Tag: writing

Posted on

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words…

That’s very true for me since I’m very visually oriented. So much so, that I even write with the television on during the colder months. When it warms up, I’m out on my little balcony, enjoying the quiet of early morning and the sights. Birds and squirrels running around. Surfer dudes on their bikes, coming back from the beach. Bright blue skies and the pinks and blues of the flowers in the pots at my feet.

So visual things inspire me and when I heard about Pinterest, I just had to take a look. Oh man, am I hooked. A nice, clean and easy-to-access place for all those things that I can use for all kinds of ideas!

If you want to take a look at some of my “boards”, you can visit me at pinterest.com/caridadpineiro/.
Hope you are all having an awesome Thursday! By the way, the Nocturnal Whispers Release Party ended yesterday and I’ll be picking a winner in the next few days and announcing it on the blog. Thanks so much to everyone who participated.

Posted on

Guest Blogging on Fitness and Writing

As my regulars know, I’ve had an up and down battle with my weight for some time. I recently lost 30 pounds and am trying to continue on that trend by working out and eating right. It’s more than just about losing weight, however. It’s about being healthier.

My friend, Karen Katchur, is not only a writer, but has a M. Ed. in Health and Physical Education as well as twelve years of experience as a group fitness instructor. I’m blogging with Karen today about fitness and writing, so take a moment to drop by and leave your comments on what you do to try and stay fit. You can click here to visit with us!

Also, please come join the fun on June 9th as Lisa Renee Jones and I dish about what we love in our paranormal heroes, how to make the perfect man and our latest releases. We’ll also have a mess of goodies for you like gift cards, autographed books, t-shirts and more!

Posted on

Einstein’s Theory of Insanity

Albert Einstein was quoted as saying:

“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”


As I consider this very simple of Theory of Insanity which requires no advanced degree, abacus, slide rule or computer, it confounds me that I seem not to grasp the principle. In thinking about my life lately, I realize that there are certain things that I have been doing over and over, always expecting that somehow I’ll have a more favorable outcome.

But Einstein was right. Do the same thing. Get the same result. Always.

“So what to do?” I ask myself. Shake things up somehow? Try something different? I’m conservative by nature, so rocking the boat is not normally my thing, unless injustice is involved. I can’t stand to see people abuse power.

“So where shall I start making changes in my life?” I ask myself yet again this very cold not yet Spring morning.

Let’s start with the writing gig. So many changes are happening in the industry so quickly. The supposedly tried and true way of climbing the publishing ladder – the NYC print publishers – are taking a bit of a rocking lately with book store issues and the defection of writers like Barry Eisler to indie publishing.

Not that I recommend that approach to those who have not been previously published. Eisler had an established following, something which the average unpublished writer does not and before someone tosses out the Amanda Hocking story, just remember that for every Amanda Hocking there are thousands of writers who spend thousands of dollars self-publishing and get nowhere. Hocking is to be admired for her perseverance and determination, but ultimately she chose a six figure deal with a NYC publisher so that she could write instead of being a promotion machine.

But in the case of a published author, is the now titled “indie” publishing a viable option? And if it is, what is the price point for an indie book?

Would you spend 99 cents on such a novel? If you liked the work, would you then make the jump to pay $5 or $6 or even $8 dollars for the next work by that author.

I’d love to hear your thoughts as this writer considers breaking free from Einstein’s Theory of Insanity.

Posted on

Thursday Thirteen – 13 Fun Things to do in a Blizzard

We didn’t have a White Christmas this year, but we did get a huge blizzard over December 26 to 27th which is what prompted today’s Thursday 13: 13 Fun Things to do in a Blizzard!

1. Sleep.

2. Start a fire in the fireplace.

3. Start a fire in the bedroom.

4. Read a good book.

5. Write a book (hopefully good).

6. Sleep.

7. Make a nice soup or stew to chase away the chill after # 8.

8. Shovel. Yes, it can be fun to be out there with the snow coming down and the chill nip in the air.

9. Make some hot chocolate or hot apple cider.

10. Sleep.

11. Write some more because you are under a horrible deadline.

12. Take some pictures (see below).

13. Enjoy the day off from work!

Take a moment to share some of your favorite things to do during a blizzard!

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others’ comments. It’s easy, and fun!

Posted on

Kiss Me, Kill Me Tuesday – Parachute Jumps and Chuck

First let me preface this with: I love CHUCK. It’s a great spy romantic comedy suspense.

Last night’s episode kind of annoyed me. I think in many different kinds of stories we’re asked to suspend disbelief for certain things. In the case of CHUCK there are many of them, but the primary one is that a person’s mind can somehow be programmed to be a supercomputer. It’s like believing that people can be genetically engineered to be something other than human (LOL!).

But when it comes to real life things, it’s up to a writer to make sure those real life things are portrayed accurately.

Case in point: The escape from the villain’s jet using parachutes. Chuck and his seemingly more nerdy older spy guy put on parachutes. They don’t secure them in any fashion, just slip them over their shoulders. They open the door to a moving jet and it goes flying off. They have time for banter and then jump out. The remaining people in the jet, who are unsecured in any way, are able to stay on the jet.

So wrong from a real life perspective.

1. You need to secure the parachute pack or it might get pulled off your body when you engage the chute. That’s just common sense.

2. Most parachute jumps occur from about 13,000 feet. HALO (High Altitude Low Oxygen) jumps occur from about 25,000 to 35,000 feet. HALO jumps require bailout oxygen because of the lack of oxygen at those high altitudes.

3. Most passenger jets fly at altitudes of between 30,000 and 37,000 feet. Smaller business jets may fly at even higher altitudes. Some twin engine aircraft and prop planes may fly as low as 8,000 feet. At higher altitudes, jumping from any kind of jet operating at standard norms would require bailout oxygen.

4. Flying planes at those heights also requires something else: Cabin pressurization to prevent passengers and crew members to maintain a safe and comfortable environment. Think of the inside of the cabin as the inside of a bottle of champagne. What happens when you pop off the top? With explosive decompression, things may get sucked out of the plane if the hole in large enough (as in an open door) and if the difference in pressure from inside the cabin to out is high enough.

5. The normal air speed for the aircraft when parachuting is about 90 mph. Most common jet airliners travel between 450 and 600 miles per hour. Smaller jets usually fly about 100 miles slower, but Honda is introduced a new jet in 2006 that flies at 480 miles per hour.

So in other words, the jet plane parachute escape was totally implausible on various real life points. Again, while some liberties are allowed with certain fictionalized elements that form the basis of your story, you cannot skimp on facts. If a viewer or reader immediately says, “That’s so not realistic”, it draws them out of the story. It’s your job as a writer not to let that happen.

Hope you enjoyed today’s Kiss Me, Kill Me Tuesday.

On another note, don’t forget the various contests that are running to celebrate the release of STRONGER THAN SIN!

Today is the last day for the Bitten by Books release party and a chance to win a $50 gift card.

The ARE YOU STRONG ENOUGH contest and Fresh Fiction contest will be running until the end of November.

Posted on

Fun Friday – Jersey Shore, Baseball and The Hills are Alive!

Still celebrating the release of STRONGER THAN SIN which means you can visit with me over at my friend Lois Winston’s wonderful blog where I’ll be talking about how to select locations for your novels and why I chose the Jersey Shore. Anyone who leaves a comment will have a chance to win an autographed copy of SINS OF THE FLESH. If you win and already have that one, just let me know and I can substitute another release for you!

Another fun thing for you! With the World Series underway (and me struggling to watch it on MLB.TV which is so much harder to follow than a Fox feed!), we’re going to have some baseball fun here next Friday. My friend and fellow author Ronnie Norpel will be here to talk about her latest release, BASEBALL KARMA AND THE CONSTITUTION BLUES from Three Rooms Press.

Finally, one of my all time favorite movies is THE SOUND OF MUSIC for so many reasons. My family and I went to see it when I was a kid. We did a special trip to New York City in our Easter finery, hats and all for the Easter parade. Then we went to Radio City Music Hall. I cried at the end (and still do) because I could connect with those children who were forced to leave their homes because of a crazy man.

But on a brighter note, the cast reunited recently and here’s a clip for you to enjoy on this Fun Friday!

Posted on

Creativity and Chaos and Rubber Duckies

Many years ago I shared a meal with a friend at a legal conference and we got on a discussion of my writing as well as my firmly held belief that as a creative type I was allowed a little slack in the organization area. Mind you, clutter was something with which I grew up since my mother loved her little things.

In retrospect, that aspect of our lives was probably shaped by our departure from Cuba and leaving so many loved things behind. The two things I was able to bring with me were my gold Caridad del Cobre medal (my patron saint) and my little doll Pepito. He sits on the top edge of the sofa in my office in a place of honor.

But back to the clutter which invariably can lead to chaos and disorganization. In my mind I was entitled to some slack in the organization department because of my creative bent (and also a decided lack of time due to multiple jobs).

My friend looked at me and said, “Do you ever lose time trying to find something you need?”

The answer was an immediate “Yes” which was followed by, “And that was time that you could have spent being creative, right?”

At which point I was feeling rather embarrassed because she was totally right. If I spent half-an-hour searching for paper or something else that I needed, it was half-an-hour that I could have spent writing or relaxing.

Armed with that new insight, I took steps at home to clean up the clutter and get better organized. Not only did it make cleaning the house easier, but things looked neater and less oppressive. The one place I have yet to totally re-do is my home office.

There my doll Pepito sits, eyeballing the clutter, but I have started getting rid of the mess. And once a month, whether I like it or not, I get things organized. Now my goal is to just make it organized right away so that the once a month toss is not necessary. Get my ducks in a row which is in part why I chose that picture for today’s blog.

The other reason is that next week I’ll be at the RWA National Conference so you may see me be a little absent from the blog, although I am hoping to provide you with updates on what’s happening at the conference and some fun photos and videos!

If you happen to be going or if you’ll be in the Orlando area, please drop by the Literacy Signing which is taking place on Wednesday, July 28, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the Walt Disney World® Dolphin Resort, Pacific Exhibit Hall. This signing is open to the public.

If you’re attending the conference, also look for me at the Grand Central Publishing signing on Saturday, July 31, from 3:00-4:30 p.m. at the Walt Disney World® Dolphin Resort, Southern Hemisphere, Salon 1. We’ll have copies of books for you as well as some special bookmarks and fun Jesse Bradford football duckies (hence the ducks also) in honor of the hero in STRONGER THAN SIN!

Jesse Bradford Football Rubber Duckie
(I swear the rubber duckie is bigger than this!)

Proudly powered by WordPress