Writer and Editor C.B. Calsing/ G.G. Royale

SM will be awarding a Tarot Doll of their choice to a randomly drawn commenter (US/Canada Only) during the tour. More information: http://www.smblooding.com/ht1-order-tarot-doll-autographed-book/ The Hands of Tarot Series: The Hands of Tarot SM Blooding Format: E-book & Paperback Genre: YA Steampunk (Mature) Length: 316 pages in paperback Blurb: She killed his father. She imprisoned and beat him. And now she thinks he’s her trophy. Synn El’Asim will do almost anything to prove her wrong. But he’s only proving her right. Queen Nix awakened his Mark of power and inducted him into the House of Wands. She knew what she was doing. The son of the two most powerful Families standing against her is the ultimate prize. What she didn’t take into consideration was that maybe he was too strong for her. Maybe. The Families aren’t. They’ve been weakened, and it’ll take a lot more than one young man with a powerful Mark to take on the Hands of Tarot. Excerpt: Queen Nix turned to me and smiled. ...

Another common error young writers make is telling a story, rather than showing a story. This is probably because many of the short stories they have been exposed to are fairy tales, which have a distant point of view and summary-like narration. They start with phrases like "There once was..." and use direct characterization, like "She was the kindest girl in all the land." When we write, we need to show our stories, using vivid verbs, specific details, and deep point of view. Here's an example of a passage that is told. The action is summarized and the reader feels as if the action is happening far away: It was June of 1943. Eric's older brother had gone away to become a fighter pilot. Eric wanted to be a pilot too, so he got in the family's crop dusting plane and started it up. He flew it out of the barn and crashed it into the old oak tree in the yard. He hit his head. The doctor had to come. His brother came back, injured from the war. The two healed...

Exposition is used in two ways when talking about fiction. First, it is the set-up at the beginning of the plot arc. Where we learn the basic who, what, when, and where. This is a necessary part of plot to ground your reader. I'm going to address the second way exposition is used in a story. This is when an author gives background information, description of characters or setting, or summarizes events that have already happened. It can happen at any point in the story. This is a necessary, key element of writing and one of the three tools an author has to tell his or her story, along with scene and dialogue. A good author does this without slowing down the forward progress of the plot. That is, the exposition makes sense in the context of the scene (or action) of the story and does not trip up the reader or bore him or her. She turned her blue gaze toward him. Here, we get the fact that she has blue eyes in the context of the action. That's the best way to give description. One...

So it's Thursday, it's Thanksgiving... I feel that calls for thirteen things. Here are thirteen things I'm thankful for on this Thanksgiving Thursday. Alliteration. My husband who worked with me on my days off this week to build a new coop for my chickens. Yellow Dog, who is the stray that lives among the weeds and rubble of the vacant lot next door. No one can catch him, he won't let me get within ten feet of him, but he is our first line of defense! Right now he's standing sentry at the front gate, facing the street, ready to attach any bicycles or cars that dare threaten the block. My own dogs, Zato and Hamlet. They are getting on and years, but still make a good team in home protection, plate cleaning, and snuggles. Fashion inspiration at five a.m. I now know what to where to opening day at the track today. This flippin' weather. It's been outstanding. Winter break is less than a month away. Hot tea. An east facing front porch in winter. Work...

Happy Thanksgiving to all my students, family, and friends at BCA! I am truly grateful for having such a great work family. I hope everyone has a wonderful Turkey Day.

Here is a model essay, showing in-text citation and the proper bibliography/ works cited. While the formatting may be a bit wonky, this is essentially what students should be turning in. Remember the works cited should be on its own page. Corina Calsing 12 April 2012 Room 235 My Favorite Thing: Interior Design I knew what British Colonial meant when I was in junior high school. I refinished furniture and restained flooring and painted walls. I changed drapes and rearranged items in glass jars on my dresser. Even from a young age, I loved interior design. Nothing makes me feel happier than picking out colors and finding new ways to express myself through the decorations in my home. If I could have a new career, it would definitely be interior design. To become an interior designer, I have to do three things: study, apprentice, and then build a business of my own. All this work could take years, but I think I would be happier on the other end. Unfortunately, this is not an easy career t...

First, a great resource on outlining is at  http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/544/1/ . Below is a sample outline I'm working on for my sample research paper on green iguanas. Corina Calsing 13 September 2012 Calsing Writing, period 1 Outline for Research Paper: Green Iguanas I. Introduction     A. Hook     B. Thesis     C. Summary of subtopic II. Body paragraph – Diet     A. Fruit        1. Mango            a. Green/ unripe mango            b. Ripe mango        2. Bananas            a. Frozen – does not like            b. Too ripe – does not like            c. Slightly firm, a little green        3. Other fruits on occasion            a. Strawberries         ...

I've been a big fan of the Decemberists since the release of The Crane Wife , so imagine how happy I was when I found a young adult book penned by the lead singer and songwriter Colin Meloy? I downloaded the audio version, read by Amanda Plummer, which is available as a free download for iPod at nutrias.org, the New Orleans library Web site. Why I would recommend this book to kids: If you love Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, you'll love this. If you loved The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe,  you'll love this. Fun talking animals, battles between bandits and coyotes, a lost little brother... There is a lot of action going on here, and Prue is a great main character who learns and grows through the entire story. Illustrations will also keep you engaged. Why I recommend this book as a teacher: Colin Meloy uses words that middle schoolers may not yet be familiar with, but does a good job of using context clues. This helps with vocaulary acquisition. Strong female lead ...

Writing and editing have always been my second job. Or sometimes third. What I did in the evenings, early mornings Saturday and Sunday. We bought a house to renovate last November, however, and that's been taking my time. It had to be redone from top to bottom -- from flooring to roofing, and we aren't even halfway done yet. This is why I haven't sent out any new short stories or worked on any new novels. Currently, in the few moments I have here and there, I am working on revisions of Storm Summer , a young adult historical set in Louisiana during World War II. I'd like to start sending this out to publishers in the fall. I'll keep my fingers crossed.

Today I'm welcoming horror writer Armand Rosamilia, author of Dying Days . Tell us about Dying Days . Dying Days is my extreme zombie series, centered around Darlene Bobich, a regular woman trying to survive. So far three books have been released, and there are many more to come. As long as readers keep responding to them. While the themes might be dark and graphic, at the core of the stories is a human just like you and me, who cries, has panic attacks, and isn't superhuman. Unless you're superhuman, in which case, ignore what I said. What is up with pop culture's obsession with zombies? It doesn't seem to be waning at all. Why do you think that is? Eventually (sooner than later) it will go away, but right now we're in a great time as a zombie writer and reader. With the end of the world coming right before Christmas (and we'll have already spent all our money on presents - nice job, Mayan Calendar!) the apocalypse is in our thoughts,...

These are the notes from class on various ways to punctuate dialogue in your stories. https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1p1bw9SNOg3JXHDRP6-CFZV4_8pV59YY1kiQU6nMKh6Q/edit

Here are some things you will probably find while doing renovation work under a house in New Orleans. It is supported with anecdotal evidence. Car tires, some still on rims. Tricycle parts Pepsi bottles with the old, foam shrinkwrap labels on them. You remember those? They used to have them at the Chinese place on Palm Street in San Luis Obispo. I used to try to tear off the foam label in one long spiral. Chip bags with the graphics you remember from when you were a kid. Man, Chester Cheetah has really changed. Broken, antique bottles that would be worth something if they were whole. Old pipe that they replaced and then just left there. Thousands of plastic shopping bags whose integrity has broken down. They create a sort of distopian mat of dirty, fluttery snow flakes. And they always conceal broken bottles.