Babyness and Bookness

Some of you may have heard me ranting about my happy, happy news that we're FINALLY expecting. Our youngest is now 8, and we've been trying for a while, so this is a HUGE thing for us. It's even more huge in the fact that my daughter has been begging me for a little brother or sister for forever. 

So my happy news today, we finally know what we're expecting:

Ready to guess the lie and win a book? 

Last week, Kai Strand shared WORTH THE EFFORT, AYDEN'S STORY 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 an eBook.  

Kai's game: 

1. Kai once played the part of the planet Venus – dressed as a Venus Flytrap.

2. She considers herself a scorpion queen, because they tend to appear wherever she is. Yes, it's as creepy as it sounds.

3. She came down with the flu and missed being crowned Prom Queen.

And the lie is:

#3. Kai did not miss out on being Prom Queen due to an ill-timed sickness. She did, however, played the part of a Venus Flytrap and is plagued by the appearance of scorpions.

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

...DRUM ROLL...

Tanya Miranda!

Congrats Tanya! 

And now to today's feature...

Alphabet Wildlife A to Z is a beautifully hand-illustrated book where children learn of many different animals that begin with the letters in the alphabet. 

This book introduces young readers to a variety of animals, many of which are unknown to people.

Get your copy HERE.

Nata Romeo a.k.a ArtistaDonna, is the author and illustrator of her first children's book, titled Alphabet Wildlife A to Z. Originally from Toronto, Canada, she now brews and sprinkles her art and stories from the Philadelphia skies. She dreams that her work gets swept up and tangled into a massive storm front so that her world can travel across the universe and beyond!

Nata's favorite cheese is blue cheese. Since she's the only one in her family who really appreciates this delicious cheese, she ends up adding it to just about anything she eats.

UNLIKE NORMAL, Nata gave me two LIES and one TRUTH to test your "lie detector" skills. Those who figure out the TRUTH will go into my magic hat for the chance to win an Amazon eBook of ALPHABET WILDLIFE A-Z. How awesome is that?

You have until Tuesday, November 18, at 1 p.m. EDT to guess--and be sure to come back for the answer on November 19.

TRUTH OR LIE

1. Nata has traveled to Mars to study Alientology, she now speaks fluent Alien languages.
2. Thanks to the Aliens, Nata is now a prodigy in Polyglotism.
3. Nata enjoys writing and illustrating. She has conversations with her characters on a daily basis.

So which is the TRUTH? Have you ever had to wait a REALLY long time for something you wanted badly? If so, what?

NaNoWriMo Misfit

Have you ever participated in NaNoWriMo? (For those who don't know what that is, it's National Novel Writing Month, happening every year in November.) 

The goal is to write 50,000 words in one month. (An average YA novel is 60-80K words...closer to 90K if you're me.) You may not think that's a huge deal, but that means writing almost an entire novel while doing such things as Thanksgiving, Black Friday, the day job, and regular life things. (You don't get a free pass to let your house fall to pieces, and no one awards you with a one-month maid.) 

I tend to be a slower writer, but in 2008 I decided to NaNo. And I won. 50K words in 30 days. And they were awful. Every. Single. Word. I put that book through four critique partners before setting it aside to become a real story "one day." Right then and there I vowed to never NaNo again.

But guess what? With two major deadlines fast approaching, I've decided to try it again. Part of me knows I'm going to regret it. Part of me says, "Yeah, but you're so much more experienced a writer now!" 

Which voice should I believe?

Ready to guess the lie and win a book? 

Last week, I offered up 3 copies of SOULLESS for the easy peasy price of naming your favorite spook. 

And the winners are:

...DRUM ROLL...

Alex J. Cavanaugh--Headless Horseman
M. Pax--Spaceghost
Meradeth Houston--Witches

Congrats friends!

And now to today's feature...

Seventeen-year-old Ayden Worth shouldn’t have to seek peace of mind in the streets. But as family pressures mount, his anxieties increase, and he turns his back on comfort for a life in homeless camps and back alleys.

Then one fateful day he runs into the only person he ever wanted to know better. Ella Jones. His memories paint her as kind and undemanding, and it seems the years haven’t changed her. Her simple expectations draw him to her. Against all odds, a relationship buds and grows.

Yet, as Ayden repairs his life, Ella suggests he help others who also struggle. Will Ella turn out to be just like his dad, expecting more from him than he can give? Or will he prove that he is worth the effort?

Get your copy HERE.

When her children were young and the electricity winked out, Kai Strand gathered her family around the fireplace and they told stories, one sentence at a time. Her boys were rather fond of the ending, “And then everybody died. The end.” Now an award winning children’s author, Kai crafts fiction for kids and teens to provide an escape hatch from their reality. With a selection of novels for young adult and middle grade readers and short stories for the younger ones, Kai entertains children of all ages, and their adults. Learn more about Kai and her books on her website, www.kaistrand.com.

Kai has recently fallen in love with Tillamook's Garlic White Cheddar and puts it on everything. Hamburgers, crackers, omelettes, mashies. She's seriously considering stuffing the Thanksgiving turkey with it.

Kai 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 WORTH THE EFFORT --AYDEN'S STORY. How awesome is that?

You have until Tuesday, November 11, at 1 p.m. EDT to guess--and be sure to come back for the answer on November 12.

TRUTH OR LIE

1. Kai once played the part of the planet Venus – dressed as a Venus Flytrap.

2. She considers herself a scorpion queen, because they tend to appear wherever she is. Yes, it's as creepy as it sounds.

3. She came down with the flu and missed being crowned Prom Queen.

   

Today's AMAZING tour stops:

Ellie Garratt's sharing a cast of Villains and Outcasts

J. L. Campbell at The Character Depot unveils the Men of SOULLESS 

And be sure to enter the 

Rafflecopter

for your chance to win some amazing prizes!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The happy pony is lapping you! Don't eat its dust. Get to the other tour stops before he wins the race and you'll get the magical cheese at the end. That's right, magical. 

Which is the lie? Have you read any great contemporaries lately? Are you NaNo-ing?