Friday, August 10, 2012

Guest Post- #Giveaway:Crimson Groves by @AshleyR0bertson









Bronx the vampire barges into Abigail Tate's life and forcefully turns her, then holds her captive. When a chance at escape arises, it's with the aid of an innocent human-except vampires are forbidden to interact with the unbitten. But Abby learns this human has secrets of his own...secrets that can help or get her killed. Only Abby discovers she was the one wih the biggest secret of all.













Ashley Robertson resides in sunny Orlando, Florida and loves reading and writing about everything urban fantasy and paranormal romance. When she isn't writing you'll find her spending time with family and friends, training in her home gym, traveling and exploring new places, drinking fine red wines, and making gourmet coffees with her Nespresso machine.
Visit her website to learn about her upcoming releases, guest blog posts, and featured giveaways at: www.AshleyRobertsonBooks











Dealing With Writer’s Block by Ashley Robertson

I was asked the other day to explain what I do when I encounter that dreaded writer’s block that all authors are faced with, and I wish there was a easy answer for this, but when you’re in the middle of one of those moments there really isn’t anything simple about it. But I have tried a few different methods of working through it; sometimes they work, and unfortunately, there are times they don’t. I could be knee-deep in some killer action—or maybe even a hot and spicy love episode—and then out of nowhere, the wall shoots up and my mind goes blank, leaving me unable to finish the scene. And trust me, picking up my laptop and throwing it across the room in a fit of rage can be very tempting, but once I find a way through the barrier, I’m going to need my computer, so destroying it isn’t an option. After all, it’s not like it’s my laptop’s fault that I’m going through that, it’s more than likely my brain’s—but there’s hardly a way to rip it a new one. (chuckles) So figuring out how to trick it back into functioning the way I need it to is the key.
The first thing I’ve tried is to get up and walk away for a bit. Staring mindlessly at the screen is only going to make things worse, and sometimes a momentary break is all you really need to get back on track. If the weather is nice, go for a short walk. Or maybe this is the perfect time to run those errands you’ve been putting off. Usually this really helps me, and once I’m back in front of my computer, I feel refreshed and ready to resume the story.
Another thing that has sometimes helped is to just close the window to my WIP and work on getting through my email or something else that needs my attention. Lately I’ve had a lot of guest blog posts and interviews with some pretty amazing bloggers (like Lisa), and it’s been the perfect outlet away from my uncooperative muses.
But those breaks are only temporary because at the end of the day, we have deadlines that force us to push through. The fear of not having something ready on time grates heavily on my nerves, and sometimes just staring at the screen willing my fingers to type something—anything—will at least help me accomplish my daily word goal (my minimum is 1k words per day) even if some of that forced material ends up getting deleted later on. Expunged scenes are extremely common for us writers, and lately I’ve noticed some of my favorite authors including a ‘deleted scene’ at the end of their books. Being an avid reader myself, I personally love it when there are extras to read, so I’ve been implementing that concept in my own novels.



So now it’s time for me to ask: how do you handle writer’s block? Or perhaps the better question is: how many computers have you had to replace?









Ashley is graciously offering an e-book copy or signed paperback copy of Crimson Groves, to my readers.

  • Open to all
  • Winner will have 48hrs to respond to e-mail
  • Must fill out rafflecopter form
  • Giveaway ends 8/24










a Rafflecopter giveaway

10 comments:

  1. Happy Friday! If anyone has some comments or questions, I'd surely love to hear from you :-)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Ashley! Crimson Groves sounds sad and creepy and a very cool read!! Who would have thought dark tales come from FL!?

    I've had writer's block a lot lately but that's b/c the weather keep beckoning me (in MI if you blink, you miss it) and unfortunately reading a book doesn't help. And lucky for me, this is a hobby so no deadlines, like real writers such as yourself! What helps me is listening to music, loud Breaking Benjamin type stuff or something dancey like Robin Thicke's "My Life". Then I sit down, read other blogs like Lisa's, get totally envious and then start writing again... until my 6 year old calls :(

    Thanks for the great giveaway!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey Kristin :-D Even though I'm a native Central Floridian, I have got one major dark side in my head for sure. LOL Music is a great idea. Sometimes I'll have it playing and not even realize how motivated my writing has been. Thanks so much for mentioning that. And I know what you mean about having a six-year-old. I have a little boy the same age who starts 1st grade this Wednesday (*cue tears) I don't want to blink bc I'm afraid he'll be graduating high school when I open my eyes. :-)

      Delete
    2. Ah, man, you're gonna get me tearing up!! Mine isn't growing up, though so I've got no worries :) Good Luck on Wednesday ;)

      Delete
  3. Hi Ashley,
    This sounds like a great read! My husband recently published a book and I know how hard this is to accomplish so I just wanted to say Congrats and Way to go! Thanks so much for the great giveaway!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Book sounds fantastic, Love the cover. Thx for giveaway.

    ReplyDelete
  5. @ Brandy, There is definitely a dark side to CG and I really hope you like reading it :-) And thanks, it really is a tough road for freelance writers, but one I love so much I wouldn't trade it for anything. xo

    @Lona, You're welcome. And I really hope you enjoy reading Abby's story. The sequel (Crimson Flames) is on schedule to release this winter, and I promise it'll pack some serious punch (huge grin) and maybe some heated romance that'll leave you panting for more. It's been real tough keeping a YA rating on this one, it's leaning more on a mature YA now.

    ReplyDelete
  6. The book sounds amazing! I would love to read it.

    Thanks for the giveaway

    ReplyDelete
  7. Anatea, my pleasure. Thanks for your interest :-)

    ReplyDelete