NiNoCon Schedule is UP!

Getting excited here, people!

The NiNoCon Schedule is UP!

Also, you can add your email address to Mark's event (the first live event of the day) to receive an email reminder.

Come on over, check out the schedule and join us on Saturday!

On Saturday, Canda at the iWriteNetwork interviewed me. My first time ever!

Listen to internet radio with iWriteNetwork on Blog Talk Radio

motivation? or discouragement?

I have always struggled with my weight, but for most of my life I could hide a few extra pounds pretty well. Not anymore. Losing weight has been a constant struggle. Having fibromyalgia hasn't helped--it's really hard to feel good about exercising when you're already hurting.

Somehow, knowing my sister was also overweight, helped me to feel okay with how I was. "Hey, it's not so bad, Heather's not super fit, either." I know it's stupid, but there you have it.

Well, my sister has betrayed me. She's gone and gotten all "into" exercise. Curves! Yoga! Zumba!

What?

I don't even know her anymore. This is the same sister who commiserated with me about not even having the gumption to go for a walk every day. And now she's going to the gym? Every day?

So I went and ate a chocolate bar. A king sized Symphony bar.

Don't judge. It was really good.

Heather tells me, "When you're my age and you don't have kids home anymore, you can start doing more things for yourself. This is my time now--it'll be your time one day, too!"

Those were really pretty words. And I know she meant well by them. But I know the truth. I have all the time I need to get healthy--I just have to WANT to do it.

I heard Wendy Ulrich say the biggest mistake we make is waiting to be motivated to exercise. She said, motivation follows action. That we should trick the "energy-consuming gremlins in our brain". Act first and we'll find we like it, and then we'll want to act again.

First you have to get up and walk.

Makes sense, right? I mean, that's what Heather did. She started with Curves. A very basic exercise program. She could stop at the gym on the way home. She made it as easy on herself as possible. Now, she's lost some weight, gotten into the habit of regular exercise, and she's discovering her motivation is changing--she's motivated to go work out.

I think this theory applies to virtually everything in life we know is "good for us" but we put off anyway. Guess that's why Nike found so much success with their "Just Do It" campaign. Because that's the real secret to success--it's not having the great body, or the super computer brain; it's putting your feet on the path toward the place you want to go. It's putting action before motivation.

Heather hasn't betrayed me--she's enabled me to see that tough things can be overcome, even when you're OLD! (Yeah you're older than me, Heather! There will always be that!)

Have you ever gotten somewhere worth going by putting action before motivation?

Or do you always wait to be inspired before you act?

narley ninja Julie Baker Hansen!

Today's awesome #narleyninja is Julie Baker Hansen! I always smile when I talk to Julie ~ she just radiates fun and happiness--and rocks some seriously positive kick-butt attitude. 


Julie's going to talk to us about Warming Up today, or how she get ready to write.

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T-shirts are acceptable. Sweat pants are a must. Curling up on the couch to write just can’t be done in skinny jeans. Know what I’m saying?

Okay. Second, Diet Coke. Non negotiable.

Third, a clean house. I know. Weird, right? For some reason I can’t get my thoughts organized enough to write when everything else isn’t organized too. This is—quite possibly—a byproduct of some kind of latent obsessive-compulsive disorder I have.

Fourth, looking at pictures of places I reference in my book, and photos I think my characters look like, etc. Picking out the details in photos helps me to convert them into my writing.

One thing I DON’T like? Listening to music. Another weirdo thing, I think. Unless its wordLESS music. I start mouthing the words if I listen to anything with lyrics. A total distraction! I settle for a little Hans Zimmer with a splash of Beethoven if background noise is required!

I graduated with a BA in history [yay!], and music minor [woot, woot!] from Brigham Young University in 2008, where I also got to go on a rock awesome study abroad to London [OH YEAH!]. After getting law school out of the way at the University of Nebraska, I made my way into the big bright world of attorney-ing.

Oh. And you should know. I’m totally a legal ninja.

Yes, it is true. For those young grasshoppas not aware, the legal ninja is a stealthy first cousin to the writing ninja. This is because both are hermits, live off of large amounts of caffeine, and can be found huddled behind a lap top . . . well . . . 90% of our waking hours!

That, and pulling awesome ninja moves . . . like this one [insert legal ninja picture].

Speaking of writing ninjas . . . I love to write! I have a long history of trying (and failing) to write books. Until recently, the only one I ever finished was called Treasure Island (original, I know) that I wrote it in a spiral bound notebook at age 7.

Don’t judge. My mom was proud.

Now that I’m a big girl, I write YA! My first novel, Keepers of the Flame, is an exciting pre dystopian political thriller, in which the United States is on the brink of a second revolutionary war. While an evil dude named Elias threatens to tear the country apart, my main characters (twins) Essie and Ethan join the rebel band of Constitutionalists, to save the country they love!

Put your hand over your heart. You know you’re feeling patriotic right now. Heehee.

Although I haven’t been signed, I’m working with an agent to get another draft of Keepers into tiptop shape! Fingers crossed it all works out.

I also enjoy writing about mermaids. Cause really? Why should we limit ourselves to one genre? I’ll take ALL the frozen yogurt flavors over just one, thank you very much!

♥ ♥ ♥

I love that Julie is writing a patriotic YA novel! Congrats on the agent-interest, Julie. Be sure to let us know how that goes!


I love giving shout-outs to ninja writers! Just go to the dojo page and sign up on the linky ~ you'll become a narley ninja too, and will have your day here on the blog! I also cross-post on the ninjas write site, which is kind of a quite place right now, but after NiNoCon in February, I'm sure it won't be quiet for long!


If you would like to be a contributor to Ninjas Write, please check out this post for information!

How do you set the stage for an excellent writing session?

And ... #ninjachat this afternoon,
2 pm MST, here at my uchi!

become & #YABookChat

Next week my fabulous friend Christine Fonseca is releasing her novella DIES IRAE (Compass Press 02/01/12). It's an amazing story that sets the stage for her full length novel LACRIMOSA (Compass Press) due to take over the world in March.

I've had the privilege of reading both books and I can tell you that they are so beautiful. Deep, daring, thought-provoking, and oh-so-beautifully written. 

On February 1st, Tiff at #YABookChat is hosting both Christine and I as we'll dig in for a talk about angels and demons and the books that have them--namely DIES IRAE and BECOME.

So, I wanted to give you the opportunity to ask questions of Christine and I in advance. If we don't have the opportunity to answer them during the chat, I'll answer the questions I can, here on my blog. Don't be shy--you can ask anything; and I promise to at least seriously consider answering every one. ;)

LemonadeMouth Rap!

Think you can't express yourself, be your own man (or woman), when you're an author? Think you need to write about, think about, and be all about writing?

As Wayne of Wayne's World would say, "Shah!"

You can't tell me this guy is worried about what other people think:.


That's the awesome Mark Peter Hughes, author of LEMONADE MOUTH, which Disney made into a TV movie that aired this past summer. Mark's one of our awesome presenters at NiNoCon, Saturday, February 4th!

Come to www.ninjaswrite.com, Saturday, February 4th, 11:00 a.m. EST to meet Mark and learn about all the ways he thinks outside the box to be the awesome and successful author that he is.

narley ninja Laura Campbell!

Today's awesome #narleyninja is Laura Campbell! I'm excited for this opportunity to hear from Laura because I don't know her terribly well. I need to fix that because this girl is awesome!

Laura's tackling the topic of Forms & Techniques--how we can stay focused and committed to our writing goals.

♥ ♥ ♥ 

With art, comes discipline. Discipline means putting words down on paper EVERYDAY for a writer. This isn’t the easiest thing for me to do, especially when my moods change day to day, which tend to block my creative flow. In order for me to maintain a successful writing routine I need to find a way around my moods and into my writing. I’ve collected a few techniques for tackling my moods along my journey.


My most successful technique is writing as soon as I wake up. My computer is set up in my room, so I just get out of bed and sit down. This way the TV, food or dirty dishes downstairs do not distract me. The next step is to quiet the list of tasks and errands for that day crowding my mind by writing them down in a list and meditating. I usually listen to Asian Serenity or The Zen Meditation and focus on my breathing.


Another strategy I use is writing a specific amount of words every day, leaving off when I’ve reached that goal. This way my creative flow is on pause, ready to push play the next day without any problems.


Sometimes, I find myself stuck in my story; unsure where the character or plot needs to go. Taking a walk helps force the fresh air into my brain. The exercise gets my blood flowing, which allows me to think out my story. Or, I can just completely relocate my writing area to a bookstore, library, park, etc. The change in scenery will often wake up my creativity.


No matter how I warm up to write, my strategies differ for each obstacle. They continuously evolve to meet new roadblocks I manage to create. And most of all, I try not to be too hard on myself.

~ ♥ ~

Isn't she OMG cute? Love her smile :)

I’m officially a professional writer, now that I’m getting paid as a copywriter at Yellowbook. Creating and writing everyday in a production environment has its challenges, but it’s very satisfying. Before that I taught 7th and 8th grade English for two years. Fill in all the gaps with unemployment for a year and a half, bartending and serving and college (Penn State University and Holy Family University). 


My writing tends to be in the realm of Women’s Fiction, mysteries and the macabre. Many of my characters have a little bit of me in them; writing is the cheapest therapy around. I write out all the darkness inside me, so I can smile. My current WIP is about a 27-year-old Aldi cashier, Tricia, who is forced to deal with her past in order to move forward with her future with her boyfriend, John. The idea evolved from a writing prompt about a mysterious letter.

Show Laura some ninja love ...

blog | twitter

♥ ♥ ♥

I love hearing what works for other writers, and to have the chance to give a loud huzzah for other writers. I want to shout for you too! Just go to the dojo page and sign up on the linky ~ you'll become a narley ninja too, and will have your day here on the blog! I also cross-post on the ninjas write site, which is kind of a quite place right now, but after NiNoCon in February, I'm sure it won't be quiet for long!


If you would like to be a contributor to Ninjas Write, please check out this post for information!

So tell me, how do you stay committed
to your writing goals?

Don't forget, #ninjachat this afternoon,
2 pm MST, here at the blog!

calling all wannabe query ninjas!

I am going slightly (fine, seriously) insane these days. Please forgive me for not being whatever it is I usually am that makes you come back to my blog--these days I'm lucky to get up in the morning and be semi functional.

BUT, maybe you'll forgive me, if I come offering gifts?

How about an opportunity to have your query critiqued by the query ninja herself, Elana Johnson?!

Elana will be presenting at NiNoCon, talking about how to write a query that kicks butt and gets you noticed by the agent of your dreams. A handful of lucky people will receive a personalized, live critique of their query!

NiNoCon is Saturday, February 4th.

If you'd like your query critiqued, email it to me, under the subject QUERY (if you'd like to remain anonymous should your query be chosen, no problem, but please provide your name in the email to me). I'll let Elana determine how many and which critiques she tackles during the conference. If you can't make the live event, no worries--there will be transcripts! Of course, you'll get the most out of it if you're there and can chat with Elana yourself.

So get to work, people! We're gonna make some query ninjas out of you!