No Plastic Is Possible...

A little break from all the writing stuff-

When I visited my son in California, I ordered takeout from the local restaurant. ALL the utensils, EVEN THE BAG THEY CAME IN, WERE BIODEGRADABLE. It's called PotatoWare.

I LOVE that it says, "We're the solution, not the pollution." There is NO REASON every restaurant can't use these. (Please make this happen, all you food industry big wigs....). Check out http://www.earth-to-go.com/. Let's STOP using plastic and thinking it's the only way.

I'm big into conservation and recycling and saving the planet- and everyone doing SOMETHING. I believe in it so much, it's been a sub-theme in my books- both the Sirenz series and the Evolution Revolution trilogy. I'm trying to use recyclable bags and avoid using plastic ones, I don't use straws, I support causes like 4Ocean. When you buy a 4Ocean bracelet, not only are you supporting an organization that HIRES local people, but they clean the ocean AND the plastic is recycled- into the bracelets! Each bracelet represents 1 pound of trash cleaned from the oceans and shores. It's a win-win-win situation.

And the bracelets look cool. They come in a variety of colors depending on what 4Ocean is highlighting- the ocean, its creatures, etc. Check them out at https://4ocean.com/.

It's organizations like these, and the people behind them, that give me hope we can stop the destruction to our earth. Now go buy a bracelet, volunteer to clean up trash, and spread the news!

Char

Don't Touch the Cool Stuff

Every 'job' has it's 'cool stuff.' Rocket scientists have rockets. Designers have cool computer programs to make hypothetical products. Football players have pink shoes made just for them.

Well, writers have cool stuff too.

This is a gift I bought myself:

It's a writing book shaped like a typewriter. (If you don't know what this is, I don't think we can be friends...) The pages inside look like the cover, only in very light ink, so you're not distracted, but encouraged to keep going. I can almost imagine the click of the keys and the bell at the end...

This was a gift from my Blonde OPS and Sirenz series co-author, Natalie Zaman. (I had a black one from my cousin for my first book signing, but a 'fan' stole it while I was at the Boston Teen Book Fest. If you took the pen, please return it, no questions asked, and I'll send you a free book....)

It's a Swarovski pen, all pink and glittery. I'm one of those sentimental slobs who likes to have little mementos of special occasions, so I use a special pen. (Which is why I really miss the black pen because it's from MY FIRST BOOK SIGNING EVER.)

This is probably the first, no second, writing gift I ever got (the first being a typewriter with stiff keys so that it was easier to write a book by hand). My mom got me this:

Although it doesn't really work to clip papers, and it's pretty heavy (see how big it is next to the average size hard cover?) it's cute and fun, and I'm that sentimental slob, remember?

This was made by a sweet fan (I know I've showcased this before, thanks Melissa and her mom!) but it's just so awesome.

A photographic collage for Sirenz. I almost cried when I opened it. A gift from the heart. Sniff.

Writers get great gifts from other writers and organizations. This came to me from the New Jersey Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators as a thank you for helping out during the annual conference.

 It's a Lucky Duck (which can be used to relieve stress by squishing it. At the moment, if I squish him, it may tear him to pieces; ah the not-so-tranquil life of a writer.) And he floats in the tub, so it's fun too.

So, back to editing and the two most useful things for a writer: the delete button and the keyboard...

Char

Doing It Old School

(Yes, I've been absent. Sometimes there are bigger things to contend with than doing my blog.

But I'm back.)

See this?

It's my dog-eared, 2002 version, I'm-the-only-one-who-uses-it thesaurus. My sons prefer the Google or Microsoft versions.

To which I say "Pbbbbbbbbbttt!"

The electronic versions SUCK. You get what, maybe 5 or 6 synonyms and one antonym. Excuse me while I don't get excited. Yeah, you find a word that works and use it, taking all of 10 seconds and go on your writing way. That's fine for amateurs.

I'm in the Big Leagues.

Nothing compares to picking up this baby, thumbing through its pages to uncover what you seek- a more precise word instead of settling for an 'ok, this works' substitute.

Example: you've used 'friend' a lot in your manuscript, play, short story. In my Oxford University Press American Thesaurus (the publisher knows and uses English better than Google or Microsoft) are the following entries:

companion
crony
playmate
soul mate
intimate
confidante
familiar
alter ego
ally
associate
pal
chum
buddy
backer
supporter
benefactor
well-wisher
angel

See the choices? Each one a little more subtle in meaning than the next, opening up a flood of inspiration for the next sentence or even paragraph.

And that's not all.

As I thumb through some of the dirty, wrinkled, maybe torn pages, I am reminded of words that I haven't seen or used in a long time. I'm introduced to new word friends that might just appear in the next sentence or paragraph. Sometimes I like to peruse (word I haven't used in a while, see that?) the verdant pages of words waiting to be discovered, used, or leading to other words. For a writer, it's like an ice cream store (better than candy).

So go old school once in a while and rediscover the thrill of all those words at your fingertips...

Char

My New Office

For today (and whenever I can manage it), this is my new office:

I'm sitting on my patio almost working as hard as the ants and watching the cats play. After a VERY long winter, I feel housebound. Being a summer-loving gal, the sun and outdoors brighten my mood. So I'll put up with the ants, and even the occasional inchworm to breathe free while I work. The changed perspective helps; my senses are stimulated and I think that helps my writing. (Nat and I wrote most of the Sirenz series and parts of Blonde OPS in this space. Maybe working out here will be as beneficial to my solo works.)

Tomorrow it will rain and I will be back inside, but I'll think about sitting outside again as soon as it's nice.

Change your work space--and not by just organizing your desk or dusting your bookshelves. GET UP! GET OUT! How about going to the park and working there? Sit on your balcony. Work on the beach. GO SOMEWHERE. You just might find that bestselling-book idea.

And who doesn't need the extra vitamin D?

Char

Hippity Hop....

No, I didn't miss Easter. Thanks today to Agy Wilson, an artist (in more ways than one!) who tagged me for this blog hop. Agy's work includes writing, illustrating, crafts, and great political discussions on Facebook. We don't always agree, but that doesn't stop us from being friends. Please try to stop by her blog, see her work and offer her a comment. She'd love to have you in for a visit. Go here for a fascinating and fun peek at her numerous works.

Agy tagged me to answer some questions, and since I've done those before, I'm going to throw a twist in and answer slightly different ones to keep your interest:

Q. What's your favorite part of your new release, Blonde OPS?
A. Writing about wild Vespa/car chases, having the Secret Service tailing Bec, breaking into warehouses by picking digital locks, and having two swoony guys interested in me-- all happening in Rome. It's a fantasy I can never live except through Bec and Blonde OPS.

Q. How do you write one character when you have two authors?
A. Natalie and I adapt our writing process to the project. For the Sirenz series, we each had a character to develop as we wished (as long as it fit into the agreed upon storyline). For Blonde OPS, since it's a work-for-hire (editors came up with the premise, basic plot), we had certain characteristics and events that had to happen, so we drafted first a synopsis, then a detailed outline, getting to 'know' Bec Jackson in the process. Some things one of us would write, and the other disagreed with, and if we couldn't compromise, the editors made their preferences known when it was reviewed.

Q. Since Blonde OPS releases May 6th, what will you do next? Any other projects?
A. Nat and I each have our own projects, so while we cross our fingers (and toes, and legs, etc.) waiting to hear if there will be a sequel, we work on those. I'm finishing up the edits (again!) on my sci fi, Lethal Dose; ghost story, Cold Water, and my time-hop (slightly different than time travel) The Meaning of Time. And I have tons of ideas....

Q. Which do you prefer, writing with a co-author, or writing alone?
A. That's like asking if you like ice cream or cupcakes! I like both; each has their advantages and disadvantages. Writing with Nat can get zany--we come up with outrageous scenarios that even though we know they won't be used, it's fun to create them. Working solo, I make all the decisions of what goes into the manuscript--until my agent or an editor says "Cut!" Plus, it's a dream-waiting-to-happen to have a book writing all by little me.

Now I tag...

Cyn Balog!

I know Cyn from my early days at the annual conference for the NJ Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. She was on a panel talking about getting that first book published. Oh, how I envied her! I admire her now- she writes under several pseudonyms and has a number of books out. Her latest is Drowned. (My husband's name is Nicola... funny fate!)

Check out her blog (and follow the hop) here to see her blog

And then there's Cesya McRae Cuono! I just met this Facebook friend at YA Fest in Easton, PA only 2 weeks ago. (And her name is pronounced "Ses-ya" which I didn't know...) I have her book, Elemental Reality, which I'm saving so I can read it poolside, with no deadlines to interrupt me.

See her other books and check out her blog with reviews, here.

Next up is Alexandrea Weis.

Alexandrea is a Facebook friend. We haven't met (yet!) but we've connected over author chit chat, life musings, and book talk (you know how that is). She is the author of 10 (so far!) romance novels. I will be reading them on hot summer nights...

Go here to see them.

These authors will hop from here to their blogs, and then tag others. So jump along!

Char

Sorry to Interrupt....

But today I'm featuring another author...yes, my co-author Natalie Zaman as a bunch of us blog hop around the internet.

Natalie and I have been writing together and separately for...years! Our third book, Blonde OPS is coming out (we're sneaking it out earlier than the 'official' date of May 6th to appear at YA Fest at the Palmer Library in Easton, PA.).

We live in the same town, our kids went to the same schools, and we know a lot of the same people--we share a love of cats, too!

She's working on some individual projects and I know she'll share them with you when she can, so stay tuned!

Nat usually likes to keep things short and sweet. She writes and works her magic from central New Jersey where she lives with her family, two cats, a pair of rescue rabbits, and usually, several fine looking chickens (alas, brother fox decided to pay a visit to her flock and do take out...). Visit Nat on twitter, @Natalie_Zaman or at her blog at http://nataliezaman.blogspot.com


Here are Nat's questions to me:

What are you working on?

 How much time do you have? I'm working on a number of projects: revising a sci fi that was last year's NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) project, revising a ghost story that's been around for over XX years (don't ask...), just started edits on my 2013 NaNoWriMo project (I've got to stop doing these challenges!) and writing down more ideas than I know I can write in my lifetime. We'll be busy with Blonde OPS coming out soon, and who knows, there may be a sequel...

How does your work differ from others in its genre?

I have my brand of humor, my perspective on the world. If I took a famous idea, like Dracula, and wrote a story, it wouldn't be like Bram Stoker's and it wouldn't be like Stephanie Meyers' Twilight. I like to think I'm uniquely twisted. 

Why do you write what you do?

Because I can't help myself. The characters, a storyline, a twist--grab my attention and my muse whispers: "What if..." I don't like to stick to one genre or one age level because there are too many interesting possibilities out there for wonderful stories. I have to go where my creativity leads me. 

How does your writing process work?

I laugh now- but I used to be a 'pantster;' a person who sat down and wrote whatever came into her head. It lead to too many lost story threads, time inconsistencies, disappearing characters and changing points of view, so once I started working with Natalie on the Sirenz series (Sirenz, Sirenz Back In Fashion), we had to sit down and plot out, chapter by chapter, what would happen to whom and why. I've since adopted that process, and it's been especially helpful when doing the NaNoWriMo challenges. Every day, I can look at an outline and know what comes next. That way, I never suffer from writer's block. It's the editing that I dislike (two, three times, okay; after that, I'm bored and want to move on). 

The next author in line is our friend (and part of our gal writers group, The Writing Wenches), Yvonne Ventresca, whose debut YA novel, Pandemic, releases the same day as Blonde OPS. I'm looking forward to doing signings together as she is also a part of KidLit Authors Club. 

Before becoming a children’s writer, Yvonne Ventresca wrote computer programs and taught others how to use technology. Now she happily spends her days writing stories instead of code and sharing technology tips with other writers. Yvonne’s the author of the young adult novel Pandemic, available in May 2014 from Sky Pony Press. Yvonne’s other writing credits include two nonfiction books for kids, Avril Lavigne (a biography of the singer) and Publishing (about careers in the field) along with various articles for teens and adults. You can visit her website atwww.YvonneVentresca.com.

It's Greek To Me-

Or Roman. Or Egyptian. Or Sumarian. Or Native American.

It's MYTHOLOGY.

There are so many cultural mythologies; some have similar tales/gods, some vastly different. While Natalie and I stayed true to the Greek mythology in our Sirenz series giving it a modern twist, there are so many wonderful novels out there that step out of the known mythologies and take the reader into new, lesser known ones.

Don't be shy. Go check out what the gods are doing. Betcha they're up to no good!

Char

Don't Make Me Laugh!

I love humor. Some of my favorite movies make me giggle like a toddler. There's nothing better than watching the Home Alone series with my sons. I've said it before but one of the funniest books I've read is Undead and Unwed by Mary Janice Davidson. And puns? The worse they are, the more I love them.

Funny thing about humor though, is how it is so subjective. What makes you laugh? I find David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, and even  Chelsea Handler, dull. Unamusing most of the time. (Sorry guys) It's so hard to write humor, and when you're reading, what I think is funny, others may not.

I've been told I'm a funny person (not funny looking). People tell me they can pick out my humor in both Blonde OPS and the Sirenz series. I like to make people laugh and it's so weird that it's hard to make me laugh.

Tell me your favorite funny book. Tops on my list is Go The F*ck To Sleep, which is ironic because I generally don't like crude humor. But something about this book makes me hysterical to the point of wetting my undies. Maybe because I have three kids and remember trying to get them to sleep? I don't know, but I'm seriously considering buying my own copy for those days when I'm feeling kind of blue.

What tickles your bone?

Char

"Man Up"

"Gender driven."
"Gender specific."
"Appeals to "X" gender."

All these labels mean is that there is some kind of "Do Not Enter" for one gender. A book is written for or by, or featuring one gender in the title role. While I don't care if the main character is male or female, it seems boys have a problem identifying with the opposite gender. They will read Harry Potter, the Heroes of Olympus, Ender's Game or any thing that features another guy, but trying to get them to read Twilight or Jane Eyre or any books where females are the leading character is a battle royale. My own family, consisting of three sons and the hubs, has never read any of my books for that reason. Blonde OPS has Bec Jackson, a 16-year-old girl, but she's cool, she's a hacker. Why doesn't that interest them? And the Sirenz series has a cool bad guy in Hades, and Greek mythology, the same gods in the Percy Jackson stories.

How and why do males become so sexist in their reading while females are more open minded? Maybe if they read more books with females, we wouldn't be quite the mystery they seem to think we are. I think English classes need to balance the scales a bit more and present more books that feature girls and women in leading or at least equal roles.

And the guys should just man up and broaden their horizons--females make up half their world.

Char

You're Such A Character

Characters- love 'em, hate 'em....

To me the worst thing a character can be is boring (and/or unbelievable). Be bad, be divine, be scary-be all three!- anything but make me yawn. Some of the best characters in my humble opinion: Lestat, Interview With A Vampire (Anne Rice). He can be vicious while he's daring God to show him he has a soul even though he's a vampire. Favorite tragic hero is Susie Salmon from The Lovely Bones (Alice Seybold). I raged, wept, I hoped, I despaired. The funniest character I think is Betsy (Elizabeth) Taylor of the Undead and Unwed series (Mary Janice Davidson). I laughed out loud in the middle of Barnes and Noble reading about her shoe addiction. The ultimate hero was of course Aragorn of The Lord of the Rings (JRR Tolkien).

There are so many wonderful, unforgettable characters. I enjoy discovering new ones-and I love the first characters Natalie Zaman and I created in the Sirenz series: Sharisse, Meg, Hades, Demeter, and Persephone (our versions of them). Now, I'm loving our new character in Blonde OPS, Bec Jackson. The reason why I love all these characters: there's something in each of them that I identify with (not being a vampire or a king of men, or a murdered girl) but some facet of their personality is kindred, and touches my soul.

What characters do you feel connected with?

Do svidaniya!

Char