Thursday, September 11, 2014
Monday, September 1, 2014
COME SEPTEMBER, 2014
It's LABOR DAY! The end of summer. My excuse train just left its last station and won't stop now for two months, come high water or Hagrid.
What happens in the next two months? Well, PLAN A is that I FINISH LUHU, my work in progress, whose protagonist I am finally...finally...have made nice with. So, crossing fingers, Peeps, this will go smoothly.
My issues with LUHU were many: plot question-marks, my utter bewilderment with its characters motivations, my protagonists lack of focus, destination, or drive...which wasn't such a bad thing but wasn't sitting well with me.
Not NORMAL, I kept thinking. This book is not normal for me. First time I'm attempting First Person POV. First time it may not be a Happily Ever After. First time the sense of the book is melancholy. (I don't do melancholy well.) Which is great in real life but frustrating in LUHU-land.
Hence, the heavy delays in writing. But, as I get to know Simi (THE PROTAGONIST) better, I'm getting over many of the above mentioned hang-ups. Hurrah!
And now its BACK TO THE SPINNING WHEEL, for me.
I'll leave you with an excerpt. Be sure to check in here or on my FB page and/or Twitter for regular updates about LUHU. Plus, do sign up for my NEWSLETTER. I generally send those out twice a year but am thinking I might do them seasonally...to share news of my writing life and yippee, contests. With prizes! :)
LUHU EXCERPT:
I loved that Dr. Archer spoke directly to me. He addressed
Nirvaan only sporadically. Childbearing was a woman’s prerogative, after all. Though
in my case, I’d hardly use the word prerogative.
Coerced would be more apt.
I took a deep breath and let it out. I wasn’t ready to be a
mother. Not yet. Maybe I’d never be. The thought of being responsible for
another person’s health and security scared me like nothing else. Nirvaan knew
that. I’d thought of children as waves crashing over a distant horizon. I’d
discussed…or no, we’d never discussed having a baby, Nirvaan and I. Not before
we got married. Not after. Not until Nirvaan was diagnosed with cancer and the
option of freezing his sperm before his first chemo came up—a treatment that had
left him irreversibly sterile.
I didn’t want to deny my husband this wish. But I do not want a
baby. Not now. Not when our lives were in flux again.
“Well, that’s a lot of information to sort through,” said Dr.
Archer, winding down at last. The walls in his office weren’t the calming
colors of the Pacific Ocean. They were the no-nonsense white of his doctor’s
coat. “Meanwhile, we can start monitoring your cycle. You need to come in for a
detailed consult next week, Mrs. Desai. We’ll do some more blood work, a
preliminary ultrasound. Narrow down the best route for you. Prescribe medications
for maximum ovarian stimulation and so forth.” He glanced at his desktop
monitor. “I have Monday afternoon and Thursday morning open. Or, you can call my
assistant for later dates.”
“Monday’s great,” replied Nirvaan when I pretended to scroll
through my largely appointment-less phone calendar.
Monday was only three days away. I could be pregnant by the end
of the month. My husband might be dead by this time next year.
My breath turned to stone in my lungs. The white walls of the doctor’s
office shrank, pushing at me. I thought I’d finally scream.
“Call whenever you’re ready.” Dr. Archer’s words were kind. His pale
blue eyes were kinder. “Call if you have any questions. Any doubts. Your youth
really is in your favor and its not infertility that we are dealing with in
your situation but extenuating circumstances. Even though we have a limited
amount of your husband’s sperm to work with, we have an excellent success rate,
Mrs. Desai. Rest assured.”
Hysteria bubbled up in my throat. He thought I was worried this
wouldn’t work. How do I confess to him, to anyone, that I was petrified that it
would?
I'm glad I didn't quit this story. What does thee think, Peeps?
Tuesday, August 26, 2014
MY 10 BOOK CHALLENGE
I was asked to do this on FB by a friend:
"List 10 books that have stayed with you in some way. Don't take more than a few minutes, and don't think too hard. It's not about the "right book" or great works of literature, just ones that have affected you in some way. Doesn't have to be in order."
So here goes:
Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
Outlander - Diana Gabaldon
The Palace of Illusions - Chitra Divakaruni
The Book Thief - Marcus Zusak
A story celebrating human triumph over oppression.
The Fault In Our Stars - John Green
Another story celebrating the human spirit in face of disease.
Julius Caesar - Shakespeare
Where good intentions paved the road to hell.
The Universe in a Nutshell - Stephen Hawking
Because Man really has no option but to look to the stars for survival. That the only limits there are in this universe is the ones we tether ourselves to.
The God Delusion - Richard Dawkins
Because Man does delude himself in thinking he knows "God."
The Three Virgins and Other Stories - Manjula Padmanabhan
This collection of Indian/multicultural stories has a bit of everything. My favorite is STAIN in which 5000 years of culture is weighed against modern-day feminine hygiene products...and comes up short.
Last, but in no way least, my own debut,
It's Your Move, Wordfreak!
Because it took me on a path sprinkled with wonders.
What's your List of 10 look like?
Your answer will win you prizes :)
Your answer will win you prizes :)
Wednesday, August 20, 2014
My fav #ALSICEBUCKETCHALLENGE vids
Hey there, Dear Readers. So, unless you live under a rock, you've probably seen some funny and largehearted videos of the ALS fundraiser trending our virtual world, though there is nothing whatsoever funny about ALS, the disease. These are my top five to date #ALSIceBucketChallenge videos.
Videos will be added as I come across more favorites :)
To know more about ALS or Lou Gehrig/s Disease click on its name.
To realise what it actually is to live with ALS click here.
Donate @
http://www.alsa.org/
Wednesday, August 13, 2014
JUMP
Motivation.
With a jet-lagged brain, a sore throat and some fever, I haven't felt an urge to get back up on my writing horse. I'm hoping this bit of song and dance will pump up the blood and brainwaves.
What gets you moving?
Friday, August 1, 2014
GUEST POST - ANNAMARIA BAZZI
We have guest-posting today, Annamaria Bazzi, author of Incantation Paradox.
What’s magical in Anna’s life as opposed to her MCs?
My life is quite an ordinary suburban life.
I must warn you; I never grew up. The child in me is still
alive and well.
When my youngest daughter turned 4, I think that’s when it
happened, Scarlett the dragon moved into my attic. My daughter, Ariana, was
thrilled. At the time she believed in dragons and fairies. Many times, we’d go
up into the attic to try and get a glimpse of the dragon. It never happened.
She always seemed to know when we were about to disturb her abode. She was
always gone, although, on several occasions, we would find her eggs, warm and colorful
in a pile on warm blankets.
Soon, my nieces and some of Ariana’s friends would come over
asking if they could go up into the attic to see Scarlett or find some of her
eggs.
“Mrs. B,” that’s what most of the kids call me. “Can we
please go see Scarlett?”
“You must be very quiet and respectful when you go up there.
No running, no screaming.”
“Yes, Mrs. B.”
And they’d all run up the stairs.
“Mrs. B,” they screamed rushing back down. “All the eggs are
gone.”
I would smile. “Oh, what great news. Scarlett’s babies have
hatched.” I’d giggle for joy. “Did you see any baby dragons?”
“We gotta go back up.”
“Come on.”
And they’d all run back upstairs to look for little dragons.
I’m sad to say Scarlett has left my attic, but I know she’ll
be back as soon as my daughter Amanda has her fist child. After all, dragons
only live and thrive wherever children are.
You don’t believe me? Did I hear you right? That’s the
problems with grownups, once they lose their imagination, magic leaves their
lives forever and the beauty and creativity of the mind begins to stagnate. All
these people see is work, and more work. They have lost their inner child. Hence,
no longer believe in Santa Clause, the Easter Bunny, fairies, dragons and all
that fuels the imagination.
What a sad day for magic.
Magic is an
illusion. It doesn’t really exist. Or does it?
A horrible car
accident destroys Dolores Reynard’s life. But instead of waking up in a
hospital bed, she awakens in a teenager’s body. Soon, she discovers she is at
the heart of the murderous mystery surrounding the death of Mona, the young
girl whose body she occupies. Caught between an evil greater than she ever
imagined and a wizard who heals her tattered heart, she is forced to play a
dangerous game of intrigue in the hopes of finding a way to return to her
previous life.
Will magic be her
ally, or will it lead to her demise once and for all.
Book Links: Amazon / Smashwords / B&N
~ABOUT THE AUTHOR~
Although
born in the United States, Annamaria Bazzi spent a great deal of her childhood
in Sicily, Italy, in a town called Sciacca. Italian was the language spoken at
home. Therefore, she had no problems when she found herself growing up in a
strange country. Upon returning to the states, she promised herself she would
speak without an accent. She attended Wayne State University in Detroit
Michigan, where she obtained her Bachelor of Science in Computers with a minor
in Spanish.
Annamaria
spent twenty years programming systems for large corporations, creating
innovative solution, and addressing customer problems. During those years, she
raised four daughters and one husband. Annamaria lives in Richmond Virginia
with her small family where she now dedicates a good part of her day writing.
You can
visit Annamaria at:
blog http://annamariabazzi.com
website
http://www.annamariasbooks.com
2 Digital Copies of Incantation Paradox up for grabs:
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