A: Watching HGTV shows and seeing beige and subway tiles used in design. I can’t stand either one. I can’t stand beige because it’s so bland that there is nothing inspiring about it. Beige (and denim blue carpet) reads government building to me. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I have worked and gone to school in beige environments. I don’t want it at home. Give me gray as a neutral any day of the week. I think it’s prettier. I loathe subway tiles because they are the exact same material as the tiles being replaced (because they feel old and outdated… so why get the same look again?) The only difference I can see is shape and color – from square to rectangle, from beige to white. Both trends read old and dirty to me… and government building. Don’t deny it. Now that I’ve pointed it out you feel the same, right?
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Q: Where did you experience writer’s block in your book?
A: Probably wherever the story gets really clever. For instance, two moments that stick out to me in book one are when Zaria and her friends are imprisoned in Trolgar and what happens when Zaria, Olaf, and the Wild Hunt are on the scene for the delivery of the quest object. In the first, I had to answer how do they escape? It came by realizing how the room was already described. The solution was right there! For the second moment, I always knew there had to be a reason the mountain-trolls and the river-troll didn’t get along but would keep their distance. It couldn’t be just magic. I was reading the news when the idea of politics came to me as the solution. Sometimes the answer is in your face, you simply must step back and give your work a little space. Writer’s block to me is the inability to see the forest for the trees or the trees for the forest. Some space and a fresh look can make the big and small pictures appear.
Teaser Quote 5 of 13
Q: How do you stay organized?
A: For Zaria Fierce and the Secret of Gloomwood Forest I was about halfway through the first draft when it became clear to me I needed to utilize a timeline. I stopped writing immediately and opened a new document and then I read from the beginning. I sorted out the days and events I had already done and then kept the document handy for future events. That time I hadn’t made a mistake, but I could have, and it became a real time-saver later.
44 Books to Read if You Love Twilight
If you haven’t yet read the Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer, you should. All 4 books are out. This is their order:
Plus there’s a companion piece to Eclipse entitled The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner
Meyer was working on Edward’s version of Twilight called Midnight Sun until it was leaked. That’s pretty good too. Who doesn’t love getting inside Edward’s head?
If you’re a Twilight fan…
And are itching for more books to read that give off a similar flavor check out these trilogies, series, classics, and stand alone novels. There are 40 books in all!
The recommendations are in no particular order.
Blueblood Series by Melissa de la Cruz:
Love Triangle. Check. Vampires. Check.
Five books are published so far. Ten are predicted. The next is coming out later this year. Here is the reading order:
Plus there are two fun series related books to check out: Keys to the Repository
Theater Illuminata Trilogy by Lisa Mantchev:
Love Triangle. Check. Paranormal/Fantasy. Check. Fairies? Theater? Drama! Check! Check! Check! Here is the reading order:
- Act I: Eyes Like Stars
- Act II: Perchance to Dream
- Act III: So Silver Bright
Vampire Academy Series by Richelle Mead
Five books published so far. Last book in the series on Rose will come out December of this year. Here is the reading order:
A spin off series set in the same world, taking side characters and turning them into main characters with a whole new storyline and plot believed to start releasing in 2012.
House of Night Series by P.C. and Kristin Cast:
Vampires. Check. Love Triangle. Check.
Seven books published so far. Twelve books predicted for the series in total. Here is the reading order:
There will also be a companion piece that gives the 411 on the book series called The Fledgling Handbook 101
The Wolves of Mercy Falls Trilogy by Maggie Stiefvater:
Werewolves. Check. Young Adult Romance. Check.
One published. One about to be published. One to be published summer of 2011. Here is the reading order:
Fallen Angels by Becca Fitzpatrick:
Paranormal Romance. Check. Love Triangle. Check.
Here is the reading order:
Fallen Series by Lauren Kate:
Paranormal Romance. Check. Love Triangle. Check.
One book published. One about to be released. Rumored two more to come. Here is the reading order:
Classics and Single Titles:
The first three classics were mentioned and inspired Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight Saga. Won’t your English teacher be proud!
- Pride and Prejudice
by Jane Austen – Edward as Mr. Darcy? Featured in Twilight.
- Romeo and Juliet
by William Shakespeare – Featured in New Moon.
- Wuthering Heights
by Emily Bronte – Featured in Eclipse.
- Jane Eyre
by Charlotte Brontë – Gothic romance. It’s what people read before vampires. 😉
- Sense and Sensibility
by Jane Austen – Love Triangle.
- Tuck Everlasting
by Natalie Babbitt – Fantasy romance with an immortal theme.
- Ella Enchanted
by Gail Carson Levine – Fantasy romance with a curse.
- Beastly
by Alex Flinn – Paranormal romance with a curse.
You can’t go wrong with any of the books on this list. Are there any books we’ve missed that you’d add? Let me know!
Q: Do you have any tricks for staying focused?
A: Yes, give yourself a deadline or end goal. You’re going to want to meet it and possibly exceed it. There’s lots of wonderful stories about writers who have finished a book in mere days, or completed massive amounts of prose for the annual National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo.) What works for you?
