What will you do when you grow up?

I’m gonna write epic books!

Books like Percy Jackson & the Olympians, Lord of the Rings, and Harry Potter, that take kids on great voyages through time and space on to complete dangerous quests.

Thanks to friend and blogger, Chris The Story Reading Ape’s Blog for sending me a terrific post by Bryn Donovan.

Bryn lists 15 Great Plots from European Mythology and Ancient Literature and suggests we consider making them our own. To rewrite them with a modern twist, with a different time and place. It’s been done many times, think Romeo and Juliet. And I can’t begin to count how many times Cinderella has been rewritten.glasshighheel-300px

Ever thought about writing a story differently?

AJ-Books-2-300pxA movie, TV show, Bible story, children’s rhyme, murder mystery, or a ghost story?

I love the idea of taking an old idea and making it mine. It’s not as simple as it sounds.

How about you? What type of story would you like to retell?

Be sure and click on the link above to read the entire article. You might just get a great idea for a new book or short story.

I’d love to hear from you! Click the “write me” tab or contact me on Twitter @jeancogdell, Facebook at jean.cogdell and Amazon.com, stop by and say hey! The lights are on and I’m waiting.

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Do you need to advertise your book?

I don’t know.

I love writing. Whether, it’s on my blog, short story, flash fiction or a children’s book, I really love writing. Marketing my books, not so much. It always makes me think of bragging. 

With the thousands of books written and published every day, how can I convince someone to read mine?

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Is it because I know so little about the selling and marketing side that I don’t like it?

Could be. But one day, I may have to throw off my insecurities and learn more about how to market my books.

That’s why I was thrilled to read the latest post by 

His experience with Bookbub’s blog plus the extensive list of links for marketing books will be one I’ll save and read many times. Congrats Nicholas for the recognition he received and thanks for passing on much-needed information.

Hop over and read what happened to Nicholas and the abundance of marketing links on his post. The link is at the bottom of this post. You will want to bookmark his blog!

Tell me are you ready to begin marketing yourself as an author?

Do you hesitate to toot your own horn?

blow horn

Is cost what stops you or the process itself?

I’d love to hear from you! Click the “write me” tab or contact me onTwitter @jeancogdell, Facebook at jean.cogdell and Amazon.com, stop by and say hey! The lights are on and I’m waiting.

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 That Jaw-dropping Moment when Bookbub Mentions your Blog by 

 

Do you know all of the rules?

There are a lot of writing rules. Some good and some open to the writers interpretation.

Me? I think all rules are made to be broken. 

That’s my opinion and I’m sticking to it.

How boring would life be if everyone did everything in the same way? All shades of gray! Every story would read the same!

Individuality is what makes each story, each book and every writer unique and special.

Writing rules are like opinions. Everyone has one or more. But that doesn’t mean those ideas or rules are written on tablets brought down from Mount Sinai.

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This  Latest Blog Post at JaneFriedman.com is a great reminder to follow your heart.

The article written by gives us 5 pieces of advice to ignore. Of course, I’m sure there are more out there, but 5 is a good place to start.

  1. Weather? Okay!
  2. Dialogue? Get talking!
  3. Backstory? If needed, yes!
  4. Write What You Know? If you love it!
  5. Don’t Ever Follow Any Writing Advice? Only if you know everything!

This is a great post. Click on the link below to read the entire article.

Do you have a “rule” that needs breaking?

Know of a “rule” that is over done?

Do you think writers get caught up in too many rules?

Do share, I want to know. Leave me a comment or click the “write me” tab or contact me on Twitter @jeancogdell, Facebook at jean.cogdell and Amazon.com, stop by and say hey! The lights are on and I’m waiting.

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5 Pieces of Writing Advice You Should Ignore 

Everyone needs a little applause now and again

The encouragement and help of so many writers and readers have helped to make me a better writer. I would have probably thrown in the towel by now without it. So, today I’d like to pay it forward.

Let’s give a big hand of encouragement to Jacqui Murray, author of the popular Building a Midshipman, who is revealing the cover of her new book.

To Hunt a Sub

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The USS Hampton SSN 767 quietly floated unseen a hundred fifty-two feet below the ocean’s surface. Despite its deadly nuclear tipped arsenal of Trident missiles, its task for the past six months has been reconnaissance and surveillance. The biggest danger the crew faced was running out of olives for their pizza. That all changed one morning, four days before the end of the Hampton’s tour. Halfway through the Captain’s first morning coffee, every system in the submarine shut down. No navigation, no communication, and no defensive measures. Within minutes, the sub began a terrifying descent through the murky grays and blacks of the deep Atlantic and settled to the ocean floor five miles from Cuba and perilously close to the sub’s crush depth. When it missed its mandated contact, an emergency call went out to a retired Navy Intel officer, Zeke Rowe, top of his field before a botched mission left him physically crippled and psychologically shaken. Rowe quickly determined that the sub was the victim of a cyber virus secreted inside the sub’s top secret operating systems.  What Rowe couldn’t figure out was who did it or how to stop it sinking every other submarine in the American fleet. 

Kali Delamagente is a struggling, over-the-hill grad student who entered a DARPA cyber security competition as a desperate last hope to fund a sophisticated artificial intelligence she called Otto. Though her presentation imploded, she caught the attention of two people: a terrorist intent on destroying America and a rapt Dr. Zeke Rowe. An anonymous blank check to finish her research is quickly followed by multiple break-ins to her lab, a hack of her computer, the disappearance of her three-legged dog, and finally the kidnapping of her only son. 

By all measures, Rowe and Delamagente are an unlikely duo. Rowe believes in brawn and Delamagente brains. To save the America they both love, they find a middle ground, guided by the wisdom of a formidable female who died two million years ago.

Book information:

Title and author: To Hunt a Sub by J. Murray

Release Date: August, 2016 by Structured Learning

Genre: Thriller

Preview: Available on Kindle Scout

Cover by: Paper and Sage Design 

Author bio:

Jacqui Murray is the author of the popular Building a Midshipman, the story of her daughter’s journey from high school to the United States Naval Academy. She is the author/editor of over a hundred books on integrating tech into education, adjunct professor of technology in education, webmaster for four blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice book reviewer,  a columnist for TeachHUB, Editorial Review Board member for Journal for Computing Teachers, monthly contributor to Today’s Author and a freelance journalist on tech Ed topics. Her debut novel, To Hunt a Sub, launches this summer. You can find her nonfiction books at her publisher’s website, Structured Learning.

Are you having a launch soon? Do let us know!

I’d love to hear from you! Click the write me tab or contact me on Twitter @jeancogdell, Facebook at  jean.cogdell and Amazon.com, stop by and say hey! The lights are on and I’m waiting.

Please remember to share this post with your Twitter peeps and Facebook Facebook fans.