Friday, November 28, 2014

She's Got a New Book!! All About Jacinta Maree's New Release



Have you met Jacinta Maree?

She's a friend of mine from Staccato Publishing. She beautiful and talented and has another release. If you haven't checked out "My Demonic Ghost". I would highly recommend it. And maybe you should also check out thes rest of this blog so you can find out who she is, and why she's worth reading. I'd like to thank Mel at girlsheartbookstours@gmail.com for all her help getting this post done <3






Hunters and Creators

My Demonic Ghost # 3
By- Jacinta Maree
Genre- YA
Paranormal/Ghosts

It’s been five years since the phenomenon that shook the world’s belief in the supernatural. It has become a worldwide obsession as crowds flock together in hopes of catching a glimpse of the spirits. That is most… except Rachael Hastings.


Rachael, now at University, lives with a giant blank page in her memory from when she was fifteen years old. Plagued by nightmares of a green-eyed monster, Rachael tries to stay as far away from the paranormal as humanly possible. Despite her efforts, he stalks her through the shadows and appears in her dreams for reasons she can’t understand.

Along with friends from school, Rachael returns to Whitehaven. During her stay she is caught up in the ongoing war between heaven and hell she had unknowingly escaped from years ago. Forced into the care of Gargoyle the Hunter, Rachael attempts to piece together her shattered memory. As emotions grow between them, a familiar green-eyed demon returns to her side, claiming that Rachael is his one true love. With the world falling apart around them, can Rachael remember who she loves and which side is right before it’s too late?

Pretty little Sheila ain't she?
About the Author:
Self confessed chocaholic, Jacinta was born and raised in Melbourne Australia with her loving family of five.
Even as a child Jacinta had an itch to write. Writing was the one constant hobby she clung to, also trying her hand at piano, flute, tennis, horseback riding and drama.

Jacinta works full time in the family business and spends her afternoons either playing basketball, reading, writing or hanging out with friends. She is always happy to try something new; getting her real estate license, practicing ninjitshu, Zumba and parkour to name a few.

For her future, Jacinta sees herself writing. It is a large part of her identity and something she hopes to continue. Aside from her love of stories she loves Japan and its unique and beautiful culture and history. From their delicious sushi dishes right down to their wooden sandals and kimonos. She is also a huge cat person and loves to snuggle up in front of the fire for a good movie or book.
Her favorite genres are paranormal and fantasy but she also loves anything written by thriller
writer, Stephen King. 


Publisher- http://staccatopublishing.blogspot.com/p/jacinta-marie.html?m=0 
Website- http://jacintamaree.wix.com/mydemonicghost 
Blog- http://jacintamareeauthor.blogspot.com.au/














Thursday, November 20, 2014

Another Year, Another Novel and I'm Still Here.

My desk is rarely this clean. I needed to take a picture.

After two long years, I've finally finished 'Chasing Monsters'. I almost thought I'd never get there, and it still feels like the last day of school.

This one was the hardest. Several things happened, ordinary hardships that hit everyone. One of the people I made a character in this book passed away. Books sales waned, my marriage struggled, I lost my beloved cat Sully, left Edmonton Paranormal and lost friends.

I didn't think it was anything to get depressed about. But it happened anyway. It's hard to write about.

It took me six months to realize I was depressed. It took four more to realize I might need medication for it. Sometimes I wrote because I was feeling better, sometimes I wrote because I felt like I had to. Sometimes I wrote because it felt like that was the only thing I had left. It made for some interesting editing, I can tell you that!

I didn't WANT to be depressed. Surely this is just something I should just 'get over', right? I wanted to be HAPPY, dammit! Who doesn't want to be happy? Who in their right mind wants to be miserable all the time?
Me and Ariel here are fine.

I denied the depression until I found myself crying constantly and actively wishing for death. Not suicide...just praying for a heart attack or a car accident to take me out of here.

Those were some dangerous thoughts. So I went on medication. Medication doesn't really help, at least not for me. It's like chewing a Nicorette for smoking. It takes the edge off, but the gnawing itch doesn't really leave. Not until it's done with you, and you don't know when that will be.

I dropped the pills and went to therapy, where I purged my heart. Much better. Too bad it isn't this easy for everyone. I'm okay and getting better, but I can't help but feel like the universe officially spanked me for every time I ever thought a person should just 'get over it' when they're depressed. I have been educated.

I hid mine as hard as I could, because I didn't feel I deserved to be depressed. I remind myself constantly that my life is Not. That. Hard.The truth is, it can hit anyone, just like any illness. You could be next. Scary, eh?

I think I'm coming out of it, and finishing Chasing Monsters has helped so much. I'm writing new material, and have discovered mediation, something I swore was a stupid waste of time. I'm always looking for new ways to reconnect to humanity and the world. I'm feeling okay these days. Wish me luck. I wish you all the luck in the world and happiness too.

Thursday, November 13, 2014

Hear my Thesaurus ROAR!!

Image provided by: StuartMiles@DigitalPhotos.net
Of all the tools available to a writer, my favorite is the Thesaurus. It's my best friend for writing like IKEA is close to me for renovations and decor. My favorite, my beloved, my (checks Thesaurus) my treasured. My PRECIOUS!

I'm doing edits on 'Chasing Monsters' and it's getting quite a work out. While I am conscientious about using different words to describe things, (weapon, sword, blade, katana...) every novel I seem to find certain words I gravitate toward. And overuse.

I keep these words in mind in the first edits if I see them too often, and make a list. Then, when it comes to second edits and formatting the master copy, I check them off as I change them, or place an 'X' next to it if I kept it. I'm not finished yet, but here's some embarrassing totals.

Squeezed-19 found. Four kept.

Flutter-11 found. One kept.

Ached-22 found. Three kept.

Warmth-17 found. Four kept. (Hey, it's set in October. Heat is VERY important!)

There's more, but they're not as bad. Other favorite done-to-death words include, chill, blurred, roar, watch, gentle, followed, trepidation  and the tired phrase "Poor so-and-so."

I know there's a program for this, but I'm old-fashioned and I trust this method. I've taken to leaving post-it tabs with the word on it in the pages for easy access, and the binding is breaking. At this rate, I'll be asking for a new synonym dictionary for Christmas. Just in case you didn't know...'synonym dictionary' is what you'll find if you look up the word 'Thesaurus' in a Thesaurus.

Thursday, November 6, 2014

NaYes or NaNo?

Image provided by: digitalart@FreeDigitalPhotos.net
It's that time again...National November Writing Month. I've never participated...until now. Sorta.

The older I get, the more I realize I HATE competition. That's why I've never signed up. I couldn't bear the thought of comparing my progress with thousands of other writers who work faster than me. As it is, my feed in inundated by daunting posts from fellow writers, whose impressive dizzying numbers put mine to shame.

So I didn't register. I DID, however set some personal goals. I promised to write 1000 words a day in my new novella set in Egypt.

     It's working! I am so excited! I'm the kind of writer who goes in spurts. Sometimes I can barely squeak out 100 words, sometimes I can write all day. I don't know if it's the excitement of brand new material, or if it's just the sparkling determination that comes with pushing oneself. Either way, I'm enjoying it!

To be honest, I'm bagged. I sleep like a rented donkey and my days are filled with a sense of satisfaction. My mind feels like I'm running a marathon rather than retreating to the couch for a bag of popcorn or a nap. At this rate, the novella will be finished by months end.

Part of me wishes I wasn't announcing that in public, because I worry I can't fulfill that promise. Part of me knows that owning these statements will keep me from slacking off.

Wish me luck. I have a lot of work to do.