M A Comley, Author: Today my guest is Suzanne Tyrpak who has just rele...

M A Comley, Author: Today my guest is Suzanne Tyrpak who has just rele...: Today my guest is Suzanne Tyrpak who has just released another fab book.            When and why did you decide to become an Indie ...

Guest Post, Nancy Parker--How I Became a Writer

I'm not sure how Nancy Parker stumbled onto my blog, but I'm always delighted to meet new readers and writers. How did a woman majoring in Biomedical Sciences veer off the scientific path and chose the rocky road of writing? Please read Nancy's story.

 

How I became A Writer

Writing was never a profession that I thought I would end up in. I grew up in a home full of engineers and sales reps and if anything, I thought I would have a job in Human Resources or sales. However in high school I had this idea I wanted to work with people and make them feel better. I wanted to be a doctor despite what my GPA was; I wasn’t a bad student but I wasn’t a stellar student. I think it was more of a desperate attempt to impress my parents who seemed more caught up in their divorce lawyers than me.  

So I went off to the university and chose Biomedical Sciences as my major. I was surrounded with studious students and perfectionists. I felt so left out and it was after the first semester that I realized, ‘oh crap, I have to actually attend every class and study everything’. I didn’t feel creative and I was bored. So I was kind of stuck and not sure what I wanted to do, all I knew was my GPA was pretty low and I wanted a major that didn’t require a math or language course.

I sat down in a counselor’s office and looked at a list; my eye was immediately attracted to the word ‘Journalism’. For the first time in my life, I actually got excited about something. I thought about one day writing for a magazine, writing a book or reporting for a newspaper, the ideas were endless. So I chose Journalism. I went into it blindly and not knowing what I was getting myself into, I mean I loved reading and writing in high school and in fact scored higher in those classes than any other class but never gave it a thought. Fast forward a few years, I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Journalism. 

Who knew I would enjoy writing this much? There is something about getting my ideas, feelings, thoughts, emotions and stories out on paper that I can’t get over. It turns out that I am a pretty decent writer and people like my work. I like the idea of talking and interacting with people- I immediately start writing things in my head, little jokes or short stories. I listen to strangers, friends, family and keep mental notes of their words, reactions, facial expressions for inspiration. 

I keep my words simple and short, no fluff. I want my work to be read like you are talking with that person. I like my stories to be funny and relatable. I may not be a prolific writer or even a great one, but that is okay with me. I like to write and will always write. 

Author Bio

Nancy Parker was a professional nanny and she loves to write about wide range of subjects like health, Parenting, Child Care, Babysitting, nanny, www.enannysource.com/ etc. You can reach her @ nancy.parker015 @ gmail.com.

Rosy (Dreams Can Become Nightmares) is Live

I'm delighted to announce that my new novel, Rosy (Dreams Can Become Nightmares) is now LIVE on Amazon, Kindle.

To celebrate the book's release, I've priced it at just .99 cents for the next week. Please pick up a copy, and while you're on the page, it would be great if you would tag it:

1970s music
Coming-of-Age
Dark humor
Dancing
New York City
Urban Novel
Women's Fiction
Sexy

...you get the picture!

Rosy (Dreams can become Nightmares ) LibraryThing Giveaway

If you've never visited LibraryThing check it out. It's a great site for readers and writers. And there are always lots of giveaways.

I just posted a giveaway for 100 FREE copies of my new novel, Rosy (Dreams can become Nightmares) at LibraryThing on the Member Giveaway page. You have three weeks to sign up for copies. And there are plenty of other new books listed there too.

Here's my latest description for Rosy:

Small town girl, Sarah, dreams of finding love and fame in New York City, but following her dreams leads to a downward slide into the insanity of the late 1970s: nightclubs, sex, drugs, and violence ὰ la Magic Mike.

Desperate to dig herself out of debt, Sarah becomes pole dancer, Rosy Dreams. But the more money she makes, the darker her nightmare becomes as she sinks into a world where no one can be trusted—especially the men who claim to adore her.

As Sarah slips deeper into the underworld, she questions not only her dreams, but her sanity. She battles demons—imagined and real—fighting to survive the city’s brutality, fighting for her dreams, and ultimately fighting for her life.

Rosy's Playlist

Today is a huge day for me. I just finished writing Rosy. Of course, I've finished writing the novel several times--since I began it almost 15 years ago. But today I finished the version that I plan to send out to the world. Right now it's with my beta-readers. I'll make a few more changes and corrections based on their feedback, then get it to the formatter.

 
Each chapter is named for a song--mostly from the late 1970s, when the book is set. The Table of Contents is called Rosy's Playlist. At the beginning of each chapter, the heading will be linked to Amazon where you can buy the song as an MP3 download. I think that will be fun. 

But here, I've linked Rosy's Playlist to the artists on YouTube. Hope you enjoy...

Rosy's Playlist

Shining Star--Earth, Wind, and Fire

Two Tickets to Paradise—EddieMoney
Hot Child in the City--Nick Gilder

Trouble--Cat Stevens 

Ain't No Sunshine--Bill Withers

On Broadway--George Benson

Money--Pink Floyd

Life During Wartime--Talking Heads

Shake Your Booty--KC & The Sunshine Band

Superfly--Curtis Mayfield

Hotel California--Eagles

Life in the Fast Lane--Eagles

Blinded by the Light--Manfred Mann's Earth Band

Magic Man--Heart

Fly, Robin, Fly--Silver Connection

Knockin' On Heaven's Door--Bob Dylan

You Sexy Thing--Hot Chocolate

Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap--AC/DC

Pasties and a G-String--Tom Waits

Jungle Boogie--Kool & the Gang

I Wanna Be Sedated--The Ramones

Suffragette City--David Bowie

Stayin' Alive (Saturday Night Fever)--Bee Gees

Rebel, Rebel--David Bowie

Highway to Hell--AC/DC

Shattered--Rolling Stones

Heart of Glass--Blondie

London's Burning--The Clash

Babylon--New York Dolls

Psycho Killer--Talking Heads

Hot Stuff--Rolling Stones

Won't Get Fooled Again--The Who

Roxanne--The Police

Pusher Man--Curtis Mayfield

One Way or Another--Blondie

Problems--Sex Pistols

Because the Night--Patti Smith

Jet Boys Fly--New York Dolls

Disco Inferno--The Trammps

The Boys Are Back in Town--Thin Lizzy

The First Cut is the Deepest--Rod Stewart

The Passenger--Iggy Pop

Love Hurts--Nazareth

Hit Me With Your Best Shot--Pat Benatar

Rock and Roll All Nite--Kiss

Lust for Life--Iggy Pop

New Rose--The Damned

Imagine--John Lennon

Dream On--Aerosmith

The Temples of Syrinx--Rush

Frankenstein--New York Dolls

Venus--Television

Anything But Ordinary--Avril Lavigne

Need Your Opinion on My New Cover!

Ta Dah! Here's the latest version. The cover will be close to this one:

I'm just about ready to bring out my novel, Rosy -- or Rosy's Dream. I'd love to get your opinion on the title and the cover! I just got three fantastic options :from my cover artist Jeroen ten Berge  

And I can't decide! (Okay, maybe I have after your feedback--I'll probably go with the one above.)

Here's a description:

A dark coming-of-age novel set in New York City in the late 1970's. 

Small town girl, Sarah, dreams of stardom and romantic love, but her rose-colored glasses soon grow tarnished. Desperate to dig herself out of debt, she becomes a Go-Go dancer, Rosy Dreams.  

But the more money Sarah makes as Rosy, the faster she slides into a nightmarish ride through the city's underbelly--a world of sleazy clubs, sex, drugs, and violence. A world where no one can be trusted, especially the men who claim to adore you.

As Sarah slips deeper into the underworld, she questions, not only her dreams, but her own sanity. Ultimately, she must decide whether to live or die.

Here are the covers:

 Tell me your fave!

(Oh yeah, the photo is an old one of....)

  

4 Free Writing Courses that can Improve your Craft

Lauren Baily, a freelance education writer, contacted me about posting on my blog, and she's posting on a topic close to my heart: improving the craft of writing. I'm incredibly grateful to the wonderful teachers I've had. Over the years, I've spent thousands of dollars attending workshops and conferences, taking courses at my local college, pursuing any avenue I could find to hone my craft. Now, instead of traveling hundreds of miles to find the right teachers, we have instant access to masters of the craft through the internet. 

Amazingly, some excellent online writing courses are free. Check out what Lauren has to say:

FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Some writers are just naturally-gifted and need little or no training to get their work published and read. Others, like myself, occasionally need some assistance from a few experts in the field to help guide them in the right direction and improve their overall writing skills. While there are exceptionally qualified English and Literature professors scattered across the nation to help students develop and nurture their craft, attending college can be a bit pricey.

Thankfully, there are some online courses offered for free that can do the trick as well. Some of the most prestigious institutions in the country like MIT and Harvard publish old coursework material as a gift to the community—granted you may have to purchase appropriate textbooks or readings to get the full experience and there are no professors to give you feedback or grant you credit, but completing some of the writing exercises and workshops outlined in the syllabi can help improve your skills for an array of various writers. 

The Creative Spark

If your main struggle with the whole writing process is finding your muse and uncovering that much needed "creative spark" within, then this appropriately titled undergraduate course can really help you establish some methods to help you unleash your creativity using various techniques. [MIT]

Start Writing Fiction

Fiction writing is one of the more popular ways to express one self, but it's also sometimes one of the more difficult—after all, there are several different genres within fiction writing an it can be quite daunting developing characters and choosing the appropriate setting for your piece of work. This class, the title suggests, is specifically designed to help you start writing fiction. It will teach you how to brainstorm as well as bring your ideas to life on paper. [The Open University]

Reading and Writing Short Stories

If you're interested in learning how to master writing short stories, then this undergraduate course is perfect for you. Students will learn the tricks of the trade by not only completing various workshops that the professor has created, but will also learn from the "Greats"—the course heavily requires the analysis of different well-known short stories. [MIT]

Modern Poetry

Lastly, is the "video-lecture" course Modern Poetry. In this 9-part series, students will learn all there is to know about modern poetry including how to include the best techniques in your own writing as well as how to resolves various concerns by discussing some of the best poets in the industry including Yeats, Eliot and Frost. [Yale University]

Lauren Bailey is a freelance education writer for Bestcollegesonline.com, an alternative learning website. She welcomes your comments.