Tara Tyler Talks about #StarWars (spoilers!)

Happy New Year - bla bla bla

But seriously IWSG-ers, I hope you have a great 2020. If things are going badly, I hope you find a way to turn them around. If things are going well, keep up the good work!

January is a time of reflection. I want to raise the level of my blog from a once-a-month series of IWSG entries to more frequent and more substantial posts. I want to be more engaging!

And so, I give you my first post for 2020--

Let's go to the Movies??

Consider STAR WARS. (NOTE - Spoiler Alert! Plenty of annoying spoilers ahead)

There's nothing like the opening burst...

There's also nothing like the original trilogy. Sure, special effects are better now, CGI is amazing, and meeting new characters is always fun. BUT, just like the last season of Game of Thrones was rushed and lacking, this latest Star Wars trilogy was full of spontaneous, easily foiled threats and not much substance or explanation. I'm sorry to say, True Star Wars fans have been let down.

The Rise of Skywalker was a great action-adventure sci-fi movie, no doubt. My hub even liked it, and he's not a big SW fan. But my closet-nerd son and I felt a disturbance in the Force. So many story lines were severely under-developed and conveniently explained away with a glib comment for us all to accept. It was full of miraculous, impossible saves; instant armies, easy escapes, and predictable rebellious behavior... I felt like I was watching a teenager's spoof seeing what he could get away with--wouldn't it be cool if this happened!

Most egregious irritations:

• Poor Fin - so much potential wasted--they made this guy do nothing but annoy everyone, "Rey!" 
• And the Planet-Destroying Cannons upgrade on a surprise fleet of Star Destroyers--where did they come from? Santa? But the placement of the cannons gave me a chuckle. It was like they all got a kick in the crotch... that magically destroys the whole ship **eye roll**

There was No build up. No anticipation. No time to wonder what might happen, we know what's going to happen. As a writer, you know what I'm talking about.

I had more complaints, but I won't torture you further. And there were some good moments.

• I really liked the new female characters, but there wasn't enough time to expand on them. I would've been happier if they'd split it into two films just to give us some backstory and character development.
• Palpatine was a great twist. But what were all those zombie fans??
• Funny thing, I liked Kylo Ren's character arc (Frankly, I would've chosen him over Rey as a true Skywalker.
• It's just a good thing Chewy didn't die! (Told you there'd be spoilers!)

One saving grace for Star Wars fans: The Mandalorian is fantastic! It has everything the new movies don't, plus awesome LOL scenes and Baby Yoda!


Movies in general lately are lacking in quality and depth. Sequels, Spinoffs, and Remakes are the currency of the day. Over the holidays, I also saw JUMANJI 2 which was pretty terrific, better than expected, but still a sequel, with a teaser of another is in the works. And here are the previews we saw:

>>Scooby Doo origins              >>Mulan live-action              >> Dr. Dolittle upgrade

>> Black Widow spinoff              >>"new and improved" Ghostbusters sequel

Absolutely nothing original.
Money is the biggest motivator which is understandable since it is a business. But the industry isn't taking chances on anything new...

So I call on YOU, fellow writers!
Keep writing. Keep improving. And try a Screenplay! Submit to contests. Put your awesome works out there for these sheltered producers living in their Hollywood Bubble. They need us! (I just submitted JOLISSA to an animated screenplay contest!)

Okay, I think I've talked enough.

Oh, yeah. One last thing -- I'm putting together a team!

Disney/Pixar's Onward is coming out soon (you may remember me mentioning how they "stole" my Beast World concept) So I'm starting Phase 2 of my Taking Back Beast World campaign. I re-published BROKEN BRANCH FALLS!! And CRADLE ROCK is soon to follow.

If you're up for helping me promote the ORIGINAL Fantasy Creatures in High School, here's the new FORM
Thanks for your support!

And don't forget to join us for the #WedWrant Twitter chat tonight at 7:30 PM EST - be sure to use the hashtag!

Blessings a-plenty in 20-20!

Second Book Syndrome #FREEbooks #giveaway

Sometimes seconds are good and sometimes they aren't.

Bad seconds: second helping, second place, second movies, sloppy seconds, wait a second, second choice, two seconds too late, 2nd in line - don't they just all sound like losers because they weren't FIRST?

Great seconds: second children, sometimes second marriages, second dates, second time around, second chance, second base, ha ha. I'll stop there, but I know you can come up with more!

>>> HOLD ON!! I must interrupt myself to mention, the horrifically awesome Yolanda Renee is having me at her place today and I'm talking about SIMULATION and Marketing Tips. You can go there first if it sounds better, and come back here second...(hee hee) <<<





Now, back to SECOND BOOK SYNDROME.


SIMULATION is the second book in the Pop Travel series. Its sales and reviews are slim compared to its older brother. Why? Has this happened to you? Well, I have a few theories, let me know what you think...

• Did people not like the first one enough to buy he second?
• Do people not like the second and therefore not want to review it?
• Is it not getting enough exposure?
• Should I go on with the third?

Let's address these issues and try to reason them out.

First, if you're like me, you've had a bunch of loyal customers and great feedback from the first books - not only family and friends, but from strangers, too! This is clearly not the reason - we're fabulous!

Second (but still good!), How could they not like the second book? Here are my secondary theories...

• Many people naturally have lower expectations of a second book, like second movies are usually not as good as the first.
• Some friends bought the first book to support it being your first book - and that's as far as they went... it happens
• So less readers = less reviews
• marketing is part of the picture - it takes a while to get the next books out and unless you're keeping your readers informed (like with a newsletter) they may not realize the next one is out yet! More of the Next will help...

Next. This and the Last are the only things we can control. That evil word MARTKETING! I believe BOLDER is BETTER to be NOTICED in type and in life. There are tons of books out there and it's hard to get readers' attention. Even sub-category rankings are huge numbers. That means there are thousands of books in the same category vying for buyers' perusal. We have to do something drastic!

BTW, In August, I'm going to offer up a Marketing Series with some crazy ideas - untried, untested, and definitely unapproved! Any volunteers want to give me their reactions? (mention if you'd like to answer a question or two for me!)

Last. Writing the next book is the EASIEST way to get more readers. You have to keep writing, even when you are worried the third might sell less than the second... Don't get discouraged! Most readers want a ready-made series so they can continue post-haste. And the more books you have out there, the more you sell - this is from experience.

So keep writing! Just having a few fans from my small fan base ask for more is inspiration enough for me to keep at it. Totally worth the work and worry, not to mention, I love it!

Any "seconds" to share? Any thoughts or advice? I could always use it!
And don't forget to sign up for a signed copy of one of my books or some swag in honor of my book bdays this month...

NEW GIVEAWAY FOR SUMMER 2020!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Magic Ice Cream!

It's a hot summer day. Sweat is rolling down your back. You love the sun, but the heat is so intense. Where can you find some relief???

You need some MAGIC ICE CREAM!! I'm so glad to have Sharon Bayliss here to share some secret Magic Ice Cream recipes to help us savor the release of her latest December People book. Check it out!

To celebrate the recent release of A Taste of Death and Honey, I've asked some of my spring wizard friends to share some magical summer concoctions. Through the years, Mundanes have attempted to make sweet treats without sugar. They've devised all sorts of chemicals to replace sugar, but there is really only one way to enjoy sweetness without sugar--magic. With the use of magic, you can even make ice cream without sugar OR fat. Don't believe me? Give some of these recipes a try.

Our spring wizards have released some of their secret recipes for magic ice cream just for Tara Tyler's blog:

Strawberry Ice Cream

Ingredients

• 4 cups fresh strawberries
• 3 tsp. real vanilla extract
• 3 cups heavy cream
• 1 1/2 cups local honey
• 1 1/2 cup whole milk
• Pinch of sea salt

Instructions

Put 2 cups of strawberries in a saucepan. Cover and heat over medium for about three minutes to soften. Chop the rest of the strawberries finely. Put heated and chopped strawberries in blender. Blend for only about 30 seconds to chop.

In a large bowl, whisk together cream, honey, milk, salt, and vanilla.

Add in the strawberries and beat until thoroughly combined. While you beat, recall a happy memory from your childhood. Preferably one experienced outdoors during the springtime.

Process in your ice cream maker according to manufactures’ directions.

Adapted from Live Simply.

Roasted Banana and Cinnamon Sorbet

Ingredients

• 6 ripe bananas
• 1 tsp cinnamon

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 

Arrange unpeeled bananas on a baking sheet. Roast until the banana skins have become deep brown, about 20-25 minutes. Let cool slightly.

Peel the bananas and place in a blender with the cinnamon. Blend until smooth. Pour into an ice cube tray and freeze for at least eight hours.

Place frozen banana cubes in the blender and let melt slightly (about five minutes). Blend! While you blend, think about the beach. Listen to the waves crashing against the sand and smell the salty air.

Watermelon Mint Sorbet

Ingredients

• 1/4 of a seedless watermelon
• 2 Tbsp fresh mint (preferably from your own garden)
• 2 limes

Instructions

Cut the watermelon and scrape it into a blender. Blend until juice-like. Reserve 1/2 cup watermelon juice and pour the rest into an ice cube tray and freeze for at least eight hours.

Place frozen watermelon cubes, reserved juice, juice from limes, and mint in the blender. Blend! While you blend, recall your best memory from summertime. Preferably one from a day spent outdoors when you got a suntan.


Tropical Colada Sorbet

Ingredients

• 2 cups frozen pineapple
• 2 cups frozen mango
• 2 cups coconut milk
• Juice from one orange

Instructions

Just place everything in a blender and go to town! Adjust ingredient amounts to create the desired consistency. While you blend, think sexy thoughts. Preferably about spending a hot night on the beach with the one you love. Serve with a tiny umbrella.

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Now that you've enjoyed some tasty spring magic, try A Taste of Death and Honey!

This book will grab you by the throat, challenge your mind, and turn your heart inside out. Sharon Bayliss delivers a powerful, emotional punch with her third book in the December People series. - Amy Bearce, author of  The World of Aluvia Series

When Samantha’s parents died, she lost everything. Her home. Her friends. Her hope. Then a life-loving spring witch at the children’s shelter fills her life with light and joy once again.

But like the springtime, Samantha’s happiness doesn’t last forever. Her friend dies violently in front of her, the victim of a mysterious killing spell. Furious and grief-stricken, Samantha resents her own weak spring magic. She doesn’t need life and renewal. She wants revenge…and death.

Homeless and alone, Samantha seeks shelter with her old friends, the Vandergraff family, and finds an unexpected ally in the powerful winter solstice witch, Evangeline. The girls’ anger and eagerness lead them to cast a killing spell before knowing the truth behind Samantha’s friend’s death or the identity of her killer. 

Once the spell is cast, they can’t take it back, and they must fight to stop their own curse before it takes away everyone they love.

BUY HERE

A proud Austinite, Sharon never saw much sense in moving anywhere else and got her degree in social work from the University of Texas at Austin. As an author and social worker, she has devoted her life to making the lives of real people better and the lives of fictional people much, much worse.

When she’s not writing, she enjoys living happily-ever-after with her husband and two young sons. She can be found eating Tex-Mex on patios, wearing flip-flops, and still playing in the mud (which she now calls gardening).

So happy for Sharon! Her December People series is a delight!

On the home front, I wanted to mention that BROKEN BRANCH FALLS is on SALE this coming weekend JUNE 24, 25, 26 for 99 CENTS in honor of its Book Bday!! 

And if anyone would like to volunteer to do an ARC Review of the sequel, CRADLE ROCK, please let me know in the comments or email me, taratylertalks - at - gmail - dot - com. The cover is so awesome!! Reveal details COMING SOON!

Have a scrumdiddlyumptious week!!