I'll Take Potpourri for Twenty, Alex

Greetings from Las Vegas, land of buffets and broken dreams. I've played my favorite slot machine, Lord of the Rings, and had a steak. Once I hit the outlet mall for some serious discount shopping, my Vegas triad of delight will be complete.

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I want to share a super opportunity with you. Daisy Carter, from the Fresh as a Daisy blog, is hosting a pitch contest with Tricia Lawrence of the Erin Murphy Literary Agency on 6/29. 

Details right HERE

Daisy's contest is now closed.

And now the clapping while jumping up and down moment of the week...

The Journeys of Wonder anthology 

is out in print version right  HERE

In fact, I'm over at the Journeys of Wonder blog doing a guest post on editing. Pop on over.

In closing, I have two words...

VEGAS BABY!

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Take Offs, Parodies, and Spoofs, Oh My

I have a weakness for a good parody. Taking the essence of a story and giving it a humorous twist is an art form in itself.

Here are three examples that would make my personal Parody Hall of Fame.

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Galaxy Quest took the Star Trek fanboy/fangirl phenom, turned it on its ear and make a hilarious movie with its own engaging journey.

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Jimmy Fallon's spoof, Downton Sixbey, of the currently trending, Downton Abbey is "spit take" hysterical. His show is produced in Studio 6B - hence the name. If you are hooked on Downton Abbey - Downton Sixbey is your next step.

And the newest inductee into my Parody Hall of Fame is:

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Yes, it IS a musical parody of Lord of the Rings, Fellowship of the Ring - LIVE on stage. 

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This wonderful production tells the ENTIRE story of Fellowship of the Ring with all the heart and a thousand times the humor of Tokien's tale.

Fellowship! Is playing in Hollywood for the next two weekends. If you live in the area grab your tickets and get to the theater. If you don't live in the area, make your plane reservations, grab your tickets, and get to the theater. Click on the link above to their website to see if the show is coming your way. 

You haven't lived until you've seen a diva Balrog sing a torch song in a red spotlight.

What take offs, spoofs, or parodies would make your Hall of Fame?

Never Surrender

  

Do you know what will happen once you start reading SURRENDER, by Elana Johnson? 

You will need to call in sick to work

No housework will get done 

The kids will have to find their own way to school/sports

Your pets must learn to forage for food

Because -

YOU CAN'T PUT IT DOWN

The Characters...The Tech...The World...The Love Stories

All DELICIOUS!

I love the premise of perseverance that this Never Surrender Blogfest embraces. Thank you Elana Johnson for encouraging us to share our stories.

I Can Do That

In 1971, when I was thirteen I saw the musical, Coco, starring Katherine Hepburn at the Los Angeles Music Center. I was a four year veteran of community theatre with dreams of being an actress. At the end of the show, I turned to my mother and said, "Next year I'm going to be up on that stage."

Cue the condescending smile.

A few months later, lo and behold there were auditions for The Sound of Music to be performed on that very stage. My mother wouldn't let me audition because I had braces, and she said my singing voice wouldn't cut it.

My brother auditioned and was cast. At least three of the Von Trapp kids had braces.

I watched the show every night for six weeks. 

At the end of the summer the company was auditioning replacements for the kids who didn't want to continue on the tour.

In my bedroom, I sang to the Broadway cast album at least 100 times, and practiced the dances I'd been watching for weeks.

My braces and I got the part.

I performed the role of Louisa Von Trapp on the stage of the Los Angeles Music Center in 1972, and continued to do so for the rest of the tour.

"If you can dream it, you can do it."

Walt Disney

Join me in hopping to the blogs on the list below to soak up more rays of perseverance. 

Journeys of Wonder

Guess what? Guess what? Guess what?

The day I've dreamed of has come true. I have a story out in the world. In Journeys of Wonder, I am honored to share creative space with a talented team of writers and eagle-eyed editors, Lisa Gail Green, Ian Kezsbom, Sarah Lynn, and Deborah Pasachoff.

This anthology project gives our beloved genre fiction a bridge on which to travel from our imaginations to yours.

JOURNEYS of WONDER

A new Anthology of Genre Fiction

Journeys of Wonder is a new anthology of genre fiction. We've assembled three talented writers to bring you five chilling tales that are guaranteed to keep you up at night - or at least make you turn on the lights.

Featured in Volume 1, June 2012:
1. The Door by Ian Kezsbom: Six people are stuck in a room with no memory of how they got there while a fear of the unknown keeps them from opening the only exit they have.
2. Blackout by Lisa Gail Green: A terrifying tale of a young woman whose memory is shattered and a creepy neighbor who is not all that he seems.
3. Infinity by Ian Kezsbom: Two brothers, forced to travel through time to save the world from an unspeakable evil, have little idea of what they have actually gotten themselves into.
4. Eye of the Wolf by Lisa Gail Green: A young girl struggles against the power of the full moon as she tries to hide her deadly secret from her family.
5. Afterdeath by Leslie S. Rose: In a future where our journey beyond death is no longer a mystery, the promise of eternal love waits, unless you break the rules.

On sale only at Amazon.com now! $.99 or free through the Amazon Prime lending library!

Visit us at: www.journeysofwonder.com

We'd love to hear your thoughts on our stories, so we've included forums on our website to spark a creative conversation. We are forever in your debt for helping us spread the word about Journeys of Wonder.

Long live genre fiction!

Name Games

I am fascinated by names.

As a teacher I see some bizarre names fly across my rosters. Some of those poor kids will be spelling out their "unique" names for people the rest of their lives, and never find a personalized bike license plate.

As a writer I agonize over choosing the perfect name for each character, so I am in awe when I come across character names that snap off the page.

Here are some of my recent favorites.

From Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson

Major Ernest Pettigrew - His name sketches a serious and proper demeanor.

Mrs. Ali - Melodious and lovely which perfectly matches her graciousness.

From The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Hazel and Augustus are the names Green selects for his teen main characters. I love the way he eschews current contemporary choices. These names told me to expect characters that were going to transcend the ordinary.

From Graceling/Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore

Say this aloud - Katsa

Do you hear the bite in the sound of the name? This character is a fighter.

Po - A prince who goes by a nickname taken from a beautiful tree in his kingdom that matches his eyes. Love that name origin story.

Saph - Named after his gorgeous sapphire eyes

From Divergent/Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Beatrice turned Tris - Another name with crispness that supports strength of character

Four - I love a name that fills you with questions.

What are some character names that have caught your fancy? 


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Name Button Photo Credit

Closed Hearts by Susan Kaye Quinn

My favorite part of Bloglandia is celebrating the accomplishments of fellow writers. I'm thrilled to announce the release of Closed Hearts, the second book in The Mindjack Trilogy by Susan Kaye Quinn. I'm a huge fan of Susan's blog. It's been a thrill to follow her journey from Open Minds to Closed Hearts. 

Open Minds is a "hands up in the air" roller coaster ride. I'm off to click my safety bar into place and dive into Closed Hearts. Wishing Susan massive success with The Mindjack Trilogy.

WHEN YOU CONTROL MINDS, ONLY YOUR HEART CAN BE USED AGAINST YOU.

Book Two of the Mindjack Trilogy

Eight months ago, Kira Moore revealed to the mindreading world that mindjackers like herself were hidden in their midst. Now she wonders if telling the truth was the right choice after all. As wild rumors spread, a powerful anti-jacker politician capitalizes on mindreaders’ fears and strips jackers of their rights. While some jackers flee to Jackertown—a slum rife with jackworkers who trade mind control favors for cash—Kira and her family hide from the readers who fear her and jackers who hate her. But when a jacker Clan member makes Kira’s boyfriend Raf collapse in her arms, Kira is forced to save the people she loves by facing the thing she fears most: FBI agent Kestrel and his experimental torture chamber for jackers. 

Now available! $2.99 Ebook at Amazon (and Amazon UK) and Barnes and Noble Request a Kindlegraph Paper copies available at Amazon or get signed copies from the author

Susan Kaye Quinn is the author of the bestselling YA novel Open Minds,  Book One of the Mindjack Trilogy, available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and itunes. Susan's business card says "Author and Rocket Scientist," but she mostly plays on Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest.

CLICK HERE to join the Virtual Party for Closed Hearts

(including bonus content for the Mindjack Trilogy and writerly guest posts) 

and/or 

ENTER TO WIN prizes below

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Random Act of Kindness BLITZ!

A smile. An encouraging word. A thoughtful gesture. Each day people interact with us, help, and make our day a bit brighter and full. This is especially true in the Writing Community. 

Take a second to think about writers you know, like the critique partner who works with you to improve your manuscript. The writing friend who listens, supports and keeps you strong when times are tough. The author who generously offers council, advice and inspiration when asked.

So many people take the time to make us feel special, don't they? They comment on our blogs, re-tweet our posts, chat with us on forums and wish us Happy Birthday on Facebook.

Kindness ROCKS!

To commemorate the release of their book The Emotion Thesaurus, Becca and Angela at The Bookshelf Muse are hosting a TITANIC Random Act Of Kindness BLITZ. And because I think KINDNESS is contagious, I'm participating too!

I am choosing the library staff of our local high school. They do so much to put awesome books into the hands of our teens despite the devastating budget cuts to education. For my RAOK gift, I'm donating two copies of John Green's amazing The Fault in Our Stars. 

Don't forget your local elementary, junior high, and high school libraries when you're cleaning out your bookshelves.

Do you know someone special that you'd like to randomly acknowledge? Don't be shy--come join us and celebrate! Send them an email, give them a shout out, or show your appreciation in another way. Kindness makes the world go round. :)

Becca and Angela have a special RAOK gift waiting for you as well, so hop on over to The Bookshelf Muse to pick it up.

Have you ever participated in or been the recipient of a Random Act Of Kindness?  Let me know in the comments!

A to Z Challenge Reflection

I'm pumping my fist in the air for making it through all 26 letters.

Now I'm fist pumping for everyone else who made it.

Worth it...absolutely.

I met some wonderful, creative folks and forged closer relationships with others who I already knew.

Difficult...absolutely.

I approached each letter post the way a designer would approach their daily sketch diary. One new picture/post a day to sharpen my blogging skills.


Thrilled with my new followers...absolutely.

Suggestion:

It would be cool to have a code to identify the flavor of the participating blogs. 

W for writing, C for cooking, B for book review etc.

Thank you to the hosts who lit up Bloglandia with this fabulous opportunity.

Z is for Zurg, Evil Emperor Zurg

Twenty-Six Days of Creative Inspiration

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, to all the wonderful folks out there in Bloglandia who have visited and followed my humble blog during the A to Z Challenge. I've had a blast meeting so many new friends. You are my inspiration.

And now the baddest baddie in the known universe...

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Evil Emperor Zurg from the Toy Story movies is on a mission to destroy Star Command and conquer the Galaxy.

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Thank goodness, Buzz Lightyear stands between us and evil incarnate.

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Good will prevail.

Is there anyone out there who didn't dream of their toys coming to life? I wished upon countless stars for that to happen. The Toy Story movies granted my wish. 

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Andy's collection of toys found their way into my heart. Now my wish upon a star is to write a story that will find its way into someone's heart the way Toy Story did for me.

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Toy Story made me believe that wishes do come true.

Who is your favorite toy in Toy Story?  

Click on the Blogging From A to Z Challenge logo in the sidebar to access the links to all the superheroes participating in this blog hop.

Y is for Yoda

Twenty-Six Days of Creative Inspiration

In the context of Joseph Campbell's hero journey, the mentor archetype doesn't get better than Yoda, Jedi Master extraordinaire, from Star Wars.

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Luke Skywalker's quest would have fallen kersplat if he'd never met Yoda in The Empire Strikes Back.

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Here are a few Yoda gems to send you on your way:

"Mind what you have learned. Save you it can."

"Difficult to see. Always in motion is the future."

"To answer power with power, the Jedi way this is not. In this war, a danger there is, of losing who we are."

"Named must your fear be before banish it you can."

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You've gotta love a Jedi Master who keeps reinventing himself. My students are currently hooked on this book.

What are you favorite Yoda moments?

Click on the Blogging From A to Z Challenge logo in the sidebar to access the links to all the superheroes participating in this blog hop.