Jude's BlogJude's Blog

Six Sentence Sunday

Jude — Sun, 13 May 2012 12:00:55 +0000

#sixsunday
Happy Mother’s Day!
This Sunday’s sentences come from my WIP prequel to Sierra Sky.

“What are you?” Cassandra looked at the hat and without thinking, she whipped it off his head.
Long dark hair spilled out of it, flowing around his shoulders, and Luna’s gaze grew dark as he snatched the hat from her trembling fingers. Cursing in a strange language and tightening his arm around her waist, he touched something on his wrist. When everything around them brightened and distorted, she opened her mouth to scream. Her body thrummed and her head throbbed, and night turned to day as she passed out in the alien’s arms.

For more 6 Sentence Sunday, be sure to visit their site.

Sierra Sky Review

Jude — Wed, 09 May 2012 16:03:05 +0000

Sierra Sky just received its first review: Sierra Sky Review
So be sure to head on over and check it out

Six Sentence Sunday – 5/6/12

Jude — Sun, 06 May 2012 12:00:47 +0000

#sixsunday
The following comes from Texas Moonshine.

“Damn, I had convinced myself it wasn’t real,” he whispered.
“What?” She whispered back and then drew one of his fingers into her mouth.
He sucked in his breath. “The charge I feel every time I touch you,” he choked out.
She smiled, pleased that he felt it, too.

For more 6 Sentence Sunday, visit their site.

Six Sentence Sunday – 4/29/12

Jude — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 12:00:10 +0000

#sixsunday

A month later she saw him again. This time she refused to look away and studied his rugged unshaven features. He seemed so out of place among the other men, and she felt certain this one would have someone waiting at home for him.
His gaze suddenly shifted and locked with hers, but she still couldn’t look away.
“Nena, don’t attract their attention or they’ll be begging us for money.”
Ignoring her friend, she smiled at the attractive homeless man, again sensing he didn’t belong there.

For other 6 Sentence Sunday, be sure to visit their site.

How to write a book?

Jude — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 18:40:04 +0000

I was waiting in line at the store the other day as the customer in front of me and the cashier got into a discussion and traded business cards. Apparently the cashier had always wanted to write a book but didn’t know where to start, and the customer wrote books and was apparently the expert on the subject. When asked how she wrote her first book, she responded with, “I went to the library and found a book on how to write a book.”
I had to choke back the snicker, since it is not as easy as that. Nothing in a book will tell someone how to write one. Yes, it can teach you proper grammar. Yes, it can tell you how to format the book. It might even give you suggestions on how to find an agent or which publishers to use, but nothing can tell you how to form those words into a book that anyone wants to read.
They say everyone has a book inside them that wants to come out. Problem is that not everyone’s story is interesting. Others might be but they can’t write. They might have the money to hire a ghost writer to do the writing for them, but most probably won’t go that route.
So what is the best answer to give to someone who asks how to write a book? I tell them to sit down and write it. Nobody is an expert when they start. And no one expects the first attempt to be grammar free, and that’s not the point. You just start writing and keep going until you run out of things to say. Then worry about how to move things around to make it readable. Hire someone if you can’t do it yourself. Or find a grammar book that will help. It takes a lot of work to get a book created and published from start to finish, especially if you’re self-published. And it’s a whole lot easier now than when I got started. Back then, research was done in a building called a library and POD publishers were brand new and produced shoddy results. It amazes me how much self-publishing has advanced in the last decade.
It’s easy now compared to then. Considering I haven’t self-published a book since 2008, it’s even easier now. Sites like Smashwords make it nearly painless. They not only let you publish for free (and provide a detailed guideline on how to format your manuscript), they will even market for you and submit your books to major online publishers. If only that had been available when I got started.
But all that goes back to the original question of how to write a book. Not even Smashwords.com can help you do that. If the question was how to create a book, that’s a different beast all together. Because creating and writing are not the same.

Six Sentence Sunday – 4/22/12

Jude — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 12:00:38 +0000

#sixsunday
This week’s sentences comes from Faith’s Portrait, my time travel romance:

Without another thought, she melted into his arms, and his lips seared her own. Her fingers went into his thick hair as she deepened the passionate embrace.
Noah’s hand crept to her bottom, and he pulled her against his body with a groan. She gasped to feel his hardening flesh between them. Claire pulled away slightly and looked into his eyes. She couldn’t think let alone speak and didn’t know how far it would have gone, if not for a knock at the door.

For more 6 Sentence Sunday, please visit their site.

Flash Fiction Friday – 4/13/12

Jude — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 12:00:28 +0000

#flaficfri
Happy Friday everyone! How about some Flash Fiction?

The first time it happened, terror flew through her. It wasn’t normal, and she knew it. Normal people couldn’t do things like that, only comic book characters. An unexpected smile twitched across her lips as she pictured a few of those super heroes, but she shook her head. She was not a super hero.
Staring at her fingers, she scraped her thumb nail against the pad of the ring finger of the same hand. She ignored the tickle and watched the small spark light up her flesh. It resembled the glow of one of those sparklers she always enjoyed playing with as a child. She would move it fast in the dark and try to spell her name before the light trail disappeared.
Scraping her nail harder and faster, the spark flickered and then burst into a match size flame. She held her breath, waiting for the heat to burn, but it didn’t. Her courage fled and she clapped her hands together to smother the fire.
Her breath released in a gush, and her whole body shook. Even after seeing it again, she still couldn’t wrap her mind around it. She had seen it in a few movies and knew it was only science-fiction. How on Earth could she be a real life fire starter?

Six Sentence Sunday – 4/15/12

Jude — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 12:00:01 +0000

#sixsunday

I’ll destroy them all!
Gwyn gasped and jumped away from the window, realizing that no one else had said those words. They had come from her own head. “What the hell?” She muttered and backed away until she came up against the couch.

This comes from my WIP, Death at the Pumps. It’s currently on the back burner, but I hope to get back to it soon.

For other 6 Sentence Sunday, visit their site.

Six Sentence Sunday – 4/8/12

Jude — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 12:00:35 +0000

#sixsunday

‘Look at me, Drew, I need to see your eyes.’
He shook his head but opened his eyes. As his gaze traveled down her body, he sucked in his breath. He felt his teeth begin to sharpen and he swallowed hard. Biting his tongue and tasting his own blood, Drew shook his head. ‘I don’t think this is going to work, Sera.’

This little teaser comes from Drew’s Destiny, the third installment of my A Modern Myth saga.

For more 6 Sentence Sunday, visit their site.

Six Sentence Sunday – 4/1/12

Jude — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 12:00:11 +0000

#sixsunday
Following are a few sentences from Passion’s Price, another free novel posted on my forum for active members.

She steeled herself and turned around. Her eyes drank him in as she stared at his muscular arms and chest. He had a fine coating of hair in the middle of his chest that traveled downward and disappeared into the black satin mini brief worn low on his tan hips. The healthy bulge in the front of those briefs sent her gaze flying back up to meet Tony’s. He smiled at her and held out his hands.
“Where do you want me?”

For more 6 Sentence Sunday, please visit their site.