Vampire Crush Blog Tour: Guest post by author A.M. Robinson

Heyyy! You're on stop number nine on the Vampire Crush blog tour, hosted by Good Choice Reading. At the end of the tour, there will be an awesome giveaway! Each stop on the tour will have a piece of a saying at the bottom, and it's up to to you to visit each stop an collect the pieces.

Today, A.M. Robinson is giving us a bit of writing advice:

"I love how many different ways there are to write successfully. Some writers work early in the morning because they feel like the ideas are freshest; others wait until late at night, when they can feel content that the day’s hurdles are behind them. Some spend almost as much time outlining as they do writing; others (myself included) will abandon any sort of plan as soon as they reach chapter two. Virginia Woolf often wrote standing up; Ben Franklin wrote in the bathtub. Find two writers whose days and writing processes are exactly the same, down to the minute, and the world will fold in on itself! Or—less dramatically and probably more realistically—I will be really surprised.

But when it comes to offering tips on how to start a writing career, I’ve noticed that they all tend to agree on one point and one point only: In order to write a book, you have to write. Not talk about writing, or read books about writing or think about writing, or say the word “writing” twenty times while twirling counter-clockwise, but actually write.

As advice goes, it seems ridiculously simple. But I’d be willing to bet that Actually Writing is one of the hardest steps for a lot of aspiring writers. I know it was for me. I spent a good six years wanting to be a writer but convincing myself that I wasn’t ready to sit down at a computer yet. If it wasn’t assigned for class, I was a master of finding excuses—I hadn’t read enough writing guides! My idea wasn’t fully formed yet! I wasn’t familiar enough with the market! This television show needed to be watched RIGHT NOW! My fingers were tingling, better rest them! If I had spent as much time writing as I did spinning reasons on why not to write, I would have had at least one finished novel, maybe two.

Then, when I was 25, I got the kick in the pants that I needed. It’s an embarrassing kick in the pants to admit now (although is there ever an un-embarrassing kick in the pants? Discuss) as it had less to do with willpower and more to do with a Long-term Boyfriend Who Did Not Want to Move to New York. I had/have a job that’s not very portable, as publishing companies seem to all want to cluster together in NYC, and I was looking for something I could do in Indiana that I was passionate about. Naively—and definitely last-ditchedly--I decided the thing to do was finally attempt a writing career.

I started to write a couple of hours every day, staying after work until I had knocked out a thousand words. At first it was hard sticking around the office while everyone was leaving, but fifteen minutes in, a switch would flip and I would suddenly be typing away happily, buoyed by an incredible sense of accomplishment that came from doing something that I had been talking about for years. And besides, it was FUN.

Somewhere around page 130, the Boyfriend and I parted ways, but (thankfully!) the motivation to finish Vampire Crush stuck around. By that time I was hooked on Sophie’s voice. I loved how snarky and determined she was, and how at first the vampires invading her school were mainly problematic because they were making it harder for her to be editor-in-chief of her school’s newspaper. I loved the banter between her and James, her childhood crush/nemesis who had moved back to Michigan with a secret. And—let’s not kid ourselves—I loved that it gave me an excuse to make corny vampire jokes.

So I’m going to dole out some advice, but I warn you that it will be utterly familiar. Go ahead and write what you want, how you want, where you want, and why you want, but seriously—just start writing. Because the sooner you have it down on paper, the sooner you can start making it perfect. "

GRAND PRIZE:

+++Signed HARDCOVER copy of Vampire Crush

+++A pair of whale-dotted pajama pants, a la Sophie.

+++Bat-shaped cookie cutter

+++Cute vampire monster mirror

+++"Vampire Blood" hand gel.

TWO ALTERNATE PRIZES

+++Signed paperback copy of Vampire Crush

+++"Vampire Blood" hand gel

That is a total of THREE WINNERS!!! This giveaway will be open INTERNATIONAL! All you have to do is collect all the secret sayings and follow A.M. Robinson on Twitter and Facebook. 

Here are the blogs participating in the tour:

March 8th: With a Book! Guest Post/Giveaway

March 9th: Once Upon A Twilight Guest Post/Giveaway

March 10th: A Simple love of Reading Guest Post/Giveaway

March 11th: 365 Days of Reading Guest Post/Giveaway

March 12th: Skyla11377 Reviews Guest Post/Giveaway

March 13th: Without a Bookshelf Guest Post/Giveaway

March 14th: Dark Readers Guest Post/Giveaway

March 15th: IB Book Blogging Guest Post/Giveaway

March 16th: Another Book Junkie!  Guest Post/Giveaway

March 17th: Read for your Future Guest Post/Giveaway

March 18th: Good Choice Reading Guest Post/Giveaway

This stop's clue:  "AND MAYBE"

The next stop: Read For Your Future.

A.M. Robinson on the web:

Facebook 

Twitter

Goodreads

Website

Blog Tour: Playing Hurt, by Holly Schindler & Contest Reminder!

I am thrilled to be a part of the local leg for the Playing Hurt blog tour! Holly Schindler and I share the same hometown, (which is awesome) so the interview below pertains to our area. Hope you enjoy!!
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Holly Schindler's novels:

Playing Hurt release date: March 8th.

Star basketball player Chelsea “Nitro” Keyes had the promise of a full ride to college—and everyone’s admiration in her hometown.  But everything changed senior year, when she took a horrible fall during a game. Now a metal plate holds her together and she feels like a stranger in her own family.

As a graduation present, Chelsea ’s dad springs for a three-week summer “boot camp” program at a northern Minnesota lake resort.  There, she’s immediately drawn to her trainer, Clint, a nineteen-year-old ex-hockey player who’s haunted by his own traumatic past.  As they grow close, Chelsea is torn between her feelings for Clint and her loyalty to her devoted boyfriend back home.  Will an unexpected romance just end up causing Chelsea and Clint more pain—or finally heal their heartbreak?

A Blue So Dark, in stores now.

Fifteen-year-old Aura Ambrose has been hiding a secret. Her mother, a talented artist and art teacher, is slowly being consumed by schizophrenia, and Aura has been her sole caretaker ever since Aura’s dad left them. Convinced that “creative” equals crazy, Aura shuns her own artistic talent. But as her mother sinks deeper into the darkness of mental illness, the hunger for a creative outlet draws Aura toward the depths of her imagination. Just as desperation threatens to swallow her whole, Aura discovers that art, love, and family are profoundly linked—and together may offer an escape from her fears.

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Virtual Tour of the landmarks you'll see in Holly's novels:




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Interview:

FAVORITE THINGS ABOUT SPRINGFIELD 

Having lived in Springfield , Missouri my entire life, I’ve racked up a lifetime worth of favorites… 

Do you think our cashew chicken is nationwide fame worthy?

Do I.  In fact, I specifically requested Lucy’s Cashew Chicken for my last birthday dinner. 

Where was your favorite place to hang out as a teenager?

The mall.  Back when the mall had movie theaters—and record stores—and an arcade!  If I could find an 80’s-vintage mall, I STILL think it’d be a good time…

Have you ever visited Wilson ’s Creek National Battlefield?

Oh, yes.  Field trips in school, Civil War reenactments…I’d have to say I personally prefer it to, say, The Nature Center.

Do you support any local sports teams?

I’m funny about sports—I get involved in individual players, rather than teams.  Got to be a Greinke fan when he played for the Royals…Now that he’s been traded, it looks like I’m going to be following the Brewers.

Are the Fantastic Cavers really that “fantastic”?

In the picture taken of me at Fantastic Caverns, I have my new Cabbage Patch doll with me (oh, how that dates me)…It’s been a long time, but I do remember thinking it was cool. 

What towns in the area are you particularly fond of?

I have family ties to the Fair Grove area…there’s a town near Fair Grove—tiny little thing—called Bassville.  My great grandmother’s first husband was a Bass.  I swear, if it happened in the Ozarks, I’m tied to it somehow…

Favorite thing to do in Branson?

Honestly, I haven’t had a vacation since the summer of 1999.  And the only complete day off I’ve taken since ’01 was May 1, 2010—A BLUE SO DARK’s release date.  I’m dying to take a weekend—rent a cabin on the lake.  I’m hoping to get there this summer.  Fingers crossed.

Any particular restaurants in the area that you would recommend?

Mexican Villa.  Two beef enchiladas and a Coke.  I think I could write a sonnet about Mexican Villa beef enchiladas, actually.

If someone were to come to Springfield , MO for one day only, what specific Springfield attraction would you recommend? 

Our skies.  It’s a simple answer, but I swear, we have the most beautiful skies in the Ozarks…

What’s your favorite thing about Springfield , Missouri ?

In short?  It’s home.  You know that feeling you get when you’ve been away from your house for a while?  That it’s-so-good-to-be-back feeling?  How fantastic it feels to sleep in your own bed after you’ve been gone?  That’s Springfield for me.

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Find Holly on the web:

Website, Blog, Twitter, Facebook, Myspace, Youtube, Goodreads

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Reminder:

Holly has a contest going for a signed copy of Playing Hurt! The person who racks up the most comments on tour stops, and links to the tour stops, wins! CLICK HERE to go to the form to record your entries!

I want to thank Holly for stopping by! Can't wait to have Playing Hurt in my hands!