Giving it Another Go

     A year and a half ago I bought a book from Amazon and read it from my Kindle app for my phone. I hated it. reading from my phone, not the book, the book was great. But I decided then and there I was NOT an e reader kinda gal. I scoffed at my mom and sister reading books on their Kindles and iPads. I thought no, that will never be me.
     So about two months ago my husband and I were going on a family trip and try as might, I couldn't get all the books I wanted to take to fit in my luggage. My mom suggested I borrow her Kindle and the rest is history. I love it now! I have read many of the books she had loaded onto already and I look forward to borrowing from my sister next! I guess its true, never say never. :)

Sharpening Sentences

I'm finishing a rewrite on a book that I have been picking at for basically forever and I'm doing edits on another with Canda. The thought that keeps coming over and over to us is sharpening sentences.

There are two ways, specifically that we are talking about:
1- Getting rid of all sentences repeating what was already said or done. No echo's needed. :)
2- Strengthening the sentence with descriptive language to provide emotion/tension to a scene and paint pictures in the readers mind. Using more similes, metaphors, and all together lyrical language. This provides a distinction from amateur writing to professional writing.

This is what polishing is for us. Once we have the characters, plot holes covered and questions answered we look at sentences and how we can make them richer, giving the reader a more complex story to enjoy.

Book Trailers

I posted about anamoto as a possible use for homemade or fan-made book trailers HERE. But I also really enjoy the ones on authors websites that have a more polished feel about them, not so drag and drop. Here are a few great books with their trailers.
The first is DIVERGENT by Veronica Roth
Read the books soon because the rights have been snatched up by Summit and they are already casting for the movie.


The next is STOLEN by Lucy Christopher

And the last one, SHIVER by Maggie Stiefvater



Have you read these? which are your favorite?

The Beginning of the End

Hubby has one more year of school left! YAY!! :) It's hard to think that just one year ago he was freelancing graphic design and considering not doing college any more and now he has a year left in game art and design. Yes, that's a different degree. But it's absolutely perfect for him and the most important part it that he will love his job. So one down, one to go, which for our family mean big changes.

1- He won't be working his "day job" anymore. the normal 401K contributing, insurance providing job doesn't let him get the classes he needs to graduate. Too much scheduling conflict means goodbye normal, hello unknown.

2- Hubby will not be at work he will be at school, as in all the time. Once he comes home it's homework time. Which is fun for him since he loves the course work but everyone will need to pitch in and help mom out, weeding, cooking, cleaning and laundry. Thank heavens they are old enough to actually help :)

3- The hardest one for me: No new car. We were planning on trading in the car I currently drive for a different car but due to budget cutbacks it's not happening.  Also not happening: any vacations out of state. Shoot! Stay-cations here we come!

We'll be dipping into savings and tightening our belts, and cruising pinterest for free fun ideas. Luckily we don't have any credit card debt and a great interest rate on our current car, and awesome family support near by. So I'll update yall on our new adventure as the year goes by.

What about you? What are your favorite cheap or even better free thing to do by yourself, dates, or to entertain kids?

Picture from: http://www.nasriatallah.com/tag/typography/

Wendy Knight

Allow me to introduce you to Wendy Knight. She has a book called Feudlings coming out with Astraea Press, Click HERE to buy. Here's the low down on this awesome author and the first in her new series.

Nothing makes a new school suck worse than discovering the guy you’re in love with is your prophesied nemesis.

Ari is the most powerful flame-throwing sorceress ever, and her people’s last hope in an ancient war. But she’s also a seventeen-year-old girl, and in her free, not-hunting-nemesis times, she jumps from school to school, trying to figure out regular people her own age and pretending she’ll get the chance to graduate.

Shane lives a double life. He goes to school and masters the art of popularity, hiding the fact that he has a fate with a slim chance of his survival. He’s destined to end a 300 year-old war by killing or being killed. He knows he’s hunted by a powerful enemy who’s not afraid to die. Only problem? He has no idea who that enemy is.

When Ari shows up at Shane’s school, angry and sullen and determined to keep him at arm’s reach, neither of them realize they are supposed to be killing each other, not fall-ing in love. Until Ari does realize it, and she almost dies – by Shane’s hand

Wendy Knight was born and raised in Utah by a wonderful family who spoiled her rotten because she was the baby. Now she spends her time driving her husband crazy with her many eccentricities (no water after five, terror when faced with a live phone call, etcetera, etcetera). She also enjoys chasing her three adorable kids, playing tennis, watching football, reading, and hiking. Camping is also big: her family is slowly working toward a goal of seeing all the National Parks in the U.S.

You can usually find her with at least one Pepsi nearby, wearing ridiculously high heel for whatever the occasion may be. And if everything works out just right, she will also be writing

Registration Now Open

Abandoned

There is something really beautiful about abandoned and dilapidated, made-by man things isn't there?
This slide show on the weather.com site got me thinking.
I remembered these images too. sorta zombie apocalypse--y aren't they? :)

I remember looking through an abandoned building up the canyon from my house as a child. I thought it was more magical than scary. What about you? Have you wondered though long forgotten places? What did you think of them?