Where's Your Light?

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

What are you doing with your holiday season?

Tis the season to be more loving, more compassionate, more patient. Tis the season to be better. Some people have gotten away from the reason for Christmas, and enjoy the commercial aspects. For me, this season is a time for refocusing. It's a time for remembering people outside of my normal circle. It's a season for family.

Because of that, I'll be on break until the new year, but before I go, three things:

1. There's an AWESOME book up for grabs below. (Don't miss out on the Truth or Lie game.)

2. As a very "Merry Christmas", my publisher has dropped the price of my Maiden of Time trilogy by 40% through December 21. You can get the entire series in eBook for ONLY $9. (Regularly $15.) And this:

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Timeless

by Crystal Collier

Giveaway ends January 09, 2017.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

3. My blog tour rocked! I can't tell you how incredibly blessed I feel to have such wonderful friends on the blogosphere who shared, shouted, reviewed, and made me feel like a rock star. (Almost 100% 5 Star reviews. What?!?!) You are the best! Before you go, here's a quick run down of the posts and people who deserve epic cheese this season. Thank you, friends! (And thank you to everyone who participated. Winners will be notified via email, and prizes are going out December 1st.)

November 1

Bookworm Brandee: Meet Your Doppelganger

Shooting Stars Reviews: A Super Awesome Book Excerpt

TF Walsh: Editing Tip: How to Fix Sagging Middles

November 2

The Narcissistic Rose: Medieval Funnies--Food Fascination
I Think: Therefore I Yam: Excerpt--What's Beyond the Stars

Write Stuff: Medieval Funnies--What's Up With Armor?

Whip It: Writing Tips--Character Arcs

November 3

Barb Taub--Writing and Coffee. Especially Coffee: Plotter or Pantser

I Am A Reader: Meet Your Maiden of Time Doppelganger

The Far Edge of Normal: Excerpt--Meet the Knight Templar

November 4

The Write Path: Advice for Aspiring Authors & Review

Write with Fey: Little Known Facts: The Man Behind the Curtain & Review

Strands of Thought: Kai Interviews Alexia Dumont, Maiden of Time

Barb Tuab: Why I DON'T Want You To Read TIMELESS

November 5
Thoughts in Progress: 4 Tools for Gauging Your Book's Pace
Bish Denham: Medieval Funnies: Hobbies
November 7

The Story of a Writer: How to Become a Beta Reading Pro

Scattergun Scribblings: Review & Where the Maiden of Time Series Came From

Just Jemi: Little Known Facts: Secrets Behind the Book Cover

Alex J. Cavanaugh: Good, Clean Fun, AKA Medieval Funnies

November 8

Kimber Leigh Writes: Who is Your "Maiden of Time" Doppelganger

Kristin Smith: Kristin's Doppelganger is...

November 9

Sandra Ulbrich Almazan: Speculative Fiction Author: Medieval Funnies: Men in Suits

The Warrior Muse: Who is Shannon's MoT Doppelganger?

Bittersweet Enchantment: Book Excerpt: A Kick Trash Time Traveler

Erica and Christy: Pick Your Cheese, Pick Your Alter Ego

November 10

What the Cat Read: Little Known Facts: Age and Immortality

Celticlady's Reviews: Book Excerpt: Fear in the Fire

Diane Burton - Adventure and Romance: Medieval Food is Funny?

Fida Islaih: Excerpt: From the Stars

November 11

Elizabeth Seckman, Author: Quiz Your Way into A Book & Book Review 

gotalovebooks: Book Review & a Kick-Trash Action excerpt

Bookworm for Kids: An Otherworldly excerpt

November 12

Kurt's Frontier: Book Review

November 14

Play off the Page: Why Fantasy & Review

Tamara Narayan: Clean Medieval Funnies & Review

Mama Diaries: Favorite Cheese

H.R. Sinclair: To Improve Editing for Non-techies

November 15

Dianne Salerni: When Characters Take Off the Mask

Writing, Reading, and the Pursuit of Dreams: Medieval Pass-Times (Your Daily LOL)

The Dabbler: How to Create Epic Blog Tours & Book Review

Hall Ways: Book Review

November 16

Hogwarts Sabbatical: Writing Tips--How to Balance Prose

The Five Year Project: Writing Tips--What Makes an Epic First Chapter

Lidy Wilks: Doppelganger Time! Who is Yours?
November 17

What's Beyond Forks? : Review & Little Know Facts--Where Do the Passionate Come From?

November 18

Mark Noce Stories: Excerpt: The Knight Vs the Maiden

November 21

Ellie Garratt: Meet Your Doppelganger Quiz

books are love: Action Excerpt

Christine Rains - Writer: Developing Characters for Different Types of Learners
Sandra Cox: Spotlight time!
Lilica's place: Does Your Middle Sag?
November 23
Tonja Drecker: 5 Tools for Creating Deep Characters

Two weeks ago, Rachel Schieffelbein shared DON'T FALL along with two truths and one lie. Anyone who guessed the lie correctly was entered to an eBook.

The game:

1. I caught a Snorlax in my living room.
2. I almost died when I was four. 
3. I saw Patrick Swayze at a horse show.

The lie: #1.  

From Rachel: I still don't have a Snorlax and I'm kinda bitter about it. Lol.

Way to guess everyone! And the winner is:

...DRUM ROLL...

Julie Flanders!

Congrats, Julie!

And now, here's a giveaway for a wonderful author who is super supportive of other authors and whose debut novel JUST came out. Ooh!

Too pretty.

Too smart.

Too perfect.

In a crumbling, futuristic Las Vegas where the wealthy choose the characteristics of their children like ordering off a drive-thru menu, seventeen-year-old Sienna Preston doesn’t fit in. As a normal girl surrounded by genetically modified teens, all of her imperfections are on display. But after the death of her father, everything she's ever known and loved changes in an instant.

With little skills to help provide for her family, Sienna clings to the two things that come easily—lying and stealing. But not all thief-for-hire assignments go as planned. When a covert exchange of a stolen computer chip is intercepted, she becomes entangled with a corrupt government official who uses her thieving past as leverage, her mother as collateral, and the genetically modified poster boy she’s falling for as bait.

In order to rescue her mother, there may only be one option—joining forces with the Fringe, an extremist group, and their young leader who’s too hot to be bad. Problem is, these revolutionaries aren’t what they seem, and the secrets they’re hiding could be more dangerous than Sienna is prepared for. In the end, she must be willing to risk everything to save the one thing that matters most.

Catalyst is a thrilling adventure of danger, romance, intrigue, and deception.

Get Your Copy HERE.

Ready to meet the author?

Kristin Smith writes young adult contemporary and science fiction novels. When she’s not writing, you can find her dreaming about the beach, beating her boys at Just Dance, or belting out karaoke (from the comfort of her own home). Kristin currently resides in the middle-of-nowhere North Carolina with her husband and five incredibly loud but extremely cute boys. To read more about her obsession with YA novels or her addiction to chocolate, you can visit her at kristinsmithbooks.com.

You might find Kristin pretending she's in a fancy restaurant while sitting at her scratched-up kitchen table, eating goat cheese on a cranberry, walnut salad.

Kristin gave me two truths and one lie to test your "lie detector" skills. Those who figure out either lie will go into my magic hat for the chance to win an eBook (open internationally):

You have until Tuesday, January 3 at 2 p.m. EDT to guess. Be sure to come back for the answer (and some FUN trivia) on January 4, 8 a.m. EDT.

TRUTH OR LIE

1. I'm the mother of five boys, and when I was pregnant with my oldest son, we were told by the ultrasound tech that she was 99.9% sure we were having a girl. Surprise! We ended up with a bouncing baby boy.

2. By the time I was 18, I'd traveled from the east coast to the west coast 3 times, but the first time I ever rode in an airplane was when I left home for college.

3. I once chatted for five minutes with Woody Harrelson outside of a bathroom in a casino in Las Vegas and didn't realize who he was until after he walked away. 

So sleuths, which is the lie? Have you met Kristin? Love sci-fi thrillers? What does the Christmas season mean to you? What are you doing with your holiday season?

Why Shouldn't We Rejoice?

There's a predominant ideology floating around that we should keep religion to ourselves. It's not popular to believe. It's not cool to adhere to morals and principles that have long been treasured or to hold ourselves accountable to a higher deity.

It breaks my heart.

I see this mentality reflected in the popular music on the radio. Even what's considered "Christmas music" rarely reflects the reason for the season. It's all about partying, shopping, and being with loved ones. Yes, that's how we celebrate, but what are we celebrating?

This is my last post for the year. I'll be busy rejoicing in the reason for the season, giving my time to bless others, and teaching my children why.

Whether you celebrate or not, I wish you a merry CHRISTmas.

 

And what is Christmas without a giveaway?

Last week Jules Smith shared with us a SOPHIE'S THROUGHWAY, along with two truths and a lie. Those who guessed the lie correctly were entered into a random drawing for the chance to win a signed paperback.

Jules' Game:

1. I have broken my nose 5 times.
2. I once shaved my head for charity.
3. I once met Duane Eddy (famous American guitarist) and asked him who he was. He said, “Duane Eddy,” and I said, “And what do you do?

The lie: #2. Jules would never mess with her hair as sexy hair has made her what she is.

Way to guess everyone! And the winner is:

...DRUM ROLL...

Deniz Bevan!

Congrats, Deniz! 

And now for this week's feature... 

Eleven-year-old Fairday Morrow is less than thrilled that her family is moving thousands of miles from civilization to the quiet country town of Ashpot, Connecticut, where she’s absolutely certain she’ll die of boredom. 

As if leaving Manhatten and her best friend, Lizzy, the only other member of the elite Detective Mystery Squad, weren’t bad enough, Fairday is stuck living in the infamous Begonia House, a creepy old Victorian with dark passageways, a gigantic dead willow tree, and a mysterious past. 

Before she can even unpack, strange music coming from behind a padlocked door leads Fairday up a spiral staircase and into a secret room, where she finds an ancient mirror, a brass key, and a curious  portrait of a red-haired lady. These seemingly unrelated items prove to be the first in a series of clues that takes Fairday, the visiting Lizzy, and their new squad member, Marcus, on an amazing adventure. 

Can the members of the Detective Mystery Squad piece together the puzzle before it’s too late? Or will whatever’s causing trouble find Fairday and her friends first?

Get your copy HERE.

Ready to meet the authors?

Jessica Haight is a true New Englander, with a deep desire to be near the ocean and a love of the four seasons. She enjoys drawing while standing up and cultivating magic in her garden. She easily floats away in the pages of a good story and is still waiting for her owl from Hogwarts. Jessica lives in Connecticut with her charming fiancé, James; dog, Jack; cat, Bill; and a very entitled bunny named Alice.

Stephanie Robinson lives with her husband in a quiet town, though not as quaint as Ashpot. After teaching fifth grade for almost fifteen years, she is now enjoying her role as a school media specialist. One of the many benefits of her job is that she learns something new every day. When Stephanie isn't working, she spends her time creating stories, getting lost in books, and traveling to new places.

These ladies both gave me two truths and one lie to test your "lie detector" skills. Those who figure out EITHER lie will go into my magic hat for the chance to win a signed, hardcover of THE SECRET FILES OF FAIRDAY MORROW. (Open Internationally.)

You have until Tuesday, January 5 at 1 p.m. EDT to guess. Be sure to come back for the answers on January 6.

TRUTH OR LIE

Jess:

1. I do not have a cell phone, nor do I want one. 
2. I love the feel of flannel, and I like to have flannel sheets even in the summer. 
3. I am a fan of graphic novels, and someday I plan to write one of my own.

Stephanie:

1. I’ve never eaten a Big Mac or Whopper.
2. I love hot dogs with baked beans and coleslaw. The perfect easy meal and delicious too! 
3. Sardines with or without crackers are a delectable treat that I can’t resist.

So sleuths, which are the lies? Do you celebrate Christmas, and if so, what are you doing to celebrate this year? Do you have a favorite Christmas tradition? Do you like mysteries?

IWSG and Christmas Book Giveaways

Are you ready for Christmas?

It's so easy to get wrapped up in the crazy-crazy of this time of the year, which includes deadlines for those of us in publishing. Some days I wonder what life is like on the other side--without the ever-constant projects and need to promote/market. We all have our own brand of insanity, whether career oriented, family oriented, health oriented...

What I mean to say is, we all have challenges. This time of the year it's easy to get overwhelmed by the parties, the gifts, the to-do list, but I hope you'll take a few minutes and refocus your efforts. Give yourself time to breathe. Remember the reason for the season:



I'll be taking the rest of December off from the blogosphere to truly enjoy my family and make preparations for my coming little one. I wish you the most amazing Christmas!

(PST! I should also mention the most amazing resource is now available to writers, FREE! And guess who contributed an AWESOME article about blog tours? Yup. Yours truly.)

Now, to help celebrate, here's your chance to win a LOVELY Christmas book! But first, the winner from last week...

Julie Musil shared THE SUMMER OF CROSSING LINES with us, along with two lies and one truth. Those who guessed the truth correctly were entered into a random drawing for the chance to win an eBook.  

Julie's game: 

1. Julie knows almost all the words to the GREASE soundtrack.

2. She used to wear a bow in her hair—Madonna Material Girl style.

3. She loves country music, but doesn’t know any country line dances.

And the lie is:

There is no lie. Ooh! Bet you didn't see that one coming. If you guessed at all, you were entered into the game. Lucky you! 

And the winner is:

...DRUM ROLL...

Alex J. Cavanaugh!

Congrats Alex! 

And now to today's feature...

It's their first Christmas since entering the Praxos Academy and 16-year-old sisters Lana Beth and Emma Jane Morgan are looking forward to some serious R&R. But when their little sister mysteriously disappears from her bed on Christmas Eve, all thoughts of fun disappear with her. 

Emma and Lana must do everything in their power to locate her and bring her home safely. Easier said than done, they are forced to go on yet another journey, this time taking them out to the murky depths of the North Sea as well as to the far reaches of southern Portugal. 

Get your copy HERE.

Although Suzy is a Yorkshire lass at heart, she left her home town of Rotherham, UK, to move to Portugal with her family when she was ten. The Algarve continues to be her home, where she lives with her childhood sweetheart, Michael, two neurotic dogs and a cat who thinks she's a princess.

Shortly after completing her studies, Suzy was offered the position of trainee journalist for a local English newspaper. Her love of writing developed and a few years later she moved on to become assistant editor for the region's largest English language publisher. Since then she has also worked as the editor of one of the Algarve's most loved monthly lifestyle magazines. Early in 2010 however, Suzy began working as a full time author. She has since written several books: Raven, December Moon, The Lost Soul (The Raven Saga), Daisy Madigan's Paradise, The Ghost of Josiah Grimshaw, The Temporal Stone (The Morgan Sisters) and Forever Fredless.

Her favorite cheese is goat's cheese - purely because she's lactose intolerant and can't eat any that comes from a cow :( Her husband has started making her the most divine low gluten, goats cheese pizza and it's to die for!

I want some! Ahem...back to business...

Suzy 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 LOOKING FOR LUCY JO. How awesome is that?

You have until Tuesday, December 23 at 1 p.m. EDT to guess. The winner will be notified and awarded just in time for Christmas and be sure to come back for the answer on January 7.

TRUTH OR LIE

1. Suzy once sat next to Robert Pattinson on a train ride from London to Bath. He was super cool and chatted for a while before he was distracted by a much younger lady with bright blue hair and a tattoo on her wrist that read Stamus Contra Malum.
2. She celebrated her birthday one year with Kiki Dee - you might remember her from the 60's? She was particularly famous for singing Don't Go Breaking My Heart with Elton John.
3. She has a belly button piercing. (Yes, it hurt!)

So which is the lie? Are you taking a Christmas break? What are you doing to celebrate the holidays?

The Season of What???

I'm struggling to get my "Christmas" on. How about you? When your back yard looks like this:

Rather than this:

It can be difficult to realize that magical season is upon us. You know, that time of year when the entire world  changes focus and is more joyful, a bit more selfless, and filled with wonder?

One thing we've been doing for years is our "gift to Christ." We sit down as a family and discuss the importance of service and love, aspects modeled perfectly by Jesus Christ, then write down one gift we can give Him this season. Each of us places our "gift" on the tree, and all season long, as we gaze upon that lit evergreen, we think about our commitment to be a little kinder, a little softer spoken, more honest, more considerate, or whatever our gift may entail.

What do you do to ring in the season? 

A Cup of Cheer

I'm the lamest lame that ever lamed a lame.

Now that the self-deprecation is done... Hello friends! This sorry turnip-tooshied writer has been thumbing it through revisions for the last two months and horrifically neglecting this blog.

EEK!

I know, I know, gator tears, right? Well, I'm building SLOWLY back up, as life is now somewhat manageable again. Somewhat.

(So what's with the pickle, you ask? Nothing. He's shiny and makes me giggle.)

On that note...

A Cup of Cheer

She raised her mug and looked about

The chorus of chipper smiles

But hers had fallen far past its mark

And instead, become tears.

Heart heavy, she lifted the cup a bit higher

And dared herself to say

"I wish you all the greatest season

And happiest Christmas day!"

While voices echoed her longing strain

A glimmer sparked in her heart.

It stretched and groaned and tore until

It burst full into bloom.

The ray that started first as hope 

Rumbled deep inside her chest

And broke through the crowd in radiant hue

Her inner light revealed.

She found, surprised, as you will too,

That joy comes from within

It grows when shared and reaches all

Who turn to see the view.

Where's your cheer coming from this year? (Hee hee, that rhymed.) How are you keeping spirits high, and have you eaten any cheese this week?

I hope you enjoy the Christmas season, and share a cup of cheer, eh?

Radical Red Randal: EAT MORE CHEESE!

Most people probably notice the quirky reference at the end of each e-mail/letter/phone call, and shrug it off as a bizarre personality quirk. Occasionally one or two ask, “What’s with the cheese?” I give one of three responses: Cheese is the best food on the planet, cheese makes you happy, or cheese makes the world go round. Very few dig further. Those who do discover Randy.

Randy was born with epilepsy. How bad? We don’t know, but by the time he was diagnosed at two years old, enough brain damage had occurred that he would never function higher than a 6 to 8 year old. He was my older brother.

Everybody was Randy’s friend—especially those who looked at him funny, or he’d just met. “This is Lisa, my friend,” he’d introduce, or, “This is Eric, my friend.” He didn’t know the meaning of a social bubble, and he didn’t care. You could never be lonely or an outcast with Randy on the scene.

He rocked out to Michael Jackson, and he’d beat you up on Thursday (always next Thursday), and he had to be wearing red. Later in life he decided he wanted to be a Ninja Truck Driver. He planned to cruise the country in his awesome red semi, and marry Shania Twain.

And he loved cheese. His favorite meal consisted of a jiggling bowl of mayonnaise, topped with ½ lb of cheddar, microwaved to perfection. It was not uncommon to walk into the bathroom and find a 5 lb block of cheddar stowed behind the toilet for “later”.

He slept in the room next to me. Even with a handful of medicine at each meal, seizures happened one to three times a day. He had to be locked in at bedtime, in case he decided to raid the cheese and had an attack while on the stairs. I listened as he rocked, fetal position on his creaky mattress, and hummed himself to sleep.

In Special Olympics, he competed as a runner. His first race, he told Mom about his sore foot. “Why is your foot sore?” she asked. He put his locker key in his shoe—because he didn’t know where else to put it. He'd been running on his key the whole time!

He matured, and my parents decided on a group home—a great place he could socialize with others in Special Olympics, and where he’d be able to live, to a degree, an independent life. He had twenty-four hour medical assistance and supervision; a dream come true! Because of this, the school district tore Randy out of his current school (for his senior year)—away from all the kids he’d grown up with, the ones who loved and understood him. We could tell he was sad, but that smile, ever giant, ever cheesy fooled the rest of the world.

My brother was never an embarrassment. Even though he drooled and you couldn’t possibly eat a birthday cake he’d blown out (See the open mouth?), you couldn’t feel bad about claiming him, and he always got down to the heart of the matter.

While my husband, (then boyfriend), was away for two years, I dated a few guys. I even brought one home from college with a group of friends. Randy didn’t hesitate. “Hey Crystal, remember when I told Matt he could marry you?” Yeah, thanks Randy.

Later in life he started calling me his big sister. He’d introduce me that way. Although the 6 year age difference couldn’t be mistaken, he did it to show his love and respect.

After one Special Olympics competition, he wore his silver medal everywhere. “Look Matt, I got second place.” My husband had the audacity to ask how many people had been in the race. “Two,” Randy replied. We chuckled. Then we learned the other runner had a physical handicap. Randy was proud of his metal because he let his “friend” win.

At twenty-six, while experiencing a seizure, the back of his neck hit a kitchen counter.

Paralyzed. He couldn’t walk anymore. We’d come to visit and he’d pull himself up on the table and make his way across the dining room. “I’m going to be running,” he’d promise, and we didn’t doubt it.

His insurance got slashed. Therapy dropped to twice a week. Randy stopped making progress. Eventually he had to move to an assisted living facility, a place where he lay in a bed, day in and day out, waiting for people to visit.

Every stop was a joy. It got harder after he couldn’t talk any more, or when we could tell his bedsores were causing him immense pain, but he always greeted us with a smile.

He never complained. Of all the rotten things he’d been through, he never complained. He was always happy, and always eating cheese, or cheesing it.

He never did get to fulfill his promise to run. On Christmas day, 2005—well after the festivities of the day, (because Randy would never interrupt us celebrating the Savior’s birth,) he finally let go. Gathered as a family, we rejoiced that he was free, that he could finally leave the suffering and jam out to Michael Jackson. Still, his death is one of the hardest things I ever experienced. We realized only after his passing, it was not us serving Randy all our lives. He was serving us.

So you ask, why the cheese? Cheese is the best food on the planet. Cheese makes people happy. Cheese makes the world go round.