What a Wonderful Thing

Happy Monday, everyone! As most of you know, yesterday was my birthday. Because of all the outpouring of wishes on my Facebook timeline, I have a few things to say today. So, sit back, relax, and grab a cup of Jo.

Please keep in mind this has nothing to do with the feels I had at home. My family and my work are two separate beasts, and one does not negate or overshadow the other. These are just some thoughts I had about my work community that I'd like to share.

Why?

Because good things seem so rare right now. With all the crap pouring out of the media, I'm bringing a little bit of balance. Ready? Let's go!

When I checked my e-mail yesterday, I saw a number of notifications about posts on my Facebook timeline. So, I clicked over to tell each person thank you. If they took the time to tell me HBD, I was going to take the time to thank each and every one of them personally.

As I'm clicking "like" and dropping comments, I realized I've hugged or shaken the hand of nearly every person who posted. It was staggering to know that, not only have I met most of those people, I've helped nearly every one of them in some way or another.

It humbled me.

I'm so proud of the people I know who've done so many wonderful things. I feel blessed to be a tiiiiny part of whatever they've accomplished.

But, more than that, I can call these people more than acquaintances. They aren't generic faces in a sea of people. That makes me positively giddy. In just three years, I've met so many amazing people!

For those of you I don't know personally (we've either never had a chat or I've not met you in person), I invite you to say hello and strike up a conversation (if I don't make it to you first). I want to know about you!

So, thank you to everyone who wished me a happy birthday yesterday. I'm so grateful to have you all in my life. What a wonderful thing to have such a vibrant tribe (there is no such thing as a tribe of one). I wouldn't bother doing all that I do if not for you guys.

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

New Release - Deceive by Raine Thomas

Happy Friday, good people of the blogosphere! Today, I have a new release for you all from Ms. Raine Thomas. Sit back, relax, and get those clicking fingers ready because here we gooooo!

Cover Artist: Mae I Design

Synopsis

When the elders imprisoned Metis, they took every precaution to protect the Estilorian plane against her evil.

It wasn’t enough.

Now she’s escaped, and no one is safe. Fueled by hatred, she wastes no time imposing vengeance on those who captured her. She knows the surest way to destroy their lives is by taking what they love most, and she begins with a child named Eden.

Years later, Eden remembers none of her former life. She serves her “Master,” unaware of the family still searching for her. But as her eighteenth birthday approaches, memories begin to surface, and she questions her circumstances for the first time.

Eden’s confusion mounts when she’s joined by Connor, a handsome Elphresti male who reveals things that shatter her reality. They’ll end up on the run, knowing they can trust only each other. After all, Metis will stop at nothing to get them back, and she thrives on her ability to deceive.

Buy Links

Amazon | Amazon UK | Amazon Canada

About the Author

Raine Thomas is the award-winning author of bestselling Young Adult and New Adult fiction. Known for character-driven stories that inspire the imagination, Raine recently signed with multiple award-winning producer Chase Chenowith of Back Fence Productions to bring her popular Daughters of Saraqael trilogy to the big screen. She's a proud indie author who is living the dream. When she isn't writing or glued to e-mail or social networking sites, Raine can usually be found vacationing with her husband and daughter on one of Florida's beautiful beaches or crossing the border to visit with her Canadian friends and relatives.

Author Links 

Twitter | Facebook | Amazon Author Page | Pinterest
Tumblr | Instagram | YouTube | Goodreads | Linkedin | Tsu

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The child laughed and nodded, making her blonde curls bob. Hatred burned bright and hot in Metis’ chest as she watched the interaction. While she had been imprisoned, the Mercesti elder had been living a life of pleasure with his avowed…the Kynzesti female named Tate. They and their companions had robbed Metis of thirteen years of her existence.

They didn’t deserve the family they had made. They didn’t deserve happiness.

She was determined to take it from them.

Zachariah’s gaze suddenly shifted to the tree where she stood. Metis darted out of sight and stood absolutely still. She had to force herself not to flee and reveal herself. Fear had her heart thudding in her chest.

Her own reaction infuriated her. He would not hold that kind of sway over her, she silently vowed.

Soon enough, he would be the one who was terrified.

“Daddy, that’s not fair!”

Metis dared another glance and watched the boy, Ryder, rush back and tug on his father’s tank top. She was relieved when Zachariah’s attention turned from her position.

“Eden should be with Mommy,” the boy said, glaring at his sister. “She’s inta-ruptin’ you too!”

“Enough, Ryder.” Zachariah lowered Eden to the ground, brushing his hand absently over her hair in a way that confirmed to Metis that he held affection for her. “Take your sister with you. Uncle Tiege will keep an eye on you both until I finally finish this bloody conversation.”

Ryder’s eyes widened. “You’re not s’posed to say bloody, Daddy. I’m tellin’ Mommy.”

Metis didn’t hear Zachariah’s response. She was too focused on the smaller female, who had apparently lost interest in the conversation. The child bent down and picked up the wooden sword that was nearly the same size as she was, gave it a curious look, then tossed it back to the ground. As Derian wisely bent

to pick up the sword to keep it out of reach, the girl skipped away.

Right to Metis.

In an instant, Metis’ plans changed. She realized that she didn’t have to kill the Mercesti elder to get her revenge. During her imprisonment, she had learned about the sentiment Estilorians harbored for each other. She had learned how to use that kind of useless emotion to manipulate her captors and escape.

She knew she could take something from Zachariah. Something that would hurt just as much as peeling his flesh or ripping out his heart.

Maybe even more.

Just as Derian started after the child, Metis stepped out from behind the tree. She was watching the little girl, but registered that the Mercesti commander hesitated. The child’s gaze lifted to Metis as she stopped in front of her. She started to smile as Metis reached for her, but then her expression froze. Realizing the child sensed danger, Metis acted quickly, grabbing her before she could run.

“Eden!”

Zachariah’s desperate cry had all activity in the area ceasing. Metis met his gaze an instant before she teleported with the screaming child in her grasp, and she knew she had been right. It was the Mercesti elder who was now terrified.

He knew he would never see his little girl again.

What do you think? Will you check it out?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Men vs Women - Author's Voice

Happy Thursday, and welcome to another writing tips post, everyone! Today, we're talking about your author voice and how it translates to the reader vs how you want it to translate. Ready? Grab those pens and notebooks and let's get going!

How about a slice of truth to start us off?

If you're a female, chances are very good that, no matter how hard you try, you'll sound like a female when you write (even if from a male POV). Same goes for you males.

While there are authors who've managed to pull off writing as the opposite sex, I'm positive their editor made a huge difference. If that editor was male and the voice in the book was male, he likely told the author that a man/boy would never think/say/do "this." Likewise for the male writing as a female, using a female editor.

So how can we, as writers, fix it?

Let's go into the male writing as a female first:

Women are emotionally driven creatures. We cry, we care, and we talk about our personal lives a lot. When we talk, we generally use softer words like "would you mind" and "what do you think about this." We're often unsure about what we say or how it will come off to other people (we care about what you hear), and we don't like to hurt feelings or be crass.

Our thought process leans toward our families or responsibilities when we're in peril, and most of us aren't as highly competitive as men. To get us interested, you have to put out a ton of feeling and market to our gentle, helpful, feminine side. We also love to be empowered.

Now, women writing as men:

Men are action and solution driven creatures. If there's no clear goal, and the character isn't fighting toward something they can achieve against all odds, men won't identify. They use clear, demanding speech, that tends to lean toward sarcasm and "taboo" topics. They don't talk about personal things, and they generally prefer confrontation to descriptive floweriness.

Their thought process leans toward the thrill of the moment, and most of them desire to win. To get them interested, you have to market to their competitive, thrill-seeking side.

How do you get to know a woman's thought process? Spend time talking with them, asking questions, and paying attention to how they interact with their peers. Same goes for how to get into a man's head. You have to really immerse yourself in the gender if you want to be believable.

Go now and take a look at ads geared toward women, and then look at some geared toward men. See any difference? That's what connecting with a gender is all about. Books work the exact same way.

If you're a non-fiction writer, you may need to create two separate books; one that uses language women want, and one that appeals to men.

Male readers consume only 20% of the literary fiction read today. Know what that means? Right! Women are left with a whopping 80% of the pie.

Wow.

So what do the other 80% of men read? Sci-Fi, History, and Political. Certainly food for thought.

Have you stepped into the shoes of the opposite gender? How did it work out for you?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Book Review - Never Forgotten

Happy Wednesday, everyone! I have a book review for you today. *grin* This title will go into the 2014 Time for Books Review Team pool (I'm finally up to 14 reviews this year). If you haven't been over there to check out the reviews these awesome ladies and gents have read, you gotta check it out. With today's book, it'll make 340. I'm blown away by their commitment. Here are the bloggers involved:

Me (obviously)
Kelly Risser
Ashley Simpson
Maria Pease
Elizabeth Newton
K. J. Farnham
David Rose
Tia Bach
Ren Reidy
Beth and Tiffany
Samantha
Ashley Bodette
Rachel Barnard
Karen Metcalf
Autumn Nauling

Be sure and check them out. Great reviewers up there!

Let's get on to the book on the table for review today.

Title: Never Forgotten (Never Forgotten Book 1)
Author: Kelly Risser
Genre: Young Adult Paranormal Romance
Length (print): 314 pages
Buy link: Amazon Kindle FREE

Blurb:
How can one day go so very wrong? One minute Meara Quinn is making plans for how she will spend the Summer before her senior year and the next she's finding out that her mother's cancer has returned and they are moving away from the only home she's ever known.

Now every day is a struggle as Meara is trying to cope with her mother's illness, being forced to move to another country to live with grandparents—whom she thought disowned her mother—and having weird visions of a father who was absent her entire life. Top it all off with one whopping secret that everyone seems bent on keeping from her, and Meara has the perfect ingredients for a major melt down.

The only things keeping her from coming unglued are some new friends and Evan—the son of her mother's childhood friend—who seems to know Meara almost better than she knows herself.

Together with Evan and her friends, Meara embarks on a new journey to unlock the secrets that will not only tell Meara who she is, but what she is.

***Will not appear in review elsewhere. You all know what a book cover lover I am. This one speaks so much to what's inside. That lighthouse provides a turning point for the main character, and the softness screams inner turmoil. I love the font, love the boldness of the text, and appreciate the author's name being a definitive part of the overall design. Nicely done.***

Moving on to the review!

I grabbed this book a couple of weeks ago on Amazon and dove right in. I've never read a book that dealt with sea creatures, and I was super intrigued. I liked that the author based the tale on well-known myths, and I learned about some new things I'd never heard of. Anyway, let's get to the juicy stuff.

From a Reader's Perspective:
Character wise, I liked Meara. I thought she and her mother had a beautiful bond going on, and every time something horrid would happen, I held my breath as I waited to see if it would be "the" moment. I found myself torn between relief and exasperation several times because I wanted the story to move forward at the same time I wanted the mother to survive just a little longer. Pacing was steady, but slow. It's like a simmer that never reaches the boil it's threatening. When the big moments were happening, I wanted more emotion from Meara. I'm intrigued by her father, her aunts, and the guys at the club. All the members of the family seem to have a lot of mystery surrounding them.

There's one place where Meara is getting a pedicure, but I knew she was self-conscious of her feet, and I wondered if that was something she'd do. Seemed out of character.

Plot wise, it was most excellent. I could clearly see the main character experience change from page one to the end. She started out as a shy girl who didn't take risks ever. By the end, she was still scared, but willing to take a leap of faith to discover herself.

If you're looking for answers to any of the mysteries of the family, you won't find them in this series starter. It's more of the day to day life of Meara as her future hangs in the balance. Like I said before, the pace is slow, but it seems more about discovery and raising the questions to be answered in later books.

Yes, there's a cliffhanger, and I want to read book two so I can have some answers. Luckily, all three books in the series are already out.

From an Editor's Perspective:
It needs a proofreader with a really good eye. There are a number of misused words, and some repetitive scenes that would be cleaned up with one more run through. Example: She caught herself, and her checks grew red. Other than those, it was clean on the pronouns, punctuation, and structure.

Rating:
1 Star for giving me a mother/daughter relationship I loved
1 Star for plot and a growing MC
1 Star for introducing me to new myths and making me want more
-1 Star for pacing and never quite hitting full boil
.5 Star for editing
-.5 Star for editing
Overall, 3.5 out of 5 stars. I round up when clicking stars, so this book will get a 4. Recommended if you enjoy a book that takes its time and leaves you wanting more.

What do you think? Have you read it? Plan to?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Avoiding the Backstory Infodump by Using Layers

Happy Tuesday, good people of the blogosphere! Today, we're talking about backstory. Every character has one, but no one wants it shoved in their face in huge chunks. I'll be giving you some ways to work the yummy goodness in as your story progresses so you can avoid the dreaded infodump. Ready? Grab those pens and notebooks and let's get going!

#1: Throw out tidbits in dialogue

This one can be fun. Say you have two characters arguing. One friend screams at the main character about an embarrassing or revealing thing that happened in the past that shaped the MC's personality. Boom. Backstory. One character can also be talking to another and reveal something about the MC's past to explain why he/she reacted the way they did in a situation. There's no need for a whole conversation about it; just throw things in here or there.

#2: First person thoughts

I have an excellent example of this one! In Fractured Glass Kelly Risser lets Sloan remember a time when she and Diego rode an amusement park ride and he yakked afterward. This reveal came when he groaned through her earpiece after she flipped around and around, and she needed to recall his motion sickness issue. It flowed right into the story, but gave the reader a better understanding of Diego.

#3: Memories

This one can be a bit tricky. Some people go into memories as a whole separate scene, but they don't have to be set apart. You can add a snatch of them here and there like sprinkles, rather than dredging the entire cupcake and leaving the reader with a mouth full of pasty yuck. When the character sees a rose, he/she can have three lines of memory that recalls the funeral of a good friend. Don't get bogged down in details.

#4: Third person narrative

While it isn't the best way to work in a lot of drama, you can have the narrator recall a situation where the MC changed or did something amazing/horrid. "This one time, at band camp, Harry and Joe..." You get my point.

#5: Long flashbacks or dreams

This is where you cut out a chunk of story and lend it to the character's drama. It becomes a whole separate scene in the chapter where you go into feelings, who, what, when, and where. Long flashbacks should be used sparingly (italics are hard on the eyes). If in a dream sequence, try offsetting it with asterisks rather than setting in italics. Be sure you're setting time and space in there somewhere so you don't lose the reader.

#6: Paperwork

Exactly what it says. Maybe the character finds an old newspaper article stuffed in a photo album that was locked in a trunk in the attic for fifty years. Perhaps it's birth certificates. If you're V. C. Andrews, it would most certainly be the latter, and the document revealing Mom and Dad as brother and sister won't be discovered by the child until the last page of the last book. Yikes.

Something important to remember: Don't use these items until your story has been well established. Readers need some mystery as they dive into the prose, and most don't want to be dumped on early in the novel. When there's nothing left to discover, why keep reading?

I hope you found these tips useful.

Any you hadn't thought of?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

A Daily Cup of Jo - Veteran Interview with Elizabeth Kirke

Happy Monday, everyone! Today's post will be short and sweet because we're officially kicking off the radio show (and I'm super nervous and unable to think right now). Ha!

You'll remember my guest, Elizabeth Kirke, from the interview I did with her a while back (find it here).

Jump on over and join in at 10am EST! You can find us here. We'll open the floor to questions the last five minutes of air time.

If you miss it live, you can always listen to it later via the same link. I hope you enjoy it!

What do you think? Did you listen?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

13 Rules for Stronger Writing

Happy Friday, everyone! Wow, it's the weekend already. I feel like I've missed out on a couple of days in here somehow. Anywho, today is all about making your writing stronger. I have thirteen tips that'll help you keep your writing flowing. Ready? Awesome. Grab those pens and notebooks and let's get going!

No dallying today. Right into it. When examples are given, what you shouldn't do will be in red, what you should do will be in green.

1. Use active voice. Don't use were. Reconstruct your sentences to read as it is. Example: There were fifteen girls standing on the field. Fifteen girls stand on the field.
2. Kill the truth. If reality is blocking, make up new rules. You're writing fiction, after all.
3. Unite common phrases. Things that go together, stay together. Example: Molly lifted her arm and then, with a roar like a lion, she began beating the door. Molly lifted her arm, roared like a lion, and beat the door.
4. Write as you see. When you're writing, think visually about the scene, and use the imagery as fodder.
5. Catch the beat. All writing has a rhythm. You know it. Use it.
6. IT is a horror story. Beware of dangling "it" in your prose. Example: I thought it was strange. I thought the chair scooting across the floor by itself was strange.
7. Sentence structure variation. Don't write the same sentence over and over. Example: I walked into the kitchen. I got a glass from the cabinet. I filled the glass with water, and I drank. I drank it in one gulp. I walked into the kitchen, grabbed a glass, and filled it with water. As thirsty as I was, it went down in one gulp.
8. Marry related words. Keep things together that go together. Example: Henry stared at the float in the pool that was spinning in the middle. Henry stared at the float spinning in the middle of the pool.
9. Allow the reader to infer. Don't over explain. Example: "I'll do anything I can to help," Tina said lovingly. "I'll do anything I can to help," Tina said.
10. Create parallels. Mix some ideas and compare two unrelated things.
11. Kill repetition. Don't use the same word more than once in a paragraph; your reader will feel like they're reading the same sentence again and again.
12. Use one instead of two. If you can delete a word and not lose meaning, do so. Example: A scary, creepy spider is crawling up my leg. A creepy spider is crawling up my leg.
13. Beef up with stronger verbs and concrete nouns. Use these to replace adverbs and adjectives.

I hope you got some good tips today. Any of these that you didn't know?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo