FAOM: A Few Words From the Author (the Sorta-Interview-Part-3)

In Her Own Words.... A Guest Post by Kelly Lyman 

When I was first asked to write a guest post I was thrilled. And excited. And anxious (only in the best way possible). However, when I sat down at my computer to type the words, my mind went blank.

BLANK.

And for a writer, a writer who has been asked to compose a guest post, well...a blank mind isn’t a good thing. 

Then it hit me. That lightbulb moment. I’ll use gifs. Seriously though, I was asked to write about my thoughts, feeling, process, etc. of releasing my debut novel. In a nutshell, I had/still have ALL THE FEELS.

At first, I was all kinds of excited. Jumping up and down, telling everyone I knew, popping the champagne bottles, throwing confetti...you know, typical stuff.

via GIPHY

Then the edits came. I admit, there were times during the editing process where I had those feelings of “My 11-year-old could write this better...”

via GIPHY

But then I’d read his writing and take a deep breath. In all honesty, there were plenty of times where I truly didn’t think I was good enough. That my idea, plot, writing, etc. were awful. But, I have the BEST people in my life. People who ground me. People who encourage me. It is entirely too easy to fall into the comparison trap in this business (actually, in any area of life) so when those negative feelings started to arise, I would quickly shut them down. I did my best to focus on my story. On my writing. On my voice. Because there is only one me. And hopefully, someone out there (not including my mom) will enjoy it. And because I have the best critique partner around, she would constantly remind me of the same sentiments whenever I doubted myself (because let’s be real, in this business, writers are always doubting themselves. Always.)

via GIPHY

After the pep talk, and several rounds of edits, there was pretty much a loooooong wait. I admit, I was a tiny bit bored.

via GIPHY

Within this “season” of waiting, my family of six went to Disney World in Florida. And while we were away in the magical kingdom, my publisher sent me an email. Finally, I had a release date!

And because my book was going to be released first in ebook, things were now going to move quickly. Very quickly. Like, a month away from release quickly.

via GIPHY

Once I got over the shock (I think I was in line for the Tower of Terror when I received the news...’cause you know, when in line for about 45 minutes at some point one will check their email in case there is any news from one’s publisher), I set to work on market/promotion. And then I waited, and waited and...yep...waited for release day like a kid who is waiting for Christmas morning...or one who is in trouble so they keep pacing...both totally fit how I was feeling at this point in time.

via GIPHY

RELEASE DAY! IT’S HERE! IT’S HERE! 

OMG! IT’S HERE! 

AHHHHHHHHHH! I was up waaaaaayyyy to early...or perhaps I didn’t actually fall asleep. And nervous. And excited. And scared. And, and, and...I experienced ALL THE FEELS. But, since I am a mom of four, breakfast had to be made. Lunches had to be packed. Kids had to make the bus. Laundry needed done. But after all that, my two best friends came over and surprised me with roses, champagne (there’s an actual mark on my kitchen ceiling from the cork being popped!), and took me to lunch. It was awesome.

via GIPHY

And after lunch, I picked up my son early from school because he came down with the stomach bug...so...yeah...the stomach bug does not care about your book release day. Just sayin’.

Aside from my wedding day and the birth of each of my kiddos, it was the BEST DAY EVER. The best week ever. You see, I had been pursuing this publishing dream for eight years. EIGHT YEARS. And it was finally happening. My book, the book of my heart, was published. It was on Amazon, BN, iBooks, Smashwords, Kobo.

I still get giddy.

I know I’m not a house hold name (expect in my own house. “Mom!”...which really is the best ever) but I had found a dream and went after it. I was rejected more times than I can count. BUT, it only takes one yes. Just one.

Now, with one book under my belt, I’m continuing on. And guess what? I’m in the process of drafting Book 2 in my Rebels of the Revolution series, and all those feelings are happening all over again. The excitement. The self-doubt. The thrills. The worry. It’s a never ending cycle. But it is a cycle I don’t mind being on.

via GIPHY 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

So there you have it. A few words from Kelly Lyman herself about what if took and how it felt to release her debut novel The Petticoat Letters. 

Before I say goodbye... have you entered the giveaway yet? There are only a couple days left and I would hate for anyone to miss out on their chance to win a copy of this truly wonderful book. 

Enter the January FAOM Giveaway here. 

And did you see the review for The Petticoat Letters? Check out the review here and my addendum to it here. (Apparently one post for a review just wasn't enough for me 😲 ) 

And now... 

Till next time, Happy Reading Everybody!

Guest Blogger: Author Ani Gonzalez Talks About A Current TV Fave

-->

Hi! I’m Ani Gonzalez and I write lighthearted paranormal romance. I love paranormal stories, genre-smashing, and humorous situations so when LD invited me to write a guest post on a television show I knew exactly which show I would pick.

Lucifer.

I didn’t have high hopes for this show. I loved Neil Gaiman’s Sandman series, and Lucifer Morningstar was one of the best characters in that series (Death, of course, was the best). Tom Ellis as Lucifer? I wasn’t really convinced. Lucifer in the comics looked more like Alexandr Skarsgard. Plus I didn’t find the concept of Lucifer as a detective particularly compelling. I’m not a big fan of police procedurals.

But I am a big fan of paranormals, particularly the ones with a contemporary feel. So, I tuned in.

And I was hooked. The show is funny and smart. I don’t find the mysteries all that interesting, but that may just be me. Like a said, I’m not a fan of procedurals.

When the series opens we learn that Lucifer has a fast care, a weird way to identify (and satisfy or manipulate) people’s desire, a nightclub (called Lux), and a surly employee (called Maze). Maze, we find out, didn’t leave Hell to become a bartender.

I feel for you, Maze.

Lucifer also has an older, angelic brother called Aminadel, a therapist, a grumpy partnership with a local police detective (Chloe) who he’s weirdly obsessed by, and a huge daddy complex.

As the series progresses, Lucifer tries to help/interferes with the local police, tries to work through his daddy issues, and builds an odd crushing/partnering relationship with Chloe.

Lucifer is snarky and funny with an idiosyncratic view of crime and punishment. The series, however, doesn’t quite figure out what to do with him. It’s not clear whether the humans around him think he’s crazy, eccentric or a real supernatural demon. We never figure out why he left Hell or why he chose Los Angeles as his new abode. It’s all very unsatisfying.

But I still I loved the series. The crimes, frankly, were not that interesting, and I could never figure out why Luci (as he’s called in the show) wanted to be a police detective. The paranormal aspects were intriguing, but were oddly relegated to the sidelines (none of the crimes are supernatural in origin). The worldbuilding, however, was great, the supporting cast was amazing, and the music was fantastic (here’s Tom Ellis singer Sinnerman. I died.).

I was pleased when I found out the show was renewed for a second season. The season finale established some great relationships (particularly between Lucifer and Aminadel and Chloe and Maze) and hinted to a stronger paranormal feel in the second season. I’m looking forward to watching it.

Did you watch the series? Did you like it? Are you sticking around for season two?

If you want to know more of my Lucifer thoughts (I’ve had many) you can check out my Lucifer recaps in my blog. If you like magic and humor you can explore my Banshee Creek series (romance and paranormal hijinks in a crazy haunted town) in my website or sign up for my newsletter and get some free books!

Logo/Picture belongs to Fox Network.

Don't forget that Ani has a couple giveaways still open on the Another Year of Books Celebration Event page... And remember - the event's GRAND PRIZE CONTEST is open until June 16th - enter today!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Writing Through the Ages - Cockney Slang? THE HEARTBEAT THIEF BLITZ

This is more or less a guest post from author AJ Krafton, but is also the final post in the interview series for the day of blitzing for THE HEARTBEAT THIEF on the blog. 

Have a great night everybody and enjoy this last post of the day!!

Speaking “English” English: Cockney Rhyming Slang

The Heartbeat Thief is a historical fantasy that follows the journey of a girl who learned a secret that was quite dangerous for an English girl in 1860s Surrey: the secret of immortality. 

As a writer, I faced a challenge. Not only was I writing a historical, but one that would span many different time periods, in various countries. What had I been thinking? : ) This wouldn’t just be a case of making up a story—this was going to involve serious research.

I don’t mind research. (In fact, writers tend to do it without even realizing it—everything we see or hear or read or experience is potential research for a book.) However, I’m easily distracted when doing Internet research. One page leads to another and another and the next thing I know I’m three hours away from my original query (but a happy, happy reader, nonetheless.)

One particular scene in The Heartbeat Thief involved Senza’s stay in Whitechapel in late 1888. You hear the neighborhood, you hear the year…you must know the story.

It wasn’t enough to research names, dates, maps of East London during the time. When I write, I hear the characters conversing in my head. Trouble is, I didn’t spend much time in Whitechapel in the late 19th century, so I needed to research the sounds of Whitechapel.

Every region has its own dialects and slang. In East London, there was a particular slang that grew amongst criminals and dodgy folk. They used the slang as code—that way, they could speak without their information being overheard by the wrong ears. Some of it was to hide vulgarity and some of it was just fun to say.

Whitechapel and Spitalfields were considered Cockney neighborhoods, so the characters we meet in The Heartbeat Thief would have been fluent in Cockney rhyming slang. A country-born manor-bred woman such as Senza Fyne was sure to be completely bewildered the first time she encountered one of the residents and attempted conversation.

Cockney rhyming slang

When I came across this dialect, I realized that there was an entire separate world of English to be discovered…and, once I delved into the phenomenon of Cockney rhyming slang, I was completely hooked. It would days before I got back to actually working on my manuscript and by then, I was using the slang so much my family thought I’d suffered a minor stroke.

My research also put to rest lingering questions I had from the first time I watched Austin Powers: Goldmember. (Yes, I know I just dated myself by referring to a movie from 2002.)  Remember this scene with Myers and Caine?

Austin: Listen, dad, if you are going to say naughty things in front of these American girls then at least speak English English.

[Nigel looks back at girls]

Nigel: All right, my son: I could've had it away with this cracking Julie, my old China. (Subtitle: I was about to make love to this pretty girl.)

Austin: Are you telling pork-pies and a bag of trout? Because if you are feeling quigly, why not just have a J. Arthur? (Is this true? If you were aroused, why didn't you pleasure yourself?)

Nigel: What, billy no mates? (What, alone?)

Austin: Too right, youth. (Indeed.)

Nigel: Don't you remember the crimbo din-din we had with the grotty Scots bint? (Remember Christmas dinner with the Scottish girl?)

Austin: Oh, the one that was all sixes and sevens! (The insane one?)

Nigel: Yeah, yeah, she was the trouble and strife of the Morris dancer what lived up the apples and pears! (She was the wife of the dancer who lived upstairs.)

Austin: She was the barrister what become a bobby in a lorry and... (A lawyer who became a policeman in a truck) [inaudiably] (????????)...

Austin & Nigel: --tea kettle!

Nigel: And then, and then--

Austin & Nigel: She shat on a turtle!

Of course, when I first saw the movie the only thing that made sense was the last line…and that didn’t really make any sense at all. (But at least I knew what a turtle was.)

After a bit of researching, I was able to translate Austin Powers all by myself (I thank you) and even tried a hand at the lingo myself.

*Ahem*

In The Heartbeat Thief, Senza was the most innocent ribbon and curl when she went to Whitechapel. Her very best china was a brass nail but then some bushel of coke took a shovel and spade to the birds they knew and the next thing you know, it’s off to the overcoat maker. Again. Poor fing can’t catch a break.

So, anyway that’s Cockney rhyming slang. And it’s a whole different kind of English than the kind we speak here in eastern Pennsylvania. (Although…we do have a unique slang of our own in these parts. How’s this for a linguistic cage match: Cockney verses Coal Region Speak http://www.coalregion.com/speak/speaka.php)

As much fun as it was to learn more about Cockney rhyming slang, you won’t find large portions of The Heartbeat Thief written with it. Unless you’re well versed in the dialect, you’d need a reference or two to translate it all—and in the process, you’d get as distracted from reading the story as I did when I was writing it! 

But when you’re reading a passage from Senza’s stay in Whitechapel, I hope you’ll hear the characters conversing in your head while you read. If you do, then all my hours of watching mini-series and movies and reading novels research totally paid off.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25153751-the-heartbeat-thief?ac=1

Purchase:

(the first two days of release will be selling at 99cents)

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Heartbeat-Thief-AJ-Krafton-ebook/dp/B00UZC9W7U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1433904408&sr=8-1&keywords=The+Heartbeat+Thief+Krafton

Guest Post by Taylor Dawn - SAVING LONDON - Blitz

I welcome to Ups, Downs, Ins and Outs today Author Taylor Dawn (aka C.D. Taylor) who has most generously offered up a guest post for us all... Enjoy!

“What’s On Your List?”

By Taylor Dawn

 

How are you using your time on this earth?

In the giant picture that we call life, many of us tend to forget what all of this is really about. We are so caught up with trying to find success and happiness, that we miss the things that are right there in front of us. We fail to do the things we’ve always wanted to do because they become daunting tasks that might involve some sort of pain, or even sponge too much of our time. But what if you found out today that you only had a certain amount of time left? What if you were able to look at your life’s clock and see the remaining minutes tick by? Would that make you stop and think about the things you haven’t done? Would it make you kick it into high gear and get to it? I choose not to wait until I hear the tick of the clock hands as they pass by each number. So much so, that this entire premise inspired a book. A book that took on a new life and morphed into so much more than I could’ve ever imagined. So I ask you…what’s on your list?

I’ve had a bucket list for quite some time now. On it are items that some would say are completely out of reach for someone like me. What type of person am I? Well, I’m the person whose spine is partially made up of rods and screws. I’m the person who shouldn’t be able to do much, but I refuse to cave to the fact that I am not the same as I was years ago. My body may be broken, but my spirit burns bright. For my character, London, in Saving London, the same holds true. She was diagnosed with terminal cancer. She was handed a death sentence and expected to go home and wait for the end to find her. But London is a lot like myself. She refuses to rot away and compares herself to a banana. Sitting on a counter and rotting away like a banana won’t do. Embarking on an adventure for her last year is the only way she wants to live for the rest of her time. Would you do that? Would you sell off your worldly possessions to fund the adventures on your bucket list? Me? I most likely would. Like I said before, London and I have a lot in common. We also share some of the items on our lists. Funny how that happened. She was supposed to have her own list, but when you write a character, sometimes they turn out more like you than you expected. And I know the question burning in your mind right now, I can practically see it spinning so fast that smoke is barreling out of your ears. You can slow down that thought process because I’m going to put you out of your misery. Yes, I will tell you what my bucket list consists of. Not the entire thing, but some of the items.

 

The first thing on my list is to fly a plane. London and I have this one in common. Now, I’m not looking to get behind the wheel of an American Airlines Jet, we have enough issues with crazy pilots as it is. For me, a crop duster plane will do. I don’t want to do the whole takeoff and landing part either. I’d just like to hold the controls for a bit while I’m in the air. I want to feel like it’s me keeping the bird in the air. Wouldn’t that be amazing?

Secondly I wanted to visit what I consider one of the most beautiful places on this earth. A place where I could stand and just take in the environment around me and appreciate it for what it was. I was able to actually check this item off my list in 2010. My family and I visited a tiny island off the coast of Belize called Goff’s Cay. Now, mind you, this miniature island was literally no bigger than a football field. White sand beaches, crystal blue waters and breathtaking scenery below the water. The amount of life bustling beneath the surface was a sight to behold. I can still remember standing on the edge of the sand, letting the clear water lap over my toes, thinking “this is it, this is my most beautiful place on this earth.” When the realization hit me, it was difficult to hold my tears at bay. Checking this item off my list was a spiritual experience that I shall not soon forget.

Number three on my bucket list could be comical to some and confusing to others. Here goes…I wanted to make and decorate a three tiered cake. Yes, you heard me right, a cake. I still giggle when I think about it. I’m still not sure why I threw that on my list but there it was. Did I get to do it? Yes I did. It took hours of my time but by the end, I had a slightly lop-sided three tiered cake. But to me, it was beautiful. And hey, topsy-turvy cakes seem to be in style lately. Since I completed it several years ago, I consider myself a trendsetter.

London and I also have “climb a mountain” in common on our bucket lists. In Saving London, she gets to complete this one. And I’ve been able to do so as well. Traveling to Colorado I took on a chunk of rock that was a little over 12,000 feet above sea level. Talk about tiring. But I made it to the peak. I stood there looking down at the tiny town below me thinking “I feel so big, but yet so small.” It was an eye opening experience. You stand at the bottom thinking there’s no way you’ll make it to the top but when you get there, you let out a sigh of relief. I learned a valuable lesson when I climbed. It’s not about the view from the top. It’s the view from the bottom because from the bottom, there’s only one way to go. Up. I took a lot away from that experience that I hold with me to this day. And yes, when I found myself on the top of my mountain, I cried tears of joy. How could you not?

I think I’ll round this out by telling you just one more thing on my bucket list. I don’t want to share the entire thing that somehow doesn’t seem right. But the 5^th item is to dance with my son at his wedding. He’s only 10 right now, and I truly hope I get to have him lead me around the dance floor on his big day. But as with everything, we will never know what the future holds.

Life doesn’t offer guarantees. Its rules aren’t written in black and white somewhere for us to find. I believe that we must live each day as if we may not wake tomorrow. Smile plenty, love with all your heart and take stock in the little things that life has to offer. Someday you’ll look back and realize those small things were actually the big things.

Peace, Love and Pages

Taylor Dawn

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And don't forget to enter the contest for a free paper back copy of SAVING LONDON!

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway