A Dash of Words with Loleta Abi Romance Author

Five Links 3/1/19

Loleta Abi

Writing:

1. https://ryanlanz.com/2019/02/23/where-writers-get-stuck-drafting/ “Welcome to Part 2 of our blog mini-series on where writers get stuck, based on this poll I took on Twitter.”

2. https://twodropsofink.com/2019/02/23/how-biased-is-your-writing/ “So, why the lesson on bias? As writers, we need to be aware of the way we see things. If you are writing or reading political blogs right now, you know what I mean. Each side cannot see past their own biases. They are not willing to admit they even have any. It makes for some inflammatory and emotional exchanges which are equivalent to handwritten fist fights. While those kinds of posts may increase your hits, they don’t have the depth of insight needed to actually make any changes.”

3. https://megdowell.com/2019/02/24/how-to-start-writing-something-knowing-you-might-fail/ “That’s a terrifying thing to do. Most of us catch a glimpse of just the potential shadow of disappointment and run as fast as we can in the opposite direction.”

4. https://annieneugebauer.com/2019/02/26/youthful-dreams-and-the-surprisingly-cool-nature-of-reality/ “Y’all. I made it.

“Glove Box” made the final ballot for the 2018 Bram Stoker Awards®! I am absolutely shocked and thrilled. I’ve gasped and grinned and danced and cried. I’m officially a two-time nominee, and it feels like a dream come true. (Winning would be the ultimate dream, of course, but I am not above a mini-dream or two.) What an incredible honor!”

5. http://booksbywomen.org/how-i-found-my-literary-agent-by-andrea-bartz/ “Three years ago, I was a freelance writer with an extremely long Word document chilling on my hard drive. Today, those 98,000 words mark my shift from aspiring writer to fiction author: The Lost Night is coming out from Crown. My novel is a thriller about a woman uncovering the dark truths surrounding her best friend’s apparent suicide in a Brooklyn loft, and people seem to be liking it: Library Journal called it “captivating” and “whip-smart.” It made best-books-of-2019 lists on Marie Claire, Glamour, and Real Simple. Talented authors whom I admire wrote lovely, flattering blurbs for it. Mila Kunis is adapting it for a limited TV series.”

Research & Fun Bits:

1. https://thesilenteye.co.uk/2019/02/26/shine/ “Have you ever thought how fragmented we are most of the time? Bits of our attention are given or called here and there, certain of our skills and talents required but seldom more than that. If I am asked to hang a picture, for example, it has no relevance that I can bake a fabulous chocolate cake or speak decent French, and (unless they have an urgent desire for cake with a little je ne sais quoi while I hang the frame) the person who asks me will have no interest in those talents at that moment in time.”

2. https://margotkinberg.wordpress.com/2019/02/24/you-fascinate-me-so/ “Most of us like to find at least one character we can care about when we read. We don’t have to love all of the characters, but people usually want there to be at least one who’s a little sympathetic. And that makes sense. In real life, we don’t want to spend time with people we don’t like, so it stands to reason we don’t want to spend our fictional time that way, either.

And, yet, there are novels where the characters aren’t really very”

3. https://seths.blog/2019/02/the-first-piece-of-tape/

4. https://coldhandboyack.wordpress.com/2019/02/27/sniff-blech-snot/ “Fingers crossed, my flex day was Monday. Maybe this would pass and I wouldn’t have to miss any work. Stupid human, microbes care not for your hopes and dreams.”

5. https://writersinthestormblog.com/2019/02/getting-unstuck-and-avoiding-writers-block/ “You know that feeling—like you were coasting along on a greased golden road through your first draft (or second…or twelfth), and suddenly you come to a bone-jarring halt, like Wile. E. Coyote sent an avalanche right smack into your creative pathway.”

Some Things More Serious:

1. https://mybipolarmind.com/2019/02/23/loving-yourself-regardless-of-your-relationship-status/ “Welcome back to the 2019 Selfie Love Challenge hosted by myself here at My Bipolar Mind and the lovely Kelly over at Budding Joy. Be sure to check out Kelly’s blog and follow her to stay up to date on the #SelfieLove2019 Challenge. Also, if you are not a follower of My Bipolar Mind, please be sure to follow us as well! Today is Saturday, February 23, 2019. It is never too late to jump into this self-love/self-care challenge. If you haven’t been following along or just came across this challenge now, you can CLICK HERE for more information on how it works and to learn about our giveaway! (Giveaway?! Yes, I said giveaway!!)

2. https://mybipolarmind.com/2019/02/25/yuck-strawberry-shortcakes/ “I have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. It’s so frustrating, unpredictable, and can be very scary. Not ever knowing when something will trigger it. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is a condition of persistent mental and emotional stress due to psychological shock. Trauma can come from many of things but many come from traumatic events.”

3. https://annetterochelleaben.wordpress.com/2019/02/25/angel-messages-february-25-2019/

4. https://donmassenzio.wordpress.com/2019/02/25/this-week-in-indie-publishing-77/ “Top of Form

Bottom of Form

IS THE DREAM OF A TRADITIONAL BOOK DEAL DEAD?

There was a time when self-publishing your book through a vanity press was the kiss of death for any hope of a writing career. It was considered tacky and desperate, and not something any worthwhile author would ever consider. Then, with the self-publishing and digital publishing revolution, the notion of having more control over your work trumped much of the negativity surrounding the air of “desperation.”

5. https://tarasparlingwrites.com/2019/02/24/superblogger-chapter-6-how-to-dress-to-impress-the-haters/ “Yes, that time is here – it’s time for FASHION TIPS, peeps, and I can already hear the cheering from where I’m sitting (in case you’re wondering, yes, I’m in another super luxury resort – and no, I didn’t pay for it!!). It’s the moment you’ve all been waiting for: clothes prose from the one with the nose for a pose!” Tara has such an entertaining vibe!

Teaser Fiction & Poetry:

1. https://kimwrtr.wordpress.com/2019/02/23/free-story-james-life/ “James was not a happy man. He had lost much in his life, and then some. Lost his parents as a child, then ran into troubles with the law. His personal life was even worse; one bad, ephemeral relationship after another. Trouble seemed to follow him everywhere, like a stray dog you once fed that won’t go away no…”

2. https://carrotranch.com/2019/02/26/technology-pushes-back/ “INTERMITTENT CHALLENGE: in 99 words, no more, no less, write a story about “buried in the snow.”

3. https://margotkinberg.wordpress.com/2019/02/25/in-the-spotlight-sarah-baileys-the-dark-lake/ “Welcome to another edition of In The Spotlight. Some crime novels have plots that weave the sleuth’s personal life in with the main crime/mystery. This sort of plot draws the sleuth into a case in a way that a less personally relevant case might. It’s not easy to pull such a personal/professional plot off, but it can be effective. Let’s take a look at this sort of novel now, and turn the spotlight on Sarah Bailey’s The Dark Lake.”

4. https://jenanita01.com/2019/02/24/ink/

5. https://teagansbooks.com/2019/02/27/hidebound-hump-day-cornelis-drebbel-32/ “So, let’s get straight to the #steampunk submarine.”

Book Reviews, Cover Reveals, & Author Interviews:

1. https://mjmallon.com/2019/02/23/smorgasbord-blog-magazine-guest-writer-poetry-mistaken-identity-by-joy-lennick/ “Having worn several hats in my life: wife, mum, secretary, shop-keeper, hotelier; my favourite is the multi-coloured author’s creation. I am an eclectic writer: diary, articles, poetry, short stories and five books. Two books were factual, the third as…”

2. https://vivdrewa.me/2019/02/25/standing-on-his-own-new-beginnings-book-2-by-trish-edmisten-romance-newadultcollege-military-13/ “When his best friend decided to join the Army after high school graduation, there was no question Joel would join too. Best friends since kindergarten, the two of them did everything together, and this was no different. A routine mission changed their lives forever. Slade ended up paralyzed while Joel lost his leg. Joel never expected to live with one leg, but he wasn’t going to let it break him.”

3. https://thestoryreadingapeblog.com/2019/02/26/meet-guest-author-laura-smith/ “I decided that I was going to become a writer when I was five years old. School must have had something to do with it. I remember learning about dinosaurs in Kindergarten and attempting to write my own dinosaur book. Even though I couldn’t read, it was so much fun coming up with fun facts about each dinosaur that I knew and asking my parents to spell out the words that I wanted to write down. That’s when I knew that I wanted to do this for a living.”

4. https://thepbsblog.com/2019/02/25/introduce-yourself-introducing-guest-author/ “My name is Corey Collins and I am from Memphis, Tennessee.  I went to college in Northern Indiana and to law school in South Florida, where I have lived since 1992.”

5. https://rosieamber.wordpress.com/2019/02/25/rosies-bookreview-team-rbrt-thriller-not-here-by-genevieve-nocovo-gnocovo/ “This is the first novel published by this author, and although it might not be to everybody’s taste, I found it an intense and gripping book that deals with important topics. And I was fascinated by the portrayal of the protagonist.”