Candle Dark FREE on Amazon

The lovely Carole Anne Carr's ebook

Candle Dark

is FREE on Amazon from July 6th through the 8th!

Blurb: Joshua was nearly eleven and he’d worked down the Blists Hill coal pit since he was seven and a bit. He hated it down there. He hated working in the dark, he hated the rats and the stink of the tunnels, and he especially hated it when the mine flooded and his wet boots rubbed his feet raw.

Then on the day that Bradley the horsekeeper gave him another beating so bad he ached all over, he made up his mind to run away and find work on the Severn trows. But what would happen to poor Drummer, left behind in the dark? What would happen to his mum and sisters if he left them to the mercy of the evil Isaac Whitlock? And how could he sail to Bristol, when his dad had been set to work in the most dangerous part of the mine?

Afraid of the river gangs and worrying about his dad, Joshua must decide whether to run for his life, or to stay in Coalport and try to protect his family.

Insecure Writer's Support Group - July 2012

The Insecure Writer's Support Group is Alex J. Cavanaugh's brilliant idea. Once a month, writers share their fears and offer encouragement. Please visit some of the other participants in the group and offer up your support. It really does mean a lot.

I'm feeling anxious about my lack of time recently. I've been putting a lot into networking. I did all the research and set up new accounts on Facebook and Twitter. I've been doing a lot of blog posts and reviews. I'm keeping up with emails too.

But have I been writing? Not very much. It's not because I don't want to. It's because I keep put everything else first. When it's finally done and I'm ready to write, my son wakes up from his nap or it's time for me to go to bed.

I keep telling myself I need to balance it all. Balance is the key. I haven't managed to find it yet. I feel like a horrible person if I don't give every commenter a return comment. I feel guilty if I don't do everything else, but what is everything else for if I don't have anything written? I already feel bad that I don't get around to as many blogs as I would like.

How do you find balance between your writing and other activities?

Happy Independence Day 2012

Happy Independence Day!

To all my American friends and family,

have an awesome day!

Wicked Wednesday - do you need an agent?

This is a big question a lot of writers are asking themselves these days. Ten years ago, my answer to this question would have been an emphatic yes. These days, there are several more options available to authors and many who don't have agents have a lot of success.

Let's look at both sides.

Why you need an agent:

- if you want to publish with a press that doesn't accept unsolicited manuscripts, you need an agent.

- if you want to publish with one of the big presses, an agent with the right connections can get your manuscript to the right editor and move it to the front of the queue.

- agents are honest critique partners. They want you to polish your manuscript to make it its best because they have to sell it.

- agents will negotiate your contract terms with a publisher. It's in the agent's interest to get big royalties and advances. (After all, an agent makes about 15% of what the writer makes.)

Why you don't need an agent:

- you have to pay the agent whatever percentage you agreed upon when you sell your book. No agent = more royalties for you.

- agents and big publishers put your book through a lot of hoops before it's ready for the market. What they do in three years, you can do in less than one year if you self-publish.

- there are several self-promotion opportunities on the internet. Build your fan base.

- you can be your own boss. You aren't under contract and you don't have a legal deadline. You have control over what you want to do with your manuscript.

Whatever route you choose, always do your research. Watch out for scammers. Know everything you can about the agent or publisher you're sending your manuscript to.

In the past, I tried to get an agent, but had no luck. Since then, I've been to several writing seminars and I've done a lot of research. My life has changed and I have different priorities. Right now, I choose not to actively seek an agent. I want to give it a try without one. It'll be hard work, but I'm ready for the challenge.

Do you want an agent or are you pushing forward without one? Why did you make that decision?

Review for St. Peter in Chains

Blurb:
Peter Stoller is a consummate professional--as a British intelligence agent, he's at the top of his game and has never had trouble separating his work from his personal life. But when he meets cabbie Charles Toulson, his personal life takes a turn he wasn't expecting.

My review:
Peter Stoller is a man who misses nothing. He's a British intelligence agent and is content to let his work consume him. At a party, he notices a man with startling blue eyes and can't look away. Charles Toulson is a cabbie, quiet and unassuming. Peter discovers there more he wants in life outside his career, but nothing is ever that simple.

I started reading St. Peter in Chains thinking I'd be getting a good spy story, maybe a little action, but I was treated to something much more subtle and soulful. I thought I had Peter figured out right away. He's one of those work addicts, never turning intelligence agent self off. Cool, intelligent, and removed. Yet when Charles enters the picture, he becomes someone tender and more easy to relate to. His emotional roller coaster is not the stuff for the overly dramatic, but private aches and joys. M. Pepper Langlinais does an excellent job of drawing the reader along with a sophisticated plot that's in the details. She has a clever way with words, so pay attention.

St. Peter in Chains is a thriller and a love story, but more importantly, it's a study of character. Don't expect explosive action or a hot romance. This story is about a man who missed something.

St. Peter in Chains is now available on Amazon.

Please stop by M. Pepper Langlinais' site and say hello. She's a produced playwright, an active screenwriter, a mom of three young children, and an Anglophile.

Join us next Monday (July 9th) when she'll be here on my blog for an interview. It will be lots of fun!

Teaser Tuesday with The Forest of Hands and Teeth

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!

The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan is the first book in a post-apocalyptic series. So far, it's fantastic. Lots of tension and mystery. There's been a lot of zombie stories out there recently, but this one is unique. I'm not so consumed with the thought of the zombies, or rather, the Unconsecrated, but everything else going on. A lot of intense emotions and I can't put the book down.

Here's your teaser:
I am waiting for him to push me away and tell me that we cannot do this. That I am not his to take and that he will not betray his brother. (page 89)

Anthologies seeking submissions - July 2012 edition

(Photo from here with more exquisite steampunk girls!)

I think I've already made up my mind what anthology I want to write a story for this month. I saw it on Tania Walsh's site and I couldn't resist it based on the title alone. "Real Girls Don't Rust." Isn't that an awesome title?! I don't have a story idea yet, but I'm playing around with a few ideas in my head.

"Real Girls Don't Rust." YA steampunk. Pugalicious Press. 5500 to 7500 words. Pay $25 at release and then 10% royalty. Deadline: September 1st.

DEEP CUTS - 1-time print/eAntho (TBA); h (fic). Pay: 5¢/word. Words: <5k (query if longer). RT: <90 after DL. Reprints: query. E-subs: ONLINE FORM ONLY. E.S. Magill, Angel Leigh McCoy, & Chris Marrs, Editors. Deadline: August 31st. (Looking for strong female protagonists in the horror genre.)

RUSTBLIND AND SILVERBRIGHT: A Slipstream Railway Anthology - 1-time print (Eibonvale Press); h/sf/f/slipstrm/surreal (fic/nonfic/poem/art), railway theme. Pay: 1 copy/discounts. Words: <15k. RT: <3 months. Reprints: yes. E-subs: ONLY. David Rix, Editor. Deadline: December 31st.

THE DARK SIDE OF THE WOMB: From Their Cradle to Your Grave - 1-time POD/eAntho (Cruentus Libri Press); h (fic). Pay: shared royalty. Words: 2½k-7½k. RT: receipt=<1 week; final=<1 week after DL. Reprints: yes. E-subs: ONLY. Kevin G. Bufton, Editor. Deadline: August 31st.

AIRSHIPS & AUTOMATONS - 1-time print/eBook (White Cat Publications); steampunk (fic). Pay: 5¢/word +copy. Words: 4k-6k. RT: varies. Reprints: yes (1¢/word +copy). E-subs: ONLY. Charles P. Zaglanis, Editor. Deadline: when filled. (More steampunk!)

This Friday I have a special guest posting with some spectacular photos! Please join us on the sixth.