Jack Cannon's American Destiny

Rachel Thompson

Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Jennifer Cornet On No Correct Way to a Successful Story @J_Cornet #WriteTip #AmWriting #Fantasy

How to Write by the Seat of Your Pants: Outline or No?
Most importantly, before I say anything else on the topic, there is to “correct” answer to whether or not you need to outline to create a successful story. Do what works for you. With that being said, you should totally write an outline. Let me fill you in on why.
Chances are when you thought of your story you came up with a basic concept and a couple of characters. That’s great, but those elements alone don’t make a complete story. Outlining can help you as the author work through your concept and flesh it out before ever writing a complete sentence. There are a few styles of outlining that can help you accomplish this and since I work best in metaphors, I’m going to draw comparison to driving. Think of Point A as your blank sheet of paper and Point B as a completed first draft.
The first method of using an outline to travel from A to B is by only marking the major point: beginning, major events, and the ending. If I’m driving from Washington, DC to Los Angeles, California I’m going to pass through Virginia, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico and finally arrive in California. This method doesn’t tell me how I’m moving through each item, only that I’ll hit that mark. By marking only the major events you give yourself ample room for creative freedom while not flying completely off the handle, losing the point of your book, and ending up in Canada somewhere.
Another approach is what I’ll call the “Google Maps” version. This method still takes you from DC to LA through all those places listed above, but it tells you how you are getting there with turn by turn directions. An outline that follows this method will include the smaller scenes in between the major events. This method might be more appropriate for those writers with a complex plot. If you have a number of story lines that overlap, jotting down the story in more detail will help you work through how all the roads weave together to meet at the end.
The final method is the “Family vacation binder.” If I were to hop into an RV with my parents for a cross country trip, you better believe it would be more planned out than a series of directions. The “family vacation binder” would include places to sight see, roadside attractions, bed and breakfast reviews from online, restaurant suggestions, and a detailed itinerary for entire the trip. This level of outlining is the most detailed. It would have scene descriptions, character reactions/motivations, important symbols or notes to be included. It could also involve multiple outlines that tie in to one another. As crazy as it sounds, this in depth form of outlining can be wildly useful. If you are writing something that is incredibly complex, you will eliminate a lot of rework by laying it all out in the beginning. It is much easier to add plot points or shift things around when they are in an outline than when they are embedded in your first draft.
In the end, all three outlining methods will get you where you want to go. It’s up to the writer to choose the method. And if you start writing and realize you would rather go to Canada than LA, you can always throw out the map and go where the road takes you. It’s your story after all.

For Onyx Bay, what started as a cathartic ink session takes an unexpected turn when a specialized blood test at the tattoo parlor reveals her true identity, which threatens to turn her entire world upside down.
When Onyx learns that she is the descendant of a fantastical race of creatures who control the global elements, she discovers that her own blood makes her a valuable prize for competing forces, known as the Orders. As the truth about her bloodline spreads, she finds herself at the center of a supernatural bounty hunt pursued by both human and creature members of the Orders willing to do anything to claim her as their own. The hunt intensifies when a prophet foresees she will tip the balance of power and upset the peace among the Orders. As she attempts to evade capture and survive, Onyx is forced to choose between her humanistic past and a supernatural destiny in order to take control of her own future.
Buy Now @ Amazon
Genre - Urban Fantasy
Rating – PG – 13
More details about the author
Connect with Jennifer Cornet on Facebook & Twitter

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

@TheSMBoyce Shares Her #WriteTip for Researching Your Story #AmWriting #BookMarketing

Heyo! I'm S. M. Boyce, author of Lichgates and the rest of the books in the Grimoire Saga.
Today I'm going to give you some pointers on how to do research that is crucial to your story. Without proper research, a story will lack what’s called verisimilitude—the tidbits of real-life that make it all seem real. These elements allow readers to suspend belief and fall headfirst into your tale.

While it’s crucial to research and understand your world (be it a fantasy land or modern Earth), how you approach research usually depends on your writing style.

The writing process is different for everyone. Some people get an idea and start writing instantly. Others, like me, outline the entire thing before starting on the first paragraph. If you are the type that outlines, research is going to be much easier for you and you'll be able to get most of it out of the way before you begin to write.

For many, research can be an arduous task, but for some it can actually be an inspiration. So, for those of you who don't outline, the research might help you fill in the gaps of your story, effectively building an impromptu outline in your head.

Tip #1: Chunk it!
When you research, I suggest you lump topics together and work through them one-by-one. So, if you are researching the rainforests of the world, types of horses, and a foreign culture, work through each topic separately so that you can keep your facts straight in your mind.

Tip #2: Stay Organized
Notes are extremely important when doing research. Some prefer the notecard method when taking notes; others prefer a big notebook or the freedom of a word document. Whatever your method is, stick to it and stay as organized as possible.

Scrivener, a program used for writing, actually lets you keep all your research notes with your story.  For those of you who don't use this program, you may want to look into it. Though it has a heck of a learning curve, it’s incredibly useful once you get the hang of it. You can do just about every step of the writing process from this one program.

Stay focused, Boyce

Back on the subject of researching. Sorry.

It's important to save the locations of your resources so that you can refer back to them. Most internet browsers will let you create a folder in your bookmark tab. Do this and create one just for the links to research sources for the book you are working on. If you are using non-digital sources, keep a list of the materials you've used with your notes.

As you work through each resource, label the notes you take so that you know where they came from. This will help later if you need to refresh your memory on certain facts.

Even though you are doing most of your research before you write the book, you will likely have to go back to it at some point during your writing. Research is an important part of writing. Even if you are making up a world of your own, you will need to research one thing or another. This process is what helps bring our stories to life and it's also what gives our stories some amount of credibility in the reader's mind.

Let’s open the floor. What are some of your best researching tips?

lichgates

"The writing is flawless. The kingdoms and surrounding landscapes breathtaking. The Grimoire is a piece of imaginative genius that bedazzles from the moment Kara falls into the land of Ourea. - Nikki Jefford, author of the Spellbound Trilogy

Spring 2013 Rankings

#6 Kindle Store | #1 Science Fiction & Fantasy | #1 Epic Fantasy | #1 Sword & Sorcery | #1 Teens

Now an international Amazon bestseller. Fans of The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and Eragon will enjoy this contemporary remix of the classic epic fantasy genre.

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Kara Magari is about to discover a beautiful world full of terrifying things: Ourea.
Kara, a college student still reeling from her mother's recent death, has no idea the hidden world of Ourea even exists until a freak storm traps her in a sunken library. With nothing to do, she opens an ancient book of magic called the Grimoire and unwittingly becomes its master, which means Kara now wields the cursed book's untamed power. Discovered by Ourea's royalty, she becomes an unwilling pawn in a generations-old conflict - a war intensified by her arrival. In this world of chilling creatures and betrayal, Kara shouldn't trust anyone... but she's being hunted and can't survive on her own. She drops her guard when Braeden, a native soldier with a dark secret, vows to keep her safe. And though she doesn't know it, her growing attraction to him may just be her undoing.

For twelve years, Braeden Drakonin has lived a lie. The Grimoire is his one chance at redemption, and it lands in his lap when Kara Magari comes into his life. Though he begins to care for this human girl, there is something he wants more. He wants the Grimoire.

Welcome to Ourea, where only the cunning survive.

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Novels in the Grimoire Saga:
Lichgates (#1)
Treason (#2)
Heritage (#3) - Available Fall 2013
Illusion (#4) - Available Fall 2014

Buy Now @ Amazon & Smashwords
Genre - Fantasy
Rating – PG13
More details about the author
 Connect with SM Boyce on Facebook & Twitter & Pinterest

Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Since You've Been Gone - #Excerpt from Twelve Houses by Olga Soaje #Women #Fiction #BlogTour

Since You’ve Been Gone

Stay with me.
Don’t fall asleep too soon.
The angels can wait for a moment.
—Westlife, “Written in the Stars”
You promised you would never leave me. Thirty-five years ago, I looked you directly in the eye and heard, “I will never leave you,” as we stood next to the ocean. And now, like a thief in the night, you go. No last words, no promises, no tears.
As I look back at that moment, I can still feel your hand intertwined with mine, each finger between mine, like an oyster shut tight against the sea, protecting the treasure it carries inside. But the treasure was in my belly, full of love and expectations.
We walked like tourists along Pier 59, a place we came to think of as home. Wind in our faces and a carefree spirit in our hearts. Gently you stopped and pulled my hand so I would follow suit as you turned; I could see your eyes full of love and complete devotion. I felt I could stay in that moment forever. It was this feeling, this sublime happiness, that I did not want changed or challenged. That’s when I turned to you and looked into those blue eyes as I said aloud, “I don’t want this to change.”
Your face distorted into a concerned expression as you tried to reassure me. “It will be different when the baby arrives; it will be even better.”
“It’s not that. I’m excited about meeting the baby and having it with us.”
So you poked at the subject with concern on your face, as you asked, “Then what is it? What don’t you want to change?”
“Us,” I answered blithely, taking in a large whiff of air through my nose as a source of strength for what I was about to request of you. As I looked out to the sea right in front of us, I said, “I don’t want to forget this feeling. I want to always feel this love and peace between us.”
You gave me that dimply smile. “We will always have it. And when we don’t, we will have the direction in which we want to go.”
As a sea gull passed close to us, landing in the water with a tiny splash, I looked at you and finally said what had been on my mind, the deep seed of this conversation. “I don’t want to lose you.” Once again, your easy laugh, followed by an enveloping hug, while you gave me the grin I’d come to realize meant, You’re hormonal. “I’m serious. Just promise me…”
twelveHouses
Can anything good follow the best thing that ever happened to you?
Amelia Weiss loved her husband of thirty-five years very much, but now he’s left her a widow. Without him, she is unable to work in her sculpture studio without crying. She no longer has a bridge to her estranged daughter. And she can’t seem to keep her mind in the present.
But when her daughter reaches out asking for her help and her agent threatens a lawsuit if Amelia doesn’t deliver for an upcoming exhibit, she’s forced to make a choice. Will she reengage with her life and the people in it—allowing room for things to be different than they were before? Or, will she remain stuck in the past, choosing her memories over real-life relationships?
Thrust fully into the present, Amelia stumbles into a surprising journey of self-discovery.
Buy @ Amazon
Genre – Contemporary Fiction, Literary Fiction, Women's Fiction
Rating – PG-13
More details about the author
Connect with Olga Soaje on Facebook

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

#Erotic #Romance #Excerpt from Georgia Le Carre's FORTY 2 DAYS (The Billionaire Banker)

In the lift I raise my eyes to meet his.
Fuck.  What the hell?
The door whooshes open.
He takes my hand and drags me behind him.   Opens the door and pulls me through, and leaning back against it tugs me to him so I fall smack onto him.  My purse finds a quick path to the carpet, opens its guts, spills.  His hot mouth finds mine. The kiss is rough, crazy intense, and full of urgent need.  It is what I saw in his eyes.  I go astray.  I don’t want to come back from this.  His hand locates the zip at the back of my neck.  That hapless zip flies down and the nun’s habit pools around my shoes.
His hands expertly release the clasp on my bra.  One tug and it is gone the way of the dress.  I am so lost in the jaws of desire that I barely hear the sound of light lace tearing.  Once again, I am naked and he is fully dressed.
For a moment he holds me at arm’s length simply looking at me, the way he used to do in the beginning.  Then he takes me to the gilded mirror on the wall.
‘Look at you,’ he snarls.  ‘Your pupils are searching for someone to pleasure you.  Anyone would do.’
I want to back away from what I see.  My eyes are glazed with lust.  I look…hungry, feral…electrified.  Yet he is wrong.   Anyone would not do.
He strokes my heated cheeks then he bends his head and his strong white teeth nibble at my earlobes.  ‘Cream and sugar and venom,’ he says and bites my neck.
In the mirror my eyes widen with shock and pleasure. The sensation is exquisite.  The rush of it makes me feel reckless.  He begins to gently suck my skin.  I moan.  His mouth moves to my nipple.  The skilled precision of his mouth starts an aching that travels into my core.  I am in a sex-induced frenzy thirsting for him to enter me.  The taste of true desire is sweltering.  I push my ass into the thick, hard snake between us and yearn for it driving inside me.  He puts a finger on my lower lip and lets his finger enter my mouth.
‘Suck it.’
I take the finger between my lips and suck it gently at first, and then harder.  He starts to unbuckle his belt.
I get on my knees.  The carpet digs into my skin.  I open his fly, pull up his shirt, and kiss that hard, tight stomach.  He becomes very still.  My tongue flicks out.  Tentative, but not for long. I lick the golden brown skin, find the line of fine hair and follow it all the way to the elasticized band of his shorts.  My teeth grasp the material and pull.  His cock springs free and hovers, swollen and angry over my mouth.  I take the throbbing ready meat in my hand.  The head swells, surges, pulses, and comes alive in my hand.
I use both my hands to quickly pull the briefs down his thighs while my mouth takes in that gorgeous, rock-hard cock.  I look up at him and watch him draw his breath sharply.  Slowly, I move forward and let him witness every inch of his dick sliding between my lips.  He pulses in my mouth and that pushes me into sucking greedily at the head of his erection.  I devour him, taking him deeper and deeper into my mouth.
He thrusts his hips forward, jamming himself down my throat.  It makes me gag, but it still feels right.  His cock should always be inside me.  It is where it belongs.  Anything else would be wrong.  I am struck by the potency of my obsession.
42Days
Beyond the seductive power of immense wealth lies... Dark Secrets
Devastatingly handsome billionaire, Blake Law Barrington was Lana Blooms first and only love. From the moment they touched his power was overwhelming. Their arrangement quickly developed into a passionate romance that captivated her heart and took her on an incredible sexual journey she never wanted to end.
The future together looked bright until Lana made a terrible mistake. So, she did the only thing she could... she ran.
Away from her incredible life, away from the man of her dreams, but she should have known a man such as Blake Law Barrington was impossible to escape. Now, he's back in her life and determined that she should taste the bitterness of his pain.
Shocked at how rough the sex has become and humiliated that she is actually participating so willingly in her punishment, she despairs if she will ever feel the warmth of his touch--the solidity of his trust again? And even if she can win his trust, loyalties are yet to be decided, and secrets to be revealed--secrets that will test them both to their limits.
Will Lana be able to tear down the walls that surround Blake's heart, and break him free of the brutal power of immense wealth?
Can Blake hold on to Lana's heart when she discovers the enormity of the dark secrets that inhabit the Barrington family?
Lana has always believed that love conquers all. She is about to test that belief...
Buy @ Amazon
Genre – Erotic Romance
Rating – PG-18
More details about the author
Connect with Georgia Le Carre on Facebook & Twitter

Saturday, April 5, 2014

Lethal Journey by Kim Cresswell @kimcresswell #Excerpt #Thriller #AmReading

Chapter Three

Detective Eric Brennan sat at his usual table and sipped the night’s beverage of choice—a cola. In Chunkers Bar and Grill loud pointless chatter overpowered the ‘80s rock and roll band on stage.
The last week was a blur. Every waking hour he pounded the streets in search of his father’s killer.
Eric knew every detail of the shooters face, but not the kid’s name. He’d heard from one of his informant’s, the kid was a young tough-guy looking to be made—a “cugine” ready to make his mark into New York’s most influential crime network, the Valdina family. As part of his induction into the mob family, the asshole had already killed a low-life rival family member and Eric and his father were working the homicide case when they got a tip.

That steamy June evening had started like any typical bust. Within minutes after Eric and his father arrived at the warehouse, dozens of DEA agents secured the perimeter. Eric entered the warehouse first, his father followed. Amid the stench of mildew and dust, the first pop of an automatic echoed within the barren walls.

They were ambushed.

His father, a veteran with twenty-three years on the force never saw the shots coming. Eric threw his body against his father in hopes of shielding him. It was too late. Instead Eric witnessed his father’s face, the sickening whitish blue tint that came with death...

While Pete checked in with the precinct, Eric shifted in the chair. His left knee still burned where the bullet had grazed his leg. He rubbed the scar, a permanent reminder of a drug bust gone bad. Very bad.

“Hey, Brennan.” Pete threw a twenty-dollar bill on the table and downed the last swallow of his beer.

“Come on. I think we got a lead.”

Outside on West 35th Street, a full moon peeked through the clouds. Jagged streaks of lightning ignited the sky as rain sprinkled against Eric’s leather jacket. He lit a cigarette and leaned against his white pick-up truck parked in front of Chunkers.

Pete smirked. “Man, I thought you quit.”

Lethal Journey333x500

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Genre – Thriller
Rating – PG-18
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Friday, April 4, 2014

The Forgotten Child by Lorhainne Eckhart @LEckhart #Contemporary #Western #Romance

“Please sit down, Emily.” He extended out the flat of his hand, very much in control.

“Ah, thank you.” She perched on the edge of the soft leather seat across from a man who was too damn good to look at—a man obviously comfortable in his own skin.

Hardness set his jaw as he studied her. The tick of the wall clock seemed to echo in the silence, and Emily squirmed in her seat. Why was he looking at her like that? Maybe it was her outrageous entrance and he was wondering what kind of kook she was, whether he could entrust her with his child. Yes, that had to be it.

She swallowed hard. “I’m Emily Nelson; I talked to you yesterday on the phone about the job.”
He blinked before closing those exquisite eyes, as if he’d forgotten the reason she was here. When he opened them again, his hard judgmental expression seemed to have softened a bit.

Again he extended his large hand, taking hers in a firm grip. Just the touch of his solid calloused hand and the secure squeeze was enough to teeter her nerves back to that awkward woman at the door. She wondered what it would be like to have a man like this run his hands over you. She snatched her hand back before her face burned any brighter. Finally, he introduced himself. “The name’s Brad Friessen.”

Emily kept quiet. He didn’t run on with his words. He must be a deep thinker, a doer. She could relate to that… but not to him. Her sly eyes glanced down at his left hand: no gold band, no white line, no wife or significant other. Or maybe he was one of those arrogant guys who wouldn’t wear a ring, a lady’s man. He had the looks and the attitude. Now was the time to ask about the woman who answered the phone when she called. Who was she?

“This is a working ranch I run, and I need a woman to look after my son. I’m old fashioned in my values. Children should be at home, not stuck in daycare. I’m looking for someone who’s comfortable in a kitchen and looking after children: a role that should come natural to a woman. I don’t want someone who’s got the phone stuck to their ear half the day. It’s a decent job and good pay; $500 a week, room and board, and includes all your meals.”

Her heart sank about the same time the bottom dropped out of her stomach. It was too good to be true. She wanted to cry. “But I… I have a little girl, I didn’t realize–”

His face hardened and he looked away. For some reason he was angry with her… no, furious. Emily didn’t know what to say when he let out a heavy sigh. He closed his eyes, rubbing his hand over the light brown shadow that appeared over his jaw. Then he faced her again, with those deep brown eyes now turned to steel. Emily saw that he could be a hard man.


Lorhainne Eckhart

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Genre – Contemporary Western Romance
Rating – PG
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