Tuesday 29 November 2011

Hello, My Old Friend

As you know I've come to the editing of Nathanael and Saydi and guess what? As of last night, I'm at the point that I can  break it out again... I'm so excited! I'm huggin my thesaurus, welcome back my ole friend.

I'm working on an exceptionally difficult scene to write and I'm surrounded by all my papers that have words you can use instead of other words, my list of action words, feeling words, sensual words... Ohhh! It's too exciting.

Did I mention I love words. :)

Have a great day

Monday 28 November 2011

Happy Monday - Yuck!

Well it's Monday, that day of the week that most people dread, including me. Honestly, I would love to be at home writing. 

I got through the first round of edits of Nathanael and Saydi this weekend, there is still more to do, but it's getting there.

How did your weekend go? Do you ever wish that the weekends and work days were reversed? I do. Don't get me wrong I love my job, but I love writing more, being in that other world, being someone else. To me, that is the ultimate time spent.

Well, I must go now, regular duties call and the day will move along slowly, only because I'm dying to be at home writing.

Have a great one.

Thursday 24 November 2011

The New Kids in Town

Well I've been working away on the new novel and the first draft is finished. It took three weeks. Now I'm working on the edits which there will be a lot, but it's a very interesting story that has captured my attention completely.

I'm not ignoring you, but the sooner I get Saydi and Nathanael finished, the sooner Michael and Rose can return to the stage. They've being gracious allowing these young pups to complete their story first.

Have a great day

Tuesday 22 November 2011

It's Not All Rose and Michael

My tour takes me to Wakela's World for a book review, here's hoping it was better than yesterdays.

This site, on a whole, has been dedicated to the series of Absolute Obsession.  However, as you know, Rose and Michael have been jockeying lately for attention and you also know, there's a new gang in town.

I will forever be grateful for Michael and Rose, they pushed their way through showing me how to be a writer, how to listen, how to pay attention and because of their persistence, I have become a published author. However because of that, they have opened the flood gates for new and aspiring characters that want their voices heard.

Though I may be focused elsewhere, Michael and Rose still have my attention and will until it's time for them to depart the stage permanently and bid adu.  For me they will always play a part in every voice I write, their luv, their understanding and their words, will forever echo in the background of each new scene written.  The seed they planted will flourish.

No, their story isn't finished yet and until it is, I will hold on tight.

Have a great day.

Monday 21 November 2011

It's that Time of Year

Today my virtual tour takes you to Colloquium for a book review. Please check it out.

Well my youngest daughter reminded me yesterday how quickly Christmas is coming, something should have clued me in on Saturday when I was out and about and everything was busy, including traffic. Anyway she came home from work and bounced into the house, asking if she could do some Christmas shopping for me and of course I replied "yes" just as excited as her.  So she took the one Christmas list I have from my oldest granddaughter and off she went.

Why am I telling you this, because it panicked me after she left, when I realized how close it really was and all the things that I still needed to get. But it also reminded me of something else, none of my children have given me their Christmas lists.  So, as with every other year, I will have to hound them so I can empty my bank account to buy them presents.  Somethings wrong with that picture.

Have a great day

Friday 18 November 2011

Who We Write For

Today my virtual tour takes us on an interview at As the Plot Thickens, check it out and leave a comment or like. :)

I've talked a lot about listening to my characters and writing their stories as they tell it, but it isn't really as easy as that. Let me give you an example: You're telling your friends about something that happened to you and while you're telling them about the sequence of events, your hands are moving, your facial expression always explain more than we know and even your body language helps the listener to feel the horrific or wonderful  event that happened in your life.  Now take that same story and tell it to someone who cannot see and still get across all those emotions, without the body language, hand gestures or facial expressions.  That's storytelling at its best.

We listen to and see our characters in each scene, our job is to watch their facial expressions, hand movements, and body language and get it down in words. We as writers, write for everyone who cannot see what we see... That is the reader.

Have a  great day

Wednesday 16 November 2011

Striving to be you

There was a mix up on my tour so I have to be in two places at once today as yesterdays stop was well... Let's not go there. So I'll leave the same blog post but send you to the two spots, hopefully I'll get there. Yikes! Busy day.

My first stop is a guest blog at Cocktails and Books, it's a little bit of a racey site, so enter at your own risk.

My other is an interview at Blogcritics (I'm running late on this one, will get to it soon).

Have you ever really wondered who you are? I don't mean are you a nice person, are you kind to others, do you gossip, are you one to rant and rave at other drivers... Not that kind of stuff. Have you ever truly looked beyond the above ground emotions, your abilities, accomplishments, failures? Someone's perception is a broad spectrum -- if you were to write a book with a character exactly as you are, would that character show their flaws (your flaws) or would that character always come out shining above the rest -- that would be your perception of yourself. Now, if someone else was to write a character exactly like you, I can guarantee that character wouldn't be someone you would recognized. The perception you have of yourself is, nine times out of ten, completely different that how other people see you. I ask, could you write a character in a true light of yourself?

Have a great day.

Tuesday 15 November 2011

It Snowed

Today I am guest blogging at Colloquium, it's entitled Why I Write. Please stop by.

Well yesterday we finally had our first snow fall.  We've been very blessed this year, usually by this time we've already shovelled our walks and driveways a dozen or more times, but it held off until yesterday. And...it being the first snowfall meant everyone forgot how to drive. People were slip sliding away but yet there were those who didn't think anything of it, and would blow past me like it was summer, of course they're the accidents waiting to happen and there wasn't a shortage of those yesterday going home.

Here's hoping today will be better, because it's most frustrating sitting in traffic when characters are babbling on and on -- see, told you, even Nathanael and Saydi love to talk at most inopportune time. argg!

Have a great day.

Monday 14 November 2011

Patience is a Virtue

Today for my tour I am at Laurie's Thoughts and Reviews, drop by and take a peek.

It's been difficult focusing on what to write in the Blog these days and it's only because I have been completely over run by new characters. The book is coming along fabulously and I was hoping to finish up the first draft this past weekend, unfortunately it didn't happen, but I am happy with the progress.  Anyway, I am asking for your patience if the blog is not updated everyday, for some reason I can't get mind off this bunch and they're making it difficult to shift gears and write something else (Don't Michael and Rose are still there, but they've finally learned patience themselves).  Just to let you know it'll be neat when you meet Saydi and Nathanael, you're going to freak.

Have a great day

Tuesday 8 November 2011

Remembering

Hi all, I won't be changing the blog this week, but I will keep you informed of my virtual tour stops. Today you can meet Michael Terrance of Absolute Obsession at Reader Girls Blogspot and tomorrow, November 11, 2011, Readers Girls will review Absolute Obsession, don't forget to stop by. Remember our soldiers.
                                              No More Darkness
There is no more darkness, the light I see is not of the sun,
The thunder has awakened, the night sky alights with a gun,
There is no time to think of our day, there is no time to think of our night,
All we can think about is saving our life.

Peace is a desire, not a guarantee,
I made my choice, it’s not about me,
The lives I save are worth the toll,
And the peace I find is within my soul.

There is no more darkness, the light I see is not of the sun,
The gates have all opened, there’s no reason to run,
I am embraced in a love, that no mortal knows,
Until he is lying among the poppy rows.

By C. Elizabeth
Always in my prayers.

Virtual Tour Continues

Today I'm being interviewed at Lisa Haselton's Reviews and Interviews come take a look. It'll be fun.

Have a great day.
 

Monday 7 November 2011

It's Always a Rollercoaster

Today my tour takes you to a book review from Cafe of Dreams.  It made me cry, she wrote beautiful words.

You've heard me talk many times about the ups and downs of trying to get published, the continuous rejections and having to grow a very thick skin.  It's no different after being published, it's no longer query rejections, it's opinions about your work, your love, your baby, also known as reviews. They can bring on happy tears and sad tears, sometimes outright anger, making your hands ball up in fists and then there's the one's  we truly celebrate because someone else totally got what you were trying to write down.

It takes a thick skin to be an author, but it would still be nice if everyone understood that the name on the cover of the book is a person.

Have a great day.

C. Elizabeth

Thursday 3 November 2011

Who Are You? How Did You Get Here?

Today my tour stop is a review by Live to Read.
Come take a peek (after you read my blog of course.)

The above is a fairly loaded question, it can be answered in many different ways. However, what I'm trying to ask is... How often do you reflect on how you became who you are? Do you know which were the defining moments in your life that carved that certain piece of you? Most of us probably couldn't pin point any of those moments and most of us would more than likely say "I have no regrets".

However, would you change something in the past and if so, what part of you, as a person, would be different? That question only brings more questions. If you changed that part of your past, doesn't that mean you wouldn't be who you are today? And then, does that mean you don't like who you are now?

Hmm, I could sit here all day and ask questions revolving around this very topic, so I'll leave you with my advice... Love who are, live for the moment, the past doesn't define you, your present actions do.

Have a great day.

C. Elizabeth

Wednesday 2 November 2011

Over the Rainbow: Are You Willing as a Writer to Reach Out

Today I have a guest blog at Thoughts in Progress, come take a look and leavea  comment or a "like", it was fun.

Below is my Article published on Blogcritics, please take a moment and read it, I believe it might be quite inspiring.


 
Article first published as Over the Rainbow: Are You Willing as a Writer to Reach Out? on Blogcritics.

When we hear the phrase “over the rainbow” it automatically summons the thought of somewhere unreachable, perhaps even untouchable, yet we all hope it exists, some even believe that it does. What if “over the rainbow” did exist? What if it wasn’t a mere fabrication from a song, but an inspiration for reality? If that’s true, we must look at the phrase in a completely different light.

To be able to fly, we must grow wings and to grow wings, we must listen carefully to that which can take us there – our intuition. When we’re young, we have intuition abound, then as we grow up, we’re constantly told, taught and advised to use our brain, not to listen to that little voice that has our gut rolling.

We all find contentment in our lives as time goes on, never questioning, nor doubting and settle into our lives as we know it, in other words a routine, regardless of who we are or what walk of life we come from, our lives are...our lives. However the difference between the average and the movers and shakers, is the ability to feel outside that life. The question is, are you willing?

Can you step out of that comfort zone to challenge your normal? Are you willing to take the other road to find the dream, even though at that moment, it’s the unknown to you?

If you can, I will guarantee that you'll throw your world off kilter and in a moment, it may seem dire to all who are in your life and to the ones you love. Yet if you have patience and understanding on your side, the rocks, dust and stones will slowly disappear, leaving behind a smooth path, where you can tug on the hands of those you love, enticing them to follow and eventually you won’t need to wish upon a star to fly over the rainbow.

Have a great day.

Read more:
http://blogcritics.org/books/article/over-the-rainbow-are-you-willing/#ixzz1cVfkb2a9

Tuesday 1 November 2011

Online Tour Begins

Today my online book tour begins with Pump up Your Books. My first stop will be a review from Mad Moose Mama. It wasn't posted yet when I did this, so keep checking back. Thanks.  Fingers and toes crossed that it will be a good one.  Yikes!

Have a great day.

C. Elizabeth