Empathic Ink

For those of you who write, you'll understand when I say it's an addiction. I constantly have stories in my head wanting to be told. Even when I'm not writing , I'm still writing. You know... staring off into space, aloof to life that continues to happen around you because you're stuck in your own little fictional world. Some of those stories may simply be an idea, a short story, or maybe it's a bit too crazy to share, so I shove them into the back of my mind, knowing they may never get told. Sometimes, ideas have to remain just that... ideas . However, an occasional opportunity arises that will cause me to pull one of those crazy stories out. For me, that opportunity is often in the form of Wattpad . Whether it's Harry Potter fanfic , which I could never share otherwise, or a story that gets featured on Wattpad and chosen by several popular horror movies as a featured story on their Wattpad profiles , I can always count on Wattpad to be there to feed...

After pre-ordering my copy of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child  for myself on my birthday in March, I've anxiously waited five months for it to arrive at my local BAM store. Once I got my hands on it this past weekend, I was able to read it a little every day and finish it today, four days later. Sadly, I liked the anticipation of waiting for it more than actually reading it. Don't get me wrong; this is an engaging and interesting story, especially since it's in the form of a script, which can come across a little flat. However, despite its intrigue, it in no way compares to the magic, characterization, and eloquently written first seven books. To me, regardless of what it's called, this is not an eighth book. I consider it more of a bonus story for potterheads, like myself. The main reason I can't call this an eighth book is the fact that it's not completely written by J.K. Rowling, herself. This is a script book 'based on an original new story by...

I don't know how many times I've heard non-writers say how easy it is to write. Some say we sit at home on our butts all day. Well, yes, I do write from home, and that does, in fact, involve a lot of sitting on my butt. "Writing is easy. Anyone can do it." Well, I somewhat agree. The millions and millions of books on Amazon are proof of that. The act of writing is easy and anyone who has a computer, or even a pen and piece of paper, can do it. However, writing something people will want to read isn't so easy. It's the difference between making a box of brownies, which takes no skill at all, or as complicated as a whipping up a fresh-baked eclair. Just because I can make a mean box of brownies doesn't make me a master baker. The reason I'm writing this post is to explain that I, as well as a lot of other writers, don't simply sit on our butts  doing nothing all day, which I feel a lot of people assume if you're a big-name author. Aside ...

To Wattpad or not to Wattpad... that's the question. In the book and writing world, there are many varying opinions regarding Wattpad . The ones that surprise me the most, however, are the ones that come from writers. After speaking on a panel at the Rocket City Lit Fest last year, an attendee said they thought Wattpad was useless and a waste of time for writers, since it was putting your work out there for the world to read for free. Well, I'm sure Anna Todd , now a NY Times best-selling author because of her After series, which was originally 'just a Wattpad story', disagrees. Her simple Wattpad story has been picked up by Paramount Pictures, so this is proof that Wattpad has its perks. Why Wattpad? The real question, in my mind, is why not? Firstly, you have the potential of gaining new readers who may enjoy your writing so much they become loyal readers, purchasing anything you write. Secondly, you get free feedback from readers who are (sometimes brut...

This is a post I did a while back for a blogger about gaining inspiration from places we love, but coming across it again recently, I thought I'd go ahead and post it on my blog, too, since it's a part of who I am and how my first book series came about. Inspiration can come from many things, including books and places. Even as a small child, I'd read a book and it would inspire me to think about that world and how it differed from, or resembled, mine. Or I'd visit a place and it would make me think about the people who lived there, wishing I knew more about their lives. Needless to say, my love of reading led to a love for writing, and my love of the small, historic town I once lived in led to my first novel.  A photo taken at The Revolutionary War Graveyard in Dandridge, TN, where an actual scene from For Always takes place. Living in a house that was once slave quarters during the Civil War, we had many strange things happened, which led us to belie...

We all know eBooks will be pirated from now until they become obsolete, taken over by some other up-and-coming new technological breakthrough. As much as authors and publishers try to fight it, contacting the pirating sights, sending DMCA take-down notices, it's still just a small drop in the vast bucket book pirates. (I've written an entire blog post with DMCA info & tips--you can find it HERE .) What usually doesn't happen, though, is to have book pirates connect with you, the author. Well, that's exactly what happened this week. For the most part, I know most readers, including myself, use the proper book purchasing etiquette; buy book from appropriate authorized site, read book, leave book sitting on virtual eBook shelf. On the other hand, you have those who (may or may not) buy the book, (may or may not) read it, then resell it or add it to their illegal pirating site... or social media site. I had some notifications on one of my social media sites saying s...

~~ Coming April 29! ~~ Nightmares. The oncoming war. More Gifted emerge and not all of them are on her side. Secrets about her father are revealed. Who are The Children of The Light? Will Rayna be able to resist the powers of The Shadow with Jayce’s help? She had planned to face down her demons with Liam by her side, but now that he's lost his soul, is he really lost to her forever? Question after question, obstacle after obstacle present themselves in the last installment of The Darkness Trilogy . It's coming to an end - the battle, the war. The only question Rayna Stone wants answered is whether or not she and her friends make it out alive. Not only do I LOVE the covers in this series, but I love this story, too. The writer, who I'm so glad I met at a signing event a few years back, is a great storyteller, bringing her words to life and causing them to suck you right in, making me super excited about this release!  The entire series is what I'd...

Love. Heartbreak. The world through her eyes. Pieces of My Heart , a poetry collection by A.G. Porter , is now available at all of your favorite online retailers!  In this poetry collection, A.G. Porter shares part of her story with you through the pieces of her heart scattered in the pages. She transports you through love, loss, strength, and sorrow which we’re all familiar with.  * Links *  Amazon Barnes & Noble iBooks Kobo Review:  When asked if I'd like an ARC for A.G. Porter's new poetry collection, I immediately said yes. Not only do I love her Darkness Trilogy , which is a paranormal YA series (Check out last post for signed copy giveaway!), but I also enjoy poetry, having written a lot of it during my life. So, getting one of the first glimpses inside her poetic mind was a given.  Reading through this collection of poems, I found myself in awe of how she can say something that seems so simple, yet has such a deep m...

As most of you know, I'm a huge Harry Potter fan, and after hearing of Alan Rickman's death today, who portrayed Severus Snape in the beloved Harry Potter movies, I'm actually pretty sad. It's a strange feeling, really, mourning the death of an actor whom I've never met. David Bowie passed away this week, as well, also succumbing to cancer, and his death upset me, too. Yes, I like his music and love him in the movie Labyrinth , but he's truly a stranger to me; both of them are. So, with that being said, why do I care so much?  I think we get upset because the books and movies we love become somewhat real to us, in a way, with the characters becoming a part of our lives. I often get sad when I look at my Harry Potter books because it just reminds me that the story is fiction; it never happened. There's really no Harry, Hermione, or Ron... or Severus Snape. As a book lover who often talks to other book lovers, I know I'm not the only person w...