I'm Still Here!

I must sincerely apologize for my prolonged absence on my blog.  Between school breaks, snow days, book signings and birthday's my life has been a roller coaster.  I really have had another good excuse for being absent...meet Oscar

Oscar is now a 14 week old Havanese puppy, (with a permanent case of bed head) and he has been keeping me very very busy!  Now that he is "mostly" housebroken, I might be able to get some writing in. (knock on wood)

My newest novel is coming along quite nicely, although I'm struggling with a title, I plan on hopefully posting a little sneak peak when I've traveled a little more into the life of Amelia! ;)

In case I don't have the opportunity to write again before the holiday's, I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year!

Tween the Weekends Author Interview!

This post is brought to you by www.emblazon.com!

This author interview is with Charity Bradford

Welcome Charity thanks for talking to us today and letting us have a little insight into you and your books.

Q: Tell us about your books, Magic Wakes and Stellar Cloud.

The Magic Wakes is a mix of light science fiction, fantasy, and adventure with a touch of romance. Talia continually dreams of the invasion of her planet and her death at the hands of a species of half human half dragons. As the nightmares increase in frequency, she knows the annihilation of her world is drawing near. On her planet Sendek, magic is dead and science rules, forcing Talia to keep another secret, one that could cost her everything if it were known. Now, in order to save her planet, Talia must awaken the powers within her and rely at last on the magic that is her true inheritance.

Stellar Cloud is a collection of short stories. A soldier struggles with the emptiness left behind by amnesia until he learns he is more than the world would have him remember. The earth is desolate, and only one ship of humans remains. An assassin plays god, dealing out justice and mercy as he sees fit. Explore the outer reaches of the imagination through these and other short stories. From brainwashed clones to winged aliens of destruction, the stories in Stellar Cloud will pull in any lover of science fiction and fantasy.

Q: What’s your genre and why did you choose it?

I’ve always loved science fiction and fantasy so when I started writing I naturally drifted that way. The ability to lose myself in fictional worlds makes me happy, and I hope to share that with others.

Q: What’s the biggest obstacle you faced with your writing journey?

Time. It’s hard to balance the time needed to write with everything else in my life. My muse rarely shows up at convenient times and sometimes I fear my family suffered for it. Now I’m trying harder to keep a better balance.

Q: Where do you get your ideas and inspiration from?

Most of my ideas come from crazy dreams. The others come from everyday events around me. I’m always asking, “what if...”

Q: Who or what are your influences?

This is a hard one. I believe that all my life experiences, as well as every book I’ve ever read, combine to influence my imagination and thus my writing. Growing up I read a lot of the classic science fiction authors—Asimov, Bova, Card, Nivens, Nagata...

Q: Are you self-published, legacy or a combination?

The Magic Wakes was with a small publisher, but I self-published Stellar Wakes. It has been interesting to see how things work on both of those fronts.

Q: What was the hardest part of your self-pub / publishing journey?

I have a list for this one!

• I didn’t realize how important it would be for me to learn to be patient with myself.
• Allowing myself to write horrible first drafts so I have something to revise.
• Learning that not every idea is worth a full length novel.
• Learning to trust my instincts in spite of what others were saying.

Q: What format are your books available in?

The Magic Wakes is available in print and for Kindle. Stellar Cloud is currently just kindle, but I’m working on the print formatting now.

Q: How many books have you published so far?

These are the only two so far.

Q: What things did you outsource, if any at all?

With Stellar Cloud I was lucky enough to have my brother-in-law do the cover art. He did an AMAZING job! I did everything else.

Q: What’s the best bit of advice you received when starting out?

We’ve all heard it—write what you know. I took this to mean write about the emotions and internal conflicts that I understand. Obviously I’ve never drank the sunsrise to heal myself, but I love sitting in my back yard with the sun warming my face. It offers a little emotional medicine to my soul. I took that and ran with it in The Magic Wakes.

Q: What advice would you offer to the future Authors out there?

Don’t give up! Put in the time to get better and better, learn to use criticism to your advantage, and keep dreaming.

Q: What’s next for you? Any projects in the pipeline for us to look forward to?

I’m nearing the end of a YA Fantasy as well as digging into the sequel for The Magic Wakes.

Q: Give us one of your favourite quotes……………….

“It's easy to believe in magic when you're young. Anything you couldn't explain was magic then. It didn't matter if it was science or a fairy tale. Electricity and elves were both infinitely mysterious and equally possible - elves probably more so.” 
― Charles de Lint

Q: And finally tell us something random about yourself to make us chuckle………………………….

This one is hard! I don’t think I do many funny things, but I do a lot of stupid things. Because my head is so full of other worlds and strange characters, I often have a hard time paying attention to the real world. One time I placed a pot of chilli on top of my car while loading my kids to go to a church pot luck. I forgot about that chilli until I pulled onto the street and it went flying across the road. Another time we were at a neighbourhood picnic and I left my husband and baby sitting on a blanket to run inside for a minute. When I came back I sat down and snuggled up really close to who/what should have been my husband. Unfortunately, my hubby had gotten up as well and a neighbour had sat down with his baby. So embarrassing! I couldn’t look at the poor man for a week!

Click the Links below to purchase the books, or learn more about Charity.

Blog-- http://charitywrites.blogspot.com/

Website-- http://charitybradford.com/

Twitter-- https://twitter.com/charitybradford

Facebook-- https://www.facebook.com/CharityBradford.SendekSaga

Amazon Author Page-- http://www.amazon.com/Charity-Bradford/e/B00FA3QRKO/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1382031964&sr=8-1

Goodreads Page-- https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6542670.Charity_Bradford

Book Trailer-- http://charitybradford.com/books-2/the-magic-wakes-book-trailer/

Read the First Chapter of The Magic Wakes for free-- http://charitybradford.com/books-2/original-first-chapter/

Reading and Signing Event!

IBD Award!

Mere Enchantment has won the IBD Award! Get your copy today!

 http://indiebookoftheday.com/mere-enchantment-by-alicia-rivoli/

Encourage Reading

This article is sponsored by http://emblazoners.com/ Tween the Weekends.

Leaves are changing colors, the temperatures are falling, and the smell of fall is in the air.  It is that time of year again where I just want to curl up in a warm blanket with a good book and a cup of hot chocolate.  However, I have noticed this isn't typical of today's younger generation.  With two boys of my own I am realizing that all they want to do is play video games.  So it made me wonder, how can I get my boys, and other kids as well, more interested in books?  I have been doing some research, and this is what I have found.

* Read Aloud to your children!  This is a fun way to get children of any age to enjoy stories.  Try and do voices, or read with accents.  Help them visualize the story by showing pictures, or having them draw their own.  This is also just a great way to spend time with your children. They grow up fast, enjoy it while you can.

* Provide an ample supply of books, magazines, comic books, newspapers, etc...  Anything they enjoy is always better then whatever is playing on TV, or the video game console they want to play.  If they are watching TV consider turning on the Closed Caption so they can read as well as watch.

* Use reading as a "reward system".  I did this during the summer.  My children had to earn video game time by reading or doing chores around the house.  It helped them learn responsibility and got them to read more as well.

* Set an example.  If your children sees you reading, and enjoying it, chances are they will follow suit and love to read as much as you do.

* Visit your local library!  Participate in story time for younger ones, or encourage your older children to get involved in book groups. Let them choose books on their own.  Remember if they are interested in the topic, they will have a better chance of reading it.

* Play a word game in the car. Have each person take a turn reading as many words as he can from
street signs, billboards, store names, garage sale signs, etc. The player reads the words aloud as quickly as he can. It's a fun exercise and even though it's not a book, it gets kids reading.

* If your child likes video games or some other activity, maybe try subscribing to a magazine that goes along with that topic.

* Sometimes kids find it more exciting to read a series, rather than just a single book.  Help them find one that fits their reading level, and interest level.

I know I have only skimmed the surface of this topic, so let me know what has worked for you.  Leave me a comment, and I'll choose a couple to go on my Facebook Page.  www.facebook.com/AliciaRivoli

How to Write for Kids

Tween the Weekends is a monthly feature sponsored by: Emblazon

I love writing for kids!  There is something very rewarding about having a child give you a compliment on your story.  They way their eyes light up as they discuss their favorite character, or my favorite, having someone tell you that their kids started pretending to play a game they made up, using the characters from your books.

However, writing for children isn't easy.  There are certain things you need to make sure you are doing if you choose to write for children.

1.  Decide what age you are targeting.  Sometimes I find that authors have listed their books as a Children's Book, but it's 70K words, and 25 chapters long.  This would more likely be considered a Middle Grade or Young Adult novel.

2.  Watch your language!  Children's books and Middle Grade books are targeting children under 12 years of age.  I can't tell you how many times I have put a book back on the shelf because of foul language.  Just because today's society tells us it's okay to put in a few bad words, doesn't mean you should.  A lot of parents are pre-reading books before they allow their children to read them, myself included, because authors seem to forget the age they are writing for.

3.  Content!  Children love to use their imaginations.  If you are writing a fantasy or fiction book, give them something to try and figure out.  I have found the younger children can imagine the scenery better than older children if you paint a bigger picture. Don't be afraid to be descriptive, as long as you can keep the story flowing.  Don't put in unnecessary information.  Kids get bored quickly.  DO NOT ever put "romantic scenes" in a children or middle grade book! Even when writing Young Adult, less is more!

4.  Artwork is an essential part of writing for children.  The more colorful the better.  If it's a children's book, make sure your artist knows the story. Don't be afraid to tell the artist you don't like something.  If they don't know, how can they fix it.  If you are writing a Middle Grade Novel, it will almost always be judged purely by the cover.  I have watched so many kids, look at the cover of the book, and if it doesn't catch their attention immediately, they put it back on the shelf without ever flipping it over and reading the description on the back.  The spine font is also important.  It needs to stand out among the other hundred books it's sitting next to on the shelf.

5.  If writing non-fiction, make sure you use words that kids can understand.  I find that even ten to twelve year olds are having a difficult time with larger words that they don't hear frequently.  Sometimes it might be necessary to incorporate a definition in the paragraph.

6.  Remember who you are writing for.  You are writing for a child that probably still likes his/her parents to read them a bed time story, or tuck them in at night.

7.  And last but not least...ENJOY your writing!  If you don't like it, neither will your target audience.

I hope that I have helped.  I would love to know what you have discovered in your own writing.  What do you think are the best tips for others writing in this genre?

Book Signing

Hope I see you there!!