Calling All Writers!

Author: Anastasia V. Pergakis // Category:


The vote was 7 (yes) to 3 (no) for the poll question "Would you like to see other writers as guest bloggers here?"

So -- I will begin the process of asking my fellow writers to be guests on my blog. It will be a few weeks before you begin to see other writers here, as I try to figure out the best way to put this all together.

Thank you to everyone that voted in this poll!

CALL FOR AUTHORS

As the first step of this project, I'm making a call for authors. If you know anyone (or yourself) that would like to be a guest or guests you'd like to see, please leave a comment here with their name and contact information (email, blog, or website). You can also email me directly at harleydpalmer[at]gmail.com if you prefer.

The Best Onling Writing Conference of All Time

Author: Anastasia V. Pergakis // Category:


Okay, I am normally not one to advertise conferences or contests or other activities as a blog post on my blog. I simply put them as a link somewhere in the side bar and leave it at that.

However, this conference deserves a post and more! This online conference has got to be the Best I have ever seen - no joke. I would make the words of this post glitter if I could, seriously. Or maybe decorate with neon or something!

The Muse Online Writers Conference


This conference has 38 - yes, I said THIRTY-EIGHT - publishers and agents on hand for pitch sessions! There are 52 week long workshops, 29 chat workshops, and over 20 mini-workshops and Q&A sessions! Workshop topics range from flash fiction, script writing, publishing, novels, writer's block, and every thing inbetween!!

Do you want to know the best part? The registration fee is only FIVE DOLLARS!!! Hello? Why are you still reading this blog? Get over to the website and register right now! Registration ends on September 10, 2010!

The conference is from October 11 to 17, 2010. I'm registered and ready to go and I hope to see you all there!!

You can get updates about the conference by joining their Yahoo! group and follow their blog for some great information also.

(Mia, if you reading this, I know I stole your whole changing font size in the middle of a sentence thing you do, but I felt it was perfect for this particular post. Don't worry, this will be the only time I do it - until next time. *smile*)

Save the Words!

Author: Anastasia V. Pergakis // Category:


I was blog surfing today and Heather Howland blogged about this and so I had to spread the word - literally!

There are many words in the English language that we no longer use! It's sad! So, there is this wonderful site where you can go adopt these words that need so much of our love!

These are three words that I adopted!

magistricide
(n.) the killing of a teacher or master

snollygoster
(n.) a shrewd, unprincipled person, especially a politician

nubivagant
(adj.) moving throughout or among clouds

What words will you adopt? Go Save the Words!

Why Do You Write?

Author: Anastasia V. Pergakis // Category:


One of the most important things that I have learned over the many years of writing, reading, researching, and reviewing is this – as a writer, you need to know why you write and what your goals are.

I can already hear people saying “I write because I love it”. Well yes, but why do you love it? Really dig deep and ask why you write. I feel that this is a very important question for all writers to ask themselves. It is the reason why we keep going when the critiques come in, when the rejection letters pile up, and when rewrite number seven still isn’t good enough.

I was asked this question a few months ago in a workshop I joined. As you can see, it ended up being a pretty long answer.

I write because it frees me. In the worlds that I create, I can be myself without being judged for my past or present. I can just be. That is why I choose to write in the fantasy genre, especially with my novels. I get to make all the rules. I can get lost in the worlds of my novels, away from the stresses of life. It’s my escape.

When I was young, writing poetry was a way to express myself. A way to say what I really felt inside. I was a painfully shy child and I had trouble talking to people easily. So I wrote my words down. That was before my battle with drug addiction and alcohol took hold. I did not stop writing entirely during those years, but anyone reading my work, could definitely tell the difference. Every thing started to take on a darker view, more twisted and scary almost. The few poems or stories I did write during that time all had a dark cloud in there somewhere, like the words themselves radiated anger and pain right off the page.

Now that I am clean and sober, I write as a means of soul-searching. I always put a piece of myself into the characters I create and during their journey in the story, it is as if I am also discovering a part of myself. Something connects with me and a light bulb goes off – that “ah-ha” moment – and suddenly everything makes sense. Often times my “writer’s block” is because the story has taken a turn that will force me to look at a side of myself that I might not want to. But once I get past it, and get the words out on paper, I feel so much better. The world looks brighter and it’s like I can breathe again. The last three years of sobriety have been one learning experience after another, as I learn to actually life again, instead of just existing.

So why am I a writer? Because that is where I find myself.

But what about you? Why do you write? The real, deep down, true reason. I challenge you to discover this about yourself. You might even want to write a blog post about it! At the very least, I recommend you type it up, print it out and hang it next to your writing area. Look at it whenever you get discouraged and remember why you chose this career. Mail it to yourself! Whatever it takes for you to remember why you write during the hard times.

Interview "In the Beginning" by F.D. Davis

Author: Anastasia V. Pergakis // Category:



Author F.D. Davis (aka Dyanne Davis) is joining me again today to talk about her book "In the Beginning". She graced me with a personalized, autographed copy of this book and the sequal that follows! Now, I must go out and buy the third of the series as I am really into this story! Instead of me babbling on about how I like this book, I'll let Dyanne tell you about it!

To begin, give us a few stats about the book first - genre, word count, publisher, agent, editor, etc.

In The Beginning has been classified from urban fiction, speculative fiction, paranormal fantasy and paranormal romance. There is no HEA, so technically it isn't a romance. The book was published by Parker Publishing, word count, a little over 111,000. The agent was Michelle Grajkowski of Three Seas Literary Agency. The editor (Thank God and after much begging and pleading for her to freelance for Parker) was Sidney Rickman. Actually I had it put into my contract that Sidney would be my only editor.

That is great that you were able to keep your editor. So, tell the blog readers a little pitch about In the Beginning, please.

Adam Omega is a man on a mission. Make that a vampire. Having lived a thousand years Adam has mastered the sun and lives his life as a mortal man. Rich beyond his wildest dreams, he seeks to bring his kind into the light without fear to taste the sun to not need the tainted blood of humans to survive. To his chagrin his kind fears his life and fears Adam.

A lingering memory of love is reawakened when Adam spots Eve. A lingering memory of anger is burned into existence when he discovers the truth. The soul of his long dead Eyanna now resides in the body of Eve.

Eve’s quest for a more spiritual life is fueled by dreams that she can’t quite remember. She’s running from evil and runs straight into the path of a vampire that desire her. Her only hope appears in the form of Sullivan, another vampire that wants Eve to help destroy Adam.

As Eve’s soul realigns with her forgotten memories her past love for Adam is reawakened. Will her desire to remain mortal save her from the life Adam wants to force on her. Will Adam, a true Immortal care? He is not looking for redemption, his will is the only will he follows. For a thousand years nothing has been denied him. Will the desires of a woman who betrayed him stand in the way of his plans?



How did the idea for the novel come to you?

Well meaning friends thought I was going to hell for writing romance novels (not even erotica) I decided to see what they would think if I wrote about a vampire, naturally he had to confront them in the churches since that's where I was being called out at.

Interesting. I wondered where the idea for that came from. Did you know ahead of time it was the beginning of a series or did you figure that out later?

It was later.

What or who was the inspiration for the characters Eve, Adam and Sullivan?

Adam and Eve were both some part of my psyche. Sullivan was an innocent.

Many of my characters seem to be a part of me too. If you wouldn't mind providing an excerpt from the novel to share.

This is a scene taken from when Eve made a deal with Adam then reneged and ran away to Amsterdam.

A moment of regret claimed her for all that she had lost. She had been unable to tell her friends or family of her decision to leave, unable to quit her job. To do any of those things would have given Adam a way to find her.

She could not and would not be in love with a vampire. Adam had awakened her body to powerful feelings that threaten to overtake her when she was with him. He’s a vampire, he’s a vampire had become her constant mantra. She had been forced to get away.

She had been exploring the streets all afternoon. Now, as darkness settled around her, she paused, knowing it was time she returned to her hotel. For one thing, free dinner was included with the price of her room and she needed to save wherever she could. She looked around and realized she’d lost her bearings. She’d been thinking too much as she walked.

Turning, she looked in the opposite direction. None of the stores or buildings looked familiar. Don’t panic, Eve admonished herself. At that moment strong hands reached out and grabbed her viciously. She screamed, more in anger than fear, thinking it was Adam.
When a hand clamped over her mouth and the man pulled her kicking and trying her best to scream into an alley, she knew from the mushy feel of his body that it wasn’t Adam. She bit down on his fingers and he let go, only to punch her in the face.

“Do that again, bitch, and I’ll kill you,” the man snarled, whipping out a knife and pressing it against her throat. He nicked her and Eve felt blood trickle from the wound.

Damn, she thought, trying to think of a way to get away alive and unmolested. He began pulling at her clothes. “Stop,” she rasped, “stop!” She tried to push him away. The knife bit into her skin again.

“Stand still, bitch.”

“Take your hands off the lady.”

Adam. At the sound of his voice Eve went limp. Adam. Thank God, he’d followed her.

“She’s mine, Mac. You want to share her for a price maybe that can be arranged.”

“First off, I don’t share,” Adam stated matter-of-factly. “Second, she’s not yours, she’s mine.”

“Get the hell out of here or I’ll slice her face into ribbons.”

“Let her go and I might let you live. You touch her again with that blade and I will rip out your heart,” Adam said calmly, not moving.

Eve was hoping that the mere sound of Adam’s voice would be enough to put the fear of God into the man, make him turn her loose, but it wasn’t. He pressed the cold blade to her cheek and she cringed as the knife sliced into it.

Her eyes were on Adam. But he wasn’t looking at her, only at the man holding her. She saw the purple gaze turn red with rage. She shuddered as awareness of what was about to happen filled her.

This fool holding her would die tonight. Without a doubt Adam would do as he’d said. She felt the fool’s hand pawing again at her, rough, reaching into her pants.
And then she didn’t.

Eve was free. She turned slightly, enough to see the man standing behind her. He stood there staring for a moment at her. His eyes were filled with fear, then nothing. The eyes were dead. The man’s heavy weight dropped to the ground. Her eyes went to Adam. He held the man’s heart in his hand; blood dripped between his fingers.

Adam’s eyes narrowed when he looked toward her and Eve began to shake uncontrollably. Then he fell on the man’s body, clawing away at his neck, sinking his fangs into the flesh. The sight turned Eve’s stomach and she knew she was going to be ill.
God help her! Eve screamed when Adam turned to face her with blood on his lips. She moved back against the wall, almost tripping over the dead man’s feet.

“Oh God,” Eve moaned over and over, “this can’t be happening.” She screamed again.

“Stop that infernal racket,” Adam commanded.

“You killed him.”

“Of course I killed him. What did you want me to do with him?”

Eve didn’t want to look at Adam. “You killed him,” she repeatedly weakly.

In the Beginning is available at all major bookstores, as well as on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and other internet sites.

Thanks for being with us for another day Dyanne. I'm delighted to have you visit me here! If my blog readers would like to learn more about this book or even talk to the famed vampire, Adam Omega himself, you can visit the following places:

Adam’s Website: http://www.adamaomega.com/
Email Adam at: adamomegavampire@aol.com

Partners in Fiction

Author: Anastasia V. Pergakis // Category:


I want to talk today about Crit Partners. Every writer should have at least one. I'm lucky enough to have found two!

Now, it took me a long time to find the two that I have. There were certain standards I was looking for in a partner and sadly, not everyone measured up.

First thing, I need a person that would not blow smoke up my butt. That is very important to me. Yes, getting those reviews that don't have any red marks and say "This is great!" do make me feel good. But, I'd rather have a review riddled with red marks. Why? So I can improve. I don't want to become stagnant as a writer - ever. My crit partner needed to be brutally honest with me in order for me to keep moving forward.

Second, I also needed a person that while brutal, would not be down right cruel. There is a fine line here and I hate to say that I have had some people not know this. I told them to be brutal and they were cruel instead. I simply can't work with people like that. While I am still friends with a few of these people, I don't ask them to read my work anymore.

Last, I had to have a partner who was on the same level as I am. Not in skill, but at the same point in their career. Sure, I would learn a lot from an already published author. At this point in my life however, I wanted a crit partner who was struggling with the same things I was. This way we could be encouraging to each other.

These things were important to me, but for you to find a crit partner, you have to figure out what you need or want. My two crit authors do not write the same genre that I do, but I think that works out to my benefit. You might want someone who writes the same genre as you. That's fine. Just figure out what you want in a partner then search for someone.

My two partners are different from each other but give me everything I need. C.J. Ellisson (author of Vampire Vacation) catches the nitty gritty stuff that I forget or don't pay attention to. She is really great at catching those paragraphs that are telly or sentences where the wording is confusing to the actual meaning.

J.D. Brown (author of Dark Heirloom) is great at finding those plot holes and suggesting new ways to present certain information. J.D. knows my characters almost as well as I do, so she also catches those instances where a character might do or say something they normally wouldn't. She provides me with a lot of inspiration how to show my characters' personalities the right way.

Both these wonderful people give me the perfect insights I need to polish my WIP! The three of us work well together I think. You need to find these same qualities in a crit partner. Do you get along? Can you understand each other clearly? Can you still be friends after the red marks start showing up? That last one is KEY to any crit relationship. Friendship is important to a crit partners relationship I think. Some might say that to have a crit partner, you can't be friends. I can agree with that as it is difficult to be friends AND crit partners with C.J. and J.D. But for me, it works. I love being able to hash out scenes with them and have them not be afraid to tell me I've got an idea that simply won't work. I guess I'm lucky that I found two people that I can still be friends with after the crits. Do what you think is best for you.

Find what works for you and your crit partner. Whichever way you decide, just remember that your partner is there to help you. You don't have to agree on everything. They are merely giving their own ideas and suggestions. In the end, it's your work and you don't have to change anything unless you want to. I can tell you from experience that I don't disagree with anything my crit partners say, athought it might take me a second to realize they're right.

Interview with Author F.D. Davis

Author: Anastasia V. Pergakis // Category:



Today, I have the honored privilege to interview F. D. Davis (aka Dyanne Davis). She is a multi-published author and I am giddy with delight to be able to ask her a few questions! I met her during an online conference at savvyauthors.com. I moderated a workshop she presented about writing a series. It was a fantastic few days and she taught me so much. But, I'll let you read about how great she is!

Dyanne, tell us a little about yourself.

YOU do know asking an author to tell you a little about themselves could become an entire book right? LOL. Okay, seriously, let me see if I can shorten this up a bit. I'll start with this because it's almost here. I was born Sept 1. For some reason I've always liked the date, being Virgo it makes perfect sense. I am married to William Davis Sr. We will have been married 40 years Dec. 1. We have one son, William Davis Jr. We're both still overly protective of him. No grand-kids, no pets. I retired from nursing a decade ago after Bill suggested I take a couple of years off to devote to writing. Our deal was two years off, no contract return to work. Two years passed, no contract and I was ready to fulfill my part of the bargain. Bill told me to keep trying. I did and a year later I had my first contract. My old office still has me on as PRN. That's so I can still go to all of the functions that the reps takes the office to. They've even asked a couple of times if I want to fill in and I laugh. I no longer have the energy it takes to work in a super busy pediatrician office, nor do I want to. But that just goes to show that all of my friends still think of me as Dyanne the nurse, not Dyanne the author.

Forty years! Wow. That’s amazing. With such a great career in nursing, what made you decide to become a writer?

I've been reading since I was four. I think every avid reader wants to become a writer.

I think you may be right there. Who inspires you to write?

My characters inspire me. There have been many times in this second career of mine when I've wanted to chuck it all. Writing is the easy part it's what comes after that you have to brace yourself for. I'd also say the very nice and most wanted letters and emails I receive from readers saying that my words touched them inspire me on the days I want to quit.

It is great to have fans and I can’t wait to get those same emails. How has your life changed since you've been published?

My day to day life hasn't changed. There are some things about the industry that I've learned that I attempt to pass on to anyone who will listen. My real writing dream has been fulfilled to a certain extent. I always wanted my book to be in the library. They are. The day I checked my first book out of my local library was the greatest feeling in the world. It surpassed when I got my author copies in my hands or went to my first book signing. It was the library. I do a lot of school programs and talk at a lot of libraries. I almost lived in the library when I was a kid. I want to pass that love of reading along.

How long does it take for you to write a book and what is your schedule like when writing?

I can write a complete first draft in 2-3 months. When the story is really flowing I can do it in 6 weeks. My schedule is very fluid. I turn on the computer about 3a.m. and get off about 7 p.m. But...I'm doing the daily living things in between. Cooking, cleaning, making sure Bill who's now retired doesn't' feel neglected, going to the store, out for lunch, out for ice cream. All of that. So I can't say I have a set schedule like before Bill retired. I will tell you that since we had planned for that day I wrote like a demon finishing up second and third drafts of books that were later published and a few that I have yet to publish. I knew I needed to stockpile my work for the times when my entire day couldn't' be devoted to JUST writing. Bill and Billy and the two most important people in my life. Writing for me is not my number one priority, they are.

Yes, family should come first. It’s great that you have found a balance. I’m struggling with that myself at the moment. Do you character plot and outline a great deal or do you write on the fly?

I totally write on the fly. Or rather I'm saying now that I'm a straddler, meaning I'm in the middle. I have a vampire series and was forced to plot somewhat. I have other series in mind and will definitely do a Dyanne kind of outline.

I would love to learn what a “Dyanne king of outline” really is. Do you have a critique group, editor, or do you self-edit?

I don't really have a critique group. There are people I trust to be honest and have asked to read something before sending it in to my editor. Generally I don't do that. I've worked on fifteen books with the same editor and have learned quite a bit. I can find holes in plots very easily and know how to fix them. I've also become adapt at cutting away the fat. No longer is every single word I put down on paper considered untouchable.

Fifteen books with the same editor? Wow. I hope I can have such a great relationship with my editor. What is the hardest part of writing you've struggled with?

Since I've been published I've learned a great lesson, reading is extremely subjective and access to the internet tends to bring out the worst in people. I was very green when my first book came out. Though I was a member of my RWA chapter and warned, I was extremely disheartened after a string of glowing reviews to get some that were so vile that I seriously wanted to give up writing. I never knew people could be so mean and say such personal and nasty things without regards to a person’s feelings. I consider myself a nice person and one with manners. I'm very big on following, The Golden Rule. Born in the heart of The Bible Belt, I wouldn't have dreamed of ever deliberately hurting someone. Though that book won a major award and I still get letters from readers telling me how much they loved that book and how many times they've read it and cried over the same passages, that victory still remains a little tainted for me.

Even though it's been years and many books I think having to have a tough skin is still the part that I struggle with. I continued writing because of Bill. That man really is my hero and I love him a zillion times more today than the day I first knew that I loved him. He makes me laugh every day and the struggles of writing stay where they should be in my life, about number fifteen in order of importance.

I’m glad that your husband supports you so well. All writers need support. Thanks so much Dyanne for taking the time to answer my questions! It was wonderful having you with us today. If any of my readers would like to contact Dyanne, you can find her around the web at:

Website for F.D. Davis: http://www.adamomega.com/
Website for Dyanne Davis: http://www.dyannedavis.com/

Voices of the Mind Dwellers

Author: Anastasia V. Pergakis // Category: ,


(or Discovering your Characters' Unique Voice)

An idea for a novel comes to me when a character shows up and says "Anastasia, I have a story to tell you." More often than not, the characters come first and then the plot. I know other writers are the opposite, they have a plot and create the characters to fit into the setting. Regardless of how you come up with a new story, it is very important to know your characters inside and out to convey their personalities on the page.

There are different techniques writers use to achieve this, but today, we'll talk about how I get to know my characters.

Like I said, my characters show up, unannounced, in my head and proceed to annoy me endlessly until I tell their story. They talk to me on a daily basis just as my husband talks to me when we are watching television. I'm reminded of a quote that says "Writing is an acceptable form of Schizophrenia" Thank the Gods! Otherwise, I'd be committed. Some would argue I should be anyway, but I digress.

Instead of filling out Q&A character sheets myself, I let my characters do it. How would they answer the questions? I can be hard to do as I do have characters that have ideas that I don't agree with. I don't agree with everything my husband or friends say, but I still love them! The point is to let them fill in the answers, not you.

I tend to talk to my characters like they were sitting next to me. They're are some of my best friends! Like right then, I heard a chorus of "Awww really?" inside my head. It's rather odd sometimes, but I've gotten used to it.

Freaked out yet?

Seriously though, the point here is to know your characters like you know your best friend or your spouse. I know my characters well enough that I can take them out of their story and interact with characters from other stories and still maintain their voice. During those chat sessions, I learn more yet. It puts them in a new situation outside of the story plot and I learn more about who they are.

Example for you. Drache, the hero in Burden of Propecy was chatting with Etharas, Chakor and 3 guy vampires from J.D. Brown's Dark Heirloom (J.D. was there too with her characters of course). I never thought Drache was the violent type, seeing more as a Beta rather than an Alpha type of guy. However, during the little get together, someone (ahem, Etharas) said some not so nice things about Drache's wife. Lo and behold, Etharas was put into his place with a well smacked hand! I was shocked but when I thought about it, it fit. Drache is fiercly loyal and protectice of his wife and won't tolerate anyone putting her down. I was missing his strength of passion in the novel - but I promise you, it's there now!

However you discover your characters inner feelings, thoughts, and voice, just make sure it's their voice and not yours. Yes, authors have their own voice that comes through their writing, but that's a different topic.

***If you'd like to read the entire confrontation with Drache and the rest of the guys, visit The Life and Times of Imaginary People on Aug 28 to read the Poker Party.***

Editing the Anastasia Way

Author: Anastasia V. Pergakis // Category:


I've made a few posts on this blog in the past about passive verbs and weak sentences. There are sure more to come in the future too.

When it comes to grammar, while passive sentences can be correct, the point is they take away from the story and the action. Active sentences suck the reader into the scene so they can see and hear and feel what's going on too.

With that in mind, I learned a new trick to help me find those pesky passive verbs a lot easier in my huge MS.

Create a Macro! Now, for those that are not computer savvy, don't worry. This is the easiest thing to create - seriously. I'll take you through it step by step!

1. I did a bit of research and wrote down four seperate lists:

Passive Verbs (is, am, was, were, be, being, been, has, have, had, are, -ing)
Weak Verbs (saw, felt, heard, walked, ran, thought, realized, seemed, sat, stood, sounded, took)
Weak Words (that, just, even, so)
Adverbs (always, every, never, very, often, several, most, really, sometimes, -ly)

You can create your own lists based on whatever you like. You can even join all four of my lists together into one list. Whatever way works for you.

2. I opened my MS and had my list handy.

3. Click on "Tools". Holding your mouse over "Macros" will show a side pop down menu. Click on "Record New Macro".

4. In the little window that pops up, create a name for the Macro (like Passive Verbs). In the description area, you can explain what the Macro does. Mine says "Yellow highlight of Passive Verbs". You can also use this window to set a keyboard shortcut.

5. Click "Ok" A tiny window will pop up with a "Stop" and "Pause" button. You are now recording and any changes you make to the MS, the Macro will record.

6. Go to "Edit" then click on "Find". (You can type Ctrl+F if you prefer). Click on the "Replace" tab in the new window. In the "Find What" area type in one of the words from your list. For my Passive List, I typed in was. Then in the "Replace With" are, type in was again.

7. At the bottom of the window is a button that says "More". Clicking on that will expand the window to show more options. I recommend selecting the "Find whole words only" option. (Make sure the cursor is in the "Find What" window during this step.) This prevents your MS highlighting any time the pattern is (like in the word this) and only hightlights the word is. When you add 'ing' or 'ly' to your lists, uncheck this option.

Now, here you can do a few different things. Clicking on the "Format" button at the bottom will bring up a menu where you can select different formats. (Make sure the cursor is in the "Replace With" window during this step.) What I do is select "Highlight". But you can change font color or even bold the word if you prefer. Experiment with the things on this list to find what works best for you.

8. Click "Replace All". You will see highlights appear all over your document.

9. Repeat steps 5 to 9 until all the words on your list are highlighted. (Tip: Once you have your format settings, all you need to do is change the words you wish to highlight. You don't need to close the window or reset any of the formatting for each word - unless you want to change it).

10. Click on the "Stop" button on the tiny Macro recording window. Clear all the formatting in your MS (Click on Ctrl+Z will undo the last change you made.) To test your Macro, go to "Tools" then"Macro" then "Macros...". Here you can see the list of all Macros you have made. Select the Macro you want to run and click on "Run". As you can see, all the highlighting you did previously is done in one easy step! (Depending on how long your MS is, this could take a few minutes for it all to show up.)

Tip: If you have more than one Macro and want to change the highlight color for each list, simply change the "highlighter" color then run the next Macro. If you selected different font colors while recording, you do not need to do this extra step when running more than one Macro.

It takes a while to create the Macro the first time around, but trust me, the time it saves you later, is priceless. Taking a few hours now to set up this feature will help you with ANY novel you ever write again. (If you get a new computer, you have to set up the Macros all over again, just so you know.) I open my MS now and get straight to editing rather than doing "Find and Replace" for each word, every time.

**This is for Microsoft Word on a Windows operating system. I know Pages on a Mac has something similar to this feature.**

Imaginary People Given New Home!

Author: Anastasia V. Pergakis // Category:


Anastasia: Jen and I met on Writing.com and became fast friends. Our love of the dark side bonded us together instantly. We finally traded crits for each other’s works, (Dark Heirloom and Burden of Prophecy) and our friendship was cemented in laughter, love, and imaginary people.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Jen: Lots of laughter!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Anastasia: Indeed!

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Jen: Anastasia and I became fast fans of each other’s characters. Since we both talk to our own characters on a regular basis, it was just a matter of time before my characters started talking to her and vice versa.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Anastasia: Oh yes. In time it became obvious how our characters took over and soon the characters were talking - to both of us! Now, it is a rare occurrence where we have a conversation where one of the characters do not make an appearance.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Jen: Yup. One thing lead to another, and soon our characters were talking to each other!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Anastasia: Yes. I don't think either of us were prepared for how well they interacted either. Considering it's vampires and faeries from two totally different worlds, it's amazing to see them become friends with each other.

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Jen: Oh yeah. Our characters definitely have a mind of their own. Since then, it's been nonstop fun letting ALL of us mingle and chat. Though sometimes it can be chaotic, lol!

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Anastasia: That is very true! I'm sure some of you reading this think we have lost the plot here, but really, for me, my writing has improved immensely because of our character chats. My characters are more rounded with rich, deeper emotions - and I can convey those traits so much easier on paper too.

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Jen: Definitely. Unleashing my characters and letting them chat with Anastasia's has helped me see their true, unique voice. They reveal emotions and sides of themselves that I didn't realize were there - and I apply those gold nuggets to my writing all the time.

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Anastasia: With that in mind, we created a blog to unleash our characters to the world! We can't contain them in our own heads anymore! Okay, honestly, they bugged us until we caved and gave them their own blog, LOL!

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Jen: Haha! Yes. This was really Anastasia's idea, but I think it was only a matter of time, really. We love chatting with our characters so much that we saved copies of the chats! It was really just a matter of time before we realized how awesome it would be to share them with the world.

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Anastasia: Yes. So we crafted a space outside our heads just for them to talk to their fans and other characters too! Jen and I have stayed up late at night for a week planning every detail of this space to give our characters a comfortable place to share their thoughts and feelings.

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Jen: That's right. Anastasia's Fairies will blog on Tuesdays and Thursdays. My vampires will blog on Wednesdays and Fridays. Every Saturday will feature our famous "Character Chats" where you can see the awesomeness of multiple characters chatting with each other for yourself.

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Anastasia: Oh yes. The Saturday parties are definitely fun! Mondays will be for guest characters! That could be a minor character from our own works or even from other authors. Jen and I might make a few appearances to talk about the stories’ progress. I can't wait to see what other types of creatures we have visiting.

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Jen: And that's not all. We also have monthly forecast, predicted by two very wise, yet very ... urm ... colorful characters that you will meet later on the site.

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Anastasia: Oh yes! September will be the start of the forecasts. So come back then to see what Harmona Tion and The Crone have to say about the future!

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Jen: This blog is sure to be a blast, and it will constantly change as characters come and go - completely unleashed! So dig around and come back often!

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Anastasia: Let your characters come too! They need a break from the craziness of writing and editing too, so let them relax and enjoy the musings of a few funny (or demented, however you want to say it) characters from the heads of two insane authors.

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Jen: Insane, pssh! Lol.

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Anastasia: Oh right, I forgot. You can subscribe to the blog to get email updates of our posts by clicking on the "Sign me Up" button on the bottom right. You can also email the characters to ask them questions or leave them a personal message or two!

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Jen: Yes. Check the character pages to learn how to contact them.

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Anastasia: We (including the characters) look forward to seeing you!

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Jen: We hope you enjoy yourself. Thanks for stopping by!

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(click on the image below to be taken to the new blog!)