Jul 09 2009
Hey Guys,
Sorry my posts are a bit self-indulgent as of late. I am very focused on completing my new novel–which now has the working title, “Damned Before Breakfast.”
My goal is to reach @ least 50,ooo words. So far, i’ve written 60 pages, 9 chapters and 15,821 words. So, I am almost to the 1/3 mark.
Wish me luck! I am off to write more.
<3
Me
Jun 30 2009
Hey Friends,
The number of views has decreased this month by a few hundred. Please let’s keep this blog alive! I want to increase readers by a full thousand for July. So, let me know what you–the readers–would like to hear.
Upcoming July blogs–The June Book List (Which will be impressive!), The Great Summer Reads Book List and a blog on The Top 10 Authors To Check Out During Summertime.
Look forward to some great stuff and as always there will be videos, pictures and articles posted on a regular basis. I’ve been doing my part and posting more often. So, do your part and leave comments/tell your friends about the blog so we can stay afloat.
Thanks to everyone who continues to support Young Women Writer’s it is much appreciated.
<3 Me
Jun 03 2009
Hey Guys,
I know I haven’t been very diligent in my blogging, but it is the end of the school year and as a substitute teacher, that means I am a very busy bee.
Although, the school year does end on the 11th… after which I will have free time for most of the summer.. unless I find a kickin’ summer job. (If anyone is in need of a tutor, please feel free to contact me and we can work something out!)
I’ve caught up on my dropping. So, for you droppers… thanks for your patience! I really appreciate your drops! I will be dropping more often!
Now… since I’ve been making you wait so long, I thought I would post the past two months worth of books read. I’ve modified the format…so you’ll get title/author and a letter grade a-f based on how much I enjoyed the read! Hopefully you’ll find some new authors on the list.
April Books Read
May Books Read
Check some of these out if you have the time! I will be blogging again in the near future!
<3
Me
Mar 27 2009
During my research, I noticed that novella’s are almost impossible to sell. Though, there are many “novels” that are suspiciously short… like “The Hours,” which leads me to believe that selling the novella isn’t as hard as it seems. You just need to market it correctly.
As you all know, my story was not selected for inclusion in the Sexy Shifter anthology, but I have been looking for other venues in which to promote my writing. It seems that the smaller romance publishing houses DO encourage novella’s. So, if you’re not into writing longer novels and you enjoy writing within the romance genre, you should check out smaller publishing houses.
Just do a google search on romance publishing houses and novellas, you should come up with quite a few hits. I’ve recently been sending out query letters and who knows, maybe I’ll get a bite! Though, I’m almost certain that these publishers are looking for something a bit more smutty than what I have to offer. Either way, it’s good to try and I thought I would share that information with everone out there.
So, hope is not lost for any of us! The novella is very much alive! :)
<3
Me
Mar 04 2009
Hey Guys (and Gals),
I hope you’re enjoying the sample chapter I’ve posted. If the story gets picked up, I will make sure to direct you to the proper website so that you may all purchase a copy! If not, I’ll go ahead and post more of the story to sate your inquiring minds :)
In the whole writing process, I’ve come to the realization that I can write a novel. Granted, 20,000 is about half of an actual novel… but I did write the entire thing in about 5 days…2 of which I was out of town attending the funeral and not able to write. So, I had 3 - 3 1/2 solid days of writing and I was able to churn out 66 pages of what I would consider good material. Granted, I did not have the time to edit and proofread as much as I would have liked, but at least the story was solid!
I’m going to attempt a longer work! I’ve also found MANY MANY MANY calls for submissions. You can do a google search for the calls (in whatever subject/genre you please) and find venues to submit your work to! I urge budding writers to give it a shot!
That being said, I will try to post another update later today!
<3
Me
Mar 03 2009
Dear Friends,
I’ve decided to show a sample chapter of the manuscript I just sent out! Give it a quick read and let me know what you think? The formatting may be odd because word doc’s don’t like to paste in the way they were written, so ignore that.
<3
Me
Ps. The videos on my blog weren’t posted by me, they are ads… just thought I would let you know as I usually DO post videos. These ones don’t happen to be mine, though the preview is pretty cool!
Written By Jessica Gleason
Chapter 1
Well, it was official.
Madison Murphy was no longer privy to the lackadaisical lifestyle of a Wisconsin native. Not with her current…affliction, anyway.
It affected her appetite, temper, appearance and general outlook on life.
Madison Murphy was now a goddamn overweight weirdo with the ability to change into a stupid Siberian tiger at a moment’s notice-as if that was a useful skill. Maybe a fire-breathing dragon or a cute little pixy fairy…
But a Siberian tiger?
Not so much, especially in Wisconsin.
Like she didn’t feel out of place before her stupid blind date…this was all she needed, the ability to turn into a gigantic kitty cat every time she got upset. How was leaving the house even an option? Maybe for a milder mannered individual, but for Madison, it was a no go. She didn’t exactly need people turning their heads and staring because she was hacking up a hairball every 15 minutes. She got enough stares for being slightly overweight and was already self-conscious before the whole hairball debacle.
Perhaps she could just pack things up and go to Vegas in search of Sigfried and Roy. They could probably put a fat Siberian tiger to work or not? It’s not as if she was a particularly attractive kitty…
She shook her head and fought for a moment of sanity. There obviously wasn’t one coming, the only things she had were newly shredded curtains and an empty fish tank. Obviously, kitty had a very playful side; the fish probably hadn’t appreciated that.
Everything was so fucked up since last Friday night. It was amazing that the nice men in white coats hadn’t paid her a visit and hauled her off to the comforts of a round rubber room. Nothing made sense anymore and if she wasn’t a crackpot, then there was something very wrong with the world.
Her symptoms had become quite agitated since the arrival of her estranged one night stand.
She stopped and glared at the man sitting across the room in her favorite chair. This was all his fault; she had suspected it all along, but his appearance confirmed it. His light, quizzical look only made her want to slap him a bit harder. That is, until she started gagging on another hairball…a new side effect of her anger. The stomach ulcers were much better than hairballs, but she didn’t really have a choice in that matter anymore.
He had been a pity fuck. Whether he was the one that had taken pity on her or she was the one that had taken pity on him was inconsequential. She should have listened to her mother, “Don’t be a whore”, “You better be able to deal with the consequences of your actions!” Those words were swirling around in her head. Damn her mother for actually having given her some good advice.
“Madison, are you even listening to me?” He shouldn’t even be here, the stout balding man was quite possibly the most annoying person-thing that she had ever met.
She stopped pacing for a minute and looked at him wondering if he had said something. “You know, I don’t really feel like seeing you right now. I’m quite busy, so if you could possibly show yourself out and jump off a cliff, that would be great.” She held up her hand and gestured towards the front door. “See, door, over there. One foot in front of the other…”
“Madison, I think I need to talk to you about some things,” he edged with unsure words, looking at her with wide “puppy-dog” eyes. “Do you think you could just listen to me for a couple minutes? I promise I will leave you alone and never come back as long as you let me explain a few things to you. Really, it’s crucial.”
She stifled a cough that was probably going to produce another hairball. Well, she supposed she could listen; perhaps he had some sort of solution or cure for her current predicament. Still, she didn’t want to talk to him about that night.
Everything in her life had changed since then and not in a good way. She didn’t even know how to piece it all together.
Sarah had set her up on a blind date, much to Madison’s chagrin. But, Sarah was always sticking her nose in where it did not belong. Non-cooperation was not an option lest she be made to submit to something much more mortifying than a blind date.
Sarah strolled along with Madison to the café where she was to meet up with Harold as
she didn’t trust Madison to actually go on her own-good instincts on Sarah’s part.
Harold, really… this one is going to be a bigger winner than the last one. Harold is a stupid name, why do I let her drag me into these stupid situations. Harold. Gross!
Madison had been doing her best to feign interest in Harold the tax attorney. She probably wasn’t very convincing, but who would be convincing if they were being forced into a date with Harold the tax attorney?
The injustice of it all!
Madison was quite agitated by the time they arrived at the café. Sarah shoved her inside and pointed to the unattractive bald man sitting in the corner. Great, just great! He is worse than I had anticipated. Way to go Sarah…
“Madison, you go in there right now, or else!” she ordered. “Really, isn’t it bad enough having to look at what type of man you think I should be going on a date with, do I really have to eat with him?”
“Yes, you moron, you’re going and there’s nothing you can do about it.” Sarah snorted with a sense of finality before shoving Madison further into the café and then barricading the door.
Madison’s eye twitched while she glared at Sarah through the glass before finally turning around and heading for Mr. Not-even-good-enough-for-right-now. Madison knew that she wasn’t all that great too look at. She had eaten a few too many cupcakes and it showed right around her mid-section, but the fact that she was a chub, didn’t mean she should be set up with people that looked like Harold. Maybe someone in the funny-looking but charismatic category, like Zach Braff or even Kevin James!?
Madison made her way over to Harold’s table and sat herself down with a self-righteous thump. “Hey Harry, Madison, nice to meet you. How about heading to the bar for some drinks, my treat?” Harold, taken a bit aback by Madison’s abrupt arrival nodded his head in agreement and the two made a beeline for the door. He followed in Madison’s wake all the way down the street to the nearest bar. “I do actually prefer Harold,” he uttered in a voice that was barely above a whisper. Harold was lacking in the confidence department and in looking at him Madison understood why.
Still, he was not without his charms. After a few drinks he even started looking good. Madison made nice with Harold until she was good and hammered after which she decided it was a good idea for good ole’ Harry to come home with her. “So, Harry, how about going back to my place?”
Without waiting for his response, she grabbed him by the hand, paid the tab and then ushered him out the door. They caught a cab to Madison’s place and had all but ripped one another’s clothes off in the car. Alcohol was apparently a dangerous thing for Miss Madison Murphy.
Mar 02 2009
I am a bit disappointed with my February list. As I suspected, it is nowhere near as impressive as January’s 11 book long list! Whew! I only got through 5 books this month, though I’ve just started a new one….so, perhaps March will be better!
As with last month’s list…. I have given each novel a letter grade (A-F) based on how much I enjoyed reading them. So, enjoy.
February 2009 - Books Read List
Kitty and The Dead Man’s Hand - Carrie Vaughn (A) If you’re a fan of the Kitty series, you will love this book as it did not disappoint! If you’re not a fan of the Kitty books, pick up Kitty and The Midnight Hour and start reading!
Dragon’s Wild - Robert Asprin (A) This is a new series by Asprin an it was delightful! I’ve never read anything quite like it! If you loved the Myth series, you will also love Dragon’s Wild. If you missed the Myth series, check it out! Quick reads jam packed with laughs and adventures!
Wartorn: Ressurection - Robert Asprin (C-) I was not a huge fan of this book, as you can probably tell by the rating I’ve given it. The book has about 8 main characters, they aren’t always in the same place doing the same things. More often than not, they are in different places working on different things. Each chapter is narrated by a different character and I got lost in the novels complex format. It wasn’t for me. Perhaps someone interested in war novels would have the patience to monitor all of the characters, but I didn’t. It took me forever to get through the book.
Personal Demons - Stacia Kane (A) This book sets itself apart from the contemporaries. It was an exciting tale of demons and possessions and magic powers and romance! A great quick read for any paranormal romance lover.
Zen and The Art of Vampires - Katie MacAlister (A) This book is written with the signature wit and style of Ms. MacAlister. It was a wonderful ride through the paranormal. A great read!
Feb 28 2009
Hello!
I’m sorry for not posting, but I didn’t have the time to do so in the past few days. I would like to thank everyone for their kind words; I really appreciate it.
As for other business. I will post the February Books Read List sometime on Monday. I am also up to 15,500 words in my story. So, I am very close to finishing and may, in fact, make the dead line. Wish me luck!
<3
Me
Feb 24 2009
Hello friends,
I’m sorry for not updating sooner. My grandmother passed away this morning, technically yesterday at this point. So, I haven’t really had the chance to sit down and blog.
I didn’t want to leave you hanging as to how far I’ve gotten in my little self challenge. I was able to churn out and additional 2 1/2 chapters and a few thousand words. Though, it took me all day to actually want to write anything. I am now over 8,000 words.
Hopefully, I will have some down time tomorrow to get a few more chapters under my belt. I will, however, be leaving for Thur-Fri and it may get extended a few days. So, if you do not see posts, don’t fret. I will return as soon as I can. Hopefully with positive things to say and good news about the length of my story.
Much love.
ME
Feb 22 2009
I am at about 17 pages–which is roughly 6,000 words. I’ve already gone through what I have and made some minor adjustments. This means I am close to the halfway mark of 10,000 words which I can hopefully reach tomorrow!
I may actually be able to pull a 20,000 word story out of my butt by March 1st. I’m not sure that it will be great or even up to the standard, but finishing it will be a great accomplishment for me!
I hope some of you have decided to take the challenge as well! Good luck and keep me posted on your efforts. I will be trying to post as many short little entries as possible to let you all know how I am doing on my writing project.
<3
Me
