Month: May 2013

The Whip It Good Blogfest

Published on by Sydney Aaliyah Michelle34 Comments

I loved the idea behind this blogfest and thanks so much to DL Hammons and Elise Fallson for creating this opportunity for us to share and connect.

The wip it good blogfest

WIP Title: Another New Life

Word Count (projected): 70,000

Genre:  New Adult Romance

How long have you been working on it?:  Mentally, I have been working on it for 2 years, I finally put a scene list  together two weeks ago and have been tweaking it daily in preparation for JuNoWriMo (June 1).

Elevator Pitch (if you came across an agent in an elevator ride, what couple of lines would you use to summarize your book):  Can a girl separate the good from the bad parts of her traumatic childhood, especially 8 years later when the good shows up on her college campus?

Brief Synopsis (250 words or less):  A traumatic event from Miranda’s childhood causes her parents to move to a new town in hopes that their daughter can start a new life. The move meant that Miranda would never get to see Troy, her best friends since preschool.  He is the only positive memory she has from that time in her life, but her parents refused to let her communicate with him.

In high school, those negative memories caused Miranda to make self destructive choices especially when it came to dealing with the opposite sex.

As Miranda prepares for college, she has made a promise to herself to not let her past dictate her future, anymore. She goes to a college where no one knows her, to start another new life.  This time on her own terms and her plan works great . . . until the first day of class when Troy, looking gorgeous and all grown up, walks into her calculus class and sits down next to her.

Miranda and Troy picked up where they left off and their relationship quickly turns into more then just friends.  Miranda is happier then she’s ever been, but its only a matter of time before the truth about her childhood comes out and causes Troy to leave her and ruins her life, again.

Are you looking for a Critique Partner?: Yes, I would love to find a CP who writes, New Adult, Women’s Fiction or Chick Lit.

Are you looking for a Beta Reader?:  Not at this time, but I am open to read other people’s work.  I read everything, but fantasy and paranormal.

Visit the other participants of the Whip It Blogfest and see the talented and creative stories you may see on your Kindle in the future. 

Special Edition – Tattoo Thursday and Release Day for The Faerie Prince

Published on by Sydney Aaliyah Michelle13 Comments

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It’s release day for The Faerie Prince, the second novel in the Creepy Hollow series! Woohoo! If you’re keen to read it, you can find it at the following places online:

 
 As a special treat, I want to welcome the author of The Faerie Prince, Rachel Morgan to a special edition of Tattoo Tuesday Thursday.  Congrats on your new release.  Here are your five questions:
 
1.     How old were you when you got your first tattoo?
20
2.     What made you want to get your first tattoo?
I wanted something on my body that symbolized my faith.
3.     How many tattoos do you have? If only one, do you want more?
Only one. I’ve thought about getting others since then, but I don’t want them badly enough to actually go out and get them done!
4.     What is your tattoo story?  Tell me the most recent or your favorite.
The tattoo on my ankle is the outline of a fish, or ichthys in Greek. The actual Greek word has five letters. These five letters are the same as the first letters of the words Jesus Christ God’s Son Saviour. I think it’s pretty cool that one little symbol can have so much meaning 🙂
Tattoo Ichthys
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
5.     Tattoos on a significant other, like or dislike?  Why?
I’ve never considered that before… My significant other doesn’t have any, and I’m happy with him that way 🙂
 
 

Guardian trainee Violet
Fairdale is just weeks away from one of the most important occasions of
her life: graduation. After messing up big time by bringing a human
into the fae realm, Vi needs to step up her game and forget about Nate
if she hopes to graduate as the top guardian of her year. Everything
would be fine if she wasn’t forced to partner with Ryn, her ex-friend,
ex-enemy, current ‘sort of friend’. They might be trying to patch up
their relationship, but does she really want to spend a week undercover
with him for their final assignment? On top of that, the possibly insane
Unseelie Prince is still on the loose, free to ‘collect’ as many
specially talented faeries as he can find—and Vi is still at the top of
his list. Add in faerie queens, enchanted storms, complicated
not-just-friends feelings, and a murder within the Guild itself, and
graduation is about to become the least of Vi’s problems.

In celebration, The Faerie Guardian is on sale for a limited time!
**GIVEAWAY**

There will be a giveaway running from now until the end of the blog tour (Sun 9 June). A giveaway where FOUR people could win something! The prizes are a signed copy of The Faerie Prince (or The Faerie Guardian, should the winner prefer that), an Amazon gift card, a mini book pendant and necklace, and a Creepy Hollow pin badge. Check out the pic below!

Giveaway is open internationally

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Get Healthy Bloghop – How do you stay fit?

Published on by Sydney Aaliyah Michelle42 Comments

Get_Healthy_Post_GraphicStephen Tremp, Alex J. Cavanaugh, Michael Di Gesu, and L. Diane Wolfe have teamed up for a Blog Hop that focuses on health.

It is so nice of them to worry about our health. And, what better time of year then May-June to get refocused on our health goals.

Bloggers will be sharing their get healthy tips, so click on the lovely apple to find the list of participants and give them a visit for some get healthy tips.

My get healthy tip is simple, but it helps me stay accountable.  I set goals for myself and share them with people close to me.  I make a list of 5-10 goals that allow me to focus on what I hope to accomplish on a daily basis when I need to pay more attention to my health and fitness.

This month, I’ll share my June 2013 health and fitness goals with all of you:

  1. Four hours of cardio per week.
  2. One visit to the golf driving range per week.
  3. One long walk outside/get in touch with nature.
  4. Try a new fitness class at the gym.
  5. No eating after 7:00 pm on weekdays.
  6. Drink more tea then coffee.

I don’t always reach my goals, but I always take a moment to celebrate the good things and see what I need to focus on for the next month. Wish me luck!

As a writer, do you find it difficult to stay in shape?  What tip do you have to get healthy and stay in shape? 

My Weekly Update – Happy Memorial Day

Published on by Sydney Aaliyah Michelle6 Comments

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I saw this on Google’s banner and loved it. I have seen this scene played out at airports a few times and I cry like a baby every time.  My prayers go out to those families who didn’t get to experience this happy ending.

3Ups Blog Hop

3up blog chain

Created by Randi Lee, this is a pay it forward blog hop.  I had the pleasure of sharing three items about Michelle from Writer-In-Transit.co.za.  We appear to have a lot in common.  I did my research and seems like we have attended several of the same virtual parties, but haven’t officially meet.

  1. She loves the Bloghop/Blogfest – In the last three months she has participated in Overcome Adversity Blogfest, Insecure Writer’s Support Group, Celebrate the Small Things, Top Ten Movie Blogfest, The Big Reveal and A to Z Blog Challenge.
  2. She loves Flash Fiction – A true creative can compose a story out of five sentences and she hits on several different genres, which is cool.
  3. She loves the blog community – She is a blogger, a writer, a contributor, a cheerleader to other bloggers and that makes her super cool in my book.

Thanks so much to Tyrean for the kinds words she said about me in the 3Up! Blog Hop

Post to Ponder

How to Write a Great Twitter Pitch by Ava at Writability – There is a Twitter Pitch party coming up on May 28th.  Details available here.

Happy Memorial Day!  My Depressing Yet Hysterical Military Career by Kristian Lamb – This story is hilarious and so unbelievable it has to be true.

What to do When You’ve Written the Worst Book Every by Amanda Fanger – It happens to all of us. So, read on for tips to handle it.

Stress and the Creative Process by Ali Cross – How do your emotions effect your writing?

There is Nothing Wrong with You by Randi Lee – I am tired of explaining myself to those who just don’t understand or don’t get it.

Coolest Things

Saw The Great Gatsby and it was a beautifully shot movie. Baz did a great job.  I enjoyed the movie immensely, but there was much more tension created in the book then in the movie.  Amazing thing to be able to create tension in the written word.

Saw Star Trek Into Darkness and I absolutely loved it.  Spock was so perfectly frustratingly Spockish and I love him.  I hate to admit it but James T. Kirk is growing on me.  Khan is so gorgeous and not just in the bad boy kind of way.

New Followers
Camilla Kyndesen
Jordan Latour
Michael Armstrong
Ray Ferrer
Raven Ruckus
Jennifer Ricketts
Issy Goode
Andrew Toynbee
Chester Maynes
 
Next Weeks Schedule
Wednesday – Get Healthy Bloghop
Friday – The WHIP IT Good Blogfest
Saturday – Prince’s and Hero’s Bloghop
 

For someone who did not have the opportunities to enjoy three day weekends for the last 6 years, I am appreciating the pleasure of free time.  

SQM – Iron Man 3

Published on by Sydney Aaliyah Michelle21 Comments

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Tony Stark is Iron Man and Iron Man is Tony Stark. That sums up the message behind Iron Man 3. I may be reaching here, but never has a character gone through such a transformation over three films as Mr. Tony Stark. The amazing thing about his transformation as a character is he’s likable at every stage.

This is what Tony Stark shows  you in Iron Man 3:

Tony Stark has heart:

“I had just created demons and didn’t even know it”

“Things are different now, I have to protect the one thing that I can’t live without. That’s you.”

“She was already perfect.”

Angry Tony Stark:

“You’re not a man. You’re nothing more than a maniac. I’m not afraid of you. No politics here: just good old fashioned revenge!”

Fight Scene One Liner Tony Stark:

“Hot wings you want to party?”

“Walked right into this one I’ve dates hotter chicks them you.”

“You like that,Westworld?”

“Walk away from that, you son of a bitch.”

Same old Tony Stark:

“Ladies follow the mullet.”

“It’s not superhero business.”

“It’s a big bunny relax about it.”

“I remember the night, not the morning.”

“You know, it’s moments like these when I realize how much of a superhero I am.”

“Dads leave. No need to be such a pussy about it.”

“I liked you in A Christmas Story.”

“Some people say progress is a bad thing. But try having a magnet in your chest keeping you alive.”

“That’s the thing about smart guys: we cover our asses!”

“Sweetheart, “a cheap trick and a cheesy one-liner” could be the name of my autobiography.”

“You are in a relationship with me, nothing is gonna be fine”

After New York Tony Stark:

“Ever since that big guy with the hammer fell out of the sky, subtlety’s kinda had its day.”

“I have a lot of apologies to make… Nothing’s been the same since New York. You experience things, and then they’re over. I can’t sleep, and when I do I have nightmares.”

Tony Stark: I’m sorry, did I disturb your selective napping?
Bruce Banner: I’m sorry, I’m not that kind of doctor. It’s not my department.
Tony Stark: Your training?
Bruce Banner: My temperament.
 

Have you seen it?  What did you think?

Related post: 
SparklyPrettyBriiiight – Movie review: “Iron Man 3”
My Film Views – Iron Man 3 (2013)
Love Your Movies – Downey Once Again Flies High in Iron Man 3
Alex J. Cavanaugh – Iron Man III Review
Falls Into Writing – Iron Man 3 Strengthens Marvel Movie Franchise