Guest Post at Savvy Authors

Come by Savvy Authors and read my latest guest blogging post. I revisit what seems to be my favorite topic, germs - idea germs.

Sounds kind of icky, right?

So, what is an idea germ? An idea germ is the small spark within your imagination, the conception of your story. With nurturing, this germ grows into an amazing story. The first step is to discover the germ.  

Continue reading. (The original link has been broken.) You can now find this article on the blog.

Feel free to leave comments or even start a discussion. See you there.

Prison Break

Prison Break is a Fox Television Series which ran from 2005 to 2009.

The story follows two brothers and a wonderful crew of characters.

Due to a political conspiracy, an innocent man sits on death row and his only hope is his brother, who plan is to be sent to the same prison in order to break them both out from the inside out.

As with everything in life, I'm a little behind and only recently viewed this series, but I believe it came at the right time in my life. This series can be viewed on Netflix.

Okay, now what does this have to do with writing? Everything.

This series will show you how to create living, breathing characters. (These characters became a part of our household during the weeks of watching this show, even invaded my dreams.) The back stories are wonderfully wove into the story, and never bog it down. Cliffhangers anyone? This show is full of them and not just at the end of each show. At each turn, you think one thing, but it turns out to something completely different. Show, don't tell is a major pinpoint of this story. You have to figure out who's about to do what by their actions and movements, because honestly the characters don't even know what the other one's about to do.

I highly recommend watching this series for pure pleasure, but also as a learning adventure.

Warning: There is violence in this story, but what can you expect? The main characters are convicts.

Escape to Love reaches top seller status

Escape to Love appears on eTreasure Publishing's Top Seller list.

A few days ago a writer friend sent me an email informing of the new status of my novella. You can imagine my reaction.

If you haven't already checked out my novella, Escape to Love, you can find a blurb and an excerpt at my website, and e-book available for purchase at eTreasures Publishing.

Pembroke Sinclair - Bits of Advice

Today's guest is Pembroke Sinclair. She's stopped by to share some bits of advice. Please welcome her to the blog.
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One of the questions I’m frequently asked as a published author is: What advice would you give unpublished authors who want to get published? Here are some of the things I would tell them.

1. Keep writing. It’s what you do; it’s what you enjoy. The more work you get out there, the bigger your fan base is going to get. If people enjoy what you write, they’ll want to see everything you create, so give them plenty to read.

2. Develop thick skin. You will get rejected. It’s not a matter of if, it’s when. Everybody gets rejected, even famous authors got rejected. But you can’t take it personally. Writing is a business, and a publisher has to make money off your creation. If they don’t think they can, they won’t take it on. The best thing to do is learn from the rejection and become even better at your craft.

3. Be persistent. Just because one publisher doesn’t like your story, that doesn’t mean another won’t. Keep putting it out there and keep making it better until you find the publisher who shares your vision for the story. With the advent of electronic publishing and independent presses, someone out there is bound to love your story as much as you do.

4. Be patient. The publishing world moves slightly faster than erosion. Editors are overwhelmed with submissions and getting contracted stories published. From experience, it takes about a year from the day you sign the contract until you see your book published. The process can be slightly faster if you are doing an electronic book, but it still takes months. While you’re waiting, work on your next project.

5. Network. Find people and friends who share your passion and talk to them. They will become a great source of inspiration and a shoulder to lean on when you need to vent. It will also put you in touch with readers and fans. The more you get out there, the more exposure you will get, and the more people will buy your work.

6. Find a publisher you enjoy working with. This is extremely important. You need to find someone who enjoys your work and wants to see it succeed, not someone who’s looking for a quick buck. Contact some authors the publisher has published and ask them how they feel. After that, go with your gut. No relationship is going to be perfect, but it should be professional. There should be mutual respect on both ends.

As I continue down the road of being published, I learn more and more. I don’t claim to be an expert when it comes to giving advice, but I have some experience. The most important think to remember is to have fun. If writing isn’t fun, why do it?
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Bio: Pembroke Sinclair has had several stories published in various places. She writes an eclectic mix of stories ranging from western to science fiction to fantasy. Her stories have been published in various places, including Static Movement, chuckhawks.com, The Cynic Online Magazine, Sonar 4 Publications, Golden Visions Magazine, and Residential Aliens. Her first novel, Coming from Nowhere, is now available at eTreasures Publishing and Amazon.com. Her story, Sohei, was named one of the Best Stories of 2008 by The Cynic Online Magazine. If you would like to contact Pembroke, she can be reached at pembrokesinclair at hotmail dot com or pembrokesinclair.blogspot.com.

Life After the Undead Blurb: The world has come to an end. It doesn’t go out with a bang, or even a whimper. It goes out in an orgy of blood and the dead rising from their graves to feast on living flesh. As democracy crumples and the world melts into anarchy, five families in the U.S. rise to protect the survivors. The undead hate a humid environment, so they are migrating westward to escape its deteriorating effects. The survivors are constructing a wall in North Platte to keep the zombie threat to the west, while tyranny rules among the humans to the east. Capable but naïve Krista is 15 when the first attacks occur, and she loses her family and barely escapes with her life. She makes her way to the wall and begins a new life. But, as the undead threat grows and dictators brainwash those she cares about, Krista must fight not only to survive but also to defend everything she holds dear—her country, her freedom, and ultimately those she loves.

Buy link:http://www.etreasurespublishing.com/products/Life-After-The-Undead-by-Pembroke-Sinclair.html

Book Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/embed/hrgv7W9A_7w
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Disclaimer - I have not read Pembroke's book, therefore this is not an endorsement.