Good Afternoon!
So I'm working on about six or so stories right now. Why? Because I'm not fully working and I need to keep busy while I'm sending out what feels like a million applications and don't want to be stressing too much while I'm preparing for the job interviews I've been going on. It feels so good to be working with my characters again. I've missed them. I've been working on Project US (YA Romantic Suspense), A Pirate's Life for me (YA), Mistakes/Moonlit Eyes (YA - Paranormal Romance), Call for Help (NA Romantic Suspense Beneath the Scars 2), End of the Line 2 (YA), and might start working on two others. Yes, a little crazy. It feels nice to work on Young Adult books though.
I sometimes think that need to add more work than I should to my plate. It's an illness. You might have noticed that I've picked up End of the Line 2. I don't know what happened, but it sitting on the back burner for awhile I was able to get the gears moving again. Hopefully that continues. It has some interesting points, and I miss working with Aaron. That in mind I wanted the first and second to match interior wise. If you ever held the physical copy you might have thought the font was a little smaller. Looking at End of the Line with Family Ties and Beneath the Scars, I wondered how a book that has more words could be so much smaller. Family Ties is around 14K shorter, and Beneath the Scars is about three thousand words shorter. So I ask Amy from The Eyes of Editing and worked on the interior of End of the Line and now it's the biggest out of my collection. For that I'm sorry the price will be a little more, but at least your eyes will thank me. I fixed a couple interior problems that bothered me, I forgot to move a chapter heading down. My little OCD tendencies. It should be available again within a couple of days, or you can order End of the Line here now.
Happy Readings,
Ottilie.
Wednesday 30 July 2014
Wednesday 23 July 2014
Rape fallout -- fear, suspicion, loss of innocence
These are really bad times.
Most people say incidents of rape haven't gone up. We are only seeing increased reporting of such crimes. Earlier, girls and women suffered in silence. Today they speak up. They go to police stations, file cases, and battle in courts to get the criminals punished.
To say that only the reporting of rape incidents has gone up, is to skirt the real issue. It's no consolation, it's just the opposite. It's like all the dirt, which was lying covered, getting exposed now.
How many of us really understand the enormity of what is striking us every day?
One, the much-spoken-about feeling of insecurity. Women don't feel safe any more, in any place. If every woman hasn't already begun seeing every man a potential molester, it's only because she still has hope in humanity, she still has faith in man. In the midst of all these, we still see couples lost in the warmth of togetherness. Nevertheless, fear, very much in the background, is only growing, and not diminishing.
Two, the loss of innocence of the child. The years till teenage are blissful; or they are supposed to be. Children don't know anything wrong. Everything is right for them. There is only love and happiness in their lives. Even when the toy car rams against the wall, she squeaks in delight. Because she can only see it as good fun.
That innocence, is in great danger of being lost, if not lost already. Children as small as four and five are being told by their parents about "what is good touch and bad touch". Many mothers -- who are forced into going down this lane -- frustratingly concede that they only end up confusing the kids rather than making them feel safer. One mom says her kid asked a counter-question, why she was saying all that.
It's very natural for anyone to smile when they see a child. Today, parents are telling their children to be careful if they see anyone smiling at them. Children are being told not to trust anyone, to tell parents if any stranger has spoken to them or held their arms. They are being told not to be friendly with the uncle down the lane, and not to play with him always, whenever they return from school early. Kids are being told that if ever they need any help, to call only the parents and not anyone else.
Three, parents are getting more and more paranoid. It's very normal for parents to get worried when their kids fall ill, or show unusual symptoms, like lack of sleep, or lack of appetite, or pain in the stomach. Those are, as any parent would know, usual problems every growing child faces. Nothing of any great consequence. But today, parents have begun factoring in the possibility of someone having violated their kids' privacy. Lucky if "possibility" doesn't turn into "probability".
Children after seeing "R or Rose and not Rape" on placards in TV news, ask their parents, what is rape. They enlighten their parents, that it was not R for Rape anyway, and that they have always learnt in school that it's R for Rose only.
I don't know if anyone of us really understands how our society and a whole new generation is getting spoiled. What sort of society are we living in? With what frame of reference these children grow up? Where are we all heading for?
How do we end this terribly bad run? When will it end?
Any answers?
Most people say incidents of rape haven't gone up. We are only seeing increased reporting of such crimes. Earlier, girls and women suffered in silence. Today they speak up. They go to police stations, file cases, and battle in courts to get the criminals punished.
To say that only the reporting of rape incidents has gone up, is to skirt the real issue. It's no consolation, it's just the opposite. It's like all the dirt, which was lying covered, getting exposed now.
How many of us really understand the enormity of what is striking us every day?
One, the much-spoken-about feeling of insecurity. Women don't feel safe any more, in any place. If every woman hasn't already begun seeing every man a potential molester, it's only because she still has hope in humanity, she still has faith in man. In the midst of all these, we still see couples lost in the warmth of togetherness. Nevertheless, fear, very much in the background, is only growing, and not diminishing.
Two, the loss of innocence of the child. The years till teenage are blissful; or they are supposed to be. Children don't know anything wrong. Everything is right for them. There is only love and happiness in their lives. Even when the toy car rams against the wall, she squeaks in delight. Because she can only see it as good fun.
That innocence, is in great danger of being lost, if not lost already. Children as small as four and five are being told by their parents about "what is good touch and bad touch". Many mothers -- who are forced into going down this lane -- frustratingly concede that they only end up confusing the kids rather than making them feel safer. One mom says her kid asked a counter-question, why she was saying all that.
It's very natural for anyone to smile when they see a child. Today, parents are telling their children to be careful if they see anyone smiling at them. Children are being told not to trust anyone, to tell parents if any stranger has spoken to them or held their arms. They are being told not to be friendly with the uncle down the lane, and not to play with him always, whenever they return from school early. Kids are being told that if ever they need any help, to call only the parents and not anyone else.
Three, parents are getting more and more paranoid. It's very normal for parents to get worried when their kids fall ill, or show unusual symptoms, like lack of sleep, or lack of appetite, or pain in the stomach. Those are, as any parent would know, usual problems every growing child faces. Nothing of any great consequence. But today, parents have begun factoring in the possibility of someone having violated their kids' privacy. Lucky if "possibility" doesn't turn into "probability".
Children after seeing "R or Rose and not Rape" on placards in TV news, ask their parents, what is rape. They enlighten their parents, that it was not R for Rape anyway, and that they have always learnt in school that it's R for Rose only.
I don't know if anyone of us really understands how our society and a whole new generation is getting spoiled. What sort of society are we living in? With what frame of reference these children grow up? Where are we all heading for?
How do we end this terribly bad run? When will it end?
Any answers?
Wednesday 9 July 2014
Review and comments on ~ The Elements of Style
Good Morning!
Okay so my aunt gave me this book 'The Elements of Style' by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White for Christmas. As I said before, you can never stop learning. I want to keep working on my writing skills, so I figured why not. I wish I could say it was this past Christmas she gave me this book, but then I would be lying on which Christmas. Anyway, I finally sat down and read through it. the book is about eighty-five pages long. It's real thin.
I feel weird giving a 'textbook' more than 3 because well, who really enjoys reading textbooks, let along grammar ones? I was given this book by a relative for Christmas because I am always up for constantly fixing my talent. No one is perfect. This book is tiny, but has a lot of information in it, and I'm hoping I'm not breaking too many of the rules as I write this review. There were a couple of parts which I thought might as well have been written in Chinese. I think I might have needed a step before this book because I think the authors expected I knew what they were talking about at parts. I was talked to rather than getting an explanation for what the rule was. There were a couple of points I wanted to know why that was the way it was. Otherwise it's real short read. If you already have a little bit of a foundation and just need something to grab as a quick reminder this is your book.
Okay so my aunt gave me this book 'The Elements of Style' by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White for Christmas. As I said before, you can never stop learning. I want to keep working on my writing skills, so I figured why not. I wish I could say it was this past Christmas she gave me this book, but then I would be lying on which Christmas. Anyway, I finally sat down and read through it. the book is about eighty-five pages long. It's real thin.
I feel weird giving a 'textbook' more than 3 because well, who really enjoys reading textbooks, let along grammar ones? I was given this book by a relative for Christmas because I am always up for constantly fixing my talent. No one is perfect. This book is tiny, but has a lot of information in it, and I'm hoping I'm not breaking too many of the rules as I write this review. There were a couple of parts which I thought might as well have been written in Chinese. I think I might have needed a step before this book because I think the authors expected I knew what they were talking about at parts. I was talked to rather than getting an explanation for what the rule was. There were a couple of points I wanted to know why that was the way it was. Otherwise it's real short read. If you already have a little bit of a foundation and just need something to grab as a quick reminder this is your book.
Tuesday 8 July 2014
Fun book order!
Good Afternoon!
When I had a beta reader go through Project US she suggested 'Eats, shoots & Leaves' by Lynne Truss to help me with punctuation. I went on Amazon and picked up a couple of other books while I was at it. If I want to keep writing, learning new skills is a smart idea. I want to get better with grammar, and you can never stop learning more in life. I want to pick up new skills. Editors are great, but I also want to be able to catch more mistakes myself. Plus it is pretty ignorant of a writer to just say that's the editor's job. No, they are to help polish your book, but they shouldn't be there to need a blow torch to find the work. One of my editors likes Grammar Girl, and it was on sale so I figured why not. Plus with some of the grammar books, I can bring into my classroom whenever I get one as well. Yes, I will be that social studies teacher that makes the students write. As I go through them I'll share my opinion on them.
Now, you might be reading this and be like, "Those are cookies on that one cover, you're not fooling anyone that, that is a grammar book". I know it is a cookbook. I'm excited! My goal is to eventually move out into my own place, so I'm slowly going to start collecting cookbooks before hand. This one is called "Sally's Baking Addiction". It is from the mind of Sally McKenney, a blogger who I found a couple of years ago and is currently most of the cooking tabs saved in my folder on my computer. You should check out her block here, I'm hoping to try a few recipes out over the summer. She has a several sections in the book which include breads & muffins, breakfast, brownies & bars, cakes, pies, & crisps, candy & sweet snacks, cookies, cupcakes, and healthier choices. I'm sure my parents are not going to be so happy with all the sugar since someone is always on some form of a diet. That and she has easy step by step directions and tips which someone like me appreciates! If I cook any I'll be sure to share how it goes. Heads up, when I cook things don't always look like the pictures.
When I had a beta reader go through Project US she suggested 'Eats, shoots & Leaves' by Lynne Truss to help me with punctuation. I went on Amazon and picked up a couple of other books while I was at it. If I want to keep writing, learning new skills is a smart idea. I want to get better with grammar, and you can never stop learning more in life. I want to pick up new skills. Editors are great, but I also want to be able to catch more mistakes myself. Plus it is pretty ignorant of a writer to just say that's the editor's job. No, they are to help polish your book, but they shouldn't be there to need a blow torch to find the work. One of my editors likes Grammar Girl, and it was on sale so I figured why not. Plus with some of the grammar books, I can bring into my classroom whenever I get one as well. Yes, I will be that social studies teacher that makes the students write. As I go through them I'll share my opinion on them.
Now, you might be reading this and be like, "Those are cookies on that one cover, you're not fooling anyone that, that is a grammar book". I know it is a cookbook. I'm excited! My goal is to eventually move out into my own place, so I'm slowly going to start collecting cookbooks before hand. This one is called "Sally's Baking Addiction". It is from the mind of Sally McKenney, a blogger who I found a couple of years ago and is currently most of the cooking tabs saved in my folder on my computer. You should check out her block here, I'm hoping to try a few recipes out over the summer. She has a several sections in the book which include breads & muffins, breakfast, brownies & bars, cakes, pies, & crisps, candy & sweet snacks, cookies, cupcakes, and healthier choices. I'm sure my parents are not going to be so happy with all the sugar since someone is always on some form of a diet. That and she has easy step by step directions and tips which someone like me appreciates! If I cook any I'll be sure to share how it goes. Heads up, when I cook things don't always look like the pictures.
Sunday 6 July 2014
Trouble sleeping
It is currently a little over a half hour till midnight. When I was working I could barely make it till 10pm, and now despite exercising everyday I have been having trouble sleeping. When I was younger and had trouble sleeping my doctor asked if I exercised. I know there are people who will go nights with zero sleep and that's a problem. I'm not under-minding that. However, I don't drink coffee and I'm a baby with sleep. The past week I've been having a series of bad dreams almost every night, I can't get comfortable, and all that fun stuff. My attention span is shotty, haha I need my sleep gosh darn it! My eyes are tired, but my mind feels like the little person is on a treadmill and going on strong. That and a little jumpy and tense. I need to relax, and I even been trying yoga before bed. Tonight is no exception as she has like fifty, eighteen year old for a party that I have been told that will leave around midnight. Lovely times, charming group of people may I add. I'm always alert to begin with, and the constant opening and closing of the door is not helping. Currently I am watching the end of 'This is the End' hoping that the laughs will help me relax before bed, even though it's almost on full blast. We shall see, I'd love a night of no bad dreams...To those who suffer real insomnia and not my cycles of bad sleep I feel so sorry for you and I'll keep you in my thoughts as I sit here waiting to get tired.
Tuesday 1 July 2014
The Art of writing of reviews
Hello!
Do you read reviews for books before you buy a book? I will admit that I do occasionally. I do compare the good and the bad reviews for a book if I'm on the fence. That does not say that I use reviews as the only deciding factor for my purchases, but I keep them in mind. As an indie author, we do thrive on reviews, so please do not think this post is about, "WRITE REVIEWS FOR ME NOW". I swear that is not my intention. I was going through reviews for End of the Line because I will be posting reviews for it, for an upcoming project. I see just stars, there is no such thing as an expert reviewer. Next time you read any indie author (go through my own reviews for suggestions or comment here and I can try to give you a list!) write a couple of words on Amazon, Goodreads, Bn, or where you get your books.
Write a little, a little can go a long way:
-I loved it!
-Really enjoyed the book
-Ew this book had awful characters.
Think of the good!
-Characters were fun!
-Good vocabulary.
-The setting made me wish that I was there.
You can mention the bad.
-Whinny characters (a big problem with me!)
-Too many typos
-The writing was choppy
I like to try to mention the good and the bad to make it should like I wasn't paid to read it. I think there should always be a balance. Even if the balance is the plot, characters, or author's style of writing. I personally like to have two paragraphs. The first being a short summary, maybe a little about the characters. The second being about the author's style, issues or things that I liked. So, get reading and writing ;)
~Ottilie
Do you read reviews for books before you buy a book? I will admit that I do occasionally. I do compare the good and the bad reviews for a book if I'm on the fence. That does not say that I use reviews as the only deciding factor for my purchases, but I keep them in mind. As an indie author, we do thrive on reviews, so please do not think this post is about, "WRITE REVIEWS FOR ME NOW". I swear that is not my intention. I was going through reviews for End of the Line because I will be posting reviews for it, for an upcoming project. I see just stars, there is no such thing as an expert reviewer. Next time you read any indie author (go through my own reviews for suggestions or comment here and I can try to give you a list!) write a couple of words on Amazon, Goodreads, Bn, or where you get your books.
Write a little, a little can go a long way:
-I loved it!
-Really enjoyed the book
-Ew this book had awful characters.
Think of the good!
-Characters were fun!
-Good vocabulary.
-The setting made me wish that I was there.
You can mention the bad.
-Whinny characters (a big problem with me!)
-Too many typos
-The writing was choppy
I like to try to mention the good and the bad to make it should like I wasn't paid to read it. I think there should always be a balance. Even if the balance is the plot, characters, or author's style of writing. I personally like to have two paragraphs. The first being a short summary, maybe a little about the characters. The second being about the author's style, issues or things that I liked. So, get reading and writing ;)
~Ottilie
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