Nicki Elson's Not-So-Deep Thoughts

Today is Lisa Galek's Happy Birthday, Harry blogfest in honor of Harry Potter's birthday.  My contribution is an excerpt from my fanfiction Professor Burbage and the Potions Master . This scene occurs in Harry's 5th year.  I thought it would be fun to give the professors a little love. Excerpt "A New Year" Professor Burbage and the Potions Master Charity returned to her second year as a Hogwarts professor after spending a good portion of her summer holidays in America. While there, she and her parents had visited Salem, Massachusetts, site of the Salem Witch Trials of 1692. Quite hilarious really, seeing that as far as anyone knew, witches and wizards hadn't appeared in America until the late 1800s. Charity declared that the first staff meeting of each new school year was like a birthday for Hogwarts, and so she returned from her travels with gifts for each of the Hogwarts teachers. She gave them out as they gathered in the moldy staff lounge. “For y...

I've got my second post up in my new monthly series at Thoroughly Smitten .  "Fictional Felicity" is all about the couples we love to love---and those we don't.  This month Rhett Butler & Scarlett O'Hara are on the examination table. If you're looking for in-depth character analysis and unemotional wisdom...eh...you should definitely go elsewhere.  But if you're up for a little Friday fun and want a chance to vote in a meaningless poll, come on over!

My daughter's friend Rachel, who also happens to be my friend's daughter, read Life, Liberty, and Pursuit by fellow Omnific author Susan Kaye Quinn , and loved it so much that as soon as she finished---she dove right back in again! Since LLP is a Young Adult book, and Rachel is a young adult (age 15) I asked her to take a break from her summer reading and reckless cake-baking escapades to write up a review for my blog.  As a thank you, I'm giving her a copy of the Summer Breeze Anthology to benefit Save the Ta-Tas (the anthology just so happens to feature a very sweet short story by Quinn that's a mini-sequel to her novel). Take it away, my Nirvana-loving friend: Anyone looking for a good read need not look any further than Life, Liberty and Pursuit by Susan Kaye Quinn. Life, Liberty and Pursuit is the perfect book for anyone who loves a good romance novel. Filled with detail and exceptionally well written, it’s cute without being overly cheesy and unrealis...

Hey, kiddos!  Today you can find me over at Lisa Sanchez's Sizzling Author Extravaganza !  I've attempted to impart a bit of book-signing wisdom, and I'm giving away more than cookies this time---if you leave a comment at Lisa's site, you'll be entered to win a signed copy of Three Daves & a One Hit Wonders of the 80s CD.

You're a senior in high school. Where are you going to college? You go to college, get a degree.  In the middle of a recession. Where are you interviewing? You land a job paying peanuts.  To compensate you take the company up on its offer to reimburse tuition and begin a masters program. When are you getting married? You get married. When are you going to graduate? You receive your M.B.A.  When are you getting a better job?  You get a better job. When are you buying a house? You buy a house. When are you having a baby? You have a kid. When are you having another? Fine. You have another and quit your job to stay home with your babies. Is he walking yet? Is she potty trained? Where will they go to pre-school?  Can they ride a bike? Can they read?  Which soccer camp will you send them to?  Seriously? When are you getting a bigger house?   You get a bigger house.  Your youngest enters first grade. No...

I'll not be joining the masses at the movie theater this weekend---I prefer a less chaotic experience---buuuut, that doesn't mean I'm not getting psyched for the big release!  Now that I've finally been able to sit down w/ my Chicago Tribune A+E section, I'd like to share w/ other Harryphytes something totally cool! I generally don't like it when movies stray from the books, unless there's a really, really good reason, and this time I think production designer Stuart Craig has an utterly awesome reason for changing the location of a certain death in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows---Part 2 .  Here, I'll let him tell you: (per "Wizard of Destruction" by Rebecca Keegan): "In the book (the character) dies in the Shrieking Shack.  I specifically asked J.K Rowling if she would mind if we transposed that to a boathouse.  I felt it would make a very interesting, very theatrical set.  There was a lot of glass in the design for the boathou...

Last Tuesday, Omnific Publishing released two Summer Lovin' Anthologies---one sweet as a Summer Breeze and one hot & steamy as a Heat Wave ---to benefit breast cancer research through the Save the Ta-tas Foundation.  For the project, thirteen authors, nine editors, and two graphic designers volunteered their time and talents to help a great cause in the funnest of ways. Our cover designer, Stephanie Swartz, is a two time breast cancer survivor.  Each anthology contains a collection of summer-themed short stories.  My story "Sway" is in Summer Breeze.   Here's a snippet about the story as well as the song it shares a title with. (I may have listened to it over and over and over again while writing...and then once more.  So that's my question for you---what songs have seeped into your writing?) Sway by Nicki Elson Summer evenings get interesting for three octogenarian sisters when a dreamy crooner shows up outside one of their bedroom windows. To lear...

This is my cheesy tribute  to the country I was born in and that I love and that I learn to appreciate more and more each day.  Our path hasn't been perfect.  We've made mistakes along the way.  But we stand strong. United in our vision, even when our methods diverge. A baby in the grand scheme of things, I'd say we've done pretty dang well. A nation that is truly under God can never fail.   (Look, I know "well" and "fail" don't rhyme.  It just sort of happened.) Enjoy those weenies, everyone!

I've got a guest post today over at the Savvy Authors website in which I dish out ten quick tips for giving your manuscript a final polish before it goes into editing.  Just thought I'd pass on some things I've noted through my editing role that've helped me with my own writing. Arg! I just noticed a problem w/ my post over there.  The strikeouts for my example were eliminated, so it's a little confusing.  I've notified my contact, but until it gets straightened out, this version of points 6-10 will be easier to follow:   For the points below, I’ll use the following excerpt (in which it will become abundantly clear I spent way too many hours reading Archie comics at my grandma’s).   There’s nothing wrong with the excerpt grammatically, but I’m sure you’ll agree it can be improved.   We’ll refine it in stages. Excerpt             Joe wanted to go to the pool. “Hey, Alex, do you want to go to the...