Friday, April 26, 2013

Introducing Tucker University: a Story of SWAG FAIL

Gah!

So, in my exteme excitement over my upcoming trip to RT in Kansas City, I've invested about sixty times more in swag than I'll earn with my first advance (that might be an exaggeration, but not by too much). 

I decided that I needed book marks, but not just plain book marks, I had to put tassels on them.  You know, so people will maybe spend an extra half second deciding to throw them out.

I also made the very cool Book Thongs, which I showed you the other day.  Those are actually pretty fun to make, and my poor arthritic hands are only mildly crippled right now. Okay, actually, I didn't realize my hands are arthritic until I'd made fifty of those summbiches, but still. Only mildly crippled, and I do have a prescription for dicolfenac.

I wanted something to showcase my book, Deadly Chemistry. But I don't have a cover yet.

So, hey! I thought I'd make something up that pokes fun at the setting: the prestigious, albeit fictional Tucker University, in Tucker, Kentucky.  The mascot is the Trojan.

I am incredibly proud of myself for being so darned clever. Hopefully not quite so clever that noone else gets the joke here.

So what's the problem, you might ask? It might be a little fuzzy, and granted...the writing is TINY...but I misspelled my own fake name there at the bottom!  I left off the "e" at the end of "Ann."

GAH!

My favorite daughter's suggestions was to fix it with a sharpie, but I'm thinking that might look just a little cheesey...
Then she suggested I just change the name of my website. Which led to a long boring explanation of domain names and how I've already sent TeriAnne not Teriann to Entangled, and...yeah, she tuned me out, too.

But then Thelma (I'm Louise. Or vice versa. Anyway, Jessica Lemmon, with whom I'm travelling, in a convertible, to RT), suggested that I buy that name and redirect it to the right spelled one.

*Sigh*

Okay, let's make that sixty times more $ than the advance sixty-one times more...

 
 

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

We'll be Comin' Around With Swag, When we Come...

Sorry for the title. Long day.

They Seymour Agency is hosting a Shooting Stars Author Gala at the Romantic Times convention next week, and me, myself, and I are (am?) hosting a table. There are going to be all kinds of fun things going on...games, prizes, alcohol, chocolate, and probably a free book or six.

Each author is bringing a goody basket to award to some lucky attendee, and since my book is so far off  that I don't have a cover yet, my theme is going to be "How I got here." Aptly titled, "

Results Not Typical: 
The Teri Anne Stanley guide to starting a novel, selling it, signing with an agent, (and gaining an extra ten pounds) and THEN finishing that novel, in ninety days or less. 

I'll probably post the whole clever little thingy I wrote to go with it here eventually, but for now, here's a picture:

Yeah, I know you can't really see what's there...I think maybe I over-emphasized the labels, relative to the actual "stuff". But they're so CLEVER. Let me tell you some of what's in it:
A gift certificate for a workshop from Savvy Authors
A bottle of some sort of liquid that may or may not contain alcohol
Lots of little notebooks so you never have an excuse to not write down your thoughts. 
An official TeriAnneStanley coffee mug (can I just tell you how much I love free stuff from Vista Print?)
Some do-hickeys and thing-a-majigs (AKA swag--you know, like bookmarks and stuff)
Some official NaNoWriMo pencils. 
And some other cool stuff. You'll just have to stop by, if you can, and check it out!

Meanwhile, I've also been putting together stuff that I hope people will at least look at before they throw it out. And heck. Even if it gets pitched and no one remembers my name? At least I had something to work on this week so that I don't chew off my fingernails in anticipation of this trip! 

Behold: Teri Anne Stanley Book Thongs!

What are book thongs? They're pretty book marks made of ribbons and beads. And I made them. My favorite daughter helped. 

I've also got buttons coming. They're fun and clever, too, but I'm not showing them to you yet, because, you know, I don't actually have them in hand. 

Okay, back to Camp NaNoWriMo!





Thursday, April 18, 2013

A Writer's Blueprint: Guest Post by Ana Kenley

Happy Thursday!

I am delighted that another of the Dangerous Divas (my Savvy Authors NaNoWriMo team) is here to offer up another perspective on "what works for us".

I kind of think that one of the drawbacks of social media is that there are SO MANY choices when it comes to getting advice on how to write. But that is also one of the most awesomest things, too...there are blogs and websites and e-books and everything else out there...so if what you're doing isn't working, go find something else to try.

But at the end of the day, it's all about the BICHOK (Butt In Chair, Hands On Keyboard), isn't it?

Thanks for being here today, Ana!  
 
A Writer’s Blueprint
By Ana Kenley

I wish being a writer came with a manual, or a blueprint, or instructions—anything that made being a writer easier. Unfortunately, there’s tons of workshops, worksheets, systems and software, that sometimes it’s hard to figure out what might work for you.

For me, I got so caught up in the process of writing that I wasn’t even really writing. So I had to take a long look at what was actually working and what wasn’t. Filling out character profiles isn’t for me. I get frustrated if I can’t answer what my heroine’s favorite flavor of ice cream is, and then I wonder how well I know her… because if I really knew her, I’d know she loves strawberry. And if I was able to complete the ten page profile, by the time I finished the plot outline I no longer wanted to write the book.

I didn’t need any more classes or worksheets, but to be accountable. I needed something—or someone—to answer to. So I began a mentorship. I’m getting my writing done, I’m going to be submitting it, and I’m learning as I go. It’s what works for me, but it might not work for you.

We all have things that work for us and things that don’t. Don’t get bogged down by the things that don’t work. Cut them out and use what is useful to you. There’s no right or wrong way and there’s no quick fix software out there. The only writer’s blueprint that will ever exist is to “sit butt in chair and write—or type”.

Ana Kenley is a young adult author who has recently completed her first novel, Forbidden. Ana is a member of Romance Writers of America and Savvy Authors, where she volunteers her time and co-writes a new monthly blog featuring industry professionals. You can find her at www.anakenley.com, on Twitter @authorana, and on Facebook.

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Lippincott's, Page 99


 

Amidst all the chaos and WTFery of the past 24 hours, I've seen a lot of Facebook posts about the awesome things that people do in response to terrible shit. Between the terrible shit and the politicizing, there is Mr. Rogers, reminding us to look for the helpers.

My friend Erin is a first year med student, and she entered this poem in a contest (which she won)Yay, Erin!. I am sooo proud to know you.
Anyway, this speaks to me about why doctors, nurses, and first responders do what they do:

Lippincott’s, Page 99
By Erin Armao

 
Question 5: A 4-month old infant is seen by the pediatrician
He was born on a Wednesday, three days after Christmas. His mother said he was her best present.
 
for failure to thrive.  Examination shows distinct hepatosplenomegaly.
He was just starting to smile, especially when his daddy blew raspberries on his belly.
 
Lab results show elevated transaminases and bilirubin,
Out of nowhere he was sick- so sick.  His sister gave him her favorite teddy bear
 
suggestive of liver failure. 
so he wouldn’t be lonely in his hospital crib.
 
The boy dies shortly thereafter
And then, suddenly, he was gone.
 
and upon autopsy, precipitated carbohydrate was found in the liver.
After a while they lifted him-still and pale and impossibly small- from his mother’s arms.
 
The boy most likely had a mutation in which of the following enzymes?
 
 
A:
His name was Jacob.
 

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Guest Post: Anne Lange and The Making of a Great Team

Happy Thursday! 
It's rainly and...WARM here (woo! spring! finally!)...a great day to sleep late, snuggle on the couch, and get some writing done. Which is why I'm here at my desk at the lab after a delightful 75 minute commute (all of 17 miles. DELIGHTFUL 75 min. commute), ready to take on the world. After a couple more glugs of coffee.

ANYWAY.

My friend Anne, co-Dangerous Diva, is here to offer her perspective on teamwork and NaNoWriMo.
YAY!

*applause sign lit*

Thanks for being here, Anne!  

The Making of a Great Team, by Anne Lange

As writers, many of us struggle with finding the time to actually write new words each and every day. Because like anything, it takes practice, and it takes discipline.   

I’ve been writing for about three years, and taking workshops through Savvy Authors for almost as long. Until last fall, I never really gave NaNo much thought.  National Novel Writing Month (people shorten it to NaNo) brings people from all over the world participate in a global writing event each November. Many groups, such as Savvy Authors, offer their version of NaNo in both the fall and the spring.  They commit time and focus to their particular writing project—to write new words, no editing—for 30 days.

Because I’m still struggling at finding my rhythm, I thought this might be just what I needed to force myself into the habit of writing every single day.  The thing I liked about this particular event, with this particular group, was the team work, the encouragement, and the camaraderie.  Everybody cheers you on.  There are daily goals, group sprints, challenges, and friendly bantering.  The people at Savvy make it FUN.

Unfortunately, some teams don’t always work well together, or they simply fall apart for a variety of reasons.  I was on the team Dangerous Divas. There were five of us. We didn’t have this problem.  We clicked. We supported each other from day one, both on and off the official loop. We talked daily, providing encouragement and advice, keeping each other motivated. We’ve never met face-to-face. We don’t even live anywhere near each other.  We write different genres.  But we clicked. And because of that, we’ve been successful, both individually and as a team. 

We all completed that first event together last November. In 30 days, we completed rough drafts of a novel. Thirty days, over 50,000 words each.  Wow.  For me, I proved to myself that I could do it. Depending on the length of my story, my daily goal will change, but the point is, it doesn’t have to take 2 or 3 years to write that novel. It can be done in a month—if you’re disciplined.

Since then, the Divas have kept in touch.  We still talk, even just reaching out to say hi. We still offer words of encouragement and advice. And when the April Boot Camp with Savvy came up, we didn’t even hesitate to come together, as a team, once again.   At the end of Week 1, the Diva’s surpassed a total of 40,000 words. 

This time, I’m working on the second book in a series. I completed the first book during the November event.  That story is out on submission.

My current release, Worth the Risk, I actually contracted just before we started the Entangled Smackdown last November, and I was smack in the middle of formal edits while I was also writing that new book.  But I still managed to do it. I’m so proud to say I’m part of this team; I couldn’t have done it without them.

Blurb


Even the hottest sex might not be enough to ease the pain of the past…

Molly Simpson arrives at a beautiful provincial park, ready to spend the May Two-Four holiday camping with friends. This weekend is the highlight of her year—or it was, until Tanner Daivies showed up. Her high school crush is all grown up, sexy as sin, and he’s demanding answers—answers Molly isn’t sure she can give him. She had her reasons for leaving him all those years ago, but now, sex with Tanner is scorching, and when they’re together, it’s clear they were never meant to be apart. But the past doesn’t want to stay buried, and Molly isn’t sure reliving it is worth the risk…


 

Author BIO


Anne Lange grew up with a love of reading. In fact, if you take a close look, she’s got a book with her where ever she goes, and will usually sneak in at least a chapter or ten whenever she can spare a few minutes. She reads many genres of fiction, but prefers to write sexy romance with attractive men, strong females, and always a happily ever after.

While embarking on a career as a romance author, Anne juggles a full time job and a family. She grew up in Southern Ontario (Canada), but now makes her home in Eastern Ontario where she lives with her husband and three children, and Rocky the bearded dragon.

Buy Links


To purchase Worth the Risk:

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

All Romance Ebooks

Kobo

Connect with the Author


To connect with Anne:

Web Page/Blog

Facebook Author Page


 


Goodreads

Pinterest:


 

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Come Visit Me!

Hi!

*waves*

While I struggle to get my daily April Camp NaNo word count out, I am even farther behind on my blogging...but I did make time to visit a friend.  Come see me here:

Anne Lange

And then in a few days, come back and see Ann, here! 

Thursday, April 4, 2013

Bike Week on My Kindle

Street Bikes and Motorcycles  612215 480x320 jpg

What? You don't think Jax Teller would be caught dead on that bike?  Okay, me neither, but it's kind of sweet, isn't it? 

I'm knee deep in the climactic, OMG part of Kristen Ashley's newest release, Own The Wind . I love me some KA...it's like fiction crack. Or maybe meth, since this one's about bikers, LOL.  Shy and Tab are awesome, and I love to see how Tyra and Tack from Motorcycle Man are such an important part of this story. 

Own the Wind is the first in a new series about the Chaos Motorcycle Club...your basic anti-hero type guys--bad boys who are good underneath it all. Woot!

And then I realized that next up on my TBR list is Hell on Wheels by Julie Ann Walker . Which is the first of another biker club series, except her guys are secret under cover special force spy guys.  So good guys who pretend to be bad?

I'm looking forward to reading this series with trepidation, because, you know, I do have some work to do. Can't be getting too sucked in to all this reading crap. Sheesh.

Okay, I have to go. I need to find my leather jacket.

Monday, April 1, 2013

And it's Not Even November!

Hey...did you know that it's NaNoWriMo again? 

Okay, not really...more like Camp NaNoWriMo .



How fun is this?  Well, it's more fun than dental work, anyway.

Camp NaNo is much more laid back than the November version. There is no guy with a stopwatch standing there measuring your word count (and yeah, that metaphor is totally screwed up, but it's Monday, people). 

I signed up to NaNo with my teammates from last November's Savvy Authors Smackdown Bootcamp.  Or Bootcamp Smackdown.  Whatevs.

Anyway.

We are the Dangerous Divas, and we're teamed up again to compete with other teams of Savvy Authors for points, which we get from participating in chatroom/write-ins, word count, and so forth. 

We were compete strangers last fall, but we've kept in touch and become friends. We're at different places in our writing careers...two of us are published, two of us are pre-published, and I am...somewhere in that gray zone, which I'll call "almost published."

I guess you could call me a NaNoWriMo success story, huh?  It's the project that I wrote last fall that got me "the call" from Entangled in January, which led to finding an agent, and needing an Author site on Facebook.  Proof that if you get in there and get to work, and ignore the internal editor that tells you that you suck, you can do it! 

Okay, that's all for today.  I'm trying to blackmail the rest of the Dangerous Diva's into coming here and doing guest posts through out the month of April...if I don't get volunteers, I may start publishing their email addresses here so you you can spam them into showing up...