Louise Cypress: “Don’t Let Computers Distract You From Writing” + Bite Me Blog Tour Contest

Today’s blog tour has some bite … get it? Bite Me by Louise Cypress sounds like an awesome new vampire story, and I can’t wait to dive into it. (Ya’ll know I’m a SUCKER for vampire books – PUN TOTALLY INTENDED).

Anyway – Louise stops by today to share about writing without a computer. Then keep reading to learn more about Bite Me and enter to win an Amazon gift card!

Don’t let computers distract you from writing

Anyone who loves to read has a great imagination. Anyone with an active imagination has probably thought up a story in their head at one point or another. But how do you get the story in your head onto paper and into a book?

Computers should make writing easier, but the truth is that they don’t. If you have WiFi, you have a gazillion things that might distract you while you write. Facebook, Twitter, an email from your mom, the Nordstrom Half Yearly Sale—there are so many reasons to click out of Word and onto Google.

Even when you are “in the zone” and fully focused on writing, it’s easy to be distracted by your inner critic. Did you spell that right? Should you go back and fix that sentence? Is that first paragraph horrible? Computers implore writers to revise. Every time you see a squiggly red line under a misspelled word you are tempted to stop creating and start editing.

But ditching your computer and embracing longhand isn’t the answer. Pens and paper will slow you down too. There’s another solution to distraction-free writing that can help you type 1,000 words an hour, it’s called an Alphasmart Neo.

If you went to elementary school in the 1990s, you might remember Alphasmarts. Before there were Chromebooks, schools purchased Alphasmarts to help students learn basic word processing skills. The way Alphasmarts work is that you type your document into the machine and then connect it to a computer to upload your project directly into Microsoft Word.

The screen on the Alphasmart is tiny. It’s difficult—but not impossible—to go back and revise your writing. There is no Internet to distract you. It’s just you gushing words into the Alphasmart.

Unfortunately, they don’t make Alphasmarts anymore, but the good news is there are plenty of used ones for sale on Amazon and Ebay. I bought my Alphasmart for under $40. It fits great in a backpack or large purse, and if somebody steals it, no problem. It’s not that expensive to replace.

When I wrote BITE ME, book one in The Puritan Coven, I was shocked at how much the Aphasmart helped my productivity. I also used it to write HUNT ME and SLAY ME.

If a typical YA book is 60,000 words, and an Alphasmart can help you write 1,000 words an hour, that means you can draft a book in sixty hours. One hour of writing a day, and you can write a book in two months.

Do you have a story in your head to share? Maybe the answer to getting that story on paper is old-school technology.

I fell in love with the slayer sent to destroy me. 

Morgan Taylor-Jackson can’t wait for high school to end. In six months she leaves for UCLA and says goodbye to La Jolla, California and her parents’ messy divorce. But when Morgan is bitten by a four-year-old boy, she becomes infected with a mysterious condition. Fever, insomnia, and a new bustline are only the beginning; Morgan morphs from nerd to bombshell.

As far as Van Xander is concerned, all vampires are evil, even the ones who reject human sacrifice and call themselves Puritans. When Helsing Incorporated sends Van to La Jolla to investigate the local coven, Morgan is his prime target. Pretending to be interested in her, Van asks Morgan out and puts her through a series of tests to determine her killer nature.

Morgan is thrilled to be dating a hot guy like Van and falls for him hard. As Van strings Morgan along, he grows increasingly guilty. Morgan is kind, compassionate, and a gooey romantic. Just as Van’s mind begins to change, evil forces threaten everything. When prom night arrives, there are only two ways out of the ballroom: death or immortality.

Available Now: Goodreads | Amazon

Louise Cypress believes in friendship, true love, and the everlasting power of books. She has never met a vampire, but she has been to a Love Sucks concert on Valentine’s Day. Louise can often be found curled up with a romance novel on Saturday night, diet soda in hand, secretly wishing bustles were back in fashion. Louise lives in San Diego, California, where the beach is crowded and summer is immortal.

BookBub | Amazon Link | Instagram | Goodreads

1 winner will receive a $25 Amazon Gift Card, International.

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Week One:

• 5/21/2018- The Phantom Paragrapher– Review
• 5/21/2018- Mythical Books– Excerpt
• 5/22/2018- Ya wonderlust– Review
• 5/22/2018- Novel Novice– Guest Post
• 5/23/2018- The Young Girl Who Loved Books– Review
• 5/23/2018- Confessions of a YA Reader– Excerpt
• 5/24/2018- Simply Daniel Radcliffe– Review
• 5/24/2018- Owl Always Be Reading– Excerpt
• 5/25/2018- K.L. Knovitzke – Author– Excerpt
• 5/25/2018- Parajunkee– Interview

Week Two:

• 5/28/2018- To Be Read– Review
• 5/28/2018- BookHounds YA– Interview
• 5/29/2018- Two Points of Interest– Review
• 5/29/2018- The Howling Turtle– Guest Post
• 5/30/2018- Smada’s Book Smack– Spotlight
• 5/30/2018- Two Chicks on Books– Guest Post
• 5/31/2018- Wonder Struck– Excerpt
• 5/31/2018- Jaime’s World– Spotlight
• 6/1/2018- The Book Girl– Interview