New Release from Emerald Barnes! Read Me Dead

Today we have Emerald Barnes, author of Read Me Dead.  She is here to introduce her character Christian Miller.  He was one of her favorites!

I hope that this little introduction into his mindset will leave you wanting more!

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My name is Christian Miller, and Alexia Wheaton is the love of my life.

Her parents died when she was only ten.  It’s haunted her ever since.  Now, the secret she’s been carrying has finally come out, and she’s terrified.  To be honest, so am I.  I can lose her at any moment.

When she first told us her secret, my immediate thought was only of protecting her, and when her twin brother writes her off because she kept this secret, she needs someone, and I plan on being that someone.  But Landon, our best friend, tries to swoop in and take her away from me.  And he succeeds.

But I never stop fighting for her, and I never stop loving her.  I will protect her.  No matter the cost.

Come April 25th, you can see how our story ends.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

More about the book:

Alexia Wheaton’s problems go beyond picking a dress and a date for homecoming.

For seven years, Alex has lived with a painful memory – her parents’ horrific murder. As the sole witness, she has kept quiet to protect herself, but when the local newspaper reveals her secret, Alex is plagued with fear that her parents’ murderer will soon find her – and silence her forever.

Alex is catapulted into a race against time to save her own life and bring her parents’ murderer to justice.

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Guest Post: Finding Your Inspiration

Today’s guest post comes from Emerald Barnes, author of Piercing Through the Darkness.

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There are days when it feels like the world is against you, when you can’t find any inspiration for your writing.  It feels like every word you type is garbage and you even doubt edits will fix the garbage you’ve written.  But is it really garbage or is it you thinking it’s garbage?

Inspiration at times is the hardest thing to find.  You have these ideas running around your brain, but they aren’t coming out right.  You know how the story is supposed to go, but on paper, it’s turning out completely different.  You resist the urge to toss your laptop across the room and never write again.

When this happens, take a break!    Distance yourself from your writing.  Take a brisk walk outside and clear your head.  Put on a movie or some music and focus on it.  Take that break and gather your thoughts.

Focus on the good of the novel.  Once you’ve taken a break, focus on the good parts of the novel you’re working on it.  It doesn’t even have to be what you have written.  It can be something you plan on writing, but focus on the good.  Nothing good ever comes from dwelling on the bad.

Find the love for your work again.  We all fall in and out of love with our work.  If you’re frustrated, you’re probably falling out of love with your novel, but you had some good times with it.  Don’t lie.  Think about those.  Think about the characters you have written.  You created them.  You know their ins and outs; their loves and hates.  You know them.  Surely you haven’t fallen out of love with them.  Rekindle that love.

Move on with the work.  Try again.  Start over if you have to, but don’t abandon it yet.  Don’t give up so easily.

If you can’t move on with your work just yet, try starting another project.  Write a short story, poem, essay, anything.  Then try working with that frustrating piece again.  Maybe you’ve had some time to reevaluate the work after you’ve focused on something else.

Find your muse.  Find the very thing that motivates you to keep writing.  What is it?  Is it the thought of success?  Knowing you’ve finished your work?  It is the glory you feel when you’ve met your word count goal of the day?  The feel of writing a scene brilliantly? Whatever it is, just keep writing.  Focus on what keeps you going when all else fails.

Talk it out.  Seek out a trusted friend.  They can be a fellow writer or your best friend.  Virtual friends or real life friends.  You’ll be surprised how well you’ll feel when you’ve had a conversation about the characters, the plot and the overall story once you talk it out with someone.

Most importantly, don’t give up!  Whenever it feels like your writing is letting you down, face it head on and keep writing!  After all, you can’t call yourself a writer if you don’t write.

How do you find inspiration?

~*~

Emerald Barnes resides in a small town in Mississippi, where she writes novels and short stories as well as blogs about writing when she isn’t spending time with her nieces and nephew.  She has self-published an e-book, Piercing Through the Darkness, and has been published by Phyllis Scott Publishing in their book Blue Legs and Other Coming of Age Stories.  She works diligently to finish more works for publication.  Read Me Dead, a YA suspense/thriller/romance will be available soon.  You can follow her blog at http://ebarnes23.wordpress.com.  Follow her on Twitter @emeraldbarnes and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/fanpageforemeraldbarnes

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