Follow Friday!

Q:  If you had to spend eternity inside the pages of a book which book would you choose and why?

Oh boy, this is such a hard questions.  There are so many series that I just love and it would be super cool to live in.  The kind of frustrating thing is that there is something bad about each one.  Since I cannot decided on just one I will give you a few examples.

The Lord of the Rings Series – While yes this is in the middle of a huge war and there are all kinds of bad things going on, I still would love to live in this time.  Most of the culture and lands are just so beautiful.  Living in Hobbiton would be so cool or living with the Elves.

Harry Potter – Again lots of fighting and wars, but also how to live in this magical land.  It would be awesome to visit all of the cool places in the books.

Stephanie Plum Series – It would be  a funny place to live not to mention Morelli and Ranger.   It would just be comical.

The Outlander Series – I would love to travel time and see the things that Claire sees.  Just an outstanding series!

Well those are my answers this week.  If you are a new, welcome and I hope you enjoy what you see and will follow.  For those returning, thank you!  I appreciate each and every one of you!  Now please leave me your answer or link so I can visit!

Author Guest Post with Michelle Franklin

Many people ask how I write and what I write.

I write two chapters a day and usually a short story to post on the official Haanta Series website. This amounts to about ten-thousand words a day. I am aware that may seem like an unconquerable lot, but if one considers how much one writes in emails, through messengers, and over social sites in a given day, ten-thousand is not much. I’ll share with you how I do what I do with the hopes that my technique can help you too.

My process is very simple:
1) Write what you love most
2) Write without the notion of being published
3) Write what you want to write at that moment
4) Begin with small and allow small to turn into big.

It is really that simple, but I will discuss each point to show you what I mean.

1) Write what you love most.

When I was in a university writing course, I was encouraged to write different genres and styles. This is excellent for those who wish to write but are uncertain as to what. I, however, knew that I wanted to write high fantasy. This was not an accepted genre amongst a group of existential fiction writers. I became frustrated, stagnant, agitated with writing, and I considered giving it up until I left the class and began writing on my own. Fantasy has always been a natural proclivity for me and therefore I write nothing else. Write the genre and in the style that suits you; do not change to please others.

2) Write without the notion of being published.

Before I began writing the Haanta Series, I wrote an epic fantasy series called the Arustan series. Do not search for it; you shall not find it. I had written a few books in the series but none of them were ever finished due to my querying agents and publishers.I was told that high fantasy was out and no one beyond two or three major imprints would consider my work. I became discouraged, gave up finishing some of the books, and the rejections the frst ones received stopped me from writing altogether. It is true that the publishing industry moves in trends, as does any creative business, but I resolved not to await the time of high fantasy to shine anew to begin writing again. I began writing the Haanta series and did not query agents and publishers until I had four books completed. While I was waiting for answers, I wrote books six through ten. I did receive rejections, but because I had written so much, it hardly mattered, and when I received a few acceptances, I had plenty of material prepared.

3) Write what you want to write at that moment.

This has kept me from writer’s block for years. Many never want to deviate from their current work because they might feel that if they leave if, they will never return to it. I say, not so. I constantly write books and stories out of order because something in them might give rise to something I can use in a previous work, etc. Often, while I’m doing rewrites, I will stop and write a short story, and sometimes that short story becomes a book itself. I never prohibit myself or inhibit my characters, which keeps a constant flow of writing all day long.If your original work is important, you will return to it and possibly with more to ad to it.

4) Begin with small and let small turn into big.

Many writers feel overwhelmed with overall story and might lock themselves into an outline they would otherwise change or simply not complete. My suggestion here is to start with just one chapter or short story, whether in the middle of a book or at the beginning, or even an epilogue. Many a time, I have written the epilogue to one book only to discover what the beginning of the next one should be. Before I even began writing the first book in the Haanta Series, I had written over seven-hundred short stories. These helped me understand and develop characters as well as introduce them to readers. Often, a three-chapter short story has become a grand story arc while entire novels I may have planned become only half a book.

One other point I should like to share is this: write everywhere. I always have writing implements with me, whether digital or traditional, and I write anything that comes to mind when it comes. I have written in hospital waiting rooms, at parties, in parks- the venue matters little. What matters is that the idea is written.

And, of course, I encourage people to challenge themselves. For example: if someone is used to writing only 500 words a day, I urge that person to try for 1000. Usually the person will get to 800, which is excellent because it’s more than that person had been used to write, but many writers believe that if they don’t reach their goals, they have failed. This is untrue; writing more than usual is the real goal.


Khantara
By Michelle Franklin

Blurb:

Khantara tells the story of the Den Asaan Rautu’s mother and father.

Khantara is a Haanta conquerer, meant to wage war and rule over the enemy nation of Thellis, but after vanquishing Thellis and occupying a construction of a Haanta outpost, he meets Anelta, a woman enslaved by her own people bearing a brand of servitude on her neck. Khantara contrives to save her from a cruel home and bring her to the refuge his people can provide, but how can he do so successfully when the eyes of Thellis are upon him?

Advance praise from Avery’s Book Nook:

“After having read only a few pages of this book, I recalled how exceptional Michelle is not only at her world building, but also her character development- talents which completely draw the reader in, making them impervious to everything going on around them. I don’t think it possible for the reader to not fall in love with Khantara and Anelta.”

Author Bio: 

Michelle Franklin is a woman of moderate consequence who writes many books about giants, romance and chocolate.

Twitter: @MrsDenAsaan

Review Love, Accidentally by Sarah Pekkanen

Love, Accidentally by Sarah Pekkanen

  • ISBN-13: 9781451674347
  • Publisher: Washington Square Press
  • Publication date: 12/13/2011
  • Sold by: SIMON & SCHUSTER
  • Format: eBook
  • Source: A Gift From The Author

Synopsis:

From the author of The Opposite of Me and Skipping a Beat, an original eBook short story that shows whom we fall in love with may be the biggest—and happiest—accident of all.Ilsa Brown wasn’t expecting a little, injured dog to lead her to the love of her life. But within months of their first meeting on a street corner in L.A., she and Grif, the dog’s owner, are engaged. Things between them are so blissful that Ilsa is stunned by the tension that erupts during their visit to Chicago to meet his parents, where she discovers that Grif’s old girlfriend, Elise, is still woven into his family. What Ilsa needs to know before she can walk down the aisle is whether Elise is still in Grif’s heart, too.

Featuring a character from Sarah Pekkanen’s original eBook short story All Is BrightLove, Accidentally is surprising and heartfelt. It’s a story about taking chances and choosing hope, and discovering what it means to love someone—and to let go of someone you love.

My Thoughts:

It was very nice to visit with Grif and Ilsa again but this time from Ilsa’s point of view when they first meet their on the street.  I loved everything about this very quick read!  It was very nice of the author to give copies of this story ebook away to her fans and it was a pleasant read during this holiday season.  I don’t want to give too much away since this is really a short story but go read it!  The other nice thing about this ebook purchase is that it comes with excerpts from other stories Sarah has written.

My Rating:

5 penguins