WINNERS: What it Takes to Become One

You love winning, right? I love winning. We all love winning.

But how can you ALWAYS be a winner?

You must have a winner's attitude. A true winner looks at the worst day in history and sees one blooming flower beneath the crush of awfulness. That's their focus. There's a win.

So whether you win a prize today or not, you're a winner in my book.

Speaking of winners... Let's begin.

First, I'd like to introduce a total winner. Some of you may have met Theresa Milstein on the blogosphere or through Facebook, but I've been blessed to associate closely with her for many years and read her phenomenal poetry while we've both grown as writers. This woman has SERIOUS skills. Beautiful turning of the word in prose that leaves you feeling smarter and inspired. And guess what?!

HER POETRY IS GETTING PUBLISHED!!! How epic is that?

Time and Circumstance
by Theresa Milstein

Publication date: March, 2017

“The trunk of this family is lost to history / Photo fragments remain as shadows”

With subtle wit, and poignant imagery, the unrelenting passage of time connects the  vignettes in Theresa Milstein’s Time and Circumstance. This reflective collection of real and imagined poetry and prose, speculates on an erratic childhood, the uncertainty of adolescence, and the reality of parenthood, through flashbacks of love lost and found.

“This everyday, why again, sometimes / ignored tune has measured time in notes, / seconds, minutes, days, years, and so it goes. / It’s a measure of the man he will become.”

And now for the winner of the TIMELESS Cover Reveal Giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Yay for the winners! But they're not the only ones. I could not believe the outpouring of love with my cover reveal. Seriously. Over 60 people shared my cover throughout the week. Thank you all! But I promised one winner an Amazon gift card. I wish I could give everyone a gift card for helping.

And so the winner is:

Meradeth Houston!

AND LEST YOU SHOULD THINK YOU'VE BEEN SHAFTED BY THE WINNER CIRCLE, YOU HAVE ONE MORE CHANCE TO WIN:

Want to win a PRINT copy of the book?

ENTER NOW

Goodreads Book Giveaway

     

Timeless

by Crystal Collier

Giveaway ends October 11, 2016.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

BTW, sign ups are still open for

(but not for long)

Participate HERE.

Three weeks ago, Elizabeth Seckman shared two lies and one truth with us. Anyone who guessed one of her lie correctly was entered to win an eBook of SWEPT AWAY.

The game:

1. My first week of college, I got the flu and threw up in the elevator. Fortunately, everyone on the elevator just thought I'd been drinking and didn't make a big deal of it.
2. When I was a little girl, my sisters tried to turn me into a beauty pageant queen, but I'd never walk on a stage.
3. The first time I took my driver's test, I backed into a police officer (barely bumped her...no harm done!) and failed the test.

The truth: #2. They bought Elizabeth all the cute outfits and did weeks of "rehearsals". The day of the pageant, her sister's car broke down, so they walked miles to get to the local fair grounds where the pageant was held. She did fine in all the practice runs on stage. The day of the pageant, she could see people in the audience over the blinding stage lights. She took a step, maybe two, and froze. That was the end of her beauty queen career.

Way to guess everyone! And the winner is:

...DRUM ROLL...

THE CYNICAL SAILOR!

Congrats!

There will be full month of Truth or Lie games and giveaways coming in October. Are you ready for this awesomeness?

Have you ever won anything cool? What do you think makes a winner? Do you like poetry?

The Secret to Success (IWSG edition)

Priorities. How do you make sure you get the most important things done in a day?

The IWSG question this month got me thinking--and not just about writing. The question is:

How do you find the time to write in your busy day?

I read this excellent article that wasn't even about the same subject. The primary idea behind the article was how we become products of our environment. The way it struck me, I started thinking about my surroundings. What things am I exposed to just because they're happening, and which elements do I try to control? Am I giving things passive permission to my brain--like a TV show, a radio song, or a debate because someone else is engaging in them around me? (Or because I didn't bother to silence those distractions?)

We all take the path of least resistance, but that doesn't mean we have to take whatever is put in front of us. We can create our own "path of least resistance" to our ultimate goals. It will take some work to shape the path, but once it's there, it's there.

So for me, writing in the day isn't a question of FINDING TIME, it's a question of MAKING TIME. And with 4 kids (1 a toddler and two full time home schooling students), I MAKE TIME. (Is it any wonder I write about time manipulation? LOL.)

What is hindering your productive time?

BTW, next week is my COVER REVEAL for TIMELESS (3rd book in my Maiden of Time series). Are you as excited as I am? (You know it's going to be epic.)

Two weeks ago, Mark Noce shared two truths and one lie with us. Anyone who guessed the lie correctly was entered to win a PRINT copy of BETWEEN TWO FIRES.

The game:

1. I once ate a package of plastic C4, thinking it was chocolate (it was nighttime people).
2. I take a car, two trains, and walk a mile-and-a-half in order to get to work each day.
3. I may actually be related to the second-most-prolific man in history (King Niall of Ireland).

The lie: #1. As fun a story as that would be, it's a total fib.

Way to guess everyone! And the winner is:

...DRUM ROLL...

Quanie Miller!

Congrats, Quanie!

And now, how about ANOTHER truly great book up for grabs? (And yes, I read and reviewed this one. It is excellent.)

He came looking for a ghost. Instead, he found a girl. 

Tucker Boone is a war-hardened Marine on a ghost hunt. Fresh out of the corps, Tucker learns he has a missing half-sister, Maddy. The only clue to her whereabouts is a cryptic note…I’ve gone Mad, Mags. Tucker agrees to search for her and heads to Ocracoke, North Carolina where a ghost named Mad Mags is said to haunt the ancient graveyards dotting the island.

The note doesn’t bring him any closer to finding Maddy, but it does offer him a diversion to the doldrums of civilian life—his new island neighbor, Josie McCoy. Tucker is drawn to her quiet spirit. There’s something special about Josie…a connection he can’t quite explain.

By summer’s end, he’s mixed up in deception, murder, and the love of a lifetime. Logic tells him to head home and forget the truths he found on the island. But can he walk away? Josie offers him more than love; she offers him hope. When the clues pile up and it looks like she can never be the girl for him, he has to make a choice—play it safe and break her heart, or risk everything for a chance at being swept away.

Get Your Copy HERE.

Ready to meet the author?

Elizabeth Seckman is a wife, a football mom, and a believer in dreams. She is a multi-published author and the best-seller on her street. There may not be any other writers on her street, but that doesn’t matter. She still outsells them all. 

She doesn't have a favorite cheese, but loves them all equally, even with jam. And she would eat cheese anywhere, be it land, sea, or cheesy air. Hold the questions, but never the cheese. That you pile on as high as you please!

Elizabeth gave me two lies and one truth 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 of SWEPT AWAY. (Open internationally.)

You have until Tuesday, September 13 at 2 p.m. EDT to guess. Be sure to come back for the answers on September 14, 8 a.m. EDT.

TRUTH OR LIE

1. My first week of college, I got the flu and threw up in the elevator. Fortunately, everyone on the elevator just thought I'd been drinking and didn't make a big deal of it.
2. When I was a little girl, my sisters tried to turn me into a beauty pageant queen, but I'd never walk on a stage.
3. The first time I took my driver's test, I backed into a police officer (barely bumped her...no harm done!) and failed the test.

Oh, and it's not too late to sign up for the cover reveal of TIMELESS. (But almost.)

So sleuths, which is the lie? Do you love romance stories? What is your great distraction?