Mention Monday – 31st Annual Writers of the Future Awards Ceremony

28 Tuesday Apr 2015

Posted by angelacavanaugh in Mention Monday

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author, awards ceremony, keynotes, l ron hubbard, social anxiety, Tom Doherty, tor, William Pomerantz, writer, writers of the future

Last Week’s MM – Wil Wheaton and John Scalzi

A couple weeks ago, I was fortunate enough to go to the 31st Annual Writers of the Future Awards Ceremony. Just like the year before, it was very entertaining and inspiring. Although, about 3/4 of the way through I was ready for it to be over. It gets repetitive and that room was chilly.

This year they gave Tom Doherty of Tor a Lifetime Achievement Award.

And the Keynotes speaker was William Pomerantz from Virgin Galactic.

They also had singers, dancers, aerialists, video presentations… It was really nice to see writing celebrated.

Afterwards, Continue reading →

Announcement – I’ve been invited to write a new novel for Apocalypse Weird

26 Sunday Apr 2015

Posted by angelacavanaugh in Uncategorized

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I’m excited to announce that I’ll be joining the amazing authors of Apocalypse Weird and Wonderment Media, Inc. I can’t wait to see my novel alongside the others in the brand universe they’ve been creating.

Mention Monday – Wil Wheaton and John Scalzi

20 Monday Apr 2015

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advice on writing, hugo, hugo controversy, john scalzi, la festival of books, los angeles festival of books, wil wheaton

Last MM: Hollywood/LA

This weekend I went to the Los Angeles Festival of Books and was lucky enough to attend a conversation with Wil Wheaton and John Scalzi. It was informative and very entertaining. Wil Wheaton is great to listen to no matter what he’s doing. And John Scalzi is becoming on of my favorite writers.

It turns out that Wil Wheaton and John Scalzi have been friends since John Scalzi was first starting out. Their interaction was natural and made the audience feel like we all knew them well.

While there was a lot of information about the life of a writer, it’s difficult to sum it up. But if I were to take away lesson, it’d be this: Continue reading →

Writing Wednesday – Deadlines

16 Thursday Apr 2015

Posted by angelacavanaugh in Writing Wednesday

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advice, author, deadline, how to write, write, writer, writing

Last WW: The All Important First Draft

Love them or hate them, at some point, you will have a deadline. Maybe it’ll come from a publisher, or maybe it’ll be self-imposed. Either way, sooner or later, it’s something every writer must face.

Why we hate them:

Deadlines are scary. Many writers feel like they have to be in the mood to write, that a muse takes hold of them and lets the words flow. I know I write my best when I’m writing because there’s an idea inside of me that simply must come out. Sometimes, however, we have to find other things to motivate us. Deadlines are one such thing.
It feels awful to miss it. In many cases, it’s not the end of the world if you miss a deadline. If it’s a contest, yeah, you’re probably in trouble. But in most situations, the person who gave you that deadline will be lenient. Unless that person is yourself. When I give myself a deadline and I blow it, I’m really angry with myself. It sort of destroys me and I have to take a few days to recover, which often pushes me even further off course.

Why we should love them:

They speed things up. It’s great to write when the inspiration takes you. But if you only write when it does, then it could be years, if not decades, before your book is finished.
They’re necessary. If you go traditional, expect a lot of deadlines. But they’re equally important if you’re indie, and for the same reasons. It allows you to plan for marketing and promotions. It enables you to give your readers answers, and they are usually a hungry bunch eager for your next book to come out. It lets you know when you need to buckle down, and when you need to crack the whip.
It’s professional. Going from Writer to Author requires a lot of follow through. If you want readers to stick with you, they have to know that they can trust you. This means making plans, like deadlines, and delivering on them.

They’re are many more reasons why deadlines are both good and bad. In the end, I believe that they are a good thing. For example, I have a story due on Friday. While I am a bit of a procrastinator, I’ve been working on it. It’s actually already gone through two drafts, and I’m finishing the third, which is more of a rewrite than anything. There’s a lot that I need to do on it between now and then. But rather than spending all day tomorrow watching reruns or movies, I’ll be butt in chair and working. Why? Because I have a deadline to keep.

Dauntless – Sleep Saga: Book 1 Is Available for Pre-Order

11 Saturday Apr 2015

Posted by angelacavanaugh in Random

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new book, preorder, scifi

Dauntless – Sleep Saga: Book 1

After pushing the release back a few weeks, I set a deadline and am sticking to it! The book has been done for some time, and just sitting here, waiting for all the others to get in order and getting buried under a big pile of life. No more. It’s time! So the first story is available for pre-order, and the release is 4/9/2015.

Writing Wednesday – The All Important First Draft

09 Thursday Apr 2015

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active protagonist, advice, first draft, first draft problems, how to, how to write, informative dialogue, revise, writer, writing

Last WW: The Tortise and the Hare

I’ve talked before about how it’s important that you complete more than one draft. I just finished up a short story that I have for the upcoming The Z Chronicles, and learned this lesson all over again. I thought that I had a good story that would only need minor tweaking. I was wrong. Turns out, all I have is bones. There were a lot of things that needed to be changed.

Problem: Continue reading →

Mention Monday – Hollywood/LA

07 Tuesday Apr 2015

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author, fashion district, hollywood, la, Los Angeles, movie premier, nicholas sparks, sushi, the longest ride, things to do in la, upright citizen brigade, writer

As I’ve mentioned before, I live in Hollywood. Most of the time, it’s just another place. I’ve grown completely used to it and most of the time stay in my apartment. But sometimes, someone will come and visit, and in trying to entertain them, I’ll be reminded of how neat a place Hollywood really is. I’ve had some amazing opportunities here and done things that I know not many people get to do. I’m grateful for that.

This week, it was my mom and one of my sisters who came in town to visit with me. It’s been a fun time, but I’m not sure that I have ever been so tired before. They keep a different schedule from me (a normal one), and live in a time zone that’s two hours earlier. So, in addition to doing a ton of stuff, I’ve been getting up early. Somehow I managed to finish my first draft for my Z story, but I haven’t gotten much else done that’s construction. But here’s some things we did do:

Tonight I met author Nicholas Sparks.

We went to the Premier of The Longest Ride.

I love Premiers. They’re fun, they’re free, they give you snacks (popcorn, candy, soda (which I don’t drink) and water, all complementary).

It’s not impossible to go to a premier. I’ve been to close to a dozen. And I haven’t even tried to go in a few years. I’ve mostly gotten over it, because while it’s not impossible, it can take some effort.

Last night we went to The W Hotel for Jazz Night.

It wasn’t exactly what we were expecting. They moved it from the lounge onto the roof, so it was more club-ish then we were looking for. But the live music was good. And they had “Easter Bunny” dancers.

It was a fun, albeit, short time. There wasn’t any cover, and we rode the elevator up with Keanu Reeves. But drinks were $14 each, so, yikes there! Only stayed for one.

(me and Adam)

We also went to the fashion district downtown and walked around. Some places were closed, but my mom and sister found some good deals on beads. We ate some BBQ for lunch and I cooked dinner at home that night. Barbacoa.

The day before we went to get pedicures and went to the beach.

We walked the beach and then the boardwalk on Venice Beach. My goodness, there was so much walking. Lots of traffic, too. But it was a fun time.

We kicked the whole thing off with sushi and an Improv show. We went to the Upright Citzen’s Brigade. It’s usually good, sometimes great, sometimes not so great. But it’s $0-$10 a show, so it’s hard to beat.

Tomorrow is their last day. We’re going to my favorite breakfast place, BLD, then maybe some Karaoke. I’m sure that there are a ton of other cheap or free things to do here. And many other experiences that are unique to Hollywood/LA. I enjoy being here, and I’ve found it to be a fun place for people to visit. Now, I have to summon my energy and make it through the next visitors. I’m expecting them in 2 weeks. Which is not a lot of time to rest, but maybe I’ll be able to keep the house clean that long. 🙂

It is hard to balance guests, starting a new job (I did that last week), still working the old job, writing, and keeping up with this blog. You’ve probably noticed me struggling. Hopefully life will settle down soon, and I’ll be able to get back into a rhythm. Until then, I’m doing my best.