Beholders T-shirts

This post is quick and simple.

Would you purchase this Beholders t-shirt for $11 (+ shipping when necessary)?

Please take a moment to vote on the right panel.

Thanks!

School Integration Update!

A lot has been happening behind the scenes lately, so I wanted to take a moment to post this update.

Although there is plenty of content in INSIGHT to make adults think (so says my overly-critical, double Master of Psychology father), I didn't write my book to shout a message to the world. I don't have a hidden agenda. My goal was to create an engaging and entertaining story--one that would capture the attention of as many people as possible (boys, girls, young and old).

Did I write my book for the money? No. I wrote INSIGHT with the intention to inspire the world to love literature, especially our youth.

So far, so good!

As many of you know, I gave a free writing workshop at Rose Springs Elementary School in Stansbury Park, UT, in May 2011. You can read about it here: http://terronjames.blogspot.com/2011/05/rose-springs-elementary-school-workshop.html

I have been actively marketing my free school services over the summer. Here is what I'm doing!

Rose Springs Elementary School (North Salt Lake, UT)
Mrs. Nielsen (6th grade) and Mr. Nielson (5th grade) will be reading INSIGHT to their classes this year, then I'll be hosting another writing workshop for them once they're done.

Foxboro Elementary School (North Salt Lake, UT)
I donated 3 copies of INSIGHT to the school's library, then sat in a booth last Friday during their annual carnival. I spoke with one 6th grade teacher during the carnival and she sounded very interested in having me do a writing workshop with her students.

Orchard Elementary School (West Valley City, UT)
Three 6th grade classes, Ms. Rawlins, Ms. Johnson, and Ms. Smith, are currently reading INSIGHT. Ms. Rawlins' class will be finishing this week, so I'm visiting them this Friday to host a 2-hour writing workshop with the students. More Q&A sessions and writing workshops are planned for the other 2 classes, Ms. Johnson and Ms. Smith.

Silver Hills Elementary School (Kearns, UT)
Two 5th grade classes, Ms. England and Mr. Johnson, are currently reading INSIGHT. Once they're finished, I'll be hosting a writing workshop for them.

Eagle Valley Elementary (Eagle Mountain, UT)
Per her request, I sent media specialist, Ms. Hale, a copy of INSIGHT to include in her school library. I am also waiting for a response from 6th grade teacher, Mr. Orr, about working with his students.

Enoch Elementary, Three Peaks Elementary, and Canyon View Middle School (Cedar City, UT area)
All 7 classrooms in 4th and 5th grade at Enoch Elementary have obtained copies of INSIGHT and are reading together. Once they're finished, I am going to travel down to do writing workshops with the students. While I'm down there, I have been invited to give assemblies and writing workshops to grades K-5 at Three Peaks Elementary, as well as the 300 6th grade students at Canyon View Middle School. I have high hopes that grades 7 and 8 at Canyon View will also get involved.

Churchill Junior High School (SLC, UT)
All 3 English teachers (grades 7-9) are coordinating a time for me to visit with their students. It sounds like they are planning on November.

Stansbury High School (Stansbury Park, UT)
English teacher, Ms. Langlie, has invited me to spend 2 days giving writing workshops to all of her classes this November.

Copper Hills High School (West Jordan, UT)
English teacher, Ms. Shields, has invited me to spend 2 days giving writing workshops to all of her classes. She also hosts 2 after-school book groups, which might read INSIGHT together. I am also scheduled to give a writing workshop on a Saturday in January, open to all students at CHHS.

Paradigm High School (South Jordan, UT)
English teacher, Ms. Hanson, is coordinating a time for me to visit with her students.

Well, there you have it! It's been a tricky business trying to balance writing time with marketing. I could easily spend every minute of every day contacting teachers, but my goal is to finish book 2 of BEHOLDERS by the end of the year. That being said, if any of you know people you want me to contact (educators, librarians, etc.), please give me their name and email and I'll gladly send them a message.
I'll most definitely take pictures and post updates for every workshop I perform, then make them easily accessible on my Services tab.

If you ask me, I'm well on my way to achieve my business vision: "Inspire an unwavering passion for reading across the globe, one community at a time."

Let's keep this ball rolling!

Book Review: Tangled Hearts by Roseanne Wilkins

Tangled Hearts: An LDS Novel by Roseanne Evans Wilkins

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It was refreshing to read a self-published title that was grammatically polished! THANK YOU!

The descriptions of the food were amazing! It's obvious the author had a strong affinity for the culinary arts. I found myself salivating during their Christmas dinner preparation. Now I can't wait for the holidays!

Some parts of the plot were a bit slow (a typical trait of any well-written novel), but I was pulled through them solely by the tension of the book's synopsis. I've never seen a writing sample work so effectively!

I've never read a romance before, but I expect many of them are full of steamy encounters that would make a mother squirm if she knew her daughter (or son) was reading them. Although there is plenty of passion in Tangled Hearts, rest assured that it is quite appropriate.

View all my reviews

Dear Reader

Dear Reader,

Hi. I'm an author of fiction literature. I have a very active imagination. My favorite pastimes include filling in blanks, speaking for other people, and thinking for other people. I like doing these things. In fact, I get paid to do these things. If you have read my book, you probably paid me to do these things, too.

Do you know what your silence is doing to me?

As much as I enjoy doing my job, please don't make me fill in the blanks for you. The result will almost always be something negative. Like I said, I'm an author. I'm always thinking about the worst things people can do and say to each other, including myself. That's how I think. I can't help it.

I don't know if you knew this, but I'm trying really hard to break outside of marketing to my family, friends, and acquaintances. The problem is, nobody will believe me when I tell them my book is worth reading. I can't really blame them. After all, I'm a fictional author. I lie for a living. That's another reason why your reviews are so helpful. They don't know you, so they trust you. Makes perfect sense, right?

There are many places where you can leave a review of my novel. Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Goodreads, my blog... please take 2 minutes and leave a review on one of them (or all of them if you're feeling especially generous).

Thanks again for putting my mind at ease.

Sincerely,

Your Author

Ebook sale - 67% Off!

After weeks of research and soul searching, I have put INSIGHT on sale. It is now $2.99 for kindle and nook. It was a hard decision, but market trends demand the change. I hope more of you are able to purchase it now that its price has significantly lowered.

You can find links to both kindle and nook on the Store tab at the top of this website.

Book Review: Search for Yesterday by Quinn Heder

Search for Yesterday by Quinn O. Heder

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Search for Yesterday started with a lot of tension, but then I have to admit that the tension disappeared until about halfway through the novel. So why did I keep reading? Because Quinn captured my attention with his writing alone. The characters' voices were unique and applicable, and I had a very strong visual of every place they traveled. Very well done!



View all my reviews

What It Really Takes

I have been thinking a lot the past couple weeks about the trials that authors endure on a regular basis, so I've decided to organize my thoughts into this post. Raise your glasses to the authors you know (and don't know) because they deserve a HUGE toast! Hats off to you all!

I think one common attribute that all writers share (well, at least at the beginning of their writing process) is a desire to write. We all start with that desire, but from there, many different challenges like to thwart our ambitions. Even before the daunting process of plot creation, a huge roadblock emerges.

"What if I'm no good?"

I call this the George McFly Syndrome. If you recall the movie Back to the Future, the young version of George McFly had major ambitions to create sci-fi stories, enough that he spent most of his free time scribbling feverishly in his notepads. However, the initial roadblock still hung over his head. When Marty reached across the table with no other intention than to relish in what his dad had been writing, George threw his arms around his hoard of paper and voiced this resonating dialogue.

"I never let anybody read my stories... What if they don't like them? What if they say I'm no good? I just don't think I can handle that kind of rejection."

This problem is very real for all writers. We spend years pouring our hearts and souls into our creation. Fragments of the most sensitive parts of our lives inevitably force their way into our literature, making them very personal. Let's not kid ourselves. We all have a little George McFly sitting on our shoulder, and rightly so. It hurts to have something so personal get rejected. That's why we need each other. No one truly understands what we give and sacrifice to write unless they've done it themselves. We have an unspoken understanding of each other.

Everyone has a different solution to overcoming this roadblock, but the fact is, we all need to overcome it at some point. This is where I believe the transition lies between writers and authors. It's not when our name appears on the cover of a book, or when we win a prestigious award. When we finally force ourselves to release our white-knuckled grip on our prized creations and purposefully give others the opportunity to tell us how much it sucks, that's when we truly "grow up." I raise my glass again to all who have endured this transition. You have more courage than Evel Knievel, more strength than Lou Ferrigno, more endurance than Lance Armstrong, more passion than William Wallace, and more faith than Gandhi.

Sometimes we write a keeper and sometimes we might as well burn the whole thing in a fire, but what really impresses me about authors is that we subject ourselves to this inexplicable torture over and over again. Why? Because writing is what defines us. We just can't help ourselves. More passion than William Wallace and more courage than Evel Knievel.

This is only the beginning for an author. Most of us want to be published and, therefore, start the daunting task of querying literary agents and publishers. If an author somehow makes it to this point without anyone telling them their literature needs improvement, they are in for a rude awakening. Doors will be slammed in our faces... over and over again. So what do we do? We send out more queries! More endurance than Lance Armstrong.

For those authors who choose to self-publish, there is still no escape from this painful criticism. Reviews will come in and some people will inevitably hate everything about what we've written. Or, what I believe to be even more painful, is silence. No reviews come. No one says anything. Thoughts start creeping into our heads, filling the void with negative criticism, yet we move on. More faith than Gandhi.

We can't do this by ourselves. We need each other. Writing leagues and online communities are valuable links to our sanity. We overcome our own pain by lifting each other. More strength than Lou Ferrigno.

You have believed. You have pursued. You have endured. You have overcome. You have conquered.

You are an Author.

Another Goodreads Giveaway

This giveaway ends September 8, 2011, for 1 signed, paperback copy of my book.

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Insight

by Terron James

Giveaway ends September 08, 2011.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win