What A Busy Time Of Year

Don’t get me wrong I’m not complaining but I’ve been so busy I have been wanting to write but there has been little time. So what have I been up to? Well let’s see: I’ve been doing nanowrimo. That is where you write 50,000 words in thirty days. Yes that means writing. I’ve also been a bit under the weather I slept for three days this week. Thankfully I’m feeling better. Thanks for asking.

To add to all of this I’ve been helping coordinate Jewish activities here at Fort Bragg. Hanukkah starts the day before, yes I said before Thanksgiving. Okay so it’s the collision of two holidays.

Yes I will still be blogging but I couldn’t resist posting this. Now for what many of you hopefully come here for an excerpt of my writing.

Once everyone, including Sam, was downstairs and the doors were closed and locked, introductions were made. Colin went over to the storm case, from which he produced several meals ready to eat, commonly abbreviated as MRE’s. He even managed to find a tuna meal to feed Sam. Paul looked at the MRE and said, “This looks better than the C-rations they used to feed us.”

“This is a huge improvement,” stated Jack as he watched Colin get both heater packs going. Kate opened the tuna MRE and poured the contents of the blue tuna pouch on the bag. She placed the pouch on the floor and the remaining items on the table for all to share.

“Don’t tell me they make cat food ones,“ said Paul with a quizzical look on his face. As he watched Sam eat greedily.

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My Birthday and other things

My husband is nearly panicking. My birthday is in three days. It’s the 7th of November, then there’s Hanukkah shortly after that. He doesn’t know what to get me.

I have few issues buying things for him, he has a hobby that makes it easy. He makes homemade beer. There are a ton of things you can buy that relate to that. Trust me I’ve spent more than I should on his hobby this year.

My hobby is writing. While there are books about how to write novels out there by the ton, I’ve already bought the few that I want. I already have the software I need for plotting and writing. I’m not into jewelry, makeup or clothes. I’m really a jeans and t shirt kind of person and happy that way. The only other thing I’m into is gadgets, namely electronics, but again I have the ones I want, so… Again nothing to buy there. What do i want? I want more than anything to finish the novel I started in 2012 and get it published. I’d tell him to throw me a party but being an army wife most of the people I’d want at the party are over a hundred miles away. Let’s see there’s a best friend in Minnesota, a few friends in Oklahoma, a fellow author and army wife in NJ, and a writing buddy in the UK, so that really doesn’t work either. The things I want are plot ideas, time to write, a cure for writers block, a few good nights sleep, and to finish that novel and work on the next one.

David, if you really want to do something I’d love create a few characters for me. It’s harder than you think. Read my work, help me tie in the old and the new stuff. There’s nothing in a store other than the few things I’ve asked for. I have a feeling you already got one of them. I will admit that a case of Diet Chocolate cream soda would be good too.

Otherwise just keep doing what you’re already doing.

I love you David. I’m sorry I don’t have a hobby that lends itself to buying things, it does lend itself to me spending hours upon hours at the keyboard, often mumbling to myself or the cats.

Oh and one final note eating cake and ice-cream with just you and the cats doesn’t sound like fun. I’d rather be writing.

Flash Fiction: The Blank Page

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Bones On The Surface by Joshua J. Johnson: Blog Tour

Bones On The Surface by Joshua J. Johnson: Blog Tour– Day 2

Synopsis: Bones, the skeleton, is bored of being in the Death Room — a lively room underneath a graveyard with coffins lining the walls and squashy, red couches. The trouble is… skeletons are forbidden from leaving. One day, Bones and his best friend — Rattles — escape from the Death Room. Where will they go and what will they do? Will Bones ever be able to accept his place in life?

First of all, thank you to Ann for hosting me on her blog! This is the second stop on my debut book blog tour, in which I’ve been discussing the story behind BONES ON THE SURFACE.

BONES ON THE SURFACE is both my debut book, and my debut middle grade book. Following two skeletons who go by the name Bones and Rattles, who escape a lively room underneath a cemetary with coffins lining the walls and squashy, red couches in the middle.

It is in this blog post that I’ll be discussing the characters and the world of the book. The Death Room, as just said, is a lively room underneath a cemetery. It’s the home of the skeletons, and it’s a parody of the Living Room that living human beings have. as it says in the book, it isn’t supposed to be scary, but rather, a fun, homely, and cosy place to live.

I don’t really know where the idea for the Death Room came to me, but it’s definitely one the most vivid imaginary settings I’ve had. In BONES ON THE SURFACE, references to other Death Rooms and other places underneath other cemeteries around the world are made, although you never get to see any others within this book. In the original draft, you did, but it got cut out. If BONES ON THE SURFACE ever gets a sequel, one aspect that I would love to write is other places within that world.

The storyline to BONES ON THE SURFACE, obviously, is Bones– the main character– and his skeleton friend, Rattles– escaping the Death Room onto the surface of the Earth where their adventure takes place. Therefore, the Death Room needed a secret escape route. This was very fun to create, and it took several attempts to write in something that works. However, I’m not going to say where/what the escape route is, because that would be spoilery!

Of course, the characters in this book are skeletons: Bones and Rattles. Other skeletons are Ribs, Kneecaps, Sockets, One Arm, and more! These characters were enjoyable to write, and frequently play-on-words were able to make their way in the writing. Each skeleton is named after ‘skeletal’ terminology, and these characters are definitely my favourite out of all of my books. None of them were hard to write, and giving each one their own characterises that could be linked to their names proved to by entertaining!

The way that the characters and the world of BONES ON THE SURFACE work together made the idea fun to explore, and it makes me so happy to finally be able to share that world, because now my world is our world, and my characters are our characters.

So, if you wish to purchase the book and meet Bones and Rattles and the Death Room yourself, please follow the links below.

Thank you!

Available in both paperback and ebook, as well as on all other Amazons.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bones-The-Surface-Joshua-Johnson/dp/1482747146/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1382836985&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.com/Bones-Surface-Joshua-J-Johnson/dp/1482747146/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1383068476&sr=1-1&keywords=bones+on+the+surface

Joshua J. Johnson is an author who lives on the East Coast of England. He began writing books after he learned that they don’t just randomly appear on the shelf, but rather people actually sit down and write them. When he isn’t writing his next novel, he enjoys reading, watching How To Train Your Dragon, and drinking milkshakes. He is also the author of BONES ON THE SURFACE, as well as the upcoming YA novels SOULLESS, THE SWEET LIFE, and THEIR TIME TO GO. You can find out more about him at joshuajstories.wordpress.com or follow him on Twitter @JoshuaJAuthor.

I’ve run away sort of…..

Well it was time for another road trip hence my recent absence. This road trip was for a good cause though, not just to get out of my local area. We drove to Fort Sill to greet the Soldiers of the 4-3 ADA returning from a year long deployment. The soldiers arrived in two groups, just over 12 hours apart. I will be posting a video collage from both ceremonies.