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Pre-Release… Get your copy for FREE

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After two nights in a row, staying up to the wee hours of the morning, and growling at my computer as I fought to figure out how to format Southern Discoveries into an ebook, the pain, sweet, and swearing finally paid off…. muhahaahahahahaha…. I did it… take that MS….

Okay, so thanks to Pronoun.com it was pretty easy… the difficult part had more to do with my uncooperative brain than my formatting task…

Sooooooo….. about three in the morning last night, I looked at my screen and realized I was ready to hit the publish button… the ebook version was ready to go… now I only had to wait for the woman that created my book covers to finish with the spine and back cover so that I could set up the paperback format on createspace.com … and this left me with an opportunity that I hadn’t thought of before…

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For the next week, I am offering FREE ecopies to anyone willing to leave a review… (Reviews really are the devil to get, but oh so important) … just drop me a line and I will make sure that you get your copy … even if it means I have to swear at my computer some more… 😛 … I already have the Mobi & Epub versions, and will have the PDF version later today…

And truthfully, it would be an enormous help if y’all could stop in at amazon, goodreads, or one of the other retailers, blogs, etc and drop a line or two one what you thought of Southern Discoveries… as the pre-order links go up, I will post them so that you know where to find the book in order to give a review, or you can wait until after it is out, and easy to find…

Most books are set up for pre-order months before the release date, but Southern Discoveries grew a mind of its own and took longer than I expected to finish… (and I might be a bit impatient) But its all good… because you guys get it now, and not months from now…. wooo whooo…

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and lastly, I decided to set up a newsletter… you can get Finder’s Keepers & Skymann (coming soon) series info delivered to your email… this email list will hopefully allow me to offer more pre-releases, monthly updates, and other book related goodies… just head HERE and leave your info…

I didn’t think I would need an email list, not when I could just use Facebook, Twitter, this blog, etc. to send out updates… but I’ve found that there are certain sites that ask you to use something along the lines of MailChimp …. sooo take a moment and sign up to get your Newsletter…

happy wordage everyone, Tracey

everyday insanity

Art palooza….

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I have another site, Clark Arts and Crafts, and this month I am posting about all the swag and art projects (and anything I see that I think is beautiful)…

but as most of the people that visit one site don’t necessarily see the other site, I wanted to share a few of the pieces with you guys… this is just some of the bracelets… I don’t have the other projects photographed yet… and as you can see, there are a lot of bracelets… I find it soothing to make them… other projects require you to bend over a table while you work…

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I also have some friendship bracelets … made from both hemp and embroidery thread… but I really like the beaded necklaces that I put together…

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okay… that’s it… happy wordage everyone, tracey

 

book progress

Drum roll please

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my second book cover… I love the look and feel…

Southern Discoveries_ebook (1)

Marin doesn’t know what to think when Makayla LaPine, the office beauty queen, suddenly wants to go out for a bite to eat. As far as Marin knew, Makayla had always believed her to be a waste of oxygen, so why the invite. Curiosity killed the cat… Marin just hopes that her curiosity doesn’t kill the Finder. Could Makayla be a Fae assassin hiding in bitchy southern-bell clothing?

Makayla can’t believe that her life has been reduced to this… asking the flighty office girl for help. Could Marin really be the help she has been searching for? Out of the blue, everyone at Finder’s Keepers have been turning to Marin for answers. If she hopes to ever find out what happened to her twin brother, Makayla will be forced to do the same. She wants answers. With her goal within reach, she will take a chance on Marin and avoid all distractions, namely the overwhelmingly sexual stranger begging for her attention.

Quaidin wants to get in, finish his mission, and get out. Anything to get back to Out-realm and as far from Earth-side as possible. His band of mercenaries, the Fianna, have one goal… to locate Marin De Platadreki, the highly sought after Fae Princess, and see to her protection, hopefully back in Out-realm. As the Incubus on the squad, he needs to focus on persuasion and manipulation. The mission should have been a walk in the park. He never saw Makayla coming. A woman with enough sexual attraction to bring him to his knees…

The Blurb still needs a little work, but you guys get the picture… I love Makayla’s character… she is seriously sassy and a little rude, but she is so much more than the front she shows to the world… And Quaidin… sigh…. who wouldn’t want an Incubus hottie chasing after them…

this is the cover design I got from Reverie… the woman in charge is an amazing graphic artist…

1 head to her Facebook Site or her Website to check out her goodies…

I already have two covers and this awesome banner for book signings…

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 happy wordage everyone… next month I hope to present the cover of my first contemporary romance, out of my new Skymann series… tracey

prompts

4-30-2016 #Writing Prompt – Wrap ups

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woowho…. so, this is the last day of CampNaNoWriMo … if you didn’t participate this time, not to worry… camp happens in april and july … and NaNoWriMo comes every November … the best part about camp is get to choose your writing goal… so those of you that don’t feel you can read the 50k goal (a must in nov) can still win all the goodies available …

but back to the writing prompt… Wrap Ups… since this is that last day, I decided to give you all a quick prompt, and then a guide to improve and play with your novel once the first draft is finished… sooo the prompt??

take one of your secondary characters and work on dialogue and actions… you can use them to more the story along, add humor, lighten the mood after a serious moment, spark a fight or cause the MC to need to save them… again… 😛

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lol… I love sarcasm… now for the warp up – prompt… use the following pinterest pics to work on showing vs telling … body language and word usage… I also suggest The Emotional Thesaurus and other similar books…  I also like the ones on positive and negative traits…

now… instead of grouping photos like I have been, I am putting each one up by itself… I’m not sure if this will make things easier, but hopefully, you will able to save them and then print them out if you want…

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Body description…

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some of these are good for non-fantasy characters… if you know your characters job you will be able to picture what they look like, what type of gestures they may use more than others…

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don’t make your  characters perfect… good or bad guys, add a flaw or two… muhahahahaha

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work on word usage in your wiritng…

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what does your MC’s pain feel like…

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there are all kinds of ways to take your novel to the next level… these are just a few of them… I hope they helped… just remember to enjoy your edits… I have found that playing with showing vs telling and using examples like these help make the editing process fun… and I seriously hate edits.. lol 😛

that’s it for this month of nano writing prompts… here is your pinterest prompt to wrap things up… happy wordage, tracey

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prompts

Magical Eyes

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oooo…. this is another month with five Fridays … and this seemed like the perfect writing prompt to share… I know I already did one on eyes… but fifth Fridays are all about beauty and I found a few more eye pinterest pics… I wanted to put them human/animal side by side… it is easy to see that a human can have ‘animal eyes’ and an animal can hold human intelligence in there gaze… 😛

I love visual aids for descriptions… no matter if I am sketching out something for myself, or stealing some cool pics on pinterest… like these… eyes and people/animals come in so many shapes and colors… it doesn’t matter if you are writing something otherworldly, or creating something from the more contemporary genres… eyes are still magnificently varying, no matter what you write…

sooo have fun with it… anyone can write about blue or brown eyes… give me eyes so dark they resemble chunks of coal… or eyes the bluest of blues, like a clear summer day…. because even when you change it up with ice blue, it is great to have a picture to look at so that you can continue past those two little words… an icy blue so pale the whites seem to merge and mix with the shocking color… and animals… give your human shapeshifter the eyes that their animal would have… not a must, but it could be fun and shocking for your characters…

whatever you do, have fun with it and happy wordage, tracey

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

4-25-2016 #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

4-24-2016 #WritingPrompt – Naming

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OMG… you book is about to be published (traditional, self-pub, indie, etc) … which means you are about to give birth to dozens of characters… which is why this writing Prompt is so important… Naming… how do you decide on the perfect names…

unlike other parents, you already know a little about you babies… will they change over time?? sure… but to start with, you know what they look like, what state/country they were born in, how their basic personality affects their actions/thoughts/speech … you know their genetic background… like if their mother was from Russia???

or maybe your character was born in Ireland… would they have one of the names that just scream ‘hello, I’m Irish’, or would it be a more universal name…

how would you visualize your character as a child, when physical characters are more set… before things like hair dye and makeup come into play… I think that seeing your character as a child can help to describe those features… once you have a basis, you can age them, give them individuality, add in the features that mark adulthood in most people

when you know more about your character’s heritage, you can envision their habits… a Russian would always know the best borscht vodka and what the heck was in borscht, an Irishman might have a hot temper and a fast right hook, your Frenchman would definitely be found in the most sexually compromising positions… and your Germans??? they will always have a bottle of Schnaps handy, they will enjoy building/fixing things (maybe make them good at woodworking, and lets not forget Octoberfest (cheers)… and one more German trait that I found extremely odd as a gal from the US, esp one from Ky??? the men sit while peeing…

(lol… just had to add the german shepard… I found more of them than names/babies on pinterest for germans)

but back to the peeing issue…dude… half the men I know not only stand up, they will walk outside and just let the urine flow… okay, that definitely a hayseed way of life…

which reminds me… finding the right name can come from anywhere… religion, dead languages like Latin, or a generalized way of like… in the country you would expect Samantha (Sam), Andrew (Andy), or Katie… pick a name that speaks to you… but avoid going to grand (though some names are just fun.. I have a Sabastian, Joffrey, and a called Hawk… I may have gone too grand, but it didn’t feel that way… I just loved the names) … and definitely avoid the boring… boring means it didn’t speak to you and your reader will easily forget it…

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okay… one more and then i’ll quit, but by no means to the possibilities end here… don’t be afraid to stereotype your characters… you want the reader to visualize them… get a feel for the world they are reading about.. I mentioned the French (they love love), but they are also rude… sorry dear Frenchmen, but when I was in France I realized that quickly… the Germans and the people of Switzerland were laid back and kind… heck a little old lady (not speaking any English) in Switzerland gave me some of the fresh blueberries she carried, a big smile on her face… The French love beauty and fine cuisine, but can be a bit snotty…

alrighty… I focused on names by country, because that is one of the easiest… but find your own way… a way that speaks to you… and have fun… these are your babies… now here is your pinterest writing prompt… happy wordage, tracey

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prompts

4-22-2016 #WritingPrompt – Manipulation

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Muhahahahahaha…. Manipulation is today’s writing prompt… something that you can write as coming from one of the good guys, or the evil foe determined to mess with your MC… from the a mother’s shaming to the seductions of a man-eater… and as the writer, you are the ultimate manipulator… shaping words to create greatness… 😛

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good mother to bad, there is a certain amount of manipulation to be expected… a mother shapes a life… it is a responsibility that can result in a leader, a caring artist, an adventure seeker, or…. a closed off individual, afraid of the world, or lashing out at others… but a child will always look for a mother’s love, no matter if it is there or not… how was your MC’s upbringing…

there are many different ways to manipulate… I found these guides on pinterest… from the everyday manipulations to the killer trying to get what they want… any character can help to manipulate your story forward… you get to decide if it is an everyday little manipulation or something that will bite them in the arse if they are caught… and of course there are the bad guys… they are always manipulative… though not really in pleasant ways… 😛

what happens when your MC realizes that they have been manipulated??? how do they respond??? is the bad guys someone they trusted, or someone they can identify with??? depending on the characters involved and the previous relationships, manipulation can be quite dramatic…

I love a little manipulation with my entertainment… and the greatest manipulator of all time???? Red Reddington on the Blacklist… I love watching James Spader move the people in his life around on his on chess board… heck, I just love James Spader… Red is by far the best example of a good, bad guy… he actually makes me want to cheer him on when he shoots someone… lol… I am a vicious thing today… 

alright… thats it for today… here is your pinterest writing prompt… happy wordage… tracey

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ranting and raving

R&R The Martian

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This is definitely more of a Rave than a Rant for me… I thoroughly enjoyed the science behind this movie… Matt Damon did an excellent job with his monologue acting… which is something I usually hate…

*think of the movie Phone Booth, with Colin Ferrell … I wanted to shoot Ferrell and myself for watching that movie… I wanted to cry over the two hours of my life that I would never get back… *

thankfully, The Martian didn’t cause regret… I could see how kids could watch this movie and get excited about science, how finding a way to live on another planet might some day be possible… I could see the world branching out and growing bigger…

On just the movie and the acting, there were moments of laughter and sadness… Matt Damon made his plight believable … buuutttt

the one thing that had me shaking my head was the energy and strength left in a person (Damon and the other actors) after such an extended time in space, but especially Damon… with restricted food intake, lack of exercise equipment, and differing gravity, I didn’t think that his character should have had the strength to complete some of the tasks he preformed by the end of the movie… they did make him look beat up and skinny, but still he had energy… surely his character would have showed more strain…

That aside, I would sooo watch this movie again… and it would be a great movie to show in junior HS and High School… get the kids fired up by duplicating some of the experiments in the movie… in a safer way… lol… lets not blow up the kids…

prompts

4-20-2016 #WritingPrompt – Suspense

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imagine a quiet, reserved girl with a serious love for football… now put her in the bleachers of her favorite team…  what do you get??? A RAVING LUNATIC …. LOL … even a passive fan can be swept away by the suspense and adrenalin permeating the air… and that is our writing prompt… Suspense… you can find it anywhere… but following the sports example, think of the coach at the game… they have practices and clawed their way to the top, and he can see everything that can go wrong… he see his best running back take off, but right on his heels it the entire opposing team… what if he trips??? will he make it??? that moment can make a person scream their head off, or hold their breath in fear… what does suspense do to your character???

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Hitchcock, Alfred / Topaz (1969) | Pers: Alfred Hitchcock | Ref: XHI001BO | Photo Credit: [ The Kobal Collection / Universal ] | Editorial use only related to cinema, television and personalities. Not for cover use, advertising or fictional works without specific prior agreement
throw your character into a moment that causing that feeling of suspense or fear to grown inside… that moment when it makes no logical sense for their palms to sweat, their heart to race, or for chills to race up and down their spine… throw them into what-if? moments…

I love movies that get my heart racing… not necessarily straight up horror flicks, but the ones I consider oxygen depriving… and if I get to look at Brad Pitt as well, all the better… muhahahaha… before you start your suspenseful scene, run out and buy a movie that throws you into that place… it will make it easier to describe how you MC is feeling… you can imagine her actions and reactions…

and of course… read books known for high suspense… this isn’t my chosen genre but these came highly recommended… oh, dang… ‘The Hand that Rocks the Cradle’ isn’t a book… *innocent face*… fine… but that part where the wife has an asthma attack and the nanny has screwed with her inhaler…. omg… and then the scene in the green house… the entire movie had me holding my breath… thank heavens for the mentally slow handy man… 😛

okay… here is your Pinterest Writing Prompt… happy wordage everyone, tracey

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prompts

4-10-2016 #WritingPrompt – Wedding

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For the most part, it seems that wedding scenes are useful as quickly mentioned and then something happens… like the reception, or the honey moon… or their can be a short story about a hiccup that almost derails the nuptials… the point is that most people want to get through the vows as quickly as possible, and if you don’t enjoy something in real life, why in the world would you want to read about it… so who can you add a wedding scene without losing some of your readers…

a scene from the dressing room, the nervous, the cold feet, or even the giddiness… then in the next chapter, summarize the vows and get to the good stuff… the shower or the honey moon…

and why are they getting married… is this a true love match or is it a one night stand that resulted in pregnancy but after getting married they will fall for each other… or is the marriage all for show (because of work, family, green card) and then there is love… or a drunken night in vagas… what caused the wedding and how do they deal with it…

and just for fun, here are some Oh-crap moments that I found on pinterest… some can be added into a wedding scene but most are for any story you are working on… happy wordage, tracey…

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prompts

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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everyday insanity

#LittleThings Blog Hop – Freebies

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Hey guys… I need help… and not mental… though that is definitely in question… I mean… what have I gotten myself into… Oh, not this hop… this is easy and fun… no I am talking about one of the book signings I will be at this year… one that I will be needed a costume for, for the costume ball… But I am getting ahead of myself… let me introduce the Hop and then Please, for the love of mud, help a girl out… 😛

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Little Things Blog Hop

Hi everyone Tracey Clark here and I am one of over 100 authors/bloggers/ on

the Little Things Blog Hop! This hop has over 200 chances to win prizes, the rafflecopter for the overall event has a ton of prizes just waiting to be won… and each of the 100+ blog stops will have their own give away…

My Giveaway

Make sure you visit each stop and enter the posted giveaway… for this stop, I am giving away an eBook copy of Shocking Finds (epub, pdf, or mobi)… to be entered to win, simply answer the follow:

—If you had to pick a book/movie character to dress up as, who would it be (description of outfit would be great)?

lol… sounds silly, but I am in serious need her peeps… I will be going to a costume ball at the Imaginarium Convention… I am already nervous about being on one of the panels (not sure what they want me to do) and being in front of a lot of people for any reason always throws my system into whack… I can see it now… sweating, red in the face, about to throw up, when I just kill over and pass out…. yep… that would so be my luck… to help me out… use the comment section below and give me some ideas… and be entered to win …

And not to worry… if you already have a copy of Shocking Finds, I will be sure to send you an Arc of Southern Discoveries (Book Two – Finder’s Keepers) when all the bugs are worked out…

And be sure to enter the amazing rafflecopter too which has a ton of prizes to be won!

For those of you don’t already know me, I am the author of Shocking Finds (A Finder’s Keepers Novel), I plan to be attending three book signings this year (Wild in West Virginia – June in Charleston, WV; Imaginarium Convention – Oct in Louisville, ky; & Rebels and Readers RARAE – Nov in Huntington, WV) And I am working to get two more novels ready for the signings… and as stated above, I will be attending the Imaginarium Costume Ball (EKK) I hope to see you all there…

Now… let’s keep this Hop hopping…

Next name on the list: PJ Fiala’s Little Things

Rafflecoptor Link : a Rafflecopter giveaway

Join the Little Things Blog Hop Event for more fun https://www.facebook.com/events/562506680576207/

Link to all the Blog Hop spots: http://theclubbookpromotions.blogspot.com/2016/02/LittleThingsBlogHop.html

Thank you for hopping by! Happy Wordage, Tracey

Winner (s) will be chosen by random and announced on this page and on the Little Things Event Page by April 6th.

FB is not in any way responsible or affiliated with this giveaway or the Little Things Blog Hop

 

 

guest posts

#EggcerptExchange – Traci Sanders

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Traci Sanders is dropping by today to join the Eggcerpt fun, but she has decided to change things up a little… this exchange is more of an interview of all things Traci…

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She is here to bust open communication lines with her author secrets…

I’m excited to be part of the Egg-cerpt tour, and I’d like to thank Tina Gayle for creating it!

Instead of offering character interviews, excerpts of my books, or a boring bio, I decided to offer a bit of insight on the driving forces behind my work. I hope you enjoy!

9 Things to Know about Traci Sanders

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Who is Traci Sanders?

First and foremost, I am a mom of three great kids: boy 18; boy 16; and girl 10. Being a mom is the best job I’ve ever had. I’m also married to my high-school sweetheart. We’ve been together for about twenty-four years. My family is my inspiration for most of my books … with just a bit of embellishment here and there.

What genre do you write?

My first published book was a potty-training guide for parents. Then I published my first children’s book and two more parenting books. Six months into publishing, I released my first adult fiction piece, and I was hooked on the romance genre. So, even though I will continue to write and publish children’s books (because I have eight more already written), I mostly write adult romance. It’s my favorite!

What do you like most about writing?

Writing has always been there for me. Also, there is no prerequisite to satisfy. Writing shows no prejudice. You don’t have to have a college degree, or be the smartest or most popular kid in school; you simply have to possess a passion for words. For me, growing up in a family of six girls and one boy, writing was many things – an escape from chaos and noise, a friend who understood what I was feeling, and an outlet to pour my emotions into. It has helped me get through some tough times.

 

Who has been your biggest influence in your life?

I doubt she even realizes it, but my mother has always been a huge inspiration for my writing. As a young girl, I watched her play the piano and write songs for church. I once found her journal and read some of her songs, which inspired me to write my own. I also wrote poetry and short stories from the time I was in third grade. Writing was my gift, and I realized this at an early age. As I got older, I wrote and sang songs in church. People told me I had an “anointing” from God—a power to heal with my words and my voice. That was a pretty powerful thing to hear at my age, so I took it seriously. And, while my books are not Christian-based, my upbringing does play a part in my writing.

Who are your favorite Indie authors?

Gosh, having read more than forty books last year, I’ve experienced a plethora of great ones. But, to name a few: Beth Hale, Bethany Turner, Stephen Geez, Beem Weeks, Elizabeth Horton-Newton, Emma Scott, Anita Kovacevik, and Michelle Abbott. And recently, I’ve added Kim Cox and Allaina Daniels to this list because they write such quirky, intriguing characters that are fun to read about!

What is your ultimate reward as an author?

My ultimate reward as a writer is when someone says to me, “your book helped me” or “your words touched my heart.” That is when I feel the most successful and fulfilled. Don’t get me wrong, I very much enjoy seeing my sales go up; but my biggest payoff is when I get that feeling I had as a little girl—hearing those same words from people in my church or teachers at my school. In a way, it was validation for me. It made me feel as if could change someone’s life through my words, whether it is true or notJ

Name a classic author who has influenced your writing.

I am not usually a dark-natured person; however, in middle school and high school, I was drawn to Edgar Allan Poe. The desperate tone in his writing and rhythmic flow of his words fascinated me. I don’t enjoy horror stories or films, but I remember listening to The Tell- Tale Heart on a tape recorder in class (wow, I’m telling my age now) and being drawn in to the story. It was powerful, and I wanted to have the same effect on readers with my writing.

What is your biggest fear?

Of course I could say it would involve losing a loved one, but that’s a given. So, if I’m being totally honest otherwise, I’d have to say losing my mind is my greatest fear. If I ever lost a limb or an organ, I would find a way to survive and manage from day to day. But if I lost my mind—my ability to think and create—I would soon wither away inside. Therefore, I plan to use my words to entertain, inform, and heal others for as long as I am able.

What is your biggest pet peeve about books?

I can overlook a few grammatical errors if the story is compelling enough; but a major pet peeve of mine is when authors repeatedly misuse simple words such as then, than, your, and you’re. It just drives me crazy. If you ever see that in one of my books, trust me, I DID NOT purposefully put it there!
Thanks so much for having me today and for letting me share a little bit about my writing journey.

Please subscribe to my blog at www.awordwithtraci.com where you will find samples of my poems and stories, excerpts from my books, and daily tips on all aspects of the writing industry (publishing, marketing, writing, etc.) in my new segment for 2016 called “365 Days to Write Right.”

Here is a link to the trailer for my newest release…Unsevered

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Buy links for “Unsevered”

Amazon: http://amzn.to/20zBXtw

Barnes and Noble: http://bit.ly/1nUdy0y

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Buy links for “When Darkness Breaks”

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1TKCG5H

Barnes and Noble: http://bit.ly/1SAb7gD

Connect with me:
Blog: www.awordwithtraci.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AWordWithTraci/?ref=hl

Twitter: https://twitter.com/tmsanders2014

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/tsanders2014/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7508333.Traci_M_Sanders

everyday insanity

MS Month is here

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okay… lets try this one more time… I just saw that my repost efforts had all the wrong pics… where the heck did all the Shemar pics go… *NOOOOOO…. but no worries… I think I have it fixed now… lol… *evil computer

this is a post I have up on my Multiple Sclerosis site… but I wanted to share it with my regular peeps… *especially the Shemar Moore pics* – Derek from Criminal Minds is sooooo yummy, and an MS supporter… can you say ‘great guy’… I did make a few MS shirts for myself, but I also bought a Baby Girl shirt from his site… anywho… here is some info on MS Walk, support/donations, and fun Shemar pics to finish off with… later guys…

MyWalkGear.com

Okay… I wanted to share a few sites with you guys (like the My Walk Gear site, and Shemar Moore’s Baby Girl site)… if you can’t walk for Walk MS, but still want to show support, check out the My Walk Gear site… just click on the link at the top of this post… 

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right now you can get 24% off

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and the My Walk Gear site can help you support more than just Multiple Sclerosis… Breast Cancer, Autism, AlS Lupus, etc…

You can get team shirts to wear as you walk or socialize, or get some gifts for yourself and others, or maybe pick up one of the non-clothing items… there are ways to design your own shirts, MS ribbon magnets, and jewelry…

I have one of those ribbon magnets on my car, but to show my support (for MS cause and to myself) I made my own t-shirts, all you do is pick up some blank t-shirts, and grab a t-shirt iron-on kit (you just need a printer and a computer) from a hobby store or Wal-Mart…

 If you want to see more about my homemade shirts, and read about the ladies that pulled on their tees and went out to eat with me at an Irish Pub CLICK HERE … hey, there’s even a picture of us with a guy in a kilt… 😛 and what ever you do to support this cause, have fun with it…

but this post is getting a little long… I’ll save my chatter about Shemar and his awesome Baby Girl site for another day… thanks for dropping in, and happy wordage…. and just to leave everyone on a high note… here is some yummy Shemar to drool over… I know that’s why I continued watching Criminal Minds during the year the studio started firing beloved actors left and right…

Shemar Moore stars in the CBS series CRIMINAL MINDS, scheduled to air on the CBS Television Network. Photo: Monty Brinton/CBS. ©2007 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.

if you want to show your support, but the My Walk Gear site isn’t for you and you don’t wanna make your own Click HERE to check out the Baby Girl clothing and non-clothing items, as part of the proceeds got to the fight for MS… but I will have more on that in my Baby Girl post… later peeps

if you want to donate to Walk MS, Click HERE

or if you just want to check out my Walk MS post, Click HERE

 

everyday insanity, MS news

Help fight MS

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*this is a repeat of a post from my MS site… I am posting daily up until the day of the Walk in my area… if you want to read about my life with Multiple Sclerosis then Click Here… and happy wordage everyone

I love this GIF, and felt like posting it a second time… but this post is about an upcoming MS event… Walk MS… you can find both Walk MS and Bike MS events in your area by following the links at the bottom of the post… We have five weeks and two days until the day of the Walk for my area… I will be upping my MS posts until in the meantime… sharing my own MS insanity…

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Starting Monday, March 7th, Fundraising week begins… From Bike MS to Walk MS, there are dozens of ways to show your support… there is even something called Challenge Walk MS… Last year I participated in Walk MS, I even attempted to join in the mile walk around the park… Hmmmmm… that didn’t go so well for me… last year, my walking abilities weren’t as on par as they are this year and I ended up running out of steam less than half way through… it wasn’t pretty… I had to cut through the park, there were tears and embarrassment, but once I calmed down and had a chat with my momma, I enjoyed cheering everyone else on as sat in the shade sweating as if I had just finished a triathlon…

for mom
made for MS walk

This year the Walk in my area will be across the bridge in neighboring WV… I managed to attempt participating last year because it was downtown at the park… I doubt I will make it this year, but I wanted to give a shout out to everyone giving and participating in this cause…  I also want to participate as a virtual walker…

I have said that MS helped me to find my passion in life, but without the drugs, doctors, and therapies for this disease, MS would have taken my life long ago… it is the support and volunteers that make continued research and development possible… I am grateful to everyone giving their time, donations, or just their kind words… it is because of you that I will get to continue writing and living a life I never envisioned, but that I find small joys in every day… when it comes down to it, it isn’t the big events in life that matter… it is the small moments that mean the most…

If you want to give or join up at your local Walk/Bike MS (and did I mention that Shemar Moore joined in Bike MS last year… yummy… I mean thanks for calling attention to this cause) just …

CLICK HERE to head over to my donation page for this years walk

CLICK HERE to learn more about Walk MS…

CLICK HERE to learn more about Bike MS…

Thank you to everyone taking a moment to learn/give to this cause… and happy wordage everyone…. Tracey Clark

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#LittleThings – Join the Explosion

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Little Things Blog Hop Use Me

Personally, I will be giving away an eBook copy of Shocking Finds, or for those that have already read Shocking Finds, you can choose to wait for an ARC copy of Southern Discoveries: Book Two – Finder’s Keepers and read before it comes out to buy…

20151007 Shocking Finds cover

If you want to be on the blogger list, or maybe you have a read of your own to enter into this blog-fest, be sure to head to the following link to enter the fun… you have until March 11th to sign up… check out the 70+ list of blog sites already listed to participate, and join the explosion… just click the ‘click here’ button below…

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ranting and raving

R&R Sisters

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Okay…. so this is a Rant… and others may disagree… and I have be informed that if I had waited a little longer to leave the theater, I would have been in stitches… but come on… I was an hour into the film and I broke… I couldn’t take it anymore… I took my popcorn and made a run for it…

I go through some pain to enjoy a movie at the movie theater, and this was Tina Fey… I expected to laugh before the first thirty minutes were up… and instead I reached the hour mark and begged to leave… I had sat there as others teeheed with humor and felt nothing but confusion… why the heck didn’t I think it was funny… I guess I just had higher humor standards for a movie with Tina Fey and Amy Poehler … for an hour, the movie felt stilted and slow… like something made for a high school videographer project…

sooo yeah… this is a rant…

others have said that if I waited for the dance party mix, it saved the show… but to tell the truth, I was bored out of my mind and felt that I had already seen all there was to enjoy when I watched the trailers at home…