Tessa's Blurb

Monday Music - Philharmonic Flash Mobs

2012-05-14T02:00:00.000+01:00

How cool are these???

Insecure Writers, Welcome...

2012-05-09T04:00:00.000+01:00

Welcome to May's Insecure Writers' Support Group post!

It'll be a short one, I'm afraid. I'm really, really, really busy with work right now, I have a presentation to do next Friday, AND a HUGE exam end of June.

THEN I'll have time to write. *sigh*

ps. I did post a drabble over at The Book Bunnies the other day ; )

Les Garcon sont Gentils - Monday Music

2012-05-07T11:30:00.000+01:00

The boys are nice here, too...that's what she's singing. The boys are nice even when she's far away from her country...

They were playing this on the radio yesterday afternoon, right between Metallica and Amy Winehouse - at first I thought it was a mistake by the DJ but then they said the movie this song is the title song for would be on TV that night.

And here I thought radio DJs were starting to get creative.

I'm also posting over at The Book Bunnies today, btw, so do go check that out! It's a drabble for our Drabble de Mayo week, and it's about Camille & Merle...

s

Accidentally Married to... a CBLS special promo

2012-05-05T22:54:00.000+01:00

This is a special post to celebrate Ms Pamfiloff's book reaching 34th place on no less than the NYTimes Best Seller List for Fiction eBooks, as well as RAISE BREAST-CANCER AWARENESS (see below for how she's doing that...)...brought to you via CBLS...

Mimi Jean Pamfiloff's Accidentally Married to... a Vampire, Book 2 in her popular "Accidentally Yours Series", recently hit #34 on the NYTimes Best Seller List (Fiction eBooks)!! "Vampire" has also earned a well-deserved spot on both the Amazon and USA Today Top/Best Seller lists! To celebrate, Mimi Jean is giving away an eBook copy of not only Accidenatlly Married to...a Vampire?, but Accidentally Married to...a God?, Book 1 in the "Accidentally Yours Series", as well, to 20 - yes, you read that right, 20 - lucky winners! Accidentally in Love With...a God?(Book 1, Accidentally Yours) is a Contemporary Paranormal Romance by Mimi Jean Pamfiloff and reached 4.5 out of 5 stars on Amazon.

Blurb:

Twenty-two-year-old Emma Keane has a secret friend. He’s powerful, mysterious, and devastatingly handsome. In her dreams, anyway. In real life, he’s an enigma. Maybe just a teensie jealous. Definitely overbearing. He’s also a voice only she can hear. So who or what is he? He won’t say. But if she wants to be free, to be normal, Emma will have to trek to the jungles once ruled by the Mayans and find the forgotten ruin holding the answers. However, the ruthless deity she’s about to unknowingly unleash on the modern world might not be so easily extracted from her life. Bottom line, he’s got enemies, and now, so does she.

And if that caught your fancy, here's an

Excerpt:

With his golden face beaming, the man smiled as he stroked my sopping wet hair and cradled me against his warm, smooth chest. “I love this dream,” I said with a breathy voice, then stretched my arms above my head, gazing happily into the most striking set of luminescent, turquoise green eyes I’d ever seen. To boot, they belonged to a breathtaking, masculine face, a face one would expect to see on the cover of a magazine named something like, I’m Way Too Hot to Be Your Man, or In Your Dreams, Honey. Oh, yeah. Without a doubt, I’d topped myself this time. Sculpted cheekbones, thick dark lashes, chiseled jaw, and lips so full they simply had to be meant for kissing or eating something really juicy. He was way hotter than the specimen of perfection from my last dream, and bonus, he didn’t have that scary vibe. I reached up and ran my fingertip along the ridge of his hard-lined warrior nose. “Emma, what in the name of the gods’ creation are you doing?” he scorned. “We really don’t have time for your immature little fantasies. We’re in the middle of a crisis. Do you not remember?” I blinked and slowly moved my eyes from side to side. Jungle? I was in the jungle. And my clothes were wet. Come to think of it, for a dream, I didn’t feel so hot. My lungs burned, my body felt like it’d been chewed up, and my head was throbbing. So, aside from the perfect man with long, damp, wavy black hair holding me in his arms, none of this felt like a dream. It felt… “Holy Mother!” I pushed myself away and rolled into the dirt, pointing in disbelief. “Wha—you—you—?” “Aaah. So eloquent as always, my sweet. It is astounding; you actually have a college degree, yet cannot find better words.” He pushed himself up off the ground. As he rose, my heart stopped, started, then went into overdrive. His legs and spine straightened into a towering mass of unforgiving muscles. With shoulders like a lumberjack and thick, powerful thighs, I didn’t know if I wanted to run away or climb him like a tree. He was utterly enormous. Jolly Green Giant enormous. Except, obviously, not green. More golden brown. He was a gorgeous, towering mass of golden brown perfection. No. Definitely not a cave-dwelling, wart-infested troll. Great. Just great. Now I knew I wasn’t crazy—Guy was definitely real—but now I also knew I was way over my head. He was gorgeous. I stood in awe, my mouth gaping as my eyes attempted to register every rope of muscle, every capacious curve packed with power. Christ, he had to be at least seven feet tall. “Six nine, actually,” he said, guessing my thoughts. “This can’t be possible,” I whispered, my eyes continuing to dart up and down the length of his body, stopping right on dark trail of hair that started just below his navel and continued down, down, down to his enormous beast of a—“Oh! You’re naked.” I turned sharply, but only to stop myself from reaching out to touch it; no man could be that…that…endowed. Wow. “This can’t be happening.” I covered my face. “Emma,” he moved behind me, placing his powerful hands on my shoulders. A jolt shivered its way through my body. I was wrong about the vibe. Way wrong. This man, or whatever he was, radiated hazard. He should come equipped with a set of blinking lights or flares. He was…“Bad. Very, very, bad,” I mumbled, pinching the bridge of my nose. And pathetically, after everything that had happened, all I could think about was this naked, hard-bodied, glorious “man” who’d just permanently seared his image inside the storage compartments of my female DNA. All men from this day forward would have to survive a mental side-by-side comparison against him. They’d all lose.

Available for ONLY $0.99 at:Amazon | B&N | Smashwords

And here's her second book....

Accidentally Married to...a Vampire?

(Book 2, Accidentally Yours)

(which also received 4.5 out of 5 stars on Amazon)

Blurb:

“If you love her, set her free. If she comes back, she’s yours. If she doesn’t...Christ! Stubborn woman! Hunt her down, and bring her the hell back; she’s still yours according to vampire law.”--Niccolo DiConti, General of the Vampire Queen’s Army.

The Determined Vampire:Niccolo DiConti has faithfully served as leader of Her Majesty’s army for over a millennium, but he’d rather sunbathe in the Sahara than spend another grueling day under his demented queen’s command. However, no one has ever left her side and lived to tell. So when a powerful goddess prophesizes he will meet his salvation—a human woman he must turn into a vampire with her consent—he eagerly rises to the challenge. After all, how hard could it be to seduce a human female into taking the immortal plunge? Harder than he thinks. Because his mate won’t be born for another three centuries, and when he wakes up in the goddess’ tomb, not only is his life a mess, but his destined female isn’t about to settle for a coldhearted vampire. Can he win her over before it’s too late? Not if his enemies have anything to do with it.

An Unwilling Bride:On the night Helena Strauss meets the fierce, devastatingly handsome vampire who saves her life in the jungles of Mexico, she knows her world will be forever changed. Because an attraction this mind blowing only comes along once in a lifetime—or existence. And when he claims she is his one true mate, destined to be his for all eternity, it’s a fairytale come true. So what if her knight in shining armor is a vampire? Nobody’s perfect. But discovering the powerful, overbearing immortal doesn’t “do love”? Deal breaker. Helena will flee and set out to accomplish the impossible…sever the otherworldly bond between them. And it turns out, Helena is just the leverage Niccolo’s enemies need to break the mighty warrior and wipe out his people.

Interested? Here's a taste:

Excerpt:

What the hell is this place? Then Helena’s eyes focused on something else she couldn’t quite grasp. In the middle of the room, lying across a stone altar, was a naked man with dark symbols tattooed down the length of one arm. But he was not just any man. He was a male so perfect that words would catfight each other just for the honor of describing him. He was a god. A bona fide deity. He had to be. Because a normal man wouldn’t give her the urge to fall to her knees and worship at his feet. Or drool. The torchlight licked his sculpted cheekbones, angular jaw, and full, sensual lips. Every capacious curve and ripple of hard muscle looked to be packed with raw power, and his size left no doubt that he’d been built in another time. A time when giant warriors roamed the earth, looking to rescue lame tourists wandering the Mexican jungle at night. In my dreams. Wait...this is a dream! It has to be. “Move closer my sweet, delicious woman.” The deep voice radiated from every direction, filling the room. Helena’s blood pressure crashed to the floor. She gasped as the weight of her body slammed back against the cold chamber wall to keep from falling. “Hel-hello? Can you hear me?” Fists clenched, Helena waited for a response, her eyes continuing to soak him in. Every inch of him. Was he real? No, he must be a statue. Too perfect. His full lips were built to nuzzle a woman’s neck. Specifically, her neck. And that hair—thick, long waves of black satin—was the kind a woman could grab fistfuls of while being driven insane by those lips. Then there were the diamond-cut grooves of his abs, his perfectly shaped navel, the fine dark hair adorning his lower belly that trailed down to his awe-inspiring man-gear. The size and thickness, even in its slumbering state, was something women dreamed of and scores of artists throughout history attempted to immortalize in marble. He was every woman’s fantasy, she thought. And by every woman, she meant hers…’Cause I’m not gonna share. “Kiss me, Helena,” the seductive voice rumbled. Had the man said her name? No. Clearly, his lips hadn’t moved. The margarita amoebas were attacking her brain and she was losing her mind. “Kiss me, woman. I command you,” the voice echoed, this time compelling her to obey. Helena’s survival instincts gave her a hard kick, jarring her back into the horrific reality of the situation. But as she tried to regain control of her body, her tongue slipped from her mouth and wet her lips. Traitorous tongue. Backstabbing lips. What the hell are you doing? Her body inched closer. “Sì, that is it, my love. I can smell your blood.” Blood? What the...? Every nerve in her body fired on all cylinders, but she couldn’t run even if her hair had been on fire. It seemed the harder she fought, the stronger the force controlling her became. “Brush it against my lips, my love. I want to taste you when you kiss me.” Without realizing it, her hand stretched down to coat her fingertips with the thick, nearly dried blood from her knee. Trembling, she smeared it over his lips. “Now, kiss me, my love. Awaken me, my bride.” “No! No! Let me go!” Helena struggled, but her body’s betrayal persisted. Her head dipped, and her lips rested on his sensuous mouth. In that instant, the compelling force dissipated and her entire body lit up into one glorious pyre of life. Had she been asleep the last twenty-four years? Because she could swear she’d just taken her first breath. Ever. Holy hell, what was that? The torches flickered, and the wind kicked up around her. The altar was empty. She crumbled to the cold, dusty floor. A pair of strong hands gripped her shoulders from behind. “Oh, Christ. You...you’re behind me, aren’t you?” she whispered. The deep dark voice replied, “Sì, my love. Stand, and let me see my mate.” Helena slowly rose to face the naked god behind her.

Available for ONLY $0.99 at: Amazon | B&N | Smashwords

And here's the clue....

One hundred percent (100%) of all royalties received from the sale of Accidentally Married to a...Vampire from both B&N and Amazon THIS SUNDAY will be donated to The Breast Cancer Foundation.

COMING IN SEPT 2012....

Sun God Seeks... Surrogate?

(Book 3, Accidentally Yours)

Blurb:

Twenty-four-year-old Penelope finds herself in all sorts of hot water, vaporous and otherwise, after agreeing to become a surrogate mother for an eccentric, wealthy, and devastatingly handsome man who isn’t exactly a man.

About the Author:

Before taking up a permanent residence in the San Francisco Bay Area, Mimi spent time living near NYC (became a shopaholic), in Mexico City (developed a taste for very spicy food), and Arizona (now hates jumping chollas, but pines for sherbet sunsets). Her love of pre-Hispanic culture, big cities, and romance inspires her to write when she’s not busy with kids, work, and life…or getting sucked into a juicy novel. She hopes that someday, leather pants for men will make a big comeback and that her writing might make you laugh when you need it most.

Website: http://www.mimijean.net
iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/mimi-jean-pamfiloff/id498303364?mt=11
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/MimiJeanRomance
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mimi-Jean/218935048190356
Email: mimi@mimijean.net

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Z stands for ZUMBA!! (Monday Music)

2012-04-30T22:06:00.000+01:00

Have you ever tried a Zumba class? I'm not much for going to the gym, but.... I've recently purchased the Zumba for Wii program... yikes! It almost killed me.

The first song I had to dance to was this:

Today is also the last post in this year's A-Z adventure. It's been GREAT and thank you so much to all of you, the wonderful hosts in particular. (even though I failed spectacularly last week)

I HAD A BLAST!

U, V, W, X and Y...Oooops

2012-04-27T22:02:00.001+01:00

failure |ˈfālyər|noun1 lack of success: an economic policy that is doomed to failure | the failures of his policies.• an unsuccessful person, enterprise, or thing: bad weather had resulted in crop failures.2 the omission of expected or required action: their failure to comply with the basic rules.• a lack or deficiency of a desirable quality: a failure of imagination.3 the action or state of not functioning: symptoms of heart failure | an engine failure.• a sudden cessation of power.• the collapse of a business.ORIGIN mid 17th cent. (originally as failer, in the senses ‘nonoccurrence’ and‘cessation of supply’): from Anglo-Norman French failer for Old French faillir(see fail) .

Yep, UVWXY isn't actually an unpronouncable combination of letters, in reality it spells FAILURE. I've officially failed the A-Z challenge because I missed all those days.

*sigh*

Ah well, never mind. It's the experience that counts! I've had fun working on this, fun meeting new people (although I've been rather lax in the commenting department, too - SORRY). An adventure!

Thanks, everybody!! Oh, and do pop in on Monday for my Z post (a Monday Music episode).

T is for Teardrop by Massive Attack (Music Monday)

2012-04-23T00:30:00.000+01:00

I love Massive Attack, and though this is a seriously freaky video, this is my favourite song by them... (maybe just listen and don't watch...)

S is for Sugar...

2012-04-22T10:26:00.000+01:00

As in sugar, how did I manage to fall a day behind?? The pace really is relentless! Which is why I'm doing a post on a Sunday, designated non-blogging day. This way, I'll be back on track tomorrow...

SUGAR

sugar |ˈSHo͝ogər|noun1 a sweet crystalline substance obtained from various plants, esp. sugar cane and sugar beet, consisting essentially of sucrose, and used as a sweetener in food and drink.• a lump or teaspoonful of this, used to sweeten tea or coffee: I'll have mine black with two sugars.• informal used as a term of endearment or an affectionate form of address:what's wrong, sugar?• [ as exclamation ] informal used as a euphemism for “shit.”• informal a psychoactive drug in the form of white powder, esp. heroin or cocaine.2 Biochemistry any of the class of soluble, crystalline, typically sweet-tasting carbohydrates found in living tissues and exemplified by glucose and sucrose.verb [ with obj. ]1 sweeten, sprinkle, or coat with sugar: she absentmindedly sugared her tea |(as adj. sugared) : sugared almonds.2 make more agreeable or palatable: the novel was preachy but sugared heavily with jokes.PHRASESsugar the pill see pill1.DERIVATIVESsugarless adjectiveORIGIN Middle English: from Old French sukere, from Italian zucchero, probably via medieval Latin from Arabic sukkar .

I was actually going for the informal use as an euphemism with my post title today. You see, I like euphemisms - I grew up in a very much swear-word free house, so I don't really curse very much. "Sugar" was an accepted thing to say, though, or the German "Scheibenkleister" (that's actually the stuff you use to stick window panes into window frames, but starts the same way as the german version of shit). One of my nephew's favourite things was to call people "peabrain" - I like that one, too.

I find it really hard to make my characters swear, even when the occasion warrants it, but I do have fun making up euphemisms for them (even more fun because I write fantasy and can REALLY make things up).

How about you? Do you have any favourite (childhood) "swearwords"? Euphemisms the rest of us might not have come across? Come on, share!

R is for Reverence

2012-04-21T22:14:00.002+01:00

REVERENCE

reverence |ˈrev(ə)rəns|

noun

deep respect for someone or something: rituals showed honor and reverence for the dead.• archaic a gesture indicative of such respect; a bow or curtsy: the messenger made his reverence .• (His/Your Reverence) a title given to a member of the clergy, or used in addressing them.

verb [ with obj. ]

regard or treat with deep respect: the many divine beings reverenced by Hindu tradition.ORIGIN Middle English: from Old French, from Latin reverentia, fromrevereri ‘stand in awe of’ (see revere) .

Here's another word I like. It just sounds nice, doesn't it? I particularly like the "making his reverence" way of using the word, but that's probably because I write fantasy.

What do you think? Do you like the sound of the word, too? Any favourite words of your own?

Q is for Questions

2012-04-20T00:34:00.001+01:00

QUESTION(S)

question |ˈkwesCHən|nouna sentence worded or expressed so as to elicit information: we hope this leaflet has been helpful in answering your questions.• a doubt about the truth or validity of something: there is no question that America faces the threat of Balkanization.• the raising of a doubt about or objection to something: Edward was the only one she obeyed without question | her loyalty is really beyond question .• a matter forming the basis of a problem requiring resolution: we have kept an eye on the question of political authority.• a matter or concern depending on or involving a specified condition or thing:it was not simply a question of age and hierarchy.verb [ with obj. ]ask questions of (someone), esp. in an official context: four men were being questioned about the killings | (as noun questioning) : the young lieutenant escorted us to the barracks for questioning.• feel or express doubt about; raise objections to: members had questioned the cost of the scheme.PHRASESbe ( just or only ) a question of time be certain to happen sooner or later.bring something into question raise an issue for further consideration or discussion: technology had brought into question the whole future of work.come into question become an issue for further consideration or discussion:our Sunday trading laws have come into question.in question 1 being considered or discussed: on the day in question, there were several serious emergencies. 2 in doubt: all of the old certainties are in question.no question of no possibility of.out of the question too impracticable or unlikely to merit discussion.question of fact Law an issue to be decided by a jury.question of law Law an issue to be decided by a judge.put the question (in a formal debate or meeting) require supporters and opponents of a proposal to record their votes.DERIVATIVESquestioner noun,questioningly adverbORIGIN late Middle English: from Old French question (noun), questionner(verb), from Latin quaestio(n-), from quaerere ‘ask, seek.’

Question Number 1 for today: How did I manage to get off schedule?? I hope you don't mind the two-posts-in-a-day thing... This way, I'll be back on track by the weekend.

So back to questions in general. I think mankind would not be the same if not for our ability to question, to ask, to be curious. Without this, we'd never get anywhere, nor, I think, would we want to.

For us as writers, questions are vital. We ask - ourselves, our characters, our muses, our beta readers, our families, our editors - we ask and write down our own answers. We shape our stories by the answers we come up with.

On another level, I'm a big fan of playing little games of question-and-answer with my MCs. It's one of my favourite character exercises. Sometimes I even play truth or dare with them (ok so mostly I let them play against each other).

So yes, questions are vital, not just for us writers, but for everyone. Don't you think?

P is for Prejudice

2012-04-20T00:26:00.000+01:00

PREJUDICE

prejudice |ˈprejədəs|noun1 preconceived opinion that is not based on reason or actual experience: English prejudice against foreigners | anti-Jewish prejudices.• dislike, hostility, or unjust behavior formed on such a basis: accusations of racial prejudice.2 chiefly Law harm or injury that results or may result from some action or judgment: prejudice resulting from delay in the institution of the proceedings.verb [ with obj. ]1 give rise to prejudice in (someone); make biased: the statement might prejudice the jury.2 chiefly Law cause harm to (a state of affairs): delay is likely to prejudice the child's welfare.PHRASESwithout prejudice Law without detriment to any existing right or claim: the payment was made without any prejudice to her rights.ORIGIN Middle English ( sense 2 of the noun): from Old French, from Latinpraejudicium, from prae ‘in advance’ + judicium ‘judgment.’

Prejudice is a dangerous word, but for us as writers, it offers a wealth of opportunities. People - be they writers, newsmakers or politicians - have been exploiting prejudice for absolutely ever.

Which is why, if we use prejudice - either by giving them to our characters or by playing on the reader's own prejudice, or any other way you can think of - we need to do so with care. Think it over, because it's also the nature of prejudice to make you walk along the edge of propriety, or possibly shove you off in the wrong direction.

O is for Onomatopoeia

2012-04-18T23:43:00.001+01:00

ONOMATOPOEIA

onomatopoeia |ˌänəˌmatəˈpēə, -ˌmätə-|nounthe formation of a word from a sound associated with what is named (e.g.cuckoo, sizzle).• the use of such words for rhetorical effect.ORIGIN late 16th cent.: via late Latin from Greek onomatopoiia ‘word-making,’ from onoma, onomat- ‘name’ + -poios ‘making’ (from poiein ‘to make’).

I love that word. Doesn't it sound great?
O-No-Ma-To-Poei-A.... lovely. I also like onomatopoeia words like cuckoo, sizzle, murmur, crackle, rumble, puff, or even ring. How about you? Do you like these sort of words? Any favourites?

N is for No, No, No (joys of editing)

2012-04-17T08:40:00.000+01:00

I had originally planned a different post today but I just re-read it and it was crap. *sigh*

Actually, that's what often crosses my mind when I re-read things I've written - my current WIP holding pride of place for this.

I suppose this is why I hate editing and/or read-throughs so much (of my own stuff, mind you, I have no problem with other people's writing...). I read the first paragraph and IMMEDIATELY there's a GAZILLION things that need to be fixed, either in terms of spelling, grammar, or I just want to scrap the whole thing in its entirety.

Needless (oh, there's another great N!) to say my editing/read-through efforts are often crowned by not glory but failure.... to put it bluntly, I suck at objectivity.

Worst thing about it: if I re-read the original a while later, everything seems fine...and the new version is rubbish.... *sigh*

Anyone else have this problem? Here's some things I've tried with varying degrees of success:

in order to do spelling and grammar checks, read the whole thing backwards, sentence by sentence
skip paragraphs on purpose, so you don't get lost in the story
print the whole thing, then don't use a pen when you're reading, just stick post-its to whatever bothers you and re-check it later

What do you think? Would any of those work for you? Do you have different strategies?

M is for Massive Attack (Monday Music)

2012-04-16T20:30:00.000+01:00

One of my favourite bands, EVER!!!!!

L is for Love (x2)

2012-04-13T12:00:00.000+01:00

I'm doing a post on L for Love over on The Book Bunnies today, too, so do go visit?

Love is a difficult topic, much written about, sung about, painted/sculpted/acted about/over/for. It's also one of the easiest and most difficult things to bring across in a believable way on paper without resorting to cliches, stereotypes or similar writerly no-nos.

And let's not even start with the sex thing. It's HELLISHLY difficult to write a good sex scene - well, at least I think so. I also think you can tell how difficult it is by the amount of badly written sex scenes to be found in romance or even any other book these days.

Seriously.

How about you? Do you have difficulty writing about love - the physical or the other kind?

K is for Knowledgeable

2012-04-12T10:00:00.000+01:00

KNOWLEDGEABLE

knowledgeable |ˈnälijəbəl|(also knowledgable )adjectiveintelligent and well informed: she is very knowledgeable about livestock and pedigrees.DERIVATIVESknowledgeability |ˌnälijəˈbilitē|noun,knowledgeably |-blē|adverb
That's what I'd like to be - knowledgeable. About a whole range of topics, but, speaking of writing, these here in particular:

Grammar - I constantly get bogged down trying to figure out if I'm using correct grammar or not.
Synonyms - I wish I were a walking Thesaurus (I love that word)
Psychology - because sometimes it's hard to figure out what's going on in my characters' heads
Latin - yes, I'd like to speak latin. Just because.
History - (warfare and strategy in particular) because I'd like to be more realistic in my writing and some topics are rather heavy-going in terms of research
Astrophysics - so I can write a proper sci-fi novel without feeling like an idiot

How about you? Any topic you'd like to be more knowledgeable about?

J is for Jealousy

2012-04-11T10:00:00.000+01:00

JEALOUSY

jealousy |ˈjeləsē|noun ( pl. jealousies )the state or feeling of being jealous: a sharp pang of jealousy | resentments and jealousies festered.ORIGIN Middle English: from Old French gelosie, from gelos (see jealous) .
Jealousy is a dangerous and subtle sort of emotion. It sneaks up on you, and when it rears its ugly green head, it may be too late... The price, of course, is bitterness. Jealousy impedes creativity - at least for me. My Muse detests jealousy. I do occasionally find myself envying (and isn't that a nice word for being jealous?) others, more talented and published writers for the most part. Whenever I do, Mr Muse runs away screaming. He doesn't like me thinking too much about what another Muse inspired someone else to do. He wants me all for himself, fickle beast that he is. I guess he's jealous, too. What about you? Do you find jealousy sneaking up on you on occasion, especially regarding your writing? Do you think it influences your opinion of other people's work in any significant way or do you think yourself perfectly capable of objective judgements?

I is for Insecure

2012-04-10T02:00:00.000+01:00

INSECURE
insecure |ˌinsiˈkyo͝or|adjective1 (of a person) not confident or assured; uncertain and anxious: a top model who is notoriously insecure about her looks | a rather gauche, insecure young man.2 (of a thing) not firm or set; unsafe.• (of a job or position) from which removal or expulsion is always possible.• not firmly fixed; liable to give way or break: an insecure footbridge.• able to be broken into or illicitly accessed: an insecure computer system.DERIVATIVESinsecurely adverbORIGIN mid 17th cent.: from medieval Latin insecurus ‘unsafe,’ from in-‘not’ + Latin securus ‘free from care,’ or from in-1‘not’ + secure.
Oh, dear. Here's another writerly classic among feelings - insecurity. I wish I could have had "I" last Wednesday, for the post belonging to Alex J Cavanaugh's Insecure Writers' Support Group... ah well. There's more than enough insecurity to last for two posts, after all.

H is for Hush! - It's Oh So Quiet (Music Monday)

2012-04-09T02:00:00.001+01:00

She's weird, but cool....

G is for Greed

2012-04-07T01:00:00.000+01:00

GREED

greed |grēd|nounintense and selfish desire for something, esp. wealth, power, or food.ORIGIN late 16th cent.: back-formation from greedy.

(source: Apple iMac dictionary)

Greed is intense, allright. It's also pervasive in the way it affects, or rather, infects, all layers of society, no matter what income bracket or belief system.

We're all susceptible. We covet things, whether we need them or not.

Just think - that brand-new iPad that's on every advertisement from here to Timbuktu? WANT.

An ice cream like the one that girl on the other side of the street is eating? WANT.

That new bestseller? WANT.

More money? WANT.

We all want. The trick is not to let that WANT bit of your brain take over, not to let it cut slivers off your integrity. There's enough of that going on in politics, thank you very much. Like that recent spate of polititians in Europe who faked their doctoral thesis, or plagarised, as the case may be. Greedy idiots! And rather appropriate as a warning to anyone writing anything out there.

Don't be tempted to take the easy path, because nothing worth having is ever truly easy.

ps. My blogging buddy and fellow Book Bunny Sasha is posting G for Granting Wishes and Giveaways today.... ; )

F is for Frustration

2012-04-06T01:00:00.000+01:00

FRUSTRATION

frustration |frəˈstrāSHən|nounthe feeling of being upset or annoyed, esp. because of inability to change or achieve something: I sometimes feel like screaming with frustration.• an event or circumstance that causes one to have such a feeling: the inherent frustrations of assembly line work.• the prevention of the progress, success, or fulfillment of something: the frustration of their wishes.ORIGIN mid 16th cent.: from Latin frustratio(n-), from frustrare ‘disappoint’(see frustrate) .(source: Apple iMac dictionary)

I think we all know what frustration is. Frustration is the name of that period of time during which your toast burns (but only on one side), the milk is off, the dog dug up the roses, there's no coffee in the house, your printer needs ink/paper/a kick in the motherboard and, oh yea, your Muse is on holiday.

Or is that just me?

ps. sorry about the truly short post today but - well - I'm kinda frustrated with work right now.

pps. I know for a fact that my blogging buddy Sasha is posting G for Granting Wishes and Giveaways tomorrow...

ppps. God knows what I'll be posting. #headdesk

E is for Endless

2012-04-05T01:00:00.000+01:00

ENDLESS

endless |ˈen(d)ləs|adjectivehaving or seeming to have no end or limit: endless ocean wastes | the list is endless.• countless; innumerable: we smoked endless cigarettes.• (of a belt, chain, or tape) having the ends joined to form a loop allowing continuous action.DERIVATIVESendlessly adverb,endlessness nounORIGIN Old English endelēas (see end,-less) .

(source: Apple iMac dictionary)

I picked out the words I wanted to write about in this A-Z challenge some time ago, but for the life of me I can't remember what I was trying to get at with "endless".

So many things are endless, after all, and yet nothing is. It all depends on how you look at it, though I don't think the human mind is equipped to deal with the concept of "endless" in any meaningful way. After all, can you truly grasp the idea that the universe has no end? That concept certainly won't fit my poor little brain. I can rationally say yes, I can believe that, but when it comes to actually thinking about it...YIKES.

Same thing about God/god, really, and I really don't want to offend anyone here, this is my personal belief. I don't think we're made in such a way as to understand, in truth, a being that is endless in all ways, be it knowledge, love or what have you. So we impose limits - rituals to channel "his" will, specific key phrases that are supposed to attract attention to you and have your prayers heard. But - if "he" is truly endless or almighty or all-knowing or whatever, then why would this be necessary?

And then there's the very relative type of endless we use in our everyday lives. Like, "OMG that lecture was endless" or "the tunnel was endless" or "the journey was endless" or some such. A term to show that time dragged on for us, that minutes seemed like hours and we seemed to be getting nowhere - certainly nowhere fast. A very mundane sort of endless, a very limited version that suits the confines of day-to-day life and provides ease of thought.

Still, I think endless is a pretty scary word. Pretty much everything around us has an end. Can we ever truly understand something that doesn't?

D is for Desire (an Insecure Writers' Support Group Post)

2012-04-04T01:00:00.000+01:00

(this post doubles as a post for Alex's Insecure Writers' Support Group, since it's the first Wednesday of the month...)

DESIRE

desire |dəˈzī(ə)r|nouna strong feeling of wanting to have something or wishing for something to happen: [ with infinitive ] : a desire to work in the dirt with your bare hands.• strong sexual feeling or appetite: they were clinging together in fierce mutual desire.verb [ with obj. ]strongly wish for or want (something): he never achieved the status he so desired | (as adj. desired) : it failed to create the desired effect.• want (someone) sexually: there had been a time, years ago, when he had desired her.• archaic express a wish to (someone); request or entreat.ORIGIN Middle English: from Old French desir (noun), desirer (verb), fromLatin desiderare (see desiderate) .(source: Apple iMac dictionary)
Now here's a useful word for most writers. We all desire so many things in our lives - more than want, perhaps slightly more realistic than wishing. And I'm not talking about the intense version of human contact that may immediately spring to mind. Although admittedly the dictionary example up there with "a desire to work in the dirt" is not quite what I have in mind, either. I think those of us who are writers desire to put the stories in their heads down on paper in such a way that it comes across to the reader just how they want it to. Stories are supposed to invoke emotions (or desires, even...) in the reader, and that is what we, as writers, want to accomplish. We desire out books to be finished, edited, agented, published and successful, even. Perhaps turned into a (Blockbuster) movie? There's no shortage on desires for writers, I'm sure. As a reader, one of my primary desires is to be able to lose myself in the story. There's nothing worse than being jarred out of the movie running in your head when you're reading a book. You know what I mean, right? I want stories that keep me from going to bed on time, that give me bags under my eyes because I stayed up all night reading, unable to put them down. I want stories that make me throw the book into the corner of the room, not because it's so bad, but because I've finished it and the story is over, done, never to be experienced in quite the same way again. As a writer, my greatest fear is not being able to reach my readers like that. I want to make them laugh, make them cry, make them growl in frustration when the book is finished, and most importantly, I want to help them get lost in the worlds I create. This, above all, is what I desire to accomplish as a writer. How about you? What do you desire, as a writer, as a reader? What's the most important thing to you when you do either one?

C is for Confusion

2012-04-03T01:00:00.000+01:00

CONFUSION

confusion |kənˈfyo͞oZHən|noun1 lack of understanding; uncertainty: there seems to be some confusion aboutwhich system does what | he cleared up the confusion over the party's policy.• a situation of panic; a breakdown of order: the shaken survivors retreated in confusion .• a disorderly jumble: all I can see is a confusion of brown cardboard boxes.2 the state of being bewildered or unclear in one's mind about something: she looked about her in confusion .• the mistaking of one person or thing for another: there is some confusion between “unlawful” and “illegal” | most of the errors are reasonable confusions between similar words or sequences of words.ORIGIN Middle English: from Latin confusio(n-), from the verb confundere‘mingle together’ (see confuse) .

(source: Apple iMac dictionary)

Confusion, in terms of writing, can be a good thing and a bad thing, both.

Ideal case: a character is confused about something, but the reader knows what's going on, or thinks she does.

Not quite so simple: If you can make sure your reader is both a little confused in terms of what's going to happen, but still very much interested in finding out? That would probably be a good thing.

If you're confused about what's happening in the book? (you as a writer) Not so good. (you as a reader) Even worse.

Confusion, therefore, can only be beneficial in miniscule doses, when combined with something positive.

Right? Right.

Problem: confusion never comes in small doses, at least not to me. How about you? Are you like me, if you get confused, it's a downward slope from there?

For me it's worse when I'm reading than when I'm writing. If a book confuses me, plot-wise, beyond a certain level of tolerance, I usually put it down and forget about it. I may find it again at a later date, pick it up again, but if it confuses me again that's it.

When I'm writing, it's been known to happen that either I confuse myself or my characters develop a life of their own, however you want to look at it... when this happens, I take a break, do some characterisation exercises (I like doing character interviews), mess with the plot, and when all this fails, put it down to pick up at a later date.

Which might be the reason for my copious amounts of WIPs.

How about you? How do you deal with confusion, and do you think it has it's place in writing?

B is for Boss Hoss (Monday Music)

2012-04-02T01:00:00.000+01:00