Happy Halloween and Friday Five for October 31, 2014

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

1. What sort of scary good fun are you having today? My son is really excited. He'll have a party at school and then go trick-or-treating with his best buddy this evening. (If it isn't raining!)

2. Another good writing week. I'm one-sixth of the way done my third and final D&D novella. This one is from the guy's POV, so I've been pestering my husband with a ton of questions!

3. I did some critiquing and wrote up two short skits about bullying for a friend of mine. It's a bit strange for me to write for an eight-year-old audience. I tend to fall into quirky Harry Potter-like prose when I do. But since this was a serious subject, I had to keep it realistic. A good writing exercise.

4. I'll be absent from the cyberworld next week as my mom is visiting. We'll get our Christmas shopping done early. I still have my IWSG post ready to go for Wednesday along with a fantastic guest post by Carol Kilgore on Monday, and the second week of November is Realms Faire. Huzzah!

5. Thank you to everyone who entered my Creepy Freebies giveaway and to all who helped promote it. Thanks to the participating authors for all the awesome free reads. My Kindle is packed with scary stories. A final big thank you to Milo who organized it. I can't wait to do it again next year!

The winners of my Creepy Freebies giveaway are:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Wicked Wednesday - sexy costumes for geeks

I bet when you read the topic for today's post, you immediately thought of Princess Leia in her steel bikini or Captain Mal. While absolutely tantalizing, geeks don't need to see tight clothes on starship captains to find their favorite characters sexy. Someone fully clothed can be just as alluring.

Here are some ideas for costumes that leave everything to the imagination. Just the way we like it!

I see a lot of women dressed as the TARDIS. I understand the desire. I would love to have a TARDIS of my own, but I don't want to dress as one. I'm sure you can think of a few joking comments you'd like to avoid wearing it! So what about other ships? Serenity, the Enterprise, or the Millennium Falcon. Oh, even better, Moya from Farscape. She's a living sentient ship.

Bill Nye the Science Guy. Nothing is sexier than science.

The Bowler from Mystery Men. There's so many guy superheroes out there this year, we need more options for the ladies.

There's nothing as fun as riffing movies. You could be Joel or one of the robots from Mystery Science Theater 3000. I always wondered what a man alone in space with only robots as companions did in the times between he was forced to watch bad films.

And if you really must be Princess Leia in her slave outfit, be LEGO Princess Leia.

What costumes can you suggest that leave everything to the imagination but are just as awesome?

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Have you picked up any Creepy Freebies this week?

All week, participating authors are giving away FREE reads and raffling off books. You can enter to win a signed copy of The 13th Floor Complete Collection. Check out Sunday's post for the details.

CD Coffelt's Mage Revealed - excerpt

Mage Revealed

Book Two of The Magic Withheld series

Struck with enough malevolent Spirit to turn him into a raving beast of a man, Bert Reese fights to remain human. Alone, he walks a slender path between sanity and madness. Then, an unlikely source enters his life to help—one of the now-hated mages.

But Ashleigh is different and calms his butchered senses. Her fierce nature is the only rock that stands between him and the crevasse that is beast. In all ways, she walks beside him toward a new beginning. But at the end of their journey lies the one who used Spirit against him. Questions arise; did Tiarra, head of the Imperium, lose her magic, die, or simply give way to the new order? Or, like a spider, does she wait for a mage to blunder into her web?

Forced on him without a care for his humanity, Bert is the mage who should not exist, born with a different kind of magic.

And the gates of Hell are no match for the magic he wields.

Author C.D. Coffelt’s world of magic started in Wilder Mage with the words “The earthquake wasn’t his fault. Not this time.” It continues in Mage Revealed, the second book of the three-part series. Watch the book trailer on YouTube.

Excerpt from Mage Revealed

Energy slithered around him, encased him and…

Bonded.

All the elements slammed into him at once filling him like a bursting dam, sloshing into a maelstrom of Fire, Earth, Air, Water, and Spirit. Magic filled him, cascaded into every pore of his skin until there was nothing left that was of his essence.

He raised his arms. “I am a wizard,” he said.

His words echoed, like the roll of a bass drum in an empty coliseum.

From his fingertips, fluid lightning forked and shot into the empty sky. A violent whirlwind as tall as he wanted it to be caught up a whirl of leaves. A roar of Fire sprang from the palms of his hands, crowned his head. And Spirit, the silvery element waited for his command, to charge into any foray he so chose.

He turned to the panting women, frozen in the grip of panic and fright.

“I am a wizard,” he said again.

C.D. Coffelt lives outside Skidmore, Missouri with a bemused husband and way too many cats. She is a member of the Missouri Writers Guild. But despite that bit of conventionality, she adores all things fantasy with a special love for urban and epic.

With a passion for good writing and Doritos as companions, locating Middle-Earth on a dusty road in rural Missouri wasn’t difficult. All it took was a little Magic, hours of reading, and an overactive imagination.

She blogs as Huntress on www.spiritcalled.blogspot.com, Facebook, Twitter, and her writer’s critique site, www.unicornbell.blogspot.com.

Find her books at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

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Don't forget to grab your Halloween treat this week.

It's Creepy Freebies! And you could win a signed copy of The 13th Floor Complete Collection. See yesterday's post to enter and get a bunch of terrific free reads from other authors.

Creepy Freebies

It's that time of year again.

Time for some spooky treats!

Creepy Freebies is the brilliant idea of Milo James Fowler.

Because what's better than candy or having your brain eaten by zombies?

FREE BOOKS!

Milo will be giving away a couple of his creepy story collections.

But this isn't a one house treat fest.

All these awesome authors are giving away free reads!

Cory Cone

James Garcia, Jr.

Anne E. Johnson

Simon Kewin
Michelle Ann King

Mary Rajotte

Kay Theodoratus
Erin Cole
Rhonda Parrish

 In celebration of my favorite time of year, and the one year anniversary of The 13th Floor Complete Collection, I'll be giving away a bunch of  treats!

One lucky US winner (sorry, shipping costs are huge!) will win a signed print copy of the collection. It's the last one I have on my shelf to give away!

Three international winners will receive a digital copy of the book.

Don't forget that I also have three novellas that are perma-free:

The Marquis

Fearless

L'il Gal Al and the Zombies of Amarillo

Be sure to visit all the authors and collect your treats!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Friday Five for October 24, 2014

1. I finished the second D&D novella! Woot! It's off with my critique partners now, hopefully making them giggle. Now on to the third one. I had hoped to have them all done by the end of this month, but a broken wrist throws a bone in the wheel of productivity.

2. One short story rejection this week. Two still out there. Submitting short stories is a great way not only to get your name out there, but to build thicker skin.

3. Today I'm assisting at my son's preschool. We made pretzel rod ghosts and grape goblins for a snack. My little guy is super excited about Halloween. I can't wait to see all the kids in their costumes. Are any of you dressing up?

4. I've been watching quite a few new shows this season. And tonight is the premiere of Constantine. I've been oohing and aahing over the commercials. Not that I need to add another show to my schedule, but it looks awesome!

5. Something wicked comes this Sunday. Wicked good! Creepy Freebies is the brilliant idea of Milo James Fowler. Because what's better than candy? Free reads and giveaways! I'll be giving away a signed copy of The 13th Floor Complete Collection. Don't miss out on all the freebies from the participating authors.

Have a great weekend!

Friday Five for October 17, 2014

1. It was a good week for writing. I got a good chunk of the first draft of the second D&D novella done. If I push it, I might be able to finish it in a few days. It feels good to be back in the swing of writing things.

2. I had two short story rejections this week. Both were short-listed at pro venues, so I won't complain. I'll just submit them again. Hopefully next year I'll get a little more time to write short stories. The folder I keep all the unpublished ones in is getting thinner.

3. It's only two weeks until Halloween! Are you dressing up this year? My son is going to be Batman. Tomorrow, we're going to a local event called the Trick-or-Treat Trail. It's a very family friendly event where the kids walk along the trail and meet fairy tale and nursery rhyme characters who do a little act and give out treats. A ton of fun!

4. I've been critiquing and writing and scheduling blog posts since November will be a busy month for me. I do love it when I see my blogger posts and there are a month's worth of posts done. It's only these Friday posts that I type up quick the night before!

5. This week, Twisted Earths was released. Woo-hoo! Nine twisted stories from nine twisted worlds. It's an awesome collection from the authors of Untethered Realms. And something wicked is coming the last week of October. Wicked good! Creepy Freebies is returning this year. I'm giving away books including a signed copy of The 13th Floor Complete Collection.

Have a wonderful weekend!

The 13th Floor collection blog tour continues with two great hosts & Creepy Freebies

Today I'm excited to have two great hosts welcoming me on their blogs along with two unique posts.

Check out Aubrie Dionne's blog for a guest post from Elli. Who's Elli? She's Harriet's cat in THE ORACLE & THE VAMPIRE.

I have some helpful tips for writing urban fantasy on Nutschell Windsor's blog. It's not like traditional fantasy writing at all.

 It's the final Creepy Freebies of the month.

Don't miss out on this awesome scary giveaway.

Head on over to Milo James Fowler's blog for some treats from these fantastic authors:

James Garcia, Jr.

Bob Eccles

Michelle Ann King

Aaron Polson

And the winners of this week giveaway are:
 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Congratulations to the winners!

Emails have been sent. 

The 13th Floor collection blog tour continues, Creepy Freebies, & Giveaway Winners

It's another fabulous Friday on the tour, and we've got a fun stop today. The geeky lone wolf named James from THE ALPHA has written a guest post you don't want to miss. Check it out on the wonderful Cecilia Robert's blog.

 There's a chill in the air, or is it something else?

It's Creepy Freebies time again.

Check out the treats from these talented authors on Milo James Fowler's blog:

Ellie Garratt

Jeff Chapman

Anthony Rapino
Lyndon Perry 

Now on to the giveaway winners! I had two giveaways happening this week.

The winner of the Creepy Freebies giveaway is:
 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Now for the winners of my blog tour (week 3) giveaway

  

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Congratulations to the winners!

Emails have been sent.

The 13th Floor collection blog tour continues, Creepy Freebies, and this week's giveaway winners

Yay for Friday!

Do you have any plans for the weekend?

Make sure to stop by this Sunday. It's the 13th, and I have a special guest that's writing a post for me.

Today I'm so excited to be interviewed by the lovely Heather Musk. She's been sharing her thoughts on the 13th Floor novellas for six weeks prior to October. Now she's picking my brain.

 This is another reason why I'm celebrating Friday.

Milo James Fowler is sharing free ebooks and raffles every Friday this month. Click on over and get yourself a treat.

Today I'm happy to be one of the authors who're participating. You can enter for a chance to win an ecopy of The 13th Floor Complete Collection. Yes! Another giveaway!

I'm honored to be amongst the great authors helping with Creepy Freebies. Today three more magnificent writers are sharing treats:

Simon Kewin

Roland Yeomans
Cate Gardner

Now for this week's giveaway winners!
 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Congratulations to the winners!

I've already sent emails your way.  

The 13th Floor collection blog tour with Vetis, Goodreads Giveaway, & Creepy Freebies

The 13th Floor Collection blog tour continues!

Today my keyboard has been snatched by Vetis, the infamous villain from THE MARQUIS. How he convinced me to let him have his own guest post, I don't know. I'm easily tempted by chocolate, though.

Click on over to Elizabeth Arroyo's blog

to find out what Vetis has to say.

Along with the giveaways happening during the tour, I have a Goodreads giveaway going on for the entire month! (Does anyone know how to invite people on Goodreads to enter a giveaway?)

Goodreads Book Giveaway

The 13th Floor Complete Collection

by Christine Rains

Giveaway ends October 31, 2013.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

 

 It's the first Friday of October. Yay!

Time for Creepy Freebies with Milo James Fowler.

Today you can get treats from these fantastic authors:

Erin Cole

Stoney Setzer
Rhonda Parrish

Milo James Fowler

The Ghosts of Aquinnah cover reveal & Creepy Freebies

Blurb:

A brilliant flash of light transcends through time.

Another freezes a cloaked figure within a frame of salty mist as waves crash against a rocky shore. Her harrowing expression shadows the beacon to a pinprick.

By the next blaze, she is gone. Only the lighthouse remains.

Hannah’s eyes blink in step with each heartbeat. Images of her deceased parents and Martha’s Vineyard explode like firecrackers inside her mind.

She shakes her head.

For weeks this eerie woman dressed in nineteenth century garb has been haunting my webcam, but tonight she stared into my soul.

Why? ...

Who is she? ...

Casting aside months of research on historic lighthouses, Hannah drives to the coast and boards a ferry.

What is the strange connection she has to this mysterious woman suspended in time?

Hannah finds out.

But, it’s not at all what she expects ...

Hannah unravels a century old murder.

Author Bio:

Julie Flanders is a novelist and freelance writer in Cincinnati, Ohio. She has a life-long love affair with the ocean and has spent more summer vacations than she can count on the island of Martha’s Vineyard. When not writing, Julie can be found reading, cheering on her favorite sports teams, and watching too much television. She is an animal lover and shares her home with her dog and cat.

Find Julie at:

Website ~ Blog ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Pinterest ~ Goodreads

The Ghosts of Aquinnah will be released by Ink Smith Publishing on December 5, 2013

Creepy Freebies is back!

Milo James Fowler is giving out scary treats every Friday in October. Raffles and free ebooks. You don't even have to dress in a costume! But it would be cool if you did.

Milo has organized a great line-up of authors sharing their books. I was honored he asked me to be a part of Creepy Freebies. On October 11th, you can enter to win THE 13th FLOOR COMPLETE COLLECTION!

I'll remind you every Friday this October. Books are the best treats!

Don't forget tomorrow is the first day of The 13th Floor Collection blog tour. October is going to be an awesome month!