It occurred to me, as a lawyer-slash-writer, that it might be useful to have a post on copyright. As many of my loyal readers are also writers, I thought I would devote this week’s post to sharing some useful tips and information about intellectual property law with you.
Many writers are concerned about protecting their work, but many don't know how copyright operates or what the author has to do to protect their work.
I mentioned Amelia in a past blog post and I wanted to add her to my “character spotlight list”.
Amelia represents the promising, smart individuals who are subject to unfortunate circumstances and become depressed.
She is emotionally unstable due to her inability to communicate with her mother (Who never comes to see her in the hosptial after her suicide attempts) and she feels lost as to how to overcome a past astrocity that was done to her.
Her journey is beautiful and tragic. Her suicide art project is her way of crying out for help. Doing this is her way of dealing with what has happened to her.
Her art professor is upset when she shows him part of her project, which is an artistically done video of her suicide attempts.
“It’s not finished,” she insists.
“How does it finish, Amelia?” he asks.
Later, she realizes as the blood flows from her slit wrist into the water she is submerged in that she is not ready to die and she needs to seek help of some sort.
She admits herself into the hospital. A kind janitor spots her sitting alone in the hallway and offers her amazing perspective. He tells her that there are people waiting to meet her, that there is something to live for.
She leaves for home, still broken and sad. She is about to finally kill herself once she is in the confines of her apartment again, until a stranger breaks into home with the intent of killing someone across the road.
She then sees that life – even her life – is truly worth something – and she gains the strength to stand up to the man. She escapes with her own life, walking out into the night as a new person.
Followed has officially been launched today! You can order a copy of my gothic novella on your Kindle now for only $1.99.
If you want to pick it up for free (And I’ll bet you do!) I am running a free promotion on Amazon starting tomorrow and it ends on Saturday.
Synopsis:
Adeline assumes that her life is on track when she befriends her spirited governess, Julia, followed by her ex-midshipman cousin, Gabriel. But when her great aunt passes away after revealing a terrible secret, she is torn away from Julia by her new guardians.
After their home in Bath is set aflame, Adeline and Gabriel flee to the woods. Separated from Gabriel after being chased down by a strange horseman, Adeline is then approached by a madman and is given an ultimatum to follow him – or to die alone in the forest
After that rather awkward false start last fall, my historical horror (gothic) novella, Followed, will be released early next week. It will be free for the first day and possibly the second day.
Special thanks to Frankie Sutton, my amazing and affordable editor and Najla Qamber, my talented and lovely cover illustrator.
Also, a huge thank you to my wonderful fellow author and friend, L.E. Waters. She was my beta reader!
Stay tuned!
Here is an excerpt from Chapter Four:
Mr. and Mrs. Mornington’s heated discussion brought Adeline out of the dark musings. She sighed and rested the back of her head against the cushioned seat, pretending to be asleep. Their personalities had come to life since Aunt Victoria’s passing.
“I hope we never go back there,” Gabriel muttered.
“Because of the ghosts?” asked Adeline.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” said Gabriel. “What I heard in the room was obviously just the wind.”
“You didn’t seem to think so when I saw you in the forest right after you heard them.”
Gabriel leaned close to Adeline.
“Well, they aren’t real,” he said.
“Are you sure about that?”
“Aren’t you a little too old to believe in ghosts?”
“I don’t know what I believe yet, but I do know that my aunt was horribly afraid of someone as she was dying. She was convinced that something was in the room to take her. I saw it in her eyes. She did see something.”
Adeline’s flesh was covered in goose bumps as she quietly related the story to her cousin while Mr. and Mrs. Mornington’s bickering continued.
Gabriel shrugged nonchalantly and he focused his attention back to the landscape outside his window.
“It still doesn’t mean there was something there.”
Adeline blinked back tears.
“Well, you weren’t there. I know what I saw. Besides, after knowing what I know about our great uncle, I don’t think I would ever want to go back there.”
Gabriel’s eyes returned to Adeline.
“How do you know about him?”
“Aunt Victoria told me,” she said, lowering her voice to a whisper. “She killed him after she caught him murdering a man that she knew.”
Gabriel’s brown eyes widened. Now she had his interest.
“I didn’t think she had it in her. Well, she did the right thing. Who knows how many lives she probably saved?”
“That is what I told her, but she felt so guilty. Do your parents know about it?”
“I don’t know. They don’t tell me much of anything. I didn’t tell you this before, but I went back into the room that night. I found some of Uncle Henry’s old journal entries. He was a madman. He recorded all ten of his murders and claimed that he heard voices ordering him to go about doing it.”
Adeline’s mouth dropped open.
“I know what you’re thinking,” Gabriel said. “I’m telling you that there was nothing in that room. I didn’t even hear them the last time I went in there.”
“Whatever you say. Did you read about all of the murders he wrote about?”
Gabriel shook his head.
“Not yet.”
The carriage stopped abruptly. They were already in front of Julia’s house.
Adeline felt her stomach knot.
“Take all the time you need, dear,” said Mrs. Mornington.
As Adeline stepped out of the buggy, a lump formed in her throat, and she tried in vain to swallow it away. She suddenly despised her aunt and uncle for making her leave one of her only friends behind.
Julia, with her unbound hair falling down to her waist in soft curls, stood on her porch smiling.
Have you read Infinite Loss by L.E. Waters yet? If not, you should.
Whether you love reading historical fiction, fantasy, romance, adventure, or drama, I promise you that this book will have you turning the pages until the end.
Just newly released, Infinite Loss is Book 3 in Waters’ Infinite Series. It’s an amazing, character-driven series in the historical fantasy/ reincarnation fantasy genres. The books follow the lives of Maya and she learns many lessons along the way. One thing I just love as I read through Waters’ books is how you begin connecting the characters from past lives and I admire the connections and interactions of everyone as the lives progress. An individual’s evolution is so fascinating to me, which is why I love the Infinite Series so much. Waters excellently protrays human emotions and their flaws and I love how many of the friendships in her books differ from the norm that you see in other works.
With Infinite Loss, once again, Waters has woven a captivating and adventurous tale that made me want to read more!
I was quickly drawn in by the Native (Lakota) boy’s life. I love how Waters portrays the closeness between him and his friends that does not waver as they grow up and face heart wrenching separation. The story truly captures the mood and reality of what it would have been like to live in a Lakota village. Major John Andre’s story is amazingly told in the second life, and I love how you can truly begin to piece together the souls from the previous lives. Waters then transports us to the life of the melancholic poet Edgar Allan Poe. This last life tugged at my heart strings while wonderfully showing us the life of a writer in history. Never before have I read a novel where there has been such emotion and connection between the characters.
Infinite Loss is a must read if you enjoy spell-binding historical novels full of unexpected twists and true to life characters.
I have always wondered how to properly convey an accent or dialect in writing without sounding too over the top. I stumbled upon the Bookshelf Muse blog where it is so amazingly explained. It is so simple that I almost smacked my head reading through it. Haha.
Basically, you do not need to figure out how to write how a sentence would sound in Irish (For example) within the dialogue portions of a story. You can describe the character’s background and how they sound when they speak in a sentence or two to tip the reader off. Pretty cool!
So, writers, what are your thoughts on this? Happy writing!
If you have been led into a life contrary to what your dreams wish for as a result of religious doctrine, abusive relationships, poverty, bad luck, etc. then take heart.
There is always a way out. You can do it! Only you can set yourself free. It is never too late to fight for your dreams. Never allow yourself to be bound by other’s ideals or thoughts of what you should be.
Escape from your cage, take flight, and never look back.
“Calves are easily bound and slaughtered
Never knowing the reason why
But whoever treasures freedom
Like the swallow has learned to fly.”
Write what you want to write about. Write about what inspires you. Write about what you think about when you’re walking under the stars or in the rain. Write the story that you have always wanted to tell. Write about the characters that won’t leave your mind.
Then, have the courage to write what you love. Then, re-write it until it works.
Do not worry about its marketability or who will like it. If you like your own work, it’s all that matters. Someone else will treasure it if you treasure it first.
Don’t just write about what you know, write what you love.
Today, we have a chance to take a picture that will really make a difference. Here’s what I mean:
Standing in solidarity with Malala, we too can show the Taliban and intolerant extremists that we are in strong disagreement with their views and actions against girls and women.
This new movement encourages people, girls, boys, women, and men to take a photo of themselves reading a book and send it in to be posted on the project’s Pinterest page. It looks like this has become something of a movement.
You can read more about it and how to submit a picture here:
