Getting Geekier on the Geeky Tour

Space: the final frontier.

These are the nerds who built our ships and gadgets.

Their lifelong mission: to explore strange new fandoms, to seek out new books and new sciences, to boldly go where no geek has gone before.

Today I'm over at the wonderful Ellie Garratt's blog where I'm talking about geeks in space!

You still have a few hours left to enter January's giveaway.

Dice. You know you want them.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

IWSG for January 2013 and an interview with me

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 was ready to write an inspirational post and cheer you all on as the year begins. Start off 2014 with positive thoughts and a good plan.

Then I fell into a mud puddle. I haven't had time to write yet. A week into the new year, and I haven't written anything new. School was canceled due to the horrible weather. My child has found a new super-duper clingy stage. Not a single moment allowed alone for me. The main time I get for myself to write is when the boy is at school. I haven't had any time in nearly three weeks!

To rub it in, I got a rejection to a story I forgot I sent out last year. I thought I'd received all my rejections last month, but I guess I forgot to write this one down. I can taste the grit of the mud now.

I'll stand, splash a few times in the puddle, and then carry on. It wasn't the start to the new year I'd planned, but I'll keep pushing forward on my journey.

How was the start to your new year?

* * * * *

Please pop over to Ellie Garratt's blog for an interview with me.

Find out what my favorite cheesy movies are and tell us yours!

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:
 

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

  

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Congratulations to the winners!

Emails have been sent.

Tara Tyler tagged me!

In case you haven't heard, there's a fantastic new book out called POP TRAVEL. And the wonderful author of that book, Tara Tyler has tagged me. So I must answer four questions. Thank you, Tara!

1. How does your writing process work? 
I have a writing process?! I'm a pantser. I start with the idea of a situation and/or a character. Maybe I'll have a few other aspects of the story in mind, but then I just write. I've tried to plot, but my first draft will take me where it wants to take me. Usually that pure creative stream makes sense, and then it's on to revising and editing.

2. What is the hardest part about writing?

Finding the time to write. It's frustrating on the days I only get a few minutes to myself. But then I remind myself that a few minutes is better than none. Every word you write counts. And if you count the business side as part of writing, marketing is definitely the hardest for me.

3. What would you like to try as a writer that you haven't yet?

I would love to try to write a mystery that stumps everyone and has a brilliant ending. I've written mystery subplots, but it's never been my focus, and I don't think they've been incredibly difficult to figure out. 

4. Who are the authors you most admire?

Stephen King, George R.R. Martin, Karen Marie Moning, J.K. Rowling, and Richelle Mead. These authors created worlds I still return to in my mind and characters that I continue to carry with me. They are master storytellers. 

Now it's my turn to tag four awesome writers:
T.F. Walsh
Ellie M. Garratt
Julie Flanders
Clare Dugmore

Day five of The Ghost blog tour and Taking Time excerpt and giveaway

Thank you for joining me on day five of my tour.
 Don't forget to answer the poll I posted last week on my blog.
Whose origin short story would you like to see in the 13th Floor collection?

It's a big day today with three fabulous hosts.

Join me at Cherie Reich's blog for Chiharo and Jeremy's first kiss.

Heather M. Gardner has written her own post about the 13th Floor novellas. Find out what a reader thinks about the series.

My ultimate dream is to have Joss Whedon make my series into a TV show. I've shared a few casting ideas with you at M.J. Fifield's.

Today's tidbit: I dedicated the book to Cherie's mom. When I was discussing the concept of the series with Cherie, I had the six tenants already planned out. Cherie mentioned my idea to her mom, and her mom said the series needed a ghost. She was absolutely right. THE GHOST wouldn't have been written without her suggestion

 

 

Book blurb:

Science fiction stories of time and space...

The future of humanity must be decided in Next Phase. Winning the Planetary Lottery is not as lucky as it first seems in Schrodinger's Gamble. An apocalypse and its aftermath threaten to tear one couple apart in Daiker's Children. In Life As I Know It a reclusive man finds both his heart and home invaded during an alien harvest. In Taking Time a demon seeking shelter on a distant planet finds himself facing a very different kind of demon, after answering a frontier settlement's plea for help.

Stories range from flash fiction to novelette in length.

Excerpt from Daiker’s Children

I picked up the heavy bundle of survival rations left for me in the exit corridor, took one last look at the door to The Facility through which one kind of future was offered, and then walked out into the yellow-tinged atmosphere of Southern England. The aliens’ offer of a safe living environment and human facsimiles stopped being an option the moment I learnt Jen had not made it to their facility. I had to find her even if it cost my life. She was my world, and a world without her was not one I wanted to live in.

During the days of alien-enforced quarantine–I have no idea how long it lasted because there were no clocks to tell the time or date–I forgot just how acrid Earth’s atmosphere had become. The toxic air outside the facility scratched my lungs like cats clawing sharp talons down my windpipe. My breathing slowed and became more laboured. I could hear myself starting to wheeze. As my eyes burned and watered and my vision deteriorated, I dropped my heavy backpack on the ground and pulled out the gasmask they gave me. A few fumbling seconds later, the clear plastic mask covered my nose and mouth, and cool, clean air refreshed me. Within seconds, my breathing returned to normal though the mask could not remove my memory of devastation’s stink–the sweet scent of burned bodies and a burnt-out civilisation.

I found it hard to believe there was ever a world, a safe world, as I gazed in horror at the toxic wasteland before me. A sea of atomic destruction blinked back. Nothing remained standing or intact except for the ruins of Exeter in the distance. I’d allowed myself to bask in a happy kind of naivety, ignorant of the destructive power our governments and military harboured. Now I faced the consequences. I vowed never to be so naive or stupid again. To find her meant questioning everything. 

BUY TAKING TIME NOW AT AMAZON AND AMAZON UK

Author bio: A life-long addiction to reading science fiction and horror meant writing was the logical outlet for Ellie Garratt’s passions. She is a reader, writer, blogger, Trekkie, and would happily die to be an extra in The Walking Dead. Her short stories have been published in anthologies and online. Passing Time: Nine Short Tales of the Strange and Macabre was published in March 2013 and contains nine previously published stories. Taking Time and Other Science Fiction Stories is her second short story collection. 

Great stalking places:

Website | Amazon | Facebook | Goodreads | Twitter

Ellie's having a fantastic giveaway! Win one of two $25.00 (£15) Amazon gift cards and a character named after you in an upcoming novella. 

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W4WS Event for June 2013 and Taking Time cover reveal

Welcome to the June 2013 W4WS event! I'm honored to co-host this event with three talented writers, Mary Pax, C.M. Brown, and Stephen Tremp.  The mission of this group is simple: we have a spotlighted author(s) that we strive to help bring awareness of their book(s) to tens of thousands of new people, increase the sales of their book(s), drive new traffic to their blogs and increase followers, and create verbal and viral buzz.

We've made this simple and fast. It's as easy as a tweet or a RT, and sharing a status on Facebook. Go to the writer's blog and copy a tweet or RT from the posts with the tag #W4WS. The W4WS Facebook page will have all the updates and links for you.

To join the W4WS event, click here for the linky list. It will only take a minute of your time, and you'll have talented writers take a step closer to their dreams. 

This month we're spotlighting the fabulous paranormal author Marta Szemik. Check her out on her blog, Twitter, and Facebook. She has an awesome series called the Two Halves series. You can get the first book, MARKED for FREE on Amazon.

And now onto Ellie Garratt's fantastic new cover!

Book Blurb

Science fiction stories of time and space...

The future of humanity must be decided in Next Phase. Winning the Planetary Lottery is not as lucky as it first seems in Schrodinger's Gamble. An apocalypse and its aftermath threaten to tear one couple apart in Daiker's Children. In Life As I Know It a reclusive man finds both his heart and home invaded during an alien harvest. In Taking Time a demon seeking shelter on a distant planet finds himself facing a very different kind of demon, after answering a frontier settlement's plea for help. Stories range from flash fiction to novelette in length.

Publication date: 15th July 2013

About The Author

A life-long addiction to reading science fiction and horror, meant writing was the logical outlet for Ellie Garratt’s passions. She is a reader, writer, blogger, Trekkie, and would happily die to be an extra in The Walking Dead. Her short stories have been published in anthologies and online. Passing Time: Nine Short Tales of the Strange and Macabre was published in March 2013 and contains nine previously published stories. Her first nine-part science fiction serial will start in September 2013.

Author Links: Website | Amazon | Facebook | Goodreads | Twitter