Random Thoughts: Things That Annoy Me at Starbucks



Photograph by Carlos yo



This is a new series composed of random thoughts that I have. Maybe you'll find them interesting...or extremely sad. Don't know which but here it goes...

Things that annoy me at Starbucks:

1) The guy who treats the arms of his comfy leather chair like a drum set, mindlessly going BANG BANG BANG. Is the name Ludwig or Gretsch listed on the front of that frickin' chair? No? Then it's not a set of drums!!!!! Respect a nice piece of furniture would ya?

2) Girl on the phone who's next in line and who is standing in front of the barrista and who is clueless that she's holding up the line because she's on the phone and we're waiting for her to order but she's too busy and the people behind her are thinking evil thoughts. Should we download a nasty virus to her phone? Should we use her phone to play the game, how deep is this water well? Should we just drown her in a vat of steaming Sumatra? Word of unsolicited advice? Love the people around you. Not your phone.

3) The person who blocks the entire electrical outlet because they have a mini-brick for an AC plug yet chose to use the top plug. You could plug that into the bottom one and leave the top one open for others to share. Related gripe: The jerk who uses all the plugs to power his laptop, phone, I-Pad, and his electric car parked just outside. Don't be an outlet hog.

4) When a particular location has cheap, wimpy chairs made of thin metal and plastic. You can be comfortable for maybe 15 minutes if you're lucky. Good wooden chairs are the way to go and the locations that have them are my personal favs. Extra points if they have comfy chairs to read books in!

5) The lady who came up to me as I was writing and asked what I did. She had seen me almost every day at this particular Starbucks working on my little laptop and was just curious. With a courteous smile, I informed her that I was writing a novel. Her reaction? She turned away and left without a word. I'm serious! It was like she was thinking, A writer? Oh, I thought you were doing something important. Well lady who-thinks-writing-isn't-a-real-job...Let's get something straight....When I write, I can travel to any place in the universe or go back to any time in history or create things that don't even exist yet. I can experience the triumphs and failures of hundreds of lives. Now, what did you do on that day? All you managed to achieve was to buy some coffee and then insult someone. Lady, I hope that cup of delicious Pike Place Roast burned your tongue. And by the way, the fictional teen girl whose life you think is trivial? She flipped you off when your back was turned.

*Side note: The one thing that keeps me going BACK to Starbucks are the barristas! Most of the ones I've dealt with are friendly and bust their butts to make coffee. So I salute all you wonderful barristas! You guys always rocketh with me.

What do you guys love/hate when you visit Starbucks? Or any cafe in general?

The Art of Asking

I love music and to be honest, I never heard of Amanda Palmer or her group The Dresden Dolls. But a friend on Facebook posted this TED talk she did about "The Art of Asking" and how this approach not only benefits musicians, but artists of all kinds. It's a different approach on how artists should deal with online piracy of their work and a fundamental change surrounding the basic thinking of "selling" your work. I found her talk inspirational and fascinating. And I'm going to try and adopt her philosophy as much as I can because it suits my personality. I urge you to watch this and let me know what you think! Do you agree with Amanda? Or do you think she's being too naive about people?

Happy Book Birthday to Nancy Bilyeau!

I'm so excited that today is the official release date for THE CHALICE a historical thriller that's a sequel to Nancy's acclaimed debut novel THE CROWN which is now available in Paperback from Simon & Schuster. Here's more about THE CHALICE...

In 1538, England is in the midst of bloody power struggles between crown and cross that threaten to tear the country apart. Joanna Stafford has seen what lies inside the king’s torture rooms and risks imprisonment again, when she is caught up in a shadowy international plot targeting the King. As the power plays turn vicious, Joanna understands she may have to assume her role in a prophecy foretold by three different seers, each more omniscient than the last.

Joanna realizes the life of Henry VIII as well as the future of Christendom are in her hands—hands that must someday hold the chalice that lays at the center of these deadly prophecies…

What I love about the first book in this series is that it reads like a fast-paced thriller but with great historical detail that strikes a perfect balance that never slows down the book. Here's a excerpt from my Goodreads book review of THE CROWN:

THE CROWN moves at a fast pace like a good thriller should. I would almost compare it to the concise pace of young adult novel. (Which is meant as a compliment.) The pace keeps you turning pages and never lags.

The historical setting of Tudor England feels so authentic on the pages and helps to ground the reader into the time period. Ms. Bilyeau does a nice job of sprinkling details here and there, using it to spice up the chapters rather than making them bland under a mountain of endless historical detail that would slow a novel down to a crawl.

I think if you're a fan of English history or just like to read a thriller that doesn't take place in some gritty, modern-day setting, I urge you to take a look at both of Nancy Bilyeau's books in this wonderful series!

I've already pre-ordered my copy through my local indie bookstore and can't wait to pick it up. If you support your indie bookstore, give them some love by stopping by to pick up your copy of the book or by ordering THE CHALICE through Indiebound.

Here's a complete list of online links to buy the new book if you're more the buy-everything-on-the-internet-type.

Still on the fence about this book? My recommendations aren't good enough for you, huh? :)  Okay, then check out this cool book trailer for THE CHALICE...

Requiem ARC Book Giveaway!

Hi, Everyone! Due to unforeseen circumstances I have come into possession of this Advance Reader's Copy of the final book of Lauren Oliver's DELIRIUM Series. So I decided what the heck, why not give this away to someone who wants to read it since I haven't read any of the series.

The DEADLINE to enter the giveaway is Monday, February 25th at Midnight Central Standard Time.

This giveaway is only valid for entries located in North America, Europe, and Australia/New Zealand.

Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Winner of The AMAROK Giveaway

The winner of a Kindle eBook edition of AMAROK by Angela Townsend is Kate!

Congratulations!

Thank you to everyone who entered. Hopefully I'll be able to giveaway more cool stuff soon.

Interview with Author Angela Townsend and a Giveaway!

I would like to welcome author Angela Townsend to the blog today. She's the author of the new young adult novel AMAROK. I really love the book and you can read my thoughts about it here. Angela is not only kind enough to stop by to answer a few questions, she's also giving you guys a chance to win a Kindle eBook copy of AMAROK! So keep reading to find out how you can enter!

First off, here's more about AMAROK which is published by Spencer Hill Press...

Emma's life has been hell since she moved from sunny California to a remote Alaskan town. Abandoned by her father and living with the guilt of causing her mother's death, she makes a desperate dash for freedom from her abusive stepfather. But when her car skids off the icy road, her planned escape leads to further captivity in a world beyond her imagining.

Dragged across the tundra by an evil mountain man and his enormous black wolf, she learns that love can be found in the most unexpected places. Amarok, as she's nicknamed the wolf, is a young man from the gold-rush era enslaved by an ancient shaman. Emma's gentle touch and kind heart win his love and devotion.

When a vicious madman--trapped in bear form by the same Shaman--attacks the travelers and injures Amarok, Emma must find the strength to face her fears and free the wolf she's come to love. But that means she must face down the evil shaman, a Siberian mammoth hunter from the ice age, and he has no intention of giving up his power to her.

Cool premise isn't it? Let's hear more from Angela Townsend.

Angela, in AMAROK, the lead character Emma has this great inner strength that pushes her through everything that happens. You never portray her as a victim that should be pitied, quite the opposite in fact. How did you develop Emma as a character? Did she change much after the first draft?

I had a solid idea of who all my characters were before I started. I knew from the moment I wrote Emma's name on the page-- who she was, what her strengths and weaknesses were. 

I like how you created this micro-world deep inside the Alaskan wilderness, a world with its own mysticism and ancient lore that I thought played well into the story. How do you approach creating this small world? Did you research local folk-lore and expand on it? Or did you build everything from the ground up?

I created all my own mythology, blending bits of Celtic lore with my own  Ice Age myth. 

Why did you pick the setting of Alaska? Why not Montana, where you're from?

When I was young I lived in Alaska--in a small fishing village and I will always remember how much I loved it. Alaska stays with you.  The raw wild beauty, the utter isolation--all of it is incredibly haunting to me.   

AMAROK has this great pace to it. Even when you switch to the point of view of a different character, the book never loses its momentum. As a writer, how do you approach plotting your books?

I swear by Martha Alderson--The Plot Whisperer--She is a plotting genius.  Even though I fought plotting for so long I realized I need to plot in order to write quality work. 

What is your writing process like?

I write in utter distraction, at home with mood music or crowded cafes. I also watch movies and write at the same time. I hate the sound of a ticking clock. I don't like rules-I like to live as free as possible --so I rebel when it comes to sitting at a desk to write.

Who is your favorite fictional heroine and why?

Harry Potter--I love anything written by JK Rowling.

What projects are you working on now?

I am working on an exciting YA Russian paranormal mystery. 

To wrap things up, I would like to borrow five quick questions from the great James Lipton, host of Inside The Actor’s Studio. Here we go.

Now, Angela…

What is your favorite word?

LOVE!

What is your least favorite word?

HATE

What turns you on creatively, spiritually, or emotionally?

MUSIC

What sound or noise do you love?

My children's laughter

What sound or noise do you hate?

The sound of an ambulance siren

Thanks again for stopping by Angela!

AMAROK is a great book and a fast read so I encourage all of you to check it out using these links:

Amazon

Indiebound

Barnes & Noble

Powell's

And don't forget to visit Angela Townsend's Blog! 

Now who wants to win a Kindle eBook of Amarok? To enter the giveaway, leave a comment by answering this question, "What would you do if you were trapped inside a wolf's body?"

The deadline to enter the giveaway is Sunday, February 10th at Midnight CST. Only one entry per person is allowed. Winner will be announced on Monday, February 11th. Good luck!

The Next Big Thing Blog Hop

This is a blog tour that's been circulating for quite a while. I wasn't able to do it last time but an author friend tagged me again and I finally had the time. So here we go!

What is the working title of your current/next book?


The working title is MY GIRLFRIEND BITES.


Where did the idea for MY GIRLFRIEND BITES come from?

Well, I read TWILIGHT. I can see why so many readers enjoy the books and that's cool. But what bothered me in the first one was Bella. I like to read about strong female characters and she was the complete opposite of that. So that made the wheels turn inside my brain. I don't really like vampires but I've always loved werewolves and if I ever did a paranormal story, it would have to be with a girl werewolf. So that idea floated around in my head and then I remembered an old screenplay I wrote years ago that had a strong-willed teen girl who manipulated a boy into doing some very bad things for her. I then mixed the two ideas together and came up with more of a...what if she was this strong teen werewolf trying to adjust to a new human school and then a normal boy falls in love with her? And the boy needs this girl because he needs someone to challenge the misconceptions he has about himself. And she needs this boy because she's isolated from her pack and desperately wants a friend. So the story kind of expanded from there.


What genre does your book fall under?


It's a young adult paranormal werewolf novel. Some might call it a Paranormal Romance. But since the protagonist is a guy, I'm just calling it a paranormal novel. (wink)


What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?


I would say Michelle Trachtenberg for Bree the werewolf girl.

And Josh Hutcherson from THE HUNGER GAMES as Aiden, the boy in love with Bree.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

A teen boy learns that true love for the perfect girl requires tough love for the imperfect werewolf underneath.


Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

MY GIRLFRIEND BITES will be indie-published in late Spring just like my first YA novel, SKID.

How long did it take you to write the first draft?


I struggled with the first draft on and off for at least a year and a half. I'm a perfectionist by nature and the last half of the novel just wasn't working to my satisfaction so I had to put the manuscript away to work on other material. There were times I wanted to delete everything and forget about the book. Actually, I did do that once, but luckily I had a backup copy. :)  Something about the book kept dragging me back to it. I guess I really fell in love with my characters and couldn't leave them. I'm thankful that last year I solved the problems I was having with the second half of the book and was able to do a good first draft. That part took roughly three and half months to finish.


What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?


I would say this book is more like BLOOD AND CHOCOLATE by Annette Curtis Klause but mixed with a much darker TWILIGHT vibe. And the werewolves aren't cute dogs. They're more old-school werewolf scary, but with a heart.


Who or what inspired you to write this book?

 I wanted to explore some themes that TWILIGHT and other books in the paranormal genre don't explore as much, themes that were more interesting to me. And to write a book where the normal teens are just as deep and interesting as the supernatural ones.

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Be sure to look out for the next installments of The Next Big Thing next week, February 8th, on the blogs by authors Pamela DuMond and Sonia Gensler!