tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-73306407890138624722024-03-13T08:14:36.758-07:00Thrillers&KillersMaegan Beaumonthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04311901347438767578noreply@blogger.comBlogger55125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7330640789013862472.post-65713666678407841752014-07-24T09:14:00.000-07:002014-07-24T09:34:41.175-07:00A Blast From the Past<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxSJM5kZ0VRPMnQBKAWkiJWxKQ5XjDTvagn3FBsuDfbh85iFq1Ufeodi_SAAc5r10ZCrqv7hrtc3Emn25Y-Ur-eajAuCCqmzC_jxSdC8Pholmmvigvnb0o74bCJECTLzDZc9IdNXTdPmrq/s1600/download+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxSJM5kZ0VRPMnQBKAWkiJWxKQ5XjDTvagn3FBsuDfbh85iFq1Ufeodi_SAAc5r10ZCrqv7hrtc3Emn25Y-Ur-eajAuCCqmzC_jxSdC8Pholmmvigvnb0o74bCJECTLzDZc9IdNXTdPmrq/s1600/download+(1).jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">By now, I think we've all heard of Throwback Thursday... the day of the week designated for posting pictures from years past so our social network can see how cool/young/hot/smart/popular/accomplished we were and hopefully still are.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I like this idea. Not because I want people to see how cool/young/hot/smart/popular/ </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">accomplished I was (I was never really any of those things--not really) but because it reconnects us to our past in a very real, very visual way. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Today a casual Facebook friend of mine posted what I thought was a super fabulous version of Throwback Thursday... a beloved book cover from her childhood.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Seeing it, I thought to myself: Self, that's a kickass idea. You should steal it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So I did.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: center;">Here's my version of #TBT, Lit-style.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGMbkWKILrNHBdRSOKArBImLCcGrMKco8jxZ6JZ5NCacoL43FC0dcOTPsP20USgn7xXXEPatlgBU09n-VGgg52MjGVIDzD6Ks_-QSLVJXpC8u0RgTPen64CLJQMGeFfUQkzEWEYEejPQ8S/s1600/51ZoRy-70tL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGMbkWKILrNHBdRSOKArBImLCcGrMKco8jxZ6JZ5NCacoL43FC0dcOTPsP20USgn7xXXEPatlgBU09n-VGgg52MjGVIDzD6Ks_-QSLVJXpC8u0RgTPen64CLJQMGeFfUQkzEWEYEejPQ8S/s1600/51ZoRy-70tL.jpg" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrDQvGJ4UyEv-NsJrIb1N3casYduvmkPN_jxn8XMFun7ojhJ2Wo_r5TaXVaoHFBOmr1wPxo-qZypymrwJ5X2t-ByGCMulTnD7J1aSgVsdcTYyDBZdN2w0hJZESAUZgaFd16AeDC0tbQaFM/s1600/51m1OvIJoOL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrDQvGJ4UyEv-NsJrIb1N3casYduvmkPN_jxn8XMFun7ojhJ2Wo_r5TaXVaoHFBOmr1wPxo-qZypymrwJ5X2t-ByGCMulTnD7J1aSgVsdcTYyDBZdN2w0hJZESAUZgaFd16AeDC0tbQaFM/s1600/51m1OvIJoOL.jpg" height="640" width="401" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This book got me through some pretty tough shit, growing up. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now you're thinking... <i>it's a book about dragons. How the hell did that help you growing up?</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This book isn't about dragons--not really. Not to me anyway. This book is about a young woman who is reviled and ostracized from her homeland and through that pain, finds the strength to not only fight back, she finds a purpose bigger than herself and learns to fight to protect it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Anyone who ever wondered where I draw my inspirations from for my Sabrina Vaughn character can find it all right here, in the pages of this book because Aerin, the heroine in this story, never quits. She never stops fighting--through loss and love and betrayal and heartbreak... she never stops fighting. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">that's my jam.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you've never read it and you like dragons and shit (or if you just like a good story with a strong female protag), I suggest you do...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">you won't be sorry.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Maegan Beaumonthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04311901347438767578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7330640789013862472.post-34119831594647615352014-03-31T09:32:00.000-07:002014-03-31T09:34:24.656-07:00The Plot Doctor is IN!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTLNrY7Js_LB2Eg18kTsrxlR93A5ZB8hcUXMgFdcaKHI15JO_B-hQ53SsZhpcFxMV0oquEPuqzkRqYTWSp7bbOFxBNvZ_Bx5oXGfiugCK9T7vykZYRGskitcu3HWD13ny6mK5X_e69nW11/s1600/plot+doc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTLNrY7Js_LB2Eg18kTsrxlR93A5ZB8hcUXMgFdcaKHI15JO_B-hQ53SsZhpcFxMV0oquEPuqzkRqYTWSp7bbOFxBNvZ_Bx5oXGfiugCK9T7vykZYRGskitcu3HWD13ny6mK5X_e69nW11/s1600/plot+doc.jpg" height="185" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Holly writes:</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: black; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="color: white;">Maegan- </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: black; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="color: white;">I’m more than ¾ of the way through my book. I’ve always known that this is merely a first version—that it will require multiple rewrites. Recently, it’s occurred to me I want to add a character, develop one or two current ones differently, switch part of it to a close third POV from my current 1st person POV, etc. Here’s my dilemma—do I finish the book now, “pretending” I’ve fixed all this stuff? Or do I quit now, go back, start my re-write? One problem with that is, the problem I’ve had all along—I never know what’s going to happen next. So for me, the advantage to finishing the book knitting in (or sticking in, more like it) the revelations I’ve had will probably reveal to me even more stuff I need to fix in the beginning and throughout. In other words, I don’t want to kill my momentum, so “close” to the finish. As always… your opinion is much appreciated and valued!</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: black; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="color: white;">Hi, Holly ~</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">First of, congratulations for being so close to your goal! You're in the home stretch--be proud!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">As for your question... Whether you should go back and start your re-write now or wait, is really a personal preference. If all you were doing was switching the POV for 1st to 3rd, I'd say do it now but it sounds like you're trying to capture ideas as they occur to you. That's kind of hard to do when you're bouncing around in your story. Difficult but not impossible...</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">As a writer, when I know that something is wrong within my story, I find it almost impossible to move forward until it's fixed. I will stop all forward progress and work on the problems until they are fixed. I'm a linear writer. I've never been able to write scenes out of sequence or just "pretend" that a problem is fixed and move on from there... mostly because I know I'll forget what needed to be fixed in the first place!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">If waiting is what works for you, then I say wait. Just make notes on what needs to be fixed and where and you'll be fine. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Good Luck!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Maegan</span>Maegan Beaumonthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04311901347438767578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7330640789013862472.post-3824244009506047412013-12-06T11:46:00.000-08:002013-12-06T11:46:02.121-08:00A Blogful of Awesomesauce<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">2013 has been one of those years.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">A year that I still have trouble processing. Is this really happening to me? Did I really publish a book? Do people really stand in line so that I can sign this book? (and some of them I'm not even related to!) Did I really just finish writing ANOTHER book? Are people actually excited about the release of said book?</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">What the hell is happening? I'd say I'm dreaming if it wasn't for the fact that my dream come true is sprinkled with just enough reality (laundry, bickering kids, sick dogs, chickens in my office...) to keep me rooted in reality. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">In celebration, let's review the highlights, shall we?</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I had the privilege of holding my debut signing at one of the greatest book stores EVER, The Poisoned Pen.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVPD58rxYDJ9RfLzbXk5p5_SpflnHVsZClHHf5TvuMShHU1XUMt8QFpM8iAeeX1ujJblFVIzDcoh5v-gj-F_cts5COth0dkoJTJLr3o9bJvSUKUhdi-C6NT2hX_tm35qs4-_m6EnrmrJRz/s1600/972278_133244023535995_1197225833_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVPD58rxYDJ9RfLzbXk5p5_SpflnHVsZClHHf5TvuMShHU1XUMt8QFpM8iAeeX1ujJblFVIzDcoh5v-gj-F_cts5COth0dkoJTJLr3o9bJvSUKUhdi-C6NT2hX_tm35qs4-_m6EnrmrJRz/s1600/972278_133244023535995_1197225833_n.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">yes, as a matter of fact, my face DID get stuck that way.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I had the pleasure of seeing my book cover on my publisher's catalog cover.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinypLb_6xN2VMHPw5ZYxH9CG_CkaOPjrwZd6_W4phyfPb-12nel4IlcN4H0iac4VyLPAbcHK6ImQNzcfdkDjD4vcM9oWtfEBeIXr3vz-_J7r9yYheOCJfoHJuNlqMYV8K4gzNgESLtJska/s1600/CATALOG+COVER.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinypLb_6xN2VMHPw5ZYxH9CG_CkaOPjrwZd6_W4phyfPb-12nel4IlcN4H0iac4VyLPAbcHK6ImQNzcfdkDjD4vcM9oWtfEBeIXr3vz-_J7r9yYheOCJfoHJuNlqMYV8K4gzNgESLtJska/s320/CATALOG+COVER.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I would kill something small and furry for a copy of this catalog... kidding. But I really, really want it!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">RT Book Reviews featured Carved as one of their May Mysteries:</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1-ZU0MtU8kFE62Wy4lFQMzojX1ayP3pCtsdpog6xroFz7dK2kvBPZHd227A_eYU1FqX5vItWSCnxjDhAmoPBV8Qdx4PFibFTfatXtwshOjcv2cB8-qcWlcsaIBklMUyIOLszu1NKoVRbk/s1600/mysterymay13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1-ZU0MtU8kFE62Wy4lFQMzojX1ayP3pCtsdpog6xroFz7dK2kvBPZHd227A_eYU1FqX5vItWSCnxjDhAmoPBV8Qdx4PFibFTfatXtwshOjcv2cB8-qcWlcsaIBklMUyIOLszu1NKoVRbk/s320/mysterymay13.jpg" width="258" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pitch Black? </td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I went to Bouchercon... okay </span><span style="font-size: large;"><i>I</i> didn't go to B-con but <i>Carved</i> did that's almost as awesome.</span><span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNqj-Z_vhXVW_uSEwVEHoexdMpPUjuVcx71rVBOqtmzd46QmZGYgZowdnJ_D72QuTo9iBgSBOKUedwFXYbFXQkPDGgXIAZbV5kfXfsApUdTvhZZc9PkoROpFSBNU3MnyVXZN3qhLoexZ_9/s1600/Bconpic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNqj-Z_vhXVW_uSEwVEHoexdMpPUjuVcx71rVBOqtmzd46QmZGYgZowdnJ_D72QuTo9iBgSBOKUedwFXYbFXQkPDGgXIAZbV5kfXfsApUdTvhZZc9PkoROpFSBNU3MnyVXZN3qhLoexZ_9/s400/Bconpic.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Do you see me? I'm right there!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I had the wonderful opportunity to go to Colorado and meet some of my fellow Inkers!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3bieGO44UHf3H_1RwmSodla1Zdst3uhqGtTh-ykOPJllH47MMUExKS6ScTuqBk8tc6uXnSDWsSKNW8J24tgp7SZQhYQ1mDjq7CYrAxEx33i9-4jUJZMJRkvLtqQt9ML5GDLNb_Nj25a3O/s1600/MIDNIGHT+INK+COLORADO+SIGNING.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3bieGO44UHf3H_1RwmSodla1Zdst3uhqGtTh-ykOPJllH47MMUExKS6ScTuqBk8tc6uXnSDWsSKNW8J24tgp7SZQhYQ1mDjq7CYrAxEx33i9-4jUJZMJRkvLtqQt9ML5GDLNb_Nj25a3O/s320/MIDNIGHT+INK+COLORADO+SIGNING.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">look at all this talent behind and beside me!<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">And make some new friends!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghRHdAgF6ZGLrHrEGP8ZAQ-oA7xi6DyTXUdmfZPonmsMDrEVhXSriTzqEKXCbY-BUKvunPZcMrvLIDmN4-ohVPuNV3dDIf_I4C0d1AQtl5iHm2oeSLxxQmMGbJeQ2ns5qExqrYC_RzPX-L/s1600/CONNIE+AND+ME.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghRHdAgF6ZGLrHrEGP8ZAQ-oA7xi6DyTXUdmfZPonmsMDrEVhXSriTzqEKXCbY-BUKvunPZcMrvLIDmN4-ohVPuNV3dDIf_I4C0d1AQtl5iHm2oeSLxxQmMGbJeQ2ns5qExqrYC_RzPX-L/s320/CONNIE+AND+ME.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">say hi to Connie, the reason I was in Colorado!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">And the chance to catch up with some "old" friends!</span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxTcrdeGdapSADZLRhxHtVq6IeKS67bMmOuPP4eASh2XNaX8-Cdc0nkxs8msO-jM8sBKzyM-gf_rA1qY_M75YgsWOpT0TjGROtX5sMalAxdg44kdlcnyz_Rm4j_1izR554FeA_G2Oc5G2t/s1600/1425796_10201090498281181_1457433512_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxTcrdeGdapSADZLRhxHtVq6IeKS67bMmOuPP4eASh2XNaX8-Cdc0nkxs8msO-jM8sBKzyM-gf_rA1qY_M75YgsWOpT0TjGROtX5sMalAxdg44kdlcnyz_Rm4j_1izR554FeA_G2Oc5G2t/s320/1425796_10201090498281181_1457433512_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Holly and me at Barnes & Noble</td></tr>
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<div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">And throughout the year, the rave reviews for <i>Carved</i> just kept coming...</span><br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZRYHR9o99DYyINF5wYzZLDa5FK0XrNU1ePdPGsZANwc-jGj2oOhB18vM9rGDJwE_5_kRS_rW-JZ1LIttkAhe4e7m_W9XKuTESp0_BxrNI5ybudd-3BwS42-nZM8yQAqJ7-0zPY2uNG8BU/s1600/Carved+in+Darkness+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZRYHR9o99DYyINF5wYzZLDa5FK0XrNU1ePdPGsZANwc-jGj2oOhB18vM9rGDJwE_5_kRS_rW-JZ1LIttkAhe4e7m_W9XKuTESp0_BxrNI5ybudd-3BwS42-nZM8yQAqJ7-0zPY2uNG8BU/s320/Carved+in+Darkness+(1).jpg" width="206" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">available wherever books are sold</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">"Prepare to be overwhelmed by the the
tension and moodiness that permeates this edgy thriller. Beaumont's ability to
keep the twists coming, even when the answers seem obvious is quite
potent." <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">- Library Journal </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">(starred review, debut of the month)</span></span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br />
<span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">"... Long after you put it down, this story
will resonate with you and it will be one of those rare novels you read again
and again." <b>- Les Edgerton, acclaimed author of <i>The
Perfect Crime</i> and <i>Just Like That</i></b></span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br />
<span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">"... Beaumont knows how to keep you on the
edge of your seat. Buckle up for the ride of a lifetime, this one is the
roughest rollercoasters you ever had to endure."<b> - Mark Sadler,
Suspense Magazine </b></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">" </span></i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">A compelling </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">psychological thriller with a
satisfying conclusion. An excellent debut novel." </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;"><b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">- Jenny Hilborne, New York Journal of Books</span></b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">"<i>Carved in Darkness </i>is a roller
coaster ride of emotion with scary villains and realistic characters. Beaumont
draws you into her words and doesn't let you go until the very last page." <b>-
RT Book Reviews</b></span></span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">... And then this happened! </span><i style="font-size: x-large;">Suspense Magazine</i><span style="font-size: large;"> named </span><i style="font-size: x-large;">Carved in Darkness</i><span style="font-size: large;"> in their December issue... Best Debut of 2013. Page 50 if you want to check it out:</span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.suspensemagazine.com/December2013.html">http://www.suspensemagazine.com/December2013.html</a></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Okay, back to reality!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The first draft of Sabrina's next book was due Sept 1st... I missed my deadline. My editor promptly dispatched her minions and had me tarred and feathered. Okay, that's not true. She was understanding and encouraging because she's awesome like that and I got my manuscript turned in a few weeks later, no tar or feathers required. I am anxiously awaiting edits so that I can start making sense of the 100k words of ridiculousness I sent her. I have cover art... want to see?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxQHHH9BKrhPrzTZRIosiUyzqMBIUppJs1f0TDgCuOG2c-OnTJD2wJaohg8doDHi0veyrnpq4wcIoPca9nUxyVFsnSs639hbZBdUKTklpE8hboTCAxINuc4rgQ4Trehbw-jiElSTTnCsr-/s1600/Sacrificial+Muse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxQHHH9BKrhPrzTZRIosiUyzqMBIUppJs1f0TDgCuOG2c-OnTJD2wJaohg8doDHi0veyrnpq4wcIoPca9nUxyVFsnSs639hbZBdUKTklpE8hboTCAxINuc4rgQ4Trehbw-jiElSTTnCsr-/s400/Sacrificial+Muse.jpg" width="260" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18px;"><span style="background-color: white;">The sequel to <i><b>Carved in Darkness</b></i>--available </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 18px;">through Midnight Ink, July 2014</span></div>
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Maegan Beaumonthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04311901347438767578noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7330640789013862472.post-66760865255892692032013-10-17T09:07:00.001-07:002013-10-17T09:07:29.301-07:00Cover Art for Sabrina's next book!Well it's official!! Here's a sneak peak at Sabrina's next book...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk9P1rRbssUg_YdlO0dr-NSN3WdmWKHBK47w-elu2pP0vQxBoOmklpIfuPrn8DudZkyWBoE2y5R_t0Af1CuXGjs6aPY_labPxh_jDSCrbauWDDEKxXEeSr6etWn-dWoOzM1znWiw6fA-RK/s1600/Sacrificial+Muse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk9P1rRbssUg_YdlO0dr-NSN3WdmWKHBK47w-elu2pP0vQxBoOmklpIfuPrn8DudZkyWBoE2y5R_t0Af1CuXGjs6aPY_labPxh_jDSCrbauWDDEKxXEeSr6etWn-dWoOzM1znWiw6fA-RK/s320/Sacrificial+Muse.jpg" width="208" /></a></div>
<br />
we're slated for a spring/summer 2014 release... let me know what you think!<br />
Maegan Beaumonthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04311901347438767578noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7330640789013862472.post-52791644377041572132013-08-27T18:06:00.003-07:002013-08-27T18:06:51.071-07:00Mail bag!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK04yewfsB82O1V4K7Ba_GXFPEoUkqhhueAofrkiMiLauSkCwUD77a8xZtxCLQSi-0Bn_59pxwWfYmoFeMhzkw1i6imxnTxO2qqXLymD3m1i2E_EbLvfwOoqTRg_lrXYuZW2yWjkQ6k8Zg/s1600/images+(5).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK04yewfsB82O1V4K7Ba_GXFPEoUkqhhueAofrkiMiLauSkCwUD77a8xZtxCLQSi-0Bn_59pxwWfYmoFeMhzkw1i6imxnTxO2qqXLymD3m1i2E_EbLvfwOoqTRg_lrXYuZW2yWjkQ6k8Zg/s1600/images+(5).jpg" /></a></div>
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It’s official. I’m closing in on the last 10k words of
Sabrina’s next book, a sequel to <i>Carved
in Darkness, </i>so I finally have a few minutes to breath... although I'm pretty sure my editor would strongly disagree. Anyway, I wanted to take a few minutes to answer some readers’
questions about the new book and well… me.</div>
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<b><span style="color: yellow;">Do you have a title
and release date for the new book?</span><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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As I’m sure I’ve mentioned before, Carved in Darkness was
not my original title for Sabrina’s first book. That brilliant title 100%
belongs to the creative genius that is Midnight Ink. The working title was,
although appropriate, boring. Same goes for this one. The working title for
book #2 is <i>The Muse</i> and I’ve got my
fingers crossed for another spring/summer release, 2014.</div>
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<b><span style="color: yellow;">Have you written any
more books I can read to hold myself over until Sabrina’s next book comes out?</span><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Nope. <i>Carved in
Darkness </i>is my first book, written or published.</div>
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<b><span style="color: yellow;">Will Michael be back
in the next book?</span><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Yes. I left things unresolved between them because quite
frankly, there is no way I’d be able to resolve their issues/relationship in
one book. Michael and Sabrina have a long, bumpy road ahead of them but they’ll
get there in the end. I promise.</div>
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<span style="color: yellow;"> </span><b><span style="color: yellow;">Is the entire series going to be about Sabrina or are you going to
bring secondary characters into the forefront? </span><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<i>Carved in Darkness</i>
was originally intended to be a standalone novel but as it usually happens
after you spend years and years of your life with a group of people who live in
your head, when it comes time to let them go, you just can’t do it. You find
that they have more they want to say and do and you feel compelled to let them…
I have 6-7 novels planned out in my head. Some of them feature Sabrina, some of
them feature Michael… and some of them feature secondary characters. Let’s hope
everyone gets a chance to have their stories told.</div>
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<span style="color: yellow;"><br /></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: yellow;">Do you have a twitter
account?</span><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Yes… you can find me on twitter @thrilllingwords. Or you can
just go to my website and hit the button.</div>
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<b><span style="color: yellow;">Where have you been
hiding?</span></b></div>
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In the suburbs outside Phoenix, Arizona, buried under a pile
of kids.</div>
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Seriously, I’m an Arizona native married to her high school sweetheart
with 4 kids (two biological and two adopted). After a lot of soul searching and
false starts I finally admitted that the only thing I ever really wanted to do
in life was write… and be a criminologist. Oh, and Olivia Newton-John. I
really, really wanted to be Olivia Newton-John when I was younger. The Olivia
Newton-John thing never would’ve work (for obvious reasons) and while criminology
fascinates me, school has never been my thang, so writing it is. This way I get
to study what I love (crazy freaks!!) and do what I love (write about crazy
freaks!!) all in one felled swoop. And I still occasionally watch Xanadu and
pretend I’m Olivia.</div>
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Have a question? Hop on over to my website <a href="http://www.maeganbeaumont.com/">www.maeganbeaumont.com</a> and drop me a line, I'd love to hear from you!</div>
Maegan Beaumonthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04311901347438767578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7330640789013862472.post-2885551060138854952013-08-13T08:55:00.000-07:002013-08-13T08:55:39.776-07:00The First Rule of Book Club...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdZyUsFlpL6rQfmPM-zcNQEAXB3fqUW2Y0zNuF2R2sc02G-i-Zs0QSE71YzYhjEZvae0DWQVKst3XwYxUSnW6xpWFs6KTTHRjdbeXYdWKSwBuD3uGpucDN7uaBLoLa4Rmm_QMoiXePNbbR/s1600/book-club-banner.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="138" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdZyUsFlpL6rQfmPM-zcNQEAXB3fqUW2Y0zNuF2R2sc02G-i-Zs0QSE71YzYhjEZvae0DWQVKst3XwYxUSnW6xpWFs6KTTHRjdbeXYdWKSwBuD3uGpucDN7uaBLoLa4Rmm_QMoiXePNbbR/s320/book-club-banner.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />
<br />
<br />
is you do NOT about Book Club.<br />
<br />
Come on, you didn't<i> really </i>think I'd talk about my first Book Club experience without referencing what is arguably the best Brad Pitt movie of all time (12 Monkeys is a very close second...)<br />
<br />
Anyway...<br />
<br />
I'll be the first to admit that CARVED IN DARKNESS isn't exactly what I'd deems as "book club" material. I never imagined a group of readers gathering in someone's home or in a restaurant to talk about my book.<br />
I just never thought of CARVED as <i>that</i> kind of book.<br />
Apparently, I was wrong (it does happen from time to time...).<br />
<br />
A few weeks ago, I met with a group of women who not only chose CARVED as their book club monthly read but were thrilled at the opportunity to discuss it with me. I can tell you, they weren't half as thrilled as I was! What an honor to be able to sit and talk about my writing with such a wonderful bunch who listened with genuine interest and asked some very thought-provoking questions. One woman in particular had some pretty hard-hitting questions that I'd like to share as I imagine she isn't the only one who's read CARVED that has wondered the same thing...<br />
<br />
<i><b>How do you reconcile the role of mother to young children with the graphic violence you write about? How are you able to transitions between such extreme roles so easily?</b></i><br />
<i><b><br /></b></i>Much like my protagonist, Sabrina Vaughn, I'm able to compartmentalize quite well. It's probably a skill I acquired during my days working in mental health. No matter what is going on around you or inside you, there is a job to do in front of you and you do it. And while you're doing it, everything else gets put in the box. In action, this looks like me spending hours dreaming up gruesomely horrible murder scenes and then when the bell rings (I have to set an alarm or I'll forget to pick up my kids from school... don't judge me.) I close down my computer and become a mom again. That doesn't mean the other stuff isn't there... it just means I've put it away for later.<br />
<br />
<b><i>How do you feel about your contribution to the culture of violence against women in society?</i></b><br />
<b><i><br /></i></b>I can honestly say that while CARVED is violent and yes, that violence is centered around women, I never thought that I was contributing to a "culture of violence against women".<br />
And I still don't.<br />
What I did was give this world something it can never have too much of--a strong female protagonist who not only survives what what done to her, she perseveres. She fights and she <i>wins</i>.<br />
<br />
Of all the questions though, this was by far my favorite...<br />
<br />
<i style="font-weight: bold;">I've read other books featuring what was billed as strong, female protagonists but it seems like every other page someone is calling her "baby" or "sweetie"--and she lets them without even batting an eye. I read CARVED very carefully and didn't find one such instance. Did you find yourself ferreting those exchanges out in the editing process to make Sabrina more equal to her male counterparts?</i><br />
<br />
No. No, I never went through the book to weed out what I thought were instances that would make Sabrina appear less than equal to her male counterparts. I never did that because I never wrote them. It honestly never even occurred to me <i>to</i> write them because Sabrina <i>is</i> equal and all the men in her life know it. They also know that if they ever called her "baby" or "sweetie" she'd go ten kinds of Tyler Durden all over them.<br /><br />so, my question is: In your opinion, what makes for a great book club read? What books have been among your favorite and why?<br />
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<span style="color: white;">"Prepare to be overwhelmed by the tension and moodiness that permeates this edgy thriller. Beaumont’s ability to keep the twists coming even when the answer seems obvious is quite potent."</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><b>--Library Journal (starred review, Debut of the Month)</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: white; line-height: 18.1875px;">Maegan Beaumont is the author of CARVED IN DARKNESS, the first book in the Sabrina Vaughn thriller series (Available through Midnight Ink, spring 2013). A native Phoenician, Maegan’s stories are meant to make you wonder what the guy standing in front of you in the Starbucks line has locked in his basement, and feel a strong desire to sleep with the light on. When she isn’t busy fulfilling her duties as Domestic Goddess for her high school sweetheart turned husband, Joe, and their four children, she is locked in her office with her computer, her coffee pot and her Rhodesian Ridgeback, and one true love, Jade</span></div>
Maegan Beaumonthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04311901347438767578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7330640789013862472.post-80731352553239000432013-07-13T22:16:00.001-07:002013-07-13T22:16:55.336-07:00Official Book Trailer for Carved in Darkness!I've been on pins and needles for weeks now, waiting to see it and now that it's here, I can honestly say that it turned out better than I ever could have hoped for! Erin Kelly of Erin Kelly Designs did a sensational job!<br />
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Now, didn't that make you want to buy the book???<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Carved-Darkness-Maegan-Beaumont/dp/0738736899/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1373778761&sr=1-1&keywords=carved+in+darkness">http://www.amazon.com/Carved-Darkness-Maegan-Beaumont/dp/0738736899/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1373778761&sr=1-1&keywords=carved+in+darkness</a>Maegan Beaumonthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04311901347438767578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7330640789013862472.post-3125849051861430192013-06-24T11:40:00.001-07:002013-06-25T02:06:50.870-07:00Plot Doc to the Rescue!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #f9cb9c; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Holly says:</span></b><br />
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Maegan ~</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I’ve done it this time. I’m my own protagonist. I’m up a tree. I’m in a corner. There is no way out. I’m screwed. Heeelllppp!!! Here’s my deal: I need to fix some stuff throughout my book, giving my protag a major case & having her comment/work on it throughout. I sort of alluded to that a while back, didn’t follow up so well. So how do I weave that in? Do I go back & write it in now, or just draw a line in the sand & tell people to pretend it’s there? 2) I left last time that Todd is on the way to Ollie’s. What the frick happens when Todd gets there? He’s got some ‘splainin’ to do as to why he ditched her for dinner, but we’re not going there yet, he’s going to dodge that & she’s going to leave it alone for now. Does he get derailed going over there? He gets called out on something? Or, he comes over? What did Araceli tell him? I’m thinking that perhaps she was dating a cop. Araceli probably makes some snide comment about Todd being Ollie’s squeeze & how stupid it is to date cops or something, and Todd gleans from that. Or maybe not even that—just that she was dating someone right before this happened, and Todd thinks there might be something to it. Or… something else? Any ideas? As always, thank you in advance for your guidance. You are, quite simply, awesome! </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #f6b26b; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Hi, Holly!</b></span></span><br />
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Let me see if I can help... for those who are reading, I'm going to give a little plot synopsis to get them up to speed:</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Ollie (our female protag) is an assistant DA and the daughter of a disgraced and disbarred lawyer... who just happens to be a register sex offender. When her father, with whom she hasn't had contact with in years, is viciously murdered and her estranged sister is arrested for the crime, Ollie wants to believe she's innocent. It's only when other defense attorneys, all of whom are were able to win high-profile cases, start turning up dead that she knows for sure. In order to save her sister, Ollie must find and stop a relentless killer who will stop at nothing to see that justice is served.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #f6b26b; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Okay. I'm going to address your questions/issues, point by point:</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1) I think that giving Ollie s high-profile sex crime case is a great idea! It works for two reason: It will tie in with her issues with her father and if you play it right, will go a long way toward developing her story-worthy problem (coming to terms with what her father did). It will also give us a direct line to the killer... Ollie's opposing counsel could be on the killer's hit list. What if it happens to be a really good friend she met in college, or a former lover (this would be a GREAT complication)--that way the stakes are raised for her even higher. I'd go back and do an extensive re-write if I were you to add these things in--sooner is always better than later.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2) Todd (A cop and Ollie's long lost boyfriend who's made a very unexpected and unsettling re-appearance) will make a fantastic red herring! His sudden re-appearance in Ollie's life, in the mists of all these killings, should make her (and the reader) questions his motives and innocence. Thinking that Todd might be involved in some way (even if he's not) will up the stakes for Ollie even further, especially if she still has feelings for him. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">When he arrives at her house, there needs to be tension between them. His standing her up for dinner should bring all their old issues roaring to the surface for Ollie and she needs to hit him with some pretty hard questions (where have you been for the past five years? why did you come back? what do you want with me now? What did you talk with my sister about?) and his answers need to be vague enough to raise her, and our, suspicions... and then when the tension is at it's peak, he needs to get called away. If he leaves her house under murky circumstances, this will further our suspicions and his status as a possible suspect in </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Ollie's mind. Of course the questions pertaining to her sister and the case should take precedent over the one pertaining to their personal entanglement. Your story problem should always be the most important thing on the page. Once it's established, <b>nothing</b> should derail your protag from solving it.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">3) the idea of having Araceli (Ollie's sister) involved with a cop is a good one... just don't reveal which one just yet because this could potentially end up being a major clue into who your killer is and you want to save that revelation until the very last possible second. Reveal it in stages. When Todd asked her why she was in town the day of her father's murder, she could tell him that she was "visiting a friend" but she could say it in such a way that alluds to whatever is going on between her and her "friend" is more than just lunch and shopping. Then we can see Ollie pursue this angle... and then she's the one to discover Araceli's "friend" is a cop. Once you roll a "plot rock" down hill, it should never stop moving, gaining speed and mass until it's no longer a rock--it's a boulder and once we reach our climax, it slams into your protag with the force of wrecking ball. It destroys everything. Maybe even find out that Araceli is involved in her father's murder after all (either by choice, c</span><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">oercion or unwittingly). This would be a HUGE twist, finding out that after everything Ollie went through to prove her sister's innocence, that she actually was guilty to some degree. This would ultimately destroy Ollie... but in the aftermath, allow her the find the strength and resolve to finally achieve her story-worthy problem, which is forgiveness. Through forgiving her sister, she'll find the same for her father and finally be able to put her anger to rest and truly move on.</span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #e69138; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><span style="line-height: 115%;">I really hope this helps, Holly! This sounds like a </span><span style="line-height: 18px;">fantastic</span><span style="line-height: 115%;"> story you're telling! Keep me informed--I can't wait to see where your story take us.</span></b></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #e69138; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><span style="line-height: 115%;">Are you stuck on your plot? Don't know what your next story step should be? Got your protag backed into a corner with no way out? Give me a shout, I think I can help! Just go to my website: <a href="http://www.maeganbeaumont.com/">http://www.maeganbeaumont.com/</a> and click on the "CONTACT" icon. I'd be happy to answer your questions on my blog.</span></b></span></span><br />
<br />Maegan Beaumonthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04311901347438767578noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7330640789013862472.post-69537213547233670432013-06-21T07:31:00.002-07:002013-06-21T07:31:42.061-07:00Guest Blog!<span style="font-size: large;">Today, I have the distinct pleasure of appearing over at Lois Winston's blog! I talk about where I got my inspiration for CARVED...</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.anastasiapollack.blogspot.com/2013/06/book-club-friday-guest-author-maegan.html">http://www.anastasiapollack.blogspot.com/2013/06/book-club-friday-guest-author-maegan.html</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I hope you check it out!</span>Maegan Beaumonthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04311901347438767578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7330640789013862472.post-80807427452734383592013-06-16T19:36:00.000-07:002013-06-16T19:36:02.122-07:00The Devil in the Details<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">By: Maegan Beaumont</span><br />
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<i>He rolled up the make-shift tarp he’d laid out on the kitchen floor and placed it in a trash bag along with the dress. Undiluted, he poured the ammonia onto the kitchen floor and chair. While ammonia didn’t destroy DNA, any evidence gathered there would be corrupted by the chemical and rendered useless. The ammonia was strong-smelling, so he opened a few windows for ventilation. The early afternoon breeze made the chore of cleaning up his mess almost pleasant.<o:p></o:p></i><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">—Carved in Darkness</span><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">It took me nearly three weeks to write this paragraph. It wasn't writers’ block or a computer crash that bogged me down—it was my almost obsessive need for accuracy.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="line-height: 24px;">And it wasn't just this passage I nitpicked. It was the entire novel. I scoured the internet. I read books. I logged onto forensic forums. I emailed cops and asked them what I’m sure they thought were inane and possibly dangerous questions. I spent what felt like an entire summer in handcuffs because I was trying to teach myself how to pick my way out of them. After cutting myself in a kitchen mishap, I soaked the wound in salt water (If you've read CARVED, then you understand the </span><span style="line-height: 24px;">significance</span><span style="line-height: 24px;">). I've even gone so far as to have a very </span><span style="line-height: 24px;">distraught friend of mine drive me around in the trunk of her car...</span><span style="line-height: 24px;"> all so I could be sure that what I was writing was as close to the truth as I could get it. </span></span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Don’t get me wrong, I ask my readers to suspend disbelief on a regular basis but I can do so </span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="line-height: 24px;">because I know one simple rule: </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="line-height: 24px;">The most </span></span><span style="line-height: 24px; text-indent: 0.5in;">effective</span><span style="line-height: 24px; text-indent: 0.5in;"> lies are found buried in the truth. </span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">So, yes... I do lie. I do make stuff up, I write fiction, after all... but readers are smart. They know things, </span><i style="text-indent: 0.5in;">because</i><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"> they read, and they don’t like it when a writer is too lazy to do their research. I know this because as a reader, I feel exactly the same way. I don’t mind being lied to as long as I know the writer took the time and made the effort to make me </span><i style="text-indent: 0.5in;">believe</i><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"> the lie.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The key to great fiction isn't writing what you know--it's writing what you can make others <i>believe</i> that you know, and that takes work. Hours of research. Reading and reaching out to people who can lend authenticity to my writing, but when a reader asks me if I've ever tortured someone (yes, someone really asked me that... and the answer is </span><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">n</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">o</span></i><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">) or a reviewer mentions how impressive my attention to detail is, I know it's worth it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So, my question is: How important is accuracy in writing to you? How do you feel about shoddy research? How do you feel about writers who don't take their research seriously?</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;">"Prepare to be overwhelmed by the tension and moodiness that permeates this edgy thriller. Beaumont’s ability to keep the twists coming even when the answer seems obvious is quite </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;">potent."</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; line-height: 20px;"> ~ Library Journal</span></span><br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Carved-Darkness-Maegan-Beaumont/dp/0738736899/ref=pd_rhf_ee_p_t_4_S33D" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 20px; text-align: center;">http://www.amazon.com/Carved-Darkness-Maegan-Beaumont/dp/0738736899/ref=pd_rhf_ee_p_t_4_S33D</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 20px;"></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 20px;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGHWQzWEGdrQzLjzQgRCN-4SsaUGbAl_b6psERJJoPpAT3scQUpsEh1OtIbuuCB9JkP3FPo-uIZA7jabJOz854OGFv_bfpazQ0V6z4F_Lavg4HoF87AXTlgLYro-lA3v5rTUsX6fpjN6HH/s1600/MaeganG-M.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; color: #444444; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGHWQzWEGdrQzLjzQgRCN-4SsaUGbAl_b6psERJJoPpAT3scQUpsEh1OtIbuuCB9JkP3FPo-uIZA7jabJOz854OGFv_bfpazQ0V6z4F_Lavg4HoF87AXTlgLYro-lA3v5rTUsX6fpjN6HH/s200/MaeganG-M.jpg" width="141" /></a><span style="color: white;"><i>Maegan Beaumont is the author of Midnight Ink's </i>Carved in Darkness, <i>book one in the Sabrina Vaughn thriller series, on sale now.</i></span></i></span></span></div>
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Maegan Beaumonthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04311901347438767578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7330640789013862472.post-23969708987291080492013-05-27T16:15:00.000-07:002013-05-28T10:45:52.377-07:00I'm Famous!!Okay... not really.<br />
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But I did have my debut signing for CARVED IN DARKNESS a few weeks ago...<br />
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We had such a great turn out at the Poisoned Pen! Thank you to Darrell James and Matt Coyle for allowing this newbie to tag along!<br />
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Here I am, signing books! That's my grandmother, right before she told Matt that the reason I was so brilliant is because she's French... she's right, BTW. ;)</div>
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Me, Matt and Darrell, after the smoke cleared.</div>
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I was also asked to be a guest on a local radio show. I had such a great time and I really got a chance to reflect on the long, winding journey the road to publication has led me down. Take a listen:<br />
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<a href="http://www.lifemattersmedia.com/2013/05/12/stay-at-home-mom-turns-her-passion-into-a-best-selling-author/">http://www.lifemattersmedia.com/2013/05/12/stay-at-home-mom-turns-her-passion-into-a-best-selling-author/</a><br />
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I think I did pretty good considering the fact that I was sick with some crazy mystery illness.<br />
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and then the husband and I took a much needed, long over due vacation...<br />
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the house where we stayed...<br />
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the view from our balcony...<br />
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the husband and me...<br />
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the fantastic group of people we had the pleasure of spending our weekend with...<br />
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and proof that I actually got some work done!</div>
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<br />Maegan Beaumonthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04311901347438767578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7330640789013862472.post-24323572735090625302013-05-03T10:57:00.000-07:002013-05-03T10:59:17.773-07:00Get CARVED IN DARKNESS for FREE! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7qC-IJKhB-ljrqyTDSCCMzPWh03U-0Wc4dbhV1gHoKWrzmt-TvRZCIR1QanpQ7r1BMIiVSymedIK1ZDSI6q73UQQlZeFgEB8y5ECLeU07hsGpviiUwfKHQKnlLD3ECr6L-h3pIlTRVkUM/s1600/Carved+in+Darkness.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7qC-IJKhB-ljrqyTDSCCMzPWh03U-0Wc4dbhV1gHoKWrzmt-TvRZCIR1QanpQ7r1BMIiVSymedIK1ZDSI6q73UQQlZeFgEB8y5ECLeU07hsGpviiUwfKHQKnlLD3ECr6L-h3pIlTRVkUM/s640/Carved+in+Darkness.jpg" width="409" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">This is my very first book giveaway and I'm beyond excited!!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Cath, book reviewer and blogger extraordinaire, over at My Book Chatter is hosting, so shuffle on over and enter to win a personally signed copy! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://mybookchatterchat.blogspot.co.nz/2013/05/spotlight-on-carved-in-darkness-by.html">http://mybookchatterchat.blogspot.co.nz/2013/05/spotlight-on-carved-in-darkness-by.html</a> </span><br />
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<br />Maegan Beaumonthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04311901347438767578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7330640789013862472.post-3757196878980150952013-04-30T08:04:00.003-07:002013-06-16T21:48:34.396-07:00News & Updates<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've been neglectful again... but this time I have a pretty good reason--or should I say <i>reasons.</i> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm roughly 1 week from my official release of my debut novel, CARVED IN DARKNESS and things are getting crazy! I mean one-armed-juggler-in-a-three-ring-circus kind of crazy. Between kids and husband, promoting the release while trying to write book #2 in the series (I'm approximately 60k words in!), I don't have time to breathe, much less blog, but I want to share my news so I've finally managed to grab a few minutes (It's 6am, I have school lunches to make and the kids are running around banshees, but whatever) to blog.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Over at Beth Groundwater's today! She's asked some fantastic questions about the book, my writing process and what keeps me sane. Beth <span style="line-height: 23px;">writes the Claire Hanover gift basket designer series (A REAL BASKET CASE, 2007 Best First Novel Agatha Award finalist, TO HELL IN A HANDBASKET, 2009) and the RM Outdoor Adventures series starring river ranger Mandy Tanner (DEADLY CURRENTS, 2011, an Amazon bestseller, WICKED EDDIES, 2012). The 3rd book in both series will appear in 2013.</span><span style="line-height: 23px;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 17px; line-height: 23px;">Hit the link below to check it out:</span></span><br />
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<a href="http://bethgroundwater.blogspot.com/2013/04/todays-mystery-author-guest-maegan.html">http://bethgroundwater.blogspot.com/2013/04/todays-mystery-author-guest-maegan.html</a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And don't forget to drop me a comment to say "hi"!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In other exciting news, If you happened to order a trade paperback of CARVED IN DARKNESS from Amazon (they've already sold out once and looks like they're about to do it again!), chances are you've already received your copy. I hope you're as happy with the finished copy as I am... if so, I'd be thrilled of you took a few minutes to rate CARVED and leave me a brief review. I'll even make it easy and leave the links!<br /><br />For Amazon:<br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Carved-Darkness-Maegan-Beaumont/dp/0738736899/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1367330833&sr=1-1&keywords=carved+in+darkness">http://www.amazon.com/Carved-Darkness-Maegan-Beaumont/dp/0738736899/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1367330833&sr=1-1&keywords=carved+in+darkness</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For Barnes & Noble:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/carved-in-darkness-maegan-beaumont/1113557699?ean=9780738736891">http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/carved-in-darkness-maegan-beaumont/1113557699?ean=9780738736891</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I also received a darn good review from Kirkus Review:</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/maegan-beaumont/carved-in-darkness/">http://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/maegan-beaumont/carved-in-darkness/</a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As busy as I am, I haven't forgotten that it's all of you who've made it possible. Thank you for supporting me as a writer!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And do forget, I still answer writing problems! If you're a writer and stuck on your plot, give me a shout at:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />thrillersandkillers@gmail.com </span>Maegan Beaumonthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04311901347438767578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7330640789013862472.post-25452680263973582002013-04-04T08:21:00.000-07:002013-04-04T08:21:40.971-07:00Les Edgerton Guest Post: Dialogue!<div>
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Check out this great guest post, via Kristen Lamb's Blog by my mentor and friend, Les Edgerton, on how to write effective and believable dialogue. Great advice from an outstanding writer!<div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJYJqghhw-aoT_A5a6111PIJDXQsZcHiK0SrNvMmjfXKFa9YxBJuzWLeJUPbt1WeAKAufIE4_GoZeN3iFoNoKU5Z5C4L31mTugLibNbT8ZTLY8v1tSzl9-8i-HNBGkYMWKa0hyphenhypheno82fCIee/s1600/lespic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJYJqghhw-aoT_A5a6111PIJDXQsZcHiK0SrNvMmjfXKFa9YxBJuzWLeJUPbt1WeAKAufIE4_GoZeN3iFoNoKU5Z5C4L31mTugLibNbT8ZTLY8v1tSzl9-8i-HNBGkYMWKa0hyphenhypheno82fCIee/s1600/lespic.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://warriorwriters.wordpress.com/2013/04/04/les-edgerton-shows-how-to-write-amazing-dialogue-part-1/#comment-65511">http://warriorwriters.wordpress.com/2013/04/04/les-edgerton-shows-how-to-write-amazing-dialogue-part-1/#comment-65511</a></div>
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Maegan Beaumonthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04311901347438767578noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7330640789013862472.post-408835769161180342013-03-26T12:11:00.000-07:002013-04-03T20:57:18.450-07:00Reader Reviews: Carved in Darkness<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN2TJVSgo1uDKH1M9ivel1i4t-oCn31cIB6YOEhfLVMaAp-4u3ZIzsUbsRxAh73LskCGrAbdm3VWwCtKk4s3obHFWQJFphDYuxcfIzD1-9TCbe1xXql4yqQg4i_x_g9407fAaGCcBvpcYY/s1600/carved2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN2TJVSgo1uDKH1M9ivel1i4t-oCn31cIB6YOEhfLVMaAp-4u3ZIzsUbsRxAh73LskCGrAbdm3VWwCtKk4s3obHFWQJFphDYuxcfIzD1-9TCbe1xXql4yqQg4i_x_g9407fAaGCcBvpcYY/s200/carved2.jpg" width="129" /></a></div>
Don't let me fool you--I really do care what people think. Probably a lot more than I should.<br />
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I believe it goes hand-in-hand with my near paralyzing fear or failure, this worry that I might disappoint someone I care about, or someone I just met... or even a total stranger that I happen to make eye-contact with at the grocery store. Disappointment means failure and I'd rather eat glass than fail at anything, which makes my life as a writer challenging, to say the least.<br />
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When I see or hear someone post or say good things about my writing, I get giddy with success. I do my happy dance and grin like a simpleton. I twirl on mountaintops. I burst into song... of course all of this happens in my head. On the outside, I might shrug and say, "that's pretty cool." Which prompts people to think I'm either a) an emotionless cyborg, b) insane, or c) jaded beyond salvation.<br />
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None of which is true (I mean, option B is always up for debate...). I think, along with my failure phobia, I've developed this belief that if I celebrate my own success, I:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheMqgaKJqd2t3ppJNl9kpITdU7XtYH3_irXKThg9yzw8DGULgOgVZtkMFGsTUch27rRvh-SbofJsEEEd3PX-7WNCd05pMMUhFPoZaCQ0xqkKvXIHaTD3GGoD9DBeaZYdinCQmfTHWiODpb/s1600/anvil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheMqgaKJqd2t3ppJNl9kpITdU7XtYH3_irXKThg9yzw8DGULgOgVZtkMFGsTUch27rRvh-SbofJsEEEd3PX-7WNCd05pMMUhFPoZaCQ0xqkKvXIHaTD3GGoD9DBeaZYdinCQmfTHWiODpb/s1600/anvil.jpg" /></a></div>
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1) will jinx myself.<br />
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2) will look like a pretentious asshat. (because in my mind, this is what a pretentious asshat looks like)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDnPZdQH29WPRD49ApHVKtyWNTl-P876vXBa00NI7HKqxQ78jICdfXYKe9EbL7uKfji3_6zcsLjFHxgP-ba2vUtc1jvcUI0llrIDRzDetYKsDQ_NqB2SkyoL2NWnNaG_h5B5RBe6QF1Bak/s1600/anvil2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDnPZdQH29WPRD49ApHVKtyWNTl-P876vXBa00NI7HKqxQ78jICdfXYKe9EbL7uKfji3_6zcsLjFHxgP-ba2vUtc1jvcUI0llrIDRzDetYKsDQ_NqB2SkyoL2NWnNaG_h5B5RBe6QF1Bak/s1600/anvil2.jpg" /></a></div>
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3) will have farther to fall when I am inevitably shoved off the Cliffs of Success by my arch nemesis, Failure. That's Failure, on the right.<br />
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The sad thing is that I've had some pretty cool reviews. Great reviews. Reviews that if I were not me, would make me want to read the book I actually wrote. I should be sharing them, right? That's not douchy or pretentious, is it? I'm allowed to celebrate, aren't I? I can toot my own horn without fear of invoking the wrath of Failure and to prove it, I'm gonna start tooting...<br />
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This is a great review I received today from Blood Rose Books:<br />
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<a href="http://j9books.blogspot.com/2013/03/maegan-beaumont-carved-in-darkness.html?spref=fb">http://j9books.blogspot.com/2013/03/maegan-beaumont-carved-in-darkness.html?spref=fb</a><br />
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This is another from Mallory Heart Review:<br />
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<a href="http://archiestandwoodsreviewsandwritings.blogspot.com/2013/02/carved-in-darkness-by-maegan.html">http://archiestandwoodsreviewsandwritings.blogspot.com/2013/02/carved-in-darkness-by-maegan.html</a><br />
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This is another by Julie Beckett's Wicked Little Imp Review bog:<br />
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<a href="http://mildlysane1.blogspot.com/2013/02/carved-in-darkness-by-maegan-beaumont.html?showComment=1364323220682#c1412246246590121895">http://mildlysane1.blogspot.com/2013/02/carved-in-darkness-by-maegan-beaumont.html?showComment=1364323220682#c1412246246590121895</a><br />
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<span style="color: yellow;">UPDATE: </span><br />
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<span style="color: yellow;">Last, but certainly not least, I received this review today by Cath on her wonderful blog, My Book Chatter Blog:</span><br />
<span style="color: yellow;"><a href="http://mybookchatterchat.blogspot.com/2013/04/book-review-carved-in-darkness-by.html">http://mybookchatterchat.blogspot.com/2013/04/book-review-carved-in-darkness-by.html</a></span><br />
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<span style="color: yellow;">I am BLOWN AWAY by the level of support CARVED has garnered and am so giddy I might actually do my happy dance for reals! :)</span><br />
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I might have missed one or two but I want to thank these fantastic bloggers who took the time to read and blog about my novel, for nothing else but their own love of good books. I don't know who you guys (or gals) are but I owe you big! If you head over to their site to read their reviews of CARVED IN DARKNESS, stay awhile. Read what they have to say about other books as well. You won't be sorry.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkEN1ZPkglvmGWGM4MU6mrhKalFbSe0m-afQ_VkeZh2xxv6Pa1a1dzJuRH5crttPF2yIvtBk1qQTP_23WM_x-sMYbH-WpxwZoKLO3F7IFbP6IbI2AnSxCyQ3cHkrEnB9Upa9v_fNkoX6eo/s1600/carved2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkEN1ZPkglvmGWGM4MU6mrhKalFbSe0m-afQ_VkeZh2xxv6Pa1a1dzJuRH5crttPF2yIvtBk1qQTP_23WM_x-sMYbH-WpxwZoKLO3F7IFbP6IbI2AnSxCyQ3cHkrEnB9Upa9v_fNkoX6eo/s1600/carved2.jpg" /></a></div>
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my buy link:<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Carved-Darkness-Maegan-Beaumont/dp/0738736899/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1364323833&sr=8-1&keywords=carved+in+darkness">http://www.amazon.com/Carved-Darkness-Maegan-Beaumont/dp/0738736899/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1364323833&sr=8-1&keywords=carved+in+darkness</a><br />
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official release: May 8th, 2013.<br />
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Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go hide under my desk until then...Maegan Beaumonthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04311901347438767578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7330640789013862472.post-42513706798193606992013-03-19T21:33:00.000-07:002013-03-19T21:43:40.783-07:00What Hangs in the Balance<br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Like most things in writing, villains are a delicate balance. Not enough evil and you get this:</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">Too much evil and you get this:</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">The most effective villains are like this:</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">See what I mean? Delicate balance.</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">The weird thing is, though... <i>true</i> villains aren't balanced. They've leaned too far over the edge and lost their footing... or maybe they just swan-dived into the abyss. Either way, they're free-falling down a deep, dark hole. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">And they like it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">They presents well. They look normal. They smile and talk. Give their seats up to little old ladies on the bus and rescue cats out of trees. They have children and drive minivans. And all the while, they harbor darkness.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">Not that we don’t all harbor darkness—we do. We all have thoughts and desires we would never act on because not only do we know the difference between right and wrong, we respect it. </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">We're balanced.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">In order to write an effective villain, we have to
knock ourselves off balance. We have to be willing to go there. You know, <i>there</i>.
We have to be willing to search out the dark spots we keep hidden and poke at them until
they bleed. To get the page a bit dirty, to scare ourselves silly. To dangle our toes over the abyss.</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">There have been times--many times--when I've written something and afterward wondered if there was something </span><span style="font-size: 21px;">fundamentally</span><span style="font-size: 16pt;"> wrong with me. My husband blames (for lack of a better word) my childhood. He's probably right.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">Whatever the reason, I'm thankful for my keen sense of balance because no matter how many times I dangle my toes, I'm able to right myself without falling. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">And now, just for fun, some of my all-time favorite </span><span style="font-size: 21px;">villains</span><span style="font-size: 16pt;">:</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 21px;">and last, but not least...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">who's your favorite all time villain?</span><br />
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<i style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">Maegan Beaumont is the author of </i><span style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">Carved in Darkness, </span><i style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">available </i><i style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">through Midnight Ink, May 8th, 2013</i>Maegan Beaumonthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04311901347438767578noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7330640789013862472.post-49198588933355650352013-03-07T11:54:00.001-08:002013-03-07T17:00:24.479-08:00Review: The Rapist<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoiCbiLK93crSAXTjpgvaUS5l9TGPp75-jlgI1EPUgmhNDKCwUd_6u9fe22cUt0bUolB6yf9thUxBaLye3MyT3AWUxjh4PpwitYdMAYgtLd4gt44axQbdboZYCXkPxSy-64KBHbhUOELvz/s1600/The+Rapist+front+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoiCbiLK93crSAXTjpgvaUS5l9TGPp75-jlgI1EPUgmhNDKCwUd_6u9fe22cUt0bUolB6yf9thUxBaLye3MyT3AWUxjh4PpwitYdMAYgtLd4gt44axQbdboZYCXkPxSy-64KBHbhUOELvz/s320/The+Rapist+front+cover.jpg" width="197" /></a></div>
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Truman Pinter is a sociopath. </div>
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Like all sociopaths, he sees himself as better—elevated in
every way. Removed and above those of us he sees as less. Less cultured. Less intelligent.
Less aware. Less significant. Less… human.</div>
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We are but bothersome insects to Truman. Base, vulgar creatures
who roam and rut our way through life without thought or care for things that truly
matter. </div>
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Truman Pinter is a Rapist.</div>
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This is a fact he never disputes… in fact he admits it almost
proudly. To police. To himself. To us. He infects us with his perverse
perceptions and false logic. He makes us question the very things we base our
own humanity on. He peels back the curtain and whispers, <i>“there… see, you feel it too. You are no better than I.”<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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Truman Pinter is going to pay for his perceived crimes
against humanity.</div>
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Or is he?</div>
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It’s hard to pin down, Les Edgerton’s latest novel, <i>The Rapist</i>. Is it considered a classic noir
tale of a damaged man’s twisted path of self-destruction? Maybe it’s a gritty crime
novel that chronicles an evil sociopath’s final hours… perhaps it’s a highbrowed work of
literary fiction fraught with existential yearning.</div>
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The answer is yes. <i>The
Rapist</i> is all of those things… and much, much more.</div>
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<i>The Rapist</i> is a
dirty window used to peer into the blackest of hearts and the most vile of
souls. A window that can never be wiped clean enough to make us want to press
our faces against it… but we do so anyway, all the while feeling as if the black
of Truman Pinter’s heart has tainted us forever. </div>
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It is a murky kaleidoscope of appalling shapes and unspeakable
colors. Just when you think you’ve figured it out, just when you think you
finally understand the vision Edgerton has set in front of us, it tumbles away,
giving us another look from an entirely different perspective. A perspective we are not wholly comfortable with. One we reject, even as we unwillingly understand it.</div>
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The final result is Les Edgerton’s tour de force. A
masterfully raw, brilliantly unabashed study into the heart and mind of the most
cold-blooded sociopath you’ll ever encounter, on the page or off.</div>
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check it out!:</div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Rapist-ebook/dp/B00BOXQVF0/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1362685567&sr=8-6&keywords=the+rapist">http://www.amazon.com/The-Rapist-ebook/dp/B00BOXQVF0/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1362685567&sr=8-6&keywords=the+rapist</a></div>
Maegan Beaumonthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04311901347438767578noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7330640789013862472.post-13269956768282103662013-02-26T08:35:00.001-08:002014-03-31T09:04:08.116-07:00Kid in a Candy Store<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">When a writer lands on a story idea, it usually happens one of two ways. It's either like being hit by lightening or like watching a seed germinate. Either way, once the story takes root, your head starts to swim in The Sea of Possibilities...</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWhkUlhrqQ-M1I1GbXfrUSBQ6_BM1Bsh39R6huWIL4XiZWeRK-XRAIpk4jG7Kug-wmZDrpLRPAsvlwgz-jOnB-NfNpKRXvC1uCFBb74zxUzcqSiL7mPyF4yKfMuaxzvw4dxCLTnf2e7ylo/s1600/casndystore4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWhkUlhrqQ-M1I1GbXfrUSBQ6_BM1Bsh39R6huWIL4XiZWeRK-XRAIpk4jG7Kug-wmZDrpLRPAsvlwgz-jOnB-NfNpKRXvC1uCFBb74zxUzcqSiL7mPyF4yKfMuaxzvw4dxCLTnf2e7ylo/s1600/casndystore4.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">This is good--possibilities always are, but if you're not careful, you start to look like this:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIUV9apkM7QUZJi9Xc1eGKpdNqRfpvDmXtLMPeBWpy2Q3_MknBD6Rq7Q3U8EvCm1wbc3xVXrIRQEu-QBUP3cYf3YA6vW5DLx5MH5xACrpNfr-KpIwF2jXt4wBH0MxekKMs6D9zKxxP1ao1/s1600/candystore2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIUV9apkM7QUZJi9Xc1eGKpdNqRfpvDmXtLMPeBWpy2Q3_MknBD6Rq7Q3U8EvCm1wbc3xVXrIRQEu-QBUP3cYf3YA6vW5DLx5MH5xACrpNfr-KpIwF2jXt4wBH0MxekKMs6D9zKxxP1ao1/s1600/candystore2.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">or like this:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiluZgikeEbxhnPKh255NQwBpwtB_mGCqowlVZ5calAA-dUlnaDvU7HhoSq0Ydnc3v0dnzwE8Nfn9ZXOeEvG-dzJRJmZXCK8DgvK9SGHIkUPaHAzdaTCnS6RwpNhB_JYtGoxFMgQd6Lkd-d/s1600/candystore1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiluZgikeEbxhnPKh255NQwBpwtB_mGCqowlVZ5calAA-dUlnaDvU7HhoSq0Ydnc3v0dnzwE8Nfn9ZXOeEvG-dzJRJmZXCK8DgvK9SGHIkUPaHAzdaTCnS6RwpNhB_JYtGoxFMgQd6Lkd-d/s1600/candystore1.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">and then, eventually like this:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Having a fiction writer's imagination can be both a blessing and a curse. We spin straw into gold but sometimes, we get carried away. Every idea we have is a good one, every plot twist we come up with is absolutely paramount to the outcome of the story (or so we fool ourselves into believing), so we pile it on. We're gluttonous. Greedy. We have what I call Kid-in-a-candy-store-itis.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Before we know it we're working plot points for a paranormal, dystopian, sci-fi western about a half-vampire, half-werewolf who falls in love with a time-traveling mermaid... which, by the way, has absolutely nothing to do with our initial story idea.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Just remember to keep it simple. With roughly 1,100 years between us and the first printed page, an original plot is damn near impossible. Originality comes from our voice. Don't let it become cluttered and bogged down by an over active imagination or you'll end up like this guy:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> And remember: friends don't let friends write </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">paranormal, dystopian, sci-fi,westerns about a half-vampire, half-werewolf who falls in love with a time-traveling mermaid.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
Maegan Beaumonthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04311901347438767578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7330640789013862472.post-42733585740751617092013-02-19T09:40:00.000-08:002013-03-07T11:58:55.154-08:00Book review: Off Season<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUmFww29VGqqDZMEqLFIa9JtCcwkihQZHbm15E9D5hGyu8a1YIFoyOHEgLNzvW22Wn1A_swf1mWVC4_GeTuYYnfB5gk4jK0sOMC_eR8BXBCWtuPsDbswz0Ssq5G5NZ2Ay4sR_0NBnqSmD4/s1600/off+season.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUmFww29VGqqDZMEqLFIa9JtCcwkihQZHbm15E9D5hGyu8a1YIFoyOHEgLNzvW22Wn1A_swf1mWVC4_GeTuYYnfB5gk4jK0sOMC_eR8BXBCWtuPsDbswz0Ssq5G5NZ2Ay4sR_0NBnqSmD4/s1600/off+season.jpg" /></a><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">My introduction to Jack Ketchum’s Off Season (via Facebook
message) went a little something like this:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: white;"><i>So</i>, blah, blah <i>read this book
and it made him nauseous, poop his pant, loose his shit . . . etc - no one will
read the book - we thought you might be interested. LOL He says it's short but
potent. Ruthless in fact. love ya</i><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;"><i><span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Made him poop his pants…</span></i><span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"> how could I <i>not</i> be interested in a book that actually induced bouts of
spontaneous defecation? <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: white;">Needless to say, I was
intrigued. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: white;">I scurried over to Amazon
and paid the price of admission. Within minutes I was immersed in Ketchum’s
world… a woman running through the woods, being chased—no, <i>herded</i>—by feral cannibalistic children. Whipped and toyed with to
the point that she flings herself off a cliff and into the sea rather than face
the fate they had planned for her.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: white;">We cut to Carla, a young
single woman who rents a remote cabin in Maine for a month—a quiet place to
work (she’s an editor) but we also get the impression it’s a bit of an escape.
Carla’s personal life is complicated—a depressive, younger sister, a boyfriend
she doesn’t love… an ex-boyfriend she does. She invites them all up from New
York for the weekend; a quick getaway before she dives into work.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: white;">We meet an in-bred family—men and women and children—living in a cave
set into the sea cliffs above the Maine shoreline. This is a family of hunters.
They hunt people and they eat them. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: white;">Carla sees one of these men while waiting for her company to arrive.
He’s walking along a river that runs near the cabin and she waves to him. We
know almost instantly what fate awaits Carla and company and even though it
takes a while to get there, once the ball starts rolling, it doesn’t stop. It
keeps rolling, destroying everything and everyone in its path.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: white;">I won’t post spoilers
because that’s not my style but I will say this…<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">This book is brutal.
Viciously graphic. Unflinchingly grotesque. Unapologetically ruthless…and worth
every penny. In between recipes for man jerky (I swear it's in there) and how-tos for human </span><span style="line-height: 14px;">barbecue, Ketchum gives us some wonderful prose and a story about a woman who finds herself thrust into an unspeakably heinous situation and how she finds a strength she never knew she possessed.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p><span style="color: white;"><br /></span></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">p.s. DO NOT read this
book if you are at all squeamish or sensitive to violence. I’m not kidding.
Don’t even think about it.</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
Maegan Beaumonthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04311901347438767578noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7330640789013862472.post-17428221775025131842013-02-05T07:37:00.000-08:002013-03-07T11:57:27.775-08:00Best / Worst week ever...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheGAZLBpPClzOjm-92EkST_xVv3aDd0lZlMBaCa1B_CiMP5XNqIOCOynM_ApULnKuzRcLem9yDN5AYNEzjc7nmFkRIJOaMMk4C25B8jdlnF33hqkt_C3voDME0RNVkOeLatJiQU6zKiMvf/s1600/headdesk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="374" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheGAZLBpPClzOjm-92EkST_xVv3aDd0lZlMBaCa1B_CiMP5XNqIOCOynM_ApULnKuzRcLem9yDN5AYNEzjc7nmFkRIJOaMMk4C25B8jdlnF33hqkt_C3voDME0RNVkOeLatJiQU6zKiMvf/s400/headdesk.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This was me last week. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I was knee deep in final edits for CARVED IN DARKNESS. Knowing that it was the last time I would be able to fix or change anything else in the novel was a bit harder for me to take than I thought it would be... I've always been a bit possessive of my work--I'm sure that as a writer, the sentiment is not a new one--but knowing that once I hit that send button it would no longer be "mine" made it even harder to wrap my head around.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This is how I feel about my work.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Once I turn it over to my editor, it will literally be set in stone. What I send back to her will be the version people will see and buy... hopefully. I became my own worst critic, nit-picking every little word. I literally had 30 pages of changes I wanted to make. It was insane. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This is me going insane.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But somehow I managed to rein myself in (it </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">might </i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">have had something to do with the fact that my editor told me that I could only make changes that were absolutely necessary). I focused on changes that were really important to the story--and then danced around my computer for a few minutes before I finally forced myself to hit send.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxNtXP6odh2Drbe3GGPSXzsDM5ZmpnaVs0pLqCmOshMwJyz6eqDqROjLTr_Mep6Ea7es4PJzbSt8KwULolAgR4plK4ficN1AYSaCsHY9XmRxWgyXg__BrOPhkXKOudmOMfThjXqemft8Yf/s1600/freakingout.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxNtXP6odh2Drbe3GGPSXzsDM5ZmpnaVs0pLqCmOshMwJyz6eqDqROjLTr_Mep6Ea7es4PJzbSt8KwULolAgR4plK4ficN1AYSaCsHY9XmRxWgyXg__BrOPhkXKOudmOMfThjXqemft8Yf/s320/freakingout.jpg" width="267" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This is me trying to convince myself that it was all going to be okay.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So... I finally hit send. It's done. It's finished... final edits for CARVED IN DARKNESS are complete and currently being laughed at by my editor (I'm kidding. She's not really laughing... God, please don't let her be laughing...).</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmiXDPN4btbumodPKX2qP2EMhfXSvvM5xonJTDJiHSXODnC0W4ICZCZMbarUvbxHhLV3VZEymcg4d0iZOmQTc3JM_HCyyKYo0uRXye3SDNSAHEX1gJSQh2x-oq0M9_Shvi0eHRkWuSyV-w/s1600/Carved+in+Darkness.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmiXDPN4btbumodPKX2qP2EMhfXSvvM5xonJTDJiHSXODnC0W4ICZCZMbarUvbxHhLV3VZEymcg4d0iZOmQTc3JM_HCyyKYo0uRXye3SDNSAHEX1gJSQh2x-oq0M9_Shvi0eHRkWuSyV-w/s320/Carved+in+Darkness.jpg" width="206" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This is my book. You should buy it. Here's the link: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Carved-Darkness-Maegan-Beaumont/dp/0738736899/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1360078173&sr=1-1&keywords=carved+in+darkness">http://www.amazon.com/Carved-Darkness-Maegan-Beaumont/dp/0738736899/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1360078173&sr=1-1&keywords=carved+in+darkness</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'd really like to thank my editors, Terri and Nicole, and my agent, Chip, for putting up with my ridiculous questions and my even more ridiculous quest for perfection. You guys are awesome!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Maegan Beaumonthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04311901347438767578noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7330640789013862472.post-54144629529271827712013-01-22T09:37:00.000-08:002013-01-22T13:35:17.874-08:00Fade to Black...<br />
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A few months
ago, I flew to Chicago for the annual client conference held by my agent. It
was my first time attending, having only been picked up officially that August,
so I was a bit out of my depth. I was in a strange city full of complete
strangers. I had absolutely no idea where I was going or who I was going with. If you
know me at all then, you know that these are things that usually send me into a
tailspin… but I maintained. </div>
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I was very proud.</div>
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As we were
waiting for the train to take us into the city for dinner, I listened to people
talk—“Hi, I’m <i>blah, blah. Blah, blah</i>
has been my agent for 2 years.”</div>
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“Oh, I know
you. My name is <i>blah, blah</i>. I’m with <i>blah, blah.”</i> </div>
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(not trying
to be disrespectful—just don’t want to use names… or maybe I just don't remember them.)</div>
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“So, what's your name and who are you with?”</div>
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It took me a
few seconds before I realized someone was talking to me.</div>
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“Ah… My name
is Maegan Beaumont and I’ve been with Chip for a few months.”</div>
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I sounded
like I was introducing myself at an AA meeting, but I managed to get the words
out without any nervous stuttering. Suddenly, the young woman standing in front
of me whirled around and after a few seconds of scrutiny, said, “<i>You’re</i> Maegan Beaumont?”</div>
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<i>Oh. God. What did I do?</i> The juvenile
delinquent in me was screaming—<i>No. No you
are not. Deny, deny, DENY!!<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
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“Yes…?”</div>
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She smiled. “I
joined the agency the same week Chip received your manuscript. It was the first
thing he gave me to read. I couldn’t get past the first five pages. I still
think about it,” she said. “I’m pretty sure it scarred me for life.”</div>
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I didn’t
know what to say. What did that mean? Was it really that bad? Before I could
say anything, she saved me from imploding.</div>
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“Oh, no. It
was really, really good… but it was too intense for me,” she said. “Most
writers have this<i> fade to black </i>moment
where they choose to leave the rest of a graphic scene to the reader’s
imagination. I kept reading your work, waiting for the fade to black… but it
kept going. I kept reading, waiting for it. Fade to black… I kept thinking, <i>when is it going to fade to black</i>? <i>Fade to black</i>. Dear God—<i>FADE TO BLACK!!” </i>She mimed flipping
through pages, her eyes as wide dinner plates. </div>
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She stopped
and smiled at me. “I took it back to Chip and said, “It’s really, really good
and really, really disturbing. Here you go—you should read it. And now you’re
here.”</div>
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I had no
idea what to say—again. I felt like an apology was in order but I swore to
myself a long time ago that I’d never apologize for anything that I’d written.
Maybe I should offer to pay for her therapy…</div>
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She turned
out to be the one person I really connected with in Chicago. We split a pizza
and she admitted that I was nothing like what she expected. I took it as a
compliment. We really didn’t talk about my work again (although, she did ask me if my husband was afraid to go to sleep around me...) but her reaction has
stuck with me. Four months later and I’m still thinking about it.</div>
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Fade to
Black.</div>
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I’ve tried
writing that way but it felt… almost like a lie. What I’d put on paper was not
what I really wanted to say—the problem was, what I <i>really</i> wanted to say was pretty freakin’ disturbing. I was worried
what my family would think. I was worried how, if it was ever read by the
general public, I’d be regarded (remember, nice girls don’t write about torture…).
Would the parents of my children’s friends think I’m a depraved lunatic and
keep their kids away from mine? </div>
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I was afraid
of offending someone. I was afraid of disappointing everyone. I was afraid of
what people would think.</div>
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I was
afraid.</div>
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But you can’t
write with fear—not if you want write with honesty and passion and all the
things that make a book worth reading. Good writing isn’t always pretty or
pleasant. It isn’t about what people want to hear. It’s about what you have to
say. As soon as I realized that, I was able to let go of all that worry and
doubt and just write. Instead of fading to black, I kept the lights on. I threw
open the doors and windows and <i>wrote.</i></div>
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And what I
wrote scared me. Not the actual content… but it scared me that the words came
from me so easily. That I was able to <i>go there </i>without any real effort at all.
I felt the strong desire to delete it off the page before anyone else saw it. I
didn’t. I considered cutting it from the book. I didn’t do that either. I’ve
come to recognize that feeling this way is a sign that I’ve written something
that will affect people. And if we’re not affecting people with our words, then
what’s the point?</div>
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Truth is,
there’ll always be people who will be offended. There will be some who are disappointed or disturbed by the things I write. Who will see me differently. Who will build pre-conceived
notions about what I’m <i>really</i> like. And
as much as I wish it weren’t so, I can’t let any of that dictate what I write.
I’ll go crazy if I do…</div>
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So write what you want. Say what you need to say, in the most honest way possible. Don't let fear or doubt decide what you put on paper. You deserve better than that, and so does your reader.</div>
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Fade to
black. Or not...</div>
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It's totally up to you.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi28YxSgNpuYTf2gHmw6rLepIMWdCLu2ycNlb7KPjclhbHJCFb3tSx0-Hn-Yp7qtdo0WKF42mwGSQvGkkJp3eJ2pLtza-FNhWZM2AgiS-KCz7HaE9uEXH0-lWPYh6v1w78ITNSBD222au7J/s1600/Carved+in+Darkness.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi28YxSgNpuYTf2gHmw6rLepIMWdCLu2ycNlb7KPjclhbHJCFb3tSx0-Hn-Yp7qtdo0WKF42mwGSQvGkkJp3eJ2pLtza-FNhWZM2AgiS-KCz7HaE9uEXH0-lWPYh6v1w78ITNSBD222au7J/s320/Carved+in+Darkness.jpg" width="206" /></a></div>
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Release date: May 8, 2013<br />
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Maegan Beaumonthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04311901347438767578noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7330640789013862472.post-42043871415256476462013-01-14T07:11:00.001-08:002013-01-14T07:13:14.545-08:00Guest Blog: Lois Winston<span style="font-size: large;">Today, I'm fortunate enough to be hosting the fantastic writer behind the </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"> series and fellow MInker, </span><span style="font-size: large;">Lois Winston. </span><span style="font-size: large;"> Lois is going to give us a very insightful look at where plot and characters come from. Take is away, Lois!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Where
Characters and Plots Are Born</span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">“Where
do you get your story ideas?”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">“Are any
of your characters based on yourself or people you know?”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The above are the two most frequently asked
questions I hear from readers. There’s a writing axiom that states, <i>write what you know</i>. To some extent this is sound advice, but it’s
also extremely limiting advice. I have a good friend who writes stories
populated with vampires, werewolves, selkies, and other assorted weird
creatures of the paranormal world. My friend is neither a vampire, a werewolf,
nor a selkie, and I have it on good authority that she’s never met any such
creatures. So obviously she’s not writing what she knows from first-hand
experience.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">In my Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery series
my amateur sleuth protagonist is a debt-ridden, recently widowed magazine
editor whose home is populated by her two teenage sons, her “Russian princess”
mother, a cantankerous communist mother-in-law, and a menagerie of pets, including
a Shakespeare spouting parrot. Much of her problems stem from having believed a
man who turned out to be a lying louse of a spouse. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Write
what you know</span></i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">To some extent. I have designed needlework and
other crafts for various magazines, and I did work as a craft book editor for
some years. My two sons were once teenagers. And I was saddled with a
cantankerous communist mother-in-law. However, that’s where the similarities
between me and Anastasia end. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">My husband is a nice guy who is still very much
alive. My mother, although half Russian, never claimed to descend from the
Romanov dynasty, and due to allergies, we have no pets. I’ve never even come
across a Shakespeare spouting parrot. Most of all, though, I don’t constantly
stumble across dead bodies. And if I did, I’d leave the investigating to the
police.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">So where do I get the ideas for the stories I
write? From the world around me. I’m a
die-hard news junkie who has always believed that truth is stranger than
fiction. That belief is reaffirmed every
time I pick up a newspaper or turn on the evening news. I’ll hear a news byte or read an article,
then give the event a “what if” spin.
The voices in my head take over from there, and the next thing I know,
I’ve got the plot for another book. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The plot for <b>Revenge of the Crafty Corpse</b> came about after I read an article on
a nursing home murder involving two ninety-something roommates. A lover’s
triangle caused one woman to permanently dispatch her rival. I was well aware
of mercy killings in nursing homes, but one resident killing another seemed
quite rare to me. Upon further research, I discovered not only wasn’t it all
that uncommon, but the motive for such murders often had something to do
with romantic jealousy. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimjOdiQU0y-4cVmSTmrP0SWVNvCKlEofZ0jLESFkzkOTfCB7zpMHFFcbr0ln_Rdxfisdlzt9B7K0EmkW8jOECiUIP5aPWwp3uqO2aCZlo57YC_NIYWgaDR7DxACkCVkl67bX3RGJA5wugY/s1600/crafty_corpse_low_res.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimjOdiQU0y-4cVmSTmrP0SWVNvCKlEofZ0jLESFkzkOTfCB7zpMHFFcbr0ln_Rdxfisdlzt9B7K0EmkW8jOECiUIP5aPWwp3uqO2aCZlo57YC_NIYWgaDR7DxACkCVkl67bX3RGJA5wugY/s320/crafty_corpse_low_res.jpg" width="204" /></a><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Who knew nonagenarians still had sex? That one
article planted the seeds for both a plot and a murder victim. I created
Lyndella Wegner, a ninety-eight year old know-it-all with a penchant for
scandalous craft projects and even more scandalous behavior. When she turns up
dead, Anastasia’s mother-in-law becomes the prime suspect. Of course, Anastasia
being Anastasia, she can’t leave the investigating to the police. As much as
she dislikes her mother-in-law, she knows the woman isn’t a killer. So
Anastasia sets out to find the real killer, hopefully before she crosses paths
with any more dead bodies. Or becomes one herself.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><b>To buy Revenge of the Crafty Corpse, go to:</b></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0738725862/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0738725862&linkCode=as2&tag=loiswins-20" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0738725862/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0738725862&linkCode=as2&tag=loiswins-20</a></div>
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Award-winning author Lois
Winston writes the critically acclaimed Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery
series featuring magazine crafts editor and reluctant amateur sleuth Anastasia
Pollack. <b>Assault With a Deadly Glue Gun</b>,
the first book in the series, received starred reviews from both <i>Publishers Weekly</i> and <i>Booklist</i>. <i>Kirkus Reviews</i> dubbed it, “North Jersey’s more mature answer to
Stephanie Plum.” The series also includes<b>Death
By Killer Mop Doll</b>and<b>Crewel
Intentions</b>, an Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mini-Mystery.<b>Revenge of the Crafty Corpse </b>is a January 2013 release. </div>
<br />
Lois is also published in women’s fiction, romance, romantic suspense, and
non-fiction under her own name and her Emma Carlyle pen name. In addition,
she’s an award-winning crafts and needlework designer and an agent with the
Ashley Grayson Literary Agency. She’s also the author of the recently released <b>Top Ten Reasons Your Novel is Rejected</b>.
Visit Lois at <a href="http://www.loiswinston.com/"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">http://www.loiswinston.com</span></a><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">, visit Emma at </span><a href="http://www.emmacarlyle.com/"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">http://www.emmacarlyle.com</span></a><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">, and visit Anastasia at the Killer Crafts
& Crafty Killers character blog, </span><a href="http://www.anastasiapollack.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">www.anastasiapollack.blogspot.com</span></a><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">.<o:p></o:p></span>Maegan Beaumonthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04311901347438767578noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7330640789013862472.post-63636101998694785892013-01-07T12:44:00.000-08:002013-02-06T07:24:55.006-08:00Top 10+1, Holy Crap, We're All Gonna Die! Movies of all time... According to me.<br />
Okay... now that we're one week into 2013, I feel comfortable in saying that, we, the human race, made it through 2012... it's official, folks--we're living on borrowed time. To celebrate, I've compiled a list of my favorite end of the world movies... enjoy.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcvxcxbQYfeIq7ZHDbDJzRMV2jA09gpOiz4wrQUzS5Cs4xnV1hgk_SePd_ZBhtgCiBcmfWuJlYpy4rImSFn4lGjX7hZhvEngOovaaBaCiCXuATEBR9O0U01CX3uBkZPF7bZX3QrWNxfjNX/s1600/28dayslater.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcvxcxbQYfeIq7ZHDbDJzRMV2jA09gpOiz4wrQUzS5Cs4xnV1hgk_SePd_ZBhtgCiBcmfWuJlYpy4rImSFn4lGjX7hZhvEngOovaaBaCiCXuATEBR9O0U01CX3uBkZPF7bZX3QrWNxfjNX/s200/28dayslater.jpg" width="140" /></a> I'm not one for scary movies... but this one makes the cut. In <b>28 Days Later</b>,<br />
we see a group of activists unknowingly unleash a bunch of monkeys infected<br />
with a genetically altered strain of human emotion called RAGE. Crazy, angry monkeys bite humans, turning them into crazy, angry people who then, bite other people. Interesting that in trying to dull the human experience, those asshats<br />
actually messed stuff up even more...<br />
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<b>Moral of the story: </b>If it ain't broke--don't fix it.<br />
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<br />
<b> 2012</b>... We all knew it was a big hoax, right? This movie portrayed a huge<br />
cluster-F of natural disasters. Earthquakes. Fires. Super Storms. Tsunamis... John Cusack fights his way through it all to save his ex-wife and their two children from certain death. We come to find out that government knew this was going t happen all along and contracted the Chinese to build HUGE ships to ensure the survival of the species.<br />
<br />
<b>Moral of the story: </b>The Mayans were wrong, bitches! <br />
<br />
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<br />
<b>Armageddon</b> gives us an asteroid the size of Texas, Bruce Willis and<br />
a $300 plastic ice cream scoop. This movie was all about the cinematography (Michael Bay films are filled with stirring images of Americana) and the fact that Bruce Willis dies in order to save the world. I've seen this movie a hundred times and still cry like a baby when Liv Tyler finally realizes her father isn't coming home.<br />
<br />
<b>Moral of the story:</b> Promises are made to be broken.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr_6PlZu46GvMjZwghvGflDvipmclhqNT1HWooM2FypBDhtTcXmVCDOfnzot7DymOvnrrmCGHiAb1v6Puc8BTJflsbcBmxke7rNsWIU0UjL_-9_q_bq2iI9W_MTcO6NXl786zZNEtVZOXM/s1600/childrenofmen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr_6PlZu46GvMjZwghvGflDvipmclhqNT1HWooM2FypBDhtTcXmVCDOfnzot7DymOvnrrmCGHiAb1v6Puc8BTJflsbcBmxke7rNsWIU0UjL_-9_q_bq2iI9W_MTcO6NXl786zZNEtVZOXM/s200/childrenofmen.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<b> </b> <b>Children of Men</b> gives us nearly 20 years of human infertility, a world on the brink of collapse and Clive Owen as the cynical escort to the only woman to become pregnant is over 18 years. This movie paints a bleak picture--police states, civil war and refugee camps. A disaffected government and a hopeless public fight each other for their own version of humanity.<br />
<br />
<b>Moral of the story: </b>Whitney was right: Children really <i>are</i> the future.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh2MApBRj82GzW9XHKt7_fQGDjg8Kmj9RhP1YNFqlkDTdQmsgDH3T6vQ7B-tc7Ny-XQa8k_v-4EAK6-Ae3maZid8SbqKXQ1mRgAoS615EH1OlCMti4wPvlftBwkGznE9bWNOnpeNvQoGBA/s1600/day+after+tomorrow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh2MApBRj82GzW9XHKt7_fQGDjg8Kmj9RhP1YNFqlkDTdQmsgDH3T6vQ7B-tc7Ny-XQa8k_v-4EAK6-Ae3maZid8SbqKXQ1mRgAoS615EH1OlCMti4wPvlftBwkGznE9bWNOnpeNvQoGBA/s200/day+after+tomorrow.jpg" width="140" /></a></div>
<br />
<b> The Day After Tomorrow... </b>Dennis Quaid as a Climatologist<br />
(is that even a real thing?) warns the government of an the catastrophic<br />
effects of global warming and the resulting 2nd Ice Age cometh. Jake<br />
Gyllenhaal plays his dutiful son who holes up in a New York city library<br />
and burns books to wait it out. In a strange twist, the only habitable place in Northern America is Mexico and Americans bum rush the boarders much to the dismay of our Southern neighbors. We are granted asylum by the Mexican<br />
government in return for the forgiveness of their country's debts to<br />
the U.S..<br />
<br />
<b>Moral of the story:</b> If you hold out long enough, eventually you<br />
won't have to pay up.<br />
<br />
<br />
Okay, okay... I know what you're thinking: <b>Deep Impact</b> and<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjobu04qMqNKzOORBV1KUIN_Z1jVza067aSI6FLFYwW3gQJUb_ANUt3oSfLef8GFxILJsJBk0DFBuJlW-LwGP4WFVWjURqxAYI-gbJNqqHmHXDX9gfaI7CbuJJbhMJxywubeGxaDtTnwOc0/s1600/deepimpact.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjobu04qMqNKzOORBV1KUIN_Z1jVza067aSI6FLFYwW3gQJUb_ANUt3oSfLef8GFxILJsJBk0DFBuJlW-LwGP4WFVWjURqxAYI-gbJNqqHmHXDX9gfaI7CbuJJbhMJxywubeGxaDtTnwOc0/s200/deepimpact.jpg" width="200" /></a>Armageddon are the same movie. You're right, they pretty much<br />
are the same movie--but I have to admit that out of the two, I like<br />
this one more. Why? Because it was more realistic, for one. I think<br />
we all know that an asteroids cannot be drilled upon and nuked<br />
by a bunch of Roughnecks. Deep Impact gave us the human<br />
experience... and Morgan Freeman as president.<br />
<br />
<b>Moral of the story:</b> When your mother hands you a baby<br />
and tells you to run, don't argue--just do it. (See above).<br />
<br />
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<br />
<b> I am Legend</b> is one of those rare movies I actually like more than the<br />
book... and I use the term "book" lightly here. It was more like a short<br />
story and is was... well, it was boring. I did appreciate the fact that the<br />
pandemic (Matheson never says for sure what it was, but the afflicted<br />
sounded a lot like vampires to me) that sweeps across the<br />
planet claims everyone but Neville... who is finally captured and<br />
executed because he is trying to cure everyone. He in turn, has become<br />
the threat and they kill him for being different. The movie moves along<br />
the same lines, but Neville finds a cure and sacrifices himself to ensure<br />
that it reaches the last outpost of civilization and in effect, saves<br />
humanity. I like that Will Smith is half nutty in the movie and I cried<br />
when he had to kill his dog... but I always cry when the dog buys it.<br />
<br />
<b>Moral of the story:</b> Never trust a mannequin named Fred.<br />
<br />
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My favorite Mad Max movie is <i>Thunder Dome</i> (yes, it's because of Tina Turner) but the film that kicks off this franchise is a close second. <b>Mad Max </b>gives us a look at what will happen in Australia if the world ever runs out of oil. Crazed motorcycle gangs will rule the highways, raping and killing for fuel. Policemen will turn vigilante and kangaroos will become extinct (it must be true, because I didn't see any in the movie).<br />
<br />
<b>Moral of the story: </b>Never piss off a guy named Max.<br />
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I loved this movie as a kid... that's the only reason it's here.<br />
<b>Night of the Comet </b>is a campy B-flick about how the tail of a<br />
comet passes over earth and turns everyone to dust... and those<br />
who survive into flesh-eating zombies (like there's any other<br />
kind...). Two sisters survive--each had inadvertently been<br />
shielded from the effects of the comet by spending the night in<br />
steel lined structures and are left to fend off said zombies,<br />
and government clean-up and whack-a-doo scientists while<br />
lamenting over the death of so many cute boys!<br />
<br />
<b>Moral of the story: </b>When given the option, always opt for<br />
MMA classes over piano--a round-house kick is so much more<br />
helpful during the Apocalypse than knowing how to play Heart<br />
and Soul.<br />
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<br />
Okay--confession time... this movie scared the absolute shit out of me . <b>The Happening</b> starts when a bunch of people start randomly killing themselves--and each other--for seemingly no reason at all. Mark Wahlberg uses the power of his third nipple (he has a 3rd nipple--you can see it clearly in the scene from <i>Shooter </i>where he's laid up in Kate Mara's house waiting for her to pull a couple of bullets out of his belly) to determine that the trees are trying to kill us. I looked this up and there is scientific evidence that supports the theory that trees can communicate with each other and that they are capable of releasing a nerve toxin that can make us all crazy if and when they decide to perceive us as a threat.<br />
<br />
<b>Moral of the story: </b>Recycle.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSr8YQ409cXVLdr5fbwXKrjwFxvUdqt7z5GVQQWzHlszviLSZjiP6OtieGKWuji_xlj4ixHpb90xuGXVjjGHQwi5P0njvTub6aNguOJJPIPVLRi0rC0fGvHHj-Mi5BdlH9g544r9g_5GEB/s1600/The_Road_movie_poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSr8YQ409cXVLdr5fbwXKrjwFxvUdqt7z5GVQQWzHlszviLSZjiP6OtieGKWuji_xlj4ixHpb90xuGXVjjGHQwi5P0njvTub6aNguOJJPIPVLRi0rC0fGvHHj-Mi5BdlH9g544r9g_5GEB/s200/The_Road_movie_poster.jpg" width="132" /></a></div>
The good news in<b> The Road, </b>is that all those homicidal trees are dead. The bad news is, so is everything else.<br />
This is one horrible, bleak, <i>what's the point, we're all gonna die anyway</i> movie. Early on, we see Mother give birth at home, aided by her husband, shortly after some cataclysmic event caused society to implode. Mother, driven crazy by despair commits suicide shortly after giving birth. Man takes Boy and hits the road... and is set upon by cannibals... and more cannibals... and more--well you get the picture. Man dies in the end and leaves Boy alone. Boy is found by Family who has been following Man and Boy for a while because they were worried about Boy and the fact that every time shit went sideways (which was every 5 minutes), Man's solution was to kill Boy and then himself, but could never seem to pull it off.<br />
<br />
<b>Moral of the story: </b>Buy bullets in bulk.<br />
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Maegan Beaumonthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04311901347438767578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7330640789013862472.post-68579715691118582312012-12-30T11:43:00.000-08:002012-12-30T11:43:36.616-08:00Here it Comes... 2013.<div align="center">
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<span style="font-size: large;"> I'm one of those annoying people who don't like to do anything unless I can be relatively certain that I'll succeed at it. This has everything to do with my paralyzing fear of failure and almost nothing to do with the fact that I'm a know-it-all asshole who hates to lose (I do hate to lose and I am a know-it-all, but I'd like to believe that I'm not an asshole about it... most of the time). </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> Anyway, I was watching my husband make me eggs (I have a GREAT husband!) and babbling on and on about my new years' resolutions and I thought to myself, <em>if I really want to stick with it, I'll have to blog them...</em> because the only thing I hate worse than failing is failing in public. So here they are... </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u>My Resolutions for 2013</u></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">1) When my husband goes to the gym--I go too.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">2) Limit my coffee to 2 cups a day.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">3) Write 700 words a day--minimum.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">4) Plant an herb garden.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">5) Be on time.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">6) To blog at least once a week.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> If you know me at all, you know that #2 and #5 are going to be the hardest for me to stick with but I'll post pictures, periodically, of my success... and if I don't, feel free to ridicule me.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> Leave me a comment telling me your goals for 2013.</span></div>
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Maegan Beaumonthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04311901347438767578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7330640789013862472.post-31460216649914910752012-12-21T11:25:00.000-08:002012-12-22T08:24:05.744-08:00MIRROR, MIRROR ON SALE!!<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoKH1jL4LFMilMJ_OyDuqEmZ_w1w1CQexWYS0poJJHUFlDeNOqaF9RcI46N0Z29yyDEQMk-FdGg4zB6oV83HnYCaRGuo69YAJToqXM_uv0ANrgFb7Um1j62Y9BbadzHSy2qrNXbWeWDjZR/s1600/Mirror+Mirror_Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoKH1jL4LFMilMJ_OyDuqEmZ_w1w1CQexWYS0poJJHUFlDeNOqaF9RcI46N0Z29yyDEQMk-FdGg4zB6oV83HnYCaRGuo69YAJToqXM_uv0ANrgFb7Um1j62Y9BbadzHSy2qrNXbWeWDjZR/s1600/Mirror+Mirror_Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoKH1jL4LFMilMJ_OyDuqEmZ_w1w1CQexWYS0poJJHUFlDeNOqaF9RcI46N0Z29yyDEQMk-FdGg4zB6oV83HnYCaRGuo69YAJToqXM_uv0ANrgFb7Um1j62Y9BbadzHSy2qrNXbWeWDjZR/s320/Mirror+Mirror_Cover.jpg" width="204" /><br />
</a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I'm a big time Les Edgerton fan and my 12 year old daughter knows it. When she sees a new Edgerton book on my shelf or tablet, she always asks, "can I read that?" and my answer is always "No!" Imagine my excitement that Les Edgerton has put out a book I can say "Yes!" to.<br />Les' straightforward, `take no prisoners' style shines through in Mirror, Mirror and it serves him well, making this book an easy and enjoyable read. The plot moves well and keeps you engaged and is suspenseful enough to keep the story exciting. It's laugh out loud funny and keeps you guessing...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">If you're a fan of Les Edgerton, or if you're looking for a good, clean read for your kids,you won't be disappointed. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The BEST part is that you can buy this great book for only $2.99! Here's the link:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mirror-ebook/dp/B009VNN40K/ref=sr_1_6?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1356193303&sr=1-6&keywords=les+edgerton">http://www.amazon.com/Mirror-ebook/dp/B009VNN40K/ref=sr_1_6?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1356193303&sr=1-6&keywords=les+edgerton</a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Give the young reader in your life something great this Christmas!</span></div>
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Maegan Beaumonthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04311901347438767578noreply@blogger.com1