Monday, April 30, 2012

Contests & Giveaways in the Writing World - Week of April 30th

Even though it's Monday...again...I'm hoping to have a good and productive week and wish all of you the same!

To get the week going in a positive direction, don't forget to check out these cool contests and giveaways.




Wow! Don't miss this contest from Ryann Kerekes at Novel Addiction - Contest! Query Letter Review + Ten Page Edit . And all you have to do is follow Ryann's blog and leave a comment! This contest ends May 4th, and the winner will be announced May 5th - so hurry!

To celebrate the launch of a "new adult" fiction blog, NA Alley, they are hosting their very first giveaway! Prizes include books, custom blog header designs and 20 page critiques of your manuscripts. This one is not to be missed!

Win one of 3 signed copies of City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare from Hippies Beauties & Books Oh My! This contest will end on May 5th.

Want to play at being a symbologist/etymologist? Take the challenge and have fun figuring out what a certain symbol means for a chance to win $211.00 USD cash prize or one of signed book copies from The 13th Enumeration. Check out the details and good luck!

Pitchapalooza at World Literary Cafe!! Send in your 200 word pitch most genres (the full list is on the website) by midnight on May 15th. The winner will be announced on May 22nd.  The winner will then be introduced to an agent or a publisher appropriate to their work. Last month, three Pitchapalooza participants have signed book deals! You could be next!
Night Owl Reviews Spring Fling Web Hunt ends May 15th, so there's still plenty of time to enter! - This is a huge scavenger hunt with lots of amazing prizes, including Kindle Fire and Kindle Touch.

Miranda Parker is doing a fun 2012 Something Blue Goodie Box Giveaway, which includes Book 1 A GOOD EXCUSE TO BE BAD and Book 2 SOMEONE BAD and SOMETHING BLUE, as well as lots of cool swagger.

Bronwen Evans is celebrating the release of her second Regency romance in her Invitation series by doing a blog tour, with GREAT prizes at every tour stop! Check it out now!

Enter to win a YA giveaway package celebrating The Veil by Cory Putnam Oakes. Enter for your chance to win by May 7th.


More great Giveaways and Contests to come in two weeks!

*As always, please contact me for the inclusion of your contests/giveaways into the Monday Contests and Giveaways in the Writing World posts.

Have fun and good luck!

Friday, April 27, 2012

Friday Art & History Feature - Charles Perrault


Sleeping Beauty, Soviet edition, illustrated by Eric Boulatov and Oleg Vassiliev
When I was little, I was sick quiet a lot. One of my favorite things when I was laid up in bed with yet another bronchitis was when my mom sat next to me and read. And the books that I loved the most were large beautifully illustrated books of fairy tales by Charles Perrault and Hans Christina Anderson. I still remember the smell of it, my mom's voice when she was reading them, the wonderful colorful full-page illustrations (I have to ask my mom if she remembers those books). I'm also pretty sure that listing to my mom read these fairy tales, and reading them on my own when I got older, was when my love of paranormal romance started as well.

Charles Perrault

The fairy tales of Charles Perrault are timeless and classic. Even those who don't readily know his name, know his stories - Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Little Red Riding Hood, Puss in Boots and so many more.



Charles Perrault was born in Paris, France, in 1628. He was the youngest of seven children. He attended good schools and afterwards studied law. Like his father and one of the brothers, he entered government service. He was heavily involved in the arts and science worlds of the time. After the end of his government career at the age of 67, he devoted himself to writing for children. His Tales of Mother Goose started the new genre of literature knows as 'fairy tales'.


Red Riding Hood, illustration by Gusave Dore (1883)
Many of Perrault's stories were re-written by brothers Grimm and his work in this genre gave rise to other classic fairy tale authors, such as Hans Christian Anderson (another one of my absolute childhood favorites!)


Cinderella by Gustave Dore


Tuesday, April 24, 2012

A wealth of inspiration at Wolf Conservation Center


 As you, my dear readers, might know, I love animals. And in the realm of wild animals, I'm especially partial to wolves and big cats. For the longest time, I have wanted to visit a wolf preserve. My dream is to see the wolves in the wild at the Yellowstone National Park, but that will have to wait awhile. For now, I'm excited visiting the local wolf preserves in New York and New Jersey.
This past Friday, I finally got a chance to go to the Wolf Conservation Center in South Salem, NY with two of my dearest friends, Tina Moss (also knows as my super-amazing writing partner) and Melissa C.(also a fellow karate dojo practitioner). At the Center, we started out with a brief 15 minute introduction by one of the instructors/staff there. While I already knew a lot of wolf facts from my previous research, I still learned a number of facts.

Howling
 One of the saddest facts was how few wolves, especially certain kinds, are out there in the wild today. At the time of Columbus discovering America, there were wolves in every single of today's states, and the numbers totaled in 500,000. Today, only 3-4 states have wolf population, and certain kinds of wolves number in merely hundreds or less in the wild, though often more in captivity. The good news is that there are a number of successful programs designed to re-introduce captive wolves and their offspring into the wild.
One of the funniest facts we learned at the Center is that there's a book called Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig, which I thought was adorable.


After the introduction, we came outside and our tour guide had us (along with 15 kids who were there) howl at the top of our lungs. Not 30 seconds later, we heard the wolves howl back, which was an unbelievable experience. The wolves howls always give me chills, and this time was no exception. It's interesting to note that not all wolves howl the same. In the Center, there are Gray Mexican wolves and Red wolves and their howl is completely different.

Alawa as a pup (image credit: nyuwolf.org)

Alawa eating her birthday cake (last Friday)

Zephyr  (image credit: nyuwolf.org)

Once the wolves howled back at us and gave us the "go ahead" to come visit them :) we moved towards the enclosures. The first enclosure contained two wolves, a brother and sister team, Zephyr and Alawa, who had their first birthday that day. The staff of the Center baked them two peanut butter pies, which they demolished in a matter of minutes. There was also a big box of birthday goodies, which took them a little longer to figure out. But finally they had it open and had a blast with the goodies inside. These wolves were more socialized then others in the Center.

Next, we went to visit Atka, who is the star ambassador of the Center. Atka is the most socialized wolf there and gets to go on trips to schools, museums and other fun places. Atka is the star of the show and knows it - he's a diva. But who can blame him, just look at what a beauty he is!

Atka, the Ambassador Wolf  (image credit: nyuwolf.org)
Atka asking for food (last Friday)

Me with Atka...well sort of

Atka with Tina Moss

 After Atka, we proceeded to visit an enclosure where the Gray Mexican wolves live. These wolves are less socialized and are part of the program where their offspring will hopefully be released into the wild. Right now, the staff believes two of the wolves there might be pregnant, although they don't know for sure yet.

One of the Gray Mexican wolves in the program (she might be pregnant)

We also learned that the life expectancy of wolves in the wild is pretty low, sometimes only 3-5 years. In captivity, the life expectancy increases drastically. Some of the wolves at the Center lived to 18-20 years. It is important for people to understand that wolves cannot be pets. They are wild animals that needs the freedom of large spaces and cannot really be domesticated. They may look like adorable dogs, but they are not. Unfortunately, there are people who do not heed this advice and try to raise wolves as pets. Many of those wolves then end up in rescue and conservation centers because their owners finally realize they cannot keep them. Our tour guide said that the conservation centers are running out of space because of these situations. Education of the public about wolves is imperative for their survival.

A pair of Red Wolves in the program at the Center (image credit: nyuwolf.org)
Don't forget to visit the Wolf Conservation Center website. You can learn about all the wolves they have, and you can also watch these wolves on  wolf cams (warning - it gets addictive!). And please support them if you can.

Next, I'd like to visit the wolf conservation centers in New Jersey. As a writer, these trips give me a wealth of inspiration and supplement my research about these beautiful animals.


Friday, April 20, 2012

Friday Art & History Feature - Hermitage



Today's post mixes art and history. Specifically, it's about one of the greatest art museums in the world - Hermitage. Hermitage, located in St. Petersburg is a State Museum of Russia and its collection rivals that of the Louvre. Hermitage consists of six buildings, although only some of them are open to public. Four of the buildings are called the Winter Palace, Small Hermitage, Old Hermitage and New Hermitage.

Winter Palace
The collection now contained within this museum took its start with Catherine the Great in 1764. She also commissioned the building of an extension to the Winter Palace, which served as the official residence of the Russian monarchs from 1732 all the way up to the Revolution in 1917.

Catherine the Great
By the time Catherine died, her collection contained 4,000 paintings, 10,000 drawings, 38,000 books, 10,000 engraved gems and various coins and medals.

The collection continued to expand in the 19th century through acquisitions by Alexander I and Nicholas I. After the Revolution of 1917, the buildings of the Hermitage and the Winter Palace were merged together as the State museum and collectively called Hermitage.

Small Italian Skylight Room

Room of Modern Sculpture


The museum contains works by Titian, Rafael, Leonardo da Vinci, Velasquez, El Greco, Michaelengelo, Van Gogh, Gauguin, Picasso and hundreds more artists, including many famous Russian painters. It also holds amazing exhibitions of ancient Egyptian, Greek and Roman art, European decorative art, and even Prehistoric art.

Leonardo da Vinci at Hermitage

Raphael at Hermitage


Visiting Hermitage is a must when on a trip to Russia. It will be an unforgettable experience.
Pavillion Hall

Matisse at Hermitage


Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Writer Wednesday - Flash Fiction Inspiration in Images

Here's another installation of images that can be used as inspiration for writing flash fiction. Today's concentration is on futuristic and fantasy landscapes. Hope you enjoy!




Anamnesis of Estivation by Alexiuss


Future City





Cloudcity by Aksu
 

Halcyon Falls by Alexiuss

Share your favorite landscapes, especially futuristic and fantasy.

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Teaser Tuesday

Here are the rules:

1. Post 2 sentences from the current book you're reading. You can either

a) open the book and share 2 sentences from anywhere on that page or
b) share your favorite 2 senetnces from the book (they have to be in a row)

2. List the page #

*PLEASE DO NOT POST ANYTHING THAT CAN BE INTERPRETED AS A SPOILER!

3. List the name of the book and the author


"Frantically, I wiggled out from beneath the shelf and limped to the steps, gazing up. Through the hole in the roof, the night sky was hazy and starless, but a sickly yellow moon peered through the clouds like a swollen eye.
I was in trouble."

p. 40 of the NetGalley edition.



The Immortal Rules (Blood of Eden) by Julie Kagawa
Releases: April 24th

Share your teasers in the comments or give a link to your blog if you're running a Teaser Tuesday

Monday, April 16, 2012

Contests & Giveaways in the Writing World - Week of April 16th

I don't have much to say today except:


You might be feeling the same way. Hopefully you're not and you're enjoying the gorgeous summer-like day outside. But if you do feel the same way, then some cheering up is in order. And what better way to cheer up than by checking out fun contests and giveaways in the writing world?



Pitchapalooza at World Literary Cafe!! Send in your 200 word pitch most genres (the full list is on the website) by midnight on May 15th. The winner will be announced on May 22nd.  The winner will then be introduced to an agent or a publisher appropriate to their work. Last month, three Pitchapalooza participants have signed book deals! You could be next!

Can't wait to get your hands on Insurgent by Veronica Roth? Here's your chance to receive an arc from Hippies, Beauty and Books Oh My!

Win a signed copy of 'Shatter Me' by  Tahereh Mafi - a giveaway by A.J. Locke

A to Z Blogging Challenge (Rach's Writing Prompts Contest!!!) lasts all April - This is a fun, creating way of participating in the A to Z Blogging Challenge as offered by Rachel Harrie. A definite "must" to check out!

Night Owl Reviews Spring Fling Web Hunt ends May 15th, so there's still plenty of time to enter! - This is a huge scavenger hunt with lots of amazing prizes, including Kindle Fire and Kindle Touch.

Susan Kay Quinn has a genius giveaway idea that you have to check out. She is running a "Share A Book" Giveaway! You can win a copy of Open Minds if you agree to share the book with a friend, a teenager or give it away to a stranger. I think this is a wonderful way of spreading the word about a book.

Two days left to sign up for this one! Heather Webb of the Between the Sheets blog is all set for this giveaway to start on April 9th. Here's what's it's all about: "Pitchapalooza Blog Hop - Create your best novel pitch (any genre) and win a FREE CRITIQUE from yours truly (editor extraordinaire), and a WRITER'S WEBSITE from professional web designer and developer, Brian Mowell. Details coming soon. YES, this is a FREE setup of your author website or blog. A-M-A-Z-I-N-G PRIZE! Already have a site? No problem. Have your existing site revamped for FREE" 

More great Giveaways and Contests to come in two weeks!


*As always, please contact me for the inclusion of your contests/giveaways into the Monday Contests and Giveaways in the Writing World posts.

Have fun and good luck!

Friday, April 13, 2012

Friday Art & History Feature - Artemis

Artemis by Kagaya
Artemis has always been one of my favorite goddesses of the Greek pantheon.  Her equivalent in the Roman pantheon is Diana.

Artemis was the patron goddess of wild animals, hunt, virginity and young girls. Interestingly, she was also the goddess of childbirth and women's healer. Her sacred animal is deer, and her sacred plant is the cypress tree. She has long been associated with the moon, and is often depicted with a half-moon on her forehead, even as she's depicted as a huntress with a bow. She's always surrounded by her faithful dogs.

The Versailles Artemis
Artemis was born, along with her twin brother Apollo, to the main god of the Green pantheon, Zeus, and to Leto. In one account of the birth, Artemis is born before Apollo and the assists her mother as a mid-wife to deliver her twin brother. Thus, she becomes the patroness of mid-wives and childbirth.

Diana by Boucher
 Artemis herself chooses to guard her virginity and surrounds herself with virgin companions. There are a number of accounts in which certain gods and men try to win Artemis over or, failing to do so, try to capture and rape her. In all of the accounts, the assailants are punished by her and are either killed or turned into other beings. Among these are the stories involving Actaeon, Adonis and Orion.

Artemis by Titian
 During the Trojan War, Artemis is said to have taken the side of the Trojans.

The worship of Artemis was strong across all of Greece, especially in Sparta and on the island of Delos, which is considered to be the place where she was born.

Artemis of Ephesus
 She was also worshiped in Ephesus, Turkey. Her ancient temple in that area became one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Unfortunately, today almost nothing remains of the temple but it is still a place to visit on the tours of Ephesus. It is possible that as the Artemis of Ephesus, she had a lover and was a mother.

Artemis by Vasilis Zikos
Moon Goddess by Josephine Wall


Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Writer Wednesday Flash Fiction - Protector

image credit: Gild_a_Lily

The pain took my breath away and doubled me over. I shut my eyes tight against the onslaught of the sensations. The magic swirled around me, tight and potent. Gasping for air, I came to my knees and felt tears making a wet path down my face. I knew people I loved were around me, within a single touch, but I have never felt more alone. The feeling of loneliness almost made me choke and I swallowed hard but tears wouldn't stop coming.
"Don't fight it," I heard someone say. The voice was close but it would take more strength than I had to focus and recognize it. Didn't matter whose voice it was, anyway. "Let it take you. Ride every feeling and every emotion. Let them make you stronger."
I let go and collapsed. Never have I felt such sadness, such anguish, such loneliness. Never would I want to feel them again. When I thought I could take no more, calm descended. The tears still flowed freely but I felt calm and sure. Magic ran through my veins, strong and intoxicating. I felt like I was floating. I slowly opened my eyes. My mother stood above me, my people surrounded us within a circle.
"You have been born once more into this world," my mother said. "You now possess the magic of all of our people." She helped me up off the ground. "You rise a true queen. Use your magic to protect your people."
She turned towards the people.
"I give you your Queen Protector," she announced with voice that rang out like a bell of the purest sound.
I became who I was meant to be. And my mission was just beginning.

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Teaser Tuesday

Here are the rules:

1. Post 2 sentences from the current book you're reading. You can either

a) open the book and share 2 sentences from anywhere on that page or
b) share your favorite 2 senetnces from the book (they have to be in a row)

2. List the page #

*PLEASE DO NOT POST ANYTHING THAT CAN BE INTERPRETED AS A SPOILER!

3. List the name of the book and the author


"Under normal circumstances, I should never have been able to touch the demon, not with my wife's spells of protection laid on me. But they protected me only from someone who mean me harm..."

p. 96



A Shot In The Dark by K.A. Stewart


Share your teasers in the comments or give a link to your blog if you're running a Teaser Tuesday.
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