Tracey’s Seal of Approval: All Twilight, All the Time…

March 4, 2013 By 8 Comments

In honor of the release of Breaking Dawn Part 2 on DVD this week (my reserved copy is on it’s way!!!) I present this week’s listing of blog posts, all about Twilight, that gets Tracey’s Seal of Approval:

Breaking Dawn, Part 2, Yep I Saw It: Edward is not a creepy stalker! People, do you remember the love you had when you were a teenager? How you spent hours on the phone talking to him/her? If you had superpowers, you don’t think you would have used them to be with the one you loved/crushed all the time? Let’s give him a break.

Part 2 Has #8 opening: You can add my $15 to that box office. With my three other “dates” to see the movie, I’ll contribute another $45. Yup, they couldn’t do it without me. :-)

Immortal Monday, Twilight Saga’s Breaking Dawn Part 2: A good recap/introduction to the major groups in the Twilight universe.

I love reading good blogs. I love Twilight even more. Did you go see the movie? If so, what did you think?   If not, what are you waiting for? ;-)

Filed Under: Tracey's Seal of Approval Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Thank You, Twilight!

November 21, 2012 By 2 Comments

What am I thankful for?

An incredible husband, three wonderful children, supportive friends and a loving family. I’m really very blessed.

But let’s get real.

 

 

I’m thankful for the dream Stephenie Meyers had of a boy and a girl laying in a pretty meadow, a dream that turned into the Twilight story.

I’m not ashamed to say I’m thankful for every moment I was able to slip away into the town of Forks and lust over a vampire and a werewolf. I’m thankful for the screaming matches between me (a real person) and Bella (a fictional character) because it meant I was invested in the story I was reading. I’m thankful for the movie franchise and the people in charge of casting, for giving me the delicious eye candy known as Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner. (It took me a couple of years to get over my guilt about the latter one–he was so young! He’s 20 now- guilt be-gone.)

 

 

I’m thankful for the last movie in the Twilight series, although I’m sad that they’re gone. [I'll relive every glorious (and not so glorious) moment on blu-ray. :-) ]

But mostly, I’m thankful for a set of books which introduced a new generation of girls to reading and hopefully, to reading romance.

This past weekend, I was thankful for other Twilight fans who joined me at the movie theatre for the Twilight Saga Marathon, all of the movies, back to back, leading up to the release of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 2. It was so much fun, to be surrounded by true fans. We laughed, shared stories, cried and gasped. People are not shy about making fun of these movies, so to be with other women people who felt like I did was liberating, and the camaraderie was quick and strong.

When the credits rolled, I was reluctant to leave the theatre, feeling that this was truly the end of an era. But I don’t regret any moment of the past four years spent as a Twi-Mom. It was a blast.

I can’t wait for the new story that will capture my imagination and love as thoroughly and completely as the Twilight Saga.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Filed Under: Musings Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Tracey’s Seal of Approval: ABC Discriminates and Vampires

July 30, 2012 By 2 Comments

This week’s listing of blog posts that gets Tracey’s Seal of Approval:

If a real estate agent acted like a literary agent: There used to be a show in the MD/D.C./VA called Double Agents where two agents competed to find a house for a buyer. Wouldn’t that be AWESOME if agents worked that way?

ABC Files Motion to Dismiss Bachelor Discrimination Case: I’m pretty sure this isn’t what Dr. King was marching for. But, maybe I’m wrong. Read underlying story here.

Top Ten Reasons I Want to be a Vampire: Three words for you: Best. Diet. Ever.

Join the conversations and leave a comment. Mention my blog.

I love reading good blogs. Which ones are you reading?

Filed Under: Tracey's Seal of Approval Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

The T-Spot Welcomes Elisabeth Staab!

March 14, 2012 By Leave a Comment

                                  

Grab your beverage of choice (Mimosas for me, of course!), roll up to or flip open a screen and let some talented writers talk to you about their writing process.

This week: Elisabeth Staab is in the spotlight!

I met Elisabeth when we both took a workshop about the demands of motherhood and writing.  Elisabeth clearly took that workshop to heart because her first novel, King of Darkness, was released by Sourcebooks in February. So let me get out of the way and cede the stage, stool and microphone to Elisabeth:

1. Have you always written stories?

It seems like I have, but until recently it was always just for fun. I honestly never thought I’d do it professionally.

2. When did you decide to write professionally?
I had a lot of time to read when I was recovering from the birth of my youngest child. I fell in love with vampire stories, and started mulling over what kind of story I might write if I were going to write my own. One night when I was rocking my son to sleep the first scene in King of Darkness formed in my head, and that was when I realized that what I was sitting there planning to do was write a whole series, not just some story scribbled in a notebook like I’d been doing for years.
3. What made you decide to go the route you chose (eg. traditional, e-pub, indie)?
In a way, the route was chosen for me. I believe strongly in constantly furthering your writing skills, and one of the classes I took was a class on pitching taught by Kerri Nelson. As part of the class we had the option of pitching to an editor at the end, and even though I didn’t feel like my manuscript was quite “there” yet, it seemed too good an opportunity to pass up. That ended up being how King of Darkness got published.
4. What is your writing process (hrs/day, days/wk)?
I write mostly early mornings and a little on the weekends–my full time day job is parenting so I don’t get to write as much as I’d like, but I TRY to make sure it’s the first thing I do each day when I get up (after coffee, of course!). That way no matter what else happens to derail me, at least I’ve gotten a few words on the page. Some days it doesn’t happen, but I try.
5. How do you write (crappy first draft then revise or revise as you go)?
I’m all about the crappy first draft. I found the hard way that it was too easy for me to get hung up on nitpicking myself to death with edits if I revise as I go. I started to do that with King of Darkness and eventually realized the book was never going to get done. So now I write a truly heinous first draft, and I revise like crazy. A couple of times I’ve even known as soon as I wrote a scene that I was going to wind up cutting it. But I get the book done faster that way. I think it also helps you to see the big picture of your novel structurally, if you wait until the end to do your edits.
6. Do you get writer’s block?  If so, how do you handle it?

I’ve been blocked a time or two. If the little things don’t work like focusing on something else for awhile, or giving yourself a mental health break, sometimes you just have to power through. Write anyway, even if your word count isn’t as high as usual, even if you’re sure what you are putting on the page just then would make people laugh hysterically (in the bad way). My critique partner introduced me to write or die, and I purchased both the desktop and the ipad versions so I’m never without it. It’s an application that literally screams and flashes at you if you stop typing for too long. I love it.

7. What’s your favorite part of the writing process?
Oh, gee. Uhm…all of it, I guess. The excitement of a new idea, the terror of typing chapter one and wondering if you’re gonna manage to write 300 pages, seeing the finished project, falling in love with your characters. I guess, especially falling in love with my characters. :)
Fun Topics:
8. Wine, liquor or beer?  What’s your favorite of the spirit you chose?

I like them all, but I’ll have to go with wine, since that’s what my vampires drink to have a really good time.

9. What author(s) are on your automatic buy list?
Let’s see. I don’t have a ton of time to read these days, but I love, love Suzanne Brockmann, and even though I try not to read other vampires I still read JR Ward and Lara Adrian because I read them long before I started my own series.
10. What TV shows are you watching?

Glee! Music has always been my first love, and it reminds me a little of when I watched Fame back in the day. Uh-oh, I’m dating myself, aren’t I?

11. Who is your celebrity crush and why?
Honestly, I don’t think I could even pick just one. I’ve got a lot of those. ;-) Mostly I like musicians with tattoos.
Thank you, Elisabeth for your time and congratulations on your success. Please check out Elisabeth’s latest:
This first book in a hot, edgy, dark paranormal romance series from a debut author has all the right stuff: a deep urban fantasy feel, a take-no-crap tough heroine and a sexy, arrogant vampire king who gets his comeuppance.Isabel Anthony has lived a carefree existence masquerading as human, but when this party-girl meets the king of vampires, her world turns deep, dark, and dangerous double-quick. Thad Morgan is looking for the prophesied mate who will unlock his powers. But when he finally finds Isabel in a seedy nightclub, he thinks fate must have gotten it wrong.
Find King of Darkness at: Amazon : Barnes and Noble : IndieBound and anywhere else books are sold.
What are you watching these days?  Are you a Gleek?  Tell us what you think and make sure you check back next week to see who’s hanging out at the T-Spot.
Filed Under: Interviews Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,
Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 810 other followers