Saturday, December 19, 2015

CAPTIVE teaser (5)

Well, I officially finished my first semester of college with straight A's (YAY!)... and I still haven't published Captive yet. Don't worry, it's coming! In the meantime, please enjoy this latest teaser. (I do not own the original image, only the typography.)

Thursday, November 5, 2015

Update + Sierra College ASSC Flash Fiction Contest

I swear I'm not dead, just swamped with the life of a college student! It's been three months since I started college and I haven't run away screaming... yet. Ha, just kidding. I'm actually loving all of it: the teachers, the classes themselves, and even the homework! I know, I'm weird. But I didn't create this post to ramble about college life. This is the website/blog of a writer, and so let's skip to that part...

Recently, my school (I know, talking about my college again) had a writing contest called the ASSC Flash Fiction Contest. I have no idea was "ASSC" means, but the "flash fiction" part meant that we had to write an entire story in 600 words... 600 words! That's nothing! My book is around 500 pages, and I had to write a story in 600 words. We also had to incorporate the sentence "I had no idea the dissent would be so rapid," word or word. It was definitely a challenge, but I like a challenge and so I enjoyed it very much.

I wrote four stories but we were only allowed to enter two. Even though I liked all of them, my readers voted that I submit the last two stories that I wrote, although I'm kind of in love with the idea for the second story and I might continue it... someday... when I have more time... Yeah right, when do I ever have any extra time. I guess what I mean to say is that I'm hoping to continue it. Anyway, I was originally going to make a pdf of each story to share with you guys. But I'm sick and really don't want to go through all of that trouble to upload it to scribd.com and then embed it here and blah blah blah. So just click on the links proved below to read each story. Hope you like them! And I love comments and reviews and just about anything. So leave a comment, pretty please with a cherry on top!

Monday, June 29, 2015

I'M GRADUATED!

Well, I had a big party yesterday and am now officially graduated from high school! Whoopee!!!!!!

College, here I come!


Monday, June 8, 2015

CAPTIVE Update + Back Cover Synopsis Reveal!


Hey All!

So... I was recently advised to look for a professional editor. I was originally going to skip that for "Captive" since it's so short, but now I'm thinking otherwise... Which means that it won't come out this month after all, but maybe nearer the fall. I've been pushing forward the release date for this book  since last year and it's starting to get frustrating. But, alas, that's how the book writing business goes. You think you're almost done, and then... WHAM! Road block!

Anyway, even though it won't come out this month. I do have the first draft of the back cover synopsis to share with ya'll. Click HERE to read it!

Cheers,

~Ty

Monday, May 25, 2015

Happy Memorial Day!


Give Me Liberty - L.M. Elliot

For thirteen-year-old Nathaniel, an indentured servant in colonial Virginia, life is hard. Though things improve with the help of a kind master named Basil-who shares music, books, and philosophies on equality-around him the climate is heating up. It's 1775 and colonists are enraged by England's taxation. Patrick Henry's words "give me liberty, or give me death" become the sounding call and the American Revolution is about to errupt. Nathaniel and Basil must make a choice about joining the fight and face a larger conundrum about the true meaning of liberty.

L. M. Elliott crafts a stirring narrative for middle grade readers-conveying the hopes and dilemmas of this crucial era in American history.



5 out of 5 stars

L.M. Elliott is an amazing writer! Even though this book written for middle-school kids... I felt myself quickly wrapped up into the plot and the struggle of the characters. She has a way with words that is just beautiful. Just imagine what she could produce if she wrote adult books! AMAZING!

Monday, May 18, 2015

CAPTIVE Cover Reveal!

In honor of my 100th blog post... I will reveal to you the new cover for CAPTIVE!!!!

However, you will have to jump over to The Latanica Saga website, which you can do by clicking here.

Hope you like it!

Cheers!

~Ty

PS - Stay tuned for the back cover description reveal!

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

The Giver - Lois Lowry

The Giver, the 1994 Newbery Medal winner, has become one of the most influential novels of our time. The haunting story centers on twelve-year-old Jonas, who lives in a seemingly ideal, if colorless, world of conformity and contentment. Not until he is given his life assignment as the Receiver of Memory does he begin to understand the dark, complex secrets behind his fragile community. Lois Lowry has written three companion novels to The Giver, including Gathering Blue, Messenger, and Son.


3.5 stars out of 5
I feel kind of conflicted about the rating, I want to give it a five for the amazing view on life it takes... But then there are the weird things involved with it... the slightly bland writing style, the incredible short length of the book... Actually, I probably wouldn't have been able to finish it if it was any longer (I've been enjoying shorter books just because I don't have as much time to read anymore), but it seemed like she could have expanded on the story a lot more... Put more detail in about the world that Jonas lives, had more character development so that we would have more sympathy more the characters... I don't know. All in all, it was really interesting and I'm definitely going to be getting the next three books.

I actually saw the movie first and even though the book isn't one of my favorites, I would definitely say that the movie is. It seemed to improve on the book by making the main characters a bit older, editing out some of the weirder things, and adding more depth to side characters. Not to mention what an awesome cast they had. Not just because they had famous actors, but because the casting was just so good. All of the actors looks incredibly like the description in the book. Especially Jonas and Fiona. 

I normally don't recommend watching a movie before reading the book... but for this one, watching the movie actually helped me enjoy the book more...

Monday, April 27, 2015

Save the Cat! - Blake Snyder

This ultimate insider's guide reveals the secrets that none dare admit, told by a show biz veteran who's proven that you can sell your script if you can save the cat!





6 out of 5 stars
This book is chock-full of amazing information and advice. Whether you're a screenwriter, aspiring screenwriter, novelist, movie critic, movie fanatic, or anything in between, I'd suggest reading this book. It is simple to understand, straight-forward, and hilarious! 

Tuesday, April 14, 2015

CAPTIVE Update

Captive is taking a lot longer to get out into the world then I was hoping... Right now I'm swamped with finishing high school, work, trying to finish the Captive edits, as well as figure out a cover. It's still coming out this year... just maybe not as early as I'd originally promised. In the mean time, enjoy this pic I found on Pinterest that reminds me a TON of Jazmine's mom, Queen Glory, who is one of the main characters in Captive (just give her lavender colored eyes).





Wednesday, March 18, 2015

My Favorite... part 1


FAVORITE BOOKS:

J.M. BARRIE
Peter and Wendy

WILKIE COLLINS
The Woman in White

C.S. LEWIS
The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe
Prince Caspian

M.L. LEGETTE
The Unicorn Girl
The Tale of Mally Biddle

G.K. CHESTERTON
The Ballad of the White Horse

KIKI HAMILTON
The Faerie Ring 

LLOYD C. DOUGLAS
The Robe

RICK RIORDAN
Percy Jackson & the Olympians series
Heroes of Olympus series

A.G. HOWARD
Splintered

ELOIS JARVIS MCGRAW
Mara, Daughter of the Nile
The Golden Goblet

ALLY CARTER
Heist Society

ANDREW KLAVIN
The Homelanders series

GAIL CARSON LEVINE
Ella Enchanted 

KATE SEREDY
The Good Master
A Tree for Peter

LAURA INGELS WILDER
Little House on the Prairie series

MARTHA FINLEY
A Life of Faith Series

ELIZABETH GOUGE
The Little White Horse

BRIAN JAQUES
Castaways of the Flying Dutchman series

MICHELLE BUCKMAN
Death Panels

FRANK E. PARETTI
This Present Darkness
Piercing the Darkness
Prophet

KATHRYN STOCKETT 
The Help

REGINA DOMAN
The Shadow of the Bear

CATHERINE FISHER
Incarceron

KENNETH GRAHAM
The Wind in the Willows

AMANDA HOCKING
The Trylle trilogy

Saturday, March 14, 2015

The Icarus Hunt by Timothy Zahn

Jordan McKell has a problem with authority. Unfortunately for him, the iron-fisted authority of the powerful Patthaaunutth controls virtually every aspect of galactic shipping. In order to survive, Jordan ekes out a living dabbling in interstellar smuggling for outlaw concerns that represent the last vestiges of free trade in the galaxy. So when Jordan and his partner, Ixil--an alien with two ferret-like "outhunters" linked to his neural system--are hired by a mysterious gentleman to fly a ship and its special cargo to Earth, they jump at the job.

Caution has never been one of Jordan's strong suits. But this time he may have taken on more than even he can handle. The ship, Icarus, turns out to be a ramshackle hulk, the ragtag crew literally picked up off the street, and the cargo so secret, it's sealed in a special container that takes up most of the cramped and ill-designed ship. As if that weren't bad enough, it looks like the authorities already suspect something is afoot, there's a saboteur aboard, and the Icarus appears to be shaking apart at the seams.


It doesn't seem as if things could get any worse. That is, until a beautiful crew member helps McKell uncover the true nature of the cargo he's carrying. With his enemies closing in on the lumbering Icarus, the unknown saboteur still aboard, and authorities on Earth pressured to turn them in, McKell and Ixil become fugitives. Their only chance is to stay one step ahead of their pursuers as they try to make it home.

3.5 out of 5 stars

I'm not one for reading science fiction in general, let alone military science fiction. I just find it really boring for some reason. I had already read a few other of Timothy Zahn's books by the time I picked this one up and had found his pervious books entertaining (he has fantastic plot) but really boring because his characters have a lot of long conversations I don't really want to read about and he spends an excessive amount of time explaining the design of a spaceship. But my brother had been raving about how amazing The Icarus Hunt was and so I decided to give Zahn another try. The beginning was interesting, but near the middle I reached the same problem I had before with his other books... it was boring! But I stuck to it because my brother was so excited I was reading it. And then I got to the end where all the mysteries were solved... and it quite blew my breath away. The Icarus Hunt has probably one of the best endings I have ever read in terms of solving the mystery, wrapping up the plot while leaving it open for future adventures with the characters, and deep satisfaction. Even if you're not into military science fiction or science fiction in general, I'd consider giving this book a try. The ending is TOTALLY worth it.

Monday, March 2, 2015

WIP - post #3

**(WIP = works in progress)
From  Dark Secret



Wednesday, February 18, 2015

TOAM: Into the Woods

***TOAM: thoughts on a movie

I'd been waiting for this movie for months and then had to wait another few weeks after it came out before I was able to find time to see it. When I entered the movie theater, I entered with high expectations. I LOVE fairytales, especially retellings and mashups. It was also a Disney movie to boot and Disney always has great songs riddled through their fairytale retelling movies. And the actors! They have such a great cast for this movie! But, alas... I left the movie theater highly disappointed. The graphics and costumes were okay, and the acting was really good but the stupidity of the plot made them seem really dumb. The songs were really annoying. I wanted to step into the movie and toss Little Red Riding Hood off the stage she was so irritating. And the morality of the movie was HORRIBLE! If you want to teach your kids that cheating on your spouse, weak men, and relativism is all okay, then take them to see this movie. But if not... then keep them away!

Friday, February 6, 2015

Music!

Thought I'd share some current songs that I just can't seem to hear enough...
















Wednesday, February 4, 2015

The Prophesy



**I do not own any of the photos in this post, I just thought it would be fun to show some artwork from Pinterest that reminds me of my work(s).

As I've been sitting here at my dinning room table dreaming, plotting, scheming and finally typing out both CAPTIVE and DESTINY'S HAND, I've come to realize that I need to do two things. One, is that I need a series revision of JAZMINE, and two, is that I need to rewrite the Prophesy...



Let's start with JAZMINE - 

I was pretty young when I began writing, finished, and published JAZMINE. I am still pretty young actually in terms of being a published author, but I have also grown a tone in my own maturity and writing style. And during the years JAZMINE has been published, I've also been able to build the world of Geia into something that is more structured as well as more thought out. It was a bit sporadic in JAZMINE, but I've come to work out those knots since its publication. Another drawback, not necessarily for me but for you (my readers), is that the company I decided to publish with has put my novel on sale at a rather ridiculous price. $26.95 is just way too much for a paperback book. I know that I would never buy a book that was that expensive--I just don't have the money to splurge like that, and I know it must be that way for you as well.



Because of these things, I've decided that after I finish DESTINY'S HAND and CAPTIVE and before I start on the next story in the Saga, I'm going to take JAZMINE off the bookshelf and do a major revision on it... fixing plot, grammar, writing style, and characters. Then I'll re-publish it through a different company that should cut the price in half.

I'm very excited for this new revision because the story of JAZMINE is very dear to my heart and I can't wait to return to it to improve it even more.



Now, let's go onto the news about the Prophesy -



One of the first things I began to notice (really only this year - 2015) is that the Prophesy is just way too long for people to whisper it to one another quickly, and then immediately have it memorized in order to pass it on to the next person. Because of this, I'm going to be re-writing the Prophesy into a shorter version with a better punch and input the new version into the upcoming books in the Saga as it  is repeated. I'm also going to switch it out in JAZMINE when I do the revision, so you'll have to bear with me and the old version until I'm able to do that. 

Here is the rough first-draft just for you, written when I was on a three-hour bus ride and seriously began thinking about this problem.




The Prophesy

At the end of the Golden Age will come a new foe,
Drenched in darkness and bringing nothing but woe.

Out of the ashes a warrior will rise,
The white-haired maiden who will conquer our demise.

For by a woman we fell,
And by a woman we will be set free.

We live in hope for that fateful day...


Monday, February 2, 2015

The Trylle trilogy - by Amanda Hocking


When Wendy Everly was six years old, her mother was convinced she was a monster and tried to kill her. Eleven years later, Wendy discovers her mother might have been right. She’s not the person she’s always believed herself to be, and her whole life begins to unravel—all because of Finn Holmes.

SWITCHED at birth...

Finn is a mysterious guy who always seems to be watching her.  Every encounter leaves her deeply shaken…though it has more to do with her fierce attraction to him than she’d ever admit.  But it isn’t long before he reveals the truth:  Wendy is a changeling who was switched at birth—and he’s come to take her home.


Now Wendy’s about to journey to a magical world she never knew existed, one that’s both beautiful and frightening.  And where she must leave her old life behind to discover who she’s meant to become…


I'm not someone to obsess about a series that much anymore. And I definitely don't finish it in less than a week. I have too many other things going on like school, work, and my own writing. But I literally could not put this series down! I don't remember the last time I stayed up still 2am just to finish a book... But I did with the third book in the series, Ascend. I read the whole book in just a few hours because I couldn't put it down! That's how good it was!

TORN between two worlds...

Her writing style was clean and to the point. Wendy's emotions in the first book seemed to be flying by too quickly to seem real but, when I thought about it more, that's actually how our quick teenage brains works, lol. We don't dwell on one thing, thought, or emotion for too long. The character growth was amazing, especially Wendy's. I didn't really like her at first but by the third book I felt like she was one of the best people I could ever possibly meet. It was through Wendy's perspective, but Hocking seemed to portray the other characters and their own personality and growth extremely well.

And the love triangle! OMG! I never expected it to end the way it did but I was soooooo happy with it! I actually got emotional (and I don't usually get emotional... ever) while reading the Epilogue and short story at the end of Ascend, the feels were intense!

ASCEND to the magic...

I do have two things that I didn't really like, and they're really only my own personal opinions because they didn't coincide with what I believe in. For one, I didn't really like some of the romance that happened outside of the character's marriages. And two, there was a gay character that made me a little uncomfortable. I actually loved the character, he was amazing. But this little side thing made it hard sometimes to read near the end of the series. I have nothing against gays at all, I love the people, but I just have a hard time copping with what they are doing.

But, besides that, I'm happily giving all three books a whopping 5 out of 5 stars for the character development, plot, and writing style... Good job Amanda Hocking!

Monday, January 26, 2015

Walk for Life West Coast 2015

Walk for Life West Coast has been happening annually for the past 11 years in San Francisco. I was fortunate to have participated in two of those, one of the being just last Saturday. It is a beautiful thing where people of all ages, races, religions, and backgrounds gather together and speak with one voice against the evil lie that is Abortion.

*(Baby at only sixteen weeks old in the womb)*
Abortion has always been a problem in our Country (and in others), but it has only been in the last couple of decades where it has really sank its teeth into our daily lives and taken hold of the most precious part of a persons life... its beginning and growth in the womb. 

Terrorist have killed 3,000 Americans since 1990... Abortion has killed 4,000 since YESTERDAY.

 Before the official Walk began, there were many passionate speakers who gave their testimonies in the middle of Civic Plaza in San Francisco.

 Some of the speakers included a zealous Reverend with his large, supportive family... a young girl who was able to have her chemical abortion reversed when she realized the horrible mistake she had made... and a woman who had formally been dating Arrowsmith's Steven Tyler when she was underage and was coerced into aborting their child... 

A total of 50,000 people participated in the walk in San Francisco and 400,000 in Washington D.C. just two days before. Even in the face of hateful adversity from the protestors on the side lines, the people in the Walk (myself and my group included) remained peaceful and unprovocative the whole time. 

I hope this blog post was informative and maybe even inspires you to join us in this noble cause next year... 

~Ty

Thursday, January 22, 2015

Saturday, January 17, 2015

CAPTIVE teaser!

In honor of the completion of the first round of edits for Captive, I have a picture/quote to share! I will be sharing little things like this with you all the way up until it's released... hopefully sometime later this year.


Tuesday, January 13, 2015

Saturday, January 3, 2015

Divergent - by Veronica Roth


One choice can transform you...


Beatrice Prior's society is divided into five factions—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent)...

Beatrice must choose between staying with her Abnegation family and transferring factions. Her choice will shock her community and herself. But the newly christened Tris also has a secret, one she's determined to keep hidden, because in this world, what makes you different makes you dangerous. Supports the Common Core State Standards.



5 out of 5 stars

I've been trying to get around to reading this for a while. I picked it up in the store one time and read a few pages but it didn't capture my interest at all. Then I saw the movie and I enjoyed it so much I decided to give the book a try again. I got a beautiful hardcover copy for Christmas and read it in two days! I don't like books that are written in present tense (*cough* *cough* Hunger Games *cough* *cough*) but the plot and world/character development was so good in this book that I didn't care! I'm definitely looking forward to learning more about the world of DIVERGENT, especially the faction system and what happened in the world beyond futuristic Chicago. But, luckily, there are two more books to satisfy my curiosity! And FOUR! Omg, I'm going to start his book soon and I cannot wait!