November 28, 2016

Book Review: The Final Trade

I read The Last Girl , book one of the Dominion Trilogy, by Joe Hart soon after it came out because I saw an ad and it sounded cool. In the dystopian world of The Last Girl, the birthrate for woman has plummeted, and the few women that can be found by the NOA are 'protected' in the ARC. After reading through the first book, I decided not to read the second one. Although I enjoyed reading it, I found the idea of women being wiped out a stretch (biologically speaking,  something that attacks the Y chromosome would only affect men, but something that attacks the X chromosome would affect men and women, possibly men more). The book was like two separate stories abutted next to each other and not one story arc. And although I liked the protagonist Zoey, I thought she put herself in too many dangerous situations.

Then The Final Trade came out, and my love of Zoey quickly surpassed my resolve not to read the second book. Although there were parts of this book that I also found annoying, I couldn't put it down. I wish Zoey's friends had shown some resistance to all of her crazy plans. Instead, they rush into danger headfirst with her. Also, the Fae Trade was pretty hard to believe. At the end, we find out Zoey is 'the chosen one', a cliché I'm really tired of. But the book more than made up for these with fast paced action and heart-wrenching scenes. The first book stuck to Zoey's point of view, but this book introduces a new point of view character, Wen, another strong woman trapped in a horrible situation desperately trying to free herself. My favorite part was a scene near the end including a ski lift and snow machines. I won't spoil any details; you should just read the book.

The last book of the Dominion Trilogy, The First City, is available for preorder right now on Amazon. I'm not even going to pretend I have reservations about reading it. I need to find out what happens next to Zoey. I'm a sucker for a strong female lead and a dystopian setting, and although The Final Trade has some pretty unbelievable parts, I'd still highly recommend it.

November 21, 2016

Thanksgiving Time

I have a confession to make: I don't particularly like Thanksgiving.

I know it seems silly and that there's no obvious reason to dislike a holiday based on eating lots of food. I've seen the holiday through many different angles. I've certainly had great Thanksgivings in the past, and I hope to have many more in the future.

My son's first Thanksgiving
As a kid, I went to the huge family dinners at my grandparents' house. We had turkey, ham, and seven aunts brought their famous dressing (or stuffing if you're not from the south). Someone would lead the group in prayer which always seemed to drag on forever as a kid, and we'd all go around the table and say what we were thankful for.

Only one year did I forgo the tradition of listing all the things we were thankful for. It had been a really rough year. My husband lost his job and spent most of the year unemployed while I was pregnant and overwhelmed with our special needs toddler. We were living completely on credit and WIC. Two weeks after my daughter was born, we lost my husband's sister. The next month, we had just moved and had our Thanksgiving dinner in a new apartment in a new state amongst unpacked boxes.

I'm not a competent cook. I have a few dishes I've worked at that I can make pretty well. One of them is apple pie. I've already got a pile of apples in a nice bowl ready for their metamorphosis into a delicious dessert. One thing I have not tried to make is a whole turkey. My mom would get a ham for our small family meal once we no longer lived close to our extended family. Only one year did she roast an entire turkey. My dad graciously praised the perfectly cooked bird, but I'm fairly sure no one ate more of it after that meal. Since I don't like turkey all that much myself, I've never bothered trying to make it. Instead, my husband usually broils a couple turkey legs or I'll make something really unconventional like turkey noodle soup. Our plans this year actually contain an entire young turkey (already thawing in the fridge) along with some peanut oil, propane, and a brand new fryer.

Although I do enjoy attempting to assemble a meal for family and friends, it's so much easier visiting someone who's hosting. One year on Thanksgiving morning, my mom declared she was not doing Thanksgiving. One of our friends had already given an open invitation to everyone in their bible study to spend the holiday with them, so my dad, brother, and I went to their house. I never understood why someone would call off Thanksgiving until I did the same thing, confessing to my husband through tears that I couldn't handle the stress and work of a big meal when it was for only two people.

My husband and I lived in California for the first six years of our marriage. I worked at a bank and would see a lot of small business owners come in every day to make deposits. Paul owned the gas station across the street and would invite all of us who worked at the bank over to his family's big Thanksgiving meal. They would set up bunches of folding tables and chairs at their gas station and hosted at least fifty people every year.

One of my favorite things to do for the Holiday is invite someone over who may not have anywhere to go: individuals who live far away from family, people who just moved to the United States and don't really celebrate our thanksgiving, and friends who may not be getting along with their own family at the time. I view it almost like inviting someone over for dinner, but instead of bringing wine, they'll bring a pumpkin pie. And god knows that I struggle with making pumpkin pie.

For me, the holiday isn't so much about focusing on the circumstances and things in life that I should be grateful for. It's about being thankful to those close to me:

I'm thankful for my amazing mother who just needed a day off, my wonderful father who never asked for turkey again, and my brother who always defended me at the kids' table. I'm thankful for friends from Germany, my coworker who graciously didn't comment on my questionable cooking, and my friend who was so busy, the only evening he had free was Thursday. I'm thankful for my aunt who cooks as well as I do and still hosts most years, my best friend that didn't mention when I dropped by that her extended family was coming over and let me crash at their holiday meal, and the small business owner who invited everyone in town to celebrate with his family. I'm thankful for my beautiful children and husband. I'm thankful for all the times I did get to celebrate Thanksgiving with my sister.

And, I'm thankful for you. Thank you for being a part of my life and taking the time to get to know me. I love you from the bottom of my heart and hope that you have a blessed Thanksgiving.

November 14, 2016

Finding Inspiration

I have been having a crazy busy November so far, and part of that is NaNoWriMo. I was pretty lucky this year that I had an (amazing) idea I really wanted to write about. I can't imagine trying to tackle something as big as writing 50K words in a month without having a plan ahead of time. Although I very much consider myself a pantser, writing by the seat of my pants, I still start each of my stories with a fleshed out idea, protagonist, and central conflict.

Although a flash of inspiration will occasionally hit like a strike of lightning, more often than not, I find myself looking for the next cool thing to write about. So get inspired with me as I go through some things that I've found helpful in coming up with new story ideas.

Consume Lots of Media
When I'm lounging in my sweats with a hot cup of coffee watching a new show on Netflix, you better believe it's for research. Part of crafting great stories comes from consuming existing great stories. More so than learning what makes a story good and engaging, actively reading, playing video games, and watching TV have also given me ideas of story threads that I would like to play out in a different way. My debut novel was inspired by a TV show with people trapped in a static society along with the fallout games (among other things I've absorbed from other media). So don't feel entirely guilty for spending your entire Sunday playing The Witcher 3.

Embrace Something Silly
I love vampires, which is embarrassing to admit now that the world has been oversaturated by them. I've read all of Charlaine Harris's Southern Vampire Mysteries and Dracula countless times. When I wanted to write something light-hearted, my first thought was a vampire novel. My second thought was unicorns. Tossing around just a single idea and researching the mythology really sparked some creative plotting.

Read Some Writing Prompts
I've heard both sides of this one: Writing prompts tend to be overly specific and don't lend to long works like novels, and writing prompts are your best friend. I fall somewhere in the middle. Yes, a lot of prompts can be a little kooky, but they shouldn't be the driving force for the entire story.  Let a prompt lead to a scene, then think about how that scene could fit into a larger more complex narrative

Find a New Twist on Something Cliche
Even if this doesn't lead to your next story idea, it's still a lot of fun and a great exercise to stretch your creative muscle. Sometimes I'll think about something that has been done over and over again and try to come up with my own spin. For example, I'm just not the biggest fan of aliens even though they are a staple in science fiction. So instead of devising a plot about space wars, interplanetary politics, or first contact, what else could I do with aliens? What does humanity look like from their perspective? Do they even want to make contact with us? So many questions, and many more answers.

What's the Worst That Could Happen
No, seriously, what is? Take a character in a mundane situation and throw everything at them including the kitchen sink. Bob is backpacking through the mountains? Have him lose his backpack. Then, send a blizzard. And a yeti. Oh, and the rescue crew turned into zombies. This is sort of an extreme example, but sometimes it's fun to put a new innocent character into an impossible situation and see if they can climb their way out.

Where do you find inspiration?

Until next time, I'm busy throwing the kitchen sink at my NaNo protagonist, so I'll see you again in another 5K words or so.

November 7, 2016

Announcing My Debut Novel: The End of Refuge

I have super exciting news today! I am pleased to announce that my debut novel, The End of Refuge which will launch early spring 2017.

Isolated from the rest of the world, the inhabitants of the shelter called Refuge have been trapped underground for over 20 years.

At 19, Juliet has always called Refuge home. Despite her atypical surroundings, she strives to live a normal life. She just finished school, started a new job, and fell into her first romance. But when she receives a message from outside the shelter, her life begins to crumble. The safe haven she believed in is a lie and her future is doomed. The end is coming and she can't stop it.

I was inspired to write The End of Refuge after watching a TV show with an interesting setting but underwhelming plot. Since I have always written in some form, I decided to write a novel starting with only a small idea from the show: several people are trapped together. As more and more ideas came together, I started drafting my book.

Most of the writing for this novel took place during my son's naps while bouncing the baby in my lap. Even though being a stay at home mom keeps me crazy busy, I somehow carved out time to work on my book and didn't stop until I made a finished product that I wanted to share.

My favorite character is the protagonist, Juliet. She's young and doesn't really know what she wants to do with her life. At the beginning of the story, she has a hard time making decisions. She has to find people she can trust and stop relying on the friends who keep dragging her down. It was fun writing her and watching her grow as the story went on.

I'm particularly partial to the setting of the bomb shelter, Refuge. The shelter itself was constructed in the cold war but is equipped with modern technology. It was the first piece I built the story around. To find out how the people there got trapped and why the end is coming, you'll have to read the book!

The End of Refuge will be available in eBook and paperback. Make sure to check back for an official release date and preorder information. I've added a page where I'll keep all the information on The End of Refuge together in one convenient spot. You can find the link in the navigation bar or click here.

November 5, 2016

My First Write-in

Currently reading: The Final Trade by Joe Hart

I'm doing NaNoWriMo again this year (while also getting the publishing ball rolling and looking for an audience via social media stuff, my life is too busy!) and attended my first write-in this past Thursday. I've made connections with other writers through the internet and through friends, but have not yet met another self-proclaimed writer in person. Naturally, I was excited to meet a bunch of like-minded people.

Even though I consider myself an extrovert, I was apprehensive as I looked for the group of writers in the small restaurant. What if they were all serious writers and I was the only one who was new to the craft? Would they be snooty literary people who only discussed interpretations of Frost's The Road Not Taken? Would anyone even be there?

Thankfully my anxiety was misplaced. I walked up to a large table filled with people typing on laptops. I introduced myself to everyone, then took a seat and pulled out my own little laptop. Although everyone was there to primarily write, we did take a few moments to relax and chat. What I found were people like me. They all enjoyed writing but also liked talking about movies, sports, and video games.

I was so glad I went. I promised I'd go to the next one, and already have all of the group's write-ins on my calendar. Another big benefit was that I could write without getting interrupted by the kids. I might just become one of those writers who does all their writing at a coffee shop.

I came home to find my daughter a sticky mess. Apparently, she had jello with her dinner and a lot of it ended up on her hands and clothes. I don't blame her for being a messy eater. She's only two. What I did find upsetting was that she had gotten to one of my books and smeared jello all over the cover. Since it was a paperback with a matte finish cover, I figured it was permanently disfigured. Fingerprints never come off of those things, right?

Still, I'm pretty fond of this particular book, so I thought it was worth a try to attempt to clean it. I found this website which suggested using hand sanitizer. Figuring I had nothing to lose (I could purchase another copy if I destroyed it), I put a small blob on one of the corners of the back cover. Worried it would soak in, I quickly wiped it off with a clean towel. That little corner looked like new; I couldn't believe it. I proceeded to slather hand sanitizer over the entire cover and wipe the whole book clean. Now it looks like new. I'm so glad I tried it.

November 2, 2016

Start November with a Bang

NaNoWriMo has begun!

I fully didn't expect to get started on the 1st since my in-laws were staying with us and we had planned a busy day. Somehow, I was able to steal away an hour or so and start my novel. Before I knew it, it was the kids' bedtime, and I was sad to have to stop writing. Dorthy Parker said, "I hate writing, I love having written." I'm glad that I don't find this entirely true. Writing is fun and addictive (revising, however, is a totally different story).

There's tons of mostly helpful advice on how to be successful at writing, a lot of which is specifically focused at NaNoWriMo. Even after drafting four manuscripts and polishing up two of them, I still don't feel qualified to give advice on the writing process. But I can share a few things that I personally find helpful when I'm writing.

Minimize Distractions



I have small children, and they constantly need my help, ask for things, and demand my attention. I have to carve out time for writing when my husband can watch them, otherwise, I can't focus and the quality of my writing plummets. Even if they're in a different room, they're still really loud. Listening to music (preferably something that matches the tone of my current project) on headphones helps block out all the noise. I'll make sure to wear something comfortable while writing and keep a space heater near me so that getting too cold won't interrupt my writing process.

Have a Designated Place to Write



I've heard of other writers who retreat to a room specifically purposed for their writing. I don't quite have that luxury, but I do have a few spots in my house that are good for writing. Since I use a laptop, I can be flexible about where I work. The dining table is right in front of a large window that gets lots of sunlight so I enjoy writing there. If the kids start bugging me, I've got a small desk (also next to a window) in my room which also has a door so I can keep everyone out.

Backup Your Manuscript Every Day



There is nothing more infuriating than losing something you've spent hundreds of hours working on. I know a lot of people use cloud storage. I decided to get a backup hard drive that's connected to my home network. I read a story in the news about a writer running back into his burning house to save his manuscripts. Don't be him.