Monday Memos.... Genre, Oh yeah and a WINNER!!

"Run your fingers through my soul. For once, just once, feel exactly what I feel, believe what I believe, perceive as I perceive, look, experience, examine, and for once..just once, understand"

-anonymous

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A children's picture book must have heart - a child is the hardest to fool.

A sci-fi demands unique places & new twists - the cultist know conformity & it has no place here.

A romance must capture desires yet to be discovered - the lover feels the passion with every page.

A memoir must speak truth with a twist of fantastic - the realist need to see reality but believe the parts beyond it as well.

A mystery must take the reader through nuances, action, discovery, confusion and revelation - the reader understands the perplexities and thrills in the chase.

A paranormal must lead the reader on a journey beyond their senses and beliefs through the looking glass and beyond the veil - they must see what could happen, want it to happen and wish that in some way it would happen in their life.

Every genre speaks its own language.

Even those that are difficult to discern from each other, they hold a uniqueness that we writers work diligently to capture.

We writers are readers too.

We understand the need to fall into a story and for a small time be lost in its magic. If we cannot lose ourselves in our own story then how can we expect our readers to do the same?

I want my soul to be in my work.

I want the reader to see as I do, yet still walk away with their own unique feelings and opinions.

I want my heart to break when the story needs it, yet still remain intact for the next project I take on.

I want my words to give life to characters only I know, yet still have my reader feel as though these characters live within them as well.

I want my heart to swell with pride as the hero/heroine fulfill their destiny, yet still I want the villain to have purpose and be strong within their cause.

So many wants, so many desires for a collection of words on paper.

How do we process all these needs? How do we continue each day pushing for something that has the ability to create such reactions?

For me...it is the quote above that creeps up on the slow, arduous work days...urging me to create something that can be shared unlike any other experience. These manuscripts, these flash fictions, these scenes, these dialogues, these words are extensions of our souls. They are the flickering light along the tunnel walls that guides us to the next turn and helps those journeying with us to not lose direction. We have no control over how often the light blinks or for how long it will burn, all we know is we must continue forward. The need to see it through is stronger than the need to turn around and run. We only hope that those walking, running, jumping, swimming and leaping with us can feel as fulfilled as we do when we reach our destination.

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Check out what is going on around the blogs today...

Shannon Messenger wants your opinion about Publishers Marketplace... Are you a member?

Elana Johnson discusses No Small Deals & Money...yeah...just those few words alone and my mind was already whirling!

Jaydee Morgan asks Do you know your characters?

Sara McClung is hosting A Very Vampire May Giveaway! items over at her blog (Psst...signed Books...Stephenie Meyer, Charlaine Harris, Anne Rice & Christopher Moore...other stuff too!)

Maggie Stiefvater has her

LAST LINGER CONTEST beginning today...it is AWESOME! The prizes are amazing... ;o) Ends 5-16-2010

La Femme Reader is hosting a great Spring Cleaning GiveAWay where you can win some awesome books!

Have you done the WRITE thing for Nashville yet? Oh My GOSH! The things that are up for grabs for a GREAT CAUSE!

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Whew! That's a lot in the blogosphere! Oh yeah! I almost forgot: there happens to have been a contest held on this blog last week... yep there sure was and well last Friday all these names were collected and placed into a hat...Would you like to see what name the hat pulled?

Well, I guess I can oblige... *wink*

Congratulations!!

*throws confetti* *dances around the room*

Thank you all for participating and I must say that I really had a blast with the author spotlight... you might see a few more in the future *grinsmischievously*

Oh yeah I am only a few followers away from 250 so ANOTHER Royal contest might be right around the corner.... ;o)

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Wishing you all a Magnificent Monday!

ROYAL COURT REMINDER & BIG NEWS FOR A GREAT FRIEND!!

Good morning members of my Royal Court!

First of all:

CONGRATULATIONS FRANKIE!!

You are amazing - I am so happy & proud of you! ;o)

CLICK HERE TO SEE WHY FRANKIE IS DOING A PERPETUAL HAPPY DANCE TODAY!!

Now: This is just a Royal Reminder!!!

LAST DAY TO ENTER MY DARK DIVINE CONTEST!!!

CLICK ON THE PHOTO ON THE RIGHT SIDEBAR

OR

Original Contest Post

You have until 11:59 PM EST tonight!

Winner will be announced on Monday May 10th!

As always, thanks for entering!

Now SHOO go over to Frankie's Blog and see what all the excitement is about...

Spread the Awesome! Author Spotlight: Bree Despain Interview & Contest!!!

Welcome to the Kingdom!

It is a pleasure to have the talented author Bree Despain visiting today.

(don't you love those yellow shoes?!!... ;o) )

Bree’s book The Dark Divine is a favorite here in the Kingdom and our excitement is palpable! The wonderful Elana Johnson started all this by asking which book did I feel deserves 10 STARS!!!

After reading my entry on this AMAZING book be sure to check out over60 Other Bloggers who have also chosen to spotlight their favorite author & recommended read!! For example check out

Suzanne Palmieri's post on author Kenneth Harvey once you learn all you can about Bree Despain here!

So are you ready for The Dark Divine? Turn the page with me..

A prodigal son...

A dangerous love...

A deadly secret...

I stood back and watched his movements. Daniel had that way about him that could shut me down in an instant. . . . I kicked the gravel a couple of times and worked up my courage again. “Tell me . . . I mean . . . why did you come back? Why now, after all this time?”

Grace Divine, daughter of the local pastor, always knew something terrible happened the night Daniel Kalbi disappeared—the night she found her brother Jude collapsed on the porch, covered in blood. But she has no idea what a truly monstrous secret that night really held. And when Daniel returns three years later, Grace can no longer deny her attraction to him, despite promising Jude she’ll stay away.

As Grace gets closer to Daniel, her actions stir the ancient evil Daniel unleashed that horrific night. Grace must discover the truth behind Jude and Daniel's dark secret . . . and the cure that can save the ones she loves. But she may have to lay down the ultimate sacrifice to do it—her soul.

(synopsis, book cover, and photo courtesy of Bree Despain's blog site)

WHEW!! Is that not something that makes you want to run to the closest Barnes & Noble right now!!! Well, put the keys down, keep reading below THEN go buy it… ;o)

SP: Now, Bree, as you can see you are surrounded by adoring members of the Royal Court. All of us here are beyond ecstatic to learn as much as we can about you – we just love juicy details...Ahem.

BD: It is my pleasure to be here your Highness, and I only hope to please the court.

As I was saying we are all delighted to meet you! *smileswickedly* Now for the interrogation..ahem..questions…

SP: When I sit down to write I have my tiara slightly askew, my laptop (jewel encrusted of course), my husband fanning me with a palm leaf and a cup that has Princess emblazoned on it filled with Green Tea at my side. Do you have any little writing quirks, what are your rituals?

BD: Interestingly enough, my writing rituals are very similar to yours. Except my cup would be filled of either cinnamon bears or chocolate chips, and my hubby would be shirtless—occasionally pausing to flex for me :D. In all seriousness, I prefer to write in bed the best.

SP: I dream about how I will react when a book of mine is published – the crazy excitement that will occur. What is the craziest, most out of the ordinary thing you have done since having TDD published?

BD: The craziest thing we did as a family was take a trip to Disneyland. I know it doesn’t sound crazy, but did I mention we drove there? 12 hours later, we learned that was about as crazy as you can get. I promised my boys that if mommy ever sold her book, they’d get a trip to Disneyland out of it—it was a great bribe to get more mommy time for writing.

SP: *SLIGHT SPOILER* What is your favorite page in The Dark Divine? Why?

BD: Good question. Hmmm… I think I’ll go with pg 115. I absolutely love this scene between Daniel and Grace. This is where Grace begins to fully realize the feelings she has for Daniel are more than just a friend wanting to help another friend out, and the first time we begin to see Daniel open up and be truly himself. It is a tender moment and was one of my favorite scenes to write.

SP: What is your favorite color and did you have any say in the cover of TDD?

BD: Red. But purple comes in as a close second. As for the cover, when I was asked if I had any thoughts from my publisher, they got a two page letter outlining what I liked and disliked as cover concepts. I was hoping for something that helped convey the mood and feel for the book, rather than a literal depiction. After a bit of trial and error, we ended up with a cover for TDD that I couldn’t be happier with.

SP: Okay, let’s be honest here. I am a Princess. That means I know things. Things like…you are really a Slayer, right? In other interviews you talk about watching Buffy and how you “would be” a paranormal Slayer. So that must mean that the rest of your family has certain “hidden” attributes…

Its time to fess up: What paranormal creatures are the rest of your family? We promise, this is just between us…

BD: Well, my youngest, Kid A, keeps telling me that he wishes we were all nocturnal and has devised a plan of sleeping in and staying up all night to turn himself into a “night creature” so, I’m thinking he must be a vampire. As for hubby – wolfman all the way. Kid Z takes after his father.

SP: Last but not least, what words of wisdom about becoming published can you share with all the writers here in the Royal Court?

BD: Learn to take feedback gracefully and use it to make your writing better. You may not always agree with the critiques, but often the underlying reason behind the comments can tell you something about how to make different parts of your story stronger. If you don’t learn that now, then you’ll find working with your agent and your publisher on revisions more than overwhelming.

There you have it my friends. Right from Bree herself, we would continue to bother her with random questions but she has THE LOST SAINT to finish up…

Oh! Didn’t I tell you she has a sequel to the Dark Divine coming out on December 28th!! Well, it looks like we may just have to see if we can have her visit again… perhaps right before it hits the shelves…yes, yes, it is now a Decree…

Sorry Bree no arguing with Royalty! You know “Off with her head!” and all that nonsense is a common phrase around here *winks*

Goodness! I almost forgot! This isn’t just a day to celebrate the most AMAZING BOOK! Not only can you now claim to know Bree Despain’s favorite color, her favorite page of TDD & what paranormal creature her husband truly is…but you can WIN SOMETHING!!!

One lucky commenter will win Dark Divine Swag!

Dark Divine T-shirt

(winner will email me their size and color choice)

1 copy of:

The Dark Divine by Bree Despain

Any one piece of:

The Dark Divine jewelry items from Heather Gardner’s Etsy shop

Heather Gardner Photography & Jewelry at ETSY

Click the link above to view her shop!

You have until May 7, 2010 at 11:59 PM CST to enter.

RULES:

You must be a follower of mine & Bree's Blog to be eligible!

You must comment on THIS POST – please leave your email address in order for me to contact the winner.

(Be sure to block spammers by using the following format)

clsbarr(at)yahoo(dot)com

Open INTERNATIONALLY!!

One lucky winner will be drawn using The Hat software!!

Now go check out Suzanne Palmieri's post on Kenneth Harvey!