Inspiration, or, What’s in a name?

July 22, 20141 Comment

spongebob One of the new blogging buddies I met during April’s Blogging U. course is hosting a Guest Blogger Week over at her place, and today it’s my turn to share! If you’re not familiar with the Avid Reader blog, you should definitely check it out. Lots of neat stuff there. And there will be guest posts all week!

My post is on the inspiration behind my humble blog’s title and tagline. To read more about my inspirations, head on over and check out my post. Then have a look at yesterday’s guest spot and some of the other booky news!

I’m a guest again!

June 11, 2014Leave a comment

Today I’m guest posting over at Don’t Delete Me about writing in general. Stop over and check it out and, while you’re there, have a look at some of J’s other posts. They’re all pretty great. 🙂

Writer’s hardship, a guest post by Alisa Sibrova

June 3, 20143 Comments

Today I’m happy to have Alisa Sibrova here with a post on the hardships faced by writers. She was kind enough to host me at her blog on Sunday, and I’m happy to return the favor. So, without further ado, here’s Alisa!

I am a very bad writer. An honest confession, and I know that. The moment I sit down and pick up the pen (yes, most of my writing I put down in ink on paper) nothing seems right enough to create stories worth reading. Benjamin Franklin once said: “If you would not be forgotten as soon as you are dead, either write something worth reading or do things worth writing”. That’s what I believe moves most of us: endless memory, historical footprints, eternity pressed into the hardcover book. Partly, it is my motive as well, of course, we are social beings and we do things in order to receive feedback and society’s approval. But, that is far from being the main trigger, at least for me.

Imperfection moves me. Understanding that there is always some room for development, realizing that you can always strive for better, creative, smoother writing. But it is also utterly agonizing: no one becomes a great writer in one day, it is a long way filled with troubles and missteps. I have my own writing troubles…

I’m a guest!

June 1, 2014June 1, 2014Leave a comment

Today I’m happy to say that I’m guest posting at my new friend Alisa’s blog! We met during the Blogging 201 challenge WordPress ran in April and became blogging buddies. I love making new friends! 🙂

We thought it would be fun to do a couple of posts about inspiration, and mine is up on her blog today. Alisa blogs about all sorts of fun and crafty things, and I’m excited to be there.

To check out my post and learn what’s inspiring me at the moment, just click here. And stay tuned – coming soon, Alisa will be taking over here for a day!

Urban fantasy v. epic fantasy

May 14, 20145 Comments

Today I’m happy to have fantasy author RJ Blain here with a guest post on why she strayed from epic fantasy into the realm of urban fantasy for her newest novel, Inquisitor, and the differences between the two genres. Inquisitor goes on sale Friday – be sure to stop back for an excerpt from the book, details about the author, and more.

Urban Fantasy vs Epic Fantasy

My first two novels, Storm Without End and The Eye of God, fall under epic and traditional subgenres of fantasy, making them rather different than Inquisitor, my debut urban fantasy. This is something I get comments about fairly frequently, because most fantasy writers pick one or the other, rather than both.

I’ve even had people suggest the only reason I wrote urban fantasy was because it’s a popular genre. Sure, it’s popular—but so is Game of Thrones. That’s epic fantasy, with boobs and blood, but definitely epic fantasy.

For the record, I’m not much of a fan of Game of Thrones. So yes, I am an oddity.

So why write both? The answer is pretty simple: I like both. It’s natural for me to pursue my interests. That’s why I write; I find it engaging, interesting, fun—and best of all, other people seem to like my books.

I write epic fantasy because I have a story to tell. I write traditional fantasy because I have a story to tell. I write urban fantasy because I have a story to tell.

While my reason for writing these three subgenres is the same, how I write them is totally different.

Children of Shadows

March 31, 2014March 31, 201420 Comments

Today I’m proud to host my friend and fellow author, Joleene Naylor, as she tours the blogosphere promoting her latest Amaranthine novel, Children of Shadows. She was kind enough to tell me why she writes about vampires, and some of the challenges she faces in doing so. And stay tuned afterward – there’s a giveaway going on with some pretty awesome prizes.

Holy crap – I didn’t realize I just copied her words almost exactly till I glanced down just now. *sigh* Oh, well – to the guest post! 🙂

Hello! My name is Joleene Naylor, and I’m the author of the Amaranthine vampire series. I’d like thank Kay for hosting me today as I tour the blogosphere promoting my latest release, Children of Shadows.

A question most people ask me is why I write vampires. The truth is, it’s not the only thing I like to write. I’d actually like to do a fantasy series one day. But, right now I don’t have anything interesting to say in that genre. I don’t see any wrongs that need righted, or gaps that need filled, like I did with vampires.

When I started the Amaranthine series in 2005…

Paperback Writer

April 14, 2013April 5, 20132 Comments

To close out a great week of fun, Will has kindly written up a little something about music and fantasy. As it really needs no introduction other than that, I’ll step out of the way and let him have at it. Take it away, Will!

“And I want to be a paperback writer!”

Hands up if you remember that Beatles song? Thought you might. Those of you reading Kay’s blog (as I do, being one of her subscribers) have possibly looked at some of the fantasy work I put out. If you have, you will know that music runs through the books as a solid theme. As the books are loosely based on the adventures of a dwarf rhythm and blues band, that’s inevitable, really. But stop for a moment and think about the link between music and fantasy.

It shouldn’t be a surprise that the two genres enjoy such close links. . .

Easter clean-up

March 31, 2013March 31, 2013Leave a comment

Okay, so I didn’t get this posted yesterday. I did, however, get three others drafted and ready to go for next week (still have some others to put together yet). I know, I know. But it is Easter weekend, and we have company today. Why am I writing this now, then? Because I’m in the backseat of my car on the way to a family gathering that’s two hours from home and I can’t hear the conversation happening in the front seat well enough to take part.

In other news, I’m hanging out with fellow author Mary Fan over at her blog today and talking about writing process. She’s a wonderful host and you should all check out her site. You can find my post here.

So! What are all these mysterious and entertaining posts I’ve been promising? My good friend, Will, is out on tour at the moment, and will be stopping by next week. I’m sprucing up the place in case he brings his friends, the Banned Underground, along with him (which means I’ll be stocking up on pizza and beer and reinforcing anything that might be prone to shattering as a result of feedback). For a full list of tour dates, check out his publisher’s page here.

Also, tomorrow is April Fool’s Day. Since April is National Poetry Month, I think I’ll take it upon myself once again to try writing a poem a day. I’ve done it before and really enjoyed it, so why not? This serves as your warning: Prepare to be inundated with bad poetry. 🙂

And now I think I’ll leave you to it. I hope you all have a very happy Easter!

Killing your darlings

June 29, 2012June 26, 20126 Comments

It’s a bonus post! That’s right, as a special treat from that all-around wonderful author, Lisa McKay, I’ve got another guest post for you! As I’m sure every writer out there can, I totally relate to the pain that comes with the necessity of “killing your darlings.” Sometimes it’s quite easy, but sometimes it really is murder. Today, Lisa shares her thoughts on killing your darlings.

Last week, after a string of awful nights, I decided to write a children’s story. The fun I had writing this little story did not make up for the exhaustion and aggravations of the previous week, but it helped. As I rhymed my way through verses about dogs, roosters, mosquitoes and various other midnight misadventures I even found myself laughing.

My 2nd favorite line was the one about wishing all the roosters would die, but my absolute favorite line of the whole piece came at the end of the stanza about mosquitoes.

Six tips for marketing self-published books

June 26, 20122 Comments

And now, the fabulous guest post by Lisa McKay, author of My Hands Came Away Red and Love at the Speed of Email! Marketing is a tricky beast, whether you’re traditionally published or self-published, and Lisa has knowledge of both realms. To learn more about this wonderful author, you can start by visiting her website at www.lisamckaywriting.com. Don’t forget to pick up a copy of her memoir, Love at the Speed of Email, available here!

Last Wednesday I wrote about the challenge that marketing can be for self-publishing authors. I asked what you would do if you were in charge of marketing my memoir, Love at the Speed of Email, and was flooded with responses.