Friday Five for May 6, 2016

1. Wait. It's May already? Time is flying by! There's three weeks left of school and then my little guy is on summer break. That means I'll be blogging light for June and July. I have some fantastic guests lined up for the next few months, though. If you're interested in doing a guest post, let me know, and I'll be happy to host you.

2. After finishing Totem #4, writing has been slow for me. I started on Totem #5, but I think the opening has fallen lame. It needs a better one, but while I know the rest of the story, I don't have the first chapter yet.

3. I spent April shopping for images from BigStock. I don't even know how many hours I spent clicking through picture after picture, looking for the perfect ones. I have everything I need to create the nine Totem covers, and tons of other spectacular pics for future books. I'd like to do some cleanup on my blog and make new banners, promos for my published books, and teasers for future ones. It will be slow coming, but be prepared for a new design coming before the fall.

4. A big happy Mother's Day to all the moms and like-moms out there! My weekend will be spent visiting the in-laws which means Rocket Science Ice Cream. Love this place because they make ice cream from scratch right in front of you and freeze it instantly with liquid nitrogen. Science has never tasted so good!

5. My final note: I received my contributor's copy of Eldritch Embraces! It looks gorgeous. My short story, "What Lay Below" is a Lovecraftian steampunk romance. Weird mix, but it worked so well. Our household Cthulhu approves!

Friday Five for January 15, 2016

1. I'm feeling more like myself this week. We had one snow day and two delayed starts to school, so I haven't gotten much writing done. I started a short story, but my mind has been distracted.

2. One of those distractions comes in the form of my furry buddy, Thunder. He's young and loves to jump, and sometimes he's a bit crazy about it. On Tuesday, he did a big tackle/flip with his cat tree and it fell with him. I thought he broke his leg and rushed him to the vet. Thankfully nothing is broken (except his pride), but he'll be limping for a while.

3. I received payment for a story and it's the most I've ever made for a short story! Plus, I'm super excited about this collection. Eldritch Embraces is putting the love back into Lovecraft! I'll keep you updated on the book, but here's a peek at the cover for you. Dark and gorgeous!

4. February is fast approaching and I'm prepping for a week-long tour with The Paramours. If you're interested in helping out, you can go here at Goddess Fish Tours. I'll be offering a $20 gift card prize to one lucky winner during the tour. Check out the awesome banner on my sidebar!

5. The final distraction this week comes from losing two of our world's greatest inspirations, David Bowie and Alan Rickman. My heart is heavy, and my sympathies go out to their families and friends and to everyone who has felt their loss.

Friday Five for November 20, 2015

1. Help put the love back into Lovecraft! Dragon Roost Press is raising funds on Indiegogo to publish Eldritch Embraces. I have a steampunk mytho story in the collection called "What Lay Below." Please consider helping this awesome anthology. These funds include paying the authors!

2. I had two short story acceptances and three rejections in the past few weeks. I've also written a new flash fiction story which my local critique group will tear apart this Saturday. I tried to get a little fancy with this one, trying something new. That's the fun of shorter works. You can experiment with new genres and styles.

3. Next Wednesday, Lovelorn Spirits, the final book of my Paramours trilogy will be released. I'm excited. This is the best one of the three. I've booked a tour for the Paramours the first week of February. It's the month of love, and I do love the paranormal!

4. I've been working hard on the second book of my Totem series. I hope to have it finished in a few days. I've been having a ton of fun writing this one. Of course, any story I can make geek jokes makes me happy.

5. I have a couple of posts scheduled for next week, but I'll be scarce. It's off to visit the in-laws for the American Thanksgiving. I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend, and to my American friends and family, have a happy Thanksgiving.