Ursula Grey Writing Away...

Quotes on Writing

Ursula Grey — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 00:22:43 +0000

It’s the new year and it’s filled with the promise of realizing your writing goals. Let’s commit to turning words into story, even if we’re uncertain of where our characters are taking us, even if we’re not feeling inspired, even if we don’t feel we have the time. Are you in? That’s my goal for this year ~ to bring to life the characters and stories inside my head that are waiting to be told. Nothing brings a writer more satisfaction than beginning with the blank page, becoming lost in the creative process, and finally, typing the words, The End…then beginning again! So…I’m going to commit to a novel and at least three short stories/novellas. What about you?

What I’ve always found inspiring are the words of advice imparted to writers by authors I admire. That’s why I was so pleased to discover: THE 90 TOP SECRETS OF BESTSELLING AUTHORS on the website of Writer’s Digest. I’ve always been a fan of Writer’s Digest. In the past I’ve subscribed to the magazine, purchased the annual guide to publishers, and have been a member of their book club. I frequently visit their website which is filled with inspirational, educational, and informative articles on writing. The quotations in the article are arranged according to the following categories: Inspiration & Ideas, Getting Started, Style & Craft, Purpose, Characters, Plot & Structure, Rituals & Method, Revision & Editing, Publishing, and Readers. Some of the contributors include: Ray Bradbury, Margaret Atwood, Tom Clancy, John Grisham, Jude Devereaux, Eudora Welty, Sue Grafton, Danielle Steele, and many more!

Below you will find just a few of my favorites. I’m going to keep them close by so when I’m in need of encouragement I need look no further than my desktop. Visit the page and find a few favorites that will inspire you!

Characters:

“The character on the page determines the prose—its music, its rhythms, the range and limit of its vocabulary—yet, at the outset at least, I determine the character. It usually happens that the fictitious character, once released, acquires a life and will of his or her own, so the prose, too, acquires its own inexplicable fluidity. This is one of the reasons I write: to ‘hear’ a voice not quite my own, yet summoned forth by way of my own.”
—Joyce Carol Oates

Rituals & Methods:

“I try to write a certain amount each day, five days a week. A rule sometimes broken is better than no rule.”
—Herman Wouk

Readers:

“The critics can make fun of Barbara Cartland. I was quite amused by the critic who once called me ‘an animated meringue.’ But they can’t get away from the fact that I know what women want—and that’s to be flung across a man’s saddle, or into the long grass by a loving husband.”
—Barbara Cartland

Let’s go for another six…

Ursula Grey — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 04:42:55 +0000

The following six sentences are from Adelaide’s Adventure, published by Noble Romance:

“The man upon whose lap she sat smiled. The wolfish grin was set in a masculine face framed by the blackest of hair, licked with silver at the temples. A feathered, thinly spun scar traced its way from the side of his right cheek and disappeared into the forest of his beard.

Heaven help her, she thought, as a tremor of excitement traveled through her. It crested at the apex of her sex, and although she did not want to, she could not stop the wave of arousal that swept over her. She sensed she was about to overflow with the means necessary for him to enter her without resistance.”

Six Sentence Sunday is a great way to discover talented new authors! Coffee’s ready ~ I’m off to read several six submissions:-) Check it out!

Happy New Year!!!

Another Six Sentence Sunday

Ursula Grey — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 02:07:27 +0000

I enjoy perusing through the six sentence snippets of the various authors who participate in Six Sentence Sunday. Once again, I thought I’d add my six sentences to the mix:-). Here’s another sample from my recently completed (unpublished work), The Good Doctor:

“Where are you?” asked a voice in the distance.

She could nary tell whether the voice came from the clouds above or from the great oak below. She was amazed to discover herself hovering above a meadow of great beauty. “How lovely is this place…” she replied to the mysterious voice. Below she spotted a woman beneath the tree. Without warning, her spirit was drawn into that of the woman.”

If you’d like to read other entries or participate next Sunday, visit Six Sentence Sunday to begin. Happy Reading!

Interactive Book Covers

Ursula Grey — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 19:17:55 +0000

Okay. I’m impressed! This interactive book cover is so cool! The book is Daylight Saving by Edward Hogan, a debut YA author. (I wish I could embed it, but can’t seem to copy and paste it here.) The title, which won’t be released until February 2, 2012, also sounds amazing. Here’s the blurb from Amazon:

“This is a brilliant thriller ghost story by a new name in teenage fiction. When Daniel Lever is dragged to Leisure World Holiday Complex for some “time away” with his depressed dad, his expectations are low. Daniel is overweight, he hates sport, and his father has brought along his beloved tomato plant. But soon Daniel spots a girl swimming in the fake lake. Lexi is elegant and smart, but very mysterious. Why are her bruises getting worse each time she and Daniel meet? And is her watch really ticking backwards? A dark figure stalks the pair, and as British summer time approaches, Daniel has to act quickly. Their souls depend on it.”

Another to add to my TBR list!

Free Books on Writing!

Ursula Grey — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 00:47:33 +0000

If you’re a writer, you must hurry and take advantage of seven FREE books on writing from Writer’s Digest! You can download these seven amazing titles from November 6th – 12th. I used to subscribe to their monthly book club and always looked forward to receiving the titles I ordered. Without further ado, here they are:

Write That Book Already! The Tough Love you Need to Get Published Now by Sam Barry and Kathi Kamen Goldmark

Getting the Words Right 39 ways to improve your writing by Theodore A. Cheney

Hooked: Write fiction that grabs readers at page one and never lets them go by Les Edgerton

How to be a Writer: Building your creative skills through practice and play by Barbara Baig

Story Structure architect: A writer’s guide to building dramatic situations & compelling characters

The Complete Guide to Self-Publishing: Everything you need to know to write, publish, promote, and sell your own book by Marilyn Ross & Sue Collier

The Complete Handbook of Novel Writing: Everything you need to know about creating & selling your work by the Editors of Writer’s Digest

I think it’s great that they’re offering them free to support the efforts of all those participating in NaNoWriMo. Click here to get your favorites, and HURRY!

Thanks Writer’s Digest!

Another Six Sentence Sunday has arrived

Ursula Grey — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 15:17:30 +0000

This six sentence Sunday excerpt is from my short story, Heph’s Revenge, which I just released the other day. I’m fascinated with folklore and mythology in general, but I just adore those crazy Greek gods and goddesses ~ it was great fun retelling the story of Hephaestus and how he won, then lost, the lovely Aphrodite! Hope you enjoy:-)

“I would be the first to admit that I am not the most attractive god on Olympus. However, to my credit, I am the god of fire and a master craftsman. I ask you, who crafted Europa’s basket, the scepter of Zeus, (not to mention his thunderbolts), the chariot of Helios, Athena’s shield, the arrows of Eros? It was I, Hephaestus. Have I not aided humankind as well? I gave to man the art of metallurgy, created Pandora— perhaps I should not mention that one…”

I’ll post again on my journey to get Heph’s Revenge out there. From creating a cover, (take a peek at the side bar), to struggling with file conversion, it was a wild but rewarding ride to publication!

Have you read a good book lately?

Ursula Grey — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 00:21:21 +0000

I’ve shared a few good reads with you…Now it’s your turn. Have you read a good ebook lately, preferably a title written by a new and talented author? Or perhaps one of your favorite books? I’m open to all genres but gravitate towards historical fiction ~ all sub genres welcome. Oh, literary, contemporary, science fiction, and mystery will work too;-)! Share your recommendations with me…and all the other readers out there looking for a good book.

Looking for some good historical fiction?

Ursula Grey — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 01:29:39 +0000

I love historical fiction and all its sub-genres! I read it and also write it. Although I’ll never give up print, I enjoy using my Kindle to explore the works of all the talented new, and perhaps undiscovered, authors out there. I liked their work so much I wanted to share them with you:-)

I’m not going to provide in-depth reviews, (how about a link instead?), but will state that each of the works below were well-written, engaging, and held my attention to the last virtual page. In other words, they were page turners and I’m looking forward to reading more by these authors!

They’re all historical and vary in sub-genre, but they’re all special and worth checking out! Hope you’ll enjoy them as much as I did:-) (Bonus info. ~ some are series titles or there are sequels available.)

Historical erotic romance:

One Lonely Night (Regency Erotica) (Wanton Wives, #2) by Catherine Gayle

Shimmerlight (An Erotic Time Travel Romance) by Jill Myles

Lady Sophie’s Midnight Seduction by Dorothy McFalls

The Headmaster’s Fall (Regency Historical Couples’ Fantasy) by Laurel Bennett

Twice is Not Enough by Emma Lai

Slave to Innocence (Sins of Sybaris) by Emma Lai

Historical romance:

Unlocked by Courtney Milan

Time Travel:

Daughter of Time: A Time Travel Romance (The After Cilmeri Series) by Sarah Woodbury

The Time Baroness: (The Time Mistress Series) by Georgina Young-Ellis

Enjoy!

Creating a Book Trailer – Newbie Attempt

Ursula Grey — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 18:57:56 +0000

I’ve seen so many lovely book trailers out there and so decided I would try my hand at creating one for my novella, A Day in April, 1944. With absolutely no experience in this area, I stumbled onto the site of One True Media. It looked so simple I thought I’d experiment with creating a trailer using the photos I had from my last trip to France. The places I visited inspired the story for A Day in April, 1944.

Be forewarned, I know nothing about photo quality and resolution and I don’t even know what it will look like when I attempt to embed the video on this page. I’m also not sure about where or how I would obtain stock photos for some of my other works if I decide to create trailers for them as well.

The simplicity of the walk through instructions on the site convinced me that I might have a shot at creating something worthwhile. It’s free to experiment but if your trailer is longer than 30 seconds, (which after playing around my trailer grew to almost three minutes), or you want to download and share your creation, there is a charge. You can opt for a year’s subscription at $39.99 or pay a monthly fee of $3.99. I suppose I could have created a trailer on my Mac using iPhoto or iMovie but at the time I became so caught up in what I’d begun that I decided to continue on with One True Media. I did peek into the above programs but they seemed too complicated for one feeling impatient. I’m sure I’m just being lazy and one day soon I’ll look into what it takes to create a trailer on my Mac.

Without further ado, let’s see if I can embed the video for you to see. Let me know what you think, but don’t be too hard on me folks, it’s my first time;-)

It looks a little grainy to me, but after trying to connect to youtube via One True Media (kept receiving a message telling me to try back later), I went directly to youtube and uploaded the trailer. Also, WordPress gave me some grief when I tried to upload the embedded link onto the page. There’s a fee for uploading videos so I just went directly to youtube and it happened to work. So, after the past few hours of trying to make this happen, I’m going to grab a cool drink and relax. Maybe I should leave the next trailer in the capable hands of someone who knows what they’re doing:-)

Update: After my trailer mysteriously disappeared, went back to One True Media, was able to access youtube and upload the video via their site. The finished product now looks much better to me.

Six Sunday – I’ll give it a go…

Ursula Grey — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 19:10:31 +0000

Since I can’t officially participate in Six Sunday, (something about the inability to support WordPress blogs ~ if I’m wrong someone please correct me!), I thought I’d share six sentences from my latest WIP. I haven’t yet decided on a title…for now, let’s say this snippet is from, The Good Doctor. Another erotic historical romance, (currently novella length with the possibility of becoming a novel), featuring a captivating heroine with a memory loss, and a doctor who isn’t sure he believes her. Comments welcome. Enjoy!

Lily, as she had most recently taken to calling herself, pushed aside the curtain of the carriage and peered out onto one of the most prestigious streets of the district. It made little sense to seek treasure in the bowels of poverty. The darkened paths of her past held no attraction. She knew only too well what manner of villain lay in wait in the alleys and byways. The street to which the coachman had brought her stood lined with dignified homes and majestic trees. With disdain, she imagined the pompous fools who resided within their walls.