Writing Life Update

Here I meant to get back into the groove of things, and I stumbled. It's been one of those years I've fallen down a lot on so many levels, but I'm starting to get back on my feet. Little steps, right?

Writing has been slow this year. I managed to get out my Samhain story in good time, but I haven't finished any of the novels I've worked on. That has to stop. A serious writer needs to complete projects. I must stay the course and follow through. To help with that, I'm going to do NaNoWriMo next month. I may lose about nine or ten days due to family stuff, but all those other days can add up big time. I'll be working on a new project for my pen name. A fae story involving a cursed carousel and who knows what else! I'm going to let it surprise me. If you'd like to be my buddy on NaNoWriMo, I'm CRains.

I'm doing great with my reading goals. Mind you, I'm way behind on reading everything I want to read since my TBR list is huge, but I'm nearing 100 books on my Goodreads challenge. I've hit 85!

I just returned from a trip to Canada to visit my family. There are a ton of seasonal events happening this month, and every weekend is busy for me. Life hasn't slowed down all year.

But I have my game nights on Fridays! This has saved my sanity tremendously this year. I finished running The Rise of Tiamat earlier this year. And just this past Friday, we started Curse of Strahd. I'm playing a bard, and I'm obsessed with this new adventure. Good friends creating a story together... There's nothing else like it.

Here's to a productive last quarter of 2019 for all of us!

Seven Summer Reading Freebies!

I've gone a little bonkers with all this summer fun. But in a good way! I'm off soon to spend a week by the lake reading. Glorious peace and calm and books!

I want you to have some blissful reading time this summer too. So I've set up a schedule to provide you with seven free ebooks!

Relax and enjoy.

June 21st - 25th - Of Blood and Sorrow (Book #1)

June 25th - 29th - Dark Dawning (Totem #1)

June 26th - 30th - Silent Whispers (Totem #2)

June 28th - July 2nd - Ghost Dancer (The Paramours #1)

July 1st - 5th - Cloak of Snow (Totem #3)

July 5th - 9th - Big Yearning (The Sasquatch Susies #1)

July 10th - 14th - Loose Corset (Dice & Debauchery #1)

Free and 99c Books Spring Binge!

Start off the spring with a reading binge!

The first three books of my urban fantasy series, TOTEM, are free for five days only.

Dark Dawning (Book #1)

Silent Whispers (Book #2)

Cloak of Snow (Book #3)

And if you're interested in hot romance where the heroine doesn't have to choose, check out the Reverse Harem Book Fair!

This fabulous event showcases some of today's hottest reverse harem authors with a mix of genres to suit every mood. Just click on the image.

Holiday Break along with a guest post!

It's almost time for my holiday break. I plan to do plenty of sleeping and reading for the rest of the month.

Today I'm visiting the wonderful Susan Gourley's blog. Please pop on over and say hello. I'll be sharing a few tips of how to get in some writing and reading over the holidays.

I've been busy writing a holiday story for my pen name these past three weeks, and it grew from a short story into a short novel. Yikes! I need to keep writing and editing to get it out in time.

Please don't forget the Untethered Realms Yuletide Spectacular. It goes through to January 3rd. Six free books and a great giveaway!

And if you're into a different sort of holiday story, I have a sci-fi flash fiction piece coming out on the 23rd in Flash Fiction Magazine. It's called "The Holiday" (original, I know!).

May you all have a happy holiday season!

#IWSG for August 2017

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: Dolarah @ Book Lover, Ellen @ The Cynical Sailor, Yvonne Ventresca, LG Keltner, and me!

Before we get to this month's question and my insecurities, let me tell you about this super fun event!

Show Us Your Writer Insecurity! 

Are you proud to be an insecure writer?

Then show us! 

On Wednesday, October 4 (IWSG Day), post a photo of yourself (or your alter ego) with any of the IWSG swag or with the IWSG logo. Then leave a comment that day at either the IWSG website’s post or the IWSG Facebook post directing us to your photo. (All blog, Facebook, Goodreads, and newsletter members welcome, but photo must be posted on a blog or Facebook to qualify.)

The IWSG site admins will visit each one and pick the top three. Why? Because there are cool prizes involved:

Third place – EBook of A Change of Mind and Other Stories by Nick Wilford, eBook of The Remnant by William Michael Davidson, eBook of Cling to God by Lynda R. Young, eBook of Already Home by Heather M. Gardner, and eBook of Dragon of the Stars by Alex. J. Cavanaugh.

Second place – The entire eBook collection of the Totem series by Christine Rains, eBook of Princess of Las Pulgas by C. Lee McKenzie, audio book of CassaSeries by Alex J. Cavanaugh, eBook of Black and White by Nick Wilford, and your choice eBook from J.L. Campbell.

Grand prize winner - IWSG website interview, IWSG newsletter spotlight, IWSG pinned tweet for one week, C. Lee McKenzie's Featured Follower for the month, the IWSG Goodreads book club eBook for October/November, a short chapter critique, and a pair of IWSG erasers. 

We have some great IWSG swag – pens, mugs, magnets, erasers, etc. Proceeds go to fund the upkeep of the IWSG site. 

You have two months to prepare – show us your best insecurity!

This month's IWSG question: What are your pet peeves when reading/writing/editing? 

I have a lot when reading. Bad grammar, huge plot holes, poor characterization, sloppy formatting, etc. Being a writer has made it more difficult to get past these things, but I do save myself time by putting down books I don't enjoy and moving on to something else.

When I'm writing, it's usually things in the environment that annoy me. Noise, people interrupting, cat interrupting, and if it's too hot.

My insecurities this month: I'm a new admin for the IWSG. I'm so excited about it. I've been a part of the group for a while. I've received such great advice, encouragement, and support, I'm happy to give back to the community. But, of course, I worry if I'll be good enough and be able to keep up with my responsibilities. What if I mess something up? I don't want to disappoint anyone. The admin team is incredibly organized, smart, and creative. I hope my contribution will continue to make the IWSG such an awesome group.

You all can help me with the newsletter. You can do this by sending me your news. I want to hear about new releases, events, and exciting news. Please send an email with "IWSG - news submission" in the subject line to christinerains (dot) writer @ gmail (dot) com. Thank you!

One more awesome announcement I want to share with you about the newsletter: On August 24th at 2:00 pm EST, Chrys Fey will be participating in a LIVE YouTube interview with Evan Carmichael, an entrepreneur who she'll be interviewing about his book Your One Word and getting some great advice for IWSG members. You'll be able to watch the interview live HERE. You can set a reminder if you click on the link, or you can watch it later. The video will be uploaded in the August 30th IWSG newsletter issue.

#IWSG for February 2017

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: Misha Gericke, LK Hill, Juneta Key, Christy, and Joylene Butler!

The IWSG question for this month: How has being a writer changed your experience as a reader?

I confess that sometimes my inner editor will interfere in my reading pleasure. Even if the story is entertaining, a badly written book will infuriate my inner editor. Whether it be technical issues or plot holes or bad characterization, I can't help the frustration.

If those issues are really bad, I will put down the book and not finish it. Five years ago, I would never do such a thing, but my reading time is as valuable as my writing time. I cannot afford to waste my time on a horrible book.

My insecurity this month: Feeling overwhelmed. I know if I just take it one step at a time, I'll be fine. But with the new year, I stepped back and looked at everything I have to do. Then I added more stuff on top of it. What was I thinking? I'm already behind on everything.

Wait, you say. You're a writer. You can make your own schedule.

Yes, I can. But I'm my own worst boss. I demand a lot from myself, and I do like the challenge. Yet at times like these, I can get overwhelmed, and I flail about and eat too many cookies.

How's the year going so far for you?

Word Witch Wednesday - 2017 writing goals

It's a brand new shiny year. Time to start things off with a cheer. This begins by reviewing last year's goals.

2016 GOALS

1. Write the rest of the Totem books and start to publish them. Well, I wrote six of them and started on the seventh. Two things got in the way of this goal: my health and marketing. I'm telling myself to be satisfied that four are out and two are coming, and I haven't set a deadline to stress myself with for the last three.

2. Revise and submit the Sasquatch Susies series to my publisher. Done. They were published. My publisher closed. So I have no idea how the books did.

3. Read and review 100 books. Done! I did include books I read with my son. I believe children's books need love on Goodreads too.

4. Write and submit six short stories. Done. I was short-listed three times for pro markets, but I didn't make it.

5. Blogging. Finding a balance between writing and blogging. I still haven't found it.

2017 GOALS

1. Write the final three Totem novellas and publish them.

2. Write the second two books in the Of Blood and Sorrow trilogy. I'd like to say I'll publish them by the end of the year, but they will be two full sized novels, and I will not publish one until the other is done.

3. Self-publish the books I had with my publisher. I'm allowed to keep the covers at least!

4. Read and review 100 books. I hope to keep this up for the rest of my life!

5. Write and submit six short stories. I can't say I have time to write one every month, but sometimes a great idea for a flash piece hits me, and I have to scribble it down. I'm still aiming at the pro markets.

6. Continue to study and try out different marketing techniques. Slowly but surely, I'm learning. I'm trying to figure out what works for me. And I will definitely share with you what I've learned.

7. Improve my writing speed and focus. Last month, I used writing sprints, and they've been working for me. It silences my inner editor and the words flow. I don't know if I could ever get to 5000 words an hour, but that much a day would be amazing.

What are your goals for the year?

A reminder from your friendly neighborhood polar bear:

Friday Five for August 19th, 2016

1. Hello, everyone! It's been a while since I've had a Friday Five. Things have been super busy in my world, and then every single person in my household got sick. Not with just a little cold either. Horribly sick. My poor husband still hasn't recovered from his terrible bronchitis after a month. With all of that, I'm way behind where I want to be writing-wise. I'll be blogging only once a week for the next two months in an attempt to catch up.

2. My little guy started grade one, and he's loving school. Grade one is a big jump not only for him, but for us as parents too. It's so different than the fun and play-as-you-learn activities kindergarten. Reading and math assignments, spelling tests, social studies, and science.

3. I revealed the first three of my Totem series covers this Wednesday. It finished up my summer series on the mad science of book covers. I'm immensely pleased with the way they turned out, and I've gotten terrific feedback about them. Now I need to come up with taglines and blurbs. Yikes!

4. I finished revising Totem #3, and I'm ready to start writing the first draft of Totem #6. I'd hoped to be one more book ahead of this, but I'm pushing onward still shooting for my mid-October release date.

5. For the first time in over eight weeks, I'll have a quiet weekend. I have my local critique group meeting, but that's it. I'm going to rest and enjoy some quiet time with a good book.

Have a lovely weekend!

Wicked Wednesday - binge reading and release dates

(For some reason the picture won't stay rotated!)

Hi. My name is Christine and I'm a binge reader. If I find a new series I really love, I'm going to read the books as fast as I can get my hands on them. I won't stop for anything else until I've mentally ingested them all.

If the series isn't finished, and I have to wait a while for the next book, it's painful. I want it. And I want it now!

Society has been seeing a rising trend of binge watchers. You see those memes all the time.

This is creating more binge readers.

What does this mean for authors? Well, series do excellently. The problem with this is that it takes a long time to write a series.

I've learned the hard way to write all the books in a series BEFORE releasing them. This way you can concentrate on promoting the series, and you can release them in quicker succession. But how quick is quick enough?

That's my big question of the day. Everyone has varying opinions. Six months is too long. Many readers will have moved on by then. Three months gives you plenty of breathing room. I like having a month between releases. But then I've read that having two weeks between releases keeps your sales from drooping.

What do you think about release dates for series? And are you a binge watcher/reader?

Friday Five for June 5, 2015

1. I received some great reviews for my newest release, Layers of Lace (Dice & Debauchery #2). The first book in the series, Loose Corset, won a position in the top five of the Easychair Competition for novellas. Yay! It was a good week for geeky romances.

2. I haven't had much of a chance to do any writing this week. It's a little frustrating, but I know this is how summer is going to go. A little writing here and there until August. Time is already flying by!

3. I've been reading non-fiction this week. I love Mary Roach! She fills my need for odd tidbits of information.

4. Don't forget to head over to T.B. Markinson's blog and enter to win five awesome books plus an Amazon gift card. My urban fantasy, Of Blood and Sorrow is included in the giveaway.

5. I'm over at the Untethered Realms blog today with a review for Nick Wilford's new book. If you haven't checked it out yet, do it. Plus he's holding a giveaway too, and there's still a bit of time left to enter to win his awesome collection!

Have a great weekend!

Friday Five for May 1, 2015

1. Congratulations to everyone who made it through the A to Z Challenge! We had a lot of fun with it over at the Untethered Realms blog. Take a break this weekend. You deserve it!

2. I had a rough day at my local critique group meeting last Saturday. It's been a while since they really tore into one of my stories. I almost forgot how rough it was to do that in person. I've been revising this week. Slowly trying to patch up the problems and make my story work.

3. I haven't done any writing on my WIP lately. Hopefully next week I'll get a chance to jump back into it. I'm also slowly making some headway with my reading. So many great books, so little time!

4. It's going to be a sunny weekend here. My son starts tee ball tomorrow. We're meeting up with friends and having a barbecue. Lots of fun!

5. May starts off with a couple of great bloghops. On Monday, Sharon Bayliss is hosting the Writer Mama (and papa!) Bloghop and it's IWSG day on Wednesday. I'll see you all then! Have a wonderful weekend.

Friday Five for April 24, 2015

1. What a busy week! I had a great visit with my mom. My son's birthday party was rained out, but he wasn't bothered by it at all. He's such a trooper! I, on the other hand, was really disappointed. Spring weather is unpredictable. We brought his cake and decorations to school on Monday and had a little party there with his school friends. It makes me so joyful that I have a happy child who goes with the flow when things like this happen.

2. Thank you to everyone who visited this week. It's my pleasure to help out my fellow writers with reviews and promos. It'll take me some time to catch back up on things, but I'll be making the rounds.

3. For those of you doing the A to Z Challenge, wow, we're nearly at the end. You're almost there! This month has been speeding by. It's been so much fun to participate with Untethered Realms. Next week, look on X day for a certain dragon slayer. *winks*

4. No writing or reading was done this week, but I squeezed in a bit of time to critique two short stories for my local writer's meeting this Saturday. I submitted my sci-fi horror tale. Hopefully I managed to pull off the terrifying twist.

5. Have a wonderful weekend, folks! Here's a smile to help you get into the happy weekend mood.

Friday Five for April 17, 2015

1. Progress on my current WIP has been steady as a snail. I'm near 10k now and it's just getting into the thick of things. Usually I just throw my readers right into it, but with the weight of this story, it needs the slow start.

2. I've been trying to catch up on my reading. I have a lot of writer friends' books on my Kindle. Please don't think I'm forgetting about you! I also review everything I read. So know when I do read your book, you will know.

3. It's going to be a busy week for me. My mom's arriving tomorrow for a week long visit, and it's my son's 5th birthday on Monday. We're having a party at the park for him on Sunday. (Hopefully the weather will cooperate. *knocks on wood*) Lots of fun!

4. For all of you who are participating in the A to Z Challenge, you're over halfway through! Yay! You can do it. I've been having a great time reading people's posts and meeting new bloggers. In case you missed it before, I'm doing it with the Untethered Realms group. Our theme is teasers from our books, and wow, these books are amazing.

5. Don't forgot today's #SpecFicChat hosted by @UnRealms and @EllieMGarratt at noon EDT. The topic: What happened to the future? The flying cars and time machines? We want to hear what you have to say. And I really want my own hover board.

Next stop on the Loose Corset Tour

Have you entered the giveaways for a chance to win your own Christine Rains die yet?

Today I'm talking about why people are drawn to erotic reads at Words of Wisdom... from the Scarf Princess.

Why do you think people read erotic stories?

Friday Five for December 5, 2014

1. Did you see the awesome cover for my urban fantasy novel, Of Blood and Sorrow? It's absolutely gorgeous. I've put it up on Goodreads too. You can mark it to read on there now.

2. Speaking of the novel, I finally finished a major POV change in it. It was tedious to the point of excruciating at times, but I've done it and it feels amazing! It'll be sent off to my CPs and beta readers today.

3. I also finished my revisions for the final book of my Dice & Debauchery series. All manuscripts are now with my editor at Ellora's Cave. I even heard from the cover artist who will be designing the covers for my books. I'm not sure what we're doing yet, but she's very nice and patient with me, the newbie at working within a publisher.

4. I can't believe it's December already. I've been going over my goals for this year. I think I've done pretty good. I will have to give myself a push to reach 100 books read, though. I'm at 94. (It says I already reached it on Goodreads, but I review children's books that I read with my son. So I don't include them on my count here.)

5. Less than three weeks until Christmas! My little guy is super excited. We've decorated the house and we're going to find a tree this weekend. He visited with Santa earlier this week. Afterward, he told me that wasn't the real Santa. When I asked why he thought that, he told me that it was "Second Santa" because he had glasses on and had a gray beard rather than a white beard. Yet he was still a nice Santa! If the weather stays reasonable, we might go to the Krampus night parade tomorrow. Has anyone else ever seen a Krampus?

Have a wonderful weekend!

Friday Five for September 19, 2014

1. Thank you so much for all your congratulations about my big news. I love this community. Your support and encouragement mean so much to me.

2. My wrist is doing well, but healing still leaves me utterly exhausted. I haven' t done any writing, but I've managed to get some critiquing done. My local critique group meets tomorrow, and I can only hope I don't doze off as I do at that time of day!

3. I've been cleaning out my Kindle. I had a lot of ebooks on it that I didn't get past 10%. I've also had a few that really surprised me with how great they were. Rarely in the past did I ever not finish a book, even if it was horrible, but with my huge TBR list, I have to be picky. It is difficult for me to do because I know how much work authors put into their stories.

4. I received another rejection for my urban fantasy novel earlier this week. I sent it to the publishers I really thought might like it. It's quirky and unusual and tells a powerful story. I will be self-publishing it next year. So be ready for a huge year of releases in 2015 from me!

5. Have you taken your Shelfie yet?

When: From Now until October 6th, 2014

What: Take a picture of your favorite book(s), your bookshelves, or you with your favorite book(s). We understand if you're shy and don't want to be in the picture, but you get bonus points if you are. Then share it on your blog, Facebook, or Twitter. It's as quick and easy as that!

I'm excited to co-host this blog hop with seven amazing authors: Tara Tyler, Heather Gardner, CD Coffelt, M.J. Fifield, Elizabeth Seckman, Rena Rocford, and Vikki Biram. We'll be offering prizes for various categories. The grand prize winner will win $40! I'll be giving away a digital copy of The 13th Floor Complete Collection for the geekiest Shelfie.

I have several bookshelves in my house. I have too many books to fit in them. This is but one of my overstuffed shelves. Double-stacked, if you can tell!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Friday Five for September 5th, 2014

1. I had quite the adventure on Wednesday. My son and I were playing in a creek, and I fell, breaking my wrist. I managed to get us out of the creek, walk up 100 stairs, and call my husband before collapsing in my seat. My little guy was so well behaved. I'm in a cast now and don't need surgery. If the bone doesn't drift, I'll be in the cast for six weeks.

2. Please forgive me that I won't be commenting on your blogs for a little while. I can type with one hand, slowly, and hopefully, once the swelling goes down, I'll have use of my other fingers. I'll be able to type, and as a writer, this pleases me greatly.

3. A big thank you to the kind lady and gentleman who helped me after I got to my car. That big bag of ice saved me from passing out, and talking kept me focused. I am grateful that you were there and to be reminded there are generous and compassionate folks out there.

4. I'll be resting and reading a lot over the course of the next week. I might make a dent in my TBR list!

5. In other news, I have two short stories short-listed at pro venues. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

Have a good weekend!

Friday Five for February 28th, 2014

1. I did a happy dance on Wednesday after I unchained myself from my desk. I finished the 3rd draft of my superhero WIP. Woo-hoo! I sent it off to my CPs and betas. Then I celebrated with peanut butter cookies. On Monday, I will start revising WIP #1 again. I'm right on track with my writing goals so far this year.

2. It's been a tiring week. I've been babysitting every day. It only reminds me I no longer have the energy of my youth. I just wish the youths understood that!

3. My husband was sick on the weekend, and with stuffed up nose, he snores more than usual. So I spent two nights on the couch. I love my couch. It's amazingly comfy, but it always gives me weird dreams. One dream had 5 good versions of myself fighting 5 bad versions. Not clones. (I don't have access to Alex's cloning machine!) It was more like a spirit battle. It was unsettling. Thankfully when I'm sleeping in the bed, I only fight monsters and not myself, er, my selves.

4. I've been reading a lot lately, and I realized I have a favorite bookmark. Until recently, I didn't care what I marked my pages with. A lot of the time it was just a strip of paper ripped from a recycled scrap. Now I have to have a certain one. Do you have a favorite bookmark?

5. I got some BIG news this week: the 4th book in the 13th Floor series, THE HARBINGER, has been nominated for a BigAl's Books & Pals Readers' Choice Award in the category of Fantasy. I'm honored and excited. Voting starts on March 2nd and runs through to the 12th. Please consider voting for my book. I'll share my cookies with you!

Wicked Wednesday - intelligent people do read romance

Myth: Smart people don't read or write romance.

Truth: Yes, they do. The misconceptions come from tropes that are decades old. There's still fluff out there, but nowadays, many romance novels have solid plots, great characterization, and amazing world building. Sometimes there's a shirtless man on the cover or a buxom woman, but beneath those cheesy covers, you can find truly wonderful stories.

Myth: The Alpha males in romance novels create unrealistic expectations for women in real life.

Truth: Ha! Most of the women I know, myself included, do not want an Alpha like the ones in those stories. Possessive, arrogant, and demanding? No thank you. We can do without the conflict. We know the difference between fantasy and reality. It's fun to read about Alphas, but we're smart enough to know we want a man who treats us with respect and sees us as an equal.

Myth: Romance novels are smut.

Truth: Smart folks know romance books focus on relationships. We love them because they take us on an emotional journey. Sometimes there is sex involved. Just like in real life relationships. Books are safe places to live out fantasies. There's nothing wrong with that.

Myth: The women in romance novels are stupid and weak.

Truth: Not at all. Many heroines in modern romances are smart, strong, and independent. The fact that they swoon over the hero doesn't make them any less so. The heroine knows what she wants and she won't settle for less. She's an admirable role model.

Myth: The happily-ever-after is unrealistic.

Truth: Yes, sometimes it is. Yet that's what makes romance books such a great escape. It helps to lift up the reader emotionally and gives them hope. Is it really so wrong to hope and strive for your own happily-ever-after?

Friday Five for January 17, 2014

1. I'm almost at the end of draft 2 of my paranormal romance WIP. I have less than 5k to go. I rewrote the entire final battle. Last night, the villain did something that was simple and made complete sense. Why didn't I think of this before? It was awesome. I wanted to shout "Bravo!" Then I realized that was the villain. Drat. Okay, protagonist, you need to be equally as clever.

2. I came across a book I could not finish for the first time in a long while. I couldn't get past 10% on my Kindle. I only mention this because I felt really bad about it. I wanted to finish it. Is it strange I felt guilty?

3. My little guy had his first after school special on Wednesday. It's an Animal Science class that goes for six weeks. They learned about frogs. They put sticky jelly on their fingers and felt how it stuck to surfaces. Then they ate goldfish crackers using only their tongues to pick it up. He was really excited about it. (Plus mama got extra time to write!) I'm so pleased I enrolled him in a play-based cooperative preschool. I've been reading a lot of articles lately that reported upon the benefits of this type of preschool. Now that play-based preschools have been around for a while, several studies have shown how well it nurtures a love for school and learning. It is especially effective with boys, and studies have followed students up through the sixth grade with positive results.

4. I'm doing better with finding my balance, but I'm not there yet. I still spend too much time online when I should be writing. I've been going to bed at a better time, though, and that's helped during the days. I also take a little more time at night before bed to wind down. I sit in bed and read or watch a half hour show. Maybe I should use one of those timers and kid blockers to keep myself off the internet! Hmm, hey, not a bad idea. Anyone else ever try that?

5. I have my local critique group meeting tomorrow. Other than that, no plans for the weekend. What about you?