Last week LaurieLu of BonaFideReflections and I changed things up a bit. For those of you who are just joining us, this is how it works. In order for LaurieLu and I to share the responsibility of maintaining this blog, we have split everything in half. This way no one will be inundated with too much info (we hope). Both blogs will have different content, but you can visit them separately, or back-to-back. Whichever is more convenient for you. At the end of this post, I will link to LaurieLu’s contribution.
Not to throw you all off kilter, but we are going to change things just a bit more. There have been many delays in getting this blog post live. Originally, this post was scheduled to go live the final week of NaNo. With our writers hitting crunch time and trying to get the last of their words written in November, we Laurie and I decided it would be a lot more fun and a lot less stressful to ask quick and silly questions that would lighten things up a bit. We hope you enjoy this post as much as we did creating the questions. And don’t forget to visit at the end of the week for out wrap-up week to see how well our NaNo writers did with meeting their writing goals.
If you are new to out blog journey, you can view the previous entries by clicking below:
And for my moment of *FAN SQUEEEEE* My guest author today is the fantabulous Julie Kagawa! Yes, you read that right, JULIE KAGAWA!
**SSSQQQUUUEEEEEEEEE**
And guess what, Yo, LaurieLu has a different guest author. Nope! My lips are zipped. You will have to hop your happy booties over there to discover this awesome lady for yourself! That’s the only clue you are getting’ – “her”. So without any further adieu, I give you:
NaNoWriMo, Week 3!
*applause*
I’d like to begin this week with our brand spankin’ new logo created by the fabulous Kyla of KylaNovelista.Okay, so it isn’t brand, brand new any longer, but hey. This logo is too perdy not to recognize! Plus, I warned you last week that I would be giving a holla to Kyla every week. So HOLLA y’all! And bask yourselves in the glory that is … THE LOGO!
Anyway, I’m all about rewarding a job well done and giving credit where credit is due. Otherwise, this blog would never have been created. So why not give her some love? She deserves it! *fist pump* If you don’t mind being stalked by a Zombabe *rawr* follow her on Twitter @Kyla_Holt Dew eet! Follow her!
Onto Our NaNo Ladies
Gigi Pryce
Soooooooo … we all know that life sometimes happens. And this blog if, if nothing better to demonstrate it, has been a terrific example of how sometimes sacrifices have to be made in writing. Sometimes those tough choices have to be made ,,, sometimes writing has to be put on hold … sometimes life just happens and we can’t do anything about it. Basically, what I am getting at is that Gigi had a lot of commitments to fulfill that could not accommodate writing during the time between our last post and this post. So we gave her a “get-out-of-jail-free” card. We very much hope to see her next week for our final NaNoWriMo blog post to see how she ultimately did with NaNo and her overall impressions. Keep your fingers crossed. We will check in with her again soon.
And now, may I present the awesomeness that is … AMANDA! Take it away!
Amanda Nelson
Boxers or briefs?
Boxers!
E-reader or Paperback?
E-reader, unless it’s a favorite.
Long hair or short hair on a guy?
Short. Very few men can pull off long hair, and I have a WRITTEN rule never to date a man whose hair is longer than mine. (the boyfriend’s hair is very short)
Do you have any hidden talents?
No. I have hidden character traits, though.
Who is your favorite fictional character ever?
*blank stare* I wouldn’t even know where to begin.
Caffeine or Decaf?
CAFFEINE.
Favorite midnight snack?
Whatever is around. Potatoes or carbohydrates are best.
Are you an introvert or an extrovert?
I’m definitely an introvert.
Salty or Sweet?
Salty AND sweet.
Almond Joy or Mounds?
Neither.
Flowers or chocolate?
Chocolate.
Do you have any phobias or fears?
Death.
Are you a night person or morning person?
More night than morning, but I have been known to entertain a few early mornings willingly.
Holidays - since we are amid many of them - which is your favorite?
My birthday. This counts as a holiday, right? I like any holiday that involves good food and gifts.
Urban Fantasy or Paranormal Romance?
I want the best of BOTH worlds.
One thing that never fails to make you happy and one thing that never fails to piss you off?
Pictures of puppies never fail to make me happy. NEVER.
Stupid people piss me off. ALWAYS.
Random Thought:
I have an addiction to using CAPITAL LETTERS.
Story Snippet:
It was fascinating to watch the campus go from dead to overflowing in a matter of about five minutes. I don't think it ever got old for me to watch. Attempting to maneuver through the crowd, though, that got old. And fast. Ronnie used the opportunity to grab the asses of unsuspecting men.
Did I tell you those questions were fun? I know, right?
Now I’d like to take a moment for:
NaNoWriMo Tips
Brought to you by the lovely Kyla at Kyla Novelista. Chick has mad stalking skillz on Twitter, Yo! Today Kyla has brought to us, four quotes from some very talented and wise sources. (Hint: if you look at the Twitter handles, you will know exactly how to find these geniuses should you want to follow them.) Ready for some excellent snippets of wisdom? Are you sure? Okay … you asked for it!
Was I right or was I right? Sha! I know. *buffs nails* What can I say, it’s a gift! For serious! Although thechnically it would be Kyla’s gift seeing as how she provided these jewels of stalkdom . . . but hey … I benefit, thus you do too … I supposed we could all claim it is our gift if you follow the logic within my cranium – though it can be a dangerous place. You may want to re-think that move. *grins*
And now, we have reached my moment of glory for this week! I know … I am totes lucky with the glory each week, right? The guest authors have been so much fun. I hope you all have loved them as much as I have!
JULIE KAGAWA!
*shouts, whoops, hollas, applause*
**BIO**
Julie Kagawa was born in Sacramento, California. But nothing exciting really happened to her there. So, at the age of nine she and her family moved to Hawaii, which she soon discovered was inhabited by large carnivorous insects, colonies of house geckos, and frequent hurricanes. She spent much of her time in the ocean, when she wasn’t getting chased out of it by reef sharks, jellyfish, and the odd eel.
When not swimming for her life, Julie immersed herself in books, often to the chagrin of her schoolteachers, who would find she hid novels behind her Math textbooks during class. Her love of reading led her to pen some very dark and gruesome stories, complete with colored illustrations, to shock her hapless teachers. The gory tales faded with time, but the passion for writing remained, long after she graduated and was supposed to get a real job.
To pay the rent, Julie worked in different bookstores over the years, but discovered the managers frowned upon her reading the books she was supposed to be shelving. So she turned to her other passion: training animals. She worked as a professional dogtrainer for several years, dodging Chihuahua bites and overly enthusiastic Labradors, until her first book sold and she stopped training to write full-time.
Julie now lives in Louisville, Kentucky, where the frequency of shark attacks are at an all time low. She lives with her husband, two obnoxious cats, one Australian Shepherd who is too smart for his own good, and the latest addition, a hyper-active Papillon puppy.
Julie is likely best known for her series with Harlequin Teen – The Iron Fey. Now I am including links to all books here on the blog. All you have to do is click on the titles below the pictures to be taken directly to Amazon … but …
I saw three … count them … THREE of the Iron Fey Series in Safeway yesterday. I live in a small town, Yo! To see Julie in the miniscule section of paperbacks with her own display was like … nothing short of EPIC! So you could order from Amazon, especially for an e-reader … or you could run to Safeway and put those beauties in your hands right now! And they were 25% off the cover price! WIN! You know, cause I thought you would want to know. So support Julie and buy these books. What’s best? That they are YA! You can get your kids in on this series too! Trust me, I will get my kids on this series. *nods* And they were so pretty. They have those really pretty pages that seem old but are really new, but are a nice touch. So … so … pretty.
Now not all of the books are available in paperback. You will have to check each one. Some are only available for your e-reader. But guess what I discovered this morning as I was working on this post? The Amazon Kindle download for SUMMER"S CROSSING is FREE! Weeeeeeee! Yes, you heard me correctly, it is FREE! Get over there and download. I have no idea how long this opportunity will last and it is a terrific way to obtain your very own "taste" of Kagawa. It's WIN! For those of you Nook users, yep ... FREE for you too. Click here!
Onto the interview ...
Sooooooo Julie …Why are you participating in NaNoWriMo?
NaNo is great for churning out words. As a published author on a deadline, I sometimes get bogged down in “writing perfect” the first time around, which slows my pace to a crawl. NaNo gives me the freedom to write quickly and sloppily, knowing I can always come back later and fix it.
What is your writing goal during NaNoWriMo?
50,000 words in 30 days, or 1,667 words a day.
In your opinion, what is the greatest advantage of NaNoWriMO?
See first question. *smiles* Sometimes I need help in remembering that the first draft doesn’t have to be perfect. In fact, it never is. NaNo’s biggest advantage is making someone realize they CAN write a 50,000 word book in a month. They just have to do it.
Is there a disadvantage of NaNoWriMo? If so, what?
I think NaNo’s biggest disadvantage comes at the end of the process, where you have this huge sloppy mess of a story, and you think you’re done. You’re not done. Now comes the rewriting and editing phase. NaNo was to help you get your story down; editing is what makes the story good.
Does it help to have writing buddies when participating in NaNoWriMo? Why or why not?
It’s different for everyone. I like working alone, because I know I can keep up the pace, but it can be helpful to have a buddy keeping track of your progress. Or to prod you into writing when you don’t feel like it. Sometimes, it’s just helpful to know you’re not in this alone.
What advice would you like to provide for NaNoWriMo participants who have never published?
Write joyfully, write everyday, write whatever comes to mind. Don’t let people tell you NaNo novels can never be published. There is this YA book called The Iron King that started as a NaNo project. *smiles*
How can readers keep in touch with you?
They can email me on my website, Juliekagawa.com, but I’m easiest to find on Twitter - @Jkagawa if they just want to say hello.
Modern technology and the ability to communicate with our favorite authors … How fabulous is that? I’ll tell you! It is frickin fantastic. There is nothing like it. It’s a thrill! It’s excitement! It’s a rush! Don’t believe me? Follow Julie and find out for yourself. She is a fantastic individual! And I have it on good authority *coughs* Liza *coughs* from LaurieLu’s blog *coughs* that Julie is a bit of a Twitter lurker. The chances are excellent that you will find her there. *grins* Thank you so much for your contribution to this blog, Julie. You have provided some excellent advice. *nods*
And now we have reached the conclusion of NaNoWriMo week 4. I hope you have all enjoyed your time here. If you like, please follow my blog and check out my previous reviews. And please leave your comments. We would love to hear your feedback. What do you think of NaNo? Are you participating? How do you like Julie’s Iron Fey series? Anything! Don’t forget to check out LaurieLu with her NaNo contribution too. Click on her picture below to join the rest of the fun with another fabulous author and our 2 other aspiring authors: Kelly and Liza. Until next week …with our final installment …
