Maria Rachel Hooley

Spin Control Is Always Useful

Maria Hooley — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 02:38:16 +0000

Right now I’m starting to hit the frantic part of my novel–you know, the place where everything that rises must converge. Normally, I wouldn’t worry about taking too much time with this, but November keeps peeking at me, and starting on the first of November, I’ll be plowing through the novelization of Skunks, Trunks, and Pedro so I really want to get this current WIP first draft done before that date. Of course the manuscripts couldn’t be more different. The one I’m on right now, A Willing Sacrifice, is paranormal romance with vampires. My Nanowrimo novel is a comedy, and the only paranormal thing walking around in that book is a narcoleptic buffalo that is supposed to be stuffed. But that’s another story.

I guess I’ll have to do as much as I can and see where that leaves me. Fall break is just around the bend, and if I really apply myself, I just might get a bunch of pages done. Or my children could wreak havoc on my writing schedule. At this point anything is possible…even a narcoleptic buffalo.

Who Helps Your Muse?

Maria Hooley — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 14:26:50 +0000

One of the things I’ve noticed is that certain musicians help me write. I don’t know if it’s the lyrics or the music. Maybe both. What I do know is that whenever I listen to them and I’m in the middle of a book, pages happen, and some days that’s a miracle in itself.

The two bands I’m most drawn to are Dishwalla and VAST. I think the reason Dishwalla is such an inspiration is the fact that I love the lyrics so much, and if you haven’t heard “Angels And Devils,” you have truly missed out on a great song. As such, I’m posting the video here.

Let the Game Begin

Maria Hooley — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 00:13:16 +0000

Yesterday I was talking to my husband about my science fiction novel, New Life Incorporated, and he told me that the book was just begging to be turned into a video game. Now while I’ve thought of a lot of marketing ideas, I have to admit that one never occurred to me. Still, he has a point. There are two warring factions and numerous characters which could be played in a shooter-style game. It’s got tons of levels built into it, and I’m willing to bet it would be an interesting world to explore. I just wouldn’t want to live there.

Video game, eh? Quite a concept.

Where Do Ideas Come From?

Maria Hooley — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 18:17:09 +0000

Anywhere and everywhere. Take the last idea I had for instance. It came from talking to two friends about commercials we hated. A certain car dealership came up and the concept below was born. It was only a matter of days before I had the pre-writing done and I was ready to start the first draft.

Pandamonium

All Dru Atkins wants is to get her degree in Comparative Symbology in Art–never mind that no employer needs such a degree. That’s not the point, not after the university regents have changed her degree checklist four times in the last three years to accommodate the only other student with that degree, Lewis King, the university president’s son. Besides, maybe it’s not necessarily the major but just having a degree that will get her away from her sister who is more like a tattooist’s coloring book than a human and her mother who insists on flashing Dru’s picture on luvkin.com to meet men Dru’s age. And then there is Billy Hubbard, her psycho ex-boyfriend who blames the guy in the panda costume at Bud Geiser’s Auto Emporium for Dru breaking up with him, which Dru could live with if Billy wasn’t trying to assassinate the panda. No, Dru has enough to think about without meeting and falling in love with the only normal person in her world–Mike Smith. Of course Mike knows what he wants, Dru, and isn’t about to give up that easily.

On the Downhill Side

Maria Hooley — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 02:53:57 +0000

Usually when I hit about page 175, I start feeling the urge to start a new book or do something else, but strangely enough with this work in progress, I haven’t really had that desire. No, this book is something a little different, probably because it’s focused on my favorite character in all my novels. If you’ve read October Breezes, you know him. It’s Devin Abbott, and this novel he’s no longer a teenager, but he’s still in love with his best friend, Skye Williams.

One of the coolest things about being a writer is being able to return to worlds I’ve previously created. I love being the one who sets up the rules, and when I read reviews that tell me how much readers like my worlds, that it only makes it better. It’s definitely a great time to be a writer.

Okay, Okay, I’m Giving Up

Maria Hooley — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 01:35:58 +0000

Yeah, I know. I said I’d never write a vampire novel. Seriously, you didn’t think I meant giving up writing, now did you? No, I’ve had this plot that I’ve been mulling over for a couple of months, and it’s not going to go away. And it involves a vampire. And I think I’m about to dive straight into paranormal romance which is another place I never intended to go. Hmmm. Let’s see. Right now I’m about 180 pages shy of finishing this current novel. If I write ten pages a day, that should let me finish in eighteen days, barring any complications, and let me tell you that my life is one BIG complication on some days.

And then I could get started on this one. It’s already Snowflaked and ready. Hmmm. I guess we’ll have to see, won’t we. Because I sense revisions coming for the next book I’m going to release–Silent Scream. Still, it’s fun to dream, even when a vampire is involved.

Attack of the Supernatural Creatures

Maria Hooley — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 20:56:43 +0000

Okay, okay, who unleashed the supernatural critters in my subconscious? Here I am, minding my own business while trying to finish a touching, Nicholas Sparks-esque type of book when suddenly I get an idea for a elf novel. Then comes a dryad. And a vampire book. I don’t write vampire books. Do I? There’s also this teenage girl stuck in the netherworld who keeps trying to offer helpful suggestions on my current WIP. I keep politely telling her this isn’t her story, but she’s so not listening. I keep trying to tell her that I have over forty completely Snowflaked novels ready to be written and she’s going to have to wait her turn. She just stamps her foot at me.

Seriously, is there something in the water or what?

I think my subconscious is trying to tell me something. This is the second women’s fiction novel I’ve written in a row. It’s completely unhappy with reality anymore, and it’s kind of like walking a mastiff which has plunked down and refuses to move no matter what I do. The pages are coming slowly, but then it’s about that time. The honeymoon stage is over with this book. And yes, it is my child so I love it even if it’s not acting right at present. Still, I’m going to finish this book and then exorcise my supernatural friends.

Pretty Cool

Maria Hooley — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 01:42:31 +0000

I have several of my novels out in Createspace’s expanded distribution, and I was kind of intrigued when I ran across my Amazon UK page. Even more interesting was my books on Amazon JP page.

Progress, Progress, Progress

Maria Hooley — Thu, 27 May 2010 18:39:53 +0000

For the last week, I’ve been proofing the latest edition of Second Sight to get it back on Amazon. I think I’m down to forty pages and then I start on Anathema. Of course all this proofing is making me crazy because I really want to write, write, write, and this week alone, I’ve come up with promising ideas for three new books. While that’s pretty exciting, I’ve still got many, many ideas fleshed out, ready to be written that I haven’t gotten the time to work on so coming up with new ideas can be frustrating.

Still, summer is coming and that might just give me all the chance I need to get a couple of books completed. I guess we’ll have to see about that one. Right now I’m in the middle of the sequel to October Breezes, and once I get that one done, I’m toying with a mainstream/historical concept or a vampire novel. Yeah, I know. I said I’d never write a vampire novel. The only reason I’m considering this one is that I really like the plot and characters. I’m almost completely through the Snowflaking stage so the manuscript is really ready to be written. Now if only I had the time to dive in.

J.A. Konrath’s Blog

Maria Hooley — Sun, 23 May 2010 20:29:39 +0000

A lot of you might already know about this blog, but if you haven’t checked it out, you should. J.A. Konrath is a multi-published novelist who has a lot of interesting things to say about the industry, particularly publishing on the Kindle. Check it out. You’ll be glad you did. And if you are interested in sampling his writing, there you can download the beginning of his novel free at Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/Chapters-Jacqueline-Daniels-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B003N9C3C8/ref=pd_ts_kinc_46?ie=UTF8&s=digital-text.

Here’s the link to the blog.