Technical Stuff - updating my Blog

Hi All!

I'm updating this blog and am adding pages to it - I don't know if anyone has noticed it yet but I have already added a page with my contact stuff as well as inexpensive promo's and I'll be adding more.

My goal is to make it easy for writers to find what we're looking for all in one place. It's not easy to scour the web to find place to advertise your particular baby. Maybe this will make it a little easier.

I'm putting a list together for free advertising as well as well a couple of pages for where an author can blog. I have been blogging everywhere lately and I found them because of the yahoo groups I'm on. I don't think I would have found them if I hadn't been on those groups.

I'll be adding to these lists as I learn of new blogs or places to advertise. If you know of some feel free to let me know about it in the comment section.

Same thing goes for being listed on the blog hosts pages - if you host authors and you're interested in being added leave me a comment with the name of the blog, blog address, what your requirements are, and contact info. I do have this blog set for approval by me before I release it so if you're afraid sensitive material will be released don't be - just let me know not to post it and I won't.

Barb:)

Shameless Promoting: I'm at it again

Boy have I been busy!

I've been lucky enough to do all these different blogs and I can't thank the hosts enough!

Today you'll find me at KMN talking about how the writing world has changed over the years - come by and say hi! http://kmnbooks.blogspot.com/2013/08/the-writing-world-has-changed.html

I'm also doing a cover reveal for Forgotten Desire at Alisha Robinson's site sometime today - It's a gorgious cover please stop by and see it - http://alisharobinson.com/

Barb:)

Shameless Promoting: I seem to be everywhere

Promoting is a way of life with writers. I have been a bit busy with it. I have been lucky enough to do several blogs this week and I have one more to make everyone aware of. Please check out Katya Armock. You'll get to read the blurb and excerpt of Hesitant Desire. Come by and say Hi!

http://katyaarmock.com/2013/08/18/permission-to-speak-freely-hesitant-desire-by-barbara-donlon-bradley/

Barb:)

Shameless Promoting: My Author Interview and BC Brown's Blog

Well I'm at it again. With the recent release of Hesitant Desire I've been interviewed by B.C. Brown. I had a lot of fun answering the questions and hope you'll stop by and say hi!

Here's the Link:

http://bcbrownbooks.blogspot.com/2013/08/barbara-bradley-hesitant-desire-author.html

I'm doing a few more blogs over the next few weeks and will post them as I get the webpages.

Barb:)

Writing Down the Bones: A Set of New Eyes

It doesn't matter if you're working on your very first book or your fiftieth you can always use another set of eyes on your manuscript. Having someone else to read your work helps you catch the words you 'think' you see. They find those awkward phrases and run-on sentences. I don't think anyone is immune.

I just finished with the edits for Forgotten Desire and my editor caught several of those stupid little words that I missed. And when you see what they are you'll think she should have known better and you're right, but I 'saw' the right one even though it was wrong.

breaks - brakes My heroine was riding a motorcycle - and every time I read it I saw brakes but had written breaks. How goofy!!!

dear - deer - Aw come on! Don't I know the difference? You know what - I didn't even see the a - I was blind to it.

then - than - Goodness gracious! This one too?

If it wasn't for my editor that would have been published!

Before you ask, no, I don't have a critique group anymore. In the beginning of my writing career I did. Members of my local RWA chapter got together after our meeting once a month and helped each other out with our WIPS. It worked out great for a while, but as people came and went in the chapter I found it wasn't working for me.

Then I became a member of another wonderful critique group. We worked well together and of the six of us four of us were published. I ended up stepping away from the group when it became too much for me. I miss my partners, but we do keep in touch.

When I first started writing I wondered why there weren't that many published authors in the critique group, but now that I 'm the one published I do get it. Between writing, editing those works and trying to promote I don't have the time to be part of a critique group and help the way I want to. Working a day job and focusing on my writing takes up all my time. I think that is why I'm doing this writing down the bones series. My way of giving back.

As I was working on this blog an author on one of the many loops I belong to posted this information on critique groups. I don't know anything about these groups but decided to include it because it could help those looking for a critique group who might not belong to RWA or aren't close enough to a chapter to meet on a regular basis.

Barb:)

http://www.ladieswhocritique.com/

http://www.writing-world.com/links/critique.shtml#groups

http://www.writersdigestshop.com/writing-critique-service?cid=3&gclid=CN_a7paAh7gCFWXZQgodqHIA8w 

http://www.contestjunkies.com/artman/publish/cat_index_26.php

http://yalitchat.ning.com/

http://www.savvyauthors.com/vb/content.php

http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/

 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/RWCcritique/

Shameless Promoting: TRS End of the Summer Bash

All this week The Romance Studio is doing an End of Summer Bash. There are lots of wonderful authors posting (including me). I'll be posting excerpts from each of the five books in the Vespian Way plus a sneak peek at book 6 - Forgotten Desire through out the week.

Here's my first post! http://trsparties.com/2013/08/11/the-vespian-way-series-book-one-dominated-by-desire/

Come and check it out and leave a comment!

http://trsparties.com

Barb:)

Shameless promoting: Hesitant Desire is out!

I'm excited to announce that the fifth book in my series Hesitant Desire is now available at Phaze! It's available in print and download. Check it out! www.phaze.com/author.php?author=21
And Phaze has a 20 % off right now too - all you need to do is use promo word is SUN when you check out!

Here's the blurb:

Heather swore she’d never go back to Aruka after a mission had gone bad. The planet had an archaic view of women and Heather fought against those views, angering one man to the point of whipping her. Now Earth has requested she rescue a missing woman on that planet. She wants to say no, but Storm has already accepted for her, as long as he accompanies her. They hoped it would be a quick in and out assignment but didn’t expect to run into the man carrying such hatred for her all these years. Now they have to try to finish their mission while evading the man who’s only goal is to make Heather pay for her crimes.

Here's to cover:

If you wish to read the excerpt I'm going to ask you to go to the phaze website. I haven't locked this blog with the adult content and the book has a few spicy scenes I can't post. Just go to www.phaze.com/auhtor.php?author=21 and enjoy.

Thanks,

Barb:)

Writing Down the Bones: Passive Voice

The Passive voice. The he was talking instead of he talked. That to be verb is a pesky little thing and most of us don't even know we're using it. There is nothing wrong with it but a lot can slow down the pace of your story.

Once it was pointed out to me I started watching out for it. I actually used to go through chapter by chapter and highlight all the was's I had in a chapter and looked for a new way to write the sentence to get rid of the to be verb. That helped me remove a lot of them and taught me how to avoid them in the first place.

This is what I mean:

I was sitting next to my sister while my uncle was telling a story about my grandmother. Grandma was going through menopause and had been doing some goofy things. The story was about how she threw a plate of spaghetti at him, had it hit the wall and then she demanded to know how it got there. This was a new story and we laughed at the idea. I was glad I never saw that side of her.

The above paragraph has five sentences yet has six was's which I highlighted. Now I'm going to tell the same story again, but this time pull out those was's.

I sat next to my sister as my uncle told a story about my grandmother. One we'd never heard before. While going through menopause she did some goofy things. Her and my uncle argued in the kitchen and in a fit of anger she threw a full plate of spaghetti at his head, narrowly missing it. The spaghetti smacked against the wall. Five seconds later she berated him for the mess. I laughed as I silently thanked God I never saw that side of her.

Same basic paragraph, but to get around the was's I changed the sentences, making it more active. There are now seven sentences and no was's.

There is nothing wrong with the passive voice and sometimes you just can't avoid it but the more you remove the faster paced your story will be.

Barb:)

Shameless Promoting: I'm at Tina Donahue's blog today

Here;s a quick note to let you know I'm at Tina Donahue's blog today - I posted about writing - it is a career or a hobby.

Barb's at my site today - http://www.tinadonahue.com/blog/ - giving you a sneak peek into her awesome romance Hesitant Desire. I adore the cover!

Please drop by to learn more about this great book, and leave a comment to show your love. :)

Random Thoughts:Getting back in the Groove

It's always hard for me to get back into the writing groove when I go on vacation. It's the time I step away from everything, including my books. I need to do that every so often so I don't burn out or hit writers block.

I went to see my sister for four days. I knew I wouldn't get much writing done but I brought my laptop anyway. Maybe I could squeeze a little time in somewhere along the way. The fact is I didn't even take my laptop out of the bag. Not once. But four days later I knew I'd have to get back to the grind.

It's so easy to let other things get in the way when you stop writing. Even if it 's just a day or two. There was a lot for me to use as an excuse I returned. There were e-mails from all the loops, all the junk mail that had piled up on the counter, the dreaded pile of laundry from the trip. It would be so simple to focus on catching up to forget about writing for a few more days. But I'm afraid if I do that then days will turn into weeks then months.

So one of the first things I do is pull my laptop out and turn it on. I might spend more time than I should deleting e-mails from my loops but it's up and running and those loops pertain to writing so I'm working on writing even if I'm not working on my stories. I also open my manuscripts up. Even if all I do is reread what I had written before I left I'm working on focusing on my books again. I do try to write something. It might take me a day or two to get back to writing for several hours a day but I do get there.

I love to write. It's a wonderful gift given to me and I don't want to ignore it so each time I take a break I make sure that break doesn't stop me forever.