How Fast Are You? Time Manipulation and a Blog Tour

It's day 11 of the book release blog tour. Yippee!

A quick shout to all the Veterans out there on this Veterans day. WE LOVE YOU!!! Thank you isn't enough to express our gratitude and awe. You are the best.

Moving on...

See the disappearing cheese? I'm eating it just that fast and it's replenishing. That, or I'm altering time just to mess with you. Speaking of time manipulation

The Maiden of Time Series:

The romance of Jane Eyre meets Supernatural.

In a world where people can heal with a touch, kill with a scream, and rob a person of their memories, Alexia is struggling to find her place and learn her gifts--before the Soulless come for her.

BUY

on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or get signed print copies from yours truly!

Tour stops 

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: Review & Something Sinister

(Email address is required for awarding prizes.)

How fast can you eat cheese? Have you ever dreamed of time manipulation? Are you celebrating any Vets?

Happiness is just a tour stop away, or three, or four. Go check this awesomeness out!

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?

1 Mind-Blowing Reason NOT to Blog...and IWSG

Have you ever had a really, really good excuse NOT to be social online?

Source

As a little girl, I was the kid slipping out the front door at 3 years old, and when my mom tried to stop me, I put my hands on my hips and said emphatically, "But Mom, I HAVE to play with my friends!"

Needless to say, that drive has rarely gone away...except my friends are online now and it's easy to play without doing my hair, getting dressed, or sneaking out the door. I share that to let you know how TRULY painful this separation is going to be, but I'm holding myself to it. Instead of

I'm going to be 

Source

and I've only got a couple weeks (maybe days) to get our lives in order for this baby. It's been 8 years since I've had a baby, and I've been studying/shopping like crazy to get myself back in the mentality. It's time to go a babying!

My big insecurity, will you all be here when I get back?

Along those same lines, let's award our baby shower giveaway!

Last week Elizabeth Seckman shared her brand new release, DEFYING REASON, along with two baby truths and one lie. Those who guessed the lie were entered into a random drawing for the chance to win a SIGNED copy of DEFYING REASON and a SWAG PACK including bookmarks, pens, and a necklace. 

The game: 

1. When Boy #4 was born, Elizabeth had a condition known as precipitous labor (or speedy labor). From start to finish, his labor lasted three hours. It was so short, they didn’t even have time to get to the hospital, so he was born on the living room floor.

2. When Boy #3 was born, he was as big as a modest Thanksgiving turkey. That made Elizabeth a freak in the hospital- even the kitchen staff stopped by to meet the woman who had the eleven pounder naturally. 

3. When Boy #2 was born, his name was going to be Colby (like the cheese!), but Elizabeth's mother-in-law loved that named and disliked the name Cole. And she brought Elizabeth's husband a Big Mac (which he didn’t even offer to share!) to the hospital and not her, so she named the baby Cole.

And the lie is:

#1. This actually happened to Elizabeth's sister, not her.

Way to guess everyone who got it right! And the winner is:

...DRUM ROLL...

Krystal Jane!

Congrats, Krystal! 

So that's it. I might pop in over the next couple months, and there will definitely be an announcement when I'm sane enough to post one. I'm wishing you a happy A to Z Challenge, an amazing Easter, and cheese. (Of course.)

Will you be A to Z-ing? When's the last time you took a hiatus from social media? 

A Late Valentines Gift & Baby Shower Giveaway

You love giveaways, right? Well, as per usual (as of 2015), I've got a short free read for you AND an amazing giveaway. 

Firstly, if you missed my announcement about Lightning Quick Reads, let me share again. IT'S A FLASH FICTION BLOG (stories that are 2000 words or less) with 100% free reads. This month has been all about love--whether love between family members, friends, or couples. How about a sample, eh?

The Kiss of Death by Crystal Collier

People crowded against the police perimeter to get a closer look at the twisted metal, broken cable and black smoke. Officers directed traffic away from the billowing wreck. Half the road was blocked by fire engines. Pictures snapped at the train-less overpass and demolished road below.

Miriam stood motionless in the middle of the wreck. High pressured streams of water spewed past in an attempt to quench the flames, blowing brown hair loosely across her face, spray spattering her smart black pants and crimson top. Water pooled in the ruined asphalt, soaking through her new Fendi heels.

She’d boarded the Metra half an hour ago with a copy of Glamour in one hand and coffee in the other. Her greatest worry had been lipstick smears on her teeth or embarrassing herself in front of steamy James Laughlin, again. She’d been excited to spend lunch proofreading the latest articles, or brownnosing with the boss…

A cheer echoed off the overpass.

She blinked. Water dripped from her spoiled business attire, waves of stick-straight hair hanging in her eyes. She brushed the mess back and turned. 

Firefighters recoiled their hoses. White smoke drifted lazily up from around her feet and various other hotspots, stinging her nostrils with embers. A policeman’s whistle pierced her ears as he waved a line of honking cars down a side street. A done-up woman stood in front of a white van with a camera angled at the destruction around her. Another reporter stood half a block away, blabbing his take on the “accident,” a program Miriam would watch tonight, if she wasn’t…

Dead?

She glanced at the overpass, its broken railing and crumbling cement. A gasp pulled her eyes to a sodden woman in her forties with running makeup and a super short skirt. The woman stared at the broken train rail, fuzzy hair hanging half down, the rest clinging to its bun.

Miriam remembered passing her as she moved to the back of the car, thinking it was a crime to wear anything so short…

Behind the woman stood a man in a tweed suit and buggy glasses. His jaw hung. Other disembodied souls filled her periphery, each motionless or in an early stage of realization. Some stared blankly into the distance. One woman had broken down sobbing over a blackened and water-logged lump.

Miriam’s eyes dropped to her feet. She swallowed. Remnants of a crimson silk blouse clung to the ashes--just like the one she was wearing. A metallic stench wafted up at her, mixed with a musky sweetness. 

Her stomach clenched. The gag reflex started at the back to her throat. She bent over and dry heaved.

It was true. She was dead. Deceased. Over...

So any guesses how this could possibly turn into a love story?

READ MORE

(And leave me some comment love, eh?)



And on to the super amazing giveaway!

Last week Jamie Ayres shared her brand new release, 18 THOUGHTS, along with two truths and one lie. Those who guessed the lie were entered into a random drawing for the chance to win her entire trilogy in eBook!  

The game: 

1. Jamie accidentally joined a religious cult for two weeks during her first year of college at the University of South Florida in Tampa.
2. For as long as she can remember, Jamie has always been an avid Star Wars Fan. 
3. She was nominated by her senior class as Most Likely to Warn the World Aliens Are Coming. 

And the lie is:

#2. From all the references in her book, you'd think Jamie is a huge Star Wars fan. But her education of Star Wars did not begin until her first year of marriage, when the hubs took her to see Episode I the night it came out in theaters. 

Way to guess everyone who got it right! And the winner is:

...DRUM ROLL...

Rhonda Parrish!

Congrats, Rhonda! 

And now for this week's game...

Jo Leigh Harper comes from a long line of trouble-making, white trash stock.

Tanner Coulter comes from a longer line of wealth-creating, blue blood stock.

Jo graduated college top of her class, moving toward a future full of possibilities.

Tanner dropped out of college, trading a law degree for drinking games and one night stands.

A family crisis throws the rich party boy and the poor genius girl together. The attraction is immediate, though neither one is a heart-in-the-sand-drawing believer in true love. But as the summer sun heats up along the shores of the Outer Banks, so does the connection between them. Maybe, just maybe, they can win at love by defying reason.

Get your copy HERE.

Ready to meet this fabulous and incredibly generous author? (Seriously, she deserves a cheese badge. Yup. She's that amazing.) 

Elizabeth Seckman is a wife, a 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 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 SIGNED copy of DEFYING REASON and a SWAG PACK including bookmarks, pens, and a necklace. (In honor of my coming baby, it's a kind of baby shower prize pack.) (Open internationally.)

You have until Tuesday, March 3 at 1 p.m. EDT to guess. Be sure to come back for the answer on March 4.

TRUTH OR LIE

(Because I'm in the final stages of baby making, Elizabeth decided to share some of her baby facts.)

1. When Boy #4 was born, Elizabeth had a condition known as precipitous labor (or speedy labor). From start to finish, his labor lasted three hours. It was so short, they didn’t even have time to get to the hospital, so he was born on the living room floor.
2. When Boy #3 was born, he was as big as a modest Thanksgiving turkey. That made Elizabeth a freak in the hospital- even the kitchen staff stopped by to meet the woman who had the eleven pounder naturally. 
3. When Boy #2 was born, his name was going to be Colby (like the cheese!), but Elizabeth's mother-in-law loved that named and disliked the name Cole. And she brought Elizabeth's husband a Big Mac (which he didn’t even offer to share!) to the hospital and not her, so she named the baby Cole. 

So which is the lie? Do you like love stories? (Even slightly morbid ones?) Did you read my LQR story and leave me a comment? Have you met Elizabeth before?

Trick or Treat Book Blog Hop: Or get stuff free!

Patricia Lynne is hosting this fabulous HALLOWEEN GIVEAWAY. That's right. Instead of going door to door begging for candy, you can go blog to blog begging for free books. (And we'll even give them to you.) We're not even going to ask you to say some corny phrase or rhyme.

If you are, say, an awesome and generous soul, you might give the authors a treat in return--a review. They would love it. Promise. All of us. Reviews are the life-blood of a book and kinda what keeps us writing.

SO, for you TODAY ONLY: Get your Halloween treat FREE.

AMAZON best seller and Pitch Wars 2012 finalist

Jane Eyre meets Supernatural.

Alexia’s 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.

"MOONLESS is powerful, compelling, and packed with soul." --Bethany Kaczmarek, A Little Red, Inc. 

"Collier transports us to a time of elegance and mixes in supernatural splendor that gives goosebumps." --Sharon Johnston, author of SLEEPER

"I fell head over heels for the characters." --T.C. Mckee, BookFish Books

Get your copy now at AMAZON

Check out the rest of the hop for more Halloween goodies...but not before you check out the rest of the blog tour for today!

And do I have some treats for you!

Larissa at Larissa’s World and Elizabeth Seckman are sharing an AWESOME Halloween Vlog Post

Sarah at Stardust and Gravel asks why I chose a historical setting for the Maiden of Time trilogy and much, much more.

And be sure to enter the 

Rafflecopter

for your chance to win some amazing prizes!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This happy pony just might save you from the horror of Halloween, but only if you're brave enough to follow him through the rest of the blog tour. Are you brave enough? ARE YOU? 

What's your favorite Halloween treat? (And yes, you can say something other than candy.)

In Your Dreams...

Have you ever just wanted it to do this?

SOURCE

I have. 

   

A quick shout out today for my buddy Loni Townsend who is raining cheese down on the reading world by offering her fabulous book for $0.99 right now! 

                         

Follow the SOULLESS blog tour for some SUPER FUN reading/listening:

Artista Donna shares a video of ME reading the first chapter of SOULLESS

Bookwryming Thoughts: Meet the Cast--Women of Power

Elizabeth Seckman: Meet the Cast--Villains and Outcasts

And be sure to enter the 

Rafflecopter

for your chance to win some amazing prizes!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The pony is happy. It will lead you to happiness--just follow it to the amazing links of AWESOMENESS (aka the SOULLESS Blog Tour).

If it was going to rain your a food of choice, what would you pick?