Celebrate Christmas with the #PNRFeast giveaway and 99c sale!

Happy Christmas to you all!

I'm so excited to be celebrating with a big group of talented authors this year. Look at all those marvelous paranormal romances and urban fantasy books. All for only 99 cents!

Click on the image or HERE to find the sale and a great giveaway!

The marvelous A.A. Chamberlynn and T.F. Walsh came to me to be part of this fantastic celebration. In fact, we had so much fun setting it up, we're going to do even more group sales and giveaways next year. Keep an eye on the fantasybookgiveaways site, and if you get the chance, please do participate. It's a great way to get out to new readers.

Please have a safe and happy holiday season.

 

Aliens are among us!

Savannah Janowitz’s perfect life was destroyed the night she and her boyfriend vanished without a trace. When she reappears a year later––alone––she’s a shell of her former self. Robbed of her popularity and her boyfriend, she has no memory of what happened to her. Savannah struggles to move forward as strange, new abilities manifest.

Evan Sullivan never gave extra-terrestrials much thought until the night he and Savannah were abducted. While Savannah’s memory was wiped clean, he remembers every horrific detail. Constantly reminded of the experiments that made him less than human, Evan hides in the shadows and watches Savannah rebuild her life without him.

But neither can let the other go. When their paths cross, Savannah and Evan finally see a glimmer of their old lives return. As they face what happened to them, they soon discover they aren’t safe. There’s more to fear than what’s hiding in the stars.

 

 

About the author:

When Patricia Josephine isn't writing, she is watching Doctor Who or reading about serial killers. It is her dream to one day have what resembles a petting zoo. She is also an avid knitter. One can never have too much yarn! She also writes young adult under the name Patricia Lynne.

Links:

Book on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33139773-abducted-life

Website: http://www.patricialynne.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/plynne_writes

Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/108938106639683446081

youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/patricialynne07

 

Cradle Rock blog tour

I'm so please to have the ever awesome Tara Tyler here today! I'm huge on the outdoors. We get a state park pass every year and love to explore. Here are some hiking do's and don't's from Tara.

When I was younger, single, and carefree, I didn’t know how great I had it! The freedom was ridiculous compared to now. It was basically just me and my dog, Cody. Greatest dog ever!

We lived in scenic Georgia, and Cody and I would go to parks and hike all the time. Loved going to waterfalls, rivers, and mountains. Nothing major, but it was a lot of fun. I miss those times!

Today, I’m sharing a few pics and some do’s and don’t’s for hiking!

CODY!

DO'S

• Do Scope out the park before you go - if you’re a beginner, don’t do a five mile hike through rough terrain. The levels of difficulty are usually marked.
• Do Pay attention and watch your step - roots and branches and rocks pop up out of nowhere! - some side paths are not meant for you! - shady trails dry slowly, watch for slippery mud.
• Do Use a “map my walk” app - it keeps track of how far you walk and you’re less likely to get lost.
• Do Be aware of wildlife, you’re walking around in their house.
• Do Wear comfortable, sturdy, not afraid to get dirty shoes.
• Do Dress appropriately, trails are usually cooler than the temperature predicts.
• Do Bring water.
• Do Remember where you parked.
• Do Donate if there’s a box for it. Save the parks!
• Do Take only pictures and leave only footprints!

DON'T'S

• Don’t litter!
• Don’t jump in the river - it may look inviting on a hot summer day, but rivers are quick-moving and frigid year round! Fishing is fine if it’s legal
• Don’t go too far. Pace yourself. If you start to feel winded or tired, head back. Unless you’re doing a loop, remember the return trip is as far as the trip out.
• Don’t freak out if you lose reception - I never had a phone in my hiking days, no one did for thousands of years and we survived! - use the sun as your guide
• Don’t be afraid to go by yourself, I did most of my hiking trips with just me and my puppy and many times I never saw another soul. But these days, bringing a friend might be safer…

Recently, I brought my boys hiking on one of the easy trails near my parents. Unfortunately, it was spring and the bees were happily buzzing in droves, so these “citified” boys didn’t enjoy it as much as they should have.

In Beast World, the young beasts have to hike around in uncharted territory, facing many dangers in unmarked forests. They experience more Don’t’s than Do’s! Gabe is hardly an outdoorsman, but he is determined. And with his werewolf buddy, Rove, they’re able to traverse the wilds.

Kids these days need more exposure to fresh air and nature and discovery! My recommendation to everyone in this stressed out, virtual world of technology…

TAKE A HIKE!

Thanks so much for having me, Christine! Always love stopping by here. Do you guys have any hiking experience or advice? I'd love to hear it!

WELCOME BACK TO THE FOREST!

CRADLE ROCK, Beast World Book Two

by Tara Tyler

Gabe the goblin just saved his town Broken Branch Falls from splitting apart. He also revealed that humans--horrible creatures of myth and legend--may actually be part of their history! But seriously? Nah!

Now Ona, Gabe’s girlfriend, is headed thousands of miles away to Camp Cradle Rock for Spring Break seeking evidence of humans. Gabe knows better than to tell a stubborn ogress she’s crazy, so he’s letting her go and spending the break at the beach like a normal teenage beast. And he’s determined to have a good time without her, whether he likes it or not.

But when Gabe hears Ona went missing, he and his friends set out for the wilds of the west to find her, no matter what dangerous creatures get in his way. Not even humans.

Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble ~ Goodreads

Check out the Book Trailer!

Tara Tyler has had a hand in everything from waitressing to rocket engineering. After moving all over, she now writes and teaches math in Ohio with her three active boys and Coach Husband. Currently she has two series, Pop Travel (techno-thriller detective capers) and Broken Branch Falls (fantasy adventures). To squeeze in writing, she economizes her time aka the Lazy Housewife. Make every day an adventure!

Talk to me!
Author Blog ~~ @taratylertalks ~~ Facebook ~~ Housewives Blog


I'm also giving away signed copies of Broken Branch Falls and Cradle Rock, some Beast World swag, and a $20 GC!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

What makes a good flash fiction piece? - guest post by Juneta Key

I'm excited to be swapping posts with the awesome Juneta Key today. Please enjoy her excellent article about flash fiction, and hop on over to her blog to get a peek into my home and find out the little everyday things which helped inspire the Totem series.

 

Thank you so much, Christine, for inviting me to guest post on your blog today and post swap. You ask me.

What makes a good flash fiction piece?

To answer that question, we need to understand what flash fiction is about. It is a short story under 1000 words, generally right at or around 500 words. Flash fiction is the length of one short scene with emotional IMPACT using shocks, twists, irony, OR something deeply meaningful to end it.

Anything less than 500 that is Micro Fiction, which has several sub-categories, or anything more than 1000 words which would still be considered a short story, not flash fiction. The purpose of micro fiction is to express interesting ideas or tell a brief story in as few words as possible differing it from flash which depicts a scene or a “moment or realization” in the life of your character.

• Flash fiction should possess all the qualities of story and scenes with the presentation of character with one problem. (hook & inciting incident)
• At least 1 or 2 possibly conflicts to carry the story forward. (action) (brevity)
• And a brief ending, creating an overall satisfying capsule of the story. The short word limit only has room to capture a meaningful or powerful moment in the character’s life.

Flash fiction should give the reader some satisfaction with its ending. The more complete and self-contained the story the better.

• I try to create a “semblance” of the 3-arc structure when I write flash fiction keeping it loose with word limits.
• One or two descriptive words for character e.g. nervous typist, sarcastic officer, disillusion magician
• One or two descriptive words for setting, e.g. windy sidewalk = city, snowy incline = anything from hill to Everest or ski resort, sweltering heat = anything from the beach to desert, rolling hills = countryside/farmland. The setting can be woven into the conflict with descriptive words. (middle)

The key is to weave in descriptive and action words to create emotion, forward action, intriguing and interesting conclusions. Flash is so brief the most you hope for is to evoke emotion in the reader or leave questions and possibilities.

• Remember conflict= action taken, has consequence for the character: It is not just a sequence of unrelated events.

Make the character responsible for his choices and actions.

• Action = reaction BUT conflict has real consequence for the character to deal with or accept, a lot of times with compounding effects.

I prefer flash fiction that engages me, evocates reaction, thought, curiosity, irony, and/or the shock factor. 

The shock factor must be meaningful, or I won’t read that author again.  It must intrigue or raise a question, not make me feel bad or disappointed.  It must be consistent with the tone of the story.

StorytimeBlog Hop flash fiction by several different authors in 2015 & 2016

Dragon Smoke & Wind by Karen Lynn (This one is one of my favorite from July 2016 blog hop.

 

Deep Current whisks you away!

Always read the fine print when making a bargain with a sea hag.

Lost to the clutches of her grief of losing her mentor, Saskia Dorn welcomes the opportunity to take down a warehouse of drug dealers. When their leader makes a break for it, Saskia and her ex-boyfriend, Sedge, chase the criminal shifter into the sea off the coast of northwestern Alaska. Not only do they lose their quarry, but a vicious sea hag snatches Sedge.

Saskia can’t take another loss and attempts to bargain for Sedge’s life and the salmon totem the witch has trapped in her cave. The sea hag wants only one thing: her long lost love. Who is dead. And living under the freaking ocean with the Salmon People. Find the Salmon People and return with the witch’s love before Sedge’s life is forfeit. Simple, right? Yet she can’t leave the Salmon People’s land without finding herself first. 

Coming February 6th, 2017.

Pre-order it on Amazon.

Add it to read on Goodreads.

Saskia's gaze is intense! If she were really staring at me that way, I'd be backing up and making a hasty retreat.

This was a tricky cover in terms of lighting. This story takes place at night on the sea and under the ocean. I wanted to make it look like night, but I couldn't make the background too dark or else no one would be able to see the ice floes. Going too dark with the image had it looking like someone made a snowman in the background.

I also wanted to darken the shadows on the model to match the background. She was brilliantly lit, and it was difficult to dim down the brightness to create the effect I wanted without washing her out completely. Hopefully I achieved the look of almost night.

But what I wonder most is why the sisters are always wearing tank tops in the cold of Alaska? *LOL* Good thing they can just shift into polar bears.

When Animals Attack: The 70 Best Horror Movies With Killer Animals

The definitive horror movie guide for fans of killer animals and “nature strikes back” movies.

When Animals Attack: The 70 Best Horror Movies with Killer Animals provides a fascinating and entertaining insight into the cinematographic world of animals on the rampage. From well-known predators such as sharks and lions to unusual killing machines like turkeys, elephants, frogs, cats, and rabbits, there is no shortage of the species on display in this book.

Leading horror writers and filmmakers present their favorite “animals attack” films through in-depth essays. Some of the films are touching, some are repulsive, and some are just plain silly. Not all of these horror movies line up with the critical consensus, yet they have one thing in common: they have made the heart of the writer beat faster with excitement.

Seventy leading horror authors, bloggers, and filmmakers have contributed to the book. To name a few: Paul Kane, Alex J. Cavanaugh, Christine Rains, Jonas Govaerts, Aaron Christensen, Warren Fahy, Matthew House, Stuart R. West, Kate Larkindale, Doug Lamoreux, Michael McCarty, Mark McLaughlin, Beverly Gray, Chris Hewson, and many others.

 Buy the book now at:

Amazon US * Amazon UK * Amazon FR

Add the book to read on Goodreads.

I'm so excited to be a part of this amazing collection. I don't often write nonfiction, but this was right up my alley. I love horror movies, especially with creatures. I wrote about Snakes on a Plane, and just thinking about the movie makes me grin.

A huge thank you to Vanessa Morgan for putting this together. I'm honored to be part of it. Click on over to her blog. She's having a celebration giveaway!

#IWSG for December 2016

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.

This month's awesome co-hosts are: Jennifer Hawes, Jen Chandler, Nick Wilford, Juneta Key, JH Moncrieff, Diane Burton, and MJ Fifield!

The December IWSG question: In terms of your writing career, where do you see yourself five years from now, and what’s your plan to get there?

I already write full-time, even though there never seems like enough time to do everything! I'd love to see myself making at least a regular paycheck equal to my husband's. I'm not aiming to be a millionaire, but to double our household income would be awesome.

I'm working hard on putting more books out there and learning about marketing. I'm doing good with the first one, but not so great with the second. My fear is that I will never be able to figure out how to properly market my books, and that luck will never be on my side when it comes to sales.

Has this fear stopped me? Nope. I'll keep on pushing forward and trying new things.

Ghost Cat prowls into pre-order!

Bigfoot is rampaging through a small fishing town, and he has friends.

The whispers say a boy is missing. Kinley Dorn can’t ignore them. The last time she did, a giant almost killed her. Her investigation in the boy’s disappearance leads her and her boyfriend, Ransom Averill, to a village on Lake Iliamna. Unfortunately, that boy isn’t the only child missing.

Some folks claim Bigfoot is taking the children, but the gentle creature usually stays away from humans. Kinley believes a totem is making Bigfoot act strangely, but can she and Ransom find it before more kids are abducted?

Coming January 23rd, 2017.

Pre-order it on Amazon. 

 Add it to read on Goodreads.

I hope this cover is as haunting as I feel it to be. I did very little in the creation of it. Sorry! No big story on this one. The model was perfect. Not even any flyaway hairs for me to deal with.

The background is one of my favorites. I use it here on my blog. The fog and snow create the perfect atmosphere.

* * * * *

Only 20 days until Christmas! Are you all ready for the holidays?

I've been working on a special Holiday Feast (of books!) with other authors, and wow! It's going to be huge. Check out the page for details! I'll be keeping you updated.

Cradle Rock flies into retailers!

WELCOME BACK TO THE FOREST!

Gabe the goblin just saved his town Broken Branch Falls from splitting apart. He also revealed that humans--horrible creatures of myth and legend--may actually be part of their history! But seriously? Nah!

Now Ona, Gabe’s girlfriend, is headed thousands of miles away to Camp Cradle Rock for Spring Break seeking evidence of humans. Gabe knows better than to tell a stubborn ogress she’s crazy, so he’s letting her go and spending the break at the beach like a normal teenage beast. And he’s determined to have a good time without her, whether he likes it or not.

But when Gabe hears Ona went missing, he and his friends set out for the wilds of the west to find her, no matter what dangerous creatures get in his way. Not even humans.

Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble ~ Goodreads

Check out the Book Trailer!

Three cheers for Tara! I'm so lucky to have already read Tara's newest awesome release. I love her Beast World series. It gives me the same feelings as the Harry Potter world. Check out my review for Cradle Rock and go pick yourself up a copy!

Here is the list of wonderful CRADLE ROCK RELEASE PARTY POST HOSTS:

	12/5	Patricia Lynne	Nerds Rule
	12/5	Heather R. Holden	Vampires
	12/7	Juneta Key	author spotlight interview
	12/9	Julie Flanders	Teenagers Now vs 80s
	12/9	Elizabeth Seckman	Beast-themed Recipe
	12/12	Lori L. MacLaughlin	Merfolk
	12/14	Sharon Bayliss	Ogres
	12/14	Tyrean Martinson	5 Reasons to use Chapter Titles
	12/16	Michael Di Gesu	Craziest Spring Break Trip
	12/17	Cathrina Constantine	Teen Dating
	12/19	Christine Rains	Hiking Faux Pas
	12/19	Alex J. Cavanaugh	Beast vs Monster - terminology
	12/21	Ann Noser	CR Quotes
	12/21	Heather M. Gardner	Discrimination - joking vs hurting
	1/4	Ken Rahmoeller	Dragons
	1/4	L. Diane Wolfe	Marketing Tips - Live & Online
	1/9	C Lee McKenzie	Grownup Stereotypes
	1/11	M. J. Fifield	Crazy Road Trip
	1/25	Crystal Collier	Poetry & Songs in Stories - Writerly Wed

Tara is also giving away signed copies of Broken Branch Falls and Cradle Rock, some Beast World swag, and a $20 GC!

a Rafflecopter giveaway