Three Links 2/7/2020 Loleta Abi

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Three Links 2/7/2020

Loleta Abi

Writing:

1. https://annerallen.com/2020/02/life-imitates-fiction/ “Recently I got a furious Facebook message from a stranger who accused me of “using her life” in one of my books.  It’s amazing how sometimes life imitates fiction.

She had apparently been a Facebook friend, and she dramatically unfriended me after sending a distraught DM describing the traumas in her life that I’d “stolen”.

Since she’d blocked me, I wasn’t able to assure her that Leona Von Schmidt, one of the suspects in The Queen of Staves, is an entirely fictional construct—a comic character who is not meant to resemble any real inhabitant of Planet Earth, living or dead.” Scary. I’ve had people ask me to write their life story but there’s no way I’d take the chance of offending someone. I’ll stick to fiction! Much safer. Even when you get these kind of messages.

2. https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/scene-dilemmas/ “Scenes are the building blocks of your story. As go your scenes, so goes your story. If the scenes present a solid chain of deliberate structure, that’s what your story will be. But if too many scenes lack focus or dramatic impetus, so will the story. Every aspect of scene structure is important. Any aspect that is accidentally overlooked can throw off the”

3. https://www.livewritethrive.com/2020/02/03/how-to-figure-out-what-to-write/ “Around this time of year is when we writers are most excited about and motivated to go after our writing goals. It’s a New Year, a “clean slate” from the previous year, and that gives us an opportunity to do things differently.

If you’ve been procrastinating about your writing goals, or if you aren’t being consistent with your writing projects, I’m going to challenge you to really think about whether these are things you want to continue working on this year.

An easy trap that writers fall into is writing something just because other writers are doing it or defaulting to writing a novel because “that’s what writers do.” It’s true. If you want to write short stories or poems, write them. Books will wait. The others will give you practice to make you better.

Research & Fun Bits:

1. https://sistersofthefey.com/2020/02/01/exploring-imbolc-the-goddess-brigid/ “Imbolc (Candlemass, Imblog, Imbole) (Pronounced: EE-Molc – like ewe’s milk) is celebrated on February 1st and/or the 2nd. Incense: Rosemary, Frankincense, Myrrh, Cinnamon. Decorations: Corn Dolly, Besom, Spring Flowers. Colors: White, Orange, and Red. (thewhitegoddess.co.uk)

We also know this holiday as Candlemas, or Brigid’s (pronounced BREED) Day, which is one of the four Celtic Fire Festivals. This festival commemorates the passing of winter and the beginning of the spring planting season. This Festival also marks the progression of the threefold Goddess energies turning from the Crone to the Maiden.

This is a time of transition for many of us. It’s the tween time when we’re stuck between winter and spring. Depending on where you live, you might have snow on the ground, while other places still feel the sting of winter’s cold. I have a feeling that winter isn’t over yet.”

2. https://scvincent.com/2020/02/01/some-like-it-hot/ “

3. https://authorkristenlamb.com/2020/02/amazon-paradigm-major-retailers-bailing/ “Is Amazon past prime? I really can’t speak for all business fads, just ones American. Americans do love…business. What do we love more than business? Duh. A great business fad.

Hey, we DID invent the forty-hour work week just so we could ignore it *hair flip*.

As I mentioned in my December post Penguin SOLD: Publishing, Change & Lady Chatterley’s Lover, Oh MY! everything fluctuates. Markets don’t get a pass. The world changes, technology shifts, and business that want to survive are wise to remember this.

Businesses exist to serve the customer…which is why Blockbuster is no longer around #ByeFelicia.

Which brings me to an interesting point. In the Amazon paradigm, who exactly is the customer? Did Bezos, in his frenzy to build an empire, forget that he actually had multiple customer vectors? Or, did he believe he could build something ‘too big to fail’?

Let’s talk about this, shall we?”

Some Things More Serious:

1. https://shirley-mclain.net/2020/02/02/exploring-the-dark-side-of-diet-soda/ “Good Morning, today I’m switching gears. As some of you know and now everyone will know that I’m having Bariatric surgery when I get through jumping all the insurance hoops. The end result is I’m now receiving lots of information.

This morning I received a copy of Herbaly Tea’s blog which I thought I would share with you. I know a lot of people who are drinking diet soda and do not know the risk they are taking.

Diet soda is specifically advertised to people who want to lose weight.

Obesity is widespread all around the world, and research says that it just keeps getting worse. Losing weight is an important goal for many of us, which is why there’s a huge market for the sugar-free versions of popular drinks or snacks.

The way these products are marketed makes them sound like the solution to weight issues. Many people looking to lose weight start with switching to diet products. And what’s not to love about diet soda? It tastes almost right, and you know for sure that it’s sugar-free.

But in reality, diet soda is a danger to your health. It’s important to take a moment and look at what the research says about it. It’s not pleasant.

The Problem with Diet Soda

What exactly makes diet soda a risk to your health?” I used to try and warn others about diet soda, but they didn’t believe me.

2. https://www.janefriedman.com/want-more-people-to-support-your-book-dont-make-these-2-mistakes/ “In my latest column for Publishers Weekly, I discuss how authors must refine their approach when seeking support from influencers or the media. (I call this “earned media”—where you get attention or coverage for free. Sometimes publicists help with this.)

First, never assume that the influencer needs to read a copy of the book—or have a copy—in order to support it. Not true. I write:

Consider that reading a book takes hours of time that someone might not have. Though it may seem counterintuitive (and some authors are hurt by the implication that not everyone is eager to read their books), if your targets already know you or your work very well, don’t put them on the spot to read the book. They may already be prepared to support you. Of course, you should always offer to send a copy. Just don’t make that central to your ask—e.g., “May I send you the book?” Instead, think about what you’d like to see happen if they agree to support the book. Do you want them to tweet about it? Post on Instagram? Have you on a podcast?”

3. https://annetterochelleaben.wordpress.com/2020/02/02/angel-messages-february-2-2020/

Teaser Fiction & Poetry:

1. https://franceandvincent.com/2020/02/01/sleeping-giant/ “…After watching the, again, somewhat recalcitrant sun-up, we decide to head back for breakfast via the cluster of, albeit haphazardly, positioned stones which we have come to call ‘the recumbents’.

This is something of a risk, as we do not yet know what the stones represent and our Companions will undoubtedly be expecting a little more than, ‘we have a vague notion based on the feel of this place that it is something although we are not quite sure what.’

2. https://allaboutwritingandmore.com/2020/02/01/acrostic-poem/

3. https://charmedchaos.com/2020/02/01/she/

Book Reviews, Cover Reveals, & Author Interviews:

1. https://mariacatalinaegan.com/2020/02/01/violet-spirit-the-evoxian-legacies-2-by-abbey-macmunn-genre-fantasy-romance/ “A half human, half alien.

A violet-eyed shapeshifter.

Their destinies bound by magic from a disappearing world.

Ever since free-spirited Lexie Mills learned she was half human, half alien, her life has been far from ordinary. But living a privileged life in a Cotswold manor with her over-protective family isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, and not helped by her confusing feelings for her best friend, Drew.

Evoxian shapeshifter, Drew Morgan, longs to tell Lexie he’s her destined soulmate, but until she embraces her alien heritage, he must wait. Trouble is, staying in the friend zone proves harder than he thought.

Tensions sizzle and chemistry sparks between them, but as their friendship blossoms into something magical, Lexie uncovers a heart-breaking truth about Drew and she must make a choice…”

2. http://lizlovesbooks.com/lizlovesbooks/beast-matt-wesolowski-blog-tour-review/ “In the wake of the ‘Beast from the East’ cold snap that ravaged the UK in 2018, a grisly discovery was made in a ruin on the Northumbrian coast. Twenty-four-year-old Vlogger, Elizabeth Barton, had been barricaded inside what locals refer to as ‘The Vampire Tower’, where she was later found frozen to death.

Three young men, part of an alleged ‘cult’, were convicted of this terrible crime, which they described as a ‘prank gone wrong’
However, in the small town of Ergarth, questions have been raised about the nature of Elizabeth Barton’s death and whether the three convicted youths were even responsible.

Elusive online journalist Scott King speaks to six witnesses – people who knew both the victim and the three killers – to peer beneath the surface of the case. He uncovers whispers of a shocking online craze that held the young of Ergarth in its thrall and drove them to escalate a series of pranks in the name of internet fame. He hears of an abattoir on the edge of town, which held more than simple slaughter behind its walls, the tragic and chilling legend of the ‘Ergarth Vampire… 

Both a compulsive, taut and terrifying thriller, and a bleak and distressing look at modern society’s desperation for attention, Beast will unveil a darkness from which you may never return…

Another instalment of the increasingly brilliant “Six Stories” series here from Matt Wesolowski, who is fast becoming one of the highest quality writers in the business. His Scott King character is layered, engaging and quirkily relevant in today’s world so every time I open one of these I get a quiver of expectation that is always, always rewarded.

Beast was no exception, I read it as I usually do in one sitting, glued to the page as another deliciously dark drama unfolded. From having a random Salem’s Lot adaptation type scare (Who of my generation DOESN’T remember the whole nails on the window thing) to looking up to ponder how scarily the internet can play into our deepest fears, there was nothing about Beast that didn’t engage me. Also the Six Stories series never fails to make me sleep with the lights on for several nights after finishing one.

Beast is both wildly entertaining and provocatively authentic, the plotting is taut and oft unexpected- the realities it embeds into the narrative whilst telling a ripping good yarn are intelligent and totally absorbing.

Matt Wesolowski creates water cooler moments in fiction seemingly effortlessly, his writing is of the highest standards and with an honest touch of genius.

Love this series. Go read them all if you haven’t already. From the creepy forest to the vampires lair you’ll fall into the world created here and bring a bit of it out with you when you leave.

3. https://butismileanyway.com/2020/02/02/blog-tour-ready-ritu-bhathal/ “A little update, since there are just SEVEN days until Publication Day! EEEK! And the Blog Tour kicks off tomorrow too!

Source: Blog Tour Ready! – Ritu Bhathal”