Well, there's some romance in my work-in-progress. Surprise!If you've read my previous books you know that they're more adventure with a splash of romance. But this one seems to be moving more in a half and half direction with the adventure and romance. Which makes it a tiny bit harder for me to write. Mostly because I like action stuff and sometimes it's hard to slow down and really feel the emotion. So I'm slowing myself down.Today, though, it's been hard to write the romantic foo foo stuff because I'm tired and...
Thursday, 31 January 2013
Wednesday, 30 January 2013
Well, I was holding off on posting until I could have a word count, but more or less I'm just reading the chapter and changing a few words here and there. So my word count is about 8. Sad, I know. But can I help it if this is an epic chapter that I love? I submit that I cannot.Have you ever had a chapter that seemed perfect and you kept reading it over and over because you were shocked? Looking for problems, plot holes or weird turns of phrase? That's me. So far so good though.How did you do this we...
Tuesday, 29 January 2013
So, most of you know that I referee girls basketball games. In my league, girls games are generally different from the boys in that when a girl fouls, she almost always apologizes, but when a boy fouls, he denies it and calls the other kid a crybaby. (Although I have seen some girls who have clawed opponents. That's rare to see in a boys game.)Last week, the game was in double overtime and it was intense. Both teams were in double bonus and we were running up and down the court with wild abandon. (Okay, maybe I wasn't...
Monday, 28 January 2013
Well, the book I was going to review today wasn't one I liked. It had a great story idea, and I did like the main character, but I had a hard time with how the author chose to tell the story.It started out with a bang, an event that affected everyone and was quite chilling, actually. But then the second chapter skipped ahead several years and we didn't get to see the immediate aftermath, we saw very different people that hadn't coped with the event well. We did see some of the immediate aftermath through flashbacks, a lot of flashbacks,...
Friday, 25 January 2013
I apologize for First Page Friday being a little late today. We had a tiny snafu, but it was taken care of, so here we are!As always, thank you to Eschler Editing for their efforts and to all our authors who submit. If you would like your first page critiqued, follow the directions in the sidebar. See you next week!The EntryUntitledThe DunstersSamuel brought the muzzle down slightly, eyeing the pale chunk of wood they’d placed in...
Thursday, 24 January 2013
So, you all know I do an in-person critique group with Jordan McCollum and Emily Clawson. We started meeting a year ago now and while it's been wonderful and I've learned a lot, we do things a little different in our group. Jordan McCollum posted her thoughts about it here, but I remember things a tiny bit differently. (Different POV and all that. See how I worked that in? Gold star for me!)When we first started meeting we were each critiquing a chapter per person and meeting twice a month. It was fun, but as Jordan points out,...
Wednesday, 23 January 2013
I had critique group last night and even though we weren't critiquing anything of mine, during our brainstorming session for one of our group members I had this idea for my own work in progress and came home so excited to write! And guess what I've been doing this morning? Revising my first chapter. It's such an invigorating feeling after having a long break (like I've taken).It's like diving into the pool after sitting in the hot tub for a long while, you know?How did you do this week?...
Tuesday, 22 January 2013
I know I usually do a wrap-up of Castle and Hawaii Five-O, but I don't have a lot of good things to say about last night's offerings. I thought some of the scenes went too far and were in poor taste. The only redeeming factor for Hawaii Five-O was Wo Fat's appearance. But even then we had to believe that Danny had such bad aim, he couldn't hit Wo Fat who had barely any cover and a rifle to defend himself with? Yeah, not so much. So today I'd like to tell you where I've been this morning. I went to see J. Scott Savage's...
Monday, 21 January 2013
I love Sarah Eden's books. She writes regency romance so well and Drops of Gold is no exception. I think what I love most about her books is the way she writes her characters and how memorable they are, but also how she writes the romance. It's "clean" romance, but so sigh-worthy. That is hard to find in regency romance.Drops of Gold is about a woman who names herself Mary Wood when she has had a change in circumstances because...
Friday, 18 January 2013
I am excited about today's First Page Friday. There are so many great nuggets of information. I hope you find them as well.As always I am grateful to Ms. Shreditor, a national editor who loves to help writers, and to all the authors who submit every week. If you would like your first page critiqued, we have spots open in February, so please submit your 12 pt. font, double-spaced page to juliecoulterbellon@gmail.com with First Page Friday in the subject line.See you next week!The EntryCents by Rebecca H. JamisonThere’s a skill...
Thursday, 17 January 2013
I've had three cool author things happen to me lately and I was excited and wanted to share with you. (And really, you need to write the awesome stuff down so you can go back and read it on those days when your self-doubt creeps in to tell you that you are a terrible writer).The First Cool ThingI was sitting in a dental office's reception area and the receptionist had read my new book All Fall Down and was telling me how much she liked it when the lady next to me interrupted. "You're Julie Bellon? I've read your books! They're...
Wednesday, 16 January 2013
Well, I didn't actually write any new words on my manuscript this week, but I pulled it up and looked at it. And brainstormed a bit. But that's about it. I know, I know, I'm going to get to it, I promise. I'm starting to get an itchy writing finger.I had a root canal this morning and the doctor explained everything he was doing as he went along. I sort of liked that because there was no surprises. Although he called me hon, a lot, which I found odd. And my face is still tingly. I hate that feeling.Also,...
Tuesday, 15 January 2013
Both shows last night were fairly unique. Hawaii Five-O let the audience choose the ending (and they chose poorly in my opinion.) You could go to CBS.com to see the other two endings that weren't chosen, and I was glad I did. There were three suspects in the professor's death (and did they really have to show the acid-riddled body? I'm really starting to hate how graphic they're being with the bodies lately. But I digress). Anyway, there was the boss, the teacher's assistant, and the cheating student. So the audience...
Monday, 14 January 2013
Well, in a bit of a snafu on my part, I'm a tour stop for two tours today. But it's a bonus for you, my dear readers, because you get two reviews instead of one. Read one, get one free, or something like that. And both of these books are well worth your time.The first one is Heart of the Ocean by Heather Moore. It's a historical fiction and nothing like I've read before. It's about a New York society girl who turns down...
Friday, 11 January 2013
Well, it's a snowy January day. What better way to spend it than gleaning writing tips from First Page Friday!As always, I would like to thank Ms. Shreditor and all the authors who submit their work so we all can learn. See you next week!The EntryUntitledby John ForsytheHe put his right hand into the scanner as the electronic voice instructed. He felt the warmth of the machine as it scanned not just his fingerprints but his palm print as well. He hated the next part, and he winced just as he always did as the metallic teeth, like a...
Thursday, 10 January 2013
“If you can't fly then run, if you can't run then walk, if you can't walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.” - Martin Luther King Jr.Sometimes writing feels like that for me---there are days when I'm flying through the pages, days when i'm running, then walking, and finally just crawling to the keyboard to write a page or two if I'm lucky. This has been tough sometimes when I'm under a deadline or needing to finish. But then I discovered something.I am much more internally motivated.I can promise myself...
Wednesday, 9 January 2013
So my word count is zero again. But I thought about it more this week. I think that's progress. Or at least I'm calling it progress.I've been reading a lot of books instead of writing. (I know, I know, but maybe it will inspire my muse to come back or something.) But I've been reading historical fiction to be exact. And some books are definitely better than others. There are some I wish I hadn't paid for and that could come with a warning or rating of some kind. You know, like on IMDb there's a parental...
Tuesday, 8 January 2013
Last night's Castle was so good. There was a great twisty mystery, a Caskett kiss, and quotable lines. I loved the forward movement in the Caskett relationship as well. Beckett's look at the end says to me that we're going to be peeling back the Castle onion sooner rather than later and I, for one, am looking forward to that. After all, we know a ton about Kate and her mom's murder blah blah blah, but hardly anything about Castle, his father, that whole mystery. If the writers do it right, it could be really good.I...
Monday, 7 January 2013
With so many people having a New Year's Resolution to lose weight, (including me) this book seemed right up my alley. It's not a how-to book, it's a book about the author Betsy Schow's journey as she looked at herself in the mirror one morning (naked) and said she was a 216 lb. "lump." That started her on her road to self-discovery and how she became a finisher.(Here's her before and after photos)You see, she'd always been great at beginnings...
Friday, 4 January 2013
I recently had an author ask if she could be critiqued for a First Page Friday, but not have it posted on my blog. I've also been asked a lot of questions about Ms. Shreditor and what my point is with First Page Fridays. Because of this, I thought I would take a few minutes today to explain why I started this on my blog.I was at a conference where there was a panel of national agents and editors. They all said the same thing---that if a manuscript hasn't caught their attention by the first page they reject it. They wanted to see fresh and...
Thursday, 3 January 2013
So, I joined Pinterest a few months back and I've found some awesome things on there. Recipes for sugar cookie bars, fun stuff to do with my kids, and I've pinned a few things myself like If My Books Were Movies and then I cast them (with famous actors and such) and Books I've Loved. It's been a fun place for me to hang out. You can find me on Pinterest here if you want.Until I read an article by Jordan McCollum about using Pinterest as an Author. You can read it here. (But don't get sucked in! Come back to me!)It...
Wednesday, 2 January 2013
I'm sad that the Christmas holidays are over and everyone is going back to school and work. Mostly because it's been so relaxing and fun to have all my kids home. There is nothing like having a full house and lots of laughter and staying up late every night to chat. It's been a great holiday.But I haven't done any writing. I didn't want to miss a minute with my family. That will come soon enough. Maybe even next week!I did read a lot of books though. Some were good, some not so good. And I cut up...
Tuesday, 1 January 2013
I was looking back over my New Year's Resolutions for 2012 and was pleasantly surprised that I'd accomplished a lot of them.Here's what they were:Read 112 books this year. (I had to really work hard on this one and barely squeaked in by reading the 112th on New Year's Eve. It stretched me for sure, but I did it.)Write ten pages a week minimum on my work in progress. (I didn't do so well on this one, but I did write a manuscript and a half last year so I'm counting that a success.)Organize my papers and pictures. (I organized almost all of my...
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