Follow Me Tour: Botswana here we come!

Yep, it is time for one of those again! But this time I am not travelling for work, nor am I travelling in my own country. Nope, Francois and I are going on holiday in Botswana, one of our neighbouring countries.

When he came with the idea of going on a Photographic Safari, my first thought was, yeah, so?

You have to understand, he does this ALL the time. A weekend here. A week there. Drakensberg. The Rigtersveld. Clarens. You name it, he has been there, and got the photographs to show for it.

Arching my eyebrows, I had to ask...and?

The succinct reply came, "do you want to go along?"

That was unusual, since he knows how I feel about watching photographers in action. Boring!

But this time will be different - I get to choose and use my own gear too. Surprised? So was I.

To make the pulling teeth exercise short, we are going to Botswana.

He wanted to fly (having received a sizeable bonus from his employer last year) and I said...no. I want to drive.

Sorry, there was no argument, but I won it anyway ;) I have never been to Botswana, and while flying might have been fun, I won't get to see much of the country in the process.

So we are packing our gear: cameras, toothbrushes, fresh underpants, and if there is space left, some more stuff.

Here is your invitation to follow me, while I tour a country I have never been to before, and living the experience with me on this safari!

You can read more about Botswana here.

The Impact of Words

“Make a list over several weeks of the words or thoughts that people have said that have really helped.”

The above quote came to my inbox via the website where my personal journals are hosted, Penzu. Since I have three journals at that site, I get these prompts daily. Most of the time I just ignore them, but upon occasion, something triggers inside of me that I have to share.
I belong to several online writers' groups, including a few on Facebook. Over time I have reduced these for the simple reason, time. I feel guilty for not taking part in a group and after a while I decided that it was better to leave the group than to stay around, and not contribute anything.
There is one group that has had a huge impact on my writing - and that of other people as well. It is called My 500 Words. It was started with the intention to inspire writers and/or bloggers to write just 500 words everyday. But everyday.
As a writer I try to write everyday. Some days are easier than others, and there are days (as has happened in recent weeks) where I write...nothing. In my defence (or lame excuse, depending on your point of view) being away from home for work, is exhausting and finding the time and energy to write anything more than a tired journal entry, is not easy.
In this group I have made new friends, and continued friendships that started outside the group. Not everyone in the group is a novelist, most are bloggers, but I have learned a lot and sometimes things I have not been ready to confront in myself as a writer.
Until a few weeks ago where my FB friend, James Prescott, posted a piece about why we write. It touched on something that new writers often struggle with, and those of us who have been penning books for a while need to be reminded of.

This is an excerpt of that post: "But they [online writing resources about the elements of writing] aren’t about the art of writing. And they forget the most important thing - that our security and identity needs to come from something far deeper than what we do, know or achieve. We must know and accept our value, worth and security is already taken care of. We already have value. We are already secure. We already have infinite worth. Right now."
Of course, I have learned a stack (still do everyday) about writing, publishing and marketing my books, but the most value I have ever had from any online site, was the friends I made and the lessons and support I have received from them.

Join groups that add value to you as a person and a writer, but leave when you do not contribute or do not spend the time. It is not the number of groups that matter, but the contribution you make in the group that will help you grow.

Blog Tour: Summer at Castle Stone by Lynn Marie Hulsman

Excerpt

Heading out of the wind, and down the icy steps to the supper club, I was grateful that Maggie had let me off the hook and allowed me to wear her wedge-heeled boots instead of the ones with the skinny heels. The place was all leather, and wood, and scarlet tapestry. I was glad the club was warm, and not one of those sterile chrome-and-glass affairs. 

I pulled off my hat, and tried to fluff my crushed, damp hair. Scanning the bar for Jordan, I panicked, realizing I didn’t know what he looked like. There was a blonde guy walking out of the restroom. I raised my eyebrows and smiled. He put his arm around a thin brunette in a leather jacket and gave me a stern look. This was a stupid idea. I pulled my hat back on, ready to leave.

I felt a pair of hands on my shoulders, and I spun around, ready to snap. I recognized the green-eyed man as Jordan. Wow. He was actually a man. I didn’t remember him as being so filled out.

“Hi, Shayla? Are you all right? You look, uh, upset.”

“No! Not at all. Hey…you!” Brimming with nervous energy, I went in to kiss his cheek, to seem like a smooth player. When I lunged in, I caught my toe on his heavy boot. I fell forward, and he grabbed me hard by both elbows. Whipping his head around to keep his balance, he cracked me in the bridge of the nose with his jawbone. 

“Motherfuh …  uh…uh…oh, man,” I stopped myself from swearing even though I saw stars. The pain was so sharp, I didn’t even worry that blood was dripping onto my (Maggie’s) silk turtleneck. At least it was black. 

“Hang on,” I heard Jordan say. I couldn’t see him with my eyes squenched shut. In a flash he was back, shoving a handful of bar naps into my hand. I pressed them to my bleeding nose, and managed to open my eyes. His eyes crinkled at the corners, and on his lips sat the threat of a smile. “Why don’t we sit down?”

“OK,” I said through my napkins, “but not at the bar.”

Taking my arm, Jordan led me to a cozy leather banquette. “Two Maker’s Mark Manhattans,” he said to a passing waitress. I wanted a vodka and soda with lemon, but I let it go. “Why not at the bar?”

“I swore off perching on bar stools on my 21st birthday. Friends took me out to celebrate, and I woke up so sore the next day I felt like I needed traction. I like to be comfortable.” 

“Are you comfortable now?” He asked, smiling. “Because I am. It’s nice to relax with a gorgeous woman.”

My hand flew to my nose to make sure it was clean. “Ha ha, yes, this place is great. Small warm rooms feel kind of like a hug.”

He cocked his head and smiled. “I just have a thing about… I don’t know… not being cold. I positively will not go into a cold Lucite and metal bar. At least not in winter. It’s one of my rules.”

“You have a lot of rules.”

“No I don’t,” I said automatically. “They’re not rules, per se. Just ways that make sense to live.”

Find the book on Amazon

Linzé - I volunteered to review Summer at Castle Stone and you can find my impressions here.

Infographic Thursday: Keeping Track of your Time

It has been a while since I posted any advice on time management. So here is today's infographic to help out on projects, big and small, to help you get the things done that you have planned.

Why I love the amateur sleuths

My to-read amateur sleuths (horizontal books)

Any writer, aspiring, published or best-seller - everyone will tell you to read. And to read a lot. For me that advice was always, duh? You seriously need to keep up with me. I read a lot. Have always read a lot. And if I have a say in the matter, will always read...a lot!
The one genre that I love, and yet have no desire to write, are murder mysteries. Especially the amateur sleuth variety. I am completely addicted to those!
I found seven authors online at my favourite e-store and after reading their first books, I became a fan. Some have been writing since before I was born!
But why this specific sub-genre when there are so many murder mysteries and thrillers - and very good ones - available in the market?
The reason for that I ascribe to the fundamental reason that I read fiction: relaxation. 
I have an engineering background and the finer details of forensics and scientific information would not be too far over my head. I could always research any details that I don't grasp immediately. And there is the exact reason that I prefer the amateur sleuth series' - no scientific details, no intricate forensic explanations.
The series' written, and still going strong, by these authors have created characters whose lives I want to experience with them. Their friendships, love lives, traumas and achievements which are so much like the lives we live everyday. Sure, the main character in each series have a sleuthing trait, but that is part of the package, isn't it?

It is not everyday that someone will review a series, but that is what I am going to do. Giving the plot away? Never! But each of the series have something that appeals to me and I want to share that with you.

Maybe there is an author amongst them that you could add to your to-read list. You might end up with a wish list (to-read list?) as long as mine! :)

Decluttering my office...but that was the excuse

My to-read bookshelf, with my writing reference books top right :)

I have never been the most organised person on the planet. In fact my mother would probably roll her eyes if I claimed that I was. My home office had been organised, sort of, until the day I decided to reorganise the furniture.
For that habit I have to blame my mother since she habitually moved the furniture around when I was still living at home. It would seem that I inherited that vice (virtue?) from her. And yes, I do do that, even at my office at work, to the amusement, and dare I say entertainment, of my colleagues.
Since the move, a few months back, I have been feeling more than a touch claustrophobic in my office at home. Time to get it back to order, I told myself.
I have started, and still have a long way to go to truly claim a modicum of organisation, but I have done the one thing that I needed to do: organised my to-read books.
I confess to being a book addict - paperback and ebook. While I had all these books, I had them packed away in my stationary cabinet - again to get some order. This left me with a problem: finding something to read.
Stored right at the bottom, four stacks deep, it was simply impossible (read lazy) to find anything to read, unless I unpacked everything. So I made the time and did exactly that.
Now I can see all the paperbacks (and my collection of hardbacks) at one glance, and finding a book to read, became an exercise of reaching out, making a cup of coffee and putting my feet up.
Good thing my kindle is simply a question of a button push or two, otherwise I would have been in real trouble!

Look out for my posts on one of my favourite genres: the murder mystery, coming soon :)

Wishing you a happy reading week!

Infographic Thursday: Why Self-Publish

Source: www.visual.ly

There is a bit more to it than this, but the infographic does sum it up fairly well :)

Happily Ever After Romance Blog Tour

If romance is your game, book your spot to promote your book in September! Only 8 spots available. Drop me an email, SEPTEMBER ROMANCE in the subject line, at blog.tour.info(at)gmail.com and get more exposure - pun intended ;)

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Infographic Thursday: Your coffee personality

Source www.visual.ly

How long does it take to choose a book title?

How long does it take to choose a book title?

You might rightly wonder why I asked this question. As I had mentioned in a previous post, I had already written book 4 in the Nations of Peace Series, when I got the idea to write Michael's Mystery.

This story's title has been the only one of all that I have written published or not, that baffled me. In fact, I was planning on asking beta readers to help me figure out a title, because for some reason I couldn't get it right.

It went from Exquisite Pleasure to the Future Master, to Adrian's story (dull, huh?) to being Untitled.

Then it struck me this morning at work, while I was thinking about my tasks for the day. An Aha! moment indeed.

When I wrote it down (otherwise I would surely have forgotten) it just made perfect sense. It encompasses the fundamental issue in the whole story.

No, it is not a new 50 Shades (shudders) of anything. It will simply be titled: Waiting for Adrian, the first book of the sub-series The Future Masters.

And the most baffling thing of all - it took me three years to get to this point. Funny how the mind works, but it is the only option so far that not only makes sense, but feels right for the story.

Now I am so excited that I can barely wait to finish Michael's Mystery, so that I can dig into Adrian's story.

I sincerely hope that you have not encountered this problem, but if you had, please me tell how you overcame it so that it doesn't take me another 3 years if it happens again.

Infographic Thursday: Proofreading vs Editing

Source: www.visual.ly

Guest Post on Incantation Paradox by Annamaria Bazzi

Linzé: What inspired you to write the Incantation Paradox?

Annamaria: It was an unusual morning when I slipped out of bed from the wrong side. The innocent act set the stage for the entire day—wacky. The fog lingering in the peripherals of my vision set freaky tone to the day. I looked in the mirror and giggled as acts of mischief crowded my mind.

With my mug of latte I sat before my laptop and sent an email to a good friend. ‘I don’t know why,’ I typed, ‘this morning when I looked in the mirror I saw my young self.’ No I was not crazy, was actually chuckling as I wrote the email because my friend usually takes everything very literally.

His response triggered thoughts of Freaky Friday, the Walt Disney movie starting Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis, and other movies where the protagonist ended up in a young body or an older one like Big with Tom Hanks. The world seemed to enjoy such tales—I did too.

The adventure began and I wrote an entire novel in first person to better express the protagonist’s feelings, but when I was done second thoughts crept in my mind. I wanted to get to know Eric, the antagonist, much better. I wanted to know what made him do the things he did?

Now it became a bit more difficult to show all of Dolores’s emotions and internal struggles, but I believe Eric has added a new and mysterious side to the novel.

The next adventure began as I got to know Eric while rewriting the novel in third person limited. It also gave me an opportunity to get to know Jason better and actually let him fall in love with the woman inside Mona’s body.

When the adventure ended and Incantation Paradox became a published reality, like any writer, I turned to the next project to keep me busy.

Linzé: So there you have it. Early morning thoughts that turned into a novel. Writers do get ideas in normal situations too ;) You can find more info about the Incantation Paradox on 

Amazon / smashwords / B&N. Enjoy!

Author Bio

Although born in the United States, Annamaria Bazzi spent a great deal of her childhood in Sicily, Italy, in a town called Sciacca. Italian was the language spoken at home. Therefore, she had no problems when she found herself growing up in a strange country. Upon returning to the states, she promised herself she would speak without an accent. She attended Wayne State University in Detroit Michigan, where she obtained her Bachelor of Science in Computers with a minor in Spanish.

Annamaria spent twenty years programming systems for large corporations, creating innovative solution, and addressing customer problems. During those years, she raised four daughters and one husband. Annamaria lives in Richmond Virginia with her small family where she now dedicates a good part of her day writing.

You can visit Annamaria at:

blog http://annamariabazzi.com

website http://www.annamariasbooks.com
facebook page https://www.facebook.com/Author.annamariabazzi
email annamariascorner@yahoo.com
twitter https://twitter.com/AMBazzi
goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6890526.Annamaria_Bazzi
Check in on Kendíka’s facebook page https://www.facebook.com/kendika.burkeshire

Feeling disconnected from my story: Is this normal?

Being a writer can sometimes be an odd experience. Case in point: my third novel, Michael's Mystery.

It wasn't planned to be the third novel, in fact I had already written the third novel (untitled thus far) when I came up with the idea for Michael's Mystery.

Aside from publishing STORM, and a few other short stories, I have not done with Michael's Mystery that I had done on the first two, or even the now new number four, five and six. Yes, they are already drafted, and only await the heavy hand of editing before publication.

I didn't sit down and write the story of Michael and Andesine beginning to end, I stopped and did other projects in between. And now it is coming back to bite me.

As a pantser, I don't plan my stories in detail, my "planning" attention goes into my characters and their environment.

Keeping that in mind, I had to go back and reread what I have already written to pick up the trail of my story. Now that is normal practice for me, except that this time I ran into a wall. The internal editor wall.

The more I read, the more I wanted to sit down and fix the plot gaps, the grammatical errors and streamlining it with book 2 and book 4. Being consistent is after all very important in a series.

I have no idea if this ever happened to anyone else, but this is a first for me.

Is the story done and ready for editing? No.

I estimate that it needs about 15k words more. The word count is not that important, but it definitely needs the battle scene that has been threatening for a chapter or two and of course the ending needs to be done too. And knowing my characters, they won't be able to keep their hands off each other either, so a scene with an intimate encounter might also happen somewhere.

What do I do now? Write? Procrastinate? Edit?

For the short term, ie. Camp NaNoWriMo, I am working on another project to keep going on my target.

I have not decided yet on the course of action come August, but the deadline for publication of Michael's Mystery (a novel of the Grandmasters) is coming closer at a rapid rate.

And so I keep plotting ...

Infographic Thursday: Make your day better

Source: www.visual.ly

Release Day: Deadly Betrayal by Kristine Cayne

An Afghan woman’s rights activist with a dark secret.

Azita Seraj, doctor and women’s rights activist in Afghanistan, is horrified to learn that her late husband’s brother, Khalid Mullazai, is giving his eleven-year-old niece to a militant warlord. Desperate to save the girl, she reaches out to the only hope she has: an American soldier she treated several years earlier for a near-fatal gunshot wound. A wound he received in an ambush she’d unwittingly initiated. Can she enlist his aid and still keep secret her betrayal?

An American soldier searching for answers.

Kaden Christiansen never forgot the beautiful Afghan doctor who saved his life, and when he receives her cry for help, he doesn’t hesitate. He relishes the opportunity to see Azita again, and being in-country will give him a chance to hunt down the person responsible for the ambush that left one of his men dead.

A deadly conspiracy that threatens them both...

Pursued by Mullazai and the warlord’s fighters as they travel across the country disguised and posing as a married couple, Kaden and Azita begin to fall for their own act and for each other. But Kaden senses that Azita is holding back. Is the reason their cultural differences, or something darker?

Add it to your Goodreads TBR: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17801275-deadly-betrayal

Catch up on the award-winning DEADLY VICES series before the launch of book three, DEADLY BETRAYAL on July 21st!

DEADLY OBSESSION - 4.4 stars on 107 reviews

Nic Lamoureux's perfect movie star life is shattered by a stalker who threatens any woman close to him. When he meets photographer Lauren James, the attraction is instant--and mutual. She's exactly the sort of woman he craves, but the stalker makes deadly clear Lauren is the competition. And the competition must be eliminated.

DEADLY ADDICTION - 4.8 stars on 39 reviews

When Rémi Whitedeer and Alyssa Morgan uncover a drug-fueled scheme on the Blackriver Reserve—a scheme involving a biker gang from Alyssa’s past and a militant sovereigntist group led by Rémi’s cousin—Rémi must choose between loyalty to family and tribe or his growing love for Alyssa. Will Rémi and Alyssa have to leave everything behind—even their identities—for the chance at a future together?

Infographic Thursday: A Blogging Strategy

Source: www.visual.ly

International Authors' Day Blog Hop

Thank you to Debdatta of  http://www.b00kr3vi3ws.in who is hosting this blog tour to celebrate International Authors' Day.

A short while ago I asked for articles about being a writer, but it seems that my fellow South African authors are very shy when it comes to sharing their stories.
From experience, and having some great friends outside my home country, I decided that we all could benefit from a compilation of our stories.

You may submit a maximum of 2 articles, between 1500 to 2000 words each, on YOUR experiences, or YOUR advice on writing or being a writer. This is not a project on general advice, it has to be from a personal perspective. First person POV is recommended. Only English language submissions will be considered.

Topics may include, but are not limited to:
1.    Time Management
2.   What made you decide to write/publish
3.   What to write - fiction or non-fiction
4.   Which genre is best
5.   Sex or no sex
6.   Collaboration projects - multi author and/or anthologies
7.   The positives/negatives of alpha and beta readers
8.   What you expect from a reviewer
9.   Book blog tours
10.  Choosing an editor
11.  Book cover design
12.  Author Branding
13.  Marketing
14.  Social media
15.  Ebook or print?
16.  Children’s books
17.  YA and NA books
etc.

Please submit your articles/stories to blog.tour.info@gmail.com as a .doc, .rtf or .txt file.

Deadline for submissions: 30 September 2014, 12pm, South African time (GMT+2)

We are looking for around 45-50 essays to publish in ebook format to distribute for free via Smashwords and Amazon. It will be uploaded to Goodreads, and you will be tagged, if you have a profile.

If your article(s) are selected, your author bio, book links, social media links, and blog / website details will be requested for inclusion in the publication.

Please ensure your work is edited before submission.

We reserve the right not to select every submission for publication.

The project is open to any and all published authors.

So here is your chance to share your story, and inspire many others to gather their courage to face their fears, and take that final step into the world of being a published writer.

Infographic Thursday: Hooow tooo beee Moore CREATIVE!

This is one long, long, long infographic :) Creativity is something that many people take for granted, simply because it is the way we are, but it does not have to be only that way.
Anyone can be creative, and it is not even that difficult.
Okay, shutting big mouth here, because the creative writing process is different for everyone. I am sure artists will agree that the argument holds true for them too.
I often get the weirdest ideas at the oddest moments, and 'what if' is the one phrase my brain seems to love above all others. Don't get me wrong, some of my brainwaves do not deserve to be mentioned, while others are explored in some or other story that I am concocting at the time.
Once in a while, the idea sticks and grows to become a short story or a novel.  Sometimes it even ends up worth reading.
May your creative endeavours give you hours of pleasure, and satisfy that deep dark need to ... write!


The infographic can be found on www.visual.ly

Invitation: Share your experiences and advice with others

The South African market is small and a challenge at the best of times. If you are a published author (indie or not) what advice, anecdotes and tales would you like to share with other writers? Drop us a line if you are interested - details in the graphic 

Help build your audience by taking part in this project, aptly named FEARLESS, because our journey may not easy, but neither could we give in to the fear that prevents us from fulfilling our dreams.

Come on, you have always wanted to!

Blog Tour: Bootie and the Beast by Falguni Kothari

 

Fairytales don't end with True Love's Kiss, they begin with one...

Diya Mathur (aka Beauty), celebrated supermodel and Party Princess of India, is adored by everyone. She works hard, plays hard, and has the biggest shoe fetish on the planet. But after she purchases one baby bootie, Diya's reputation is in ruins. There's only one place to escape the rumours - Texas, under the protection of her lifelong friend, and secret love, Krish Menon (aka the Beast).

Financial whizz-kid, CFO and entrepreneur, Krish is a brooding workaholic with a charisma that still brings Beauty Mathur to her knees. He has no idea, of course! They've shared a bond since childhood - a special friendship that thrives on sparring, teasing and goading - but with Diya back in his life and under his roof, Krish's latent desire for her explodes. And when he finally admits to the secret that has never allowed him to commit to any woman - especially Diya - everything changes. Krish might finally realise how much he wants his Beauty. But he won't get her until Diya has tamed her Beast.

Author Bio and Books Links

Falguni Kothari is a non-traditional homemaker who accidentally tripped on a misplaced soccer ball and fell down the writer’s rabbit hole. Having no more experience with the whole writing/publishing shebang than being a voracious reader and movie buff, it more than surprised her that she could, in fact, write a full-length novel.

Now, several manuscripts down, when she is not trying to find a way out of her many domestic duties or cajoling her Latin dance coach to compose a rumba on Bollywood music, she is found embroiled in some or other scandal—sorry, creating stories—on her ever-faithful laptop.

She’s authored Bootie and the Beast, It’s Your Move, Wordfreak! and Scrabbulous Impressions, a short story. She rumbas across a whole smorgasbord of Social Media daily and loves to connect with most living things.

Website: www.falgunikothari.com

Twitter: @F2tweet https://twitter.com/F2tweet

FB Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/falgunikothari.author

Blog: http://falgunikothari.blogspot.com

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/falgunikothari

Google+ : https://plus.google.com/+FalguniKothari

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/falgunikothari/

Book links for Bootie and the Beast:

Amazon UK:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bootie-Beast-Indian-Author-Collection-ebook/dp/B00KM0ZQ4S/ref=pd_rhf_eebr_p_t_1_RZEY

Amazon India:

http://www.amazon.in/Bootie-Beast-Falguni-Kothari/dp/9351065065/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1398098298&sr=1-2

Mills and Boon:

http://www.millsandboon.co.uk/bootie-and-the-beast

Infographic Thursday: Oops, not again!

Infographic from www.visual.ly

I have recently read an article about famous writers, alive and dead, who chose to write their novels by hand. While I write my books on my computer, I still enjoy the weight of my heavy Waterman fountain pen when writing in my journal.
I claim no perfection in my writing, but I feel that I make fewer errors when writing by hand. Am I going to start writing my novels or short stories by hand? Hell, no! If I did I will never finish anything, simply because of the time it will take to do that, and then transcribing it to computer for it to be published.
I suppose like most people, non-writers included, I have come to rely on word processors to fix my mistakes even as I make them.
But computers don't know what we want to write, it uses an algorithm to correct words to be the closest match to the wrong word we typed. Or the rules of good grammar that is programmed into its code.
So it really is up to us to check what we are writing, and understand that the words we are using are the ones we intended to be there. Then again it helps if you know a good editor.
Do you still struggle with these annoying little mistakes as I sometimes do despite all the words I have written and published?

I couldn't resist sharing. . . :)

Normally I don't put any of my book links on my home page, unless there is a launch or some special going on, but this one I couldn't resist sharing. It just looks that good :)

Infographic Thursday: The DNA of a Good Book

There are literally hundreds, if not thousands of blogs out there to give advice on writing, structuring, characterisation, plotting and scene setting in a novel. Advice abounds on use of short sentences, proper syntax and grammar, to say nothing of every writer's pet peeve, correct punctuation.
As a writer with some experience, I am still perfecting my craft (turning it into art?) and have compiled an extensive list of references of my go-to blogs for advice on writing. You can never know too much, in my opinion.
As many a writer, traditionally or indie published will tell you, that writing a good book is simply the start. But this is an incredibly important start. Without that good book, well written, edited and proof read, the rest will only be a waste of time. And the rest is just as important to get it to my audience - my readers.

So here is today's info graphic on what makes a good book. What are the most important elements for you to make a book a favourite worthy to be read time and again?

Click the info graphic to see more details. Source www.visual.ly

Invitation: Launching STORM

Infographic Thursday: What are Infographics?

Last week I introduced a new series for Thursdays: infographics. This week I share an infographic, about infographics. As you will learn (as I did) over the next few weeks, an infographic can be a handy tool to graphically convey a message. The trick is to do it in such a way that the message is concise and yet presented in such a way that it draws the attention of the intended audience.
At first glance they look easy to compile, but I have learned that it will take a little more study, some computer skills and more research for me to be able to design my own.
If you are interested in doing your own infographic, look around for a template that would closely resemble what you wish to use and then work from there.
On the other hand, you can also find professionals that can help you to custom design the infographic that is just perfect for your unique message.

You find this infographic on www.visual.ly

Interview: STORM Author Vanessa Wright

 
1. What inspired you to write your stories for the STORM anthology? 
Inspiration comes from many things, a word, an overheard piece of conversation, human pain and suffering, events in the news and even from a large, fat lady I call the Muse. For the Storm anthology however I relied on my own experiences with depression for Dandelions for Mother, while A Storm in a Teacup was inspired by flash fiction I wrote for a MASH competition, the characters just had to get another chance to be in the limelight.

2. Tell us what your stories are all about. 
Dandelions for Mother is basically about a ten year old girl who has lost her mother to cancer and is trying to cope with life as a orphan. It does not help that her father is also suffering from a form of depression and thinks she looks like her mother. The girl retreats into an imaginary world.

[Note from Linzé - I deleted some words here, as Vanessa gave the ending away, naughty thing!]

I did a complete 360 degree turnaround with A Storm in a Teacup which is a comedic, science fiction story about Oogithap and Ilgiprart who are sent to earth on a mission. They are Electrosquids of the Fungus Asteroid and the things they get up to are hilarious. You will have to read it to believe it.

3. What excited you about taking part in the STORM anthology? 
Getting to work with all my fellow authors and of course the exposure that one gains. The more books you have out there, the better the chances are that you will be recognised; a good friend taught me this valuable lesson.

4. What is your next project about and when can we expect it to be published? 
I am working towards a novel for NB Publishers’ novel of the year competition. Sadly, it will be in Afrikaans. The next big thing in English however is Something evil comes, a psychological crime thriller. I am planning on a release date in early November.

5. What is your biggest challenge in writing? 
Time, time, time. I never seem to have enough of it! I tried eating a gazillion Bar Ones as the advertisement claims that you would have a 25 hour day. It doesn’t work and all the extra kilo’s have been transformed into a flotation device around my middle.

6. How do you deal with this challenge? 
I don’t that’s why my family have to scrape me off the ceiling with a spatula every now and again.

7. What advice would you offer to other authors having to deal with this same challenge? 
Set up a routine and a timetable. Schedule writing for every day until it becomes a habit. Do as I say not as I do.

8. Please explain to my readers your writing process and how you manage your life to accommodate your writing. 
Writing for me, invariably happens in the early hours of the morning when everything is quiet and the pugs (all six of them) are snoring away. I am a pantser- no planning involved; I have a general idea of where I am going to and then the characters start living on their own and their decisions decide where the plot is moving off to next. Otherwise I apply ample butt to chair and bleed. I write, therefore I am sums it up nicely. I need to make time to write otherwise I might as well stop breathing. Dramatic? Sure, you’re talking to the ultimate drama queen.

You can find Vanessa's books here on Smashwords