There is NO New Year Here (IWSG Edition)

Friends!!!!

I'm back. Did you miss me? I missed you. And I'm kind of in denial about this new year thing. So no, it is not 2017. And no, it's not time for making crazy, stupid resolutions that we'll all break in three weeks or less. And no, it's not time to get back into a productive schedule.

But if it was, I'd celebrate like this:

So maybe I'm not as much in denial as I'd like to be. In fact, I'm starting the year with this:

Goodreads Book Giveaway

     

Timeless

by Crystal Collier

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

Enter Giveaway

And I'm dropping back to a twice a month posting schedule, but I've got an amazing lineup of book giveaways headed your way.

It's going to be a beautiful new year, and I'm wishing you the best 2017!

And now...

The new year is about trying new things, right? Well, I finally took the plunge and signed up as a co-host for the IWSG bloghop. See what it's all about and join the ninja king, Alex J. Cavanaugh (who may or may not have stolen my cloning device), and his minions. Meet my fellow cohosts: Eva @ Lillicasplace, Sheena-kay Graham, Chemist Ken, LG Keltner, & Heather Gardner.

Oh, and heads up, they're announcing the winners of the second IWSG Anthology contest TODAY.

The big hop question is: What writing rule do you wish you’d never heard?

I can't answer that because there isn't a single writing rule I regret learning. *shrugs* Call me a conformist. Ignorance in the publishing industry is the same as hari kari, and maybe just as messy. Young writers, LEARN ALL YOU CAN. Readers have expectations. Those expectations have been set by centuries of patterning, and deviating too far will alienate those most loyal to the written word. There's still room for creativity--within a safe framework. Writing is ALL about your audience.

Last year (ha! I make it sound so long ago!), Kristin Smith shared CATALYST along with two truths and one lie. Anyone who guessed the lie correctly was entered to an eBook.

The game:

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.

The lie: #3.  

From Kristin: I did see Woody Harrelson outside of a bathroom in a casino in Las Vegas, but I DID NOT talk to him. And yes, I knew immediately who he was!

Way to guess everyone! And the winner is:

...DRUM ROLL...

Christine Rains!

Congrats, Christine!

And now, I have a special treat for you:

A mighty flame follows a tiny spark.

Cora Sandoval’s mother disappeared when she was five and they were living in Ireland. Since then, her dad has been more than overprotective and Cora is beginning to chafe under his confines. But even more troubling is the colorful light she suddenly sees around people. Everyone, that is, except herself—instead, she glows a brilliant, sparkling silver.

As she realizes the danger associated with these strange auras, Cora is inexplicably drawn to Finn, a gorgeous Irish exchange student who makes her feel safe. Their attraction is instant, magnetic, and primal—but her father disapproves, and Finn’s mother orders him home to Ireland upon hearing he’s fallen in love. After a fight with her father, Cora flees to Ireland, both to follow Finn and to look for her missing mother.

There she meets another silver-haloed person and discovers the meaning of her newfound powers and their role in a conspiracy spanning centuries—one that could change mankind forever…and end her life.

Get Your Copy HERE (for only 99 cents! You know you want to).

Ready to meet the author?

Tracy Clark is an award-winning author who grew up a “Valley Girl” in Southern California but now lives in her home state of Nevada. She has two teenagers who are a continuous source of great dialogue. Her published books include: a young-adult paranormal series, The Light Key Trilogy (SCINTILLATE, DEVIATE, ILLUMINATE,) and her latest novel, MIRAGE, an eerie YA thriller. Tracy’s a proud mom, a private pilot, a post-skydiving daredevil, a spicy-chocolate connoisseur, and an irredeemable dreamer. www.tracyclark.org

You might find Tracy munching Humbolt Fog goat cheese with amazing spicy jam (from Trader Joe's)...although she probably won't notice you while engaged in such deliciousness (about as close to food-heaven as she gets).

Tracy 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 24 at 2 p.m. EDT to guess. Be sure to come back for the answer (and FUN) on January 25, 8 a.m. EDT.

TRUTH OR LIE

1. I eat all sandwiches and burgers in a circle, around and around until I get to the middle.

2. I was once crowned Miss Burbank, CA. 

3. I was an extra in the condom commercial in Lethal Weapon 2.

So sleuths, which is the lie? Have you met Tracy? Love urban fantasy stories? What is your new years resolution? Are you in denial about the new year? Have you met the IWSG community?

Happy New Year! (ISWG and Other EPIC Things)

I hope you're having the most epic year of your life so far...all 6 days of it. If not, what are you doing about it? One of my favorite quotes comes from Marianne Williamson:

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be?"

And yet so often we talk ourselves out of taking the plunge and trying something new, even if we might fail miserably. We might also succeed, but one thing is certain: without trying, we CAN'T succeed.

Take a chance this year. Try something that terrifies you. Get out and live to your fullest potential.

And speaking of IWSG, guess what?!? I made it into the contest anthology. I'm so stoked! A huge thank you to my EPIC beta readers Stewart West, Misha Gericke, Tammy Theriault, Annalisa Crawford, and Eric Price (featured below), the wonderful IWSG team who pulled the publishing opportunity together, and all the judges for the hours they dedicated. Hop around and meet today's superstar hosts for IWSG: L.G. Keltner, Denise Covey, Sheri Larsen, J.Q. Rose, Chemist Ken, and Michelle Wallace! 

Oh, and I have my LAST free story from LQR for you today.

Read the rest HERE.

 

Now how about a giveaway?

Last month Jessica Haight and Stephanie Robinson shared with us a THE SECRET FILES OF FAIRDAY MORROW, along with two truths and a lie each. Those who guessed the lie correctly were entered into a random drawing for the chance to win a signed hardcover.

The Game:

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.

The lie: #2. Jess actually HATES the feel of flannel and would NEVER use flannel sheets in the summer­--it would be torture.

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.

The lie: #2. From Stephanie: Every Saturday when my father was home from traveling we’d have hot dogs, baked beans, and coleslaw. All of which I detest. I’d have to sit at the table for a long time, because I wouldn’t touch the food. Eventually I learned to eat as fast as possible while it was still hot, and to this day I still don’t like any part of this meal. 

Way to guess everyone! And the winner is:

...DRUM ROLL...

J.H. Moncrieff!

Congrats, J.H.! 

And now for this week's feature... 

CLC’s Best First Novel 2014!

As the only son to King Kendrick, Owen despises the idea of being king one day. Magician may be the only career he’d like less. He has dreaded the days leading up to his fifteenth birthday, when his father will certainly declare Owen heir to the throne. But at the birthday celebration, his father falls ill. The only person in the kingdom that may be able to save him is a magician–the very same magician Owen holds responsible for the death of his mother. 

Owen and his companions will have to travel the continent of Wittatun in search of the cure for King Kendrick. On the journey, they will battle strange beasts and harsh climates, befriend extraordinary magicians, and meet a dragon before returning to Innes Castle–where much has happened in the days since they departed.

Get your copy HERE.

And also up for grabs today, the sequel!

After the adventure to save King Kendrick, Yara's everyday life has grown monotonous. The dull work of learning her father’s blacksmithing trade and the pressure from her parents to decide what she plans on doing with her life has her nerves too stressed. 

Lucky for her, a surprise messenger from the castle brings the king’s request. She's to join a collaborative mission between the Central and Western Domains of Wittatun to stop a recently discovered slave operation in a land to the west. 

It's imperative she keep secret not only her magical abilities from any possible traitors, but also her gender. The people of the Western Domain have a superstition prohibiting girls from sailing. But a chill wind carries the distinct odor of sabotage. Can one girl survive to destroy an evil rooted much deeper than mere slavery?

Ready to meet the author?

Eric Price lives with his wife and two sons in northwest Iowa. He began publishing in 2008 when he started writing a quarterly column for a local newspaper. Later that same year he published his first work of fiction, a spooky children’s story called Ghost Bed and Ghoul Breakfast. Since then, he has written stories for children, young adults, and adults. Three of his science fiction stories have won honorable mention from the CrossTime Annual Science Fiction Contest. His first YA fantasy novel, Unveiling the Wizards’ Shroud, received the Children’s Literary Classics Seal of Approval and the Literary Classics Award for Best First Novel. Unveiling the Wizards' Shroud is now available in paperback and eBook. His second novel, The Squire and the Slave Master, came out in November. It continues the Saga of the Wizards. He is a member of SCBWI. Find him online at authorericprice.com.

Eric 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 a print book of UNVEILING THE WIZARDS' SHROUD, and an eBook of THE SQUIRE AND THE SLAVE MASTER. (Open Internationally: print book available only in the US and Canada, eBooks of both for international winners.)

You have until Tuesday, January 12 at 1 p.m. EDT to guess. Be sure to come back for the answers on January 13.

TRUTH OR LIE

1. I know some guys in a local St. Louis band called Earl. Back stage at one of their shows at the Pageant, they asked me to go out after the break and play bass, which I did.
2. I've met Rob Zombie. In a strange sort of creepy, quazi-ironic way, I met him on Easter Sunday.
3. I have a tendency to win front row seats to concerts. I've seen Billy Joel, Elton John, and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers all from the front row.

So sleuths, which is the lie? How are you ringing in the new year? What are your goals for 2016? Do you like epic fantasy novels?

Goals, Gatling Guns, and IWSG

Happy New Year!!!

Are you having the most fabulous 2015 so far?

Quick intro for any new friends here... I'm a total book nerd who dabbles with writing for theater, novels, poetry, short stories, flash fiction, lyrics and orchestral compositions. I LIVE on cheese, home school 3 kids (shortly to be 4) and answer to the title of "Chicken" with pride. Two of my book babies are out in the world, and I've contributed to several story compilations (see the Books section). Today I'm ravishing an orange, counting baby kicks, and desperately trying to remember what it was I wanted to say. (Ah, pregnancy brain...)

Really, it was something like this:

The beginning of the year is such a fabulous time--a time to look at our lives, reevaluate what is working and what isn't. As I've reflected, I've been missing how I used to run this blog: 3 posts a week, deep thoughts on Monday, Writerly stuff on Wednesdays, Funnies on Friday. I've also missed how I used to spend a minimum of 2 hours a day writing. Alas, life doesn't stand still for blogging. (Or maybe I should say the 3 kids and 1 on the way.)

With limited energy/time I'm finding I can't handle the precision of one of these:

I need the precision of one of these:

Now a sniper rifle requires patience, setting up exactly the right shot, breathing correctly and pulling the trigger with a steady hand. Much of what goes on is in silence, behind closed doors, whereas the Gatling allows for all out warfare, spur of the moment.

Do you see what I'm saying?

My goal this year is to welcome a new life into the world and follow a very precise calendar of specific deadlines to make sure my next novel makes its debut on time. (Hah!) Wish me luck. My other goal is to form a deep and positive mental dialog about everything--and I do mean everything. You get a TON further on positive mental vibes.

What are your new goals this year?

Now, on to the fun and games!

Last month Suzy shared LOOKING FOR LUCY JO 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.  

Suzy's game: 

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!)

And the lie is:

#1. Suzy didn't meet Robert Pattinson, but wouldn't that make for a fun story if she actually had?

And the winner is:

...DRUM ROLL...

Susan Gourley/Kelley!

Congrats Susan! 

And now to today's feature...

Sugar’s not so sweet and secrets can be deadly …

especially with matters of the heart

Sienna’s bestie, Harper warned her not to intern for famous bad boy artist, Casper Mason. After all, he just fired Harper who helped Sienna get the interview. But the moment Sienna sees Casper—or Caz—sweaty and practically shirtless and swinging from chains while he works on his sculpture, she’s hooked. He’s the richest, hottest artist in New York, and he lives in the fabulous Williamsburg Sugar Factory. But he’s also an incorrigible game-player, who seems to relish testing Sienna’s loyalty with a string of unsettling tests.

She knows she should get away fast. But by the time Sienna sneaks into his locked storage room and begins to unearth his dark and terrifying secret, she’s fallen way too hard for the handsome, charismatic Caz.

Bloggers and readers are saying:

“A must read!” -Amazeball’s Book Addicts
“Sexy, smart, compelling!” -Booklover 
“Moving, even heartbreaking” - 5-stars from The Phantom Paragrapher
“Believable characters who show emotional growth” -Summer’s Book Blog
“Killer analysis of the NYC art scene” -reader review

Get your copy HERE.

Kitsy Clare lives in Manhattan. A romantic at heart, she loves writing about the sexy intrigue of the city and of the art world. She knows it well, having shown her paintings here before turning to writing. Her new adult Art of Love series - Model Position and Private Internship - is all about artist Sienna and her friends. Living in a Bookworld says: “Beautifully written! We learn things about art & painting. Colorful stories from a promising NA author.” The books can be read in any order.

She also writes award-winning YA as Catherine Stine. Novels include futuristic thrillers, Ruby’s Fire and Fireseed One. Her YA horror, Dorianna, a twist on Dorian Gray for the Internet age, just won Best Horror Novel in the 2014 Kindle Hub Book awards.

Kitsy (aka Catherine) 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 PRIVATE INTERNSHIP. How awesome is that?

You have until Tuesday, January 13 at 1 p.m. EDT to guess. Be sure to come back for the answer on January 14.

TRUTH OR LIE

1. She had a lively discussion with Blues musician Buddy Guy, where he talked about getting musical inspiration from listening to rain on his tin roof.

2. She hung out with Marilyn Manson at one of his after-parties and munched on black marshmallows. 
3. She met all of the 2014 top ten Idol singers and took selfies backstage after the concert. 

So which is the lie? What are you prioritizing for this new year? Have you build a plan with deadlines? What did you do to celebrate the holidays?

Excitement and Cheese!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

(Lets celebrate.)

And my favorite way to celebrate is with a new book.

Do you love the feel of paper books? I do. I love curling up with one in bed and diving into the world of imagination. Old books especially get me excited. Pens, pencils and notebooks...well I regularly get lost in the stationary aisle. 

BUT, I love digital books most. They can go anywhere. I don't have to worry about bookmarks or my littles tearing/smudging the pages on accident--OR losing my book. (Which happens ALL THE TIME because we have TOO many "helping" hands around.)

That said, the time has come. 

Moonless is going to be released as a physical book!

This is pretty much me, but with cheese.

So now I'm looking for a little help getting the word out and will be hosting the...

My very first blogfest! Meet my AMAZING co-hosts: Pk Hrezo, Tammy Theriault, and Michael Di Gesu. Is this a party, or what? 

In the English society of 1768 where women are bred to marry, unattractive Alexia, just sixteen, believes she will end up alone. But on the county doorstep of a neighbor’s estate, she meets a man straight out of her nightmares, one whose blue eyes threaten to consume her whole world—especially later when she discovers him standing over her murdered host in the middle of the night.

Her nightmares become reality: a dead baron, red-eyed wraiths, and forbidden love with a man hunted by these creatures. After an attack close to home, Alexia realizes she cannot keep one foot in her old life and one in this new world. To protect her family she must either be sold into a loveless marriage, or escape with her beloved and risk becoming one of the Soulless.

So here's where you come in: If you lived in a society where arranged marriages were a la mode, who would you beg your parents to set you up with? (Literary characters and celebrities welcomed.) Who and why? That's what I want to know on February 10th, so think about it, sign up on my linky list, and make sure to include the hop image in your post.

Oh, and be sure to grab my button and post it on your blog, share it with everyone and let's make it a party! Yay! I can't wait to hear all about your dream matches!

P.S. Come back next week to learn who won Rachel Morgan's Writerly Wednesday Truth or Lie game.

P.P.S. If you missed it, Kate Scott twisted my arm into telling a childhood story, and here's another fun hop featuring CLEAN reads--and guess what? Mary chose to feature Moonless! Yay! Oh yeah, and I just found out I made Robyn's TOP FIVE READS for the year. *gulp* I'm blushing. Seriously blushing.