read me dead | Lisa V. Proulx, Author/Speaker

Hi everyone!

Well, it looks like Spring has sprung and we have been fortunate here in Maryland to enjoy some very hot days. I mean hot like in the high 70’s and 80’s, you know, my kind of weather.

I don’t like the cold, in fact I think of Hell as cold, icy and barren and not hot, steamy and sweaty. Cold. Hell is cold weather!

So on that cheery note, I hope you enjoy your day, thanks for stopping by and talk to you soon! 🙂

~AUTHOR OF THE WEEK~

Today I would like to introduce to you a very talented author named EMERALD BARNES, Em for short.

Emerald Barnes graduated Mississippi University for Women with a Bachelor’s Degree in English with an emphasis on Creative Writing.

She resides in Amory, Mississippi where she writes novels and short stories as well as blogs about writing when she isn’t spending time with her nieces and nephew.

She has self-published a novella, Piercing Through the Darkness, and has been published by Phyllis Scott Publishing in their book Blue Legs and Other Coming of Age Stories.

Her YA Romantic Suspense Novel, Read Me Dead, will be available Spring 2012.

PIERCING THROUGH THE DARKNESS

It’s on the edge of her memory like a word on the tip of her tongue, but Kandi can’t remember what it is to save her life. Despite being a cop, Jimmy can’t protect Kandi from the one thing that haunts her.

She’s in danger and doesn’t even know it.

After it happened, her brain repressed her memories of the accident, and now, she’s taking a Biology class under a man who wants to see her dead.

The memories have started coming back, and it feels like she’s miles away from him.

How can he protect her when she doesn’t even know she needs protecting?

Can these characters pierce their way through the darkness?

READ ME DEAD

Alex wants to be a normal teenager, worrying about what dress to wear to homecoming and which handsome boy to date, but as the sole witness to her parents’ horrific murder, she can never be normal.

For seven years, Alex has lived with this secret that haunts her memories. And when the local newspaper reveals her secret, Alex is plagued by the fear that her parents’ murderer will soon find himself another victim – her.

As she follows her heart, the murderer follows her. Normal is out of the question.

Alex’s life is catapulted into a race against time to save her own life and bring her parents’ murderer to justice.

I had the pleasure of speaking to Emerald lately and as a writer, I sometimes find it hard to be inspired. So I asked Emerald to give me her thoughts on the subject.

Here is what she thought about that!

“Sometimes inspiration is tough to find, especially when you’re first starting a new novel. Your muse has left you after your previous WIP, and you’re left staring at your computer screen that is covered in pictures of cats with funny sayings. Why, for goodness sake, can’t they inspire you? Huh?

Well, muse, give me something more than a cat who is sleeping on computer, will you, you ask. But there’s no answer, and instead, you’re left staring at a blank document wondering how on earth you can fill the pages ahead of you with words, and words that actually make sense.

Back when I first started writing, I began with short stories. The idea of writing a full length novel scared me. How was I going to fill the pages with a cohesive plot line? With dialogue that sounded natural? With loveable characters? I was terrified. 300+ pages full of words that made an actual story? I never thought it could happen.

But then, as I sat down to write my first novel, it happened. A story came out and ended up being around 100,000 words. Sounds good, right? Yeah, that doesn’t always happen though. Sometimes, the first page of novel scares me to death!
So, what do you do when you’re faced with a blank page, Emerald? You ask. Sure you have an idea but where do you start?
I cry like a little girl. Wait, scratch that. I take a moment to collect my thoughts. I breathe in. Breathe out. And continue doing so of course! I empty my brain which is definitely harder than it seems. But in order to clear my mind, I go old school. I take a pen and notebook and stare at the notebook until I’m uncomfortable. After that, I start writing. Stream of consciousness. I write whatever comes to mind. Eventually, there’s a useable idea that gets me started.
Will this work for everyone? I don’t know. I’ve never done a study, but other people seem to say it works for them too. A lot of people rely on a dream journal or just a journal that they write for fifteen minutes straight about anything that pops into their minds. It helps you focus your mind. I know it does mine.
After that, face that blank page head on! Type in “Chapter One” or “Untitled Chapter” and have at it! Start writing. Mentally picture that character doing that thing and go for it. So what if it’s awful? That’s what edits are for. Just write! And write. And write. And write. If you get stuck somewhere, try the stream of consciousness journaling again. That’s what I do. Well, either that or I torture my friends and family with constant babblings about how much I hate my characters and why they suddenly have a mind of their own. That usually helps.

After that, I grab hold of my muse and don’t let go. I avoid all pictures of cute little cats lol-ing or those funny memes circulating Facebook and write what matters most – the story in my head dying to get out.
Because even if my muse isn’t there, and I need to find the inspiration to keep going, chances are there are a couple of ideas in my brain. I just have to dig deep, face my fears and write.

How do you handle your fickle muse?”

~HOW TO CONTACT EMERALD AND BUY HER BOOKS!~

Piercing Through The Darkness http://www.emeraldbarnes.us/piercing-through-the-darkness.html

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Piercing-Through-Darkness-Emerald-Barnes/dp/1463752601/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1332886191&sr=1-1

FaceBook Read Me Dead https://www.facebook.com/messages/?action=read&tid=id.296934737028453#!/readmedead

Website: http://www.emeraldbarnes.us

Blog: http://ebarnes23.wordpress.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/fanpageforemeraldbarnes

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/emeraldbarnes

Goodreads book page: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11647504-piercing-through-the-darkness

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

Google + : https://plus.google.com/101744242812023382698/posts

Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Emerald-Barnes/e/B004PL38QS/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Piercing-Through-the-Darkness-ebook/dp/B004P1IYLW/

Createspace: https://www.createspace.com/3658289

Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/75834

YouTube Piercing Through the Darkness Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIeCI4_3ipc

YouTube Read Me Dead Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bu9OudybP_A&feature=youtu.be

Thank you so much Em for taking the time to stop by! I also appreciate you having me as a guest on your blog! I wish you the best in your writing and in all you do! You are a great person! 🙂

~CONTACT ME~

I love to hear from my readers, whether good, bad or anything in between!

If you are interested in reviewing my books, interviewing me or being a guest on my blog, please contact me at Magicforest@peoplepc.com

Let me know if you want to be added to my distro list for upcoming book info! I’ll also let you know about new releases, contests and other fun stuff and you’ll find out all the juicy stuff before anyone else does!

Twitter: @LisaVProulx

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Blog, The Main Artery: https://lisavproulx.wordpress.com/

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FaceBook Author Fan Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lisa-V-Proulx-Author-Fan-Page/223212131077410

And as always, thank you for your continued love and support! 🙂

*´¨) >>¸.·*´¸.·*´¨)

(¸.·´ (¸.·’*Lisa¸.·*´¨) (¸.·’*

“Could we change our attitude, we should not only see life differently, but life itself would come to be different.” – Katherine Mansfield