Wicked Wednesday - the 13th Floor series

Six supernatural tenants

Living in a haunted apartment building

On a floor that doesn't exist.

Six novellas telling their tales.

A retired demon acquires a price on his head.

A werewolf is hunted by her pack.

A modern day dragonslayer misses his target.

A harpy challenges Zeus for the soul of the man she loves.

A vampire is obsessed with a young woman he can't find.

And a banshee falls in love with someone who's death she has seen in a vision.

All the stories take place at the same time

Intertwining their lives together

on the 13th Floor.

Happy Halloween!

I'll be revealing the cover for the first novella, 1301 - The Marquis, on November 13th. If you would like to take part in the cover reveal, please email me and put "1301 cover reveal" in the subject heading. I'll send you the info and cover. I'm tentatively setting a release date for 1301 as December 13th. My email address is christinerains [dot] writer @ gmail [dot] com

Teaser Tuesday with Die For Me

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

This one has been on my to-read list for a while. I finally managed to pick up Amy Plum's Die For Me from the library. The cover is gorgeous, but I'm having a little trouble sinking into the plot.

Here's your teaser:
The whoosh of air that precedes the train came gusting through the tunnel, and the man looked up. Calmly placing his briefcase on the ground, he crouched down, and using one hand to steady himself on the edge of the platform, he jumped down onto the tracks. (page 55)

Montrous Monday Blogfest

This frightening and fun blogfest is hosted by Timothy Brannan. The rules are simple. Post a monster. It can be any monster. One from your current WIP or from your favorite movie. Tell us why you love/hate/worship it. Then visit the other participants and check out their monsters.

There's so many good monsters out there. Oh, the fun ones I could tell you about from Syfy Channel! I want to introduce you to an ancient creature, though. One that has stuck in my head since recently reading the new YA series by Caitlin Kittredge called the Iron Codex. Loved the books. So very Lovecraftian. At one point, the heroes come across an oozing nightmare. A thing called a shoggoth.

A shoggoth is a monster created by H.P. Lovecraft. It's part of the Cthulhu Mythos. I didn't include a picture here not because I was fearful of an artist getting upset about me using his work, but because I couldn't find an image that fit exactly what I imagined a shoggoth to look like.

Here's what Lovecraft says in At The Mountains of Madness: "It was a terrible, indescribable thing vaster than any subway train—a shapeless congeries of protoplasmic bubbles, faintly self-luminous, and with myriads of temporary eyes forming and un-forming as pustules of greenish light all over the tunnel-filling front that bore down upon us, crushing the frantic penguins and slithering over the glistening floor that it and its kind had swept so evilly free of all litter."

I imagine it as a gigantic tar-like blob with several bulbous eyes and mouths with sharp teeth. It has no body shape and seemingly no heart or brain. Yet some might have a keen intellect. It moves faster than you expect for something of its size. It engulfs its victims and slowly digests them.

They say true fear cannot be given a shape. That's because it's a shoggoth.

Sunday high

Carve the pumpkin. Check.

Make cupcakes. Check.

Find a costume from stuff made at home for party. Check.

Finish first draft of WIP before NaNoWriMo. Check.

YES!

I just finished sending out my first draft of my latest WIP to my CPs. You know that high of finishing a story. I'm giddy, nervous, hyper, and hungry. Really hungry.

We had fun at a friends' Halloween party yesterday. I found a bag of old costume pieces in the attic. I could've gone as a lazy pirate. Costume parts from when my husband was a Pastafarian one year. (100 geek points if you know what that is!) I instead took parts from a barbarian costume and went as an urban barbarian. Meaning I wore my normal clothes with skins over it.

My son has another Halloween party at preschool this Tuesday, and then there's trick-or-treating on Wednesday. A busy start to the week and then I'm diving right into NaNoWriMo. And no, I haven't done any more planning for it. Maybe I'll get a chance to do so one evening before Thursday.

My cupcakes didn't turn out too badly. It's harder to sculpt fondant than I thought. It was a good lesson learned. For fancy cupcakes, buy them from the store!

Final Day of the Fearless Blog Tour

My last stop is at a gorgeous blog belonging to the

Reader Girls!

Thank you so much to all the hosts of this tour

and to Shades of Rose Marketing.

Thanks again to Aubrie for giving me this

awesome gift, and to you,

my readers.

The Fearless Blog Tour Continues

Come by to see another great excerpt at

Reading, Writing, and Roses.

It's a great blog with fantastic

writing tips.

October Fearless Tour

There's two stops on the blog tour today.

Stop by New Age Mama

andIntriguing Reads

for more FEARLESS teasers!

Wicked Wednesday - prepare yourself for November

October is nearly over. I can't believe how this month has flown by. One week until Halloween. My favorite holiday of the year. A night where the supernaturals don't have to hide, but we wear costumes.

First off, I'm in the middle of my new FEARLESS blog tour. Pop on over to Musings of Ellafor a tantalizing excerpt!

November is near, and I'll be participating in NaNoWriMo again. I was going to stick with my current project, but a new idea pushed itself to the front of the queue. A superhero story. Good guys with big flaws and bad guys with even bigger egos. It's going to be so much fun. Superhero romances - which this one will be - fall in the paranormal romance category. It seems weird to me that they do, but they're more than normal human beings.

I won't forget my current project while I'm doing NaNoWriMo. I hope to finish revising the first novella in the series and have it ready to be out at the end of November. Knock on wood. At the latest, it will be out before Christmas.

For my Wicked Wednesday posts in November, I'll be giving you a peek at each novella in my 13th Floor series. Next week on Halloween, I'll officially let you know what my series is about. (Though I know some of you have a clue!)

Good luck to everyone participating in NaNoWriMo! Add me as a buddy. I'm Kalligenia.

Teaser Tuesday with The Immortal Rules

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

This is the newest book from Julie Kagawa. If you liked her Iron Fey series, you'll like The Immortal Rules. A YA dystopian with vampires ruling the world.

Here's your teaser:
He groaned and swayed as he staggered to his feet, gasping with pain, and though my Hunger was sated, something inside me reacted to the sight of a wounded, helpless creature. I half turned with a growl, fangs lengthening, before Kanin grabbed my arm and dragged me away into the darkness. (page 110)

Today is the second stop on my new FEARLESS blog tour. Come visit me at Tara Len Walker's blogtoday!

If I Let You Go "Letting Go" Bloghop

Today Kyra Lennon's newest contemporary romance novella, If I Let You Go is now available! Woo-hoo! Congratulations, Kyra! I've already had a chance to read it and it's fantastic. You can read my review here.

In celebration of her release, Kyra is hosting a "Letting Go" bloghop. Everyone must share a story about a time they had to let go of someone or something. It can be something that you experienced, or if you don't wish to share something so personal, you can write a piece of flash fiction with "letting go" as the theme. Please no more than 500 words. Kyra and an independent judge - her mum! - will read all the entries. The winner will get a $10 Amazon gift card.

I've had to let go a lot in my life. I've lost my father and Granddad. I've had two broken engagements. But I'm going to write about something different.

Never in my life did I expect to fall in love with an American. I was born and raised in Canada, and I love my country. I wanted to travel the world, but I always thought I'd live my life in Canada. I've been lucky enough to travel coast to coast and see almost all the provinces. Beautiful.

When my husband and I decided the best course of action (due to several factors) was for me to move down to Indiana, I was excited to start a new life with my man and see new places. Yet the moment we crossed over the border with my meager belongings, it hit. And hard.

I was leaving Canada. I was going to have to give up my citizenship. The country I was in love with would be mine no longer. I was use to being away from family and friends, but not my country. I thought it such a silly thing to get upset about, but it ripped out my heart. I didn't want to let go.

The ache diminished over the years, because I'm the happiest I've ever been living with my husband. We bought a cozy little house and had a gorgeous child. It doesn't matter where we live as long as we're together. I still miss Canada. We don't get enough chances to visit as often as I'd like. I don't think I'll ever let go completely. I still harbor the dream that one day, my husband and I will retire to Canada.

One wonderful thing that helped me was a new law was passed about citizenship. I no longer how to give up my Canadian citizenship to become an American. You can bet I'm tickled pink about this! My son is already a dual citizen. I made sure to do it when he was born. So much easier that way. Now I can be one too.

In FEARLESS news, today is the first day of my new blog tour. Please click on over to The Ebook Reviewersand say hi!

Liebster Blog Award

A big thank you to the wonderful Yolanda Renee 

for passing on this award to me.

Rules:

1) Answer the presenter's 11 questions.

2) Choose 11 lucky recipients.

3) Create 11 questions for them to answer.

4) Plaster the award on your blog.

Yolanda's questions:

1. What monster would you choose for a Halloween costume? Bigfoot. A costume that's warm and funny!

2. What superhero would you choose to be? Rogue. And then I wouldn't push away Gambit!

3. What is your favorite genre, reading, and or writing? Paranormal romance.

4. What character is most like you in any of your favorite books, read or reading or writing? Harry Potter is my favorite series. Though I'd like to say I'm like Hermione, I was never quite that out-spoken. I'm not that young, either! I'm much more like Minerva McGonagall with a dash of Luna Lovegood.

5. What is your most memorable Halloween memory? My son's first Halloween where we dressed him as a devil.

6. What is your most memorable high school memory? I hated high school. My memories of it are not good. I guess the best would be sitting in the library reading. I did that a lot!

7. What is your favorite holiday and why? Writing. Need I tell you why? Heh.

8. What is your most personal current wish (one that you can share)? Financial security. There would be far less worries in my life if we had that.

9. If you could choose any man or woman, dead or alive, who would you choose to get our country back on track and why? Honestly, I can't think of any one person who could do it. The system will always work against them. To change things, the system must be changed.

10. What do you enjoy or hate about blogging, explain, maybe give a point or two for the rest of us bloggers. I love the blogging community. Everyone is incredibly supportive. Get to know folks. Visit blogs and build relationships. It's worth it.

11. What is your favorite day of the week and why? Saturday. Sleep in. No work. Family time together.

My questions:
1. What's the scariest nightmare you've ever had?
2. If you could cast a spell on someone, who would it be and what would the spell be?
3. What's the best costume you've ever worn?
4. What's the worst costume you've ever worn?
5. Whose ghost would you like to be haunted by?
6. What's your favorite Halloween candy?
7. Would you spend the night in a haunted house?
8. What would your stereotyped role be in a horror film?
9. Have you ever tricked someone on Halloween?
10.What's your favorite horror movie?
11. What would your tip be for surviving the zombie apocalypse?

I tag the first 11 people who comment on this post.

The Next Big Thing

I was tagged by Summer Ross in

the Next Big Thing!

Thank you so much, Summer.

1) What is the working title of your book? 1301.

2) Where did the idea come from? This idea came from thinking what life would be like for a supernatural being that had retired from being supernatural. He still has a bit of magic, but he's not like he use to be and glad for it.

3) What genre does it fall under? Paranormal romance.

4) What actors would you cast for your characters if your book was turned into a movie? Hmm, tough one. The protagonist is a large older man and looks good in a beard. A bit like Sean Connery when he was 30 years younger. The protagonist's love interest would be played by Robin Wright. And the villain, maybe Jude Law.

5) What is the one sentence synopsis of your book? A retired demon acquires a price on his head and must either fight or surrender, but one way he loses the woman he loves and the other he loses himself.

6) Will your book be published or represented by an agency? No. I'll be self-publishing it.

7) How long did it take to write the first draft? It took three months. Slow for me because I just didn't have the time to write over the summer.

8) In genre, what books can you compare yours to? 1301 has a definite noir feeling. Similar to Jim Butcher's Dresden Files.

9) Who or what inspired you to write this book? The idea of a retired demon came to me itself. He made himself known.

10) What else about the book might pique readers' interests? 1301 is the first novella in a series about six supernatural tenants living on a mysterious 13th Floor. All of the stories loosely connect.

Since this meme has been going around a lot, I pass it on to anyone that wishes to promote their WIP.

Friday Five for October 19th

1. Thank you for all the enthusiasm about L'il Gal Al and the Zombies of Amarillo. It's great to finally have it out there and to supply y'all with some Halloween reading. I've gotten mixed reviews. It makes me anxious and I start to doubt myself. Then I want to put another story out to blow everyone's socks off. Oh the ups and downs of being a writer!

2. I haven't done a sales update recently. Fearless continues to be strong on Amazon. This past month, the UK sales doubled and beat out the US ones. Sales on Smashwords have slowed. I hope to get a boost next week with my Fearless tour from Shades of Rose Marketing. Here are my stats since the release. I'll put up L'il Gal Al's stats too.
    Fearless                                                                      L'il Gal Al
       Amazon - 3055                                                           2
       Smashwords - 731                                                      24
       B&N -  3                                                                    0

3. Something new I learned this week: Kobo does not show the stats on downloads for free books. I've been under the impression for a long time that I've sold nothing on Kobo. I might have had a lot of downloads or none, but I'll never know.

4. I lost my morning writing time this week because I substituted at my son's preschool while his teacher was away on vacation. I've always admired teachers greatly, but I've gained an even higher appreciation for them this week. Thankfully the class just lasts for 2.5 hours in the morning. I don't think I could've make it through a full day! My energy levels can't match that of seven toddlers.

5. My writer's group meets tomorrow, but I've no other plans for the weekend other than grocery shopping and recycling. I have a Halloween party on the 27th, but I still haven't found a costume yet. My husband's going as Superman from an alternate world. A world where Superman landed in Russia rather than the US. Hehehe! I told him I was going to give him the Superman curl. I wonder if he'll let me.

Have a great weekend!

L'il Gal Al now available

L'il Gal Al and the Zombies of Amarillo

A dime-store western with bite!

Now available at

Smashwords (free)

Amazon

B&N

Kobo (free)

Please take a moment and do the price-matching

thing on Amazon. I'd love for it to be

free there too.

Blurb:

Alma Sweeney might be scrawny, but the last yahoo that called her "L'il Gal Al" got shot in the foot.

Using her frontier skills to protect travelers and businesses alike, Alma escorts a group of settlers into Amarillo, a town with too many yellow flowers, drunks, and zombies. Within minutes of her arrival, she finds herself doing the sheriff's job. He's a nice enough fellow, but a little green, and he has no clue how to stop the horror dragging itself into his town.

Lucky for the sheriff, he has Alma. Her first night in town yanks her into a foul mystery. Zombies walk the streets and people are driven from their homes and businesses. Alma thinks it easily solved, but in the desert, things aren't always as they seem. The clock is ticking and the zombies are swarming. Alma needs to know where to point her gun or else be torn into pieces.

 

Yeehaw! It's here! I'm excited. All the sites had it up quickly too. I'm also nervous. This is very different from Fearless. No romance or stuffed hippos! Just a scrawny cowgirl and zombies. Here's hoping that L'il Gal Al is well received and that she doesn't get eaten alive.

Did I Notice Your Book Blogfest

This great blogfest was created by Ciara Knight and Alex J. Cavanaugh. It gives us an opportunity to shout-out about books. You can choose any book except your own or something that has been on New York Times or USA Today best sellers list.

DON'T tell the author you're featuring their book. Instead, shout-out on social media sites and encourage others to do the same until the author notices. Then leave a comment with Ciara or the Ninja Captain when they do.

Check out the other participants' posts and find some great new reads!

I decided to choose a book by an author that doesn't regularly visit my blog. I have so many great friends who are fabulous writers. I'd shout-out their books all the time if I could! But they'd likely see my post before hearing about it on the internet. Here's my pick.

Blurb: My name is Amelia Gray. I'm a cemetery restorer who sees ghosts. In order to protect myself from the parasitic nature of the dead, I've always held fast to the rules passed down from my father. But now a haunted police detective has entered my world and everything is changing, including the rules that have always kept me safe.It started with the discovery of a young woman's brutalized body in an old Charleston graveyard I've been hired to restore. The clues to the killer--and to his other victims--lie in the headstone symbolism that only I can interpret. Devlin needs my help, but his ghosts shadow his every move, feeding off his warmth, sustaining their presence with his energy. To warn him would be to invite them into my life. I've vowed to keep my distance, but the pull of his magnetism grows ever stronger even as the symbols lead me closer to the killer and to the gossamer veil that separates this world from the next.

Buy it on Amazon!

Author: Amanda Stevens is an avid reader, a wannabe taphophile, and a collector of all things Alfred Hitchcock. When she’s not writing, she likes taking road trips to Austin. And to Marfa. And to old cemeteries.

You can connect with her on Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, her blog, and her website.

This one has been on the top of my TBR list for a while. I've heard fantastic things about it, but my local library doesn't have it and I'm a poor writer. This book was recommended to me by a fellow reader on Goodreads. I wouldn't have heard about it otherwise. Now I'm passing on the shout-out!

Teaser Tuesday with Gunmetal Magic

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

One of my favorite urban fantasy worlds is the Kate Daniels' world created by Ilona Andrews. It's what our world would be like after a magical apocalypse and magic is still creating chaos. Gunmetal Magic focuses on Andrea Nash, a friend of Kate's. Andrea's love interest is the irresistible Raphael. Mmm. I never thought a were-hyena could be so sexy!

Here's your teaser:
Ew. Well, that explained the light security. They had an undead guarding them. (page 66)

GUEST POST ALERT!
I'm over at M. Pepper Langlinais' blog today with a post on writing zombies in celebration of the release of L'il Gal Al and the Zombies of Amarillo. Please stop by and let us know what you like or dislike about zombies.

The Second Sign Cover Reveal

The Second Sign by Elizabeth Arroyo

Publisher: Sapphire Star Publishing

Genre: Young Adult Dark Fantasy/ Paranormal Romance

Release Date: February 07, 2013

   

Synopsis:

 

Bred to believe in the war between angels and demons, Gabby has come to the conclusion that love is responsible for war, jealousy, and all the other deadly sins she can think of. So when she’s exiled to the middle of nowhere for getting kicked out of her fifth school for fighting, she doesn't expect to meet Jake. Much less fall in love. But Jake is quickly drawn to the eerie beauty of her violet eyes while Gabby is unsettled by their undeniable connection.

When a demon guardian comes to collect her soul, she refuses to give it up. She’s not a demon. She can’t be. Her father and twin brother are angels. The demon gives Gabby twenty-four hours to decide her allegiance, and then starts killing her short list of friends, leaving a message behind: She is the Second Sign.

As Gabby and Jake begin to unravel the mystery behind the Second Sign, she learns Jake may be the key to saving her soul. But it means a sacrifice has to be made that will change their lives forever.

Check out Elizabeth:

Website: www.elizabetharroyo.com

Blog: http://chandarawrites.blogspot.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/EArroyo5

Facebook Author Page: http://www.facebook.com/elizabetharroyo.author

Catching up on Sunday

It's been a busy week! The pumpkin patch was a lot of fun last weekend. My son's asking to go back. It's tempting since it doesn't cost anything to just hang out and visit with the animals.

I've loaded up L'il Gal Al and the Zombies of Amarillo to the various sites. It was much easier this time around. It's already up on Smashwords and Amazon. I'll be waiting until later this week to announce it officially when I have all the links. You guys get the early bird notice!

I've been working hard on my latest project. I'm halfway through the second novella of the series and I found the perfect covers. Good thing too, because I was wasting a lot of time fussing about covers. I had the perfect image in my mind, but of course, it was not to be found or made. I hope to tell you more about the series very soon.

Less than a month away from NaNoWriMo! I'm going to be writing a superhero story. I've already created general character outlines for the heroes and villains. My team of villains is magnificent! I favor them over the good guys. That does not bode well for my heroes!

My son has been loving preschool and I'm loving the time I get to write. I lose both my mornings this coming week, though. One is my scheduled day to be the assistant, and the other I volunteered to take because the teacher is going to be away on vacation. I took Jack (my laptop) to the library on Thursday morning. Libraries aren't quiet places any more. There were at least six men in suits with their laptops and phones doing business. Individually. Offices too expensive these days? I was more productive sitting in the car writing.

The Walking Dead premieres tonight! It's a zombie kind of month.

The Look Challenge

Thank you to the lovely Summer Ross who tagged me

in this new LOOK Challenge.

The rules are simple: count the LOOKs in your current WIP

and then choose your three favorite paragraphs to post here.

I'm going to go with the first novella in my new paranormal series I'm working on. The rough draft name is 1301. It has 41 LOOKs in it. Not too bad for nearly 17,000 words.

Here are my favorite three paragraphs:

1) “What do you kno—” The demon frowned and then grinned as the tension drained away from his body. “Ah, well now. The Marquis. Never thought I'd see you again. Especially not looking like a lumberjack's grandpappy.”

 

2) “Well look at us!” Vetis laughed and put a little spin to his flames. “I haven't had a fight like this in centuries. Ah, how I miss the good ol' days.” He grinned, his bloodied face making him appear like a demonic clown. “Feeling a little tired, old man? Did you need a break so you can piss and take a nap?”

3) “Hey, look up.” Mae rubbed his shoulder. He hadn't realized he'd dropped his head. Their eyes met in the flat plane of the mirror. “I believe in you.”

New Fearless Tour

Shades of Rose Marketing presents

FEARLESS tour

October 22nd - 27th

This tour will be Spotlights only.

Here's the schedule:

22nd - The Ebook Reviewers

23rd- Tara Len Walker

24th - Musings of Ella

25th - New Age Mama
25th - Intriguing Reads

26th - Reading, Writing, and Roses

27th - Reader Girls

If I Let You Go review

It's here! It's here!

Kyra Lennon's newest contemporary romance novella,

If I Let You Go

is now available on
Amazon UK
Amazon.com

Blurb:

Madison Connor is about to lose it. Her job, that is. For three years, she’s taken care of Dominic Hartley’s five year old daughter, Tilly, but her world is flipped on its head when Dominic tells her his latest promotion is taking him to New York. With Tilly having a meltdown over the move, Madison and Dominic get into a fight that changes the entire nature of their relationship, causing Madison to ask herself a big question. Can she let him go?

My review:

Madison has been Tilly's nanny for three years, and she's grown to truly love the sweet little girl. Both their worlds crumble when they learn that Tilly's father, Dominic has a new job and is moving with his daughter to New York. Tilly breaks down and Dominic doesn't know how to deal with her. He relies on Madison for help, but she's struggling with her own heartache. And it's not only about losing Tilly. Can she let go of Dominic too?

Kyra Lennon, author of Game On, has captured the reader once again with an incredibly well written tale of love, laughter, friends, and family. I found myself immediately fond of the little girl, Tilly. She's bright and playful, and her meltdown yanks at your heart. Madison is a strong protagonist, and the reader is easily caught up in her emotional turmoil. It's a tricky situation to be in having feelings for your boss, especially not knowing exactly where you stand. And speaking of bosses, Dominic is hot! One of the things I love about Kyra's books is that the characters are surrounded by friends and family. They don't go through anything alone. (It's one of my pet peeves when protagonists are totally isolated from people.)

This is an amazing contemporary romance novella that makes you giggle, cry, and swoon. It has powerful cast of characters and a clean modern style. I highly recommend If I Let You Go to anyone who loves a good love story.

Author Bio:

Kyra Lennon was born on the South coast of England, and to this day, still lives by the sea. Fiction writing has always been her passion, but she also has numerous articles on a variety of topics published on prolific websites.

Kyra’s debut novel, Game On, was released in July 2012 and the second book in the series, Blindsided, is due for release in November 2012.

Where to find Kyra:

Blog/Twitter/Facebook/Goodreads

Wicked Wednesday - my experience with RWA

Last year for my birthday, my husband paid for my membership with Romance Writers of America (RWA). I was very excited to become part of their organization. I've heard such great things about them. Annual dues are expensive (for me), but if I asked for it every year for my birthday, it would work out. Now as the year goes by, I will not be renewing my membership.

There are two reasons for this: I have neither the time nor the money to fully take advantage of what RWA offers.

IF you have the time and money, you can benefit from membership. They have tons of online workshops, but they cost money. I've heard the conventions are incredible, but they're a lot of money. The contests introduce new writers to agents and publishers, but they have entry fees. I've heard a lot of success stories from authors who've won RWA contests.

It'll cost $95 dollars to renew my membership. I've gotten nothing out of it this past year except a subscription to the Romance Writers Report (RWR) and a monthly newsletter. I've enjoyed both, but that's all I've gotten out of my membership other than saying that I'm a member. Has that benefited me? I don't know. I'm sure some folks are impressed to see I'm a member, but it's only because I paid for it.

To join the local chapter of RWA, it would be another $50 every year. I wouldn't be able to get to the meetings since they're too far away nor would I have the time to go to the conventions.

IF you have the time and money, and you're serious about a career as a romance writer, I would suggest becoming part of RWA. You do get many benefits non-members don't get. Conventions, dues, contests, and workshops are expensive. At least to a family that must watch every dollar they are. I would enjoy all those privileges IF I had the time and money. Perhaps one day I will, and I would happily become a member again, but I haven't benefited from my membership at this time. I have to pass on it for now.

Have you considered membership with RWA? Or if you're already a member, have you benefited from joining?

Teaser Tuesday with Grave Memory

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

I've been waiting for this one ever since I read the first two books in the series. Grave Memory by Kalayna Price is a paranormal romance where the protagonist is on more than friendly terms with Death himself. And he's quite gorgeous!

Here's your teaser:
I no longer feared my magic had gone awry. Everything the shade said confirmed what the ghost told me in my office. (page 53)

SFWA approved markets

The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) is one of the most well known and well respected of the world's writers organizations. This year, it has been one of my goals to get a story accepted by a SFWA approved venue. I haven't had any luck yet, but I'm going to keep trying. Once I have one story accepted, I qualify to be an Associate Member. Three sales grant you Active membership.

I currently have one short story with an approved venue and I'm waiting on the verdict. Plus, I've written my story for this month and I'll be sending it out to another one. I'll keep trying even if I don't make it this year. Even if I earn Active membership, I'll keep submitting!

Here are some SFWA approved short story markets in case you're looking to join the SFWA too. Good luck in all your writing endeavors!

• AE (guidelines)  – NEW
• Analog Science Fiction and Fact (guidelines)
• Apex (starting with June 2008 issue) (guidelines)
• Asimov’s Science Fiction (guidelines)
• Beneath Ceaseless Skies (guidelines)
• Brutarian (guidelines)
• Bull Spec (guidelines)
• Cemetery Dance (guidelines)
• Chizine (guidelines)
• Cicada (guidelines)
• Clarkesworld Magazine (guidelines)
• Cosmos (guidelines (PDF))
• Cricket (guidelines)
• Daily Science Fiction (guidelines)
• Dragon (guidelines)
• EscapePod (guidelines) — NEW
• Flash Fiction Online (guidelines)
• Grantville Gazette (starting with May 2007 issue) (guidelines)
• Highlights — (guidelines)
• Lightspeed Magazine — (guidelines)
• The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction (guidelines)
• Nature (guidelines)
• Odyssey (guidelines)
• Orson Scott Card’s InterGalactic Medicine Show (guidelines)
• The Pedestal Magazine (guidelines)
• Redstone Science Fiction (guidelines)
• Strange Horizons (guidelines)
• Subterranean Magazine (no guidelines available; no unsolicited subs)
• Tor.com (guidelines)

One Lovely Blog Award

Thank you very much to the marvelous Clare Dugmore

for this award.

This one has been going around a lot lately. We all know the drill by now. Seven random facts.

1) I decorated for Halloween already. My son is uninterested in the decorations, but my husband keeps telling me there's too many!

2) I sometimes randomly start talking with a Canadian, British, or southern US accent. Most of those times, I don't notice unless someone points it out.

3) Halloween is my favorite holiday. I love seeing people in costumes!

4) I was a vegetarian for 15 years until I got pregnant. Now I crave meat a lot.

5) I shampooed my carpet and took great satisfaction in how it looked. Never in my life would I've thought I would ever think such a thing! I'm not the domestic type.

6) I hate wearing belts.

7) My husband refuses to speak in his Severus Snape voice while we're in bed together. That's no fun!

I pass on this award to all of you who have seven more random facts you'd like to share!

Winners of the Birthday Bash giveaway

Thank you so much to everyone for the birthday wishes. I love this community! You guys are awesome.

I also want to give a big thank you to Aubrie Dionne who gifted me with a blog tour for FEARLESS from Shades of Rose Marketing. It's set for the week of the 22nd. I have the banner with the link on my sidebar.

The winners of the Birthday Bash giveaway are:

Summer Ross
and
Jeremy Bates

Congratulations!
I'll be in contact with you shortly.

Jeremy did ask if he won, the book be donated to charity or the library.
I'm going to the library today or tomorrow.
I've always wondered what you had to do to donate.

Birthday Bash and Fearless Giveaway

It's that time of year again.

CAKE!

Please join me for a piece of cake and a drink.

I'm excited and likely on a sugar high.

Today I'm giving away two signed copies of FEARLESS.

I'll send them anywhere in the world.

All you have to do is comment

and leave your email address.

I'll choose the winners with Random.org.

You have 24 hours.

I'll be posting the winners tomorrow.

Good luck!

L'il Gal Al and the Zombies of Amarillo

Scrawny cowgirl vs. zombies

L'il Gal Al is a dime-store western with bite. A little cheesy and gory, and full of southern twang.

Blurb:
Alma Sweeney might be scrawny, but the last yahoo that called her "L'il Gal Al" got shot in the foot.

Using her frontier skills to protect travelers and businesses alike, Alma escorts a group of settlers into Amarillo, a town with too many yellow flowers, drunks, and zombies. Within minutes of her arrival, she finds herself doing the sheriff's job. He's a nice enough fellow, but a little green, and he has no clue how to stop the horror dragging itself into his town.

Lucky for the sheriff, he has Alma. Her first night in town yanks her into a foul mystery. Zombies walk the streets and people are driven from their homes and businesses. Alma thinks it easily solved, but in the desert, things aren't always as they seem. The clock is ticking and the zombies are swarming. Alma needs to know where to point her gun or else be torn into pieces.

Did I surprise you with a western horror? This is nothing like the paranormal romance I usually write. It's fun to write outside of your genre now and then, though. I also love old west stories with a twist. Maybe some steampunk, the supernatural, or an alien. Let your imagination take you to places beyond the dusty old saloon.

I hope to have this novelette out in a couple of weeks. I'll be offering it for free. A Halloween treat for you.

Don't forget to join me tomorrow for the big Birthday Bash and giveaway!

Insecure Writer's Support Group for October 2012

The Insecure Writer's Support Group (IWSG) is the brilliant idea of Alex J. Cavanaugh. The purpose of the group is to share doubts and insecurities and to encourage one another. Please visit the other participants and share your support. A kind word goes a long way.

I'm skipping my usual Wicked Wednesday post because I feel I've been lacking substance in them lately. Actually, I feel like I'm not doing enough blogging and networking. Yes, yes, look how many posts I've been putting up and I have a ton scheduled for this month, but I've cut back on my time spent online and I feel badly for it.

I need to write. I'm sure everyone understands that. I want to increase my productivity and for that, I need time away from the internet. While I'm forgiving of anyone else that says such a thing on their blog, I find it difficult to forgive myself. It's not unusual that I hold myself to different standards than other people. I know as a writer, the most important thing I need to do is write. I need to balance it with everything else in my life. Logic has no place amongst emotions, though.

Do you hold yourself to different standards than you do other people?

Teaser Tuesday with Break Out

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Outer space and vampires. Need I say more than that? Break Out by Nina Croft is the first in the Blood Hunter novels.

Here's your teaser:
This was her first time on a pirate ship, and she was impressed despite herself. She'd been expecting something a little bit seedy. (page 23)

He Came For Mine now available

He Came For Mine

Book Two in The Protector Series

By C.M. Brown

Available as and eBook at:

Smashwords

and

Amazon

Price: $2.99

Add He Came For Mine to your TBR list on Goodreads

For the next two weeks Carolyn is holding a Rafflecopter Draw on her Blog, to celebrate the following three reasons:

1. The release of Book Two in the Protector Series

2.   One full year of Blogging!

&

3.   Twelve months since the launch of Book One in The Protector Series!

Prizes will include:
One $20 AUD (Australian Dollars) Amazon Gift Card
One free eBook of Book Two in The Protector Series, He Came For Mine!
One free book cover illustration by Rebekah Romani
TO ENTER CLICK HERE!
Also, during the two week launch
Book One, in The Protector Series

He Came For Me

will be free as an eBook
to download
from
Smashwords

JUST USE THIS CODE: 
RF83E

Synopsis:

This book continues the story of Jazz and Sebastian's fated love affair.  Sebastian abandoned Jazz at the end of book one and returns to his home world of Aidensdein, which was burned to the ground when Jazz escaped from his nemesis Brennan.  He is kept busy rebuilding the city and restoring order to his people.

Unfortunately, Jazz is left alone to transform into a part-vampire and deliver their child on her own.  Seb, of course does not know that she is even pregnant when he leaves her.  As Jazz tries to survive the changes to her own body and raise a young vampire, she finds herself being drawn into a relationship with someone who looks very much like Seb.  Can she trust this stranger, or should she be wary?

You can connect with Carolyn

c.m.brown.books@gmail.com

http://cmbrown-books.blogspot.com.au/

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