Archive for the 'Uncategorized' Category
Winners and The Weekend
I bet you thought I for got to blog today. Well, here I am. But before I go any further, the winner from Tuesday’s contest is…Julianne! Congrats Julianne! Email me, and I’ll get the book to you.
Well, it’s the weekend, and I don’t have much of anything planned. But what I would like to do is sit out the back with my book and glass of wine until the sun sets and I can’t even read the words on the page. Not terribly ambitious, I realize, but it still sounds pretty good to me. What’s everyone else got planned?
Posted by Dawn Brown @
4:14 pm |
Stick a Fork In Me, I’m Done.
Sometimes a story just doesn’t work. In my head, the idea is good, characters complex and interesting, I have a few great twists planned, and yet when I put it on paper, something just isn’t working. Now, there are times when a few little tweaks and I get right back on track, or I can just write through the problem and fix it on the rewrite. Other times, though, you I have to walk away. The question is, how do you know when you should shelve a story and work on something else, or stick with it and work through the kinks?
I’ve reached this point with a story. In truth, I find my self in a real catch 22. I’ve invested a lot of time on the this story, there a parts about it that I really like and if I could just get past this one hump, I think it could be really good. On the other side is, I’ve invested a lot of time on this story, do I want to invest any more? There’s clearly something inherently wrong with the story. I’ve tweaked and reworked, and still wound up in the same place.
So with that in mind, I’ve come up with three fairly clear indicators that you may want shelve your book.
1. Vacuuming, gardening or cleaning toilets holds more appeal than working on your story.
2. The hole in your book as morphed into a creative black hole, absorbing not only your creativity for the story your working on, but pretty much everything else in your life too.
3. Your starting to hope the villain wins, killing your hero and heroine and putting you all out of your misery.
So, if you are experiencing one or all of these indicators, you may want to consider shelving your project. But take heart. After some time away, you may look on your book with fresh eyes and be able to salvage it. Or maybe you might be able to work the scenes you really liked into a new project. Because let’s face it, no book is ever truly shelved. As writers , we always wind up going back to tinker just a little bit more.
Mood: Thoughtful
Music: The Suburbs, Arcade Fire
P.S. There’s still time to win a Curse of Culcraig ebook.
Posted by Dawn Brown @
2:55 pm |
Tuesday Giveaway – The Curse of Culcraig
As promised, I’m giving away stuff every Tuesday. This week is an ebook, The Curse of Culcraig. As my swag comes in I’ll have more and more, so check back. I’ll be drawing a name Friday. Good luck!
After a devastating personal tragedy, history professor Hillary Bennett seeks refuge in the quaint Scottish village of Culcraig, hoping to research a legend and salvage her career. Instead, she finds her hostess dead, and her hopes for the future pinned to the woman’s black sheep heir.
The last thing Caid Douglas needs is a decrepit manor house to remind him of his estranged family, but he does need the money selling the house would bring to pay off his debts. In desperation he offers to honor his great aunt’s arrangement with Hillary—if she pays him to stay at Glendon House and view his ancestor’s journals, he’ll have the money to fix up the family mausoleum and sell it.
But an ancient curse hovers over the village, and the secret to lifting it lies in the journals. Will Caid and Hillary realize what they have and uncover the truth before a twisted killer silences them forever?
Posted by Dawn Brown @
12:08 pm |
Random Stuff
I actually blogged all three days this week, can you believe it? I’m a little shocked myself. 
Keeping my finger crossed that I can avoid catastrophe again next week and keep it up.
Right now, I’m kind of hiding in the attic–temperature is creeping up pretty fast–hoping to get a little work done. I don’t hear anyone looking for me yet so I’m taking that as a good sign. I’ve started work on something new, tentatively called Dead Before Dawn. Last week, I sent back the second round of edits for Blood and Bone which is exciting. If all goes well, it’s off to final line edit and then I should have an excerpt to share soon. But what to choose…
So random stuff…I’m currently reading The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck (I know, a little light summer reading. Snort.) and The Cult Files: True Stories from the Extreme Edges of Religious Belief. (Guess what my next book is about.) The only T.V. shows I’m watching right now are The Glades and Rookie Blue. I’m just so happy to watch something that isn’t a reality show. Though, I’m ridiculously behind on both. Thank goodness for the PVR. I am, however, addicted to The IT Crowd which I’ve been watching every night on Netflix. So funny.
This weekend, I have absolutely nothing planned except laundry and working on the new book. Yay! So, what’s everybody else reading, watching or doing this weekend?
Mood: Good
Music: Sigh No More, Mumford & Sons
Posted by Dawn Brown @
3:55 pm |
EReaders Versus Print. It’s Not All or Nothing
So I was at a friend’s barbecue on the weekend and couldn’t help overhearing a someone talking about ereaders. My ears instantly perked and I began to seriously eavesdrop. It was conversation I’d heard before. Print versus Ebooks, but this time there was a twist. The gist, ereaders are ruining bookstores and driving them out of business. (Actually, as the conversation progressed, I learned that ereaders are destroying civilization as we know it, but that’s a post for another day.) This struck me as sort of amusing since many bookstores carry their own brand of ereader, but what also surprised me was the all or nothing attitude.
I’m a reader. I read a lot of books in a year. Some on my Sony and some are print books that I bought in a book store. Different things will determine a bookstore buy or ereader buy. Sometimes the book I want isn’t available for my ereader, sometimes it’s a favorite author and I want the book for my keeper shelf and sometimes I see a book in a store and just want it. It don’t care whether it’s available eformat or not. The same is true for book that I buy for my ereader. Sometimes the book I want is only available in eformat, sometimes I happen to see something I want while browsing the site, sometimes I buy the book because it’s a writer I’ve never read before and I want to pay less in case I don’t like the book. But my point is, it wouldn’t occur to me to only buy ebooks or print books. But maybe that’s just me.
So I’m curious, folks. Ebooks, print books or both?
Mood: Meh
Music: Sail, Awolnation
Posted by Dawn Brown @
12:33 pm |
Blood and Bone Cover and Blurb
I know, know. I’m a bad blogger, but my real life has been so chaotic. But to make it up to you here is a look at Blood and Bone’s cover (How awesome is that cover?) and blurb…
The deeper they dig into the past, the closer they come to a killer.
Crime writer Shayne Reynolds is looking for the next book that’ll get her out of her parents’ basement and on track to rebuilding her life. She’s found it in Robert Anderson, a confessed murderer who’s out on parole. Something’s never added up about that case.
From the moment she sets foot in Dark Water, nothing goes as planned. Anderson’s family wants her to drop the story—especially surviving son Des. A man who ignites sizzling heat even as he stands firmly in her way.
Laboring under his father’s crushing legacy and his grandmother’s iron resolve to get rid of the nosy writer at any cost, Des struggles to save the self-destructive sister who once saved him. There’s something honest and forthright about Shayne, though, that tempts him to help her get to the truth. Even if it means double-crossing his powerful grandmother.
Despite their resolve to keep it strictly business, sexual sparks quickly set fire to tangled emotions. And threads of a fragile bond that someone with a vendetta could use to weave their death shroud…
Product Warnings
This story contains a feisty writer, a sexy younger man and a mystery with enough twists and turns to cause vertigo.
Sounds pretty good, doesn’t it? It’s up on the
Samhain’s coming soon page. Holy cow, October 11th is less than three months away!!!
Posted by Dawn Brown @
6:00 am |
My Trip To The Zoo
Since we are not planning any major summer trips this year and are doing the staycation thing, we decided to plan weekly day trips for the kid. Yesterday, we went to the zoo, and for the most part it was a lovely day. The animals were fairly active despite the heat. We saw grizzly bears fighting over a carrot, which was very cool. Especially when the big one roared at the little one. We got to pet stingrays and little sharks. And over all, it was just a lovely day.
That said, I couldn’t help but notice a real lack of manners from people. Now, I am by no means the queen of etiquette, but I’m a fan of common courtesy, using words like please, thank you and excuse me. I was quite disappointed to see grown not moving to let kids get a view of the animals. Seriously, you’re taller. Take a step back and let the kids see. Or even worse, people shoving kids out of the way to see better. One woman actually rammed her strolled into my eleven year old’s ankles while he was trying to take a picture. I was confused since there was plenty of room on either side of him to accommodate her and her stroller.
And the wagons. Oh God, how I hate the wagons. Given the droves of them clogging the walkays yesterday, I’m probably going against public opinin here. Now, my child was small at one time too, and I realize that one must carry a fair amount of gear. But a wagon’s worth? Seriously? How long were you planning on staying at the zoo? A weekend? And if you must bring a wagon to the zoo, please do not park them in front of the exhibits so no one else can go near them.
All right, enough ranting. This weekend is supposed to be gorgeous and I plan on spending most of it outside by the pool. What’s everyone else doing this weekend?
Music: All the Small Things, Sum 41
Mood: Good
Posted by Dawn Brown @
10:29 pm |
No, I’m Not Dead…
…in case you were wondering where I’ve been. What can I say? My real world kind of eclipsed the writing one for awhile, but I’ve got things back under control. (Touch wood.)
But while I was too busy to blog, some good stuff happened. Samhain picked up Blood and Bone. WooHoo!! The release date is October 11. I’ve had a look at the cover and it is gorgeous. My favorite so far, I think. As soon as I get the final approval I’ll post it. Things are moving pretty quickly on this. I’ve alrady wrapped up the first round of edits, so I should have official blurb and excerpt very soon. And as soon as I do, you’ll read it here.
So until Friday. (Really, this time.)
Posted by Dawn Brown @
7:04 pm |
Friday Five – My Five Favorite Writing Resource Books
Holy cow, is it Friday already? This week has flown past. Maybe because, unlike last week, this one was very productive. Yay, me.
So today, I was looking around my office trying to come with an idea for today’s Friday Five when I my attention fixed on the bookshelf with all my go to resource books for writing. It’s packed pretty tight. Some of the books I’ve used for specific stories, while others I refer back to again and again. So here are my five favorites.
1. On Writing, Stephen King. The first half his autobiographical, the other half is a how to. A lot of great information for what makes up good writing.
2. Murder and Mayhem A Doctor Answers Medical and Forensic Questions for Mystery Writers, D.P. Lyle. There’s a lot of fantastic information in this book. detailed and easy to read, and covers a wide variety of subjects.
3. The Action Heroine’s Handbook, Jennifer Worick and Joe Borgneicht. A friend gave me this and it’s a lot of fun. It covers everything from How to Outwit a Sasquatch to Profiling a Serial Killer and even How to Choke a Man With Bare Thighs. It also includes handbag essentials and action heroine hairstyles.
4.Malicious Intent A Wrietr’s Guide to How Murders, Robbers, Rapists and Other Criminals Think, Sean Mactire. This is part of the Writers Digest Books Howdunit Series, and I have quite a few of the books from this series. This is a great book for helping to create believable villains and learning about the personality disorders that are common to specific criminals.
5. Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, Renni Browne and Dave King. This covers so many technical aspects of writing from the whole show don’t tell thing to point of view to inner monologue. It also includes great examples and exercises.
Don’t forget to check out the other Friday Fivers, Gina Ardito, Debora Dennis, Harper Bennett, Moira Keith, Bethanne Strasser and Silke Juppenlatz. Enjoy your weekend, everyone!
Posted by Dawn Brown @
6:00 am |
All Things Romantic Suspense – Chris Redding
Well, it’s another snowy Wednesday here, but that’s okay because it’s All Things Romantic Suspense. And today we have Chris Redding. Welcome Chris!
Dawn: When and why did you begin writing?
Chris:I began writing when I was ten. I began writing for publication when I was pregnant with my second son. I couldn’t NOT write. It was crazy. Oddly, it’s my older son that is showing the creative gene.
Dawn: How do you create your plots and characters? Do you use any sort of formula?
Chris: I start with the goal motivation and conflict of the main characters. Then I wing it for the rest of the story. Wish I could give you a better answer than that.
Dawn: What do you consider the most important elements of good writing?
Chris: I think you need to be a good story teller. You also need to be able to sprinkle truths in with the lies you tell. The truths anchor the reader in the story and let them suspend their disbelief.
Dawn: What music groups/artists do you listen to while you write?
Chris:My favorite is Maroon 5. I turn on Pandora Radio mostly and listen to them and Daughtry. I’m a little ADD so the music helps me concentrate.
Dawn: Have you experienced writer’s block? And if so, what did you do to overcome it?
Chris: Nope. Never experienced it. I trust that the words will be there. You have to as a writer, or you need to find another profession.
Dawn: What do you do when you’re not writing?
Chris: Let’s see. I have two kids so I cart them around to activities. I take care of a household. I work part time for my local hospital and have the best boss in the world. I work out usually five days a week.
Dawn: What are you reading right now?
Chris: Dragon Warrior by Janet Chapman and I’m loving it.
Dawn: What’s next for you?
Chris: I have a humorous romantic suspense, A View to a Kilt, coming out electronically in July. No print date, yet. I am also working on another humorous romantic suspense that involves a hot nerdy guy as the hero.
You can find Chris’s book, Incendiary, at Amazon. 
Chelsea James, captain of her local first aid squad, is trying to keep the organization afloat, but someone is sabotaging her. The squad is her father’s legacy and she feels responsible to keep it going.
Jake Sweeney, back in town after a decade, is investigating the arsons he was accused of long ago. When they start again Chelsea and Jake must join forces to defeat their mutual enemy.
Jake would like to rekindle what they had before he left town, but his departure left Chelsea hurt and bewildered. To begin again, she must learn to trust him.
Her life could depend on it.
To learn more about Chris and her books, you can visit her website and blog, or follow her on Facebook and Twitter. That’s for visiting, Chris!
Posted by Dawn Brown @
2:54 pm |
