Quotes of the week

Writers should be read—but neither seen nor heard.
—Daphne Du Maurier

You learn by writing short stories. The money’s in novels, but writing short stories keeps your writing lean and pointed.
—Larry Niven

I made mistakes in drama. I thought drama was when actors cried. But drama is when the audience cries.
—Frank Capra

No need to hurry. No need to sparkle. No need to be anybody but oneself.
—Virginia Wool

Write what disturbs you, what you fear, what you have not been willing to speak about.
—Natalie Goldberg

Dreaming in public is an important part of our job description.
—William Gibson

I knew nothing about writing and have merely tried to tell an interesting story entertainingly
—Edgar Rice Burroughs

Talent is extremely common. What is rare is the willingness to endure the life of the writer.
—Kurt Vonnegut

Tuesday Tips: Dedicated Space

I believe that you need to make writing a habit. Part of that is to create a dedicated space where you will do your writing. These spaces will eventually have a Pavlovian association with writing!

Here is my list of requirements of my writing space:

• It should have a place for my coffee pot and mug.
• It needs to be comfortable but not so comfy you can fall asleep.
• Eliminate distractions like TV, Facebook, cats on keyboards.
• I need a good stereo. I write with music playing quietly.
• Writers reference books in easy reach.
• A door that can close.
• Large bright screen.
• A keyboard with excellent key action. Pay the money for a better keyboard. 

Here is what I want in my next writers den:

• A white board wall.
• Hardwood floors so my chair ROLLS!
• A printer that is handy. (mine is in another room currently)
• A window sill cat bed to try and keep him off my keyboard.
• A mini fridge. (anything to keep me in there)
• A good speaker phone.
• Lots of natural light.

None of this will make you write. It allows you to write. I know some people that can't even be at home when they write. They write in libraries or diners or coffee shops. I do this at times, but dedicated space is also awesome if you can pull it off.

--What requirements are in your perfect writers space?

Reading: Altered Carbon

Last week I read Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan.

Here is the description from Amazon:

In the twenty-fifth century, humankind has spread throughout the galaxy, monitored by the watchful eye of the U.N. While divisions in race, religion, and class still exist, advances in technology have redefined life itself. Now, assuming one can afford the expensive procedure, a person’s consciousness can be stored in a cortical stack at the base of the brain and easily downloaded into a new body (or “sleeve”) making death nothing more than a minor blip on a screen.

Ex-U.N. envoy Takeshi Kovacs has been killed before, but his last death was particularly painful. Dispatched one hundred eighty light-years from home, re-sleeved into a body in Bay City (formerly San Francisco, now with a rusted, dilapidated Golden Gate Bridge), Kovacs is thrown into the dark heart of a shady, far-reaching conspiracy that is vicious even by the standards of a society that treats “existence” as something that can be bought and sold. For Kovacs, the shell that blew a hole in his chest was only the beginning. . . .

--I really enjoyed this book. Thumbs up!

Lunch Meat Carnivores

Brandon Sanderson #4 - World Building

Fast Friday Indie Interviews: Nancy Glynn

Nancy Glynn

Tell me about yourself, Nancy?

Hi there! My name is Nancy Glynn. I live in the southwest suburbs of Chicago, having grown up in the south side of the city. I’ve been married for 21 great years and have 3 cool teens (two boys and a girl). We also have 3 spoiled dogs and a fluffy bunny, so it’s a zoo. I used to be a medical transcriptionist for 17 years until 2014 when I quit to pursue my dream, thanks to my husband’s support (and awesome job in organ donation!). It seems I’ve been writing all my life, but actually just self-published in May 2015 when I buckled down and wrote my first book, Black 21, a supernatural romance, in three months. I’ve always been an avid reader, gobbling up anything from Stephen King to Danielle Steel. When I’m not writing or promoting my work, I’m hanging out with my family, finding great books on Goodreads and making friends, and pinning book scenes for my book boards on Pinterest, which is addictive! And of course reading!

Tell me about your current Book:

When an old face from her past shows up with a letter for her from his dead brother, Erin must decide to open her heart and secluded life to him, or lose him forever.
Eight years ago, Erin Donahue had it all—her own city apartment, a career in photography, and a man who’d do anything for her. But things change. Fate steps in. Now, living in the small town of Destiny, IL, Erin embraces her new life, free of hurting anyone else. She’s all alone, and she likes it like that. Independent, strong…and broken. Until a handsome, divorced rancher drives up her lane and drags her back into a past she wants to forget.

A forbidden crush born long ago…

In Afghanistan, Slade Callahan tucks Erin into his dreams and his heart. Guilt plagues him for wanting her when she isn’t his to want. She belongs to his older brother. But when Erin breaks his brother’s heart, she never realizes she’s breaking two. Honor keeps him from going after her. Discharged from the Marines, Slade moves on with his life and lets her go. Until tragedy strikes. His brother is dead. Found in his car with two letters…one to his wife—and one to Erin.
A letter full of hope and secrets…

Erin and Slade come together, fighting a love that won’t let go. Tormented by guilt, shame, anger, and the need to forgive, walls slowly crumble. Setting off a firestorm of buried passions, they embrace the truth in the stars. But their journey is only beginning when the letter is read. Decisions must be made. Is Erin strong enough to accept herself and trust in this beautiful love, or will she repeat history with another Callahan man?

What are you working on now?

This is a standalone series set in the same small town called Town of Destiny. Each book with have a new couple taking their journey founded on destiny. These stories will have a meant-to-be story line driven by the hands of fate, woven through strange circumstances, and finding the love they were meant to have. I’m working on the second book and hope to have it out by September.

Where is your favorite place to be when you write?

I always write in my bedroom at my desk. I light my pretty-scented candle, sometimes play music for inspiration, and hang the sign on my door that says Writing. I’m not distracted by anything, which helps with deadlines!

What is your favorite Website?

I’d probably say KBoards Writer’s Café, as I learn so much there about marketing and get inspiration by other authors. We have fun over there! Canva would be my other fun addiction as I like to create banners for my books. Sorry, too hard to say just one!

Links:

E-mail: Glynnnm@comcast.net
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Nancy-Glynn/e/B00XVHJ7CG
Blog: https://authornancyglynn.wordpress.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/NG_IWrite
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14006060.Nancy_Glynn 

Images that Inspire