Choosing Beta's

How do you choose your beta readers?? I'm not quite there, but I've started thinking about it. I want someone who will be brutally honest, but constructive. How does everyone else choose??

 

Oh, and how many do you give it to? Do you let friends read it? Family?

Also, I found a great new blog today via Jessica Love, and it's featuring a contest with a great review! Go check it out here —Carolina Valdez Miller.The prize is a SIGNED copy of this...

Such a beautiful day today, although my baby has a severe case of pneumonia. :( That breaks my heart, but he sits here propped up in my bed with a humidifier as I sit at the computer and write. Making the best of a cruddy situation. Back to work!! :)

I survived...and was rewarded! :)

First off, I know you are all dying to know how the party went! It was great. Crazy, but great. My son loved the cake (i'll post pics later) and all the little Jedi's passed their training. Phew. It was a crazy weekend. Thankfully my sister was here to help me get ready. Thank goodness.

So, I've now been sitting at my computer since 5:30 A.M.

Reading blogs.

Oh well.

I feel it though! I feel the words getting ready to pour out onto the keyboard. Those many words that will in fact lead up to...MY KISSING SCENE!!!!  I just need to get there. I haven't read a book in....

11 DAYS!!  It's almost to much to handle. I haven't gone that long without reading in almost 3 years. Seriously.  Soon though, and when I do crack open a book, it will be so sweet.

In other news, super duper awesome Bryce, of Bryce Daniels Preservation Society fame gave me an award. Stop by his blog, it's a good read always!

The goal of the award is to spotlight up and coming bloggers who currently have less than 200 followers. The rules of the award are:

1. Thank the giver and link back to the blogger who gave it to you.
2. Reveal your top 5 picks and let them know by leaving a comment on their blog.
3. Copy and paste the award on your blog.
4. Have faith that your followers will spread the love to other bloggers.
5. And most of all - have bloggity-blog fun!


So, my pics are as follows:

Jacquline of My Greek Ambition. Now, I know most of you are writers...but this is not a writing blog. This is mainly a food and cooking blog, but this girl is great and she has one heck of a story. (I know you all like stories!!) Go read hers, it's adorable! Oh...and I'm sure you all like to eat, eh?

Sherry of Piquant Expressions. She writes Sci-fi and is currently talking a lot about nutrition. Plus she has 3 kids which makes me like her right away! :)

Ghenet of All About Them Words. Her blog is purdy. And she writes YA. Her blog is always a good read!

Freya of A Writer's Endeavour. She writes Childrens Fantasy....uh, awesome! Oh, and lives in the UK. Double awesome.

Alyson of Addicted to Heroines. I just found her blog and straight up LOVED the title!! :)

Phew, okay that took 2 hours...no I'm not kidding! 

Happy Monday! :)

Sometimes you have to Steal!

That was a hook of a title...no? Sorry, I didn't mean it. I should have put borrow. But that didn't have the same zest at 7:00 AM on a Tuesday morning where it's already 83*.

Speaking of the heat, it's HOT. Like, hope my AC does freeze up hot!

Summer does not equal creative process for me. At. All. I have to literally suck the words from my over-processed brain. It's tough. Very tough. Anyone else have this problem? It may be the heat. It may be the kids. It may be the desire to do other things...go to the pool, vacation, nothing.

Anyway, two of my favorite bloggers recently had excellent post that inspired me. I thought they might inspire you too. Hence the stealing/not stealing. I'm actually referring you. You should get to know these gals if you haven't already, because they are the shiz!! (Sorry, too much iCarly as of late.)

Heidi Willis of Some Mad Hope did a great post on Motivation. Loved it. There is no story without motivation, and she gives you some things to think about. (We're talking your characters motivation here...not your own!!) Plus, she is currently getting her MFA, so she might sorta know what she is talking about!!! ;) I love reading her posts every time!


Natasha Hanova of Writes By Moonlight has a post on being stuck. I can relate to this and she has an excellent set of questions to ask yourself about your "stuck scene" that I love. Sometimes you just need a little something to get the wheels turning again. Check her blog out, she always has good stuff. Oh, and I've read her writing so I KNOW she knows her stuff!! :)

I've mentioned this blog before, but it deserves another mention. Stephanie Morrill's blog Go Teen Writers. Don't be discouraged by the name adults, there is some seriously  awesome content on this blog. And Stephanie will welcome you even if you are 45. She is just like that. I love what she is doing for young writers though. Giving them a place to share and learn. She holds contests that encourage their creativity and sharing and I think that is so awesome. If I would have had access to Stephanie fifteen year ago it would have been a game changer! She has done a whole series on writing a novel and it is great. Locate the info by the tabs at the top of her blog. Good stuff peeps. Oh, and check out Stephanie's awesome series here. I've read it and LOVED it.

Sometimes you just need something to light the fire...I know you can find something with these ladies!!

Happy Tuesday!

Tweet? Necessary, or don't go there.

I have never had a desire to open a twitter account. Ever.

Until recently.

It's not at all that I have a desire to have  my opinion or daily activity out in the universe, it's pretty much just because I feel like I should.

Which is why this is an issue for me. I don't dig peer pressure. It makes me feel weak, it stresses me out. I almost don't want to Twitter because I do feel like I should. Isn't that ridiculous? I also know myself. I don't want to add another "thing". Know what I mean? It's hard enough to write, blog, facebook, email, oh yea and I also work and have 3 kids. Oh and a house, and a husband. Those are kind of important.

So my question is this. Is it really necessary, as a writer, to be on twitter? Do you twitter? Do you feel you benefit from it? Does the good out weight the bad? And by bad, I think you know what I mean. Addiction, distraction, obsession.

Please weigh in on this.

AH-mazing, a new design and a CONTEST!!

Can you believe my blog overhaul? I found this amazing woman online...Rita. She spiffed up my blog. She is insanely, insanely wonderful. I love her!

She also did my business blog. If you need a blog overhaul....hit her up!!

In honor of my super-duper blog redesign I'm having a little contest.

I'm giving away a copy of the book Anna and the French Kiss. I haven't read it, but everyone who does LOVES it. So, I'll buy one for me...and one for you! Sound good? Good.



Here is what must be done!

In the comments section, write a paragraph 100 words or less about your first kiss. 3rd person, 1st person, however you want...it just has to involve you-another person (well maybe) and some lip smacking!!

Entries must be submitted by Friday, February 25 by midnight! Yay, let me hear it! My husband will be the judge- because I love him and he is completely unbiased and very honest. (And because our first kiss was in February, twelve years ago!! WOW!)

Go forth and tell your friends.

BACK!!

What a shame that I had to take a blogging hiatus when I was on such a roll. I missed it and all of you that have been joining me! :)

I was in San Antonio for a photography conference and it was so inspiring! Since my "real" job is also creative I'm struggling to find a balance between that and writing. I seem to only be able to focus on one at a time. It swings back and forth.

For example I got slow shooting at the end of the summer because it was soooo hot and used that time to become obsessed with my writing again. Then when Fall came back and I was crazy busy with work I didn't write for like 3 months almost.

I'm wondering if it is because my mind can't devote itself to two creative ventures at once, or I am just ADD and get distracted and can't balance myself.

I would like to make myself more organized and MAKE myself do a little bit of writing each day even when I'm really busy with work. My goal is to have my wip ready to query by the end of 2011...and with my business, 3 kids, a husband, a dog, 600 lbs of laundry, holidays, birthdays, family, and blah, blah, blah....I'm going to have to make myself do it!!!!!!

Anyone have anything similar??

On another note, does anyone have a running soundtrack for their novels as they're writing them?? I do...and this is a current one. Love it.

I love *Blogs*

This blog in particular. Well, Hello There Lover. I can't recall when I stumbled across it, a few months back maybe. But, it is so wonderful! Basically it's a single woman who is writing to her future husband, who she is already madly in love with. She is funny, and witty, and so romantic. I love everything about it. I want to write a story about this...it's just so perfect.

Who knows, maybe she's really a 70 year old widow...or a 45 year old married woman with 3 kids. Doesn't matter, I love it!

Plus there are lots of fun old photos like the one below! check it out!!