Skip to main content

Fiction 101

Captain's Log, Stardate 02.10.2006

Book giveaway:
My Monday book giveaway (SAVANNAH FROM SAVANNAH) is here.
My Thursday book giveaway (A HERO FOR DRY CREEK) is here.
You can still enter both of them. Just post a comment on those blog posts.
On Monday, I'll draw the winner for SAVANNAH and post the title for another book I'm giving away. Stay tuned.

Why blog: Thanks for the input yesterday. I'm praying about the whole branding and blogging thing. Pray for me if you get a chance. Thanks, peeps.

Fiction 101: It is thrilling and yet weird at the same time to go to Randy Ingermanson's website and see my ugly mug there. Yes, it's true, I twisted Randy's arm in a Tahitian-shoulder-slinger-death-grip until he agreed to post my picture and my recommendation for his Fiction 101 instructional CD.

If you haven't been able to take Randy's Fiction 101 course, you're totally missing out, you loser. This was one of the best courses I ever took. He taught not only the basics of fiction writing, but he also gave me tips and pointers so I could build on that foundation and craft better and better stories.

He's now selling the CD for Fiction 101 at 40% off if you order before February 13th. You get 50% off if you buy two or more CDs. S&H is free, even if you live overseas.

And no, I don't get any kind of kickback by telling y'all about it. I just think this is a really great instructional CD, because it was a terrific class when I took it.

Bible in 90 Days: Day 33. Still in Job. These verses stuck out for me: But once He has made His decision, who can change His mind? Whatever He wants to do, He does. So He will do to me whatever He has planned. He controls my destiny. Job 12:13-14. God is so mighty and powerful, and yet He cares about me. Who am I to question anything that happens to me? And this is what He says to all humanity: 'The fear of the Lord is true wisdom; to forsake evil is real understanding.' Job 29:28

Writing: Um...I need Robin to crack her whip.

Diet: Did okay yesterday--about 1500, maybe? The eggplant and chicken parmesan was yuuuuuuuuummmmmyyy. But what I've really got to do is more aerobic exercise. I have to get my fat butt on my exercise bike every day.

Today I had a massive lunch because I misread the instructions on my ramen (850). Oh man. I hope to get some walking done this afternoon and to have self control at dinner tonight. I feel so fat. I hate feeling this way. I haven't lost any weight. I just sit and massage my rolls. Isn't that pathetic? Like I can squeeze the fat out of my body. I need a shrink and a stiff drink.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Thanks for the plug, Camy, and thanks for letting me put your cute little mug on my info page for Fiction 101! It looks a whole lot better than my mug.

I am really excited about getting Fiction 101 out there. I've now taught it at 5 major writing conferences around the country, and it's been extremely well received, but I wanted to make it more accessible (and much MUCH cheaper), because it can be a HUGE financial burden (and a big time commitment) to go to a writing conference.

The response yesterday was incredible, and I was up till 1 AM dealing with all the email. I'm just about caught up.
Mirtika said…
I'm thinking about it. I guess I have until MOnday. :)

Your LOVELY mug graces any page, Camykins.

Mir--who is one of those people who likes a HARD COPY MANUAL, so I don't have to wear-tear my printer printing stuff out. So, yeah, I guess I like some heft for fifty bucks plus. One cd= fifty bucks sorta makes my head hurt. If it were 25.99, I'd place an order TODAY. One cd...ONE cd....But, I like Randy, I think he's cool and a nifty writer, and maybe I need this. PONDERING.....
Unknown said…
And uh, Camy...where's your writing update for today?

And why haven't you called me yet??????????????????????????
Lynette Sowell said…
Aw, ain't her purty on Randy's site? The Fiction series looks awesome. :) Oh, I find the Weight Watchers and Lean Cuisine frozen meals make a pretty good lunch. I just finished week 3. I'm hoping to lose some weight before Mount Hermon. :)
Mirtika said…
Lynette, I'm not wild about the Smart Ones entrees. Some of the LC are okay. I really like some of the ones I've found at WHOLE FOODS (like the Chicken Tikka Masala). I also like Michael Angelo's veggie lasagna. (5 points, I add fruit and veggies, for a couple more points to fill up better.) I do find I need to have something rich in potassium every time I eat a frozen meal, cause those babies tend to be REALLY REALLY salty, and needs a high-K balance (like a cup of skim milk smoothied up with berries and half a banana or just a cup of unsweetened coconut water.)

I wish they'd add less salt.

And yes, is this a weird comment or what?

Mir
Hang in there, girl. You'll get there. Me too I hope. LOL!
Mirtika said…
Hey, Camykins,

The coolest thing about Job, literarily and theologically to me: Job never gets an answer. God never explains himself. It's like, "Hey, Jobey-boy, were you there when I put this Cosmos together? No, then YOU don't get to ASK ME questions. I ask YOU questions, bub, and then you get on your knees."

And, as in any true encounter with the divine in the majesty of his glory, you fall on your face and repent. (See Isaiah.)I'm guessing I'll be doing a lot of that falling on my face thing. (Does that count as aerobic or toning exercise?)

Call me odd, but Ilike it when God lets his "Do you know who I am" side blaze. It tells me he can kick the bad guy's hineys and not break a sweat. :)

But Job still has always been tough slogging for me, except for the climactic conclusion. Happy Job-ing.

Mir

Popular Posts

In-N-Out from A DANGEROUS STAGE

Source: tumblr.com via Camy on Pinterest In-N-Out, one of my fav burger joints, makes an appearance in the first chapter of A Dangerous Stage . It's a chain on the West Coast and Hawaii, I'm not sure how far east they have restaurants. They don't freeze any of their food, it's all fresh, including the buns and the french fries. When you order, you can see them use this french fry hand-crank machine to make their fries, it's pretty cool. The specific restaurant in A Dangerous Stage doesn't exist at that location, but there's a couple of them near me and I go there way too often than is good for me, but it's oh-so-yummy!

No Cold Bums toilet seat cover

Captain's Log, Stardate 08.22.2008 I actually wrote out my pattern! I was getting a lot of hits on my infamous toilet seat cover , and I wanted to make a new one with “improvements,” so I paid attention and wrote things down as I made the new one. This was originally based off the Potty Mouth toilet cover , but I altered it to fit over the seat instead of the lid. Yarn: any worsted weight yarn, about 120 yards (this is a really tight number, I used exactly 118 yards. My suggestion is to make sure you have about 130 yards.) I suggest using acrylic yarn because you’re going to be washing this often. Needle: I used US 8, but you can use whatever needle size is recommended by the yarn you’re using. Gauge: Not that important. Mine was 4 sts/1 inch in garter stitch. 6 buttons (I used some leftover shell buttons I had in my stash) tapestry needle Crochet hook (optional) Cover: Using a provisional cast on, cast on 12 stitches. Work in garter st until liner measures

Year of the Dog serial novel

About Year of the Dog : A month or two ago, I remembered an old manuscript I had completed but which hadn’t sold. It was a contemporary romance meant for Zondervan, titled Year of the Dog . The book had gone into the pipeline and I even got another title ( Bad Dog ) and a cover for it, but eventually my editor at the time decided she didn’t want to publish it, for various reasons. She instead requested a romantic suspense, and so I cannibalized some of the characters from Year of the Dog and thrust them into the next book I wrote, which was Protection for Hire . Honestly, I didn’t take a lot from Year of the Dog to put in Protection for Hire , aside from character names and a few relationship ties. I was originally thinking I’d post Year of the Dog as-is on my blog as a free read, but then it occurred to me that I could revamp it into a romantic suspense and change the setting to Hawaii. It would work out perfectly as (yet another) prequel to the Warubozu series and introduc

Sweet & Clean Christmas Romance sale

I’m participating in the Sweet & Clean Christmas Romance sale. Check out all the sweet/clean romance books available and stuff your eBook reader! Sweet & Clean Christmas Romance

99c Squeaky Clean Christmas Romance sale

I’m participating in the 99c Squeaky Clean Christmas Romance sale. Check out all the sweet/clean romance books available and stuff your eBook reader! 99c Squeaky Clean Christmas Romance

Clean Romance Deals

I’m participating in the Clean Romance Deals sale. Check out all the sweet/clean romance books available and stuff your eBook reader! Clean Romance Deals

Daniel 9:9

Dear Lord, Thank you for being so merciful and forgiving to us no matter what we’ve done or where we’ve been. Thank you for loving us so much, even when we find it hard to love ourselves. Even if we have rejected you, you still reach out to us and want us to come to you for love and comfort and forgiveness. Thank you for your magnificent grace. Amen 主よ、 私たちが何をしようと、どこにいようと、私たちを憐れみ、赦してくださりありがとうございます。私たちが自分自身を愛することが難しいときでさえ、私たちをこんなにも愛してくださってありがとうございます。たとえ私たちがあなたを拒んだとしても、あなたは私たちに手を差し伸べ、愛と慰めと赦しを求めてあなたのもとに来ることを望んでくださいます。あなたの素晴らしい恵みに感謝します。 アーメン

Year of the Dog serial novel, chapter 19

I’m posting a Humorous Christian Romantic Suspense serial novel here on my blog! Year of the Dog is a (second) prequel to my Warubozu Spa Chronicles series. Year of the Dog serial novel by Camy Tang Mari Mutou, a professional dog trainer, is having a bad year. While renovating her new dog kenneling and training facility, she needs to move in with her disapproving family, who have always made her feel inadequate—according to them, a job requiring her to be covered in dog hair and slobber is an embarrassment to the family. She convinces her ex-boyfriend to take her dog for a few months … but discovers that his brother is the irate security expert whose car she accidentally rear-ended a few weeks earlier. Ashwin Keitou has enough problems. His aunt has just shown up on his doorstep, expecting to move in with him, and he can’t say no because he owes her everything—after his mother walked out on them, Auntie Nell took in Ashwin and his brother and raised them in a loving Chri

Michael’s Scarf knitting pattern

Michael’s Gray and Brown Scarf I had just written a scene in Lady Wynwood’s Spies, volume 5: Prisoner where my character Michael gives the heroine a very significant scarf. When looking for a stitch pattern, I found the one used in “#31 Comfort either for a Lady or Gentleman” in The Lady's Assistant , volume 2 , published in 1842 by Mrs. Jane Gaugain, pages 125-126 (click on the link to view and/or download the free PDF of the digitally scanned book). When I did test swatches, it turned out to be a pretty eyelet pattern that looks like branches or vines winding upward. I tried the pattern as a parallelogram scarf and discovered that the pattern has a changeable orientation, looking vertical or diagonal depending on how you looked at it. So I decided to use this pattern, knitted as a parallelogram, as Michael’s scarf. I decided to use a smaller needle and add a slip stitch in the pattern to make the eyelets a bit more close and less lacy. When paired with a brown an

Grace Livingston Hill romances free to read online

I wanted to update my old post on Grace Livingston Hill romances because now there are tons more options for you to be able to read her books for free online! I’m a huge Grace Livingston Hill fan. Granted, not all her books resonate with me, but there are a few that I absolutely love, like The Enchanted Barn and Crimson Roses . And the best part is that she wrote over 100 books and I haven’t yet read them all! When I have time, I like to dive into a new GLH novel. I like the fact that most of them are romances, and I especially appreciate that they all have strong Christian themes. Occasionally the Christian content is a little heavy-handed for my taste, but it’s so interesting to see what the Christian faith was like in the early part of the 20th century. These books are often Cinderella-type stories or A Little Princess (Frances Hodgson Burnett) type stories, which I love. And the best part is that they’re all set in the early 1900s, so the time period is absolutely fasci