J.M. NORTHUP's BLOG

Friday, January 31, 2014

Who's Your Favorite

***POLL QUESTION***

Who's your favorite character in FEARS OF DARKNESS?
Is your favorite character one of the main characters or do you connect with one of the secondary characters better?
Who's your favorite and why?
Please leave your comments :)

Thursday, January 30, 2014

Writing With Emotion

I Let My Feelings Write The Story

When I write, I try to visualize the scene in my mind.  I try to feel what it is like to be in that moment.  
I imagine myself as the character and I try to connect with them emotionally.  I think a character is most real when you can relate to them; when they make you feel the emotions they are experiencing or projecting into the plot.
Our feelings drive us in life and they give credence to our experiences.  They guide us in how we interpret and therefore, perceive the world around us.  If you connect to a book emotionally then it swallows you up in its pages.  It becomes a reality because you live it through feelings.
To me, it' important to give enough detail to the reader to formulate the world or characters you create.  However, I feel it's more important for readers to emotionally connect to the story.
When you are connected then you automatically fill in the blanks and this makes the story more personal.  It allows you to envision the people, places, and things in a more realistic manner.  So I think it is more important to let you have room for your own imagination.
I think it's more about what you feel than what you see.
What do you look for in a book?  What draws you in; what connects you?
Please leave your comments below.

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Best Friends

Our Dearest Friends Are Really Family

A best friend is more than a friend; they are family.
Sometimes, they seem more than that.
My husband is my best friend above all and he transcends the meaning of family;
he's my soul mate.
Of course, my best friend - female (same sex) is like a sister.  She is someone I can talk to about anything and everything.  I can be completely myself and feel secure that she will still accept me.  She is there for me in my moments of joy and achievement, but more importantly, she is there for me in my darkest hours.  Even at my worse, she stands by me without judgement, but certainly with unconditional love.  Still, she will be the first one to call me on my crap and hold me accountable.

In my novel, FEARS OF DARKNESS I explore all of these aspects of friendship and the love that binds them.
The bonds between lovers who are soul mates.
The eternal connect between trusted, loving sisters.
The bond between best friends that make you family.
Please get your copy today and discover the love of best friends!
Rae & Dakota
Best Friends Forever!

Sunday, January 26, 2014

Becoming The Character

Walking A Mile In Their Shoes


When I write, I try to see life through the eyes of my characters.
I want you to feel what they're feeling and in order to convey that, I try to put myself in their place.  I try to live the story in my mind and then paint the picture with my words.  This connects me to the story and the characters.  I just hope I do justice in connecting my readers as well.
Read my books
FEARS OF DARKNESS and SOUL SEARCHING
to see how my words speak to you!

Keep watch for my next book, A PRISONER WITHIN - coming soon!

Saturday, January 25, 2014

Surviving Subterranean

Could You Spend The Night In A Tunnel?

Could you spend a dark night in a sewer or steam tunnel?
What about a natural earthen formation?
Could you handle a dark night in a subterranean cave?
What if you live depended on it?
Read FEARS OF DARKNESS and
learn what Dakota does to survive!

Click HERE and HERE to learn more
about Minneapolis-Saint Paul, Minnesota underground tunnel systems

Friday, January 24, 2014

Dreams Become Words

My Dreams Inspire My Writing

I began writing FEARS OF DARKNESS when I was in high school.
I had been plagued with nightmares and writing was my way of dealing with the after shocks of the dreams.
I laid the story aside for 22 years in order to raise my beautiful daughters, but the story still spoke to me.  My husband was very encouraging and supported the idea of me revisiting my writing. 
 When I did, FEARS OF DARKNESS was the first piece I picked back up.
Originally Titled "Dark Is The Forest Of Fears", the story found a new rendition and with it, a new name.  It moves into places I hadn't known or understood as a young adult, but now grasp with the maturity of age.
I really hope that my readers enjoy the story.
I want to provide a quality product which drives my desire for excellence in syntax, grammar, spelling, and context.  Of course, nothing is ever perfect, despite our best efforts.  For Example, when I upload my manuscript in order to have the system convert the format to Kindle, I have no control of anything beyond that point.  One error that irritates me is that an apostrophe was dropped during the format conversion which I am aware of and unable to correct, regardless of my various efforts.
Still, the story if the important factor.
I want to give you an entertaining tale that evokes all the emotions the characters are experiencing.  I want you to have the same questions, worries, and even fears that the characters are experiencing.  I want you to experience the story and be so involved in it that you get lost in the world I'm describing.
I want to take you on a journey.
With that, I have purposely left some elements vague or even left out so that your imagination can fill in the blanks.  I unfold things all along, hoping you will care enough to continue reading in order to find the answers, but I leave room so you can tailor the story to be your own.
I want FEARS OF DARKNESS to be as personal to you as it is for me.
I hope that I have succeeded and that you enjoy the adventure!

Learned Behaviors

Share The Love Of Reading!

Two things I always loved about my mom were her insistence that my siblings and I always try new things and that she was an avid reader. My mom always made a concerted effort to expose us to a large array of music, movies, art, and cuisine. She also had stacks of books in the house and she read every single one. 

I wanted to be like my mom, but I was a wiggly kid; I had a really hard time sitting still. The exposure to various genres of music was great and I loved dancing to it all with my mom, grams, and sister. I loved the cinema and museums, though I had a more limited interest in food.  Still, I yearned to share in the worlds my mom found in her books.
I worked hard at reading. I would act the story out verbally and it helped me to focus better. Eventually, I learned to read faster, silently, and passionately. I attribute this to my mom. It is something I have tried to pass onto my daughters. Though one daughter opted to be more physically active like her dad, enjoying the great outdoors, I managed to have one daughter who found a delight for the secret worlds that exist inside the pages of books. It's nice to share that with her as I had wanted to share with my mom. It is something that helps to bring my mom closer to me which makes reading all the more endearing!
*my mom passed away in January 2001.

Thursday, January 23, 2014

Become The Book

Live The Story!

No book is ever perfect.  There are always little errors that are evident in the text.  As a reader, I tend to notice small things that have been missed in editing or possibly dropped during format conversions.
The one thing that I find is that it's not the editing that is important to me, but the story.  A misplaced comma or a forgotten apostrophe doesn't make the book; the story does.
What should be important is if the story moves you.
When you find a good story with real characters, you are drawn in.
The natural world fades away and you live the story.
Find the book that speaks to you.
Live your story today!

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

The Possibilities Are Endless

Live The Story Today!


When I read, I get absorbed by the story.
I become the characters and I live in the pages of the book.
The people and places become very personal to me and they're like a dear friend whom I love deeply.
The best books are the ones that pull me in and don't let go; the ones that hold onto me even after I've finished the book. 
When I write, I strive to achieve that level of artistry.
I want my readers to feel the emotions of the characters and to see the world I've created unfold before them.  I want them to get lost in the story and see it in full color.
I want my readers to be captivated by the story even after they've completed the journey my tale takes them on.
I want them to be entertained, but I want them to be profoundly moved by my work.
When you read FEARS OF DARKNESS, I hope you find I've succeeded in this ambition.
I hope you will be moved by my story and that you will fall in love with the characters.
Please make sure to review the book online, but also, please leave your comments about the book below or on my Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/authorjmnorthup

Monday, January 20, 2014

Some Of My favorite Book Quotes

I love these and
 I wanted to share them with you!

These are some of my favorite quotes from some of my favorites book!
There are quotes from The Twilight Saga, The Hunger Games Triology, Gone With The Wind, Anne of Green Gables and FEARS OF DARKNESS!
What are some of your favorite quotes?
Leave a comment below or add to my Author Facebook page:
www.facebook.com/authorjmnorthup

Let Your Imagination Carry You

READ A BOOK TODAY!



Sunday, January 19, 2014

FEARS OF DARKNESS

GET YOUR COPY TODAY!

Available Now in paperback or as an eBook
Purchase your copy of
FEARS of DARKNESS by J.M. Northup
through Amazon or Barnes & Noble

Click the photo for a direct link to the website for purchase:



Saturday, January 18, 2014

Sisterly Love

What would you do for your sister?

Would you give your life for someone you love?
Would they give their life for you?
Find out what choices Dakota and her sisters are faced with
in my novel, FEARS OF DARKNESS

Friday, January 17, 2014

READING TAKES YOU PLACES!!!

Get caught up in a good book tonight!

Get FEARS OF DARKNESS and get swept away.
Reading takes you places.  
It allows you to be anyone you want to be and to go anywhere you want to go.  See where FEARS OF DARKNESS takes you today! 

Thursday, January 9, 2014

Soul Searching

I have released
SOUL SEARCHING: A Novella of Poetry
through Barnes & Noble Nook

In honor of my husband and sister, I have released a novella of poetry.  I hope you buy it and enjoy it!
It is available for only 99¢!

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Sunday, January 5, 2014

What do you fight for?

Would you lay your life down for a friend?  Family?
Would you take a life?

“Desperate times call for desperate measures.”
Fear, helplessness, and despair can all push a person to their limits.  They can make a person do something they never thought they were capable of; something foreign to their personality.
In a war-torn country, find out what Dakota decides to do when push comes to shove in my eBook,
FEARS OF DARKNESS!

Going to the bathroom

Do you know what happened to Dakota when she tried going to the bathroom alone?
Check out FEARS OF DARKNESS for the answer!
eBook available now for only $2.99

Saturday, January 4, 2014

Recommended by author J.M. Northup

Books recommended by J.M. Northup
Author of FEARS of DARKNESS.

I absolutely love to read!  I wanted to share the books that top my list.  I could read these books over and over, never losing interest.  These are the people who influence me and encourage my love of books.  I hope you look into them and their work!
Please take time to check out my eBook, FEARS of DARKNESS.

Friday, January 3, 2014

Reviews for FEARS of DARKNESS

Thank you to everyone who has purchased my eBook
and
Thank you for your reviews!

I am so grateful for all the support my readers are giving me.  I am so happy to hear that you are all enjoying my eBook, FEARS of DARKNESS!
The story is very dear to me and I am so thankful you all like it as much as I do.
Other comments I have received via my Facebook pages
(both my personal one and my author page)
https://www.facebook.com/authorjmnorthup
  • "It was hard to put down. Never a dull moment."
  • "I love it."
  • "Easy to keep in it.  When I get bored I can't read, I fall asleep.  But this one doesn't let me get bored; yes, it is very engaging."
  • "I started reading this morning and I couldn't put it down.  I just finished it and I LOVE IT!  Check it out guys."
  • "It's AWESOME!! Great job!" 

Journey with FEARS OF DARKNESS

Want to go on a journey?
Read my eBook FEARS of DARKNESS


Travel across a war-torn land in search of a new home.
Find out what you are made of as you face dangers that nightmares of made of.
Discover the gift of love.
Make your place in the new world.

Check out my eBook.  Available through Barnes & Noble for all Nook products or online enjoyment and through Amazon for the Kindle.  The purchase price is only $2.99!

ENJOY!!!!!

NORNS TRIAD PUBLICATIONS' BLOG