Justice (Deck of Lies, #1)

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The Tower (Deck of Lies, #2)

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Death (Deck of Lies, #3)

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Judgment (Deck of Lies, #4)

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Hope's Rebellion

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Forums Make Me Angry

If you could see behind the scenes of the blog, you'd probably be appalled at the vast number of Writing 101 posts I've started and stopped writing. I wrote several of them last week in multiple abortive attempts to add content to the blog. More than one of them was a thinly-disguised rant...because a single forum post ticked me off for a solid three days. 


Zen and the Art of Stress-Free Forum Maintenance

I've been working a lot lately. I've been on the job most of the time, and when not on the job I've still got stuff to do around the house. There are only two boxes remaining, so I've made a lot of progress...but I'm not done. Two of the biggest projects still loom before me; I've got to do them both tomorrow and attend a bridal shower. 

With all this weighing on my mind all week, and deadlines looming over my head, I've been getting only four to five hours of sleep a night. So I'm understandably cranky when I check my forums, which I only have time to do late at night and early in the morning.

I check them after I go through my email first thing in the morning. Early in the week, I got an email from a fellow blogger asking me to pick up one of their review responsibilities. Clearly he doesn't read the blog, or he'd know how shamefully behind I am on my own TBR pile (several authors I know could give him an earful). I was a little affronted, but I got sort of pissed when I got around to checking my forums -- where he posted, in more than one place mind you, asking for help with this same review. 

I was sort of enraged by it all, and began a heated Writing 101 lesson about commitments (which may still appear in the future once I've distanced my own feelings from it a bit more). I wrote the whole thing, and had it scheduled, but thankfully second-guessed myself an hour later and changed it to draft.

I repeated this pattern several more times throughout the week, halfway committing to new Writing 101 lessons and then giving up on them entirely. Only one such post made it to the blog this week, and that got a two-day grace period and two false starts before it went live. 

And I spent much of the rest of the week grousing to myself every time I went to read the forums, and responding to them more hatefully than ever before. The week was nearly out when I realized that I wasn't really mad about that guy, or even about the forums. 

I was mad because I wasn't getting any time to really write. I've been behind on my newest story, and I didn't realize how angry it was making me until I nearly threw my phone over a totally benign post about country-specific terminology. So on Friday, after I completed a long to-do list, I made myself take the time to write. 

Back on the Wagon

I finished chapter 4. That's the big news. My Facebook followers know that I've been wallowing in that chapter for some time now, and I'm happy to say I finally tackled it -- a little less happy to admit that I spent three hours writing two pages. Sometimes that's the way it goes. Now I'm on chapter 5, and writing from a whole new POV, so this is exciting stuff. I feel much more comfortable with this chapter. 

Surely I'll just burn right through the rest of the outline and get the book completed in record time...just kidding. That definitely won't happen, but I am in a much better mood at the week's end.

Books on Film: Julie and Julia

Julie and Julia is one of the more interesting books on film you'll watch, because it's not based on one book. It's based on two books written by authors who were worlds apart. The movie shows both stories, though they did not occur concurrently, and somehow manages to blend both together pretty seamlessly.


The Books

Julie and Julia is based on My Life in France, an autobiography by the famous chef Julia Child. It was published in 2006 and compiled with the help of Julia's grandnephew Alex Prud'homme. He completed it after her 2004 death. In the main, it takes place from 1948 to 1954. This is when Child lived in Paris, Marseilles and Provence with her husband Paul. It's when her star as a chef rose, and she became a household name. 


The book details the arrival of the Childs in Paris, and Julia's love affair with French cuisine. She began taking classes at Ecole du Cordon Bleu and learned how to master cooking. She learned how to make amazing things like souffle, gnocchi, canard a l'orange and turbot farci braise au champagne. Sounds good, right?

She was well into her 30s when she discovered her love of French cuisine, but she embraced it with unfettered devotion. Julia stubbornly pursued all the goals she set for herself, and the story is truly delightful. As most of you probably know, it ends happily. Child went on to accomplish the goals she set for herself and became one of the best-known chefs to American audiences. She was so well-known, Dan Aykroyd even spoofed her on SNL.

And she was still interesting a few decades after her cooking show went off the air. The cookbook she wrote in France during the 50s was still darned good in 2002...good enough to interest a blogger living in New York City.

Julie Powell decided that she wanted to learn how to cook -- really to cook -- and began to consider her copy of Mastering the Art of French Cooking, by Julia Child. She decided to blog about it, and gave herself a deadline for cooking her way through the entire book. Later, Powell's blog became a book in its own right, and formed half the basis for the movie that would follow.

 
Julie and Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen is the blog that Powell wrote, slightly reworked for print. The book was published in 2005, and later re-titled in paperback as Julie and Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously.

The blog took off, and Julie developed a following. For the book, she added a backstory describing her own life and her marriage to high school sweetheart Eric. The book doesn't read like a typical memoir...it reads more like chick lit, containing lurid descriptions of Julie's day-to-day life and squalid apartment. It's hard to find the bits about cooking within it all. But the book is saved by Julie's humor, which springs up often, and her persistence to finish her goal. In that, she is very much like Julia Child indeed.

Their similar personalities are made more apparent in the film that followed, aptly named Julie and Julia

The Film

On the big screen, Amy Adams became Julie Powell and Meryl Streep Julia Child. Streep, who stands at 5'6", was manipulated on screen to look more like a stately, 6'2" Child. Camera angles and Hollywood trickery were employed to make Streep look a little more Amazonian, like Julia.

The movie shows Julie Powell, a woman in her late 20s who is unhappy with her job and her tiny apartment. She latches onto Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking, published in 1961. Hilarity ensues as Julie attempts to execute complicated recipes in her itty-bitty kitchen, sometimes breaking down into hysterics when the lobsters must be boiled alive or the bone marrow burns.

Julia's story is woven equally into the narrative. We go with her to French restaurants, and futilely pursue a cookbook of French recipes written in English. We go to culinary school, and watch as each woman realizes her true fate. Julia Child is meant to be a chef...Julie Powell is supposed to be a writer. They take different journeys in different places, in vastly different times, and doggedly attempt to succeed at all costs.

Julia's book, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, is the thread that ties them together. Each woman is obsessed with the book, and captivated by it, in different ways. Each is creating something. Each is learning. In other words, it's a movie about three books, two writers, and a ton of French recipes. Watching it without snacks is impossible. 


It's a really good movie. Both are writers of different sorts, and like most writers both face rejection and obstacles that stand in their way. 

Julia Child certainly learned how to master French cooking, and thanks to her all us Americans may attempt to do the same. Julie Powell learned how to cook, and blog. Both became published, and Julie and Julia was born on film. 

But like all good books on film, changes were made. 

What Got Adapted?

Julie Powell seems to have ambivalent feelings about the film. She wrote an online article distancing herself from the way she was portrayed on film (by Adams), while simultaneously stating that she liked the movie very much.

Powell is right about some things. Amy Adams doesn't totally capture Julie Powell's voice because she's more sanitized on film. Powell has a knack for the colorful euphemism, and only a scant amount of this remains in the film. Her use of f-bombs is cited as the main reason that Julia Child didn't like the blog, and did not consider Powell to be a "serious" cook. Powell's pets aren't shown as often, or at all, and some "characters" from the book were dropped altogether. Julie's brother Heathcliff is not present, and her friends appear only on the fringes.

However, the movie does a good job of capturing the flavor (pun intended) of both books, and showing both heroines in a  positive light. It's two stories about writers, and how can that be anything but appealing?

Lost in Justice

"Rain knows her new family is hiding something, she just doesn't know what yet."


"Pretty soon everything in her world begins to topple down like, well, a deck of cards...the unraveling is perfectly paced and skillfully executed."
Justice (Deck of Lies, #1) has been reviewed at Lost in Books! There are some spoilers, so check it out if you've already read Justice and see if you agree with the reviewer.

Book Tour: Power by Theresa M. Jones

POWER, Book Tour


Today I'm very pleased to host author and friend of the blog, Theresa M. Jones. She offers up amazing reviews on her book blog, Keepin' Up With the Joneses. Now, other bloggers will be reviewing her debut novel Power. My blog is an official stop on her book tour, so stop! Keep reading to learn more about the book and find out how to get your copy. Don't miss the amazing giveaway opportunity at the end -- you could win a signed copy of the book and a $15 Amazon gift card!


Thousands of years after the battle between the angels, when Lucifer was defeated by Michael in the Heavens, the war is still being fought on Earth by the humans who have their Power, the Angel’s Power. 

Allison Stevens is a 21 year old single mother who gets thrown into the middle of this battle when Damien, the Leader of the Rising, decides to hunt her down and kill her because he fears she is the descendant prophesied to save the world. 

David, a member of the Order, takes Allison under his wing in order to show her the ropes, and hopefully groom her into being the one they have been waiting for. The only problem is that they start to grow more attached than a teacher/student relationship should allow.

But that isn’t all. Damien wants to open the Seven Seals and bring about the apocalypse and it’s up to Allison to not only save herself and her family, but save the world, all while trying to keep her heart from breaking.

No problem… right?

POWER is the first book in a New Adult (Mature YA) Paranormal Romance Trilogy and is the debut novel for author Theresa M Jones.

Keep reading for an excerpt from the book...

Part of Chapter 15
I stepped outside into the fresh air. The sky was cloudless, and I could see all the stars. I walked to the pond and thought about putting my feet inside. It was summer, but we were high up in the mountains and the wind was chilly; so I decided against taking my shoes off and dipping my feet in the cold water. I snuggled my robe closer around me as I felt a small breeze. Being surrounded by massively tall cliffs, one would rarely feel a breeze out here, but when you did, boy was it cold. I sat leaning against a tree and looked out over the pond.
I didn’t hear him come up behind me, but I could sense him. I turned around as he greeted me the same as he always did, “Good morning, Allison.”
I chuckled, “I guess it is morning already.” He offered his hand and helped me stand. I took it eagerly, and went straight into his arms. He didn’t pull away. If anything, he held me closer.  It reminded me of the morning when I thought he would kiss me. After that morning he had distanced himself. But over the last few days he had gotten back to normal. He had even kissed my head and my cheek on a few occasions. Tonight I wanted more, though I was a little afraid to risk it. What if he started acting all weird again?
I breathed in deeply, allowing his scent to fill my nose and my lungs. He nestled his head into the crook of my neck and I could feel the scruff from his beard scratch my cheek as he started to breathe deeply as well. I could feel his breath tickle my neck and it sent shivers down my spine. It made me pull him closer still. I could feel his muscles touching mine, and I could feel the heat emanating from him, warming my skin through my clothes.
My heart started beating faster, and I felt my face flush with anticipation. He pulled away, just enough to look me in the eyes. I stared back into his, allowing him access to my soul, hoping he could see how desperately I needed him. I didn’t hold back at all.
Before I could even react his lips were on mine. The heat that I had felt when he kissed my cheek, was like a lit match compared to the forest fire I felt now. Every inch of my body was deliciously ignited.
This kiss started very slow. Tentative. Wary. Unsure.
But as my lips parted, allowing him full access to me, things changed. He deepened the kiss. His arms pulled me closer to him, wrapped around my back, and held me firm.
He tasted like heaven on earth. My arms were all over the place. On his face, on his neck, then down to his back. I couldn’t get enough of him. I couldn’t touch him enough, or smell him enough. Or… taste him enough.
This felt right. Like the ultimate goodness. My body tried to inch closer, but it appeared we couldn’t get any closer. His chest was warm and hard against mine, and fit perfectly, as if we were two pieces to a puzzle.



About the Author...

Theresa M Jones is just a regular small town, Texas girl. When she isn't at work at a local Medical Equipment provider,you can find her at home with her husband and two beautiful (and rambunctious) kiddos.

In her spare time- as if there ever was such a thing as "spare time" - she reads and reviews books on her book blog, and writes paranormal romance novels.

POWER (The Descendent Trilogy #1) is her debut New Adult (Mature YA) Paranormal Romance novel.


And Facebook: TheresaMJones



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Writing 101: Writing a Log Line

Any novel is made up of many different elements. There's the story itself, and the cover of course, and you can't forget about the title or the blurb. Then maybe you'll need a trailer, a whole marketing campaign, an idea for a sequel...it's a lot to do. But while you're doing all that, don't forget another important element: the log line. 


Teasing Them

The log line, also spelled logline and log-line, is a one-phrase teaser for your book. Even if you don't recognize the terminology, you've definitely seen log lines before.




A good log line is a great hook for readers, a brief taste of your writing and everything the story has in store for them. The log line can bring the entire cover design together, tempting readers to explore further. To come up with a good one, try to sum up your book in a single sentence, without giving away any sort of spoilers. Vague is okay as long as it's really interesting. 

Place the log line prominently on the cover, but not obtrusively. It should work as a part of the overall design, and naturally draw the eye. Remember that it's just a teaser, a little taste, but it's also your one good shot at grabbing new readers. Keep it simple and interesting, and you'll nail it.

Writing 101: What's It Like to Write Full-Time?

Lots of authors have "day jobs." This is because writing books really doesn't pay well, unless you're a prolific bestseller like Stephen King or you write a runaway hit like Stephenie Meyer. In perusing forums, a hobby that's eating away at much of my free time, I've discovered that many indie authors dream of the day when they can become full-time writers. But be careful what you wish for. It's time to find out what it's like to write full-time.


Writing All the Time

I am a full-time writer, and it's not glamorous. It's not even convenient. What's it like to write full-time? It's like having 5 different parents, or rowdy children, demanding something from you every single second. And it's a whole lot like staring at a screen for 12 hours a day, 7 days a week. Out of the 80-plus hours you spend writing in a given week, you're incredibly lucky it you get to spend 5 of them writing something you actually want to write.

Many full-time writers are freelancers, like myself. Many of them receive income from several different sources, and continuously seek out new freelance opportunities. I currently work regularly for three different outfits on strict deadlines, irregularly for another outfit on very tight deadlines, and two others whenever the wind blows. That means I may do writing work for up to 6 different employers during any given week, and any of them may come back with rewrites. Sometimes they might even do it on the same day -- like Friday, around 5 in the evening. Lots of times, they want what they need ASAP, and give me a 24- or 48-hour deadline. 

I write, on average, 5 to 10 different pieces a day ranging from 250 to 1000 words in length. Out of those 5 to 10, I might get to choose the headline and all the content for the entire piece twice. The other three to eight times I start writing something new, I'm writing what I got told to write...and even on those two I might get to choose, there are very strict formats and requirements I must meet. Sometimes, even the words are chosen for me. My job is to put them in a reasonable sort of order. I don't always get to insert amusing anecdotes, and many times I might not be inspired to write one anyway. The tone I write in might also be chosen for me, until very little of my own native writing voice remains.

In other words, it's a job. The writer who writes full time still has a boss -- and it's quite likely that they have several. Editors are persnickety, and sometimes vague, and there will be times when you wish a reviewer would come along and tear your indie book apart before you have to rewrite this how-to article even one more time. Sometimes it's scary. A gig that seems solid might change all of a sudden, because a website got bought out or an editor got fired or a search algorithm on Google got revamped. Suddenly you're making less money, and everything is insecure. Then tax time comes, and real terror enters your life. And while you're typing away 80-something hours a week, everyone around you will actually get to have a life.

Often, you'll be lonely. You're staring at a screen all day, writing about dull subjects with words you don't even get to chose and answering to editors who may only address you as "freelance writer." You'll get the feeling that you're replaceable, and you'll get a taste of the massive competition out there every time you reply to another freelance job opportunity. 

But you'll be a writer, using your words to make a living. Every once in a while, you might have the chance to revel in that. It's kind of fun when you say that you're a writer to someone who doesn't realize how really un-glamorous it all is. 

Writing all the time is just great, until you've actually got to do it to keep food in your belly. Then it gets annoying, and scary...and lonely. If wrecking your eyes and answering to too many bosses is your idea of a good time, you're ready to do it.

However, know this: when you write full time, you have to make an effort to keep loving the act of writing. When it goes from hobby to job, things change...and writing can be very, very hard to love then.

Three Books to Rebuild the World

So, I'm obsessed with The Time Machine, the story by H. G. Wells. I've always been fascinated by time travel, and as a point of fact I very sincerely believe that Back to the Future, and not Star Wars, is the best movie trilogy ever created. Wouldn't it be amazing to go back in time? Or even better, to go forward? But time isn't the main reason I'm obsessed with the story, why I find reasons to bring it up all the time (and spend a ton of time getting completely blank stares in return). It's because of the way the story ends...and not even the way it ends on the page. 


That's the Power of Words

In the original short story, the main character doesn't have a name and he comes to a very vague end. The reader sees him leave in his time machine, and he's pretty much never heard from again. It's not the greatest of endings (sorry, Mr. Wells), and that's why it got changed for the 1960s film adaptation. 
In the film version of the story, the Traveller's name is George (after Wells himself), and he takes something with him before he leaves London for the second time. After he leaves in the machine, presumably for ever, his colleagues notice something strange in the library.

Three books are missing, only three. The time machine isn't quite like a tricked-out DeLorean -- it's got shite storage space. So George takes just three books, and goes back into the future that he found. And one of the men asks "which three books did he take?"

The other man, quite seriously, gives him a level look, and he responds "which three would you take?"

I've been thinking about that damned scene for ten years. I mean, I just can't get it out of my head. It could be that my mind is just blown from the idea of living in a world with only three books, but I've never been able to stop thinking about it. 

Which three books would you take? I just can't answer the question. Three books to rebuild the world...it's a tall order. In my extensive research on the subject, I've seen every idea under the sun. A first aid book. A book about engineering (for like, literal rebuilding). A history book. The Bible. 

And maybe he grabbed The Joy of Cooking, you know? The people he found in the future were eating weird stuff, and nobody wants that. Every time I think about three books I would just have to have, one fiction novel leaps immediately to mind. I understand the uses of a first aid book, sure, but who the hell wants to live in a world without fiction? Wouldn't you want to take just one amazing novel with you, and plant that seed somewhere it could sprout? 

Thinking about those three books makes me crazy every single time, and I repeatedly go back to it. I've never been able to put together a reasonable list, not once. The dictionary? The complete works of Edgar Allen Poe? The history of the world? Carol Burnett's memoir? I just can't do it. 

I would not be able to rebuild the world, because I would have been standing in front of those library shelves long enough to actually really need a time machine. I could never choose just three books. 

I would have taken them all, or maybe waited for Doc Brown to come along in the DeLorean. Could you rebuild society with just three books? Give me your list, and maybe I'll finally be able to put an end to this sick obsession.

Writing 101: How to Fund Your Book Habit

What's the secret to being a better writer? Read a lot. Now, you've got to figure out how to fund your book habit without going broke. 


Easier Reading Isn't Always Cheaper

Ereaders like the Kindle have put hundreds of books in every reader's hands, but the easy availability of ebooks doesn't automatically equal cheaper reading. Even if you set a spending limit, buying books adds up quickly. Suppose you never spend more than $5 on a book. Read three books a week, and you're $15 in the hole before you get your next paycheck.

It starts to add up. There are ways to fund your book habit, however, and get your reading material...and no, I'm not going to tell you to go to the library.
  • Swap: Visit Paperbackswap to list the books you're willing to trade, and get the books you want in return. The website connects book lovers who want to swap, and makes it easy for you to keep yourself in fresh reading material.
  • Review: Start reviewing books on your blog (oh, and start a blog) and ask for review copies outright. If you advertise a review policy on your site, you will get requests. You can also look for books you might like on Goodreads and contact the authors directly about getting a review copy. Stick to indies and lesser-known authors to make it easier to get those free books. You will have to follow through, however, by writing an honest and thorough review.
  • Trade among friends: Start your own trading circle among your friends and associates, and swap books to get your hands on new stories. Arrange a get together once a month and trade out books. It's kind of a fun way to visit with friends, and you may enjoy exploring their reading material.
  • Kindle lending: You can trade ebooks with friends, too. Authors who have opted into the lending program allow you to send their books to your friends' Kindles. They get to keep the book for about 30 days. Start a reading circle with your friends and keep track of  all your Kindle books to create your own lending library.
Find your own creative ways to fund your book habit (and despite the hidden tone of that, I'm not advocating theft!), and keep on reading. What they say is true. Reading more can make you a better writer, even if you're reading something bad. Read books in your own genre, and read other indie authors, and keep improving your craft.