Livia Blackburne

Brain Science for Writers 10/7/15

Blausen.com staff. "Blausen gallery 2014". Wikiversity Journal of Medicine. DOI:10.15347/wjm/2014.010. ISSN 20018762. - Own work. Licensed under CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

Top Pick: "A tumor stole every memory I had. This is what happened when it all came back." Absolutely fascinating.

Top Pick: Learning to Make a Stone Age Axe Gives Clues to How the Brain Evolved

Lie Detection is a Team Sport

Small Distractions Can Have Big Consequences. A study from an old labmate of mine!

Women and fragrances: Scents and sensitivity

Why Honest People Do Dishonest Things

The Last Two Digits of a Price Signal Your Desperation to Sell. Or is it that simpler numbers are less confusing to process, and give people more mental energy to drive a hard bargain?

Psychologists study burglars' expertise

Men and boys with older sisters are less competitive

Google searches for ‘n-word’ associated with black mortality

7 easy ways to reduce the pain you’re feeling

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Brain Science for Writers Roundup 9/30/15

Top Pick: Morals, Not Memories, Define Who We Are

Top Pick: Why Do Narcissists Lose Popularity Over Time?

Mental Models

Paralysed man uses mind control to walk again

A Short History of the Rise, Fall and Rise of Subliminal Messaging

Ask students about religion, and they’ll tell you they drink less

How Children Make Sense of Impossible Events in Fiction

People Are More Likely to Cheat at the End

This article has been perfectly formatted for maximum reading comprehension (via Passive Guy)

Why Nobody Intervened in the July 4 Metro Murder

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Brain Science for Writers Roundup 9/19/15

A Day Out With Friends (12301023434).jpg

"A Day Out With Friends (12301023434)" by Faisal Akram from Dhaka, Bangladesh - A Day Out With Friends. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

Featured post: How Grounded Is Your Love Life? I love embodied cognition studies. Great fodder for imagery ideas you can use in your writing.

Featured post: The Coddling of the American Mind. More an opinion article than a research article, but raises interesting questions.

Is "Baby Brain" a Myth?

What Happens When Minority Kids Are Taught Not to Talk About Race. (Thanks to Kurt for the link)

How influential are peer reactions to posts on Facebook news channels?

Decoding Trump-Mania: The Psychological Allure of Hating Political Correctness, Part 1

Nail Biting May Arise from Perfectionism

‘Milestone ages’ may trigger new perspectives on life

How To Be a Better Person: Awe Yourself

Workplace rudeness: Death of a thousand cuts

Cell phone notifications may be driving you to distraction

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Brain Science for Writers Roundup 9/12/13

Note: A friendly reminder that Midnight Thief is still 99 cents until Sunday! Also, on Amazon, you can add the audiobook to your ebook purchase for just $3.99 more (so less than $5 total!). Order from Kindle | Nook | Kobo | iBooks | Google Play

Featured pick: Confessions of a neurotic extrovert

Featured pick: Familiar Faces Could Help Robot Cars Win Trust

Massive International Project Raises Questions about the Validity of Psychology Research. So basically, don't believe anything I post. (kidding... sort of...)

Doctors use antipsychotics to calm ‘challenging behaviour’

Television viewing linked to higher injury risk in hostile people

How Come Some People Believe in the Paranormal?

The Man Who Wasn’t There: Exploring the science of the self

Predicting who will murder his wife or his family

Why big societies need big gods

The Man Who Saw His Double In The Mirror

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MIDNIGHT THIEF is on sale for 99 cents. Spread the word to win prizes!

(Cross posted from my author website.)

Daughter of Dusk, the sequel to Midnight Thief, launched on August 4th. A huge and heartfelt thank you to everyone who's taken the time to read and share Kyra's story.

To wrap up the first month of release, the Midnight Thief ebook is on sale for 99 cents on all ebook retailers from 9/10-9/13! If you haven't read it yet, grab it from Kindle, Nook, Kobo, iBooks, or Google Play.

And if you've read MT already, I'd really appreciate help spreading the word about the deal. To make sharing the news more fun, I'm hosting a giveaway for a big Midnight Thief universe prize pack. Here's a picture of what you'll win:

It includes:

1. An audiobook of Midnight Thief

2. An signed copy of Poison Dance. (With author's handwritten annotations in the margins, if you'd like).

3. An early draft of Daughter of Dusk with author's editorial marks.

4. Assorted swag.

It's an international giveaway, and you can enter by sharing this post. See the rafflecopter below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

ORDER MIDNIGHT THIEF FROM:

Hardcover: Indiebound | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Book Depository (Free international shipping)

Ebook: Kindle | Nook | Kobo | iBooks | Google Play

Order DAUGHTER OF DUSK from:

Brain Science for Writers Roundup 8/3/15

Livia's Pick: How to Extract a Confession…Ethically

Livia's Pick: The Writing Assignment That Changes Lives. HT Passive Guy.

Why screams are so scary. Good reminder about the dramatic effect of a scream, even if it's in print.

Active Duty Army Suicide Attempts Analyzed

There are four kinds of drunken personality (among students, at least)

What is the correct way to talk about autism? There isn't one

The Psychological Cost of Being a Maverick

The Long-Lasting Effects of Nazi Indoctrination

Does the Millennial know that tattoo might be a business faux pas? Some amusing tattoo stereotypes described here.

When Doctors Advise “Wait and See,” Worries Can Be Crippling

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Help me solve the mystery of the noontime philanthropist. (And win an ARC)

EDITED TO ADD: Ack, I showed this to husband and turns out I totally forgot the part about angel dogs. (Think about it, if you've read Midnight Thief). Now added below.

Back when I started writing Midnight Thief, my Mischievous But Secretly Supportive Husband (MBSSH) told me, “I’m writing a book too. It’s called Noontime Philanthropist. It will have angel dogs in it, and I’m totally going to hit the bestseller lists before you.”

He never ended up finishing (or starting) that novel, but as we get closer to launching the sequel Daughter of Dusk, I find myself thinking back on that intriguing title.

So today I turn the question over to you guys. What is Noontime Philanthropist about?

Just for fun, I’ll have Husband choose his favorite answer on 8/3, and I’ll send my last ARC of Daughter of Dusk to the winner.

The official facebook thread for this discussion is here, though you can also comment on this post and I'll paste your answer into facebook for you.

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