Check it out!

My rocking CP Emily King is hosting a super fun blog hop with Tammy and their lovely assistant David Spade!

You can check out the details HERE or HERE :)

What can go wrong if David Spade is involved?

-Angie

Summer Fact or Fiction Reveal

This was so much fun and freaking HARD. Most of your stories were a total guess for me. They were so well written and fun. So here is my truth:

  

Monday—Lollipop Story: TRUE! I was holding my sister Bethanie’s hand while we watched the parade at Disneyland. I was 10 and she was 5. When I looked down she was gone! She has slipped away in the crowd to buy a lollipop. I was in so much trouble :)

Wednesday—Tiger Sharks: FALSE! But this story is mostly true. The only difference is there were dolphins swimming by us and not sharks. SO COOL!

I can’t wait to get around and see what you all have :)

-Angie

Summer Fact or Fiction Part One

Such a fun bloghop! Thanks Emily and Melodie. Here is mine…

The Lollipop

 by I Should Be Folding Laundry   

            It’s just the thing I want.

            I can see the giant lollypop right in the doorway of the shop. Its brightly colored swirls make my mouth water. Mickey and his friends stare at me from the wrapper. They’re just daring me to eat them!

            I’m holding Angie’s hand while the crowd pushes around us. But Mom told us to wait here. The worst part of being in a family with five kids is waiting.

            “Angie, I want to go in there.” I pull on her hand and point at the shop.

            “No way,” she says. “Mom told us to wait.”

            Now I start pouting. It’s not fair. I still have five dollars. Five—whole—dollars! I could probably buy a million giant lollypops.

            Mom is taking my sisters to the bathroom. They will take f-o-r-e-v-e-r!

            There are lots of people here. Angie’s watching the parade, but I’m too short. All I can see are lines of bums, fanny packs, and strollers. She lets go of my hand and starts clapping. When it drops back to her side—I don’t grab it.

            I’ll be really fast. She won’t even know I left.  I wait for a second to see if she will notice she doesn’t have my hand.

             She doesn’t.

            I take a small step back to see if she will notice.

            She doesn’t.

            Then before she can stop me, I turn and run. 

Hehehehe J Is it truth or fiction?

-Angie

Crafting Corner—POV

Do you have a favorite Point of View? Do you find yourself writing better in one or another? Or are you like lots of writers and you aren’t sure which one to pick. Here are a few thoughts.

Third Person Omniscient: The narrator knows the thoughts and feelings of all the characters, and usually jumps from character to character to tell the story. I like to think of this kind of like God’s POV—I hope that didn’t sound blasphemous.

Pro: Because you are not limited to one character this POV works well for epic stories or stories that need to be told from multiple POV’s. It is also the only POV where you can foreshadow with phrases like, “Little did they know what grave events were about to transpire.”

Cons: With so many characters in the mix sometimes it is hard to pin point the Protagonist, and your story can feel unfocused. Because you aren’t tightly into one characters head this POV will often feel more “told” than the others. And if the narrative is too distant it can make readers feel disconnected—telling of feelings instead to making readers live them.

Something to think about:  Remember that every character you use to tell the POV needs to have a character arch. That gets tricky. I’ve heard NEVER to use more than four.

Examples: Lord of the Rings, Anna Karenina, The Westing Game

Third Person Limited: The story is told from one—maybe two—characters POV. Usually you are in one character’s head and only see the other characters externally.

Pros: With third person limited you have more freedom that first person. You can write scenes that the protagonist isn’t in. It can give you a more complete story view.

Cons: It is easy to POV shift in this POV. You have to remember that you can’t know any feelings or information that the current POV doesn’t know.

Something to think about: You CANNOT head jump in this POV. You can only switch POV at a scene break or chapter break.

Examples: Harry Potter, Chronicles of Narnia, For Whom the Bell Tolls

First Person: The protagonist is the narrator. The story is told as “I”.

Pros: This POV has a very immediate feel. The reader is right in the action, and. you actually “live” the story.

Cons: Sometimes it can be hard to remember that you can’t “tell” how a character feels in this POV. For example a character would never think, “I feel sad” they would just cry. You MUST show thoughts through actions.

Something to think about: Your story is limited you what the main character knows and that is all! You can’t let them have more knowledge than they would naturally have.

Examples: Twilight, The Hunger Games, Matched

What is your WIP and why did you choose it?

-Angie 

Save the last Dance…

Yes that is a Phantom of the Opera theme. Classy!

Oh how I wish I had a hilarious dance story to tell you all, but the truth is I only remember one of my High School dances (even though I went to them all :).

This is a picture of my first prom. I went as a Sophomore (16 years old) and I was SOOO excited. Who wouldn’t be excited to go to a dance dressed in aqua blue tinfoil?

I don’t remember the dance as much as I remember dinner. My dress was beyond freaking tight. It had boning in the bodice and I could barely zip it up. It did help me have excellent posture, though.

So I’m in this crazy constrictive dress at the fanciest restaurant in Pocatello Idaho (this happens to be out at the airport, weird I know). But I can barely breathe let alone eat. I think my date (Cody Behrend) thought I was nervous or didn’t like the food, but in reality it was a choice between air and food. Hard choice.

When I couldn’t take the oxygen restriction anymore I dragged my friend (this was a double date, of course) to the bathroom so she could unzip me and I could get a few deep breaths in.

So the night went something like this—Eat. Run to the bathroom. Eat. Run to the bathroom. Dance. Run to the bathroom. Dance. Run to the bathroom.

LOL! I didn’t realize until just now how weird that was. Cody must have thought I had a personal bathroom problem. Bawahaha!

So there you have it—my best dance story and proof that at one point in my life I was skinny :) Thanks Emily and Kelley! Super fun blogfest.

-Angie

Every Authors Dream

Besides being published, don’t you think every author would love to see their book made into a movie? I do.

It’s so much fun that Kyra Lennon and Rachel Schieffelbien are co-hosting this blogfest.

Rules:

Post pictures of the actors you would like to play characters from your book (how many is up to you). And post a song that best describes a character or your story as a whole. Fun, right!!!

This was so much harder than I thought it would be! Holy cow, Taggert was difficult for me. I looked forever!!! I think it’s because no actor was a perfect fit with how I see him. I also don't love Glee so that ruined things a bit, but Chord Overstreet is a good fit.


I picked 5 characters—the ones I love and hate the most :)

Jocelyn

Quite—Reserved—Kind.

Life circumstances have left her broken,

 but she has an inner strength that will ultimately win out.

Taggert

Charming—Risk Taker—Smart.

Unable to see his weaknesses, he hopes charm and intelligence will make up for them.

Breck

Funny—Loyal—Capable.

He’s always there to fix Taggert’s mistakes. Now, if he would just fix his own.

Leeci

Feisty—Independent—Unforgiving. 

She can be your best friend or worst ememy—your choice.

Prince Zven

Powerful—Cruel—Manipulative.

Best advice—stay away. No one lives to cross Prince Zven.

Soundtrack

I had an easier time picking a song, even though I don’t really use music as inspiration. The Reason by Hoobastank perfectly captures the twist in my story. I won’t tell you who it’s about, but my beta readers know. You’ll have to take their word for it :) I don't love the video, but I love the song!

Thanks again Kyra and Rachel. This was so much fun.

-Angie

Bloghop—More Kissing PLEASE!

I’m taking a break from “Won’t You Be My Neighbor” today to participate in Cassie and Hope’s “It’s Getting Hot in Here” blophop. But make sure you come back next week because the fabulous Jolene Perry will be here—and she really is fabulous :)

Here is a little kissing scene from my MS. I love a kissing scene from the male POV. Enjoy :)

  

            “I would’ve brought you along. You don’t need to charm me.” Taggert chuckled. 

            “Great!” Jocelyn’s face brightened as she moved away to get her cloak.

            He snatched her softly by the wrist. “Wait. I didn’t say I don’t want you to charm me.” He smiled as he pulled closer.

            Everything about Jocelyn was soft—from the spread of dark eyelashes on her cheeks to the sweep of her neck. Taggert ran his hands down her sides and stopped at the turn in her hips. He sat in the chair and drew her onto his lap.

            His lips grazed the perfect skin of her collarbone and her quiet breathing brushed through his hair as she kissed his forehead. He could think of nothing but how every curve of her fit next to him. I want to stay like this forever.

            Jocelyn ran her fingers through his hair and everywhere she touched him—his skin sang.

            “I love your hair,” she murmured. “The color reminds me of honey.”

            He kissed her chin and then slowly moved up her jaw to the delicate skin behind her ear. “You remind me of honey.”

            Jocelyn started to laugh, but he stopped her mouth with his. He kissed her slow and soft. He wanted to remember each movement—each second.

            She sighed and sunk deeper into him.

            She wants to be here. His heart flipped in his chest.

            Taggert reached his calloused hands to her face. Her skin was so hot he thought she might melt beneath his touch.

            Then her lips parted slightly and her tongue brushed his bottom lip. A jolt rocked his body. This is better than laughing—better than strategy—better than danger—better than life.

            Taggert kissed Jocelyn harder and faster now, and she returned each kiss. The world was a perfect tangle—the smell of her hair, the taste of her lips, the sound of her ragged breathing, the touch of her small hands on his back—every second better than the last.

            Jocelyn drew back from him—breathless. His wild heartbeat echoed the rise and fall of her shoulders.

  

Fun stuff! Happy Valentines Day! Now I’m off to find my hubby ;)

-Angie

I’m Hearing Voices—WINNERS

Skipping “Lessons in Storytelling” today, because I have news…

Okay, so first off let me just say—YOU ALL ROCK! This was so fun for me and Cassie. We loved ALL of your entries! We read lots of excellent writing, amazing premises, and incredible characters!

Cassie and I emailed…and emailed…and emailed, trying to pick the winners. It was SO hard because we wanted to pick so many of you :) And I’m not even joking.

So because you are all so great Cassie and I are offering a prize to you all. Email us the first 250 words of your WIP or MS and we will give you a critique! But we have a deadline—email us by Friday the 17^th. See we're all winners! (Our emails are at the bottom of the post)

Now on to the prizes (and we had to give a shout out to the top three, because you were all awesomeness dipped in chocolate :)

Day 1—Characters on the Couch

Angie’s Winner: Elizabeth @ Use Your Words

Angie’s Runner ups: Tyson @ Frost Lord and Roland @ Writing in the Crosshairs

Cassie’s Winner: Sarah @ Sarah Ahiers Writes
Cassie’s Runner ups: Tyson @ FrostLord and Elizabeth @ UseYour Words

Elizabeth has won a book from me and Sarah has won a book from Cassie. Will you both email us so we can get your info (our emails are at the bottom of this post)


Day 2—Dialog Introduction

Angie’s Winner: Jess @ Ink Spot Plot

Angie’s Runner ups: Lisa @ The Word Nerd and Jackie @ Bouquet of Books

Cassie’s Winner: Rachel @ Writing on the Wall
Cassie’s Runner ups: Emily @ Emily R. King and Justin @ InMy Write Mind

Jess has won a 20 page and query critique from me. Rachel has won a 20 page and query critique from Cassie. Will you both email us so we can get your info (our emails are at the bottom of this post)

Day 3—Emotion Flash Fiction

Angie’s Winner: Justin @ In My Write Mind
Angie’s Runner ups:  Kelley @ Betweenthe Bookends and Sharron @ The Blue Word
(Honestly anyone in my top 10 could have won!)

Cassie’s Winner: Emily @ Emily R. King
Cassie’s Runner ups: Justin @ In My Write Mind and Tasha @ Tasha Seegmiller
(Also Lisa @ Lisa the Word Nerd )

Justin has won a FULL critique from me. Emily has won FULL critique from Cassie. Will you both email us so we can get your info (our emails are at the bottom of this post)

Thanks to everyone who participated!  This was so much fun! Cassie and I are thinking of making it an annual thing :) What do you think?

-Angie

Angie email: dangelinacothran@gmail.com

Cassie’s email: cassiemcook@gmail.com 

I’m Hearing Voices Week

I am beyond excited that so many of you have signed up for I’m Hearing Voices Blogfest! Cassie and I are both blown away. Thanks so much for participating.

I need time to read all your amazing posts, so instead of posting myself this week I’m off to visit all of you.

Also, check out each others posts. I’m expecting great things :)

-Angie

I’m Hearing Voices—Character Blogfest

I’ve been blogging for seven months. I haven’t decided yet whether that feels long or short :) I’ve met so many great people and made unexpected friendships (Wow, this sounds like a eulogy—it’s not).

I thought it was about time I hosted a blogfest. Now, technically this was Cassie’s (Reading, Writing, and Lovin' It!) idea, so we are going to co-host.

Every great story has great characters! So this blogfest is designed to help us flex our character writing muscles through three separate blog posts.

The Posts:

February 6th - Monday: Characters on the couch: Have one of your characters answer the following questions (to make this work to your benefit, choose a character who is the hardest for you to write :) Max 250 words (Not including the questions—only the answers). 

1. What is your biggest vulnerability? Do others know this or is it a secret?
2. What do people believe about you that is false?
3. What would your best friend say is your fatal flaw? Why?
4. What would the same friend say is your one redeeming quality? Why?
5. What do you want most? What will you do to get it? 

February 8th - Wednesday - Dialogue Introduction: Have two characters introduce each other using only dialogue—no backstory, no internalization, just dialogue between the two. Max 250 words.

February 10th - Friday - Emotion Flash Fiction: Emotion is the engine of a story. Pick an emotion and in a flash fiction piece of 250 words MAKE us feel it! We want to connect with your character. This will be a challenge in 250 words.

The Prizes: 

Cassie and I decided to pick two winners for each day:

Monday’s Prize’s—

• From me: The Color Code by Taylor Hartman—this book is a fantastic study of personality. It’s simple, easy to follow, and will give you tons of insight into how different personalities interact. I use it all the time. I don't normally like non-fiction, but this is one of my favorites. See description here.

• From Cassie:  Nightshade by Andrea Cremer.  You can check out the description from Goodreads here.  This book so far has been the only book to make me fall for both male leads.  The characters' flaws and their strengths kept pulling me in two different directions the entire way through.  

Wednesday’s Prize—

• From me: A query critique and first 20 page critique.
• From Cassie: A query critique and first 20 page critique. 

Friday’s Prize—

• From me: A full manuscript critique.
• From Cassie: A full manuscript critique.

How to enter:

1. Add your name to the link below
2. Follow Cassie
3. Follow Me—If we don’t already, we will follow you back J
4. Post about the blogfest sometime by January 30^th
5. You don’t have to, but we would love you to grab our button and add it to your side bar. 

There you go. Easy peasy lemon squeezy. Come join the fun. It will be awesome!

-Angie

For my kids :)

Leigh Covington, David Powers, and J. A. Bennett are having a fun blog hop. Check itout here.

Here’s my entry—for my kids :)

            If we’re quiet Mom and Dad will never know. How can they think I’ll wait until six o’clock to see what Santa brought?

            It’s not fair. They’re my presents after all.

            “Do you think we should do it?” my brother McKay asks.

            “Yes…no…maybe. I don’t know.” I flop back on my bed. All this thinking is making me tired.

            The clock blinks…4:01…4:01…4:02.       

            My sister rolls over in her sleeping bag. She’s snoring again. She’s even loud in her sleep.
            McKay starts laughing.

            “Shush,” I tell him.

            “Should we do it?” He asks swinging his footie pajama feet onto the floor, careful not to step on Sis.

            I look at him.

            He looks at me.

            We both smile.

            We’re brothers so I know what he’s thinking.

            We’re out the door and through the hall—too fast to be quiet.

   “Shush,” we both say together.

            We pause at the top of the stairs

            We’re supposed to wait here and at 6:00 a.m. Mom and Dad will come get us. It’s tradition. Just like all the kids sleeping in the same room is tradition.

            I want to start my own tradition. Sneaking to look at my presents. That’s my kind of tradition.

            “Okay, be quiet,” I tell McKay.

            The stairs squeak, and it sounds like screaming. Why is nothing quiet when you need it to be? Stairs? Sisters?

            I can see the lit tree. Now my heart is racing…then I see a shadow.

            “Hey boys. Whatcha doing?”

It’s not to late to join. Get in on the fun. Thanks Abby :)

-Angie

Killer Characters: When the whole world is against you!

I had a hard time deciding what Antagonist to write about—there are just so many great ones. But the more I thought about it, the more I narrowed in on the antag that always makes me feel the most hopelessness…

The corrupt society antagonist. This antag shows up in almost every dystopian novel. The reason it’s so chilling is because—EVERYTHING is against the protag: the government, the way people think, the entire culture, usually their families, etc.

The man vs. society dynamic is so daunting. How will the protag beat an entire culture? The conflict is huge! I think this antag resonates because we have all felt like the entire world was against us. Heck, I felt like that just this week :)

Here are some of my favorites:

Matched by Ally Condie—For Cassia to be with the boy she loves, she is must find a way to fight through a corrupt system that won’t let her choose.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins—Katniss can’t protect the people she loves unless she can find a way to take down the Capital.

The Uglies by Scott Westerfeld—Tally must make a choice that in her world will make her an outcast forever.

I wanted to pick more great Antags, but here are a few honorable mentions: Sauron (Lord of the Rings), Professor Umbrage (Harry Potter), the White Witch (Narnia), and Saint Dane (Pendragon).

What about you? Who are your favorite Antagonists?

-Angie

If you want to check out the other Killer Character entries—click here. Thanks Deana and Emily :) This was so fun.

2 Cool Contests

The lovely Abby Fowers is having a contest over at her blog—Something to Write About. 

She needs help coming up with a pen name, and she’s prepared to offer a great prize (signed copy of Possession by Elana Johnson) to the person who comes up with the best name. 

Abby is funny and spunky, and she needs a pen name that fits her. Interested? Go check it out.

Have you heard of inkPageant yet? It's an amazing new site where you can access great writing advice from other bloggers. Sign up and you can add your own amazing posts for others to read :) This is a great way to find new followers and get great writing tips.

They are having a contest in October and giving away 3 Amazon gift cards. Who doesn’t want that?—click here for more details.

Hope you all have a fantastic day :)

-Angie

Killer Characters: “Had you behaved in a more gentleman like manner…”

I know…I know, I’m not being super original, but I can’t help it—Elizabeth Bennet is my favorite Protagonist. A great protag is one you can root for, identify with, wish you were—and come on, who doesn’t want a little attention from Mr. Darcy?

What makes Elizabeth so amazing? Don’t worry…I’m going to tell you :)

• Brave—It’s easy for us to make choices when we can get a job and live however we want. But Elizabeth can’t. She must be brave and trust that following her heart is the right choice.
• Humble—She may get love wrong at first but when she finally figures it out she isn't too proud to admit it. I will say that she doesn't start out like this.
• Witty—I would hate to be in a battle of wits with Elizabeth. I would lose for sure. Don’t you just love smart funny women? There aren’t enough of them in literature. Let’s write some :)
• Unwavering—Elizabeth may change her opinion about Darcy and Wickham, but she never compromises her morals.
• Loyal—She stands by her family even though sometimes they are ridiculous. Didn’t you just cringe when Lydia made her sisters walk behind her?
• Flawed—Perfect protags are boring! Elizabeth is far from perfect. She is judgmental, proud, sometimes oblivious, stubborn, and stuck up. The great thing about flaws it that they balance out a character. 

So what about it? Who are your favorite literary Protagonists? Want to see the other entries—click here.

-Angie

Killer Characters: “Don’t go where I can’t follow”

I have a soft spot for supporting characters—they never get the praise they deserve. Without the grounding supporting character, our heroes would wander around angsty and aimless.

This was an easy pick for me. My favorite supporting character of all time is Samwise Gamgee. He’s amazing! Sam completely encompasses this idea—the best supporting character’s really a hero in disguise.

Why I love Sam

• Loyal—Sam defines this word. He never wavers in his loyalty. He would die for Frodo. I’m sure he thought at times he would.
• Brave—He fights again and again, even when hobbits are not known for their bravery.
• Supportive—I love Frodo, but without Sam everything would have been lost.
• Determined—He NEVER gives up. Frodo is getting into the Mount of Doom—even if Sam has to carry him!
• Funny—Sam makes me laugh, and that’s always a plus.
• Chief—Sam is always cooking :) I want to travel Middle Earth with someone who will make me dinner. I wonder if my kids would be so picky if Sam cooked them dinner? 

I have another funny reason why I love Sam. The actor Sean Astin looks a little like my husband J  When my hubby was growing up in California people used to think he was Sean Astin. LOL!

Got any favorite supporting characters? If you want to check out the other entries in Deana and Emily’s Killer Characters Blogfest—click here. Come back Wednesday for Killer Characters: Protagonists.

-Angie

On the beach...

          He is kissing me like he always does, but there is no spark—no life on my lips.

          My mind wanders through fabricated words, searching for the perfect one to describe this moment—synbatec… wastopanner…tacise?

          No. 
          None of these words is right.

          Nothing is right.

          I close my eyes tighter and command myself to sink further into him, but all I notice is rough sand between my toes. The feelings he once stirred are gone, and I can’t bring them back.

          I taste my cherry chap stick on his lips, and I think about changing to strawberry. Maybe that would help—probably not.

          As he pulls away slowly, the sunrise is reflected in his muddy eyes—the once bright colors muted and sad.

          The odor of sun-ripened fish reaches from behind me, but he doesn’t seem to notice the smell as he strokes my cheek.

          He is speaking to me. I know he is, because I can see his lips moving, but the sound of salty waves crash around me, drowning out his words.

          But it doesn’t matter. I understand what he is asking me.

          “Yes,” I say forcing a smile. “I will marry you.”

Welcome to Rachel Harries Third Campaigner Challenge—Show notTell. How fun! Here are the rules:

Write a blog post in 300 words or less, excluding the title. The post can be in any format, whether flash fiction, non-fiction, humorous blog musings, poem, etc. The blog post should show:

·                     that it’s morning, 

·                     that a man or a woman (or both) is at the beach

·                     that the MC (main character) is bored

·                     that something stinks behind where he/she is sitting

·                     that something surprising happens.

Just for fun, see if you can involve all five senses AND include these random words: "synbatec," "wastopaneer," and "tacise."   (NB. these words are completely made up and are not intended to have any meaning other than the one you give them).

Thanks for stopping by. I'm number 24 :)

-Angie