I am excited it's Friday because I have some great plans for the weekend AND because we get another First Page Friday! Today Ms. Shreditor talks about scene flow and tension, something I can always work on.As always, thank you to the author and our editor for their efforts. If you would like your first page critiqued, send your double-spaced 12 pt. font first page to juliecoulterbellon@gmail.com We still have one opening for August.See you next week!The EntryThe Coveby Julie Spencer“Why did you do that?” she demanded, standing in his...
Friday, 9 August 2013
Thursday, 8 August 2013
I was sitting on my bed a few weeks back, thinking about my manuscript. I liked the plot, I liked the characters, but something was missing. I felt the plot and the conclusion were a bit too obvious and had been done before. I jotted down a few ideas for different conclusions to my plot, even some crazy stuff, but nothing was jumping out at me that I could really work with until right before I went to sleep that night. Then the perfect plot twist hit me.I quickly wrote it down before the idea slipped away and as I've been...
Wednesday, 7 August 2013
It has been another great week for my word count---just over 4200 words. I'm so excited about this manuscript and the direction it's going in. I just put in a great plot twist that makes me smile every time I think about it.How did you do this week?And yes, I will be sprinting tonight at 8 p.m. MST as usual. I hope someone can join me tonight! See you th...
Tuesday, 6 August 2013
I was reading another writer's blog yesterday and I was disheartened to read their thoughts that you can't get quality writing done in snatches of time. Quality writing is achieved when you have a minimum two hour block of time per day to write. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not dissing what they said or their thoughts on the subject, but that hasn't been my experience at all. I can't recall ever having two hours per day of writing time. Ever. I have eight children and a life that intrudes upon my writing all the time. All...
Monday, 5 August 2013
Today I am THRILLED to be part of the blog tour for Sarah Eden's new book Longing for Home because I love all of Sarah's books. There is just something about her characters and style of writing that strikes a chord with me. This book was no different.We are introduced to Katie MacCauley who is traveling to the Wyoming territory to accept a job as a housekeeper. She is traveling in the back of a family wagon, uncomfortable around...
Friday, 2 August 2013
This was a fun First Page Friday because I really wanted to read more of this story! Ms. Shreditor has some great points, and I'm wondering now what the answers are to her questions. These are the kind of First Page Fridays that I really learn from.As always, thank you to our author and editor for their effort. You are so appreciated! If you would like to have your first page critiqued by a national editor, submit your double-spaced 12 pt. font first page to juliecoulterbellon@gmail.com with First Page Friday in the subject line....
Thursday, 1 August 2013
Lately, I've been helping authors write or revamp their back cover copy and I even taught a class on it at a indie publishing conference. It always amazes me how little time authors seem to spend on the second most important thing in selling and marketing their book---the back cover copy. Besides the cover, the first interaction your reader will have with your book is the back cover copy and it can make or break your book sales. So, let's look at some tips for writing great back cover copy.First of all, NEVER summarize your book. The...
Wednesday, 31 July 2013
Okay I am jumping up and down with excitement this week. But first . . . remember when I had the first page of All Fall Down critiqued on First Page Friday? Angela Eschler, one of our amazing editors for First Page Friday, has a new feature on her blog where she has the original submission, her critique, then the changes that were made. I also offered my thoughts on how the critiqued helped me. You can see it all here Great stuff, my friends.I also got another review of Ashes Ashes today. The reviewer from Books are...
Tuesday, 30 July 2013
Today I have two books to tell you about. The first one is a regency romance by G.G. Vandagriff called Lord Trowbridge's Angel.In this book we meet Viscount Frank Trowbridge who agrees to escort Miss Sophie Edwards to a ball. Sophie isn't able to dance because of a childhood injury, so when he finds out she plays the violin, he introduces her to the musical people he knows. Pretty soon he finds himself utterly entranced with the woman...
Monday, 29 July 2013
Everyone knows Joss Whedon, right? He's a writer, producer, director, script doctor, and executive producer to name a few of the hats he wears. He is an amazingly talented man. Some of his writing credits include Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Toy Story, Firefly, Titan A.E., Alien Resurrection, Angel, and The Avengers. Can you imagine the things going on in this man's head? Does he ever sleep with that kind of imagination? And while I know none of those things I listed are novel writing, he gave some advice that I've really...
Friday, 26 July 2013
Can you believe it's Friday already? This week has flown by. I'm so excited about today's First Page Friday critique because it's on memoir. Someday I'll write my own memoirs and hopefully have this post bookmarked!If you would like your first page critiqued by a national editor, submit your double-spaced 12 pt. font first page to juliecoulterbellon@gmail.com with First Page Friday in the subject line. We still have two openings in August.As always, thank you to our editor and author for their time and effort.See you next week!The...
Thursday, 25 July 2013
Well, my sister is gone now, but I'm having a hard time getting back into my writing rhythm. Which is bad news because I'm supposed to have my first ten chapters ready for my critique group in six days. Yikes.I did have one wonderful writing thing happen to me this week. I got a fan letter from someone who had simply loved Ashes Ashes and wrote to tell me about it. It truly made my day. I love fan mail and I answer all the letters I get. It is such a bright spot for me as an author and I truly appreciate everyone who...
Wednesday, 24 July 2013
Well, my sister is visiting me from Canada this week, so my word count was zero. But if we were doing a laugh count I would have gotten into the thousands! We're having a fun time. How did you do this week?I'm still planning on doing a sprint tonight at our regular time 8 p.m. MST I hope you can all co...
Tuesday, 23 July 2013
I read an article today by Stephen King on why he spends months and even years writing his opening sentence. (He does make it clear he doesn't do that, however, until after he's done drafting.)But some of the things he said made me think. For example, as the article goes on, he discusses how an opening line invites a reader to come here, to listen to this. It made me go back and look at some of the opening lines of my books. I think Ashes Ashes did great since the first line was "It was gut-check time." All Fall Down's...
Monday, 22 July 2013
This book was unexpected for me. It's called Just Like Elizabeth Taylor by LuAnn Staheli and it wasn't at all what I thought it would be. This is the first book I've ever read by this author and I was impressed with her style and flow. The story is about twelve-year-old Elizabeth who has a single mother and is dealing with watching her mother be physically abused by her boyfriend while Elizabeth is also being abused by the boyfriend's son. Hard stuff to read for sure. This is a sensitive and timely subject in today's world...
Friday, 19 July 2013
Today's First Page Friday sample was so interesting to me and Ms. Shreditor's remarks made it doubly so. I can't wait to hear what you think of it.If you would like your first page critiqued by a national editor, please submit your double-spaced 12 pt. font first page to juliecoulterbellon@gmail.com with First Page Friday in the subject line. There are two openings for August.As always, thank you to Ms. Shreditor and to our authors for their time and effort. See you next week!The EntryAn Uncommon Blueby Ryan HancockThere are three unspoken...
Thursday, 18 July 2013
Well, today is the last day of my blog tour. Today's reviewer loved the suspense of Ashes Ashes but had a few things to say about the romance. Want to read what she thought? Click hereI'd really like to thank everyone who participated. I loved meeting new friends and reading the reviews.Last night I was getting ready to sprint and I realized there are two things that are really helping me sit down and breeze through this first draft.First of all, like I talked about last week, I have a loose outline. I had someone...
Wednesday, 17 July 2013
Well, the blog tour ends tomorrow and it has been a great ride. If you still want to enter the drawing for a $25 Amazon gift card, you can do that hereI got one review today from Love.Pray.Read and they said it was a fast-paced and engaging story. You can read the whole review here There's also a spot to enter the drawing for the Amazon gift card there, too.So, on to word counts. I did great this week and got 4789 words. I added two and a half chapters and I am feeling gooooood about this book. How did you do?I will...
Tuesday, 16 July 2013
Well, if you are as dedicated as Debra and are following my blog tour, I got two more reviews today for Ashes Ashes.The first one was from Hershey Wishes and Kisses (isn't that a great name?) and they said that it was "filled with intense suspense, a heart-pounding plot, and great characters." Yay! You can read the whole review hereThe second one was from Min Reads and she said it was a fast-paced thriller. She was also happy...
Monday, 15 July 2013
The hero of my book, Ashes Ashes, had his first interview today! Detective Colby Black tells what kind of music he likes, what book he's reading now, and how he unwinds. Not to be missed! You can read it hereI also had a new book review at Literary Time Out. They said they liked my quirky characters! You can read the entire review hereAnd lastly, I tell the story of how that kitchen fire in Ashes Ashes is based on a true event (a little embarrassing!) and give my Bellon Family Torte recipe away. You won't want...
Saturday, 13 July 2013
Friday, 12 July 2013
Today I have a guest post over at Spellbindings, where I talk about how I can realistically write about snipers and law enforcement. You can read it hereI also received two new reviews. The first one from Why Not? Because I Said So, said the reviewer actually took her iPad to the theater so she could read a bit more of my book before the lights went out. I loved that! You can read what she thought of Ashes Ashes hereAnd this was my favorite line from the second review I got today at Sarah Aisling's blog: "Bellon’s...
Thursday, 11 July 2013
So, if you are following my book's blog tour, you know I got two great reviews today. First, Ronda gave me four stars and said "It's exciting, full of twists, and keeps you guessing the whole way." Loved that! You can read her entire review here.Second, I think this is the review I will print off and display next to my desk for when I get discouraged about writing. Shauna said, among other things, "If Julie Bellon wrote the book you KNOW it will be GOOD!" There were many things I liked about her review, but I think that line made...
Wednesday, 10 July 2013
Well, I am FULL of good news today. First of all, I wrote 3426 words. It's not a huge amount, but the impact those words made on the story is immense. So YAY! I am also going to do another writing sprint tonight at 8 p.m. MST so if you can come, please do! I love sprints because it is so motivating. Thanks to everyone who comes to those. How did you do on your word count this week?Second in the good news department,...
Tuesday, 9 July 2013
I love keeping a journal. It's such a part of me, it helps me sort out feelings and life in general, and keeps me writing every day even if it's not on my book.For me, I write down everything. My mistakes, my less than perfect feelings, the good, the bad, and the ugly. I mostly write my journal for me, but I have let my kids read the things I wrote down when I was a teenager, newlywed and new mom because it's fun for me to reminisce and for them to see what kind of a person I was and what was important to me back then. (All...
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