As part of my Writer’s Life series, I thought I’d share links that I use either during the writing process or when I’m editing or searching for services. There are in no particular order.
It’s October so the countdown to NaNoWriMo has officially begun! The NaNoWriMo website has been revamped, the new web badges are out, and people are flooding back to the WriMo forums.
This year, I will be writing a contemporary sci-fi romance novel called “Sweet Justice”. I’ve had the idea for a while now and I’ve been working on outlining it mentally for over a year. Now, I’m working on outlining in a more fixed form, I’ve got myself a bullet point list of events. Start to finish. I feel all organized…
Since I’ve been writing nothing but fantasy romance, I decided to mix things up a bit with modern day super heroes, arch villains, and a damsel capable of fending for herself. No distress here. Should be fun to see my heroine struggle between THREE love interests! Mwa ha ha!
And behold, I have written a blurb!
Between secretly spying on her employer, heavy office flirtations with the mail clerk, and an unhealthy obsession with super hero news, Justice thought that things were finally going her way. As the ChemPharm research facility exploded and demolished months of undercover work, Justice took some comfort in the arms of Ultraman as he whisked her away from the blast.
When a drunken midnight calling card meant for Ultraman attracted Blaze instead, Justice has the chance to tell off the lab saboteur. Only instead of searing jibes and insults, sparks start to fly between Blaze and Justice and his abrupt departure leaves her confused and angry.
Will Justice be able to pick up the pieces of her destroyed project? Will Justice have to choose between the super hero and his arch nemesis? And what about the mail clerk who fills out his dress shirts just right?
![IMG_0794[1]](https://elleclouse.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/img_079411.jpg)
My husband and I enjoy Thai take out almost every Friday night. They always throw in fortune cookies along side the napkins and forks. I very rarely eat fortune cookies. The few that I even bothered to crack open normally have some silly phrase that we jokingly add ‘in bed’ to the end. Now I suppose that could be said about the fortunes I have pictured to the left but they mean a tad more to me.
The fortune on the top reads ‘You will obtain your goal if you maintain your course’ and I received this right about the time I decided to seriously consider publication for my novel. I was in full edit mode and getting frustrated and questioning everything I was doing. This came at just the right time to seal my conviction. I thought that it was very fitting so I kept it at my desk and I refer to it when I’m frustrated.
Just this past weekend, I cracked open another cookie and received the fortune on the bottom which reads ‘Your fondest dream will come true within the year’. That’s rather specific and again right on target with what I am trying to do. I am trying to get my novel published and I guess you could categorize it as my fondest dream. I used to think that I was a patient person but I’ve never had to wait to hear from publishers before. It’s almost torture. So this fortune came at just the right time to soothe my nerves and reassure me. It now keeps my first fortune company at my desk.
I hope that it’s true, although I know that they are random. They arrived right when I needed them, lets hope that they are correct. I look forward to seeing my novel in print.
Or winning big in the lottery. That’s my fondest dream too.
So I need to bolster my online presence and someone suggested blogging more. Well, duh. The problem is that I am not the best at coming up with topics. So I Googled it. It’s what I do, when in doubt, Google. It suggest some things and I decided to share with you my three most favorite books and why.
- “Alanna: The First Adventure” by Tamera Pierce. I’d actually recommend the entire quartet but I said book so we’ll go with the first one. This book was the first fantasy novel I ever picked up and finished. It’s young adult with magic and action, a little bit of mystery… It’s about a young woman who wants to be a knight but society says she can’t, so she does it anyway. A woman after my own heart. I view this novel as one of the big reasons I write now. I want to write a story so compelling that the reader can’t put the book down until it’s done.
- “The Last Unicorn” by Peter S. Beagle. This book is beautiful. And it has unicorns. I LOVE unicorns. I actually saw the movie first in the 80’s but I loved it so much I eventually got a copy of the book. I like to consider it the last great fairy tale ever written. It’s the story of a unicorn who searches for the other unicorns that disappeared. I loved this book so much that I wrote a paper about it in college. I aspire for my fantasy fiction to have such lovely imagery, like watching a tapestry tell a tale.
- “A Hunger Like No Other” by Kresley Cole. This was the first paranormal romance novel that I picked up and the cover, of all things, kept drawing me back to it in the book store. Once I finally had the balls to buy it I was hooked on all of Kresley’s books. Her prose actually helped me with my POV usage and gave me ideas on how to handle sequels in romance novels. This book follows a werewolf clan leader who finally finds his fated mate but she is a vampire and his enemy.
Now this is a very short list. There are a lot of books that I loved and liked and recommend to others. These three, however, have somehow changed my life.
What are some books that you hold dear to your heart and why?
I’ve decided that December will be a month for reading. I have a stack of books purchased but neglected in favor of getting something written or edited. I’ve been so hyper focused on my writing that I can’t think of anything else to talk about with my friends. So I’ve banned myself from looking at any of my stories this month. I need some time to clear my mind; I need some mental floss if you will.
Reading is good for writing anyway. The best writers in the business tell you that it’s important to read as well. You can keep up on market trends, relax, see what is selling, etc. Consider it more research than recreation. I’ll be able to post up a couple of reviews, too, which I hope that you enjoy.
I will also be able to work on some knitting this month…
Elle Clouse 