Why You Should Never Rework an Old Story, IWSG, & Fantasy Giveaways

THANK YOU, CO-HOSTS!

The awesome co-hosts for today are Tamara Narayan, Patsy Collins, M.J. Fifield, and Nicohle Christopherson!

Led by Ninja King, Alex J. Cavanaugh.

The question this month is: Have you ever pulled out a really old story and reworked it? Did it work out?

A BIG fat YES to this. I have story folders that go all the way back to 1994, so most of my ideas are half written pieces that have been around for years, if not decades. However, in this instance, the piece I'm talking about was originally penned in 2003. It was MAJORLY rewritten about 5 times, with at least a hundred edits along the way, but the story saw its debut in 2013:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Walmart

I think I'd call that a success. =)

In fact, I'm reworking another book originally penned in 2001. (Due to see the world around 2019ish.) Want a quick sample?

Wow. You can see how much you've grown as a writer when you decide to rework a relic. Regardless, if a story is solid, a story is solid, right? And if you love it enough, why not bring it up to the modern age? I know not all people agree with me, but some of us actually love to edit. *gasp*

So why should you never rework an old story? You might have to chop 90% of what you originally loved. If you can't go in objectively--with a big pair of scissors and determination to reshape EVERYTHING--stay far, far away from trunked works.

Now a quick apology about this last month. I completely disappeared after IWSG. It wasn't intentional...but well, more on that next month. Exciting news on the horizon.

Last month, Cecelia Earl (Aka Christy) shared WHEN ASH RAINS DOWN along with two truths and one lie. Anyone who guessed the lie correctly was entered to win their choice of a Print or eBook.

The game:

1. I've run a couple of miles...with no clothes on, and even saw a professor run in the nude once.
2. I've taught more than 300 children how to read and write.
3. Rather than visiting the normal sites to see when travelling through Europe and Great Britain, I chose to see cemeteries instead. Who needs to snap pictures of the Eiffel tower, Big Ben, or the Colosseum when there are graves to put flowers on?

The lie: #3.  

From Cecelia/Christy: I lied. I totally fangirl over the regular sights every time I visited these countries, especially the Eiffel Tower since I minored in French, but I did make  point of visiting Audrey Hepburn's grave in Tolochenaz, Switzerland. I very much wanted to put flowers on my idol's grave.

And the winner is:

...DRUM ROLL...

Doreen McGettigan!

Congrats, Doreen!

And now for a YA fantasy you don't want to miss:

Princess Haven was never meant to be Queen.

Her immortality has saved her time and time again, but when the last of her royal family dies at her feet, she is next in line to rule a nation on the brink of war. With no formal training on how to be Queen, Haven must rise to the occasion with the help of her best friends, and personal guard, or risk losing everyone she has ever loved.

With war to the West, and no escape to the East, the evil tyrant Kadia sets her sights on the six kingdoms. Haven's neighbors are quick to fall under the swords of Kadia's shadow soldiers, leaving a sea of bodies and a clear path to Haven's only home. Haven must make a choice; take her people and flee to the foreign Republic across the sea or lead a last stand against a powerful dictator.

Buy your copy on Amazon.

Ready to meet the author?

Katherine Bogle's debut young adult novel, Haven, came second in the World's Best Story contest 2015. She currently resides in Saint John, New Brunswick with her partner in crime, and plethora of cats. She can be found at www.katherinebogle.com.

You might run across her eating marble cheese or monterey jack in little cracker sandwiches while sitting on her couch. She also recommends melted cheese on popcorn. "Holy yum!"

Katherine gave me two truths and one lie to test your "lie detector" skills. BIG CHANGE HERE. If you guess the lie, right or wrong, you will be entered to win an eBook of HAVEN. However, if you guess right (and are randomly chosen to win), you'll receive a bonus prize from Katherine: FYRE, a collection of short stories. (Open internationally.)

You have until Tuesday, March 14 at 2 p.m. EDT to guess. Be sure to come back for the answer on March 15, 8 a.m. EDT.

TRUTH OR LIE

1. The second time I ever voted, I was nearly killed on the way to the polls.
2. To tell my first ever crush that I liked him, I chased him around the school yard until I kissed him. He was an a**hole to me in high school. Well deserved? Maybe.
3. I once had 8 cats (seriously, all at the same time).

So sleuths, which is the lie? Have you met Katherine? Do you like fantasy stories? Are you an editor at heart? Have you ever resurrected a story/old project?

The 4 Commandments of Celebrating

What are you celebrating this week? 

Come swim along for the Four Commandments of Celebrating, but first, I've got two celebrations.

First, Beverly Stowe McClure totally made my day. That's right, she reviewed MOONLESS. Want to make an author's day? It's just that simple. SEE WHAT SHE HAD TO SAY. 

Second, Monday is the 4th of July! (Independence Day) So if you're outside of America, that holds less meaning, but think of it this way: The nation that is a world super power and supports the majority of the world's economy came into existence the day it declared independence. Now that's pretty monumental in my book. And although my country has had its ups and downs, I still love it--land of the free (ish) and home of the brave. So I'll be out celebrating on Monday.

BUT how to do it right?

I give you, THE FOUR COMMANDMENTS OF CELEBRATING:

1. Reflect: What is it about any event, day, or circumstance that makes it worth celebrating? Looking back on life and reviewing the reasons helps us identify their meaning and evaluate their weight.
2. Let Go: Sometimes we just need to let go of the restrains on normal life--and no, I don't mean do anything illegal. I mean, forget the day job, financial stresses, school & home work, etc. Free your mind to enjoy the moment.
3. Make noise! I'm not kidding. Yelling and screaming releases pent up energy and emotions. Singing, likewise. Laughing has all kinds of benefits. Freeing the mind enough to let loose a "whoop" of joy can be difficult sometimes, but it's healthy and NECESSARY.
4. EAT CHEESE: You knew that was coming. But seriously, no celebration is complete without a little splurging--be it food, money, or time.

So what are you going to celebrate this week?

And speaking of celebrating, time for some giveaway love, eh?

This month I'm highlighting fellow authors from:

BUY NOW 

(And if you already have, go buy another and gift it to someone!)

Last week Yolanda Renee ( author of EVER-TON) shared MURDER & OBSESSION, along with two truths and one lie. Anyone who guessed the lie was entered to win a SIGNED copy of either MURDER & OBSESSION or the PARALLELS anthology.

The game:

1. My Sunday school teacher was dismissed for taking our class to see the movie the Bible.

2. One of my favorite past times was drag racing. On the way to work one morning I raced a fellow driver on the highway. He asked me out and we are now married.

3. I've been married three times.

The lie: #2. While Yolanda didn't marry the man she was drag racing, but he did ask her out.

Way to guess everyone! And the winner is:

...DRUM ROLL...

L. Diane Wolfe!

Congrats, Diane!

And now meet a story from the author of HAUNTED in the Parallels anthology: 

Alphabet Soup is a collection of flash fiction from the darker side—all done Ubook style. What’s a Ubook, you might ask? It’s a brand-new, patent-pending book format that combines the story with music. And the best thing? It’s completely free.

Experience it HERE.

Ready to meet the author?

Melanie Schulz is planted in upstate New York with her husband and three kids on a smallish plot of land she likes to believe is a farm. She plays at being a writer, same as she plays at being a farmer, and nurse, and overall enjoyer of this thing called life. One of the things she enjoys most are people who delight in discussing all things listed above.

Join in the conversation at:

Website
Blog
Facebook

You might run across Melanie at her computer with a glass of wine munching on room-temperature camambert topped with an ooey,  gooey carmel/dried apple/peacan mixture.

Melanie 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 their choice of eBook THE NEWSTEAD PROJECT, ERRON, 2084, or BLACKBIRD. (Open internationally.)

You have until Tuesday, July 5 at 2 p.m. EDT to guess. Be sure to come back for the answers on July 6, 8 a.m. EDT.

TRUTH OR LIE

1. I am a concert pianist.

2. My husband used to drive a race car.

3. I have three dairy sheep: Daisy-May, Lucy-Lu, and Sunshine that I plan to milk and make homemade cheese with.

So sleuths, which is the lie? Have you met Melanie? What are you celebrating now/shortly?

Gratitude as Big as 80's Hair & IWSG

Anyone worried about confidence? Let me straighten you out, because you're not rocking any of these looks:

Big Hair

There have been some TRULY awful fashion trends through the ages, but I think the 80's trump them all (especially for men). Seriously. What were we thinking?

Rats Tails

High Top

The Mullet

The Mohawk

I PITY THE FOOL...

Ahem.

So there you go. If you've avoided these...um...blunders, you're on the right path.

So speaking of gratitude...

I just want to say a HUGE thanks to Cathrina Constantine and Nana Prah for their amazing reviews of MOONLESS. It was a total surprise, and you should check out these fabulous ladies if you haven't before. (And then you should TOTALLY read Moonless if you haven't. Because you're missing out.)

So, since we skipped a week, who is ready for a book giveaway?

Today's Feature...

We didn't know how much we had to gain by being infected with magic. We found a purpose, we found a destiny, and we found each other.

But California isn’t the new start we were promised. Dr. Child may be gone, but now we must face a military school, dangerous secrets, and a prophecy that has half the country wanting us dead. When the line between enemies and allies blurs, Sam, Juliette, Ana and I need to choose between love and sanity, between magic and survival.

Paradise has a cost. When the authorities are suddenly giving you whatever you want, they’re going to demand everything in return. And that’s a price not all of us are strong enough to pay.

Freedom feels like safety, but it’s not. There are no walls here. No place they won’t be coming for us.

No place we won’t destroy.

PROPHECY OF THE SIX is a sequel to ALCHEMY.

We didn’t know how much we had to lose until we were infected with magic. Sam was in love, Juliette was the main caretaker for her siblings, and Ana and her dad planned the best parties in New York. But we lost it all when we were shipped to Chebeague, an exclusive school for newly infected mages.  

Everyone knows about the mages, those who survive the infection and end up with magical abilities. We’ve seen the power of magic, the high-paying jobs, and the world fame. But we never saw the cost. We didn’t know we’d be forced to give up everything: sanity, family, even the right to talk on the phone. 

We didn’t know mage was just another word for prisoner.

Buy Alchemy

HERE

Buy Prophesy of Six

HERE

Ready to meet the authors? 

Sheena Boekweg, Melanie Crouse, and Sabrina West met online, (which isn't as weird as it used to be) and blog together at theprosers.blogspot.com. Their first collaborative project, Alchemy (Prophecy Breakers #1), was voted one of the top fifty self published novels worth reading by Indie Authorland. 

Sheena Boekweg is the author of Funny Tragic Crazy Magic, and The Waxling (forthcoming). She is a mom of three from Utah and is prepared to survive a zombie apocalypse. 

As a mom of four, Melanie Crouse thinks that parenthood is exactly like a zombie apocalypse. Melanie Crouse is the author of excuse notes, thank you cards, and the novel Hidden Magic. 

Sabrina West is a writer and wildlife biologist living in San Diego, California. Her short fiction has appeared in markets such as Cover of Darkness; Strange, Weird and Wonderful Magazine; and Kayelle Press’s Night Terrors Anthology.

These ladies gave me three 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 ALCHEMY and PROPHECY OF SIX!!!

You have until Tuesday, February 10 at 1 p.m. EDT to guess. Be sure to come back for the answer on February 11.

TRUTH OR LIE

1. They all got to go to lunch together for the first time this last summer.
2. For a long time, Sheena didn't know which girl (if any) Sam would eventually end up with.
3. Melanie chose Carlsbad, CA as the location for book 2 without knowing that Sabrina's day job is based in Carlsbad.
4. Nothing cheers Sabrina up quite like a random animal riding a rumba. Except maybe baby owls.

So which is the lie? What are your thoughts on 80's fashion? Have you come across any outrageous hairstyles that make you question humanity's viability? Did you check out Cathrina & Nana? (And if not, what's wrong with you? Get steppin', eh?)

The SOULLESS are HERE

It's that time!!!

SOULLESS IS OUT!!!

Eighteen-year old Alexia manipulated time to save the man of her dreams, and lost her best friend to red-eyed wraiths. Still grieving, she struggles to reconcile her loss with what was gained: her impending marriage. But when her wedding is destroyed by the Soulless—who then steal the only protection her people have—she’s forced to unleash her true power.

And risk losing everything.

Get your copy NOW.

I'm breaking out my party cheese--and here, have some, eh? 

   

Follow the blog tour for some epic fun:

C. Lee Mckenzie presents a Halloween vlogpost

Stephanie Faris gets the skinny on the process behind SOULLESS

Medeia Sharif is sharing an amazing excerpt

and be sure to enter the 

Rafflecopter

for your chance to win some amazing prizes!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

What are you waiting for? Follow the pretty pony and go hit these amazing bloggers! (Well not literally. That wouldn't be nice.)

What's your favorite type of cheese, and what are you celebrating today? 

Social Outcasts: Epic, or Odd?

A HUGE awesome thanks to Sarah Foster for inviting me along on the

Meet My Character Blog Tour

On to the fun...

1) What is the name of your character?  Is he fictional or a historic person? 

I'd like to introduce a side character who will shortly take the lead in a serial story titled BELLEZZA. Meet Miles. Some of you know (and love) him. For everyone else, he's a fictional friend/sidekick to the leader of the Passionate.

2) When and where is the story set?

Miles's story starts in 1768 when he's a ripe old sixteen years of age, and takes place all over the world, but primarily in England.

3) What should we know about him?

Miles has a gift to "see through other's eyes." Because of that, he's been feared and avoided by most the Passionate. His parents became Soulless when he was 4 (enemies to the Passionate who hunt them on moonless nights) and he hears them calling for him every new moon. Loyal to the death, he is a timid soul who truly and deeply desires to do what's right, willing to sacrifice everything for the greater good.

4) What is the main conflict? What messes up his life?

Bellezza. She's unlike anything or anyone he's ever met, and while her thoughts/emotions are disturbing and volatile, he's drawn to her. She single handedly destroys the tentative balance he's found in life without doing more than merely existing, and now he's torn between doing what's right and following his heart.

5) What is the personal goal of the character?

To restore balance by helping Bellezza avenge herself of her enemies, and then get as far away from her as he can...without falling in love. (Since she'd probably kill him if she had any idea he cared.)

6) Is there a working title for this novel, and can we read more about it?

Again, the title is BELLEZZA, and if you'd like to meet the characters, you will find them in MOONLESS, SOULLESS, and a short story titled THROUGH THE PORTAL in Heroes of Phenomena (get your copy free BELOW.)

7) When can we expect the book to be published?

Life is going to be different around the baby, but the first episode should be available early 2015.

Ready to learn the lie and get an amazing FREE book? 

Last week, Ian S. Bott shared GHOSTS OF INNOCENCE with us. (Which I recently finished reading and HIGHLY suggest adding to your TBR list--check out my review!) Ian also shared two truths and one lie. Those who guessed the lie correctly were entered into a random drawing for the chance to win his eBook.  

Ian's game:

1. For five consecutive years at school, Ian won the art prize despite not taking art lessons. Looking back, he feels guilty because there were some very good artists who were probably royally peeved.
2. At University, he managed to instigate a riot that hit national headlines.
3. He built a pirate ship in the back yard, complete with masts, flags, and crows nest.

And the lie is:

#2. The riot happened, and it made national headlines (which you can still read about today if you know where to look) but Ian didn't actually instigate it. It was going to happen anyway as part of inter-college rivalry. He spilled out of the pub mixed up with a crowd of students who were going to invade a rival college. He ran down the street to find a vantage point to watch from, and the crowd behind him took that as a signal to charge. Merry havoc ensued.

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

...DRUM ROLL...

Lynda Dietz!

Congrats Lynda! 

And today we're taking a little break from the norm. I wanted to take a second and highlight HEROES OF PHENOMENA, an anthology about super heroes including short stories from

Susan Kaye Quinn

M. Pax

Jessica Bell

Alex J. Cavanaugh

Crystal Collier (ME!)

C. Lee McKenzie

Ruth Long

Darynda Jones

&

Amy Michele

You can get your copy FREE and enjoy these incredible author's great stories from KOBO, Smashwords, Barnes and Noble, and iTunes, or get it for $0.99 at AMAZON. 

A plug for my short story, JOURNEY THROUGH THE PORTAL: Bellezza has just begun her quest to destroy the Collectors, a fraternity of noblemen who kidnap and abuse gifted children. The only problem is that they know she’s coming.

Do you have a favorite character from literature? One of your own?

Catch Up

I'm playing catch up today. How about you? After an exciting first two days of cover reveal, I'm announcing the BLOG TOUR for SOULLESS. 

SIGN UP FOR THE BLOG TOUR

Ready to win a book? 

Last week, the fabulous Elizabeth Seckman shared BELLA'S POINT 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. You can get a copy of her book HERE. 

Elizabeth's game:

1. Elizabeth was a resident advisor at Marshall University.

2. She is amazing at Call of Duty.

3. The beach is her happy place.

And the lie is: 

#2. Despite being a mom to four boys, she hasn't yet overtaken the world of Call of Duty. 

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

...DRUM ROLL...

Meradeth Houston!

Congrats, Meradeth!

NOT TO BREAK TRADITION, but I'm breaking tradition. No truth or lie today, but my giveaway this week continues from Monday. You don't have to guess a lie today to be entered! *gasp*

SOULLESS, Book 2 in the Maiden of Time trilogy

Alexia manipulated time to save the man of her dreams, and lost her best friend to red-eyed wraiths. Still grieving, she struggles to reconcile her loss with what was gained: her impending marriage. But when her wedding is destroyed by the Soulless—who then steal the only protection her people have—she’s forced to unleash her true power.

And risk losing everything.

COMING October 13, 2014

PREORDER your copy (and get TONZ of extras)

or

Sign up for my newsletter to receive release news and freebies. (Seriously. I always give away awesome stuff with my newsletter.)

How would you like to win an eARC? (Advance Review Copy) Just tell me about your favorite supernatural creature in the comments below.

Oh, and to help celebrate, my publisher has put MOONLESS on sale now! (But get it quick. The price goes up on the 18th.)

So friendlies, what is your favorite supernatural creature? Are you into time manipulation? What's your favorite time-travel story? Are you catching up on anything today?