Earth to Thoeba

Saturday, March 15, 2014

I'm Grateful...And a Little Slow.

Cover by Terra Weston Koster

sweets books http://tinyurl.com/ksj4ljd
vParanormal Romance and Authors That Rockhttp://tinyurl.com/m2dxvp
BeanieBrain Reader http://tinyurl.com/lawpd4j
Racing To Read http://tinyurl.com/l767379
kims book blog http://tinyurl.com/k37y77f
Nerd Girl http://tinyurl.com/mgqgwcw
Jess's Book Blog http://tinyurl.com/mrqyy2d

Whispered Thoughts http://tinyurl.com/mntd7uw
Becky on Books http://tinyurl.com/kestlft
TNT Reviews http://tinyurl.com/kgu36b6
Love Bites and Silk Ties http://tinyurl.com/lmbyy4x
Becca Anne's Book Reviews http://tinyurl.com/mb2wnek
My Family Heart's Book Reviews http://tinyurl.com/m3xs2lg
Swoon Worthy Books http://tinyurl.com/ny459wz

Crazy Cajun Book Addict http://tinyurl.com/ludzlmv

I tried to thank all of you. Sometimes I came up in comments as Donna Milward, or Thoeba, or just 'D' (I really need to fix that...) I'd like to point out that Independent writers and Publishers like me, along with Staccato Publishing, love and need these people. They are our lifeline , and huge THANK YOUS!

I'm so grateful, to everyone. Endless, eternal thank yous. <3 <3 <3 I got a few really good reviews--Four and five stars.

These are my favorites:Jess's Book Blog http://tinyurl.com/mrqyy2d Not because she gave me 5 daisies...It's because she obviously DEVOURED the book. All of it. She understood the little things. The first important thing she pointed out, is the fact that Ares is her lover. And the fact that she left her husband for him. She mentions 'The Kevin Incident' and Hugh. I think she understood, you're not supposed to like Adrian at first, and he needs to win the reader over. It just felt like she loved the novel as much as I do.

The other came from Becky on Books http://tinyurl.com/kestlft She's as big a mythology nerd as I am, and obviously enjoys it too. She's quick to remind readers how there is no 'good and evil' when it comes to gods. Just selfish bully, and less of a selfish bully. She pointed out her favorite bits, and it's obvious how much she enjoyed the book. She even caught my mistake that I hoped no one would notice... Like I said, this girl knows her mythology.

I DID get a 3.5 rating from Reading Bliss http://tinyurl.com/ka39chl. Aphrodite's War fell a little short for her. I understand a lot of her complaints. For the record, I thought I had Aphrodite clear up Ares' intentions when she explained how Ares would never be satisfied with just Edmonton, or Alberta, or even Canada. That he would start there and work on global war. At least i thought I did. Still, despite the criticisms, she'd still recommend it. That doesn't suck.

So this blog is several days early, but I'm sure you understand why I did it. I just wanted to say thank you to the bloggers, and to point out all their giveaways.

Also, thanks to reading all these reviews, I know what to write about on Thursday. :) See you then.

Thursday, March 13, 2014

What if 'Thoeba' Were a Movie?

Cover by Terra Weston-Koster

I've given it some thought before, but it wasn't until my fellow Staccato author, Emma Hibbs did it that I decided to blog about it. Here's Emma's blog about HER cool dream cast.
http://echibbs.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/blindsighted-wanderer-my-imaginary.html

I thought, "Awesome! It's been a long time since I thought about who would act in the movie...and I've never blogged it either."

So I made a small list. Not everybody is going to be here, but the major characters will be. What do you think?

PETER MASON: This guy...Henry Rollins?! You ask. You're probably wondering why I would choose a punk icon to for a romantic lead. It's not just because he's my muse. It's because he's handsome, a good actor, and when I think of a tough guy with a compassionate side, this is the face I see.

Thomas Gibson from 'Criminal Minds

Of course, I wouldn't kick THIS guy out of the role either.

Apparently she was in Paranormal Activity 4

Next we have his daughter, KAYLA MASON. Too bad Dakota Fanning is too old for the role. I had to think about this one. I googled "teen blonde actresses' and I got this...Her name is Kathryn Newton and she looks exactly how I imagine Kayla looks.

Now, how about her crush, PRIVATE BREWER?

This is Alex Pettyfer aka Number 4. He seemed pretty good in that movie. What I actually watched of it, I mean. He'd be great if we could bulk him up a bit. Which could happen. He'll be in Magic Mike 2.

JIM (Oh my God, did I even give him a last name?) has to be the toughest actor to choose by far. I can think of at least three actors who could fill the role. What do YOU think?

Sean Bean might be too handsome, but the caption up there actually happened at a bar in England.

Or maybe...

Michael Rooker was fantastic as Merle Dixon, and maybe I like him because Merle reminded me a lot of Jim. And because I'm a HUGE fan of 'The Walking Dead'.

But my very first choice is this actor:

Don't know who Jackie Earle Haley is? He was the hottie way back when in 'The Bad News Bears'. He's the new Freddy Kruegar. He was Rorschach. Enough said.

And I saved the best for last. There's only ever been ONE actor that fits the role of THOEBA. I always thought she was stunning and talented, and the very first time I visualized THOEBA it was her.

I'm curious to know what you people think. Any other ideas out there?

Oh, and if any of these fine actors see this after I tag their names in this blog and think they'd like to produce a great movie to be in, message me on Twitter or Facebook! I'm Donna Milward :D

Thursday, March 6, 2014

Free Advertising, My Ass

Photo by: Karen Bursey, Edmonton, Alberta

You know what is a really bad thing to say to a writer who has been pirated? "Think of the free advertising." What a stupid comment. I'm so angry I just lit a cigarette.

I've been told that if one person downloads it, and likes it, he might tell his friends, and THEY will buy it. And so on. You know what I think will happen? I think they'll download it for free, and then they'll tell their friends where to download free books. And so on.

When I worked as a meat manager, I constantly had to deal with shoplifters. We could never catch them all. It was a full time job. The more shoplifting that happened, the more thieves came in...we developed a reputation for being an easy target. What did these people do with our expensive steaks and roasts, the ones clearly tagged with the 'Champions Family Foods' logo? They sold them on the street. Should I call that 'free advertising?'

We GIVE e-books out. We spend hundreds of dollars on 'swag'. We do our own advertising and marketing, thank you. We don't need any help from people who distribute our work illegally.

You've read my rants about piracy before, but I've been pirated AGAIN. Over 460 copies of Thoeba went out without payment. This was after I saw this post from an author I know from Facebook. If you think I'm pissed, wait until you read this. *language warning* With her expressed permission, I give you Gracen Miller...

One pirate site…

Rockin' the Heart downloaded 1,325 times (and it just released the end of Jan 2014).
Taboo Kisses downloaded 2,219 times.
The Road to Hell series (that's ALL 3 books) downloaded 2175times.

For you selfish bastards who think this doesn't amount to much in cash, let me break it down for you.

Rockin' the Heart pirated downloads would've netted $3,312.50 in sales.
Taboo Kisses pirated downloads would've netted $5,547.50 in sales.
The Road to Hell series pirated downloads would've netted $3,632.25 in sales.
That's a GRAND TOTAL of LOST sales in the amount of $12,492.25!!!

FUCK YOU VERY MUCH YOU PIRATE THIEVES! Yes…every single one of you who downloaded a free ebook off of a pirate site—mobilism, torrent, etc. NOT Amazon, Nook, etc.—YOU ARE THIEVES!! Why don't you take a $12,492.25 pay cut…and that's just ONE pirate site. I'm so angry ATM. I'm honestly at that point where I'm about ready to say fuck it and quit writing. I didn't even make $600 off of the entire Road to Hell series in 2013, but the pirates happily stole $3Grand from me off one site for the series!

I'm livid for her, and all of us. There's been talk about putting a halt to giving out free ebooks for contests. It feels like we can't trust anyone. Some of us want to give up, myself included. What's the point of spending all the time and money to promote our work if we get nothing out of it but grief and anguish? Would you?

Thursday, February 27, 2014

A Short Pause

"Male Angel Pointing Up" by falconville@FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I'm running a little late. Normally I have a post ready to go one or two days in advance. I hate procrastinating, and try to have my projects finished well before deadline.

Well, this week I'm distracted. I have a short story due tomorrow, and I just finished the requested edits for it. Yay me. It's been on my mind ever since I took the assignment, and I wish I could say I enjoyed it.

I did two things I never do as a writer. #1, I wrote a short story. #2, I 'pantsed' it.

I haven't written a short story since highschool. Essays, sure. Short stories, no. My brain just doesn't work that way. I'm not accustomed to writing my fictional ideas in 5000 words or less. It feels...confining.

And I'm not a 'pantser'. For those of you who don't understand writer slang, a pantser is a writer who jots down their stories as they come along, without a solid plan about where it's going or how it will end. I know one who finds it exciting to work that way. She can't wait to see what happens next.

I can't work that way. I find that if I don't have an outline, and a clear idea of where I'm going, I'll probably never finish. In fact, I'm shocked that I DID finish.

Am I sorry I did it? NO. I did it because I wanted to try something different. I had to get out of my comfort zone, and exercise my brain. I wanted to challenge myself and learn new things. In fact, I'm proud of myself for doing it. I came up with a story idea off the top of my head, and executed it without knowing where I was going. I made it! Whew!

I also held a great contest to name it. Congratulations and thank you to Amanda Phillips for the great title "The Guardian's Angel". Love it!

The story is going to be part of a collection called 'Suppose' and is the brainchild of author Kathy Steinemann. I will keep you all posted about its publishing date and other information.

In the meantime, here's a link I found today that reminded me of how important writing exercises are, and how brilliant they can be. Number Two and Number Five are the scariest for me, but Number Nine will be the one I'm thinking of next time Spartacus Jones starts staring at me.

http://www.mandatory.com/2014/02/21/20-terrifying-two-sentence-horror-stories/

Thursday, February 20, 2014

Why Writing Can Suck.

A couple weeks back you read reasons why it's great to be a writer. But there are downers and pitfalls. They happen to us all, but if you can't resurface from them eventually, you might want to reconsider your career choice for your own sanity.

1. You're your own boss--Yes, it's listed as a perk from last week, but to quote an effective cliche, it's a double edged sword. When you're your own boss, you have to be your own whip. No one else is going to tell you to get off your ass but you.

2. Idiot Mode--It couples up with Genius Mode like a hangover with a stranger in your bed. One night you're rolling in the glory of your personal genius and when you wake up and take a good look, you wish you didn't do any of it because you're sick and it's ugly.

3. The money is terrible.-- J.K. Rowling is the only billionaire author in history. Of all the writer friends I have met, I don't know a single one who can live off their royalties. Which brings me to point #4.

4. Pirates--They are the people who think it's perfectly okay to either give away our work or profit from them without our permission. It's a constant, draining war. I don't even understand 'why',

5.Writer's Block--It happens to all of us.It occurs for a long list of reasons. Maybe we're tired. stressed out, busy, worried, have family issues, whatever. It's normal, but completely frustrating. Thankfully, writer's of all kinds from around the world are sharing ways to fight Writer's Block. Strangely enough, this point gives me an idea for a blog.

6. Plot Bunnies, Insomnia, and rampant inspiration--Essentially this...

Enough said.

7. Marketing--I HATE marketing. Between Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Storyfinds, Smashwords, Google+ etc. plus this blog, I'm always trying to find a way to present and sell my novels without sounding like a used car salesperson trying to put themselves through law school. (apologies to used car salespeople for the stereotype).

So ask yourself..."Do I want to be a writer?" If you still do, there's something fundamentally wrong with you. Welcome to the club.

Thursday, February 13, 2014

That's Not Love You Smell in the Air.

I almost forgot it's Valentine's Day tomorrow. Which is odd, because I have very specific plans for my beloved troll. Which I can't divulge here because he's on Twitter and he reads this blog.

I think the reason it slips my mind sometimes, is because I remember loathing that day a lot. More often than not, I was single, for many years.

And love is such a wacky thing too. Nothing else can make you so desperately unhappy or so absurdly joyful. And sometimes it's BOTH and it's the scariest thing ever.

I'm happy now...but it wasn't always that way. I remember being 19 years old, and I was in love with a man who loved me, but not enough to stay faithful. I believed I was going to marry him. He believed he should see other people, besides me. I was stupid and naive and I worked hard to change his mind. Yes, I stayed with a cheater...a BLATANT cheater.

I remember the day I made the decision to leave. I came home early from the graveyard shift and found a pair of women's shoes that weren't mine. Instead of confronting the boyfriend and his new girlfriend, I went for a very long walk and wrote a poem, which I'm going to share.

For those of you who are alone and lonely or heartbroken...This is for you.

MOURNING

I am alone with morning,
No one for miles but the silence and me.
I long for someone to share it with,
I am alone, but I am free.

The cold chill embraces me,
The wind kisses away my tears,
And I think of home.
I am free, I am alone.

The morning sun,
The blue sky,
A marriage of this beautiful perfection,
I'm so alone in awful freedom,

But the morning offers me protection.

Fast forward 4 years later...I'm sitting in the lounge after working as a pizza cook, talking to my friends who work as barmaids. A ridiculously handsome man sits beside me and strikes up a conversation. Or at least he tries to. We have nothing in common it seems. My favorite pick-up lines, which show off the fact that I can speak 'hockey' falls flat. He hates hockey. (In Canada, a woman who understands what a GAA means and who has the best one will NEVER lack for company or drinks in the bar. For the record, it was Domink Hasek at the time with a 1.95)

So for lack of a better subject, I mention that I entered a CBC poetry contest. Turns out he LOVES poetry, and wants to hear my favorite one that I wrote. I recited the one you just read, telling him the title is about grief and the poem is about coming to terms with a painful decision. He asks for a copy, and we get along much better after that. SO WELL, in fact, that I decide this man is my next boyfriend.

A week later, I not only give him a copy of 'Mourning', but I also wrote something called "If", It described my feelings for him and asked him "If I fall in love with you...Will you catch me?" That was September 13th, 1997, and our first kiss.

Love is weird. Who knew that a poem about a nasty breakup would bring me a husband? The moral of the story is...Love Stinks, yeah, yeah. But there's always hope, because Love Lurks. In the oddest of places and it will find you, in the oddest ways.

Happy Valentine's Day. It won't always be terrible.

Thursday, February 6, 2014

Another Year, Another Birthday, and a Good Attitude

Photo by: mrsiraphol@FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I turned 42 yesterday. If you've followed my blog long enough, you'll notice that I have a tendency to reflect around my birthday. For the most part, I decided I'm much better off getting older, seeing as how there's only one way out of getting older...right?

I lsually compare myself to where I was twenty years ago. At twenty-two years of age, I lived at Panorama Resort, British Columbia. I was a housekeeper. It didn't pay shit, but there were perks. Like half-price ski rentals, and free lifts with your Panorama staff I.D. There were great staff functions and you could use the weight room, saunas, and hot tubs aaaaanytime you wanted. I met a lot of cool people, including Sonya and Blair, who I keep in contact with thanks to Facebook.

But when the ski season ended, my roommates left. Blair went back to Manitoba, Cheryl to Saskatchewan, Lee and Dale to Edmonton. Even my friend Sonya went home to Calgary before joining her future husband, George--who drove snow making machines--back to Saskatchawan. (Great wedding, by the way!)

I stayed and I became unhappy. I was broke and alone. Housekeeping was delegated to Spring Cleaning, aka/Washing Walls. I didn't have a vehicle, so I could only get to Invermere--and the bank, and the grocery store or doctor--if someone else from the office was going down. IF they drove down...I ate the almighty staple of the poor...Ichiban.

I remember I went home to Fox Creek around October/November and decided I didn't want to go back...Not that living on my parent's acreage was any less isolating, but my mother was a little bit more willing to chauffeur me around AND feed me...Stuff like vegetables. Things not noodle orientated.

Sometimes, like this week, I look around and see how far I've come. I married my best friend, the beloved troll named Dan. I still remain happy with my choice to not have children. Instead I have cats I adore as my 'fur-children'. Yes, I'm that weird. We just learned that our house is over half-way paid off, and we can live within our means WITHOUT me working full-time. And my husband doesn't see my work as a hobby or anything so trivial...he believes in me. (I'm a REALLY lucky woman.)

He gave me THIS! He soooo GETS me!

I am living my fondest dream. I write novels. I write this blog. I WRITE, THEREFORE I AM. And I am proud.

I used to feel guilty...mostly because my life is actually pretty fabulous, and not everybody gets to be as spoiled as I am. But I paid my dues. No more long hours, no more scheduling conflicts due to working two jobs, no more starving in order to make ends meet--I'm not willing to be a size 9 again if it means not being able to afford to eat.

Yup, forty-two is just fine. Glad to be here, and I can't wait to see where this year takes me. Again...Wish. Me. Luck. <3