Quantcast

Some Long Awaited Winner Announcements

Congrats to all of you. 

And there is still time to enter the National Poetry Month giveaways through the end of TODAY!

Winner is Anna of Diary of an Eccentric

Winner is Heather of The Maiden's Court

Winner is Sophia Rose

Winner is Dawn from She Is Too Fond of Books

Winner is Janel from Janel's Jumble

Winner of Dr. Seuss Giveaway is The Girl from Diary of an Eccentric; check out that hat.

Guest Post: Writing Innovation by Joanne DeMaio & Giveaway

Don’t you just want to dive into that latte right now?  I just adore this cover, it makes my mouth water. 

Whole Latte Life by Joanne DeMaio is a novel that is set in Manhattan and New England, two settings I have a hard time staying away from in books.  But in this novel, there is more than just intercontinental adventure there is a woman willing to take a chance and change her life.  More about the novel from Amazon:

Sara Beth Riley never dreamt she’d walk straight out of her life.  Actually she’d never dreamt a lot of things that had happened this year … From being kidnapped by her own best friend, to throwing her wedding rings into the Hudson River, to calling an old love in France, to getting inked with said best friend, painting the passionate constellation of these choices into permanence.  But mostly, she could never have dreamt what started it all.  How could it be that her mother’s unexpected death, and the grief which lingered painfully long, turned her into the woman she was finally meant to become?

Stay tuned for the giveaway, but for now please give Joanne DeMaio a warm welcome as she shares with us her writing, writing space, and more.

Sometimes a bit of inspiration helps to put an innovative stamp on our writing, something to make it identifiably ours. And that inspiration is all around us …

I came upon this sight on a walk I took between writing sessions. Do you see how the fence builder accommodated this tree trunk? The vertical posts are customized to meet up with the trunk, making it an actual part of the fence. The tree trunk was not removed. The fence did not get placed in front of it, obscuring its view. Instead of letting the trunk present a problem to a creation, the fence artisan let the trunk serve the fence with its beauty. Very innovative!

I enjoy seeing life through the visual like this, and decided to stamp my novel Whole Latte Life with that idea. My main character, Sara Beth, sees situations through her artistically trained eye, based on her education in art history. Shades of light, and sketched ideas, and layers of color all help her to understand situations.

Think of books, or photographs, or paintings, or gardens, or meals that linger in your memory. Maybe you’ve seen a garden of hundreds of sunflowers turning toward the sun. Or you enjoyed an atmospheric meal served in an antique carriage house. Maybe a beautiful painting was created on glass, light shining through the paint. And all stay with you in their innovation.

Some of the best works of art are innovative in their delivery, in their perspective. Remember that when you sit down at your computer keyboard and open up that manuscript file. Bring your own innovative vision to your story, be it fictional or memoir. Look at life on the page through a unique lens. Do you enjoy cooking? Let the meals in your novel help tell your character’s story. Is gardening your thing? Maybe a growing season can frame your storyline.

Consider your interests, and make them your own novel innovation.

Thanks, Joanne, for sharing your advice.

About the Author:

Joanne DeMaio is an author, exploring through her writing the journey to living a fulfilling life. Her debut novel, WHOLE LATTE LIFE, was published in March 2012. In addition, her music essays have appeared in literary journals, celebrating her passion for song, in print. Joanne lives with her family in Connecticut, where the coffee is always brewing, either in her country kitchen or a favorite coffee shop, and the talk is ever flowing over a fresh cup of java.

To enter the giveaway for EITHER 1 paperback (US/Canada) or 1 Kindle ebook (International):

1. Leave a comment about what inspires you.
2. Extra entries for each Twitter, Facebook, and Blog link share you leave in the comments.

Deadline is April 11, 2012, at 11:59PM EST