Tuesday, December 17, 2013

The Sapphire Storm


Leona Bushman - Guest Post: Every author has their first book/story. What motivated you to create your first book?

 

Actually, my first book came out of nowhere. I was always motivated to put my thoughts down on paper, though. Even when I was a child, when I really wanted to get an emotion across I would turn to a journal and just start writing until my fingers fell off.

 

Inspiration, I believe, can hit you when you least expect it. And when I was thirteen-years-old, I lost one of the most important people in the world to me; my grandfather, Joseph Carrier. This man was the person who literally made life fun. He knew every story; he knew all about history; he knew facts about locations around the world and the back-stories behind each one—he was a walking library of humor and information.

 

When he left this earth it was difficult for me, and I turned to two young characters that had a way to actually ‘see’ him when I couldn’t. I wrote all about this duo as I grew up, and they eventually became the characters in my YA series, ‘The Angel Chronicles.’ That series went exceedingly well, even though there was a part of me that believed it was nothing more than a thirteen-year-old who was still rambling. (LOL) Thankfully, education, learning, and spreading my own wings to meet my own adventures head-on as I grew up, helped me become a better writer. And I was lucky enough to begin in the editorial realm when I was just nineteen, working my way up to Editor-in-Chief.

 

I love the ability to mix historical fact with fiction. My mother, being a career librarian, always taught me that research into the past was a great deal of fun, and I haven’t stopped since. This is a skill that really comes in handy where the ‘Tallent & Lowery’ series is concerned. The oddest things will motivate me to build a new puzzle/adventure for this duo. And these things can come from something as simple as a fact brought up during a very mundane conversation. (You never know where that golden nugget will come from for your next book).

 

So, in essence, my grandfather was the original motivation to begin writing, but the motivation to continue really has come from readers, my mother, my incredible daughter, and that girl inside me who cannot stop putting her emotions on paper. God willing, she’ll never have to.

 

Until Next Time, Everybody,

Happy Holidays!

Amy Lignor

 

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Thank you so much for having me on today! Happy Holidays to both you and your fans!!

 

 

 

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

It's me. No really, it is

Hi *waves madly* has this past year and a bit been nuts. I've not been good at blogging, but honestly, I had to cut back somewhere. As my general health improved, I tried to add guest blogs to help keep me active. I had about a month where I was not ill then came down with this current thing. Prior, I had about a month and a half (pushed it to two out of denial lol) in the spring time. Otherwise, I've pretty much been ill, with different things, aggravated by my asthma, since the fall of 2012. It's one of the reasons I've not blogged much.

But, have I been sitting idly by? No. Although I've slowed way down, I managed to become an editor, and now a managing editor at the publisher that took a chance on me for The Ulfric's Mate. As I may have stated before, that series now has two out, The Midwife's Moon being the second, and a contract for FIFTEEN MORE. I am not kidding :D five freebies and 10 full lengths (50k+) and whatever else happens. *makes note to write tonight*

So, in the last year and a half, I've released:

The Ulfric's Mate July 2012, book 1, The War of the Weres
Ravaged anthology, Volume 1 August 2012, (Barely There, a prequel to The War of the Weres)
Rick Sexed Up the Doc, November 2012, Naughty Nursery Rhymes
The Captain's Christmas, December 2012, Holiday
Crimson anthology, Volume 1, March 2013 (Daryn's Slayer)
Serviced anthology, Volume 1, March 2013 (Over a Dead Body)
The Midwife's Moon, August 2013, book 2, The War of the Weres
Slow Burn, October 2013, Dead Man Walking line
Mayhem in Mexico: Zombie Infestation October 2013, A Serena Rouge Novel
And, coming in January 2013, Ravaged anthology, volume 2, (Witchy Wolf)

I seriously became ill in September of 2012. Imagine if I were healthy? I've also edited a number of works that have since been published and are still coming out pretty regularly.

My family has grown so much. The kids by leaps and bounds as always. I made a half hearted attempt to do NaNoWriMo, but had family emergencies get in the way. So, I'm thinking of doing my own in January, but make it two weeks long. That's only 4k a day, with a day off even, which I'm more than capable of. NaNo is when I usually really buckle down on my writing. But, sometimes, the family stuff really isn't something that can be put off. Anyone else who wants to make up for NaNo or just wants to do a run with me, I'm planning on Friday the 10th of January through the 27th (giving myself the three weekends). So it's actually what? little under 3k a day, if I take no time off.

I've really neat hard core sci fi in the works that I've been asked for a full for (I mean, Robert Heinlein, hard core), and there's a nice romance built in to the intrigue and science, and it's set on Mars.) I'm just over halfway through with Book 3 of The War of the Weres, and somewhere have notes and few bits for books 4 & 5, and 3 of the freebies. Hopefully, I can find them again. Grrrrrrr time to clean out the docs, I think. I've also been asked to rewrite and resubmit a YA that I sent in that's 88k! So need to get on that.

I've been writing, but I let my editing take over my life, so have to seek out that balance I had before.

Christmas is coming, and for my family, that means gift making and baking. I've made a few gifts for my daughter and my new grandbaby, and her husband even gets something. I'm waiting on a paycheck to mail off a few of them that I have to go out. But first, must wrap them lol Have also been making hats and mitts for the kids still living at home (back up to 4 now lol) . Looking at trying my hand at making a kitten stuffed animal for the youngest that loves them so much. Possibly a pillow or something for the older kids. We'll see. Have to dig out my sewing machine and see what else I can come up with. It's going to be a lean Christmas this year. But at least, my son is home and safe. He wasn't safe for a while, so that worry is over. Thankful to have them all here this year.

I'll try and remember to take pictures before I send things out of what I've been up to. Course, some of the gifts will have to wait until after Christmas in case they look. :) No peeking, now...

I also did get a chance to do a little painting, finally. A cat commission I'm doing to trade for this awesome crochet blanket (yes, I could have made one myself, but I loved the pattern my friend had and she loves her cats. Good trade, methinks!) for my granddaughter. I also finished one I started years ago that I found while going through my canvases. I had to finish the faces...which I still suck at. grrrr. I would like to take another class for that.

Anyway, there's tons more, but here's the generality of my life for the past bits (Did you catch I'm grandma now? *grins*). Hope your family is doing well. I love to hear from people in the comments. Feel free to say hi and tell me how your family is celebrating the winter holidays.