Ruth’s diary is the new novel by Fiona Robyn, called Thaw. She has decided to blog the novel in its entirety over the next few months, so you can read it for free.

Ruth’s first entry is below, and you can continue reading tomorrow here.

These hands are ninety-three years old. They belong to Charlotte Marie Bradley Miller. She was so frail that her grand-daughter had to carry her onto the set to take this photo. It’s a close-up. Her emaciated arms emerge from the top corners of the photo and the background is black, maybe velvet, as if we’re being protected from seeing the strings. One wrist rests on the other, and her fingers hang loose, close together, a pair of folded wings. And you can see her insides.

The bones of her knuckles bulge out of the skin, which sags like plastic that has melted in the sun and is dripping off her, wrinkling and folding. Her veins look as though they’re stuck to the outside of her hands. They’re a colour that’s difficult to describe: blue, but also silver, green; her blood runs through them, close to the surface. The book says she died shortly after they took this picture. Did she even get to see it? Maybe it was the last beautiful thing she left in the world.

I’m trying to decide whether or not I want to carry on living. I’m giving myself three months of this journal to decide. You might think that sounds melodramatic, but I don’t think I’m alone in wondering whether it’s all worth it. I’ve seen the look in people’s eyes. Stiff suits travelling to work, morning after morning, on the cramped and humid tube. Tarted-up girls and gangs of boys reeking of aftershave, reeling on the pavements on a Friday night, trying to mop up the dreariness of their week with one desperate, fake-happy night. I’ve heard the weary grief in my dad’s voice.

So where do I start with all this? What do you want to know about me? I’m Ruth White, thirty-two years old, going on a hundred. I live alone with no boyfriend and no cat in a tiny flat in central London. In fact, I had a non-relationship with a man at work, Dan, for seven years. I’m sitting in my bedroom-cum-living room right now, looking up every so often at the thin rain slanting across a flat grey sky. I work in a city hospital lab as a microbiologist. My dad is an accountant and lives with his sensible second wife Julie, in a sensible second home. Mother finished dying when I was fourteen, three years after her first diagnosis. What else? What else is there?

Charlotte Marie Bradley Miller. I looked at her hands for twelve minutes. It was odd describing what I was seeing in words. Usually the picture just sits inside my head and I swish it around like tasting wine. I have huge books all over my flat — books you have to take in both hands to lift. I’ve had the photo habit for years. Mother bought me my first book, black and white landscapes by Ansel Adams. When she got really ill, I used to take it to bed with me and look at it for hours, concentrating on the huge trees, the still water, the never-ending skies. I suppose it helped me think about something other than what was happening. I learned to focus on one photo at a time rather than flicking from scene to scene in search of something to hold me. If I concentrate, then everything stands still. Although I use them to escape the world, I also think they bring me closer to it. I’ve still got that book. When I take it out, I handle the pages as though they might flake into dust.

Mother used to write a journal. When I was small, I sat by her bed in the early mornings on a hard chair and looked at her face as her pen spat out sentences in short bursts. I imagined what she might have been writing about — princesses dressed in star-patterned silk, talking horses, adventures with pirates. More likely she was writing about what she was going to cook for dinner and how irritating Dad’s snoring was.

I’ve always wanted to write my own journal, and this is my chance. Maybe my last chance. The idea is that every night for three months, I’ll take one of these heavy sheets of pure white paper, rough under my fingertips, and fill it up on both sides. If my suicide note is nearly a hundred pages long, then no-one can accuse me of not thinking it through. No-one can say, ‘It makes no sense; she was a polite, cheerful girl, had everything to live for,’ before adding that I did keep myself to myself. It’ll all be here. I’m using a silver fountain pen with purple ink. A bit flamboyant for me, I know. I need these idiosyncratic rituals; they hold things in place. Like the way I make tea, squeezing the tea-bag three times, the exact amount of milk, seven stirs. My writing is small and neat; I’m striping the paper. I’m near the bottom of the page now. Only ninety-one more days to go before I’m allowed to make my decision. That’s it for today. It’s begun.

Continue reading here.

You must know who Augusten Burroughs is – right? This NY Times Bestselling author has a new book out, just in time for the holidays. As if this cover doesn’t peak your interest already, just wait.  You Better Not Cry is said to be inspired by Augusten Burroughs own Christmas experiences. Burroughs has said about his book:

Christmas has always been my favorite holiday. But for me, each Christmas has been worse than the one before. Perhaps this is punishment for getting Jesus and Santa all mixed up in my head as a kid. Or maybe, waking up hungover at the Wadorf Astoria next to a naked, old, fat French Santa just isnt as big a deal as I think. The funny thing is, I still love Christmas. I just sometimes wish there wasn’t so much coal dust.

Now – publisher, St. Martin’s Press, is offering you to win a chance to win a copy of the book You Better Not Cry [view book trailer here]. Please check out the website to enter in the sweepstakes. Just in time to celebrate the holiday season!

I have quite a bit about Sherrilyn Kenyon’s League novels, primarily Born of Fire and Born of Ice.

Now, Sherrilyn Kenyon is having a sweepstakes giveaway of her audio books in the League Series!

Straight from their publisher:

Experience all the sexy action in this back-to-back-to-back publishing event. Born of Night, Born of Fire, and Born of Ice bring a new world to life, as only master storyteller Sherrilyn Kenyon can.Doesn’t the series sound absolutely wonderful? Check out the video included below for more information/sneak peak on the League series!

Welcome to a universe where The League is law. It’s kill or be killed. But there are those who will protect you. Those who will fight back. A new generation of heroes who navigate the danger…and risk it all.

I was so excited about this opportunity, that I even entered myself. I have wanted to read this series since I first saw the book Born of Fire a little while ago. I think it would be a great idea to be able to read all the books and then review them! (Since I’ve talked about them so much!) So, I am crossing my fingers for a win!

I was very ecstatic to receive some books this week in the mail, and therefore can happily do my Mailbox Monday  (a #meme hosted by The Printed Page). Yesterday, I made a trip down to my P.O. Box, which I can only do about once or twice a week due to the fact it’s located where we’re moving to and it’s about 20 minutes away. As we were in the area yesterday, I decided to check my box and was so happy with what I received!

Gifts from Sasha Soren

I received this large package from Sasha Soren (@RandomMagicTour // http://www.sashasoren.com, author of Random Magic). I knew she was sending me an autographed copy for the giveaway but imagine my surprise when there were two autographed copies – one for me! The thing I really love about Sasha is that she’s an author who doesn’t just drive by – hand you a book, tell you to review it and never to be heard from again. She reads your blog, she remembers what you say – and she does what she can to send a smile to your face.

I had mentioned a while ago on my blog that one of the things that made me happy was to open a book sent from an author to review, and seeing that it was thoughtfully signed. To me, it immediately makes the book a keeper, a classic – something I could never part with. Knowing this, and knowing I sent my only copy of Random Magic to a friend in another state to read, Sasha made sure to send me my very own autographed copy. It definitely brought a smile to my face!

Sasha also sent me a mixed CD of music to listen to while I write my #NaNoWriMo (http://www.nanowrimo.org) novel, as well as little notebooks to take notes when the inspiration hits me. Carli was sent a bib (oh how she needed those, believe me!) and Forrest was sent some chocolate, as he ate the last one Sasha sent with my original copy of Random Magic. It was one of the most thoughtful gifts I have ever received as of yet. Thank you, Sasha Soren!

Some other books I received in the mail this week were:

• So You’re Cremated … Now What? (For publisher requested review)
• The Things That Keep Us Here by Carla Buckley (ARC for Review from  Publisher)

I have received quite a few extremely interesting ARCS/author and/or publisher requested pieces for review and although #NaNoWriMo has stolen my attention, I am determined to crack out 4-5 reviews this month specifically just for ARC/publisher/author requested pieces. I appreciate your patience!

After ordering from Amazon a few weeks ago, I finally got a notice that they are shipping out PART of my order. Hopefully this week I will be receiving:

• How to Write a Damn Good Novel: A Step-by-Step No Nonsense Guide to Dramatic Storytelling
• The Knife of Never Letting Go: Chaos Walking: Book One (Recommended by many on Twitter)
• Writing And Selling The Young Adult Novel (Recommended by @BriMeetsBooks)
• Plot & Structure: (Techniques And Exercises For Crafting A Plot That Grips Readers From Start To Finish) (Write Great Fiction)

Remind me to order from Barnes and Noble next time, as they ship free within 24 hours. The wait for these books was just.. too much.

Book Cover

I have had the pleasure of exchanging emails with the author of Random Magic (Sasha Soren) for the past month. Delightfully clever, Sasha Soren always has something interesting to say – as well as the power to make you feel good about yourself with a single thoughtful sentence.

I received Random Magic a while ago and read it a week or two ago, loving every moment of it (and that’s the honest truth!) I love books that have a sense of magic as well involve word play and puns. There was just something so magical about this book that to not give it a chance would be denying yourself the perfect escape into a brand new unforgettable adventure.

Below you will find the interview between Sasha Soren and I, and then **discover how to win an autographed copy of her book**, Random Magic!

What made you decide that you would like to become a writer?

It was actually more of a realization that that was what I was supposed to do.  I was just born that way, was always a writer, the same way that you know people who have some natural talent for art, or music, or dance.  There’s just something about their particular discipline that really interests them, so that they’ll spend hours on doing something that just makes them happy. Well, I was always reading, jotting down strange thoughts, fragments of words heard in my head, ideas, quick details about dreams, observations, all kinds of things.

In hindsight, maybe it was actually clear very early on that I was going to grow up to be a writer. Everything I did was just focused in that particular direction. It wasn’t because I particularly had some plan that I’d like to be a writer, as much as the fact that everything I liked, appreciated, or was obsessed with or loved or thought about, it was all somehow tied into writing.

The pity of it is that it’s very difficult to make a living, if you happen to do anything creative. So, someone might very well be a brilliant dancer, or a brilliant musician, but they might have to choose some other profession that’s just more stable. And I think that’s a real tragedy, depriving the world of beautiful music or a breathtaking performer, but in this world, it’s understandable if someone chooses instead to do something more “safe”.

I think that’s where the decision part of it did come in, to decide if I was going to be true to my own nature, or do something much more easy and undemanding, and more secure.I did try to follow a more “practical” life path, and worked in finance and banking, originally. I suppose if I’d stayed there, my life would be a little more settled and I wouldn’t have any worries about money and so on. The thing is, just hated every day I had to go to work, because I just didn’t care about any of it, it was quite boring and seemed far less real, somehow, than the worlds in my head.

One day, I just thought, “Look, this is stupid. This is not what I’m supposed to be doing. I’m supposed to be writing.” It wasn’t like there was some flash of light or it was a big deal, just a realization that I would never be fulfilling my life path if I stayed where I was. So, I did try to force myself to try a different way, but just kept coming back to that path, and finally, one day, just said, “Right. That’s it.”

Wasted talent really bothers me. There’s very little I can think of that’s sadder than being given a remarkable gift, and just being ungrateful for it, or not having the opportunity to use it. I thought that, yes, well, choosing to become a writer was a really impractical decision, compared to some other things I could do, and a very difficult road. But I didn’t care. I might have regrets about having to sacrifice security and comfort, but I think I’d regret it more if I came to the end of my life without ever having said thank you for this gift, by actually using it. I think that the art a person is capable of creating is greater than the value of their life, in a way. Maybe that’s a brutal, inhuman way to look at it, but it’s also true that wonderful works of art have outlasted the lifespan of their creator.

So, maybe in the end, people will forget all about the person, but if someone 100 years from now opens the book and laughs and cries and thinks about it, then it was worth it.Even if the book is also forgotten, at least it did exist, and I’m proud of it, it’s a marvelous book. Not that I think, gee, aren’t I swell, but I really think that many parts of it were inspired, like a gift that was given to me by the Nine Muses. That makes it worth it, to me, to have been able to experience a touch of celestial fire.

Also, there’s a kind of continuity in being a writer, almost as if you’re an honorary member of some quite long and complicated family tree. There are writers in every single generation, all making these reckless decisions to follow their true calling, no matter the hardship. And I understand and respect every one of them, because I know just how difficult it is. And I also understand the ones who’ll come after us, and wish them well.

And I wish them luck, because it’s quite a difficult decision to make. But if you have a particular kind of personality, it’s the only right one.

I did try to be somewhat practical and became a financial writing specialist, at first, so that at least I’d have some sort of income. Was it still boring? Well, yes, sometimes — but at least it was writing. So, that was one step closer. Writing is a very difficult life path to follow, but it was the only one that made sense to me. If I had a choice to do it all over again, even being far more aware, through experience, of how much writing demands of you and everything you have to give up, or the sacrifices you’re forced to make, would still make the same choice. Of course, still haven’t figured out if that’s bravery or foolhardiness.

But, even if I died tomorrow, I’d know that at least I spent my life in a way that made it worth it, to me. And I think that that’s a comforting thought to have, to be able to know with some degree of certainty that you’ve forged your own destiny, in your own way.

People get older and die, without ever having given any thought to who they really are, what really moves them, and too many regrets for the things they haven’t done. I’ve already done what I wanted to do. It’s not the easiest path to walk, but it’s the right one, and I’m grateful to have found it. Because long after I’m gone, the book would stand on its own, and bring a great deal of pleasure and bemusement and self-reflection and happiness to anyone who had the temerity to take that journey.

Even if it’s just one solitary reader, far off in the future, in some obscure bookshop, who happens upon this ancient, odd little book and closes the book with a smile on their face, well, that’s quite all right with me. That makes it all worth it.

Have you published any pieces prior to Random Magic?

Yes, have worked as a freelance writer for several years. This was the first novel published, though.The compromise was, essentially: Write to pay the bills to be able to write what I wanted to write, or what personally interested me. All that writing — but I love writing, so can’t complain, really. As long as it’s writing, I’m happy. There’s definitely a difference between writing some short article, or even a feature, versus completing a novel, though. It’s basically like the difference between making a series of short sprints versus winning a marathon.

Writing is difficult, in any case, because so much is going on in your head, and sometimes you’re juggling a dozen different idea threads simultaneously, and they all have to tie in neatly.But writing a novel took a different kind of energy. Not only are you juggling maybe a hundred different idea threads which you have to keep sorted out, but you have to do that over an extended period of time. It’s just a lot more complicated to keep track of all the details in a novel, compared to much shorter works.

With a shorter work, you can change things around and it won’t affect much, but when you’re dealing with such a huge cast of characters and places and events, timing, progression, etc., you might change one little minor detail in chapter one, and end up totally demolishing the logic in chapters 22, 34 and 42.

So, it was tricky. Tricky but really interesting. Just realized the other day that I nearly know the book by heart, like some medieval troubadour. That’s how much focus went into keeping the threads untangled.

Now, Random Magic – It’s such an interesting concept. Characters jumping into fictional books. Where did you come up with that idea?

Well, every time you open a book and start reading, it’s really like you’re stepping foot into a different world.I’ve noticed comments about particular works of fiction, where someone might say they’re totally in love with so-and-so. Who doesn’t actually exist. But something about that particular character is just so compelling that someone falls in love with them.

Interesting, no?

That’s the really wonderful thing about books, that you can visit all these different worlds, and meet all these fascinating people, without even having to step outside your front door, if you don’t feel like it. You can go on a wild adventure just curled up in your most comfy chair, any time you want to. That degree of freedom is just remarkable. There’s almost nothing that even comes close, except maybe a really brilliant film.

And even film can’t really compare, because film presents a world for you, already envisioned, whereas, with a book, it’s more like you actually become part of the story. You envision the characters, and the way they sound when they speak, and the environment around them, and so on.That’s why reading is such an immersive experience, and can be pleasant, or frightening, or romantic, or thrilling, or startling, or sad, depending on the particular book.

Now, if you can be affected by words on a page, to the point of feeling genuine human emotion, then it’s almost like you’re inside the story.Well, what if you actually, physically were?

Let’s say you’re looking at a painting that just fascinates you. Well, it’s a two-dimensional world, and you’re a three-dimensional being. You’ll never have an opportunity to actually visit the place, or find out who that person was. Unless, of course, you happen to have a fairy godfather who can pop you into that world. It would be great to visit a painting, yes. But paintings aren’t particularly portable. Whereas with a book, you can carry an entire world in your hand. Well, what if that book over there, that book on your shelf, or in your bag, or the one you’re re-reading again now that you’re a decade older, that book that looked so interesting, and whose characters were so memorable — what if you could literally step foot inside that book? Would you do it?

Was just sort of exploring that idea, because have always thought it would be great to be able to actually travel inside a book, just as you’d travel by car to some other place.

It wasn’t even meant to be a book, actually, was just kind of idly wondering one day about where I’d go, if ever I had a chance to take some literary road trip into a book I’d really liked, and just thought that Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland would be a quirky place to visit. And then further thought, well, you know but wouldn’t it be more interesting if Alice fell out of her book, into our world? What would happen, then?

Then thought, actually, well, if someone had to the power to book-jump, then who’s to say they can’t have misplaced Alice in a completely different book? And what if chaos theory kicked in, and every edition of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland ever printed, read and loved, just started vanishing? After all, if there’s no Alice to have adventures! Well, this could potentially be one bit pot of trouble. So, someone has to book-jump to go get Alice back again. And what if this person was totally unprepared and ill-equipped to survive in this much more brutal, tricky, magical world? What then?

By that time, I just wanted to know, basically — yes, was totally curious what would happen!

So, just started writing, to figure it out for myself, and just didn’t stop. Well, more like I couldn’t stop. I was just extremely curious to know what happened to Henry, and did he ever manage to find Alice, and did he even survive, and so on, and couldn’t rest until I knew the whole story. So, be careful with curiosity, because it’ll get you into one fine predicament, for sure.

How long was Random Magic in the works before it was published?

Oh, wow, for years. Literally, for years. The difficult wasn’t actually in writing the book, as the story was already very vivid in my mind, and was always able to see where Henry and Winnie’s journey was going — even if sometimes it took a period of extended thought to work out just how to get there.

No, the problem was that I was so busy working just to, you know, eat, that there was very little time left over to actually work on a longer work. I think that every writer really does need a long stretch of time to create the best possible work they can offer the world. Not only is time needed, but uninterrupted time.

Let’s say, for example, you could choose between two options: Either a month of free time, but spaced over three different months, or only three days, but three consecutive days.A writer in the middle of creating a new work would nearly always opt for those three days. Yes, it would be nice to have a month of free time, but the stops and starts in between are really jarring, and totally throw you out of the book. Maybe it’s strange to say it that way, but that’s really what it feels like.

You know how people will go out during a snowstorm and warm up their cars before they start driving? Or, how ballet dancers warm up their muscles before they perform, or risk a serious injury. Now, writing is a mental task, rather than a physical one, but the premise is the same. You need to spend time preparing for actually putting the words down on the page. Let’s say you take photographs, or like to take short films on a video recorder or using your camera phone. It’s sort of that kind of process — first something catches your eye, then you observe it, then zero in on it, and, finally, bring it into sharper focus. And then, finally, you hit record.

Or, to put it in a different way, you have to move from one state of consciousness to another. You have to sort of- cross over. It’s easier to explain if you picture yourself standing by a swimming pool. You stand outside the water. But, when you jump in, then you have a totally different sensory experience, even the laws of gravity seem somehow temporarily suspended as you bob along. It happens that way with music, as well. First you’re outside the music, then you’re inside the music.

Actually, you experience that when you read a book, as well. In the beginning, you’re consciously looking at the words, putting the thoughts and images and events together in your mind. But when you’re really involved in a book, you forget that you’re thinking about the actual ink on the page, and the words that conjure up worlds. You start on the outside looking in, but if it’s a good book that personally appeals to you, you end up in the story, not even bothering to look out. Because you don’t care what’s going on elsewhere.

So, that state of consciousness, it’s very similar to the state you enter while actually writing. First you have to listen very hard, but eventually you barely have to listen at all, because the story starts to write itself. Finding that particular frame of mind can be really difficult, because it’s so elusive. And you don’t want to keep being interrupted, or you’ll abruptly be yanked back into our world again.

That means you can’t start off from where you left off, it’s more like you have to start all over again from the beginning, every time you’re interrupted. Would say maybe 90% of writing isn’t actually writing, at all, it’s thinking. Moving ideas around. Working your way around an awfully inconvenient plot hole that’s just appeared in the middle of your story.

Then, after you’ve had a walk and a ponder, or another ten pots of tea, and bitten all your nails off and dug your hands through your hair so often that it stands up any which way, like you’ve just fallen out of a tree, finally, some glaring problem mysteriously sorts itself out, and you think, well, of course. Now, if only that’d worked itself out ten nights ago, might’ve had time to sneak in a quick nap.

Now, if you’re in the middle of that, but then also being distracted every five minutes by the phone or the doorbell ringing, and so on, it’ll be that much harder to get back into the book, because you’ve been totally derailed from following some line of thought.The tricky thing with writing, as well, is that once you’ve lost some particular thread, you take the risk of losing it permanently. And once you start losing threads, you start losing your story. Once you start losing your story, you lose momentum. You lose the guideposts. The voices of your characters start fading, until you can’t hear them any more. The story starts vanishing in front of your eyes, and finally, you’re left with nothing.

So, uninterrupted time — and silence, in most cases — is incredibly important. If you can’t steal enough uninterrupted time for yourself, you’ll never complete the process. Which means you’ll never complete your book. Fight for it, if you have to, but steal that time for yourself, otherwise you lose one thread, then another, and finally you can’t find your way back into the book at all. You need that time. It’s not a luxury, it’s a necessity.

Who is your favorite character in Random Magic, and why?

I’m fond of all the characters in Random Magic, for different reasons. It would be hard to pick out a favorite. What’s interesting is that, in hearing what other people think, sometimes their favorite characters are the ones I wouldn’t even have thought were particularly memorable. The apprentice wizard, for example, apparently has a lot of fans, believe it or not. And we only meet him briefly in the story, and he’s a bit of a rascal and not someone you’d necessarily want to meet on a dark street corner or anything, so that was a surprise.

Also a lot of crushes on Nevermore, although that’s somehow more understandable. But, yes, he only shows up briefly in the story, as well, so it was just surprising to hear that he made it to the top of someone’s fave character list.

Although Winnie and Henry are the main characters, Baron Samedi was just very enigmatic and intriguing. Would I necessarily want to meet him, though — nope, not really, that would be a very bad sign! Also quite like Rasa Oddvilla (the surrealist painter) and Callie (the First Muse). Rasa, because she’s just so peculiar and would be fun to meet her, and Callie, because she’s the embodiment of writing and the power of creative ability, in general. She’s also delightfully dithery, and has a kind and generous heart. She’s just a very likable character.

Personally, I guess, would say that I have a soft spot for Winnie. She’s just a bit much. But I admire and respect bravery, particularly quiet bravery, where people don’t make a big deal out of whatever overwhelming odds they’re facing, but just get on with it. Everyone knows someone, at some point in their lives, that’s just dealt some terrible blow, but who just stands up to it and carries on. Winnie embodies that particular quality of standing up to anything that tries to destroy her. She meets life head on. She’ll use her smarts, or she’ll use her fists, but either way she goes down hard, scrapping all the way. She’s plucky. She’s a bit of a feist bucket and a smart-ass. But even when she’s terrified, she still shows heart. Nobody steps on Winnie. She’d face down the devil himself, and spit in his eye, into the bargain.

Would say that Winnie is a bit rough, even rude, plain-spoken, hot-tempered, impatient, not always straightforward, and a bit tricky. She’s a handful. A handful and a half. But, you know, I also think that anyone would count themselves very fortunate to have a friend like Winnie. Why? Because she’d defend and protect anyone she cares about, and fight for them to her dying breath. In this world, that’s uncommon. In her world, it’s more uncommon still.

What’s interesting about Winnie is that she’s not all brawn and no heart. She does have a heart, she just has a particular way of expressing herself. Or, perhaps more accurately, not expressing herself. She’s not big on words, she just gets on with whatever needs to be done. What’s intriguing about Winnie is that she’s also extremely bright. She doesn’t resort to fighting, if she can figure out a problem with logic or cunning, instead. And what’s funny about Winnie is that she’s totally clueless about just how brave she actually is.

You’ll see it in some scenes, where Henry’s just about to faint from terror, and Winnie’s just sorting things out, sometimes quite obstinately. I think that’s also the way it happens, in real-life, as well. Very often, people don’t even realize how brave they really are. So, yes, quite appreciate Winnie. I think that, in the book, Henry’s not quite sure what to make of her, but makes a spontaneous decision to trust her, and it’s the best decision he ever made in his life.

Do you plan on writing any sequels on the adventures of Henry and Winnie?

Well, there certainly is potential for a sequel, as the book itself does end on kind of an open note. I don’t think a sequel is strictly necessary, though. That is, if you read just this book and no upcoming sequel, you won’t be missing absolutely any of the story, it’s self-contained. Would I like to have the opportunity to share more adventures about Winnie and Henry, yes of course. Haven’t really planned on a sequel, though.

Of course, if people really want to know what happens next, would be happy to write one. But there are also other stories that want to be told, and have to choose, because writing a novel demands a huge amount of time and effort. So, if I did commit to writing a sequel, would be focused on that for a year or more, and would feel like there was more of the story to tell.

I believe there is, actually, and have already had some intriguing thoughts about just what that story would be, but, no, haven’t planned a sequel. Quite busy letting people know that the first book even exists.

Are there any other novels in the making?

Yes, always. Nothing to report on, though, since doing promo for the book is taking up so much time, there’s really no time left to write. But, yes, always have strange or interesting ideas, so it’s likely there’ll be another novel, at some point.  It might not be about Winnie and Henry, but it would definitely be interesting and a great escape for a few hours.

I think that, if a reader is generous enough to give you a few hours from their own lives to read some story you’ve created, you should do absolutely the best you can to create something worth that time. And, hopefully, leave them feeling as if they’ve experienced something interesting and wonderful and leave them thinking about their own lives and what’s important to them. Or just to take them away with you on some adventure that they’ll enjoy, and be able to escape into a book for a few hours. I love reading, too, so I know I’m always looking for that great escape, as well. That’s what I try to create, then.

Do you have any advice for novelists in the making?

Write.

It’s terrible to have to answer the question that way, because it seems overly simplistic and not very helpful. But, if I had to construct a list of advice that I thought would be genuinely helpful, that would be the head of the list. And, yes, it would be just that one word. There’s actually a whole boatload of stuff that I’d be very happy to pass along, as you learn all kinds of things as go along. This single question could generate probably five volumes of useful information, but that single answer is the most important and useful information of all.

I can tell you why.

I think that people have some idea that there’s some shortcut to becoming a writer. There isn’t. I also think that some people never start writing because they’re afraid they can’t do it. They can. But there’s a price involved. And that price is your time. And, truthfully, a lot of blood, sweat and tears.

To explain: Okay, let’s say that your goal is to become a world-class violinist. Or, let’s say that your goal is to become a world-class ballerina. Or a medical specialist. Or an astrophysicist. Now, even though these professions seemingly have very little in common, they actually do have one very important thing in common.

You can have an innate talent in something. And you should be very grateful, every day, that you have that gift, because it is a gift.

It’s not something you earned, but something that was given to you, just the same way you might happen to receive blue eyes, or dark hair, or double-jointed thumbs, or perfect pitch. But talent, alone, won’t get you anywhere. It’s not sufficient, in and of itself. If you have the innate talent to one day be a brilliant violinist, then you can eventually become a brilliant violinist. But in the meantime, you practice every day. You do scales, and drills, and learn music theory, and listen to every violin recording you can get your hands on. If your fingers start bleeding because you’ve been practicing the same scale for five hours in a row, you continue to play, anyway.If you’re sick and don’t feel like practicing, you practice, anyway. If there’s a huge party and you’d rather party than practice, but you have to choose between them, you choose to practice. If you don’t have money for violin lessons, you figure it out on your own, but you continue to practice. If you’re so tired from working two or three jobs that your eyes are crossing and all you want to do is sleep, you give yourself a good pinch, and pick up that violin. If you’re bored out of your mind doing the same drill over and over and can’t stand the sight of your violin and all you want to do it smash it against the nearest tree, you shut up and pick it up and practice anyway. If your house burns to the ground and the world simultaneously comes to an end, you have a bit of a freak-out, sort things out, then get right back to your drills.

Eventually, in maybe a decade or so of steady commitment, you might really have something. But there’s no shortcut. You have to put in the time. So, in effect, if you’re wondering what the best way is to learn how to write, the answer is: You write. That’s really all there is to it. There’s no skimping, and no easy way to do it. You have to stick to it like you never stuck to anything else in your life. That’s what mastering any creative skill demands of you.

That’s the bad news, for anyone looking for some easy way to go about it.

The good news is that, actually, anything you need to know, you learn along the way. By writing, you actually learn more about how to write. You learn what works, what doesn’t work, what’s necessary, what’s superfluous, how to polish some particular paragraph or sentence, how to refine your sensibilities so that you use the right word, not the almost-right word, what to keep, what to cut, and so on.

Personally, I think that no one can teach you how to write. You’re either a writer or you’re not, I really feel that it’s innate. I also feel that no one can really teach you how to write, because everyone is different, and everyone has their own particular style, and loves some different kind of genre. The only person who can teach you how to write is you, because you’re the only one who can tell your story, your way. It’s not something that can be easily duplicated.

So, no one can really teach you how to write. They can teach you grammar or spelling, or how to research, or show you how to edit or proof effectively, but the actual writing, no. That’s something everyone has to work out for themselves, because some other person can’t be you, any more than you could be that other person. Writing is unique to every person. That’s what makes it so interesting. For that reason, I don’t even think writers should give advice to other writers (or new writers) about how to write some particular story. That person has to tell their story in their own way, because that way it will be the truest story.

However, there are people who are born writers, who never get around to writing as a profession. Also, I do think that there are just certain traits that are helpful for a writer, and if you have these traits, then you might actually have talent and not even know you have it! For example, if you love reading, and have always loved reading, then you’ve actually already absorbed a lot of information about grammar, spelling, plotting, and so on. If you’re naturally observant, or have a vivid imagination, or can tell a good story, or have an eye for detail, or curiosity about people and what makes them tick, are open-minded, an accurate memory, if you daydream a lot — these are all very useful for a writer.

So, if all of these are true for you, and you walk around with strange ideas drifting in and out of your head at the most random moments, well, then, I hate to tell you, but you might be a writer in disguise.And if you have some story you’d like to tell, then by all means, do it. There are so many interesting stories in the world, and one of them could be yours. But you won’t know what you’re capable of, until you put in the time and effort and commitment and passion to always doing the best work you can do. And then go one better, and try to do a better job on your next piece. There’s always something new to learn, which is the great part, because you’ll never be bored. That’s one of the compensations for all that hard work.

Also, I’m not sure that choosing to become a writer is necessarily a conscious decision. You might choose to do that as your profession, but the choice about being a writer or not being a writer really isn’t a choice. If you’re a writer, you have to write. It’s just in your blood. You don’t sit around thinking about whether or not you should write today, you just have to, there’s something driving you to do it. No one has to tell you to write, or advise you to write, or force you to write; you’re already doing it, because you just can’t help yourself.

So, yes, all this additional text here is just to help clarify why that one-word answer really is the best possible advice for any new writer. But that really is the answer. The other practical thing that might be of help is that thoughts come and go so quickly, in the most unexpected  places, that you really should try to get them down on paper as soon as they show up, otherwise you’ll lose them. You don’t need to go out and get a fancy moleskin journal and a thousand-dollar pen.

Get a simple ballpoint pen and a cheap, small notebook, and keep them in your jacket pocket, or purse, or backpack, or on your nightstand, so you’ll be able to write things down when thoughts come to you out of nowhere. If you carry a cell phone with you all the time and can jot down text in your phone, you can do it that way. This is especially true (having some way to jot things down right away) if you’ve started a new project, because you’ll have ideas popping into your head in the most unaccountable places — washing the dishes, taking a shower, parking your car, etc.

Just get the thought down on paper, even if it’s just a fragment that doesn’t make sense to you at the time (blue, why did she say that, tire tracks, Tuesday, sleeping, three swans. etc.).

It won’t make total sense to you right then, but the odds are that it will make perfect sense to you later on. You might not even use exactly what you wrote down, but they’re like shorthand for more complicated lines of thought, so you can always choose whether to use or discard the details. But, by all means, pin the thought down before it vanishes again. Also, back up your work, because you never can write the same thing in exactly the same way, so you won’t be able to replace anything you’ve lost.

I think, personally, that the first draft is always the correct one. Yes, you might end up making a lot of changes, additions, deletions, but the first thought process is usually the right one, the peripherals might change but the core holds firm. So it only makes sense to safeguard it. Of course, there are lots of other things that are useful, but you just learn about them as you go along.

In the meantime: Write.

And Godspeed.

Thank you so much, Sasha, for taking the time to speak with your readers about Random Magic, as well give insight to future authors everywhere! I definitely cannot wait to read your next book!

GIVEAWAY

If you are interested in winning an autographed copy of Random Magic by Sasha Soren then have no fear! I have one available book for the lucky fan or fan in the making! To enter is simple:

1. For 1 Entry – Comment on this entry. Make sure to add your email address so I will know how to contact you if you win.
2. For 2 Entry – Subscribe to my RSS feed. (Please comment to let me know you’ve done so!)
3. For 2 additional entries – Tweet about this giveaway. [Make sure to add the tags @WellReadReviews & #SashaSoren] and a link to this giveaway.  Then come back here, and leave a comment that you’ve tweeted, and your user name. (You may tweet up to twice per day about this giveaway). Yes, you can earn an additional four entries a day just by tweeting!
4. For 3 additional entries – Link my blog to your website! (Please comment to let me know you’ve done so)
5. For 5 additional entries – Write an entire blog entry about this giveaway, linking to both this giveaway, as well as Sasha Soren’s website (http://www.sashasoren.com). Then comment, linking directly to your blog link!
6. For 3 additional entries – Mention this giveaway in a blog entry (linking to both this blog entry and Sasha Soren’s website). There is a limit of 2 blog entries, per day!

There are MANY chances to be able to win this WONDERFUL piece of fiction! This contest runs from October 20th – November 25th 2009 (the end of the tour).

Just please make sure, every time you do something to enter in the contest, you MUST comment, telling me what you did (linking to it if possible) and your email address. That is how I will keep track of all entries. Thank you!

Book Cover

(Read My Review)

I am so excited to announce that I will be participating in Sasha Soren’s Blog Tour to discuss her new novel, Random Magic. You will absolutely love getting to know Sasha and all about her wonderful, quirky, magical novel Random Magic.  The tour starts tomorrow! Listed below is the schedule:

• Oct. 17 – Michelle – Michelle’s Book Blog
  
• Oct. 18 – Aimee – My Fluttering Heart
  
• Oct. 20 – Allison – Well Read Reviews
  
• Oct. 22 – Casey – A Passion for Books
  
• Oct. 24 – Kim – And Anything Bookish
  
• Oct. 25th – Kate – Neverending Bookshelf
  
• Oct. 26th – Trisha Lynn – Trisha’s Book Blog
  
• Oct. 27th – Becky – The Bookette
  
• Oct. 28th – Brande – Book Junkie
  
• Oct. 29th – Jenny – Take Me Away
  
• Oct. 30th – Elnice – Ellz Readz
  
• Oct. 31st – Mariah – Reading Adventure
  
• Nov. 2nd – Cat- Beyond Books
  
• Nov. 3rd – Jill – The O.W.L. Blog
  
• Nov. 4th – Charity Lynn – Keep on Booking
  
• Nov. 10th – Tina – Tina’s Book Reviews
  
• Nov. 12th – McKenzie – The Book Owl
  
• Nov. 13th – Willow Raven – Red House Books
  
• Nov. 15th – Emily – What Book is That?
  
• Nov. 17th – Jenn – Falling Off the Shelf
  
• Nov. 18th – Nicole – Books!
  
• Nov. 20th – Bianca – Wicked Good Reads
  
• Nov. 21st – Michelle – The True Book Addict
  
• Nov. 23rd – Andrea – The Lil Bookworm
  
• Nov. 24th – Elizabeth (Miss Eliza) – Strange and Random Happenstance
  
• Nov. 25th – Eleni – La Femme Readers
  

Make sure you check out each one on their dates. You never know what you’ll find!

My favorite time of the day is 3:00pm. That is when the mail comes.  Okay, it’s also 5:00pm, when husband comes home and picks up my mail from my PO box 20 minutes away. Two times a day when I can feel the happy thrill of opening a package to a brand new read. What adventure will this one take me?

I guess receiving books in the mail is my “Amelie” – opening the package and seeing this beautifully bound book inside. I like opening the pages, seeing what font they used and if they autographed the inside. (Oh how I LOVE when they do that). Their two second signature makes this very special book, a collector. Maybe it’s absolutely nerdy – but I spend a good 5-10 minutes just looking at the book in its entirety. How luck this author is to get their thoughts down on paper and bound together for others to enjoy.

I received some great books in the mail this week, which deserve recognition for their thoughtfulness and dedication to literature!

Occult America: The Secret History of How Mysticism Shaped Our Nation – by Mitch Horowitz (Thank you, Bantam Books!)

Synopsis: (Taken from inside of book)

It touched lives as disparate as those of Frederick Douglas, Franklin Roosevelt, and Mary Todd Lincoln – who once convinced her husband, Abe, to host a seance in the White House. Americans all, they were among the famous figures whose paths intertwined with the mystical and esoteric movement broadly known as the occult. Brought over from the Old World and spread throughout the New by some of the most obscure but gifted men and women of early U.S. history, this “hidden wisdom” transformed the spritual life of the still-young nation, through it, much of the Western world.

Yet the story of the American occult has remained largely untold. Now a leading writer on the subject of alternative spirituality reveals the facts behind the fictions. Here is a rich, fascinating, and colorful story of a religious revolution and an epic of offbeat history.

From the meaning of the symbols on the one dollar bill to the origins of the Ouija board, Occult America briskly sweeps from the nations’ Freemasonic roots to the birth of the New Age era and traces many people and episodes including:

• The spirit medium who in 1776 became America’s first female religious leader.
• The supernatural passions that marked the career of Mormon prophet Joseph Smith.
• The rural Sunday-school teacher whose clairvoyant visions heralded the dawn of the New age.
• The prominence of mind-power mysticism in the black-nationalist politics of Marcus Garvey.
• The Idaho druggist whose mail-order mystical religion ranked as the eight-largest faith in the world during the Great Depression.

Here, too, are America’s homegrown religious movements, from Transcendentalism to Spiritualism to Christian Science to the positive-thinking philosophy that continues to exert such a powerful pull on the public today. A feast for believers in alternative spirituality, an eye-opener for anyone curious about the unknown byroads of American history, Occult America is an engaging, long-overdue portrait of one nation, under many gods, whose revolutionary influence is still being felt in every corner of the globe.

Worst Nightmares by Shane Briant: A Novel of Suspense

Synopsis: (Taken from inside of book)

Dermot Nolan is an international, award-winning, bestselling author who seems to have it all – a successful career, fame, fortune, and a beautiful wife. Between the royalties coming from his most recent book, and the revenue he has received from the film company that bought the rights, Dermot seems every bit the literary darling.

And yet, for the last year, he has suffered from a bout of writer’s block and an in the process has grossly overspent his income. So when Dermot comes across an unsolicited horror manuscript stuffed into his mailbox from one Albert K. Arnold entitled My Worst Nightmares – My Delicious Memoirs, he cannot help but feel intrigued. It tells the story of the twisted, homicidal “Dream Healer” who snares his victims via his website worstnightmares.net, seduces them into revealing their own very own nightmares upon them, magnified a hundredfold. And while Dermot is disgusted by the horror of Mr. Arnold’s manuscript, he is so deeply intrigued, so much so that he seeks to solve his writer’s block by rewriting Arnold’s novel as his own.

Sweeping aside the threatening prospect of plagiarism, Dermot begins to rework the novel while simultaneously researching Arnold’s stories. In his search, he slowly begins to realize that the novel may not be entirely fictional, that these poor characters may have perished at the hands of the twisted torturer.  Could the Dream Healer be real? Could hese innocent cyber-surfers have fallen victim to a raving maniac? And could Dermot be writing his own ticket to death .. his very own worst nightmare?

Wretched (This is my Sorry) – Katherine Marple

Synopsis: (Taken from Back of Book)

Shane loves her but is afraid of her sickness. They’ve been together for years, but have grown apart. Even though they constantly fight, he clings to her as much as he can, because he’s afraid to let her go.

Drew loves her because she seems to understand him. She’s beautiful and open, exciting, and his best friend. But he knows her heart belongs to Shane, no matter what she tries to believe. She isn’t ready for him. Or is she?

She is confused and battling with every aspect of her life. Her relationship with her mother is volatile; her father is calmly holding her emotions together; her disease is taking over her body and her life; and her passionate relationships with men are simply stressing her out.

Will she put her unpredictable emotions in check before she loses everything?

Random Magic by Sasha Soren

Synopsis: (Taken from Inside Book)

When absent-minded Professor Random misplaces the main character from Alice in Wonderland, young Henry Witherspoon must book-jump to fetch Alice before chaos theory kicks in and the world vanishes.

Along the way he meets Winnie Flapjack, a wit-cracking doodle witch with nothing to her name but a magic feather and a plan.

Such as it is.

Henry and Winnie brave the Dark Queen, whatwolves, pirates, Struths, and fluttersmoths, Priscilla and Charybdis, and obnoxiously cheerful vampires, Baron Samedi, a nine-demensional cat, and one perpetually inebriated Muse to rescue Alice and save the world by tea time.

Watch the Hour by J.R. Lindermuth

Synopsis: (Taken from the back of book) Ben Yeager is a police officer, sworn to protect property of mine owners in the 1870s in Pennsylvania’s anthracite coal region. His job makes him the enemy of the Irish. And that’s the crux of his troubles. For Ben is in love with an Irish girl.

—

I would like to thank these authors and publishers for allowing me to read their books. It means a lot!

Meet Author Abigail Arrington

About “Abby”: (Taken from AbigailArrington.com)

The work of Abigail “Abby” Arrington is infused with over a decade of experience as litigation counsel for Fortune 500 companies and entertainment personalities, and as an advocate for victims’ rights. Her passion for music and art add color to Abby’s characters, backgrounds and themes.

The finishing touches that hone and refine her writer’s eye come from the blessing of fascinating friends, travel to unusual locations, a lifetime of Southern eccentricities, and of course, the companionship of many beloved dogs.

Enter the chance to win an autographed copy of Precession

All you have to do is print out a copy of my review, Review #20: Precession, and bring it to Abby when you meet her at Urban Think bookstore! They will enter you into a drawing for a free autographed copy of her new book, the first in the Riley Morgan series, Precession.