Tara Maya's Tales

tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-370834202012-01-03T23:23:00.852-08:00Tara Maya's TalesThe dottings and musings of a fantasy author and artistTara Mayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09095632631554776002noreply@blogger.comBlogger465125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37083420.post-77876543565870705592011-12-29T08:18:00.000-08:002011-12-29T08:18:25.158-08:002011-12-29T08:18:25.158-08:00One Ridiculously Easy Way To Improve Your ManuscriptSo you want your writing not to suck. There's a ridiculously effective way to improve it. It's easy--once you know how:<br /> <br /> Put your manuscript on a diet!<br /> <br /> I have a guest post from <a href="http://www.oirwa.com/forum/campus/#JAN" target="_blank">writing coach extraordinaire</a>, Rayne Hall, with some tips.<br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uAXjCDUz93Y/TvyOGWi9OEI/AAAAAAAAAxs/S3pMIPJrb-4/s1600/Rayne-Personal+Icon-350px.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uAXjCDUz93Y/TvyOGWi9OEI/AAAAAAAAAxs/S3pMIPJrb-4/s320/Rayne-Personal+Icon-350px.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> <br /> <style>  </style> <br /> <div class="MsoNormal"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span lang="EN-GB">SLIM YOUR WRITING STYLE FOR THE NEW YEAR</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span lang="EN-GB">  </span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span lang="EN-GB">Does your writing style have bulges and saggy bits? Dr Rayne's Word Loss Diet helps you to trim, slim, tighten and tone your manuscript.  </span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span lang="EN-GB">In thirty years as an editor, I've found the same fatty words bloat the style of many authors.</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span lang="EN-GB">Here is a notorius, fattening, calorie-rich word: 'could'.  If you cut it from your diet your writing style will be come sharper and tighter. </span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span lang="EN-GB">Beginner writers are prone to overusing it. Experienced authors  may use it a lot in their drafts, but edit it out in the final version. </span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span lang="EN-GB">Instead of telling us that the heroine could see, could hear, could smell or could feel something, let her see, hear, smell, taste, feel it. Simply cut the word 'could'. </span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span lang="EN-GB">'Could see' becomes 'saw', 'Could hear' becomes 'heard', 'could smell' becomes 'smelled', ' could taste' becomes 'tasted', 'could feel' becomes 'felt'.</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span lang="EN-GB">Better still: cut 'see/hear/smell/taste/feel' as well.  If you have established the point of view of your story, you don't need to say that your PoV hears the sounds, smells the smells and sees the visions.</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <u><span lang="EN-GB">Obese version (before diet)</span></u></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span lang="EN-GB">He could hear footsteps clanking down the stairs.</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <u><span lang="EN-GB">Overweight version (after mild diet)</span></u></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span lang="EN-GB">He heard footsteps clanking down the stairs.</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <u><span lang="EN-GB">Slim version (after strict diet)</span></u></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span lang="EN-GB">Footsteps clanked down the stairs.</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <u><span lang="EN-GB">Obese version (before diet)</span></u></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span lang="EN-GB">She could see his lips beginning to twitch.</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <u><span lang="EN-GB">Overweight version (after mild diet)</span></u></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span lang="EN-GB">She saw his lips beginning to twitch.</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <u><span lang="EN-GB">Slim version (after strict diet)</span></u></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span lang="EN-GB">His lips twitched.</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <u><span lang="EN-GB">Obese version (before diet)</span></u></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span lang="EN-GB">She could feel her cheeks firing.</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <u><span lang="EN-GB">Overweight version (after mild diet)</span></u></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span lang="EN-GB">She felt her cheeks firing.</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <u><span lang="EN-GB">Slim version (after strict diet)</span></u></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span lang="EN-GB">Her cheeks fired. </span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <u><span lang="EN-GB">Obese version (before diet)</span></u></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span lang="EN-GB">She could sense that something was wrong.</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <u><span lang="EN-GB">Overweight version (after mild diet)</span></u></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span lang="EN-GB">She sensed that something was wrong.</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <u><span lang="EN-GB">Slim version (after strict diet)</span></u></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span lang="EN-GB">Something was wrong.</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <u><span lang="EN-GB">Obese version (before diet)</span></u></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span lang="EN-GB">He could understand that it was time to leave.</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <u><span lang="EN-GB">Overweight version (after mild diet)</span></u></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span lang="EN-GB">He understood it was time to leave.</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <u><span lang="EN-GB">Slim version (after strict diet)</span></u></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span lang="EN-GB">It was time to leave.</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <u><span lang="EN-GB">Obese version (before diet)</span></u></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span lang="EN-GB">He could feel the air chill.</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <u><span lang="EN-GB">Overweight version (after mild diet)</span></u></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span lang="EN-GB">He felt the air chill.</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <u><span lang="EN-GB">Slim version (after strict diet)</span></u></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span lang="EN-GB">The air chilled.</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span lang="EN-GB">Use your wordprocessor's Find&Replace tool to count how many times you've used 'could', and cut most of them.</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span lang="EN-GB">I'd love to hear from you. When you've checked your WiP for 'could', post a comment to tell me how many you've found, and whether you're going to cut some of them. </span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span lang="EN-GB">What other 'wordy words' do you think writers can cut from from their word diet?</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span lang="EN-GB">If you have questions about writing style, or need advice on  how to tighten your writing, please ask. I'll be around for a week, and I enjoy answering questions. </span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.oirwa.com/forum/campus/#JAN" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GV-B63fz2wA/TvyOa4fJB5I/AAAAAAAAAx4/Q0Kj38cf_co/s400/Rayne-Word+Loss+Diet-350px.jpg" width="283" /></a></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <a href="http://www.oirwa.com/forum/campus/#JAN" target="_blank"><span lang="EN-GB">JANUARY ONLINE CLASS: THE WORD-LOSS DIET </span></a></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span lang="EN-GB">If your writing style tends towards wordy waffling, if your critique partners urge you to tighten, and if editorial rejections point out dragging pace, this class may be the answer. It's perfect for toning your manuscript before submitting to editors and agents, or for whipping it into shape before indie publishing. </span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span lang="EN-GB">This is an interactive class with twelve lessons and twelve assignments, for writers who have a full or partial manuscript in need of professional polish. At the end of the class, you may submit a scene for individual critiques.</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span lang="EN-GB">Dr Rayne's Word-Loss Diet is much more fun than depriving yourself of food, and you'll see real results fast.</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <a href="http://www.oirwa.com/forum/campus/#JAN" target="_blank"><span lang="EN-GB">The Word-Loss Diet, presented by RayneHall. 1-31 January 2012</span></a></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span lang="EN-GB">Deadline: December 29, 2011. Fee: $25</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span lang="EN-GB">http://www.oirwa.com/forum/campus/#JAN</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span lang="EN-GB">Rayne Hall is the author of a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005MJFV58/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=tamasta-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B005MJFV58" target="_blank">deliciously dark fantasy</a> about a man trying to protect a kingdom and protect a woman...from himself. You can <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005MJFV58/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=tamasta-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B005MJFV58" target="_blank">buy it here</a>.</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005MJFV58/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=tamasta-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B005MJFV58" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vnbkS87Hlxg/TvyO-NJDzsI/AAAAAAAAAyE/5T4sjJW_r-U/s320/Rayne-Stormdancer-350px.jpg" width="227" /></a></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/37083420-7787654356587070559?l=taramayastales.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div> <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/gLbzBDl76lcniINvVh8LV1zC8jk/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/gLbzBDl76lcniINvVh8LV1zC8jk/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/gLbzBDl76lcniINvVh8LV1zC8jk/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/gLbzBDl76lcniINvVh8LV1zC8jk/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TaraMayasTales/~4/dSkihhOq5-0" height="1" width="1"/>Tara Mayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09095632631554776002noreply@blogger.com6http://taramayastales.blogspot.com/2011/12/one-ridiculously-easy-way-to-improve.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37083420.post-15360269850161021622011-12-27T06:38:00.000-08:002011-12-27T06:38:08.542-08:002011-12-27T06:38:08.542-08:00Release Day: The Unfinished Song : Root (Book 4)The Unfinished Song : Root (Book 4) will officially be released on December 28, 2011. For two days only, it will be available for just 99 cents. Of course, you can also still get it free by <a href="http://goo.gl/TZ75k" target="_blank">signing up for my newsletter</a>. I have already filled the 100 slots for free books that I allocated, but I have decided to give out twenty more, so you can still squeeze in!<br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Lw5D0nbWegk/TvnW3lgteyI/AAAAAAAAAxI/8d0j04s-3cg/s1600/Root-300x450.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Lw5D0nbWegk/TvnW3lgteyI/AAAAAAAAAxI/8d0j04s-3cg/s320/Root-300x450.jpg" width="213" /></a></div> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> In the holiday spirit, I'm also offering my short story anthology, Conmergence, for free. If you've always wanted to read my short stories, but were afraid it might be a total money-wasting, mind-melting experience, now you can at least protect your money. (As for your mind, you must still read at your own risk.)  You can download <a href="http://goo.gl/pnNsZ" target="_blank">Conmergence</a> from Amazon, but if you'd prefer a pdf, that's fine too, just email me and let me know.<br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-palb_AhdsP0/TvnXVz2jc6I/AAAAAAAAAxU/JfA49qZoYbk/s1600/Conmergence-flat-small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-palb_AhdsP0/TvnXVz2jc6I/AAAAAAAAAxU/JfA49qZoYbk/s320/Conmergence-flat-small.jpg" width="213" /></a></div> <br /> Happy holidays and good wishes for New Year!<br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oi8WXOIsUt0/TvnYRe81HSI/AAAAAAAAAxg/3o5gf-4CXiM/s1600/Three+Covers-Unfinished+Song.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oi8WXOIsUt0/TvnYRe81HSI/AAAAAAAAAxg/3o5gf-4CXiM/s320/Three+Covers-Unfinished+Song.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> <br /> <br /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/37083420-1536026985016102162?l=taramayastales.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div> <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/RNz3X3Fur3fu-GIUW_TRx6bUySM/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/RNz3X3Fur3fu-GIUW_TRx6bUySM/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/RNz3X3Fur3fu-GIUW_TRx6bUySM/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/RNz3X3Fur3fu-GIUW_TRx6bUySM/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TaraMayasTales/~4/seoEAM6CfH8" height="1" width="1"/>Tara Mayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09095632631554776002noreply@blogger.com2http://taramayastales.blogspot.com/2011/12/release-day-unfinished-song-root-book-4.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37083420.post-70365003515236774852011-11-30T08:30:00.000-08:002011-11-30T08:30:00.629-08:002011-11-30T08:30:00.629-08:00Woot Root! Sign up for a free copy!The Unfinished Song: Root (Book 4) is coming soon! And to celebrate, I'm making an insane offer. <b style="background-color: yellow;"><a href="http://eepurl.com/hsdzc" target="_blank">I will give you the book for free</a>.</b><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: large;">Sign up <a href="http://eepurl.com/hsdzc" target="_blank"><b style="background-color: yellow;">here</b></a>... or just <a href="mailto:tara@taramayastales.com" target="_blank">email me</a>. But hurry up, because I'm going to cap this offer at 100 and I'm already almost halfway there.</span> <span style="font-size: large;">I want you to get your free book before they run out! </span><br /> <br /> Why?<br /> <br /> Well, two reasons.<br /> <br /> One, I am crazy. My relatives will attest to that, if I ever introduced to you (which I wouldn't because my relatives are also crazy).<br /> <br /> Two, I want to recruit folks to the <a href="http://eepurl.com/hsdzc" target="_blank"><b style="color: #274e13;">Faearth Fanclub</b></a>, which I'll be rolling out this month. Basically, it's just a newsletter at this point, but I'm working on a website where fans will be able to get all kinds of cool, free stuff.<br /> <br /> What better way to start than by giving away a free book? So fans, if you want to read Root, Book 4, for absolutely free, just sign up and I will gift you a copy on the Super Secret Release day!<br /> <br /> (Reviewers, as usual, you can have a free copy, even without becoming fans. Yes, that's right, you can have a free copy of my book for the sole purpose of mocking it. That's just how nice I am. Or possibly, I have secretly bargained with the fae to put a Love My Book spell on reviewers. Bwahaha! Whoops, shouldn't admit that in public. I'll be stoned as a hexer!)<br /> <br /> What juicy awesomesauce can one expect in <a href="http://eepurl.com/hsdzc" target="_blank">The Unfinished Song: Root</a>?<br /> <br /> <div style="color: black;"> <b>Dindi knows her life is forfeit if she cannot solve the faery riddle of the Unfinished Song. But to do that, she must first unravel the mystery of why the Aelfae hexed her whole lineage long ago.  </b></div> <div style="color: black;"> <br /></div> <div style="color: black;"> <b>Zumo, while technically honoring the deal with Kavio, takes advantage of Kavio's absence to scheme. His victim this time is Kavio's mother, Vessia the White Lady (how low is that?!). But although Vessia may look like a harmless old lady to some, she is still a faery, and one of the most powerful dancers in Faearth. You shouldn't try to cage a woman with wings...</b></div> <div style="color: black;"> <br /></div> <div style="color: black;"> <b>Kemla and Tamio connive together to trap Dindi. Kemla's goal is to prevent Dindi from dancing in the upcoming competition before the White Lady, and Tamio's goal is to seduce Dindi. If at first they don't succeed, they aren't above hexcraft to get their way...</b></div> <div style="color: black;"> <b><br /></b></div> <div style="color: black;"> <b>Zumo's sister, Amdra, is up to her own schemes. Her allies from the Orange Canyon ride giant birds, raptors, and they are hunting...</b></div> <div style="color: black;"> <b><br /></b></div> <b><span style="color: black;">And finally...Dindi will meet the Man in Black for the first time. He plans to kill her.</span></b> <br /> <br /> Anyway, <a href="http://eepurl.com/hsdzc" target="_blank">free books</a>. Awesome! What more could one ask? How about a sneak peek at the cover? Yes, I love you that much. I have it for you! Yay!<br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://eepurl.com/hsdzc" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hoLcYgbUDtQ/TtUlBifYhQI/AAAAAAAAAws/YwnzmXibwaI/s400/Root-800x1200.jpg" width="266" /></a></div> <br /> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><b>Coming Soon</b> on Super Secret Release Day!</span></div> <div style="color: red; text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="color: red; font-size: large;">Sign up <a href="http://eepurl.com/hsdzc" target="_blank">here</a> to receive a <b><span style="background-color: yellow; color: red;">FREE copy!</span></b></span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> The <b>first book in the series</b> is also <b style="background-color: yellow;">still FREE right</b><span style="background-color: yellow;"> now</span> for anyone who is new to the series. This is a great time to start reading The Unfinished Song!</div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: left;">  Please help me spread me let folks know about this by spreading the word through Twitter, Facebook and your own blogs.</div> <br /> <link href="http://cdn-images.mailchimp.com/embedcode/slim-081711.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"></link> <style type="text/css"> #mc_embed_signup{background:#fff; clear:left; font:14px Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; } /* Add your own MailChimp form style overrides in your site stylesheet or in this style block. We recommend moving this block and the preceding CSS link to the HEAD of your HTML file. */ </style> <br /> <div id="mc_embed_signup"> <form action="http://blogspot.us2.list-manage.com/subscribe/post?u=7aeaee7b7bdb942424e4622cc&id=637af8c5f4" class="validate" id="mc-embedded-subscribe-form" method="post" name="mc-embedded-subscribe-form" target="_blank"> <label for="mce-EMAIL">Sign up to receive The Unfinished Song: Book 4 for free</label> <input class="email" id="mce-EMAIL" name="EMAIL" placeholder="email address" required="" type="email" value="" /> <br /> <div class="clear"> <input class="button" id="mc-embedded-subscribe" name="subscribe" type="submit" value="Subscribe" /></div> </form> </div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/37083420-7036500351523677485?l=taramayastales.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div> <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/Sam5XX4kwGgz79Y9708vru_e-x0/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/Sam5XX4kwGgz79Y9708vru_e-x0/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/Sam5XX4kwGgz79Y9708vru_e-x0/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/Sam5XX4kwGgz79Y9708vru_e-x0/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TaraMayasTales/~4/bcZh4KzAnbs" height="1" width="1"/>Tara Mayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09095632631554776002noreply@blogger.com5http://taramayastales.blogspot.com/2011/11/woot-root-sign-up-for-free-copy.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37083420.post-48022323926139874422011-11-28T12:00:00.001-08:002011-11-28T12:04:37.700-08:002011-11-28T12:04:37.700-08:00What Spammers Think of My BlogI saved this remark from the plebian comments section, because it was so beautiful I felt it deserved more attention. Look at what this wonderful spammer has to say about my blog:<br /> <blockquote> I’m impressed, I must say. Really rarely do I encounter a blog that’s both educative and entertaining, and let me tell you, you have hit the nail on the head. Your idea is outstanding; the issue is something that not enough people are speaking intelligently about. I am very happy that I stumbled across this in my search for something relating to this. </blockquote> See? This blog is both "educative" <i>and</i> "entertaining"! My ideas are outstanding and much more intelligent than most blogs the spammer is spamming. And a spammer would know, right? After all, their bots visit so very many blogs, most of which don't hit the nail on the head <i>at all</i>.<br /> <br /> There you have it. My blog is worth reading. You have it straight from the spammer's bot.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/37083420-4802232392613987442?l=taramayastales.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div> <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/C4Gb05fnfOjjHgI7xOpShiw5GYU/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/C4Gb05fnfOjjHgI7xOpShiw5GYU/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/C4Gb05fnfOjjHgI7xOpShiw5GYU/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/C4Gb05fnfOjjHgI7xOpShiw5GYU/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TaraMayasTales/~4/TvlNQHZXqPo" height="1" width="1"/>Tara Mayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09095632631554776002noreply@blogger.com8http://taramayastales.blogspot.com/2011/11/what-spammers-think-of-my-blog.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37083420.post-90165174149224769012011-11-21T14:02:00.001-08:002011-11-21T14:10:11.196-08:002011-11-21T14:10:11.196-08:00Amanda Hocking Joins the Million Books Sold ClubAmazon announced today:<br /> <blockquote> David Baldacci, Amanda Hocking and Stephenie Meyer are the latest authors to join the Kindle Million Club, selling over 1 million paid copies of their books in the Amazon.com Kindle Store. They join 11 other authors in the Kindle Million Club: Stieg Larsson, James Patterson, Nora Roberts, Charlaine Harris, Lee Child, Suzanne Collins, Michael Connelly, John Locke, Kathryn Stockett, Janet Evanovich and George R.R. Martin. </blockquote> <blockquote> <br /> As with John Locke before her, Amanda Hocking sold the majority of her 1 million Kindle books independently using Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP). Since its launch in 2007, KDP has provided a fast, free and easy way for authors and publishers around the world to make their books available in the Kindle Store. In addition to the more than 2 million books sold by John Locke and Amanda Hocking, 12 KDP authors have sold more than 200,000 books and 30 KDP authors have sold more than 100,000 books. </blockquote><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/37083420-9016517414922476901?l=taramayastales.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div> <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/-Vt4Vt24k_RMM8ePuxFw4lsLK3g/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/-Vt4Vt24k_RMM8ePuxFw4lsLK3g/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/-Vt4Vt24k_RMM8ePuxFw4lsLK3g/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/-Vt4Vt24k_RMM8ePuxFw4lsLK3g/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TaraMayasTales/~4/q5rMf2S_7lM" height="1" width="1"/>Tara Mayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09095632631554776002noreply@blogger.com1http://taramayastales.blogspot.com/2011/11/amanda-hocking-joins-million-books-sold.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37083420.post-22744680965107149052011-11-01T13:53:00.000-07:002011-11-01T13:56:31.264-07:002011-11-01T13:56:31.264-07:00When is a picture worth a million words?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fkcAL3qMBrE/TrBa_kIn4gI/AAAAAAAAAvM/JqFsaKIkdN0/s1600/Bestsellers+in+Epic+Fantasy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="136" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fkcAL3qMBrE/TrBa_kIn4gI/AAAAAAAAAvM/JqFsaKIkdN0/s400/Bestsellers+in+Epic+Fantasy.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> <br /> <br /> Squeeeeeeeeee!<br /> <br /> *ok, fan girl glee that my book is parallel to George R. R. Martin out of the way* <br /> <br /> They say it takes 1,000,000 words to become a good writer. I have written more than that... most of it so awful, dreadful and nausea-inducing that a goblin wouldn't even feed it to his mutant rat-horse. Many a day I despaired nothing I wrote would ever be worth sharing.<br /> <br /> Now, it is true, that George R.R. Martin's book is $15 and <a href="http://goo.gl/Kuw9e%20">mine is free</a>, but a lot of people must still want to read it to make it the number one downloaded epic fantasy on Amazon. And that feeling... it's just... I'm going to have a write a whole new book just to capture that feeling in words. For now, all I can say is...<br /> <br /> This picture was worth a million words.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/37083420-2274468096510714905?l=taramayastales.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div> <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/-0H7ACDTgOATrbMDistlrU4ahXo/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/-0H7ACDTgOATrbMDistlrU4ahXo/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/-0H7ACDTgOATrbMDistlrU4ahXo/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/-0H7ACDTgOATrbMDistlrU4ahXo/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TaraMayasTales/~4/QHTkaz6gQgU" height="1" width="1"/>Tara Mayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09095632631554776002noreply@blogger.com14http://taramayastales.blogspot.com/2011/11/squeeeeeeeeee-ok-fan-girl-glee-that-my.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37083420.post-24859601683545888352011-10-24T17:03:00.000-07:002011-10-24T17:05:47.465-07:002011-10-24T17:05:47.465-07:00A Writer's Tribute to Steve Jobs<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/a8O6hMbHxj8" width="420"></iframe> <br /> <div style="text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <b> </b></div> <br /> <b>20 Things I’ve Learned from Steve Jobs</b> <b> </b><br /> <br /> <b>1. Build stuff that you love, then ask people to buy that stuff so you can keep building more.</b> In 1974, Steve Jobs invited Steve Wozniak to join the Homebrew Computer Club. Woz wanted to keep it a hobby. Jobs convinced Woz to start a company. In 1976, they sold the first fifty Apple I computers. <b> </b><br /> <br /> <b>2. Don’t be afraid to ask for what you want.</b><br /> At age 13, Steve Jobs called up the head of HP and asked for free computer chips…and got them. <b> </b><br /> <br /> <b>3. Even if you don’t graduate, you can still keep learning.</b> Jobs dropped out of Reed College, but kept auditing classes. (I learned to write BASIC on an Apple II.) <b> </b><br /> <br /> <b>4. If you lose your job, stay focused on what you’ll do next.</b> In 1985, Steve Jobs was fired from Apple, the company he’d help found, and replaced by John Sculley. Jobs promptly founded a new computer company, NeXT. <i>"I didn't see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods in my life."</i> <b> </b><br /> <br /> <b>5. Sometimes it takes reaching the bottom before you can soar to infinity and beyond.</b> Steve Jobs turned Pixar from a software company into a movie studio, which produced the first full-length computer-animated feature, “Toy Story,” the first many box office hits. He sold Pixar to Disney in 2006 for $7.4 billion. <b> </b><br /> <br /> <b>6. Even if your ship is sinking, point it in the right direction.</b> In 1997, Jobs returned to Apple as CEO. <i>“I’m actually convinced that if Steve hadn’t come back when he did — if they had waited another six months — Apple would have been history. It would have been gone, absolutely gone.”</i> – John Sculley<br /> <br /> <b>7. Don’t be too proud to accept help, even from a former enemy.</b> He turned to long-time rival and founder of Microsoft, Bill Gates, for money to help Apple survive. “We have to let go of this notion that for Apple to win, Microsoft has to lose. We have to embrace a notion that for Apple to win, Apple has to do a really good job.”<br /> <br /> <b>8. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Think different. </b><br /> Rashmi Bansal was so moved by Steve Jobs’ commencement speech she quoted him in the titles of her two books on India’s entrepreneurs.<br /> <br /> <b>9. If you find something you like to wear, hey, just go for it.</b> <b> </b><br /> <br /> <b>10. People don’t know what they want until you show it to them.</b> <i> </i><br /> <i>“That doesn’t mean we don’t listen to customers, but it’s hard for them to tell you what they want when they’ve never seen anything remotely like it. Take desktop video editing. I never got one request from someone who wanted to edit movies on his computer. Yet now that people see it, they say, ‘Oh my God, that’s great!’” </i>Fortune, January 24 2000<br /> <br /> <i>"I didn’t know I wanted a portable multimedia platform that would permit me and my kids to hurl angry birds out of a slingshot at thieving pigs. But Steve Jobs did." </i> <b> </b><br /> <br /> <b>11. Art is as indispensible as science. Fonts matter.</b> (I wrote all the <a href="http://www.blogger.com/goo.gl/Kuw9e">Unfinished Song novels</a> on successive iBooks.)<br /> <br /> <b>12. Focus doesn’t mean just mean saying yes to the thing you've got to focus on. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas that there are.</b> <i> </i><br /> <i>"Apple is a $30 billion company, yet we've got less than 30 major products.”</i> <b> </b><br /> <br /> <b>13. Staff your stores with geniuses. </b><br /> There are now over 300 Apple stores world wide. They have the highest revenue per square foot of any stores in the world. 14. For you to sleep well at night, quality has to be carried all the way through.<br /> <br /> The first server node on the World Wide Web was a NeXT box.<br /> <br /> I used a Mac to email my mother from the other side of the world on Sep. 11, 2001.<b> </b><br /> <br /> <b>15. Simple can be harder than complex.</b> The first Game of Life was designed for the Apple I.<br /> <br /> <b>16. Stay hungry, stay foolish.</b><br /> Steve Jobs was one 1% richest people on Earth. But he stayed hungry until the last day of his life. <b> </b><br /> <br /> <b>17. Creativity is just connecting things.</b><br /> The iTunes Store opened in 2003. By 2007, Apple was selling 5 million songs a day.<br /> In 2007, the Apple iPhone, became the most popular phone in history. <b> </b><br /> <br /> <b>18. Wealth is just connecting people.</b><br /> App Store has sold over 10 Billion Apps.<br /> <br /> (My books can now be bought in the Apple bookstore.)<br /> <br /> <b>19. Don’t rest on your past accomplishments. When you reach the top of your industry, start a new industry. Then do it again.</b><br /> Apple II, Macintosh, Pixar, iPod, iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, iBooks, Apple App Store, iCloud... <b> </b><br /> <br /> <b>20. Death is very likely the single best invention of life. It’s life’s change agent; it clears out the old to make way for the new. Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.</b><br /> <br /> Thank you, Steve Jobs, for changing the world and leaving it a better place.<br /> <br /> This video was made on iMovie.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/37083420-2485960168354588835?l=taramayastales.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div> <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/gcERLiKPGN9NPJ4zMR8I3mMWX6k/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/gcERLiKPGN9NPJ4zMR8I3mMWX6k/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/gcERLiKPGN9NPJ4zMR8I3mMWX6k/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/gcERLiKPGN9NPJ4zMR8I3mMWX6k/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TaraMayasTales/~4/Woq6gEdABjc" height="1" width="1"/>Tara Mayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09095632631554776002noreply@blogger.com3http://taramayastales.blogspot.com/2011/10/20-things-ive-learned-from-steve-jobs-1.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37083420.post-90118099131876625882011-10-06T12:25:00.000-07:002011-10-06T12:25:28.823-07:002011-10-06T12:25:28.823-07:00<content type="html"><div style="text-align: center;"> <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/D1R-jKKp3NA" width="420"></iframe> </div> Rest in peace. You will be missed by many. <div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/37083420-9011809913187662588?l=taramayastales.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div> <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/SZgXbKq5aImQ3hQbTMm5XEwlrEs/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/SZgXbKq5aImQ3hQbTMm5XEwlrEs/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/SZgXbKq5aImQ3hQbTMm5XEwlrEs/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/SZgXbKq5aImQ3hQbTMm5XEwlrEs/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TaraMayasTales/~4/xiVZ9nVSMrE" height="1" width="1"/></content><link rel="replies" type="application/atom+xml" href="http://taramayastales.blogspot.com/feeds/9011809913187662588/comments/default" title="Post Comments" /><link rel="replies" type="text/html" href="http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=37083420&postID=9011809913187662588" title="0 Comments" /><link rel="edit" type="application/atom+xml" href="http://www.blogger.com/feeds/37083420/posts/default/9011809913187662588?v=2" /><link rel="self" type="application/atom+xml" href="http://www.blogger.com/feeds/37083420/posts/default/9011809913187662588?v=2" /><link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TaraMayasTales/~3/xiVZ9nVSMrE/rest-in-peace.html" title="" /><author><name>Tara Maya</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/09095632631554776002</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel="http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail" width="21" height="32" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_sS4sIiNH6pg/TS0jic8wvZI/AAAAAAAAAl0/_DpECiNYSLY/S220/Unfinished%2BSong-Amazon-Flat%2BFront-Small.jpg" /></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="http://img.youtube.com/vi/D1R-jKKp3NA/default.jpg" height="72" width="72" /><thr:total>0</thr:total><feedburner:origLink>http://taramayastales.blogspot.com/2011/10/rest-in-peace.html</feedburner:origLink></entry><entry gd:etag="W/"CkQGQXs7eyp7ImA9WhdUEk8.""><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37083420.post-6593272775594566055</id><published>2011-09-28T07:32:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2011-09-28T07:32:00.503-07:00</updated><app:edited xmlns:app="http://www.w3.org/2007/app">2011-09-28T07:32:00.503-07:00</app:edited><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="writing techniques" /><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="creating believable magician characters" /><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="characteres" /><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="writing" /><title>Creating Believable Magician CharactersToday we have a guest post by Rayne Hall. Rayne Hall is a traditionally published author, who has recently made the move to self-publishing for her latest dark fantasy Storm Dancer, which is only $0.99 on Amazon and definitely worth reading. She also teaches writing classes, which I highly recommend. She is an excellent teacher. You can find out more about the classes below, or on this site: <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px;"><a href="http://www.sites.google.com/site/writingworkshopswithraynehall/">www.sites.google.com/site/writingworkshopswithraynehall/</a></span><br /> <div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"> <br /></div> <div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href=%22http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005MJFV58/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=tamasta-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=B005MJFV58%22%3EStorm%20Dancer%3C/a%3E%3Cimg%20src=%22http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=tamasta-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B005MJFV58&camp=217145&creative=399373%22%20width=%221%22%20height=%221%22%20border=%220%22%20alt=%22%22%20style=%22border:none%20!important;%20margin:0px%20!important;%22%20/%3E"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4RVfJXFx73I/ToKsSOShkNI/AAAAAAAAAu8/d_nuNhiGFus/s320/STORM+DANCER+by+Rayne+Hall+-+Cover+08+Sept+11.jpg" width="224" /></a></div> <br /> <img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=tamasta-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B005MJFV58&camp=217145&creative=399373" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> <br /> <div> <br /></div> </div> <div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"> <b>Creating Believable Magician Characters</b></div> <div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"> by Rayne Hall</div> <div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"> <br /></div> <div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"> <br /></div> <div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"> Does your story have a magician - a shaman, a sorcerer, a necromancer, a ritual wizard, a theurgist, a miracle worker or a witch? The traits which make them effective magicians shape their personality. Here are ten tips for their characterisation. Your magician should have most - not necessarily all - of these character traits.</div> <div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"> <br /></div> <div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"> Although I'm using the female pronoun for this article, everything applies regardless of gender.</div> <div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"> <br /></div> <div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"> <span style="text-decoration: underline;">1. Intelligent</span></div> <div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"> Magic requires a sharp intellect, critical thinking, critical analysis, the ability to make difficult decisions, and a good memory.</div> <div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"> <br /></div> <div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"> <span style="text-decoration: underline;">2. Creative</span></div> <div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"> Magicians need to adapt existing spells and rituals to new situations.</div> <div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"> <br /></div> <div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"> <span style="text-decoration: underline;">3. Self-disciplined and focused</span></div> <div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"> A magician needs to be able to concentrate and shut out distractions, even under difficult circumstances. A good magician possesses enormous self-control and is able to resist temptations. She is probably the kind of person who can stick with a diet and never goofs off to play computer games until the current job is done.</div> <div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"> <br /></div> <div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"> <span style="text-decoration: underline;">4. Patient</span></div> <div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"> The study of magic requires endless practice and repeats, most of them boring, so impatient people drop out of the training before they achieve much. A good magician can spend hours sitting still, watching a candle flame or listening to the sound of the wind in the trees if that's what the spell requires.</div> <div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"> <br /></div> <div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"> <span style="text-decoration: underline;">5. Highly trained</span></div> <div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"> Mere talent is not enough. Magic requires intense, prolonged study and practice. If she's a powerful magician, she has probably studied magic for many years.</div> <div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"> <br /></div> <div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"> <span style="text-decoration: underline;">6. Specialist</span></div> <div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"> She is probably highly skilled in one particular area such as improving livestock, changing the weather, building wealth, protection, or healing.</div> <div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"> <br /></div> <div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"> <span style="text-decoration: underline;">7. Musical</span></div> <div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"> Many forms of magic involve drumming or chanting; it helps if she has an ear for tunes and a strong sense of rhythm.</div> <div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"> <br /></div> <div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"> <span style="text-decoration: underline;">8. Spiritual</span></div> <div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"> Most forms of magic are linked with religious practice. Your magician may be devoutly religious and begin every ritual with a prayer. Even if she's an atheist, she probably engages in spiritual practices such as meditation.</div> <div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"> <br /></div> <div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"> <span style="text-decoration: underline;">9. Studious</span></div> <div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"> Magicians are always keen to learn more - expanding their own skills range, acquiring new spells, understanding other forms of magic, exploring natural and philosophical subjects. Whenever she can, she seeks instruction in some subject or other. She can often be found with her head in a book, and if your story is set in a pre-literate period, she listens avidly to bards and storytellers.</div> <div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"> <br /></div> <div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"> <span style="text-decoration: underline;">10. Well-organised and methodical</span></div> <div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"> The best magicians always have information and ingredients at hand and know where to find them, and they have their equipment assembled before they begin the ritual. They keep careful records of the ingredients and exact wording used in every spell, and they measure the results.</div> <div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"> <br /></div> <div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"> <span style="text-decoration: underline;">11. Introvert</span></div> <div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"> Most magicians like quietude and solitude. Given the choice, your magician probably prefers spending time alone in nature over partying with noisy crowds. After a night in close company with many people, she needs a day alone in nature to recharge her energies. She may even be a loner.</div> <div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"> <br /></div> <div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"> <span style="text-decoration: underline;">12. Ethical</span></div> <div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"> Magic gives a person enormous power, and requires moral judgement to apply this power wisely and for the good. All magicians have ethic codes of conduct, and they take them seriously. These may be based on their religion, the principles of their form of magic, the rules of their coven, or their individual conscience. Modern magicians often follow the principles 'Harm none' and 'Don't interfere with someone's free will'. Some consider it wrong to accept money for magic. In other cultures and periods, other rules applied. If writing about a fantasy world, you can invent rules. You can create powerful conflicts if your magician's goal conflicts with her ethics. Perhaps the only way to help her child/rescue her lover/save the world is to do something against her conscience and against her magic's rules. Even the villain of your story, the evil sorcerer, abides by strict ethical rules. You can have fun inventing them, for example 'Be kind to animals' (hurting humans is ok), 'Never harm a minor' (wait until they're eighteen), 'Never sacrifice a virgin girl' (deprive her of her virginity first).</div> <div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"> <br /></div> <div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"> <span style="text-decoration: underline;">13. Sharp senses</span></div> <div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"> Your magician probably has keen eyesight and good ears, and her senses of smell, touch and taste are more refined than those of most people. This natural ability has probably been refined over years of practice. Now she can recognise barks by how they feel in the hand, and identify crumbs of dried herbs by their smell.</div> <div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"> <br /></div> <div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"> <span style="text-decoration: underline;">14. Descended from magicians</span></div> <div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"> Magical talent is often, though not always, genetically inherited. Perhaps her parents and siblings are also magicians, or perhaps her revered great-grandmother was a famous witch.</div> <div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"> <br /></div> <div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"> <span style="text-decoration: underline;">15. Psychic</span></div> <div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"> Although magical and psychic gifts are separate matters, many magicians have a some psychic abilities as well.</div> <div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"> <br /></div> <div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"> <span style="text-decoration: underline;">16. Day Job</span></div> <div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"> Few magicians can make a living from their magic. Most have day-jobs. Surprisingly many modern magicians work in the healing arts: nurses, doctors, aromatherapists, complementary medicine practitioners, massage therapists. Others are employed in scientific or engineering fields (using their analytical minds) or they work the arts (using their creativity).</div> <div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"> <br /></div> <div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"> All magicians are different. You can choose which of those traits suit your magician's character profile and your story's plot.</div> <div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"> <br /></div> <div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"> If you have questions creating magician characters, if you want feedback for an idea, or if you need help with an aspect of magic in your WiP, please ask. I'll be around for a week and will answer questions.</div> <div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"> <br /></div> <div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005MJFV58/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&tag=tamasta-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=B005MJFV58"><img border="0" src="http://ws.assoc-amazon.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&Format=_SL110_&ASIN=B005MJFV58&MarketPlace=US&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&tag=tamasta-20&ServiceVersion=20070822" style="cursor: move;" /></a><br /> <br /></div> <div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"> About Rayne Hall</div> <div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"> <br /></div> <div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"> Rayne Hall teaches an online workshop 'Writing about Magic and Magicians'. Create believable magicians (good and evil), fictional spells which work, and plot complications when the magic goes wrong. Learn about high and low magic, witches and wizards, circle-casting and power-raising, initiation and training, tools and costumes, science and religion, conflicts and secrecy, love spells and sex magic, and apply them to your novel. This is a 4-week class with 12 lessons and practical assignments. If you wish, you may submit a scene for critique at the end of the workshop.</div> <div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"> The next dates for this workshop are:</div> <div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"> October 2011: Celtic Hearts RWA www.celtichearts.org/workshops.html  </div> <div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"> March 2012: Lowcountry RWA  www.lowcountryrwa.com/online-workshops/</div> <div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"> April 2013: Fantasy, Futuristic & Paranormal: www.romance-ffp.com/workshops.cfm</div> <div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"> <br /></div> <div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"> Rayne's other workshops include 'Writing Fight Scenes', 'Writing Scary Scenes' and 'The Low Word Diet'. For an updated listed of her upcoming workshops, go to <a href="http://www.sites.google.com/site/writingworkshopswithraynehall/">www.sites.google.com/site/writingworkshopswithraynehall/</a></div> <div> <br /></div> <div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/37083420-6593272775594566055?l=taramayastales.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div> <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/E4DSLFd3JFSoXk6cb7g7eVBfohA/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/E4DSLFd3JFSoXk6cb7g7eVBfohA/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/E4DSLFd3JFSoXk6cb7g7eVBfohA/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/E4DSLFd3JFSoXk6cb7g7eVBfohA/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TaraMayasTales/~4/pKPmSJxXR-c" height="1" width="1"/>Tara Mayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09095632631554776002noreply@blogger.com10http://taramayastales.blogspot.com/2011/09/creating-believable-magician-characters.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37083420.post-86170318666667894612011-09-09T11:47:00.000-07:002011-09-11T08:32:46.671-07:002011-09-11T08:32:46.671-07:009/11 Ruminations<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 19px;"></span><br /> <div style="font-family: Optima; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br /> </div><div style="font-family: Optima; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_sS4sIiNH6pg/TIu2k73RLGI/AAAAAAAAAec/x613wdMWsSc/s1600/Superman+cries.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515702914306354274" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_sS4sIiNH6pg/TIu2k73RLGI/AAAAAAAAAec/x613wdMWsSc/s400/Superman+cries.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 315px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Optima; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br /> </div><div style="font-family: Optima; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Last year, this was my 9-11 Post:</div><div style="font-family: Optima; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br /> </div><div style="font-family: Optima; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><i>On September 11, 2001, I was living overseas. I remember that a local newspaper carried the headline, the next day, "Superman Cries." I very much wanted to buy a copy, but I had other priorities at the time. My mom was scheduled to be on an airplane on that day, and I was trying to track her down, make sure she was safe (she was), and then I spent a lot of time on the phone or trying to get online to talk it over with her and other loved ones. By the time I tried to pick up a copy of the newspaper, they were sold out.</i></div><div style="font-family: Optima; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><i><br /> </i></div><div style="font-family: Optima; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><i>It's interesting that at a moment like that, people would turn to a fictional character to try to make sense of the tragedy. They could have used the Statue of Liberty or Uncle Sam, the more usual allegorical figures of nationhood, but instead featured the comicbook Superman, with a single tear.</i></div><div style="font-family: Optima; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br /> </div><div style="font-family: Optima; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">* * *</div><div style="font-family: Optima; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br /> </div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 19px;"></span><br /> <div style="font-family: Optima; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 19px;">I included a link to this <a href="http://mindhacks.com/2010/09/11/an-emotional-timeline-of-911/" target="_blank">emotional timeline of 9-11</a> from Mind Hacks.</span></div><br /> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 19px;"><br /> </span><br /> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 19px;">What I did not discuss was my own emotional timeline.</span><br /> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 19px;"><br /> </span><br /> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 19px;">I happened to be in a Muslim country, as a humanitarian volunteer. We found out when one volunteer received a text message from her boyfriend. The local, government controlled television had no news about it, so we had to drive to a hotel to watch CNN. I was terrified because my mom was supposed to be on a plane to Washington D.C. that day. At another table, a group of drunk men were laughing. Yes, LAUGHING.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 19px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 19px;"><br /> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 19px;"><br /> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 19px;">The feeling I had, worrying that my mom might be dead, feeling my country was under attack, listening to people laugh as the news showed the planes crashing into the building... I experienced a terrible helpless rage. I had never felt that way before. I am generally not a rage-full person. In college I travelled to Nepal and studied compassion meditation at a Buddhist nunnery. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 19px;">A few months before 9/11, while living on the streets to experience what it was like to be homeless (answer: it sucks), I had been mugged, and using <i>satyagraha</i> techniques of nonviolent engagement, ended up chatting with my mugger to the point he started crying and telling me about his abusive childhood and how his religious sister wanted better for him. I came out of the experience, if anything, more convinced of the goodness of every human soul than before.</span><br /> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 19px;"><br /> </span><br /> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 19px;">But on 9/11, my compassion deserted me. All I felt was horror, grief and rage.</span><br /> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 19px;"><br /> </span><br /> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">I did not want to feel that way, and so I felt doubly violated, because I felt as if I lost my innocence as well as my illusions of safety.  When I returned to the States, I had a different view on a lot of things. Not just because of 9-11... I had also lived in a war zone, met with men who had been tortured, and met the men who done the torturing and smiled about it... I had seen a lot of evil, and it wasn't so easy for me to believe in the goodness of every human soul anymore. I had been exposed to so much virulent anti-Americanism that I became hyper-sensitive to it, and </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; line-height: 19px;">I fought with a lot of long time friends for whom anti-American one-up-manship is a harmless past time, like bowling or "yo' mama" jokes. By the way, I still shiver whenever anyone makes an anti-American comment, so if you tweet one or post it to Facebook, I will do my best not to reply. We would just fight, and that's not what I want or who I want to be.</span><br /> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br /> </span></span><br /> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; line-height: 19px;">For a long time, I wondered if I would ever feel "normal" again. Every year, when 9-11 rolled around, all those feelings crashed back down on me again.</span><br /> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 19px;"><br /> </span><br /> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">Then I noticed a strange thing. This year as the anniversary came around, I didn't feel enraged. In fact, it was hard to remember the anger I felt in those days. It wasn't until I read <a href="http://mariazannini.blogspot.com/2011/09/where-were-you-on-9-11.html">Maria Zannini's blog post</a> that I felt a jolt.</span></span><br /> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br /> </span></span><br /> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">Perversely, I then worried about the fact that I couldn't remember what it felt like. Is that like betraying the memory of what happened? But that's absurd, isn't it? To want to hold on to the anger? How can you not betray those feelings yet stop being a slave to them?</span></span><br /> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br /> </span></span><br /> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">Well... I <i>am</i> a writer. I realized maybe the time had come to write something. I had enough distance, yet could still capture those emotions, and honor them, yet move past them. I started a story. </span></span><br /> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br /> </span></span><br /> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">I'm not ready to share it year. Maybe by next 9-11.</span></span><br /> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br /> </span></span><br /> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">I'm curious how to know about your emotional journey on and since 9-11. How did you feel? Would you undo what you felt (I'm not talking about what happened, because I'm going to hope that's a Yes, but the feelings you experienced in response) or are those important for you to remember and hold on to?</span></span><br /> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br /> </span></span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/37083420-8617031866666789461?l=taramayastales.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div> <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/acwMGDXTT8uUATwomDXXzp4d3go/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/acwMGDXTT8uUATwomDXXzp4d3go/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/acwMGDXTT8uUATwomDXXzp4d3go/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/acwMGDXTT8uUATwomDXXzp4d3go/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TaraMayasTales/~4/x-P7o5VkJ0I" height="1" width="1"/>Tara Mayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09095632631554776002noreply@blogger.com5http://taramayastales.blogspot.com/2011/09/would-you-undo-what-you-felt-on-9-11-if.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37083420.post-82807136689870804702011-08-31T09:58:00.000-07:002011-08-31T09:58:37.894-07:002011-08-31T09:58:37.894-07:00Confessions of a Were-Tiger MomMy oldest son started kindergarten yesterday. It was also the release date of the third book in my series -- <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Unfinished-Song-Sacrifice-ebook/dp/B005K17CT6?ie=UTF8&tag=tamasta-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">The Unfinished Song: Sacrifice</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=tamasta-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B005K17CT6" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" />. Usually, I neglect my kids because I'm busy writing, but yesterday, I neglected my new release so I could spend the day with my little man. <br /> <br /> At least, that was my intention. It's not possible to turn off Writer's Brain. After Roll Call and Storytime, the kids ran outside to play while the parents squeezed into tiny chairs to listen to the teacher. The teacher was a perfect kindergarten teacher: sweet and chipper and friendly and yet down-to-earth. While she expounded on the daily schedule and how budget cuts impacted the status of art supplies, I gazed around the room, struck by an idea for a story about a woman whose three preschool sons are werewolves. I would call it, "My Three Werewolf Sons."<br /> <br /> Right at the moment I was puzzling out the backstory about how the young children came to be bitten by a werewolf (I would blame their uncle, I decided) the teacher called on me with a question. I had no idea what the answer was, or, indeed, what the question had been. I had an instant flash back to the million times in school when I had similarly blanked on a question for the same reason...I'd been off in another world.<br /> <br /> "Bag lunch or lunch card?" repeated the teacher, smiling patiently, with that cajoling tone most people use with small children, that kindergarden teachers use with everyone.<br /> <br /> "Um. We'll be getting a card thingy," I said. She moved on to ask the next parent.<br /> <br /> I admit it. I suck at parenting sometimes. Now you know.<br /> <br /> Despite this, I am an aspiring tiger mom. If you haven't heard of the term, or the controversy, it's a term popularized by an Asian American mom/author to designate an aggressive approach to one's child's academic career. I'm kinda like a were-tiger mom. I manage it only when the moon is full.<br /> <br /> When the teacher handed me a piece of paper with the class objectives for the year, I read it as an indictment of all the things my son should be doing already. If he isn't even ready for first grade by the time he's in kindergarden, how will he be ready for calculus by sixth grade?<br /> <br /> During my first pregnancy, I fancied I could be like those moms who homeschool their kids. I looked up several programs, and even designed a curriculum. After my son was born, even before his little sibs came along, I realized that idea was sheer lunacy. I have increased respect for any parent who could pull it off. In my case, I would go mad. Pre-school and elementary school teachers, I salute you. You are amazing.<br /> <br /> Anyway. I compromised. I have a notebooks for each werewolf, er, kid,  with re-usable transparent sheet protectors. I order have a couple of different workbooks I use. These workbooks are designed to be used once, but the workbooks are expensive and I have three kids. So I cut them up and then choose the pages I want, which I slip into the transparent sheet protectors. This also allows me to mix up series. <a href="http://www.criticalthinking.com/">The Critical Thinking Co.</a> is strong on mathematics and logic, but weak on reading and writing (for the Pre-K to first grade level especially). Most other series are the reverse. It's not hard to find workbooks with guided handwriting and phonics for the ABCs.<br /> <br /> I also found a great series by a teacher friend of mine which uses sign language and physical activities to help kids use total physical response to learn to read. I am trying to convince her to self-publish her book. If she does, I will let you know more about it.<br /> <br /> I made sets of four pages of Alphabet/Handwriting/Phonics and four pages of Counting/Logic/Puzzles plus two pages of fun stuff... drawings or mazes. (My oldest son loves mazes). For my middle son (2.5 yrs), it's just three pages of Alphabet and three pages of Counting. The littlest one has a notebook too, just to have something to scribble on while the others are working so he doesn't get jealous.<br /> <br /> In the evening, I spend about 20 minutes with each of them on the notebooks. A finished notebook results in a treat. (Yes, I bribe with candy. Not health food. I am a bad, bad mom.) If one is too squirrelly to finish, that's ok, we just stop, though there is no treat. For obvious reasons, the two year old has more trouble concentrating than the older one, although one night he surprised me by demanding two sessions in a row.<br /> <br /> My son was worried that he wouldn't be ready for kindergarden. He feared they would all be doing things that were too hard for him. So when we went into the classroom and he saw the alphabet on the wall, illustrated with cartoons of things that started with those letters, he pointed it out to me gleefully.<br /> <br /> "Mommy, look!" he whispered. "That's all the letters and their things! She's a <i>good</i> teacher. She knows the alphabet too!"<br /> <br /> * * *<br /> <br /> By the way, expect a new series from me soon. Don't worry, I will still keep publishing the rest of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Initiate-Unfinished-Song-Book-One/dp/0983107319?ie=UTF8&tag=tamasta-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">The Unfinished Song</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=tamasta-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0983107319" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /> as well. The Unfinished Song is aimed at young adults and adults, but I also have a series I'm working on aimed at four to seven year olds. It is about Jaden and Jacie, twins that can turn into dragons, who help other dragons when they get sick or hurt. Each book introduces a science concept and includes a home science experiment at the end. In order to cure the sick Rain Dragon, for instance, Jaden and Jacie learn about the precipitation cycle, and so on.<br /> <br /> <br /> <div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6fa8dc;"><b>NOW AVAILABLE</b></span>: <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;"><b>ONLY $.99 </b></span>for a limited time</div><br /> <div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=tamasta-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B005K17CT6&fc1=6A6A6A&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=3695C9&bc1=FFFFFF&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; text-align: left; width: 131px;"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /> </div><br /> <div style="text-align: center;"><br /> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /> </div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/37083420-8280713668987080470?l=taramayastales.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div> <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/heqKRhU2uC2U0HJZVkFQQh3LulA/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/heqKRhU2uC2U0HJZVkFQQh3LulA/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/heqKRhU2uC2U0HJZVkFQQh3LulA/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/heqKRhU2uC2U0HJZVkFQQh3LulA/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TaraMayasTales/~4/uuDsn_AE1nE" height="1" width="1"/>Tara Mayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09095632631554776002noreply@blogger.com4http://taramayastales.blogspot.com/2011/08/confessions-of-were-tiger-mom.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37083420.post-72559353503679097022011-08-30T03:25:00.000-07:002011-08-30T03:25:16.284-07:002011-08-30T03:25:16.284-07:00The Unfinished Song: Sacrifice Now AvailableAt some magic hour today you should be able to buy Sacrifice, third book in the twelve part series The Unfinished Song.<br /> <br /> Early bird buyers will be able to pick up the book for just $.99.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/37083420-7255935350367909702?l=taramayastales.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div> <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/Shgtu2L_9IoU7uNPF4NwYBCBMiM/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/Shgtu2L_9IoU7uNPF4NwYBCBMiM/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/Shgtu2L_9IoU7uNPF4NwYBCBMiM/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/Shgtu2L_9IoU7uNPF4NwYBCBMiM/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TaraMayasTales/~4/_zpn7JBAz6I" height="1" width="1"/>Tara Mayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09095632631554776002noreply@blogger.com5http://taramayastales.blogspot.com/2011/08/unfinished-song-sacrifice-now-available.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37083420.post-66167108161054771682011-08-23T17:37:00.000-07:002011-08-30T01:47:39.036-07:002011-08-30T01:47:39.036-07:00The Unfinished Song: Sacrifice Debuts Tuesday, Aug 30!Yay!<br /> <br /> Thank you to those who have waited patiently...Sacrifice, the third book in The Unfinished Song, is here! Almost. It should be available for review copies and early bird purchase on Monday, August 30, 2011. This will be a busy day for me, since it is also the day my oldest son starts kindergarten.<br /> <br /> UPDATE: Except, of course, I meant TUESDAY, because that is the 30th. D'OH!<br /> <br /> Here's a sneak peek at the cover:<br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b92a81vbwwU/TlRHYfxxRaI/AAAAAAAAAuw/I8S1WOoOlCo/s1600/Sacrifice-Redone-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b92a81vbwwU/TlRHYfxxRaI/AAAAAAAAAuw/I8S1WOoOlCo/s640/Sacrifice-Redone-4.jpg" width="427" /></a></div><br /> <div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/37083420-6616710816105477168?l=taramayastales.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div> <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/il6JJ1uNmupwZwqrtg8r6142aBg/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/il6JJ1uNmupwZwqrtg8r6142aBg/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/il6JJ1uNmupwZwqrtg8r6142aBg/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/il6JJ1uNmupwZwqrtg8r6142aBg/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TaraMayasTales/~4/c1v-GhKaMro" height="1" width="1"/>Tara Mayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09095632631554776002noreply@blogger.com5http://taramayastales.blogspot.com/2011/08/unfinished-song-sacrifice-debuts-monday.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37083420.post-10278662472574036952011-07-30T11:26:00.000-07:002011-07-30T11:26:25.255-07:002011-07-30T11:26:25.255-07:00How Writing Daily Can Help You Lose WeightWriting daily can help you lose weight.<br /> <br /> No, I am totally serious.<br /> <br /> I know it seems counter-intuitive, because, after all, you are sitting around on your buhunkus, and, if you are like me, tempted to eat snacks while you write.<br /> <br /> But writing each day takes willpower. Learning to discipline yourself to write can have a positive impact on the rest of your life.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://blogs.forbes.com/heidigranthalvorson/2011/07/29/3-surprising-facts-about-self-control/">Willpower is like a muscle</a>. This has a downside and an upside. The downside is that it can become exhausted, which means that you can find yourself more susceptible to temptation. The upside is that by exercising your will every day--for instance, by writing daily, if you a writer--you can improve not just your ability to write, but also strengthen you willpower in other areas, like dieting.<br /> <br /> Heidi Halvorson, a researcher on willpower, writes:<br /> <blockquote>So if you want to build more willpower, start by picking an activity (or avoiding one) that fits with your life and your goals – anything that requires you to override an impulse or desire again and again, and add this activity to your daily routine. It will be hard in the beginning, but it will get easier over time if you hang in there, because your capacity for self-control will grow.</blockquote><br /> She also suggests that you shouldn't try to do two will-power intensive activities at the same time. For me, this means that I need to have healthy snacks on hand while I write, so that my urge to nosh'n'type won't lead me to the cookie jar.<br /> <br /> Heidi Grant Halvorson has a great book that combines the latest data from scientific studies with practical advice on how to make this work for you.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Succeed-How-Can-Reach-Goals/dp/1594630739?ie=UTF8&tag=tamasta-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" target="_blank"><img alt="Succeed: How We Can Reach Our Goals" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=1594630739&tag=tamasta-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=tamasta-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=1594630739" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/37083420-1027866247257403695?l=taramayastales.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div> <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/ElnEanebHCchbIoAboN7bAknJxg/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/ElnEanebHCchbIoAboN7bAknJxg/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/ElnEanebHCchbIoAboN7bAknJxg/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/ElnEanebHCchbIoAboN7bAknJxg/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TaraMayasTales/~4/j29krGSRBoQ" height="1" width="1"/>Tara Mayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09095632631554776002noreply@blogger.com5http://taramayastales.blogspot.com/2011/07/how-writing-daily-can-help-you-lose.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37083420.post-51391286550341293022011-07-27T17:22:00.000-07:002011-07-27T17:22:26.522-07:002011-07-27T17:22:26.522-07:0015 Drunkest Countries15. United Kingdom<br /> <blockquote>Per capita alcohol consumption: 13.37 liters <br /> Recorded consumption: 11.67 liters <br /> Unrecorded consumption: 1.70 liters <br /> <br /> Per capita consumption by type (recorded) Beer: 4.93 liters <br /> Wine: 3.53 liters <br /> Spirits: 2.41 liters <br /> Other: 0.67 liters</blockquote><br /> 14. France<br /> <br /> <blockquote>Per capita alcohol consumption: 13.66 liters <br /> Recorded consumption: 13.30 liters <br /> Unrecorded consumption: 0.36 liters <br /> <br /> Per capita consumption by type (recorded) <br /> Beer: 2.31 liters <br /> Wine: 8.14 liters <br /> Spirits: 2.62 liters <br /> Other: 0.17 liters</blockquote><br /> 13. Ireland<br /> <br /> <blockquote>Per capita alcohol consumption: 14.41 liters <br /> Recorded consumption: 13.41 <br /> Unrecorded consumption: 1.00 <br /> <br /> Per capita consumption by type (recorded) <br /> Beer: 7.04 liters <br /> Wine: 2.75 liters <br /> Spirits: 2.51 liters <br /> Other: 1.09 liters</blockquote><br /> 12. Portugal<br /> <blockquote>Per capita alcohol consumption: 14.55 liters <br /> Recorded consumption: 14.55 liters <br /> Unrecorded consumption: 2.10 litres <br /> <br /> Per capita consumption by type (recorded) <br /> Beer: 3.75 liters <br /> Wine: 6.65 liters <br /> Spirits: 1.27 liters <br /> Other: 0.51 liters</blockquote><br /> 11. South Korea<br /> <blockquote>Per capita alcohol consumption: 14.80 liters <br /> Recorded consumption: 11.80 liters <br /> Unrecorded consumption: 3.00 liters <br /> <br /> Per capita consumption by type (recorded) <br /> Beer: 2.14 liters <br /> Wine: 0.06 liters <br /> Spirits: 9.57 liters <br /> Other: 0.04 liters</blockquote><br /> 10. Croatia<br /> <blockquote>Per capita alcohol consumption: 15.11 liters <br /> Recorded consumption: 12.61 liters <br /> Unrecorded consumption: 2.50 liters <br /> <br /> Per capita consumption by type (recorded) <br /> Beer: 4.66 liters <br /> Wine: 5.80 liters <br /> Spirits: 1.91 liters <br /> Other: 0.14 liters</blockquote><br /> 9. Belarus<br /> <blockquote>Per capita alcohol consumption: 15.13 liters <br /> Recorded consumption: 11.22 <br /> Unrecorded consumption: 3.91 <br /> <br /> Per capita consumption by type (recorded) <br /> Beer: 1.84 liters <br /> Wine: 0.80 liters <br /> Spirits: 4.08 liters <br /> Other: 2.67 liters</blockquote><br /> 8. Romania<br /> <blockquote>Per capita alcohol consumption: 15.30 liters <br /> Recorded consumption: 11.30 liters <br /> Unrecorded consumption: 4.00 liters <br /> <br /> Per capita consumption by type (recorded) <br /> Beer: 4.07 liters <br /> Wine: 2.33 liters <br /> Spirits: 4.14 liters <br /> Other: 0.00 liters</blockquote><br /> 7. Andorra<br /> <blockquote>Per capita alcohol consumption: 15.48 liters <br /> Recorded consumption: 14.08 liters <br /> Unrecorded consumption: 1.40 liters <br /> <br /> Per capita consumption by type (recorded) <br /> Beer: 3.93 liters <br /> Wine: 5.69 liters <br /> Spirits: 3.14 liters <br /> Other: 0.00 liters</blockquote><br /> 6. Estonia<br /> <blockquote>Per capita alcohol consumption: 15.57 liters <br /> Recorded consumption: 13.77 liters <br /> Unrecorded consumption: 1.80 liters <br /> <br /> Per capita consumption by type (recorded) <br /> Beer: 5.53 liters <br /> Wine: 1.09 liters <br /> Spirits: 9.19 liters <br /> Other: 0.43 liters </blockquote><br /> 5. Ukraine<br /> <blockquote>Per capita alcohol consumption: 15.60 liters <br /> Recorded consumption: 8.10 liters <br /> Unrecorded consumption: 7.50 liters <br /> <br /> Per capita consumption by type (recorded) <br /> Beer: 2.69 liters <br /> Wine: 0.58 liters <br /> Spirits: 5.21 liters <br /> Other: 0.02 liters </blockquote><br /> 4. Russia<br /> <blockquote>Per capita alcohol consumption: 15.76 liters <br /> Recorded consumption: 11.03 liters <br /> Unrecorded consumption: 4.73 liters <br /> <br /> Per capita consumption by type (recorded) <br /> Beer: 3.65 liters <br /> Wine: 0.10 liters <br /> Spirits: 6.88 liters <br /> Other: 0.34 liters </blockquote><br /> 3. Hungary<br /> <blockquote>Per capita alcohol consumption: 16.27 liters <br /> Recorded consumption: 12.27 liters <br /> Unrecorded consumption: 4.00 liters <br /> <br /> Per capita consumption by type (recorded) <br /> Beer: 4.42 liters <br /> Wine: 4.94 liters <br /> Spirits: 3.02 liters <br /> Other: 0.14 liters</blockquote><br /> 2. Czech Republic<br /> <blockquote>Per capita alcohol consumption: 16.45 liters <br /> Recorded consumption: 14.97 liters <br /> Unrecorded consumption: 1.48 liters <br /> <br /> Per capita consumption by type (recorded) <br /> Beer: 8.51 liters <br /> Wine: 2.33 liters <br /> Spirits: 3.59 liters <br /> Other: 0.39 liters </blockquote><br /> 1. Moldava<br /> <blockquote>Per capita alcohol consumption: 18.22 liters <br /> Recorded consumption: 8.22 liters <br /> Unrecorded consumption: 10.00 liters <br /> <br /> Per capita consumption by type (recorded) <br /> Beer: 4.57 liters <br /> Wine: 4.67 liters <br /> Spirits: 4.42 liters <br /> Other: 0.00 liters </blockquote><br /> Courtesy of the <a href="http://www.who.int/substance_abuse/publications/global_alcohol_report/en/index.html">Global Status Report on Alcohol and Health 2011</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/37083420-5139128655034129302?l=taramayastales.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div> <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/j0JkuaQiC8x2pggr05cjxvVBoM4/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/j0JkuaQiC8x2pggr05cjxvVBoM4/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/j0JkuaQiC8x2pggr05cjxvVBoM4/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/j0JkuaQiC8x2pggr05cjxvVBoM4/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TaraMayasTales/~4/o7pyA23hnbI" height="1" width="1"/>Tara Mayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09095632631554776002noreply@blogger.com0http://taramayastales.blogspot.com/2011/07/15-drunkest-countries.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37083420.post-27379884138693466582011-07-24T00:10:00.000-07:002011-07-24T00:12:45.977-07:002011-07-24T00:12:45.977-07:00Excerpt: The Unfinished Song, Sacrifice<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6;">Rthan</span></span><br /> <div class="ElloraStandard" style="margin-top: 0in;"><br /> Rthan’s old hut had been dismantled after he had fallen in battle, as was customary. During his captivity, his tribe had mourned him as one already dead.<br /> <br /> On his return to the tribe, a new hut was built. Kinsmen in Sharkshead and others from his birth clanhold, folk who had heard he still lived and come to see if it was true, helped him with the building. Six sturdy rib bones from a whale provided the main support, around which was woven a skeleton dome of femurs and fibulae. Then layers and layers of skins rubbed in lard, fur side down, facing the interior, were stretched tight and lashed to the bones, so that when the hut was finished, it was slick and waterproof on the outside, soft and warm inside. Kinsmen thumped his back and insulted him affectionately, lighting the hearth fire as their last favor before they left him alone in his new house.<br /> <br /> </div><div class="ElloraStandard" style="margin-top: 0in;">The fire burned blue. Against the light, he could see Meira’s silhouette. The little girl stroked a patch of otter fur.<br /> <br /> </div><div class="ElloraStandard" style="margin-top: 0in;">“Otter is my favorite fur,” she said. “I love how thick and supple it is.”<br /> <br /> </div><div class="ElloraStandard" style="margin-top: 0in;">Rthan closed his empty hand. On his wedding night, he had stroked his wife’s hair, whispering to her, “Soft as otter fur.” After their daughter was born, he remembered stroking the soft black down on her head in amazement. “Just like yours,” he’d told his wife.<br /> <br /> </div><div class="ElloraStandard" style="margin-top: 0in;">Meira turned to him, big blue eyes in her heart-shaped face. “I can be a baby if you prefer, Daddy. I can be any age you want.”<br /> <br /> </div><div class="ElloraStandard" style="margin-top: 0in;">“Could you…” Shame filled him at his need. “It is said that other faeries take the shapes of men’s wives, tricking them into infidelity. But you have always appeared to me as my daughter. Never once as my wife.”<br /> <br /> </div><div class="ElloraStandard" style="margin-top: 0in;">“You never objected before.”<br /> <br /> </div><div class="ElloraStandard" style="margin-top: 0in;">“I miss her.”<br /> <br /> </div><div class="ElloraStandard" style="margin-top: 0in;">The little girl shifted and matured. Breasts sprouted, hips widened, hair lengthened. “I can be older, if that’s what you want, Daddy.”<br /> <br /> </div><div class="ElloraStandard" style="margin-top: 0in;">“No!”<br /> <br /> </div><div class="ElloraStandard" style="margin-top: 0in;">“Don’t be angry, Daddy.” Little girl again. About eight, her age when she had been murdered, eight years ago.<br /> <br /> </div><div class="ElloraStandard" style="margin-top: 0in;">“I asked for my wife, not for some sick fae game. Never mind.” <br /> <br /> </div><div class="ElloraStandard" style="margin-top: 0in;">“I will live with you, just as before. I will be everything to you.”<br /> <br /> </div><div class="ElloraStandard" style="margin-top: 0in;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Before</i>. The first days after he had lost his family were a blur to him. Then one day he found the interior of his hut illuminated with an eerie blue glow. His daughter waited for him. He didn’t understand. He thought she was alive, that the attack on the clanhold had all been a terrible dream, he’d even searched the yard for her mother. But as he hugged Meira and rained kisses on her long black hair, he had noticed how coarse and strange it was, how clammy and cool her skin, how pale and bluish. Yet he had not questioned her closely, not at first. Instead, he fed her and told her the jokes Meira had always loved best, just to hear her slightly frog-like laugh. <br /> <br /> </div><div class="ElloraStandard" style="margin-top: 0in;">She had given him the gift of his own memories, mirrored back to him. His favorite days, like pearls plucked from the oyster husks of his daughter’s life, beaded on a worry string, to be rubbed between finger and thumb in a restless circle. A favorite was the day he had returned after a successful whale hunt, when pungent smoke from roasting blubber permeated everything in the hut. She wheedled him for a piece of the succulent fat, but her mother had said not until the feast that would be shared with the rest of the clan. He’d sneaked her a piece and she popped the whole thing in her mouth. Her cheeks had puffed up just like a walrus. Many, many times they had reenacted the details of that day.<br /> <br /> </div><div class="ElloraStandard" style="margin-top: 0in;">Those reenactments were always missing something, of course. His wife was never there, whereas she should have been. Nor any one else from the clan. If a kinsman came in while the play was in progress, the blue light died, and Meira vanished, leaving Rthan telling jokes to the fur wall. Then, when the interloper finally left, the play would begin anew, all the same words, jokes, and laughs.<br /> <br /> </div><div class="ElloraStandard" style="margin-top: 0in;">Rthan wondered if he could go through that again. What had once been a crutch felt like a net. The thought of repeating, word for word, every line he had exchanged with his dead daughter repulsed him now. The repetition only showed him the one thing the faery could never give him: a woman to hold and love and seed with more children, children who changed with time, who cried as well as laughed, who could one day outgrow him, leave him, and one far day, show him a grandchild with a head of black fuzz soft as otter fur.<br /> <br /> <b>The Unfinished Song: Sacrifice (Book 3) is coming soon. Email me if you want to be alerted as soon as it's out...the first day, it will be available for just $.99 on Amazon and <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;">free</span> on Smashwords!</b></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/37083420-2737988413869346658?l=taramayastales.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div> <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/lwil8rOARrB3gAg4NQtQj2KUwZs/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/lwil8rOARrB3gAg4NQtQj2KUwZs/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/lwil8rOARrB3gAg4NQtQj2KUwZs/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/lwil8rOARrB3gAg4NQtQj2KUwZs/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TaraMayasTales/~4/XhAjfd-vCZQ" height="1" width="1"/>Tara Mayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09095632631554776002noreply@blogger.com2http://taramayastales.blogspot.com/2011/07/excerpt-unfinished-song-sacrifice.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37083420.post-38929931453550591642011-07-05T14:22:00.000-07:002011-07-05T14:48:47.488-07:002011-07-05T14:48:47.488-07:00Why We Love Princesses<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wGfRHHhvM64/ThN4so2br_I/AAAAAAAAAsg/MzpZev_3xXc/s1600/Princess%2BKate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wGfRHHhvM64/ThN4so2br_I/AAAAAAAAAsg/MzpZev_3xXc/s400/Princess%2BKate.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Princess Kate gets hitched.</td></tr> </tbody></table><br /> I love princesses. I should. A princess taught me to read. A princess convinced me to get married. And a princess made my dream come true.<br /> <br /> But I met a guy once who hated princesses. He was a Spanish anarchist who would hold up protest signs whenever any Spanish royalty showed up. The problem, he complained at a dinner party attended by radicals, pacifists and intellectuals, was that just about everyone in Spain adored the Spanish royal family, and for good reason. The king of Spain had defied terrorists to defend democracy. <br /> <br /> The anarchist didn’t care. “I hate the kings. But I especially hate the damn princesses.”<br /> <br /> “I love princesses,” said the activist next to me. “I LOVE them!”<br /> <br /> She and the gay guy on her other side then started talking Princess Fashion Tips.<br /> <br /> The anarchist rolled his eyes. I wondered if he was right. Are we unhealthily obsessed with royalty?<br /> <br /> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-M8XrkWsqlWc/ThN5Jiwix6I/AAAAAAAAAsk/aETTiBFnMGw/s1600/Dany-Game+of+Thrones.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-M8XrkWsqlWc/ThN5Jiwix6I/AAAAAAAAAsk/aETTiBFnMGw/s400/Dany-Game+of+Thrones.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dany from Game of Thrones. </td></tr> </tbody></table><br /> Some examples:<br /> <blockquote>• <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Royal-Wedding-Prince-William-Middleton/dp/1603202161?ie=UTF8&tag=tamasta-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">The Royal Wedding.</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=tamasta-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=1603202161" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /> Need I say more? Just as Princess Diana was the idol of millions, Princess Kate is the new darling. Ok, I know she’s actually “Duchess Kate,” but she did marry a prince. And let’s face it, if she invited you to tea, you would totally be tweeting all your friends, “Check me out having tea with a princess!”<br /> <br /> • <a href="http://www.amazon.com/George-Martins-Thrones-4-Book-Boxed/dp/0345529057?ie=UTF8&tag=tamasta-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Game of Thrones</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=tamasta-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0345529057" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" />. This is the most awesome new fantasy series on television, and it’s all about kings and princesses and warriors and barbarians vying for power.<br /> <br /> • <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Harry-Potter-Paperback-Box-Books/dp/0545162076?ie=UTF8&tag=tamasta-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Harry Potter</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=tamasta-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0545162076" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" />. Wait a minute, you’re saying. There are no princesses in Harry Potter. That’s true. But there is a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Potter-Half-Blood-Prince-Two-Disc-Special/dp/B000ZECQ08?ie=UTF8&tag=tamasta-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">half-blood prince</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=tamasta-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B000ZECQ08" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" />. I rest my case.</blockquote><br /> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bc95q7FtInQ/ThN7zph5rsI/AAAAAAAAAs0/HsaA7KPExo0/s1600/Snape.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="253" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bc95q7FtInQ/ThN7zph5rsI/AAAAAAAAAs0/HsaA7KPExo0/s400/Snape.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Snape, I love you.</td></tr> </tbody></table><br /> Let’s face it, even when the word “princess” is not used, the role sneaks in. For instance, in my epic fantasy series <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Unfinished-Song-Initiate-ebook/dp/B004H4XE5I?ie=UTF8&tag=tamasta-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">The Unfinished Song</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=tamasta-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B004H4XE5I" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" />, there are no kings or princesses. But there is a Vaedi: The one girl in all the world with the magic to fight Death. The hottie warrior who loves her is not called a prince. He’s just the biggest badass of all.<br /> <br /> Is there something wrong with us for being so interested in royalty in the age of democracy? I don’t think so, because I believe our obsession about princesses isn’t really about princesses at all. It’s about fairytales. You might think fairytales exalt royalty, but they don’t. They exalt common heroes. The boy or girl who is plucky and compassionate and daring is the one who becomes the prince or princess at the end of the story.<br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/products/frances+hodgson+burnett/a+little+princess+28ebook29/6929649/"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XzD57gCc9Ao/ThN-95ucMBI/AAAAAAAAAs8/DlBOMFNcinU/s320/A+Little+Princess.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /> <br /> The princess who taught me to read wasn’t born a princess. She didn’t even marry a prince. Her name was Sarah Crewe and you might know her. She was the heroine of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Little-Princess-Frances-Hodgson-Burnett/dp/1613820526?ie=UTF8&tag=tamasta-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">A Little Princess</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=tamasta-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=1613820526" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" />, the 1905 children's novel by <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Three-Complete-Books-Princess-Fauntleroy/dp/0517147483?ie=UTF8&tag=tamasta-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Frances Hodgson Burnett</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=tamasta-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0517147483" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" />.<br /> <br /> In second grade, when most of the kids around me were already reading primers, I couldn’t read three words. I had dyslexia and reading was just like torture for me. Then my grandmother began reading to me from <i>A Little Princess</i> every night. One chapter at a time. And suddenly the torture of needing to know what happened in the next chapter overpowered the challenge of reading. I don’t know how my brain made the leap. I just knew I couldn’t wait to find out what happened to Sarah Crewe and I raced ahead, finishing the rest of the book by myself in one day. It was “the Magic” just like in the story.<br /> <br /> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wVVsNHH_mYQ/ThN-W2ASfaI/AAAAAAAAAs4/45PMvB9stdE/s1600/Princess+Bride+kiss.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="256" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wVVsNHH_mYQ/ThN-W2ASfaI/AAAAAAAAAs4/45PMvB9stdE/s400/Princess+Bride+kiss.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">As you wish.</td></tr> </tbody></table><br /> I went from being unable to read at all to being a voracious reader. That’s how another princess came to unite me with my true love. When I met a man who took me to a bookstore for our second date, I knew I had found a prince. Flashforward half a year, and he bought me a copy of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Princess-Bride-Morgensterns-Classic-Adventure/dp/0156035219?ie=UTF8&tag=tamasta-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">The Princess Bride</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=tamasta-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0156035219" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" />. Inside, painstakingly fitted into the chapter entitled, “The Bride,” gleamed a diamond ring. That day I was amazed to discover that when he was saying, “Read this book,” what he meant was, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Princess-Bride-20th-Anniversary/dp/B000TJBNHG?ie=UTF8&tag=tamasta-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">“I love you.”</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=tamasta-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B000TJBNHG" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /> <img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=tamasta-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B000TJBNHG" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" />And even more amazing was that I realized I truly loved him back.<br /> <br /> The princess who pushed me to follow my dream was <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Initiate-Unfinished-Song-Book-One/dp/0983107319?ie=UTF8&tag=tamasta-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Dindi</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=tamasta-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0983107319" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" />. She’s not really a princess either, she’s just a girl who is plucky and compassionate and daring, who insisted that I write her story. Ten years of research, writing, re-writing, querying agents, and finally publishing went into achieving that dream. I went from being a kid who couldn’t learn to read to a fanatic reader to a published author. When I think about that, I feel so grateful to all my readers, the fans who write to tell me how much they love Dindi and Gwenika and Kavio, and to everyone who made it possible. Thank you all. You make feel like a princess.<br /> <br /> <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Unfinished-Song-Initiate-ebook/dp/B004H4XE5I?ie=UTF8&tag=tamasta-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" target="_blank"><img alt="The Unfinished Song: Initiate" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=B004H4XE5I&tag=tamasta-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=tamasta-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B004H4XE5I" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" />  <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Unfinished-Song-Taboo-ebook/dp/B004TZ1I4E?ie=UTF8&tag=tamasta-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" target="_blank"><img alt="The Unfinished Song: Taboo" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=B004TZ1I4E&tag=tamasta-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=tamasta-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B004TZ1I4E" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" />  </div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6;"><b><br /> </b></span><br /> <b>The Unfinished Song: Initiate</b> -- <a href="http://goo.gl/E2L8j">Nook</a>, <a href="http://goo.gl/nb6QB">Kindle UK</a>, <a href="http://goo.gl/My1if">Kindle US</a>, <a href="http://goo.gl/pLJJJ">Paperback</a><br /> <br /> <b>The Unfinished Song: Taboo</b> -- <a href="http://goo.gl/xV3O5">Nook</a>, <a href="http://goo.gl/Q8Znm">Kindle UK</a>, <a href="http://goo.gl/bkVvT">Kindle US</a> <br /> <br /> Look out for <b>The Unfinished Song: Sacrifice</b>, coming soon.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/37083420-3892993145355059164?l=taramayastales.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div> <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/cXtwrKx31L_tt_Hlk5uDYE6wzdw/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/cXtwrKx31L_tt_Hlk5uDYE6wzdw/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/cXtwrKx31L_tt_Hlk5uDYE6wzdw/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/cXtwrKx31L_tt_Hlk5uDYE6wzdw/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TaraMayasTales/~4/B4lbQ1ao444" height="1" width="1"/>Tara Mayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09095632631554776002noreply@blogger.com6http://taramayastales.blogspot.com/2011/07/why-we-love-princesses.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37083420.post-15761466355704030072011-07-02T10:24:00.000-07:002011-07-02T10:29:04.779-07:002011-07-02T10:29:04.779-07:00Sneak PeakRather than drone on about how edits on The Unfinished Song: Sacrifice are going (except to say they are indeed ongoing), I thought I'd let you have a peak at my next project-in-progress. This is going to be a military hard sf series called STRAT.<br /> <blockquote><b><br /> On a hell world where feudal mech lords use memetic tech to imprint loyalty onto their vassals and thralls, all Charlie and his people ask is to be left alone, free to think for themselves.<br /> <br /> </b><b>Then, on his wedding day, Charlie's bride is kidnapped to be a thrall. As he fights for his life and her freedom, he discovers the war helm of an ancient and powerful lord. He needs the knowledge in the helm to bring the battle to his enemies. But if he uses it, he risks losing himself...</b></blockquote><br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xZqVqBYmdaI/Tg9T20Hrv-I/AAAAAAAAAsY/Vy-PNtghfzw/s1600/Mech-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xZqVqBYmdaI/Tg9T20Hrv-I/AAAAAAAAAsY/Vy-PNtghfzw/s400/Mech-5.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><br /> <br /> I'm going to release it in novella-lenth episodes of about 25,000-35,000 words each. Charlie is gonna fight in a lot of wars, and each episode will cover one war. I'll start with a trilogy and may expand from there.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/37083420-1576146635570403007?l=taramayastales.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div> <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/aNsL6ROV3dBdXF1uk8ruOSxAFCw/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/aNsL6ROV3dBdXF1uk8ruOSxAFCw/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/aNsL6ROV3dBdXF1uk8ruOSxAFCw/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/aNsL6ROV3dBdXF1uk8ruOSxAFCw/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TaraMayasTales/~4/ySNOtmpf1E8" height="1" width="1"/>Tara Mayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09095632631554776002noreply@blogger.com12http://taramayastales.blogspot.com/2011/07/sneak-peak.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37083420.post-73583074021901275322011-06-28T15:51:00.000-07:002011-06-28T15:51:16.226-07:002011-06-28T15:51:16.226-07:00Scary ScenesMy friend Rayne Hall is an excellent writing teacher, and she has another class coming up on <a href="http://www.writersonlineclasses.com/?page_id=534">Scary Scenes</a>. Even if you're not writing Horror, if you want to learn to add suspense to your novel, this is a great class. (I speak from personal experience!)<br /> <br /> <blockquote>Are your frightening scenes scary enough? Learn practical tricks to turn up the suspense. Make your reader’s hearts hammer with excitement and their skins tingle with goosebumps of delicious fright. Whether you’re working on a ghost story, a thriller, a paranormal romance, an urban fantasy or a romantic suspense, this workshop is perfect for planning or revising your scary scenes. If you wish, you may submit a scene for critique at the end of the course.</blockquote><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/37083420-7358307402190127532?l=taramayastales.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div> <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/K4Xdgn1PDGxZHf-FhcJANsCk5cw/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/K4Xdgn1PDGxZHf-FhcJANsCk5cw/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/K4Xdgn1PDGxZHf-FhcJANsCk5cw/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/K4Xdgn1PDGxZHf-FhcJANsCk5cw/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TaraMayasTales/~4/UFvq_ZqDXHE" height="1" width="1"/>Tara Mayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09095632631554776002noreply@blogger.com0http://taramayastales.blogspot.com/2011/06/scary-scenes.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37083420.post-54792985444314284632011-06-24T12:50:00.000-07:002011-06-24T21:39:33.833-07:002011-06-24T21:39:33.833-07:00Teaser and RevisionsSorry, my blog is boring right now because I'm working hard on the edits for The Unfinished Song: Sacrifice. It will be a few more iterations, I fear. Since I don't have the energy for a real post, I'll give you an excerpt from the book. Here's a rare scene with no spoilers, unless you haven't read <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Unfinished-Song-Taboo-ebook/dp/B004TZ1I4E?ie=UTF8&tag=tamasta-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">The Unfinished Song: Taboo</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=tamasta-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B004TZ1I4E" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /> yet, in which case go do so at once before you read this. (Just kidding.)<br /> <br /> <br /> <h3>Vessia</h3><div class="ElloraStandard" style="margin-top: 0in;"><br /> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">“You can’t be rid of me that easily.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">The voice was unexpected. Vessia whirled around to see Nangi watching her. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">Vessia felt a frisson of resentment shudder through her. It had been so long since she had run through the meadows alone, as she’d used to when she lived with Old Man and Old Woman. She missed the smell of heather under open sky. She needed wind to lift her hair off her neck, she needed to swing her arms without anyone touching her shoulder to calm her. The land they were passing through now was hot, dry and dead, closed up into canyons of striated rock. Trekking through the stone passages, where sometimes the overhang was so high it blocked the sun, was like traversing caves, or tombs. When she’d told Vio she wanted to leave and be on her own for a while, he had only laughed and told her that being a prisoner meant not being free. She had retorted, “But am I not your wife?” and either because of that or because he noticed the mad itch in her, he relented. He let her go alone to a cool gathering of water in the rock, a place where aspen grew around the water’s edge and swans paused on their migration to swim. And now, just when she thought she was alone, she discovered Nangi had followed her.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">“I can eat your thoughts, you know.” Nangi smiled a nasty smile.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">Vessia had seen her do this with others; she would sidle up to them, hiss at them that she could eat their thoughts, and then grin while they broke into a sweat and began to stammer. Vessia didn’t understand why they feared having their thoughts eaten.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">“Do they taste good?” Vessia asked. This was something she had always wondered.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">Nangi’s eyes narrowed like a cat’s. “How do you do that?”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">“Do what?”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">“Shield your thoughts! How do you do it? Stop it at once! It only proves you have something to hide! Let your thoughts out at once or I shall report you to my father!”</div><br /> <br /> Oh, and there's this too, if you somehow missed it: <a href="http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2011-06/23/pottermore-radiohead-publishing">J.K. Rowling is now an indie author.</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/37083420-5479298544431428463?l=taramayastales.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div> <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/xCkKjrRM13tguZXj2ijuxB8B4Dw/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/xCkKjrRM13tguZXj2ijuxB8B4Dw/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/xCkKjrRM13tguZXj2ijuxB8B4Dw/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/xCkKjrRM13tguZXj2ijuxB8B4Dw/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TaraMayasTales/~4/cm1PBWVAdhE" height="1" width="1"/>Tara Mayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09095632631554776002noreply@blogger.com5http://taramayastales.blogspot.com/2011/06/teaser-and-revisions.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37083420.post-73350267920386077842011-06-16T03:04:00.000-07:002011-06-16T03:04:01.390-07:002011-06-16T03:04:01.390-07:00Should You Start At the End to Reach the Middle?Beginnings are difficult. Endings are difficult. But connecting them is the most difficult of all.<br /> <br /> As usual, a few plot holes have opened up during revisions, a few broken bridges between the Beginning and the Ending. To fix them, to tie up the loose strings, I am writing from the outside in...from the beginning toward the middle, but also from the ending toward the middle, until the two meet.<br /> <br /> To to this, I take each character's story arc and ask myself, Where does this person need to end up? Then I ask, where does this person need to begin? Then...in theory...it's just a matter of figuring out the steps in between. Generally I try to have each major character show up once a chapter, and supporting characters at least three times in the book. I have a lot of characters, so this in itself can be tricky. My main characters have one to three scenes per chapter.<br /> <br /> Designing each individual story arc is not too hard, in and of itself; the tricky part comes when I juggle them. I have to make certain the logistics are feasible. Scene X logically must come before Scene Y. But I also try to coordinate the themes of each scene, which should contribute to the mini-story arc and theme of each chapter. (Each chapter has its own chapter theme, which contributes to the larger theme of the book.)<br /> <br /> For instance, the chapter theme in the first book of The Unfinished Song: Sacrifice, is "Recrudescence," or the resurgence of a disease which had been dormant or cured. For a few characters, their recrudescence is literal, and they suffer a relapse of the disfiguring skin disorder they had when they were Shunned. For most of the others, however, the recrudesce plays out more symbolically. Kavio discovers an old enemy is back, in an unexpected position of strength. Brena meets the bear again and realizes her injury is getting worse. Gremo... well, I could go on, but I won't spoil anything by saying that Dindi also finds something won't stay down, so to speak.<br /> <br /> Each scene focuses on a different character dealing with a relapse or reoccurrence of a problem or person who was supposed to be gone. The chapter as a whole contributes to the book's overall theme of sacrifice because the each person will realize in their own way that to truly conquer their problems, they have to do more. They have to give up more than they thought to gain what they want... possibly much more than they are willing to give.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/37083420-7335026792038607784?l=taramayastales.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div> <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/LAvLfRPCIVBQPo3LeyX5i3_mxFc/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/LAvLfRPCIVBQPo3LeyX5i3_mxFc/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/LAvLfRPCIVBQPo3LeyX5i3_mxFc/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/LAvLfRPCIVBQPo3LeyX5i3_mxFc/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TaraMayasTales/~4/YrmudZjbZWk" height="1" width="1"/>Tara Mayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09095632631554776002noreply@blogger.com5http://taramayastales.blogspot.com/2011/06/should-you-start-at-end-to-reach-middle.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37083420.post-29760713418887629912011-06-09T09:52:00.000-07:002011-06-09T10:03:52.099-07:002011-06-09T10:03:52.099-07:00Why Have "Age Appropriate" Books?In a previous post, I discussed YA literature, and whether it was merely an artificial publishing box. Today, as I sit with my one-year-old and listen to Barney sing about firetrucks, I wanted to ask how far that is true. When I was a tot, there were stories and television for children, but the diversity and volume of children's media has certainly increased.<br /> <div><br /> </div><div>The research that goes into children's television is also astonishing. One show my kids love is Blues Clues. The success of this show was not accidental. The producers did a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Blues-Clues-Success-Phenomenal-Business/dp/079315376X?ie=UTF8&tag=tamasta-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">tremendous amount of research</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=tamasta-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=079315376X" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /> into the cognitive abilities and attention span of three and four years olds to craft every show.</div><div><br /> </div><div>I don't know if as much research goes into children's literature. In general, I think the younger the children, the more research there is on how to package <i>uplifting</i> and <i>educational</i> messages for the target age group. Of course, this is because the younger the children, the more the target (buying) audience is actually the parents. Parents want the literary equivalent of health food for their kids. </div><div><br /> </div><div>By the time the readers reach their teens -- Middle Grade and Young Adult -- the buyers are frequently the teens themselves. Even if the credit card is still mom's or dad's. But parents, teachers and other adults still buy books, and they still do it with the hope of moulding (or at least not corrupting) pliable minds. Notice that the article complaining about the darkness in YA was a mom trying to purchase books for her daughter.</div><div><br /> </div><div>There was an <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Literary-Animal-Evolution-Narrative-Rethinking/dp/0810122871?ie=UTF8&tag=tamasta-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">interesting study of Romance heroes done by Daniel J. Kruger, Maryanne Fisher and Ian Jobling</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=tamasta-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0810122871" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" />, which compared reader's preferences for certain kind of romantic heroes. The heroes were coded according to whether they were dark and dangerous (anti-heros) or noble and chivalrous (traditional heroes). Female readers were't told that the descriptions of the men were from fiction, and were asked various questions hinged on imagining themselves in relationships with these men. Most women preferred the anti-hero for a one night stand, but the chivalrous hero for a long term relationship. </div><div><br /> </div><div>However, even the women who were intrigued by the idea of a fling with the anti-heros overwhelmingly agreed on one thing: when it came to choosing between these two men for their daughters, they almost all wanted the chivalrous man for their daughters.</div><blockquote>It is striking that 60 percent of women would prefer to have sex with [the anti-hero], a cad, but only 13 percent would prefer to see him engaged to their twenty-five-year-old-daughter....</blockquote>You might think this was a generational thing, that of course old fuddy-duddy moms of an older generation would be more conservative, but in fact the participants of the study, as in most human-rat-maze experiments, were college students.<br /> <blockquote>The women in this study were similar in age to their imagined twenty-five daughter, and yet they were able to state a preference that would be appropriate for a potential grandmother.</blockquote>By the way, this shows that it's not a matter of age, so much as relationship. It's not that <a href="http://jetreidliterary.blogspot.com/2011/06/teens-are-not-other-they-are-us.html">adults consider teens as other</a>. It's that people, as parents or even when they just <i>imagine</i> being parents,  look something different in literature for their children than for themselves.<br /> <br /> Generations of researchers have debated whether violence in video games and on television causes a rise in criminal violence in society. Fretting over violence or "darkness" in literature has not been nearly as fevered. (Before TV, concern over literature occupied a greater fraction of the global reserve of Worry That Young Minds Are Going To The Dogs.)<br /> <br /> These questions are not quite the same as asking what kind of literature is "best suited" to teens. The problem is that it is difficult to untangle what we mean by "best." Is "best" mean most entertaining, best selling, most educational, most conducive to being a whole, rounded, compassionate and intelligent person? And how would we measure that? We can ask children to sing their ABCs or share toys, but its harder to evacuate the intellectual and emotional growth of teens and adults.<br /> <br /> So Young Adult books are judged as effective by the de facto method our society uses for judging the success of most things: number of sales and final dollars earned.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/37083420-2976071341888762991?l=taramayastales.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div> <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/Csz44-RITldVfVekqQhvGaD6Efg/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/Csz44-RITldVfVekqQhvGaD6Efg/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/Csz44-RITldVfVekqQhvGaD6Efg/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/Csz44-RITldVfVekqQhvGaD6Efg/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TaraMayasTales/~4/dRcRTMobPB8" height="1" width="1"/>Tara Mayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09095632631554776002noreply@blogger.com4http://taramayastales.blogspot.com/2011/06/why-have-age-appropriate-books.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37083420.post-22100831606361789212011-06-06T14:30:00.000-07:002011-06-06T14:31:29.625-07:002011-06-06T14:31:29.625-07:00What Is the Difference Between Young Adult and Just Adult Lit?I found out about <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303657404576357622592697038.html#printMode">this article in the Wall Street Journal</a> from Michelle Davidson Argyle when <a href="http://literarylab.blogspot.com/2011/06/dark-literature-and-young-readers-or.html">she responded to it on The Literary Lab</a>.<br /> <blockquote>I recently read a book by our one and only Scott G.F. Bailey, and I was shocked at the darkness in it. I wrote to Scott and said, wow, this is really dark. He said, yeah, I know. It's an adult novel, and it disturbed me not with the subject matter, but the tones of the novel. Honestly, I have never read a YA book with such dark tones. Usually, even in YA novels that deal with darker subjects, the tones seem to be handled on a lighter level. Maybe, though, Miss Gurdon is really talking about tone in her article, not subject matter. Maybe there are YA books out there that I haven't read that are really, really dark in tone. Teens can handle subject matter. Adults can handle subject matter. I think it's tone that can really make the difference. I appreciated Scott's book. It was amazingly well done. I appreciated the darkness he portrayed because it contrasted the world in a way that helped me appreciate what he was really saying in that book - and I think he did it through tone. I wouldn't have seen those things otherwise. </blockquote><br /> I agree with Michelle, that there is absolutely a difference between tone and subject matter. I recently finished <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Speak-ebook/dp/B004QGY36Q?ie=UTF8&tag=tamasta-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Speak</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=tamasta-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B004QGY36Q" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /> a young adult novel (from about 10 year ago) that is about a girl who was raped just before she started highschool. So, the subject is dark, I suppose. Yet, I personally wouldn't call it a dark novel. <br /> <br /> You can have all sorts of horrible things happen in a novel: rape, torture, murder, the end of the world, etc. Yet it can still be an upbeat, heroic novel if the heroes win out in the end. Although, I should add that tragedy and melodrama can also appeal to young adults, anything with a grand gesture. What is not appealing are stories which are more ambiguous, and neither victory nor victorious martyrdom are achieved. <br /> <br /> For instance, the young adult novel <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Unwind-ebook/dp/B002AKPELI?ie=UTF8&tag=tamasta-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Unwind</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=tamasta-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B002AKPELI" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /> and the adult novel <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Never-Let-Me-Go-ebook/dp/B000FCK2TW?ie=UTF8&tag=tamasta-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Never Let Me Go</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=tamasta-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B000FCK2TW" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /> deal with the same subject, but in completely different ways. The characters are the same age. Yet the tone of the books are completely different. Unwind is all about the need to fight an unjust authority, and Never Let Me Go is about the impossibility of fighting an unjust authority. Unwind is about winning; Never Let Me Go is about losing.<br /> <br /> What is likely to be darker -- a grandiose dystopia, where robots tear the arms off of people and crowds cheer until a cyborg gladiator overthrows the master computer and liberates everyone? Or a story about a real estate agent who gradually realizes her cheating husband doesn't love her anymore but is only staying with her because she's dying of cancer? The first story would probably be gory and lurid and appallingly violent. The second could be tender and bittersweet and realistic, but it could also be much darker and more mature in a way that the cyborg gladiator story is unlikely to be. It depends on the writing, of course, and these are just hypotheticals. But just on that one line synopsis is it hard to guess which storyline is more likely to appeal to teens?<br /> <br /> Of course, maybe more adults would be interested in the gladiator as well, and that's the real problem with "Young Adult" these days. Its more a mood than a demographic. Plenty of adults read YA. Some adults <i>exclusively</i> read YA. So writers are basically forced to write YA even if they didn't intend to, and often bring to it an alien mood. Do I have an example? You bet. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Gifts-ebook/dp/B003WJQ7F8?ie=UTF8&tag=tamasta-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Gifts</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=tamasta-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B003WJQ7F8" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" />, the first in a so-called Young Adult trilogy by Ursula Le Guin. Now, don't get me wrong, I LOVE Ursula Le Guin, and <i>Gifts</i> was a lovely book. But I'll be stuffed and dressed and roasted like a Thanksgiving turkey if this was a Young Adult novel. IT WAS NOT. It was <i>about</i> a young adult, which is not the same thing. I think it's sad that these days publisher can't seem to tell the difference. There was nothing gory or violent or profane about Gifts, and I doubt any parents would object to their kids reading it. But it struck me as a reflective, resigned book, not a victorious epic, and not something I would have enjoyed at all when I was a teen. I already bought the other two books in the series, but I'm not sure I'm ready to read them yet.<br /> <br /> Why didn't the publisher market <i>Gifts</i> as adult fantasy? I think it's pretty obvious from a promotion perspective. I've been searching for book reviewers, for instance, and for every reviewer of mainstream, epic or adult fantasy, I've found two dozen YA reviewers. Maybe the numbers are even more skewed, even a hundred to one. So I decided my epic fantasy, The Unfinished Song, is YA. Since my protagonist is fourteen, I can get away with this, although the cagey reviewers have noted that the series is really epic fantasy. On some level I must agree with Gurdon, because I've found myself toning down some scenes that originally would have been a bit more, ahem, explicit. I just feel weird having things too explicit in a YA series. But I can only change so much without imperiling the integrity of the story, which I won't do.<br /> <br /> When I think back to what I read as a teen, I have to say it puts the whole brouhaha in perspective. I never read young adult novels. I started reading adult novels in second grade. I read books with rape, torture, death, concentration camps, fascism, adultery, murder, military coups, incest and infanticide. I preferred novels with happy endings. (Still true.) But I didn't mind a rocky road on the way to that happy ending.<br /> <br /> So, has YA literature become more explicit and violent? Probably. Are twelve year olds of today reading anything more explicit that what I read when I was twelve? Keep in mind my ninth grade reading list included <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Gulag-Archipelago-1918-1956-Experiment-Investigation/dp/0813332893?ie=UTF8&tag=tamasta-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">The Gulug Archipelago</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=tamasta-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0813332893" style="border-bottom-style: none !important; border-color: initial !important; border-left-style: none !important; border-right-style: none !important; border-top-style: none !important; border-width: initial !important; cursor: move; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px !important; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important;" width="1" />, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Slave-Girl-Gor-Gorean-Saga/dp/0759204543?ie=UTF8&tag=tamasta-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Slavegirl of Gor</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=tamasta-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0759204543" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" />,  <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Clarissa-Harlowe-History-Young-Lady/dp/1153596040?ie=UTF8&tag=tamasta-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Clarissa</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=tamasta-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=1153596040" style="border-bottom-style: none !important; border-color: initial !important; border-left-style: none !important; border-right-style: none !important; border-top-style: none !important; border-width: initial !important; cursor: move; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px !important; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important;" width="1" />, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Nineteen-Eighty-Four-George-Orwell/dp/0452284236?ie=UTF8&tag=tamasta-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">1984</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=tamasta-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0452284236" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" />, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Patty-Hearst-Story-Patricia-Campbell/dp/0380706512?ie=UTF8&tag=tamasta-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Patty Hearst Her Story</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=tamasta-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0380706512" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" />, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Annotated-Lolita-Revised-Updated/dp/0679727299?ie=UTF8&tag=tamasta-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Lolita</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=tamasta-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0679727299" style="border-bottom-style: none !important; border-color: initial !important; border-left-style: none !important; border-right-style: none !important; border-top-style: none !important; border-width: initial !important; cursor: move; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px !important; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important;" width="1" />,  and a lot of other books, both trashy and classic, that were not aimed at fourteen year olds.<br /> <br /> Just think. If Nabakov were writing Lolita today, he'd be told it's YA because Lolita is twelve.<br /> <br /> Some people are defending the content of YA novels because this reflects the darkness that invades the lives of teenagers. I question that theory. I didn't read those books because they reflected my own personal reality, or situations I was likely to encounter. Fortunately, I was never sent to a gulag, kidnapped by terrorists, seduced by a sadist, or sent to a BDSM planet. I loved <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Clan-Cave-Earths-Children-ebook/dp/B00466HQ2Y?ie=UTF8&tag=tamasta-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Clan of the Cave Bear</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=tamasta-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B00466HQ2Y" style="border-bottom-style: none !important; border-color: initial !important; border-left-style: none !important; border-right-style: none !important; border-top-style: none !important; border-width: initial !important; cursor: move; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px !important; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important;" width="1" />, I hated <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Catcher-Rye-J-D-Salinger/dp/0316769177?ie=UTF8&tag=tamasta-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Catcher in the Rye</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=tamasta-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0316769177" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" />. Guess which one involved a character being raped by a Neanderthal? (Another teen experience I inexplicably missed out on.) I don't think teens read for different reasons than adults. They read to find out about what it's like to be human, to find out more about themselves, but also about people who are not themselves.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/37083420-2210083160636178921?l=taramayastales.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div> <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/9xegjLTVP9BAHTwcBLeyHEt6q5Y/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/9xegjLTVP9BAHTwcBLeyHEt6q5Y/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/9xegjLTVP9BAHTwcBLeyHEt6q5Y/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/9xegjLTVP9BAHTwcBLeyHEt6q5Y/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TaraMayasTales/~4/5EZFa4ltpJ8" height="1" width="1"/>Tara Mayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09095632631554776002noreply@blogger.com8http://taramayastales.blogspot.com/2011/06/i-found-out-about-this-article-in-wall.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37083420.post-58175835089998683822011-06-05T01:29:00.000-07:002011-06-05T01:29:03.356-07:002011-06-05T01:29:03.356-07:00What is "Formula Fiction"?"Formula" is an ambiguous term, and I should define how I mean it. I will give a basic example, found across genres such as jokes and Three Act plays. It has three steps.<br /> <br /> Step One: Protagonist does something wrong.<br /> Step Two: Protagonist does something wrong again.<br /> Step Three: Protagonist finally gets it right.<br /> <br /> General enough? TOO general to be useful? This definition of formula can be just another word for story structure. All stories have it, with the possible exception of some experimental works that go out of their way not to, in the same way some modern art goes out of the way to eschew beauty. This is not to say that there is no difference between formulaic fiction and quality fiction, however. In formulaic fiction, the formula is all there is to the story, whereas beautiful literature transcends the form. In one case, the formula is all there is in the end, in the other, it is merely the starting point, a vessel to hold something else.<br /> <br /> Maybe a stricter use of formula would be helpful. Here's another example of some formulas, formula as trope, as predictable plot:<br /> <br /> The Protagonist is given a chance to re-live some period of his life as if he'd made a major life decision differently.<br /> <br /> Step One: Protagonist is wrenched from present life into alternate reality life<br /> Step Two: Protagonist tries repeatedly to re-establish old life<br /> Step Three: Protagonist finally learns to value alternative life.<br /> <br /> I trust we all know and abhor the danger of predictable plots and trite tropes. We also know that certain genres require a certain degree of formula, the HEA in Romances, the dead body and list of suspects for Mystery, etc. Though I am curious to see what <a href="http://scottgfbailey.blogspot.com/">Scott F. Bailey</a> does to the detective story.<br /> <br /> What interests me, however, and the reason I began with such a general definition of a formula, is why we gravitate toward formulas at all. Because I think this scratches at the surface of an even deeper question, which is why do we even write fiction? We human beings are great liars, but it still boggles the rational alien as why we would not just lie to someone we want to sell used cars to but that we would pay money to read long elaborate lies. Why don't we read only true stories, lists of facts, figures? Why, when we read fiction, does that fiction almost always follow regular rules of production, formulae? And if we try to eschew formula fiction, what are we left with? Are there still rules of good writing, narrative structure and plot arcs that we need to follow?<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/37083420-5817583508999868382?l=taramayastales.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div> <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/0tvVjng0prW88QGo410j8Wt0tGw/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/0tvVjng0prW88QGo410j8Wt0tGw/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/0tvVjng0prW88QGo410j8Wt0tGw/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/0tvVjng0prW88QGo410j8Wt0tGw/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TaraMayasTales/~4/NEz3eCXm3VU" height="1" width="1"/>Tara Mayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09095632631554776002noreply@blogger.com5http://taramayastales.blogspot.com/2011/06/what-is-formula-fiction.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37083420.post-87925573580104770502011-06-04T01:28:00.000-07:002011-06-04T01:30:33.285-07:002011-06-04T01:30:33.285-07:00Review: The Wild Grass and Other Stories<iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=tamasta-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B0053IP1VW&fc1=6A6A6A&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=3695C9&bc1=FFFFFF&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align:left;padding-top:5px;width:131px;height:245px;padding-right:10px;"align="left" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe><br /> <br /> I finished <a target="_blank" href="http://www.amazon.com/Wild-Grass-Other-Stories/dp/1461031737?ie=UTF8&tag=tamasta-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969">The Wild Grass and Other Stories</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=tamasta-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=1461031737" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important; padding: 0px !important" /> by <a href="http://literarylab.blogspot.com/">Davin Malasarn</a>. I went in with VERY high expectations.<br /> <br /> And they were all meet and then some.<br /> <br /> This is a beautiful collection. Each story is exquisite and breathtaking, yet feels utterly simple and real. As if, you know, the author just happened to be spraying cyanide on a field of red rocks to mine for gold, and also happened to be an old woman waiting to die, and also happened to be a childless woman meeting up with her sister's family for a photo shoot, or a child under a crocheted tablecloth during an exorcism...<br /> <br /> I have a recurring fantasy about what it would be like to possess telepathy, to simply look at another person, say as I pass by them waiting at a bus stop, and for that moment, BECOME that person. Reading this book felt like possessing that power. Many of the stories are told in the first person, with an intimacy and ease that make it vivid and natural.<br /> <br /> I've read a few of these stories before. <i>Red Man, Blue Man</i> is one of my all time favorite stories. I am so glad to finally have a paid copy of it. <br /> <br /> Sadly, this review doesn't do the stories justice. I am probably going to re-read the whole thing and try to think of something more profound to say. Also, hopefully I can convince Davin to do a guest post. <br /> <br /> Reading this anthology left me thirsty for more, and I hope that Davin considers publishing one of his longer works soon. I kinda hope he self-publishes, for purely selfish reasons, because it means I can read it faster, and the kindle version will probably be less expensive. But if he prefers to go the traditional route, all I can say is, any agent or big-time publisher who reads this and doesn't snap him up is an idiot. Just my personal opinion.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/37083420-8792557358010477050?l=taramayastales.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div> <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/GfjZ6V0lBxj2gtPctBo4hVBRAQ0/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/GfjZ6V0lBxj2gtPctBo4hVBRAQ0/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/GfjZ6V0lBxj2gtPctBo4hVBRAQ0/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/GfjZ6V0lBxj2gtPctBo4hVBRAQ0/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TaraMayasTales/~4/YaovIkvE07I" height="1" width="1"/>Tara Mayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09095632631554776002noreply@blogger.com4http://taramayastales.blogspot.com/2011/06/review-wild-grass-and-other-stories.html