Tired and Sick, but Still Posting!

So, I got really sick this week and didn't get to do much. Mostly took naps. However, I DID have some time awake that I worked on my next book. For those of you waiting for the Amazon version of my e-book, once again I had to delay working on it. Got severely tired every time I started work on it. Still a little tired which it why this update is so short.

My littlest sister got into Central Michigan University. I'm very proud of her. (Although, it's still a little odd. It's not that she's horrible at school or anything. She just applied last week and the deadline hasn't even passed yet. Plus, the acceptance letter didn't come in a huge envelope. Just a normal one.) I still want her to go to Michigan State, but that's just because it's where I graduated. She'll probably choose the school that offers her the most money in scholarships.

I really don't have anything else to say for this week. I could ramble about my illness this week (where the biggest thing was that I had a very hoarse voice), but I highly doubt anyone wants to read that. So, until next time, have a great week.

Researching Scenes

Not much to talk about from this week. Still upset about the baseball game on Thursday, but today's a new day.

Getting Unnatural Alliances ready to post on Amazon. It's pretty much the same requirements as Smashwords, but a couple differences. The biggest difference is the words 'Smashwords Edition' can't be in the Amazon version. That's how small the differences are.

I'm starting some research for the second book in the Hunters and Vampires Chronicles. While I've been working on it basically since I finished the first one, I'm doing research mostly for the scenes that the characters are going to be in. The surroundings in the second book are going to be drastically different than the first one. It's going to be set mostly in a place that I have never been before. Since I'm a poor, recently graduated from college person, I can't physically go to that place. So, the library and internet are going to be my sources for this research. Just like in college.

Doing some babysitting this weekend. Well, it's not really babysitting. It's more like refereeing. The kids I'm watching are old enough to take care of themselves, but they need someone there to make sure that no fights start up.

Once again, this post is going to be short. I'd like to keep rambling, but I can't think of anything else to add at this point. So, until next time, have a good week.

I Think I've Been Watching Too Much Baseball...

Starting later than usual for this post. Stayed up late last night watching the Dodgers/Cardinals baseball game until the start of the thirteenth inning when I realized that I didn't want to stay up late for these teams since neither of them is the team that I root for. I was just watching baseball because it's baseball. I'm more interested in the Tigers/Red Sox game. Rooting for the Tigers! I have stubs for nails thanks to the Tigers' previous two games versus the Athletics (and also in part because I've always had the bad habit of biting my nails.)

Speaking of sports, I'm watching the Michigan State Spartans play Indiana in football. Why? Because I'm a graduate from MSU. Got my degree in Zoology. Yeah, weird for an author, I know. When I first started there, I wanted to go to vet school, but that fell through and it was a little late to just change my major. Luckily, I can tolerate football. I slightly understand it after being forced to watch it from the stands as a marching band member in high school.

Saw my sister perform at marching band festival this week. They got a one, so I'm proud of her. (That's like getting an A for those of you that don't know the rating system.) It brought up memories of high school, both good and bad. I'm happy that's over though. My class was filled with drama. Great for giving me ideas for writing, bad for my self-esteem and sanity.

This is gonna be a short post this week. Partly because I feel like I'm about to fall asleep on my laptop, but also because I want to focus on writing. I've recently gotten out of my writer's block, so I'd like to get to that to get another book written as fast as possible and out there for you readers. So, have a good week!

Musical Interlude

For this post, I'm going to do something a little different. I'm going to focus on one thing: music.

Now, you're probably thinking, 'Wait a second. This is a writer, not a musician. Why is she talking about music in her blog?' Well, music is part of my writing process. Whenever I want to get a scene perfect, I listen to a song that fits the mood of that scene. For instance, while writing the final battle scene in Unnatural Alliances, I listened to Disturbed's Inside The Fire and Sixx:A.M.'s This Is Gonna Hurt over and over. The music put me in the mindset I needed to keep my focus on the scene I was writing and transfer what was in my mind to the page. So, for those of you wondering why I follow so many musicians on Twitter, that's why. The music they make helps me write.

Music has also helped me with writer's block. In this case, it's not a specific song, it's a genre. So, for Unnatural Alliances, I'd listen to a lot of rock and alternative music until something clicked and I'd get back to writing. It usually doesn't take more than a couple of days. Sometimes it would be after only one song and I'd crack my writer's block.

Just like books, music has been a big part of my life. During the nineties/early thousands, I was the perfect age to be affected by boy bands. Might be the reason that I have a slight liking of today's boy bands even though I don't usually listen to pop music anymore. After the boy bands began to break-up, I tried to listen to other pop music, but nothing really felt right. So, I moved to country where I settled for a while. My sister unintentionally introduced me to alternative music which I quickly latched onto. Once I got into college, one of my new friends there brought me into the rock scene. So, now I listen to rock and alternative mostly. Who knows? Maybe one day I'll change again, but I'm happy with this music right now and it's helping me write (something that none of the other genres did).

I was a part of a band in school. As in, instrumental band. It was part of my schedule in school. I played clarinet. Started in fifth grade and didn't stop until the end of high school. I even gave up guitar lessons to take clarinet lessons to get into a higher band in high school. Kind of wish I was able to take both. Still have my guitar, but I only remember how to play one song: Let It Be by The Beatles. Good song though. I remember at one point my friends and I wanted to start a band, but it didn't get further than talking. Oh well, I still have my writing.

So, the post for this week is over. See you next week! Until then, have a good week!