Happy 1st Birthday ALTERED!

It's hard to believe a full year has passed since the release of my debut novel Altered. I'm sure so many of you can relate to something in your life happening, and in your mind, you see it a certain way that fits you perfectly. What we imagine and dream up, most of the time, is not always as good as the real deal. So to all of you who supported me I want to say THANKS. You made reality so much sweeter. Without my family, friends, bloggers, my publisher, editors, fans, librarians, book stores, teachers, and everyone who just stopped by out of curiosity, Altered would still be rattling around somewhere in my mind, waiting to be published. Yep, I like the way things turned out much better!




Happy 1st Birthday!



LET'S CHAT TONIGHT!

Happy summer everyone!

Any plans tonight? I'll be the guest author on a blog talk radio show, Journal Jabber sponsored by The Eyes for Editing, at 8pm Central time, 9pm Est. You can call in at 858-365-5540, or log in at

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/journaljabber/2012/07/18/laura-burks--it-all-began-on-friday-the-13th.

Let's chat. It'll be fun!

BREAK IT DOWN.

WRITE...
W...What do I want to capture for my story.
R ... Reach a target audience.
I ...  Ignore bad comments.
T ... Treat your story as fiction and don't ignore real life.
E ... Each word matters -- and so do you.

If you're like me, summer is here and some daily routines are pushed aside and forgotten. Writing is one of them. I have to remind myself, as soon as I open my eyes because it's the first thing that pops in my mind, to not give up. That it's okay to take some time off and live in a reality world and not partially consummed in a fictional one. Yes, as a writer, and you know who you are, it's a real challenge to shut some voices off. What helps is knowing that you're not the only one out there that feels the same way. I guess that could apply to just about anything in life, right?

Here's the dilemma. How do you not let negative comments get in the way of you continuing to do what you enjoy doing? I've read reviews and comments from those who are published getting unfair and bad reviews. And you know what's even more frustating, when you read the review yourself, most of them are so far off the mark. It's almost like the person skimmed over the words and never actually read the meaning. I'll admit, I've had a few myself. But I'm lucky I guess. It's only been two, and even those weren't bad. Now watch me post this and ten show up today. Would that be bad karma or what?

I've decided it doesn't matter if you do what others expect you to. Do what makes you happy. Even if it means checking off the dream that came true and pursuing another one.

Have a great and safe summer everyone!

What Will You Read?

Have you ever read a book where some parts stay with you and really make you think? Well, that just happened to me. I recently read a book where the main character was able to get a glimpse of her mother in heaven where she saw her happy and reading a book. READING A BOOK? Yes, I thought that part was so sweet.

Here's my take on this. There are literally more books out there than we could count. Okay, maybe we could count them, but that part, I'd pass to someone else. But if there are books there to be read, I wonder which ones would make it, and which ones would not. For me, I'd like to think my grandmother would be holding mine. She passed years ago, but I felt her presence many days while writing ALTERED. If I could hear her, she'd probably tell me, in her spunky Italian way, "Laura, why did you work so hard. You just about drove your Granny crazy with worry." Then she'd smile and say, "I'm so proud of you. You did it. Now do something else that doesn't have you loosing sleep and not eating." If you know an Italian family, you'd know everything revolves around eating! :)

So here's my question for you. If you were granted a glimpse of a friend or family member who has passed and they were reading a book, what would you pick for them? Tough question, I know, but you can do it.

Happy Reading Everyone! :)

BLOGGERS

I love it when I read blogs from people so passionate about books, reading, and authors that they spend countless hours supporting their work. It's through this fairly new social explosion that so many of us who write have a chance to get to know, not only the bloggers personally, but followers as well. Gotta love social media, right? Where else can you meet people all over the world and not have to worry about your hair and make-up, or if you're still in your p.j.'s?

Yes, writing today is traveling down a new road with this type of marketing and we have bloggers to thank for letting us tag along for the ride.

When you get a chance, please visit my website http://www.lauraburks.com/ and scroll down the first page under "Appearances on the web" and show some love to the bloggers who have been so kind to me. Some even host contest with cool prizes!

So to make an ever growing story short, THANK YOU BLOGGERS, for making life a little sweeter!

B&N...Finally!

ALTERED is now available on the B&N site for Nook customers. YAY! It's great to be part of the family. Click on the cover for their direct link. Thanks! :)

ALTERED CHARM NECKLACE

ALTERED book charm necklace now available. I'm so excited!!  The handcuffs represent the cursed criminals and the heart is for the romance. If interested, click on the image to purchase. Order price is $12.75 each. Be sure to check out all the other beautiful creations at Etsy.com and Southwest Sky Jewelry. I promise it's worth a visit!!