tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14098452188875372222024-03-13T05:33:56.408-07:00Shauna's SpotShauna Grangerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17741241448253259318noreply@blogger.comBlogger120125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1409845218887537222.post-72331336964198382462013-07-05T15:28:00.001-07:002013-07-05T15:28:22.250-07:00Putting Blogger To RestHello all! Thanks for popping into to check out my blog! Sadly, I have given up on Blogger. There are too many annoying things about it and I've officially lost my patience.<br />
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So, please update your bookmarks and trek on over to my new blog space: <a href="http://shaunagranger.wordpress.com/">http://shaunagranger.wordpress.com/</a><br />
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Thanks!Shauna Grangerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17741241448253259318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1409845218887537222.post-59763226641549417442013-06-26T00:00:00.000-07:002013-06-26T08:57:55.701-07:00Photo tour stop 4: Fire! Hello again! I hope you all are enjoying your little trip through my fair city! Today, we're taking a turn for the darker side of the series. Today I will show you the places that exist in the fourth book: Fire. (Just click on the pictures to see enlarged versions.)<br />
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In the beginning, Shay is atop a hill, overlooking Ventura. She's been meditating and desperately trying to glean any energy she can from the hillside. Atop this hill is a massive cross that marks the area where Spanish Monks used to reside. Here is that hill and the view.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3WPvVR1AwQUGCSYyJkIpMrYGsJgz2N7cT9pMpRt9ny2UAODIp8TKtybPe2un_jNIzw1j8oVfT9Nm9F7SMameakU22vWc6PtuNvSgB51C7_mGRupGwGn9x7XGPeADIjddVH-cIxHCC1HE/s1600/On+top+of+the+hill.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="127" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3WPvVR1AwQUGCSYyJkIpMrYGsJgz2N7cT9pMpRt9ny2UAODIp8TKtybPe2un_jNIzw1j8oVfT9Nm9F7SMameakU22vWc6PtuNvSgB51C7_mGRupGwGn9x7XGPeADIjddVH-cIxHCC1HE/s400/On+top+of+the+hill.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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You can see, people were getting married there that day. What a lovely place for a wedding.<br />
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And this is the view from the top of the hill:</div>
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Kind of appropriate that there was so much June Gloom that day. Since the book takes place in the winter, you get a better sense of what it should look like in the book<br />
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A few more pretty views of the hill:</div>
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I wanted to give you some awesome shots of the coastline where Shayna tests out her new-found flying abilities to help in the car crash, but alas, there was so much construction going on, none of the shots were usable.</div>
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But, moving right along! We get to see the beautiful Majestic Ventura Theater:</div>
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The view from the balcony (I'm sure we all liked the balcony scene ;) ):</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLKzPUDxHeAZGas_m16Up17vQ-IUhtlnLDi1Sje8RUburvtdx4Y0FyQhqm-YfDvINGJNfDmFhDidTuLZTOMenjwhyphenhyphenyhonyvVd-9hiQsg3XbIhm-FYKbazciJo5jeOH1b_nIGoAxfEob84/s1600/IcarusWitch-view-of-the-stage-at-the-majestic-ventura-theatre-from-the-balcony_1024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLKzPUDxHeAZGas_m16Up17vQ-IUhtlnLDi1Sje8RUburvtdx4Y0FyQhqm-YfDvINGJNfDmFhDidTuLZTOMenjwhyphenhyphenyhonyvVd-9hiQsg3XbIhm-FYKbazciJo5jeOH1b_nIGoAxfEob84/s320/IcarusWitch-view-of-the-stage-at-the-majestic-ventura-theatre-from-the-balcony_1024.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo credit: gothers.com<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">And finally, the entrance to The Tea Gardens. This is the place where I set the New Years Even scene and subsequently the fiery end of the book. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Five years ago there actually was a horrible, horrible fire in this area. College kids had broken into the Tea Gardens (so named because this once belonged to Charlie Chaplan and he would take his tea in this part of the property), had a party and a fire and did not properly extinguish their fire before they left. A few days later, wind stirred the embers and set a catastrophic fire, burning 100 homes and injuring two people. It was heartbreaking. Because of my father's business (construction), we were very familiar with this area and knew many of the people effected. I cannot tell you how wonderful it is to see it doing so well now.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtbSVxyeWCUhbYgYc11UBGDs0WjXz-KwVkDp5zSQ9TV-tAedFzb5oS61ACu7b3SsFsXPHTABhdXFAaHtPuUFXfSRxWzkTfbhxy9yY-a0dsULc8QBdlh34VeJG_JpMsgT-XVT3wzDYQh0o/s1600/Entrance+to+the+Tea+Gardens.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="125" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtbSVxyeWCUhbYgYc11UBGDs0WjXz-KwVkDp5zSQ9TV-tAedFzb5oS61ACu7b3SsFsXPHTABhdXFAaHtPuUFXfSRxWzkTfbhxy9yY-a0dsULc8QBdlh34VeJG_JpMsgT-XVT3wzDYQh0o/s400/Entrance+to+the+Tea+Gardens.jpg" width="400" /></a>Shauna Grangerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17741241448253259318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1409845218887537222.post-25257828058181948852013-06-19T00:01:00.000-07:002013-06-19T00:01:00.661-07:00Photo tour week three: Water <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Welcome to the third installment of our photo tour! This week: Water - Book Two in the Elemental Series. This will probably be one of the shorter posts since most of the book's major locations were underwater, but hopefully I've caught enough shots to make it entertaining for you.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE2cFhUM2wOZ5b1QjXE9YbtGC3Go7Fiicf6UIPdLoIhbSfrNDB-BttRt_VmrlM4vMyBpebqaJbU71YzQZ3BAnTVDLsxZ42pgiywe0k0FEgNac-ZwQPM5rGdDUkOIqNzQTTzVFkeEqSXxk/s1600/WATER.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE2cFhUM2wOZ5b1QjXE9YbtGC3Go7Fiicf6UIPdLoIhbSfrNDB-BttRt_VmrlM4vMyBpebqaJbU71YzQZ3BAnTVDLsxZ42pgiywe0k0FEgNac-ZwQPM5rGdDUkOIqNzQTTzVFkeEqSXxk/s320/WATER.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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In the very beginning we are brought on a dawn patrol surf session with Shayna at her favorite break: Surfers' Point</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtckM3bJM4aH65Fwa83IeYSk1eVdJdBxsDsQ182_Lj_DtF3R05liRuV16gBKV_BlP_PtdV47vguMtEkYfVKiWVvw8zdlanzi3T3XCETBvV8qPdjdXWpS6L554uIgAy_DBPQqw4GZD4sKA/s1600/SANY2442.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtckM3bJM4aH65Fwa83IeYSk1eVdJdBxsDsQ182_Lj_DtF3R05liRuV16gBKV_BlP_PtdV47vguMtEkYfVKiWVvw8zdlanzi3T3XCETBvV8qPdjdXWpS6L554uIgAy_DBPQqw4GZD4sKA/s320/SANY2442.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Dawn at the beach is a wondrous, beautiful thing.</div>
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(click the image to see a larger version)</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif-W3a2sohKJVIdOrNpx4ioL7RmucNwdYZKqF2TU05eX0aLaY77fge4-jvYvJcqehu7n4nkblIjBWSJkg0kYvjOY5u1_rn0apW9PyxdUsUdLK7Z2CA3PcPfzbG7Wp6a3oIWscYwtDXyUc/s1600/surfers+point.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="110" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif-W3a2sohKJVIdOrNpx4ioL7RmucNwdYZKqF2TU05eX0aLaY77fge4-jvYvJcqehu7n4nkblIjBWSJkg0kYvjOY5u1_rn0apW9PyxdUsUdLK7Z2CA3PcPfzbG7Wp6a3oIWscYwtDXyUc/s400/surfers+point.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Each of these were taken at Surfers' Point and gives you an idea of the changing moods of our beach.</td></tr>
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Later, Shayna chases down a woman, frantically looking for her lost child. Little does Shay realize, the area known as "River Mouth" would be where she spend the majority of her time on her summer break.<div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqemhyphenhyphenhj-p9xkutICvSiA6KpKXxtsCTW3-BYKPGli9AbS3W9LKfmJstsvDI6HxmgzmaA1-1SZlTsurD2jOlyMZkDxVSbQ0K5OQ7Z8MJOkn5IVoDZm6Z9AQBCHwgfx15FqqA67UutCtpV4/s1600/river+mouth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="111" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqemhyphenhyphenhj-p9xkutICvSiA6KpKXxtsCTW3-BYKPGli9AbS3W9LKfmJstsvDI6HxmgzmaA1-1SZlTsurD2jOlyMZkDxVSbQ0K5OQ7Z8MJOkn5IVoDZm6Z9AQBCHwgfx15FqqA67UutCtpV4/s400/river+mouth.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">River Mouth, where fresh water meets the sea.</td></tr>
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And later we would see the beautiful beaches of Emma Wood. Emma has a special place in my heart because that was where my dad taught me how to boogie board and was one of the first places I went surfing with my husband. And if you ever find yourself in this neck of the woods, Emma is one of the nicest spots to watch the sunset.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3FzIfCQJjbUSsvW8TgeKrgTPESbYtfClW_Pww_FRMCuyldbMXOk7EIj_ITZ3Gk9_lUwgNVHNpcsQ3yfkCs3lqHhob8RgRartR51et9ow4X0t41vmeariYZD9ZviyzjbUx0K3nnrg_7Lw/s1600/Emma+Wood+Sunsets.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3FzIfCQJjbUSsvW8TgeKrgTPESbYtfClW_Pww_FRMCuyldbMXOk7EIj_ITZ3Gk9_lUwgNVHNpcsQ3yfkCs3lqHhob8RgRartR51et9ow4X0t41vmeariYZD9ZviyzjbUx0K3nnrg_7Lw/s400/Emma+Wood+Sunsets.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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So many beautiful beaches in our county, I just wish we were lucky enough to get seashells :). Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this installment!<br />
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Shauna Grangerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17741241448253259318noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1409845218887537222.post-34806320221969081222013-06-12T00:01:00.000-07:002013-06-12T00:01:00.912-07:00Photo Tour for Air: Book Two in the Elemental Series <div style="text-align: center;">
Welcome to week two of our photo tour! Today I'm featuring the real life locations that inspired many of the places in Air: Book Two.</div>
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First up the shopping center with the movie theater and cafe where we first meet Jeremy and his invisible friends.</div>
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Then of course we have our favorite bookstore...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9Cp4G_xPQG3qLD4z-YgFH8Hwzd93F-36EChnZ8bAMyyoFQ-NDSzNMQz9sfHKaNmSVsG64t4wETKoEKinftwk7L_luPnEWGhna8tsPjwz29mTBIqzIC4Km3joCI8o2zRc_ef3ba65gsAg/s1600/BNN.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="123" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9Cp4G_xPQG3qLD4z-YgFH8Hwzd93F-36EChnZ8bAMyyoFQ-NDSzNMQz9sfHKaNmSVsG64t4wETKoEKinftwk7L_luPnEWGhna8tsPjwz29mTBIqzIC4Km3joCI8o2zRc_ef3ba65gsAg/s400/BNN.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Which turns into a rather scary place when an unstable Jeremy looses his cool...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7n6c-8ZWq5F4AtPzt9NLNNBEx3aAXY7hA2pmQ62AaipFnoYoByMhyphenhyphenyiiNLY18t2LkP_cT3yfZYNVkDzMGFcufzwV3uuWOrpJe03TXSffEExA8TEkVaugCNUvSxxbQzrGGjBjmYaxpz8c/s1600/attack+inside+bnn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7n6c-8ZWq5F4AtPzt9NLNNBEx3aAXY7hA2pmQ62AaipFnoYoByMhyphenhyphenyiiNLY18t2LkP_cT3yfZYNVkDzMGFcufzwV3uuWOrpJe03TXSffEExA8TEkVaugCNUvSxxbQzrGGjBjmYaxpz8c/s320/attack+inside+bnn.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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And then flees by jumping off the exterior balcony.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgylvR4Zu8f0zK5Y6AFywMR4UKGY6rdP9TfQjmKAsgxtQPWWOz9CaewX_ZGNeUW0qFuHXHxdSJcqpP-kfGpQj5-lbbwSi0xu67uBjC30VlScs846BFVjfzaXWOAExJrK7D9WIpWa7HIU9Y/s1600/bnn+balcony.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="111" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgylvR4Zu8f0zK5Y6AFywMR4UKGY6rdP9TfQjmKAsgxtQPWWOz9CaewX_ZGNeUW0qFuHXHxdSJcqpP-kfGpQj5-lbbwSi0xu67uBjC30VlScs846BFVjfzaXWOAExJrK7D9WIpWa7HIU9Y/s400/bnn+balcony.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Unfortunately a lot of the other locales were made up. Much of what happened in this book were in private homes and then of course, in the Shide. None of which I could photograph. </div>
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Shauna Grangerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17741241448253259318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1409845218887537222.post-84640555458337620892013-06-10T00:01:00.000-07:002013-06-10T00:01:00.998-07:00Excerpt: Secret for a SongHello my lovelies! Today I'm very happy to share with you an excerpt from my friend, S.K. Fall's latest release! This is a slight departure from my normal work featured on my blog, focusing mostly on Paranormal and Fantasy, but I am so excited about this New Adult Contemporary story, I wanted to share it with you. So, without further ado, here is the excerpt!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_AFM0nQEXh_6DVrXdvvAwOtcDTxifvQoobGybnZAToZod9gDAYacEd2rKTfz-zbian9axwbHyB5aCptkJISPZn9dI06Yh2SifrWaBuQTRYZCEsaJ58tUulkQC5j6idJSd1Yr3vLzgVVY/s1600/SecretForASong_Small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_AFM0nQEXh_6DVrXdvvAwOtcDTxifvQoobGybnZAToZod9gDAYacEd2rKTfz-zbian9axwbHyB5aCptkJISPZn9dI06Yh2SifrWaBuQTRYZCEsaJ58tUulkQC5j6idJSd1Yr3vLzgVVY/s320/SecretForASong_Small.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Corbel, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;">Drew waited with me
as I stood on the sidewalk outside, letting the snow dust my head and
shoulders.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Corbel","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“You look good in
snow,” he said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Corbel","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I laughed, my cheeks
heating up as I tipped my head back to look at him. “Are you drunk?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Corbel","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">He stepped in
closer, blocking out the streetlight that glowed orange in my eyes. “Maybe just
a little tipsy.” He smiled. “I really meant what I sang in there.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Corbel","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“Which part?” My
words were just a breath, curling into the air.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Corbel","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">He brought his head
down to mine, so our noses were almost touching. “I’ll tell you a secret, I’ll
sell you a secret for a song,” he sang softly; the same song from the bar.
“Someday I’ll tell you, and take you back home where you belong.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Corbel","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I wasn’t one of
those girls who cried at every emotional thing they saw or heard; I’d never
been that way. That might’ve explained why, when the tears cascaded down onto
my cheeks, I felt with my fingers to see what the hell was going on with my
eyes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Corbel","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“Hey,” Drew said,
catching one of the tears with a fingertip. “Are you okay?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Corbel","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I opened my mouth to
say I was, but all that came out was a sort of sob-whine, and more tears. Drew
responded by putting his free hand around my waist and covering my mouth with
his.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Corbel","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I’d like to say that
in that moment, I kept my head. That I remembered that I was lying to him, that
my entire existence in his life was only because of a huge untruth, and that I
intended to extricate myself from him and the rest of the group. I’d like to
say that I stopped the kiss.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Corbel","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">But in that instance,
the only thing I felt, the only thing that mattered, was how hard I was falling
for Andrew Dean.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Corbel","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I was falling for
this scared, lonely, broken, brave man who sang songs about secrets, who lulled
me into a whole new universe using nothing but his voice. I wanted him, all of
him, and I pretended that I belonged. It was the biggest lie I’d told up to
that point, and for someone whose entire life was carved out of lies of
different colors and shades and shapes, that was saying a lot.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Corbel, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Buy links:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<a href="http://amzn.to/17L6PMe"><span style="font-family: Corbel, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Amazon</span></a><span style="font-family: Corbel, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> | </span><a href="http://bit.ly/11d8vF5"><span style="font-family: Corbel, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Barnes and Noble</span></a><span style="font-family: Corbel, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> | </span><a href="http://bit.ly/12x4l1i"><span style="font-family: Corbel, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Goodreads</span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEcadXRGIAYSW-EZwdtOA2SSFIecZvdz-U4jbbu_aOXn4WLXsBMAKuv8yT9xu0swPNTDY_Z-eK9hpCnSNsxskfVeOBXBID-amBRj-7NTV_CdPDT19hojtPTkR1z3nVvbx3APeOS8mx5bw/s1600/316535_244785938903925_1542585529_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEcadXRGIAYSW-EZwdtOA2SSFIecZvdz-U4jbbu_aOXn4WLXsBMAKuv8yT9xu0swPNTDY_Z-eK9hpCnSNsxskfVeOBXBID-amBRj-7NTV_CdPDT19hojtPTkR1z3nVvbx3APeOS8mx5bw/s320/316535_244785938903925_1542585529_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Corbel, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Visit S.K. Falls:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<a href="http://www.skfalls.com/"><span style="font-family: Corbel, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Website</span></a><span style="font-family: Corbel, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> | </span><a href="http://www.facebook.com/authorskfalls"><span style="font-family: Corbel, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Facebook</span></a><span style="font-family: Corbel, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> | </span><a href="http://www.twitter.com/skfallssc"><span style="font-family: Corbel, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Twitter</span></a><span style="font-family: Corbel, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> | </span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/skfalls"><span style="font-family: Corbel, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Goodreads</span></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Corbel","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Bio:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Corbel","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">A huge fan of spooky stuff and shoes,
I enjoy alternately hitting up the outlet malls and historic graveyards in
Charleston, SC where I live and imbibe coffee. My husband and two small
children seem not to mind when I hastily scribble novel lines on stray limbs in
the absence of notepads.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Corbel","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Since no writer’s biography is
complete without mention of her menagerie of animals, you should know I have
one dog that doubles as a footstool, a second that functions as a vacuum
cleaner, and a cat that ensures I never forget that my hands are, first and
foremost, for pouring cat food.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Shauna Grangerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17741241448253259318noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1409845218887537222.post-78242670351434709292013-06-05T09:23:00.001-07:002013-06-05T16:59:32.435-07:00Photo Tour of Earth: Book One in the Elemental Seires<br />
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Hello my lovelies! Today is the first installment of the photo tour of the real life places of the locations featured in the Elemental Series! First up: Earth. Mind you that I'm just showing your real places. I did make up some places, pulled them right out of my imagination. Like the high school - that place was an amalgamation of all the high schools in the district, so no pics of that. </div>
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Unfortunately when June 1st rolled around, Ventura decided to be very literal about June Gloom. It had been sunny and warm and pretty for weeks until June 1st, so some of these pics look a little dreary and I'm sorry for that. </div>
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So without further ado!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4rEWOS1PQQTulcbyiEV1ueBzZyMosa7W3WCbmBVS2WFkvqniX2hnAOtJq6YBkzFUB_ETdAmxMipydq6J-59LOp-lCfuvKkfCrXj8r_6FcHdBhkksRcsNoccCh02XeTGtrq8vESzBVBc4/s1600/Earth+New+Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4rEWOS1PQQTulcbyiEV1ueBzZyMosa7W3WCbmBVS2WFkvqniX2hnAOtJq6YBkzFUB_ETdAmxMipydq6J-59LOp-lCfuvKkfCrXj8r_6FcHdBhkksRcsNoccCh02XeTGtrq8vESzBVBc4/s320/Earth+New+Cover.jpg" width="206" /></a></div>
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The Oak Ash and Thorn, featured in all five books was actually based on Journey Home, our local metaphysical shop. I have been going to this shop since I was six years old. Sadly, the exterior isn't the prettiest.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghYEBGzVwkQpLg-Sr6oqS5jY0oSE-1j6Ca-cJ-ykXHL25CvMcVbi8UnSHR2C9KOkGJKutNm3EPEeB3wdJN1m-IBRqrts3nl10PViPlm_EzF2xcHHxhBVrExp6I7pQWorwKXhAydBoQP30/s1600/OAT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghYEBGzVwkQpLg-Sr6oqS5jY0oSE-1j6Ca-cJ-ykXHL25CvMcVbi8UnSHR2C9KOkGJKutNm3EPEeB3wdJN1m-IBRqrts3nl10PViPlm_EzF2xcHHxhBVrExp6I7pQWorwKXhAydBoQP30/s400/OAT.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4sz92VErMBeIiM575zmnlQ5jhHzd_XTcVTvApPNaQKeJ8MnZCp0ORjGBsmK8DX8zfZVn1JvaR3f_d6D96gp-ZMPVBGebblzBnC7h4m6qM0xnL-TqGbRLepPhTQXac08UlIoXXZQw3Wb0/s1600/SANY2396.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4sz92VErMBeIiM575zmnlQ5jhHzd_XTcVTvApPNaQKeJ8MnZCp0ORjGBsmK8DX8zfZVn1JvaR3f_d6D96gp-ZMPVBGebblzBnC7h4m6qM0xnL-TqGbRLepPhTQXac08UlIoXXZQw3Wb0/s320/SANY2396.JPG" width="320" /></a> In the beginning of the book the trio goes to a greasy spoon restaurant before they perform their first casting of the series. I give you Main St Cafe. Fun fact: this is the same restaurant from Erin Brockavich!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfKdkKmKjO7KSwAemj_Ouhy24LyH70T5x01kqA3wvdupuyUUDfzc-XziA-U3AmYrWe4PZh3uFkelrz0kbx4zUEWE9TpOBr5gJkz_xV6-mUIFMakz5AsuyuAUEUpfhLIXvtMqLMIj8XYwc/s1600/SANY2449.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfKdkKmKjO7KSwAemj_Ouhy24LyH70T5x01kqA3wvdupuyUUDfzc-XziA-U3AmYrWe4PZh3uFkelrz0kbx4zUEWE9TpOBr5gJkz_xV6-mUIFMakz5AsuyuAUEUpfhLIXvtMqLMIj8XYwc/s320/SANY2449.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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And you'll recall when they were finished with their meal they took some food to go for their friend and lookout, Byron. This is Byron's bench and beyond that, the first place we see the trio cast their first spells of the series.</div>
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And though the reason the three are seeking out the cause of the disruption of their quiet town and looking for someone performing blood magic, the drive down the coast to the first location is always beautiful. </div>
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(Many car companies film their commercials along this stretch of road.)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwzbUqPIqM5GLShO35kBZB_sMDCk59Dy5c9ae68NC-lGATRF1k6o8wgCsXBEh7gw820GU4qsjJA0orWanUw4DjRfG8vzEbiDI-i6NyF_MJ3MwZ9ZslMMpt229AH726KnJBYS17eehXivQ/s1600/drive+to+campsite.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwzbUqPIqM5GLShO35kBZB_sMDCk59Dy5c9ae68NC-lGATRF1k6o8wgCsXBEh7gw820GU4qsjJA0orWanUw4DjRfG8vzEbiDI-i6NyF_MJ3MwZ9ZslMMpt229AH726KnJBYS17eehXivQ/s400/drive+to+campsite.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Later, the trio goes on the hunt for the guy causing all the ruckus in town, performing blood magic and trying to lure girls into the woods. </div>
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<br />Shauna Grangerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17741241448253259318noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1409845218887537222.post-63611437174977624112013-06-04T07:15:00.000-07:002013-06-04T07:15:33.596-07:00Be sure to check out The Spellbound Scribes blog!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWGeZsOvF25EuwAEd1sPmiE2j5cbXzmsaGMo27o2P8t4I5HTX1aOBIP_3Y6KRHqJsiXeAXDd0wd2AyLzQAU3kUPgzr7KiYdz1Q0mRLMKe46GNUElqH8-isoas_SAMq2dcSSKkf0Q6sG0A/s1600/spellbound+widget+inverted.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWGeZsOvF25EuwAEd1sPmiE2j5cbXzmsaGMo27o2P8t4I5HTX1aOBIP_3Y6KRHqJsiXeAXDd0wd2AyLzQAU3kUPgzr7KiYdz1Q0mRLMKe46GNUElqH8-isoas_SAMq2dcSSKkf0Q6sG0A/s200/spellbound+widget+inverted.jpg" width="200" /></a>As many of you know, I contribute to another blog, <a href="http://spellboundscribes.wordpress.com/2013/06/04/were-back/" target="_blank">The Spellbound Scribes</a>. We took a quick hiatus to revamp our blog and retool our thinking. But it is back up and we hit the ground running!<br />
<br />
Be sure to follow me and my fellow Scribes to read some awesome creative and informative posts. You'll find flash fiction, story in the round, posts on writing craft, plans for world domination, things that go bump in the night, pretty much anything you'd like to see from a group of Paranormal writers.<br />
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<br />Shauna Grangerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17741241448253259318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1409845218887537222.post-74924457585250409212013-06-04T07:07:00.000-07:002013-06-04T07:07:25.024-07:00Query Kombat Entry<div class="MsoNormal">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ1KT-jy2xLK30dpCmabE9AOVTOYGbkE_pjJmAuXTM3EirXrCRdh0LCL0LUx-eVDF6LrAt49Sx_IqTrHqejXAK8_P7B1nPbwAJ5gcLLGzgjkidt96cwza2KIThRyzpohxUxSpqR-hlmVs/s1600/Query.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ1KT-jy2xLK30dpCmabE9AOVTOYGbkE_pjJmAuXTM3EirXrCRdh0LCL0LUx-eVDF6LrAt49Sx_IqTrHqejXAK8_P7B1nPbwAJ5gcLLGzgjkidt96cwza2KIThRyzpohxUxSpqR-hlmVs/s1600/Query.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Entry Nickname:</b> Witch for Hire</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Title: </b>Wytchcraft</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Word count:</b> 101,000</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Genre: </b>Adult Urban Fantasy</span></div>
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Updated Query:<br />
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Matilda Kavanagh is a witch for hire, just trying to pay
rent and keep from sharing the same can of tuna with her cat. When a troll
comes knocking at her door, looking to buy a spell to catch a fairy, Mattie
can’t turn away his money. Little does she know, the fairy he intends to catch
is the fairy princess, Rae of Dunhallow.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Just days before Rae’s brother, Roane, went missing. Thanks
to Mattie helping the troll catch one fairy, they assume she must have helped
someone catch the second. Now all eyes on are Mattie and her charms. The Lord
and Lady of Dunhallow are holding Mattie responsible to bring Roane home, safe
and sound. To force her to cooperate, the Dunhallows are holding the vampire she
once loved hostage. And if that won’t work, they’ll just kill her.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Can Mattie find Roane and bring him home before the Lord and
Lady lose their patience and kill her and her former, and possibly future,
lover?<o:p></o:p></div>
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Updated first 250(ish) words:<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: 200%; tab-stops: .5in 140.25pt; text-indent: .3in;">
I
was almost out of vervain; I was almost out of a lot of my stores. <i>Have to go visit Ronnie soon</i>, I thought,
but my tab was getting a little out of hand and I didn’t like the idea of
adding to it. Closing the cupboard, I decided against starting the potion I was
going to make; if I didn’t do it right it would blow up in my face. Literally
and I had just waxed my eyebrows, I wanted to keep them.<o:p></o:p></div>
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“Gonna
have to find work soon, Artie,” I reached to scratch my black, smush-faced cat
behind the ears as he purred on the kitchen table. “We’ll be sharing the same
can of tuna if I’m not careful.” Artemis rolled on his back, four black paws
stretching in opposite directions before he became boneless. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
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Opening
the fridge, I poked through leftover take out containers. Just as I grabbed a
cold eggroll, someone banged at my front door. A glance at the clock told me it
was well after midnight. It wasn’t odd for someone to come by at this time of
night, but I wasn’t expecting anyone. I bit off a bite of eggroll and nudged
the fridge closed with my hip, grabbing my baseball bat on my way to the door.
Sure, I could hex whoever it was or use my knockout powder, but if it was a
friend they wouldn’t thank me for it in the morning. At least the bat was
threatening enough to give someone pause and me a second to react.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<br /></div>
Shauna Grangerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17741241448253259318noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1409845218887537222.post-38848072779647205812013-06-03T00:01:00.000-07:002013-06-03T00:01:00.253-07:00Writing – My Secrets<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Many of you know I churn out a pretty high word
count average per day. When I sit down to write I average 3,000-5,000 words. I don’t
like to say pages because a page of narrative compared to a page of dialogue is
so different that some days you’ll get 4-8 pages and others 10-15 depending on
how much dialogue you wrote.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">So, how do I do it? Since I started writing the
Elem</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">ental Series I stopped treating writing like a hobby. That is the biggest
question you need to ask yourself: Is writing a hobby for you? If it isn’t, if
you plan to someday quit that day job and become a fulltime writer then you
need to treat your writing like a job. I wrote the first three rough drafts of
the first three books in the Elemental Series while working a full time job. I
did not, by any stretch of the imagination, get 3-5k words a day during that
time, but I forced myself to get 1k words, five days a week.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Because I was in the habit of writing 1k words a day
(which averages out to 4 pages if you’re curious), when I lost my job due to
the economy crash, it wasn’t difficult for me to demand more words of myself
every day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Now I’m a fulltime writer so of course I need to get
a much larger word count. Yes, the house needs to be cleaned, the laundry needs
doing, the dogs need walking, food needs to be cooked, time spent with my
husband. All of that needs to be done, but you do all of that with a day job,
right? Why make excuses to keep from writing? All of those things will still
get done after you’ve allowed yourself time to write. Treat it like a job. If
you called in sick every day to any other job, you’d eventually get fired,
right? Right.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">But how do I get that much written in a day, that’s
the other question. I do not sit at my desk and write nonstop until I reach my
word goal for the day. If I did, I would never get the numbers I get. Instead I
carve out my words in chunks. There are a few different ways to do this, you
just gotta figure out what works best for you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I am very active on Twitter and like to have it open
while I’m writing. I use it to report how much I’ve written and tell people I’m
writing so if there’s someone else writing at that moment, they know they aren’t
alone. It’s good to have a writing community.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">When I first started this practice a popular
challenge was #1k1hr – which means you’re committing to writing for one
straight hour to get 1,000 words. This is cool, but it doesn’t always work for
me. One straight hour, never looking away, never giving yourself a tiny break,
gets to me. Like a cat with a laser pointer, I can’t focus. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I sprint. I write for 15 mins straight, or 20
minutes or 30. I never go longer than 30 without a break. In 15 mins I can
write about 400-500 words. In 20 I can write 500-800 words and in 30 I almost
always break the 1k mark and average 900-1300 words. But if you ask me to write
for one hour straight I wont get much more than 1k because I slow down and want
to do other things. It’s too much! Could you run as fast as you could for a
whole hour? Do you think by the 40 min mark you’d be running just as fast as
you were at the 15 min mark? Probably not. I look at writing the same way.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I sprint, usually with some writer friends, for a
short block of time, then look away from the document. I check my email,
twitter, stats, whatever. I take a 5-15 min break and then go again. But even
if you only take a 5 min break, it will make a huge difference. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">So that’s my big secret! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Figure out what works for you and do it. It doesn’t matter
what you have to do to write, so long as you actually write.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Shauna Grangerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17741241448253259318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1409845218887537222.post-57763467504923778232013-05-31T00:01:00.000-07:002013-05-31T00:01:01.135-07:00Spirit’s One Monthaversary!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7V7PZ5Et4c6utjwuU80-F4XFNsZnhVjqgRfRB8SPrHN22xQHnr8sl1VSp_FVVwYsNSjBLUlGDELQkr_1EbvdtU2zqDBcUXA9UMJ50mhOQ7PeEaqh-K_opogmRVwnrB5tjx1xjdxjETSk/s1600/SPIRIT-large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7V7PZ5Et4c6utjwuU80-F4XFNsZnhVjqgRfRB8SPrHN22xQHnr8sl1VSp_FVVwYsNSjBLUlGDELQkr_1EbvdtU2zqDBcUXA9UMJ50mhOQ7PeEaqh-K_opogmRVwnrB5tjx1xjdxjETSk/s200/SPIRIT-large.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">So Spirit has been live
for one whole month now. It’s still strange to me to have this series finished.
I’m happy to say the characters haven’t left me though. I still see their faces
in my mind and hear their voices whispering to me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The reason why that is
so amazing is that it means there’s a possibility to future stories. I’ve
talked about a spin off series in the future featuring Shay in her new life but
I think it might be possible to have some other stories come out in the future.
I like the idea of possibly writing some short stories in that world. Possibly
written from Steven or Jodi’s point of view.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Maybe I’ll be able to
write some stories about their pasts, some small adventures they’ve lived
through that you all missed? Or something in the college years (at least for
Jodi and Steven, lol). I don’t want to make any promises or say anything too
terribly specific, but I do think it’s a strong possibility.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">I’m not sure when I’ll
be ready to start writing the first book in the spin off series, but some fun
short stories might get my gears moving! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Shauna Grangerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17741241448253259318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1409845218887537222.post-66881157957389933942013-05-28T00:01:00.000-07:002013-05-28T10:35:45.930-07:00Genres and Where Should Your Book Live?<br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I thought I’d talk a little about genres. They can
be so confusing, yeah? Yeah.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">One of the biggest things writers have to know when
they are submitting their work to agents and publishers is what genre their
book is. It seems like this should be pretty obvious to most people, I mean,
you wrote your book, you should know this, right? Eh, maybe.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Here’s how it can get confusing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">One big example is Dystopian vs. Post-Apocalyptic. A
lot of the time these two terms are thrown around as interchangeable and they
really are not. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Dystopian, as you can imagine, comes from the concept
of Utopian. The big thing about Dystopian books is that the characters in the
book don’t actually realize they are living in a Dystopian society, they’re
supposed to believe they’re in a Utopian society and then come to realize, as
the story goes, that things aren’t so awesome. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The Hunger Games is a Dystopian story. The farther
away you live from the Capital, the more obvious your life isn’t awesome, but
supposedly life is better than it was before. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Post-apocalyptic means the world has ended and you
know, and the characters know, life is officially crap and you’re just trying
to survive until you can make things better. There is no fooling anyone when it
comes to Post-apocalyptic like there is in Dystopian.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I recently read <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-5th-Wave-ebook/dp/B009VMC7UO/ref=sr_1_1_title_1_kin?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1369330587&sr=1-1&keywords=the+fifth+wave" target="_blank">The Fifth Wave</a> by Rick Yancey. That
is Post-apocalyptic. The aliens have invaded and they are systematically wiping
out the human population (that is not a spoiler by the way; you know that by
page one). You’re running around, just trying to survive and find other
survivors and not get vaporized by the creepy alien dudes. No fooling anyone
there.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Another confusion set of genres is Paranormal
Romance and Urban Fantasy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I write in Urban Fantasy, almost exclusively. Urban
Fantasy (UF) is set in a real world, modern city setting. Paranormal Romance
(PR) can be set in the exact same space. UF has magic. So does PR. What’s the
big difference? Whether or not the story hinges on the romantic plot of two
characters.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In PR the whole story, no matter what is going on,
depends on the developing romantic relationship in the story. In UF there can
be a romantic subplot going through the story, but the main conflict of the
story does not depend on the romantic subplot. See why my Elemental series wasn’t
a Paranormal Romance? In the beginning Shay and Jensen are coming together and
apart all the damn time but the big conflict had nothing to do with them
hooking up. The big conflict was Shay and her friends rescuing someone before
the big bad villain killed them. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">So if you’re trying to decide what genre your book
is, take a moment and think, “Where would a bookstore shelve my book?” Then
decide what the subgenre is. And don’t think your book doesn’t fit into a
specific genre. I often hear writers say, “Well, my book could be this or that
or A or B…” No. It fits in one place and then you can say what its subgenre is.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">For example, a Paranormal Romance is first a Fantasy
because it has fantastical elements, like magic. So your book, The Magical Ride
of the Phoenix is Fantasy: Paranormal Romance. And of course the age group is important.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">So, speaking of Age Groups! There’s a lot of hoopla
going around the internets lately about a newly emerging age group: New Adult.
A lot of people are against letting this become a thing. Personally, I am not.
I think there is a strong market for New Adult, just not a lot of people know
about it yet.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The basic age groups go like this: Picture Books, Chapter
Books, Middle Grade, Young Adult, Adult. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Picture books are obviously for kids who can’t read
yet. Then Chapter Books are for kids who can read up until about age 10 or so
(give or take depending on the kid). Then Middle Grade is for kids ages 10-12
and then Young Adult is intended for Teens, so 13-18. Obviously we all accept
that when someone is 18-years-old they are officially an adult, right? So
anything that has characters older than 18 means that book is an Adult book.
Sure, sure, but do you remember being 18 or 19 years old? Are you in your late
20’s now? How about 30’s or 40’s? Have your experiences with life drastically
changed over the years?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Would you say your life from ages 18-21 were
ANYTHING like your life from age 28-35? Probably not, right? I started college
when I was 17 years old and graduated at 21 years old. I was engaged to be married
at 22 ½ and married at 24. Not a huge length of time between 17 and 24, right?
But you can just imagine how different my life was while in college than what
is was like by the time I was engaged and planning a wedding.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">So I think there is a place in the book world for “New
Adult.” People are making jokes that if we allow New Adult that soon we’ll have
Middle Aged and Senior Citizen, blah blah blah. I get that argument, but I
think it’s farfetched personally, but you could disagree.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">But back to classifying your work. So, when I was
deciding what Earth: Book One in the Elemental Series was it came down to this:
Young Adult Urban Fantasy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">So do your research and don’t make it so hard on
yourself. Your book has a home somewhere, not somewheres.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Shauna Grangerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17741241448253259318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1409845218887537222.post-76105646476951539272013-05-27T08:39:00.003-07:002013-05-27T10:04:24.602-07:00People forget what today is really about. - Memorial Day<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Of course it is a wonderful day to hug a
veteran, shake their hand and thank them for their service, but Memorial Day
isn’t for the veterans, it’s for the fallen.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">People get caught up in the parties, bbqs
and parades, not remembering that people died in service to their country in
order for us to have these celebrations. A lot of people just remember that they
get today off of work, but don’t really think about why.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Ywx0geXD0vpazqbwEQDMRBfmgdB8yEPHGEbLgtgVVh5G2C3RlDBx0RZ20MJql5MEGj4U7koVawouy37zbjgcW-zd_oEoLncw86uewZq0fcEaofruPY7WLfQHxhwfoAIi0gM33N0OtyE/s1600/3281824873_ed51e1993f_m.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Ywx0geXD0vpazqbwEQDMRBfmgdB8yEPHGEbLgtgVVh5G2C3RlDBx0RZ20MJql5MEGj4U7koVawouy37zbjgcW-zd_oEoLncw86uewZq0fcEaofruPY7WLfQHxhwfoAIi0gM33N0OtyE/s200/3281824873_ed51e1993f_m.jpg" width="159" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Carl "Booty" Southard</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I remember what today is about because
my mother served in the Navy, so did her brother and they are both home and
safe. I remember what today is because my husband served in the Marines, and he
is home and safe. His brother served in the Army, and his father the Navy, and
his uncles served in the Marines, so many lives and all of them home and safe. I remember what today means because so many of our friends have served in all branches of the military, but most in the Marines, Army and Air Force.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Sadly, four years ago we lost one of my
husband’s uncles to pancreatic cancer. During his time in the Marines he was
sent to Vietnam, where he was exposed to Agent Orange. Because of that, so many
decades later, he lost his life. Carl “Booty” Southard was a good man and a
proud Marine, and he is not forgotten.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Years ago I stood at the tomb of the
Unknown Solider and watched military personnel honor the fallen and the lost. It
is that memory that I <o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">hold with me every Memorial Day.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6-6VRLUXVaKeUdhlobFRXpinliUuPNwteY3vVryaW1A_a3B5NMNp-cs2Kn28ACi8TP5FfC2IUHF6-63JenrQk4CQTvGpauEWPJhFXldViU_k4ZimxJl-Yu0t00hTNf55vmNcyHrrZbBU/s1600/100_0679.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6-6VRLUXVaKeUdhlobFRXpinliUuPNwteY3vVryaW1A_a3B5NMNp-cs2Kn28ACi8TP5FfC2IUHF6-63JenrQk4CQTvGpauEWPJhFXldViU_k4ZimxJl-Yu0t00hTNf55vmNcyHrrZbBU/s320/100_0679.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tomb of the Unknown Solider, Paris France</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">So no, today is not for veterans, but it
is still a good day to hug one, because we are grateful that we can hug them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Shauna Grangerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17741241448253259318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1409845218887537222.post-28971330805037871162013-05-24T00:01:00.000-07:002013-05-24T00:01:01.983-07:00What I’ve been up to May 24, 2013 edition<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">My my my, I have been a
bad blogger. It has nearly been a whole month since I last posted anything –
right before Spirit went live. I’m going to try to make up for that in the
coming weeks.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">So what have I been
doing? Surprisingly enough, I’ve been writing. I know, right?! Crazy!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">I’ve shared with you
all in the past that I already started on the next few projects that I was
planning after the conclusion of the Elemental Series. The first book in a new
Urban Fantasy series (Adult this time around, not Young Adult), was finished in
early February and I’ve been submitting to agents. I’m super superstitious so I’m
not going to talk about that anymore, but I did start on the sequel to that
book and finished it on Tuesday.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">I’m not wholly happy
with it and I know it needs work, but that’s what the editing stage is for. Anyone
who has asked me how to get through writing a whole book has heard me say, “Just
write the damn thing. No matter how crappy it is, just get the first draft
done.” Because you can’t fix what hasn’t been written. So I’m okay with not
being wholly happy with it. I will fix it in editing and after my betas rip it
apart.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">But before I wrote that
sequel I wrote a whole different book, a post-apocalyptic book. This was
totally outside my wheelhouse, but I wanted to see if I could do it. Again, not
wholly happy with it. And really, I thought it was just going to sit in my hard
drive and never see the light of day, but I’ve been thinking about it lately
and I might print it off and take my red pen to it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The
Dystopian/Post-apocalyptic market is pretty well saturated right now and most
agents are feeling a little overwhelmed with this genre, so I think, if I can make
it shiny and awesome, I might self-publish this one. So you might see something
new from me sooner rather than later. I am debating putting it out as a whole
novel or serializing it (offering it in episodes). We’ll see how I feel about
it after I edit it and give it to some betas and get some feedback on it. This
one is New Adult (the main characters are 18-20) and focuses on a romantic
relationship. So again, slightly different than what I’ve written before. If I jive
on it and decide it is worth putting out there, it would be a trilogy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">And between that novel
and the one I finished on Tuesday, I wrote a novella. So since January 1<sup>st</sup>,
I’ve written a whopping total of 247,660 words. Yep, almost a quarter million
words. Needless to say, I’m feeling a wee bit burnt out. I have officially
given myself permission to take a little time off between projects to recharge
my batteries.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">At the first of the
year I made a few writing resolutions. This was the list:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">3-4 novels<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">3 novellas<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">1 short story<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">So I’ve completed 3
novels, 1 novella and 0 short stories and it’s only May. That seems pretty
incredible to me. But I might’ve set the bar too high, or tried too hard to
reach it too fast. I need a break.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">It’s incredibly
difficult for me to go any length of time and not write. I feel lost and like I’m
wandering in fog. But I need to take some time off, if I don’t my writing will
suffer for it. I wish my hubs and I could go somewhere for a real vacation because
that would really help, but it’s not in the cards right now. Luckily it’s sunny
and warm in my part of the state so I’ll read and relax and drink in the sun
and when my head is in the right space, I’ll start editing some of this
finished work. I really hope to have news of new work for you guys to read
soon.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Shauna Grangerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17741241448253259318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1409845218887537222.post-64105646453598591402013-04-29T11:41:00.000-07:002013-04-29T11:41:52.899-07:00Spirit Goes Live Soon and I'm Not Writing <br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
I haven’t written a word today on my new work in progress.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Tonight I hit “publish” on the final installment of my Young
Adult Paranormal series: The Elemental Series. Spirit will be live and the
series will be finished. I’ve talked about the possibility of a spin off series
in the near future, but I haven’t started on it yet because both, I and my
characters, needed a break from that world.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Shay and I went on a five year adventure together. We’ve
fought, cried and bled together and came out the other side whole and new. But now
we needed some rest.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So I started a new series with a new world and new
characters. I’ve completed the first book and am working on the second, but I
haven’t written anything today. I’m not sure that I can. Shay was the first voice
in my head that stuck around long enough for me to tell her whole story and
because we’re celebrating the end of the series, the anniversary of the start
of the series and mourning the close, I just can’t seem to hear my other
characters’ voices today. I’m sure tomorrow they’ll come roaring back to me,
wondering why I took a couple of days off while they were on the cusp of a
bloody battle, but not today.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’m in a weird kind of fugue today. I expected to be excited
to release this book, just a bundle of nerves, terrified to hear what everyone
thinks, but I’m not. I thought I might dread hitting publish today, but I don’t.
I’m almost not even present. Maybe I’m afraid of how upset I’ll be when it hits
me that The Elemental Series is over? I don’t know.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I do know that I’ve heard a lot of love from my readers who
cannot wait for me to hit publish. And that is incredible. I remember when I first
put out Earth almost exactly two years ago to this minute, and how each little
sale made me jump for joy, and now I’ll have five novels out and Earth almost has
100 reviews on Amazon alone and readers are reaching out to me. It’s a little
strange, wonderful, but strange. It certainly hasn’t felt like two years. Not
even close.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I hope you guys like the book. I hope I ended the series
well. I hope you’ll feel satisfied. I hope you’ll keep reading the new things I
have planned. I hope Shay decides to start speaking to me again, soon. I hope
for a lot of things.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I hope.<o:p></o:p></div>
Shauna Grangerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17741241448253259318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1409845218887537222.post-70463520000731719532013-04-12T17:00:00.000-07:002013-04-12T17:00:04.547-07:00Characters, role models or pure fantasy?This week I'm over at the Spellbound Scribes' blog talking about characters and whether or not they should be role models for readers. Check it out!<br />
<br />
<a href="http://spellboundscribes.wordpress.com/2013/04/09/characters-role-models-or-pure-fantasy/" target="_blank">Characters, role models or pure fantasy?</a>Shauna Grangerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17741241448253259318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1409845218887537222.post-50137198496846689022013-03-25T00:30:00.000-07:002013-03-25T07:45:06.677-07:00Cover Reveal: Secret for a Song by Adriana RyanToday I am very please to participate in the cover reveal for my friend, Adriana Ryan. A brand new New Adult book that sounds heartbreaking and beautiful, just like her cover!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF1h0NC7Z4payg59OUpAxvLnMx59LXE3xCBg8ZIvgeXzJbJPVRWL4CG9kkPYvh_LRCfcfZRKVXpwsFdWX8O3hIE8ZYoWD2bfPVSdcJblTQUF7fZzm5LGJ1wGYzvSQWieoPhSNR2dlrcQI/s1600/SecretForASong_Small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF1h0NC7Z4payg59OUpAxvLnMx59LXE3xCBg8ZIvgeXzJbJPVRWL4CG9kkPYvh_LRCfcfZRKVXpwsFdWX8O3hIE8ZYoWD2bfPVSdcJblTQUF7fZzm5LGJ1wGYzvSQWieoPhSNR2dlrcQI/s320/SecretForASong_Small.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
Saylor Grayson makes herself sick. Literally.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
She ate her first needle when she was seven. Now, at nineteen, she’s been kicked out of college for poisoning herself with laxatives. The shrinks call it Munchausen Syndrome. All Saylor knows is that when she’s ill, her normally distant mother pays attention and the doctors and nurses make her feel special.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.7; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Then she meets Drew Dean, the leader of a local support group for those with terminal diseases. When he mistakes her for a new member, Saylor knows she should correct him. But she can’t bring herself to, not after she’s welcomed into a new circle of friends. Friends who, like Drew, all have illnesses ready to claim their independence or their lives </span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px;">For the first time, Saylor finds out what it feels like to be in love, to have friends who genuinely care about her. But</span></span> <span style="font-family: georgia, serif;">secrets</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px;"> have a way of revealing themselves. What will happen when Saylor’s is out?</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpAQJiCP6NdQPIOv2z90OQzLSadwKQxmvfERyfI8DlKQZ1EbBC0yZH_zj8s2CGCBRa5ab4EUrP0dO-H3uw4pMD7GHkolhFtuIvWSilfVBHIo_BgVLZ3OzIdUz-UApLsPQdLeFudy0h36c/s1600/316535_244785938903925_1542585529_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpAQJiCP6NdQPIOv2z90OQzLSadwKQxmvfERyfI8DlKQZ1EbBC0yZH_zj8s2CGCBRa5ab4EUrP0dO-H3uw4pMD7GHkolhFtuIvWSilfVBHIo_BgVLZ3OzIdUz-UApLsPQdLeFudy0h36c/s320/316535_244785938903925_1542585529_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 23px;">Adriana Ryan: </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 23px;">A huge fan of spooky stuff and shoes, Adriana Ryan enjoys alternately hitting up the outlet malls and historic graveyards in Charleston, SC where she lives and imbibes coffee. Her husband and two small children seem not to mind when she hastily scribbles novel lines on stray limbs in the absence of notepads.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 23px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 23px;">How to stalk Adriana:</span></div>
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</div>
<div style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-size: 16px; line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Website: <a href="http://www.adrianaryan.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.adrianaryan.com</a></span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-size: 16px; line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Facebook: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/AuthorAdrianaRyan" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.facebook.com/AuthorAdrianaRyan</a></span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-size: 16px; line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Twitter: <a href="http://www.twitter.com/adrianaryansc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.twitter.com/adrianaryansc</a></span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-size: 16px; line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Goodreads: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/adrianaryan" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.goodreads.com/adrianaryan</a></span></div>
<br />Shauna Grangerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17741241448253259318noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1409845218887537222.post-17992253149617498172013-03-07T00:02:00.000-08:002013-03-07T00:12:21.889-08:00Spirit Giveaway - Open to International!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8sBS9tZj91wF_NTDBmCuBlApyCCxKwhbyZ4eEpsBUgpyrFXz7wpnG9LP9aeUfqzGYGI0eetX28zOuRaGobXvjGcJqNO0-xjp7lrnCvRLiY5svrBMKos4geS21-8KtMoP35o_T80UJmlA/s1600/SPIRIT-large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8sBS9tZj91wF_NTDBmCuBlApyCCxKwhbyZ4eEpsBUgpyrFXz7wpnG9LP9aeUfqzGYGI0eetX28zOuRaGobXvjGcJqNO0-xjp7lrnCvRLiY5svrBMKos4geS21-8KtMoP35o_T80UJmlA/s320/SPIRIT-large.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
As you all know, I love to give things away! Today I am offering you a chance to win one of five signed copies of a paperback copy of Spirit: Book Five in the Elemental Series. And the awesome news? You will get it a whole month before it is available for purchase!<br />
<br />
So how do you win? There are ten chances to win! Once you accomplish any of the following entry options, just click the appropriate button on the Rafflecopter widget below. But no cheating! I will be moderating all entries and if I find that you did not properly complete the task you claim to have done, that entry will be deleted. You have been warned.<br />
<br />
Please note: you can do any or all of these tasks, the more you do, the more chances you have to win a copy!<br />
<br />
The contest will run until 3/29/13 11:59pm. Winners will be selected on 3/30/13 and prizes will be mailed as soon as I have the winners' addresses, so watch your email! Winners will be announced here on the blog and on Facebook!<br />
<br />
Option One: Creative Entry (worth three entries)<br />
This is the most subjective option. Do anything you think is creative and show it off! I don't care what it is (so long as it isn't creepy of course - and yes, I am the final say on what is considered creepy). You can draw something, paint something, sing something and film it, take a cool picture of something, whatever! Just do something artistic or creative, post it online and provide a link to it on my Facebook page. If your creative project relates to the Elemental Series, all the better!<br />
<br />
Option Two: Follow me on Twitter<br />
If you are on Twitter, find me at <a href="https://twitter.com/dyingechoes" target="_blank">@dyingechoes</a> and follow me. Boom, that easy.<br />
<br />
Option Three: Like my page on Facebook<br />
If you are on Facebook, find me at <a href="http://www.facebook.com/AuthorShaunaGranger" target="_blank">http://www.facebook.com/AuthorShaunaGranger </a>and like the page! (If you already like my Facebook page then you automatically qualify for this entry! Go click!)<br />
<br />
Option Four: Follow me on Tumblr!<br />
Pretty straight forward. Find me here and follow: <a href="http://shaunagranger.tumblr.com/">http://shaunagranger.tumblr.com/</a><br />
<br />
Option Five: Review Earth<br />
Just post an honest review (I'm serious, just be honest) on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Earth-Elemental-Series-ebook/dp/B004YTPBX4/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1362643848&sr=8-7&keywords=shauna+granger" target="_blank">Amazon </a>and post a link on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/AuthorShaunaGranger" target="_blank">Facebook </a>so I can verify it (if you already have a review posted, just provide the link and you qualify for this entry so go click it!).<br />
<br />
Option Six: Review Air<br />
Just post an honest review on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Air-Elemental-Series-ebook/dp/B006181DE2/ref=pd_sim_kstore_1" target="_blank">Amazon </a>and post a link on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/AuthorShaunaGranger" target="_blank">Facebook </a>so I can verify it (if you already have a review posted, just provide the link and you qualify for this entry so go click it!).<br />
<br />
Option Seven: Review Water<br />
Just post an honest review on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Water-Elemental-Series-ebook/dp/B008CK6QEE/ref=pd_sim_kstore_1" target="_blank">Amazon </a>and post a link on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/AuthorShaunaGranger" target="_blank">Facebook </a>so I can verify it (if you already have a review posted, just provide the link and you qualify for this entry so go click it!).<br />
<br />
Option Eight Review Fire<br />
Just post an honest review on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Fire-Elemental-Series-ebook/dp/B00APTQUAU/ref=pd_sim_kstore_1" target="_blank">Amazon</a> and post a link on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/AuthorShaunaGranger" target="_blank">Facebook </a>so I can verify it (if you already have a review posted, just provide the link and you qualify for this entry so go click it!).<br />
<br />
Good luck everyone!<br />
<br />
<br />
<a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/f0e21a4/" id="rc-f0e21a4" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a><br />
<script src="//d12vno17mo87cx.cloudfront.net/embed/rafl/cptr.js"></script>Shauna Grangerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17741241448253259318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1409845218887537222.post-70639734839498169222013-02-28T09:53:00.001-08:002013-02-28T09:55:11.401-08:00Post Writing Malaise – Or What Happens When You Finish a BookAs a full time writer, I write every day. I treat this like
the job it is and only take off on the weekends and sometimes, not even then.
When I had a day job I only asked myself to write 1,000 words each day, but now I expect 3,000+ each day. So when I finish a book I’m always at a loss.<br />
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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I had a moment of pure, crystalline clear joy that it is
finally done. Yesterday, when I finished the first draft of the Dystopian book
I’ve been writing, I jumped up, ran out into the front of the house and just
screamed. This book has been especially difficult for me since none of the
characters could perform magic. And there were days that I never thought I
would finish. There were days where I questioned why I ever wanted to write a
book outside of my wheelhouse – after all I write Paranormal fiction, why would
I risk hurting my brand by straying from it? There were days where I told
myself, just put in zombies, or make someone a firestarter, or something, just
add some magic and it’ll be easier. But I managed to keep with the plan and
left out the magic and supernatural creatures. And, in doing so, I had a brilliant idea that will lead into the second book.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ1nrhhJuD2IJsp1FvLEY9o5HZkON6lB4NKpbJJuH157XyYMLlfv9kZ7S11xqSzcsGu5NA9Dc6wMVbEMs-sj1whY3Bgpdz3dj6BoHiMAdxTcN0jcXwL-NmlYO84vvKqXNriPzNjU0hXZo/s1600/photo+4+(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ1nrhhJuD2IJsp1FvLEY9o5HZkON6lB4NKpbJJuH157XyYMLlfv9kZ7S11xqSzcsGu5NA9Dc6wMVbEMs-sj1whY3Bgpdz3dj6BoHiMAdxTcN0jcXwL-NmlYO84vvKqXNriPzNjU0hXZo/s200/photo+4+(2).JPG" width="200" /></a>And yesterday I wrote for five straight hours, hearing the
last words of the main character echo in my head, waiting for me to catch up in
the story to type them, and I finished the damn thing.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Then I ran out and screamed. I jumped up and down and
screamed some more.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Then I ran back to my office and quickly backed up the
document in three different locations. Remember to back up your work people!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Then I went in search for food because the whole day all I
had consumed was coffee and protein shakes, not wanting to waste time preparing
food or eating it. But after I ate I sat down and just stared. I didn’t know
what to do with myself.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Wasn’t I supposed to be doing something?<o:p></o:p></div>
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Right, I’m supposed to be writing. But I finished.<o:p></o:p></div>
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So what do I do now?</div>
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Relax.<o:p></o:p></div>
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How?<o:p></o:p></div>
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Watch some TV.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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But I’m supposed to be writing.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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But you finished the manuscript. Now you need to take a
breath and regroup.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Regroup for what?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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For the next project.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The next project! Yes! I’ll start that!<o:p></o:p></div>
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No, the next project is editing and you’re too tired to do
that right now. You’ll take a long weekend, decompress, get the
end-of-the-world story out of your head and print off the Paranormal book on
Monday.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Monday?<o:p></o:p></div>
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Yes, Monday – that is when you’ll start editing.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Editing?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Yes, that’s the next project!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVEMobSSwPlbBHb0lJzuOQbYl20jKBLwrOshr3LlcNAlGCzWExx4lc7RPixZnue9IriQU3PsIzeDzHHwXfg-Lh6gNY1_hn7EACZyStWrT7sXtZ5XH9Kbw24-2xSOGi7vSB2r5hc4mPA4c/s1600/photo+2.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="139" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVEMobSSwPlbBHb0lJzuOQbYl20jKBLwrOshr3LlcNAlGCzWExx4lc7RPixZnue9IriQU3PsIzeDzHHwXfg-Lh6gNY1_hn7EACZyStWrT7sXtZ5XH9Kbw24-2xSOGi7vSB2r5hc4mPA4c/s200/photo+2.PNG" width="200" /></a></div>
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That’s not writing! I’m supposed to be writing! See! Even Neil Gaiman says I should!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Editing is writing, it’s re-writing, much more important in
the process.<o:p></o:p></div>
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So what do I do now?<o:p></o:p></div>
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Sit. Relax.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Oh.<o:p></o:p></div>
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That is the inner monologue that goes through my mind when I
finish a book. I used to try to plan little trips when I finished a book,
giving myself a deadline to meet so that when I finished that last sentence I
knew the next day I would be out of the office and didn’t have to think about “what now?” But I didn’t do that for the last book or even this one. I finished
a the first book in a new series in January and then the next week I started
writing the Dystopian book, again the first in a new series. And again I have
nothing planned to get me away from the computer. </div>
<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVlhTAYf5cKrUtLCuV0R4q5MQxeBEDiGvHWkOAcbHM0vyiD2NK1JViEcH-9o0MQevsTCVhklD7mCFoWlPXYI9hR1lLOAC0cNRlW_y0aBJUrZypYu76XCXUFKEp-izBOTe4Tjv7bPq9e00/s1600/photo+1+(4).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVlhTAYf5cKrUtLCuV0R4q5MQxeBEDiGvHWkOAcbHM0vyiD2NK1JViEcH-9o0MQevsTCVhklD7mCFoWlPXYI9hR1lLOAC0cNRlW_y0aBJUrZypYu76XCXUFKEp-izBOTe4Tjv7bPq9e00/s200/photo+1+(4).JPG" width="200" /></a>One of the things I always tell my writer friends is to make
sure you do something nice for yourself to celebrate the victories, big and
little. Even if the celebrations is as small as treating yourself to your
favorite cup of coffee, an hour on the couch and your favorite show. I did this
after the first week I managed to write 20,000 words in five days. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP6ILiR6WHZApyinhhsBvMk_p8JkEvT_-EXTZnaPw6GJAiNKGGlCAIrLUyE7DfWb4ZMAyfowC1ln_627s3OyZRsRoTmN9KnhNPGmwAX3BWnkygVv37oJz3S3IzVHhxRtqCKhf3P-Bu3Is/s1600/photo+(15).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP6ILiR6WHZApyinhhsBvMk_p8JkEvT_-EXTZnaPw6GJAiNKGGlCAIrLUyE7DfWb4ZMAyfowC1ln_627s3OyZRsRoTmN9KnhNPGmwAX3BWnkygVv37oJz3S3IzVHhxRtqCKhf3P-Bu3Is/s200/photo+(15).JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Maybe buy
yourself a small present. I bought myself some sparkly pink slippers after I
finished writing that Paranormal book in January.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Now I’ve added up the numbers and I’ve found that I have
written over 155,000 words in two months. So I have to do SOMETHING for myself.
I think my husband and I will pile into the car this weekend and we’ll take a
drive down the coast, get some seafood, watch the waves and the sunset over the
ocean. I’m going to buy some lilies and plant them in the front yard. And I’m
going to read for pleasure. It’s not much but it is more than I’ve been able to
do for myself in the last two months.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWA0gQhrYg7x5H-50bPbgzZY3UwfQ-HEIKIwC7DphczrhYKZ6gINoSGnKgk-TEsRCuE5xBQv3QiwhBYFIFj7-LFujiU0LZwEBpe0rwouKkVskzeg-N5eb7VzG55IG7W7ZFe6T3NXXK9cI/s1600/photo+3+(3).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWA0gQhrYg7x5H-50bPbgzZY3UwfQ-HEIKIwC7DphczrhYKZ6gINoSGnKgk-TEsRCuE5xBQv3QiwhBYFIFj7-LFujiU0LZwEBpe0rwouKkVskzeg-N5eb7VzG55IG7W7ZFe6T3NXXK9cI/s320/photo+3+(3).JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When you are your own boss you have to remember to treat
your employees well or they’ll quit on you. So I’m giving myself a few, hard
earned days off.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Do something nice for yourself, I’m sure you deserve it.<o:p></o:p></div>
Shauna Grangerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17741241448253259318noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1409845218887537222.post-12512859943524613382013-02-13T00:01:00.000-08:002013-02-13T00:01:00.426-08:00Reader Questions Part 6How do you get into “the zone” to write? Have you ever had to deal with writer’s block? How do you get around it?<br />
<br />
Seems appropriate to answer all of these questions in one post. You would be amazed how often I get these questions. Seriously. All the time. Even from other writers.<br />
<br />
First, let me dispel this concept of “the zone.” There is no such thing. Sure, there are things that you like to do to make it more enjoyable, things that get you into the right mood, maybe, but other than that? Nope.<br />
<br />
If you want to be a writer the plain and simple truth is you have to write. People have so many excuses why they don’t have time to write or why they couldn’t yesterday or how tired they are today. Blah blah blah. <br />
<br />
I write fulltime now; this is my job. But before I had “all the time in the world” I wrote while having a day job. I’m not a morning person so I didn’t write before work. I like spending time with my husband so I didn’t write after work. I wrote during work. Oh yeah, that’s right. How did I manage it? Easy, you are given breaks at work so I took that time to write. For every four hours you get a 15 min break and if you work eight hours a day you get a lunch break. So, every day I wrote through my breaks. Sometimes I would save up my two breaks and lump them onto my lunch break to give myself that extra time, sometimes I didn’t. <br />
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I set myself a word count, back then the minimum amount of words I would demand of myself per day was 1,000. Now that I write full time I aim for 2,500. I know, doesn’t seem like enough, but writing full time and being self-published means I have a lot of other things I have to do that take up time. Like writing this blog. But recently I’ve managed to write 3,500 or more a day. I don’t like to get more than 5,500 words in one day though because it does wear you down.<br />
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I do enjoy writing to music and I do like noise to drown out the neighborhood, the dogs and even my husband. And I like to have something to drink with me. But other than that, everything else is just procrastinating. And sometimes I don’t have music to write to, or something to drink, but I still write. Hell, I wrote two chapters one day when I was waiting to be called for Jury Duty. Talk about less than ideal.<br />
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But if you want to write, you have to write. Consistently. This is not a hobby for me. Is it a hobby for you?<br />
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Writer’s block. I think this is a myth. I think there are days where you don’t feel like writing. I think there are days where you’ve written so much for so many days in a row that you need a break. I think there are times where you’ve written yourself into a corner and can’t figure out how to get out of it. I think you can drop a plot point and mess up the entire roadmap of your story and feel stuck. But there is no such thing as writer’s block.<br />
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Sure, there are days where you’ll just stare at the computer, the cursor blinking at you and hours will pass before you start typing, but eventually you do start typing.<br />
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On days where I’m having trouble with one scene and I just can’t get into it, I’ll open a blank document and start writing a scene I know is coming so that I can work the kinks out of my brain. While I’m working on that suddenly I’ll realize where I went wrong or where I have to go in that other scene and I’ll pick up where I left off. Because I have to. <br />
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For much of The Elemental Series I was a panster, that is to say, I wrote by the seat of my pants, with no outline or idea of where it was going to go. This gave me a sense of urgency to tell the story before I lost it. I always knew what the last scene or great battle was going to be, but I went on the journey to that point much like you, the reader, did – having no idea what was going to happen or what characters were going to walk on stage.<br />
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It wasn’t until I was writing Fire that I found I needed to start loosely plotting and outlining. For this new book, I have a full outline. I’m not following it closely, things have changed as I went along, but when I have gotten stuck, I can look back at that outline and remember things I wanted to include. You have to figure out what kind of writer you are and remember every book is going to be different. <br />
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But writer’s block is just another excuse not to write. Remember that. If you want to call yourself a writer then you have to write. Simple as that.<br />
Shauna Grangerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17741241448253259318noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1409845218887537222.post-55787184066352935952013-02-07T00:01:00.000-08:002013-02-07T00:01:01.419-08:00Reader Questions Part 5How do you go into so much detail in fight/magic/love scenes? <br />
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I was a creative writing major in college. I went into college thinking I knew how to write, boy was I wrong.<br />
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Obviously I took a lot of writing courses, creative writing, children’s literature, exposition writing and on and on. But the course that really helped shape my skills was my Creative Writing: Poetry class. I was lucky enough to be taught by Dr. Jack T. Ledbetter, an award winning poet and playwright. <br />
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He was the first person to tell me what a horrid writer I was. He didn’t say it so bluntly, but he opened my eyes. JT liked to tell us about the year a student wrote a poem about staring out his window at the moon. But he didn’t say that, he call the moon, “Yon sailing orb!” Yep. That happened. So, whenever we got too ridiculous or flowery in our poems JT would write in bright red “YSO!” on your paper, across your poem so you knew you’d gone off the descriptive cliff.<br />
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JT told us about the French writers of the early Nineteen Century who would write these “masterpieces” that no one actually understood. They thought, “Wonderful! This is Art! The average man shouldn’t understand what we’re saying!” That was the kind of writer I was when I started college. Thank goodness I signed up for Dr. Ledbetter’s class.<br />
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Now I know how to write clearly. I can still paint a picture with prose (say that three times fast!) but you, as the reader, still understand just what the hell I’m trying to say.<br />
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I’m also lucky enough to have a husband who is a self-defense instructor who has been training in various martial arts for nearly 30 years. So when I need to figure out a fight scene, I turn to him and he teaches me how to hurt someone and then let’s me practice on him. Now that’s love.<br />
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In my last post I’ve already told you how much research I’ve done on magic and Wicca, so I just remember what JT taught me about being clear and direct so you see what I see in my mind when I write.<br />
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As for the love scenes… well… this is a family friendly page for the most part. Let’s just say I’ve gone through my fair share of poisonous apples until my prince charming came along and broke the spell. I think knowing love helps you write it. <br />
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But even with all of that education it still takes practice. I think Air was a better book than Earth, and Water was better than Air and so on. You have to hone your craft and like any skill, if you don’t practice, your writing can get rusty. I’m a better writer today than I was a year ago because I just keep at it and I listen to constructive criticism and have learned to edit my own writing. <br />
Shauna Grangerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17741241448253259318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1409845218887537222.post-59979967070039632212013-01-31T00:01:00.000-08:002013-01-31T00:01:01.403-08:00Reader Questions Part 4What research have you done to be able to write the magic and Wiccan practices so well?<br />
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I have done so much research there is no measuring stick I could use to tell you. I was very lucky to have parents that encouraged me to do my own research into the various religions and faiths and make my choice about what path I would follow. Because of that I learned a lot about Wicca and the various faiths that still believe in magic.<br />
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I started reading books on different religions when I was twelve years old. For the next ten years I would take the time to learn about as many religions as possible. I studied Wicca (other various nature based faiths), Christianity (lost count of how many types), Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, a few Native American faiths, many, many European pagan concepts. You would be surprised how many focus on the idea of living in balance and harmony with the world and your fellow man. Or maybe you wouldn’t, what do I know?<br />
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When I was a young teenager I had my cliché periods, which included my Goth phase, my grunge phase and the ideals of anarchy and rebelling against the accepted norm. During that time I spent many hours on the floor of my local metaphysical shop in the book section with dozens of books spread around me reading about magic and witchcraft. I’m really glad I did that because so many of the books reinforced the idea in me that I just needed to be a balanced person that tried to live in harmony with the world around me and appreciate the earth and what it does for us.<br />
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It was those hours, in that store, that gave me my greatest education to help me write realistic magic, spell castings and the character of Deb and her coven in this series. Read, read, read. <br />
Shauna Grangerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17741241448253259318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1409845218887537222.post-34174558887387322822013-01-24T00:01:00.000-08:002013-01-24T00:01:00.076-08:00Reader Questions Part 3What did you draw from to write Steven’s struggles with his faith and abilities?<br />
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Poor, poor, long suffering Steven. I love Steven; he’s my favorite character out of the entire cast in The Elemental Series. And I’m so happy so many other people love him as much as I do. One of the things I love about Steven is what a bright light he is in the face of so much darkness. Steven definitely has his issues and demons but he wants to be happy, unlike so many other people who enjoy their pain and anger, Steven just wants to be happy.<br />
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Steven’s struggles with his faith is an amalgamation of a lot of people I knew growing up. I was always really surprised how many Catholics, or Christians in general really, forgot how much mysticism was incorporated in their faith. I’m not going to get into the whole debate about how many pagan practices are incorporated in the various Christian faiths, that’s for another day, but there is magic in those faiths. Unfortunately people tend to think religion and the belief in magic cannot coexist in the same person. Steven’s parents are a couple of these people. This is something Steven struggles with.<br />
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For Steven, he has parents that don’t believe in magic and who also struggle with him being gay. Everything that Steven is goes against what they believe. This is the root of Steven’s struggles. I think if Steven’s parents had been secular Catholics or encouraged their children’s imaginations or were okay with the concept of magic, Steven would have had an easier time balancing his Elemental nature and belief in magic with his Catholic upbringing.<br />
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No matter how messed up parents make their kids, a lot of people always want to please their parents. Some will always want their parents’ approval no matter how old they are. Those people never want to disappoint their parents. Steven is one of these people. I understand that behavior so I understand Steven’s struggle.<br />
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I hope Steven serves as a character that reminds people it is okay to be who you are, even if it isn’t who your parents wanted you to be. And to remember to be happy.<br />
Shauna Grangerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17741241448253259318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1409845218887537222.post-42337326212039784222013-01-17T00:01:00.000-08:002013-01-17T00:01:00.190-08:00Reader Questions Part 2Do you plan to write more in the series? What about other books?<br />
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I can’t imagine not writing at any point in my life. I love writing; it’s what I was meant to do. Last week I wrote over 21,000 words and told myself I was going to take the weekend off to recuperate. Reasonable, right? Yeah, by Saturday evening I felt so guilty for not writing all day and Sunday was a huge struggle. I’m a writer because I have to write. I also have the same problem a lot of other writers have, in that, while I’m working on one project ideas for others blossom in my mind, demanding attention. So yes, there will be many other books in my future, I hope you’ll stick with me on these new adventures.<br />
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Right now my editor has Spirit in her hot little hands and is ripping it apart as we speak (read). So, while I’m waiting for her edits I am working on a whole new story, totally separate from the Elemental world. I don’t have a title yet, but it is my first NaNoWriMo novel, though it is definitely longer than 50,000 words so I did not finish it in November. This particular book is actually an Adult book – I needed a break from the Young Adult world. It is still Fantasy though because I love working with fantastical creatures and magic and awesomeness. I haven’t yet decided if this will be self-published like the Elemental Series was or if I will attempt to send it down the traditional route. We’ll see when it’s done.<br />
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As for The Elemental Series, will I ever write more in that world? I had always, always planned on this series being a five book series. As soon as the idea to write about the elements coalesced in my mind, I knew it would be five installments, though I had no idea the story would take the turn it did. Now that Shay’s true self has been revealed, I suppose the old adage, “never say never” is rather appropriate now. I’m not making any promises, mind you, but I will say, Shay has not stopped talking to me. I kind of expected her to, but she’s still in there, in the back of my mind, kicking around.<br />
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But I do think I need a little distance from Shay and her cohorts. They need some time to grow into their new roles and time to heal. In the meantime I’ll finish the story I’m working on and start another. Yep, already have an idea for the next book I want to write. After this adult Fantasy I think I’m going to try my hand at a Dystopian (end of the world) book. The other day, while working through some plot issues on the current work in progress, a new character appeared, fully formed, in my mind and the opening narrative of her story was just suddenly there, waiting for me to snatch out of the air.<br />
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So yeah. I’ll definitely keep writing, no question about that.<br />
Shauna Grangerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17741241448253259318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1409845218887537222.post-3886261828231055092013-01-10T00:01:00.000-08:002013-01-10T00:01:00.315-08:00Reader Questions Part 1 I've been writing so much lately that I put it to my readers to ask me some questions they'd like answered to help me get back into the blogging groove. So for the next few entries I'll be answering questions from my readers.<br />
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When is Spirit coming out?!?! Any plans for a TV series or a movie deal?<br />
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These are two relatively short questions that I think I can answer in one post.<br />
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Spirit is scheduled for release on April 30th in the US and probably May 1st in the UK thanks to the time difference. I released Earth on May 1st 2011 so it seems appropriate that the final installment come out on the anniversary of the birth of the series. I am excited, sad and a little bit scared to release the final book in the series. It has gone by so fast and yet it will have been two years since the first book came out. It’s hard for me to understand how long and short the same amount of time can be.<br />
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As for the question about a movie or TV series, I have to say, thinking about that seems so pretentious! Lol! But I would never turn down the idea of either. Because Young Adult Fantasies are in such high demand right now, it is difficult not to hear talk about this possibility. But as of right now, there is nothing I can share with you. But if I had my druthers I would prefer a movie deal to a TV series. Seems like TV series never end up following the books, like, at all.<br />
Shauna Grangerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17741241448253259318noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1409845218887537222.post-51268929766747385902012-12-10T12:00:00.000-08:002012-12-10T16:10:22.943-08:00Fire Blog Tour!We're at it again! Another blog tour! With Fire releasing in just a week, we're doing another tour with another awesome giveaway! I encourage all of you to follow along for your chance to win.<br />
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Prize includes: a signed paperback copy of your choice of the Elemental Series, a matching bookmark, a $10 Amazon gift card and the beautiful scarf Shay knitted for Deb in Fire for her Solstice present!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaSejujKp1nuHzhyphenhyphen3uuQnt1znymCak_kJ72bGrIUz99STbzrX-CCGVPCUvD2UC_3pNsYQy8HPZdbttE5kUtMsL18hLqmDSTQVctqaVCzpiyJBl7DPZ6bKARHSBWxVgVUI6Uqo4A4jZv9s/s1600/photo+%252812%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaSejujKp1nuHzhyphenhyphen3uuQnt1znymCak_kJ72bGrIUz99STbzrX-CCGVPCUvD2UC_3pNsYQy8HPZdbttE5kUtMsL18hLqmDSTQVctqaVCzpiyJBl7DPZ6bKARHSBWxVgVUI6Uqo4A4jZv9s/s320/photo+%252812%2529.JPG" /></a></div><br />
And of course the $10 Amazon gift card!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz33ETshrhOAnICnWdbfWiM9WN865dn04H8a4DCeEJT6wzX5-pTTnF-Mvbjazui787ZFz70xd-llCC_bfBAXi8bI7wrGDWHjvL9WGG9ul0_trhiStr28RHF42Tkhr_2VYghZzc24JaXoQ/s1600/41XT388pnjL._AA300_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz33ETshrhOAnICnWdbfWiM9WN865dn04H8a4DCeEJT6wzX5-pTTnF-Mvbjazui787ZFz70xd-llCC_bfBAXi8bI7wrGDWHjvL9WGG9ul0_trhiStr28RHF42Tkhr_2VYghZzc24JaXoQ/s320/41XT388pnjL._AA300_.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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Here is a list of the tour schedule:<br />
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Shauna Grangerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17741241448253259318noreply@blogger.com0