Nominated for a Book Cover Award!

Hello Everyone,

I am a finalist in the Houston RWA Reader’s Choice book cover contest. Please vote for me! My cover is under Science Fiction. https://jabbic.hbarwa.com/readers/

Christine’s in the House! Please Welcome Christine Wall, Author of THE FOG!

Christine’s in the House! Please Welcome Christine Wall, Author of THE FOG!.

Inspiration and Los Angeles

I love Los Angeles! I come here once a year to audition and take acting classes and now that I am making headway in the publishing world, find that it is a city of inspiration as well.

Right now I am sitting, basking in 90 degree weather ( 30 centigrade for us Canadians) and the beautiful surroundings of The Beverly Garland Hotel and find myself emerging from the desert of writing fatigue. What is it about this city? Sure the traffic is a nightmare and it’s hard to find a moment of peace from the hustle and bustle of the many tourists. Still something magic lies just beneath its surface. Hidden among the hills or rising like a skulking leviathan from the sea. It’s there. Just waiting to be discovered. Magic and inspiration.
…perhaps a future home for my book? I think its worth a look.

This speaks for itself…

A coworker sent me this. A timeless piece of wisdom for a complicated world.

My Debut Novel – The Fog, has finally launched!

They say that good things come to those who wait and my book has finally launched! After months of edits and welcome feedback from my publisher, it launched on October 3rd.

Take a look and please feel free to click on the links. Both Amazon and Barnes and Noble have a quick peek into the first pages of the story.

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-fog-christine-wall/1113125726?ean=2940015549492

In 2050 the city of Washington, D.C. is a very different place. Riddled with crime, the brave detectives fight criminals, terrorists and a phenomenon that threatens to destroy the world – The Fog. All consuming and relentless it devours people and buildings, a natural anomaly with the destructive strength of multiple tornado’s.
Or is it? For Detectives Lainey Turner and Jack Callahan their relentless pursuit of a terrorist named Damian leads them into a mystery that will change their future forever. Brought together by hate but destined for love, these soul mates are forced to into an impossible situation, sacrifice their future to save the world from Damian and The Fog.

My debut book – The Fog

Very excited about the debut of my book, a science fiction romance called The Fog.

Here is a bit about the story:

In 2045 the city of Boston is a very different place. Riddled with crime, the brave detectives fight criminals, terrorists and a phenomenon that threatens to destroy the world – The Fog. All consuming and relentless it devours people and buildings, a natural anomaly with the destructive strength of ten tornados.
Or is it? For Detectives Lainey Turner and Jack Callahan their relentless pursuit of a terrorist named Damian leads them into a mystery that will change their future forever. Brought together by hate but destined for love, these soul mates are forced to into an impossible situation, sacrifice their future to save the world from Damian and The Fog.

And the cover…Stay tuned, I am hoping for a July release date.

My late night ah ha encounter with Oprah and Tony Robbins

Last night I sought refuge from a tough day of writing and even tougher day of dark thoughts about my future. Somewhere during the day, I looked to God and the universe and asked for guidance to help soothe my future fears.

Let’s face it, deciding to ditch a normal life in favor of one as a writer and actress is not exactly asking for financial freedom. There is no steady paycheck- it’s about working at your craft for little or no money while trying to hold down a day job to pay the bills. In this economy even the day job is no guarantee.

So my day is winding down, my routine of Sunday night shows has finished and I happen to catch the last glance of Oprah’s Next Chapter, this week with Tony Robbins. Darn it, I curse to my self. I really like Tony Robbins and pairing him with Oprah just seems like a dream combination. I checked the television guide and breathed a gracious if not somewhat reluctant sigh of relief – they are showing a rebroadcast from midnight to two a.m.

Is watching Oprah and Tony worth a few hours of missed sleep? Absolutely! Curled up in my jammies with my cats sleeping nearby, I start watching, ignoring the occasional yawn that drifted from my mouth. She is attending a portion of one of his four day seminars, just to see what it is all about.

I already know what it is all about. I was fortunate to attend a mini Tony Robbins seminar, as part of a two day motivational speaker fest in Toronto about eight years ago. Even though he was only on the stage for about four hours, the experience was electric. Now while I have been a fan of motivational speakers for many years, I had never bothered to buy any of his books or programs because they seemed so long. Delving into a Tony Robbins book is a real commitment and it was easier to gravitate to programs that promised quick fix results.

Not even a half hour into the program and my first ah ha moment. Tony asks the audience about the false stories that they tell themselves. Stories that have been repeated for so long in your head that you believe them whether they are true or not.

Ding, ding ding – a bell goes off in my head.

I grabbed my ever handy pen and the closest thing to write on, which happened to be some  recipe cards that are lurking under my coffee table. Furiously, I start scribbling down notes, not unlike my experience at a real seminar. I don’t think, I just write. What are false stories that come to mind? I quickly come up with five, then sit back during the commercial to think about what I have written. Two of them stick out, flashing like a neon sight in the night. Let’s talk about the first today.

Number one – I’m fat because I can’t lose weight.

How fat am I? At my heaviest I was a size 18, today I can wear a size 8 on the bottom and a size 10 on top. Since I was a kid, I have always struggled with my weight. Being an actress surrounded by size 0 and 2, I would still be considered overweight and this is part of my struggle.

For years though, I made excuses. I was big boned, it’s genetics, I’ve tried everything and I am the only person in the whole wide world that can’t lose weight….

I realized last night that I wear my weight like a badge of honor. Every time I try a new diet or exercise program that doesn’t translate to a number on the scale, I throw up my hands triumphantly and proclaim – see, I TOLD YOU IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE TO LOSE WEIGHT!

The sound of chirping crickets replies. There is no ‘you’, in fact, there is no one around.

Now I look around and say: Who are you talking to?

It is the negative part of me that I am speaking to because no real person around me cares. I look at my family and it’s not genetics because my parents and my brother are thin. I’m not big boned, I’m actually the opposite. If I’m carrying the weight, it’s because of my eating decisions completely. I am an emotional eater and no matter how much I kill myself at the gym, I won’t see a difference if I come home and ruin it all with chocolate or chips.

So now it’s a new day and a new me. I must tell myself a new story.

Thin looks good on me.

Am I there yet? Not quite. But when I do get there, thin will look good on me.

So thank you God and the universe for sending me Oprah and Tony Robbins.

My future fears are a work in progress, fighting the fight one day at a time.

But thank you for your guidance. Both of you continue to do a phenomenal job at showing me and the world the paths of possibility.

My road to destiny, paved by dimes

About six months back, I had the most wonderful dream. By the time I was alert enough to realize, the dream had slipped away back to the place where they are born – save one tiny part.

I was walking and looked down to find a dime, shining brightly in the sun. From somewhere unknown I heard a voice telling me that by locating this dime, all my dreams would someday come true.

Being a Saturday morning and facing my usual hour walk to kickboxing, I left my place, eager to find this dime. Long and hard, I scoured the pavement, looking earnestly on sidewalks, streets and parking lots along my route to my class.

I didn’t find a thing.

After being pummeled by my Sensei, I began the long walk back, choosing to walk on the other side of the street for no reason other than it would take me closer to home. Lost in thoughts of how to market my latest script and get my books published. I began to daydream of being at the Academy Awards and my acceptance speech for best screenplay. From the depths of my dream, I caught a glimpse of something shining in the morning sun.

There, on the side of a busy road, was my dime.

So what does it mean? A sign from the universe that my efforts to master the laws of attraction were finally paying off? A suggestion that my dream of Clint Eastwood directing my script with my favorite actors participating wasn’t just a pipe dream?

Who knows? All I know is that day, I felt such joy at finding this one tiny dime.

Since then, dimes have appeared at the oddest times and places. I’ve picked them up at crosswalks, on the painted yellow parking line in a completely deserted parking lot, in the back seat of my car that I swear was empty and even falling on me from a closet during a search for Christmas wrapping paper.

Always the same type of dime. Super shiny, as if giving off an inner glow just for me.

So what does it mean?

I still don’t have a clue, the voice of the elusive dime escapes me. They appear when I’m not thinking about anything in particular, and believe me I often think too much.  No, they tend to show up during times of disappointment. Even if the most mundane setback has occurred in my life.

Perhaps that’s what they are there for – a reminder to keep my eye on my dreams and not to sweat the setbacks.

Today after a challenging day, I walked out of my place to find a shiny new dime, sitting in a driveway, directly in my path. It brought a smile to my face and reminded me to keep moving forward, keep moving on.

Maybe Clint Eastwood directing my screenplay isn’t such a pipe dream, after all…

 

A beginning, a middle and an end

Why is it always easier to write the beginning and the end of a novel or screenplay? For me I find the ending is always there – usually within the first hours of story conception. The challenge seems to lay in the dreaded middle.

Currently I am three quarters of the way through my newest novel, a young adult paranormal and slowly moving through the middle. Every day results in a new chapter but also an interesting journey. I am constantly amazed how my characters end up leading me through the story and often in a direction that I did not anticipate.

Is it the right road for the characters? Does it reveal something beyond exposition and if so does it add or subtract from the story? Is there value in throwing them into situations just to see how they work their way out of it? Perhaps.

What I do know is that I trust my characters. I listen to their voice and trust that they will make the right call.

Chapter twenty three awaits. Let’s see what happens next…

Hello world!

So this is my first blog and an introduction to my thoughts. I am an actress, screenwriter and author and am very excited to say that my first novel has been picked up for publication. Not going to share too many details at the moment, but I am very excited and hope that you will like my work as well.

Am going to edit my theme and return later!