Bloggin' Authors: THE WRITER'S LIFE

Showing posts with label THE WRITER'S LIFE. Show all posts

Monday, November 19, 2018

Writing From the Heart by Chris Sarracini @chris_sarracini #children #writing #writerslife

WRITING FROM THE HEART

By Chris Sarracini

My children’s book, Where Wishes Grow…, illustrated by Pauline Aksay, focuses on the unbreakable bond of love between a young girl (Maggie), her mother and her grandmother. Maggie’s grandmother is bedridden, having suffered a stroke, and Maggie has some wishes she desperately wants to come true; wishes that would help her grandmother enjoy the vibrant life she once had. And so, Maggie’s mom comes up with a plan to help those wishes to grow.

Writing Where Wishes Grow… was a very cathartic experience for me. Like Maggie, the hero of the story, I too was deeply impacted as a young child when my grandmother suffered a stroke and had to rehabilitate herself physically and mentally. I think Maggie’s wishes for her grandmother stem from my feelings of helplessness when I saw my grandmother struggling to return to health. Needless to say, Where Wishes Grow… is definitely a story I wrote from the heart.

In writing Where Wishes Grow… I wanted to tell a story that would have a powerful emotional impact not just on the kids enjoying the book but also on the parents or grandparents who might be reading it with them. I hoped that it would remind readers, young and old, just how powerful the bonds of family are and how important it is to cherish the shared memories between generations because time with family is precious. And most of all, I wanted the story to remind readers of how hope is one of the most powerful emotions of all.

In order to capture the soft and tender emotions that this story is meant to evoke, the book needed just the right artist. Working with Pauline Aksay was an incredible experience. Since so much of the book revolves around Maggie dreaming of bigger and better things for her Nanna, and since so much of the storytelling happens when Maggie retells her adventures to her mother after having planted her wishes, the dreaminess of Pauline’s digital paintings was a perfect fit. There are very few artists who can transport readers into the vibrant and colorful imagination of a child quite like Pauline.

We hope you enjoy Where Wishes Grow… and that this story, written from the heart, touches yours.

About the Author

Chris Sarracini has been working in the comic book and film industries for over 15 years. In addition to writing for a number of successful comic book favorites including TRANSFORMERS, STREET FIGHTER and DARK MINDS, his own creations include FATE OF THE BLADE and CASA NOSTRA. As a screenwriter, he has worked with Universal Pictures, Disney and Nasser Entertainment. His most recent publication is the children's picture book WHERE WISHES GROW...

Chris lives with his family in Toronto where he continues to create and write.

Website Address: www.chrissarracini.com

Twitter Address: www.twitter.com/chris_sarracini

About the Book:

Title: WHERE WISHES GROW
Author: Chris Sarracini
Publisher: Brownridge Publishing
Pages: 56
Genre: Children’s Picture Book

BOOK BLURB:

Where Wishes Grow… is the story of eight-year-old Maggie, a pensive and courageous dreamer, whose big heart starts to break when her grandmother becomes bedridden and sick with no recovery in sight. Fortunately Maggie has some wishes in mind to breathe life into Nana and is about to learn the secret for making them come true.

Watching Nana’s health fail has been difficult for Maggie and so now much of her time is spent dreaming up wishes for ways she can help her. Maggie conjures up three wishes for Nana she desperately wants to come true: for Nana to see again to enjoy her favorite beautiful things, for her to walk again to visit her favorite places, and for her to speak again so that she and Maggie can sing their favorite songs. The problem is, with wishes this important, Maggie wants to be sure she can realize them; wishing upon stars that may be long dead or relying on birthday candle hoopla just won’t cut it. Thankfully, Maggie’s mother knows the secret for turning wishes into reality…you’ve got to write each wish down and then go plant each one in just the right place. And, as Maggie discovers, retelling the story of how each wish was planted turns out to be the most magical part.

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Monday, June 18, 2018

The Magical World of the Sunwrights l Kevin M. Villegas @sunwrightcron

thewriterslife 12:00 AM 0 Comments

The Magical World of the Sunwrights

Hello Everyone! Thank you for taking time to read my guest post! Today I would like to tackle the interesting way I have approached magic in my novel, “The Sunwright Chronicles: A New World.” We all know that every book is different with their magical approaches, in my novel you won’t find wands, staves, or staffs. The mages of the Sunwright family draw magic from the very world itself. For the Sunwrights worlds are classified as no magic, low magic, medium magic, or high magic. Depending on the strength of the magical aura of the world it will decide how powerful the Sunwrights themselves are.

When we get to their new homeworld of Alavar it is a high magic world, allowing for example Paris Sunwright the patriarch of the Sunwright family to draw in power from the essence of Alavar and create and cast his most powerful spells. Mages in my world work in the exact same way as I just described above except for one type of mage. That would be the necromancer.

The Necromancer is the most powerful type of spell caster, their power is innate, it is wild, and it is dangerous if the necromancer is not taught to control their power at a young age. Young Jaedus Sunwright is born a necromancer, in the book you will see what it is like to have a necromancer in the family, it is not a good proposition.

I know my blog is a little short, but I don’t want to give too much away, the book will spell out the rest of the magical system. I hope you have enjoyed the blog and it has given you some insight to the novel itself. Thank you for your time.

About the Author

I have been writing for as long as I can remember. My ongoing series The Sunwright Chronicles is a culmination of fifteen years of creating a unique living world with a rich history. I am currently writing the third book in the series. Besides writing I enjoy computer gaming, reading, playing the guitar and watching the history and science channels. My favorite activity though, is hanging out with my awesome family.

My latest book is the fantasy, The Sunwright Chronicles: A New World.

SOCIAL LINKS:

TWITTER | FACEBOOK

About the Book:

Title: THE SUNWRIGHT CHRONICLES: A NEW WORLD
Author: Kevin M. Villegas
Publisher: Independent
Pages: 120
Genre: Fantasy

BOOK BLURB:

The Sunwright Chronicles : A New World, takes place in the world called Alavar, the Sunwrights a mostly Magical family made up of Paris Sunwright, Suadela Sunwright, Calia Sunwright, Tobias & Jaedus Sunwright and last but not least Pershing Sunwright, have all arrived from a long but bitter stay from modern earth. Alavar is a fresh new world, so the Sunwrights are directed to stay away from the "creators as they work" young Jaedus Sunwright is discovered to be a "necromancer" the most powerful type of mage.

Paris Sunwright the patriarch of the family takes it upon himself to train her before she accidentally kills anyone in the family with her wild powers. Conflict ensues between Suadela, Paris's wife and young Jaedus before Paris can take Jaedus away to be trained. We skip ahead in time and Jaedus is trained properly, The "Creators" are long done with their work and the Sunwrights decide to reside with the elves of the world. The Sunwrights help teach the Elves many things. It is not long before it is discovered there is a sickness amongst the elves, called the soul disease. Because of her special powers Jaedus Sunwright is the best fitted to help combat this disease, only a few elves succumb to the disease, one being the wife of the second most prominent Elf in the land.

Now we move forward, the Elves are prospering the soul disease is gone, the population boom for the Elves has produced several distinct tribes amongst them. A power struggle ensues, in which the first murder occurs in the land, leading to the breakup of the tribes into separate nations and the very real possibility of war.

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# THE WRITER'S LIFE # WRITING

Monday, May 14, 2018

What Changed Everything For Me As An Author l Benjamin Mester #writing #getpublished #books

thewriterslife 12:00 AM 0 Comments

What Changed Everything For Me As An Author

Every writer starts their first book with stars in their eyes. I'm actually going to become a published author!! That high will drive you for awhile. But then comes the work. When I first started writing, I gobbled up every book I could find on writing as a craft. And I came across something by the poet, Mary Oliver. In teaching poetry workshops, she noted that for every ten students attending her courses, nine of them were in love with the idea of being published and only one out of ten was actually in love with writing.

That hit me like a ton of bricks. I realized for the first time that I was more in love with the idea of being published than I was with actual writing. I knew if I didn't develop a love for writing I'd never make it as an author in such a competitive market. So I took a step back. I put my dreams of being published aside and I just wrote. I wrote backstories for my world, little snippets of witty dialog, character sketches, emotional scenes and outlines galore. I kept the ten percent I liked and started over with the rest, honing my story into a work I could genuinely be proud of. I wrote and rewrote until something amazing happened. I started to fall in love with the world I was building and actually began to care about what would happen to the characters.

To me, writing seems a lot like wedding planning. I had a friend who started planning her wedding at five years old – the scenes, the people, the magic of it all. That's just how it is for an author when they first get their big idea for a book. But when the wedding day approaches and the work begins, the magic can quickly fade. That's how writing is. We all dream the big dream. But the dream of finishing a book and being a published author isn't enough to motivate you during the real work. You need to fall in love with your story and the beauty of writing as a craft. Then the magic really happens, the marriage of a skillful writer with something genuine to share. That sort of marriage can change the world.

About the Author

Benjamin Mester is native of San Diego but can often be found wandering the woods of northern Minnesota. He fell in love with language at an early age – the eloquence of poetry or the grandeur of an epic story. Fantasy is his favorite genre, crafting new and magical places of heroism and adventure. When he isn't writing, he's often taking long walks through nature or wondering about his place in the wide world.

Benjamin is the author of The Banished Lands series.

You can visit him on Goodreads.

About the Book:

Title: THE BANISHED LANDS (BOOK ONE)
Author: Benjamin Mester
Publisher: Independent
Pages: 384
Genre: Fantasy

BOOK BLURB:

A kingdom in danger. A prophecy that will change everything. But will they understand it in time? The old world is gone, and barely even histories remain. But something from that time is returning. The closing lines of a farewell poem, written centuries ago by the last great king of the age to his slain wife, might be more than just a poem:

The world and all its light shall fade,
I'll stay with her beneath the shade
And wait until the world's remade...

Join us in this epic fantasy adventure as three friends plunge into the great mystery of their age, twelve centuries in the making. A mysterious fog blankets the forest just outside the sleepy town of Suriya. A dark plot unfolds as Durian and his friends discover ties between a strange wanderer and the warlike barbarian kingdom far to the north. Are the mysterious things happening in the forest a prelude to invasion? What happens next will propel Durian and his curious friends into the middle of the oldest riddle in the history of their kingdom, a dozen centuries old.

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Other Books in The Banished Lands Series

# THE WRITER'S LIFE # WRITING

Wednesday, April 4, 2018

Does the Universe Give Pop Quizzes? l Tamara Dorris @tamaradorris

thewriterslife 12:00 AM 0 Comments

Does the Universe Give Pop Quizzes?

Sometimes I hear people say things like, “I guess the universe is testing me,” or “Why does the universe keep testing me like that?” (Add your own dramatic experience for impact). But, as my angel friend named Morty once told me, there are no pop quizzes in Heaven. So unless you’re still in high school or standing in a long line at the DMV, chances are you won’t be tested anytime soon. The truth is that the universe has other, more pressing matters to tend to, such as holding itself together by keeping the electrons and protons of several hundreds of billions of galaxies in working order. A fairly tall task I’d say. So do you really think the universe might put the Milky Way on hold for a few minutes to say, test you on your faith? Yeah, me neither.

When things don’t go our way it’s always the result of our previous thinking. End of story. Sure, it may be something mean we said or did, but even those things started with thought. It would be impossible to have a kind thought and then kick the dog; thoughts precede everything. We have to remember that any thought we have that isn’t joy-filled is fair game for the boomerang effect. The boomerang effect simply says that we never, ever, ever get away with thinking something about ourselves or someone else that won’t come back at us like a boomerang. When we entertain serious self-doubt, fear, hate, anger, or sadness that boomerang may smack us in the head like a Frisbee at the dog park.

It’s also important to note that time is not always linear in how things come back to be with us. The universe doesn’t seem to be on the same schedule as say, your local post office or the UPS guy. You may think something snarky on Monday and get boomeranged back in the head two weeks later. And then there you are, rubbing your little wounded forehead at the scene of your fender bender asking, “Why does the universe keep testing me like this?” Other times, things come seemingly out of the blue, just like a boomerang in slow-mo, but trust me, just because you don’t remember tossing it out there doesn’t mean you didn’t. Boomerangs are smart like that.

Sometimes at workshops people will tell me how excited they are that the universe “rewarded” them, and I usually let it slide. After all, it’s never a bad idea to wink up at the sky and give the Big Guy a little credit now and then (can you imagine how heavy Jupiter must get?). But in truth, the same thing applies: you experienced some really great thoughts –that were accompanied by some really joyful feelings—and now they’re coming back to be with you. Only on these occasions, it’s as if the boomerang sailed softly into your hands and you started doing the victory dance for catching it with such grace and ease.

I know some of you came to this post with your pencils sharpened and your thinking caps screwed on tightly expecting some sort of exam, and since I hate to disappoint, I thought I’d prepare a short T/F test that the universe might give you, just to make you happy.

If I yell at my neighbor for parking in my space it’s not going to matter? T F
If I hold the door open for that little old man I’m boomeranging in the right way? T F
If I say, think, or do something really unkind, it will never catch up with me? T F
The universe plays favorites and I always get ripped off?

T F

If I respond rather than react I’ll get hit in the head a heck of a lot less? T F

Well? How’d you do? Here’s the deal: the quality of your thoughts and emotions are clear indicators of the quality of your life. The things you thought yesterday have resulted in the life you are living today and the things you are thinking today are laying the foundation for what you’ll be living tomorrow. No one ever said it was easy. Sh**happens. People get sick, fired, lose their homes, and even say mean things about you in line at the drive-thru.

The key, I really believe, is to respond as elegantly as we are able with as little ruckus and fuss and drama as possible. Once we pick ourselves up from a rough patch, and then manage to maintain a mostly positive and joyful mind-set, we’ll begin to understand that we ourselves are the true test-givers, and that it’s perfectly fine to sneak a peek at the answers since the only grade book there is belongs to us. No studying necessary, just plenty of practicing.

Thanks for reading!

About the Author

Tamara Lee Dorris, MA, is the author of 19 books, a long-time coach, consultant, and adjunct college professor. She’s spent the past few decades studying and sharing ways that people can live more fulfilling, fun, and effective lives. She’s also an avid yogi, podcaster, and wine-lover, committed to inspiring as many people as she can. Tamara holds degrees in psychology and communications, is a certified hypnotherapist and EFT practitioner, too.

Website & Social Links

WEBSITE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK

About the Book:

Title: IMAGINE THAT: PLAYING WITH THE POWER OF IMAGINATION
Author: Tamara Dorris
Publisher: Createspace
Pages: 190
Genre: Self-Help/Spiritual

BOOK BLURB:

From rock-solid science to centuries-old scripture, we’ve been told our thoughts and emotions matter, and may even be indicators of our future. In this book, Tamara Dorris shows you that the real key to navigating your way to a new reality rests in your almost-dormant imagination. She points out that we’re all using our imaginations anyway, but most of us are using them to conjure up the worst instead of designing the best.

With wit, humor, and sass Tamara shares how anyone can learn to use their imagination in a more productive, profitable, and effective way.

The second half of the book is a 33-Day Challenge, including daily lessons and journaling exercises to help solidify and apply the age-old, as well as scientifically new ideas presented in the first section of the book. Be prepared to have your mind a little bit blown, your “mean monkey” a little bit riled up, and start intentionally creating your life with excitement and intention!

ORDER YOUR COPY:

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# THE WRITER'S LIFE # WRITING

Monday, April 2, 2018

First person novels often beg the question--did the author actually live through that? l Lara Reznik @eipress

thewriterslife 12:00 AM 0 Comments

First person novels often beg the question--did the author actually live through that?

Numerous readers are convinced that my new multicultural suspense novel, Bagels & Salsa, as well as my earlier psychological suspense book, The Girl From Long Guyland, are autobiographical. I take it as a compliment that I was able to successfully create a fictive world with a plot and cast of characters that are composites of people I’ve known throughout my lifetime.

Bagels & Salsa, is about Laila Levin, a Jewish sociologist from Manhattan, who takes a romantic gamble and follows Eduardo Quintana, a dashing Latino doctor to rural New Mexico. Their love is tested by his controlling mother who rejects Laila from the get-go, a drop-dead-gorgeous ex-girlfriend, a deranged ex-student of Laila’s who stalks her cross the country, and major cultural differences.

The story is set in the summer of 1977 as the Son of Sam is terrorizing NYC.

Okay, I admit, I’m a Jewish girl from Long Island who married a Hispanic man from rural New Mexico. The setting takes place in New York and New Mexico, two places I’ve lived. Like most authors, I write about what I know.

But I still haven’t answered the question. How much of the story is autobiographical? Read on.

First of all, there are memoirs and then there are novels. Celebrities write memoirs because people are fascinated by the details of their lives. If you had a very unusual or dysfunctional childhood it makes for great reading like in the Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls. Frankly, my real life is not all that interesting so I’ve chosen to write fiction.

Like many literary authors, I often start with an event or circumstance from my life that I believe is unique and then say, “what if.” In the case of Bagels & Salsa, I asked the question, “What if a Son of Sam copycat had stalked me across the country?” And, “What if my future mother-in-law had cooked up a plan to send me packing and reunite her son with his high school sweetheart?” While neither of these things happened, they certainly made for a more fun read than the details of my real life.

Bottom line, the characters are based on real people but they’ve been fictionalized to make them more dramatic and interesting. The setting is real and hopefully the plot takes on a life of its own.

About the Author

Lara Reznik is a native New Yorker who studied at the University of New Mexico and the University of Iowa’s Writers’ Workshop. Bagels & Salsa is her third novel.

Writing books since she was six years old, Reznik retired from an executive position in information technology after the success of her first novel, The Girl From Long Guyland, published in 2012. In 2015, Reznik published her second book, The M&M Boys.

Reznik currently lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband and two miniature Aussies.

WEBSITE & SOCIAL LINKS:

WEBSITE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK

About the Book:

Title: BAGELS & SALSA
Author: Lara REznik
Publisher: Enchanted Indie Press
Pages: 296
Genre: Suspense/Romance/Humor

BOOK BLURB:

Author Lara Reznik blends suspense, romance, and humor in her latest novel, BAGELS & SALSA (http://www.larareznik.com/bagels-and-salsa). Loosely based on Reznik’s life, the story of Laila and Eduardo highlights the turmoil that surfaces when a Jewish sociologist from New York and a Hispanic doctor from rural New Mexico fall hard and fast for each other. Their blossoming relationship develops against the backdrop of terror the Son of Sam created in New York City during the summer of 1977.

Early reviews of BAGELS & SALSA praise the story’s dynamic plot and colorful characters:

“The author tells a simple love story, but she structures the novel to provide a panoramic view of her characters” (Kirkus Reviews).

“Another lovely read from Lara Reznik! . . . As with all her novels there are also plenty of fun subplot twists and turns. I wanted more.” (Barbara Gaines, Former Executive Producer of The Late Show with David Letterman).

BAGELS & SALSA opens at a high school assembly hall in a rough part of the Bronx where Laila Levin is giving her first postdoctorate presentation on the US teen pregnancy epidemic. Her fear of public speaking and a chance encounter with the Son of Sam unravel her as several loud bangs crack through the air. Laila falls on the stage and injures her right shoulder. Fortunately, Dr. Eduardo Quintana jumps into action.

What begins as a playful flirtation while Laila recovers in the hospital propels into a more serious relationship with the handsome doctor. Their mutual passion is so intense that it stuns them both. The unlikely pair share strong family values and an interest in teen pregnancy prevention. After a brief courtship, Eduardo persuades Laila to accompany him to his family’s ranch near Española, New Mexico, where he plans to open a family practice. The rural town has one of the highest pregnancy rates in North America: the perfect place for Laila’s research.

Once in New Mexico, Laila is blatantly rejected by Sylvia, Eduardo’s controlling mother. Sylvia wants Eduardo to marry Violet, his high school sweetheart, who has recently returned to New Mexico after a failed flight attendant career and a walk on the dark side of Hollywood. Violet’s mother and Sylvia cook up a plan to send Laila packing and reunite their children. The Quintanas hold a large pig roast and invite a menagerie of tattooed cousins, rodeo stars, and mariachis. And the drop-dead gorgeous Violet makes a grand entrance.

In the midst of the pandemonium that results, a shocking family secret is revealed, and Laila and Eduardo’s love for each other is severely tested. Can their relationship survive the fierce clash of cultures, the murderous intentions of a Son of Sam copycat who has stalked Laila from New York City, and their own uncertainties about the upheavals that their union will cause in their lives?

Reznik’s first goal in writing BAGELS & SALSA is to entertain readers. However, she says, “On a more thematic level, I’d like readers to think about the importance of embracing religious, ethnic, and cultural differences, which have been at the core of so much conflict in the world.”