I love the internet! I use it to connect with friends and family, to find recipes, to do research for my books, to swap critiques with all my writing buddies, and to hunt for a literary agent. Without it, I'd be totally isolated on this little rock in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
But now, my dear friends, the internet is in trouble.
Congress is right now considering the PIPA bill, which will give the GOVERNMENT the power to SHUT DOWN YOUR ENTIRE SITE if they think you OR ANYONE YOU LINK TO infringes on someone's copyright. This will not stop piracy as the bill's advocates claim. Pirates are smart. They will find a way. The people in trouble are people like us, who value the free exchange of ideas. People who enjoy youtube and facebook. People who don't want internet censorship like they have in China and Iran.
Here are some of the people against the bill: the Association of College and Research Libraries, American Library Association, Association of Research Libraries, Center for Democracy and Technology, Electronic Frontier Foundation, Human Rights Watch, and Public Knowledge.
Who is for it? The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), Microsoft, the Copyright Alliance, and the National Cable and Telecommunications Association.
Who's side are you on?
Click here to join the fight! Let congress know you're thankful for the internet.
PROTECT IP Act Breaks The Internet from Fight for the Future on Vimeo.
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
CONTEST PART 2: Hurricane Season TRIPLE Book Launch Give-Away!
Guess what! We have a THIRD Scribblers Cove contributor bringing out a book this season. Announcing Paint Me True by E.M. Tippetts (known aboard ship as Emily Mah), now available at amazon.com!
And don't forget all our other great prizes! Free e-book copy of Sue Quinn's Open Minds, free e-book copy of Elizabeth Mueller's Darkspell, art prints by Rachel Bayless and Jonene Ficklin, and the Perfect Storm movie poster.
To enter, leave a comment on either this post or the previous Hurricane Season Book Launch Give-Away post. You can earn extra entries too:
Join this blog if not already a follower (+1 entry).
Mention our Hurricane Season Double Book Launch Give-Away on your favorite social media networks (facebook, twitter, google+) and include a link to this blog post (+1 entry per each).
Blog or post about one of our book launches and include a link to the websites:
E.M. Tippets Paint Me True Website: http://www.emtippetts.com
Sue Quinn's Mindjack Trilogy Website: http://www.mindjacktrilogy.com/p/media-kit.html
Elizabeth Mueller's Darkspell Website: http://AuthorElizabethMueller.com
(+1 entry per each)
Contest officially closes at midnight EST on November 30th. Winners will be announced on Dec 1 (after I get up in the morning. Give me some time, the sun rises late out here in the middle of the Pacific).
Monday, October 24, 2011
CONTEST! Hurricane Season Double Book Launch Give-Away!
We here at the Scribblers Cove are thrilled that two of our jolly crew will celebrate book launches NEXT WEEK! Elizabeth Mueller will bring out her paranormal romance Darkspell on October 31st, and Sue Quinn reveals her paranormal sci-fi Open Minds on November 1st.
In honor of these big events, we're having a Hurricane Season Double Book Launch Give-Away! Between now and the end of November, enter to win the following fun prizes:
- A free e-book copy of Darkspell by Elizabeth Mueller
-A free e-book copy of Open Minds by Sue Quinn
-An official full-sized movie poster from the film "The Perfect Storm"
-A 5x7 print of "Macaw in Flight" by our very own Jonene Ficklin
-An 8x8 print of "Seahorse" by our very own Rachel Bayless
There are lots of easy ways to enter!
1. Leave a comment on this post. In your comment, be sure and let us know what additional entries you claim (+1 entry).
2. Join this blog if not already a follower (+1 entry).
3. Mention our Hurricane Season Double Book Launch Give-Away on your favorite social media networks (facebook, twitter, google+) and include a link to this blog post (+1 entry per each).
4. Blog or post about Sue's or Elizabeth's book launch and include a link to their websites:
Sue Quinn's Mindjack Trilogy Website: http://www.mindjacktrilogy.com/p/media-kit.html
Elizabeth Mueller's Darkspell Website: http://AuthorElizabethMueller.com
(+1 entry per each)
Contest officially closes at midnight EST on November 30th. Winners will be announced on Dec 1 (after I get up in the morning. Give me some time, the sun rises late out here in the middle of the Pacific).
THANKS FOR HELPING US SPREAD THE WORD! Best wishes to our two daring pirate ladies as they launch for high adventure this hurricane season. We're mightily proud o' ye both!
In honor of these big events, we're having a Hurricane Season Double Book Launch Give-Away! Between now and the end of November, enter to win the following fun prizes:
-A free e-book copy of Open Minds by Sue Quinn
-An official full-sized movie poster from the film "The Perfect Storm"
There are lots of easy ways to enter!
1. Leave a comment on this post. In your comment, be sure and let us know what additional entries you claim (+1 entry).
2. Join this blog if not already a follower (+1 entry).
3. Mention our Hurricane Season Double Book Launch Give-Away on your favorite social media networks (facebook, twitter, google+) and include a link to this blog post (+1 entry per each).
4. Blog or post about Sue's or Elizabeth's book launch and include a link to their websites:
Sue Quinn's Mindjack Trilogy Website: http://www.mindjacktrilogy.com/p/media-kit.html
Elizabeth Mueller's Darkspell Website: http://AuthorElizabethMueller.com
(+1 entry per each)
Contest officially closes at midnight EST on November 30th. Winners will be announced on Dec 1 (after I get up in the morning. Give me some time, the sun rises late out here in the middle of the Pacific).
THANKS FOR HELPING US SPREAD THE WORD! Best wishes to our two daring pirate ladies as they launch for high adventure this hurricane season. We're mightily proud o' ye both!
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Launching Darkspell with a SMASH!
I am throwing an online party over at my blog, October 31st! Join in the festivities to win a signed poster Illustrated by moi, a $10 Amazon gift certificate or a copy of Darkspell!
After signing up, all you have to do is post on October 31st--Darkspell's release date--saying what you'd do if you had all the magic in the world. I will provide a cut-and-paste blurb of Darkspell with its cover. Viola!
Are you with me?
PS--please don't miss my stunning Illustration countdown--happening now!
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Turning Point
Had any of these thoughts?
What if I'm not good enough?
What if I never make it?
What if I'm wasting my time doing this?
When I started out to become a writer, I never imagined what it would cost. Writing takes time, it takes dedication, it takes passion. It's a serious emotional risk. When the words don't turn out the way I want, it hurts. And like a skater who slips while trying for that triple-toe, I have to pick my bruised self up and try again.
But sometimes I really want to sit there on the ice and cry.
I got that way last week, while stuck for two whole days on a single piece of dialog. No way was it working no how, and I suspected it was because I'd taken a horrible wrong turn somewhere in the story, and that meant I'd need to back up and start over. It was like the ice broke and I fell through into that dark, freezing current that constantly drags beneath my false sense of the solid.
Submerged in cold gloom, I went through the motions of the day, questioning all my writing goals and dreams. What proof do I have that any of this effort will ever pay off? None! Wouldn't I be happier without driving myself to distraction over nothing more than several thousand words strung together by my overactive imagination?
And then one fierce, hot spark sprang up inside me. I don't care how "good" I am. I don't care if I "make it" or not. I chose to do this, and I'm going to do it. I'm going to do it because I love it!
The moment I thought that, all the bad feeling melted away.
Writing is never a waste of time, so long as I'm always reaching higher, pushing myself, learning new things. What wastes time is worrying about what will come of it. With all the changes in publishing in the past year, I can't begin to guess the future lives of my stories. All I can do is make them the very best I can, then see what happens.
That's exactly what I'm going to do.
What if I'm not good enough?
What if I never make it?
What if I'm wasting my time doing this?
When I started out to become a writer, I never imagined what it would cost. Writing takes time, it takes dedication, it takes passion. It's a serious emotional risk. When the words don't turn out the way I want, it hurts. And like a skater who slips while trying for that triple-toe, I have to pick my bruised self up and try again.
But sometimes I really want to sit there on the ice and cry.
I got that way last week, while stuck for two whole days on a single piece of dialog. No way was it working no how, and I suspected it was because I'd taken a horrible wrong turn somewhere in the story, and that meant I'd need to back up and start over. It was like the ice broke and I fell through into that dark, freezing current that constantly drags beneath my false sense of the solid.
Submerged in cold gloom, I went through the motions of the day, questioning all my writing goals and dreams. What proof do I have that any of this effort will ever pay off? None! Wouldn't I be happier without driving myself to distraction over nothing more than several thousand words strung together by my overactive imagination?
And then one fierce, hot spark sprang up inside me. I don't care how "good" I am. I don't care if I "make it" or not. I chose to do this, and I'm going to do it. I'm going to do it because I love it!
The moment I thought that, all the bad feeling melted away.
Writing is never a waste of time, so long as I'm always reaching higher, pushing myself, learning new things. What wastes time is worrying about what will come of it. With all the changes in publishing in the past year, I can't begin to guess the future lives of my stories. All I can do is make them the very best I can, then see what happens.
That's exactly what I'm going to do.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
The importance of punctuation
I saw a bumper sticker the other day, it read:
Love people. Cook them. Tasty food.
I laughed, then looked again. It actually read:
Love people. Cook them tasty food.
What a difference a dot makes. (Now go comb your manuscript for such faux pas as this!)
Love people. Cook them. Tasty food.
I laughed, then looked again. It actually read:
Love people. Cook them tasty food.
What a difference a dot makes. (Now go comb your manuscript for such faux pas as this!)
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Forward Motion
Hello, this is your amazing cabin girl, and unlike some of you might have thought, I am not dead.
In fact, I've written a second novel-length manuscript. It's much better than my first one. It's also about ten-thousand words longer, but we're trying not to obsess about word count, right?
I brought my new manuscript to school to show all my writing friends in my writing club.
You didn't know about that either? I really haven't posted for a long time.
Anyway, I gave it to a friend before school. She read several pages, occasionally chuckling or gleefully repeating a phrase. She gave it back to me, telling me it was really good, and I went away feeling happy.
At lunch, another friend asked me if they could read it. I gave it to them. The friend who'd read the first ten pages that morning, who was sitting right there, didn't even seem to notice.
In fact, neither person asked me for it a second time, though both of them said it was good. And at least one of them is the type who would tell me if it wasn't. But there had to be something wrong with it if they didn't have a desperate need to keep reading.
Fellow writers, I have just had a major breakthrough.
A few days later I was at my voice lesson, singing "Simple Gifts" which is an amazing song. My voice teacher stopped me at the end of it and said it was good, but it felt like I was sitting on it. I needed it to be light and alive.
That made me think. I've always known that my artwork is very still. There's no life in it. I'm accurate, but the page doesn't come to life and start growing like it should. It's the same way when I sing, and it's the same way when I write, and it's all because I think about the moment and don't look at what's coming. There's no forward motion.
I've found that if I think about the note at the end of the phrase when I'm singing, I sing more in tune and it suddenly comes alive. I wrote the prologue for a story in a notebook. Then, later, as I typed it out, I thought about where the scene was headed. When I read it over, there was life in it.
Now that I know what I'm doing wrong, I can find a way to fix it.
Forward motion is very important in a story. If the reader doesn't feel the need to know what happens next, will they pick up the book again? No!
It's not blind curiosity that makes us keep reading, it's the hints about the future. Things we recognize about stories we've read before and our guesses that want to be proved or disproved. I'm a discovery writer, which means I have no idea what my characters are going to be doing at the end of the scene, much less at the end of the story. So, I need to go back and revise my stories after I've finished them, making sure I give hints about other things that will happen in the future.
Forward motion is what keeps the reader going. Without it, books may be readable. But with it, they're un-put-down-able.
In fact, I've written a second novel-length manuscript. It's much better than my first one. It's also about ten-thousand words longer, but we're trying not to obsess about word count, right?
I brought my new manuscript to school to show all my writing friends in my writing club.
You didn't know about that either? I really haven't posted for a long time.
Anyway, I gave it to a friend before school. She read several pages, occasionally chuckling or gleefully repeating a phrase. She gave it back to me, telling me it was really good, and I went away feeling happy.
At lunch, another friend asked me if they could read it. I gave it to them. The friend who'd read the first ten pages that morning, who was sitting right there, didn't even seem to notice.
In fact, neither person asked me for it a second time, though both of them said it was good. And at least one of them is the type who would tell me if it wasn't. But there had to be something wrong with it if they didn't have a desperate need to keep reading.
Fellow writers, I have just had a major breakthrough.
A few days later I was at my voice lesson, singing "Simple Gifts" which is an amazing song. My voice teacher stopped me at the end of it and said it was good, but it felt like I was sitting on it. I needed it to be light and alive.
That made me think. I've always known that my artwork is very still. There's no life in it. I'm accurate, but the page doesn't come to life and start growing like it should. It's the same way when I sing, and it's the same way when I write, and it's all because I think about the moment and don't look at what's coming. There's no forward motion.
I've found that if I think about the note at the end of the phrase when I'm singing, I sing more in tune and it suddenly comes alive. I wrote the prologue for a story in a notebook. Then, later, as I typed it out, I thought about where the scene was headed. When I read it over, there was life in it.
Now that I know what I'm doing wrong, I can find a way to fix it.
Forward motion is very important in a story. If the reader doesn't feel the need to know what happens next, will they pick up the book again? No!
It's not blind curiosity that makes us keep reading, it's the hints about the future. Things we recognize about stories we've read before and our guesses that want to be proved or disproved. I'm a discovery writer, which means I have no idea what my characters are going to be doing at the end of the scene, much less at the end of the story. So, I need to go back and revise my stories after I've finished them, making sure I give hints about other things that will happen in the future.
Forward motion is what keeps the reader going. Without it, books may be readable. But with it, they're un-put-down-able.
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