Brandi's Blog

Aspiring Author Sparking Thoughts

Current Mood: Confused

I am done with TRUE SIGHT, well done with the first draft. Now what to do??? I have a ton of different ideas, maybe you can help narrow it down.

1. Non-fiction Tween Book to help kids and parents communicate about life and all the ups and downs.

2. Non-fiction book for engineers with no personalities.

3. A YA book about a boy, his sister, parents and a NEW TOWN. Scary book with wolf/bears and sacrifices.

4. Sevens Series, books based on the seven deadly sins and how teens survive by the grace of God. YA books that are dark and interesting with a hint of faith and love.

5. A twist on immaculate conception. In my version it’s not the son of God that comes to earth, but GOD’S BEST FRIEND.

           OK – what do you think? I love them all.

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I’ve stumbled onto my new obsession….Book Trailers. I know your asking yourself.. What is that? Well for those of you that have been living under a rock like I have, they are a wonderful way to get across your book visually and musically. I love putting music to a novel, it sets the tone for the reader. Here are a bunch of books on u-tube. Check them out! Some I want to read right away like Hush Hush and others are great trailers but not my taste. Of course you have the trailers that totally suck too. You will have to be the judge. 

Nathan Bransford,agent, had a guest blogger on today that wrote about how easy it was to do his own trailer. Now I have to do it! Oh course I will be spending the next month playing and obsessing. Damn you Nathan.

I would love to hear what you think.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-UsDkZ1Ej5I

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kYv8Vc9tFQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWNGIRTU2u4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_UUVwTaemk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7IpLhITWvs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrZ7IsA79ck

This is a clip by Jakson Pierce – she is hysterical!  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQ_-TOJhXXk

Note to self: Learn how to add an actual youtube video not just the links!

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Last night I sat at my meet-up group. Friends all around, my mother by my side and typed the last sentence and the elusive “The End” to my first novel TRUE SIGHT.

I can not explain the excitement! My hands were shaking, my stomach turned, it was pure elation. Almost automatically the characters in my head stopped yelling and went quiet (I know sounds nuts). The story is out!

My wonderful and amazing husband congratulated me when I got home. He’s been so supportive. Some husbands would be like, “Glad that’s over” or “Now you can get back to life.” etc.. But, not my husband. He simply asked, “What’s next?”. He didn’t expect me to stop, he wasn’t jealous of the time I spend with my novel, he is the most amazing man. I know I have a great husband when I lay in bed thinking about how to be a better wife, not because I’m bad, because he’s that good. Not to mention my two beautiful kids, Bailey and Sylvia. You inspire me to be a  better mom every day!

I want to thank my mother, Bonnie Allen (author and publisher) with LeClere Books. She has been a great inspiration. I must of gotten this talent from her, because she is an amazing writer. She has always supported this dream. I can’t thank her enough.

In addition I want to thank my mother-in-law, Leigh Ann. She has read the entire book and has been a great support. I appreciate everything she does for me and my family.

There are so many friends and family I need to thank, Alex Boles, Jenny Boles, Carissa Conardy, Ron and Melinda Conardy, Tom Schmidt, Mary Beth Schmidt, Katie Schmidt (no relation but BFF), and so many more.

A special thanks to my computer!

So many nights have been spent at the laptop, thank you for not crashing!

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Vamped

Written By, Lucienne Diver

The story begins catching; digging out of your own grave is always interesting. The lighthearted story is about a teenage vampire socialite. She loves, hates, and fears as all teens do. Fighting to keep her fashion sense and save the group of newly vamped teens, she battles stronger, older and sometimes scarier vamps.

 Here what I liked about the book. The main character, Gina Covello, was quick witted and had an air of superiority. She was a great teen drama queen, which could hold her own in a battle. I loved the language and point of view of the book. The writing was an easy read. The author left a lot of loose ends, creating the need for a second book (which i think is called Re-Vamped?).

 Here is what I didn’t like. The story began at her death, that’s fine, but it lost her humanity. Because I, the reader, never saw her as human, it was hard for me to relate on that level (my level). It was strange to me that she automatically loved the boy that turned her, but not because he turned her. It was an awkward transition. I would have liked to see more relationship development between the two of them. Maybe it’s because it’s a teen book, it just seemed too shallow. The story was good, although it happened so fast. Bam, she’s a vamp, bam, she’s in trouble, bam, she saves the day (all in about a week). I like a story that evolves into something. I think it was too unreal for me to be entirely sucked in.

I give Vamped four Bran Stars! It’s a good easy read that will make you laugh and remember your outrageous teenage drama. If you are a teen, you will love it. This would be a great gift for any girl that’s in love with vamps.

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I went to Killer Nashville this past weekend and learned the coolest tool for writing. We were taking a seminar dissecting what makes a good story. What it needs, ups and downs, story lines etc…

The suggestion was to rate each book scene between 1 and 10. One being no tension in the scene and ten being you’re on fire, with a gun to your head, driving off a cliff while disarming a bomb that will end the world. Once you have rated all your scenes/chapters then plot your plot. Graphing it in excel or any other program you fancy. It’s suggested that an interesting book will have an up and down hilly graph gradually raising to the big climax.

All I could say was WOW! I am a visual person and this will work great for me. I can’t wait to do it and see what my book “looks” like. 

This wasn’t the only tidbit I got from the seminar. I will be blogging more later so stay tuned.

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Who do you write like?

 This was a question someone asked and I wondered, who do I write like?  I suppose you would write like the people you like to read.  I love Twilight, so maybe like Stephanie Meyer?  I also like Dan Brown and Nora Roberts.  OK, I know they are all super famous.  Honestly I usually read what people are talking about.  Call me what you will.

 There have been books I picked up and slammed down!  I don’t read books that curse a lot.  It’s distracting to me.  I also don’t care for horror, I have nightmares.  I also can’t stand when the conversation in a book is confusing; I get twisted around and usually give up before I would struggle through it.

 I write simple, straightforward with a lot of detail.  Maybe too much detail?  I’ve been told I write everything I see, think and feel, and I don’t need to.  I should let the reader infer more.  I’m trying to work on that. 

 Who do you write like?

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This is a question many of my fellow would be authors ask me.  Thinking about it, I have no idea.  Pondering the question, I decided to do some Internet research.  I couldn’t find one site that had all the genres listed with definitions.  So for you, I have put together a short list of the most popular.  I know I missed a bunch, sorry. 

 Romance:  To be considered in the romance genre, a novel should adhere to the following criteria: the story must contain a relationship and romantic love between two people and the story must have an emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending

Fantasy:  The genre that uses magic and other supernatural forms as a primary element of plot, theme, and/or setting. Fantasy is generally distinguished from science fiction and horror by the expectation that it steers clear of scientific and macabre themes, respectively, though there is a great deal of overlap between the three (collectively known as speculative fiction).

Science fiction:  Fiction largely based on writing entertainingly and rationally about alternate possibilities in settings that are contrary to known reality.  Examples include future settings, space travel, new technology and time travel.

Horror:  Is a genre of fiction in any medium intended to scare, unsettle, or horrify the audience. Historically, the cause of the “horror” experience has often been the intrusion of a supernatural element into everyday human experience.

Crime:  Is the genre of fiction that deals with crimes, their detection, criminals and their motives. It is usually distinguished from mainstream fiction and other genres such as science fiction or historical fiction, but boundaries can be, and indeed are, blurred. It has several sub-genres, including detective fiction, legal thriller, courtroom drama and hard-boiled fiction.

Thriller:  Thrillers are characterized by fast pacing, frequent action, and resourceful heroes who must thwart the plans of more-powerful and better-equipped villains. A thriller is villain driven plot, whereby he presents obstacles the hero must overcome.

Mystery:  Fiction is a loosely-defined term that is often used as a synonym for detective fiction — in other words a novel or short story in which a detective (either professional or amateur) investigates and solves a crime.

Paranormal:  I couldn’t find a good definition, so this is my attempt.  Genres that focus on events that can not be explain by science.  Vampires and werewolves fall into this category.  In addition, ghosts, UFO’s and “supernatural” events.

Well this helps me a little.  I have a new subject, something I have never heard of before.  If I had to pick, it would be Paranormal Thriller with romance and a religious element I can’t choose just one.  It’s a little bit of all of them.  Maybe one day when you read my book you can tell me what you think.

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Writing a book is much like giving birth.  You nurture it  inside you for months maybe years, developing its essence, naming it, loving it, getting the world ready for it.  At some point when you are ready you deliver it.  All you want is for everyone to love it and think it’s perfect.  Then an editor takes a look at your book, your baby, and marks it up, cuts off pieces, and utterly destroys what you grew, does it hurt? 

 Yeah it hurts.  It can hurt like hell.  Would you like it if someone told you your baby’s ugly?  Although like a doctor, a good editor can keep your baby yours and make just the delivery smoother.  What I need to realize is that an editor is not destroying my creation, but merely molding it into something better.  The cover may look different but the substance will still be me. 

 Like most of you, I want people to read and love my story.  I want to tell the characters life to others.  There is a message in my story that needs to be heard.  So I don’t write for me, I write for you. 

 As the bible says, “go forth and multiple”, this is my progeny I give to the world. 

 You’re welcome world! 

The Proud Mama,

Brandi Schmidt

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