Books I am looking forward to!

I feel like one of these posts was needed. I have recently forced myself to read things I want instead of what I have to read for Graduate School. So, here are some books I am looking forward to:

http://www.amazon.com/The-Lost-Prince-Iron-Fey/

dp/0373210574/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1351383508

&sr=8-1&keywords=The+Lost+Prince

The Lost Prince is the second series in The Iron Fey Series. It is already out and it is on my kindle, I just haven't finished it yet. I loved the world of the Nevernever, so I am excited to dive into the world again with Megan's brother, Ethan. If you haven't read the Iron Fey Series, you should! They were great books. I really enjoyed them. 

http://www.amazon.com/Opal-Lux-Novel-Jennifer-Armentrout/dp

/1620610094/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1351383757

&sr=1-1&keywords=Opal

Opal is the third book in the Lux Series by Jennifer Armentrout. While I have some criticism of this series, I still love the books and I would have already pre-ordered this had it let me! The release date is December 11th. If you like a fun, entertaining read then check out Shadows (prequel), Obsidian, and Onyx. Jennifer plans to have a fourth book out, too. 

http://www.amazon.com/Splintered-G-Howard/dp/1419704281/ref=sr_

1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1351383911&sr=1-1&keywords=Splintered

The entire blogsphere knows to be ready for Splintered by A.G. Howard. I preordered this months ago and I CANNOT wait to dive in. Anita is such a talented writer--the words in this book are just as gorgeous as this cover. 

Okay, so the list isn't long--but these are all books I have (or had) to wait for and I was counting down the days! 

What books are you excited for? 

Observations

Hey guys! I have not had a life for a week, and I am about to delve into the next week of having no life. It's the 9 week mark of school and that means mid-terms...well, for me it means a ton of papers and projects due at once! :( So, before all that happens, I want to tell you about an experience I had.

Amazon sends me e-mails recommending books, and while I usually don't pay attention to them, I have been trying to find anything else to do other than my homework, and I decided to check them out. I found a few books to download like this one:

http://www.amazon.com/Obsidian-Lux-Novel-Jennifer-Armentrout/dp/1620610078/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1350262656&sr=8-2&keywords=obsidian

I am a little obsessed right now. haha. I have to get through this trilogy AND focus on my homework. BAD time to begin a novel. ugh. 

Anyways. Since I am a Library Science and Information Studies student, I unconsciously reflected on my search for new books and found some interesting things I thought I'd share with you. You might already do these things, or know they have a purpose, but as a writer and a student, I liked my revelation. 

1. Book covers DO matter. 

We all know the whole "don't judge a book by its cover thing" might be true, but it really isn't practiced. Even as I scanned Amazon's lists of books to read, I ignored ones that didn't have a interesting cover. That isn't to say that they aren't good books...but I just won't read what they're about if I'm not enticed by the cover. I know...I am a bad reader and writer. :( 

2. Titles Matter. 

Yeah...so...titles are important, too. I've noticed that there is this new obsession with one word titles (perhaps I am wrong, and this really isn't happening), but it SEEMS that all titles are now one word. This if fine. If the word strikes me in some way. Also, if the title is too long, I am just going to be frustrated. 

3. That really cool option on Amazon "Click to Look Inside" is important. 

I was deciding between the book above and another and the determining factor? Reading the first few sentences of the chapter. Granted, the description is helpful in a lot of ways, but in the instance of the books I was choosing between: they both had great descriptions, but only one had words that drew me in immediately. 

4. REVIEWS ARE SO IMPORTANT!! 

It SERIOUSLY surprised me how constantly I overlooked books that didn't have reviews. I know this is bad. I mean, I could the book and give it a review....but really, that's not my thing. The books I was drawn too were ones that had reviews. 

So, tell me how you look for books? What is the deciding factor most of the time? 

Thank You!

I wanted to thank everyone for their AWESOME feedback on my query below. I got some great comments and e-mails, all with helpful suggestions, and let me say--I AGREE. I will begin working on my changes this weekened. Like I said, I took a week break from hardcore editing and query writing so I could look at everything with fresh eyes.

Now, for some updates!

I got a MAC!

:D I am so excited! I have had a PC for years now, and I just felt like it was finally time to buy a MAC. I haven't played with it much, and I still need to get all my writing stuff organized on my PC (I am a big fan of not being descriptive with word documents...and I have a TON). It's a little fruerateing at times because it's so new, but I am sure I will love it by the time I learn everything--I already do! The backlight keyboard is a lifesaver!

Next, I am going to LONDON and FRANCE in 2014!!

I am so excited! There is a whole tour planned out that involves seeing Churchills home, and Omaha Beach. We'll spend 8 days oversees and I couldn't be more excited (even if it is two years away). By then I will have graduated from my master's program so I am calling it my graduation gift.

Alright then,

That's all I have so far! I am going to buckle down and get homework out of the way so the weekend is clear for my book and query! As always, I'll keep everyone updated!


Lots of love!
<3

Ashley

Pirates and Elves and Magic, oh my!

Hey guys! I wanted to share my newest query with you. I have another revision of my novel, but before I do that, I need to print the book and maybe hold off on reading for about a weeks so I can approach with fresh eyes.

I have been reading QueryShark's blog for the past two days. I stayed up until 12:30 just to get through most of the archives. I do this because:

1.) Query Shark says to read the archives.

2.) I learned a TON just by reading the first page of query critiques.

3.) I am not going to submit my query to Query Shark, but I need all the help I can get. I am not submitting because I don't want my query critiqued, but because she states that 99% of the queries submitted don't get posted. So, I felt it's easier to let my bloggers have at it at the moment

From Query Shark, I took tips from her "how to add plot to your query." I'd post that here, but I feel like I would betray her "read through the archives" statement. So, if you'd like to read what I read, HERE is the link to Query Shark.

Query Shark (Janet Reid) said that the age of your character isn't necessarily important to add to the query, but in mine, I am not sure if it works. She said she is always looking for VOICE. I noticed the queries she really liked were dominated by voice. Also, reading Query Shark made me realize how IMPORTANT it is that your query is polished and tight because agents will look for indicators that tell them what your book might be like--for instance, if you have unnecessary words, or long sentences. Also, no address at the top of the letter!

What I don't want in my query is "character soup" as Query Shark says. I don't want the readers to feel overwhelmed by characters. I also (as I said) need to take a break from both the novel and the query so I can return with an objective eye.

So, without anymore rambling, here is my query...please, critique away!

Dear Mr/Ms. Agent:

Eighteen year old pirate Barren Reed remembers one thing from his childhood—his father's murder at the hands of his older brother, William. Since then, he stakes out the coast of Maris, attacking any and all ships that pass through The Cliffs in an attempt to lure his brother into a fight to the death. When he learns his brother is to marry soon, Barren decides to set his attention on the fiancée. Kidnapping Larkin proves far more difficult than he ever thought--she's the most defiant and stubborn woman he's ever met, and to top it all off, she's handy with a sword.

Larkin is just one of Barren’s problems—especially when his attraction toward her grows. His brother is making plans to overthrow their uncle, King Tetherion. Turns out, Teth knows exactly what Will is looking for—a bloodstone that will give him power over dark magic. Tetherion will charge Barren with the task of locating the stone, though Barren isn’t sure he wants something so dangerous in Tetherion’s hands—especially since its existence is the reason he doesn’t remember his childhood.

Barren will face condemnation by his uncle if he chooses to destroy the bloodstone, and at worst, death, but the secrets he’s unraveled on his adventure tell him not to hand it over.

I am pleased to submit for your consideration my young adult novel, CUTLASS, complete at 90,000 words. I have a BA in English Writing and I am pursuing a Masters in Library Science and Information Studies.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely
Ashley Nixon

General Anxiety Disorder

Hey guys!
I know the topic of my blog is a little weird, huh? Well, not for me recently. I was diagnosed a few weeks ago with General Anxiety Disorder (yeah, it means exactly what you think, I am GENERALLY anxious). I guess you get diagnosed when your anxiety is affecting your daily life.

So, initially I thought I was stupid. I felt like, "Man, Ashley, this is something YOU can control. You are making yourself this anxious. Stop!"

Well, the problem is, I don't know HOW to stop myself. I have no coping mechanism for when I get really stressed out.

I take that back--my only coping mechanism is writing, but when I get so busy with school, work, and whatever else is happening in my life, I cannot always write. So, when that is taken away from me, I am left with a struggle between my thoughts and my body. My stress weighs so heavily upon my chest, I can FEEL the pressure. All I do is suffer through it.

An example is that I put so much pressure on myself to be absolutely great at everything. Everything I do has no other option other than you either do this or you fail (this is like when you are in the driver's seat, and you only look straight ahead, but as a passenger, you can see everything on either side of you)...I can't ever BE the passenger. I know exactly where I got this mentality, too--from my childhood. I had this whole, "Well, if you don't get a job, you can have what you need or want" so you better get a job. Then it was "Well, you need a car or you can't get to work, so you have to save for a car, and you have to work 30 hours a week" then it was "Now you have to pay for that car, so work more, more, more" Then it was "You need to work REALLY hard for this scholarship or you can't go to OU."

See my options? I gave myself NO leeway even if there was room. This has carried over into my adult life, and frankly I am tired of it. I want to cope with this anxiety and SEE the other options out there. I don't want to feel overwhelmed anymore by my own doing. Why am I telling you this?

Well, I think it's very important to realize when you have a problem. Me--well, my professor told me as a freshman I probably needed therapy because I stressed out SO much and it took me four years to listen. So, here I am--my first counseling appointment down and I am hopeful that I will be mentally healthy soon.

This step is all a part of an overall goal I set for myself in May: I wanted to be healthy in body and in my mind. So, I began working out (more on a routine this time), and I started eating healthy (completely, cutting out soda and coffee), and now I am getting help with my anxiety.

Blogfest: What's Your Chocolate?

Today I am participating in the What's Your Chocolate?" Blogfest hosted by the wonderful people you see listed on this picture above. lol.

Laura Eno
M Pax
Brinda Berry
Ciara Knight

Check out their wonderful blogs (and books!).

Okay, so for this blogfest, we are supposed to:

" Post about your favorite chocolate – what it means to you, where and when you indulge, a favorite memory – anything chocolate-related."

So...

1. My favorite Chocolate:

Hershey's Dark Chocolate.

 http://candyaddict.com/blog/tag/special-dark/

Many people don't like dark chocolate, but I swear when I eat it, I feel loads better! AND diabetics can eat it! I am not a diabetic, but my Daddy is and I tell him as a treat, he can have a square of dark chocolate now and then to satisfy his sweet tooth. Because of this, eating dark chocolate doesn't make me feel like I cheated on my healthiness. Yay antioxidants! lol. 

Now, I don't eat chocolate often, but when I do, I probably had a particularly off-day, or maybe I don't feel good. My favorite thing to do is freeze and entire bar and then break pieces off and eat them like that--for some reason, it's just better! I definitely remember days during my undergrad where I'd be studying and just stop, sigh and say, "I need some dark chocolate." Aladdin would run to the gas station near us and get a bar, and he'd get something like a Dr. Pepper (his caffeine) and it definitely made studying easier--it must have magical focusing abilities or something. :) 

What's your favorite chocolate? Or do you even like chocolate? lol. 

Schedule/Announcement/Editing :)

Hey guys! Sorry I haven't been around as often as I would like. I have a lot of news so bear with me. :D

1. I began graduate school this week. I am taking 3 online classes because I work 40 hours during the week. My masters will be in Library Science and Information Technology, and my focus is Young Adult and Middle Grade studies.

2. Because of this, I have myself on a strict schedule:

Basically, I will begin waking up at 5:00am to work out, working from 8-5, and from 5-9 I can work on homework, or what have you. From 9-10, I will ONLY work on my book.This way, I shove everything I need to do in each day.

3. I FINISHED THE FIRST DRAFT OF MY BOOK!

And I am almost finished with the first set of edits. I plan on finishing the remaning 76 pages today. I wanted to take you through my editing process this time because I am notoriously...bad at editing. I don't like it, I can't tell you how many times I turned in papers that weren't edited because I just didn't like it....(probably won't be doing that in Graduate School, especially since I came up with a way that I like to do editing).

First, I made a color coded charge of what my highlights meant:

Then, I searched "Things to look out for while editing" and chose what I felt were my top problems.

A. Passive versus active voice
B. Repetition of word use (this is something unexpected. As I was editing, I noticed that I really liked reusing words.
C. Cut the use of too many adverbs.

With these in mind, I began to edit. The first five chapters of my book are not as colorful (meaning highlighted), but the rest have been vibrant. Which isn't a bad thing, because I knew what I had edited most as I went along. Also, I am sticking to paper edits until I am finished with the entire book, then I am going to focus on my word processor edits.

This process has been really helpful for me, and I also made a page of changes (using colorful sticky notes) and today I transferred that to a new outline of the end of the book.

I have come to realize that PROCESSES are the best way to get things finished, and mine have worked for me. Another realization? You NEED to find things that made what you're doing more enjoyable. I'm not sure why highlighters and sticky notes make editing more fun for me, but I definitely like it more because of that.

Okay, so I am off to stick to my schedule. :) I hope everyone has a wonderful day! I will be blogging on Sundays from now on (PROMISE), and checking out blogs. I decided I would being using the RSS feed to make it easier to follow everyone and comment and read. (I have to use it for class as well).