HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

The holidays are upon us. Thanksgiving is now over, and all the winter holidays will be here before we know it. Next will be New Year’s Eve, and then it will be 2013. Where does the time go?

The holiday season is a slow time in publishing. Lots of agents and editors take time off, and I’m sure it’s deserved. We all need a break, and what better time to take it than now?

But remember to keep writing. Even during the busy holidays, make time to keep up with your craft. Take time to celebrate with friends and family as well, but sneak in some writing. 

After all, it’s what we do, right? 

Happy Holidays. Whatever you celebrate, enjoy it!

Kimmy :)

Triangles, Spencer Hill Press, 2013

What Woody Allen Taught Me

Last night, I was flipping through Netflix and discovered a two part documentary on the director/writer/actor/comedian Woody Allen. Woody Allen has had a long career with some highly acclaimed films and some flops. According to the documentary, Woody Allen initially saw himself as a serious writer, not a comedian. He got his start writing skits and short plays for a theater in the Catskills. From there he went on to to write for the Sid Ceasar show. It was at this point, that he was influenced by some other comedy writers, who told him he should give stand-up a shot for at least one year.

Originally, he resisted. In fact, stand-up was so anxiety-provoking for him that he sometimes vomitted before going out on the stage. Pushing through, he cultivated an audience and was hired by a Hollywood studio to write his first feature. For Woody, this experience was frustrating, since he didn't get a chance to direct his own material and the studio was intrusive and took his work in a different direction. After that, Woody Allen took control of his own material and started directing.

What impressed me most about the documentary is how prolific Woody Allen is. Now in his seventies, he has written and directed an average of one film a year. He also has a unique vision for his work. He refuses to be swayed by other people's opinions and, in fact, never reads reviews. He writes the script that he wants to write. He follows his creative muse and enjoys challenging himself, even if, according to him, that film doesn't ever live up to his vision. Regardless of what other people say or his very high standards, he persists to do the work, one script and one film at a time.

Artists are by nature sensitive people and I think it's very easy to get caught up in pleasing other people. However, while we can always learn from other's opinions, it is ultimately up to the artist to hold fast to their vision.

Happy Thanksgiving

HAPPY THANKSGIVING! 

We hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving and remember to stuff yourselves silly today. Maybe have a couple plates like the one below. ;-) 

~ Archana, Heather, Kimmy, and Toni

Photo: Hillary Hartley on Flickr

OPAL Book Trailer reveal!!!

Book Trailer:

Check it out here!!!!

No one is like Daemon Black.

When he set out to prove his feelings for me, he wasn’t fooling around. Doubting him isn’t something I’ll do again, and now that we’ve made it through the rough patches, well... There’s a lot of spontaneous combustion going on.

But even he can’t protect his family from the danger of trying to free those they love.

After everything, I’m no longer the same Katy. I’m different... And I’m not sure what that will mean in the end. When each step we take in discovering the truth puts us in the path of the secret organization responsible for torturing and testing hybrids, the more I realize there is no end to what I’m capable of. The death of someone close still lingers, help comes from the most unlikely source, and friends will become the deadliest of enemies, but we won’t turn back. Even if the outcome will shatter our worlds forever.

Together we’re stronger... and they know it.

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

 USA TODAY Bestselling author, Jennifer L. Armentrout, lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing, she spends her time reading, working out, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell, Loki. Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She also writes adult romance under the name J. Lynn.

Find Jennifer on: Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Website | Blog

Jennifer Armentrout is one of my favorite authors! She has a knack for writing great YA characters and amazing stories. If you haven't read her Covenant or Lux series, check them out!

Kimmy :)

Triangles, Spencer Hill Press, 2013

Ship Breaker is a Heart Breaker

     In America's Gulf Coast region, grounded oil tankers are being broken down for parts by crews of young people. Nailer, a teenage boy, works the light crew, scavenging for copper wiring just to make quota - and hopefully live to see another day. But when, by luck or by chance, he discovers an exquisite clipper ship beached during a recent hurricane, Nailer faces the most important decision of his life: Strip the ship for all it's worth or or rescue its lone survivor, a beautiful and wealthy girl who could lead him to a better life...

    I have to admit that what attracted me to Ship Breaker were the two shiny awards on its cover. Ship Breaker was a National Book Award finalist as well as the Michael L. Printz award for 2011. The last time I read a fantasy novel that was equally lauded, it was Nancy Farmer's House of the Scorpion, a book that I recommend to everyone who has not read it. Perhaps it was for this reason, the inevitable comparison to Farmer's masterpiece, that I went into Ship Breaker expecting so much more.

    Mind you, Ship Breaker is a well written book. The plot works well and the writing is often poetic, with wonderful imagery and world-building. But, it's the main character, Nailer, who leaves me flat. Yes, he is the victim of an abusive father and he does the right thing in circumstances where doing the right thing is not easy. However, he felt like a character I've met before and he didn't feel special or stand out in anyway.

    Oh, how I hate being critical. I know how hard it is to write and this book is really good on so many levels. Perhaps I am jaded. Perhaps I have read too many books in this genre. Or perhaps, a long time ago, I fell hard for House of the Scorpion, and no other book in this genre could ever live up to what I felt for that book. Such is the life of a reader I guess...

ONLINE VERSUS REAL CRITIQUE GROUPS

I have a group I meet with monthly and beta readers that I met online. Both are beneficial for different reasons:

The monthly group I attend meets at a Barnes and Noble near my house. We are a mixed group of women, all in different life stages, and all sharing our love of writing. The best part of the group is sitting and chatting in real time, enjoying each other’s company, and making lasting friendships with women who share a common interest.

The online readers are cyber friends who also share a love of reading and writing. We email each other and share links to blogs, articles, and reviews. We email back and forth to answer each other’s questions, complain, vent, and share happy news.

I wouldn’t trade either group for the world. Each woman brings a different perspective and view of the world that only helps to strengthen my writing.

How about you? Do you have people in your life, real or in cyberspace, who are invaluable to your writing?

Kimmy :)

 

TRIANGLES, Kimberly Ann Miller, Spencer Hill Press, June 2013

Realistic Settings

While taking a walk with my toddler recently I observed everything I could about my settings. Not because I am writing a book based in New Jersey, but rather what is different here than where my actual WIP takes place. Since my story takes place in a real town in West Texas I need facts. As I edit I need these things to refer back to, constantly.

During the summer of 2011 I spent several weeks in Texas visiting family and we took a day trip (very long one) out to San Angelo, Texas where I have based this particular WIP. Why did I chose San Angelo? I used to live there, once upon a long time ago. It's been a long while since I had been there, so off we went to see the different sights I had planned on including.

I wondered what was different, if any, for creating a fictitious setting. So I thought back to another manuscript for which I created a town along the Jersey Shore called ??. Although I created this particular town, I based it on a nearby town to where I live, one I think of as being perfect for this manuscript. So, I used what I could of that town to create my setting folder.

Here's a list of those things I found necessary to keep the setting realistic.

1) Map - They help keep different locations in perspective. Regardless of whether it is explained to the reader where certain places are, it is great for the writer to have a sense of where they are, what's around that location, how long it takes to get from one location to another, and so on. It is also helpful to describe sounds based on what is nearby. People hear different sounds based on different locations. Knowing what is nearby will help with sound.

2) Pictures - This helps when describing locations based on sight. I have tons from my trip to San Angelo. While I might not have many for my local site, I drive there regularly which makes it easy to describe.

3) Travel - I know this one is difficult, but if possible I like to have traveled to the location I am writing about. There are different feelings and sensations you get. Texas summers are vastly different from New Jersey summers. Likewise, the winters are extremely different as well. 

Why do we write

Firstly, I hope everyone out there is safe and warm and recovering from the after-effects of Superstorm Sandy. My power was out for five days, the roads around me were closed thanks to fallen trees and my town was deserted. Still, when friends and family asked me how I was doing I could honestly say I was doing well. I was prepared with enough food and water, flashlight and candles and I was in touch with friends. Yet, I didn’t write a single word during the storm. I doodle-ed, took walks, and in general wool-gathered.

Why do we write, I wondered. I always thought it’s because I have something to say. For someone who doesn’t talk much in person, the pen and paper are convenient tools. But why do I have something to say? Is it because I see things others don’t see? (How aggrandizing is that!?) Or do I ponder over things longer than others? Why do I, when I look at a person, try to give her a story so that I can justify her soulful brown eyes or her hurried gait? This curiosity and pondering slow me down, my writing output declines and I tend to revise these stories (instead of my WIP) in my head while waiting at traffic lights, grocery lines, and, of course, while waiting for my power to return.
So while we write because we want to say something we also write to connect with others, to connect, yes, to humanity, as a whole, but isn’t it a relief to know that at least one other person sees things the way we do and gets what we are trying to say?
I think we also write to make sense of life. Living through Sandy, when life as we knew it was suspended, where our lives were upended and where we didn’t know what to expect the next day or the day after that, writing helps us bring some kind of order to the unexplainable chaos. Why do things happen? Must they happen? Can we avoid them? Why do we meet the people we do? Would our lives have turned out differently if we hadn’t? Life, most times, doesn’t run predictably. We live it trying to make sense of it. We have routines, structures and habits to help us. Writing could be another habit of ours.
But then again maybe we write because we just can’t help it. For some of us, writing is an act of will. Are we underplaying the role of determinism? Some things like Superstorm Sandy are determined to happen –we can prepare for them and plan our actions, yes. But we just can’t stop them. Whatever we do, we have to dream up stories, create characters and plot lines and pen them down.
What do you think? Why do you write?

Book Release - New Pride

NEW PRIDE RELEASE DAY BLITZ! By Laura Diamond

New town, new love, new terror.

It’s here! My prequel novelette, NEW PRIDE, releases today. I’m SO stoked for it to run wild in the world.

NEW PRIDE was born from my upcoming novel, SHIFTING PRIDE (coming December 7, 2012!). In SHIFTING PRIDE, the main character, Nickie, searches for her missing father, Richard…and NEW PRIDE is all about Richard’s journey to independence and new love.

NEW PRIDE Blurb:

A shape-shifter without a pride, Richard Leone strikes a tenuous friendship with power hungry, Derek, from an unstable, rogue group. On a hunt in the forest, they encounter a gorgeous brunette, Molly, partying with friends around a campfire. Derek tells the rogue pride and they bristle at humans trespassing on their territory. Richard risks life and tail to protect his secret and the humans—especially Molly—while simultaneously trying to win her heart. When Molly is kidnapped, he faces taking on the rogue pride alone, but quickly finds he has to put his trust in Derek, not only to rescue his new love, but to ensure the rogue pride doesn’t wreak havoc on his new town.

Author Laura Diamond:

Laura Diamond is a board certified psychiatrist and author of all things young adult paranormal, dystopian, horror, and middle grade. Her short story, City of Lights and Stone, is in the Day of Demons anthology by Anachron Press (April 2012) and her apocalyptic short story, Begging Death is in the Carnage: Life After the End anthology by Sirens Call Publication (coming late 2012). Her debut young adult paranormal romance, SHIFTING PRIDE, is coming December 2012 by Etopia Press. When she's not writing, she is working at the hospital, blogging at Author Laura Diamond--Lucid Dreamer , and renovating her 225+ year old fixer-upper mansion. She is also full-time staff member for her four cats and a Pembroke Corgi named Katie. 

How to find Laura Diamond on the web:

Blog: http://lbdiamond.wordpress.com/

Twitter: http://twitter.com/diamondlb

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/laura.diamond.52

Facebook Author Page: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorLauraDiamond

Amazon.com Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Laura-Diamond/e/B009Y7L432/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_8

Website: www.AuthorLauraDiamond.com

Check Laura and her books out!

Kimmy :)

Triangles, Spencer Hill Press, 2013