There is No Small Call

Today we have guest Kirsten Oliphant! She’s a fabulous female with a love of writing. She’s dived into the self-publishing pool and has every intention of continuing her writing journey in hopes of a traditional route.

 

Today she has agreed to answer some quirky fun questions I know you all love!!!

1.       Which would make you feel more powerful Superman underwear or My Little Pony?

My Little Superman underwear, best of both worlds.

2.       If you were in Wal-Mart during the Zombie Apocalypse what would be your weapon of choice?

So many great choices… I might use the nearest person who looks like they belong on the People of Wal-Mart site.

3.       If you were a block of cheese, what would you look and smell like?

I am all about extremes, which means I’m torn between being a soft, fragrant cheese like Brie or a hard, stinky one like Parmesan.

4.       What makes you love a book?

Voice. Whether it’s a novel with characters who have great voices or a non-fiction book where the author writes with great voice, this is an instant turn-on or turn-off. I can read things that are just so-so, but all the books I love share this in common.

5.       If you could read in a foreign language, which language would you choose?

Elvish

One-Word answers – GO!

1.       E-reader or Paperback? Paperback.

2.       Read on the sofa or read on the grass? Sofa.

3.        Coffee or Coke? Coffee.

4.       How often do you skim a book before reading it? Never.

5.       Favorite book(S)? Franny & Zooey (Salinge), East of Eden (Steinbeck), How to Be Lost (Ward), Sharp Objects (Flynn).

There Is No Small Call is my most recent foray into self-publishing. It is christian non-fiction, a bite-sized book about the big subject of calling. If you have ever wondered about the significance and purpose of your life, this book might provide encouragement. Spoiler alert: you DO have a calling and it is anything but small.

Where can you find this fabulous gal??? Depends on what you're looking for!

$2.99 on Amazon – There is No Small Call
Kiki’s Blog – StillHate Pickles

Twitter it Up - @kikimojo

Why YA?

GUEST POST FUNSIE!!!! Please welcome the adorbs Liesel Hill, whom stopped by for a visit today!

Hello and thank you so much to Jen for hosting me today on Unedited! I’m so excited to be here!

New Adult is essentially the midpoint between YA and Adult. I’ve always heard that it came from people who wanted stories about older (adult) characters but without all the “adult” content that comes with adult books.

Others say it’s simply exploiting the niche between teenage and adult, and many treat NA as “older” teenager, so eighteen or nineteen rather than fifteen or sixteen.

Whatever your definition, we’re seeing this genre emerge more and more.

So why did I go with New Adult?

It wasn’t a conscious decision, at least not in terms of genre. The story I envisioned was simply about adults, so that’s how I wrote it.

My teenaged years weren’t my favorites. I was the kind of teenager that was awkward and introverted. High school wasn’t torturous by any means, but it also wasn’t my favorite time. I immensely preferred college. Doesn’t hurt that I came out of my shell and figured out my calling—writing—which changed my entire outlook. Those two things alone give college brownie points.

I wanted a story where mature, intelligent people have to make difficult decisions about their world. Some of my favorite stories in the world are YA, but I’ve also read a lot of YA I haven’t liked. I didn’t want my story to be centered around adolescent problems. My characters still face major opposition and have romantic encounters, but they will do it with an adult mentality. That’s all. And I prefer it that way. :D

So if you want a story with all the same angst, conflict, and emotion as YA, but with just a bit less adolescent drama, try New Adult. It might surprise you.

 

 

Thanks for stopping in Liesel! I'm super excited about the New Adult trend and look forward to diving into some new original work!!! Any of you diving into the new category? Please stop by her sites and check her out along with her novel!!

Facebook

Twitter

Pinterest

Goodreads Author Page

Goodreads Book Page

Goodreads Giveaway Page

Failed Attempts, Revising, and YOU!

First I should admit that I failed. December I attempted to complete a post a day following the alphabet… I know and you know this did not happen.

My apologies.

What was I doing that allowed me to disappoint my readers?

I was in the editing cave.

Currently I’m working with the fabulous Taryn Albright to make my new MG novel shine. It has not been an easy task but I feel that with her help the revising process has become somewhat enjoyable.

Trust me. I’m just as surprised as you are.

I look forward to the adventure through the editing tunnels and destroying and remaking The Untimely Disappearance of the Sugar Plum Fairy.

This piece will hold the place for several more novels in the Grim Series.

Some fun things around the blogosphere I think you should all be aware of…

Kristin Creative landed an agent. Yeah, she’s that awesome.

The fabulous MG writer, Rose Cooper, has made her way into the Whimsy Stamps family! Check out the Doodle Divas you can now add to your homemade cards!

Taryn Albright is offering her editing services for a reasonable fee. Need manuscript help? Or time perfecting your query? She’s your gal.

Still Moments Publishing is thriving and would love to see your work! I’ve had the pleasure of having three wonderful short stories published through them. They are currently accepting work! If you think your work is up to par, stop by their website and take a peek!

Any news you’d like to share? I love to hear amazing news on the blogosphere! For now, I'm crawling back into the editing cave!

Reasons I Fell for the Funny Fat Friend

I believe this title and cover art (done by the lovely Jolene B Perry) in itself is an introduction. Becca Ann has woven an intriguing tale that comes available January 8th, 2013.

I know several of cramming your 2012 reads into the last few days of the year that are left. Ready to grab the next novel and devour it page by page. Make Reasons I Fell for the Funny Fat Friend one of the first on your list!!!

Goodreads: ADD IT HERE!
Follwer her on FACEBOOK!

To entice you I've attached the blurb:

It’s stupid to fall for your brother’s ex. It’s even worse to enlist another’s help to win the ex over. But Brody is desperate and Hayley, his partner in American Sign Language, is more than willing to lend him a few tips.

She’s the school’s matchmaker,’ and with her bizarre and positive personality, Brody finds her easy to talk to, even about the most awkward situations. Hayley’s tips seem to be working, but as Brody learns more about his matchmaker, he starts finding reasons to spend time with her, and not the girl he thought he was in love with.

But Hayley isn’t ready to fall for anyone. Labeled the “Funny Fat Friend” within her group, her self image makes it impossible for Brody to share his feelings without Hayley shrugging it off as a joke.

Convincing her Brody can, and did, fall for the “Funny Fat Friend” turns out to be harder than simply falling in love.

Oh the sweet smell of romance! I love the concept of this novel. It's a different take on the usual 'girl crushes on popular boy and ends up with nerdy nice guy instead'. Becca Ann turns the whole thing around and makes her own concept. I can't wait to see the love connection between these two grow. It doesn't matter who you are, what you look like, and what you're hobbies are, love will find you when the time is right.

This is me making history, only not

I have several goals for 2013 and I'm going to share them on this here blog to help kick start the new year. I realize it's only the 26th but my hubby and I are staring early.

Here we go.

1 - Improve my Health

I currently live with fibromyalgia (which is why you haven't seen me on the blog a whole lot. I am so exhausted just making it through an eight hour day, that adding in cooking, cleaning, laundry, writing, and blogging becomes beyond difficult).

So what involves the health part you ask...

A. Eat Better (ridding a lot of red meat from my diet).
B. Walk and any form of exercise.
C. Try to rid stress. (Relaxing on the family drama and attempting not to worry about the wait in adoption).

2 - Successfully edit my current MG Novel.

A. Work with Taryn Albright to perfect my novel.
B. Seek advice from Ninja Illustrator, Rose Cooper, for my drawings.
C. Potentially query if good and ready.

These aren't necessarily goals for 2013. After all I'm not big on the whole 'New Years Resolution' Deal but I am big on changing myself to be a better me and the two things above is my starting point.

How about you? Any plans?