Introducing The Autumn Prince (Coming October!)

September 20, 2015

I’m very excited–and extremely proud–to be trying a serial story on October. Here on the blog, I’m going to post a bit of it every weekday; it is a short story called The Autumn Prince, some of which is already written, but some of which I’ll be writing as I go.

I felt like harnessing the magic of Halloween for something different. You see, October is my favorite month; I feel so much power in the air when people are choosing their costumes. I love that buzz that we feel while telling ghost stories, I look forward to going door-to-door for candy.

Here is the premise of The Autumn Prince:

Nameless and lonely, the Autumn Prince reigns over a golden part of the year. He watches leaves fall from the trees, making a carpet of most exquisite beauty. But what he likes best about autumn is Halloween, his only chance to find a princess without being gawked at.

In a race against time with winter approaching, he meets a girl with a brave heart and vivid imagination. If Kelsea agrees to be his princess, she’d only see him for weeks every year. The Prince must decide if it’s worth hurting the girl he loves for a few weeks of companionship.

Should he beg her to stay in a cold, frozen love–or let her walk away?

Each segment I release will be 500-600 words long, the length of a regular blog post. I’ll post from Monday to Friday every week, and Halloween will be the grand finale. This is a long shot–I don’t know how many people will want to check this blog every day for 500 more words–but for the sake of experience, I’m eager to do this.

It’s teaching me to divide segments so they all have a hook, making the reader want to learn more. It’s forcing me to squint at the paragraphs, pretending it’s like a television series where the viewer needs the next episode now.

There won’t be any personal blog posts here on October. I’ve worked hard to schedule the entire month and see what I can do with my writing.

Are you interested in reading The Autumn Prince?

Advice for the Struggling Novelist

September 18, 2015

Sometimes it’s hard to write–oh, fine. It’s always hard to write. We lack motivation, ideas, or support from fellow writers; when that happens, it’s tempting to draw a blank and give up.

That’s when we need pep talks to motivate us; it hurts when our passion becomes a challenge. I’m sure you’ve asked at some point in a moment of frustration, Who cares about my story? The short answer is that you do and your soul needs to hear it; however, that answer can’t always beat Writer’s Block.

I’d like to share with you some truths I whisper to myself when I feel like giving up.

You have a story. No one can tell it like you will. It may seem that only you care about the story, but speak up. You might impress a listener so much that they’ll need to read the book, which then becomes a motivator for you to write!
Every story has an audience. Some people might think your idea bizarre, but if you’re brave and stand by it, sooner or later you’ll meet your first fan. It’s true that some stories have larger audiences than others, but having a small audience is not a bad thing. It becomes a strength when your audience is small but devoted.
It’s worth the effort. Sitting down to write a chapter takes tremendous discipline–no one wants to stare at a blank page. But once you’ve finished for the day, you’ll be glad you set an hour aside to write. It might amount to barely a page–but it’s a page more than you had!
Every page counts. They might seem unimpressive when seen on their own, but pages make a book. Write a page a day, gain momentum, and in a month you’ll have made great progress! The idea of spending years on a draft isn’t appealing, but one day you’ll be proud of every moment you invested.
With practice, it gets better. There’s always room for improvement–most days I want to chuck my draft out the window. The only way to improve as a writer is to keep practicing. You’ve got to work hard so a reader closes the book feeling that their time was well spent.

These are things I tell myself when I’m stuck in a rut. Since I’m young, I know there’ll be more of these pep talks to come, and I’ll share them.

I know you have a story to tell, so keep going. Anyone can write; however, to be a good writer you need patience and discipline. Patience because it can be years before you finish, and discipline because it’s hard. If you love your story enough, you’ll find it worth the effort.

Tell that story like only you can.

P.S. I’ll be coming back to this blog post often. I’m human and need reminders of these things as well.

How Travel Improves Your Writing

September 14, 2015

So you want to write a book? That’s great! Get out your pen and paper, but I feel the need to ask you have you had an adventure? Have you left your comfort zone?

Many underestimate the importance of travel when it comes to writing. The solitary author bent over her desk is nothing but a stereotype. To have a story, you must live where the wild plot bunnies are–even if that means venturing across the street.

Everything you see and do could turn into a story. It’s fun to sit at home and read, but don’t forget to experience things first-hand. I used to think differently, but now I say you can’t live life to its fullest hiding behind a book! It’s a tragic mistake to make if you want to write a novel.

Learning the craft involves feeling wind in your hair and the ocean underfoot–even the sunburn you’ll get later!

A novel always has some form of the author between the lines. It happened by accident, but Dissonance became a mirror. In it I see myself, subtle but present. The story wouldn’t have existed if I never left the house, because most of it was inspired by the ocean.

Some might argue that life is boring and there’s nowhere to have an adventure–but that’s not true. Take a new route the next time you go for a walk, or visit a different coffee shop. There’s always somewhere new to go, a different way to see the world.

If you want to write a book, you need to witness people at their best and worst. You can’t barricade yourself where the Muse will have trouble finding you. It’s hard contacting your Muse in the first place, so don’t complicate things more!

When’s the last time you had a new experience that brought forth a story? Do you have a memory from a vacation you’d like to share?

Review: Off the Page by Jodi Picoult

September 11, 2015

I probably should have waited before reading Off the Page; I only learned after devouring half the book that it was a sequel, and I was missing out on a great deal of the story. Fortunately, this fact didn’t keep me from enjoying the book; I finished it in love with the characters and settings.

Off the Page chronicles Delilah’s life after she gets her storybook prince out of the book. It isn’t a traditional happily ever after; it’s not simple and it isn’t always pretty. She has to teach her overly polite boyfriend how to survive in a world where people aren’t polite; he gets into a lot of trouble at school. There is an amusing scene where he makes a mess trying to use the washer.

The story was well thought out, but some of the transitions to scenes within the storybook felt cheesy and abrupt. At times they didn’t mesh together well. However, it only took some adjusting before I could get back to enjoying the read.

This book was the perfect read for my California trip. I devoured it during the long drives from place to place, making it part of my own fairy tale. It helped set the mood as I wandered a city so different from my own.

Off the Page will make you smile and question what matters in life, fairy tale or not. It also drills in the importance of readers for the survival of a book. Without readers, a book doesn’t come alive; it sits dusty on a shelf.

I recommend Off the Page, but I need to go back and read Between the Lines. Then I can fully appreciate the story told and how it began–when a reader fell in love with a character.

In California

September 4, 2015

While on a trip, you find yourself encountering new plot bunnies. Even when you’re back at home, they aren’t finished; they make themselves known at bedtime, steal your attention from everyday duties, distract you.

They’re cute, cuddly, and insistent–you can’t send them off. You don’t want to, either. The more time you spend in a different place (in my case, California) the more bunnies you pick up.

Since arriving, I’ve been to the beach, Disneyland, and San Diego; we’re going to see the Queen Mary today. It’s surprising how far everything is. We’ve spent a lot of the time in the car driving places–back and forth. I marvel at how roads here wind and dip below each other.

My Instagram is full of pictures (look for the #SerenadeCalifornia hashtag) because each day goes by too quickly for me to keep a journal. I’ll have to reflect on my trip when I get home; at the moment, I’m too busy living it.

I got sunburned. I met Ariel. We found the USS Midway by accident driving along the coast–it crept up on us.

There remains some time for adventure…and more bunnies.

Let them come–all of them.

An Author on an Expedition

August 30, 2015

I’m going on another adventure! (THANKS, MOM!)

If you’ve read Dissonance, you know there exists a fallen faery tale off the California cost and it’s called Serenade. What? You haven’t read it? Okay, well I just told you–I know these things.

What? Yes, I wrote it. That doesn’t mean it’s not true–in some dimension.

And today I am a happy author because we are about to embark on a trip to California in which I can dream of finding the place I wrote about so much.

Need a description? Well, here ya go, straight from the pages of the book:

The town of Serenade was a fallen faery tale. Julian spent the rest of their journey describing festivals of song that took place every month, but the magical place was not where it belonged.

“Every time the veil tears,” he explained, “what’s on it falls through. We’re not sure why things land where they do, but our unspoken pact is to care for what we find. I discovered a large fragment during my travels, automatically claiming it. They wouldn’t give it to me otherwise.”

Chapter Twenty-one of Dissonance will tell you all about it. I swear it exists! The place is vivid in my mind, a place of colorful buildings and winding sidewalks, a wild ocean and people playing music on every corner.

Maybe I’ll find it. I’m on an expedition to collect as many plot bunnies on this adventure as will come to me. Come to me, bunnies, come. I am also having a difficult time deciding what to read on the plane…

By the time you read this, I’ll probably be flying–or in the airport trying to find internet signal. Perhaps I’ll be reading or staring out the window: My favorite part of any vacation is often the airport, the excitement while waiting to board a flight.

Perhaps I’ll have arrived.

I can’t wait to take pictures, hopefully including a new author pic; I’ll see the beach again after three years! I’ve missed it so much. 60% of my creativity to write Dissonance came from staring at the ocean outside my aunt’s window in Peru.

Maybe, just maybe, I’ll come back with short stories. I’ll see interesting people and look up at skyscrapers. Perhaps I’ll run into someone famous.

It’s only for about four days, but a lot can happen in four days. A lot. And trust me, I’ll be back with lots of pictures.

I’m taking the travel journal I started writing during our trip to Las Vegas. Ironically enough I wrote a vivid description of Serenade, California in this journal, not knowing that one day I would be in California looking for it.

Maybe, just maybe, I’ll find it.

These are the things an author lives for. This is what makes the writing process worthwhile. You can make things that exist in your own world and suddenly expect to find them, just waiting for you at the edge of a cliff in California.

And when I get back, I’ll be ready to write the second draft of Elegy. Oh, yes–experience will prepare me for the sequel.

I’ll be using the Instagram hashtag #SerenadeCalifornia if you want to keep up with me live!

3 Reasons I Read Classic Novels

August 28, 2015

A few people who’ve read Dissonance this year claimed to enjoy my writing style. Some have asked how I manage eloquent prose. When posed with that question, my first instinct is to argue (“It’s not that great!”) My second is to urge people to read classical literature, because it makes noticeable changes in your style.

If my writing is eloquent, I can’t think of another reason: I simply visited the masters and learned from them.

All my literary heroes are dead. If you were to ask me about a favorite modern-day author, I wouldn’t know what to tell you. I fangirl over writers who got published hundreds of years ago; I find so much meaning in old literature.

Earlier this month, a friend asked that I guest blog for them about what classical literature is to me. That post is not out yet, but check Brett’s blog in the next couple of weeks! The request made me stop and reflect on why I love old books and admire authors from long ago.

My guest post has seven points, so keep an eye out for the link! However, I wanted to share three things right here that I love about classical literature:

1. The writing. The English language is always evolving. New words are invented and others forgotten. If you want to know how people spoke centuries ago, find an old book where the language is frozen in time. It gives soul to the book we’re reading; it opens a door for us to step back.

If you can muster the patience to look up big words, it’s rewarding to immerse yourself in literature from the past. Your vocabulary expands, making your writing eloquent; you see the world differently.

It’s worth giving these gems a chance; they’ve likely been neglected by society’s short attention span. You may be one of the only people to read a particular book, making it your treasure to find!

2. The timelessness. Classical literature retains the tension, sadness, confusion–whatever the mood at the time it was written. You’ll experience politics as it was in the 1800s. You’ll travel with people on horses or in carriages; you’ll see what it was like to work in a factory, or give up your life for a revolution.

Classics maintain different lifestyles and ideologies which may be outdated now, but once were followed faithfully. Life was different, and an old novel captures our world as it was long ago.

3. Second chances. This is the most important point to me: Each time you read a book by a dead author, you give them another chance to be heard.

Log onto Gutenberg or ManyBooks.net and dig into the archives. Find a name you’ve never heard, not even in your English class; pick a topic you know little about. Go random! Look up things such as etiquette or French cuisine and let a master from back then tell you how it was done.

Spend some time with an author who dedicated years of their life to writing a masterpiece. Every time you read a book by someone who’s dead, you give them a second chance at life–and if you take their words by heart, they’ll never really die.

Do you read classical literature? If the answer is no, then why? Maybe you haven’t found the right book yet–check out the links above and maybe you’ll find an adventure of your own!

5 Reasons I Forget to Blog

August 23, 2015

It seems every other week I’m publishing an excuse about why I was absent the week before. I’ve decided never to do that again; instead, here’s an open letter explaining why you can go days without hearing from me, even after I make my fifteenth promise never to slack off on blogging again.

1 – The Internet. It may be the reason my blog exists, but the Internet is also why my blog keeps dying. Connecting me with friends on Facebook or providing an endless scroll on Tumblr are ways the Internet prevents me from writing a blog post.

I scroll…and scroll…and scroll.

Then one of my blogging friends publishes a new post.

It reminds me I have a blog, too–and I need to update it. Oops.

2 – Writer’s Block. I’m really good at making up plot twists, tragedies, and sad endings for a story. However, my mind goes blank when it’s time to blog about my own life–or anything unrelated to the writing process. I can’t think of anything so interesting you guys would like to hear about it.

Perhaps that’s just me being my own critic, but how many word count updates could interest a reader? What you want is the book, not the update!

(I hope, anyway! :P)

3 – Reading. Seriously–reading.

Books are necessary for my improvement as a writer and blogger, so I read as much as I can–and often don’t do anything else. I grab book after book, forgetting to review or even mark them on Goodreads.

I forget my blog is about books, because I’m busy reading books.

4 – Procrastination. I confess that sometimes I know I should blog. Instead of blogging, I keep finding tasks to shake that responsibility.

Hey, don’t look at me like that–we’ve all done it! Be it homework or writing or blogging, there’s always something we really need to do, perhaps even like doing, but put off. We don’t want to sit down and make the effort.

For me, that thing is usually blogging…but more often, it’s novel writing.

5 – Writing. Because of Reason #4, I can’t make writing Reason #1.

I procrastinate writing a lot. I like to see my word count grow, but sitting to stare at a blank document? Counting the minutes until my Muse shows up? It’s not something that makes me bounce in excitement. It’s a thought I actually dread.

Once I’m writing and in the zone, things change. I become so focused on my draft and word count, this blog slips from my mind.

I forget to chronicle my life as a writer because I’m busy writing.

So there you go–five excuses. Sometimes I check my visitor count and feel really bad—either because there’s been a spike in page views, or the visitor count has gone down to zero. That’s when I put away what I’m reading and sit to write guilty blog posts like this one.

I hope my readers will forgive me…but if you’re a blogger, I’m sure you can relate to some of these excuses, too!

Review: The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen

August 19, 2015

Even a book can be dangerous in the wrong hands, and when that happens, you blame the hands, but you also read the book.
― Erika Johansen, The Queen of the Tearling

The Queen of the Tearling is gripping, with beautiful writing and bold characters forming a powerful story.

At nineteen years old, Princess Kelsea already faces battles. Her life leading up to them hasn’t been easy; through each second of her anguish shines a powerful will for someone so young.

She’s been raised strictly in preparation for the throne. It made her childhood one of bitter solitude with cold foster parents who showed little affection. Later in the book we see how this discipline roughened her to be the queen her people needed.

A lover of beautiful sentences, I fell for Johansen’s writing style. Not only did it paint Kelsea’s struggles, it made me fond of the character despite her many flaws.

Some books are written so eloquently that they’ll pull you in for hours. You’ll be floating in a dream, bound by extraordinary prose. I don’t know how to describe Erika Johansen’s writing style, but if the plot and characters had been mediocre, I would have still finished the book because of how it was written.

But the characters weren’t mediocre. The villains had a touch of humanity that made me understand them. The heroes weren’t always likeable, either. It meant each character felt real and alive, regardless to their role.

I read The Queen of the Tearling three months ago. It may be dark and gritty, but I walked away with my mind buzzing, wishing desperately for more. Soon I’ll be getting the second book to immerse myself once more in this world painted with such perfect words.

Bookworms Don’t Run Out of Adventures

August 18, 2015

It’s so easy to get caught up in the writing and reading. It’s easy to forget that life is a story; it deserves to be chronicled.

I used to be so good at keeping a journal. I don’t know why my enthusiasm in journal writing faded; maybe I have too many journals and not enough drive to stick to one. Maybe I’ve been channeling myself into my novels, so there’s not much left for a piece of nonfiction.

Blogging is also a hard routine to keep, because the Internet has so many distractions; still, I keep trying.

For those of you who don’t already know, I finished a draft of Elegy last week and two hours later decided I didn’t like any of it. It took the encouragement and reassurance of several friends to convince me against scrapping it and starting over.

I can already hear the words of a new first chapter whispering in my mind; I can’t really see what the harm would be in starting over if I already know the order of things, but the general consensus among writers is to give it at least a month before you start the rewrite, so instead I have embarked on a new project.

All I can tell you is that there are ghosts, and a ship, and a ghost ship. I binge-watched all the Pirates of the Caribbean movies in a week, and read tons of ghost stories from the 1800s; my imagination now brims with gothic fiction.

To distract myself from the temptation to rewrite Elegy–which remains a working title, as the book has strayed far from what I titled it–I have started a new project, this ghost story, and am not going to bother with an outline. It helps me get a feel of the characters to start new novels from scratch.

I’m still struggling to figure out marketing plans. However, it’s humbling enough to know most of my closest friends have Dissonance in their homes or Kindles. Meanwhile I’m planning a blog tour for the end of August. The process of publishing burned me out; perhaps I needed a summer off to get energy to dive into the project.

There are a few reviews up–including Kayla’s and Alexa’s. Soon there will be more! I’ll keep you updated (and cross my fingers that these reviewers enjoy my story overall!)

I will send an eBook review copy if you want to help out. Shoot me a message and let me know if you’re a book blogger; I could use the exposure and would love to know what you think!

My adventures this year are far from over. I’ve read wonderful books and seen wonderful people; if I can’t find the drive to keep a personal diary, it’ll suffice to keep these memories in my heart.

Because bookworms never run out of adventures.

Review: Cinder by Marissa Meyer

August 15, 2015

Here we go again.

It was one of those books all over social media, a book everyone insisted that I read. When a book is like that, I’m almost always suspicious of it. With The Selection, people were right–I didn’t regret the read. Cinder is a similar situation, though I must admit I didn’t love it at first.

I thought the beginning really slow and mediocre. It’s definitely not a traditional Cinderella retelling, and that’s a good thing, but the change in setting and culture really caught me off-guard at first–then throw in cyborgs and a plague. But as I read I found myself impressed by the details; by the time I finished, Cinder had won me over.

The author came up with such amazing twists…for example, Cinder can’t cry because she doesn’t have tear ducts. You’d think a character who can’t cry would be hard to relate to, but seeing her express her frustration in other ways was really satisfying, giving this character another layer of strength.

The prince was awesome in this retelling. I liked him better as a MC than Cinder herself. He cared about more than the ball or finding a princess; he was taking his job seriously and doing what he could to save his people, despite lack of experience.

I could go on, but by the time I finished Cinder, I was in love with it. There were many things unusual to a fairy tale–dystopia, cyborgs, Cinder’s determination not to rely on anyone. All this convinced me to try the rest of the series.

Times may change, but we’ll find a good fairy tale will survive the centuries–even if it takes different forms.

Cover Reveal: Blood and Water by Briana Morgan

August 14, 2015

“Jay needed so many things. He needed Maia to be well. He needed a cure for both of them. He needed the world to somehow start making sense again. Above everything, he needed someone to tell him why these terrible things were happening to him.”

Seventeen-year-old Jay Harris lives in a world struck down by a deadly virus. His parents are dead, along with half the planet. When Jay’s sister Maia falls ill, he must find a cure before he loses her, too. But unbeknownst to Maia, Jay is also sick… and he’s running out of time to save them both.

When Jay’s friends tell him there might be a cure for him in France, he must decide whether to pursue it. The journey will be difficult and dangerous, especially in his weakened state, but with little time left—for himself and for Maia—it soon becomes clear there’s no other choice.

Jay leaves the relative comfort of London to search for help, knowing he may never find it. Along the way, he experiences the effects of disaster on the bonds of friendship and fluctuating notions of family. These teens, decimated by a dangerous plague, face stark choices in their search for help, not knowing if their efforts will end in loss and pain.

Will Jay and Maia find a cure before the virus takes them?

I am so excited to help my friend Briana with her cover reveal today! In the months since we’ve met I’ve found she is a dedicated, passionate writer who loves her story and is super loyal to those she cares for.

Follow her blog, and visit her on Facebook and Twitter!

Briana Morgan is a YA and NA writer, editor, and blogger who loves dark, suspenseful reads, angst-ridden relationships, and complicated characters. Her interest in Jay Gatsby scares her friends and family. You can find her in way too many places online, eating too much popcorn, reading in the corner, or crying about long-dead literary heroes.

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