Review of MONARCH by Michelle Davidson Argyle and Contest Winner!

My first ARC came in the mail a few months ago, before my move and my new job and everything else that caused social upheaval in my life. "Giddy" doesn't have enough force behind it to describe how I felt when I tore open the package and found my very own copy of the novel in my hands.

And it only got better from there. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

The Blurb (from Goodreads): Nick's life as a CIA spy should be fulfilling, but it has only given him unhappiness, a wife who committed suicide, and two daughters who resent everything he has become. Now, stuck in the Amazon on the last mission of his career, he must track down Matheus Ferreira, a drug lord and terrorist the United States has tried to bring down for years. If he succeeds, he'll have the chance to start his life over again. Just when he's on the brink of catching Ferreira, he's framed for a murder that turns his world upside down. His only chance of survival lies in West Virginia, where Lilian Love, a woman from his past, owns the secluded Monarch Inn. He's safe, but not for long.

Okay, let me try to explain my experience with this book. You know how, when little kids get a piece of candy that they love, they eat it and swallow it so quickly that an observer isn't even sure they tasted it? They didn't savor the gooey chocolate or the refined nugget core. But the love of it just inspired them to INHALE the candy.

*cough*

Yes, this was me with MONARCH. Not because I knew I would like it before it landed in my hands, but because with every page, I enjoyed it more. It grew to the point where I couldn't stop reading. It became compulsive. And like all good things, it was soon over. Maybe 48 hours later? Too soon, that's for sure.

And after having devoured the novel, I remembered, "Oh, right. I agreed to write a review."

So, in order to write something of more substance than "Dude, this novel ROCKED!", I decided to read it again. Not a hard decision, really, seeing as I enjoyed it so much the first time. And guess what happened.

Yup, I devoured it again.

So, clearly, this says something in its own right about MONARCH: it's a fast-paced, edge-of-your-seat thriller that is unput-downable. All of the characters went straight to my heart as soon as I opened the cover, and all I wanted was for everyone to survive. Davidson Argyle weaves tension like an expert loomist, with almost every scene inspiring nail-biting reactions. "Real" time and flashback move seamlessly back and forth, creating a vivid full picture.

On top of it being a great story, I think I can learn things from Davidson Argyle's writing as well. If you read my interview with her from last week, you may remember my asking her about a group scene at the climax of the novel. I have rarely read a scene with so many characters that so flawlessly came together. I had a clear image in my mind of where everyone was and what they were doing during each moment of the tense scene, while the tension never abated. It's just one example of the skill Davidson Argyle brings to the craft.

So, would I recommend this book? What do you think?

YES! Holy cow! Read. This. Book.

Thank you so much for Michelle for letting me participate in her book tour, getting me my first ARC, and writing such a great book.

And one lucky person from last week will receive a copy of MONARCH. Random.org chose number 7, which led to:

S. P. BOWERS

Congratulations! Please email me soon at rlconnolly01 [at] gmail.com so we can get your copy to you.

Didn't win? Do you want to read it, too? There are several other ways you can read the book.

Direct from Rhemelda Publishers (they're having a sale right now on their recently published books).

Or from Amazon below:

Interview with Michelle Davidson Argyle and MONARCH Giveaway!

I can't begin to tell you how excited I was when I signed up for my first ARC—a copy of Michelle Davidson Argyle's debut novel MONARCH. When it came in the mail, I was giddy with excitement. And, honestly, since then I've read the novel twice because I enjoyed it so much (come back next Wednesday for my full review). So, to be able to interview Michelle as well is a great, exciting honor for me.

Also, because this novel is so fabulously amazing, it HAS to be shared. Want to read it? Keep reading below for more information on how YOU could win a copy of MONARCH!

For those of you who don't know her, let's start with a brief introduction:

Photo and biography courtesy
of the author's website

Michelle graduated from Utah Valley University with a Bachelor's Degree in English/Creative Writing in 2002. Her short fiction has been published in the University of New Mexico's national literary journal, Scribendi, 2002, the Rose & Thorn Journal, 2010, Suspense Magazine, June 2011, and Stories for Sendai Anthology, 2011. She served as the editor-in-chief of Utah Valley University's literary magazine and has won awards for her short stories. She is also an editor/publisher of “The Literary Lab Presents…” series of anthologies.

Michelle is a mother, artist, and writer who lives in the Rocky Mountains with her sword-wielding husband and energetic daughter. She writes contemporary, literary, and fantasy fiction. Cinders and Monarch are two of her published novels. The Breakaway will be released in 2012 by Rhemalda Publishing, and Bonded (which includes Cinders) will be released in 2013 by Rhemalda Publishing, as well.

Michelle likes peanut butter and tomato sandwiches. And cheese. Lots and lots of good cheese.

(Can I just say, me too! You can never have enough cheese!)

So a warm welcome to Michelle. *applause*


Rosie: First, congratulations on the release of MONARCH. It's a wonderful novel.

MDA: Thank you! And thank you for interviewing me today.

Rosie: So much of MONARCH is influenced by monarch butterflies, and there's even information at the beginning of the book on how the reader can learn more about them. Is this a personal interest that you've had for awhile, or something that developed while writing the novel?

MDA: I’ve always loved butterflies, but the idea to include them as the main theme in a novel came about when I was reading Annie Dillard’s Pilgrim at Tinker Creek. She has a section in there all about the monarch butterflies, and it’s absolutely brilliant and beautiful and it touched me in a way that really stuck. I got the idea to include monarchs in a novel, and of course I decided to include spies into the mix because I like to shake things up like that.

Rosie: One of the main characters, Nick, has worked as an undercover CIA agent in Brazil. How much research did you put into living the CIA undercover life?

MDA: I did quite a bit of research on the CIA, but there’s only so much you can find out about the CIA online! They’re kind of secretive about some things. So I turned to some biographies from former CIA officers. I loved one in particular – Blowing My Cover: My Life as a CIA Spy by Lindsay Moran because it was personal and entertaining, but full of some really great information.

Rosie: MONARCH is an edge-of-your-seat thriller, and I couldn't put it down. This doesn't happen to me very often. Unless it's a secret you'd rather not reveal, how long did it take you to write MONARCH, and how many rounds of revisions did you go through to get it to its current (amazing) state?

MDA: From conception to publication, Monarch took me seven years to complete. Actual writing time, however, is probably more like a year. I began the book in November of 2008 for National Novel Writing Month and submitted it to Rhemalda Publishing in October of 2010. That’s two years, but a good portion of that was also spent writing and self-publishing my novella, Cinders. Monarch  then went through edits with my publisher. I must say, however, that Monarch was a bit of a challenge for me. It was a complete disaster after I finished it in 2008. After a few revisions I chucked it all and rewrote the entire book from scratch. I’ve learned a lot from writing Monarch!

Rosie: One of the suggestions to writers seen around the internet these days is to write scenes that contain no more than 4 people. However, your climax scene not only has several important players, but it's also done so well that it doesn't feel crowded or confusing. Do you have any tips on writing group scenes?

MDA: As I always like to say, I don’t believe in rules like only including four people in a group scene (although I can understand that from a new writer’s perspective). Still, talk about limiting your storyline and storytelling skills. I tell the story how it needs to be told and the scene you are talking about in Monarch that meant including more than four people. It wouldn’t have worked otherwise because the entire point was to bring everyone together for that climax.

If I have any tips on group scenes I’d have to say plan everything out in every possible way you can imagine. For this group scene I drew out a picture of where everyone was, where they moved during the scene, and where they are at the end. I then had my husband help me figure out the fighting sequence (yes, I had to make it more complicated with fighting, hah!). I also told the scene from three different points of view over the course of several chapters, but that was what I had done for the entire book, so it worked.

These kinds of things in writing are completely dependent on the author’s skills, the point-of-view of the storytelling, the style of the novel, and other such factors. I don’t think there’s any magic formula for it except for practice and experience.

Rosie: What authors and/or books would you consider your strongest influences?

MDA: I adore The Awakening by Kate Chopin, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, and I also like Dostoevsky, Virginia Woolf, and Flannery O’Conner. Those are the classics I love that have influenced me. As far as contemporary, I’d say Marilynn Robinson, Tom Clancy and John Grisham. I’m kind of eclectic, can you tell? I’ve slowly been opening my door to more fantasy and I hope to add some of those to my favorites list.

Rosie: This is your first novel with Rhemelda Publishing. Can you talk a little bit about how you came to work with them?

MDA: I found Rhemalda Publishing when one of their authors, J.S. Chancellor, contacted me about reviewing my novella, Cinders, soon after it was released in 2010. She adored the book and when I looked up more about her I found her publisher and decided they might be a good fit for Monarch. After some intense revisions I submitted the book in October of 2010 and voila! Here I am. If only it was as quick and easy as I make it sound. *laughs*

Rosie: What upcoming projects do you have in the pipeline?

MDA: My young adult/new adult novel, The Breakaway, will be coming out next year (2012) from Rhemalda — hopefully late spring. It’s the story of a girl kidnapped by a family of jewel thieves. In 2013 my novella collection, Bonded, will be released by Rhemalda Publishing. This collection contains my novella, Cinders and two other fairy-tale inspired stories – Thirds and Scales. After that, I’m not sure. I currently have an idea for a young adult historical (possibly considered paranormal) novel set in Scotland. I don’t stick in one genre, can you tell? I hope that this project will release late 2013 or early 2014.

Rosie: And a random question to keep you on your toes: If the all the world were set up like Pangaea and all you could road trip anywhere, where would you go and why?

MDA: If all the world were set up like Pangaea I’d have to choose to visit anywhere by the coast! I dearly love the ocean.


Thank you so much to Michelle for letting me interview her. Once again, I'm very excited about MONARCH, and I want everyone to read it. Of course, giving away a copy to everyone would be an incredible (or incredibly expensive) feat. But, I can at least offer one copy for a lucky reader to win.

Want to win a copy of MONARCH for your very own? Leave a comment below. Want to be eligible for more entries? Tweet, Facebook, Google+, and LinkedIn links will all give you one extra entry toward winning. Just be sure to leave me links in the comments section, and feel free to tag me in any posts.

Entries close at 8PM EST (US) time on Tuesday, October 11. The winner will be announced here on October 12.

Good luck :)

What's the Score Blogfest Winners

Thanks so much for everyone who came out to celebrate my blogiversary with me on Wednesday. I love blogfests, I love writing, and I love music, so what better way to celebrate? It was great fun learning about how people consider the music for the WIP, and what music people deem worthy of representing their work.

So much fun!

If you missed it, I put the Linky List at the bottom again, just in case :)

Now, as promised, there are PRIZES!

 

Based on the number of entries per person, I plugged the numbers into Random.org. Out of a total of 50 entries, Random.org picked numbers 2, 23, and 9, in that order. So...

The winner of a chapter or query critique is: 

Charity Bradford!

The winner of the $20 Amazon Gift Card is:  

Trisha from WORD+STUFF!

And the winner of the book of her choice from Amazon is: 

Alexis Fittinger!

I will get in touch with you in the next few days to make arrangements for you to get your prizes.

Thanks again to everyone for celebrating with me! I'll be back to regular posting on Wednesday.

What's the Score Blogfest, and Some Thanks

Happy June 1st. Today's my nephew's birthday, so I want to send a shout out to him.

Happy Birthday, Gabe!

Also, yesterday was my one-year blogiversary. It's hard to believe I've been blogging for a year, and I can see a huge difference in the way I blog then and now. Also in the way I write. I'm lucky to have stumbled into this bloggy world, to have made the friends I've made, and to have learned everything I've learned so far. You're all a part of that, and so I say

THANK YOU!

I could go in to thanking particular people, but that would take the entire next year, and the music just started playing, and they will soon usher me offstage. So, please know that you're all awesome and amazing, and I appreciate each of you for your individual creativity and spirit.

So, uh, Blogfest anyone?

In celebration of my blogiversary, I couldn't think of a better way to celebrate than with a blogfest. There are even prizes, and there's still time to play. Haven't signed up yet? Is it past midnight in your timezone? No worries. Send me an email at rlconnolly [at] gmail.com and I'll add your name to the Linky List.

What can you win? Check out the announcement. And stop by on Monday, June 6th, when I'll reveal the winners!

What's My Score?

I love my WIP. I've spent years with it, so I ought to. I think about it when I'm walking to and from classes and work, and the soundtrack makes it easier for me to concentrate (and aren't you glad I'm thinking about my WIP instead of oncoming traffic?).

Here are a few of the best songs from my soundtrack. While I have a huge one for the entire three-book series, I tried to stick to songs that apply to book 1, since that's what I'm slaving over right now.


"Had to Go" by the Heartless Bastards
A few lines in this song sound as if they had been written with my WIP in mind.

"Winter Blue" by Heather Nova
I had my iPod on shuffle and this came on. I just about stumbled with how well it seemed to fit, and then I added it to my playlist.

"Everything She Does Is Magic" by the Police
Cliche? Maybe. I don't care. :)

"Starlight" by Muse
This song sounds like my male MC talking to me.

"Paparazzi" by Lady Gaga
Minus the line about eyeliner, this works pretty well, too. (I didn't pick the official video to link here, though, because I just don't get it.)

"Fool's Gold" by Lhasa de Sela
It's not so much the words to this song (although they kind of work) but the mood. Not to mention that her voice is one of the most amazing I've heard in my lifetime.

"Weird Fishes" and "15 Steps" by Radiohead
Wish I could explain these. They just move me and make me think of my WIP.

"Conspiracy" by Paramore
Okay, maybe this one doesn't ONLY apply to the first of the three. It applies to the whole thing.

What about you? What's your score?

Don't forget to visit the other participants today!

String Bridge

Hi all. I know I said I wouldn't be posting on Monday but, well, I changed my mind.

But, this is short, because my words can't match the beauty of what I've linked below.

Jessica Bell, otherwise known as the Alliterative Allomorph, has released her new book trailer to promoter String Bridge, available November 1st. Below is the trailer, which I might, is powerful and beautiful, sung and performed by Jessica. Watch for yourself, and enjoy.

Also, visit Jessica's blog for a chance to win books, and help promote String Bridge.

Vote for Your Favorite Story from the HONE YOUR SKILLS Blogfest

First, I want to thank EVERYONE for participating in the Hone Your Skills Blogfest on Wednesday. This was the first blogfest either Charity or I have hosted, and I think it was a great success. All the stories were fantastic, and showed a diversity in styles and genres, as well as a love of writing. So THANK YOU to the writers, and THANK YOU to everyone else who visited the different stories to leave your comments.

As a part of the blogfest, Charity has kindly donated a $20 gift card to Amazon for the top story among our participants. Charity and I have chosen our top 5, and now YOU!! get to vote on your favorite. Just click on the name of your favorite on my side bar.

And now, before announcing the top favorites, thus forcing you to scroll down through ample paragraphs of my own waxing philosophical, I will discuss the benefits and disadvantages of...

(Charity): Psst.

(Rosie): What?

(Charity): Maybe you shouldn't make the people wait.

(Rosie): It's really important.

(Charity): Watch your adverbs.

(Rosie): *sigh* Right. Okay...


Rosie and Charity's Top Five Picks from the HONE YOUR SKILLS Blogfest, in no particular order:

"Reasons" by Cleveland Dietz II

"Never Hit a Woman" by Margo Kelly

"Untitled" by Teralyn Rose Pilgrim

"Esperanza" from Pawny's Pen

"Driving Me Crazy" by Jane Isfeld-Still


Make sure to vote for your favorite on my side bar. Voting will run through NOW! until 11:59PM on Thursday, US east-coast time. I will post the official winner on Friday (although my post may go up a little later than my normal 7AM, as I expect to be asleep by midnight).

Thanks again to everyone, and be sure to vote!

Bernard Pivot Blogfest!!

First, sign up for the Hone Your Skills Blogfest! Mr. Linky is over to the right. Click Here or Here for details. It's your chance to get feedback on a short story to help you get it ready for submission. The submission part is optional, but you never know, right?
________________

Welcome to my entry for the Bernard Pivot Blogfest! hosted by Nicole Ducleroir at One Significant Moment in Time.

1. What's your favorite word?

I go through phases—frequently—but I would have to say right now the word is OBNOXIOUS. :) I'm also really enjoying CHUTZPAH and SLEW right now. Come on. Say it with me. SLEW.... How fun is that? :)

2. What's your least favorite word?

SPRZĄTAĆ.** It's the verb in Polish meaning "to clean" and no matter what I do, no matter how long I study Polish, I can't wrap my tongue around it. A close second is any word in Welsh with "ll" in the middle. I'm sorry, folks, but I have to think too hard to make that sound.

3. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally?

Music. I tend to have different music associated with different characters or different scenes, and completely different playlists for different WIPs (WsIP?). I recently returned to an old WIP for serious re-vision. Walking to school, I turned on the old playlist, and the world of the story came flooding back in seconds.

And squirrels. I kinda love squirrels :)

4. What turns you off?

Robotic monotony. There are some automatic tasks that don't bother me, but only for limited amounts of time. One of my many daily tasks involves doing something so monotonous that my mind turns to mush, and it's very hard to get the creative juices flowing again afterward.

5.  What is your favorite curse word?

SPRICK. It's from one of my WIPs (WsIP?). It's strong, in the same vein as sh*t or so.

6. What sound or noise do you love?

The pitter-patter of little squirrels running across my roof while I'm working my my attic-converted upstairs study.

7. What sound or nose to you hate?

Car alarms. Seriously, folks, they're not deterring anyone. They're not getting anyone to call the cops and save your poor little BMW. It's just ticking me off.

8. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?

Would it be silly and cliché of me to say something like ACTOR? I've always had an obscene fascination with Hollywood. Oddly enough, though, I have no desire to write screenplays. Go figure...

9. What profession would you not like to do?

Anything where people's emotional or physical well-being is in my hands: doctor, psychologist, etc. It's too much pressure.

10. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?

"Come on in."



**If you want to hear it, go to http://www.ivona.com, click the Polish flag on the left (white and red), copy the word into the box and click Play. I think you'll understand, unless you speak Polish.


If you didn't enter the Blogfest, do you have any answers you'd like to share? I'd love to hear some of your thoughts on these. :)

Hone Your Skills Blogfest! (Come Sign Up)

Today is a special day. Charity Bradford at My Writing Journey and I have pooled our resources for a spectacular event.

In an effort to both push ourselves and support each other in the blogging community, Charity and I have decided to co-host the HONE YOUR SKILLS BLOGFEST.

The whole idea behind this blogfest is to improve our own writing skills by attempting a hone the story and the prose down to the basics while still being compelling. Not an easy task, to be sure. Check out this post from Charity for more discussion.

But we also need to remember that we do not write in a vacuum, and we cannot improve alone. We want help, but we also want and need to help each other. This is an INTERACTIVE blogfest in which we can share our own skills to help each other.

Here's the idea:

1. On March 16, post a short story around 750 words, no more than 1000, in any genre you like.
2. Read and give a critique for the person before and after you in the Linky List (and as many others as you can/want to). When you critique: a) find at least two things that really work, and b) at least two suggestions for how it can be tightened or improved.  
3. (Optional) When you post on March 16, list one or two (online) journals where you plan to submit your piece after making revisions.

Charity and I, as hosts, will make it to everyone's post. She and I will also pick what we believe to be the TOP FIVE short stories. We will announce our top five the following Monday (March 21), and allow you to vote for your favorites. The winner will receive a $20 Amazon gift card.

Here are a few places to start looking for online journals.

• Write 1 Sub 1's Short Fiction Markets/Contests page
• See the sidebar on Charity's blog (down a bit) for SFWA (Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America) Qualifying markets
• Estrella05azul has some online and print publications in her far right column
• Duotrope's Digest allows you to search publications by genre and story length

Are you ready? Are you excited? Sign up below! We're looking forward to your latest short story :)

Bernard Pivot Blogfest

I'm excited to join another blogfest, this one to hit the cyberwaves in two weeks.

The Bernard Pivot Blogfest is hosted by Nicole Ducleroir of One Significant Moment at a Time, who is celebrating 500+ followers. Participating in the contest also automatically signs you up for some awesome prizes (still TBA).

Bernard Pivot, a French journalist, created the following questionnaire for a cultural series he hosted from 1991-2001. Here are the questions:

1. What is your favorite word?
2. What is your least favorite word?
3. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally?
4. What turns you off?
5. What is your favorite curse word?
6. What sound or noise do you love?
7. What sound or noise do you hate?
8. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
9. What profession would you not like to do?
10. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?

So, on February 16, all who are participating will answer the questions, so we can all get to know each other a little better. Come and join the fun by clicking on the image to the right.

Happiness is a Warm Draft

For some reason the original Beatles song is running through my head. I felt compelled.

This will be short for many reasons, the biggest of which is I'm running late and don't have much time, but I wanted to be sure to post today.

First, Nathan Bransford will be posting the finalists for his Stupendously Ultimate First Paragraph Challenge sometime today. Hop over to his blog to read and vote for the finalists.

[poor segue]

So I mentioned last week that I have gone back to revising my first WIP. I realized I had to completely change the backstory to make the present story more believable. Well, in the process, my brain has been ON FIRE, creating this trajectory for my MCs. So much fun!

This morning, in my half-awake-half-asleep, please-don't-bother-me-because-the-sun's-not-up-yet state, I was plotting out a scene in a park with my four main characters. Now bear in mind that, in my original draft, the story is told in 1st person. Well, my imagination took me to a place where my supporting male character separated from the rest of the group—or security reasons, of course—and my mind followed him. The scene evolved, and not only did I like it, but I realized it might be rather crucial.

Thus, a new draft was born (I believe this one is marked number 592, give or take a few hundred). I started working on it yesterday morning, and wrote over 1000 words yesterday in time that I didn't have to be working on it. But when the fire is lit, it's hard to contain, no?

So, in the spirit of Nathan Bransford's Stupendously Ultimate First Paragraph Challenge, I give to you my new and latest first paragraph.

Title: The Monarchy's Lies #592 (title subject to change, since I don't like it anymore)

Genre: YA Romance/Urban Fantasy

Anabelle Lindsky tugged at the collar of her shirt. She’d never felt comfortable with things around her neck—turtleneck sweaters, tight necklaces, even her fingers to check her pulse—but today was different. Today she would endure anything to get to the Mansion.

And, folks, I promise I'll get off my editing/revising kick soon. I'm just so excited about how this is going for me that I need to share. Thanks for reading. :)

What person do you normally use to narrate? 1st/2nd/3rd? Do you jump back and forth? Do you just know which will work best? How do you decide? Have you ever written something completely, and then started over in another POV?

Nathan Bransford's 1st Paragraph Contest

Hey Folks,
I don't normally post on Wednesday's, but this week's been a little abnormal all the way around.

I just wanted to let you know, if you didn't know already, that Nathan Bransford's having his 4th Sort-of-Annual Stupendously Ultimate First Paragraph Challenge. The deadline for this is 4pm Thursday Pacific time. Finalists will be announced either Friday or Monday (or possibly 2032).

I got my entry in (#1004 or so). Have you entered yours?

Good luck!!

The Results are IN!

Happy Monday to my awesome followers!  Thanks to everyone for making this a super successful contest.  I've been excited all weekend to share the results with you.

So, using the number of entries each person received in conjunction with Random.org, the following people are hereby designated the WINNERS of my contest.

Our first prize is for randomly-generated #30 is

for

MICHELLE

Second prize, for number 26, is:

LYNDA

Third was 62, winner of a chapter critique:

RaSHELLE

Fourth, 9, winner of a query critique:

CAROL

And, finally, number 45, who will enjoy some awesome chocolate:

JC MARTIN

Thank you EVERYONE for playing.  If I've listed you here, please email me at rlconnolly01[at]gmail[dot]com with your address (if I'm mailing you something) so I can get your prizes out to you.

Awards and Wins!

DON'T FORGET! There's still time to enter my 100 Followers #Contest.  Even if you're new to the blog, feel free!  I'm glad you're here :)

Also, stop back in at the end of the week for a wrap up of Monday's forum question.
__________________________
Man, the writing praise keeps pouring in!  I'm not gonna be able to fit into my hat by the end of the week. :)

First, I found out earlier in the week that I was the Grand Prize winner of Rebecca's half of the Super Sister Celebration at Sonshine Thoughts.  Here's a link to my story, if you're interested.  Honestly, it's hard to lose with a prompt like "Be happy that... your new neighbors aren't cannibals."

Thank you, Rebecca!



Okay, and some awards! 

First, from Jessica at Smile, Feel Good, Pass It On sent me two awards.  Thank you, Jessica!

I've received both of these already, which does nothing to diminish the awesomeness of getting them again.  If you'd like to read seven things about me, check here and here.  I'm also going to defer on passing these on for now.  I reserve the right to do so in the future :)

And Jules at Trying to Get Over the Rainbow also passed this on to me :)  Thanks, Jules!!

The strings with this award (as Jules put it :) ) are that I have to list ten things that I like (not love) and pass it on to ten people.  Well, let's see.

I like... blogging and meeting awesome people online.

I like... walking through the woods on campus every morning on my way to class/work.

I like... Snapea Crisps.  You must eat these!  They're flipping addictive.

I like... wearing flip flops and sandals.  A lot!  Mainly because I kinda hate things that cover my toes and feet.  Yup, I'm weird like that.

I like... almost every vegetable I've ever encountered, including Brussel sprouts and okra.  Maybe I'll think of one I don't like, but I can't right now.

I like... picking ripe cherry tomatoes from our plants and eating them like candy.  Yum! :)

I like... summer.  While I complain about the stifling heat periodically, I will take it over snow any day.

I like... knitting, even if I don't do it enough.

I like... vampires.  Yup, I admit it.  And I liked them well before the current hype, and I will continue to like them later.

I like... fairy tales.  No, not like Disney, watered-down versions, but the ones with teeth and nails and grit that don't have happy endings.  And I really like giving these a modern spin.


And for passing it on...

Summer at My Inner Fairy
Rebecca at Sonshine Thoughts
Mia at My Literary Jam and Toast
Vatche at The Student Writer's Mind
Lynda at .W.I.P. It
Tara at Aléatoire
Jan at Crazy Jane
Sangu at Echoes of a Wayward Mind
Jemi at Just Jemi
Erica at Elevator Musings

Back from... Somewhere

Look at me, hosting my 100 Followers #contest, and then I disappear for days.  Bad Rosie!

Welcome to my newer followers!  Thanks for coming by to check out the blog.  And a big thank you to my old followers for staying interested and putting up with my time-lapses :/

Don't forget! You have until Friday to enter!

********
It's been a difficult week, and I'm not sure where it went, to be honest.  I remember Tuesday, and then all of a sudden it was Saturday.  I think I must have hit a temporal flux somewhere along the line.

My sincerest apologies, folks.  Here I am, attempting to rejoin regular blogging society.

Update: the write-up from my interview... well, it happened.  I turned it in on Wednesday.  After we'd passed them back, during the course of discussion I realized I hadn't entirely followed the directions of the assignment.  Ack!  Plus I didn't like the characterization (though there's very little one can do in 400 words), and many other things about it.  I suppose as writers, we're always highly self-critical, right?

On Friday, I was chatting with another student from the class outside the building when our instructor came up.  She started chatting with us, talking about how much she loved everyone's story from class so much, and that she planned to read a few during class.  Well, she started with *mine*.  Dumbstruck = me!  She had a lot of great things to say about it, including that, with some minor tweaks, I could get it published. 

Say what???

Oh, so giddy am I.  Later that day, I got a lovely compliment from someone in my critique group, too.  Since I wasn't feeling well, the two of those things really lifted my spirits and made my day so much better.

Otherwise, my last three days have been spent in a haze from which I am only beginning to recover.  While I've gotten some writing done, I'm terrified as to the quality I will find when I go back to edit it.  But the positive comments from this week also make me feel a bit more confident about what I'll find.  Editing will be necessary (when is it ever not??), but maybe it won't be quite as bad.

It all got me thinking about the advice and criticism we all crave.  For months, since joining the online blogosphere of the writing world, I've desperately wanted hard-nailed constructive criticism.  And I've gotten it in many forms.  Each time I've welcomed it (mostly) openly, and appreciated each piece.  In my desire for the constructive to improve my craft, I think I lost sight of the need for positive reinforcement and how much that's necessary as well.  While I feel a little head-swelly from Friday's compliments, I also remembered that, yeah, it's good to hear that people like my work.  There's only so much self-flagellation a girl can take without caring for her wounds, too, right? Or eventually it gets to be too much and she has to stop.

So, hurrah for the positive!

And here, I need to send a out a quick thanks to those who have given me the most positive feedback along the way and made me feel like I can really do this: Jose, Maria, Catalina, Nazarea, Carol, Auzy, Astra, and the rest of my crit group.  You're all awesome!  Thank you :)

What's some praise you've received recently?  Publication of a small/big work?  Partial/full request?  A friend saying how much they enjoy reading your chapters?

PS—I've recently received a few awards, too.  Yea for more praise!  I'll be posting them over the next couple of days.

Whoot! It's my 100 Followers #Contest!!

If you've seen any of my posts since the momentous event, you know I have 100 followers.

Me = Giddy :)

So, I'm holding a little celebration at East For Green Eyes, and I hope you'll participate.  I'll make it worth your while, I promise.

Also, I have no idea what I'm doing. But you'll enjoy it nonetheless, no?

What Can You Win?

Indecisive me.  I have a few different things to offer, but I couldn't decide what was most valuable.  Plus, I have both reader followers and writer followers, each with different priorities.  So here are the possibilities.

A signed copy of The Handbook for Lightning Strike Survivors by Michele Young-Stone.

A signed copy of Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick.

A chapter critique from me.  This does not have to be a first chapter as long as it is accompanied by a summary of the action thus far (which can be highly informal).

A 5-page or query critique from me.

Choice of two Vosges Chocolate Bars.  Subject to availability at my local grocer.  No promises the chocolate making it in one piece though international shipping.

The Rules

• You must be a follower. +2 pts for old followers—i.e., you clicked the happy "follow" button before I published this post.  +1 pt for new followers. 
• To participate, leave me a comment and tell me (briefly—max 20 words?) about the awesomeness that is YOU!
• In your comment, rank what you would like 1st, 2nd, etc.  The first place winner will get their top choice, and then the top-most choice for the other winners.
• This is not limited to US and Canadian residents.  You're all cool.  I can manage the postage :)
• Tweet for extra points. 1pt per Tweet, maximum 3.  Please include @rosieanabelle in your Tweet, and leave me a link below.
• Give my contest a shout-out in a blog post = +4 pts. (and leave me a link)
• Side bar announcement about the contest = +2 pts. (and leave me a link)
• Okay, folks, here's the kicker.  My blog doesn't have a very writerly title.  It doesn't include the word "write" or "edit" or my name.  It references a song lyric.  Chances are good that said song lyric has something to do with my writing (I'd say 99.99999% with a .00001% margin of error). I'm not asking you to guess, because that would take away the mystery, but for +10 extra points, you can write a short story (of no more than 500 words) that includes the phrase "east for green eyes" that is NOT from the song lyric.  Email your story to me at rlconnolly01(at)gmail(dot)com.  PLEASE include the story IN-LINE.  Attachments will NOT be read and you will not get the points for your beautiful creative efforts.

Okay, for the record, when you first enter these things, you haven't Tweeted and you haven't side-barred and you haven't blogged, and that's cool.  When/if you do, just come back and leave me another comment with your links.  If you just want to enter and not do any of the extras, that's cool, too.  Just leave me a comment.

The contest will close at midnight EST on Friday, 17 Sept.  Winners will be announced on Monday, 20 Sept.

Good luck! And thanks for following! :)

Contests and Tagging

Hey Everyone!  First, if you missed it, look over there ---------\/
(wow, that's a really horrible down arrow, isn't it?)

I have 100 followers! Come back on Monday to celebrate with me :)



CONTESTS

Here are a few contests that need to be shared with the masses:

First, Jessica, a.k.a. The Alliterative Allomorph, is holding a contest in support of The Writing Show.  If you're a writer (you know who you are!) you should definitely be involved!  Deadline is September 13!

Steph at MaybeGenius is hosting the Mash-It Up blogfest with some awesome prizes.  Entries are due by October 1.

And, really, how can you resist with a graphic like that? Haha :)

Carol at Artzicarol Ramblings is offering signed copies of her book JUNCTION 2020.  Enter by September 7.




And, just to be a tad bit embarrassed of my own excitement, Talli Roland is having a contest to celebrate her 400 followers!  Super congrats to Talli.  Be a follower of Talli's by September 30th for an automatic entry. (Sorry, but I don't have a graphic for Talli :(

Rebecca at Sonshine Thoughts and Naomi at Writing: A Soul's Way of Breathing are having their SUPER SISTER CELEBRATION. Rebecca's deadline has been extended until September 7.




Have another contest that I didn't mention?  Let me know and I'll add you :)

I'VE BEEN TAGGED...


Leigh over at That's Write has tagged me again with the handwriting game.  Please feel free to oooh and aaaah over my messy scrawl.

Write down (by hand!) on a piece of paper the following:
1. Name, Blog Name
2. Right handed, left handed, or both?
3. Favorite letters to write
4. Least favorite letters to write
5. Write out "the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog"
6. Write in CAPS: BABOON, SPLENDOR, ONOMATOPOEIA, FLIP-FLOPS, HUZZAH!
7. Favorite song lyrics (My two: "Starlight" by Muse and (duh!) "Pretty Bird" by Jenny Lewis.)
8. Tag 7 people
9. Whatever else strikes your fancy (Macedonian.  Translation: "I really don't like writing with Macedonian letters." Reason: They're messing up my fine Russian handwriting!)

I'm not sure who to tag with this.  Seems like so many people have already been tagged.  SO, if you haven't been tagged or would like to be tagged again, consider yourself tagged.  Otherwise, continue to oooh and aaaah :)


Happy Friday, Everyone!

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Weekend....

ACK! It almost snuck (er, sneaked) up on me.  Guess what, folks!

I HAVE 100 FOLLOWERS!!!

The ideas for how to celebrate have been germinating in the back of my mind, but I haven't completely settled on anything.  I promise to have the situation settled by Monday.

So be sure to drop back in on Monday and find out how you can play and what you can win :)

HURRAH!

A Slayer, a Vampire, and a Zombie Walk Into a Bar...

Janet Reid's running a contest until about midnight tonight (time zone? not sure).  The entry must be 115 word story beginning with "A monster-slaying governess, a vampire librarian, and a professorial zombie walk into a bar..."

The prizes?

Are we sensing a theme?  Gee, I wonder why all these folks walk into the bar together.

Well, who doesn't love Zombies and Vampires and Slayers, oh my?  So, I thought I'd give it a shot.  I'm not in love with what I wrote, but... *shrug* I had to try.

For your entertainment:


A monster-slaying governess, a vampire librarian, and a professorial zombie walk into a bar, taking a booth by the door.

The governess sipped her wine.  “I can’t allow you to pursue your plan.”

Bored, the librarian stirred her bloody Mary—extra bloody—with the finger skewer, an olive stuck to the nail.

With a slurp of braiña colada, the zombie replied, “Aw, loosen up Janey-baby.  When we work together, we eat half the people.  We’re economizing.”

“I don’t know why you come along,” the librarian said, “when all you do is criticize.”

“It’s my job to protect…”  The slayer slumped over.

“Wow.”  The zombie checked her watch. “That took forever.”

“Let’s get started.”

August Contests!

It's contest time, folks.  Here are just a few that I've come across lately:

Laura Eno is giving away two signed copies of her new release Prophecy Moon (and a third to s/he who writes the most adoring/feet-kissing comment :)  Enter before Tuesday, August 17.

Accompanying a great interview of the author, Charity at My Writing Journey is giving away Substitute Me by Lori Tharps.  Contest ends Friday, August 13.

Angelique at Vampires and Tofu is having a birthday give-away.  Prizes include Personal Demons by Lisa Desrochers, Shadow Hills by Anastasia Hopkus, and Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare.  Her birthday is August 30, so I think that must be the deadline... ?

Alexandra at The Publication Follies of Alexandra Shostak is giving away a copy of MATCHED by Ally Condie, or BEAUTIFUL DARKNESS by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, sequel to BEAUTIFUL CREATURES.  **Edit** Deadline is Monday, August 30.

Okay, that's it for now.  Good luck!

ACK! Book Overload!

So, this should not be a problem.  It just shouldn't.  I shouldn't have to complain about this at all, but here it is anyway.

I have too much to read.

And it's all stuff I want to read—meaning, it's not for research or homework! :)

*sigh*

1) Eat Pray Love, of course.  I need to keep up with that for my book club obligations.  And I'm loving it even more now that we're into the Pray part.  I'm really interested in her spiritually journey.

2) I still have my copies of Lizard and Kitchen, both by Banana Yoshimoto, from the library.  Lizard is due tomorrow, so I think I'm going to try and get through that tonight (I've already renewed it once).
Update: Already finished Lizard.  Still haven't started Kitchen.

3) Today in the mail I got my copy of Lindsey's Leavitt's Princess for Hire.  What I didn't realize is that I would ALSO get a copy of Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick.  I thought the other winner from that drawing would get it, not me.  How excited was I when I opened the box?!?!

Admittedly, I'm going to wait at least a little bit on Princess for Hire.  I'm going to read it along with my sister-in-law.  It's a YA book (Disney/Hyperion), so it would also be appropriate for my niece.  I think it would be fun for us all to read it together.  But she needs to get the book first :)

4) We got a notice today from the library that The Passage by Justin Cronin is waiting for me.  With all the hype around this book, I just couldn't wait.  I just get giddy for vampires, what can I say?  The problem is that it's 766pp, and since it's so hot and there's a waiting list as long as Rapunzel's hair, I won't be able to renew it.  That's going to be pretty intense, I think.

So there will be more book reviews in my future.  I can't tell you which will come first, but keep an eye out.  And keep your fingers crossed that I get enough sleep and get my homework finished :/