Category Archives: Uncategorized

Raising The Bar-learning from your everyday read

Posted on February 25, 2014 | 3 comments

This is a great article about learning from what you read, and working hard to make your writing dreams come true.

It is also one of the nicest reviews I have ever received.   Thank you JM!

Raising The Bar.

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Did you send your first five pages to Breathless Press for critique?

Posted on February 21, 2014 | 4 comments

It seems like all or most of the critiques are back now. Everyone is a flurry about the responses, and many who have never submitted anything before are scratching their heads thinking: “What does this mean?”

It all has me a little curious.  And I’d love it if you’d participate in a little survey. If you submitted two selections, please answer twice.  (Once  for each story) Of course, I’ll post the results in case anyone else is curious. Please choose only one response for each critique you received.

However it all played out, I hope it was an enlightening experience.

I’m wondering… Would you do this again if you had the chance?

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Great opportunity! Get your first five pages critiqued by a professional editor

Posted on February 14, 2014 | 11 comments

Dont forget!  today is the big day. Get those pages out there!

Great opportunity! Get your first five pages critiqued by a professional editor.

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Why do we put up Christmas wreaths on our doors?

Posted on December 24, 2013 | 10 comments

Don’t ya just hate it when your kid asks you a question and you think, umm, because we do, that’s why.

I never remember questioning anything when I grew up. We just did certain things at Christmas. I looked forward to it. But I never really asked “why”.

Did you as a lot of questions, or is this just a quirk of the new generation?

Anyway, this is the reason behind hanging a Christmas Wreath on a door, courtesy of our pastor. (I’ll paraphrase)

A Christmas wreath, in essence, is an advent wreath without the candles. it is a circle–without beginning or end, compromised of evergreen branches.  It symbolizes God’s everlasting love for us, and our hope in everlasting life with Jesus.

Wow. Pretty cool, huh?

So next time you see a wreath on a door, take a moment to remember the true meaning of the Christmas season.

Merry Christmas

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Write a Story with Me #71: “Where’s the Baby” by Vanessa Jane Chapman

Posted on November 25, 2013 | 4 comments

Write a Story with Me is a group endeavor just for the fun of it.  A different writer adds a new 250 words each week.  It is the ultimate Flash Fiction Challenge!

If you’d like to sign up, come on over.  There’s always room for more!

Here’s this week’s excerpt.  We hope you enjoy!

#71 – Vanessa-Jane Chapman

Natalia leant back against the mighty trunk of the oak, grateful for its supportive strength. Her focus was on the skies; she scoured through the gaps in the web of branches high above her, desperate to catch a last glimpse of her daughters; perhaps if she could see which direction they headed…but it was futile. She slid down to the mossy ground, barely noticing the rough bark scraping her back as she passed over it. She clutched her son to her breast as his sobs subsided.

“I’m so sorry my precious little one,” she said. Her weak voice barely audible. “I’m so sorry for bringing you into this terrible world. I don’t know what will happen to us now, but I won’t let you down, I promise.”

Innocent eyes gazed back at hers. Natalia squeezed him closer. There must be an answer; somewhere there must be an answer. Could she call upon the true power of the fae now? To do that would mean trusting Morath, but how could she? And Yoran. Perhaps she should be patient and trust him to fix everything. Could he do that? The whirlwind of thoughts in her head picked up speed until she could no longer grasp a single thought, they seemed to meld together, they were a sea of white, and then black. Her head was full of blackness. And that was the last thing she remembered.

She awoke with moss and sharp twigs pressed painfully against her cheek. The baby. Where is the baby?

Want to read more?  See below for past excerpts.

If you’d like to sign up, come on over.  There’s always room for more!

Parts One – Sixty-five Click Here

Part Sixty-Six – Joe Owens

Part Sixty-Seven – Shayla Kwiatkowski

Part Sixty-Eight – Anmol

Part Sixty-Nine – Norah Jansen

Part Seventy – Shannon Burton

Part Seventy-One – Vanessa Jane Chapman

Don’t forget to stop by next week to see what happens next.

Susan Rocan — TAG!  You are “It”

Write a Story With Me Contributors

shayla kwiatkowski gryphonboy Jennifer M. Eaton Vanessa Chapman
Siv Maria Sharon Manship shanjeniah Vikki (The View Outside)
Danielle Ackley-McPhail Richard Leonard susanroebuck Jenny Keller Ford
aparnauteur kaidamian Eileen Snyder Elin Gregory
Joe Owens anelephantcant mysocalledDutchlife Nicky Wells
norahdeayjansen Julie Catherine Ravena Guron
Anmol     jiltaroo 4amWriter mywithershins

1 swivel

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Learning to Draw Manga #8.5 – Walking Draft

Posted on August 3, 2013 | 5 comments

This week I decided to take on some movement, and there is a lot of perspective to have to worry about when a character is walking toward you.

manga 9 walkI got bleary-eyed before I was able to finish, but here is where I am so far with it.

I started with seven lines to help keep all those body parts in proportion, and followed the directions very closely.

This is tough because her Right arm (and leg) are in a perspective that makes them look smaller at this point.

And the swinging left arm (on the right side of the picture) seems so long and gangly, but it should be longer, because it is swinging toward me.

Now it looks kind of goofy, but I’m sure when I sit down with a fresh set of eyes next time, it will all come together.

I’m also a little nervous to tackle realistic hands as well.

Even at the height of my talents when I was younger, hands seemed to escape me.

Wish me luck! Hopefully I will have a finished product I won’t be too ashamed to post next week. 🙂

swish swivel squiggle

Interested in a slow stroll along the road of Manga?

I’m learning to draw Manga with my son.

Here are my posts on our progress so far.

swish swivel squiggle

Learning to Draw Manga #1 Rekindling hobbies you love (with your kids)

Learning to Draw Manga #2 3/4 view girl

Learning to Draw Manga #3 Front View Boy

Learning to Draw Manga #4 My own character (fail?)

Learning to Draw Manga #5 Profile View

Learning to Draw Manga #6 First Ink – Adult woman

Learning to Draw Manga #7 Adult 3/4 view

Learning to Draw Manga #8 Chibi Full body pose

Learning to Draw Manga #8.5 Walking draft

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_JenniFer____EatoN

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A Review of “The Romance Novel Book Club” by Kastil Eavenshade

Posted on August 2, 2013 | 7 comments

After crying my eyes out over the last novel I read, I REALLY needed a light fun read. I’d heard great things about “The Romance Novel Book Club” so I decided to give it a whirl. It ended up being a combination of everything I wanted, and also what I was trying to avoid.

Very mild spoiler alert: I will try not to give too much away.

“The Romance Novel Book Club” starts out as a whimsical story told in a great voice. We have a woman who reads a lot of Romance novels, and is looking for a whirlwind relationship like that in real life. The comparisons she makes to romance novels are truly hysterical, and for quite a long time I was reading with a smile on my face.

Then…. There was this shift.

Same girl. Same plotline, but after messing up her umteenth relationship, she begins dealing with an addiction problem that was a bit disturbing to me.

Addiction of every kind makes me want to yack. I find it truly sad that anyone could become totally dependent on anything. (Other than chocolate… that’s okay in my book. 🙂 )

Anyway… same great voice… same joking… but I began to seriously dislike the main character. At one point, she picks on a wayward waiter that she sets up as the “bad guy” – Normally I would have thought of this person as the bad guy, too… but I just ended up feeling sorry for him. I was considering stopping reading, until – quite to my surprise – the character admitted to her friend that she thought she might have an addiction.

For some reason, that admission – and also having the warm and fuzzy that the author MEANT me to have all those uncomfortable feelings, made me feel better. So I kept reading.

Thanks goodness that from that point forward, things started to get better. Once she had admitted to the addiction, she had the will to try to fight it, and I started to like her again.

So, yes, this is a book that will put a smile on your face, but it will also scare you a little bit. The author tackles a very serious subject. This is NOT a Romance novel. You might consider it an Anti-Romance novel. But there is a romance in it as well… and a happy ending, thank goodness.

Oh… and this is DEFINITELY for the 18 and over crowd.

Scratch that. 21 and over.

Maybe 25 and over.

Not for the kiddies. Get it?

JenniFer_EatonF

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Learning to draw Manga # 8: Chibi full body pose

Posted on July 27, 2013 | 4 comments

[[[Cringe]]] I’ve been afraid to try a full body anything.  Even when I was drawing regularly, bodies scared me.  I was never able to get the proportions right.

I was happy that the learning to draw book started out with a nice, friendly Chibi.

Chibi is a form of Manga art that is meant to be whimsical.  Large heads, and a body three heads high.

Here she is.

Manga Chibi tall

I’m not crazy about the legs, but this is nearly exactly what the example in the book looks like for the legs.  Things always look better when someone ELSE had drawn them.

I like to look at it like this.

Manga Chibi crop

She looks better without her legs.

Next time [[shivers]] more realistic full body poses—with MOVEMENT.  Yikes!

swish swivel squiggle

Interested in a slow stroll along the road of Manga?

I’m learning to draw Manga with my son.

Here are my posts on our progress so far.

swish swivel squiggle

Learning to Draw Manga #1 Rekindling hobbies you love (with your kids)

Learning to Draw Manga #2 3/4 view girl

Learning to Draw Manga #3 Front View Boy

Learning to Draw Manga #4 My own character (fail?)

Learning to Draw Manga #5 Profile View

Learning to Draw Manga #6 First Ink – Adult woman

Learning to Draw Manga #7 Adult 3/4 view

Learning to Draw Manga #8 Chibi Full body pose

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What is the most popular YA Genre ?

Posted on July 25, 2013 | 3 comments

What do kids really want to read, and where do they get their books? This is a great poll done by Jenny Keller Ford. Check it out!

kford2007's avatarYA Chit Chat

When I started my YA 101 series a month ago, I put out a request for readers, between the ages of 13 and 20 to take part in a not so scientific poll to find out what they like to read and what is their favorite genre.  The results surprised even me.  Below are the questions I asked and below that are my results.

Out of the following categories, what is your favorite genre to read:

  • Adventure (i.e.:  Island of the Blue Dolphin; Harry Potter)
  • Contemporary (i.e.:  Sarah Dessen novels; The Fault in our Stars)
  • Dystopian (i.e.: Hunger Games; Divergent)
  • Fantasy / Sci Fi (i.e.:  Eragon / I am Number Four)
  • Paranormal Romance (i.e.: Twilight, Beautiful Chaos)
  • Steampunk (i.e.:  Cinder; Leviathan)
  • Urban Fantasy (i.e.:  Percy Jackson; City of Bones)

How do you find books to read?

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Write a Story With me # 47 with Richard Leonard

Posted on June 10, 2013 | 2 comments

Write a Story with Me is a group endeavor just for the fun of it.  A different writer adds a new 250 words each week.  It is the ultimate Flash Fiction Challenge!

If you’d like to sign up, come on over.  There’s always room for more!

Here’s this week’s excerpt.  We hope you enjoy!

Part 47 – Richard Leonard

The Officer strode from the room to collect the mysterious child Queen Morath spoke of. The murmurs continued. Child? What child is this? Yoran could think of no child. It must be a special child of the Fae.

“Order!”, called Queen Morath, and the murmurs ceased immediately. “’Protector’ Yoran Sumner. You are charged with direct and indirect crimes against the Fae far too numerous to list. Generally speaking they include, but are not limited to, unlawful imprisonment, deprivation of liberties, forced exile, trespass, murder, unlawful occupation of lands and territories, and last but certainly not least, the assassination of their leader, the Queen of Queens of the Fae. May we hear your defence?”

Yoran didn’t have to see the shocked faces of his younger girls to reply. “This is outrageous! I am guilty of nothing! I do not have to defend my self. Where is your proof? Your being alive is proof enough of your lies!”

“I can prove that I was killed, Mister Sumner. So technically the assassination was successful. Need I remind you of your likely punishment?”

At that moment the Officer returned, walking gingerly with a small bundle that could only be a newborn baby sleeping in his arms. He turned slowly so everyone in the courtroom had clear view of the little boy, to ensure there was no uncertainty.

Yoran gazed around and saw expressions of confusion, some of horror, others of despair. What shocked him were the majority were of joy and anticipation. Then suddenly the truth hit him. Marci wailed. Sian’s expression remained fixed.

Queen Morath spoke. “Yes, Yoran. This is your newborn son. Again, may we hear your defence of the charges brought to you?”

Want to read more?  See below for past excerpts.

If you’d like to sign up, come on over.  There’s always room for more!

Parts One – Forty Click Here

Part Forty-One – Vanessa Chapman

Part Forty-Two – Susan Rocan

Part Forty-Three – Kate Johnson

Part Forty-Four – An Elephant Can’t

Part Forty-Five – Julie Catherine Vigna

Part Forty-Six – Kai Damian

Part Forty-Seven – Richard Leonard

Don’t forget to stop by next week to see what happens next.

  Sharon Manship — TAG!  You are “It”

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