Because I can’t remember if there was a theme for this week, I’m just going to blog about whatever comes to mind.
Last week was frantic. I had a book release, an online book launch party, a migraine. Then came a new contract for a full-length historical/paranormal book and all the forms that come with it. Not to mention a string of line edits from the edge of beyond. Top that with finishing a novella for an open call.
Needless to say, my brain kicked over into dead space yesterday and I baked a cake because that’s what I do when my mind is crowded. Which is good because while the hands are busy, the brain can play.
So, now that the chaos has settled a bit, I’m turning my attention to writing a new full length book. After spending the last few months working on nothing but novellas, I’m anxious to make my keyboard fly with new writing.
I love the chance full length fiction gives me to really explore my characters. In these instances, I feel very much like a scientist as I watch my characters squirm in uncomfortable situations fraught with sexual tension and life-problems. It just so happens that this one will include a shape shifter, you know, to make life interesting.
Do I have a point to the blog today? Not really. I’m back to the beginning and I can’t wait to get started. Talk to me in three months. By then I’ll have a 70K word book and I’m pretty certain it will really rock.
Until then, happy writing.
Oh, and if I could take three books to an island, here's the thing. If I knew in advance I was going, I'd buy an e-reader and stuff it full of three hundred books. :-)
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
I Went to a Desert Island, and All I Got Was...
ok, so that was going to be a bad joke about either sunburns or coconuts. Couldn't bring myself to actually go there.
I've often thought about the whole Desert Island thing. Everybody asks the question. If it's not what famous person would you bring with you (Johnny Depp thank you very much), it's what survival gear would make the trip (water, fishing pole, and a boat*). But I can't honestly say I've ever given much thought to what books I'd bring.
It's not that I don't enjoy reading the same books over and over again, I do. Like most people today with our limited incomes, I have to think really REALLY hard about each and every thing I purchase. So I don't really get a lot of new books, and end up reading my old books dozens, if not hundreds of times. Alice in Wonderland - I think I'm into the easy one-fifties. Shirley Damsgaard's Abby and Ophelia books are well into the 30's. Any Terry Pratchett Discworld book ever... lets just say I've had to replace copies because they fell apart.
But if I can only have three books to last me for conceivably the rest of my life? Uhhhhhhhhhh... No clue. So I'm just going to go out on a limb and guess.
1- THUD! by Terry Pratchett. If you've never read a Discworld book, this isn't the place to start. Not that you wouldn't 'get it', but you wouldn't REALLY get it. Oh, you'd enjoy the hell out of it, but if you don't know all the back story, it's just an enjoyable romp with trolls, dwarves, ware wolves, vampires, politics, and the baddest assed cop ever, Sam Vimes. You won't know WHY Sam is the baddest assed cop ever; WHY Sybil is bald, beautiful, and covered in leather and iron; or WHY Anguina and Sally don't get along, and why Carrot just doesn't understand. (admittedly you will get the short explanation, but trust me, you have to read the rest of the series to really REALLY understand) But you will know where your cow is.
2- The Lord of the Rings books and the Hobbit, I'm counting these as one. I'm not even going to try for a mini-review. If you don't know the story, you've been living under a rock. Seriously, who couldn't read these over and over and over and over again?? (with the exception of everything Tom Bombadil says)
3- Story Telling by Tori Spelling. I'll need toilet paper. Another thing most people don't think about on a desert island.
Hopefully I won't have to read these books and these books alone for the rest of my life, I'm assuming there's at least a pretty good chance that the Coast Guard will at some point find me. Or maybe it's Greenpeace. I can never remember.
* why does no one ever think about bringing a boat with you to a desert island? Get off the damn island people! And don't give me that bull about you can't bring a boat, no one ever in the history of ever has said "what three things would you take with you, but you can't say boat".
I've often thought about the whole Desert Island thing. Everybody asks the question. If it's not what famous person would you bring with you (Johnny Depp thank you very much), it's what survival gear would make the trip (water, fishing pole, and a boat*). But I can't honestly say I've ever given much thought to what books I'd bring.
It's not that I don't enjoy reading the same books over and over again, I do. Like most people today with our limited incomes, I have to think really REALLY hard about each and every thing I purchase. So I don't really get a lot of new books, and end up reading my old books dozens, if not hundreds of times. Alice in Wonderland - I think I'm into the easy one-fifties. Shirley Damsgaard's Abby and Ophelia books are well into the 30's. Any Terry Pratchett Discworld book ever... lets just say I've had to replace copies because they fell apart.
But if I can only have three books to last me for conceivably the rest of my life? Uhhhhhhhhhh... No clue. So I'm just going to go out on a limb and guess.
1- THUD! by Terry Pratchett. If you've never read a Discworld book, this isn't the place to start. Not that you wouldn't 'get it', but you wouldn't REALLY get it. Oh, you'd enjoy the hell out of it, but if you don't know all the back story, it's just an enjoyable romp with trolls, dwarves, ware wolves, vampires, politics, and the baddest assed cop ever, Sam Vimes. You won't know WHY Sam is the baddest assed cop ever; WHY Sybil is bald, beautiful, and covered in leather and iron; or WHY Anguina and Sally don't get along, and why Carrot just doesn't understand. (admittedly you will get the short explanation, but trust me, you have to read the rest of the series to really REALLY understand) But you will know where your cow is.
2- The Lord of the Rings books and the Hobbit, I'm counting these as one. I'm not even going to try for a mini-review. If you don't know the story, you've been living under a rock. Seriously, who couldn't read these over and over and over and over again?? (with the exception of everything Tom Bombadil says)
3- Story Telling by Tori Spelling. I'll need toilet paper. Another thing most people don't think about on a desert island.
Hopefully I won't have to read these books and these books alone for the rest of my life, I'm assuming there's at least a pretty good chance that the Coast Guard will at some point find me. Or maybe it's Greenpeace. I can never remember.
* why does no one ever think about bringing a boat with you to a desert island? Get off the damn island people! And don't give me that bull about you can't bring a boat, no one ever in the history of ever has said "what three things would you take with you, but you can't say boat".
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Scaring Ourselves Half to Death
When last have you watched something really scary? As a writer of urban/dark fantasy with a definite edge of spine-chilling scares, I'm constantly looking for inspiration and, last night, my dearly beloved husband and I discovered a prime source for cold thrills.
To give a little background, my husband, Thomas, makes indie horror movies for fun (really). So the two of us often indulge in what we consider research together, devouring an assortment of horror movies and documentaries, when given half a chance.
Well, I must admit, last night I really did have a difficult time getting to sleep. We may not have telly but we do trawl YouTube for anything unusual and we discovered a spine-chilling series called Haunted Britain. Whatever you do, don't watch this before going to bed.
Not only was it well produced but it succeeded in frightening the living bejezus out of me. Being South African and living in sunny, Mediterranean Cape Town, it's not easy getting the chills because we simply don't have the UK's grey skies and ancient buildings dating back to goodness knows when. Sure, we do have our own plethora of spooks but hey, Thomas and I don't live in one of the old Victorian homes closer to the city.
Cape Town's castle dates back to the 1600s and that's about as old as it gets. Earlier this year I arranged for the Admastor Writers' Guild to meet there and embark on a tour and the inspiration for some of the authors was amazing. One of our newish members has gone on to sell her short story inspired by one of the dungeons...
But, back to Britain and its hauntings. So, now I'm inspired. These ghost stories went beyond faintly luminous spectres to focus on tales of truly malevolent status. Cowled monks have never been this frightening and I'm dead set to go visit Greyfrair's cemetery. And this has whet my appetite to take a closer look at my home town's spooks.
So, my challenge to you, if you're a creative person, is to dig a little into the haunting history of your home town. Were any battles fought? Were there any particulary gruesome murders? Which buildings have a... erm... shall we call it a bit too much history?
Often the best stories are those that have a ring of truth to them and sometimes you don't need to look too far to find them.
I'll finish off this blog entry with a little ghostly tale from my own family, that has been farming in South Africa's Western Cape for hundreds of years. My direct ancestors owned a farm called Kronendal—the old H-shaped Cape Dutch farmhouse still standing on Hout Bay's busy main road. The farmlands are, sadly, nonexistent and the house has been home to a succession of businesses, including restaurants. The remaining (living) family members find it very amusing that the supposed ghosts walking Kronendal's rooms certainly weren't there when any of the Van Helsdingens, Van Rheede van Oudtshoorns and Brinks were living there. These stories have built up over the years but the anecdotal evidence from my family suggests that the only spooks spotted were my great grandfather, Oupa Joe, and not the "grey lady" all the Johnny-come-latelies enthuse about. And no lovelorn British soldier hung himself in the oak avenue, either.
Odd. But then I'm pretty keen about the fact that I'm related to the Van Helsdingens. It's suitably apt considering the literature I write.
To give a little background, my husband, Thomas, makes indie horror movies for fun (really). So the two of us often indulge in what we consider research together, devouring an assortment of horror movies and documentaries, when given half a chance.
Well, I must admit, last night I really did have a difficult time getting to sleep. We may not have telly but we do trawl YouTube for anything unusual and we discovered a spine-chilling series called Haunted Britain. Whatever you do, don't watch this before going to bed.
Not only was it well produced but it succeeded in frightening the living bejezus out of me. Being South African and living in sunny, Mediterranean Cape Town, it's not easy getting the chills because we simply don't have the UK's grey skies and ancient buildings dating back to goodness knows when. Sure, we do have our own plethora of spooks but hey, Thomas and I don't live in one of the old Victorian homes closer to the city.
Cape Town's castle dates back to the 1600s and that's about as old as it gets. Earlier this year I arranged for the Admastor Writers' Guild to meet there and embark on a tour and the inspiration for some of the authors was amazing. One of our newish members has gone on to sell her short story inspired by one of the dungeons...
But, back to Britain and its hauntings. So, now I'm inspired. These ghost stories went beyond faintly luminous spectres to focus on tales of truly malevolent status. Cowled monks have never been this frightening and I'm dead set to go visit Greyfrair's cemetery. And this has whet my appetite to take a closer look at my home town's spooks.
So, my challenge to you, if you're a creative person, is to dig a little into the haunting history of your home town. Were any battles fought? Were there any particulary gruesome murders? Which buildings have a... erm... shall we call it a bit too much history?
Often the best stories are those that have a ring of truth to them and sometimes you don't need to look too far to find them.
I'll finish off this blog entry with a little ghostly tale from my own family, that has been farming in South Africa's Western Cape for hundreds of years. My direct ancestors owned a farm called Kronendal—the old H-shaped Cape Dutch farmhouse still standing on Hout Bay's busy main road. The farmlands are, sadly, nonexistent and the house has been home to a succession of businesses, including restaurants. The remaining (living) family members find it very amusing that the supposed ghosts walking Kronendal's rooms certainly weren't there when any of the Van Helsdingens, Van Rheede van Oudtshoorns and Brinks were living there. These stories have built up over the years but the anecdotal evidence from my family suggests that the only spooks spotted were my great grandfather, Oupa Joe, and not the "grey lady" all the Johnny-come-latelies enthuse about. And no lovelorn British soldier hung himself in the oak avenue, either.
Odd. But then I'm pretty keen about the fact that I'm related to the Van Helsdingens. It's suitably apt considering the literature I write.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Only three? I just won't go!
What three books would you take with you to an island? It's not a question I can easily answer. In fact, my first reaction was one of panic.
There are books everywhere in my house. Seriously. Instead of knick-knacks, we have books. Some are old and no longer read. Some are reference types left over from my college days or when our daughter was being home educated. Some are for my own writing -- research books, writing books, a thesaurus. Some are beloved favorites that have been read again and again. Some are in various to-be-read piles -- purchased to be read, but not gotten to just yet.
While I've never been to an island of any type — deserted or not — I have been known to take books to the beach. As a child I remember reading the Raggedy Ann Stories at my grandparents cabin. That was more interesting to me then fishing or swimming in the lake. It was the same scenario, different books, when I lived in the Tidewater area of Virginia. Driving to the beach for the day was nothing and books were a constant companion.
So, to get back to the question, I have no idea! I read books so quickly that three wouldn't last me long. There are classics I've never read (though I'm currently listening to The Three Musketeers by Alexandar Dumas on my iPod during my morning walks). There are classics I want to re-read (let's not discuss the number of times I've read Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell). There are a number of series I enjoy (Mrs. Jefferies by Emily Brightwell, for example). There are authors who I love to read (including but not limited to Jan Burke and Charlane Harris). I can't pick three!!
Would it be cheating to require my deserted island to have electricity and internet capabilities? Because then I'll just take my Sony e-book reader and save myself a who lot of worry! Otherwise, I guess I'll spend this winter in the Black Hills of South Dakota. At least then I can have more than three books...
Blessings!Nichole
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Which way did my muse go?
So have you seen that elusive magical creature? She's supposed to hang out with me day in and out, giving me awesome ideas and keeping me pumped up for the next story, but... She's headed for the hills. The hammering and drills give her headaches. She's tired of sawdust and nasty smelling adhesive. She can't inspire me with the thoughts of me possibly sawing off my fingers with the circular saw while building walls. Or that's what I think. Have you ever heard the phrase "If you try to do too many things, you'll end of doing nothing right?" I think this is true to some degree.
It's very easy to letting little things slide when you have a lot to do. Yesterday, the muse pops back into my head with a new idea for TO TAKE UP THE SWORD, something I haven't worked on in a few years, but that I'll have to start soon. She finds me in the middle of watching my daughter's volleyball tournament. It always seems to be like that. So here's a question. How do you save those ideas for later, when you're not
building, or working, or being cheer mom? Got any ideas?
Beth
It's very easy to letting little things slide when you have a lot to do. Yesterday, the muse pops back into my head with a new idea for TO TAKE UP THE SWORD, something I haven't worked on in a few years, but that I'll have to start soon. She finds me in the middle of watching my daughter's volleyball tournament. It always seems to be like that. So here's a question. How do you save those ideas for later, when you're not
building, or working, or being cheer mom? Got any ideas?
Beth
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Release of The Haunting of Amelia Pritchart!!
I'm very pleased to share with you my release of my newest book THE HAUNTING OF AMELIA PRITCHART. It released yesterday from The Wild Rose Press, but I figured I'd promo it here today :-)
Blurb: Amelia Pritchart’s life is a mess. Her house is crumbling down around her, she’s got a bad case of writer’s block, and divorce papers await her signature. The trouble is, she still loves her husband.
And if that’s not bad enough, she comes face to face with a ghost—who has problems of her own. The restless spirit demands Amelia help her tormented soul so she can finally rest in peace. Intrigued, Amelia sets out to grant the wish, but soon finds there’s much more to the ghost than just being dead.
When her estranged husband shows up on her doorstep on Halloween, Amelia must face two pasts, both full of pain. Can she help the ghost without becoming eternally haunted? And can she face her own fears and insecurities about her marriage in order to grasp the second chance at happiness her husband offers?
Excerpt: “Tomorrow is All Hallow’s Eve. At the stroke of midnight, ghosts that have been unable to pass from the mortal world are allowed to assume their human body for 24 hours. In that time period, we are instructed to make peace with those issues that are preventing us from moving forward.”
“What does that have to do with me?” She frowned when Elizabeth’s form began to fade.
“It’s becoming difficult for me to see you.”
Elizabeth sighed. “I find that allowing myself to be seen by human eyes takes a good amount of energy on my part. I need to rest. Before I go, I would like you to find a descendant of Samuel’s. I need to confess my secret. Please help me.”
“I’ll try.” Amelia scrambled for the small notepad and pencil on her bedside table. “What’s Samuel’s full name? I won’t be able to hunt down his family without that information.” She set aside the incredible fact she was conversing with a ghost.
“Samuel Pritchart Carmichael. Please do your best, Amelia. My hope is resting on you.”
Amelia blinked, and her shiver this time had nothing to do with the temperature of the room. “Pritchart? But that’s impossible.” Her stomach threatened to revolt at the familiar name. Before she could question the specter further, the ghost evaporated into the darkness with a soft sigh. “Elizabeth?”
Leaving the safe harbor of her bed, Amelia padded across the creaky hardwood floor. As she inspected the chair for signs that the ghost really had visited, she passed a hand through the air before her. The ghost left no evidence of her visit.
How could she possibly help a woman who died 90 years ago?
http://www.thewildrosepress.com/the-haunting-of-amelia-pritchart-p-3684.html?zenid=c63bc41638d901461c9cedd6f6ff44f7
Video link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fu9I5TVf8u4
It’s been reviewed as well! The Haunting of Amelia Pritchart is what a ghost story should be, intriguing, exciting, and leaving me anxious for more.
For the full review, please visit: http://www.classicromancerevival.com/blog/?p=1385
And please drop by my website to see what else I’ve been up to! http://www.sandrasookoo.com
Thanks for reading and I hope you'll consider adding this book to your electronic library!
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