I've been tagged...is that even legal?

I've been tagged. When I heard that I started looking for some graffiti on me somewhere. Finding myself free of spray paint, I thought perhaps there was someone I should be chasing. No one seemed to be running. So, then I thought maybe I should just slap the next person I saw and shout, "Tag!" Let's just say that didn't go over very well -- my dog just gave me a funny look and left the room.

Next I looked around and decided that I wasn't on the baseball field, so I didn't think I was out. There were no labels slapped on me or name tags stuck on me anywhere. I realized that I wasn't quite getting what this tagging was all about.

Eventually, I figured out that being tagged had nothing to do with any of the rest of that stuff. The idea of this meme is to answer the tagger’s ten questions and then pass on ten of your own to ten more bloggers. It’s a fun way to keep in touch with your friends in the blogging realm. Here's the grilling -- err, I mean questions -- I received from S.E. Lane on her blog, Writing Belle.


 What is your favorite book to movie adaptation?  

 This is a tough call. There have been a number of book adaptations that I enjoyed for various reasons most of them for various reasons of how they aren't like the book. I'm going to pick the Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger as one of my top picks. I loved the story and while I thought the time travel part might make it difficult to translate to film with the same intensity, it was well done. I still cry at the end whenever I read the book or watch the movie.

Who is your top book boyfriend/girlfriend?

  My top book boyfriend is another one with so many choices based on genre and mood. However, the first guy that pops into my mind is still one Jericho Z. Barrons from Karen Marie Moning's Fever Series. He's the bad boy of all bad boys. Of course, I'd never call him a boy to his face. He's definitely all man. He also has the tall, dark and deadly market cornered.

What actor or actress do you think most resembles that character? 

This topic was much discussed around my house when rumors surfaced of a movie of the Fever Series. All sorts of names were tossed out and most often rejected. I settled on Clive Owen as my fit for a good Barrons. Yummy.

If you could jump into any genre, what would it be and why? 

A genre that I've love to jump into would be fantasy. I love the whole concept of knights, dragons, elves and epic adventure and quests. Not to mention since it's fantasy, I can just imagine anything I'd like. The sky -- or universe -- is the limit.

Do you prefer to read fiction or non-fiction?

I read fiction. Occasionally, I'll pick up a non-fiction book but only for a specific reason. The last non-fiction I read was Lone Survivor by Marcus Luttrell about SEAL Team 10. It's another book that I made me cry.


Pertaining to your sex, would you rather read a book with a male or a female protagonist?

 I seem to read more books with a female protagonist, but it seems to be more a factor of the genre than choice. I've been reading more paranormal romance and romantic suspense. When I get more into fantasy I tend to read more male protagonists.


Why do you love to blog?

I'm not sure I'd say I love to blog. I haven't been blogging for very long, but it has been a great way to express ideas and share my opinions. Most of my blogging is done about my experiences writing and it's great getting the feedback and finding out all those crazy things happen to other people too.

Do you love books with a sense of humor, or do you prefer something more dramatic?

Drama is great, but I love books that can bring a sense of humor into the story. It doesn't have to be the focus, but it's great if you can find something to laugh about.


Have you ever met a famous author?

Not in person, but thanks to the internet I've been able to exchange some messages and meet some really great independent authors.


Where is your favorite place to read - and when? 

My favorite place to read is stretched out in bed. I usually read before bed, but I can get lost in a book anytime and anywhere. If it's a book I just can't seem to put down, I'll carry it around the house and read during commercials while watching TV.

Now you've gotten a glimpse of what it's like to be me. Here are my ten questions:

1. What made you decide to start a blog?
2. What is your favorite genre and why?
3. What book hasn't been made into a movie yet, but that you'd like to see on the big screen?
4. If you're going to see a movie based on a book, do you want to read the book first?
5. Do you like to read more than one book at a time?
6. Who is your most favorite book character and why?
7. If you were stranded on a deserted island and could pick only three books to have with you what would they be?
8. If you had to become either a vampire or a werewolf which would you choose?
9. What got you started reading?
10. What are your favorite pizza toppings?

And here's the ten blogs I'm tagging:

Hopelessly Devoted Bibliophile
A Book-lovers' Review
Getting Attwood Published
A Pocket Full of Books
Morgan Shamy - Inner thoughts of a redhead writer
Books Are Better - Fantasy Book Reviews
Georgina Anne Taylor - Gothic Fiction and Fairy Tales
We Fancy Books
Liv Rancourt
Ann Cory

You're all it!

Book finished? Now the real work begins . . .

I've just typed the finishing words to my work in progress and that first draft is done. Isn't it amazing that only now does the real work begin.

When sitting down to write a book, you'd think getting the story down on the page would be the hard part. It is a struggle, don't get me wrong, but the real hard work begins when you start to shape that story into something that is ready for others to read. I always thought my story made so much sense along the way. After all, I just wrote down what my characters shared with me.

Then when I started to go back and read what I'd written, I realize how much polish and work is still ahead of me. It's not that I think the first draft is trash ... it just needs twice as many hours of editing. The silliest things crop up when you begin going over your draft. Wrong words such as there for their or hear for here happen a lot. Then there are the repetitive words ... I get a lot of journey, quest, ride, road and forest. Time to break out the thesaurus. I love using it, but sometimes that can be distracting. I get caught up looking up cool new words. Next up is fixing all those boring dull verbs and cutting out the dreaded adverbs. Also need to cut out the telling and work on doing more showing.

Those are just the start of the work. It seems there are always plot holes, subplots started but never finished, tasks hinted at but never realized. Time to streamline all of that into what is important to progress the story and what can be removed. Then there are those parts that are very cool and need to be fleshed out in the rest of the story.

My next issue during the editing process is cutting out description. In this case less is often more, but I tend to get long winded and want to describe the scene in detail. I often forget that my readers have an imagination and it is better to let them fill in some of those details to help draw them into the story and make it feel as if they are participating. Don't you connect better to stories that you feel you are part of because you are adding in the details that you see rather than always being told what you are seeing?

So now you've done a lot of editing. You've tightened and sharpened. You've clarified bits and cleared up confusion. Time to hand it off to beta readers or editors to see what someone else sees. You'd think this was when you'd get to relax. Right? Wrong.

For self-published writers, like myself, you still have more work ahead. What about a book cover? Have you got a title? Are you creating buzz that your work is nearing completion and will be available soon? Are you ready to format your work for self-publication? A lot of these issues I didn't even realize I needed to worry about until I was ready to put my book out there.

Once my book was released I realized all the marketing would fall on my shoulders. I don't know a lot about marketing and have taken a learn as you go path. If you can get tips and hints ahead of time be sure to put them to work as soon as possible, it can make a difference. Finding people to review your book is important and the sooner you can line them up, the better. Good reviewers often have a long waiting list and you want to get yours on that list as soon as possible.

Another thing I didn't ever think about before I'd already released my book was links to my blog, website and information on where to find other writing I have done. I also never thought about putting a teaser to other work and especially to the next book in the series. I have seen other self-published authors working together -- if you are in the same genre -- to promote each other at the end of their books. These are all additional touches that I think can make a difference in helping to grow who you are as a writer and building a fan base.

Time for me to get back to work on some of these. As they say, there's no rest for the wicked.

When it rains...it pours!

Wow!

I just found out that I received another blogger award. I'm so excited. This time the award is The Liebster Award (“Liebster” is the German word for friend or love) originated in Germany.


A huge thank you goes out to Danielle Smiley for this honor. Her blog Known to Read is a great place to find excellent book reviews. If you just can't decide what to read next, I recommend taking a look at her selections. She's got some great books out there just waiting to find a new reader.

In accepting the Liebster Blog Award, the recipient agrees to:
*Thank the person who gave them the award and link back to that person’s blog
*Copy and paste the award to their blog
*Reveal the 5 blogs they have chosen to award, commenting on their blog to break the news!
*Hope those people in turn pay it forward by accepting and awarding “The Liebster Blog Award” to bloggers they would like to honor.

My blog winners are:

Georgina Anne Taylor - Gothic Fiction and Fairy Tales

Bitch Can Write a Book

Hoplessly Devoted Bibliophile

The Lovely Books

Tana Rae Reads - Book Reviews/Favorite Books I've Read


It is so great to see so many people sharing great books, great blogs and great advice. Being new to blogging, I know that I still have a lot to learn, but each new blog I discover teaches me just a little bit more. I hope to continue to grow and share what I have learned with those just starting out as well.

A great big thanks to everyone that stops by and leaves me a comment or just follows what I have to say. It's nice to know that someone is out there listening or reading or both! Keep up the great work everyone!