2012-12-31

I wish you a fantastic 2013

I hope you will...


Write the story you want to read.



Be the person you want to meet.



Count the flowers in your garden, more than the leaves that fall.

I hope you'll always find something to be thankful for.

Thank you for everything you've done with me and for me in 2012.

- Raum

2012-12-23

Two years ago, at the beginning of the Xmas break, a friend on Twitter gave me a good advice. I used to share my TwiFic recs on Twitter, and she suggested me to put them on a web page, telling the reason why I'd liked those stories. 

A few hours later, the first post of MyReadingLounge was on the web. Now you can find MRL also on Facebook and Tumblr.

Thank you for all the love you've given to this little blog so far! 

Over the past 24 months, so many people have made this website special. 

“My Best Friend is a person who will give me a book I have not read.” ― Abraham Lincoln

Thanks to Camilla, whose enthusiasm is always extraordinary. To Fany, who never misses a shot with her fabulous recs. To Lissa Bryan, an amazing writer who finds the best writing tips. To JMolly and Holly, who so often leave their comments. Thanks to... 

40 writers who contributed to the Writing Lab. New guestposts are always welcome!
Over 60 authors of recommended stories -- you can choose among TwiFics, Original Novels, and free books for your enjoyment. And if you want to recommend a story, just let me know!


More than 70 faithful followers!



18 affiliates -- those websites rock!



More than 30,000 visitors!

Have a blessed Xmas and a Happy New Year.


Happy 2nd Birthday, MyReadingLounge!

2012-12-21

The last chapter of
is waiting for you. It's my way to wish you Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year.

Summary: "A man struggling to escape from the darkness, and a woman who thinks she doesn't deserve the light. How will an ice sculpture affect their lives?" AU with vampires.

Each chapter has its own image.



Thanks for reading! Reviewers get a poem.

"...savoring every moment of the most beautiful night of her life."
"Their future stretches before them, full of possibilities. [...] All that is certain is that they will be together."


News!
-<-<-<->->->-

I'm working on a new story, and I hope to post the first chapter in January 2013. Stay tuned!

-<-<-<->->->-


MyReadingLounge has a page on Facebook! Come say "Ciao!" 

2012-12-19

I've found the perfect article for this last post of the Writing Lab before Xmas. You might remember that a well-known article by Chuck Palahniuk on Showing vs. Telling was featured on the Writing Lab a few months ago.

Chuck Palahniuk

This time, you can get not just one, but 13 writing tips from such a renowned author. Go read:

A Christmas Stocking of Writing Tips from Chuck Palahniuk


My favorite is this one.

"Surprise yourself. If you can bring the story - or let it bring you - to a place that amazes you, then you can surprise your reader. The moment you can see any well-planned surprise, chances are, so will your sophisticated reader."

I wish you a wonderful Xmas, and I hope that in the New Year you'll get to write the book you want to read.


2012-12-12

Thanks to Lissa Bryan's and Camilla's suggestions, I'm pleased to recommend an article by Donya Linne and a book by Jill Elizabeth Nelson

In her book Rivet Your Readers with Deep Point of View, Nelson -- award-winning author and writing teacher -- helps fellow writers to anchor their readers inside the point of view character(s) of their novels, and she teaches the transformation from ordinary narrative to deep narrative



In her article  



Donya Linne comments Nelson's book and deals with these topics:
  • What is Deep POV? 
  • Phrases and Words that Scream "Shallow POV" as Opposed To Deep 
  • The Five Senses...If You Tell Us the Senses, You're Not Deep Enough 
  • Avoid Naming Feelings and Emotions If You Want to Go Deep 
  • Prepositional Tells - Ditch 'em 

I've found those suggestions very effective, and I hope Donya Linne's article and Jill Elizabeth Nelson's book will help you as well.

As usual, your comments are welcome!

- Raum

2012-12-10

Bella and Edward have made up their mind. Will he stay? Will she move with him? The new chapter of
will provide the answers.

Summary: "A man struggling to escape from the darkness, and a woman who thinks she doesn't deserve the light. How will an ice sculpture affect their lives?" AU with vampires.

Each chapter has its own image.


Thanks for reading! Reviewers get a poem.
The next chapter is due to be posted in two weeks; it will be the last one.

News!
-<-<-<->->->-

Carnelian and Ice has been nominated as Best WIP featured in 2012 at Rob Attack Fan Fiction Fridays

Would you vote?

-<-<-<->->->-


MyReadingLounge has a page on Facebook! Come say "Ciao!" 

2012-12-05

We've recently talked about Mary Whitney's novel, A Political Affair.

Today we're meeting one of the main characters...drum roll please...Senator Helen Sanders!

The book is now available: http://ph.thewriterscoffeeshop.com/books/detail/71
Good morning, Senator Sanders. Would you please introduce yourself to our readers who may not be familiar with your story?

You’re not familiar with my story? But I’m sure you’ve heard my name before. I’m Senator Helen Sanders from Idaho. My family has dominated Republican politics in Idaho for a few generations. Of course, I’m the first woman to have risen to this high of an elected office. 

What are you going to sacrifice in order to achieve your goals?

To be honest, my goal in life is to sacrifice nothing. My father was a World War II buff, and he always quoted General Patton to me. The goal of war is not to die for your country. It’s to make the other guy die for his.

What do you expect from your partner in a romantic relationship?

I expect unconditional love and allegiance. This is why I love my fiancĂ© so much—he’s devoted to me.

What do you consider are your strengths?

I think my greatest asset is my ability to get people to do things they don’t want to do. I also won’t take “no” for an answer. I always get what I want.

What's the best thing your political career has given you? And the worst?

Politics has given me power—the power to change people’s lives. It is a huge honor and responsibility. Unfortunately, being in politics has also made my personal life a public matter. Believe me. I could do without that.

Would you tell us something we don't know about your writer -- Mary Whitney?

Mary Whitney is a bleeding heart liberal, but she simply adores me, so I can’t fault her too much.
Thanks, Senator Sanders!
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Author Bio:

Even before she graduated from law school, Mary Whitney knew she wasn’t cut out to be a real lawyer. Drawn to politics, she’s spent her career as an organizer, lobbyist, and nonprofit executive. Nothing piques her interest more than a good political scandal or romance, and when she stumbled upon writing, she put the two together. A born Midwesterner, naturalized Texan, and transient resident of Washington, D.C., Mary now lives in Northern California with her two daughters and real lawyer husband.

Summary of A Political Affair:

Stephen McEvoy never expected to fill his father’s U.S. Senate seat at such a young age—or to fight to keep it. When clever Anne Norwood interns in his office, Stephen dismisses her as another pretty face—until her independent streak catches his attention. They’re both too smart to fall for one another, yet they do. During a tough election, their relationship is an impossible political gamble. Campaigns—like love—are either won or lost.

2012-12-01

I'm glad to announce that many of my writing buddies are now NaNoWriMo winners (congrats!). Among them, today we're meeting Lissa Bryan, who during this NaNoWriMo has been working on her third novel.

Isn't it a great news?
 
Lissa Bryan is the fabulous author of Ghostwriter (have you read the interview with its main character?) and of The End of All Things


Today she's talking with us about her NaNoWriMo experience, with some exciting news about her upcoming new novel.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

NaNoWriMo was good for me (by Lissa Bryan)

I’m so busy these days, I struggle to find time to write. Social media, blog posts (both mine and guest posts) answering emails and PMs, plus trying to finish the last few chapters of my fanfic story. I saw a blogger once say he was too busy being an author to write, and I began to commiserate with that statement. I found myself saying frequently, “I’ll do this stuff today and write tomorrow.”

I started work on my third novel back in May and by October, I’d barely made a dent in it. First, I had the edits on my second novel to complete and then it seemed like there was something else always waiting for my attention. I started seeing the posts for National Novel Writing Month and it was like a light at the end of the tunnel.

Here was something that would force me to focus. It had accountability and I’d be forced to keep on track. A participant has to enter their daily word count, and then sees a chart showing where they should be. The daily word count recalculates based on your progress, so losing a day of progress adds to the number of words you’ll need to produce in the future to reach 50,000.

1,600 words a day. I remember when I used to produce 5,000 word chapters per night without breaking a sweat. But as soon as I began writing novels, my word count plunged. I know why: I’m taking it too seriously. I need to return to those days when I could “write like no one is reading.”

That’s what NaNoWriMo is all about: speed and progress, getting that first draft out of your head and into the hard drive, and letting go of your worries about editing, grammar or how to word that sentence just right. It can always be corrected later; what can’t be fixed is a blank page.

My goal was to finish the first draft of the entire story, but as I learned during my early fanfic days, I’m terrible at estimating story length. I reached my NaNo word count goal of 50K, and I’m still only about halfway through the storyline.
What I loved most about NaNo was the spirit of community among participants. Other writers set different goals and we cheered when they met them, whatever their word count was. Because NaNo isn’t only about hitting a certain number, it’s about the war against the blank page. And whether you hit the 50K mark or the 5K mark, you’re a winner in that war.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Thank you, Lissa, and congrats again!

Lissa Bryan's new novel will be available in January 2013! Don't miss it.


The NaNoWriMo is over, and I've written a post for Lissa Bryan's blog, discussing my experience.

Go read:

NaNoWriMo Was an Unexpected Success for Me

Follow me on Twitter!