tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20289256129747542002024-03-03T11:50:37.987-06:00Laura Josephsen<center><em>On Writing, Editing, and Other Randomness</em></center>Laura Josephsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04239501665574945313noreply@blogger.comBlogger168125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2028925612974754200.post-78730341909670035002014-05-27T23:23:00.000-05:002014-05-27T23:30:10.726-05:00Of Girls and Boys, Heroes, and Keeping Your Characters in CharacterI have a son and a daughter, pre-teens, and they both love things
like Star Wars and Doctor Who, playing video games, dressing up as
superheroes and running around with toy Styrofoam Thor swords. They love
comics and anime and Legos.<br />
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My daughter is drawn to strong female characters. Black Widow is her
favorite Avenger. I try to find stories that have strong female
characters for my daughter, because it’s not hard to find strong male
characters written, but sometimes harder to find the girls. And while my
daughter loves both, she relates to the girls.<br />
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I started watching an anime last week—and I’m not going to name it,
because I don’t feel like getting into an argument about how
and why these characters acted the way they did, and how it might have
been rational or logical in some ways. It started out great. It was
intriguing, the animation was gorgeous, and it seemed to have strong
characters of both genders. At first. By the time I hit the second arc
of the story, I felt like everything I had come to know about these
characters was sucked out or flattened. Boy became the stereotypical
hero off to save the damsel—and let me say, I don’t mind damsel in
distress stories. They can be written well. Not all girls want to be the
hero—some girls dream about a knight in shining armor coming to sweep
them off their feet. <strong>But some girls want to be heroes. </strong>Some
girls need to be heroes. Some girls want to see the heroes they can
relate to. And when the writers take a girl who was shown—at first—as a
strong, capable character and slowly tone that down and then flat-out
rip the heroic rug right out from under her, it disappoints me at
first—and then just makes me mad. Why would you do that to your
character—just so the guy can become a white knight to a girl who <em>shouldn't have needed it?</em><br />
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There was a line this female character said when she was basically
being tortured that made me so, so mad, and I can’t say what it was
without giving the anime name, but let me just say: it was not cool,
because it made the girl’s pain all about the guy. It was not only an
injustice to the girl, but also an injustice to the characterization of
the guy, who had once had confidence that the girl could protect herself
pretty darn well and that just…vanished. It was like watching Body
Snatched versions of these characters.<br />
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I’m not saying the guy can’t rescue the girl. I’m not saying the girl
can’t rescue the guy. I love a good story that has mutual rescuing
where characters of both genders get to be the heroes. I love when the
girl is able to escape on her own. I love it when the guy comes to help
her or save her. I love when the girl gets to save the guy. <strong>As long as it is well-written and in character.</strong> Look at Disney’s <em>Tangled. </em>Eugene and Rapunzel saved each other back and forth through that movie. Look at <em>Frozen. </em>Anna
and Kristoff took turns saving each other and at the end, Anna gets to
save herself, which is the best thing ever—but she wouldn't have gotten
to the point where she could if she hadn't had friends to help her along
the way. Everyone needs a leg up sometimes—boy or girl. Heroism comes
in all sorts of forms. It’s not just physical strength. The shyest,
quietest character might be the bravest one. Characters who some might
see as weak could be the strongest.<br />
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I want stories that tell my son he can be the hero. But I also want the same for my daughter. I want stories that can tell <strong>both </strong>of them that it’s okay to rely on other people, male or female, and that they don’t always have to be the hero, but they also <strong>can be</strong>. They need strong characters of both genders in the things the read, the stuff they watch, what they listen to.<br />
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And when I’m watching something and it starts out with a strong
female character who dissolves into an object of conquest, it frustrates
me and makes me want to go sit down and write a book about a strong
female character for my daughter. (Then I remind myself I’m already
writing a series about a strong female character—but darn it, I want to
write a brand new one. A book, not a series. Why can’t more of my books
come in one-shots?)<br />
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I say again: We need strong characters of both genders. But please, fellow writers, <em>please—</em>do
not taunt me with an awesome, strong, female character and then make
her an almost completely helpless object. Don’t. Do. It. I wouldn't want
to see that happen to a male character either. Keep your characters
true to themselves. Characters are supposed to grow, and yes, characters
change when they go on journeys, sometimes for the worse, but it should
make sense.Laura Josephsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04239501665574945313noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2028925612974754200.post-35618617489514915832014-01-22T23:10:00.001-06:002014-01-22T23:14:48.276-06:00I'm still alive!Wow, it has been AGES since I posted on this, and now that I have some time and some energy to spare, I'd like to say a huge hello and thank you to anyone still reading this.<br />
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Let me take a minute to fill everyone in on my life the past five months.<br />
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Hubby, Kiddos, Cats, and I moved to the Gulf Coast in Texas at the end of last August.<br />
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I absolutely love it here--I love the warm winter (it's been in the 60s and 70s this week). I love the laid-back, small-beach-town atmosphere. I love getting to go to the beach, and I love all the activities there are to do around here. Hubby and Kiddos love it too, and Daughter is very happy because she adores all creatures great and small, and the seaside is flouring with all sorts of life. When we moved here, she got a tank and some land hermit crabs, and she's been taking excellent care of them.<br />
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Granted, there are some things I could do without--like the huge wolf spiders that race like speed demons across the floor when they get in the house, or the scorpions (fortunately, the scorpions here are not deadly, unless you happen to be allergic to them like some people are allergic to bees), or the giant cockroaches. But other things more than make up for that. Like the cute little tourist shops that sell mugs like this (which Hubby got for me because it was perfect for me):<br />
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But. The first few months after the move were really hard, because Hubby had to be gone most of the week for work. He transferred here to open a store, and the opening of that store got pushed back a lot further than anyone had expected, so for two and a half months, he had to work out of a store several hours away. This was hard on all of us, because even though he got to come home two days a week, we missed each other like crazy for the other five days. (My hat is off to all of you people who are separated for much longer than this for work or military duty.)<br />
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By the time November rolled around, I didn't have the mental energy to focus on anything writing-related. Actually, at that point, I couldn't even think about writing without working myself up into a giant mess of tension and panic--and my writing partners all reassured me I just <i>really</i> needed a break. I'd been going and going all year long on my editing jobs and writing, plus stuff like being a wife and mother and homeschooler, and then moving on top of it all, and I had barely stopped to breathe.<br />
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So I took half of November and all of December off from writing. I read some books. I did stuff with my family. My kids were in a Christmas play. My in-laws came to visit, and then took the Kiddos to Disney World. I did some editing, because I did still have some stuff on my plate. I watched movies. (I got to see <i>Frozen</i> in the theater twice, and it was just gorgeous. I've had the songs from it stuck in my head for weeks, probably in part because Daughter bought the soundtrack and we've played it a lot. A LOT.)<br />
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And I finally got to the point where I could think about my book again without wanting to curl up in a little ball, which is especially good, because last year, I wrote a YA fantasy novel. It was super fun to write, and then I put it through the beta-reader/CP gauntlet, and then I sent it to my agent, Natalie Lakosil. Natalie read it and got back to me in September, right after we'd moved, with a list of things to work on in the rewrite--which led to me realizing I need to pull it apart and rewrite about half the book. I got about 30,000 words of the rewrite done (original draft was about 84,000 words), and then took my break.<br />
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Not long after I got to the point where I could start thinking about my book again, I got one step further--I could look at the book with excitement! All of the words didn't look like a jumbled mess! It was like an after-Christmas miracle! Or, you know, a refreshed brain finally getting some clearer perspective.<br />
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So now I am back in the writing game, and it's just so nice to have words again. Hopefully I'll finish my rewrite before too long and I can send it back to Agent Natalie for further perusal.<br />
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And also, Hubby and I celebrated our twelfth anniversary this week. :D<br />
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There you have a very short summary of my life since August, and why I haven't been blogging. I'm going to try to be better about it. :)<br />
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I'm sure I've missed a million and one things on the blogosphere over the past months, so if anyone has any news to share, please let me hear it! :)<br />
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Oh, and on the EXCITING NEWS front, I'm celebrating with two of my writing partners.<br />
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First, Barbara Kloss's third book in her trilogy, <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15830030-breath-of-dragons?ac=1" target="_blank"><i>Breath of Dragons</i></a>, was released yesterday. The first book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Gaias-Secret-Pandoran-Novel-1-ebook/dp/B005P7V5RU/" target="_blank"><i>Gaia's Secret</i></a>, is available for free for a limited time on Kindle. Her writing is awesome and the series is beautiful and just gets better and better with each book. :D<br />
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Second, E.K. Johnston's debut novel, <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16068956-the-story-of-owen" target="_blank"><i>The Story of Owen: Dragon Slayer of Trondheim</i></a>, releases in less than two months and is receiving excellent reviews in the publishing world. I'm excited to read the published version, since I haven't read it since its early draft days.Laura Josephsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04239501665574945313noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2028925612974754200.post-88003682007531482002013-06-05T01:00:00.000-05:002013-06-05T01:00:09.333-05:00Guest Post - Writing Outside Your Comfort Zone (Introducing "Waiting Fate" by W.B. Kinnette)Today on my blog, I get to introduce "Waiting Fate" by W.B. Kinnette, who is one of the sweetest, loveliest people I know, and talk to her a bit about her experience in writing it.<br />
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<span class="message">Sometimes Fate hides in plain sight
while you stumble through darkness.</span></div>
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<span class="message"></span><span class="message">Ivy escapes from an abusive husband,
finding peace with her daughter in her childhood home. She’s determined to keep
her past a secret to protect those she loves.</span></div>
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<span class="message"></span><span class="message">Archer has been in love with the same
girl since seventh grade. When Ivy comes back into his life—bruised, broken,
and haunted by secrets—he knows he can’t lose her again.</span></div>
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<span class="message"></span><span class="message">But Ivy made a promise to her daughter.
No one would hurt them again. She’s afraid to trust, afraid to be wrong again,
and afraid that the one man she’s loved forever will break her heart.</span></div>
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<span class="message"></span><span class="message">Fate might take its time, but it won’t
wait forever. </span></div>
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<span class="message">Buy: <a href="amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Waiting-Fate-ebook/dp/B00CY4A5IM/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1369290043&sr=1-1&keywords=Waiting+Fate" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span></div>
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This was a difficult book for W.B. Kinnette to write, so here are her thoughts on it.</div>
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<span style="color: #134f5c;">First of all, thank you Laura SO MUCH for letting me visit.
Readers, Laura has been my guru since I took my first step into publishing and
had no idea what I was doing. I would be so lost without her!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #134f5c;">So Laura suggested I post about writing outside my comfort
zone. Waiting Fate is about escaping from abuse and finding new love, and it
was much harder to write than I thought it would be. Many tears were shed. Many
nightmares were had and memories revisited – memories I would prefer to leave
forgotten.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #134f5c;">Did it make me stronger? Was it therapeutic? At the time, I
thought no. I thought it was dragging me back to a place that I didn’t want to
be and was making me that person again. But now, I see that it did make me
stronger. Also, exploring that side and how to write about it made me a
stronger writer, as well. It isn’t easy to write while IN your comfort zone.
It’s mentally exhausting even when you’re having the time of your life. But
writing outside your comfort zone is a whole different experience, and your writing
changes a bit.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #134f5c;">How did I do it? I relied on my adorable husband to tell me
I could. I had awesome writer friends talking me through the hard parts. I had
friends and family who had no idea what I was doing but offered their prayers
and support. Basically, I wrote outside my comfort zone by leaning on the
strength of others. I know that’s not how most do it. Maybe I’m an odd little
duck, but it worked for me!</span></div>
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It doesn't make you sound odd to me, W.B.! I think a lot of writers lean on the strength of others when writing--I know I do, at least! What about the rest of you writers out there?</div>
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And now, a little bit about our lovely author and how to connect with her!<br />
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<span style="color: #134f5c;">W.B. Kinnette was born and raised in <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Utah</st1:place></st1:state>, the baby of the family and spoiled rotten. She lived briefly in <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Texas</st1:place></st1:state> and <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Alaska</st1:place></st1:state> before coming back to raise her family only a few miles from her childhood home. She’s loved writing since she was small, because daydreams demand to be written down. She believes that dreams must be chased, if only so she can tell her children honestly that dreams do come true if you work hard enough – and never give up! </span></div>
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/WbKinnette" target="_blank">Facebook</a> | <a href="http://twitter.com/WbKinnette" target="_blank">Twitter</a> | <a href="http://www.wbkinnette.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Website</a></div>
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Laura Josephsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04239501665574945313noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2028925612974754200.post-9328316780915897672013-06-03T01:00:00.000-05:002013-07-29T10:51:44.730-05:00Grammar Daze - Special Guest Post on Punctuation by Donna K. Weaver, Celebrating the Release of Her Book, "A Change of Plans"Today, I'm super privileged to be hosting Donna K. Weaver on her blog tour for her debut novel, <em>A Change of Plans. </em>I had the honor of reading this book in one of its early versions, and I'm so happy for Donna that she can no celebrate its release. We also have a Rafflecopter entry for a giveaway at the end!<br />
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Before we get to the delicious details of the book, Donna has a post for us on the importance of punctuation.<br />
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<span style="color: #351c75;">So you don't think punctuation is important?</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;">Version 1</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;">Dear John:</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;">I want a
man who knows what love is all about. You are generous, kind,
thoughtful. People who are not like you admit to being useless and
inferior. You have ruined me for other men. I yearn for you. I have no
feelings whatsoever when we're apart. I can be forever happy--will you
let me be yours?</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;">Gloria</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;">Version 2</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;">Dear John:</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;">I
want a man who knows what love is. All about you are generous, kind,
thoughtful people, who are not like you. Admit to being useless and
inferior. You have ruined me. For other men, I yearn. For you, I have no
feelings whatsoever. When we're apart, I can be forever happy. Will you
let me be?</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;">Yours,</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;">Gloria</span></div>
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Donna makes a great point. Punctuation is so vital, don't you think?</div>
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Now, onto Donna's book! <br />
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<span lang="">When twenty-five-year-old Lyn sets off on her cruise vacation, all she wants is to forget that her dead fiancé was a cheating scumbag. What she plans is a diversion uncomplicated by romance. What she gets is Braedon, an intriguing young surgeon. He's everything her fiancé wasn't, and against the backdrop of the ship's make-believe world, her emotions come alive.<br />
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Unaware of the sensitive waters he navigates, Braedon moves to take their relationship beyond friendship<span style="font-family: Georgia;">—</span>on the very anniversary Lyn came on the cruise to forget. Lyn's painful memories are too powerful, and she runs off in a panic.<br />
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But it's hard to get away from someone when you're stuck on the same ship. Things are bad enough when the pair finds themselves on one of the cruise's snorkeling excursions. Then paradise turns to piracy when their party is kidnapped, and Lyn's fear of a fairy tale turns grim.<br />
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About Donna K. Weaver:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3867VOR7K9uJD8c2VxfR9-fGuQFr97Ku_ytEjqFbCLsCneK3rytGkDUTifMBziUQg3OLm26OU0-CA4e0X7ZC_ZKrUPNdr_2KWIPap_yeclUK6VVMJThmC1NO9FD2I-sQ666Xi2gCuwxc/s1600/donna-k-weaver.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3867VOR7K9uJD8c2VxfR9-fGuQFr97Ku_ytEjqFbCLsCneK3rytGkDUTifMBziUQg3OLm26OU0-CA4e0X7ZC_ZKrUPNdr_2KWIPap_yeclUK6VVMJThmC1NO9FD2I-sQ666Xi2gCuwxc/s1600/donna-k-weaver.jpg" /></a></div>
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Donna K. Weaver is a Navy brat who joined the Army and has lived in Asia and Europe.<br />
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Because she sailed the Pacific three times as a child, she loves cruising and wishes she could accrue enough vacation time to do more of it with her husband.<br />
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Donna and her husband have six children and eight grandchildren who live all over the world.<br />
At fifty, Donna decided to study karate and earned her black belt in Shorei Kempo.<br />
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After recording city council minutes for twenty years, Donna decided to write something a little longer and with a lot more emotion--and kissing.</div>
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Laura Josephsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04239501665574945313noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2028925612974754200.post-38177289339452403382013-03-28T01:17:00.001-05:002013-03-28T11:12:26.380-05:00Grammar Daze - Formatting Tips EditionHi, everyone! It's been ages since I did a Grammar Daze post, and granted, this isn't really grammar, but it can really help clean up your manuscript, and I use it all the time in editing. Whether you're preparing a book for querying or getting it ready to self-publish, these quick tips can help make your manuscript be neater and in better order.<br />
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*<b>Note that all of this works in Word on a PC, but some of these tips were tested on a Mac and didn't work with the Pages program on that system.</b><br />
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<b>*EDIT: One of my friends knows how to do a lot of these in Pages, and she left her tips about how in the comments. :D I would advise, though, that if you're going to attempt removal of paragraph spaces in Pages, you make a copy of your document and set it aside. Another of my friends had her story deleted when trying to remove paragraph spaces, and Pages wouldn't let her undo it. Having a back-up copy is always a good idea, even when you're not formatting.</b><br />
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Today, I'm going to walk you through how to quickly get rid of double spaces, spaces around paragraphs returns, and tabs. I'll show you how to quickly create paragraph indents so you don't have to use tabs, and as a bonus, if you're formatting a novel for self-publication for paperback, I'll tell you how to get the lines even at the bottom of the pages.<br />
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Okay, first of all, let me introduce you to the "show formatting" button. If you click on it, it will show you all of the invisible marks in your manuscript.<br />
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If you turn that on, you'll see a dot between each word. Those just represent spaces. But spaces are important! In today's manuscripts, the norm is to have only a single space between each sentence. Some people are used to double spacing, but that comes from back in the days of typerwiters. A super easy way to get rid of double spaces is by using your "find and replace box."<br />
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In the "find" box, simply enter two spaces using your space bar. You won't see the spaces, but they will be there. In the "replace" box, enter a single space with your space bar. Then hit "replace all". Hit it again and again until it comes back to tell you it had "0 items found."<br />
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Tada! You now have single spaces throughout your document!<br />
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There are two other things that are very important when it comes to formatting. First, if you have your "show formatting" button turned on, you'll see a paragraph mark all over the place--this mark just means that you've ended one paragraph and started another.<br />
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Now, in every single manuscript I've ever edited or written, there are always, always instances where there are spaces before or after some of the paragraph returns. This can apparently cause issues when you're trying to create an ebook, and they need to be fixed before publication. Fortunately, there's a super easy way to fix these. I recommend fixing the paragraph returns <i>after </i>you're finished with the whole book, once it's been through any edits and changes you want to make. When you're ready to query it, send it to your publisher, or self-publish, then go through these next steps.<br />
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First, open your "find and replace box." Then, in the "find" box, you're going to type a space, and then ^p<br />
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The ^ can be found on the number 6 of your keypad.<br />
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So it will have SPACE^p <br />
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In the "replace" box, you're going to type ^p without any spaces. So it will look like this:<br />
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Then hit "replace all." Hit it again, and again--you want to hit "replace all" until it tells you "0 items found."<br />
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Great! Now you've removed extra spaces in front of a paragraph mark. <i>But, </i>sometimes they also come <i>after </i>a paragraph mark, so you're going to repeat what you did above, but instead of having SPACE^p in the "find" box, you're going to have ^pSPACE in the find box. In the replace box, you will still want just ^p without any spaces.<br />
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You'll want to repeat the "replace all" over and over until you have zero items found.<br />
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You're almost finished with formatting the extra spaces around paragraph returns! The last thing to do is to put a space <i>before </i>and also a space <i>after </i>the ^p in the "find" box. So it would be SPACE^pSPACE while the "replace" box would still be simply ^p without any spaces.<br />
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Repeat, again, doing "replace all" until you get "0" left in the document.<br />
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Congratulations, your paragraph returns are as they should be!<br />
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Let's move on to <i>tabs. </i>Tabs are a big thing. Whenever you hit the "tab" button on your keyboard, it makes a big space, right? Quite a lot of writers will start a paragraph with a tab mark, and when you have your formatting button turned on, the tabs will look like an arrow every time you use one, like this:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn00V1Qa6hXPhb1Z2z0-F3vn_FWOaHPdlrUiEE2BXwNIoYrZeIM6p3tEse0vCbrNEtjYS_kQaC51H57fSGDXd6hSanHxe0gjIUmHHxsA0JRgYw1o-rDgw9baHFP2dPIj7ddNqGld5N6v4/s1600/Tab+Marks.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn00V1Qa6hXPhb1Z2z0-F3vn_FWOaHPdlrUiEE2BXwNIoYrZeIM6p3tEse0vCbrNEtjYS_kQaC51H57fSGDXd6hSanHxe0gjIUmHHxsA0JRgYw1o-rDgw9baHFP2dPIj7ddNqGld5N6v4/s1600/Tab+Marks.PNG" /></a></div>
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Now, here's the thing about tab marks. If you try to format an ebook--or if your publisher wants to format an ebook--all of the tabs are going to have to go. They can really mess with formatting and publication. You want to get in the habit of not using tab marks. You want to set up your document so it will automatically create a new paragraph every time you hit "enter" on your keyboard. It's best to get used to using indents, not tabs, so you can start new novels by setting up indents and avoid tabs altogether.<br />
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However, there's a super fast way to get rid of tabs.<br />
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First, open up your "find and replace" box. Then, in the "Find" box, you're going to simply type ^t<br />
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In the replace box, you're going to do absolutely nothing. Leave it blank. No spaces, no marks, nothing.<br />
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Then hit "replace all." Hit it again, and again--you want to hit "replace all" until it tells you "0 items found." Your tabs are now gone.<br />
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Now, if you've used tabs to start new paragraphs, you'll notice that you have no paragraph indents! I'm borrowing the first few paragraphs from my Rising Book 1 novel to show you how this works. Here, we have no paragraph indents.<br />
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This is easily fixed. All I'm going to do now is "Select All" of my entire book. (I can push CTRL + A to achieve this.)<br />
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So I select all, and then I right click on the document. A box will pop up, and I'll click on "paragraph."<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwQ__3e0wGPvlTF66zOdy8HJP8cXslsHmqgl6GRt3iRYR4Sh1J1Tvi4sGf1HefC9RyR2P_obwBO2kq-i-vNlwneM1iUAkw3xhcrq3SL-EH8Vm8obhvqllDnVA7jnLwHrKIhruOr8FuDEA/s1600/RightClickParagraph.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwQ__3e0wGPvlTF66zOdy8HJP8cXslsHmqgl6GRt3iRYR4Sh1J1Tvi4sGf1HefC9RyR2P_obwBO2kq-i-vNlwneM1iUAkw3xhcrq3SL-EH8Vm8obhvqllDnVA7jnLwHrKIhruOr8FuDEA/s640/RightClickParagraph.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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It will open a new box, wherein there will be a tab at the top that says "Indents and Spacing." Underneath that, I'll see something that says "indentation." I ignore the boxes that say "Left, Right, and Special" and focus on the box that says "By". I'll click the arrow up until I get to .3 or .4. I usually opt for .3. Then I'll click "OK" at the bottom.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdZPW6R8quVRVrMb6LPy89GVKuwpfLs2YQtuIoeGriHrRDKV2_us1kRUFsjIFqdTR94BqngEp94qa5l6z7C1ncWIgtuTOD4y3Ak2uAUZrOYuhK6nr6BhCIvNbsK9qtoYISJp2mTCh3vlk/s1600/CreateIndents.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="432" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdZPW6R8quVRVrMb6LPy89GVKuwpfLs2YQtuIoeGriHrRDKV2_us1kRUFsjIFqdTR94BqngEp94qa5l6z7C1ncWIgtuTOD4y3Ak2uAUZrOYuhK6nr6BhCIvNbsK9qtoYISJp2mTCh3vlk/s640/CreateIndents.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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Voila! Indents have been created, and now every time I hit "enter" to start a new paragraph, it will automatically indent the paragraph, so no tabs are necessary! This is how it will look now:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8MtedriuNBuremuVjRywrKV2xs2ViKVPRusU9jGTolGOzgJ5Bi6Xqc_bRskyPp45rg0dtS3AD0GPqViLK_krKsjDmOLoAxVI7SqAJObs8GrpLiOnTI5Od4G2jBxFVJh8uSEAagnl-2F0/s1600/NowParagraphIndents.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="350" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8MtedriuNBuremuVjRywrKV2xs2ViKVPRusU9jGTolGOzgJ5Bi6Xqc_bRskyPp45rg0dtS3AD0GPqViLK_krKsjDmOLoAxVI7SqAJObs8GrpLiOnTI5Od4G2jBxFVJh8uSEAagnl-2F0/s640/NowParagraphIndents.PNG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b> *Note: The only problem with this is that in "selecting all", every chapter heading and every time I use *** to indicate a scene break, those chapter headings and scene breaks are <i>also </i>indented to .3. If it's supposed to be centered, it's now off center slightly. This will have to be fixed manually. I'll have to go to each chapter heading, click on it, and manually drag the indent arrow over so the chapter heading moves back to the center. See the next few pictures for demonstration.</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy66wGa2Iyqf6d85FtR23gDfwnCCopf53WAshhqTnT-04ri613miyde1zjzTqHdOmU_WppYlapFACneekygs2nrRBp34Xwy6QLpZAP-RbKmeYYD8u2xrE6G3AGQfj0zS6ZZeWDKt0K0GI/s1600/ChapterIndented.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy66wGa2Iyqf6d85FtR23gDfwnCCopf53WAshhqTnT-04ri613miyde1zjzTqHdOmU_WppYlapFACneekygs2nrRBp34Xwy6QLpZAP-RbKmeYYD8u2xrE6G3AGQfj0zS6ZZeWDKt0K0GI/s640/ChapterIndented.PNG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_rOXXIMuIOgB3zLuf1WuUa3YB4-twnFGXk6GyFBpFFRO9skykg4KxsGbhlDsTzTlnRrbYg3Xd1EDEquirTOkTySF0ia1lYRmr5upC8udaYRAT3JOejdXqbrk8QalHlS4ApFUuALd5gWA/s1600/MovingIndent.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_rOXXIMuIOgB3zLuf1WuUa3YB4-twnFGXk6GyFBpFFRO9skykg4KxsGbhlDsTzTlnRrbYg3Xd1EDEquirTOkTySF0ia1lYRmr5upC8udaYRAT3JOejdXqbrk8QalHlS4ApFUuALd5gWA/s1600/MovingIndent.PNG" /></a></div>
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There! Now there are proper indents!<br />
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<b>Bonus tip for formatting for a self-published paperback novel: </b>If you're planning to self-publish a paperback, there's something you can do to your manuscript to make sure that your pages are all perfectly even at the bottom. You just have to turn off the widow/orphan control in your manuscript. To accomplish this, Select All of your manuscript again. Then right click on your text, just like you did above, and once more open the "paragraph" box.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAh4WJThJSbl3exLVjTjeHta6CeS7Ml7pU9JRb_U4RGDFqlluBRumZZSP3OPW8bzSeLl2CluogtrfWmJeJ6VXUz6dEqvH4AddQTqZFI4gTrYdl4-oqPm5Oy1Rj7sWOqThfpfbLpfPpWf4/s1600/Paragraph+box.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAh4WJThJSbl3exLVjTjeHta6CeS7Ml7pU9JRb_U4RGDFqlluBRumZZSP3OPW8bzSeLl2CluogtrfWmJeJ6VXUz6dEqvH4AddQTqZFI4gTrYdl4-oqPm5Oy1Rj7sWOqThfpfbLpfPpWf4/s640/Paragraph+box.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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This time, however, you're going to click on the tab at the top that says "Line and Page Breaks."<br />
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You'll see some boxes that you can check or uncheck. What you want to do is to check the box that says "widow/orphan control" <i>and </i>the box that says "keep lines together". <b>Then you want to immediately uncheck the boxes so they are blank. No checkmarks in them, no little squares, just empty white boxes. </b>The only reason you want to check them in the first place is to make sure you can <i>see </i>that both boxes are absolutely <b>unselected. </b>It can be hard to tell if you've got all the boxes selected--sometimes they look shaded. So, once you make sure they are<b> completely blank</b>, then click "OK," and your pages should be even along the bottom.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKonUICnMUsNH2weFgFjL3uTn3DOsAa98vH0HHBQnuJ9t3Mlm9ps0gaPmq5jRrlPX5HyvZkiXkkvDnF_m34VjR6GZ0jsq29WJ_S2RXQyLBlTKxtlbDgvA-Uzp5T-2rFAufeJER4MHVMOc/s1600/WidowOrphan.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKonUICnMUsNH2weFgFjL3uTn3DOsAa98vH0HHBQnuJ9t3Mlm9ps0gaPmq5jRrlPX5HyvZkiXkkvDnF_m34VjR6GZ0jsq29WJ_S2RXQyLBlTKxtlbDgvA-Uzp5T-2rFAufeJER4MHVMOc/s1600/WidowOrphan.png" /></a></div>
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I know it might seem overwhelming, but these tips can help make your manuscript much neater and prep it for beginning stages of publication! I hope you find these tips helpful. :)<br />
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<br />Laura Josephsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04239501665574945313noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2028925612974754200.post-79679504154260979262013-03-22T10:44:00.000-05:002013-03-22T10:44:07.481-05:00Writing with a co-authorI've had people ask me before how writing with a co-author works. Well, today, my co-author, <a href="http://faith-king.livejournal.com/" target="_blank">Faith King</a>, posted all about it. :) (We've been writing together for over ten years.) You can check that out here: <a href="http://faith-king.livejournal.com/57724.html" target="_blank">Collaboration</a>Laura Josephsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04239501665574945313noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2028925612974754200.post-49668632888599049972013-03-18T11:06:00.000-05:002013-03-18T11:06:04.660-05:00Top Ten Movie Countdown Blogfest<a href="http://alexjcavanaugh.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Alex J. Cavanaugh</a> is hosting a blogfest today, and I actually had time to sign up for it! Last minute, but still. ;)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr2KjjxqesbHxhoUYek6nuNwWaf7ZwuxpsSYM0J-4-6Z_ULMTxxlyUgvLDlvIWgzPGUCm7eXHprDyJEGs1jWDjTuNItFPVaIawbjT4ZuA2LeRIQ3CfWug9Ab8E2ljdpYn9IEM-nk2UFJ0/s1600/TOPTENMOVIE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr2KjjxqesbHxhoUYek6nuNwWaf7ZwuxpsSYM0J-4-6Z_ULMTxxlyUgvLDlvIWgzPGUCm7eXHprDyJEGs1jWDjTuNItFPVaIawbjT4ZuA2LeRIQ3CfWug9Ab8E2ljdpYn9IEM-nk2UFJ0/s200/TOPTENMOVIE.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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My top ten movies:<br />
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10. Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7CIzY6ySRJndVpc-FAAHjYd_LIhLtOKW-n4UZ6LPs2_ROm5w5q8x65cad5Mps_VFK8dAYqvzjYBEnd5w3pJW_0KPcdLdA0RkA-0t97BSHs2gNXueuLBRBYvcoWK0GUU4JRAwHC-urg6Q/s1600/FFVII.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7CIzY6ySRJndVpc-FAAHjYd_LIhLtOKW-n4UZ6LPs2_ROm5w5q8x65cad5Mps_VFK8dAYqvzjYBEnd5w3pJW_0KPcdLdA0RkA-0t97BSHs2gNXueuLBRBYvcoWK0GUU4JRAwHC-urg6Q/s200/FFVII.jpg" width="160" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children was a movie I picked up years ago and watched, and I loved it, but I realized it was part of a bigger story--and it is, but it was a movie made to continue a video game's story. This is the movie that got me into the big, wide world of Final Fantasy video games--each one different and unique, with some of the best characters and most intricate stories ever. The "Complete" version added new scenes and made the story even better. I've been a gamer since I was playing Mario and Zelda on the NES when I was five years old, and fantasy worlds have always been my favorite. The characters in Final Fantasy VII are some of the most intricate I've ever encountered anywhere, and I loved this movie for exploring them further.</td></tr>
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9. Spirited Away<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMhhyphenhyphenUof9uOHUZypvE2H8KEikYolKZotd-dYliRaONHIfHBxdidY-FOrqlVkHdMz3MYvdVQiOrmxStH_4YJB3SNUjpHXS0difadZGDguj7ct96-fOgaJJ3YNcnCdNh_0MEe846vLliEdI/s1600/Spirited+Away.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMhhyphenhyphenUof9uOHUZypvE2H8KEikYolKZotd-dYliRaONHIfHBxdidY-FOrqlVkHdMz3MYvdVQiOrmxStH_4YJB3SNUjpHXS0difadZGDguj7ct96-fOgaJJ3YNcnCdNh_0MEe846vLliEdI/s1600/Spirited+Away.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love anime, and I love Miyazaki's anime. Spirited Away has some of the most gorgeous, detailed animation that I've ever seen--and that's normal for Miyazaki's films.</td></tr>
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8. The Dark Crystal<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJgNDdnW0VkMiIWuuqco0dxRBXMBnLVucJXHZo9ZREir_UoreN1EF75LYroaRN3YMrWaj3ShSemWub2Sh73LweSOs_5gMLG3qqmh16-C2ydbQOfSY70Z4ctmz4zcqQUknr9OTJrbn3uD8/s1600/DarkCrystal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJgNDdnW0VkMiIWuuqco0dxRBXMBnLVucJXHZo9ZREir_UoreN1EF75LYroaRN3YMrWaj3ShSemWub2Sh73LweSOs_5gMLG3qqmh16-C2ydbQOfSY70Z4ctmz4zcqQUknr9OTJrbn3uD8/s1600/DarkCrystal.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I grew up watching this one, and I still love it. Prophecy, destiny, two people who are the last of their kind trying to save the world. I always think of this as Jim Henson's dark side to the Muppets.</td></tr>
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7. Kung Fu Panda<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi2n5UGCPQsUGfW6Zg30fW5RxhgfsMq7dfd-HAJxKuSTa-BIy1H-GQO9WlF3kPNlqzcjW7NkMPx57B3xZM3EZ_MygG0p1JnSihwoyN6br9dE-WqVaEuQEdewz3sINCLzFts8kn8gcrPV0/s1600/KungFuPanda.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi2n5UGCPQsUGfW6Zg30fW5RxhgfsMq7dfd-HAJxKuSTa-BIy1H-GQO9WlF3kPNlqzcjW7NkMPx57B3xZM3EZ_MygG0p1JnSihwoyN6br9dE-WqVaEuQEdewz3sINCLzFts8kn8gcrPV0/s1600/KungFuPanda.jpeg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This movie makes me laugh and it's just fabulous for showing that the least expected people can become heroes--and they'll do it in ways people might not always expect.</td></tr>
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6. How to Train Your Dragon<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigO7NWV3iGY7dlQBbxxGKDeCtfnwPMGyc7IL1CFQNYcw0aVgwiV8RVSOXvpOInGQyrSHHWjjGw-E3Amw3vfrJniMOYBhV4Hkd522FiqYKWd-tsIiY66Zd4N4HYI8XMOV8uSkGE0vvzzAs/s1600/HTTYD.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigO7NWV3iGY7dlQBbxxGKDeCtfnwPMGyc7IL1CFQNYcw0aVgwiV8RVSOXvpOInGQyrSHHWjjGw-E3Amw3vfrJniMOYBhV4Hkd522FiqYKWd-tsIiY66Zd4N4HYI8XMOV8uSkGE0vvzzAs/s320/HTTYD.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the most gorgeous movies I've ever seen, period. The story is wonderful, the music is fantastic, the characters are so great--it would probably be closer to my favorite movie if other movies didn't hold a longer place in that position. ;)</td></tr>
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5. Serenity<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKkgM-F0UT5PvPI1rmvAPmFRPAWthAI0AbEV9KejhMOzfuTUxeMekb0YGrSdYhYmpK7AY71amG-PIbBuL8R77dL4gDdPMLn-KkuyYED5tPjp5kHDIyM_d7S3UTA5-D4k5xMcFnOpfMtwk/s1600/Serenity.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKkgM-F0UT5PvPI1rmvAPmFRPAWthAI0AbEV9KejhMOzfuTUxeMekb0YGrSdYhYmpK7AY71amG-PIbBuL8R77dL4gDdPMLn-KkuyYED5tPjp5kHDIyM_d7S3UTA5-D4k5xMcFnOpfMtwk/s320/Serenity.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the conclusion to the fourteen-episode show "Firefly." I adore Firefly, and Serenity was just amazing. I can't even tell you how many times I've watched this film. It has everything I love about sci-fi and it's just perfect.</td></tr>
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4. Galaxy Quest<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHabhaJx71gHFPnAI2lLkupsu5n7D18CJ15qKVHqreTvbtCeusAid_Q1DjKQUBIxsMiwfHaNj1EXSLIUO3diwlx7TVuaR0qYPdcRtmFcct54M6cv6i97dhjYMCiUutghwZMrsqA4NuPTM/s1600/galaxy-quest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHabhaJx71gHFPnAI2lLkupsu5n7D18CJ15qKVHqreTvbtCeusAid_Q1DjKQUBIxsMiwfHaNj1EXSLIUO3diwlx7TVuaR0qYPdcRtmFcct54M6cv6i97dhjYMCiUutghwZMrsqA4NuPTM/s320/galaxy-quest.jpg" width="223" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the most quotable movies ever. This hilarious sci-fi spoof is one that I have never tired of watching--it makes me laugh ever single time.</td></tr>
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3. Star Wars (original trilogy)<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQmIKxaIB4d0X346FSbQTKnhYJwhI64toz6UAeYaoEqp4-p1WjzhS1qT5w4McVDxsrhGFq4Udxs7Ij0jj5QN5YFzNFRa6yyiQPX_Ra3gLZNvXVGkm7WSLEXx8RTkq6GHGUnp-cB0T5lSY/s1600/StarWars.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQmIKxaIB4d0X346FSbQTKnhYJwhI64toz6UAeYaoEqp4-p1WjzhS1qT5w4McVDxsrhGFq4Udxs7Ij0jj5QN5YFzNFRa6yyiQPX_Ra3gLZNvXVGkm7WSLEXx8RTkq6GHGUnp-cB0T5lSY/s1600/StarWars.jpeg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the best stories of all time. ALL TIME. The underdogs winning, redemption, snarkiness, space battles, awesome characters.</td></tr>
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2. Lord of the Rings<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWBSV5oUqdmuQMPCrK_y_ixuohJGRFDqb181DybdP_1uOdHCB2adMgLKWSpBSt8dW7crFqTpiEi4PuDbN9qKCxBSoZXyTnJoOzz024Gw99VCmfjkDtiR95B8wQ5fA8HrpDYxTDR9LFdL0/s1600/LordoftheRingstrilogy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWBSV5oUqdmuQMPCrK_y_ixuohJGRFDqb181DybdP_1uOdHCB2adMgLKWSpBSt8dW7crFqTpiEi4PuDbN9qKCxBSoZXyTnJoOzz024Gw99VCmfjkDtiR95B8wQ5fA8HrpDYxTDR9LFdL0/s320/LordoftheRingstrilogy.jpg" width="242" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Best. Fantasy. Ever.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
1. Beauty and the Beast<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFc2uGx1efdMLqZfM2glZB3qxSdbV3cI7Y7KCq9DwYaQEVNU60-_s53trX_zPJ0ADx95TpMFxBFgI9KWyuEd0JR7vQ5DMvVHLxseW7nv93duq4wMDW9TJeunELEwwPcmO3zr4klZZ9nMg/s1600/BeautyandtheBeast.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFc2uGx1efdMLqZfM2glZB3qxSdbV3cI7Y7KCq9DwYaQEVNU60-_s53trX_zPJ0ADx95TpMFxBFgI9KWyuEd0JR7vQ5DMvVHLxseW7nv93duq4wMDW9TJeunELEwwPcmO3zr4klZZ9nMg/s320/BeautyandtheBeast.jpg" width="199" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yes, a Disney cartoon still holds the place of my top favorite movie. I loved from the first time I saw it. Belle was a bookworm who didn't take any crap from anybody, not even a giant, raging beast. And it had an impact on me that she had brown hair and brown eyes, like I did. I think she was the first Disney "princess" to have that combination. (Snow White had black hair, Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty were blonde, Ariel was a redhead...) </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Laura Josephsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04239501665574945313noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2028925612974754200.post-44260754522148443432013-02-15T01:00:00.000-06:002013-02-15T01:00:06.421-06:00A Rejection Letter That Started A Novel - Guest Post from Tyrean Martinson<span style="font-family: inherit;">Today, I'm happy to host part of Tyrean Martinson's blog tour for her book, <em>Champion in the Darkness</em>! Tyrean is here to talk about how her novel began, so, lovely blog readers, here she is!</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">A
Rejection Letter That Started A Novel</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">No writer likes to receive a rejection letter. I
know I don’t. However, sometimes, rejections can be the beginning of something
good.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Originally, <i>Champion
in the Darkness</i> was a short story, entitled “The Choice.” I submitted it to
three different publications. I received three rejections.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Here’s a section from one of those rejection
letters:</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">“Overall
there wasn't much to the story. It was more of a section of a larger story. As
a reader, what would seem the truly interesting and conflict-filled parts would
be the training, and what was to follow the choosing of the sword. As a reader,
I suspect there is much more to this world the author has created, and this
slice wasn't enough to provide an adequate stand-alone story.”</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I hadn’t thought of “The Choice” as part of a larger
story, but the phrase “what was to follow the choosing of the sword” stayed
with me, and I spent some time daydreaming about the characters and their
world, and eventually this became a series of short vignettes that seemed like
the beginning of a novel. However, I couldn’t seem to get it all to come
together. I waited for a while, wrote backstory, and then finally for NaNoWriMo
2010, I wrote The Crystal Sword, which I later renamed <i>Champion in the Darkness.</i> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">A rejection letter started my novel. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">So, to any writer that’s frustrated by rejection
letters, I want to encourage you not to look at the closed door, but to look
for the window of opportunity that’s open.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Have you ever received a rejection letter that
triggered an idea in your imagination?</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGehioHc1YhA15iGhOVi8IrdhOp1itO-8q2tADF1Pp6DKjsv1gnHu7daZoTmmrifXfChAV7Ks7Zl45rF_SRXxOgyySH8bZr31tgy5Q8-yBDPPT4WriN8VJPaWd1hqi-B5b8AM2ryvKeYk/s1600/Tyrean+Martinson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGehioHc1YhA15iGhOVi8IrdhOp1itO-8q2tADF1Pp6DKjsv1gnHu7daZoTmmrifXfChAV7Ks7Zl45rF_SRXxOgyySH8bZr31tgy5Q8-yBDPPT4WriN8VJPaWd1hqi-B5b8AM2ryvKeYk/s200/Tyrean+Martinson.jpg" width="125" /></span></a></div>
<em><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="il">Tyrean</span> Martinson lives and writes in the Northwest, encouraged by her loving husband and daughters, and reminded to exercise by her dogs and cat. Champion in the Darkness is her first book in the Champion Trilogy, but she has previously published short stories and poetry. She can be found online at </span></em><a href="http://tyreanswritingspot.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><em><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="il">Tyrean</span>’s Writing Spot.</span></em></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Thank you, Tyrean! And now, let's take a look at her book, <em>Champion in the Darkness!</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdlEG9GeZNM5iC1l8wvdc0jEORhVMpKR2uOG8PZ2pGmxn-RZEWQctKeV0ly2P3SSfaTNcxsuJc97o2cdpCp6YxuLXZ2HtH4olik_woh51ByJPHiLKWy6jALvbfX1lneTSEKPTlNjTudac/s1600/Champion+in+the+Darkness+Cover+with+name.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdlEG9GeZNM5iC1l8wvdc0jEORhVMpKR2uOG8PZ2pGmxn-RZEWQctKeV0ly2P3SSfaTNcxsuJc97o2cdpCp6YxuLXZ2HtH4olik_woh51ByJPHiLKWy6jALvbfX1lneTSEKPTlNjTudac/s400/Champion+in+the+Darkness+Cover+with+name.png" width="266" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Clara is younger than most trainees, but she is ready to hold a
Sword Master's blade. While visions and ancient prophecies stand in her
way, they also offer a destiny unlike any other. Clara is aided by a
haunted mentor, Stelia, whose knowledge of their enemy Kalidess is both a
bane and a blessing. As evil threatens their land, Clara and Stelia
must find the strength to overcome the darkness!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Champion in the Darkness is YA Christian Fantasy and is the first book in the Champion Trilogy. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Where to find the book:</span><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Champion-Darkness-The-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B00BCD1YJA/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1360282679&sr=1-1&keywords=Champion+in+the+Darkness" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><em>Champion in the Darkness</em> on Amazon</span></a><br />
<a href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/282856" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><em>Champion in the Darkness</em> on Smashwords</span></a><br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17339276-champion-in-the-darkness" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><em>Champion in the Darkness</em> on Goodreads</span></a>Laura Josephsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04239501665574945313noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2028925612974754200.post-6809739741187491442013-02-10T19:26:00.001-06:002013-02-11T11:51:01.998-06:00The Next Big Thing Blog Hop<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<a href="http://faith-king.livejournal.com/" target="_blank">Faith King</a> tagged me in this like two weeks ago, and I
completely forgot to post. I have been writing like a madwoman…well, I'm
already a madwoman, so like more of a madwoman, and I had forgotten to put it
on my "blog post" list, so here we are now. <br />
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<b>What is the working title of your book?</b><br />
<br />
Well, I have several books floating around right now. The one I'm almost done
with--which will be published, it looks like, at the end of March--is called <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Rising Book 2: Rebellion. </i>This is the
second (and last) book in this series. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Rising Book 1: Resistance </i>was published a year ago.<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Rising-Book-1-Resistance-ebook/dp/B0079DJ3HC/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&qid=1329012615&sr=8-5">
<img alt="My Latest Novel" height="325" id="Image4_img" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2gjuw6UhNSJdt6RNNockabvzD9wj6MtV1Qisr8Qa5O0Jsb8S4YK4ICQk5LfPwMfmJI0SCTyUcgjzd62XLJd9gDTcpHG94mtax2A_qUe5Cj7783GyZTKTDyWegGpUcsWe-hWAgGmdiNE8/s320/Rising+Cover.jpg" style="visibility: visible;" width="216" /></a> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/14741717-rebellion">
<img alt="Coming Soon: Rising Book 2: Rebellion" height="325" id="Image1_img" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoGLaUlB2VlMwvRG5u66Aqmou60EWacUiRFStADad-_48ZMuAv7T-S10HHQzfHFOR9C6B-ihY8x8-s8-nIciU3OvZK_-sd_jcCyMHniIMMr3oZu1-TKEwYvwyo289S_IJ1U1QPBKiJ_ns/s320/rising2+cover+arttweak.png" width="270" />
</a><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Rising-Book-1-Resistance-ebook/dp/B0079DJ3HC/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&qid=1329012615&sr=8-5">
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Rising Book 1: Resistance Rising Book 2: Rebellion (in-progress cover)<br />
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<b>Where did the idea come from for the book?</b><br />
<br />
Several years ago, I had an idea for a rather silly story about an errant
knight forced to take up with two squabbling teenagers and an orphaned four-year-old.
It was supposed to be full of ridiculousness and fun!</div>
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And then somehow, it ended up being focused on the two
teenagers, and then they got older than I had expected—one of them wasn't even
a teenager anymore; she was twenty—and then suddenly it was an adult book, not
a YA book, and all silliness evaporated like water in the desert.</div>
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It became the most serious, emotional, painful book I had
ever written in my life. It was supposed to be one book, but by the time I hit
100,000 words, I realized I still had too much story left to tell. So Rising
became Rising Books 1 and 2.</div>
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<b>What genre does your book fall under?</b><br />
<br />
Technically, it's science fiction—but that puts me in mind of
spaceships and space operas, which this is definitely not. This is more science fiction with fantastical elements. Vaguely
steampunkish. ;) But also fantasyish—people with wings, a king in one country,
stuff like that.</div>
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<b>Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Ummm…here's the
thing. I don't really associate actors with characters. I just don't. My lovely
artist friend, Holly Robbins, does artwork of my characters, and that's much,
much more my style when it comes to imagining characters.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJq7KrVDt_gtqBGE1ZSl16uH95_ykXwb2DDPPK0e2GCy8CTpc0fwpY9Smou70OdyG3PGdTDlPj2nzAmssLSwSx8_hcg_jFxBZEuJjj4L-fj0D2tjQ1-HyDBTZXcXc_qgVQIj77jeMQwqI/s1600/AlphonseMairwynLachlanBrenna2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJq7KrVDt_gtqBGE1ZSl16uH95_ykXwb2DDPPK0e2GCy8CTpc0fwpY9Smou70OdyG3PGdTDlPj2nzAmssLSwSx8_hcg_jFxBZEuJjj4L-fj0D2tjQ1-HyDBTZXcXc_qgVQIj77jeMQwqI/s640/AlphonseMairwynLachlanBrenna2.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">SERIOUSLY. LOTS OF COOL ARTWORK. SO COOL THAT IT REQUIRES CAPSLOCK OF GLEE!!!<br />
First picture: Alphonse and Mairwyn, narrators of Rising Book 1.<br />
Second picture: Lachlan and Brenna, narrators of Rising Book 2.</td></tr>
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With war upon their countries, <st1:place w:st="on">Lachlan</st1:place>
and Brenna cross the border into enemy territory, hunting for assassins who may
have been kidnapped as children and conditioned to kill for the very people who
abducted them.</div>
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<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
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<b>Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?</b><br />
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I had scheduled this to be self-published to finish off the series before I signed with my lovely agent, so it will be self-published. <br />
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<b>How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?</b><br />
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About a year. The first draft was around 185,000 words (final draft is definitely going to be shorter!), and that year of writing also included:</div>
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-doing wife/mommy/family stuff<br />
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-editing client manuscripts<br />
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-finishing another novel with my co-author <br />
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-writing a middle grade book, editing it, querying it, signing with an agent, and doing several rounds of revisions<br />
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-publishing Rising Book 1<br />
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-homeschooling<br />
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-moving<br />
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-adopting two cats<br />
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-starting Taekwondo and getting to advanced green belt (I have since halted Taekwondo, but darn it, I learned how to side kick)<br />
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-travels and other things I'm sure I'm forgetting <br />
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Yes, I am either crazy or super motivated or my characters just eat my brain and I can't help writing. Or maybe all three. I'm sure it's at <i>least </i>my characters eating my brain. <br />
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<b>What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?</b><br />
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...hm. I can't really think of any books to compare this to within my genre. It's easier for me to think of anime to find elements in various anime shows. And history. Definitely events in history, given that this story deals with genocide--or attempted genocide.<br />
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<b>Who or what inspired you to write this book?</b><br />
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Probably a combination of watching a lot of anime, being interested in
steampunkish stuff, and adoring fantasy. It was a lot of fun with this one
because I had to actually invent some technology—I had a mechanic narrator for
half of Rising Book 1, and so I had to know how some things would function in
this world. And also, a desire to write something fun or silly. Which, of
course, I've established did not work out. That's probably why I actually <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">did </i>write a fun, silly book in the
middle of writing Rising Book 2's first draft. (I was writing three books at
once.) This fun, silly book is in the hands of my wonderful agent.<br />
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<b>What else about your book might pique the reader's interest?</b><br />
<br />
If you like speculative fiction, there's probably something for you in this book. If you're not so into speculative fiction, there's probably still something for you in the struggles and dreams of the characters. There are people with wings, nomadic clans with healing abilities, and inventions of new technology. There are battles and struggles against a king intent on genocide. There are knights and assassins. There's feisty mechanic and a bookworm scholar. There's a bounty hunter and there's even a horticulturalist hero. There's romance, friendships, people dealing with grief and finding the light at the end of the tunnel. It's a story about overcoming fears, overcoming odds, and people who they are and who they want to be.<br />
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<br />
It seems like pretty much everyone has been tagged in this, so instead of tagging, I'm just going to shout out to three lovely people with some lovely blogs. If you don't know/follow them, then you should go say hi!<br />
<br />
<a href="http://tonjadrecker.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Tonja Drecker</a><br />
<a href="http://writethroughthenoise.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Wendy Knight</a><br />
<a href="http://morganshamy.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Morgan Shamy</a><br />
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<b><strike>THE END</strike> IT'S NEVER THE END. O_O</b><br />
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<br />Laura Josephsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04239501665574945313noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2028925612974754200.post-3718122168028242012013-01-25T14:44:00.002-06:002013-01-26T16:51:28.510-06:00Working as a Freelance Editor - The Stages of Editing<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">I've been a
freelance editor for about a year now. I work for a publishing company, and I
work for other authors who hire me to edit their manuscripts. I
love it. I’ve been on the other side. I’ve been the author waiting for the
editor to finish with a book, and it’s been an honor—and a lot of fun—to get to
be that editor for other authors.</span><br />
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">But what,
exactly, does an editor do and why does an author need one? I mean, the author
already edited the book fifty bisquillion times, so it should be fine, right?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Welllll…maybe. But
I’m going to venture a guess that 99.999999% of the time, the author is so
close to the manuscript and has seen it so many times that obvious things will
be missed--and not-so-obvious things will go unnoticed.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">As for what an
editor does—or, at least, what <i>I </i>do
as an editor:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">1. An editor has to
learn the story inside and out and pay attention to <i>every single detail </i>on <i>every
single page</i>. Her brain has to be set to hyper-hyper-hyper-aware mode, so
that she can remember little details that could come back a hundred pages
later. Keep in mind that she might not get to that hundredth page for a week,
so she has to remember it all that time. She has to know the details so that if
they’re contradicted, she can fix this or mention it to the author.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">2. An editor has
to know the characters backwards and forwards so that if something happens and
it seems out of character, she can mention it and try to help the author figure
out how to fix it. She has to know the story backwards and forwards so she can spot plot holes and offer suggestion to the author on how to fix them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">3. An editor has
to get the flow of the story and learn the author’s style so that she can suggest
ways to make certain sentences flow more smoothly while not disturbing
the author’s voice. She has to pay attention to what words/phrases the author uses so
she knows if the author is particularly fond of a particular word or phrase.
Then she works with the author on cutting out some of those words or phrases so they don’t
become annoying.<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">4. And in
addition to all of that, an editor has to know the rules of grammar—and if she
doesn’t know, she needs to be willing to find the answers. Her best tools are
Google, Merriam-Webster dictionary/thesaurus, and other editors who might know
the answer. She has to know where commas go, what adjective phrases need
hyphens, the importance and correct use of past perfect tense, the importance and correct use of <i>all </i>tenses, the differences between all
sorts of homophones, the proper uses of apostrophes, whether to use
who/that/which, and a million other little grammatical details. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">5. A good editor
is <i>invisible—</i>she helps the author
tweak and clean up and fix the book, but when a reader is going through the
book, that reader should never see how much work was done to the manuscript. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">6. And the editor
is only human—she catches everything she can, but she also knows that since she
has started editing, she has not yet read a published book that didn’t have some
mistakes—even NYT bestsellers. Because with <i>everything
</i>the editor does on the manuscript, as much as she strives for perfection,
there might be something she misses. She does the absolute best she can.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Editor Laura Fact:</span></b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"> On average, it takes me about two weeks
to edit an 80,000 – 100,000 word manuscript—sometimes a little less, sometimes
more. That’s just the first round. Then I send it back to the author for
revisions, and then I have one last look at it. The second look typically takes a few hours, but can sometimes take a day or two.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Now, I’d like to
give you a little glimpse of what the editing process is sometimes like for me. In some ways, it's like the stages of writing a book--the ups and downs and emotional highs and emotional exhaustion. I present to you Laura's Stages of Editing:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Now, in the end,
it is <i>always, always, always </i>the
author’s book. I can make suggestions and recommendations until I’m blue in the
face. It doesn’t mean the author is always going to take the suggestions. And
that’s their choice. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">But an editor is
not trying to stomp on the author’s thoughts or ideas or characters—well, not
the editors I know, anyway. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">The author is
attached to their writing. They’ve created the world and written the words and poured sweat and tears and
countless hours into it. It’s normal to feel protective of it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">The editor is not
attached like that. The editor sees the story, the words, the phrases, the
grammar, the flow, the style…and does her best to help the author make it all
shine. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Of course, there
are all sorts of different personalities, too—maybe one editor and author won’t
really click, but another one will. So <i>finding
</i>an editor who works well with you is also important. Tristi Pinkston did a
great blog post about that here: <a href="http://tristipinkston.blogspot.com/2012/09/finding-good-editor.html" target="_blank">Finding a Good Editor</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">*Have you ever
worked with an editor? Was it a good experience? Do you feel that editors are
necessary for your book?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">And now, if you’ll
excuse me, I have about 20,000 words left in a client edit to finish by the end
of tomorrow. ;)<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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Laura Josephsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04239501665574945313noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2028925612974754200.post-14278752323722787722012-12-15T16:10:00.000-06:002012-12-15T21:22:44.111-06:00On Writing and Panicking about Writing. Or Deadlines. Or Something.Hiiii, all! Happy December! Er, mid-December. I've been busy with all sorts of family and holiday things. On the writing front...well, I'm still working on Rising Book 2.<br />
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I had expected to be able to publish Rising Book 2 at the end of this year, but it's going to be sometime next year before it's out, and I apologize to anyone waiting to read it. I had the whole draft written--you may remember me saying I had finished it at 185,000 words or so. Rising Book 2 is divided into two parts, and part one had already had tons of work and rewriting. Part 2 had been written very fast and was messy by comparison.<br />
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Well, not long after that, my beta readers made suggestions, and this is what happened:<br />
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-I cut 60,000 words in one day.<br />
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-I realized the second half of the book needed to be rewritten. Figured out what chapters from part 2 I could salvage. Kept them in. Cut another 45,000 words or so.<br />
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-Set cut chapters aside, because I know there will be a few scenes I'll be able to use.<br />
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-Tried to sort out the brand new plot, because this part of my rewrite needed brand new plot.<br />
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-Panicked. Thought about deadlines and panicked more.<br />
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-Kept writing. Words all became a jumbled mess.<br />
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-Panicked some more.<br />
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-Wondered if <i>anything </i>in part 2 was working, or if I needed to scrap all of it and start from scratch.<br />
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-Reminded myself that at least part 1 was ready to go--completely edited, rewritten, tweaked, through betas and editors, and that rewriting just part 2 wasn't really as bad as I was making it out be.<br />
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-Brain was exhausted. Was more stressed about about this half of a novel than I've been about any book in a long time.<br />
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-Words looked even more of a jumbled mess. Panicked and got a hold of writing partner Emma one afternoon. I walked her through my rewrite on part 2, and she talked me through points of the plot and helped me realize it does make sense, I didn't need to scrap and start over, and I just needed to keep going, and she helped me see clearly <i>how</i> to keep going.<br />
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-Breathed, wrote, emailed Emma my story file. (Emma and I read each other's in-progress books, which helps us both <i>immensely. </i>It helps us keep each other encouraged, and it helps that we both end up knowing each other's plots.)<br />
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-Emma read and loved it and I was super, super encouraged and non-panicked.<br />
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-I'm still writing.<br />
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And that has been my writing process lately. I will admit that I'm still a little stressed because I'm like !!!!DEADLINE!!! and flailing in my head like a maniac, because I do want to get this out soon, because I have other stories in the works and my agent is shopping around one of my other novels, <i>but, </i>as one of my other friends keeps reminding me, I want to put out my absolute best, and I want to make sure the story is what it needs to be. I owe it to myself, I owe it to the characters, and I owe it to my readers. The first draft of the story had all the plot points in there, but it wasn't what it needed to be, and I wasn't happy with it. Therefore, I'm going to keep taking it one page at a time, figure out how the new plot weaves together, and then when it's finished, I'll whip it into shape and put part 2 through beta readers and editing, and then I will get the book out there. I don't have many more chapters to write, so hopefully it won't be delayed that much, but I know the book will be better off for the rewrite.<br />
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At least part 1 of the novel is ready, right? O_o (I tell you, this book has taken more out of me than any book I've ever written in my life. It's <i>exhausting.)</i><br />
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Anyway, thanks to all of you for your patience! It's soooo close to being 100% done, it's ridiculous. I'll just be over here in my corner, working on this and reminding myself to breathe and not panic.<br />
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I hope all of you are doing wonderfully, especially during this super busy time of year!!!<br />
<br />Laura Josephsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04239501665574945313noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2028925612974754200.post-8557381252109518162012-11-05T13:17:00.001-06:002012-11-05T13:17:23.650-06:00I'm Thankful for My Readers Bloghop<br />
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Today, we have a bloghop!</div>
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I'm so thankful to my readers, of all kinds!</div>
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<b>Thank you to my crit
partners</b>, who pick apart my stories, are bluntly honest and therefore only
help make my novels better, and who have shared more laughs, late-night
giggles, and inside jokes than I can even recount. Most of you have seen me in
every state imaginable, including my super-hyper-sugared-up-and-caffeinated
state. (Even if I will never live down army crawling across the floor.)</div>
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(There is a story to that. It was like 2AM, and one of my
writing partners goes, "Hey, Laura, what if I told you my two characters
might not get together?" I crawled over to her in a flash and went, "WHAT?"</div>
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THEY NEEDED TO GET TOGETHER.)</div>
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<b>Thank you to my blog
readers,</b> who are so encouraging and thoughtful and have stuck with me
through so much. I've met some incredible people through the blogosphere. For
you, my first attempt at a haiku:</div>
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Marvelous readers</div>
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Make the blogosphere go round</div>
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Wonderful people</div>
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And in addition, as thanks, I know there are a lot of
writers on here, so for the <b>first five
people </b>who mention they want it in the comment, I'll edit the first ten
pages of your book. Or the first chapter, if it's under fifteen pages. (I work
as a professional editor.)</div>
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<b>Thank you to my book
readers,</b> who buy my books and support me that way. In thanks, <b>for one week
</b>only, I'm making <i>Rising Book 1:
Resistance </i><b>available for free </b>on Smashwords. You can use coupon code <strong><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">VT82D</span></strong><strong><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-weight: normal;">. </span></strong>You can get any ebook version you want using that coupon code here: <a href="http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/132824" target="_blank">Rising Book 1: Resistance</a></div>
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(Also, for the month of November, I have <i>Confessions from the Realm of the Underworld (Also Known as High School) </i>for $0.99 on Smashwords using coupon code HB87F, which you can purchase here if you so desire: <a href="http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/76438" target="_blank">Confessions on Smashwords.</a>)</div>
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Thanks to all of you who help, encourage, and support me in so many ways! You are all so awesome!!!</div>
Laura Josephsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04239501665574945313noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2028925612974754200.post-26007294513688449592012-10-10T00:56:00.002-05:002012-10-10T00:58:34.600-05:00Ready, Set, Go<span class="userContent">I've begun my read through of the first half
of<i> Rising Book 2: Rebellion</i> and the rewrite of the second half.
Confession: The rewrite terrifies me. I'm having this momentary "How am I
going to make this work? How am I going to make it work by my deadline? What if it's terrible because I can't get it right in time?"</span><br />
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So now it's time for me to take a deep breath, remind myself I can do
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What are you working on right now?Laura Josephsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04239501665574945313noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2028925612974754200.post-18838978980555421552012-10-08T14:17:00.003-05:002012-10-08T14:18:18.365-05:00Here and GoneYou may have noticed that I've been absent on Blogger for a while, and I've been terrible at keeping up with blogs. It's been all I can do to keep up with everything else I have going on. Between editing for work, writing novels, revising, rewriting, prepping for publication, homeschooling, and breathing, my blog has slipped woefully between the cracks. I'll pull up Blogger from time to time and stare at it and think about how I need to get on this sucker, and then a wave of exhaustion will wash over me. I haven't even had time to read my critique partners' latest books/chapter updates, never mind any other kind of reading. The only books I've read this year have been client edits. I need a good chunk of time to just sit and read. And you know, breathe. ;)<br />
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Anyway, I'm sorry for being so absent all over the place, and I'm hoping that things will settle down a little bit the rest of this year and I can get to some of the blog posts I've been wanting to do! Thanks to all of you who have stuck around and been so encouraging--it's meant a lot to me in the insanity of the past months. The only thing I have left planned for this year is the rewrite of half of <i>Rising 2 </i>and its publication--last month, I cut 73,000 words from the book, and now I need to rewrite some new story.<br />
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Also, a big, belated thank-you to <a href="http://christinerains-writer.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Christine Rains</a> for presenting me with the Daisy Award. :)<br />
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(Oh, I've also finally set up an author page on Facebook, and I hope to be more active there, too, so I'd love for you to join me. :)) <a href="https://www.facebook.com/authorlaurajosephsen?ref=ts&fref=ts" target="_blank">My Facebook Page</a></div>
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Thanks again to all of you, and I hope you're all doing magnificently!<br />
<br />Laura Josephsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04239501665574945313noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2028925612974754200.post-41006436459697991572012-09-01T13:56:00.000-05:002012-09-01T13:56:22.051-05:00Another novel down!I have been in a vacuum this month that, alas, did not involve blogging, but did involve finishing my novel <em>Rising Book 2: Rebellion</em>. I finally, finally finished writing it today. It clocks in at just over 185,000 words, making it not only the most emotionally draining book I've ever written, but the longest one as well. Editing it is going to be so much fun. O_o<br />
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But it's WRITTEN. *throws confetti*Laura Josephsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04239501665574945313noreply@blogger.com28tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2028925612974754200.post-53646103260058654192012-07-19T00:18:00.002-05:002012-07-19T00:18:45.006-05:00Agent NewsI can now officially announce that I have signed with the amazing, spectacular Natalie Lakosil of <a href="http://www.bradfordlit.com/">Bradford Literary Agency</a>. :D :D :D<br />
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I AM SO EXCITED AND HONORED, YOU GUYS. If I hadn't twisted my ankle yesterday, I'd still be bouncing around like crazy.Laura Josephsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04239501665574945313noreply@blogger.com74tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2028925612974754200.post-70075492476580943402012-07-13T11:43:00.000-05:002012-07-13T12:04:31.165-05:00July UpdatesThis month has been absolutely insane.<br />
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--I finished my July editing job really early. It took ten days from start to finish (that's me doing the first edits, the author doing the revisions, and me reviewing the revisions and going over final questions).<br />
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--Hubby and I went apartment hunting, found an apartment we really liked, waited a weekend to find out if we were approved, were approved, and will be moving in about three and a half weeks. We're only moving about five minutes away, but this still requires packing. And organizing. And sorting. And more packing. I started sorting my kids' toys today. One of my cats had a blast jumping in and out of the empty toy drawers I had spread across the living room floor. Entertainment for kitties = win.<br />
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--I revised one of my manuscripts completely in twenty-four hours. This meant changing plot elements, writing new things, cutting other things, etc. It's funny how you can change one thing and then realize that changes four other things, and you have to keep tweaking threads until they all connect again. It was a lot of fun, though. :D It took me weeks to decide to take this particular plunge, and I wasn't sure I would happy with it, but I really, really am.<br />
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--I went shopping for my kids' homeschool books. I think I'm pretty much set for the coming school year.<br />
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--I'm still writing <em>Rising Book 2: Rebellion. </em>I have (I think) about eight and a half chapters left to write. Considering that this book is now clocking in at...134,306 words, and I've already written nineteen and a half long chapters and twenty-eight shorter flashbacks, that's really not a huge amount left. I cannot begin to express how excited and relieved I will be when this book is <em>done. </em>Well, at least written. Of course there will be editing and running it through the critique partner gauntlet and all that stuff, but at least the story will be complete. Oh, and it has a <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/14741717-rebellion" target="_blank">Goodreads page</a> now! <br />
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--The weeks have flown by so fast and I realized I neglected to properly thank a couple of people for awards I got.<br />
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First, thank you to <a href="http://christinerains-writer.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Christine Rains</a> for The Booker Award.<br />
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<b>The rules for this award:</b></div>
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<i>This award is for book bloggers only. To receive this award the blog must be at least 50% about books (reading or writing is okay)<br />Along with receiving this award, you must also share your top five favorite books you have ever read. (More than five is okay) You must give this award to 5-10 other lucky book blogs you adore.</i></div>
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<i> </i><b>Here are my favorite books:</b></div>
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1. <em>The Chronicles of Narnia</em> by C.S. Lewis</div>
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2. <em>Ella Enchanted </em>by Gail Carson Levine</div>
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3. The <em>Harry Potter</em> series by J.K. Rowling</div>
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4. <em>My Fair Godmother </em>and <em>My Unfair Godmother </em>by Janette Rallison</div>
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5. <em>The Giver </em>by Lois Lowry<br />
6. <em>The Only Alien on the Planet </em>by Kristen D. Randle<br />
7. <em>Into the Dream </em>by William Sleator<br />
8. <em>The Enchanted Forest Chronicles </em>by Patricia C. Wrede<br />
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There are so many bloggers I adore, and I'm so behind on this award that I'm not sure who's received it and who hasn't--so I'm going to just say that if any of you haven't received it and want to talk about your favorite books, have at it!<br />
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Next, thank you to <a href="http://astorybookworld.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Deirdra A. Eden</a> for the Creative Blog Award.</div>
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And finally, thank you so much to <a href="http://tonjadrecker.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">T. Drecker</a> for the Fabulous Blog Ribbon Award.</div>
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<strong>Name five of your most fabulous moments, either in real life or in the blogosphere</strong>.</div>
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- marrying my husband</div>
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- having my children</div>
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- going to Mexico to help build houses and meeting some of the most amazing kids there</div>
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- moving back to the south after three and a half years in the north</div>
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- meeting my writing partners in person for the first time</div>
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- God</div>
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- my family</div>
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- my friends</div>
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- my cats</div>
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- it's a toss up between coffee and socks. Although this is definitely a "like" kind of love and not a "I'm very fond of my cats" love or a "I desperately love God and my family and friends" love. </div>
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<strong>Name five things you hate</strong></div>
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- seeing the people I love hurt</div>
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- people chewing in my ear</div>
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- throwing up</div>
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- the smell of dog poo <br />
- most horror movies<br />
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I will try to come back very soon with something more than a giant update on everything. O_o But for now, I hope you all have a FANTASTIC weekend!!</div>
</div>Laura Josephsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04239501665574945313noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2028925612974754200.post-74176823303411533472012-06-16T17:45:00.000-05:002012-06-20T18:51:00.915-05:00Father's Day CupcakesMy daughter and I made Perry the Platypus (from the cartoon <i>Phineas and Ferb</i>) cupcakes for my husband for Father's Day. We still have six left to decorate (there are twelve altogether) but here's the process and initial result.<br />
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My daughter's stuffed animal Perry and the Starbursts that we used for bills. We also used Starbursts cut in half and dipped in frosting for the feet.</div>
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Graham crackers being shaped into the tails. I had no idea what I was going to use for the tails until I was hunting through the cupboard for something to use and went, "Aha! Graham crackers!"</div>
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Two cupcakes stuck together with frosting form the base for the bodies.</div>
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Completed cupcakes!</div>
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Close-up of completed cupcake. My daughter and I dyed toothpicks in food coloring for the top part sticking out.</div>
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Happy Father's Day to my wonderful, amazing husband! Happy Father's Day to my dad and my father-in-law. And Happy Father's Day to all of you dads out there!</div>
<br />Laura Josephsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04239501665574945313noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2028925612974754200.post-44390855031363771202012-05-29T17:14:00.001-05:002012-05-29T17:26:54.303-05:00Editing Slots, Award, and Camp NaNoWriMoFirst, I still have two slots for editing the first ten pages of a manuscript, if anyone else is interested. (It's first come, first served.)<br />
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Second, thank you to <a href="http://sherryellis.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Sherry Ellis at Mama Diaries</a>, who graced me with the One Lovely Blog Award. ^_^<br />
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Third, is anyone participating in Camp NaNoWriMo?<br />
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It's basically a NaNo in June, but I'm not using it as NaNo. I mean, I'm not like "WORD COUNT! MUST GET WORD COUNT!" I did sign up because a) I'm still writing Rising Book 2, so I might as well and b) so I can offer encouragement to anyone else doing it by writing with them. But I'm just going to take this book the same way I've been taking it: one chapter at a time. <br />
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I have about 91,000 words on Rising Book 2. I have about twelve chapters and nine flashbacks left to write. I'm also up to my eyeballs in editing, which is why I haven't gotten as much writing done. And my husband and kids and I just went on a weekend vacation to visit some of his family in Ohio. The trip was awesome and so much fun, and it was great to see family. I'm in Vacation Recovery Mode right now--I love traveling; it's just very tiring!<br />Laura Josephsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04239501665574945313noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2028925612974754200.post-70540987687300574512012-05-16T00:04:00.002-05:002012-05-29T17:17:07.127-05:00Random Act of Kindness BlitzI've been kind of out of the blogosphere loop lately--I've been so busy with family, homeschooling, and writing and editing deadlines. I would have completely missed the fact there's a Random Act of Kindness blitz going on right now if <a href="http://weavingataleortwo.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Donna Weaver</a> hadn't graced me with an amazing shout out and gift. Donna is such a lovely, generous person and I'm so touched by her constant thoughtfulness.<br />
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As part of the RAOK blitz, I'd like to offer something to some of the wonderful people who have supported me on this blog, so for the<strong> first</strong> <strong>five writers who request this in the comments</strong>, I will edit the first <strong>ten pages</strong> of your book. I know ten pages isn't a tremendous amount, but it might let you know if I spot anything huge that I think you could work on grammatically or narratively. I would offer to edit more, but as I said, I'm on editing and writing deadlines. I work as an editor for a publishing company and do freelance editing on the side. (Fair warning: I'm a picky editor. ;))<br />
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To all of you, thank you for your encouragement and support since I started this blog. (And to Donna, thank you again--you have been a wonderful source of encouragement and inspiration, and it has meant a lot to me. Thank you for your RAOK gift.)Laura Josephsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04239501665574945313noreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2028925612974754200.post-33915243335611322262012-05-03T11:31:00.000-05:002012-05-03T11:33:38.516-05:00Grammar Daze: A While vs. AwhileMy past few weeks have been stuffed full of writing and editing. I'm still writing <em>Rising Book 2</em>, and I've been doing my freelance editing in between. I'm on deadlines all around, but with all the editing I've been doing, I figured it would be a good opportunity to do another Grammar Daze, since it's been a while since I've done one.<br />
<br />
Speaking of "a while," that happens to be the subject of today's post.<br />
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<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>A While vs. Awhile</strong></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<strong>A While </strong>is a noun. It's a period of time. <br />
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<strong>Awhile </strong>is an adverb, and it means "for a while." <br />
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There are a couple of ways to test which one we need.<br />
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<strong>Test #1:</strong><br />
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You can replace "awhile/a while" with an adverb and see if it works. If it works, you need the adverb, "awhile." If it doesn't work, you need the noun, "a while."<br />
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Examples: <br />
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<strong>1. Lie down awhile.</strong><br />
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This is correct. We could use another adverb here. We could say: "Lie down <em>quietly</em>." And it makes sense, so we know we need to use the adverb <strong>awhile.</strong><br />
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<strong>2. I'm going out for a while. </strong><br />
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This is correct. We could <em>not </em>use an adverb here. We couldn't say "I'm going out for a quietly." <br />
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<strong>Remember: </strong>An adverb (words like <em>awhile, quietly, happily, peacefully</em>) can never be the object of a preposition (words like <em>with, for, on, under</em>). So you can never, ever say "for awhile." If you have the word <em>for </em>in there, you have to use the noun: for a while.<br />
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This is another way to figure out whether to use "a while" or "awhile." <br />
<br />
<strong>Test #2: </strong><br />
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<strong>"Awhile" already has "for" in its meaning. </strong>You can try to put "for a while" in a sentence. If you can use "for a while" then you can use the word "awhile." If it doesn't make sense, you need "a while."<br />
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Examples:<br />
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<strong>1. I'll be awhile.</strong><br />
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This is <strong>incorrect,</strong> because if we say "I'll be for a while" it doesn't make sense. You need the noun: I'll be a while. (This is also where we could substitute another adverb and see that it would <strong>not</strong> make sense: "I'll be happily.")<br />
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<br />
<strong>2. I'll be over there awhile. </strong><br />
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This is <strong>correct, </strong>because if we say "I'll be over there for a while" it makes sense. (This is also where we could substitute another adverb and see that it <em>would</em> make sense: "I'll be over there happily.") This means we could also reword the sentence to use the noun if we wanted to: <strong>I'll be over there for a while.</strong><br />
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Any questions? Thoughts? Have I completely confused you?Laura Josephsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04239501665574945313noreply@blogger.com32tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2028925612974754200.post-84243978344914534492012-04-15T11:21:00.001-05:002012-04-15T11:23:54.873-05:00Mid-April UpdateI hope all of you doing the A-Z challenge have been having a blast with it! I can't believe it's already halfway through April. I haven't been blogging because all of my free time has been going to frantically writing <em>Rising Book 2.</em> I'm almost halfway done--I have about a chapter and three-fourths left to the halfway point. I think this will probably be my longest novel yet, considering I have 69,154 words already. There's just so much more story to tell and tie up in this one than the first one.<br />
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I've also been prepping for my daughter's birthday party, which is today. Her birthday was a couple of weeks ago, but today was the first day we had free to do it. She wanted a Yoshi cake from Mario Brothers, and let me tell you, that thing was hard to make. O_o I had made the head out of rice crispy treats, but it fell apart (slooooowly) after I attached the head to the body, so then I had to remake the head smaller. Plus, I was pretty much out of frosting at that point, which meant I had to steal some from around the body. Yeah. Definitely not my best cake ever, but it's together and it's edible, darn it. <br />
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Here is the end result:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjitsMGDdkUUWvdeguNtGwNQBsCk1okzIVQn6ZWmIikqqsjAauzC-caFInE0pTQZsHCBG59jad1m2LP_VPTFRw8Kha2L821T-TQJ0FNnbLXHfnAuPhB0ZFy9MVK0kJEi55DeSMrurVL5ow/s1600/Yoshi+complete.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" nda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjitsMGDdkUUWvdeguNtGwNQBsCk1okzIVQn6ZWmIikqqsjAauzC-caFInE0pTQZsHCBG59jad1m2LP_VPTFRw8Kha2L821T-TQJ0FNnbLXHfnAuPhB0ZFy9MVK0kJEi55DeSMrurVL5ow/s320/Yoshi+complete.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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I also had my next Taekwondo belt test this past week--I don't have the results for that yet. So. Yes. April has been busy.<br />
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I hope you all are having a wonderful month and that you have a fantastic day!! I need to go do final prep for a birthday party...Laura Josephsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04239501665574945313noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2028925612974754200.post-59288940736401385492012-03-26T00:05:00.001-05:002012-03-26T00:05:00.842-05:00Interview with Mavis Duke Hinton<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">I'd like to introduce Mavis Duke Hinton, author of THE DACHSHUND ESCAPADES.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6lz3r_TQbysRDTi8IcBhosBUYx-DhCfmeomib7wvgQzzEVAkbciiwuNSQx_7bQpMsb2FZuA1TBF_6B6YLq1-NM-wG4EwHArRAQJUPQjhtxolAV3eqWArB2ibN7UG2epIwtH4LQbi5p04/s1600/2+dogs+small.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img aea="true" border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6lz3r_TQbysRDTi8IcBhosBUYx-DhCfmeomib7wvgQzzEVAkbciiwuNSQx_7bQpMsb2FZuA1TBF_6B6YLq1-NM-wG4EwHArRAQJUPQjhtxolAV3eqWArB2ibN7UG2epIwtH4LQbi5p04/s200/2+dogs+small.JPG" width="172" /></a></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Please tell us about yourself. Where are you from? When did you start writing? </b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Although I was born in <state w:st="on"><place w:st="on">North Carolina</place></state> and currently live here, I grew up in a military family.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I lived in <country-region w:st="on">France</country-region> and <country-region w:st="on">Germany</country-region> as a child, and experienced a bull fight in <country-region w:st="on">Spain</country-region>, The World’s Fair in <country-region w:st="on">Belgium</country-region>, and the Tulip Festival in <city w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Holland</place></city>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My family enjoyed touring <place w:st="on">Europe</place> on camping trips, and we met and shared meals with friendly Europeans along the way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I attended a French parochial school for kindergarten through half of the second grade, so I was fluent in French by age five (but I’m not now!).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My mother decided at that time that I needed to attend the American school for military children, which was located an hour and a half from our home. That lasted only through third grade, as my father’s tour of duty ended, and we returned to the States where I attended school in <place w:st="on"><city w:st="on">Ft. Eustis</city>, <state w:st="on">Virginia</state></place>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In all, I attended 13 schools by the time I graduated from high school.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have also lived in <state w:st="on">Florida</state>, <state w:st="on">New Jersey</state>, <state w:st="on">Maryland</state>, <state w:st="on">Ohio</state>, but my favorite of all was <state w:st="on">Alaska</state>, where we lived in <place w:st="on"><placetype w:st="on">Ft.</placetype> <placename w:st="on">Greely</placename></place>, located in the central part of the state.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">As far back as I can remember, I enjoyed writing, at age ten even producing a little “newspaper” called <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Daily Blab </b>for the amusement of my friends.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course, I had to do everything by hand then, complete with pictures and articles—even advertisements!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In high school, I went through my short story and poetry phase.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wrote articles for the campus paper in college as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Over the years, I’ve taught all levels of middle and high school English, along with AP British literature, creative writing, speech, and journalism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While doing so full time, I never had the time to write as such, with my family responsibilities and the heavy load of grading research reports and essays.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="color: black;">My late father used to tell us what our dachshunds were thinking, and I believe I have inherited that 'gene' for doing so. All of this is tongue in cheek, of course—and it makes for many a laugh around our house. My family encouraged me to use my “talent” to write a book. So, </span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">I walked away from my full-time career in ’05, started writing, and voila—I became an author, with my series entitled THE DACHSHUND ESCAPADES.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am currently working on Book 3, DACHSHUNDS FOREVER, a work in progress.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Why did you choose to write this book?</b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black;">My other reasons (besides the “gene” thing) for writing from the dog's viewpoint are:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black;">1) I enjoy imagining how day-to-day happenings must appear to the family dog;</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black;">2) I can shift<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>reality to share with readers what dogs think about life situations;</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black;">3) I have a zany sense of humor (my family can attest to that), and can use such humor when incorporating it into the dog’s viewpoint;</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black;">4) I love and appreciate dogs as man's best friend. They show us unconditional love, like God has for us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of the characters in THE DACHSHUND ESCAPADES series, Papa Duke (who is based on my father), so aptly states my feelings about dogs:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><b><span style="color: #b01717; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><br />
</span></b><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">"A dawg loves you no matter what. You can be ugly, old, even dumb--but a dawg don't care. All he wants is your love and some food now and then. I think dawgs represent the unconditional love God has for us--maybe that's why He created them, to show that to us." </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">If you could have dinner with any author, living or dead, who would it be and why?</b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Without a doubt, I would want to dine with Mark Twain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have always admired his works, and his brand of humor just cracks me up—his way with words amazes me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It would be so enjoyable to converse with him, hear his answers to my numerous questions, and just enjoy his company. I know historically how life was during his lifetime, but it would be a pleasure to hear him talk about it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not everyone thinks he is that humorous, but in such works as INNOCENTS ABROAD or TOM SAWYER, I just laugh every time.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Who is your favorite character out of any you've created?</b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Besides Sarge, the doxie “author,” Papa Duke, of course.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His penchant for telling funny (but true) stories about his zany experiences, his zest for life, his robust laugh—it was a labor of love creating that character from details that I recall fondly about my dad, who died in 2000.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My books are my legacy to my grandchildren, giving them a chance to know him, since he passed away before they came on the scene.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve told the granddaughters, ages six and seven, his stories often, and they request them again and again. Our little grandson just turned two, but perhaps in years to come he’ll enjoy hearing about his great grandfather Duke. In fact, six-year-old Alexa recently saw a photograph of Dad.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She said wistfully, “I miss Papa Duke so much.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I replied that she had never met him—but she quickly added, “Well, I can still miss him, can’t I??”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">What are your hopes for this book?</b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">I want the entire series of THE DACHSHUND ESCAPADES to reach that niche audience of dog lovers, encourage and uplift them, and leave them saying to themselves, “Wow!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Those family members really love the Lord and each other—and what a dog Sarge is!”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Do you listen to music when you write or do you need quiet?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">I have this uncanny ability to block out everything when I am reading or writing—therefore, either way is fine with me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact, when our daughters were growing up, they disliked <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>it when I was reading, because (in their words) the house could be burning down around me and I wouldn’t realize it until a fireman came to rescue me!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Clark, my husband doesn’t bother to ask me anything if I’m “in the zone,” because I simply won’t hear him <span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span></span>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s not intentional—I am just engrossed in what I’m doing.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">What's one quirk of yours?</b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">I only get to name one?? (laughs)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Actually, the quirk I’m about to mention harks back to my full-time teaching days:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m just not all that “laid back” over tasks I feel are important to finish. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I absolutely detest having anything hanging over my head—meaning that I kill myself to get it done.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I had, for example, 140 senior research projects to grade, I worked feverishly to get those things graded and back to my students.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were just too many others things requiring my attention to let them be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even now, as I work from home, I put things in order of urgency and hack away at my list.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">What is your favorite book and why?</b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Most recently, RADICAL by David Platt was a life changer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here’s one statement from the book that hit me squarely between the eyes:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“A<span style="background: white; color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">re we willing to fundamentally alter our understanding of Christianity from a luxury-liner approach that seeks more comforts in the world—to a troop-carrier approach that forsakes comforts in the world to accomplish an eternally significant task and achieve an eternally satisfying reward?”</span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">I have been a Christian since age 28, but this book brought a fresh outlook for my purpose in writing: it is not for self or merely to entertain readers—my purpose is to glorify Him and uplift my readers in the process.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">What's the farthest from your current home you've ever visited?</b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Well, having lived in Europe as a child would qualify as pretty far away from <state w:st="on"><place w:st="on">North Carolina</place></state>!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A few years ago, we drove (yes, drove) out to <state w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Arizona</place></state> to visit our daughter Bethany and hubby Kurt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Clark and I have also toured parts of <country-region w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Canada</place></country-region> by car. We love traveling, so it was enjoyable seeing interesting places like Niagara Falls or the Grand Canyon, eating different food (but North Carolina barbecue is still the best!), and exploring towns that way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When my family lived in <state w:st="on">Alaska</state>, Dad’s next tour of duty was <place w:st="on"><city w:st="on">Miami</city>, <state w:st="on">Florida</state></place>—and we drove down!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, I’ve seen a great deal of this country, and loved (almost) every minute of it!</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Please tell us about your book.</b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">I AM SARGE is Book 1 of THE DACHSHUND ESCAPADES series, and the books in this series are written in first person from the family dog’s viewpoint.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My stories are 95% true, as they are based on my family, friends, and of course Shadow, my “granddog.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFOJsD8gBs-9AsEQIcqOIOmws2GzG5nKGzZZfPNRPoL0revA87YwXTEvnnlym6FN136QYIjmA6vLIaoferlpsiRcIXDQ6lFEcyYMfyVbi5ggWLCIR-sfZVshnkO2A_W3kTwOQ-S75Kt6A/s1600/cover+9781602903159_comp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img aea="true" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFOJsD8gBs-9AsEQIcqOIOmws2GzG5nKGzZZfPNRPoL0revA87YwXTEvnnlym6FN136QYIjmA6vLIaoferlpsiRcIXDQ6lFEcyYMfyVbi5ggWLCIR-sfZVshnkO2A_W3kTwOQ-S75Kt6A/s320/cover+9781602903159_comp.jpg" width="207" /></a></div><br />
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "ヒラギノ角ゴ Pro W3";">Here is the synopsis from the back cover of I AM SARGE:</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><b><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Sometimes a dachshund’s “lowdown from the ground”</span></b></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><b><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">perspective is just what human beings need.</span></b></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><b><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">I was only eight weeks old when I was adopted into my new human family who knew immediately I was a super dog. They proudly gave me the name Sarge—after my Papa Duke, who was a sergeant in the Army. Quite a fitting name for a good-looking dachshund too, I might add. I just know someday I’ll do great and mighty things, befitting a super dog.</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 15pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 15pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><b><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">But in the meanwhile, I’ll just steal your heart and make you laugh out loud with the antics of this “chow hound.” And maybe, if you come over, Papa and I—two food lovers—might just share a snack or two with you, too.</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 15pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 15pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><b><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Fall in love with Sarge, the quintessential dachshund,</span></b></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 15pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><b><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">and laugh along with his foibles and humorous escapades.</span></b></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 15pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">My links:</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">My website: <a href="http://www.mavisdukehinton.com/" target="_blank">Mavis Duke Hinton</a></span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">My blog:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <a href="http://www.blog.mavisdukehinton.com/" target="_blank">Mavis Duke Hinton Blog</a></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Facebook:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mavis-Duke-Hintons-Books/342305500041" target="_blank">Mavis Duke Hinton's Books</a></span> (please “like” my page!)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Twitter:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/writer4dawg" target="_blank">@writer4dawg</a></span> (follow me!)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">For those in the Triad area of <state w:st="on"><place w:st="on">North Carolina</place></state>, I’m having a book signing at Barnes and Noble Booksellers:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Saturday, April 7, from 2:00 p.m. “until.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The address is </span> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><address w:st="on"><street w:st="on">906 Mall Loop Rd.</street>, <city w:st="on">High Point</city>, <state w:st="on">NC.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The event is featuring both of my books:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I AM SARGE and I AM DACHSHUND.</address></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxEGt_XNKsGGj3c_KzEcyR-lBTt1wDQxDOLSSuIakpoIX6Kgd3gXg_6LK2D0BvQ1FdF7jt4V2ahDKSszVNPm2_-N1qZsH7SJ_GVKDSZcuR3Z72gcx6sbSQirYq0qAgqYRX6loDChKDGpE/s1600/9781602902596_revised+front+half.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img aea="true" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxEGt_XNKsGGj3c_KzEcyR-lBTt1wDQxDOLSSuIakpoIX6Kgd3gXg_6LK2D0BvQ1FdF7jt4V2ahDKSszVNPm2_-N1qZsH7SJ_GVKDSZcuR3Z72gcx6sbSQirYq0qAgqYRX6loDChKDGpE/s1600/9781602902596_revised+front+half.jpg" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">I’m also on LinkedIn, and my books are available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Christianbook, etc.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Thank you for having me today, Laura!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div>Laura Josephsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04239501665574945313noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2028925612974754200.post-567225010338126082012-03-23T14:22:00.002-05:002012-03-23T14:25:43.139-05:00Rising Book 2 - flashback/excerpt<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">I posted this picture months ago on my blog, but with the release of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Rising Book 1: Resistance, </i>it's a lot more relevant now. This is artwork that was done by Holly Robbins, my cover artist, of <place w:st="on">Lachlan</place> and Brenna—two of the secondary characters in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Resistance.</i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtDJ63fZzhTug1i7qNZpKAJyQolqv28dxMLK6gazZJ4vMd1mhmSuUky91I5PPMgm3ySzd6ogvwmNnNUCiMjcZdqqpxZBgwRJMnAB5ZVAZjd5EKdjrMspCTFbdfUILylZ_2HH5ehLWZ6Eg/s1600/Lachlan+and+Brenna2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img aea="true" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtDJ63fZzhTug1i7qNZpKAJyQolqv28dxMLK6gazZJ4vMd1mhmSuUky91I5PPMgm3ySzd6ogvwmNnNUCiMjcZdqqpxZBgwRJMnAB5ZVAZjd5EKdjrMspCTFbdfUILylZ_2HH5ehLWZ6Eg/s640/Lachlan+and+Brenna2.png" width="594" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">These were two characters that hadn't been planned for when I started the book; they both swept in for different purposes. As I came to the end of writing <em>Rising Book 1, </em>I realized that Lachlan and Brenna's story needed to be told too, and they became my narrators for <em>Rising Book 2.</em></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">For any of you who have read <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Rising Book 1,</i> you might understand when I tell you that the idea of telling their story terrified me. For those of you who haven't read it, I'll just say that these two characters have been through a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">lot, </i>and their story is the most intense I've ever written. I'm actually telling their back story in scenes that take place between each chapter. I'd debated for a while about whether or not I should do that, but in the end, their history was way too complex and relevant to the story to tell it any other way. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">The reason I mention all of this is because I'm going to share one of these flashback scenes from <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Rising Book 2</i> on my blog today. It was really hard to find one that wouldn't spoil certain things in the first book for anyone who hasn't read it, but I think I managed it.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">So under the "read more" cut below, here's a flashback scene from <em>Rising Book 2. </em>It takes place around nine years before the start of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Rising Book 1</i>. (And it's still a work in progress--I'm not done writing the first draft of Book 2 yet.)</div><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.4in;"><place w:st="on"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 11pt;">Lachlan</span></place><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 11pt;"> woke Brenna at the crack of dawn. "Come on. I'm taking you on a trip."</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.4in;"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 11pt;">"How long?"</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.4in;"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 11pt;">"Overnight. I've already talked to Tegan and she says she'll put Alanna to work babysitting the twins, and I told Alanna we had some training to do. She'll be fine, Brenna."</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.4in;"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 11pt;">A sense of apprehension settled down on Brenna. "If this is about me and water, I'll figure out how to deal with it."</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.4in;"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 11pt;">"I'm sure eventually you will," <place u2:st="on"><place w:st="on">Lachlan</place> replied. "Would it kill you to just let me try to help?"</place></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.4in;"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 11pt;">"Maybe."</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.4in;"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 11pt;">"No excuses. If you fall over dead, Tegan's given me resuscitation training."</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.4in;"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 11pt;">Brenna rolled her eyes. "Fine. I'll go with you. Let me talk to Alanna first."</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.4in;"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 11pt;"></span><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 11pt;">After ensuring that Alanna knew for certain Brenna was leaving, Brenna changed, cleaned her teeth, and followed Lachlan down to the tunnels where he had loaded up a hover vehicle with a couple of bags. Brenna propped her legs up in the passenger seat while <place u2:st="on"><place w:st="on">Lachlan</place> drove.</place></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.4in;"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 11pt;">It was a long drive—they had to eat breakfast and lunch on the way. Mid-afternoon, <place u2:st="on"><place w:st="on">Lachlan</place> left the main paths and went through a dark, narrow tunnel, one of the exits used for leaving the mountains. They soon emerged into the bright afternoon sunshine. Brenna tilted her head up and closed her eyes, welcoming the sunlight on her face. </place></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.4in;"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 11pt;">It was mid-afternoon when <place u2:st="on"><place w:st="on">Lachlan</place> said, "Here we are," and took them through a crevice. They came out at the top of a sort of valley surrounded by the towering mountains on all sides. A stretch of land spread out before them. Most of it was taken up by a sparkling lake, which had a few trees dotting its rocky banks.</place></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.4in;"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 11pt;">"I scouted it out a few days ago," <place u2:st="on"><place w:st="on">Lachlan</place> said. "I heard about it from someone at work. The ocean feeds it. It's crystal clear—you can see all of the fish and plants at the bottom." He drove over to the bank of the lake and stopped. The HV settled onto the ground, and <place u2:st="on"><place w:st="on">Lachlan</place> hopped out of it.</place></place></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.4in;"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 11pt;">Brenna stayed where she was and gazed out across the water. It sent unpleasant chills down her spine just looking at it. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.4in;"><place u2:st="on"><place w:st="on"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 11pt;">Lachlan</span></place></place><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 11pt;"> took her hand and tugged her out of her seat. "Come look."</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.4in;"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 11pt;">She didn't want to. She didn't want to go, didn't want to admit that she couldn't do this on her own…but she didn't want to pass up the chance that maybe this <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">could </i>help her. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.4in;"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 11pt;">Well, if she was going to look like an idiot, at least only <place u2:st="on"><place w:st="on">Lachlan</place> was there to see it.</place></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.4in;"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 11pt;">Brenna went with him to the water's edge. It was the clearest lake she had ever seen, as clear as bathwater. With the sun shimmering down on the water and the brilliant blue sky overhead, it was more open than any tub, more than any pool inside the mountains could have been. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.4in;"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 11pt;">"I don't need a caretaker," she said, tugging at her hand.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.4in;"><place u2:st="on"><place w:st="on"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 11pt;">Lachlan</span></place></place><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 11pt;"> didn't let go of her. "Of course you don't. How about a friend? Consider this the rope I'm tying between us."</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.4in;"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 11pt;">They stayed on the edge of the lake for several minutes, while Brenna simply stared at the water and prepared herself mentally for the idea of going into it. Deeper, and deeper, and putting her face in the water, and…</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.4in;"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 11pt;">Gritting her teeth, she let go of <place u2:st="on"><place w:st="on">Lachlan</place> and took off her shoes. Her skirt and shirt came off next, leaving her standing in her underwear and crisscrossing breast wrap. </place></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.4in;"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 11pt;"><place u2:st="on"><place w:st="on">Lachlan</place> removed his shirt and shoes. He</place></span><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 11pt;"> reached for her hand again, and she let him take it. She stepped into the water; it was warm and pleasant on her toes. The silt at the bottom of the lake was sandy and felt nice on her skin. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.4in;"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 11pt;">It was never the wading she had trouble with, though. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.4in;"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 11pt;">Step by step, they went deeper. A school of neon blue fish darted past, brushing one of Brenna's fingers. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.4in;"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 11pt;">"Here." Brenna stopped when the water was up to her hips. She didn't look at <place u2:st="on"><place w:st="on">Lachlan</place>, didn't look at anything except her bare feet at the bottom of the lake. The sun shone warmly on her back and neck, and her face got closer and closer to the water as she bent down near it. Her heart pounded in her chest and her breathing sped up. </place></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.4in;"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 11pt;">Her nose brushed the water. The wetness on her face set off something inside of her, something dark and deep and primal, and she found herself flailing backwards, trying to get away from it, trying to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">not </i>be wet. It was only <place u2:st="on"><place w:st="on">Lachlan</place>'s hold on her hand that pulled her back and shook her out of the haze of panic enveloping her.</place></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.4in;"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 11pt;">"I'm right here. You're okay, Brenna. You're okay." <place u2:st="on"><place w:st="on">Lachlan</place> took her other hand, too, and squeezed them both tightly. "Look at me. I'm right here."</place></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.4in;"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 11pt;">Brenna tore her gaze off of the water and met his eyes, breathing deeply until her racing heart slowed back down slightly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.4in;"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 11pt;">She tried again to put her face near the water. Twice more. The last time, she almost passed out as the blackness clawed at her, as the familiar memories of not being able to breathe, of being held down, of sucking water into her lungs, flooded over her.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.4in;"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 11pt;">"Why this?" she shouted in frustration, squeezing Lachlan's hands so hard he probably started to lose circulation to his fingers. She had been through far worse than this in prison. She wasn't scared of knives. She wasn't scared of things cutting her, or of men touching her, or of loud noises, or of the dark, or of little spaces. Most everything that had happened to her, she had used as fuel to overcome, to get stronger, to protect herself, to gain control. Why was <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">water </i>the one thing that she couldn't handle? </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.4in;"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 11pt;">"It doesn't make you weak, Brenna." </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.4in;"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 11pt;">"Whatever." </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.4in;"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 11pt;">"What if, instead of facing it headfirst, you try lying back on the water? I'll hold you up to make sure you don't go under." <place u2:st="on"><place w:st="on">Lachlan</place> turned so she was sideways to him. He let go of her hand and put one arm around her back and one on her hip, waiting. Waiting for her. Waiting for her to lie backward…the same way that the people at the prison had lowered her into the water. Tied down, on her back, sinking, sinking…</place></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.4in;"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 11pt;">Not in all of her fifteen years had she been so tempted to yell that she couldn't do it and just <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">leave</i>. But she had to do it. If she couldn't get over a fear of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">water, </i>what did that say for her? What if someday she had to swim in an ocean or a lake or something? What if Alanna fell into a river? Unlikely—Alanna never went near water if she could avoid it—but <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">what if </i>Brenna had to save her and couldn't?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.4in;"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 11pt;">"Brenna," <place u2:st="on"><place w:st="on">Lachlan</place> said firmly. "Brenna!"</place></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.4in;"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 11pt;">When she focused on his face again, he said, "I won't let you fall. I promise. I've got you, love."</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.4in;"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 11pt;">She thought back over her few years with <place u2:st="on"><place w:st="on">Lachlan</place>. Going way up north to train with Master Zildan, racing and climbing, laughing and talking, arguing with and making up again—he had never hurt her, had never <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">not </i>been there when she needed him. Trust wasn't something she really had much of anymore, but there were a few precious people that she could say probably wouldn't harm her, and <place u2:st="on"><place w:st="on">Lachlan</place> was one of them. </place></place></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.4in;"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 11pt;">"Don't you dare let me go," Brenna gasped, and she laid herself backward in his arms. He caught her and held her up, and lowered her toward the lake. It touched her back and soaked into her shirt. The back of her scalp touched the water and she panicked. She flailed and kicked and if <place u2:st="on"><place w:st="on">Lachlan</place> hadn't spent years training with her, she probably would have kicked him in the face and knocked herself out of his arms and straight into the lake.</place></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.4in;"><place u2:st="on"><place w:st="on"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 11pt;">Lachlan</span></place></place><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 11pt;"> lifted her out and pinned her legs to his side with one arm so she couldn't kick. Her hand gripped his back and her nails dug into his skin. Her wet hair dripped down his shoulder. She hated that <place u2:st="on"><place w:st="on">Lachlan</place> was so still and steady and she was a wreck. She hated herself for her lack of control. </place></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.4in;"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 11pt;"></span><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 11pt;">Holding her against him, <place u2:st="on"><place w:st="on">Lachlan</place> lowered himself into the water, so she went down with him. She clenched her teeth, her fingers pressing harder into <place u2:st="on"><place w:st="on">Lachlan</place>'s back, her whole body stiff, as her scalp touched the surface again. Darkness swam in her vision. She was only half-aware of where she was, so sure that her face was about to go under and that she wouldn't be able to breathe, that she would be swallowed up and only come out when she was almost dead.</place></place></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.4in;"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 11pt;">But she stayed where she was, with the back of her head and her ears under the water and her face out of it. She slowly became aware again of <place u2:st="on"><place w:st="on">Lachlan</place>'s arms holding her tightly and his solid presence right against her. He was pressing gentle kisses against her temple, as if she were one of his baby nieces in need of comforting. </place></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.4in;"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 11pt;">Little by little, she began breathe, to loosen her fingers on <place u2:st="on"><place w:st="on">Lachlan</place>'s back and unclench her muscles. </place></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.4in;"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 11pt;">It took a long time—and several almost-panic attacks whenever Lachlan loosened his hold on her—before she could float on her back with his arms under her, without holding on to him like a scared little kid. The water held her up when she let it, supporting her and filling her ears and soaking her hair. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.4in;"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 11pt;">The sun was going down, casting a red-gold light across the lake, when she turned over in <place u2:st="on"><place w:st="on">Lachlan</place>'s arms, trusting that he would keep her up, and stared down into the water. A crab scuttled across the bottom. She was trembling, but not nearly as she had before, when she lowered her nose to the surface. A deep breath, and she plunged her face into the lake. Quick in, quick out, and she gasped for breath and clutched the arm that <place u2:st="on"><place w:st="on">Lachlan</place> had under her chest, but she had <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">done it.</i> She stood on shaking legs and pushed her hair out of her face, licking salt water off her lips.</place></place></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.4in;"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 11pt;">"You did it, Brenna!" <place u2:st="on"><place w:st="on">Lachlan</place> whooped and lifted her off her feet, spinning her around in a circle. "You did it!"</place></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.4in;"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 11pt;">"Yeah," she said weakly. "I think I'll go get dry now."</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.4in;"><place u2:st="on"><place w:st="on"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 11pt;">Lachlan</span></place></place><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 11pt;"> laughed and set her down. "Sounds good. Dinner?"</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.4in;"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 11pt;">She nodded. "Dinner."</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.4in;"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 11pt;">He took her hand and they walked toward the bank of the lake. There were deep gouge marks in his back from where her fingernails had cut into him. They were already scabbing, but he pulled his shirt on over them without a word of complaint.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.4in;"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 11pt;">After dinner, they lay on the thin mats <place u2:st="on"><place w:st="on">Lachlan</place> had brought. They stared up at the vast expanse of stars and the moon hanging low over the mountains. A cool, gentle breeze danced over Brenna. She and Lachlan talked for a little while, and long after he fell asleep, Brenna lay near him, her eyes trailing between the night sky, the reflection of it on the lake, and <place u2:st="on"><place w:st="on">Lachlan</place>, curled on his side.</place></place></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.4in;"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 11pt;">In the morning, she would put her face in the water again. And again, and again, until she could swim without fear. She would go back to Crucus District freer than ever, and she knew that <place u2:st="on"><place w:st="on">Lachlan</place> wouldn't speak of the reasons for this trip to anyone. </place></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.4in;"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 11pt;">Maybe she needed to be able to conquer most things by herself. But maybe <place u2:st="on"><place w:st="on">Lachlan</place> had a point that in some things, accepting help could make her stronger and not weaker.</place></span></div><br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><em>Rising </em>characters and excerpts © Laura Josephsen</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Art © Holly Robbins</span>Laura Josephsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04239501665574945313noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2028925612974754200.post-1348426553980003732012-03-22T12:20:00.001-05:002012-03-22T23:30:32.926-05:00Avatar: The Legend of Korra...and a "Rising" interview and a review.Last year, <a href="http://laurajosephsen.blogspot.com/2011/07/avatar-last-airbender-or-cartoon-that.html" target="_blank">I did a post on the tv show "Avatar: The Last Airbender"</a> and how it is one of the best shows I have ever seen--cartoon or otherwise. (I also said the <em>movie </em>"The Last Airbender" was a travesty to what the show was. It kind of destroyed everything I love about it.) I have watched the tv show so many times--it's only 61 episodes, about 22 minutes each, and so, so worth watching. Anyway, the creators/writers have been working on a sequel, called "The Legend of Korra." "Korra" takes place 70 years after the end of "Avatar: The Last Airbender." It premieres next month, though they do have a website where the first two episodes will premiere this Saturday, because they got 100,000 new likes and shares on facebook and twitter. :D <br />
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I cannot begin to tell you how excited I am for this. The world-buildling, the characterization, the friendships, romances, consistency, the humor, the way the characters matured from little kids--the writers gave me all of that on the first show and made me trust their storytelling skills absolutely.<br />
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Here's a trailer for the new show. Story + characters + animation = gorgeous. <br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/hiyqfthq19g?rel=0" width="560"></iframe><br />
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Here's a fanmade trailer that someone made for the original show, "Avatar: The Last Airbender":<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/nm-wiB60nHs?rel=0" width="420"></iframe><br />
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I was also interviewed by author Mavis Duke Hinton on her blog: <a href="http://www.blog.mavisdukehinton.com/2012/03/meet-laura-josephsen-author-of-rising.html">Interview</a>. Come back on Monday to see an interview with her here. :)<br />
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Krista McLaughlin left an awesome review for "Rising Book 1: Resistance" on her blog: <a href="http://thejellybeansofwriting.blogspot.com/2012/03/rising-book-1-resistance-review.html">Rising review at The Jelly Beans of Writing</a>Laura Josephsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04239501665574945313noreply@blogger.com6