Olympics and Summer

w00t! How's everyone's summer? Mine's been interesting. And I think that's the nicest thing I can say about it so far. On the plus side, I've been to some museums, got to tour other cities (for all the wrong reasons, but you know, lemons become lemonade), and I've been working on my art.

I'm pretty excited about the upcoming Olympics. And to celebrate the upcoming Olympic games, I'm doing a blog tour for my book, Of Pens And Swords, as the main character, Cyra, desperately wants to go to the Olympics.

Go check out Elsie's blog and Katie's blog. Don't forget to enter for a chance to win an ebook copy of my first title!

And before I go, What events are everyone gearing up for? I, for one, cannot wait for the equestrian competition to start!

Pop Tara (like pop tarts only less toaster burn)

Today, I’m excited to have Tara Tyler, author of POP TRAVEL, on the blog for an interview! (Tara’s in bold). Welcome, Tara, pull up a chair and pick out some baked goods (I recommend the chocolate chip cookies, baked them this morning).  As you know, November is National Novel Writing Month (NaNo). Are you participating this year? 

 

Chocolate Cookies are my absolute favorite - no kidding (brownies are a close second)

I am not doing Nano this year - I'm slowly but surely editing the sequel to Pop Travel (first draft is done)

As many readers know, I’m a big fan of the “just get it down” draft. Followed by the edited forever and ever draft. Was POP TRAVEL one of those novels with a million different drafts, or did you nail it in one? 

I think like you. I started with an outline, but then I write the scenes, just getting it all down, and they develop as I write. First draft usually gets most of the best points - the meat. Then with the editing, I cut it up and add gravy, maybe some mashed potatoes as a side story!

Tell us a little bit about your publishing experience with Curiosity Quills (LOVE their slogan!). How did you find them? How did they acquire POP? 

I was submitting queries like crazy, no bites at all. Then I sent my query to THE Janet Reid and she gave me the kick my query needed. As soon as I spiced it up, I entered a contest through Unicorn Bell and one of their editors was a judge. He loved it, requested a full, and that was all she wrote!

What is your favorite part of being published with Curiosity?

Being published! Ha ha. CQ is a small, but growing, family and does its best to take care of the authors. They are growing and don't have the big pub experience, but they are learning and doing their hardest to work with us. I ask and usually get quick feedback.

  

I know a lot of writers get to the part of their journey where it seems like everyone just says “No.” Do you have any words of wisdom or inspiration to keep other writers going?

Finding an agent/publisher is like finding your soulmate. You may not find that special someone who clicks with you and your work right away (usually not!) I believe when you and your work are truly ready for that step, the right situation will arise. My advice: Do it for yourself. Ask for help from a new source. Write something new if you are tired of working on one thing and come back to it later if you miss it. Don't get stuck in a rut! But don't give up either!

And because it is NaNo, do you have any advice for our writers struggling to get their word count down? 

Dedicate a certain amount of time and hopefully have an outline to guide you. If you can do that, mathematically you will be able to get the words in. I did Camp Nano last year because August was better for my real world schedule and I finished my first draft of Broken Branch Falls.

If you get stuck, write character bios or settings or history - I think anything you write during nano toward your MS counts! Just don't edit anything! Add only for Nano, edit later!

BTW, why is NANO in November? It's too busy for me! Travel for Thanksgiving and my bday and all! Good luck to all of you taking the challenge! May your work count ever rise!!

 Ha! Why is NaNo in November? I think it's so the procrastinators can use Thanksgiving weekend to send a hail Marry to their word count. Clearly not thought up by the mothers in our communities!

Thanks again for stopping by, Tara!

Thanks to you, my friend, for having me! Great questions!

For all you NaNoers, just remember that reading a book counts as writing research, so it’s completely allowed in the month of November, so go read Tara’s book.

Available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble

Goodreads  <==>  Trailer  <==>  FB Author Page

Tara Tyler started out as a math teacher. After having a hand in everything from waitressing to rocket engineering and living up and down the Eastern US, she finally found some roots, writing and teaching in Ohio with her three active boys and Coach Husband. In addition to her novels, she has published short stories and poetry in Science Fiction, Fantasy, Thriller, and Humor. So many stories to tell!

In 2080, technology has gone too far for J. L. Cooper. He is happily hidden in his simple, secluded life as a private detective in a small town, far from any pop travel laser teleportation stations. Until he takes on a client who insists pop travel made his fiancé disappear.

When Cooper investigates, he finds evidence of pop travel's deadly flaw, sparking a series of murders, attempts on his life, and threats to his brother. He’d like to pass off the evidence but knows he’s being watched and can’t trust anyone. And who would believe him?

The only way he can save his brother is to fool his observers while looking for a way to expose the problem. He decides to go to the source and confront the Creator of pop travel. On his way, Cooper meets Southern siren, Geri Harper (an undercover FBI agent) who tags along despite his protests. When they reach the Creator, he has plans of his own and leads them on a wild detour.

Cat and the Dreamer

And today, I'm turning over my blog to Annalisa Crawford for her Cat and the Dreamer Blog Tour! Take it away Annalisa:


It's been a year since my novella Cat and The Dreamer was published! There have been lots of changes in my own life in that time, and I started to wonder what else had changed...

Thank you Rena for inviting me over today!

Today's topic: Felix Baumgartner!

In February 2012, no one had jumped from the edge of space, and now they have. That's a pretty big change in the world, don't you think? And I'm still trying to get my head around why someone would think it was a good idea.

To be honest, I came to the party late - I only realised he was jumping when the first jump was delayed. The day he jumped, I was sitting with my kids and they were just as fascinated.

The ascent in itself was impressive - two and a half hours watching the balloon gradually getting higher and higher, listening to all the technical info, that none of us really understood, being bandied about between Baumgartner and his ground crew. In fact as someone who's scared of heights, I'd have been happy if he just went up and didn't jump, but...

• Felix jumped from 128,100 feet above ground
• He spent 260 seconds free-falling before deploying his parachute, a total of 119,846 feet!
• He span uncontrollably for 10 - 20 seconds - and I held my breath for all of them
• He hit a world record speed of 833.9 mph
• It took 5 years and 300 people to plan and carry out the jump
• 8 million people world-wide watched, on 40 different TV stations
• It took 10 minutes for Felix to reach the ground, landing - amazingly - on his feet!
• 
  

Did you watch it? Were you glued, open-mouthed to the footage like I was?

About Cat and The Dreamer
As a teenager, Julia survived a suicide pact, while her best friend Rachel died. Julia’s only escape from her guilt, and her mother’s over-protection, is her imagination. When Adam arrives in the office, Julia’s world takes a startling turn as she realises reality can be much more fun than fantasy. Finally she has someone who can help her make the most of her life. But can she allow herself to be truly happy?

Cat and The Dreamer is available on Kindle UK, Kindle US, Kobo, Nook, iTunes/iBooks, and via Vagabondage Press.

Annalisa Crawford lives and writes in Cornwall with a good supply of beaches and moorland to keep her inspired. She finds endless possibilities in the relationships between people. Several new projects are on the cards for 2013.
Find her on her blog, Twitter, Facebook and Goodreads.