Today officially ends my family's Christmas season that started before Thanksgiving. Our last Christmas party is today. Just like the one before Thanksgiving, we rented out a hall to fit everyone since the houses just seem to be too small. We have a special gift exchange that's kind of like a Secret Santa, but everyone knows who you have and who has you. My grandparents aren't going to be there since they escaped to warmer weather last month. All of these holiday parties are starting to get to me. See, I'm not the most social person. I'm happiest with my nose in a book or a pen in my hand. Most parties send me into a corner with my writing, usually only getting company from the animals of the house. (I seem to be a pet magnet at times. They always end up around me.) I don't like being that way. I just never know what to say to people so I end up avoiding all conversation.
On another note, it looks like my first draft isn't going to be done by my self-imposed deadline. I did everything I could to get through it, but I'm not even halfway through transferring the outline into book form. (That's another thing I do. I write outlines for the books before I write them out. The outline then changes while I write the book.) This is really upsetting to me. I worked so hard to get this done, but every time I sat down and started to write in my little zone, I'd get interrupted, usually something to do with a Christmas party. With the holiday season finally over, I might be able to get some peace and get my writing done.
The one good thing about this is that I'm liking this second book more than the first one. There's something about it that makes me excited to write it and then share it with my readers. I think this one will be even better than the first one. My dad says that's expected. Practice makes perfect and all that. It probably has more to do with the planning. I did more planning for this one than the first one. Unnatural Alliances was written with my mind both on it and school. This one has my full attention.
I think that's it for this week. So, until next Saturday, have a great week, Happy New Year and Go Spartans! I can't wait for the Rose Bowl!
Saturday, December 28, 2013
Saturday, December 21, 2013
Hand Writing
I'm still getting over this stupid cold, so I really don't have anything new to report this week. As a result, I have to do all my Christmas shopping last minute. I've never done Christmas shopping this late, so I'm a bit worried about the crowds. Hopefully, I can find what I need to get my family and friends.
Still holding out hope that I'll get my next book's first draft done by the new year. It's coming around nicely, but I'm not even halfway done with it. I might have to lock myself in my room and go on a writing spree to get this thing done. The thing I have to worry about the most is hand cramps. See, I write out my books with a pen and paper first. It allows me an extra step in editing when I finally type it up. Plus, I'll always have the original hard copy to prove that I actually wrote the book. Writing it out by hand started because I would write my stories in class in middle school, high school and college. Most of the classes didn't allow computers, so I wrote out ideas and stories by hand. I would continue writing it by hand outside of class to stay consistent. So, my writing is always better when I start it writing by hand. Some people think it's weird in this technological age, but I prefer it that way. I love the feel of putting the pen on paper. It's like there's no barriers between my mind and the words I'm writing. With a computer or tablet, the screen's in the way, making it feel unreal.
I could go into more detail on my writing process, but I think I'm going to save that for a later post. Maybe after I get to the next step after hand writing out the book. So, I'll put up another post next week and I hope all of you that celebrate it have a Merry Christmas. For those that don't celebrate it, I still hope you have an amazing week and have your own happy holiday.
Still holding out hope that I'll get my next book's first draft done by the new year. It's coming around nicely, but I'm not even halfway done with it. I might have to lock myself in my room and go on a writing spree to get this thing done. The thing I have to worry about the most is hand cramps. See, I write out my books with a pen and paper first. It allows me an extra step in editing when I finally type it up. Plus, I'll always have the original hard copy to prove that I actually wrote the book. Writing it out by hand started because I would write my stories in class in middle school, high school and college. Most of the classes didn't allow computers, so I wrote out ideas and stories by hand. I would continue writing it by hand outside of class to stay consistent. So, my writing is always better when I start it writing by hand. Some people think it's weird in this technological age, but I prefer it that way. I love the feel of putting the pen on paper. It's like there's no barriers between my mind and the words I'm writing. With a computer or tablet, the screen's in the way, making it feel unreal.
I could go into more detail on my writing process, but I think I'm going to save that for a later post. Maybe after I get to the next step after hand writing out the book. So, I'll put up another post next week and I hope all of you that celebrate it have a Merry Christmas. For those that don't celebrate it, I still hope you have an amazing week and have your own happy holiday.
Saturday, December 14, 2013
Snow Dog
Seeing as how I'm still sick, I don't really have much to say as I couldn't really do anything. I've even gotten through almost three bags of cough drops to keep my cough from getting nasty. Had to postpone my interview because of it. My writing has slowed so much that I'm worried I'm not going to make my self-imposed deadline to get the first draft done by the first of January.
On the plus side, my sister's home from college for the holidays and brought a set of books that I'd been interested in reading. Got through the first book in less than twenty-four hours and into a good portion of the second one. Yes, I realize that my own writing should take precedence over reading someone else's, but I can't help it. The booklover in me loves both sides of the book world: reading and writing.
It's been snowing off and on this past week here. Mostly just some light dusting, but now there's a good portion of snow on the ground out there. Makes me want hot chocolate and marshmallows. Whenever there's a lot of snow outside, I love to go outside with my dog. She loves playing catch with snowballs and when she doesn't catch them, she sticks her snout in the snow, searching for the mysterious, missing ball. When we first got her, it was January and there was tons of snow around. She was too small to actually travel through it, so my dad dug out this little path for her in the backyard so she could walk on the ground and not 'do her business' on the deck. Funny thing is that she used to be so scared of the snow, but now she loves jumping around in it.
I guess I can leave on that story since I don't really have anything else to say. (Stupid cold...) So, until next time, have a great week!
On the plus side, my sister's home from college for the holidays and brought a set of books that I'd been interested in reading. Got through the first book in less than twenty-four hours and into a good portion of the second one. Yes, I realize that my own writing should take precedence over reading someone else's, but I can't help it. The booklover in me loves both sides of the book world: reading and writing.
It's been snowing off and on this past week here. Mostly just some light dusting, but now there's a good portion of snow on the ground out there. Makes me want hot chocolate and marshmallows. Whenever there's a lot of snow outside, I love to go outside with my dog. She loves playing catch with snowballs and when she doesn't catch them, she sticks her snout in the snow, searching for the mysterious, missing ball. When we first got her, it was January and there was tons of snow around. She was too small to actually travel through it, so my dad dug out this little path for her in the backyard so she could walk on the ground and not 'do her business' on the deck. Funny thing is that she used to be so scared of the snow, but now she loves jumping around in it.
I guess I can leave on that story since I don't really have anything else to say. (Stupid cold...) So, until next time, have a great week!
Saturday, December 7, 2013
Links for a Promotion
It's Saturday once again, so it's time for another post. Let's start with something negative. I'm sick again. (Thank you family members for giving me this cold. I'm not naming names; you know who you are.) This cold is another coughing one, so I've brought out the cough drops. My throat feels like it's going to explode.
But let's get off such negative thinking. This past week was pretty interesting. Got a couple more chapters done, took my dog out to chase geese, looked up book reviewers, started up a new promotion on my book (I'll get to that soon), and scored a possible interview on a radio station thanks to my dad's connections from high school.
You read that right. A possible interview on a radio station. It's not a big city radio station, but it's still exciting. It's probably for the best that I have my first interview on a non-big city station because I've always had problems with public speaking. Just ask my professors. I usually read off index cards when I made presentations. If I don't have my speech in front of me (or don't rehearse it beforehand), then I tend to ramble and forget what I was originally going to say. Or, when in discussion groups, I completely shut up because I really don't know what to say. It's something I've struggled with for as long as I can remember. Anyway, there's no exact date yet for the interview, but if I find out about it before my next post, I'll let you know. If I have the interview before I can post the information here, I'll just post a link or the actual interview.
Now, onto the promotion. As a gift to all of you, I've set my book's price down by fifty percent for the holiday season. This promotion will probably go into the new year, so you have plenty of time to go after this deal. Here are some links to places you can get my book, Unnatural Alliances:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/358311 (Smashwords)
http://www.amazon.com/Unnatural-Alliances-Hunters-Vampires-Chronicles-ebook/dp/B00GDR5K9U (Amazon/Kindle)
https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/unnatural-alliances-hunters/id714748849?mt=11 (Apple/iTunes)
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/unnatural-alliances-dd-marie/1116986049?ean=2940045287395 (Barnes and Noble/Nook)
https://ebookstore.sony.com/author/dd-marie_560420?&page=1&perpage=100&sortDirection=0&filters=4292165081+ (Sony)
http://www.diesel-ebooks.com/item/SW00000358311/Marie-DD-Unnatural-Alliances-Hunters-and-Vampires-Book-1/1.html (Diesel Ebooks)
There you go. Some easy links to places to get my book, whatever your preference for reading ebooks might be. Guess I'll end there. So, have a happy week. Oh, and Go Spartans!
But let's get off such negative thinking. This past week was pretty interesting. Got a couple more chapters done, took my dog out to chase geese, looked up book reviewers, started up a new promotion on my book (I'll get to that soon), and scored a possible interview on a radio station thanks to my dad's connections from high school.
You read that right. A possible interview on a radio station. It's not a big city radio station, but it's still exciting. It's probably for the best that I have my first interview on a non-big city station because I've always had problems with public speaking. Just ask my professors. I usually read off index cards when I made presentations. If I don't have my speech in front of me (or don't rehearse it beforehand), then I tend to ramble and forget what I was originally going to say. Or, when in discussion groups, I completely shut up because I really don't know what to say. It's something I've struggled with for as long as I can remember. Anyway, there's no exact date yet for the interview, but if I find out about it before my next post, I'll let you know. If I have the interview before I can post the information here, I'll just post a link or the actual interview.
Now, onto the promotion. As a gift to all of you, I've set my book's price down by fifty percent for the holiday season. This promotion will probably go into the new year, so you have plenty of time to go after this deal. Here are some links to places you can get my book, Unnatural Alliances:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/358311 (Smashwords)
http://www.amazon.com/Unnatural-Alliances-Hunters-Vampires-Chronicles-ebook/dp/B00GDR5K9U (Amazon/Kindle)
https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/unnatural-alliances-hunters/id714748849?mt=11 (Apple/iTunes)
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/unnatural-alliances-dd-marie/1116986049?ean=2940045287395 (Barnes and Noble/Nook)
https://ebookstore.sony.com/author/dd-marie_560420?&page=1&perpage=100&sortDirection=0&filters=4292165081+ (Sony)
http://www.diesel-ebooks.com/item/SW00000358311/Marie-DD-Unnatural-Alliances-Hunters-and-Vampires-Book-1/1.html (Diesel Ebooks)
There you go. Some easy links to places to get my book, whatever your preference for reading ebooks might be. Guess I'll end there. So, have a happy week. Oh, and Go Spartans!
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