I Have a Blog Tour!

 I was going to start by telling you how excited I am for my blog next week. Trouble is, it started on Monday. Holy Moly where does the time go these days? It started on the 26th...which I thought was NEXT week. So this week's blog is a day early.

I love bloggers who sign up for tours. LOVE. THEM. Because they work hard to give honest reviews and spread the word about an authors work. They are a great way to market, which is something I hate doing.

Thanks everyone! Cheers!

Image by: Vichaya Kiatying-Angsulee@FreeDigitalPhotos.net

 Here's the ones that have been published since Monday. You can still enter the contests!

http://girlsheartbookstours.blogspot.ca/2014/05/touring-now-aphrodites-war-by-donna.html#more

http://beccaannesbookreviews.blogspot.ca/2014/05/aphrodites-war-by-donna-milward-blog.html?spref=fb

http://www.ttcbooksandmore.com/2014/05/aphrodites-war-blog-tour-from-ghbt.html

http://dealsharingaunt.blogspot.ca/2014/05/aphrodites-war-by-donna-milward-top-ten.html

Suppose There are Contest Winners

Or suppose only three people entered the contest. Sigh...I think my next blog should be called "Why don't people enter my contests?"

Kathy Steinemann was completely awesome to give me a couple more e-book copies, so I didn't have to choose from the three people I know who were nice enough to comment last week.

In order of their comments:

Kevin Warren. Thanks for being my first fan, and for always sticking by me and my work.

jlotus, my sister. Thanks sweetie. You were actually supposed to say WHY you deserve one, but it's my blog, and I'm giving you one for supporting me.

And Colleen Sundby. She really is my oldest friend, as I've known her since I was three years old. And she's still in my corner. Thanks buddy <3

I'll be contacting all three of you shortly to get your e-mails to send your certificates. Thanks again for entering. That is all.

'Suppose' I Have a Contest?

This is the cover! Thanks Kathy!

Surprise! I wrote a short story for a collection. Believe me, it was an unexpected opportunity for me, and I'm surprised I managed to get it done.

Why? Because I found out about it shortly after Christmas, and also because I PANTSED it. I almost never do that, because I rarely finish when I try it. Also, I hadn't actually written a short story since high school! Uh-oh...

Am I crazy? Why did I say yes? Why did I willingly sign up for this?

Because Kathy Steinemann asked me to. Because I admire her work and was flattered she asked me to contribute. 

It was a little scary. I'd made a commitment to a story I wasn't sure I could write. But sometimes you have to go for it.

"Decide you want it more than you are afraid of it"--Bill Cosby. I never want fear to hold me back.

So I did it. And I'm glad. I just did two things I don't normally do. I wrote a short story AND I wrote it without a clear outline, off the top of my head. I also did it on a set deadline. It's called 'The Guardian's Angel.' It was named by contest winner Amanda Phillips.

Now I realize I'm doing something else. By contributing to this book, I'm getting more exposure for my work, my brand...Now THAT is free advertising.

So thank you, Kathy for the opportunity. I appreciate it very much <3 And thank you for the e-book copy of 'Suppose' I can give away!

All you have to do to win, is tell me here in the comment section, or here https://www.facebook.com/DonnaMilwardAuthor on my author page. (Feel free to join.) Why I should give it to you. :)

Contest winner will be published and notified next week.

Plotter or Pantser?

Photo By: DavidCastilloDominici@FreeDigitalPhotos.net

There's really only two types of writers...Plotters or Pantsers. We all have different ideas of what that means to us and different reasons for writing the way we do.

Pantsers are aptly named. They're the ones who compose by 'the seat of their pants'. My friend Tammy Kane, who wrote "Breath of Fire", is a pantser. When I asked her why, she said. "I like just writing with an idea in mind. It keeps me interested because I'm dying to know how it ends." Not a bad idea at all, I'd say. If you can stick with your manuscript day after day, typing away going who knows where with your story, I say run with it. It actually sounds like quite an adventure when you look at it that way.

Another way pantsing works is for murder mysteries. Jessica Frost (One of her pseudonyms) gave me fantastic advice...when writing a murder mystery, never decide who the killer is when you start. Just put out suspects with motives and decide whodunnit later. Genius!

I am a plotter. I jot down my beginning and my end, and make notes on the events that need to happen in between. I think I'm more comfortable doing it this way because I thoroughly enjoy writing essays. Yes. Essays. I like them. They are FUN.

I like the structure. For me it's quicker to take notes and flesh them out. It also makes writing a synopsis a little easier. You can just look at your notes and condense.Yes, it does happen where something else more exciting or more realistic pops up. That doesn't mean you can't throw it in and adjust your plot accordingly.

It's like cooking. If you have a basic recipe, but the dish needs a little something you throw it in and taste it to see if you need to add anything else. Did you throw in basil and now the sauce is too sweet? Add a little garlic powder, maybe. Did you add a romantic scene and it threw off your character arc? How about if the lovers have a fight that changes their opinion of one another? When you're done, it should be pleasing to a reader's palate.

Here's a secret: I rarely pants anything. If I do, I RARELY ever finish. Not due to lack of interest...I get lost. I miss important parts to the story. Then I throw up my hands in exasperation and spend hours trying to figure out where I was going in the first place. Then I toss the whole mess out without finishing it.

If you are a writer, or want to be, which one would you choose? Do you follow the recipe? Or throw in whatever you have in your cupboards? I'd love to know...

Now if you'll excuse me, I've made myself hungry. Maybe I'll just order Take-Out.

One Year Later...

April 29th, 2013 Our first photo of Spartacus Jones

On April 29th, 2013 a little grey and white cat followed my husband and my best friend home from a cigarette run. I remember that it was raining and snowing, because that was the reason I didn't go with them.

They told me about him when they got home, and I could hear him crying outside the window, so I asked them to bring him in. I wasn't about to leave an animal out in weather I wasn't willing to go for a short walk in.

It turned out to be one of those really awesome decisions one makes in their lifetime. It's right up there with convincing the troll I would be a good girlfriend and buying a house when interest rates dropped to 5%. (3 or 4 months after we bought our house Edmonton housing prices skyrocketed)

I was soooo ticked at my best friend for bringing the responsibility of this stray cat upon me. I regret telling her that. Now I know that not only was it absolutely meant to be, but it was the right thing to do. And I would do it again. In half a heartbeat. No more questions asked.

The photo above is the one I took so I could put him on Petlynx and various 'found' posters. Poor baby looks so scared and so thin. What if Darci hadn't found him? What if we hadn't taken him in?

We wouldn't have experienced the pure love that is Spartacus Jones. He is loyal like a dog. When we go outside, he follows, staying within sight at all times.  When I cry, he cuddles close and comforts me. He makes us laugh everyday. I can't believe someone somewhere just let him go, not even caring what happened to him. It hurts to think how people discard innocent pets, family members. Where is the compassion?

Last Thursday, I found a receipt from my vet, pinned to my bulletin board, dated for May of 2013....I was like "What is it doing here? That's a decent chunk of change, what is it for?" I remember now.  I took Spartacus Jones to my vet, looking for a tattoo or a microchip. While I was there, I had his shots updated, including one for outside cats, just in case. I had his ear mite infection taken care of.

He sat as close to me as he could, as in rightbesideme. My vet said "Look how much he loves you already." I said, "The feeling is already mutual." I think I knew when I brought him to the veterinary clinic that I was going to keep him.

I could go on and on, I could tell you how he chirps with joy when I join him outside, or how he tosses his head when I goad him into a game of tag, as if to say, "Oh, it's on now!" I could tell you how he loves to nap on and under my broomstick skirts while I'm wearing them. I could go on and on. Rest assured this is his forever home, and there will be more stories to tell.

Spartacus Jones one year later.

So Happy First Anniversary to my boy Spartacus Jones, my cosmic gift. So happy here's here.

Language Arts Part Three...Not TWO.

Image by: Stoonn@FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Distinguishing between two, too, and to are probably the hardest. Now that I've committed to writing this post, I'm thinking it's going to be the hardest to explain...

What the hell have I got myself into? I'll try anyway...

Let's start with TO--In the olden days, before Microsoft and Windows, computer classes required us to learn basic programming. Long story short, the most common input I remember was the command 'GOTO'. I think of 'to' as a 'go' word. "Where are you off to?" "I'm off to the store." You know how to spell 'go' so now you know which 'to' you can use.

The second one to discuss (See what I did there? We are going TO discuss TWO) is the number TWO. This one is a little hard to explain logically, and it gets worse in the next paragraph. Okay...When you make a 'W' with your fingers, there are three fingers you use. HOWEVER, the letter 'w' is put together with 2 'v's. It also has 2 points on the bottom.  I'm REALLY hoping that resonates with you people, because if it doesn't I got nuthin'.

At last, we have TOO. This one is going to be the hardest because there are TWO 'o's in TOO. How do I make this make sense? This word basically means 'as well' or 'also'.  Like: "I'm going to the movies." "Me too." Me as well. And now the first 'o' has a buddy next to him to go with. They are a pair of circles going to the show.

THEN the is the extreme TOO. Why extreme? because it has a tendency to enunciate a little more, a little more 'oomph'. Notice how you use a few more 'o's when you want to make more of a point? Example "Oooooh!" or "Gooood!"

My favorite local drag queen, Chelsea Horrendous, posted on Facebook one day saying. "I'm dying my hair blonde. Hopefully I won't do anything to stupid." to which I immediately replied "*too ;)"  (For the record, he said "And so it begins...") Doesn't it look better with the proper spelling? "I hope I don't do anything too stupid." Think of this particular usage as an 'impact' word.

I hope these were helpful, and that I didn't come across as condescending. I figured instead of bitching about people who can't tell the difference between these words, why not try to help them learn to use them? How did I do? 'Cause that was WORK. Thank God for teachers.

Language Arts Part Two---Are we THERE Yet?

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I'm pretty lucky. I've never had a problem with phonics. It just seems to come naturally to me, even before I read my first big word, 'Flashlight.' So many people aren't that fortunate. The English language can be such a bitch to grasp with its ridiculous vowel rules that sometimes don't make sense even if you were born into an English speaking household. (Don't get me started on 'i' before 'e', except after 'c'.)

For example--Their, they're and there. Again, I don't have issues with these words, but I can completely understand why others do. I think I have a solution.

First we have Their. This is a possessive word. The best way I can remember it, is it has the word 'heir' in it. We understand that the word 'heir' means someone who has inherited something. Someone left them something, they became an 'heir', so that something became theirs. Sounds a little silly, I know, but I think it works. If something belongs to somebody, it's theirs. Not yours.

Then we have They're, the contraction for they are. As in "They're going the wrong way." If you write this, and you're wondering if you used the right word, read it to yourself as the the full words. "They are going the wrong way." If it looks right that way, then you spelled it correctly.

There can be tricky if you have spelling issues, maybe. I like to think it's easy, because there has the word 'here' in it. As in, if you aren't here, you're there. 

*Sidenote: If you have trouble spelling the difference between here and hear, remember the one for sound and listening has the word 'ear' in it.

In conclusion, if you're confused as to which one to use, try these cues...

"It's there problem." It's here problem? It's they are problem? Or do they own it now? Which is correct?

"Their going to be here at midnight." They own going to the midnight? Here at here at midnight? Or they ARE going to be here at midnight?

"The phone is over they're." The phone is over they are? The phone is being possessed? Or is it not right here, but just a little further away?

Again, I hope this helps. I'll write one more about the difference between two, too, and to soon.