Tag Archives: artists

“Artists, Sex, and Inspiration” A Guest Post on Queen of All She Reads (Book Tour Day 3)

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KissDay 3 of 10! This is my third guest post on the book tour for my new novel Permanent Spring Showers.  I have already had two different guest posts for the tour (you can find links here and here). I’ve spoken about writing and spring, now for something a little… different.

Today, I am on Queen of All She Reads discussing the arts and… well… sex. The post is entitled “Artists, Sex, and Inspiration: The Importance of Passion in Permanent Spring Showers.” Here is an excerpt from the beginning:

Vince is a charismatic young painter. He can lose days lost in inspiration. His hands are usually covered in paint or clay, and his clothes may be stained with work and sweat. And yet, even then he still looks good, because of the charisma and passion and inspiration propelling him forward. Vince has an energy most of us can only dream of.

Vince lives each day to the fullest. Carpe diem has nothing on Vince. Life is almost as much a work of art as the creations that drive him. A day with Vince is a day lost in ideas, theories, deep conversations, and art. It could almost be considered a mini-vacation from the stress of everyday life.

Vince is sexy, with his intense eyes and unwavering convection on everything. Many women in the new novel Permanent Spring Showers are fascinated with him (as well as one of the men). Some act on it, some regret that they acted on it, and others won’t even admit to dreaming about him. Still it is there.

You can read the rest of the post here.

There is also a brief excerpt from my new novel, as well as a giveaway that will be Permanent Spring Showersrunning throughout the tour to win a copy of the book. Wait! Hold the phone… or iPhone… or browser…

The eBook of Permanent Spring Showers will be on sale during the tour! It is on sale for only $1.99. So there is no better time to grab a copy! You can find it on amazon for Kindle here and for the NOOK here.

 

My Adventure in Self-Publishing: Back Covers, Conversions and Timeframe

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The final cover by Brina Williamson, http://brinawilliamson.com/

The final cover by Brina Williamson, http://brinawilliamson.com/

An author is always more than an author.

An author creates worlds, gives birth, administers death; in some works many, many times over. They are the judge, the jury, and the attorneys arguing both sides in a case. They are the royalty deciding mercy and the peasants pleading for it. They can be everything for their characters (making all their dreams come true), or more harshly nothing at all. They are the beginning and the end.

But beyond these awesome “god-like” powers, for me, I am also an actor.

An actor?

Well, no not really. I can’t really act at all, but whenever I am in the wonderful position of “locking down” a novel I read the entire work out loud. It’s my secret “hat” I like to wear. Scott the one-man show, and in the performance I “ feel” each character, each line, and each description. For if the voice is right throughout, I know it will feel that way for the reader as well. It is a practice I highly recommend to all writers.

That is where I am right now with the book I am self-publishing, Maximilian Standforth and the Case of the Dangerous Dare.

Watch out Sir Laurence Olivier! Continue reading →

Hidden Away: The Marvel of Disappearing Writers

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Covered in dustIt takes courage to be an artist.

Many people don’t realize this in that first moment they pick up a pen or paintbrush, but they are put on display with the creation the second of its completion.

My favorite example of what I mean comes from being married to a dancer and choreographer. See, when a dancer performs, especially in a piece that they have created, their audience is watching many things.

Yes, the hope is that the audience is focused on the artistic performance, expression and emotional message of the piece, but an audience does so much more than that. They also may compare the dancers in the piece (which are better, which are worse), they might try to find the artist’s personality in it, they may look for mistakes, they may even study the bodies of the dancers. Of all of the art forms, this is in my opinion the most exposed and bravest.

But when you are writing a book, in the beginning you are alone, probably sitting in front of a desk someplace, a large drink with caffeine right nearby (well, that is me); it’s hard to remember that the real world is out there. However, it is out there and if your creation finds an audience, the audience will find you…. Continue reading →

Greetings, My 97 Followers! Come In & Say Hi!

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One of the wonderful surprises I never considered before starting this blog up in January was the collecting of followers.

(For those that are not in the know, you can become a follower of a site/blog like this by adding your e-mail into the box on the left above the “Good Reads” option, and below the “other Sites of Interest.” You will get an e-mail each time an article is posted, or if you are a member of WordPress you can catch up on the blogs you follow via your own main WordPress login page.)

Since January, I have collected 97 followers, and it is… okay this may sound like an everyday adjective but truly I mean it when I say it is “awesome.”

So why is this so much fun for me, my followers? Because frankly how diverse all of you are and how cool and passionate each of you are about your own interests.

I check out my followers’ sites from time to time and I have everything from musicians to dancers to photographers to writers (fiction to nonfiction) to fellow hip parents to even one person who is checking off the points on her bucket list.

Yes, when I have free time, I occasionally visit each of your sites, wondering what is going on, happy to know that this person enjoys my writing. You guys help the old ego in a major way!

Anyway, to celebrate the fact I am almost at 100, I thought it might be fun to have a post like this… Consider it a cyber “meet and greet.”

Let’s do it like this:  In the comments section below, if you want, leave a comment and description about your own site (if you have one), introduce yourself to the other followers and readers (who knows? other followers might join your site as well). Share with us your dream for your own site. I would love to hear from you.

And thanks, of course, for following my site and writing! Cheers!

My Mad Genius Moment

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Every artist has a mad genius moment in their past that they can point to…. And if they can’t, chances are they are still in the midst of it.

My mad genius moment came when I had turned thirty. Let me paint the scene- my wife was in grad school; I was working a lousy evening temp job which made it so I only saw her one to two hours a day, if at all; my literary agent at the time was still uncertain how to represent my books, which I truly loved and thought should have been published yesterday; I was continuously hitting walls when I applied for creative writing positions on the college level; and I was turning thirty, which kept reminding me of how many writers and poets said the best work was created by people in their 20’s…. AHHHHH!!!

For any artist, feeling this level of burden and frustration, how could I not put the white lab coat on, mess up my hair and laugh loudly and evilly?

What came out of my mad genius moment is a book that will probably never be published. It is called Maxmillian Standforth and the Case of the Dangerous Dare. Continue reading →