span>They can make or break your audience. </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">And that is not to say that only these 4 books have changed my life or my writing (really I could list about 30 books but that seemed a little long for this post) but these are the 4 that had the deepest impact in both areas.</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><i>What books have changed your life?<span> </span>What books have changed your writing? </i></div>Alexishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10696788557342550493noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3026010439811693776.post-57121637965651919392011-02-10T16:29:00.002-07:002011-02-10T22:37:38.997-07:00Introducing: The Now Starring... Blogfest!<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCrLKZafcLJN8luBa3ispPhm8Lyi3QSOKkXo7xllT_yDqeenIfJ1wWoArbpOINptupPWS8dRHFByTn50yuFlw591o7PgmUr1xM0IRSpBvKFSzUJrjRZ4Js2ySvcjsR2-Pp-LzMAGSeJA99/s1600/nowstarring.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCrLKZafcLJN8luBa3ispPhm8Lyi3QSOKkXo7xllT_yDqeenIfJ1wWoArbpOINptupPWS8dRHFByTn50yuFlw591o7PgmUr1xM0IRSpBvKFSzUJrjRZ4Js2ySvcjsR2-Pp-LzMAGSeJA99/s320/nowstarring.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br />
</div>Even though it’s frowned upon to push your WIP as the next big blockbuster film waiting to happen, admit it, you’ve thought about it. Imagine what it’d be like seeing your characters grace the silver screen. I bet you could imagine a couple actors or actresses to fill the shoes of your characters. Well, my friend <a href="http://lindzpagel.blogspot.com/">Lindz</a> and I have some good news for you. Your story has just been adapted for the big screen, and you, humble author, get to cast it! Introducing The Now Starring... Blogfest! Have your cast list ready to share with the Blogiverse by <i><b>April 25th, 2011</b></i>. The premise is simple: </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1in; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.25in;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">1.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Choose 4-6 of your lead characters. </span></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1in; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.25in;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">2.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Let us know a little bit about what each of your characters looks like. </span></b></div><div></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1in; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.25in;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">3.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Then, pick any actor or actress, they’re all at your disposal. </span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: 1in; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.25in;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">4.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Finally, apart from their appearance, what about this particular performer makes you think they’ll do your baby justice. What’s that special something that makes them perfect for the part? Their attitude? The way the walk? Their voice? Let us know.</span></b> </div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: 1in; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.25in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">To join all you need to do is <i><b>comment on this post</b></i> letting us know your in, and also sign up using the Mr. Linky below. Be sure to spread the word, too! We want everyone's book to get perfectly cast so Blog about it, Tweet it, Facebook it, spread fliers around your neighborhood, or all of the above. Here's a button you can post on your blog to help get the word out.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPJcPgynleV296o2DqnAedg2glAcQnRwEhIH7QOWL8blPwLuJJtBZpd_fEa9KvgoKgyD8N3YLeBhPyQO089w0Fz275w4BoVm15ud-N8kWntd-YkOsf-z_myQdf07S1yRLNOQ6GCVsRIlRy/s1600/nowstarringsmall.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPJcPgynleV296o2DqnAedg2glAcQnRwEhIH7QOWL8blPwLuJJtBZpd_fEa9KvgoKgyD8N3YLeBhPyQO089w0Fz275w4BoVm15ud-N8kWntd-YkOsf-z_myQdf07S1yRLNOQ6GCVsRIlRy/s1600/nowstarringsmall.jpg" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal">But wait, there's more. Alexis and I have plumbed the vast depths of King Soloman's treasures and emerged with a couple <span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: #990000;">Fabulous Prizes</span></b></span>. Which include a box of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1932289046/ref=cm_gift_uc_gl_r1c3_a3_t?ie=UTF8&coliid=I2AKTH4TSB1852&colid=362TT764SIYUZ">Magnetic Poetry for Book Lovers</a>, and a thing you can <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003W09LTQ/ref=cm_gift_uc_gl_r1c2_a2_t?ie=UTF8&coliid=IIIQC0XMVO9EI&colid=362TT764SIYUZ">scribble on in the shower</a>. The winners will be chosen randomly, thanks to (appropriately) Random.org. But the real prize is by having a little fun while getting to know your fellow bloggers' characters a little better. Now, there's no wrong way to format it, so whatever works best for you is just right, but... </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>You may want to format your post like this:</b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4eRQ8S0q43xQoCc4a3YlWgArMscbui5-1Fc2O341Dbosvk3hLmBCWvPH1jF1xaIIKPLXRw_Q5KUXnUx0sTGcMrQjAUHo3bUBpldoqHov8KQC4zJFgqr417f_y9ZokQuj4es2ZYJT63EXG/s1600/actors.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4eRQ8S0q43xQoCc4a3YlWgArMscbui5-1Fc2O341Dbosvk3hLmBCWvPH1jF1xaIIKPLXRw_Q5KUXnUx0sTGcMrQjAUHo3bUBpldoqHov8KQC4zJFgqr417f_y9ZokQuj4es2ZYJT63EXG/s1600/actors.jpg" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfSn4fnovyA3xNKOOIEbt4CejPl_8mZzG7BcFxMXVIEZd7aUhs02bahjRmAg63UlJezmOVhlff3iTYik8zgH_j5aR5gJk1YWbuobBZFz4MddDmtxZT2fTFCpaLIxriV_z7t3J6CWIyLnGt/s1600/actors.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><b> </b><u>Character's Name:</u></div><div class="MsoNormal"><u> Character's Description:</u></div><div class="MsoNormal"> <u>Why You Cast This Actor:</u><b><br />
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Now click the LINK to join the fun!<br />
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<br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><script basic_linky_include.aspx?id="75178"" http:="" src="%3Ca%20href=" target="_blank" www.linkytools.com="">
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</div></script></div>Alexishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10696788557342550493noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3026010439811693776.post-76351307603414146632011-02-08T17:49:00.002-07:002011-02-08T17:49:52.773-07:00Second Writers' Platform-Building Crusade<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/> <w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/> <w:OverrideTableStyleHps/> </w:Compatibility> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<div class="MsoNormal">Ok so here is the thing, I’m new to Blogger and I’d like to fancy myself a writer so I’m going to sign up for Rachel’s <span class="caption"><a href="http://rachaelharrie.blogspot.com/2011/02/second-writers-platform-building.html">Second Writers' Platform-Building Crusade</a>. It seems like an amazing chance to get to know not only other writes but other writers who are in the same place I am.<span> </span>And I’m all about meeting new people! So count me in! </span></div>Alexishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10696788557342550493noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3026010439811693776.post-44155759446324501722011-02-06T23:29:00.002-07:002011-02-06T23:32:11.610-07:00Top Ten Horror/Science Fiction Movie Quotes BlogfestEllie Garrett and Jeremy of iZombielover are hosting this super cool blogfest! Check out the list of other participants <a href="http://elliegarratt.blogspot.com/2011/01/top-ten-horrorscience-fiction-movie.html">HERE</a>. <br />
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Being the huge geek I am when I saw this I had to do it! And I know I'll be coming in just under the flag of the 6th but better late then never ^.^ I'm not really a horror movie person so this will be the top ten sci-fi movie quotes. And a hear we go!<br />
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1: I don't care what you believe in, just believe in it. - Shepard Book / Serenity<br />
2: Shiny. Let's be bad guys. - Jane Cobb / Serenity<br />
3: You must be the dumbest, smart person in the world. - Spooner / I, Robot<br />
4: I don't know love. I was built to protect not to love, so there is no use for me other than this. - Leeloo / The Fifth Element<br />
5: I'll tell you in another life, when we are both cats. - Sofia / Vanilla Sky<br />
6: See that? NYPD, means I will Knock Your Punkass Down! - J / Men In Black<br />
7: My bond is with the people, and I will serve this great nation at the pleasure of myself. If there's one thing I've proven it's that you can count on me to pleasure myself. - Tony Stark / Iron Man 2<br />
8: Reports of my assimilation have been greatly exaggerated. - Captain Picard / Star Trek: First Contact<br />
9: I, um, I lied to you, too, when I told you that I didn't wanna be like you, because I am like you. Everything good that I have inside of me I have from you.- Grace / Armageddon<br />
10: I'll tell you one thing about the universe, though. The universe is a pretty big place. It's bigger than anything anyone has ever dreamed of before. So if it's just us... seems like an awful waste of space. Right? - Ellie / Contact<br />
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I love so many more then 10 quotes, but those where the first 10 I could think of so there you go!Alexishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10696788557342550493noreply@blogger.com7