Writing Unleashed with Laura M. Harkins

Today is THE day to help Jessica Bell's debut,  STRING BRIDGE ,  hit the bestseller list on Amazon, and receive the all-original soundtrack ,  Melody Hill: On the Other Side ,  written and performed by the author herself, for free ! All you have to do is purchase the book today (paperback, or eBook), November 11th, and then email the receipt to: jessica.carmen.bell(at)gmail(dot)com She  will then email you a link to download the album at no extra cost! To purchase the  paperback : Amazon USA Amazon UK To purchase the  eBook : Amazon USA Amazon UK To listen to samples of the soundtrack, visit  iTunes . If you are not familiar with  String Bridge , check out the book trailer: Rave Reviews for String Bridg e: “ Jessica Bell’s  STRING   BRIDGE  strummed the fret of my veins, thrummed my blood into a mad rush, played me taut until the final page, yet with echoes still re...

Welcome back to the String Bridge Blog Tour! Today, I have my interview with Jessica Bell. I focused on more personal questions, rather than her novel, due to the sheer volume of interviewers. I wanted you to see a side of her that you can't get from her novel or book reviews. If you missed my review yesterday, check it out.  String Bridge Debut-Interview with Jessica Bell Milk, Dark or White Chocolate? Milk! Especially with cream peppermint filling. How did your Dalmatian Holly find her way into your family? Ah, well, we found a breeder on the island of Crete and chose her from a picture! The breeder then sent her over with a ferry and bus at only 35 days old. Was totally hit and miss. We knew we wanted a Dalmatian, so it was just a matter of finding one. We were so lucky. Her temperament is wonderful. She is now four years old. Here is the picture we chose her from: Did you experience any sibling rivalry growing up? Nope. Was an only child un...

Today, I present you with my review of Jessica Bell's debut novel  String Bridge . This is my first book review*, so please bear with me. I'm sure I forgot something in my attempt to make this a comprehensive quick read. I've provided a bio and list of links to purchase her novel and the soundtrack at the end of the review.  Check back tomorrow to learn more about Jessica from my interview with her.     *May contain spoilers. String Bridge By Jessica Bell Lucky Press, LLC. 288 pp. $14.95 What price must be paid to hold onto our dreams? Jessica Bell dives into the dilemma of staying true to oneself in marriage and motherhood in her debut novel,  String   Bridge . She gives readers insight into the effects of compromising your identity for your family. This visually evocative story set in Athens, Greece paints a picture of relationships between parents, husbands and wives and children many will recognize. Bell’s character developm...

Well, I knew November promised a fast-paced insanity. And to add to the enormous pile on my plate, my metaphorical brakes don't work anymore. I just hope my head doesn't spin off into a wall while I try to keep up. Today, I'm interviewing for a freelance copywriting position in King of Prussia, PA (high-end shopping mecca with Lego Store). I'm a bit apprehensive, but curious to see where my writing journey takes me. This month is filled with birthdays, including my own. My schedule is already filled with writing goals, art projects, job searches and holiday planning that squeezing in some gift shopping and a few birthday parties might require some heavy-duty lubricant. Let's see...what else? I replaced my original NaNoWriMo novel with a mystery story, HIDING, I started at the beginning of October. The decision wasn't easy after spending a month prepping the original idea, but HIDING kept pulling at me, so I gave in. My outlook on the crazy month of wri...

Happy Halloween!  Enjoy my Halloween-inspired drabble. Have a scary good time today!   Untitled Drew hated his parents’ Halloween parties. He’d rather be skateboarding than manning the buffet table. Couldn’t they hide the decay of their marriage like everyone else, behind closed doors? A witch busting the seams of her costume approached. He gave the prepared greeting. “Welcome to the Unforsaken Feast! Ooooooooo!” “Is that you, Andrew?” He clinched his teeth. “Yes, Mrs. Baer.” She grabbed two Deadly Chocolate Cakes. “So, whose ghost are you supposed to be?” “The ghost of my childhood.” “Haha! You slay me.” He rolled his eyes. She continued to fill her plate. Under his breath, “Who says that shit?”

November 1, the start of NaNoWriMo, arrives in 11 days. The planning of my amateur sleuth mystery novel gains clarity and complexity with each new technique and strategy Susan Meier presents in her class .  A photograph of the hardcopy of my ideas, notes and inspirational quotes are above. The rest of my scaffolding is sitting on my computer.  There's just one problem...my characters are nameless.  I need help to decide on the best moniker for them. So, I hand over to you, my readers,  the privilege of naming my characters. Of course, I plan to fill my novel with many more characters. These three are the only ones developed enough at this point.  Some quick background: I drew inspiration from two famous literary characters and a notorious historical figure. I've  included important character traits as well as the meaning of each name to help in the process.   Just write your choices for the three characters in the comments below. T...

The orange and red hues on the trees mark the beginning of my favorite season, fall. It also marks the prepping period for NaNoWriMo 2011. I’m excited to start my second NaNoWriMo challenge. Note cards with inspirational quotes and sheets of paper with story ideas and my research list cover every inch of my writing desk. The chaos focuses my attention on writing, instead of staring at the daydream-inducing empty spaces. As November approaches, my blog schedule needs to slow down while I get into crazy writing mode. I will post once a week on Thursdays from now until December. The new NaNoWriMo site  is up. I’m heading over there soon to start inputting my mystery novel info. Stop by and add me to your buddy list, LauraMCampbell . I’m going to need a lot of support to win this year! Now, I leave you with a poignant and funny article by Rebecca Makkai, “How To Find Your Story and Craft a Pitch in 10 Easy Steps (And You Can Even Do It Drunk!)" .   ...

Source Music fills in the empty spaces inside me. One of my all-time favorite songwriters, Billy Corgan, always knows what to say.  Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness grabbed hold of me so tight, I never returned the borrowed 2-Disc set to my friend back in 9th grade. It's still in my cd collection. My adoration for Corgan goes beyond his music and lyrics to his poetry. My copy of Blinking with Fists went missing for about six months only to find it at the bottom of a pile of books on my nightstand. Scatterbrained am I. So, as a tribute to him I would like to share one of his poems from the collection on this warm, sunny Sunday. on the maypole billy corgan around the maypole with childish eye rushing thru autumn days wrapping blankets around frames wishing in the sky no matter where you stand you stand here with me missing simple times mixing blood with rose oil we are leaving too soon to make new friends we shall not remember

Source Inspired by Syfy’s Destination Truth and host funny man Josh Gates, I plan to set out on a journey to write. Instead of searching for the truth behind myths and legends, I’m searching for places where my ideas will flow unhindered to the page. Writing at home for the most part is successful and gratifying for me. But, some days my writing area just doesn’t cut it. I’ll spend the majority of the time devising strategies to get around writer’s block or coming up with new ways to outrun devious distractions, instead of writing. I’m exhausted. My self-confidence is depleted. A wise writer once said, “You need to show up at the same time in the same place if you want your muse to find you.” What if the “same time, same place” isn’t a physical location, but a mental one? Writers and many other artists get trapped in the interiors of their minds. They dodge booby traps set by fear and self-doubt. I believe this mental perpetrator can be outwitted by finding the righ...

Flake. One word description of yours truly. I'm currently caught in a tug-of-war between life and prepping for NaNoWriMo. The focus on my fiction writing tends to monopolize my time. The blog suffers. In the meantime, check out the soundtrack my iTunes shuffle compiled. Alex @ Magpie Writes inspired me to gain insight into my "musical proclivities." I found it quite interesting, even when a song at first glance didn't seem to fit the category. The randomness for the most part is dead on and often times hilarious.   Municipal Services Bldg., Center City Philadelphia Soundtrack Of Life 30 September 2011 iTunes Opening Credits:  F*** You-Lily Allen Waking Up:  Forest-System of a Down First Day of School:  Whatever’s Left-Snow Patrol Falling in Love:  Shitloads of Money-Liz Phair Fight Song: One of These Things First-Nick Drake Prom:  Huffer-The Breeders Life:  Sanctified-Nine Inch Nails Mental Breakdo...

Hi all! I just wanted to update you on Pennwriters upcoming online course. **********  PERMISSION TO FORWARD GRANTED  ********** Pennwriters Inc. brings you... PREPPING FOR NaNo with SUSAN MEIER: Online Course INSTRUCTOR: Susan Meier DATE: October 1 – October 31, 2011 REGISTER: http://tinyurl.com/PennwritersCourse201110     ( LIMITED CLASS SIZE. Enroll now.) COURSE DESCRIPTION: Everybody believes NaNoWriMo ( Na tional No vel Wri ting Mo nth , which runs every November at http://www.nanowrimo.org ) is a race against the clock, a fight with procrastination and inertia. In some ways it is. But once you’re in the thick of things, you’ll discover NaNo is really all about ideas. Writers don’t stall because they’re lazy. Writers stall because they don’t know what to write next. The month BEFORE NaNo, get proven tips from Susan Meier—the author of almost 50 books for Harlequin and Silhouette—and let her take you through several different ways t...