What kind of dreams do you have?

Do you ever draw upon dreams for your writing inspiration? I know that's where Matt Kirby got his original idea for his novel, Ice Fall (Scholastic, Oct. 2011). I know I've had several dreams that feel like I'm in the middle of an awesome movie. When I wake up, I know I should jot down the story line for a future novel. But I don't. The desire for more sleep, or rushed morning schedules get in my way.

I've heard that some authors keep a notebook on their bed stands for the sole purpose of capturing inspiration from their dreams. A dream I had last night has motivated me to do just that. The odd thing is, the actual dream I had would never be woven into one of my books. (I should never say never). But the dream I had before it--or maybe I was awake and thought this, I can't differentiate--was the motivating factor to obtain the bedside notebook. I remember feeling a push to write down some of my dreams and share them on my blog. (I've been grasping at straws trying to come up with new stuff for my blog as of late). In that semi-comatose state, I committed to my self to document my dreams and perhaps share the best ones on my blog.

Then I fell back asleep and dreamed that I had a Mr. Potato Head-like arm growing out of my head. It started out as a mole, but quickly grew. It felt like plastic but was the color of flesh. I told my husband that I wanted to go to the doctor and have it cut off because it was embarrassing, and I didn't think it would be appropriate for me to wear a hat to church. He said we couldn't afford the medical costs, because he was unemployed and we didn't have insurance. The dream felt horribly real. I was more than relieved when I woke up.

I definitely don't think that dream will lead to a best seller. But I do know that my imagination is at its height during my dreams, coming up with fantastic stories that my wakeful self could never hope to conjure up in a million years. I would be crazy if I didn't take advantage of that bountiful resource.

How many readers and writers out there think their dreams could be woven into a good story?

Book Review: The Hollow City, by Dan Well

I read this book because I've really enjoyed the voice Wells seems to capture with his characters. In this book, Micheal, his main character is even more mentally disturbed than John Cleaver (from his serial killer series). The book is told through the eyes of a schizophrenic, which made for different kind of read for me. I never knew what was real. But then, neither did Micheal. I thought Wells did a good job in capturing what the mind of a schizophrenic could be like.
Unfortunately, the book seemed to drag a bit in the middle as Micheal tries to escape from the mental hospital. But the lure of the faceless men, and what the giant maggots mean, kept me reading. The last quarter of the book picked up immensely, and I was pulled into the thrill-ride I'm accustomed to with Dan Wells' writing.
I can say exactly whether I liked the book or not. Not because Wells' writing was lacking, because that was not the case, but whether the story was one that I cared to linger upon. (That's when I can tell I truly liked a book). This book was a bit disturbing, so I didn't care to linger with the characters. But then, I think that was the intent of the author.

It was for this reason I only gave it 3 stars on Goodreads, I only "liked" the book, not "really liked" it. It was not a book that appealed to my personal taste. I'm sure others out there, who like the bizarre, will really love it.

Book Blitz for Tamara Heiner's new novel, Altercation

JUMP IN and join me for a Book Trailer Blitz for Tamara Heiner's new Book, Altercation.
What is a Book Trailer Blitz? First of all, I think it's quite clever. I'll probably use it for my next book. It was the brain child of the author herself. Simply put, on a particular date a deluge of blogs will post Tamara Heiner's Altercation  book trailer on their blog. It's similar to a book bomb, where friends and fellow writers are encouraged to purchase a certain writer's book. But instead of buying a particular author's book, the participants of a blitz post the author's book trailer on their blogs, hopefully reaching an exponential amount of viewers, and thus making a PR splash!

To whet your appetite before you watch the trailer, here is a blurb about the book:

The FBI promises Jacinta Rivera and her friends that they are safe. Jaci wants desperately to believe them but weeks of hiding from their kidnapper, alias "The Hand", have left her wary. Hidden from the public eye in an FBI safe house, Jaci must reconcile both her father's mysterious disappearance and the murder of her best friend.

A betrayal lands Jaci back in the grasp of The Hand, shattering her ability to trust and leaving her to wonder if she will ever piece together her broken life. 

Wednesday's Word: Drive

I need a simple post today, so I'm reverting back to my old Wednesday's Word simplicity. Today's word is: Drive. I'm not referring to that leisure jaunt in an automobile on a Sunday afternoon, I'm talking about what motivates a person to do something. In this post I want to delve into what drives someone to write. Being an author is a lonely job. There are no office parties, chats around the water cooler or over the cubicle wall. A writer sits alone all day (when they are lucky and don't have family take all their writing time), at their computer, their only interaction with other people comes through online social media. And then there is the pay, or lack thereof, and the rejections, and the possible tossing of a year's worth of work in the cybertrash. So what could possibly motivate a sane person to devote their life to wanting to be an author?

To my author friends out there, what powers the DRIVE that keeps you going when everything around you tells you it's not worth it?

This is what drives me:

Society says
today's youth want to read
books filled with suicide, sex, smut, and greed.

But I don't agree
with the message this sends:
"If you like to read, you must bend to the trends."

That is why I write,
to make books that inspire
to live life on a plain a step higher.

And . . .
to give kids a choice
in the books that they read.
If I lift but one soul, I succeed.

Calling Evil Good and Good Evil

Isaiah warned people of the last days, “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” (Isa. 5:20). Why would he give this a warning if he did not know that such would be the case? On an almost daily basis I see where this is, indeed, the way of our world.

The following is an entry I wrote for my blog last year, and somehow I missed publishing it. So I'm going to share it with you now:

The other day I chatted with a neighbor who had recently moved to Kaysville from California. Somehow we got on the topic of the American history class her thirteen year old son attended in California. Her son, Eric, brought home a copy of the Declaration of Independence to study. My neighbor noticed how the word God and Creator had been replaced in the document with an ellipsis . . .  She went on to mention a painting that caught her attention hanging in the hall of Kaysville Jr. High when she went to register her son for school. It was the Arnold Freiberg painting of George Washington kneeling in prayer at Valley Forge. (It’s one of my favorite paintings). “You would never find such a painting in any of the schools in California,” she said. “They would consider that mixing church with state.”

We’re talking about history here, not trying to convert some teenage boy to Mormonism or Catholicism, as part of the curriculum. These things happened. They are part of our country’s history. The signers of the Declaration of Independence believed in God. Their belief and faith is what moved them to seek independence. And yes, George Washington prayed to God for help as he undertook the impossible—leading a rag-tag army of farmers against the greatest military power known to that date . To deny that these events happened as they did, or to alter a historical document because it offends someone, is no different that denying the Holocaust ever happened. History is history, whether we like it or not.

I dare say that the educator that censored the Declaration of Independence for those California students was probably in favor of same sex marriage or something equally as pernicous; a perfect example of those who would call evil good and good evil.

I’ve seen this paradigm in the world of YA writers. Last year I attended the SCBWI national conference in L.A. for my first time. Up to that point I had been naive, assuming if a book was written for children it would automatically be rated G or PG. Wrong! The buzz seemed to be that YA fiction needed to be realistic, and the real world of the adolescent right now was filled with sex, violence and filthy language. By being open and realistic with every intimate detail on such matters, we as writers were supposedly helping kids deal with life—it was a good thing. During that conference I wondered if I even had a chance at being a successful YA author if I didn’t have an absolutely horrible high school experience and I didn’t lace my manuscript with filthy language and sex.

Fortunately, an agent from the Andrea Brown Agency reassured me that, even though sex was selling, there still was a market for good, clean YA. She, for one, did not care for the smut. I didn’t end up hooking up with that agent, but I did come away from the conference with an increased desire to write and publish well-written, entertaining, uplifting literature for kids.

I know that’s what the Lord wants me to do, and I know He has helped me thus far with my writing. If any of you other YA/middle grade writers have felt a similar passion, urge, calling—whatever you want to name it—to write uplifting literature, I think it is your duty to follow it. We need to make sure that there are just as many wholesome books out there for kids to read as there is unwholesome ones. And if the world wants to make fun of our books, saying they are not what kids need or want, but their smut is, we’ll just remember Isaiah 5:20, keep writing, and give kids a choice.

Does life throw you curve balls?

Life is precarious. You never know when it will throw you a curve ball.
My husband and I got one thrown at us this past Monday morning. He called and spoke with his boss in Cincinnati on the phone, like he does every Monday morning. Out of the blue his boss told my husband that they were laying him off. The rest of the day felt surreal for us. From what we can gather, it sounds like my husband's position is being taken over by someone off-shore, in India.

I grew up seeing my dad stay at the same job until he retired. The older and wiser the employee was, the more valued he was--this was the paradigm of the 60's and 70's. Employees weren't laid off merely because they could be replaced by someone cheaper. But things are changing in this country. It's all about the almighty dollar. But, of course, employers still want you to be dedicated to them--even if they don't return the favor. What kind of work environment is this going to morph into? Employees will be hesitant to give their all because they can no longer feel secure. Productivity will go down, prices will go up, more and more jobs will go overseas, less and less money will stay in the US, so buying power will be reduced, and companies will flounder, etc., etc.,

Jobs in this country are precarious. What can we do about it?

My husband is nearly 55 years old and a computer programmer--a profession that is known for its age discrimination. His chances of finding work will be difficult. If he can't find a suitable job soon, he's thinking of pursuing the same avenue as more and more people in his position--become his own boss.

I'm my own boss, having run my own small company for years. I am also a self published author--a choice many have had to make with the changing dynamics of the publishing world. It's a lot of work, but it is comforting to know that a midst this ever-changing percarious world, there are options. We can weather the storms of change. Though the country we live in has its problems, it is still great; it is conducive and welcoming to the little guy with big dreams.

What kind of curve balls has life thrown you? How have your dealt with them?

Winner of a copy of Everneath

The winner of my book giveaway is Mandi. Thanks for entering. Keep an eye on my blog at the end of this month. I'll be giving something away then as well.