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prompts

4-29-2016 #WritingPrompt – Location

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today’s writing prompt is very important… if not for your story line then to help get you in the head space to know what you characters will do and say… where they will go, what areas can provide the prefect backdrop for dialogue, or what hiding places are available for you villains… today we are using Location

I had the opportunity to travel to Europe as a teen… and hopefully one day I will work those wonderful destinations into my novels… I find that experiencing an area firsthand helps to bring it to life when you are writing… in this day and age, the internet can do a lot for you, but being there and experiencing it for yourself is always better…

make it fun… before you go into your edits, take a road trip tot he area you want you MC to come from… not only will you be able to add important details to your story, you just might be inspired for your next novel… going before you write is good, but it is never too late to take that trip… not until you put ‘the end’ on the last page…

now I have some USA maps here, but that is because that’s my home country… it is always easier to start with what you know… what you love…

what area does your MC come from… what landscapes and hometown treasures can you incorporate into your story… people love to learn little know facts, especially if they are weaved into a story without becoming an informational text… you have the perfect opportunity to show something/someplace that you love/enjoyed through your novels…

for me that will always be Kentucky… I love my state… from the caves and the lakes, the horse and the bourbon… the waterfalls, changing leaves in fall, and the Appalachian mountains…. I love it all…

I had someone ask me once ‘why Kentucky?’ for my story… and I had to ask ‘Why not Kentucky? Kentucky rocks…’ lol… so where is your MC from…

okay… that’s it… tomorrow will be our last writing prompt as Camp NaNoWriMo comes to a close… for now… here is your pinterest writing prompt… happy wordage, tracey

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prompts

4-28-2016 #WritingPrompt – Communication

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today’s writing prompt is Communicate… how we communicate with the world, with team members, with ourselves… how we use nature and animals in communications… and how that can be used in our writing…

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it seems that the alpha male always comes with a way to silently communicate with team members, but how do we writers communicate his actions so that the readers can visualize what is happening in the story… I saw these and just had to share… if you can practice a few of these hand signals, it will help you to write them down when they are needed in your story…

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or morse code… your MC could be trapped in a  building, locked in a room with no way out, but their are pipes leading through the building… pipes that can carry sound to the rescue party searching above them… muhahahaha… or a victim you MC doesn’t know is there, can tap out an SOS…

I have never done this before…but on tv, it is described as longs and shorts… so G would be two long, one short…. and so on… you victim/MC could use a walkie/some kind of radio to tap out morse code with the  static… or the bad guys could be communicating over the radio… they could hijack a radio station, and every hour on the hour they could have ‘technical difficulties’… but really it is a message in the static/song cutting out…

so we have hand signals and signals in sound, but what if you can’t see the signal???

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Your MC could make/use invisible ink to pass secrets/coded messages … or maybe your MC finds a messages that was used by the bad guys… or your MC finds a coded text in invisible ink on something really old… is your MC a treasure hunter???

other than invisible ink and morse code, your characters could use wind talkers or cryptography… when it comes to cryptography, I get a little lost, but I wanted to include it just incase you guys find it interesting and want to add it to your story

wind/code talkers on the other hand, have always been close to my heart… my background is Cherokee, not Navajo, but I have always respected these brave souls… they helped this country, even after all that they had lost at the hands of the white man… now I am as pale as pale can be, but my grandfather had a reddish brown tan to his skin all year round… my contemporary series is full of men with American Indian genetics… I love the skin tone and wanted them to have that year round beauty…

alrighty… two more forms of communication to go… what if you character is deaf or mute??? you still need a way for them to add dialogue to your story… knowing a little more about sign language can help you to show what is happening in your novel, instead of just telling…

and last but not least (I am sure there are many other forms I have missed) nature… let your character track someone or something through the woods…. let nature speak to them… use broken leaves/twigs and especially animal tracks…

that all for now… I hope something has helped to fire up your imagination… now for the pinterest writing prompt… happy wordage, tracey

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prompts

4-27-2016 #WritingPrompt – Mystery

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From Mr. Bean and Hitchcock … to Rearview Window and A Beautiful Mind… Mystery plays a big part in our entertainment… so for today’s writing prompt we are going with Mystery… even if you don’t consider yourself a mystery writer, there is a lot to be said for adding just a touch to your normal genre…

do you need a death scene that isn’t immediately solved… here are a Murder riddles that should be easy to work into your novel…

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After you have brushed up on mystery elements and vocabulary… I have found this helpful worksheet, your own personal cheat sheet to writing your mystery… one thing that I heard over and over when I first started writing… ‘try what you think you will enjoy, and then try genres outside your comfort zone’… because you never know what you will like… and if you try multiple genres in short story format, you’ve lost nothing… and very little time… consider these shorts appetizers that have to the ability to wet the palate of potential readers…

and as always… read, read, read… so that you can get a feel for what works in the community of reader for that genre… most writers will tell you that they accumulated a stack of rejections before they managed to start to gain readers/an agents/or a publisher… today it is insanely easy to publish what you write… but we still need to find people willing to read our work.. no matter if you are an indie writer, a traditional writer, a self-published writer, or a hybrid author… we need readers… I don’t know near enough about PR but I do know one thing… your book must be worthy of the genre, otherwise no one will get past the first few pages… so find your style, try different things, and then get someone that has been in the game a while to help you label your genre… (Omg… do I hate picking the exact genre and sub-genre for my novels…) there are a number of choices out there these days, and that is great for readers, but my head hurts just thinking about typing… grrr…

alright, alright… I am being less than helpful… maybe a couple of you guys can write in and tell me what genre you think I write (if you’ve read one of my books… Shocking Finds, or an ARC for one of my upcoming novels)… I could soooo use the help peeps… but back to our Mystery Prompt… though reading the genres you enjoy writing is important in my book, I also think that you should check out movies from mystery genres… sometimes the visual can be even more helpful than the written…

and my final mystery suggestion… have fun with your learning… throw a murder mystery party… or go online and play one of the many mystery hunt games… soon they will be nicknaming you Sherlock… muahahahaha

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and here is a pinterest writing prompt to kick off your mystery writing… start you story with a misunderstanding that leads to the unknown… happy wordage, tracey

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4-25-2016 #WritingPrompt – Killers

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what do your villains look like??? where can you find inspiration??? today’s writing prompt is Killers… muhahahaha

Mythology can give you either an overview or a how to guide… what are you looking for??? are you writing paranormal/fantasy??? or contemporary??? even the contemporary writer can read through myths and legends and then make the stories more realistic… or for the fantasy lover, you could find something that will help you tape into your imagination…

reading about serial killers can help to take your villain from bad guy to down right evil… they guy (a 16 year old kid actually) that killed as if he was a vampire… now that story is down right scary… and just proves that even reality can come across as mystical and unreal…

what do these killers look like… well, hell… from dad of the year to the happy couple, from demonic ogre to knife wielding teen… these are all pictures of actual killers… so how will the average person pick them out of the crowd??? they don’t and that is how you make your villain real…

okay… this was a relatively short one… but here is your pinterest writing prompt… happy wordage, tracey

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book progress

woo who… backflips

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I am happy to report… I reached my 50,000 word count goal yesterday… oh, yeah…

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I told mom, my version of a first draft is fast-and-dirty… lol… even if I plot out my story with a story board first, I am always surprised to see where it goes… because, if my first draft is fast-and-dirty, my rough drafts are nothing more than drive by quickies… lol…

when I start typing things up, I get little surprises that tackle me out of nowhere… and I go “omg… that will so work… I can see the ending now…” yep… I have no idea how it will end… in a broad sense I do, but it is really those little things that matter… I mean… they bad guys loses??? but how and where and what lead to that point… and my MCs get a Happily Ever After??? but why do they decided to take the chance, choose each other, what quirks lead from lust to love….

okay… I’m getting sidetracked…lol… my point was, I won camp NaNoWriMo last night.. buttttt…. because my first draft is fast and dirty, I only had 40k words when I reached that end of my story… now, when I go into edits I know that sucker will grow… I figure it will end up being 50-55k words… but instead of doing my first round of edits now, I opened up a new document so that I could start on the next novel… so my 50k is comprised of the first book and 10k words from the second…. that makes three books in the Skymann series… and now you see why I am doing cyber backflips…

Mary has book one of the Skymann Series, book two is in first draft stages, and book three??? I will continue writing and adding to my word count even though I have already reached my goal… my new goal is to get as much of book three typed up in first draft stages before the end of the month… sooooo yes, you can think it…. I am insane 😛

happy wordage, tracey

prompts

4-21-2016 #WritingPrompt – Eyecolor

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some of these facts/pictures were just soooo cool I had to share and make today’s writing prompt Eye color… I mean… look at some of these peepers… *now, I suggest, you confirm that all colors are indeed possible… but hey, if one or two turn out to be no gos… you could always write paranormal… oh, wait… I do… muhahahaha… but some of these gene mutations are so rare that less than a dozen people world wide end up with these colors…

this is the one I personally want to look up more info on before I use it in a contemporary… it is almost like the reflectiveness of a cat’s eyes… if this is real, I have one thing to say… how cool… and… what little boy would love this…

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I have seen a person with one brown eye and one blue, but never anything like this… very cool… some more beautiful than others… I know that my hazel eyes would be more brown when happy, but turn on the water works and suddenly the green rise to the surface… most people just have to worry about hiding a runny nose and red eyes if they don’t want anyone to know they have been crying… 😛 try lying about your tears when your on eyes are screaming liar, liar, liar…

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okay… wow … just wow… *the person that put this on pinterest used a lot of F-bombs… not me peeps* (my character may use the word, but not excessively) anywho… back to the eyes… i would love these eyes… and the byproducts of no saving and what not… i have to say… BEST MUTATION EVER!!!

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even eyes that don’t come with a mutation have the potential to be amazing… don’t just have blue eyes… throw you MC some Steel Blue peepers… or branch into the other colors… blue is used a lot to show beauty, but as you can see, each color hides its own gems…

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okay… we are ready for our writing prompt from pinterest… i will add that my grandfather had green eyes with red dots (couldn’t find a pic of this) and i always thought his eyes were cool… happy wordage, tracey

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4-16-2016 #WritingPrompt – Improvement

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Writing Prompt word of the day…. drum roll, please… okay, okay… but what kind of Improvement… heck, peeps.. we writers know this word inside and out… we improve with each book we read, with each story we tell, with each workshop we participate in… even beta reading for another author helps us to improve … we may see things in others that we didn’t realize that we also needed to work on… like weak word usage… or overuse… this is where the find and replace buttons come in handy… muhahahaha

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from the MC point of view there is always something to work on, especial if you write a recurring character, or a series… working on showing vs telling is important… but that’s more of a writer improvement… but then, our characters depend on us to be at the top of our game… lol… (HA… that is what edits are for) … but working on realistic emotions, thoughts, and dialogue improve both our writing, and the Character on the page…

the next couple of lists, well if you want to use them to improve your own life have at it… but from a MC pov these are excellent ways to affect change… I really like the one for getting out of your comfort zone… if you combine this prompt with the one about fear, you have a way to help your character grow, and to possibly take your story in a new direction… or heck… maybe you just want to mess with your literary peeps… either way it can work to make a better story… woo who…

there are people out there (or so I have been led to believe) that enjoy exercise… and it is usually on a lot of new years resolutions … but what about your MC… if there is action in your story at all, your character needs to be in shape… do they enjoy the task, or would they rather run the other way when the bar bells are brought out??? are they leading the exercises or the are they the on being forced (ummm… to enjoy???) the activity?? lol

and finally, home improvement…I think I will have one of my MCs build a shed (an ugly shed that they are insanely proud of) and then when the action starts, bye bye shed… my love interest/hero with be secretly happy to see it go… du du duduuuu…. yep… MC is so gonna make an ugly shed…

what can your MC do for home/yard improvements… and are they any good at the task…

finally… here is your pinterest writing prompt… I loved this, and just had to include it… happy wordage, tracey

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4-15-2016 #WritingPrompt – Character

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I thought we could focus this writing prompt on character… and not just your MC… to me, adding character to something, or someone, means ‘to make stand out’… something with character is something that will be memorable… it is okay to go a little over the top with your MC’s actions and emotions sometimes… I mean, which would your rather have happen??? your reader closes the book and forgets half of what they read, or they end up replaying one of the scenes in their head while they anxiously await the next book???

try to picture your favorite actors… what  movies or tv shows did you rewatch time and again just to see the perfect moment … that scene that had you wiping your eye, or laughing out loud… oh, hey… looks like my mind is on eye candy… 😛

but from pretty boys to astounding acting, bringing their looks from normal to amazing for that scene, actors/actress can give us a visual aid to improve our book characters… we need our reader to be picturing Matthew McConaughey when they read that scene about our MC saving the day…(sorry guys, but there are some alpha males in my latest book, and I keep thinking of him in Sahara) … but what about Sean Connery … omg, the man is older than dirt and still he has character that pulls me in…

but you need to make sure that your entire book has Character… the good guys, the saviors, the kid that sounds the alarm, even the jewelry/setting/housing/food that makes your MC stop and go huh… but remember to flesh out the bad guys … it is soooo easy for me to merely say, Mr. X is trying to kill them… now lets focus on the hero… but the hero doesn’t have a true purpose unless we understand and grow to hate Mr. X… so be sure to make ever scene count… add a little definition to your people and places… just don’t over do it, guys… there is nothing worse than your reader becoming bored with page after page of room layouts… (hey, I actually read a series that every book was description, descriptions, descriptions… and book two would repeat *at length* what was said in book one… give me the cliff notes, please… I ended up skipping ahead to get to new info… )

Check out Bryn Donovan’s Master List of Physical Descriptions to help add a little more character to your characters… and here is your pinterest writing prompt… we all need more women of power… even if it is evil power… muahahahaha … happy wordage, tracey

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4-12-2016 #WritingPrompt – Dream

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all writer’s are dreamers… we dream of love, adventure, chaos, heartache, reality, and the unbelievable… we dream up stories and we dream about the readers that will enjoy them… but because I know personally that ‘writer’s depression’ is very real, here are a few quotes and sayings to keep you going… and then back to the writing prompt…

Does your MC have a specific place they go to in order to dream??? like a child’s clubhouse, do they have a place to get away from it all and dream??? do they dream of that perfect vacations or home improvement like an upgraded kitchen??? or maybe a library to beat all libraries???

What does your MC do in order to save up for their dreams??? do they have a system that can add some quirk to your story??? orrrr, if there is evil afoot, what happens when their hard earned savings are stolen???

And finally, I had to add dreamcatchers to the mix… I don’t know much about my Cherokee heritage, but I have always loved dreamcatchers… in a paranormal story, you could have a mystical dreamcatcher that protects your MC from evil… or your dreamcatcher could transport you to another realm… or in a contemporary, you MC could make them… I have had some beautiful ones in my lifetime… play around with it, and give your MC a ‘Dream’….

And for the Pinterest writing prompt, here is something that most people consider the opposite of dreaming… Spring cleaning… does your MC enjoy this yearly task, or do they despise it… do they need help, or do they prefer to take it all on alone… happy wordage, tracey

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4-11-2016 #WritingPrompt – Build

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I love words… one simple word can be taken in so many different directions… take today’s writing prompt ‘Build’… for starters, I’m building this post… build is a word that can be applied physically, emotionally, or even mentally… soooo many different ways…

you can have your MC be a master craftsman, or a newbie attempting a DIY project… or just have the act of building be something in the background of a dialogue … you can build a garden, furniture, a home, a greenhouse, decorations or items to sell…

or your character could be building a relationship (either romantic or friendship or unknown)… they could be building a fighting group, a band, a working staff, or any number of groups… but mainly, as a writer, you are building your story… and if you write series, with each book you build your characters and your world… I like to introduce characters that will have a front seat as the MC in previous stories…

A writer is always building… we sit in a place that relaxes us and allow our minds to wonder, to build on the story we’re working on… I like to take a relaxing bath and just dream about my characters… we build worlds for others to enjoy… but never give up… building a story is a process… the first draft is merely your first building block…

And now for a Pinterest Writing Prompt… you can use this to build a character that appears bad, but underneath is redeemable… muhahahaha … happy wordage, tracey

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4-9-2016 #WritingPrompt – Activity

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What activities fill your MC’s down time… since spring is here, here is a list of spring related activities for you character to be involved in… you could start a scene with either an activity that will relate to the story, or just something random everyday activity that will be interrupted by either the villain or the love interest… something on the list that a lot of people feel the need to do as soon as the sun starts making itself know is ‘wash the car’… buffing up and making your ride shine is a ritual that some hate, and some seem to enjoy…

if the love interest interrupts it can lead to water fights (the inevitable wet t-shirt issue), or the villain can interrupt and the MC will be more worried about avoiding bullet holes in the car than being shot…

think about the time of year in your story, and then sit down and make your own list… how can those activities work in your story… like my MC paints with oil paints, she loses herself in the activity, but she uses it in her work (as well as artistically) … the paint gets everywhere, it takes forever to dry, and is very forgiving and easily to fix when there is a mistake… and if you use something you do often, you can add the little insights into the activity that most people don’t think of..

I would use a side character to screw up with his first time using oils… trying everything to dry his painting (sun, fan, hair dryer) but I would have it in the underlying story… the MC would mostly ignore while he complains or whines…

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having an underlying activity can help to move the story along… I mean.. you don’t want your MC just standing in the room for every scene…

and what about your Villain??? what is their motivation??? why are they striking out??? for most stories, the emotion and understanding comes from the good guys, but the villains are there, and if you understand why they are attacking your MC you can better write their actions and reactions… so ask yourself to give your villain a motivation… here’s a list to go by… just have fun with it… their motivation can be typical evil logic, or you can take something that can be found in your MC, like romance or justice, and twist how the villain goes about to achieve their goal… muhahahahaha…. happy wordage, tracey

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4-7-2016 #WritingPrompt – Passion

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ooo la la…. today’s prompt is Passion… that blush of a first kiss, the love at first sight that grows into a need to grow old together, or a blazing heat that never seems to cool… every time you touch, a tingling breaks out and catches fire…

but passion doesn’t stop there… you MC could have a passion to create, a passion for justice, or a passion to explore/to find answers… not all passion is about sex… it is about a need that refuses to be ignored… have your MC cross a sign that clearly says Danger/do not cross, just because they want to know what happened… have they stop an attack without thought or reservations for their own safety… or maybe climb down the side of a cliff to the ledge below because there is a picture/stone/animal that they just have to help or have for their art… find your MC’s passion…

and finally… here is the pinterest writing prompt… you can use fear while looking for your MC’s passion… what do they have to face in order to accomplish their goals… (I’m sure there are more fears… just play around with it) make your MC as real as possible… happy wordage, tracey…

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4-5-2016 #WritingPrompt – Flippy

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lol… this seems like a hard word to build a writing prompt around but bare with me … since it is spring, I think of Flippy Skirts… I love long flowing skirts with lots of folds… and the wind is everywhere, flipping the skirt all over the place… soooo, does your MC like wearing flippy skirts… or is it her first time and the wind is causing all kinds of problems… just ask Marilyn Manroe… stay away from heating grates ladies… lol

something else that is flippy??? Hair… women flip and toss their hair, especially to show attitude…but with long hair, a certain amount of flipping is necessary … and lets not forget the masculine hair flip… especially if they have wavy hair… but hey…paranormal men tend to have long hair, so flip away…

and  lastly, we have flip-flops… they are definitely flippy… and it is about time to start wearing less and less on our feet… at least round here… personally, my feet hate being encased in shoes and socks… what about your Character… do they love flip-flops, insist on going bare foot, or maybe they have to have the best shoes and look down on anyone in flip-flops… hmmmm…. what is your Character wearing…

oooo…I just thought of one more clothing  ‘flip’… lol… a kilt… who doesn’t love a man in a kilt… and those are right up there with flippy clothing…

In the non-clothing flippy category, I think of acrobats and cheerleaders… or maybe a ninja or karate expert … those peeps are always flipping about…

okay… I think that is enough for today… here is your pinterest writing prompt… happy wordage, tracey … ooo… wait… don’t forget ‘flipping out’… lol

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4-4-2016 #WritingPrompt – Drink

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Day four of Camp NaNoWriMo… and today’s Prompt is Drink… immediately I think of mixed drinks… something yummy, and maybe a little strong… maybe your MC is a light weight, and embarrasses themselves… or a strong constitution and can drink anyone and everyone under the table… or maybe your MC is a hot bartender that can flip the bottles and mix up anything you want…

Drink could also mean that your MC is drinking someone in… totally drawn to someone… or they have a thirst that for adventure… or they are dang dehydrated from working or from being lost in the middle of nowhere without anything to drink…

a refreshing drink like iced tea, or lemonade is very important here in Kentucky… but you could also focus on an addiction to coffee or liquor…

this is a short one… here is your Pinterest writing Prompt… happy wordage… tracey

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4-2-2016 #WritingPrompt : Animals….

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Day two…. and the prompt is animals… so lets start out with baby animals in a continued Easter idea…

baby animals are one of the things I always think about when I think of Easter… my grandmother used to get us baby animals from the local hatchery when we were small… lots of bunnies, and goose … how does your MC feel about animals in general… and how do they feel about baby animals… do they love them like most people or do they not see a reason to get excited about the newness of the cute little things… lol…

how about big animals… from a loveable dog, to wild animals… and for the paranormal set… can your MC turn into an animal… what traits carry over into their human form… can they fade into the shadows like a jaguar, or clamp their jaw down in a killing bite like a shark or an alligator… or is your MC running from a wild animal in a deserted area they are unfamiliar with…

 Is your MC a zookeeper? Do the animals get loose, or is your MC in the artic facing off with polars….or maybe your MC tames wild beasts, and walks freely among them where others run for their lives… or do they deal with large animals like horse, cows, and goats… farm animals… maybe as a vet…. learn about the animal and see where you can add some humor to your story… or maybe a little suspense… muhahahaha

and here is our rap up pin from pinterest… Happy wordage everyone… Tracey

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book progress

Self pubbing???

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Southern Discoveries…

well … it looks like Finder’s Keepers Book Two : Southern Discoveries will have to be a self pub novel… the first book got some positive attention but not enough for my indie publisher to spend more on book two, even though she read it and enjoyed what she saw… thankfully, she also read my contemporary romance and loved it… so while she helps me to publish my first Skymann novel, I will be learning about self-publishing…

it is my goal to become a hybrid author… getting my books out there through indie publishing, self-publishing, and eventually traditional publishing… one would think that this would be a perfect time to query publishing house to try the traditional route, but I don’t want my readers to have to wait for me to find an agent/publishing house… especially when I fear they will want the rights to the character/series… I would rather try them with a book that doesn’t touch either the Finder’s Keepers novels, or the Skymann novels…

so for now, Southern Discoveries will be in my unknowledgeable hands… wish me luck… I already know how the Ebook format works, but I will have to look into the paper back version… especially since I would like to get both Shocking Finds and Southern Discoveries ordered in paper back for my coming book signings…

okay… I need to go because I have been blogging all night on my Multiple Sclerosis site… and I am exhausted… later guys…

happy wordage, tracey

guest posts

#EggcerptExchange – Adam Mann

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Eggcerpt Exchange: This is our last Egg-crept… then everything will calm down… 😛 or maybe just go back to my normal insanity… lol…

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this reminds me of my pug Moe-moe… he used to steal anything he could get in his mouth… pillows, underware, shoes…. usually items too big for him, but he grab them and run off to his crate… lol… one time he grabbed up my house-shoe and bolted for the bedroom…but he had his mouth on the rim of the shoe that goes over the arch area of your foot… meaning the shoe flipped up in front of his face… and as he ran from the room, he slammed into the wall…

now back to the Eggie exchange… by now our egg baskets are pretty full… but there is room for one more… Adam Mann is here with his novel The Road to Beira…

 Third Book

The Road to Beira

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Colin and Monique meet one another on a dusty road about one hundred miles from Beira in Mozambique. They had previously known one another when they were students but that was over twenty years ago, and then their lives had taken completely different paths.

Monique had just been through a nasty divorce, and had settled down to raise her two children whilst getting on with her career as a recruitment specialist. The tall dark Colin still attracts her and she realizes that she would have to take the lead if their relationship were to develop and romance were to blossom! Can her glowing auburn hair, her attractive breasts and passionate body win the battle? It works!

But her life is complicated by the lawyers representing her former husband who try to stop her relationship with Colin. Her children are a very necessary consideration and then she realizes that her fourteen year old daughter has a brain like a computer, whilst her son is won over by anything technical.

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Excerpt:

The engine was diesel, which usually is very reliable, and the driver got out to open the bonnet. He was not an engineer so he just poked around at various parts of the engine, checked the water level in the radiator, and looked around for help! He was lucky, as another 4WD vehicle was just approaching.

The driver stopped and a tall thin European got out and approached them, seeing the vehicle bonnet open.

“Can I help?” he asked in English.

“We stopped for lunch and now it won’t start again,” explained Hugh.

“Colin!” exclaimed Monique, “what are you doing here?”

They all looked at Monique, and then the new arrival.

“Monique?” he said, “perhaps I should ask the same!”

Monique turned to the others; “we’re in luck, this is an old friend of mine from university days and his name is Colin.” and then she turned back to Colin.

“What are you doing here?” she repeated.

“I work here,” Colin explained, “I’m doing a survey for a new community development plan,”

“What about you?” he added. Colin could remember the attractive student he had met so many years ago, but circumstances in those days did not allow them to do more than meet for an occasional coffee.

Purchase links:

The Road to Beira

https://www.amazon.com/Road-Beira-Adam-Mann-ebook/dp/B017MOJRCI

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-road-to-beira-adam-mann/1122912861

https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-theroadtobeira-1921887-149.html

http://www.mundania.com/book.php?title=The+Road+To+Beira

Author bio:

I’ve written twenty four romance books all based in parts of the world where I’ve lived and worked. As a result five are in sub-Saharan Africa, eleven are in South or East Asia, and only seven based in the UK. One is still in draft form.

I’ve been married four times, my first wife died, the second divorced me, the third marriage was annulled as that wife had forgotten to get divorced, and thank goodness the fourth wife is fit and well. We have between us seven children and four grandchildren. As a result I think that I know a bit about life and loving.

Author Links:

Click: www.adammannauthor.com

Twitter: @adammannauthor

www.lordmaity.com

Twitter: @Lordmaity

@ButterflyBooks9

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Author’s Questions:

1. Nickname Mai (local name for Mike)
2. Job Retired, now writing full time
3. Level of schooling, or self-taught Masters
4. Birthdate 20 FEB
5. Birthplace Shoreditch, London
6. Currently residing in… Yen Bai, Vietnam
7. Favorite type of pet Large breeds of black dogs
8. Favorite place to visit Mountains rather than Coast
9. Significant other Beautiful Wife
10. Most important goal Sell a few more books
11. Worst fear or nightmare Family member dying
12. Favorite food Roast meat
13. Wealthy, poor, or somewhere in between? In between
14. Secret desire or fantasy Meet Monica Bellucci
15. What would you do if you won the lottery? Make sure that each member of my family had security for the rest of their life.

 

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#EggcerptExchange – Linda Nightingale

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eggs

Personally, I love horses… the few time I was lucky enough to ride (aka: full out run) were some of the happiest in my live… there is nothing like the feeling of flying over the land as the horse beneath you thighs cuts loose…

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there are a few things in life that I think everyone should experience at least once… ride a horse; feel the release of free-falling (on a theme park ride, cliff jumping, or for the really extreme – sky diving); and find one thing in life – something beautiful – that takes your breath away, or brings a tear to your eye… now it’s time to check out Linda Nightingale and her latest novel….

Gambler’s Choice
By Linda Nightingale
A novel about people who love horses…
From The Wild Rose Press
Cover Artist:  Debbie Taylor
Editor: Mary Harmony

An English aristocrat and a Virginia socialite go head-to-head—and feet-to-feet—in a battle for ownership of a very special horse.

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  • Rating:  Spicy
  • Digital Price:  $4.99
    Print Price:  TBA

Blurb:

Becca McQuaid came to England to find the perfect horse but instead met a darkly mysterious challenge in Austen Heath, Baron of Hampton. She’s determined to buy Austen’s stallion Gambler’s Choice. He’s determined not to sell, but the rivals are thrown together by an accident that leaves Austen with a broken leg and the threat he’ll never ride again.

Austen Heath has the title, heritage and manor house…but not the fortune. Becca is wealthy. Her charms are irresistible, but he believes she’s shopping for a Ladyship to go with her money. He has another reason to hold the sexy blonde at arms’ length—the unexplained disappearance of an old friend everyone thinks was his lover. When her body is discovered on his property, he becomes a suspect in her murder.

Excerpt:

In a blood-stained white robe, Austen drove a knife down on a chopping board. What was he chopping in the middle of the night? Blood leaked from what appeared to be a heart. Sickness rolled in her stomach. Dane sat at his feet, watching his master. A noose of fear tightened around Becca’s neck. Did the heart he diced for the dog belong to the missing Julia? Her stomach flipped. Get a grip, Becca. Your imagination is running away with you. Her phobia didn’t listen. A chill slithered down her spine. She backed away from the door, collided with a table. The mastiff lurched to his feet, barking. Becca froze, unable to tear her gaze from the bloody knife.

Agonizingly slow, Austen turned on one crutch, knife in hand, the gory blade raised. “Stay, Dane. Ah, Becca. Come in. There’s something I’ve been meaning to show you.”

A shudder ploughed through Becca. Her voice shook. “What is that?”

“A beef heart. What did you think? Ah…” he whispered a laugh. “You thought I was dicing Julia’s heart to feed to the dog.” Gripping the knife, he paced her retreat. “I do believe you’re afraid of me.”

The belt slipped, and Austen’s robe parted to his waist. The man’s body would tempt a nun. She retreated. He advanced.

“I couldn’t sleep. That happens quite often. I decided to prepare Dane a special treat.” He tossed his hair out of his eyes, the cruel smile and the condescending tone returning. “Ah, Becca, Becca, you’re thinking I killed Julia because she was pregnant.”

“Yes. No. Put away the knife, please. I can’t think.” She labored for breath.

Austen flung the knife clattering to the floor. The startled dog leapt back. Trembling, Becca stood her ground. She’d chewed the inside of her jaw raw.

“There, Becca,” he snarled. “You can come in now.”

Blood smeared the polished oak floor and the horrible knife. Her stomach ached, and bile stung her throat. She forced herself to look at anything but the stained blade.

Austen halted, leaned against a wall. “I appreciate your confidence and trust. A month of living together has taught you nothing about me.”

Dane disobeyed the command to sit, returned to lick his master’s fingers.

“There, there, son.” Austen glanced at the dog. “I’ll soon finish your treat. First, I must convince Becca that I am not a murderer.”

Buy Link: 

Amazon

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About Linda:

Born in South Carolina, Linda has lived in England, Canada, Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, Atlanta and Houston.  She’s seen a lot of this country from the windshield of a truck pulling a horse trailer, having bred, trained and showed Andalusian horses for many years.

Linda has won several writing awards, including the Georgia Romance Writers Magnolia Award.   She is the mother of two wonderful sons, a retired legal assistant, member of the Houston Symphony League, and enjoys events with her car club.  Among her favorite things are her snazzy black convertible and her parlor grand piano.  She loves to dress up and host formal dinner parties.

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Web Site  – Visit and look around. There’s a free continuing vampire story.

Blog  – Lots of interesting guests & prizes

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Character Interview:

1.      Nickname:  Becca (short for Rebecca) McQuaid

2.    Currently residing in…Horse Country, Virginia, and a lovelier place you’ve never seen…except Somerset, England, perhaps

3.    Favorite type of pet – I wouldn’t really call a horse a pet, more like a friend and partner, but hands down, the horse.

4.    Most important goal – To own Gambler’s Choice, a beautiful bay stallion—a problematic dream, since his owner, the Baron of Hampton, refuses to sell—for any amount of money

5.    Wealthy, poor, or somewhere in between? I’m a rich girl, but that doesn’t guarantee I get everything I want…like Gambler’s Choice.

6.    Secret desire or fantasy – To get the Baron of Hampton between the sheets

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His Temporary Fix

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*I loved the title and the sexy cover of this, and just had to reblog… 😛 happy wordage…

BOOK INFORMATION

TITLE – His Temporary Fix
SERIES (& Book #) – Love at the Beach #2
AUTHOR – Sofia Grey
GENRE – Contemporary Military Romance
PUBLICATION DATE – October 26 2015
LENGTH (Pages/# Words) – 111 pages, 30k words
PUBLISHER – Entangled Select

BOOK SYNOPSIS

His Temporary Fix - Book CoverHolly Jacobs loses her heart a little too easily. Never again. But when she meets the sexy soldier on the beach, Holly knows she’s in big trouble. Zack Winter is gorgeous and in pain, and when he kisses Holly, all of her resolve melts away…

Zack is on short-term leave to attend a funeral, and he’s walking a fine line. The loss is unbearable…and he’ll do whatever it takes to distract himself from it. Especially if it means a night of searingly-hot sex with Holly Jacobs. Only his brilliant idea isn’t exactly going according to plan.

One night isn’t nearly enough. But if it goes much longer it might end in broken hearts…

 

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AMAZON KINDLE US
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KOBO
ALL ROMANCE

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EXCERPT

“Don’t you need to go, Holly Jacobs?” Even the way he murmured my name was sexy. This was crazy. Add that to my track record of bad decisions and getting involved with Zack was dumb on an epic level. I was incapable of having a no-strings fling. For me, it was all or nothing, and this time I was going to make the sane decision.

“Why don’t you call me just Holly?” Asking him another question was harmless.

I saw a flash of white teeth in the darkness. “I like your name.” He sounded amused. “Is that okay, Just-Holly?”

Dear God. In the middle of his grief and distress, he still had a sense of humor. I really needed to escape before I found any more reasons to linger. But I didn’t move an inch.

“You sure you don’t want to come back to my place?” His whisper reverberated through me, turning my spine liquid and my knees to jelly. He shifted position slightly and I felt him trailing a hand up my back, the fingertips tiptoeing with excruciating slowness and precision.

“Zack, I don’t do one-night stands.”

“I’m here for two nights.”

AUTHOR BIO

Author Photo - Sofia GreyRomance author Sofia Grey spends her days managing projects in the corporate world and her nights hanging out with wolf shifters and alpha males. She devours pretty much anything in the fiction line, but she prefers her romances to be hot, and her heroes to have hidden depths. When writing, she enjoys peeling back the layers to expose her characters’ flaws and always makes them work hard for their happy endings.

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#EggcerptExchange – Kryssie Forturn

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eggs

the Eggcerpt Exchange is almost over, but there are still a few more authors coming your way…

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soon we will be back to just my insanity… but for now, check you Kryssie’s novel while I head back to my edits.. 😛

Meet Viola Lightfoot, heroine of Kryssie Fortune’s book, To Seduce an Omega    #Eggcerpt Exchange

Hello. I’m Viola Lightfoot.
I’m a healer and I was born right here in Prowlerville. In the alpha’s residence, actually. For the first six years, I was my father’s pampered darling. Then he tossed me out like a bag of trash.
I live in a deserted shepherd’s hut deep in the forest, and while I’d like to visit Prowlerville more often, as the Rock Prowler’s Omega wolf, I’m not welcome. Unless someone needs my healing skills, of course.
I don’t have a significant other, but I’m certain I’m coming into my first heat. I know, that’s odd since I’m in my late twenties. She-wolves’ breeding seasons usually start at puberty, but since the beating that left me with a crippled knee killed my inner wolves, I never expected to have a season at all.
I’m terrified that my father sends his thugs to attack me again. They almost killed me before. A few years later, they burned down the only real home I’ve ever known, and my foster mother perished in the fire. I dream of leaving Rock Prowler territory and starting over. It’s not going to happen though. No pack would accept a crippled wolf like me

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Blurb
The Rock Prowler alpha condemns Viola for her inability to shift. Forced into poverty and isolation, she ekes out a meager existence as a healer. As the pack omega with a crippled knee, she’s forbidden to mate. Her first heat beckons, but no wolf will dare to bed her.

Titus, a wolf rejected by his true mate, overflows with violence and anger. The Lykae King sends him to take over the Rock Prowler pack. He condemns Viola for wanting payment before she treats her patients and threatens to bring in a new pack healer. With her crippled knee and no other income, she’d starve.

She-wolves from families who disagree with the alpha have vanished. When Titus investigates, the alpha’s allies imprison both him and Viola. To escape, he must seduce Viola—the she-wolf he insulted and reviled. If that’s not bad enough, she despises him for his seeming allegiance to the alpha. As he gets to know her, she steals his heart, but after all that’s happened, how can she accept him when even his fated mate refused him?

Buy links

Amazon US
Amazon UK

Amazon au
All romance books

Kobo

kryssie

Excerpt

After a quick assessment of Tansy’s injuries, Viola grabbed a knife and a packet of herbs from her dresser. “What happened to her?”

Titus’s expression softened as he stared at the injured woman. “I don’t have a clue. I heard a whimper from a thicket of murder thorns, and the poor woman was lying unconscious in the center. Elves’ blood, you’ve got your gold. Get a move on. Can’t you see she’s lost so much blood she’s going into shock?”

The arrow topped Viola’s priorities. Once she’d pulled a threadbare apron over her head, she poured alcohol over Tansy’s wound. If the archer had barbed the head, pulling the arrow out would tear the flesh from Tansy’s thigh. Given that this looked like a deliberate shooting, Viola prayed the bowman hadn’t poisoned the arrowhead.

Titus laid Tansy on the moss and sweet-herb pallet, his touch so gentle Viola wondered how it would feel if he laid her down with such care. Just once, she wanted someone to be gentle with her. That or teach her about orgasms and sex. I should be concentrating on Tansy, not drooling over Titus’s ass.

She swallowed hard and settled on the floor beside her patient, her bad leg extended in front of her. Getting up again would be hell, but Viola would manage somehow. She always did, but on bad days her knee ballooned to twice its normal size. Her gaze strayed back to Titus’s ass. She pictured herself running her hands over it or stroking it or rubbing up against him and breathing in his musky vanilla essence.

Her nipples ached, and she felt as though flames licked at her cunt—all that for one of Zebadiah’s personal army. Despite his gentle treatment of Tansy, Viola couldn’t trust Titus an inch. This stupid urge to wrap her body around his and run her fingers through his short-cropped hair would fade soon. It had to. Nothing good could come of her having a fling with a stranger, no matter how much he made her heart race.

Tansy moaned when Viola cut the remnants of her skirt and probed her wound.

Titus’s eyes narrowed, and his jaw clenched. “Do you enjoy hurting the helpless?”

Her? Hurt the helpless. Viola would have laughed if he didn’t make her so fluttery and hot. She stood on quicksand, and the only way to stay safe was to cling to Titus. Yeah, like he’d ever offer his hand.

Her chin rose. “I’m a healer. Only an idiot would think I meant to hurt Tansy. I needed to know if the arrow had struck bone. Fortunately, the head’s embedded in her thigh muscle, but we still need to push it through rather than just yank it out. Once I’ve poulticed the entry and exit wounds, I’ll clean up her scratches.”

“Then get a move on.” Titus’s fingernails turned into claws, and he bared his fangs. At her. She should be scared or even screaming. Instead, she almost came when she pictured those fangs sinking into her flesh as she orgasmed around his cock. No. Not feeling anything for him…really. Besides, who the hell does he think he is? Judging me as though he’s the Rock Prowler alpha.

Viola did her best with limited materials. The alpha refused to let her leave Rock Prowlers’ territory to train further even though that left the pack without a qualified healer. She’d lost her books in the fire that had destroyed her home, and she hated when she didn’t know enough to help.

If Elspeth hadn’t taken Viola in when her mother vanished and her father banished her from her home, she wouldn’t have survived. Twenty-two years later, survival was still a struggle.

Healing was all she had left. She understood difficult childbirths and kept a stock of herbal remedies for the rare occasions a wolf couldn’t heal himself by shifting. Sadly, nothing would fix her knee. Without her inner wolves, Viola would never be whole again.

She stole a quick glance at Titus, and her heart rate sped up again. His confidence and strength along with the way he took charge of a bad situation made her envy his mate—assuming he had one.

The bonded couples in town never left each other’s sides unless they had to, which made her wonder what Tansy had been doing out here alone. Jealousy hit Viola like a fiery arrow. The thought of Titus bonding with another woman turned her stomach sour. Not that she’d ever have children or a mate, but a she-wolf could dream.