Nicki Elson's Not-So-Deep Thoughts

What I discovered about myself when I got my very first laptop almost 2 years ago, is that I'm a rabbit at heart and prefer to hole into little cubbies. Despite my new ability to venture away from the desktop and out of the confinement of the small office, I've landed in the even smaller butler's pantry as my primary writing space. It's a narrow galley between the kitchen and the dining room w/ a pantry closet on one side and this small counter on the other.  I just couldn't focus in wide open spaces---far too many distractions.  So this is where I go when I need to get 'er done.  And yet, I'm still in the middle of the house and able to keep my mom-dar on. ;) Yes, that's a wine fridge on the right---what's your point?  The beauty is that when company is coming, I can easily whisk away the office supplies (including the pens, etc. in the coffee cups) and *bam* it becomes a beverage oasis.  The guests leave, and *bam* it's back to my "off...

Last year, Jessica McQuinn graciously granted me an interview on the release day of her latest novel, Indivisible , an emotional tale of love and survival in a military family. Jessica McQuinn is also the co-author of Passion Fish . Both Indivisible and Passion Fish are part of Omnific Publishin's Freedom Sale through July 31, 2012 at only $2.99 each. Even though Indivisible deals with some pretty weighty issues, McQuinn's vibrant personality shows through in her writing to make the book a fun as well as an insightful read.      For more on the military aspects of Indivisible , read the Coffee Time Romance interview. 1. The military plays a strong role in Indivisible, so the story obviously had to be set near a military base, but how did you decide on San Diego as the setting for Indivisible? Well, since Gideon is a SEAL, the options were limited. While at any given time, a SEAL team can be anywhere, there are only a few actual bases that they call "hom...

Because of the maximum fabulosity of my Top Ten Countdown (bloghop hosted by Alex J. Cavenaugh ), I've created a Top 10 You Tube playlist for your enjoyment. I had two main criteria for my selections: * The songs had to be by bands/performers that have a whole stable of great songs.  No one-hit-wonders here.  So each song on the list represents one of my personal favorite bands/performers. *  The songs have to be timeless .  When I listen to them years later, I have to love them not because of whatever memory they dredge up, but because they still rock.  And so, the order here was simply decided by how much time they've been tested for...i.e. in order of release date, starting w/ the most recent. **Please note, if asked again tomorrow, I reserve the right to completely change this list ;)** 10   "Just Breathe" Pearl Jam 9 "I'm Shipping up to Boston" Dropkick Murphys 8 "Pretty Vegas" INXS (I feel like a traitor choosing a song post ...

 I'm no Carey Grant, but that didn't stop Kelly Dexter , Jennifer Lane , and Celery Tree from grant ing me with the Stylish Blogger Award and Lisa Galek from giving me the Making Smiles on Faces Award !  Thank you, ladies.  You certainly did make me smile---in a very stylish way, of course.  To accept these awards I am to reveal seven facts about myself and then pass along the awards to others, so here goes. Seven things about moi: 1.  I'm not the least bit sorry for the wretched pun I made above. 2.  I'm deadset against cosmetic surgery. 3. Yet I slather myself in no less than five different anti-aging ointments and lotions every single day. 4. I often wonder---on principle, is there really any difference between 2 & 3? 5. I keep volunteering for sh!t I don't have time to do. 6. On February 1, I'm going to London to visit my sister ! 7.  Did you hear me?  I'M GOING TO LONDON to visit my SISTER in less than two weeks!!! And...

I've been wanting to post about this for a long time, but finally got motivated by one of Lisa Galek's new year's resolutions at her blog Read, Write, Repeat .  By her own assessment, she's gone over the edge and has resolved to curb her emoticon abuse in the new year.  We discussed it further and agree that emoticons in moderation aren't bad, but we worry that we've become too dependent on them. Hey, why does it sound like I'm talking about an addiction?  Oh, maybe I am...  Hi.  My name is Nicki Elson and I'm an emotiaholic.  Which is extremely ironic because I used to be an emoti-snob.  I refused to use them.  I said, "I'm a writer. I shall use only words to express my meaning."  But then, as I became more active in the world of on-line writing, my e-communications through reviews, responses to reviews, private messages, e-mails, etc. increased, and I found a quick-fix to let the person on the other end know I was just joking was to tac...

If you know Karen G, then you know Celery Tree. But just in case you haven't had the pleasure, let me introduce you to this exciting new website for writers and readers.  It's set to launch very, very soon.  The brains behind the concept can explain it better than me, so I've put together excerpts from the Celery Tree blog (along with links to the full posts) to help me out: The book world needs a vehicle to help overlooked but talented authors get discovered. The real judge of a book's worth should be made by the readers, not by the marketing dollars behind it. But how can readers find those books that don't have the big bucks behind them? That's where celerytree.com comes in. It's like a cozy neighborhood bookstore where you can feel comfortable browsing for hours and discover some hidden gems of your own. Read full post. * * * Authors helping authors, in an environment of books, blogs and reader reviews--similar to Goodreads but without th...

We can say it doesn't, but we all know it does.  So tell me---exactly how big do you like 'em? This'd probably be a good time to tell you that I'm talking about chapter size.  One thing I've learned through writing and editing is that there are often multiple potential chapter breaks.  Sometimes an obvious stopping point screams out, but what to do when that doesn't happen?   Should word count be considered? For example, I've finally gotten back to my WIP and hammered out at least the beginning of a first chapter. I've reached a point where I could end the chapter...or I could keep going.  Either way it'll work just fine from a story perspective. As it stands right now, I'm at 2055 words, roughly 8 pages in print.  That strikes me as rather too short.  Is it?  Or is short a good thing? And do I need to aim for consistent chapter length throughout the story (I typically try to)? Or is content all that matters and I should stop asking these qu...

Guess what - the Three Daves trailer made it to the second round in Spunk on a Stick's Book Trailer Contest ! Thank you L. Diane Wolfe for hosting the contest, and thank you Alex. J. Cavanaugh for tipping me off about it. It's a shame he and I now have to be mortal enemies until January 9 when the contest ends...  By the way, the grand prize is a set of Diane's YA The Circle of Friends series of books donated to the library of the winner's choice.  Pretty cool, huh? And I have some more thanks to hand out.  Thank you Barb Hallworth (bworthit@hotmail.com), the creative genius who put the Three Daves trailer all together.  And thank you Intervox , the band that composed and performed the awesome song "One Fine Day" that sets the tone (follow them on Twitter @intervoxmusic ).  Here, lets have a look at what their imagination and talent hath wrought:   And finally, THANK YOU to all of you who voted me through!  If you'd like to see the top seven...

I've received another entry in the 80s Junk in a Box Competition !  This is a splendid 80s diroama from two young gals who weren't even born until the mid-90s.  But they got in the spirit and when they came to me for guidance,  I explained that if it's bright and slightly obnoxious---it's 80s!  So here's what they came up with: Note the Pac-Man backdrop and the Rubik's Cube flooring. Nice job, ladies. The entrants don't have a website or blog, so I've linked their image on the sidebar to a related You Tube video one of the girls made with her cousins...it's got a slightly darker theme than the diorama: Barbie's Bloody Dreamhouse .  You've got until January 31 to get your 80s junk in a box!  Please send photos to: elson.nicki@gmail.com. You will make my day---who am I kidding, my entire month!---if you do. :D  The prizes are a One Hit Wonders of the 80s CD, a signed copy of Three Daves , and your book or blog or whatever you want featured in...