Soundtrack Sunday: Sun & Moon

For Soundtrack Sunday, I have a very unique piece by Two Steps From Hell. A lot of foreign vocals frequent this pieces along with a some classical and more modern sounds. It's a wonderful inspiring mix. I've been listening to it over and over this week lol. If anyone knows the language to this piece I'd love to find out so I can translate the lyrics. ^ ^ I hope you all enjoy it! Check out more soundtrack pieces in my Soundtrack Sundays YouTube playlist. :)

ANNOUNCEMENT: I'm going to a writers conference this week so I'm not sure if I'll be able to do a post on Wednesday and Sunday but I have one for Saturday so please be patient with me. Thank you!

Have you heard this piece before? What do you think of it?

If you liked this post, come back every Saturday for more writing advice, character interviews, book reviews and more! On Sundays I have Soundtrack Sundays where I post a new score piece, Tuesdays are Tea Tuesdays with tea reviews, Wednesdays I have Wonderful Word Wednesdays where I post a new vocabulary word, and Fridays are Fan Fridays where I post tags and other goodies. To help support my dream to be an author follow this blog, like me on Facebook, watch me on deviantART, and follow me on Pinterest and Twitter. If you want to know more about my books check out them out here. Thank you! :)

Click here for last week's Soundtrack Sunday!

A Book Review of From Darkness Won by Jill Wiliamson

Buy on Amazon!

Darkness Trembles Achan steps into his role as Crown Prince and prepares for war. But war against whom? Could Esek still be alive? Has Lord Nathak taken Esek's place? Or is the mysterious Hadad the true enemy Achan must confront? Vrell has her own agenda of serving Prince Oren as a healer, but when she is stormed and lost to the Veil, Achan does all he can to bring her back. His conversations with her are strange, though, as if she has no memory of who he is. In a land consumed by Darkness, the fate of Er'Rets hangs in the balance as Achan endeavors to take the throne and end the reign of Darkness.

Series: Blood of Kings (Book 3)
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Marcher Lord Press (April 1, 2011)
Page Count: 680

What I liked: I read the first two books of this series years ago and thoroughly enjoyed them. They started another angle on my writing journey so this series is close to my heart. :) This is a very good conclusion to the epic fantasy.

It's got the underlying tension of a brewing war that swells into a battle against good and evil and a crazy love triangle thing I'm not even sure what to call ... Uh ... Love hexagon? The banter between Vrell and Achan is really cute and made me smile frequently.

The battles were very awesome. I especially enjoyed the Veil battles which are battles between the disembodied souls of the Bloodvoicers. It's really cool as is the keliy (a powerful, creepy spirit) and the tannyin (giant sea creatures). I'm a big fan of mythical creatures. I have a lot in my fantasy. I also like the antagonist of the Darkness. That was very interesting too.

What I didn't like: I felt like there was a little too much deus ex Machina (God in a box or perfect coincidences) in a few areas. Also sometimes I felt like Vrell and Achan were making too many consecutive mistakes at times. I was thinking "That's a stupid decision" over and over.

Content Cautions: There is some gore in the battle scenes as expected, but nothing too brutal. One scene includes a character getting drunk and almost doing something foolish, but it isn't explicit. There's also some implied talk about Achan's and Gren's wedding nights, but it's very subtle.

Over all it was a good read. I enjoyed it. :) Thanks Jill for another good book! :D

About the Author: 

Jill Williamson is a chocolate loving, daydreaming, creator of kingdoms and the award-winning author of several young adult books including the Blood of Kings trilogy, Replication, the Mission League series, and the Safe Lands trilogy. She lives in Oregon with her husband and two children and a whole lot of deer. Visit her online at her blog, where adventure comes to life.
You can find her on her website, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Goodreads.

Other books by Jill I've reviewed:
A Book Review of Replication by Jill Williamson
The Safe Lands Book 1: Captives
A Book Review of Go Teen Writers: How to Turn Your First Draft Into A Published Novel

If you liked this post, come back every Saturday for more writing advice, character interviews, book reviews and more! On Sundays I have Soundtrack Sundays where I post a new score piece, Tuesdays are Tea Tuesdays with tea reviews, Wednesdays I have Wonderful Word Wednesdays where I post a new vocabulary word, and Fridays are Fan Fridays where I post tags and other goodies. To help support my dream to be an author follow this blog, like me on Facebook, watch me on deviantART, and follow me on Pinterest and Twitter. If you want to know more about my books check out them out here. Thank you! :)

Wonderful Word Wednesday: Blowzy

It's Wonderful Word Wednesday again! Here's this week's word! 

blowzy
adjective
1.) having a coarse, ruddy complexion.
2.) disheveled in appearance; unkempt.

Example Sentence: Bryce trudged out of the room, wrinkled pajamas and bed head completing his blowzy appearance.

Have you seen or used this word before? What do you think of it?

If you liked this post, come back every Saturday for more writing advice, character interviews, book reviews and more! On Sundays I have Soundtrack Sundays where I post a new score piece, Tuesdays are Tea Tuesdays with tea reviews, Wednesdays I have Wonderful Word Wednesdays where I post a new vocabulary word, and Fridays are Fan Fridays where I post tags and other goodies. To help support my dream to be an author follow this blog, like me on Facebook, watch me on deviantART, and follow me on Pinterest and Twitter. If you want to know more about my books check out them out here. Thank you! :)

Click here for last week's word!

Soundtrack Sunday: Transformation (Brother Bear)

It's Soundtrack Sundays again! I listened to some really cool Disney music with no English lyrics and you know what? The scores are pretty awesome. I found this one piece from Brother Bear I absolutely love. The lyrics are in Inuit and sung by the Bulgarian Women's Choir. I have the English translation of the lyrics posted below. They're gorgeous and I hear them with a Christian spin. I hope you enjoy this piece as much as I do. ^ ^ You can listen to more movie scores in my Soundtrack Sundays YouTube playlist.

Come with me, I'll take you now

To a place that you fear

For no reason why

Your heart has turned away from me

And I will make you understand

Everything will become clear to you

When you see things through

another's eyes

Everything will become clear to you

Whatever's meant for you, you will find

Come with me, I'll take you there

To a place where you'll see

Everything you need to be the one

you need to be

And all of those things that you feared

Will disappear from you in time

Everything will become clear to you

When you see things through

another's eyes

Everything will become clear to you

Whatever's meant for you, you will find

Have you heard this piece before? What do you think of it? Have you seen Brother Bear?

If you liked this post, come back every Saturday for more writing advice, character interviews, book reviews and more! On Sundays I have Soundtrack Sundays where I post a new score piece, Tuesdays are Tea Tuesdays with tea reviews, Wednesdays I have Wonderful Word Wednesdays where I post a new vocabulary word, and Fridays are Fan Fridays where I post tags and other goodies. To help support my dream to be an author follow this blog, like me on Facebook, watch me on deviantART, and follow me on Pinterest and Twitter. If you want to know more about my books check out them out here. Thank you! :)

Click here for last week's Soundtrack Sunday!

Finding and Taming Inspiration Part 2: I just got this new idea now I can't concentrate on my current work in progress!

I present to you the second half of my two part post on finding and taming inspiration. If you'd like to check out part one click here. In this part, I'm going to go into taming inspiration. Let's get to it!

So you're working on your manuscript. You are zoomin', racking up 1K or more a day. Then out of nowhere: BOOM! Inspiration pounces at you at the wrong time. Now you're stuck with it. It festers in your head pushing out your current work in progress. You love this new idea, but you need to finish this manuscript.

What the heck do you do?

This happened to me recently. I was hard at work editing Subsapien Biomech then I found this picture, the picture that inspired Red Hood.

I think it's a pretty good idea for a book. That idea ate at me. I went to work and it tormented me all day. I could barely think and I sure as heck couldn't concentrate on Subsapien.

Here's what helped me:

1.) Talk to someone about it - Just tell your writing buddy(s) or that one friend that understands your insane writer brain all about it. Every little detail and it may help create more, but it'll help you get relief so you can get it out.

2.) Let Your Brain Throw Up - Let that roiling idea just spew onto a word document or notebook. Write it all down. You can always come back to it, but you don't want it to take you away from your current project.

3.) Let the Hype Die Down - It may take you time to get over your new idea so you can focus. It usually takes me about three days to move on.

In summary, ideas are great things. They're unpredictable things too. Coming up with an idea is just the first part sticking with it is another. Focus is key. If you keep bouncing from project to project then you'll never get them done.

One way I have discovered to work on two is to work on one and while you let it sit before edits you work on another one so you don't take away from either project. So keep those ideas comin' but don't forget your other ones. Stick with them until they're written! Happy writing!

Have you tried any of these ways to help with with finding and taming inspiration? Do you have any ways I didn't list?

ANNOUNCEMENT: I will also be posting on Sundays and Wednesdays now too. I do this on my Facebook page also, but I thought I'd do it on here. On Sundays I'll have Soundtrack Sundays where I post a new movie/show score piece added to my Soundtrack Sundays YouTube playlist. On Wednesdays I'll have Wonderful Word Wednesdays where I post a new vocabulary word. :)

You may also like:
Write What You Know ... And What You Don't Know
Twelve Rookie Writer Mistakes and How to Mend Them
Reeling In Your Reader: A Guest Post by Lauren Claire
What Anime Can Teach Us About Writing
Tone Down But Don't Water Down

If you liked this post, come back every Saturday for more writing advice, character interviews, book reviews and more! On Sundays I have Soundtrack Sundays where I post a new score piece, Tuesdays are Tea Tuesdays with tea reviews, Wednesdays I have Wonderful Word Wednesdays where I post a new vocabulary word, and Fridays are Fan Fridays where I post tags and other goodies. To help support my dream to be an author follow this blog, like me on Facebook, watch me on deviantART, and follow me on Pinterest and Twitter. If you want to know more about my books check out them out here. Thank you! :)

Wonderful Word Wednesday: Maw

It's Wonderful Word Wednesday again! Here's this week's word! 

maw
noun
1.) the mouth, throat, or gullet of an animal, especially a carnivorous mammal.
2.) the crop or craw of a fowl.
3.) the stomach, especially that of an animal.
4.) a cavernous opening that resembles the open jaws of an animal.
5.) the symbolic or theoretical center of a voracious hunger or appetite of an kind: the ravenous maw of Death.

Example Sentence: The rust-colored werewolf opened its maw lined with half natural and half metal teeth.

Have you seen this word before? What do you think of it?

If you liked this post, come back every Saturday for more writing advice, character interviews, book reviews and more! On Sundays I have Soundtrack Sundays where I post a new score piece, Tuesdays are Tea Tuesdays with tea reviews, Wednesdays I have Wonderful Word Wednesdays where I post a new vocabulary word, and Fridays are Fan Fridays where I post tags and other goodies. To help support my dream to be an author follow this blog, like me on Facebook, watch me on deviantART, and follow me on Pinterest and Twitter. If you want to know more about my books check out them out here. Thank you! :)

Soundtrack Sunday: Star Crossed (The Host)

Though I normally do this on my Facebook page. I've decided to do Soundtrack Sundays and Wonderful Word Wednesdays for you all on here too. In case you don't have a Facebook or just prefer blogs. Soundtrack Sundays is where I post a new movie score track to my Soundtrack Sundays YouTube playlist for your listening pleasure and Wonderful Word Wednesdays is where I post a new cool vocabulary word.

So here we go ...

For Soundtrack Sundays I have a track from the Host. Though I'm not a Twilight fan I really enjoyed this film. I'd like to read the book sometime. Anyway ... this piece is a romantic with sweet little plucks of a guitar throughout. I've been listening to it all week lol. I hope you all enjoy it.  Check out other Soundtrack Sundays tracks in the Soundtracks Sundays playlist on my YouTube channel.

Have you heard this soundtrack piece before? What do you think of it? Have you seen the Host?

If you liked this post, come back every Saturday for more writing advice, character interviews, book reviews and more! On Sundays I have Soundtrack Sundays where I post a new score piece, Tuesdays are Tea Tuesdays with tea reviews, Wednesdays I have Wonderful Word Wednesdays where I post a new vocabulary word, and Fridays are Fan Fridays where I post tags and other goodies. To help support my dream to be an author follow this blog, like me on Facebook, watch me on deviantART, and follow me on Pinterest and Twitter. If you want to know more about my books check out them out here. Thank you! :)

Finding and Taming Inspiration Part 1: I Just Can't Come Up With A Good Idea!

I'm a member of a fantastic young writers group on Facebook called Go Teen Writers. In the group, writers post about the need for critique or accomplishments or problems and such. Two problems I see frequently: "I just can't come up with a good idea!" and "I just got this new idea now I can't concentrate on my current work in progress!" Over two posts, I'm going to try to assess these issues and hopefully give some relief to them. Go Teen Writers, this is for you guys.

Inspiration is a tough little creature to find. Some bait to lure it is always asking "What if?" What if squirrels took over the world? What if little kids had special abilities adults don't? And so on.

Now we just need to search in the right habitats. Here are some places I've found the Muse hangs out:

1.) Art - Just recently I was messing around on YouTube and a picture for a soundtrack piece in one of the videos caught my eye. I clicked on it and stared at the picture for a while. That's when the idea for my steampunk fantasy Red Hood was born. Look at art either in a gallery or just on Pinterest, Deviant Art, or other picture sites. Personally I enjoy Pinterest and Deviant Art.

The picture that inspired Red Hood

2.) Music - I can't even describe how much music is an inspiration hot spot. Listen to songs with lyrics and perhaps a character will step out of them. I personally prefer movie scores. Scenes just unfold when I find some epic music. Listen to music you don't normally and that could jolt something.

If you'd like to try scores and don't know where to start either think of your favorite movie and look it up. These are some really good ones: Lord of the Rings (Fantasy), I Am Number Four (Sci-Fi) and The Host (Romance, Sci-fi). Also the artists Two Steps From Hell (No, they are not a heavy metal band) are fantastic. You can check them out and some of my other favorite soundtrack pieces in my Soundtrack Sundays playlist. A new piece is added every Sunday.

3.) Random Little Ideas - If you get any little idea from anything even if it's totally random, write it down. For example: I was reading an article in a magazine at the mechanic shop about introverts and that spurred an idea. Just anything that sounds interesting to you, save it. They could puzzle piece together into a book.

4.) Memories - Sometimes memories of events can spur an idea. I came up with my fantasy by drawing from the experience of me and little sister riding on our scooters around our driveway and talking about fairies. Though that series has far expanded from fairies. That memory was the root of it. You can draw from that hard break up you had with your boyfriend or that amazing trip to Hawaii.

5.) Interests - What is something you like to do? You could write about a character who likes to do what you do. Whether is be karate or soccer or singing. That character can pursue to be a great singer or a karate master or participate in the Olympics. This incorporated into a recent idea I got with a friend to write a book about a young writer who meets a superhuman.

6.) Other Media - Books, movies, shows, random videos all can be inspiration. Like if you watched a movie and you thought what if a world went this way or if you saw a tiny cool video and decided to expand on the idea they had. Maybe a concept in a movie can inspire you. My sci-fi series Subsapien was partially inspired by the movie Iron Man. It was the first Sci-Fi movie I ever got into. Tony's armor made me come up with my biomechs thus started half of Subsapien.

7.) Dreams - I cannot tell you enough how much dreams have inspired me. I've had several books inspired by them. That happened with the other half of Subsapien. I had a dream about five kids running away from some people in a supermarket with orange Fanta (I know random). I woke up and thought "Why are those kids running from those people?" I had Biology that day so I looked at my school book and it had a chameleon on it and I thought "What if they have animal powers?!" So write down your dreams no matter how dumb they are and perhaps look back at them when you're searching for inspiration.

Bonus Round!

Bonus Tip #1 - Keep a notebook! Whether it's on your phone, your iPod or (technology forbid) an actual notebook. Dark ages I know. Trap inspiration in there or you could lose it, because no matter how much you deny it you can forget ideas.

Bonus Tip #2 - Keep an open mind. Don't dismiss an idea as "stupid." Don't be afraid to listen to or watch new stuff. Watch a movie that isn't what you write or listen to songs from a different genre.

Bonus Tip #3 -  Don't force it. You have to coax inspiration. You can't conjure it out of thin air. Let it come. As long as you're searching for it you will find it.

Bonus Tip #4 - Fan the Flame - Talk about your idea to someone or just start writing a blurb about it. Keep thinking about it. It will grow.

In conclusion, though inspiration is a fleeting thing, it is obtainable. Search and you will find. :)

Do any of these methods work for you? Do you have a method to find inspiration I didn't list?

You may also like:
Six Tips For Line Editing
Writing Humor Into Your Story
Write What You Know ... And What You Don't Know
Tone Down But Don't Water Down
Twelve Rookie Writer Mistakes and How to Mend Them

Interview with Ingrid (Subsapien)

Ingrid (Subsapien)

Hey! I'm back with another character interview! This time it's with Ingrid from my science-fiction novel Subsapien Grafting interviewed by my lovely Canadian friend Cassia. 

Cassia: 

*settles into chair, smiles* Thanks, Tori.

Ingrid: 

*walks in, has wings folded on her back, smiles*

Cassia: 

Hi Ingrid. *notices the wings* I love your wings!

Ingrid:

*blushes* Thanks. *sits down in the chair across from you*

Cassia: 

Have you ever done an interview like this before?

Ingrid:

No. I was hoping I'd get to.

Cassia: 

Well I guess now's your chance. So I've just got a few questions here for you if you're ready to start.

Ingrid:

Bring them on. *huffs a laugh*

Cassia: 

Alrighty then, first question: What would you say is one of your greatest talents?

Ingrid:

Oh gosh. I don't know ... I'm good at making jewelry. Does that count?

Cassia: 

You make your own jewelry? That's awesome! Of course that counts. What kind of jewelry do you make?

Ingrid:

*blushes again* Thanks. Macrame I think it's called.

Cassia: 

Neat. *smiles, glances down at writing on the palm of my hand* Next question. *looks up* If you could go back in time and change one thing, what would you change?

Ingrid:

Hmm ... That's a tough question. Honestly ... Sometimes I wish I wasn't grafted.

Cassia: 

Yeah? Why's that?

Ingrid:

It's hard to have to hide part of yourself.

Cassia: 

Hm. Yeah, I can see that being hard. So, moving on to the next question, is there something you’re especially proud of?

Ingrid:

I'm kind of proud of Brian if that counts. He's like a little brother to me.

Cassia: 

*smiles* That counts. What makes you proud of him?

Ingrid:

He's so smart. Much smarter than me. I wish I could read as well as he can.

Cassia: 

Maybe he can teach you some time.

Ingrid:

He's taught me a little.

Cassia: 

That's nice of him. He seems to have good brother qualities. *folds arms onto of the table, checks hand again* So, what's your favorite season?

Ingrid:

*looks up* Spring.

Cassia: 

Why's that?

Ingrid:

It's warm but not too warm and I like the butterflies.

Cassia: 

Yeah, spring is a great season.

Ingrid:

Is it your favorite season?

Cassia: 

Yeah, one of them. I like fall best though. Last question: would you ever get revenge on anyone if you had the chance?

Ingrid:

Hmm ... That's another tough question ... *pulls on her braid* That's kind of private. Sorry.

Brian: 

*peeks in the room*

Cassia: 

Alright. I won't force you to answer anything you don't want to. *looks over at Brian, smiles* Hey.

Brian: 

*steps into the doorway, glances at Cassia, looks at Ingrid* Matt commanded me to inform you that our departure is in minutes.

Ingrid: 

*smiles at him* Okay. We're almost finished.

Cassia: 

*nods* That was the last question actually.

Ingrid: 

Oh really? Okay.

Brian: 

*stares at Cassia, is solemn, blinks*

Cassia: 

Unless you want to add anything, we can wrap up. *glances at Brian, smiles*

Ingrid: 

I should go ... It was nice meeting you.

Brian: 
*doesn't smile back*

Cassia:

*looks back at Ingrid* Yeah you too. Thanks for answering some questions.

Ingrid:

No problem. Maybe we can do it again.

Brian: 

*sniffs, rubs his nose*

Cassia:

Yeah, for sure.

Ingrid: 

Bye. *waves a little*

Cassia:

Bye, Ingrid. *looks to Brian, lifts a hand* See ya.

Brian: 

*nods at cassia*

Ingrid:

 *smiles, leaves with Brian*

Me:

And that's all for this interview! You can check out more about Ingrid's book in current projects, her book's Pinterest board, pictures I've drawn for the book on deviantART and fan art on my Facebook page.
 Lastly if you got questions for Ingrid or Brian leave them in the comments and they'll be included in another interview! :D

You may also like:

Interview with Bryce

Interview with Caleb Heagen

Interview with Matt
Interview with Brian

How to Write A Good Character Interview

If you liked this post, come back every Saturday for more writing advice, character interviews, book reviews and more! On Sundays I have Soundtrack Sundays where I post a new score piece, Tuesdays are Tea Tuesdays with tea reviews, Wednesdays I have Wonderful Word Wednesdays where I post a new vocabulary word, and Fridays are Fan Fridays where I post tags and other goodies. To help support my dream to be an author follow this blog, like me on Facebook, watch me on deviantART, and follow me on Pinterest and Twitter. If you want to know more about my books check out them out here. Thank you! :)