Fangtastic Friday!!

Sadly, the week has once again come to an end but, that means we have the whole weekend to kick back, relax, and enjoy life. With Love Sucks dropping in three days, (believe me, my excitement is uncontainable) I thought I'd leave you with a vampiriffic quote.. Have a great weekend and happy reading!


Are you ready to be sucked in? ~ Love Sucks !~ 8/3/10


I am powerful, I am immortal, I can do anything, I am cursed, I am the darkness. ~ Jackie Estacado~

Writer's Block

I'm really not familar with the term writer's block and I'm not really sure who conined the the phrase. I consider myself lucky that I have never been a victim to it. In my eyes, my imagination is a vivid, wild thing, and it always takes to me to many different places. I'll say it now, like I've said it a million times before, a creative mind is always turning.

My Immortal Soul...

What would you do if you could live forever? What would you do if you woke up one day buried in the ground, not knowing who or what you had become? Thats something I wanted to touch base on when writing Love Sucks. I wanted to really feel my character, Cara Jones. I tried to imagine what I would do in her shoes. I tried to imagine how I'd react to my changing body, the absence of those I loved, the pain of trying to find out who you are in the world and then trying to deal with at all. A good writer creates powerful characters, characters the readers can relate to. So tell me, what would you do if you were in Cara's shoes? How would you react.


Love Sucks 8/3/2010 Get sucked in!!!

Push Ahead....

I never let anything hold me back when it came to my writing. When I didn't have a computer, I drove to one. When I had an idea, I carried around a notepad and jotted down ideas at every open opportunity. In everyone's life there are obstacles that you'll have to overcome but, you should never let that stop you. Keep pushing ahead! You never know when opportunity will knock at your door and you need to be ready to answer it.

Book Review For Love Sucks....

If you haven't had a chance to read this yet, you can read it here. My book review written by Jeremy West @ Novel Thoughts!!!!


http://www.novelthoughtsblog.com/2010/07love-sucks-by-lauren-hammond.html

You Had Me At Hello...

When I reached the bottom of the building, I turned the corner still running. I wasn't paying attention. A young, attractive doctor rounded the corner and bumped into me. I stumbled a bit and he caught me by the arm. He dropped all of the papers in his hands on the ground and bent down to pick them up. He stood back up and looked into my eyes. "I'm so sorry miss. I'm so clumsy." I nervously brushed the wrinkles from my skirt. "It's quite alright." The young doctor eyed me up and down. His chiseled jaw line and electric blue eyes reminded me of Andrew. " You coming from a show?" I looked at him confused. "A show?" " Yeah, you're one of those method actors aren't you, for one of those Shakespeare plays?" I stepped closer and looked deeply into his eyes. That was all I needed. From that moment, I knew he was my match. The one person who was designed for me.

Excerpt from Love Sucks 8/3/2010 Get sucked in!

A Moment Of Clarity...

Afterward, when I held the woman's limp body in my hands, it felt wrong. I dropped her body, and it crumpled into a pile in front of the doorway. I began to back away slowly. I was mortified, and I shook my head in disbelief. "No," I uttered softly. "Please no."

Love Sucks 8/3/2010 Get sucked in!!!!

Vamptastic!

As we go into the weekend, I'll leave you with this vampy lil poem.

Take me from this earth
an endless night
this, the end of life.
From the dark I feel your lips.
and taste your bloody kiss.
~ Type O Negative ~

Thirsty Thursday...

The smell of her sent me into a frenzy. I pushed her into an unlit nearby doorway. She giggled in delight. "Well deary, I see what kind of girl you are." I held her tightly to the door and sank my teeth into her neck. She screamed out in pain and I put my hand over her mouth. Her muffled screams didn't bother me at all. What I was doing felt so right at the moment. The taste of her blood on my lips was so tantalizing.

Excerpt from Love Sucks.

Are you ready to be sucked in? 8/3/2010

Tension....

While Audrey and I hunted, you could cut the tension with a knife. The funny thing was that I actually wanted to get along with her. She just always had to make it so difficult. Audrey sprinted ahead of me in a blur. All I could see was her red hair swaying in the wind. As long as I had her in sight, I didn't mind if she was a few steps ahead. When I caught up to her, I noticed she had stopped. She was lurking quietly behind a tree so I slipped behind the tree next to her. I glanced around to see a group of men with torches standing in a circle. I looked at Audrey with fear in my eyes. She smiled slyly. "Watch and learn." I shook my head disapprovingly. " Don't do it Audrey, it's not a good idea." She laughed at me maliciously. " Listen to the little newborn trying to tell me what to do."

Excerpt from Love Sucks 8-3-2010
Get sucked in!

Screenplays....

As you know, I not only write novels but I write screenplays as well. My love for the film industry began when I was a young child. A screenplay however is very different from writing novels. There is a specific format that is known as industry standards. In a novel, you have alot more room for specific descriptions where in a screenplay, your focus should be more on dialouge and actions. You should also follow the basic three act structure.

Let The Countdown Begin!!!

Alright people, It's not this day or that day anymore!!! It's official Love Sucks will be released on August 3, 2010. Sometimes in the publishing industry things can be a little hectic. Literary works get pushed back, pushed forward, and so on and so forth. Mark this date in your calenders people!! Are you ready to be sucked in?

Unleash Your Creativity...

Over the weekend, try to think about unleashing your inner creativity. Whether you like to write, paint, decorate, or anything else for that matter, just let it all out. Unleash it on the world and see what you come up with. Trust me when I say this, it will put your mind at ease.

There is no doubt that creativity is the most important human resource of all. Without creativity, there would be no progress, and we would forever be repeating the same patterns.~ Edward de Bono~

Interview PT 2

If you guys want to check out my latest interview on my upcoming novel Love Sucks, you can check it out here !!

http://nymfaux.blogspot.com/2010/07/interview-with-vampire-author.html

Next Stop... Sociopath Street.

I'm never short on ideas when it comes to writing. It honestly feels like I think up something new everyday. I had the image of a young woman watching her boyfriend enter a house and when he came out of the house, he was covered in blood. What if you knew your beloved was a serial killer? What if you were torn between your head and your heart? You know that you should tell someone because what he's doing is so wrong. But the way you feel about him in your heart is so right. Except for that one minor little setback well, maybe a major set back. That's what I'll explore while writing my next novel. So what matters more to you? The matters of the mind or the matter of the heart?

Pick A Book, Any Book.

I normally suggest different books to my followers that I have read or am currently reading. But due to the hectic nature of my schedule, I haven't really caught up on my reading. I'm not quite certain if every writer loves to read, but I know I do. I can get completely swept up in a great novel. Before I know it, it takes over my life. And ten days later, I'm still sitting on my couch more engulfed in the world the author of the book had created. So, I thought I'd take some time and compile a list of my top five favorite reads.

1. The Forbidden Fruit- This novel will tug at your heart strings as it tells the story of Peter Abelard and Heloise a student and her teacher who had a torrid affair in 12th century France.

2. Shutter Island- If you want suspense, mystery, and surprises around every corner, this book will give you that. Dennis Lehane definitely delivers!

3. The Seducer's Diary- I could actually feel the passion coming from Soren Kierkegaard's masterpiece as he laid his heart out on the table describing the way he felt about Cordelia.

4. Dead Until Dark- This wouldn't be a top reading list without a little Sookie Stackhouse, right?

5. Little Women- In Louisa May Alcott's debut novel, you have everything, love, heartbreak, and tragedy.

If you haven't read these already, you should definitely pick them up!

Monster In Law

"Don't worry my love, everything will be fine." " I hope you're right." Jared whispered softly. "I am right." I said, doing my best reassure him. Even though I wasn't certain that everything would be alright, I did my best to lie my way through it. There two things that I knew for sure: One, Jared's mother was coming for a visit. And two, some crazed, revenge hungry vampire wanted me dead. And at that moment, when it all sank in, I wasn't quite sure how I was going to handle either situation.

Excerpt from a A Sucker For Love( The sequel to Love Sucks.)

A Sucker For Love..

I started writing the highly anticipated sequel for Love Sucks. The title is: A Sucker For Love. In this novel, we will explore the life of Cara Jones as she tries to be domesticated. What's that? A domesticated vampire? Yeah, this should be interesting. But not only is this novel about being a normal married vampire. It's about handleing family, resurrecting old friendships, epic battles, and being noneother, than a member of the undead vampire community.

A Vampire's Tale.

With the Love Sucks released date coming up in the next week. I thought it would be a good idea to leave you a short poem over the weekend that's got some bite to it!

Awaken to darkness, on this place we call earth.
One vampires bite brings another one's birth.
A vampire wakes with blood thirsty needs.
On the warm, rich, sensation he feels when he feeds.
He stalks in the night like a disasterous beast.
And what once was alive will soon be deceased.
So when the last bit of sunlight diappears from the sky.
You better watch out unless you want to die. ~ Victoria Boatwright~

Respect... Find Out What It Means To Me...

In the writing world, you meet a different variety of people. I cannot stress enough how important it is to treat others, how you would want to be treated. Along your journey down Literary Avenue you'll meet kind people, mean people, people who doubt you, and people who could just plain care less about what you have to say. I can't tell you how many times I've wanted to lash out, how many times I wanted to tell those people exactly how I felt, but I never did. Is it because I'm a door mat? Is it because I let people walk all over me? NO! It's because I was taught to respect each and every individual I come across, no matter how they treat me. I'll tell you a story. When I was about five, there was this little girl in my kindergarden class. I was always a pretty likeable kid. I was kind, I included people, and rarely ever made fun of others. What did I do with this little girl? I included her, I played with her, I made her feel like she was a part of something. Now, here's where this all comes together. You never imagine what kind of impact you are going to make on someone's life. It's all in the way you act. And come to find out that years later, this little girl wrote a paper about me. And that paper won an award. You see you never know who you are going to come across in life. And it's important to respect each and every individual you meet. Who knows you could be talking to the next Steven Spielberg.

Book Review For Love Sucks.

With the launch date of Love Sucks quickly approaching, I thought now would be a good time to post one of the book review's for the novel. ~~

http://2muchtestosterone.blogspot.com/2010/07/love-sucks-by-lauren-hammond.html

Queen Of The Dead

Persephone turned her gaze to Charis. "Charis, are you going to tell me?" Charis exhaled slowly.
"Take your finger off of the stem first." Persephone looked down at her fingers then back up at Charis. "How do I know you aren't trying to trick me?" "I swear on my sister's life I will tell you." "Charis!" Chloe squealed. Persephone imagined that swearing on your sibling's life was a very serious thing. She looked down at the flower one more time, then slowly removed her fingers from the stem. She stood slowly and looked Charis directly in the eye. "Now, explain." She commanded. " You cannot pick that flower because it isn't a flower that comes from our world. It comes from the world beneath us." Persephone was puzzled. " I still don't understand." She stated sounding confused. Chloe then stepped forward. "You cannot pick that flower because that flower is an Asphodel. The flower of the dead."

Excerpt from Queen Of The Dead~~

The Reasons Why We Write.

I don't know about you, but there are several different reasons why I write. It's not just because I'm good at it, or because it's my passion. There is a long list of reasons why I write, and this is one of them. Last Saturday, was my birthday. My family even though I'm 26, still likes to have birthday parties. So at my birthday party, I recieved a card from my grandparents. My grandfather, is one of my biggest supporters, one of the people who believes in me the most. On the card he gave me, was a message stated how couldn't of been more proud or asked for a better granddaughter. And that him and my grandmother had always believed in me no matter what, from day one. Then I saw him crying as I read it. I could sense that every word he had written, he meant, from the bottom of his heart. It takes moments like these to add to the reasons why I write. To have an overwhelming and beautiful experience like this, fuels my fire. People like my grandfather are one of the many reasons why I write. What are some of your reasons?

You're Undead To Me.

"What you are saying is impossible." I began to pace back and forth. " Those creatures are vile, repulsive, and evil." I tried to remember how vampires were described in the books I had read. Winged, wicked demons that killed for sport. That was definitely something I wasn't. Andrew looked at me confidently as I paced. " I can assure you my dear, you are in fact a vampire." I stopped mid-pace and gazed at him suspiciously. "Did you do this to me? This is your fault!" I lunged at him swiftly and he hit the floor. He stared up at me in shock. My fangs were barred and I hissed at him spitefully.

Excerpt from Love Sucks..

Independence

As we go into the weekend, let's take the time to think of our independence. After all, the fourth of July is Sunday. We should be thankful that we have independence. Independence makes it possible for us to accomplish many of the things in life we set out to do. So over the weekend, think of some ways, why you arer thankful for your independence.

The beauty of independence, departure, actions that rely on themselves.~ Walt Whitman

Your Support System.

Behind every great writer, is a massive support system. I would never have gotten anywhere if I didn't have the support of my friends and family. Why are they important? They teach you to challenge yourself, they believe in you, and they are your number one fans. They are the people who have had your back from the beginning. My mom personally doesn't know the in's and out's of this industry, but she has always believed in me, and I am eternally greatful for that. This post is a shout out to every fan, family member, or friend that has helped me overcome obstacles, write from the heart, and taught me to be a better person. I love you guys, thank you for believing in me, and I am a lucky, lucky, girl to have you in my life.

Ideas, Ideas, Ideas.

I'm a firm believer in the fact that a creative mind never stops coming up with new ideas.I'm currently working on a new novel, which will be my third, and the fourth is already permanently lodged in the back of my mind. You need to take these ideas, and put them into action. Stephenie Meyer first came up with Twilight in a dream. She followed her instincts, wrote it down and look where it got her. There are so many great stories that are yet to be told. So tell me, what are you thinkking about?