Word Count Wednesday & Do You Think There Should Be Book Guides?

So my word count is zero again.  But I thought about it more this week.  I think that's progress.  Or at least I'm calling it progress.

I've been reading a lot of books instead of writing. (I know, I know, but maybe it will inspire my muse to come back or something.)  But I've been reading historical fiction to be exact.  And some books are definitely better than others.  There are some I wish I hadn't paid for and that could come with a warning or rating of some kind.  You know, like on IMDb there's a parental guide that says what kind of violence, language, and sex scenes are in a movie, that's what I want to find for books.  I know there's some sites out there for YA and kids books, but I sort of wish there was something out there for adult books as well.

Case in point:  I read a book that had great reviews on Amazon (remind me to take all of those reviews with a grain of salt from now on) and it also had the recommendation of a few friends who'd read it and rated it on Goodreads.  I thought I was pretty safe buying it, and it was on sale, so I did.

The first twenty pages were actually pretty good.  I was turning each page, anxious to see what happens.  Then the heroine, who is supposedly a proper and innocent girl in Regency England, goes into a man's bedroom, stares at his bare chest, then when he awakens and seems shocked to find her in his room, she goes over and kisses him.  And if you've read regencies before, you know this is a big no-no.  Of course things escalate from there and several other implausible things happen, but the book degenerates into mindless sex scenes about every other page.  Like, scenes that don't even make sense, that don't contribute to the characters or the plot, and are just there to . . . annoy me? Sell books?  Show that the book has no real plot so it needs something to fill the pages?  It reduced the main characters to one-dimensional cardboard types and the story ended up just making me shake my head and think, really?  REALLY? No rhyme or reason to it at all.

I was so disappointed and could not imagine how I'd spent good money for a book like that.  And it's not the first time I've been disappointed.  I wish there was some way to have a book guide that said something like:

Violence: None
Language: Some
Sex Scenes: About 35 or so
Plot Cliches: About Seven.  Maybe More.
True to Setting (Regency or otherwise): On a scale of 1-10 about 3
Character Depth: On a scale of 1-10 about a 1. Maybe a 0
Chance you should spend money on this book:  0

I know, I know, people's tastes are different, but really, just some sort of guide would be nice sometimes.

What do you think?  Guides like Goodreads and Amazon reviews have to be enough?  Guides would be too subjective to be helpful?  Smacks too much of censorship?

Castle Review: Button Up Kitten We're Going Home

Last night's Castle was so good.  There was a great twisty mystery, a Caskett kiss, and quotable lines.  I loved the forward movement in the Caskett relationship as well.  Beckett's look at the end says to me that we're going to be peeling back the Castle onion sooner rather than later and I, for one, am looking forward to that.  After all, we know a ton about Kate and her mom's murder blah blah blah, but hardly anything about Castle, his father, that whole mystery.  If the writers do it right, it could be really good.

I think my favorite parts were the look on Castle's face when Meredith arrived.  Oh man, the situation itself was just funny and Beckett's little one-liners for the rest of the ep about how men do dumb things around their ex just made me smile.  She was not shy at all in saying how she felt and I loved that.  No more insecure Beckett, please.  The show's scene-stealers, though, hands-down were the couple that was breaking everything.  Oh man, I laughed really hard at that.  

As usual Ryan and Esposito stole the show.  "Your worlds are colliding man."  "You're going off a steep cliff."  *whistles*  And Esposito's flying takedown of the boyfriend was awesome.  Even Ryan looked good last night.  I sort of love how Ryan and Esposito act like Beckett's brothers whenever something comes up.  Them turning to Castle and saying, "what's that all about?" really caught me in how much they look out for her.  Although my absolute favorite moment with them was when they were at the door and Ryan's talking about the dream of having a house like that and Esposito is all talking about his dream woman when Ryan calls him out with, "yeah, but then you'd dump her and look for your new dream woman."  The look on Esposito's face was hilarious!

As for Castle and Beckett I loved her line of "Button up, kitten, we're going home" because she called it home.  She acted like the other half of the couple, not giving ground, but really working with Castle through the mess.  I loved her once-over of Castle when he asked what her and his ex-wife would have to talk about, I loved their kiss (so sweet!) and I loved how Beckett was looking at him at the end.  It just bodes well that they seem to be heading toward delving into Castle's background.  Cannot. Wait.

Did you watch it last night?  What did you think?  What shows are you watching these days?

Book Review: Finished Being Fat

With so many people having a New Year's Resolution to lose weight, (including me) this book seemed right up my alley.  It's not a how-to book, it's a book about the author Betsy Schow's journey as she looked at herself in the mirror one morning (naked) and said she was a 216 lb. "lump."  That started her on her road to self-discovery and how she became a finisher.

(Here's her before and after photos)

You see, she'd always been great at beginnings and would start things with gusto, then peter out---including weight loss.  Finished Being Fat is about how she got to a place where she could be a finisher, with weight loss, the way she raises her kids, projects, you name it.  She talks about her self-image, her self-talk, and how both external and internal things had weighed her down.  Something that all of us have dealt with at one time or another (and you know she's got it pegged when you find yourself nodding your head while you're reading because you totally know what she's talking about).

I loved Betsy's writing style.  There were several times where I laughed out loud.  Like when she's describing gym rats and gym bunnies and how she does in her first Zumba class.  She has a very real, down-to-earth style that I easily related to and found motivating.

I also like that Betsy doesn't sugarcoat anything and writes down her successes as well as those things that didn't go very well.  I would recommend this book to anyone who is struggling to achieve their goals and needs a little kick in the pants for motivation that's delivered with a smile.  Perfect for someone who's made goals for the new year, but doesn't want to be preached to or made to feel guilty.  Just a great book for inspiration in how to start a life-changing journey.

Here's the back copy:

After many years of being fat and miserable, with a few years of being average and less miserable mixed in, I finally had a lightbulb moment. The reason I was unhappy was not just the extra 75 pounds around my middle. It was the weight of all the things unfinished that hung around my neck.

I was always having grand ideas. I’d get excited about this diet, or that workout routine. Or starting a new hobby or project. Even trying to write a book. Problem was, within a few weeks the excitement would fade and that little voice would kick in. You know the one I’m talking about. “You’re no good at this. You’ll never keep the weight off. Why are you even bothering.” That little voice had kept me from finishing… anything. And every time I quit, my wall of failures would get a little higher — making success that much harder to see.

My adventure started when I decided I was finished being fat, but it snowballed into year of changing my life and accomplishing seemingly impossible dreams. Join me while I discover that “Not everyone can win the race, but everyone can finish.”

And everything is worth finishing.

You can learn more about Betsy and her book at her website

First Page Friday Refresher Course for the New Year

I recently had an author ask if she could be critiqued for a First Page Friday, but not have it posted on my blog.  I've also been asked a lot of questions about Ms. Shreditor and what my point is with First Page Fridays. Because of this, I thought I would take a few minutes today to explain why I started this on my blog.

I was at a conference where there was a panel of national agents and editors. They all said the same thing---that if a manuscript hasn't caught their attention by the first page they reject it. They wanted to see fresh and original writing that drew them in, and of course, one free of typos and grammar errors.

As I talked to my writer friends and my editor friends, we all came to the same conclusion---everyone wanted a clean first page that would appeal to editors and agents. (Of course it goes without saying that we all want a clean manuscript, but for this purpose, first pages fit.)

So, I asked my national editor friend if she could critique first pages that were submitted to my blog to help writers achieve their publishing dreams. With my friend's job schedule at a publishing company on the East Coast being so tight, she could only critique on Fridays and so First Page Friday was born. We affectionately named her Ms. Shreditor because she is a tough but fair editor and I knew she would do great.

Along the way, we had some wonderful experiences and we felt like we were really helping writers on their journey, but Ms. Shreditor's job schedule got even tighter and so I asked my former editor, Angela Eschler, if she could come on board. She was more than happy to take the last Friday of every month.

I have been so blessed to have both of these women critique for First Page Friday. They both have different styles and approaches, but I know them both to be incredible editors and very good at their jobs. Ms. Shreditor is known for her talent in the publishing industry and really does love her job. Angela Eschler is well-known for her editing services and now has her own editing business called Eschler Editing.

First Page Friday is about helping writers and we have two of the best editors around to do that. If you want to submit your work to be critiqued by some of the best in the business, all you have to do is submit your double-spaced, 12 pt. font, first page to juliecoulterbellon@gmail.com with First Page Friday in the subject line. I do it on a first come first served basis, and right now we have one opening in January available. But no matter when you are critiqued, in my opinion, they are well worth the wait.

First Page Fridays have taught me so much. Even as a published writer I am always learning and both of our editors have given me a lot to think about as I've read their critiques each Friday. I hope it has been the same for you.

I want to thank everyone who submits because it's a hard thing to put yourself out there and have your work critiqued. I want to thank everyone who reads the submission and makes comments for being respectful. And I want to thank our amazing editors for giving of their time to help us writers be the best we can be.

So what are you waiting for? Get your submission in today!

Pinterest for Authors (and Regular People)

So, I joined Pinterest a few months back and I've found some awesome things on there.  Recipes for sugar cookie bars, fun stuff to do with my kids, and I've pinned a few things myself like If My Books Were Movies and then I cast them (with famous actors and such) and Books I've Loved.  It's been a fun place for me to hang out.  You can find me on Pinterest here if you want.

Until I read an article by Jordan McCollum about using Pinterest as an Author.  You can read it here.  (But don't get sucked in!  Come back to me!)

It told me so many things that I didn't know about Pinterest. (I should totally do an inspiration board, but I think that if I pinned things about international terrorists, somebody in the government might call me).  But it also talked about how to use it with other social media and the things you should never do.  Very informative.  So I thought I'd pass it along in case other people were wanting to know some tips and tricks to it.

Happy pinning!

Word Count Wednesday

I'm sad that the Christmas holidays are over and everyone is going back to school and work.  Mostly because it's been so relaxing and fun to have all my kids home.  There is nothing like having a full house and lots of laughter and staying up late every night to chat.  It's been a great holiday.

But I haven't done any writing.  I didn't want to miss a minute with my family.  That will come soon enough.  Maybe even next week!

I did read a lot of books though.  Some were good, some not so good.  And I cut up all my keepsake t-shirts from high school and college and am getting ready to make them into quilt blocks.

What did you do over the holidays?  Did you do any writing?

My Report on 2012 New Year's Resolutions & Some For 2013

I was looking back over my New Year's Resolutions for 2012 and was pleasantly surprised that I'd accomplished a lot of them.

Here's what they were:

• Read 112 books this year. (I had to really work hard on this one and barely squeaked in by reading the 112th on New Year's Eve. It stretched me for sure, but I did it.)
• Write ten pages a week minimum on my work in progress. (I didn't do so well on this one, but I did write a manuscript and a half last year so I'm counting that a success.)
• Organize my papers and pictures. (I organized almost all of my paper boxes and got rid of them. Now I'll start on my pictures I think.  Organizing, not getting rid of.)
• Do one memorable family activity per month. (I sort of accomplished this one. Depending on your definition of memorable.)
• Be more understanding with myself and others. (I like to think I accomplished this one. I feel like I did.)

I'd also like to set a few resolutions for 2013 and post them here for accountability's sake.

• Read 113 books this year. 
• Finish two manuscripts this year.
• Organize my pictures by scanning them in and categorizing them.
• Organize my file cabinet.
• Delete at least 7000 emails from my inbox.
• Make a t-shirt quilt with all my old "keepsake" t-shirts.

I know those goals will stretch me a bit out of my comfort zone and I like that idea. I stink at quilting and my reading time might not allow for 113 books, but if I write it down and look at it often, I know I can accomplish all of these.


Do you make New Year's Resolutions? What are some of yours?