What I mean when I say I'm going to run from zombies...

I made a post earlier today where I stated I was going to run from zombies and then the questions started pouring in. Rather than answer them individually, I decided to write a blog post explaining what I'm doing.

I hate running.

OMG do I hate running. And this is nothing new. Even in high school, when I was on the pom squad and in the best shape of my life, I still hated running. My freshman year, it was a P.E. requirement to complete a mile run. I did it in eleven minutes. Did I mention I hate running?

So then two winters ago I heard about an app called Zombies, Run! which was supposed to simulate you, the runner, being chased by zombies. I thought, if anything could make me run, zombies sure could. So I bought the app and I found out Zombies, Run! was so much more than I thought.

Not only is it a fitness app, it's also part video game. Once you start the app and enable the GPS on your phone, voice actors begin to tell you the story of  a helicopter (that you're on) shot out of the sky. You land in the middle of an area overrun with zombies. A radio transmission leads you to a town where you are taken in as long as you become one of the many "Runners" or people who run supply missions into the zombie infested areas. Thus begins your journey as Runner 5.

You can enable your own music play list to play during the intermissions between the story. During which, a voice will periodically cut through the music to tell you if you've found a supply or if zombies are nearby.

I hate running.

But I will run like a gazelle when I hear the sound of moaning creeping up behind me in my headphones. When you hear the zombies, you need to haul butt. The GPS in your phone keeps track of your pace and if you don't hurry, you won't be able to evade the mob. Once you've successfully evaded the mob, you can slow your pace and resume the story. However, if you are overcome by the mob, you'll lose valuable supplies in order to get away.

Sound fun? It really is. You just have to be careful that you don't get so wrapped up in the game that you lose focus on your surroundings--you wouldn't want to run in front of a car or anything. Today, for example, I completed three miles and had just returned home when I was alerted to zombies. With no where to go, I had to run circles around my tiny backyard until I'd successfully evaded them, all the while my neighbors watched like this: 0.o.

So if you're like me, and need some prompting to run, or maybe you're just a zombie enthusiast, I highly recommend purchasing the Zombies, Run! app for $3.99. Who knows? Maybe it will be the training you need to save your life in the event of a real Zombie Apocalypse.

Happy Wednesday!

New Blog Chain Post: Nonfiction and the Fiction Writer

This round of the blog chain was brought to us by Sandra who asks:

We all know it's important to read fiction if you want to write fiction, but what about reading non-fiction? How much non-fiction do you read? What kinds of non-fiction books do you read, and why? Has reading non-fiction influenced your fiction writing style?

Surprisingly enough, I do read a ton of nonfiction. Because of my day job as a professional dog trainer, I'm always reading the latest dog training book. I've always found canine behavior fascinating and I'm a firm believer that, no matter what your trade, you never stop learning. So if there's a new technique out there for modifying behavior, I want to know about it. Likewise, I also want to know the latest discoveries in canine behavior as well as learning applications. Did you know the average canine can learn approximately 200 words? Did you know there's a Border Collie in Germany who uses deductive reasoning to guess the name of a toy its owner never called by name before? Did you know a popular current theory is not that man domesticated the dog but rather, dogs--the opportunists that they are--domesticated themselves for a free meal?

Sorry, I'm a dog nerd and I digress.

Likewise, I read a ton of nonfiction for my writing career as well. Unfortunately, I couldn't afford the $10,000 price tag that comes with a research trip to Japan, so all of my research for the KATANA series had to come through the tons and tons of books I checked out from the library.

And I'm also an avid collector of how-to writing books. Recently I purchased THE EMOTION THESAURUS by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi. What a fantastic book! As someone who tends to use the same reactions over and over this book provides authors with a whole array of physical and mental reactions (both short and long term) that a character could have given any emotion. Love, Love, LOVE this book! It's never out of hands reach when I'm writing or revising.

So what about you? What's the last nonfiction book you read?

For more links to the chain, please check out Alyson's post from yesterday and tune in tomorrow for Amparo's post.

Happy Wednesday!

FAN ART! SQUEE!!!

So the AMAZINGLY talented and lovely Sena sent me some more fan art and this time it's from SENSHI! Not only that, but she did it of my absolute favorite scene in the book. I've posted the pictures below, but if you'd like to see larger versions of the pictures, or just look at her awesome artwork, click here.

Please feel free to gush about how talented she is in the comments. I certainly think so. 

Blog Chain--Favorite Tropes

It's blog chain time again. Once again I'm a day late. I fully intended to blog yesterday but I was really down in the dumps. Sounds lame, I know, but I'm really bad at the social media stuff when I'm feeling down. Depression makes me antisocial. Luckily, the sun is out today and I'm feeling a lot better.

So now on with the chain. This week's blog chain was started by Kate who asks:

As a reader and/or a writer what are some of your favorite fiction tropes? Are you sucker for secretly in love with best friend type stories, stories set in mysterious boarding school stories, stories that contain time travel, or something else entirely? As a writer how do you try to give the tropes you tackle in your own books a fresh spin?

Hmmm...

My tastes are pretty across the board. But if I were forced to choose, I think my favorite story is the superhero's journey. (I know. I've shocked you all, right? *grin*) I love a good "someone discovers they have superpowers and now they must figure out how to control them and if they're going to use them for good or evil" story.

As an avid reader of comic books I love how this has been handled in a hundred different ways from Captain America (It is my duty to serve) to Spider Man (Um, I'm just a teen trying to survive high school) to the Phoenix (I think I'm good, yet there's a part of me that wants to engulf the world in flames. So, yeah...) to Storm (You want to worship me as a God? I suppose that won't hurt.)

As Uncle Ben once said, "With great power comes great responsibility." But what if those with the power think it's a curse? The entire situation spins on its head. And that is why the super hero trope is my favorite.

So what about you? What's your favorite fiction trope?

For more links along the chain, check out Alyson's post before mine and Amparo's post today!

And now, because it's almost Friday, I will leave you with the best video ever created.



As Stan the man would say, "Excelsior!"

Interview at Manga Maniac!

Today I'm being interviewed over at Manga Maniac! You can check it out here if you feel so inclined. Happy Tuesday!

The Next Big Thing Blog Hop

I'm so excited to be a part of this! I was tagged by the amazing Jacqueline West who writes the super fun (and deliciously dark) MG series The Books of Elsewhere. Did I mention there were talking cats?!?

If you don't already know, the Next Big Thing Blog Hop gives authors the chance to discuss their works in progress. What I'm currently working on is SHINOBI--book three of my KATANA series. 

What is your working title of your book (or story)? 



SHINOBI--which means shadow warrior. It was used as another name to describe ninja.
 
Where did the idea come from for the book? 

For as long as I can remember, I've been fascinated with Japanese history and samurai in particular. I guess you could say the character Senshi was directly inspired by a real-life samurai Tome Gozen. 



According to the Tale of the Heike:

Tomoe was especially beautiful, with white skin, long hair, and charming features. She was also a remarkably strong archer, and as a swordswoman she was a warrior worth a thousand, ready to confront a demon or a god, mounted or on foot. She handled unbroken horses with superb skill; she rode unscathed down perilous descents. Whenever a battle was imminent, Yoshinaka sent her out as his first captain, equipped with strong armor, an oversized sword, and a mighty bow; and she performed more deeds of valor than any of his other warriors^.

What genre does your book fall under? 


I think my publisher has it listed as a supernatural action-adventure.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition? 


That's a really good question. I go back and forth all the time on who I'd want to play my main character Rileigh. But there is no question in my mind who would play Gimhae Kim. 

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book? 


Hmm...since it's book three of a series, it might be easier to start with book one. After being attacked in a parking lot, seventeen year-old Rileigh Martin is possessed by the spirit of a fifteenth-century samurai. 

Are you signed with an agent or publisher, or are you planning to self-publish?  

This book will be published March 2014 through Flux.  

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



I'm three-fourths of the way done and hoping to be completely finished in the next couple of weeks, so that would be two months of writing and I'll need another month to edit. 

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


Another tough question. The School Library Journal compared recommended KATANA for fans of SAMURAI GIRL.

Who or what inspired you to write this book? 


When I was seventeen I found myself living out of my car for a couple of weeks with books my only source of comfort and entertainment. If my own books can help a suffering teen forget about their problems even for a little while, then I accomplished what I set out to do. 

What else about your book might pique the reader's interest?

How about some reviews? 

Praise for KATANA:
"This action-packed novel has a unique and compelling plot...even readers who dislike supernatural story lines will enjoy this tale of modern samurais." ~ School Library Journal

"An action packed page-turner tempered with slow-burning romance." ~ Booklist

Praise for SENSHI:
"...with a twisty plot and death-defying action, this romance delivers teen yearning with martial arts kicks." ~ Kirkus 

Now it's my turn to add to the chain. Next week make sure to check out Brad R. Cook's blog. Brad is a good friend of mine as well as a critique partner and president of the St. Louis Writer's Guild.

Blog Chain: Genre Mashing

It's blog chain time again! And like always, I'm a day late and a buck short. This book release is going to be the death of me--but would I have it any other way? Hells to the no!

Anyway, this round of the blog chain was started by the brilliant Margie Gelbwasser who asks:

Pick a book or story and imagine it in a new genre. For example, what would Oliver Twist be like if it was a sci-fi novel. Would Fagin have been a robot? Do you prefer you new creation or the original?


Ummm....

I think my head just exploded.

There are way too many awesome possibilities out there for me to snag a single one. Some of my favorites through, are not necessarily changing genres but modernizing them. Remember the book Emma by Jane Austin that we all had to read in high school? Yeah it was fun, but oh my gawd did I love when they made it into a teen movie.

Remember this?

Yeah...so great. Except for the fact that Cher's love interest is now staring in a movie called This is Forty. Seriously, when did that happen? But I digress.

I've been thinking about this a lot lately, taking stories from history and giving them modern spins. There's a historical Japanese warrior I want to bring to life, but unfortunately she has to wait her turn behind some other pending projects.

So how about you? What classic story would you like to give a new spin to? For other answers please check out Amparo's and Alyson's blogs.

Happy Thursday!