Join the Blog Blitz team!

A great thing came to our blogging world last year. The brilliant idea of DL Hammons, the Blog Blitz is a special event that showers an unexpecting blogger with cheer and encouragement. Over 350 people have signed up on the Blitz team. Every now and then, DL will send us an email with the next recipient's URL along with a date. On that day, everyone clicks on over and leaves an encouraging comment. It's fun, quick, and easy.

It can lift them out of the gloom and give them the strength to get through. It can make them laugh, make them giggle with giddiness. It can bring tears to their eyes to see the support of the community.

It's amazing something so simple can mean so much.

DL hopes to raise the team's numbers to 500. Let's help spread the word!

To join the team, sign up on the linky list on DL's original Blitz post.

Love on Loch Ness now available!

 The greatest beast she feared was in her heart...

Dr. Gail Phillips steps onto the shores of Loch Ness to disprove the Loch Ness monster theory for good so everyone can stop wasting their time. As a marine biologist with a background in archeology, she’s convinced all of the world’s myths such as Big Foot, the Tasmanian devil, and even Nessie are lies. Her father disappeared while following Yettie tracks in the Alps, and she doesn’t want to lose another mislead soul.

Flynn Maloney comes from a family of fanatic cryptozoologists. As a native of Scotland, he believes in Nessie as strong as Gail believes in science. Despite his initial attraction for her, he’s joined her research team to prove her wrong. He wants to find Nessie for a special girl in his life, to show her dreams really can come true.

As they conduct sonar studies and sweeps of the lake, their differing opinions are at odds with their budding attraction. Gail doesn’t believe in anything unscientific, such as romance, thinking the charming Flynn Maloney is full of baloney. Flynn can’t believe he’s falling for someone with no imagination or faith. To make matters worse, their videographer is covering his true identity. Together they must unravel his plan before he destroys everything they are working for. Will Gail force Flynn to question his faith, or will she discover more than she bargained for in the Scottish highlands? 

Buy now on Amazon
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Friday Five for February 7, 2014

 

1. Earlier this week, I checked my sales on Amazon and discovered there were over 1000 downloads of THE MARQUIS in less than 24 hours. I was shocked and ecstatic! It was #1 on the Demons & Devils best seller list and #9 on Paranormal & Urban. It was also #274 in the Free Amazon Store. I have no idea what promoted the rush of downloads. I haven't done anything new with marketing. It's just one of those weird and wonderfully unexpected moments.

2. I haven't gotten a chance this week to start on my revisions for WIP #2, my superhero story. I'll get a few hours this morning, but hopefully I'll find time on the weekend, and we won't get any more snow days. Though the groundhog saw his shadow, didn't he?

3. Don't forget there's still time to enter the huge Valentine's Day Giveaway. 21 authors giving away their books. I'm giving away a digital copy of The 13th Floor Complete Collection.

4. My son amazed several people this week with his reading skills. I always love watching people's amazement when they see a 3.5 year old reading. I'm so proud of him. This does not show in the bad mom haircut I gave him this week. Poor kid. He won't let anyone else do it, so it's up to me, and he cringes at the sound of scissors cutting hair. Yes, it is a weird and a bit unnerving sound, but it makes for an uneven cut no matter how much I try to be careful.

5. I finished reading a trilogy by Nora Roberts. The first Roberts books I've ever read. Surprising since I do like romance, but I was a bit intimidated by the number of books she has published. I tell myself that I need to be that prolific, suffer a few moments of immense stress over it, and then tell myself to just get through the revisions of my current WIPs. Worry about writing more later. Working on revisions for two WIPs, yup, that's enough for me right now.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Fate Intended blog tour - guest post by Elizabeth Seckman

I'm very happy to host the wonderful Elizabeth Seckman today.

She's talking about being a writer mom.

She has four boys. I can't remember my name sometimes and I only have one. How does she do it?!

Take it away, Elizabeth!

Being a mom and being a writer comes with dilemmas, like why are they so bad when the muse is being so good?

 No one wanted me while I stared like an idiot into the screen.

Perhaps the sound of clicking keys inspired orneriness and hunger? Or possibly while the muse and I were hanging out, Mom lost track of time and forgot no one's been fed for hours?

The writer zone can quickly become a vacuum, and that's an occupation mommy/writer hazard.

I mean I would LOVE to write twelve hours a day, six days a week. But I can't. I have log off and be present in my family life. Or at least be more present than yelling, "Can you make yourself another peanut butter and jelly sandwich?"

I know, sometimes breaking the obsession is like pulling a two-year-old off the merry-go-round. I get it. Writing in the writing zone is fun. It's invigorating. It's totally absorbing. We probably sound just like those toddlers...the cries the, the begs, the bargains...please just fifteen more minutes and I'll have this chapter finished!

We can be sad.

Just as we knew- the kid can't stay on the merry-go-round all night. We also know that we can't either.

Being a mom (or dad!) brings responsibility. And as a mom, I have tried really hard to make sure my kids still have some semblance of a normal life while I pursue da dream. I mean if I fail them, they could declare me incompetent, take all my millions I earned form my books, and stick me in a nursing home without an internet connection. Whoa. That's a scary thought.

I think I'll go see what my kids are up to.

Chase the goal. Hug the kids. Keep the balance.


Fate Intended is the third book in the Coulter Men Series.  Trip is the last of the Coulter sons to find love. He’s a handsome man with all the skills a young spy needs to succeed. But when it comes to love, he misses the target. Jane is a sweet beauty who may or may not be wanted for murder. She’s hiding out as a cleaning lady when chance brings her and Trip together. It looks like a happily ever after is in the cross hairs until reality tries to destroy what fate has intended.

Elizabeth Seckman is a simple chick with a simple dream…to write stories people want to read.

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IWSG for February 2014

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.

When I was 18, I sent in a short story to a contest. It was quickly rejected. I didn't tell anyone I sent it or that I was rejected. After that, I couldn't find the confidence to show anyone my writing for over 15 years.

Then I met a fun group of online friends through PBeM RPGs (Play by email role-playing games). They really liked what I wrote. I did some fanfiction. They loved that even more.

With their encouragement, I submitted a short story to an ezine. It was rejected.

My friends didn't let me fall into the black hole again. I submitted another story. Then another. After 12 rejections, I had my first short story published.

A writer friend had a book accepted by a new small press. She cheered me on as I submitted a novel. It was rejected.

I submitted a second novel. They loved it! I had my first novel published.

Then The-Publisher-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named ran off with all the authors' royalties.

I felt everything I worked for was gone.

But I did gain the friendship of a wonderful group of writers with whom I still stay in contact with today.

With their support and advice, I continued submitting short stories. I have over 20 published now.

I started to blog and met even more amazing folks. I joined a local critique group and learned so much. I self-published a series of novellas which have been well received.

This year, I'm going to query two novels.

None of this would have been possible without the support and encouragement of other writers. The writing community is awesome. Never take it for granted. And never doubt the value of your kind words to another writer. They may be just what she needs to hear to give her the strength to carry on.

Teaser Tuesday with CassaStorm

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!

This is the final book in Alex J. Cavanaugh's Cassa trilogy, and it doesn't disappoint. A cleanly written and exciting story so far. Plus I love the family dynamic with Byron, his mate, and their son. A must read for any sci-fi fan!

Here's your teaser:

His father disappeared into the shuttle, and the hatch closed behind him. The fighters were almost upon them, their engines screaming. (67% on my Kindle) 

If you haven't read this fantastic trilogy yet, there's good news! Starting today and going for one week, the second book CASSAFIRE is on sale at Amazon and Dancing Lemur Press.

Get your copy now.

Cloaked in Fur sale!

Daciana knows the identity of the killer targeting her friends. But she can't reveal their identity without also revealing what she herself is. 

 

Cloaked in Fur by TF Walsh is on sale now for a limited time for $1.99 at Amazon. http://amzn.to/JzKB5I