Are You Enough?

Ever wonder if you are enough?  Do you doubt your spirit will carry you thorough the tough times? Do you need stuff, like new software, a new desk or some other bright shiny thing to succeed in your writing? 

I think sometimes we tend to look outside of ourselves for the strength to be what we want to be.  When the real strength and gifts lies within us. 

I watched a video of children living in conditions that I find deplorable and suffocating.  What could be worse than living in a slum built over a landfill?  What do you think these children are learning from the experience?  It might surprise you. 





I don't know about you, but I was blown away by these children, their situation, their reaction to it and how they allowed their creative gifts to soar in spite of what lay before them.   

I feel so much can be learned from what's happening in this small village.  What do you think? 

 
"There are a thousand excuses for every failure, but never a good reason."   Mark Twain

Till next time,
Elizabeth





 

Cover Art

I love book covers – the covers that draw you in, that tell a story at a glance. I think in another life I should have been a graphic artist because I would love, love, love to be able to create a piece of art that matches the written word.

I know that not all covers represent exactly what is inside the book, but I would like to think that I know just by looking what the story is going to be about. I hope that when I get published, my cover will bring me to tears – in a good way.

Some of the covers I love:

This Rebecca York cover is for her novella from Carina Press. Most of the time their covers are fantastic. I love the energy of this one and the hot guy doesn’t hurt either.


The colours really POP in this cover for Janni Nell’s mystery series! You can tell the book is going to be fun by the cover. The little heart/butterfly wing emblem at the bottom is carried through the series. It is another Carina Press cover.

I love the colour red and this is just so rich and luxurious I want to touch the cover. The book is by Kady Cross and I am going to read it just because of the cover-plus I love steampunk :)

Bethany House has great covers, they are known for it. I know it is a little out of the realm of this blog, but I bought this book just from the cover and I loved it. Cathy Marie Hake is one of my favourite authors. The cover is fun and quirky, just like the book.

Just some of my faves!

When I Was A Kid...

Have you ever wondered if you were an alien from another planet or an heir to a lost kingdom? Well, I didn’t think I was a princess, perhaps a ballerina, but certainly I thought I had lived in another time. Growing up, I imagined I lived on a distant planet and somehow was transported through space and time by a portal to earth. No doubt, the movies I watched as a child fueled my imagination and my thinking.

Recently, I’ve wondered which movies have influenced me as a writer. Rummaging through the cobwebs in my brain, I remembered how certain old films stirred up my emotions. Four wonderful films come to mind that still haunt me. Casablanca, The Red Shoes, Wuthering Heights and King Kong. They were stories filled with passionate characters that lived beyond the flat screen. I hear the music and I’m there. I can hear Rick from the film "Casablanca" saying "If you can play it for her, you can play it for me." That's what I want to achieve in my stories, the same kind of magic that will transport my readers off to another world and leave this one far behind.



Although different genres all of these films have a common theme of love with a twist. It doesn’t matter who you are or what you are, love pushes and pulls you beyond your comfort zone.





As writers, I think the possiblities of what we can get from films are enormous, besides what a cool way to learn. What films stimulate your imagination and influence your world of writing?

Till next time,
Elizabeth