The Big Move...

Hi, friends!

I hope this finds you well! I've been busy as a bee with a variety of cool, fun projects and I'm happy to announce that I recently finished my website! My original plan was to continue running Blogger concurrently with my website, but with the sad news of Google+ closing down, I've decided to focus solely on my website, just in case Blogger is next on the chopping block.

What's that mean for you?

Well, you are most assuredly invited to keep up with my blog on my website. You'll also be able to check out the much-adored and wildly popular Author Spotlight segment, as well as my Fiction in a Flash posts! While you're there, you can also subscribe to my newsletter, which will keep you up to date on all of my upcoming posts, projects, events, giveaways, and much more. Here's the link:

https://www.winterlawrence.com/

You can also connect with me on Facebook here:

www.facebook.com/WinterBLawrence/

And if you need to contact me about media inquiries or if you have a question, you can also email me here:

winterblawrence@gmail.com.

I hope to hear from you all soon. Until then, take care, friends!

All the best,
Winter

The Magic of Christmas

2018 ~ A Year in Review

I can’t believe that we’re nearly halfway through December already! This year has gone by in a flash and even though Winter’s Wonderland has “technically” only been around since July, I’ve been busy as a bee! I’ve read so many amazing books and I’ve met and interviewed some truly awesome authors. I also participated in my first NaNoWriMo event and won—woo hoo, and I have a ton of upcoming projects coming down the pike.

As you guys already know, my short story, My Brother's Keeper, was released in December in the Merry Krampus: Anthology, and book one of The Gamer series is due out in 2019. I also have a bunch of other short stories and flash fiction pieces due out in a variety of anthologies and publications. I’m so excited! Be sure to check back often for updates! I’m also beyond thrilled to announce that I have an amazing group of people lined up for the 2019 Author’s Spotlight. I can’t wait to get to know everyone and share their amazing stories!

Of course, I’d like to once again thank all of the authors who participated in my 2018 Author Spotlight. It was an absolute pleasure getting to know everyone, so reader, if you haven’t already checked out their interviews and books, you can visit my blog here and then dive into some great reads! It goes without saying that I enjoyed every single one of these books and I highly recommend them all!

I’d also like to share my favorite books of the year—the first of which is oh-so-appropriate given the season! The Afterlife of Holly Chase is a YA Retelling of A Christmas Carol and it is fantastic! The storyline is entertaining and gripping, the humor and wit is marvelous, and the character development is profound and moving. I LOVED this book and I cannot recommend it enough! M. Sean Coleman’s The Cuckoo Wood is another honorable mention—the suspense, mystery, and intrigue kept me on the edge of my seat the entire way through. This was also my year for all things Shari Lapena—she’s an amazing author and she’s written some amazing books; read them! Last, but definitely not least, I really enjoyed The Keeper of Lost Things. It was cute and sentimental and the writing was exquisite and lovely.

If there are any books that you wanted to recommend to me or to the other readers, please be sure to leave a comment below and I’ll check them out soon. Also, don’t forget to check out 2018’s Author Spotlights if you haven’t already, and most importantly, do be sure to enjoy your holidays! 2018 has been an awesome, busy year, and I look forward to keeping the momentum going and chatting with you all soon.

Cheers!

Winter

Special thanks again to my Author Spotlight participates...

The Power of Reflection

NaNoWriMo and Books & Family Sunday

November is one of those amazingly busy months. First, there’s NaNoWriMo. If you aren’t familiar with the term, here’s a quick overview: NaNoWriMo is short for National Novel Writing Month and it involves a personal challenge to complete 50,000 words toward a novel of your choice within thirty days. To some, that may sound daunting; to others, a challenge worth taking! For years, I’ll admit, I was part of that first camp. Back then, I only wrote shorter pieces, and then, only when I was inspired by something. Now, I’ve graduated to novel-length works and this year I decided to embark on my first NaNoWriMo adventure!

I must say that it hasn’t been easy! Coming to your computer each day and writing something—anything, just for the sake of increasing your word count is harder than I thought it would be, but it’s worth it! I’ve always been a firm believer in accountability, which is why I always encourage writers to have a writing partner or to participate in a writers’ group. In the month of November, NaNoWriMo provides a safe space for both of these things to happen! There aren’t only opportunities to find like-minded authors, but there are regional and local events abound to meet other NaNo participates. I highly recommend checking it out! You can find all of the information you’ll need and much more at the NaNoWriMo website.

Of course, while you’re still in the fray of your NaNoWriMo challenge, Thanksgiving will sneak right up on you! Personally, I find this to be the best time of year to take a few moments to reflect on everything you’ve accomplished and all of the things you’d like to work on in the future. It’s a day for acknowledging all that you’re grateful for, and if you’re so inclined, for feasting and eating excessive amounts of pumpkin pie (which is an all-year-round struggle for me!).

Black Friday, of course, is next on the chopping block, followed by Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday. It can become a whirlwind of shopping and stressful moments, which is why I think Alan Bourgeois, The founder of Texas Association of Authors and Indie Beacon, is encouraging people to take back the Sunday after Thanksgiving from the marketing and retail outlets and make it a day for family and friends to gather together, relax, and enjoy one or more great books. I think this is an amazing idea, and if we, as a culture, embrace Books & Family Sunday, we’ll be in great company, as this has been a beautiful Icelandic tradition for years!

So I say, be grateful, eat up, do tons of shopping, and then be sure to grab a great read for yourself and your family and friends, and then curl up on Sunday to read, reflect, and prepare for the upcoming Christmas Season!

Cheers!

Winter

For sale, baby shoes, never worn . . .

 

You may have noticed or recognized the title, but just in case you missed it, here it is again:

For sale, baby shoes, never worn . . .

Did you know that those six words are actually considered a novel? I know, it sounds impossible, but it’s true, and much to my delight, those six little words are often credited with beginning the short-story craze, or as we like to call it today, flash fiction.

You’re probably wondering why I’m so excited about that, especially because we all know how thrilled I am about my upcoming YA novel. Eve 2.0: The Ultimate Gaming Experience is a full-length, action-packed fantasy adventure that readers and gamers abound will truly enjoy, and while I adore writing novels of all varieties, I also have a thing for flash fiction.

Why am I mentioning this, you ask? Well, the other day I was talking to a good friend of mine and we were discussing the importance of “branding,” as in, I’m publishing a YA novel so I should make sure that everything about Winter Lawrence screams YA fiction. I pondered that for a few days, my mind all the while thinking up cool little flash fiction pieces, like the ones I’ve already shared online. I even considered deleting those, because while they’re definitely science fiction, they aren’t YA . . . well, The Moment might be able to squeak into that category, but definitely not The Duffel Bag. So I pondered on, wondering about “my brand” and the proverbial box that puts me in — and if truth be known, I’m not entirely claustrophobic, but I’d rather not be typecast. After all, Stephanie Meyers did write The Chemist and that definitely isn’t YA!

So where’s this all going, you ask? Good question! Here’s the answer: I think branding is important to authors — especially new ones like me, so I’ve decided to go with just being a science fiction, fantasy, and paranormal author — no age limits; minimum genre restrictions, because then I don’t feel as though I’ve busted the box wide open, but instead, I’ve just made “my brand” a little roomier. In that way, I’ll be able to give my readers a chance to see the many sides of Winter Lawrence, and not only one little part.

So what do you think about branding? Should authors, in the beginning, just stick to one thing, or is it better to go for broke? Let me know on my Google+ or Facebook pages, and if you have a great six-word novel that you want to share, go for it! I’m always up for a great short story!

Cheers!

Winter

Channeling your Muse

I know it sounds cliché to say that music is my life, especially because I’m not necessarily musically inclined. I do love to sing, but I don’t do it well; in fact, cats usually come-a-calling when I try, and I can barely pull off Chopsticks on a keyboard — real instruments and I aren’t friends. I do, however, play a mean Guitar Hero and if my nose isn’t stuck in a book, or nowadays, listening to an audiobook, I’m jamming out to music. My taste varies widely, so I always let my current story guide my musical selection. It’s crucial, really, because I actually can’t write without music playing in the background. I know, that sounds bizarre, but for me, music is a more essential writing tool than an actual computer. I can old-school write a story on a piece of paper any day, but I have to be in my character’s frame of mind while I’m writing and the easiest way to do that is to listen to what he or she would be listening to. It makes it easier for me to channel my muse, and there are so many songs out there that inspire me or that so perfectly fit the moment.

With all of that being said, for my upcoming novel I’ve created a YouTube playlist that I listen to often and that other people now enjoy too (even before the book has been released!). It’s been such a wonderful experience that I’ve decided to try and include a playlist for all of my future works as well. Many thanks to everyone for listening to the Eve 2.0 soundtracks and welcome to any new listeners!

I'm glad that music inspires my writing and that I've completely embraced it as part of my writing process, and I'm always happy to hear about what inspires others, so stop by my Google+ page when you get a chance and tell me how you channel your muse!

Cheers!

Winter