Category Archives: Cannot Write Without

Cannot Write Without: Adam Ezra

November 30, 2015Cannot Write Withoutadam ezra, nanowrimoAlethea

The question in the lagoon this month has been: What’s the one thing you cannot write without?

We’ve had a plethora of fabulous answers from writers all over the world. Today’s answer comes from Alethea’s favorite Troubadorious Noise Maker: Adam Ezra

The Adam Ezra Group released TWO live CDs this month. You can get both albums, signed by the band, by clicking this link right here. Trust me, you won’t regret it.

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Alethea and Adam, 2011

My answer is “honesty.”

This answer may seem ironic, because simply put, it’s not true.

I can write a good lie as well as the next guy…

But for me…in order to be the kind of writer I want to be, I think it requires me to be brutally honest in the words I share with the people who receive the art I create. I want to write from the place that is embarrassed by the way I look, and smell, and act sometimes. I want to write from the place that is so very proud of the person I’m trying to be. I want to write from the place in me that continues to fail.

I believe that all people are connected through the things we want, and need, and feel, and are ashamed of. Whether I’m writing from first-person, or through another character’s eyes, I want to know them honestly. I want to connect to some place of depth and determination inside of them, even when the story is light…even when I hate the person I’m writing about….especially when the person I’m writing about and hating is me…

I think it’s this process that pushes me to really understand my own struggles and helps me connect as powerfully as I can with my audience.

It is a process that can be both brutal and inspiring to me everyday.

Hells yeah…bring it on.

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The Adam Ezra Group (AEG) is not just a band; they are a force to be reckoned with musically, personally and socially. Selling records and tickets is important to AEG, but they are committed to changing the world with their songs and their actions along the way. Ezra and his band are activists and community leaders as much as they are musicians and songwriters. Ezra has spent time living out of a van, farming in Canada, volunteering for the relief effort in Kosovo, and practicing environmental geography in South Africa. Whether as a kitchen hand or carpenter, teacher, athlete, or traveler, Ezra crams it all into the music, always challenging our perspective and often teetering somewhere between the ballsy rocker and sensitive poet. Through their non profit organization, RallySound, AEG helps people organize live music events that inspire communities and encourage grassroots activism.

And Alethea loves every single one of them.

Cannot Write Without: Lea Bronsen

November 27, 2015Cannot Write Withoutcannot write without, Lea Bronsen, Mine to Love, time to writeCarlene

The question in the lagoon this month has been: What’s the one thing you cannot write without?

We’ve had a plethora of fabulous answers from writers all over the world. Today’s answer comes from Carlene’s music nut rock sister, Lea Bronsen!

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Thank you so much for inviting me today! What a lovely blog this is, and I’m really pleased to visit.

What is the one thing I cannot write without, you ask? Let me think… I don’t necessarily need my laptop—I’ll type or scribble on anything I happen to have at hand: my smartphone, a doodled-on page in my Filofax, the tiniest post-it note, a folded magazine someone left on my commute, a napkin some gorgeous café waiter handed me with a white-toothed smile…

Hmm, I don’t need to be at any particular place either—I’ll write on the bus with strangers staring from the corner of their eye, in bed propped up against my favorite pillows, elbowing for space at the dinner table, lying on the grass while kiddos play soccer around me, and even in the bathtub savoring a hot— (ahem… TMI perhaps, lol).

This is how my latest book Mine to Love, which I’ll talk about in a bit, came to life. Little by little, with a variety of means and at the weirdest of places.

See, as long as my imagination is at the rendez-vous, I have everything I need to write, except… time.

Yep. The biggest hindrance getting any words onto paper is everything else I do in life: having a full-time job and devoting my days and nights to three beautiful daughters and a husband. Would you believe I considered doing NaNoWriMo this year? Ha ha, what a face-slap moment it was when it hit me that I simply don’t have the time 😀

XX Lea

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A Bit About Lea: I like my reads hot, fast, and edgy, and strive to give my own stories the same intensity. After venturing into dirty inner-city crime drama with my debut novel Wild Hearted, I divide my writing time between psychological thriller, suspense romance, and erotic contemporary romance.

I love to hear from my readers! Write to [email protected] or meet me on:

A Bit About Lea’s Latest Release, Mine to Love…

The writing conference in sunny Cannes was fantastical, a dream. Back at home, reality catches up with author Andrea Johnson and the sexy cover model of her book, Yushka. With tough working schedules, challenging family relations, and seductive temptation from all sides, the couple’s explosive romance is put to the test.

Will their love be strong enough to have a future?

Cannot Write Without by Pintip Dunn

November 24, 2015Cannot Write Without, Pintip DunnEntangled Teen, FORGET TOMORROWPintip

The question in the lagoon this month has been: What’s the one thing you cannot write without?

We’ve had a plethora of fabulous answers from writers all over the world. Today’s answer comes from: me!!!!

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This answer will not surprise any of the mermaids or anyone who knows me… Can you guess?

My answer is: I cannot write without my iPhone.

I have long-standing fibromyalgia/RSI, which means I can’t type on a keyboard without debilitating pain.

Before smart phones, I coped by having a typist, taking exams orally (even the bar exam!), and using a voice-activation program such as Dragon Naturally Speaking. I made it work for about ten years, but I hated every minute of it. For whatever reason, I just don’t enjoy dictating my words.

And then, I got my first iPhone, and my life changed. I discovered I could type on the screen’s keyboard with minimal pain, so long as it was locked in “portrait” position. (Even the keys in “landscape” position are too far apart for me.) I was so happy to be “typing” or at least “tapping out” my words again.

FORGET TOMORROW was the first novel I wrote on my iPhone. Since then I have written three more. Just finished the first draft of that third one today, in fact.

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FORGET TOMORROW Synopsis:

Imagine a world where your destiny has already been decided…by your future self.

It’s Callie’s seventeenth birthday and, like everyone else, she’s eagerly awaiting her vision-a memory sent back in time to sculpt each citizen into the person they’re meant to be. A world-class swimmer. A renowned scientist.

Or in Callie’s case, a criminal.

In her vision, she sees herself murdering her gifted younger sister. Before she can process what it means, Callie is arrested and placed in Limbo-a hellish prison for those destined to break the law. With the help of her childhood crush, Logan, a boy she hasn’t spoken to in five years, she escapes.

But on the run from her future, as well as the government, Callie sets in motion a chain of events that she hopes will change her fate. If not, she must figure out how to protect her sister from the biggest threat of all-Callie, herself.

Pintip Dunn graduated from Harvard University, magna cum laude, with an A.B. in English Literature and Language. She received her J.D. at Yale Law School, where she was an editor of the YALE LAW JOURNAL. She also published an article in the YALE LAW JOURNAL, entitled, “How Judges Overrule: Speech Act Theory and the Doctrine of Stare Decisis,”

Pintip is represented by literary agent Beth Miller of Writers House. She is a 2012 RWA Golden Heart® finalist and a 2014 double-finalist. She is a member of Romance Writers of America, Washington Romance Writers, YARWA, and The Golden Network.

To learn more about FORGET TOMORROW, click here.

Cannot Write Without: C.E. Murphy

November 23, 2015Cannot Write Withoutcannot write without, ce murphy, nanowrimoAlethea

The question in the lagoon this month: What’s the one thing you cannot write without?

Today’s answer comes from fantasy author superhero: C.E. “Catie” Murphy.

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“My computer,” although that’s not actually true, as I have been known to use pen and paper when necessary.

“Peace of mind” is right up there too, if I want to be writing anything productive…

There’s really very little I can’t live without for writing, if I’m determined to write!

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Bestselling author C. E. Murphy was born and raised in Alaska. She now lives in her ancestral homeland of Ireland, which is a magical land where it rains a lot but winter never actually arrives.

Find out more about Catie and her complete body of work at: http://mizkit.com/cemurphy

Cannot Write Without: E.C. Myers

November 20, 2015Cannot Write Withoutcannot write without, ec myers, nanowrimoAlethea

The question in the lagoon this month: What’s the one thing you cannot write without?

Today’s answer comes from award-winning SF author and superhero : E.C. Myers.

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I can’t write without a keyboard.

I’ve tried writing fiction longhand, and it’s just too slow. It doesn’t matter if the keyboard is on a laptop or attached to a desktop computer or a tablet, or if I’m working on a word processor like my Alphasmart Neo — I just need keys to transfer words from my brain to a file!

I prefer clicky keys on a mechanical keyboard, the louder the better, but I can adjust to just about anything if I have to… even a chiclet keyboard.

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E(ugene).C. Myers is the author of the Andre Norton Award–winning Fair Coin and Quantum Coin, young adult science fiction novels published by Pyr, and The Silence of Six, a young adult cyber thriller from Adaptive Books.

Find out more about Eugene at his website: http://ecmyers.net

Cannot Write Without: Liz DeJesus

November 18, 2015Cannot Write WithoutAlethea

The question in the lagoon this month: What’s the one thing you cannot write without?

Today’s answer comes from fantastic fairy tale author : Liz DeJesus.

Liz will be giving away pdf copies of her gorgeous Frost series (three books!) to one lucky commenter today. So…what can’t YOU write without?? Be sure to comment below!

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I can’t write without my gel pen and my Moleskine notebook.

I get easily distracted by the internet if I try to write directly onto my computer. I end up writing a sentence and then going to Facebook to see what all of my friends are up to.

So with a notebook and pen there’s less distractions for me (thank goodness for the Do Not Disturb button on my iPhone. Otherwise I’d never get any writing done).

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Liz DeJesus was born on the tiny island of Puerto Rico. She is a novelist, freelance writer, writing coach and a poet. She has been writing for as long as she was capable of holding a pen. Find out more about Liz and her gorgeous books on her website: www.lizdejesus.com!

Cannot Write Without: Amber Lough

November 16, 2015Cannot Write Withoutamber lough, cannot write without, nanowrimoAlethea

The question in the lagoon this month: What’s the one thing you cannot write without?

Today’s answer comes from fabulous YA author and current resident of Germany [WHY DOES SHE HAVE TO BE SO FAR AWAY???–Alethea] : Amber Lough.

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lee & AMBER One thing I cannot write without? That’s hard because I have been forced to be quite adaptable. Honestly, I can write on napkins on a boat if I have to. The ONE thing I must have is an alert brain. If I am sleepy at ALL, I will fall asleep on my keyboard.

It’s boring, but it’s the truth. I’ve been known to fall asleep mid-word and dream about the scene I’m writing about. The more rested I am, however, the better I can write.

Ideal situation: laptop, coffee, eclectic and comfortable Cafe, and headphones playing classical music.

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Amber Lough lives with her physicist husband and their two kids in Lower Saxony, Germany.

As a child, Amber moved about every two years and spent much of it overseas in Cuba, Japan, and Bahrain. She attended High School in North Charleston, South Carolina and studied Russian at Saint Louis University in Missouri before heading into the Air Force. She was an Intelligence Officer stationed in San Diego, and travelled the Pacific for her job. She also spent about 8 months in Baghdad, Iraq. After having her first child, she left the Air Force to begin writing full-time.

Visit Amber over at The Fourteenery and The Hanging Gardens where she contributes with other YA authors.

Cannot Write Without: Monica Valentinelli

November 13, 2015Cannot Write Withoutcannot write without, monica valentinelli, nanowrimoAlethea

The question in the lagoon this month: What’s the one thing you cannot write without?

Today’s Fabulous Friday the 13th answer comes from one of Alethea’s favorite authors and gamer grrls: Monica Valentinelli.

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The one thing I feel I can’t write without is my noise-cancelling headphones.

When I wear them, my world suddenly shrinks and I feel more focused on what is in front of me. It doesn’t matter if I’m furiously typing on a keyboard or scribbling in a notebook, either. Being able to control peripheral noise has been one of the best things that ever happened to me.

It rocks!

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Monica Valentinelli is a writer, editor, and game developer who lurks in the dark. She writes both original and media tie-in fiction and works on games and comics, too. To date, she has over six dozen creative credits with more on the way. She is known for her work as the lead writer and developer for the award-winning line of Firefly RPG releases based on the TV show by Joss Whedon. Recently, she announced The Gorramn Shiniest Language Guide and Dictionary in the ‘Verse will be available in Spring 2016 from Titan Publishing.

To find out more about Monica, visit her website at: www.mlvwrites.com

Cannot Write Without: John Scalzi

November 11, 2015Cannot Write Withoutcannot write without, john scalzi, nanowrimoAlethea

The question in the lagoon this month: What’s the one thing you cannot write without?

Today’s answer comes from SF celebrity author and karaoke rock god: John Scalzi.

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I can’t write without a computer.

I started writing stories the same year the first Mac came out and so literally I’ve never not written on anything other than a computer.I think about trying to write on a typewriter and it makes me want to run screaming into the night.

So, yes. A computer, please.

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John Scalzi is the most excellent author of Redshirts and Old Man’s War and a ton of other really great SF books. He’s the proprietor of the Whatever website, and as much fun to hang out with at conventions as he is online. He lives in Ohio with his supergoddess wife Krissy, ultrafabulous daughter Athena, one dog, one cat, and two brand new kittens (be sure to follow him online to see all the fabulous photos).

And Alethea Mermaid misses him very much!

Cannot Write Without: Haralambi Markov

November 9, 2015Cannot Write Withoutcannot write without, haralambi markov, nanowrimoAlethea

The question in the lagoon this month: What’s the one thing you cannot write without?

Today’s answer comes from SF short fiction author extraordinaire: Haralambi Markov.

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Whenever you hear professional writers – I’m talking about those writers who are revising a novel under deadline and outlining a new one while simultaneously doing a press tour for a book due to be released any second – speak about writing, you hear one advice come up very often: “Abandon all rituals. Forget about the special pens, notebooks and time of day. Write – it doesn’t matter when, where or how.” It’s damn good advice; gets things done.

I didn’t take it to heart when I first started, of course, because writing is an act of inspiration, OK? You’re an artist – the recipient of a rare gift. You can’t just sit down and write. No, you have to gather all the ingredients, wait for the right hour and use the right instruments to reach the ether and channel inspiration. What this method taught me is that you can’t do much work waiting for circumstances to align. You’re not a witch waiting centuries for planets to align in just the right way for a short window of time. Writing is not that kind of spellwork.

One by one, I had to strip out the rituals and prerequisites to get any writing done. Don’t get me wrong – it’s fine to have a favourite notebook with the best layout, a favourite pen with a great grip and an hour you know your mind is clearest, but I learned to not require them.

Right now, the one thing I cannot sacrifice is solitude. I can’t write knowing there is another person in the same room as me. My desire to chat and goof around trumps my desire to write and even the potential of a conversation breeds tension and dissolve any creative focus. I’m working on overcoming this, too, but so far – I think I hit a hard limit there.

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Haralambi Markov is a writer, an editor, a freelancer, a reviewer, a geek, a book hoarder, a list maker, an art fanatic, a TV junkie, a pop culture aficionado…and lives “with the weird” in the coastal city of Varna, Bulgaria. Find out more about Harry at: http://haralambimarkov.com/blog/ (The Alternative Typewriter)

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Category Archives: Cannot Write Without

Cannot Write Without: Adam Ezra

Cannot Write Without: Lea Bronsen

Cannot Write Without by Pintip Dunn

Cannot Write Without: C.E. Murphy

Cannot Write Without: E.C. Myers

Cannot Write Without: Liz DeJesus

Cannot Write Without: Amber Lough

Cannot Write Without: Monica Valentinelli

Cannot Write Without: John Scalzi

Cannot Write Without: Haralambi Markov