My Blog has Moved!

I want to thank everyone who has come to visit my blog.  I have moved from BlogSpot.  Feel free to find me now at www.RebekahGaniere.com as well as:

Rebekah R. Ganiere - Books with a Bite

Dead Awakenings Now Available on Amazon & BN
website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Goodreads ~ Book Trailers

Google+ and Link'd in as well!

Have a great one!

Dead Awakenings

Dead Awakenings – By Rebekah R. Ganiere
Released January 3, 2014 from Etopia Press

Evaine, a struggling New York theater student, enters an unsanctioned drug trial to pay bills.  She wakes up in a derelict hospital, chained to a bed with no memory of who she is, or how she got there.  A band of pale skinned men, led by the gorgeous Luca, burst in, whisking her away to the safety of Haven House.
At Haven House, Evaine is introduced to The Family and told that due to the drug trials she has become a Deader, a reanimated Undead.
Luca is hell-bent on stopping the experimentations, and killing those responsible. He has no time for a Newborn who is struggling to control her rages, hunger, and powers. Nor does he have time to deal with the feelings she’s awakening within him.
Evaine and Luca find their connection intensifying when suddenly, she remembers not only who she is, but also her fiancé, Tristan; who is still looking for her.  Now Evaine is torn between her first love and her new heart’s desire.
By running back to Tristan she puts everyone in danger, and Luca suspects Evaine is the key to the experiments when a rogue faction of Deaders, called Feeders, attempt to kidnap her. Can everyone must band together to keep Evaine off the cutting table of those she escaped from? Or will second death tear her away from everyone, for good?

Now available on :
Amazon
Barnes And Noble
All Romance E-Books


I am happy to announce that Dead Awakenings has made it to the second round of Amazon's Breakthrough Novel Competition.  Wahoo!  I am trying to not get too excited, but they started out with 10,000 entries and they whittled it down to 2,000 entries and I am one of 400 entries in the Romance categories.  I will find out on March 12th if I make it to the semi finalists and they will read my entire manuscript.  I am really very excited.  I am hoping that I make it at least that far and I am able to have them read it from page one to the end.

I am currently on my way to the San Fransisco Writer's Conference to learn and make connections and pitch Dead Awakenings to agents.  I am nervous and excited at the same time.  This is a big step for me actually getting out of cyber space and getting into the real world meeting people.

The pitching is scary because it isn't an impersonal rejection letter from a faceless agent, it is a person a real person, who tells you to your face whether they are interested in seeing your manuscript, or no thanks. 

So wish me luck!

It's Been A While, No, I'm Not Undead Yet!

Hello everyone!  It has been a while since I have posted.  I only came to realize this a few days ago.  And I asked myself, "Why has it been over a month since you posted"?  And I thought about what I have been up to these last six weeks, and thought, "Well it isn't for lack of effort!"

So this is what I have been up to.  First off, I started a very intensive screenwriting program.  This program has been super intense and I have been working daily on the script.  It has been hard for me especially in the last 3 weeks because we have been working on the one thing I dread most.  Outlining.  I hate outlining.  I am a discovery writer.  I have an idea, I write it down with the main points, and then I go.  But in this class I am outlining every scene of my script. 

Second, I wrote a query letter for agents.  It has gone through a ton of revisions since I started it back in November.  And only yesterday I finished it to where I think it is good.  Not great, but good.  So I have been submitting my queries for the last six weeks.

Third, well, let's be honest, it was the holidays.  My kids had a break from homeschooling for 3 weeks, so I took advantage of that down time for the first time in my life.  I actually did nothing for two whole weeks but play WoW.  The other week was the week before Christmas and I worked frantically to finish Christmas presents.  Including 12 pairs of PJ pants, a dress, a skirt, a bag, an apron and goodies.

Lastly, I have been so focused on getting the query done, synopsis for Dead Awakenings done.  Working on a new idea I have for a book series, and fighting my carpal tunnel, that I just plain forgot.

But, I'm back and ready to move forward.

Happy New Year!

Eureka! Break Through!

So.  I have known, since I finished Dead Awakenings that I would be having a sequel.  However what I didn't have was a single solitary idea as to where I wanted it to go.  There are so many possibilities.  One character in particular had a Huge decision to make and I just didn't know which way I wanted them to go.  For months now I have been trying in vain to find some sort of storyline that would answer all the questions, and still allow one of the main characters to have at least resolution, if not a happy ending.

When I was speaking with a mentor about the fact that several different production companies wanted to see a script, he mentioned that I needed to at least have an outline for the second book, or it could cause me some problems down the line if I didn't.  So my search for a storyline when into overdrive.

After then speaking with a writing friend of mine she helped me figure out what questions had to be worked out and EUREKA!  I finally had an idea as to where to go with the sequel.

I can now say officially that the sequel to Dead Awakenings, Dead Reckoning (working title) is underway.

Thanx to all my fans for your support!

I did it! I finished my latest Novel!

So this novel I have been working on, and off, and on again, for the last two years.  I had all but the last 12,000 words written last year and then the weight of the book came crashing down on me as I realized I had 100,000 words and I was nowhere near finished with the story!

So about 6 months ago the thought hit me.  Why am I trying to cram everything into one book?  There is so much still to write that this should really be a pair of books.  Wahoo!  I was suddenly inspired to write about 4,000 more words.  And then it happened.  I got to the climax of the book and became so overwhelmed with wanting to get it perfect that I stalled out and couldn't move forward.

Then I started taking a Pro Screenwriting series from Hal Croasmun.  Hal said that you should write, even if it's crap. Write it without judging yourself for what you are writing.  Just get it down there. 

So this month, with it being National Write a Novel month, I was determined to finish the book.  And tonight, I did it!  Wahoo!  Throw a party!  I finished the last 8,000 words and completed the novel.

I am so proud of myself and totally excited!  And of course, now is the feeling of, okay now what do I work on?  But not to worry!  I have a ton of other projects to work on, and just as many to polish!

The Next Big Thing! Blog Hop

Hey everyone!  I was asked by author Jessica Thompson http://www.jannnovels.blogspot.com/  if I wanted to be in the Next Big Thing Blog Hop that was started on Good Reads.com.  So I thought it would be fun to do and to link to a few other great writer blogs out there.  I think it also gets me an opportunity to put a things on my blog about me and what I am up to right now, since I am so busy I haven't been able to post much.

What is the (working title) of your book? 
Dead Awakenings.

Where did the idea come from for the book? 
I had someone mention to me that they had never heard of a Zombie Romance before and I thought it was a totally disgusting idea.  But the idea wouldn't stay out of my head, till I came up with an idea.

What genre does your book fall under? 
Paranormal Romance, from what I am told.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition? 
Oooooh, that has been asked of me before and it is a toughy.  I have a look in my head, but not necessarily an actual actor.  For my heroine Evaine, Jessica Biel  would be awesome.  My daughter worked on a movie she directed a few years ago and she is an extremely nice person.  For Luca I love Michael Sheen and Karl Urban.  And for Tristan I see Steven R. McQueen.  He is such a cutie!

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book? 
When a college student enters a drug trial to pay the bills and awakens in a derelict hospital strapped to a bed, the last things she expects to be told is that she is a zombie.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
Originally I was going to self publish, but I have gotten so much positive feedback from my beta readers, that I am now going to try and get an agent.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
About a month, maybe less.  I wrote and wrote and wrote day in and day out until it was finished.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
I have been told it is like Twilight meets the Walking Dead.

Who or What inspired you to write this book?
My husband has always believed in me and my writing so he inspired me to write it.

What else about your book might pique the reader's interest?
This is a zombie romance.  Not sure what else to say besides that.  There isn't anything out there like it.  It is fun and sexy and I love it!
Hope that everyone has had fun with this post.  I think I am going to do it again in a couple of weeks with my book The Society and then again with a few others.

I am linking this to a few other great authors that I think you might enjoy as well!  Take care!

Laurisa White http://www.laurisawhitereyes.com/
Chana Keefer http://thepassionfields.com/

Screenwriters U - Proseries 42

So my husband signed my up with screenwritersu.com Proseries class for script writing.  And in the last 5 days I have been filled with amazing information from Hal Croasmun.

You may be wondering what the heck I am doing in a script class, but the truth is, I am trying to get my book into script format.

My husband took my Dead Awakenings book to several productions companies a few months back and they all wanted to see a script.  And now that I am completely done with edits and beta readers on the book and I am sending out query letters, I need to move on to the script.

I did a second draft of The Society this last two weeks and it is good.  Needs some world adjustments, but other than that I didn't find any major plot holes and I tightened up my characters.  So that one can wait while I work on my scripts.

At this time I have four scripts I want to write.  One I have to get done and three I would love to get done.  I know that taking this class is really going to help me fulfill that goal.

So, what to be on the watch for? Watch for more posts on the progress of the script as well as my upcoming need for Beta Readers for my book The Society.

Also, wish me luck in finding an agent :)

Happy All Hallows Eve!

Happy All Hallows Eve to all my friends and fans!  May your night be filled with Vampires, Werewolves and Zombies!

Here's a history lesson for everyone!

Ancient Origins of Halloween

Halloween's origins date back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-in). The Celts, who lived 2,000 years ago in the area that is now Ireland, the United Kingdom and northern France, celebrated their new year on November 1. This day marked the end of summer and the harvest and the beginning of the dark, cold winter, a time of year that was often associated with human death. Celts believed that on the night before the new year, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred. On the night of October 31 they celebrated Samhain, when it was believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth. In addition to causing trouble and damaging crops, Celts thought that the presence of the otherworldly spirits made it easier for the Druids, or Celtic priests, to make predictions about the future. For a people entirely dependent on the volatile natural world, these prophecies were an important source of comfort and direction during the long, dark winter.
To commemorate the event, Druids built huge sacred bonfires, where the people gathered to burn crops and animals as sacrifices to the Celtic deities. During the celebration, the Celts wore costumes, typically consisting of animal heads and skins, and attempted to tell each other's fortunes. When the celebration was over, they re-lit their hearth fires, which they had extinguished earlier that evening, from the sacred bonfire to help protect them during the coming winter.
By 43 A.D., the Roman Empire had conquered the majority of Celtic territory. In the course of the four hundred years that they ruled the Celtic lands, two festivals of Roman origin were combined with the traditional Celtic celebration of Samhain. The first was Feralia, a day in late October when the Romans traditionally commemorated the passing of the dead. The second was a day to honor Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit and trees. The symbol of Pomona is the apple and the incorporation of this celebration into Samhain probably explains the tradition of "bobbing" for apples that is practiced today on Halloween.
On May 13, 609 A.D., Pope Boniface IV dedicated the Pantheon in Rome in honor of all Christian martyrs, and the Catholic feast of All Martyrs Day was established in the Western church. Pope Gregory III (731–741) later expanded the festival to include all saints as well as all martyrs, and moved the observance from May 13 to November 1. By the 9th century the influence of Christianity had spread into Celtic lands, where it gradually blended with and supplanted the older Celtic rites. In 1000 A.D., the church would make November 2 All Souls' Day, a day to honor the dead. It is widely believed today that the church was attempting to replace the Celtic festival of the dead with a related, but church-sanctioned holiday. All Souls Day was celebrated similarly to Samhain, with big bonfires, parades, and dressing up in costumes as saints, angels and devils. The All Saints Day celebration was also called All-hallows or All-hallowmas (from Middle English Alholowmesse meaning All Saints' Day) and the night before it, the traditional night of Samhain in the Celtic religion, began to be called All-hallows Eve and, eventually, Halloween.

Halloween Comes to America

Celebration of Halloween was extremely limited in colonial New England because of the rigid Protestant belief systems there. Halloween was much more common in Maryland and the southern colonies. As the beliefs and customs of different European ethnic groups as well as the American Indians meshed, a distinctly American version of Halloween began to emerge. The first celebrations included "play parties," public events held to celebrate the harvest, where neighbors would share stories of the dead, tell each other's fortunes, dance and sing. Colonial Halloween festivities also featured the telling of ghost stories and mischief-making of all kinds. By the middle of the nineteenth century, annual autumn festivities were common, but Halloween was not yet celebrated everywhere in the country.
In the second half of the nineteenth century, America was flooded with new immigrants. These new immigrants, especially the millions of Irish fleeing Ireland's potato famine of 1846, helped to popularize the celebration of Halloween nationally. Taking from Irish and English traditions, Americans began to dress up in costumes and go house to house asking for food or money, a practice that eventually became today's "trick-or-treat" tradition. Young women believed that on Halloween they could divine the name or appearance of their future husband by doing tricks with yarn, apple parings or mirrors.
In the late 1800s, there was a move in America to mold Halloween into a holiday more about community and neighborly get-togethers than about ghosts, pranks and witchcraft. At the turn of the century, Halloween parties for both children and adults became the most common way to celebrate the day. Parties focused on games, foods of the season and festive costumes. Parents were encouraged by newspapers and community leaders to take anything "frightening" or "grotesque" out of Halloween celebrations. Because of these efforts, Halloween lost most of its superstitious and religious overtones by the beginning of the twentieth century.
By the 1920s and 1930s, Halloween had become a secular, but community-centered holiday, with parades and town-wide parties as the featured entertainment. Despite the best efforts of many schools and communities, vandalism began to plague Halloween celebrations in many communities during this time. By the 1950s, town leaders had successfully limited vandalism and Halloween had evolved into a holiday directed mainly at the young. Due to the high numbers of young children during the fifties baby boom, parties moved from town civic centers into the classroom or home, where they could be more easily accommodated. Between 1920 and 1950, the centuries-old practice of trick-or-treating was also revived. Trick-or-treating was a relatively inexpensive way for an entire community to share the Halloween celebration. In theory, families could also prevent tricks being played on them by providing the neighborhood children with small treats. A new American tradition was born, and it has continued to grow. Today, Americans spend an estimated $6 billion annually on Halloween, making it the country's second largest commercial holiday.

Today's Halloween Traditions

The American Halloween tradition of "trick-or-treating" probably dates back to the early All Souls' Day parades in England. During the festivities, poor citizens would beg for food and families would give them pastries called "soul cakes" in return for their promise to pray for the family's dead relatives. The distribution of soul cakes was encouraged by the church as a way to replace the ancient practice of leaving food and wine for roaming spirits. The practice, which was referred to as "going a-souling" was eventually taken up by children who would visit the houses in their neighborhood and be given ale, food, and money.
The tradition of dressing in costume for Halloween has both European and Celtic roots. Hundreds of years ago, winter was an uncertain and frightening time. Food supplies often ran low and, for the many people afraid of the dark, the short days of winter were full of constant worry. On Halloween, when it was believed that ghosts came back to the earthly world, people thought that they would encounter ghosts if they left their homes. To avoid being recognized by these ghosts, people would wear masks when they left their homes after dark so that the ghosts would mistake them for fellow spirits. On Halloween, to keep ghosts away from their houses, people would place bowls of food outside their homes to appease the ghosts and prevent them from attempting to enter.

Halloween Superstitions

Halloween has always been a holiday filled with mystery, magic and superstition. It began as a Celtic end-of-summer festival during which people felt especially close to deceased relatives and friends. For these friendly spirits, they set places at the dinner table, left treats on doorsteps and along the side of the road and lit candles to help loved ones find their way back to the spirit world. Today's Halloween ghosts are often depicted as more fearsome and malevolent, and our customs and superstitions are scarier too. We avoid crossing paths with black cats, afraid that they might bring us bad luck. This idea has its roots in the Middle Ages, when many people believed that witches avoided detection by turning themselves into cats. We try not to walk under ladders for the same reason. This superstition may have come from the ancient Egyptians, who believed that triangles were sacred; it also may have something to do with the fact that walking under a leaning ladder tends to be fairly unsafe. And around Halloween, especially, we try to avoid breaking mirrors, stepping on cracks in the road or spilling salt.
But what about the Halloween traditions and beliefs that today's trick-or-treaters have forgotten all about? Many of these obsolete rituals focused on the future instead of the past and the living instead of the dead. In particular, many had to do with helping young women identify their future husbands and reassuring them that they would someday—with luck, by next Halloween—be married. In 18th-century Ireland, a matchmaking cook might bury a ring in her mashed potatoes on Halloween night, hoping to bring true love to the diner who found it. In Scotland, fortune-tellers recommended that an eligible young woman name a hazelnut for each of her suitors and then toss the nuts into the fireplace. The nut that burned to ashes rather than popping or exploding, the story went, represented the girl's future husband. (In some versions of this legend, confusingly, the opposite was true: The nut that burned away symbolized a love that would not last.) Another tale had it that if a young woman ate a sugary concoction made out of walnuts, hazelnuts and nutmeg before bed on Halloween night she would dream about her future husband. Young women tossed apple-peels over their shoulders, hoping that the peels would fall on the floor in the shape of their future husbands' initials; tried to learn about their futures by peering at egg yolks floating in a bowl of water; and stood in front of mirrors in darkened rooms, holding candles and looking over their shoulders for their husbands' faces. Other rituals were more competitive. At some Halloween parties, the first guest to find a burr on a chestnut-hunt would be the first to marry; at others, the first successful apple-bobber would be the first down the aisle.
Of course, whether we're asking for romantic advice or trying to avoid seven years of bad luck, each one of these Halloween superstitions relies on the good will of the very same "spirits" whose presence the early Celts felt so keenly.

Should Men Read Paranormal Romance?

When I started reading Paranormal romance, I kept it to myself.  No way did I want people to think I was one of "those women" who read the steamy romance novels and fantasized about forbidden intimate encounters with strangers! 

But then I started to read books like Jennifer Ashley's Pride Mates, and Lara Adrian's Midnight Breed series.  And what I found was intense relationships between a monogamous couple and I was intrigued.  I found them to be intimate on a new level.  Not just in the bedroom, but also in the progression of their relationship with each other. 

So, naturally, I started writing Paranormal Romance.  As I did, I found that mine too centered around a monogamous couple, or at least a couple fighting to be together.  However, I also found that I am an action gal at heart.  I love Buffy the Vampire Slayer who kicks butt daily.  I love Selene in Underworld and Blade from the Blade Trilogy.  All butt kickers and action!  So my Paranormal Romances are coupled with lots of action.  Why?  Because quite honestly I cannot stand a slow book.  I like the books I read to have a purpose outside of the Romance.  Outside of our own relationships, there is always other stuff going on.  So I want there to be those outside influences in my books.  Ones that threaten to tear my couples apart, but through their love they are able to endure and become stronger for it.  Yes, I have taken that from my own relationship with my husband of 14 years.  We have gone through a lot of crap together in 14 years, but we are stronger for it as a couple.

Because of this I think my books will appeal not just to women but to men as well.  And yes I do believe men should read Paranormal Romance books.  Strange as it sounds.  So does Paul Goat Allen.

Yesterday he wrote an awesome article on Barnes and Noble.com about why men should read Paranormal Romance.  He talks specifically about Jennifer Ashley's books.  And I absolutely agree with him.  Here are three reasons he gives as to why men should read Paranormal Romance:

1. Believe in true, everlasting love. In this series, Shifters experience a mate bond with their lovers, a “magical binding between true mates” that is all encompassing – body and soul – and lasts until death.

2. Aspire to be the perfect catch. In Mate Claimed, Eric is described as “strong, powerful, gentle, and protective. The perfect catch.” These Shifter characters are obviously extraordinary physical specimens but the physical aspect is only part of it. They’re understanding, caring, supportive, and sensitive to their lover’s every need.

3. Find passion in your life. Ashley’s male Shifter leads are, above all else, passionate. Passionate about their lives, their families, their causes, and their lovers. At one point early on in Mate Claimed, Eric tells Iona: “When we make love, it will be like the world exploded.” Enough said.

Maybe I’m completely wrong about this but I firmly believe that men who regularly read paranormal romance will ultimately find themselves better off for it.

To see the full article go here:
http://bookclubs.barnesandnoble.com/t5/Explorations-The-BN-SciFi-and/The-Joy-of-Supernatural-Sex-Three-Reasons-Why-Men-Should-Read/ba-p/1397046

My hope is that millions of men will begin to read Paranormal Romance! 

Is Writing Your Business?

I have never really thought of writing as my job.  I am a mom, and have always seen that as my "job" and writing as my outlet. 

Because it is my outlet I have gone along for the last couple of years, writing when I feel like it, stopping when I don't.  Moving from project to project working here and there.  As a result, I have 3 finished novels, 1 half finished novel,  1 almost finished novel,  2 half finished screenplays,  1 finished short screenplay,  1 half finished web series and 10 not even begun novels.  All in all I think I have done a lot in the last three years.  But I am at the point where I feel I need to be doing more to finish my works and get them out there.

I recently came across a mini webseries called:
A Business Plan for Self-Published Authors by Denise Grover Swank
http://thewritersguidetoepublishing.com/a-business-plan-for-self-published-authors-part-one-of-a-three-part-series

This webseries has been a real eye opener to me.  I never once thought of actually sitting down and figuring out a Business Plan for me as a writer.  But Denise so nicely lays out what to do and where to get the information, that I am seriously considering writing a Business Plan for my writing.  Not just so I can have a goal of what I need to be focusing on, but so I can start taking my writing to the next level and get it from the "Outlet" point to the actual "profession" point.

I am still a mother first and foremost, but I also have come to the realization that I need to be a writer as well.  I have so many ideas, stories, characters and places running around in my head that are begging to be put down on paper, that I have to do them the justice of giving them life.

I am what I consider a creative type.  I am disorganized to the outside observer, flighty, moving from thing to thing and place to place often, eccentric, and loud.  But I need to also rein myself in and start to focus and get a plan together so I can get more finished on a yearly basis.

Hope the series helps you too!

Indie Book Covers

As you may have seen, from a few posts ago, we have been trying our hand at book covers for Dead Awakenings. I knew what I wanted, but it wasn't turning out quite the way I wanted, though I do graphic design myself. So my husband tried his hand at it. And even a friend of mine tried his hand at it. Turns out, it isn't as easy as I had hoped.

Though I like all the covers we have tried; and there is a new one I just finished that I haven't even shown anyone yet. I am not "Wowed" by any of them to the point of saying "YES! That's the one!"
So the book covers are still a work in progress.

I read that you should have a specific scene in your book that inspires the cover artist. That when you write you should keep your cover artist in mind and try and write something just for them. However, I have not really seen a Romance book that takes a scene from the book and puts it on the cover. Or many of the books I read, for that matter.

Look at Hunger Games, Twilight, House of Night, Black Dagger Brotherhood, Sookie Stackhouse, Night Circus, or any number of other books on my shelf, and I don't see a "scene" on the front of their books. They are dark, have the main characters on them, or some element from the book that is a great representation, but not a scene per say. So, I am not going for the scene feeling on the cover.

What I want it the face of my heroine from the book, yet I have not found the right one yet. I have an idea for one, but I am not sure how to achieve it.

I saw this article on the amazon boards and I thought it might be helpful to those trying to make their own cover. To me, it is great. It talks about tips and tricks to fine tune a cover once you have a basic idea as to what you want.

http://www.kindleboards.com/index.php/topic,127338.0.html#.UF31fV57MNM.facebook

This was really a helpful tutorial, even for someone like me that does Photoshop almost daily!
Thanx

How to Romance your Readers - Sex Scenes

Okay, Let me start off by saying I don't have sex scenes in my books.  I have tension building intimate scenes, but not full graphic sex scenes.  However, I found an article at:
http://www.savvyauthors.com/vb/content.php?2275-Perfect-Sex—Or-How-to-Romance-Your-Reader-by-Nina-Pierce

Perfect Sex - Or how to romance your reader, By Nina Pierce.  I thought the article was great.  Even if you aren't planning on writing a full sex scene, the notes on it are wonderful to help you remember what to do and what not to do in even just an intimate scene.

Use anatomy, not vague nonsensical pseudonyms for things that pull people out of the story.  Remember to use all of the senses.  And especially remember to use feelings.  All those elements will help pull people into the romance and believe it.  Also, there has to be vulnerability and walls broken down when scenes are played out between the main love interests.

Those items in the article, I found especially helpful!  I plan to keep this article on file so that I can refer to it often when reviewing my intimate moments between characters.  To make sure my romance is on the right track.

Thanx Nina Pierce for a great article!

Mock Covers for Dead Awakenings

As my book gets ready to go to Beta Readers this week, I have had a lot of suppose fly my way!  First my Beta Readers have been amazingly patient with me and so supportive of the work that is coming their way!

Next, my Awesome Husband and Champion has put up an Indiegogo campaign for me to try and raise the last bit of money we need to get some great editing done, and a professional cover made.
Here is the link:
http://www.indiegogo.com/DeadAwakenings?a=1117130

Next, my great friend and fellow writer Darin Calhoun, whose blog is located here:
http://darincalhoun.blogspot.com/

Made these great mock up book covers for me!  He is so awesome!

 

My husband made this awesome one for me:

 

All of them have inspired me to finish up the book and get it out there.  I have two face book pages.  One for all of my writings and one for just this book and Indiegogo campaign.

http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Dead-Awakenings/110181609134351

http://www.facebook.com/?ref=logo#!/pages/VampiresWerewolvesZombies-Writer-Rebekah-R-Ganiere/434504616594285

And here is my Twitter

https://twitter.com/VampWereZombie

Publishing a Novel is More than Just Writing

My husband and I have been talking a lot lately about where to get the money to finish up my book and get some great cover art.  As someone who judges a book by it's cover nine times out of ten, and being married to someone with Dyslexia who always looks at the cover first, we decided that we have to put our best foot forward by making sure the outside is as great as the inside.

My husband has been working on finding someone to do the artwork, while I have been working on finding an editor.  I have been leery about even letting my work go out to my Beta Readers without it going to an editor first.  However, I finally concluded that after seven revisions on Dead Awakenings, I am going to let it go to my Beta Readers first, then to the editor.

While looking on my Twitter account tonight I stumbled across a blog post that talked about this very thing.  I thought it put the idea of writing and publishing into great perspective.

The post called: You're not ready to invest, you're not ready to publish.  By April Hamilton.  April had some great points.  I am going to mention a few here:

Anyone who wants to launch a new business like a restaurant, widget manufacturer, accounting practice or pool service expects to invest a certain amount of start-up capital, both in terms of actual cash and sweat equity. Neither is dispensable. Yet plenty of would-be indie authors seem to think it's unfair for me, and even the book-buying public, to expect them to invest anything more than the sweat equity part of the equation. They expect the public to be able to look past a cut-rate cover, ignore the typos, bad grammar and the many other substantive flaws that can be eliminated by a good editor, and see the excellent story within.

Hopeful Olympians pay for quality equipment, coaching and travel. Hopeful artists pay for quality supplies, professional framing and gallery space. Hopeful filmmakers pay for quality cameras and professional editing, or at least time in a professional editing bay to do it themselves. The fact that it's much easier for a rich hopeful to afford the necessities of his craft or sport than it is for a poor one doesn't make those things any less NECESSARY for the poor hopeful.

I loved how April put those two paragraphs.  My husband owns a Production company and he had invested in an amazing camera and lights.  Next he is going to invest in sound equipment.  As a mother of children in the entertainment industry I know first hand how important it is to have the right equipment on set.  A poor camera equals poor quality on film.  Nothing can change that.  The best screenplay in the world can be ruined if the filming and editing are done poorly.

I know that as my husband needs the best equipment to work with, so that his films are the best quality.  So too do I need to have the best product I can make.  And that doesn't end when I have finished the story.  I need to be willing to put in the time, effort and money to make sure that my cover is great and my editing is impeccable.  

To read the entire blog post, please go to April's blog: 

http://aprillhamilton.blogspot.ca/2012/04/if-youre-not-ready-to-invest-youre-not.html

A Tale of two First Chapters

So, I finished my book, The Society, last year.  Which is a Dystopian Vampire Romance.  I have lots of love for that piece of work.  My leading male, is brooding, gorgeous and tortured.  My leading female is tough, sexy and powerful.  When I wrote it, I wanted the first chapter to be from the point of view of the leading male, Mason.  It involved Mason and a group of humans he is helping to gather supplies.  I liked the beginning.  I felt it really gave a good overview of what the world was like now.  So I decided to show it to a friend of mine.  Who, let's just say, didn't care for it.  He pointed out that Mason had to be a character that people liked and wanted to root for, and that chapter just didn't do that.

At first I was upset.  I thought the chapter did a great job of showing you who Mason is.  But as I pondered his words, I realized that I was seeing Mason through a "Creators" eyes.  I already knew Mason.  His back story, his loves, his fears, his vital stats.  Readers, don't.  I have to show readers all of those things about Mason, not just assume that they will already know them.

So I sat down and thought of ten new ways I could start the story.  One of them stuck out to me.  So I thought about it a bit, and decided to see what I could make out of the new idea.  I was pleasantly surprised by a few things.  First, I was able to show a lot more of the human world in this new first chapter, than was seen in the old one.  Second, I was able to develop something in Mason, that hadn't been seen before.  Compassion.  I was able to build into Mason's character a way for people to want to root for him.  Not just because he is the main character, but because of who he is.

As I look at the new first chapter, I am finding a new depth to Mason that wasn't there before.  Avenues of his personality and back story to be explored.  Also, I am finding new little subplots and conflicts that I will be able to use later on in the book to add those extra little dynamics needed to round out a story.

Amazing how one character can create so many endless possibilities!

Five Weak Words that Make Your Writing Less Effective

by Jeff Goins

http://goinswriter.com/weak-words/

 

I just read this article on his blog and it was a great article.  It identifies words that make your work weak and tells you why.  I must admit that I have used these words before.  Who hasn't?  But, I plan to go through my writing after my last edit and look specifically for these words as well as a couple more.  I know that I won't take out every single one of these, however, it will be fun to see how many times I use them and to see how many times I can replace them with something stronger.

 

Enjoy!

 

I can’t stand frail, weak writing. And neither can you.
You know when you’ve read content that compels you to do something that matters and when something bores you to tears. You may just not know exactly why.
And you need to be able to identify those words that weaken your writing so that you can stamp them out of your vocabulary.

 

Words are the lifeblood of your writing. They’re what you use to build credibility or diminish it.
Words matter. They’re what make your arguments more compelling, your prose stronger, and your craft more captivating.
Untrained writers can be careless with their words. It takes discipline to use these tools well.

Weak Words and How to Fix Them

Here are five lazy words that make your writing weaker and how to fix them:

“Stuff”

Stuff is a lazy word. Only use it sparingly when you’re intentionally trying to be informal.
Instead, use a more descriptive noun.

“Things”

Things is another lazy word. People often overuse it. While not always inappropriate, it also should be used on rare occasions.
Things is nondescript and can often be replaced with much better nouns, such as “reasons” or “elements” or “issues” and so on…

“Got”

Got is a terrible verb. It means “obtaining something” or can also be used as a helping verb like have. More often than not, got can usually go away.
Instead of saying “I got up”, say “I woke up.”
Instead of saying, “I got a baseball”, say, “I have a baseball” or “I found a baseball.”
Not only is got a lazy word; it is also vague. In the last sentence does “got” mean “found” or “have”?

“Was/Is/Are/Am”

Often people will say something like, “I was there” or “We were at the party.”
In these cases, the writers are using different versions of the verb to be when they could be employing better action words.
For example, you could instead say, “I stood silently in the kitchen” or “My wife and I arrived late to the party.”

“Went”

Went is like are. There are a hundred other verbs that you could exchange for went.
Instead of saying, “I went to the store,” you could say, “I walked to the store” or, “I drove my car to buy some groceries at the store.”
Went is a lame word — vague, boring, lackluster.
As are am, got, stuff, and things. Here are a few more words and phrases to use sparingly:

• very
• all
• important
• used to
• every
• never
• feel
• seem
• think
• often
• almost
• big
• small
• have got
• just

Stop using them in your writing.
Or at very least, think twice before whipping out a simplistic, overused word like are.
Words lose their meaning when we use them carelessly. Take your time, carefully considering how you will utilize the best words possible.
When you write, your copy wields great potential. Don’t squander it.

 

Book Review - Blood Rights (House of Commare Series) by Kristen Painter

Blood Rights by Kristen Painter was an interesting, yet frustrating read.  The world building and mythology behind the book were wonderful.  The invention of the blood slaves bought and owned by Vampires was intriguing.  I enjoyed the fact that the blood slaves were not mere donors who had no more skill then to be good in bed.  Painter did a great job at making them formidable fighters and quite intelligent as well.

I enjoyed the main male character Mal.  He was every part the brooding, lonely male Vampire in need of some companionship and understanding.  Outcast from his society because of his previous crimes, I found it an interesting twist that he is living on a ship in port, as opposed to a fallen into ruin house.  I also liked that he was not rich as King Midas.  Those two elements brought a very updated feeling to the story.  His desire for Chrysabelle and his torture for not feeling he deserved her, was genuine.  His not wanting to get involved as a means of self preservation, also genuine.  All in all, I like Mal.  He is the one I cared most about and wanted to see a happy ending for.

Chrysabelle is a decent female, though confusing at times by her words and behavior.  Torn between moving forward and wanting to go back, I found it hard to decide if I liked her or not.  At times she wants Mal to feed from her, and at others she says he sees he as just food.  She refuses to let go of her traditions, though she clearly wants to become her own person.  That worked in the first book.  It worked a bit in the second book.  But by the third book, all I could think was, "Come on now, move on!"

The villain Tatiana I thought was a good yet predictable character.  You don't find out till the end who she really is, but you see it coming hundreds of pages earlier.  She is selfish and self serving.  Goes through men like clothing, and thinks of no one but herself.  Sounds like most stereotypical Vampire women.

I must say.  I read the first three books in the series, thinking they were the only three books in the series.  They got a bit strange in the last two, with the love triangle not working well , in my opinion.  I read all three books, through the stripping off of Chryabelle's sacred symbols that make her blood pure, to her finding a way to get them put back on.  Through a ghost who is dead, but not dead when she wants to have sex with her shifter boyfriend.  A villain who loses but then becomes more powerful.  And backwater witches who manage to do an amazing magical feat, which they are truly not powerful enough to do, only so that I could see Chrysabelle and Mal do more than a little light kiss once and again.  To no avail.

I do understand wanting to write a complex relationship and draw out the "will they, won't they" factor as long as possible, to build the moment.  However, this book was listed in the Romance section of Amazon.  And in my opinion, it falls very flat on it's face.  There is little to no romance after the first book. 

So, my opinion is, the world building is great.  The curses and the abilities of the different Vampire houses were very cool and well thought out.  The first book was good enough to make me read more, but the books go down hill from there.  If you are looking for a romance, look somewhere else.  If you are looking for a new take on things, feel free to read this series.  For me, I won't be buying the fourth novel in the series, because frankly, I no longer care.

3 Great Self Editing Websites

So as I am on the 7th draft of my book Dead Awakenings.  I am focusing soley on the editing factor this time.  My great friend and fellow author Darin Calhoun, has turned me onto three websites that I find to be extremely helpful in editing.

1) Grammarly.com
Grammarly has been a wonderful and in depth website that has a myriad of things it will search your work for.  It gives you an explanation as to why you don't use that form, and examples as to how to fix it.  The great thing about grammarly is that you can also down load it and import it into microsoft word, so that you don't have to copy and paste your text into their website.

2) Editminion.com
Editminion is a very easy, free to use website that has no bells and whistles at all. But hey, it's free!  It looks for 8-10 major editing issues and gives you a log you can print out with all of the items needing to be corrected.  It also tells you your most used words.  In my 148,000 word book Dead Awakenings, it told me that I use the word "That" over a thousand times.  It is my most used word. Which I found to be quite comical!

3) Autocrit.com
This is my favorite website.  I think this website breaks everything down nicely and easily into sections, making it easier to focus on certain areas.  For instance, unlike Grammarly.com you can choose to skip over the adverb, section and look specifically at the ending in preposition section.  In Grammarly, it goes from the beginning of your writing to the end, skipping from one grammar rule to the next, instead of focusing on just one at a time.

All in all, these are great resources that I think would benefit any writer trying to get their manuscript the best they can before sending off for submission, or to a professional editor!

Cut it, or Create it the Dilemma!

My book Dead Awakenings has begun to generate a small amount of buzz with a few people in the entertainment industry.  Now before we all get too excited, it was just a few.  And they want to see a script.  Uh...yeah... Oh!  And did I mention they want to see it in the next thirty days?

So here I am sitting with my book, trying desperately to get it ready for Christmas publication, and now I have to switch gears completely and write a script.  But not just A script.  I have to write a feature film version as well as a TV series version, with a 5 year synopsis and at least the first 3 episodes written as well.  You know, nothing too major.

Anyway, so as I was sitting pondering these giant castles that I have to build.  I realized that when you adapt a novel in to a movie, you basically have to play the surgeon.  Nipping and tucking and cutting and stitching everything smaller an smaller to fit inside a beautiful 90-120 minute movie.

And when you write a TV series, you are a creator.  There is so much more time.  So you can take those smaller characters and write them their own stories.  Make them bigger, play with their lives more.  You can show more from the bad guys points of view.  Give them back story and real lives.  All those things that you leave out in a novel, you can now put in, in a TV series. 

So I find myself being sad, that I will have to be a surgeon, but excited at the prospect of being a creator!  And so now, I am off to work on outlining these two castles to try and bring them to life in the next 30 days! 

Pray for me!

It has Begun!

When I first heard the idea from a friend, four years ago, about a book premise that publishers said they were looking for, I was intrigued.  For days it sat in my mind, like a small flickering ember.  I tried and tried to blow on it and make it grow.  But it didn't work.  Finally I settled on just not letting it die out.

But after a couple of weeks, the embers still glowed and I got an idea.  I got a bit of kindling and sat it on top.  Those idea kindlings caught fire!  And the embers glowed brighter and brighter.  Before I knew it I had more ideas, and I placed the sticks ideas on the fire.  When those caught fire in my brain, I was hooked.

Log upon log I stacked on top of my now brightly burning idea, until I had a complete framework of ideas, strung together and burning brightly in my mind.  That framework became my book Dead Awakenings.

And now, four years later, I have taken that framework, structured it, pounded it, nailed it all together into a house surrounding my initial fire.

Yesterday I received my first Beta reader edit on my book.  It was scary, and amazing at the same time.  I received the review and quickly when through the grammatical problems, noting where I had missed a word, misspelled a word (cringe) or had other problems, and thought, Great!  I made it through!

Then came the plot analysis and character analysis session, and it seems that there are a few leaks in my roof, but my foundation is solid and the walls are still intact! 

So onward and upward I go!  Now to patch up the leaks and furnish my house a bit better, making it as grand and glorious as possible before I set it in the hands of my next group of Beta Readers!

A special Thanx To author Darin Calhoun, who has been my first set of eyes on my novel!
www.DarinCalhoun.blogspot.com