The Realms of a Fantastical Mind

Welcome to another Blog Ring of Power interview. I know you're excited! It's Friday after all, then again, it's always Friday in my mind. So here is another reason why my library is never ending.  Please welcome Ellen Larson!  After 20 years working as a substantive editor in Egypt and the US, Ellen Larson was recently named editor of The Poisoned Pencil, the YA mystery imprint of Poisoned Pen Press. Ellen, who lives in an off-grid cabin, also writes. Her fiction has appeared in Yankee Magazine, Bloodroot Literary Magazine, Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine (Barry Award finalist), and Big Pulp. Her dystopian mystery, IN RETROSPECT (Gale-Cengage, Five Star), will be out December 2013. Don’t miss the rest of Ellen’s BRoP interview at: Part 1 @  Terri  – Wednesday, September 18 Part 2 @ T.W .  -- Thursday, September 19 Part 3 @  H ey look, it's me! – Friday, September 20 Part 4 @  Sandra  – Monday, September 23 P...

Everybody dance! Friday is upon us and so is another week with Blog Ring of Power.  Today we are going to have a wicked time with fellow New Englander Jennifer Provost. *waves* Now let's get this party started. Don't forget to check out the rest of her interview with my buddies and yours: Part 1 @ Terri - Wednesday, July 31st Part 2 @ Teresa - Thursday, August 1st Part 3 @ You are here!  -  Friday, August 2nd Part 4 @ Sandra -  Monday, August 5th Part 5 @ Vicki -  Tuesday, August 6th Jennifer Allis Provost is a native New Englander who lives in a sprawling colonial along with her beautiful and precocious twins, a dog, a parrot (maroon bellied conure, to be exact), two cats, and a wonderful husband who never forgets to buy ice cream. As a child, she read anything and everything she could get her hands on, including a set of encyclopedias, but fantasy was always her favorite. She spends her days drinking vast amounts of coffee, arg...

So I wanted to give another Shout out Sunday to the things I like. I can't get enough of gaming, and there is no reason for me to stop.  D&D has a special place in my heart because I can share a good time with other like minds.  The game becomes the reason why everyone visits, but it's their company that makes it the best.  To brave the fantastical worlds together, then joke about the ogre we just shot down with a bolt from a sling.  Yup that is what I call a good time. Everything I Need to Know I Learned from Dungeons & Dragons By Mazzanoble, Shelly (Google Affiliate Ad)

Welcome to another Blog Ring of Power Friday, and a warm welcome to Suzanne Lilly.  Thanks for joining us in the Realm.   For the rest of her interview, don't forget to check out my BRoP buddies Part 1 with Terri Part 2 with T.W. Part 3 is right here with me Part 4 with Sandra Part 5 with Dean Author Bio : Suzanne Lilly writes lighthearted young adult stories with a splash of suspense, a flash of the unexplained, a dash of romance, and always a happy ending. Her short stories have appeared in numerous places online and in print, and she has placed and received honorable mentions in writing contests. Her debut novel is Shades of the Future , (July 2012, Turquoise Morning Press) followed by Untellable , (February 2013.) She lives in Northern California where she reads, writes, cooks, swims, and teaches elementary students. Section #3: The Creative Process BRoP:  Where do you get your story ideas? SL:  My stories come from all a...

We need our computer, some paper and pens, or some nifty software so that we can organize the craziness of our books. With all these things, our greatest tools may be overlooked. What are they you ask... go ahead ask. I'll tell you what they are (IMHO) Critique partners, Beta readers, and Editors. Yes, your greatest tools as a writer are those people who take time out of their lives to hack and slash your baby into little red filled pages of suffering.  They are the reason we writers need to have thicker skin than a killer whale. They are also the reason why the successful author's books get read, and read and read over again. It's common knowledge that as a writer we get so involved with our babies, so much care taken to make every word choice perfect, that we don't see the blaring black holes in our plot, or the grossly overused metaphor that needs to go. We need those extra set of eyes to point out the flaws. So what is the difference between ...