Moving, Part 2: Dirty Laundry and Other Dastardly Duties

It's moving day, AGAIN, but today's move is a happy one. Today I'm moving here:

Yippee!!!

(Isn't it pretty?) 

I'm a little apprehensive about what my new cleaning schedule will be like, and I'm happy to take on a slave live-in tourist who will help care for the property. Any takers? I'll be listening to/watching fireworks every night from Disney World. Awesome, right? So that's the reason I'm somewhat absent today, but I'll be back this weekend to answer comments and say hi to everyone.

And why not some cleaning funnies to celebrate:

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Quick aside, I just have to say it, reviewers are AWESOME! This last week Barb Taub was kind enough to review MOONLESS. Pop over to see what she had to say.

Any big things happening for you this week/month/year?

Ready to guess the lie and win a book? 

Last week, C.M. Keller shared SCREWING UP BABYLON with us, along with two truths and one lie. Those who guessed the lie correctly were entered into a random drawing for the chance to win two of her eBooks.  

C.M.'s game: 

1. C.M. kissed a gargoyle on Notre Dame cathedral. 
2. When she was a teenager, she drove the car with her eyes closed several times.
3. She has a rare auto-immune disease that makes her hair fall out. 

And the lie is:

#1. She apparently hasn't snogged a stone monument. 

Way to guess those of you who got it right! And the winner is:

...DRUM ROLL...

Suzi!

Congrats Suzi! 

And now to today's feature:
 

“The Boathouse collects misfits. Strange solitary creatures that yearn for contact with the outside world, but not too much. They sit, glass in hand, either staring at the table in front of them, or at some distant point on the horizon.” 

… so says the narrator of Our Beautiful Child. And he’s been around long enough to know.

People end up in this town almost by accident. Ella is running away from her nightmares, Sally is running away from the memories of previous boyfriends and Rona is running away from university. Each of them seek sanctuary in the 18th century pub, The Boathouse; but in fact, that’s where their troubles begin.

Ella finds love, a moment too late; Rona discovers a beautiful ability which needs refining before she gets hurt; and Sally meets the captivating Murray, who threatens to ruin everything.

Three women. Three stories. One pub.

Get your copy HERE.

Annalisa Crawford lives in Cornwall UK, with a good supply of beaches and moorland right on her doorstep to keep her inspired. She lives with her husband, two sons, a dog and a cat.

Despite her location, she neither surfs nor sails, and has never had any inclination t;po try. She much prefers walking along a deserted beach and listening to the waves crashing over rocks. For this reason, she really love the beach in the winter! 

Annalisa says she's a boring cheddar eater (no such thing!) and rediscovered the joy of a cheese and onion sandwich the other day.  

She gave me two truths and one lie to test your "lie detector" skills. Those who figure out the lie will go into my magic hat for the chance to win an eBook of OUR BEAUTIFUL CHILD. How awesome is that?

You have until Tuesday, September 16, at 1 p.m. EDT to guess--and be sure to come back for the answer on September 17.

TRUTH OR LIE

1. Annalisa went abroad for the first time when she was 29 and heavily pregnant.
2. She's very accident prone – this year alone she's torn something in her hip, broken her big toe and had her dog land on her head.
3. She's watched The Sound of Music more than 200 times.

Which is the lie? Have you moved recently? Any big news happening for you? One of your own? Do you love time travel stories? Do you like stories that reach deep, emotionally? 

Amazing, Epic, and Mind-Blowing News...IWSG and a Giveaway

Have you dealt with health challenges?

For 4 or 5 years now, I've been struggling. The last 3 years have been a slow improvement from a really bad place, and all that time I've been writing but longing for something completely different, something that would probably prevent me from writing.

I finally got my wish. With over a year of miscarriage after miscarriage behind us, we are expecting.

My writing may slow down, but I'm one happy mama. (So what if there's a 8.5 year gap between kids?) Life is good, and I think when we hit these moments, we really just have to enjoy them because the rain will come soon enough.

Speaking of which, here's some confetti for IWSG's 3 year anniversary!

Are you happy about something today?

Ready to guess the lie and win a book? 

Last week, Laura Howard shared her THE FORGOTTEN ONES with us, along with two truths and one lie. Those who guessed the lie correctly were entered into a random drawing for the chance to win her ebook.  

Laura's game: 

1. Laura's favorite number is 9. 
2. She's the mother of two sets of twins.
3. All four of her kids names end with the letter "n."

And the lie is:

#2. She does have 4 kids, but she can't actually imagine having them so close together. (And I'll second that!)

Way to guess those of you who got it right! And the winner is:

...DRUM ROLL...

Cherie Reich!

Congrats Cherie! 

And now to today's feature:

Babylon, one of the most powerful and notorious empires ever, is the last place Mark wants to go. But when he discovers his girlfriend Miranda has been kidnapped and given to the king as a concubine, he travels through the colors of time to rescue her. It won’t be easy, not when the Hanging Gardens are a trap, his life is the prize in a game, and time is a prison. It will take all Mark’s cunning, the help of his friends, and a crazed chimp to free Miranda. When he does, time itself begins to unravel, and a life must be sacrificed or no one will survive.

Get your copy HERE.

C. M. Keller is Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award quarter finalist and the author of SCREWING UP TIME, SCREWING UP BABYLON, SCREWING UP ALEXANDRIA, and the short story "Screwing Up Mongolia." She loves old movies and poison rings. She and her husband have four children and she's currently working on her next YA novel, the fourth book in Mark and Miranda's story. 

She dies for an amazing Roquefort Carles cheese that she had in Le Grand Vefour in Paris. (Hand-made cheese from the milk of a Lacaune sheep that grazes on the grass of the Causses plateau.)  

C. M. gave me two truths and one lie to test your "lie detector" skills. Those who figure out the lie will go into my magic hat for the chance to win TWO of her eBooks, Screwing Up Time and Screwing Up Babylon. How awesome is that?

You have until Tuesday, September 9, at 1 p.m. EDT to guess--and be sure to come back for the answer on September 10.

TRUTH OR LIE

1. C.M. kissed a gargoyle on Notre Dame cathedral. 
2. When she was a teenager, she drove the car with her eyes closed several times.
3. She has a rare auto-immune disease that makes her hair fall out. 

Which is the lie? Do you have any good news to share? Do you love time travel stories? When was the last time something truly amazing happened in your life? 

9/11 Memorial: Learning From Tragedy, and Giveaway

Friendlies! Writerly Wednesday is here!

Writerly Wednesdays here are dedicated to writers and readers. If you've published anything for Young Adults, check out the tab up there.

And now, it's time to announce the winner of a Screwing up Time coffee mug AND coupon for a copy of the book on Smashwords. Remember, C.M. Keller also promised a coupon to anyone who guessed right, so... 

The options were: 

1. C.M. was a member of the ICSA women's sailing team that took first place for the season.

2. She has ridden a sea turtle.

3. She worked her way through college doing chromosome analysis.

This week was a HARD one, but the lie is: 

#1, She was actually asked to be part of a sailing team, but only because they were very desperate. It didn't end up fitting into her schedule. 

Way to guess Liz, Laurel, Tammy and Patti! You are officially human lie detectors. (C.M. Keller will be contacting you shortly with your coupon.) And the GRAND PRIZE winner is: 

...DRUM ROLL...

LIZ!!

Congrats, Liz! 

And now, it's been a long time since I've had a guest blogger here, but it's a special day so please welcome Kelley Hicken. She's an amazing writer who's kicking off a new critique forum with regular writing challenges, Scribbleweed.com. She has generously offered a $25 Amazon card (!!!) to the winner of today's Truth or Lie game. That's like, a boatload of books! 

But first, let's remove our hats, lower our flags, and take a moment to remember.

Learning from Tragedy

Image courtesy of Kelley Hicken

September 11, 2001 is perhaps the most influential date in the modern history of our country. The residual effect on our economy, politics and psychology of our citizens are still felt twelve years later. 

We can’t go back. 

We won’t forget.

When we watched the second plane hit the World Trade Center, it confirmed our fear. This is no accident. We are under attack. We saw the fires, the jumpers, the towers falling, lives lost, dreams destroyed, and we asked the same question echoed around the world.

“Why?”

Time gives us the distance to see the events of 9/11 from a different perspective. We are no longer characters in the story, but readers with a big-picture view. From this vantage point, it is easier to extract meaning and knowledge. From here, we have the opportunity to use real-life tragedies to strengthen our character.

Crisis reveals character. Consider why ordinary people helped the injured out of the building and then went back into the smoke and flames to find others. We act on instinct in these situations and show the coward or hero we’ve already become.

Identical beliefs can influence opposite actions. Securing a place in heaven is what motivated the suicide bombers to kill. Perhaps the same belief inspired some of our NYC heroes to save lives. They were all convinced they were doing the right thing. Be careful what you choose to believe, especially about yourself.

Fear is the opposite of freedom. These ordinary people didn’t wait for a more qualified hero to come. They fought as if the outcome depended on their efforts alone. What would happen if we all stopped imposing limits on our possibilities in response to fear? I have a hunch we would all be a bit more admirable, like the heroes we remember today.

Thanks, Kelley, for that beautiful tribute. And now, to lighten the mood a little, let me officially introduce you: 

Kelley Hicken is a YA fantasy novelist from the beautiful Pacific Northwest and creator of the brand-spankin’ new writer’s website, www.scribbleweed.com. She is currently in the "somebody kill me" editing process of her debut novel, The Halcyon. When she isn't banging her head on her keyboard she is most likely spending time with her family, hiking in a forest, or killing a plant in the garden.

Her favorite cheese (this week) is mozzarella. She may or may not eat a fistful every time she shreds it for family pizza night.

TRUTH OR LIE

1. Kelley got her worst scar while building a geodesic dome home in the mountains.

2. Her nickname in elementary was "Rapunzel" because she had ridiculously long hair.

3. She got fired from her first job because she called in sick within the first 30 days.

Okay human lie detectors, which is the lie? AND be sure to check out Scribbleweed!

Writerly Wednesday: Screwing up Time and a Winner

Friendlies! Writerly Wednesday is here!

Writerly Wednesdays here are dedicated to writers and readers. If you've published anything for Young Adults, check out the tab up there.

And now, it's time to announce the winner of a 5 page edit from Bethany at A Little Red, Inc. Those who participated in the Truth and Lie game will remember the options: 

1. Bethany tore her ACL watching a Steelers game. On her couch.

2. Bethany has been bitten on the hand by a flamingo.

3. She learned to drive stick on the dirt roads of a little place called Hell Hole Swamp.

And, the lie is: 

#2, Bethany was not bitten by a flamingo, but by a toucan. 

Way to go those of you who guessed right! You are officially human lie detectors. And the winner is: 

...DRUM ROLL...

Emily R. King

Congrats, Emily! And now for today's amazing feature: 

Mark Montgomery is a slacker content with his life. He's a senior at New Haven Prep, has a great friend, and after graduation he'll get a brand new sports car from his parents, assuming he stays out of trouble. 

Then, she comes into his life--Miranda with her I-just-escaped-from-a-Renaissance-Fair clothing. Only, she hasn't. She's come from Bodiam Castle in the Middle Ages and demands a secret ingredient and a book of recipes for traveling through the treacherous colors of time. Although Mark has never even heard of either before, he must find them, or Miranda will die. To save her, Mark must break into a psych hospital to visit his grandfather who once tried to kill him, pass through the colors of time, take on a medieval alchemist, prevent Miranda's marriage to a two-timing baron, and keep it all hidden from his parents. 

The sports car is definitely in trouble.

Find the book on Amazon HERE for only $0.99 now!

Shall we meet the author? 

C. M. Keller is an award winning novelist and the author of SCREWING UP TIME and SCREWING UP BABYLON. She loves old movies and poison rings. In her spare time, she searches for that elusive unicorn horn. Currently, she's hard at work on her next YA novel, the third book in Mark and Miranda's story. You can visit her author blog  HERE. She also blogs about family life HERE.

Her favorite cheese is Apricot Stilton, and you might find her eating it in bed while watching a great movie (think Inception or How to Steal a Million).

And now for the fun! *rubbing hands*

C.M. gave me two truths and one lie to test your "lie detector" skills. Can you figure out the lie? Those who do will go into my magic hat for a chance to win a Screwing Up Time coffee mug. Eek! How cool is that? Because of postage costs, this only extends to US participants. HOWEVER, you are still welcome to play, even if you are outside the US. You have until Tuesday, September 10th at 1 p.m. to guess--and be sure to come back for the answer on September 11th to view the winner!

AND as an added bonus, anyone who guesses the lie correctly will receive a Smashwords coupon for a free copy of Screwing Up Time.

TRUTH OR LIE

1. C.M. was a member of the ICSA women's sailing team that took first place for the season.

2. She has ridden a sea turtle.

3. She worked her way through college doing chromosome analysis.

Okay human lie detectors, which is the lie?