Six Sentence Sunday 11/25/12

Today I'm going to post an excerpt from my current WIP Deceptive Cadence. I'm going to do two books for it, and it's about a 25yo woman, named Cadence, who's husband and daughter are killed in an earthquake and she is sent back to being fourteen to try to save them. So, here's a little bit from the beginning!

He beamed. “I knew that would interest you. Would you like to go back several years with the knowledge that you have and redo events which you regret?”

He had my complete attention. “Of course.”

“Well then, here’s your chance.”

Winner

The winner of my IOU giveaway for the Black Friday Blog Hop is BLHmistress. Congrats, and I'll email and keep you posted with the details.

Black Friday Blog Hop

Black Friday Blog Hop

I don't have much to give away, but I can offer a copy of my first novel a NA historical romance "Kiya: Hope of the Pharaoh" when it comes out. Call it an IOU. I will choose it randomly from the comments. I'll put all the names in a hat.... the old school way!

Being Australian, I haven't really experienced much in the way of Black Friday. My first year living in the US I didn't even know it existed, and my second year I wondered why so many of my friends were talking about going to Walmart at midnight and waiting in line until 3am! I had also given birth about a week earlier so hitting the stores was not on the top of my "To-do" list.
Last year thought, my family was over for my little girl's first birthday. My sister came along too and seeing all the great bargains advertised she decided to combine it with an awesome exchange rate and spend some money. So, we went to Walmart at 10pm, managed to avoid a fight which had a gun involved, and she bought a few items she wanted.
Then we had to wait for the other stores to open at midnight. We hit Jack-in-the-box for a sugar boost, and chilled out until we decided it was time to jump in a line. Lines are definitely the main event on Black Friday. Once we were in the store, she only took a few minutes to pick some things out, but then we were in another line for about two hours. By the end I was about to pass out, being an old fart now I have a kid, so we headed home so I could get a few hours sleep before my child woke me.
I think I'll just stick to online Black Friday sales for a while.

My Favorite Commercial right now!

This one is awesome! I think it's pretty self explanatory, and Disney did a great job with it. Props to them. Enjoy!

Six Sentence Sunday 11/18

Today I'm going to post one of my "complete, but needs to be critiqued and worked on some more" manuscripts. At this point it's called BRANDED and it's an invasion/action story set in the Greater Sydney and New South Wales area, aka my home. So here's a little sample for you.


"You stupid girl! I could give you a good life if you just submit to me.”

The red hot branding rod arrived and was handed to the General. I stared at it and whimpered in fear.

“Last chance, little girl.” He straightened and held the red hot iron above me.

Thanksgiving Blog Hop #4

Today, I'm thankful that two years ago on this day I gave birth to a beautiful, healthy little girl. She has been the light of my life ever since, even though she was an awful baby lol! She is wonderful now and gives out hugs everywhere and says hi and bye to water fountains! The picture above is her being a flower girl at my sister's wedding in August.

Thanksgiving Blog Hop #3

Yes, I suck and doing these daily like I'm supposed to, but I try :-D

So today I'm thankful for the opportunity I have to be back at school.

When I moved to the USA, I was actually doing full time University in Australia studying for a Bachelor of Health Science. But, with the move I had to put everything on hold. I couldn't go to school for a minimum of a year without paying premium international costs. When a year finally passed, I found myself pregnant. So I had to wait for a while longer to have the baby and have her be old enough that I was getting enough sleep and had some free time.

So this semester I was able to sign up for classes again. I am so excited, even though I've completely changed my major :-)

Wildest Moments Blogfest

I was eighteen when I jetted off to the other side of the world by myself where I knew no one. I'd barely graduated High School in Australia, and spent the last few years being suffocated by the pressures my school and peers placed on me. I saw it as my chance to change, to start anew and to figure out who I was.
When I landed in LAX on New Year's Eve and thought I may have underestimated what I had gotten myself into. It was chaos, and I was just one little girl in the crowd. People were yelling, arguing, pushing, shoving... my thoughts were, "what have I gotten myself into?!"
When I made it to Arizona, things didn't seem so bad. My host family were nice to me and welcomed me in, and allowed me to pass out for the rest of the day.
The first month or so was the hardest. At first everyone wanted to make me talk to hear my accent, but I was so shy and low on self-esteem that I'd just clam up and feel embarrassed whenever someone gushed about the way I talked.
Once the initial novelty wore off, that was when the homesickness and loneliness began. It was really hard because I'm not the sort of person to openly express how I'm feeling so I held it in and clammed up whenever I couldn't control the emotions. I'm fairly certain my host family grew frustrated with me during this time, and I give them all the respect in the world for enduring through it with me.
Finally, I came out the other side and started to relax and open up. I discovered a new side to myself and found that with my new friends who liked me as I was, I was quite sarcastic and funny. I learned I was worth being friends with and worth loving. In return I learned how to be a better person and how to give love.
Most significantly, I met the man I would eventually marry four years later. I didn't know it then, because we were just friends, but with a bit of time and maturing I saw how amazing and perfect for me he was and still is.
Without the brave choice to step out of my comfort zone I wouldn't have grown and learned half of what I did. I'll never regret that choice that led me down the path I now follow.

A Skit for Thanksgiving Blog Hop

I'm going to blend this post with the Thanksgiving blog hop. I want to say I'm thankful for my girls who I work with at church. They are all so much fun and I love spending time with them and listening to everything they have to say. They are each so unique and see things in different ways it helps me keep life in perspective and to be honest, become a teenager again!
Anyways, to celebrate them, I've posted a special treat.
 Several months ago I had the opportunity to go on Girl's Camp with the teenage girls at my church. I had so much fun with them and love each of them so much, and I even had the opportunity to use my writing to help them out.
Each year they have a skit night. This year they weren't given the guidelines until we arrived at the camp. So we had to write it and throw it together while we were up there. I gave the girls the rules. We had to say specific lines, use certain props and it had to be medieval themed. They gave me a who bunch of ideas which they wanted to do and I constructed them into a script. They LOVED it! It was so fun to watch them throw themselves into it and really enjoy doing their thing.
So, anyways, today I will post it here for fun! Hope you enjoy! And yes, it's got Christian stuff in it, it was a church camp :-D

There once was a kingdom far far away,

where two princesses lived,

their kingdom soon to reign.

One sister, the younger of the pair,

Was head strong and wild

So decided to find her fate

and an adventure she sought.

Princess 2 – Do as thou wilt, I will see thee anon!*

She left her realm and traveled the land

Until a dragon she found.

Now the dragon was cunning

and knew the Princess' follies.

.

She drew her in with beauty and wealth

and told her of things

to make her heart sing.

Dragon – My Grace, what be thy name?

Princess 2 – Princess A-

Dragon – Do you see my fine jewels?

Would thou like to wear them?

Princess 2 – Oh yes, they are indeed beautiful and of fine craftsmanship.

Dragon – And how about these dresses? And if you wish I can bring you any handsome prince your heart desires.

Princess 2 – Prince? Oh yes! Oh dragon, thou are not as bad as others say.

Dragon – Come inside Princess and I will give thee what thou desires.

Before she knew it she was ensnared,

trapped deep within the dragons lair.*

Now the older sister,

Who was wise and true,*

Heard of her sisters woes

and knew she had to set her free.

So she dressed in her chain mail,

and girt up her loins with truth.

She strapped on her breastplate of righteousness,*

and took up the shield of faith.*

She placed the helmet of salvation atop her crown,*

and wielded the sword of the spirit.*

She called in her ladies in wait

and they set out to recover the lost princess.

Princess 1 - Let us go thither, come hither lasses.*

Now when the dragon saw the Princess' coat of arms

born high as a standard,

she went forth to meet the older sister,

Intending to lead her away and hold her captive also.

But the Princess,

cautious and clever and dressed in the armor of God,

And with the support of her valiant ladies in wait,

Were not so easily over come.

Hurrah for israel!

While the battle raged,

The younger sister trembled in fear of her fate.

She knew of the dragon's fearsome nature

And cried as she waited.

Lady in Wait – Whither is the privy?

Now they heard the cries of battle above*

and the princess took heart.

She knew of her sister's great courage

and knew she would set her free at all costs.*

Now the sounds of battle fell silent

and the princess feared to find who had been beaten and who had won.

Suddenly, the dungeon door thrust open

and her sister stood bold and powerful before her.*

She ran to her and they embraced,

and the younger sister swore an oath.

Princess 2 – Dear sister, from this day hence,

I will be more diligent and faithful to the cause of good.

I will not fall for the snares of dragons and warlocks

But will remember my divine purpose

and will remain true.

Now the older sister was pleased and replied,

Princess 1 – I believe thee good sister,

'Tis most splendid news indeed.

Thou art the joy of my heart

and knowing of thy great potential

I know thou will be true.

And so it came to pass that there was peace in the land.

And as the sisters reigned with integrity and faith,

The kingdom prospered all their days.

Song

The lesson of the dragon was never forgotten...

Curiosity Quills Author Interview

My Author interview is now up on the Curiosity Quills website. Check it out here! I may be just a bit excited!

Thanksgiving Blog Hop

Well, the problem with this is there is soooo much I have to be thankful for. But, I will start with the most important thing: My husband.

I know I give him a lot of flack about being a stereotypical man because he's gross and he farts and sleeps a lot, but really he's an incredible guy! Seriously! Behind his manly exterior he's a fun and loving guy who does everything he can to take care of me and our daughter. There is nothing more important to him in this world than us and I appreciate that more than anything. He works hard at his job and at school because he wants what's best for our family. He may tease me about writing "chicky" books, but he's with me every step of the way and gives me the space to write when I want to.
He's also my best friend and does an amazing job at putting up with my drama. I love him more than anything and am grateful each day that I have been blessed to have him in my life.

Resurrection BlogFest

http://minalobo.blogspot.com/2012/09/a-blogfest-is-announced.html?zx=986f1ef649dd221e

Since my blog started off as just a way to share my stories with my friends who read them as a teens back in Australia, my early posts were parts of stories I wrote as a teen. So here was my very first one posted on 8/8/2011. It's an exert from My story "Great Southern Land" and I'll admit it wasn't my best work ever! But it's fun to look back on.

I could see the large ships sailing in to the harbour¹. My father would be at the docks waiting for some new convicts to help work the farm. He would be standing, waiting, with my oldest brother Phillip, who was named after Governor Phillip² himself. My father had never met him while he was a convict, but he knew of his greatness and wisdom and was renowned throughout the colonies. My other brothers, James, Donald and Martin were with me as we were searching the market for supplies.

Our mother, who had been a convict also, had died six months earlier, soon followed by our youngest brother who had been only six, of the small pox. When Father had realised how serious our Mother's condition was we had been sent into Sydney town to stay with some of our parents old friends from their time as convicts.

Our farm was along the Nepean River, near the road that had been built for the new settlements on the other side of the Blue Mountains. It had been granted to our Father before I was born, for serving his time as a convict well. He and Mother moved to the property with two small boys, my older brothers who were now twenty-two and twenty, and they had built it up from the dirt. Since then Mother gave birth to four more children, myself of which I am seventeen, then my three other brothers Donald who is fifteen, Martin who is eleven then there was William who would have been seven had he not passed away only days after our mother.

Father had now ridden the farm of illness, so he had come to get us as we would all be needed for the coming winter. He was also picking up supplies and extra convicts to work the land.

Sketch of Alana

"Alana! come here at once!" it was James. I had managed to become distracted again by the ship and had been separated from my brothers. "Alana, it is not right for a young lady to be wandering about on her own" He wrapped his arm through mine and began leading me away.

"Well, I'm not a lady am I? I'm not one of those rich over-dressed women from England."

"We are not in England, so mind your tongue, you don't want to bring dishonour to Father would you?"

I snapped my mouth shut, infuriated. He knew that would always silence me, and he knew I despised when he used it against me.

We continued to search for the supplies we needed when we were approached by a group of young men. They greeted my brothers warmly before eying me over. That was an other thing I hated. There were very few women in the colony, and coming from a reasonably well-off family I was one of the cleaner and better dressed ones. I was also young, and a good age for marriage, there was even fewer women again who were all of these in one.

"Is this your sister James?"

"Yes, this is my sister Alana Mary Johnson"

The young man who had spoken took my hand and bowed. He was hansom enough, dark eyes, near black hair and by the tan of his skin I could tell he was a farmer.

"Would the Lady Alana mind if I were to call on her?" He inquired of me.

I looked at him surprised and was about to say 'Yes, she would mind, she has no desire to marry yet' but James stopped me, "No, she wouldn't mind at all, but right now we must meet our father"

"Then I shall call in on you in due time. At the cottage I presume?"

"No," Martin spoke up "We are going back to the farm today"

"Is that so?" the young man smiled at Martin, then returned his gaze back to me "Then I shall write, for I too must return to my own farm in two days so I will send correspondence"

James then gave him our farm's name and we parted. I refused to talk to him after that, but he didn't seem to mind.

We arrived at the docks and the instant I saw Father I leaped into his arms. I was so happy to see him after so long, but was also saddened by the absence of our mother at his side.

"Alana my dear! I have a surprise for you!" He beamed.

"What is it Father?" I gushed.

He laughed "I would like you to meet Miss Elizabeth Aubrey, she has come out here to be your finishing mistress"

My sketch of Elizabeth

I looked over the young woman who appeared to be the same age as my brother Phillip. She was impeccably well groomed, especially considering her months at sea. She had shiny blond hair which was pinned back elegantly under a bonnet and was wearing an extravagant blue dress with lace trimming and ruffles all over, which was obviously the latest fashion back in England. Her skin was fair, and her face lightly painted. "It's a pleasure to meet you Alana" She curtsied perfectly with a pleasant and polite smile.

"Yes" I muttered and turned to Father "I don't need a finishing mistress! I'm happy working the land and taking care of the house..."

"Alana," He interrupted "they are not the sort of things ladies should be doing..."

"But I'm not a lady! I am the daughter of convicts..." Phillip spun and glared at me, so I shut my mouth.

My father touched my shoulder "Alana, it was your mother's wish for you. In this colony we have a chance to become what we could barely dream of becoming back in England. Your mother wished for you to be finished and marry well so you don't have to lead the lives we have"

I thought of my dear mother. She had been arrested for petty theft and shipped down here to serve as a convict for seven years, she had only been fourteen at the time. My father had been arrested and sent over a year earlier at age sixteen for disorderly conduct. I knew their lives had been hard, and I knew I should at least try to fulfill my mother's wishes.

1Sydney Harbour, or Port Jackson

2First Governor of the new colony, he arrived with the first fleet in 1787

Thoughts from the Writer's Conference

On Saturday I attended the Avondale Writer's Conference. It was just a one day event, but I felt like I learned a great deal from it.
I think the most I got out of it was from my personal bias' haha! But, it was interesting to hear what the agents had to say about the current publishing market.

The first session everyone attended and had an agent speaking about Publishing Successfully in Today's Market. He was very interesting as he spoke about how he became an agent and how even as an agent he has to deal with rejection. He told us about a memoir he represented that he picked up in 2008 and only just had it published a month ago. It was rejected by 65 publishers! He said he was about to start advising the author on how to self-publish. This led him into talking about self-publishing and how writer's don't necessarily need agents anymore. WOW right??? He said with the hundreds of publishing options available in today's market, there is only two of those that need an agent, and even then an agent isn't a guarantee to be published.My mind was BLOWN!
My second session was about time management, and an author spoke to us. She advised that first we need to read more, and also, watch movies because they too can teach us how to construct an effective storyline and character development. She also said that you are writing even when you aren't sitting down putting words to paper. If you are thinking about your characters and conjuring up scenes you are writing.
Then I went to "The Ideal Query Letter". I have some notes I will scan, but mostly it was stuff I'd already learned through GUTGAA etc.
After lunch, I had a long session about Two Keys to Succeeding as a Writer. We had an agent speak to us in this class and he was VERY good. Our hand out was practically a novel, but was extremely informative. The main points I got from him were regarding Small House Publishers. He said that the Big Six may not be the best way to publish for a first time author. First time authors can be more successful through the smaller companies because they can spend more time and energy focusing on the individual authors because they aren't pumping out an average of 2 new titles a day! He said small houses can make new authors very successful and gave several examples. I found this exciting because I'm signed with a small house publisher. It made me feel reassured that my decision to sign
with CQ was the right thing for me to do.
Next I went to a Cover Design class. It ended up being for self-publishers, but it was interesting to see what he said about what was and wasn't effective.
The last class I totally tuned out of and started thinking about my NaNo WIP haha! It wasn't very interesting anyway.
So that's it. If you have any questions or want any of my notes let me know. I'd be happy to go into more detail. These are just my thoughts from the event.

P.S Check out today's Typlings post. It was written by me :-)

Dear Tamasin...

Hey girl! Just letting you know I won't be posting story snippets anymore. Leave me a comment and I'll send you the rest of this one if you want it.

~Katie