My love for Disney

Mondays about Me

There are some things we never grow out of - that part of our heart that is always a child loves those things and makes us giddy when we encounter them.

For me - one of those things is Disney!

I love all things Disney. I have watched all the movies (I think ....) and I have toys, stuffed animals, snow globes, jewelry boxes, etc. Not like crazy - I don't have a shrine to them! But I do have a few things here and there and I own a lot of the movies. Why? Cause it's fun, it's cute, it makes me feel good, and who doesn't love Disneyland??

I actually used to work at Walt Disney World and I loved it!

A couple of weeks ago I went to Disneyland again!

That's right, I was riding the carousel! I always ride the carousel when I go to that park

So now, why am I telling you this? (ha, my favorite question!)
For one thing - because you now know my weakness! That's something that gets me every time! Cute movies, adorable characters, and fluffy creatures (like Stitch!)

But also I am telling you because I draw a lot of my ideas, character personalities, feelings for a specific scene, moods, etc, from Disney! When I listen to that music I can find exactly what I need!

For example - the song from Frozen when she sings about being stuck in the castle alone and desperate for love and human contact, that is exactly how Miriam (one of my characters) needs to feel. So I listen to that song and use it to describe the feelings it would make me feel to be in that position. It puts me in the mood to write that scene.

Another example - the song Human Again from Beauty and the Beast fills me with hope and it makes for perfect scene writing for those moments in my book where there might be a chance for something wonderful, and I listen to it over and over again as I get that scene set.

I could go on. I don't only listen to Disney music, but sometimes it just nails it right on the head. And that's why it is my top listening station on Spotify :)

So that's my Monday about Me post. I love Disney. I love Disneyland, and sometimes Disney just knows what they are doing to invoke feelings in their audience, so why not use those feelings to better write my scenes?

What music do you use when writing and why?
Comment below (cause I'd love to give some of your favorites a try!)

Happy Monday!

Answers

Mondays about Me

Good Morning everyone!

So for today, I'm going to answer the questions that were left as response to last weeks post!

Here goes:

Chrissy asked: Do you listen to music while you write? If so, what's your favorite writing music?

My Answer: Sometimes I do, Sometimes I don't. It depends on my mood. But when I do it often turns out to be Disney Music or Christmas Music (doesn't matter what time of year it is). Unless I have found a couple of songs that perfectly fit what I'm trying to write - then I have those on repeat. I spent an entire day listening to the songs from that one musical episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer ("One more time, with feeling" I think it's called) because her song fit the mood I was trying to capture for my character :)

DA Cairns asked: Do you sometimes feel like you just don't belong? What is at the core of your desire to write? 

My Answer: I have often felt like I don't belong, in many situations. I have often been in places where I look around and thing "What in the world am I doing here?" Not just physical places either, but emotional places and educational places, etc. etc. I think we all kind of feel like that at some point. We kind of have to find our niche. However, unlike many writers, I am not so much an introvert. I am very much a social butterfly and because of this I do have an easier time communicating, dealing with crowds, being in the middle of things, and pretending I'm belonging, even when I don't feel like I am.

As for the core of my desire to write - I have always, always loved making up stories and telling them. I love giving life to characters and seeing how people respond to them. I love the idea that I can contribute something (hopefully in a good way) to the world by giving them something good to read and escape into.

Well those were the questions I was asked today. Remember, you can ask me any question at any time. My goal is to get you guys to know me, and for me to get to know something about you too through your comments and questions.

Next week, I think I'll show you a bit of my love for Disney .... :)

Happy Monday!

Branding

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

So for Today's Mondays about Me post, I was thinking about the class I took at conference titled Book Marketing 101.

Now, I find that I have an idea of what marketing is. However, I think I don't always keep up on all the different ways to reach out and Brand myself as an author.

So here's some things I learned:

1- Big blocks of texts scare people and long chapters are a turn off. (You would think this would have been obvious to me since it tend to skip through large sections of text rather than read them, but apparently I'm not about to put it together that if it scares me away, it will scare others away too. Ergo, I will try not to scare you all away from my posts with large blocks of text).

2- Basically you have to be on everything. (Did you guys know I have more than just a blog? Seriously, I do! But I thought about it and realized that with all the things you are learning about me, you probably are not familiar with all my other social media sites! Shame on me for not telling you! Links will be at the bottom!)

3 - Research our audience and marketing. (Well, the only research I get is from the feedback you guys leave. So here is my challenge for you today. Tell me, in the comments below, one thing you would like to know about me. Seriously, anything since that will lead me to future Mondays about me Posts. What do you want to know about me or about my writing or about me while I'm writing?)

4 - Make sure every piece of information is valuable to the reader on every platform. (Well, I hope that the information I have been sharing with you is valuable in letting you know me. And in helping other authors market, write, promote, and edit their own books - again, feedback helps here  :)  )

So those are some basics I have learned about marketing. I hope this helps some of you with your books as well. But if you do need help, here is the fabulous site I recommend for book launch parties, blog tours, prize packages, and other ideas:
Loving the Book Launch Party:
http://lovingthebooklaunchparty.blogspot.com/
https://www.facebook.com/lovingthebook.launchparty

As for me, here is my social sites you are welcome to check out and follow!
FB: https://www.facebook.com/rebecca.lamoreaux.3
FB Page: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorRebeccaLamoreaux
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Lamoreaux_R
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=329526372&trk=nav_responsive_tab_profile_pic
Email: reb.bec.lam@gmail.com

Happy Monday Everyone (and don't forget to leave your comment with a response from #3)

Writing Romantically

For my Mondays about Me posts, I think I'm going to spend the next little while teaching you about a few things I learned during my writing conference! Why? Because they are important to me and it gives you an insight into the things I think about each day while writing!
So here goes:

I write romance. My book that is being published in September is a romance. I love to read romance too. So I attended Sarah Eden's class about Writing Romantically.

Here's a few things I learned

You need to have an emotional connection between the characters and it has to have time to grow. It doesn't have to be perfect, just has to be real

You have to create a need to be fulfilled by the other character (something they can't fulfill for themselves). If there is no need, there is no foundation for their love.

The couple needs to be something to each other that no one else is (or can be). The readers need a reason to root for them.

When the reader feels the same emotions as a character, they are more likely to be interested in that character's story and want for them to get their happy ending.

Since I write romance, this was very informative to me. I look back on stories I wrote when I was 13 & 14 and I can only laugh at how shallow the characters are. It amazes me that somehow people can assume that having the girl hate the boy one minute and then love him the next is a normal reaction. It doesn't work that way! But as any beginning writer, those are the mistakes I made.

Thankfully I learned, I got better, and I practiced until I created the story of Lord Hyacinthe and Lady Vivian. Now, I'm not saying it's perfect, but hopefully it will bring some amusement and joy to my readers in the future!

So that's what I learned, and I always keep learning and getting better. Perhaps my next love story will be better still! Here's to hoping I can incorporate these wonderful tips.

Thanks Sarah Eden!

The Roilden Stones of Elf Mountain

Today I am featuring Author Anna del C. Dye and her new book The Roilden Stones of Elf Mountain!

Welcome Anna del C. Dye!

I took the opportunity to interview Anna for my blog for everyone to get to know more about her. Here was her reply:

Thank you so much for having me in your blog, Rebecca.

I would like to announce the Book Giveaway Feb 23 – Mar 8: You have a chance to win, The Roilden Stone of Elf Mountain. Leave a comment about this interview with your e-mail. One ebook will be given for each stop in this tour and the entries can be international.

1.   When I was growing up ... I loved to hear tales of made-up worlds.

2.   I once ... wrote a fairy tale after had I read a story about one and wondered if I could write something different than elfs. I could! It won two awards.

3.   Readers would be surprised to know I ... am a native Spanish speaker and learned English reading the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew books.

4.   Everyday I ... write more in my stories of elfs. Sometimes it is happy, and others sad, but always precious to me.

5.   I like to ... live in Andoriah, the land where elfs existed in my books. To find peace, trust, love, and harmony in their midst—that would be heavenly.

6.   I have always wanted to ... be a she-elf. Estee is the princess of the elf kingdom and I would like to be her when I grow up. 

7.   I will never forget ... how it felt when I wrote the last chapter in The Roilden Stones of Elf Mountain. Estee gave Arland a chance to her heart, and he broke it. Also, how the elfs are healing their race and becoming one.

8.   The best thing about writing is ... I can be part of another race and live someone else’s life, with their permission.

9.   When I am not writing, I like to ... go camping and take my swords with me. That keeps me close to my elfs.

10.  I am working on ... The Roilden Stones of Elf Mountain so I am ready for the blog tour to announce the birth of my last book in the elf series.

Thank you Anna! It's always fun to learn more about new authors and their book.

Now, for the book itself:

Book Blurb:

Liberty … or Monarchy?

Should the wisest of races choose such a path, or return to the traditional council? Their queen has lost the Roilden Stones of Elf Mountain to a power-hungry wizard. After all, one can be deceived, but twenty?

With the stones missing, a fatal drought grips Andoriah, the new elfin home. Death to all is imminent. Who will retrieve the Stones when the Gold Elfs won’t act? Will heroes arise before Andoriah burns in eternal fire?  Can the missing elf queen and her daughter be found?

The Roilden Stones of Elf Mountain is the long awaited prequel, and final installment in Anna del C.’s elf series. Discover the Elfs, an eternal race who chose to live in a world of woes away from their motherland. Love them, feel their pain and their happiness in a land that will test the core of their beliefs and bravery. Written in the genre of The Lord of the Rings and the Shannara series, The Roilden Stones of Elf Mountain comes alive with battles, heroism, action and romance.

You can find “The Roilden Stones of Elf Mountain,” here:

My website: www.annadelc.com

Amazon: http://j.mp/1dvqXP6

Thanks so much Rebecca for participating in my blog tour.

And Thank you Anna for sharing your work with all of us!