KOMF Winners & Awards :)

The Knights of Micro-Fiction (KOMF) is steadily growing in ranks! Thanks to everyone who participated! If you missed it this month, go here to add your name to the linky list.

Kathy and I had a really hard time choosing winners! You guys all did such an awesome job! Unfortunately, we could only choose two people. Now to our lucky winners!!

Congratulations Aldrea Alien over at Thardrandian Thoughts!
And congratulations T.Z. Wallace at One Year Until Book Launch!
Great job! You two lovely ladies will be receiving an email from Kathy and I so we can feature you on our blogs for Friday's post.

Once again, thanks to everyone who participated! We hope you had fun :)

Now, moving on!

I've been tagged by W. Chaser for some awards! First is the Sunshine Award!

The rules are, 1) thank the person who gave it to you. 2) write a post about it. 3) Answer the questions below. 4) Pass it on.

Answers to questions:

1. Favorite Color? Blue.
2. Favorite Animal? Wolf.
3. Favorite Number? Five!
4. Favorite (non-alcoholic) drink? Pineapple juice or Coffee or Pink Lemonade. Any of those work :)
5. Facebook or Twitter? Neither. I have an account with both, but they both keep me from getting my work done.
6. My passion? Writing of course!
7. Getting or Giving presents? I want to say giving but I'm not sure how true that would be...
8. Favorite pattern? I couldn't care less.
9. Favorite day of the week? Wednesday.
10. Favorite flower? Lotus.

And then the second award is the Kreativ Blogger Award!

Okay, now I'm supposed to list seven interesting things about myself. Um, is it a bad thing that I can't really think of anything?

I'll think a little harder. Seven interesting things about me...

1. I used to hate novel writing. I'd tried it a few times but couldn't continue after the first 50 pages. I only wrote poetry up until I was 12 or 13.
2. I like European music. Like, modern European music. (Example Artists: Within Temptation, Epica, Nightwish)
3. I've moved 15 times and lived in 7 different states.
4. I hate crying. I never cry in front of people.
5. I have a really strong gag reflex. No really, when I was a baby I used to choke on Cheerios.
6. I am terrified of Lady Bugs!
7. I'm really daring when it comes to skiing and rock climbing and a bunch of other stuff, but I'm afraid of the dark. I will not go into the basement by myself!

So there you have it!! Now I'm just going to pass these on to three people because I have to get to my work.

1. Rena @ Dr. Faerie Godmother
2. McKenzie @ The Ubiquitous Perspective
3. Fairbetty @ Fairbetty's World

Congrats, guys!

Have a great day! And don't forget to stop back on Friday to read an interview with one of the two lucky winners of the KOMF!

--Jess

Catch Fire!!

Today is the Catch Fire Blog Party, celebrating the release of CassaFire by Alex J. Cavanaugh! The goal is to help CassaFire “catch fire” on the best seller charts and achieve the success of the first book, CassaStar. There’s also a special package of prizes being given away at the author’s blog (copies of CassaFire, CassaStar, tote bag, mug, and bookmarks) as well as book giveaways during his two-week blog tour. See Alex’s site for details: http://alexjcavanaugh.blogspot.com/

The blog tour runs from February 27th to March 9th- and anyone who comments on his blogposts during that time can win a special package from his publisher: A copy of CassaFire and CassaStar, a large tote bag, and a mug.

The Twitter hashtag for the party is #CatchFire

CassaFire

by Alex J. Cavanaugh

CassaStar was just the beginning…

The Vindicarn War is a distant memory and Byron’s days of piloting Cosbolt fighters are over. He has kept the promise he made to his fallen mentor and friend - to probe space on an exploration vessel. Shuttle work is dull, but it’s a free and solitary existence. The senior officer is content with his life aboard the Rennather.

The detection of alien ruins sends the exploration ship to the distant planet of Tgren. If their scientists can decipher the language, they can unlock the secrets of this device. Is it a key to the Tgren’s civilization or a weapon of unimaginable power? Tensions mount as their new allies are suspicious of the Cassan’s technology and strange mental abilities. 

To complicate matters, the Tgrens are showing signs of mental powers themselves; the strongest of which belongs to a pilot named Athee, a woman whose skills rival Byron’s unique abilities. Forced to train her mind and further develop her flying aptitude, he finds his patience strained. Add a reluctant friendship with a young scientist, and he feels invaded on every level. All Byron wanted was his privacy…

Available today!

Science fiction - space opera/adventure

Print ISBN 978-0-9827139-4-5, $15.95, 6x9 Trade paperback, 240 pages

EBook ISBN 978-0-9827139-6-9, $4.99, available in all formats

CassaFire is the sequel to Cavanaugh’s first book, CassaStar, an Amazon Top Ten Best Seller:

“…calls to mind the youthful focus of Robert Heinlein’s early military sf, as well as the excitement of space opera epitomized by the many Star Wars novels. Fast-paced military action and a youthful protagonist make this a good choice for both young adult and adult fans of space wars.” - Library Journal

You can visit the author’s site at http://alexjcavanaugh.blogspot.com/

Book trailer available at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qa6VINRGtyE.

Barnes and Noble - http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/cassafire-alex-j-cavanaugh/1034742568

Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/CassaFire-Alex-J-Cavanaugh/dp/0982713940/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1329417150&sr=1-1

Amazon Kindle - http://www.amazon.com/CassaFire-ebook/dp/B007A2TSNG/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1329663355&sr=1-1

  

Alright, now go check it out because Alex is awesome!

--Jess

No, I Usually Don't Post Twice In One Day, But...

Today is an exception. Mostly because I've got a ton of stuff going on this week. I'll talk more about that later, though :)

Anyway, I accidentally (well, not quite accidentally) signed up for the Get Fired Up Blogfest hosted by Melissa Sugar. And the deadline for that blogfest is Wednesday. I hadn't quite thought about how busy I already am this week but I really wanted to do this. Well, at least try.

So, that's why I'm posting twice today.

The point of the Get Fired Up Blogfest is to help other awesome writers who don't have as many followers get more followers.

Anyway, for the first part of this blogfest, I'd just like to say that the following people are awesome. So please check out their blogs and follow them!

Fairbetty at Fairbetty's World
       Rena at Dr. Faerie Godmother
          T.Z. Wallace at One Year to Book Launch
                  Alyssa at Life is Good
                       Aldera Alien at Thardrandian Thoughts

These guys are super cool and I think you'd love them! I'll do more with this on Wednesday, but for now just go give them some support! Thanks :)

--Jess

(P.S.) Still trying to win the popular vote for the First Challenge of the Campaign so if you'd like to read my entry you can go HERE. And then go HERE to vote (if you like it. I'm entry #19)

Knights of Micro-Fiction #2

Hello guys! Today is Micro-Fiction day (proclaimed by Kathy and me)!

First of all, I'd really like to thank Rachael Harrie for introducing me to Flash Fiction in her Third Campaign. I started blogging in August of 2011 just before I finished the first draft of The Trials. It feels like a lifetime ago! Anyway, I'd never heard of Flash Fiction before the Campaign. Now, I'm not sure what I'd do without it! Flash Fiction has really helped me develop my stories in short snippets that I can share with you!

It's helped me learn that saying less is really, most of the time, more. I know a lot of people have trouble writing Flash Fic and I'm not saying it's easy. But it's a ton of fun!

I read a lot of entries in the First Challenge of the Fourth Campaign and most of the people who said that it was their first time did an amazing job! Besides, it gives readers a great idea of how and what you write! So, (no pressure) if you want, go ahead and join the fun here or here. Either one is fine!

Anyway, the prompt today is:

Write a Micro-Fiction/Flash Fiction of 250 words or less beginning with these words: "After all this time, there it was..."

I think it's fine to use a little excerpt from your own WiP... that's what I usually do. Except, for me it's usually a part I haven't written yet.

So here I go!

***

Guardians of Paradise (currently unwritten scene from WiP)

After all this time, there it was. In the last place it should be, the one place we thought it wouldn't be. But that didn't change a thing. Because, there it was.

"Is- is that the last one?" I asked.

Cody nodded. "Yeah. That's the last one."

"So," I shifted uncomfortably. "How do we get it?"

He turned to me. "It was never meant to be reached, Eva. Not by normal people, anyway."

The cave dropped into an almost endless pit before us. Only a single pillar in the center stood at our height. But there was no way of reaching it.

"You're not exactly normal, Cody," I remarked.

He shot me an amused look. "You think I can fly?"

"You shielded me from an explosion with your bare hands. I have no idea what you can or can't do," I said.

"Hey, what's that?"

A sliver of light shimmered like a reflection in midair. Cody turned to me then back to the shimmer, a strange sense of realization in his eyes.

He reached down and grabbed a few pebbles of gravel then threw them down into the dark abyss. Only, they fell just a few feet before hitting an invisible barrier.

Cody cautiously reached one foot out into the endless pit. Then the other foot followed. He walked across an invisible bridge. I held my breath but walked across to the golden object.

"What is it?" I asked.

He smiled. "The final key to paradise."

***

Viola!

This is seriously helping out with my WiP. Anyway, hope you liked it! And if you decide to join, the deadline is Tuesday night! Have fun and visit some more people!

--Jess

I Feel Bad For My Antagonist...

PREPOST UPDTATE: Our performance at the Quicken Loans Arena that I talked about in Wednesday's post didn't turn out so well. We all had lots of fun but it wasn't our best run through. And I didn't make the second round of ABNA. Oh well. Better luck next time!

There comes a point in story writing that your characters take on a life of their own. But the more real they become, the more I feel bad about doing bad things to them. I mean, sure, in the end it's all for the better (well, hopefully). Because the whole point of the story is to watch them overcome. I guess they don't always end up 'overcoming' but the possibility of failure is what makes the story interesting. And that's why we have antagonists.

But I feel bad for my antagonist.

I'm pretty sure my beta readers didn't feel bad for him. And my CP hasn't met him yet. I made him pretty easy to hate (I think). But then, I'm the only one who knows his full back-story. And when you really think about it, most bad guys think they're the good guys.

I mean, wouldn't you be angry if all of your efforts to be great were overshadowed by one of the the protagonists? And then if you thought that same protagonist was going to bring the galaxy crumbling down, wouldn't getting rid of them be the right thing?

From our point of view, no. That definitely isn't the right thing. But from his? Probably.

Besides, being the antagonist is hard. No one wants to be hated. Maybe they like causing trouble but they don't want to be hated.

As I said before, there comes a point when your characters take on a life of their own. And I'm pretty sure my antagonist hates me for making him the bad guy.

There ^^ is another antagonist I feel bad for...

What do you guys think? Who's an antagonist you feel bad for? Is it silly to feel bad for the antagonist?

Have a great weekend!

--Jess

P.S.

Knights of Micro-Fiction is on Monday! Be prepared! And, votes for my Campaign Entry are still needed appreciated!

13,000 Words and Counting

Hello everyone and happy Wednesday!

First of all, I really can't wait until February 23 (tomorrow) for two reasons: a) because my synchronized skating team will be performing at the Quicken Loans Ice Arena and b) because that's the day that the ABNA round two entrants will be announced.

I really don't think I made it; I know a lot of people entered. But once that's over, if I haven't made it to the second round I can start looking for other publishers to query. We've had the 2012 edition of the Writers Digest checked out from the library and sitting on my desk since November.

And thanks to Cassie Mae and Angela Cothran's Character blogfest (was it two weeks ago or one?), I got to know some new characters in my head and started a new project!

Yes, it does have something to do with my flash fiction entry in the Campaign (it's right below this post if you want to read it... and votes are still appreciated! I'm entry #19). I'm really excited about it!

I call it... (this is a working title, okay? Not the official name yet): Guardians of Paradise


Sound interesting? I hope so.

Getting to the title of this post, I already have 13,000 words. The thing is, I'm writing it from third person past tense. My first book, The Trials, I wrote from first person POV and present tense so this is a huge change for me. And I find myself using the word 'but' a lot.

So yeah, that's about it for now.

Oh, I almost forgot! What do you guys think of my new blog banner? I know, it's not all that professional or anything but seeing that I made it, I'm pretty happy with it. I don't know. What do you guys think? Does it fit my blog well?

Okay, I'm getting back to writing now!

--Jess

P.S.
Sorry for the rambling-ness of this post... I think I was a little too excited.