My opinion of social media and the writing community

In my opinion social media is awesome.  Facebook, twitter, blogs, and what have you is a great way to communicate with fellow writers.  I have learned so much from other people and created friendships with people all over the united states.  Over all do I think it helps sales of self publishing?  Not sure.  Does it help authors get out and tell there stories?  Most definitly. 

Buccunear Blog fest Review

Today I am suppose to post a review of a book I am reading.  Well my blog is a continuous review of books I have read and just the other day I discussed The Fear, the book I was reading...so not to be redundant, I am going to refer you back to prior posts. 

On my Bookshelf

Since I primarily read from my kindle it's easy to see my bookshelf!  My husband bought me a kindle because I long ago ran out of room on my shelves and began stacking books on the floor like an old lady with too many cats.  I even donate books and still have too many.  So kindle is my answer to over crowding.  :)  You can look at my book reviews and get a good idea of my taste in books.  I primarily read YA but will throw a good adult book in for good measure.  I love Cassandra Clare and am working my way through the Clockwork Angel series after reading the mortal instruments.  I tend to steer clear of Fantasy only because I find it difficult to visualize a land I have never been.  So I am probubly the only person left on the planet that has not read Harry Potter.  I like books that look at how the world might change, like the Fear book I am finishing, Lockdown, Wool by Hugh Howey, Deliruim by Laura Oliver.  I get really excited when someone takes a new turn on the end of the world or government trying to take over.

What am I reading now?

Right now I am finishing up The Fear: The Enemy is Gathering by Charlie Higson.  He also wrote The Dead.
This book takes place in London after an illness has gone through the country and turned everyone sixteen and older into what the kids call sickos.  A sort of zombie in the sense that they are covered in boils and have limited mental capabilities.  In the first book we follow a group of private school boys into the city after their school is overrun.  Now, in this book we follow a few of the characters as they travel through the city looking for other kids.  It is sort of a Lord of the Flies for the zombie lover.  This book talks a lot about rebuilding and how kids are stepping up to face the new world but also how each has a very different view of how the future will unfold under their leadership. 

Coming up with my characters in Let My Life Be Proof

I wish I could say that I had a wonderful dream that brought my characters to me, but I would be lying. The characters for all my books have been in my head for a long time and now that I have some time I am writing them down.  I think my parents equated it with me being a daydreamer or off in a world of my own and they were right.
My life changing, that's dramatic but it was a light bulb moment, happened when I was watching Merv Griffen.  I know now everyone knows I'm old.  He was the original Ellen.  He had Kirstie Alley on because she was a female Spock in the original Star Trek movie.  Now there is no hiding it, I'm old.  :)  Anyway she said that when she was little she would insert herself into movies and television shows, as a new character.  I sat there and thought, WOW!  I thought I was the only one that did that.  So now that someone else said it was okay to develop my own little story lines I went wild.  In my stories I've starred in Charlies Angels, The Outsiders, The Walking Dead, just to name a few. All my stories stem from something I saw at one time and then developed in my head.  LET MY LIFE BE PROOF began after I watched The Big Red One, then added more when I saw Blackhawk Down, then regenerated it again after I saw Act of Valor and read the Marcu Lutrell story.  I had an entire story line in each of those movies starring ME!  Well I couldn't write those stories because someone else already had...so I began to research the war in Afghanistan and took my character and added her in there to get ta! da! my story. 

Meet the characters! Today is your chance to meet Doogie and Tahk from LET MY LIFE BE PROOF

I have to start by saying how thankful I am that Doogie and Tahk took the time to talk to me.  Thanks guys, I know when you get a break from patrolling you like to rest it means a lot to our readers to get some insight into your lives..

Doogie: Not a problem.  I'm usually working in the hospital when were in base.
Tahk laughs:  Yeah no rest for the weary.

Question 1: So Doogie I know your name was given to you because you basically skipped high school and graduated with a Doctorate at 16.  Have you ever actually seen the show?

Doogie:  No. I'm too young to have seen it.  Besides as you said I've been pretty busy studying and then not a lot of television ops here.

Tahk: But we did upload an episode just so she could see her name sake.
Doogie: Yeah that was fun.  She shakes her head and laughs.  I couldn't believe it was the guy from How I Ment Your Mother.  Now that show I know. 

Question 2: Do you like the nickname?

Doogie:  She smiles and looks at Tahk.  If I liked it they wouldn't call me it.  It's crazy the stupid names they come up with.

Question 3: Tahk you don't have a nickname?

Tahk:  Nope.

Question 3: Being only eighteen has it been hard to be a part of some of the missions you've been on?  Aren't you scared?

Doogie:  Yeah I'm always scared but when it's all happening you get tunnel vision and just do your job.  Besides that's what Tahk's there for.  He's my personal guard.  He's suppose to watch my back.  I'm not that much younger than the boys out here.  I just have more education.  It's hard on all the guys.  We went from High school football games to front lines.

Question 4: Tahk you complain a lot that Doogie takes off and you have a hard time watching her back.  Also do you have a p.g. because you're a girl or does all medics have one?

Doogie interrupts before he can answer:  I go where the men need me it isn't my fault that Tahk isn't paying attention.  All medics have p.g.'s.  They use to wear helmets and vest with big white crosses on them and we were suppose to be off limits in a battle.  We don't wear that anymore.  It was more of a target in this war.

Tahk shakes his head.:  There is always a lot going on and it's difficult to keep track of her.  I complain more to give her a hard time.  She has skills.  She doesn't need me with her every minute.  Although most of the time I know where she is, just not sitting right on top of her.

Question 5: Tahk this one's for you.  You tend to say a lot of suggetive things to Doogie.  Do you have secret feelings for her.

Tahk lets out a huge laugh, holding his stomach:  No.  No!  She's like my little sister.  I just do it to hassle her.
Doogie:  I ignore him most of the time.

Question 6:  So there is implication in the first chapters of the book that your commanding officer has some feelings for you.  What can you tell us about that?

Tahk: Yeah Raven has the hots for me.  What can I say?

Doogie: I think she was talking to me. 

Tahk:  He isn't suppose to have feelings for her.  Tahk gives Doogie a look

Doogie:  Raven and I get close.  But we are in a military situation so finding love not only is difficult in  stressful surroundings but there is the issue of rank as well.  I guess the readers will have to dive in to see if we are able to figure it out.

Tahk:  Not gonna happen.

Doogie shrugs and gives me a wink.
I guess we will have to read the YA Novel Let My Life Be Proof to find out if there love can overcome the barriers of war and rank.

Tahk: Yeah it can't.

I laugh.  Not much of a romantic is he.

Thanks for stopping by!

LET MY LIFE BE PROOF: WIP

As a true author I of course can not just post one of my works.   HA HA so here you go!  My work in progress is called LET MY LIFE BE PROOF

Emme Sawyer is a genius.  Graduating from med school at sixteen and bored with the day to day grind of work, Emme enlists in the Navy at seventeen.  Added to a Marine unit as their medic Emme gets a wake up call as to what the war in Afghanistan is really about.  During the Battle of Marjah Emme sees the implication of war on the locals, loses her best friend, and develops feelings for her commanding officer. 

LET MY LIFE BE PROOF

The quiet of the evening was broken as the fsst of a bullet buzzed by my head, impacting the wall and sending a cloud of dust into my face. 

“Shots fired, left flank,” I yelled as the unit moved to cover me and the wounded man I was tending to.  “It’s okay.  You’re going to be okay.  I’m gonna take care of you,”  I continued to talk as I tied tourniquets tightly around his legs and gave him a shot of morphine.

“You’re a girl,” the soldier groaned.

“I’m a medic.”