Today is my first day participating in the MAYbe blog challenge (if you remember, I just finished the April blog challenge and the Bible in 90 day challenge-- I'm big on challenges... )
Every day, we are supposed to write on a certain topic. Today's topic is: May I tell you something about myself?
Well, I'm doing the 'easy' thing and doing Kelly-- A to Z...
A is for Author (so do you actually have to have a book published to be called an 'author'?)
B is for birthday (2/15)
C is for Color, favorite (purple)
D is for dancing (because it's what my oldest daughter is doing right now... )
E is for enter (I love to enter writing contest and submit stories)
F is for fanfics (yep, I used to write them... )
G is for Google, Dr. (because I have ever ailment ever invented when I use that certain 'physician')
H is for headache (when someone taps something repeatedly, it gives me a headache).
I is for interesting. (which I'm sure... someone... somewhere... thinks I am... maybe... )
J is for juggling (Mamas... and Daddys you know what I'm talking about.)
K is for Kelly (my name).
L is for lavender (a smell that makes me sneeze).
M is for marriage (I've been married for almost 9 years... to the same feller)
N is for "No." (Because I have an almost 2 year old).
O is for October (my favorite month. I've always wanted a baby born in October-- alas I got pregnant in October-- twice.)
P is for printer (because it was broke and I was all upset because I couldn't print my book-- turns out it had a Chex Mix stuck in it.)
Q is for Quiet (because that's what it will be when my kids go to bed)
R is for read (because it's something I want to do more of this summer).
S is for special education (because I'm a special education preschool teacher).
T is for three (because I have three kids)
U is for unique (because I'm trying to break into Christian Young Adult novels-- one of the most unique ie small genres there is).
V is for victory (because of Jesus)
W is for write (have I mentioned I like to write?)
X is for X-ray (because I've never had one.. unless you count ultrasounds).
Y is for yellow (a color I don't like to wear).
Z is for Zelda (because she zoomed off to Mars-- It's a song we sing at school).
So... that's it.. me from A to Z. Next Tuesday, I'll have more about me.
Wednesday's topic is: May I ask something about you?...
Today's letter in the A to Z challenge at www.a-to-zchallenge.com is...
S is for Sweet, Sweet people. Sometimes, people do things and it makes you smile (I guess smile could have been our S word-- actually lots of words could have been.) I want to say a BIG Thank You to the people who participated in the first Faith-Fiction Friday. It actually did better than I thought it would-- especially for the first week. It will be a weekly event here at OTMA so I hope you come back and participate again. I LOVE reading short stories, and like I said, there aren't many places on the web for short Christian fiction. Please head over to that post and click on the people who linked up. Each have a wonderful blog and would appreciate the visits. Yesterday was also a big day for one of our FFF participants. She had a lot of firsts-- First blog party, First writing contest (though it not really a contest-- the ideas the same), and the first time she copied a button code. You can read all about her exciting day at Catching Foxes. I also want to thank the Sweet, Sweet People who have encouraged me and this blog (along with my other blog) over this past year. I would name you all, but I'm afraid I'd miss someone and I don't want too. And lastly, the Sweet, Sweet People who take the time to make blog hops every week to spread God's word. There are a lot more, but 3 I participate in are Laura's at Beholding Glory, Shanda at A Pause on a Path, and Tracy at My Daily Walk in His Grace. Those are just a few of the great blog hops around the web: OH yeah there's Courtney at www.womenlivingwell.org as well. Today's post is a little scattered, but I wanted to take time to thank the sweet, sweet people who I've 'met' while blogging. To all of the followers and commenters-- THANK YOU! For all you readers, thanks for taking the time to read. I know your time is precious (and short if you are like me). You didn't have to read, but you do. That means a lot. For all of the people who send me emails about adding your blog to the Encourage 365 Blog Directory -- you are so sweet. Your emails make me smile :) Jenifer at Sweet Blessings for giving me something to add to my bio when I sent my queries to agents. (My first magazine writing credits.) And to my big sister, Kathy, who reads (pretty much) everything I write. And sends me 'Oh wow' texts when I tell her about some "big" (to me) news. BIG SMOOCH! There are so many sweet, sweet people in the world. Who are the ones in your life? Is there anyone you want to thank for being sweet? Take time to do that today. :) Have a great Saturday :) Remember, Faith-Fiction Friday is still open if you'd like to add your story. Much Love,
Sunday is Father's Day. To celebrate, I'm going to talk a bit about my husband.
What? What?! You have a husband?
Yes, Dear Reader. *I* have a husband. I don't talk about him much because, well, I kinda told him I wouldn't (long story)... but I DID tell him I was doing this, and he was ok about it. Who doesn't like be bragged on sometimes?
Anyway, I thought I'd get all of my husband's awesomeness out in one post... well... the majority of his awesomeness. I could probably think of more if given the opportunity.
Backstory: The hubs (Brandon) and I have been married for 8 years. We dated a grand total of 2 months before we tied the knot... so, yeah-- we knew so much about each other going into this.
Over the past 8 years, we have had to figure each other out... what makes the other person tick... learn how to live with each other's faults (me more than him... Ok, so *maybe* I had some faults along the way myself... *maybe*).
AND we have 3 little ladies! (2 of which are TOTAL Daddy's girls... Apparently they don't realize that Mama carried and birthed them... but whatever, right... hehe)
We have a nice routine now... well, sometimes it's nice. It's hard. We don't work the same shift so it does get lonely at times... I'm not going to lie. But we try to make it work as best we can. Some days its only a brief kiss and a 5 minute conversation. I truly admire military families who don't even have that daily.
I've thought how best to descrive his awesomeness. I didn't want to get all mushy because we aren't mushy people. So then I decided that ye ole 'Top 5 List' would be the best way to go.
So...
Without further ado...
The Top 5 Reasons My Husband Rocks
1. He cleans out the mouse traps. Wait!!! Whoa! Stop the train, Nelly-Bell. You mean to tell me 'That's' your number ONE? What about because you love him... or what about how the awesomeness of his being a father? Mouse traps are your number ONE???? (See how cleaverly I can read your mind... )
Well... yes... THAT is my number one and there is a very good reason why... ALL of that other stuff, the love, the awesomeness of being a father... THAT is a given. I wouldn't have married him if Ididn't love him (no shotguns were required... ). I wouldn't have had a baby with him if I hadn't thought he would be a good father...
And I wouldn't have had 2 more if he wasn't one.
All of those things are 'givens'. My top 5 are things he does that make me appreciate him more...
WHICH leads us back to He cleans out mouse traps. I hate mice... I hate mice with a fiery passion. I'm not entirely sure if I'd rather see a dead mouse or a live mouse. All mice pretty much freak me out... Thankfully, the hubs takes care of those rather nasty creatures (sorry nasty creatures for putting you in the company of mice... I'm sure mice have their purpose.. just not in my house!). So score one for the husband!
2.He holds my hand when I'm scared... Even when its a scary movie... in which case he might laugh at me while he's doing it, but it's the thought that counts, right???
3. Sometimes he says the right thing--- and I don't even have to tell him what it is. I feel bad for my husband at times. I'll be upset over something and honestly I won't know why I'm upset and he doesn't either. But he does try to listen. He's not perfect of course--but he does try to make me feel better. Can't ask for much more than that.
4.He loves to cook--- and is much better at it than I am. I'm not a cook. I've never been able to cook well... I can cook tolerable (ie, it's edible). But my husband is a terrific cook. That man can throw something together that you think would be nasty (or I would), but it's really really good when he's finished. My kids have a treat when Daddy cooks. I know he would more if he had the time. Time is a fleeting thing sometimes.
5. He is really good at decorating. Ok, that one kinda irks me.. only because I'm SO jealous of it! I wish I could just look at something and 'make it work'.
In preparing this post, I asked my ladies why their daddy rocked.
They said:
The 5 year old: "Because he plays monster with us!"
The 4 year old: "Because he is happy."
The 11 month old can't talk (well she can, but... you know what I mean), but she is a TOTAL Daddy's girl--Never saw a girl's eyes light up so much when she saw her Daddy like E's (thanks kid... )
There are many other reasons why he rocks... like he knows exactly how to kiss me and make me swoon--even after 8 years. ... like how much he loves God--even if his work keeps him from church sometimes. ... like how sometimes he stays awake over 24 hours to do something with us.
You get the idea.
So, that's it. Now you know there is an actual "Mr." in this home, and that he's a pretty special guy.
Much love-- and don't forget Quest #4 is due tomorrow!!! :)
Kelly (aka... 'The Mrs.')
(P.S. I'm entering this into the "My Husband Rocks" writing contest linked above, however, I had already thought about writing something like this for a while. I just needed a bit of... what is that word????? Ah... MOTIVATION
O is for Opportunity. I have some query letters out right now for the book (which I don't know if it will ever see the time of day-- if God wants it too it will... ). I've written some for publication and contests.. But do you know what's missing? Writing for fun :) Sometimes when we get so focused on something, we forget that we started it for fun (like blogging-- and having kids... ). SO, I've decided to bring the fun back-- and I want you to be a part of it. This Friday, I'm starting Faith Fiction Friday. Don't freak out on me-- If you have a blog, you are a writer of some sort, so this should be easy, and freeing. The idea is for me to post a picture on Friday. Your job (and mine) is to write a 100 word fiction OR non-fiction story based on the picture. Post the story in comments (and leave your blog address if you have one so others can visit you). It's that easy. Does it have to be exactly 100 words? Heck no. It needs to be 'around' 100 words, but you won't get deleted if you go over. This is just something to be fun-- not to stress over-- to let your creativity soar. I'll put the post up Thursday night along with the picture so you can have a chance to work on your story. I'm so excited about this, guys! I hope and pray you are too! Much Love, Kelly Linked with: Oh Your Heart Tuesday Winsome Wednesday, and Women Living Well Wednesday
It's been awhile since I've posted. I haven't forgotten ya'll, just got busy.
Have you ever heard of pitchmadness? Well, if not, it's a contest where you enter a 35 word pitch and the first 250 words of your novel. 'Slush readers' read the pitches and choose their favorites. Then the team captains pick 15 each (60 total). Those pitches are loaded on the websites and the participating agents get to 'bid' on the pitches (the rules will be up tomorrow).
WELL, I'm SO Excited because my 4th novel (wow... I can't believe I've written FOUR!) was chosen to be on #thedreamteam by captain Brenda Drake! I'm OVER THE MOON! Honestly, I never thought it would go that far. I love it, but I didn't know if others would. Even if I don't get an agent, I had confidence now that this is a good book and has potential :) Fingers crossed!
In other news, Thursday is the day I lose my mind ;) (just warning you ahead of time). I've decided to do a blog tour--- but not just ANY blog tour. A ONE DAY BLOG BLITZ.
TWELVE people (you read that right) have graciously turned their blogs over to me to help get the word out about SAINT SLOAN (sequel is being plotted now... leave a comment if you are on Team Aaron or Team Ray-- *I* know who she ends up with, but you never know... I *could* be persuaded ;) )
On Thursday, I'll post the blog links as well as how I did in Pitchmadness!! It's going to be an interesting week!! (Plus, I'm getting my content edits back for B.I.G. is Beautiful! Squee!)
Here are the WONDERFUL people who have agreed to host me on their blogs:
Wendy Knight-- author of Feudlings J.F. Jenkins-- author of The Corruption of Mila Christi Corbett-- author of an upcoming June AP release :) (her blog: http://christicorbett.wordpress.com ) J. Andersen-- author of At What Cost Felicia Rogers-- author of Labor of Love Patricia Kiyono -- author of The Calico Heart E.A. West-- author of Imperfect Beauty J.L. Salter-- author of Rescued by that New Guy in Town Sherry Gloag-- author of Vidal's Honor Zanna Mackenzie-- author of The Love Programme Lynn Spangler-- author of an upcoming AP release (March 28th!!) www.lynnspangler.blogspot.com. Stephanie Robertson-- (here's her blog: www.thewritesteph.com )
*Some authors have more than one novel out... I'm just giving you a sampling. Click on their Amazon author page and learn more about their books :)*
HUGE thank you to all the authors who are helping with this! :)
One thing I would like to ask... I have a small medical test on Wednesday I'm a little nervous about. I'm sure it'll be okay, but I wouldn't mind some prayers :) I'll give you more information on it in a different post.
SAINT SLOAN and Grace Award Nominee CROSSING THE DEEP available now published by Astraea Press~ Pure. Fiction.
Your last chance to win a free copy of Woman to Woman Magazine! Contest ends tonight at midnight. So far... your odds of winning are good... For details, click here. Winner will be announced tomorrow (3/14/12)
For the next week, I'm having a SAINT SLOAN release party on this blog and you're invited!!! I'm going to start working on the sequel this week so I might be blogging about the progress.
Until then, I want to have some fun :) This week, I'm having a party to say thank you for all of your support. I know I don't get a lot of blog comments, but I 'see' you on facebook and twitter. It means a lot.
To celebrate the release of Saint Sloan and to say thanks for encouraging me, I'm doing a giveaway.
The Prizes: $15 Amazon Gift Card 1 Free ebook copy of SAINT SLOAN 1 Free ebook copy of CROSSING THE DEEP (my first novel)
You can enter as many times as you'd like. The contest will be over midnight next Friday. Good luck!!! :)
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Can't wait to see if you win? You can buy the book from here :) Go to the right sidebar and click on the 'to buy' links. If I sell enough, my books will be in paperback... and my mother will be happy :)
Hello friends :) Friday, March 9th is the 1 year anniversary of the "re-issue" of Oh That Mom Again... This blog was originally started in 2007 (and that seems so long ago!) as a place for me to write about my girls... and whatever else I had on my mind. It didn't last long. I wrote a post on the July 2010 due date board and someone said that I should write a blog-- and I remembered.. OH, I had a blog!! So I copy and pasted my thread post and... well... here we are a year later! This blog means a lot to me. I've loved doing the cleaning challenges, writing the "What is Love?" Bible Study, leading the 'Bible in 90 days' challenge, and all of the other things that go into running a blog. This blog has lead to another blog.. a daily devotional one at http://www.encourage365.com/. Writing two blogs can be a challenge, I'm not going to lie. Sometimes, my brain feels fried. I couldn't do any of it on my own, and I would be wrong to say that God didn't have anything to do with it. HE DOES! :) A LARGE PART! To celebrate my 1 year re-issue anniversary blogging I've decided to do my first giveaway (YAY!). If you didn't know, a story I wrote was published in the spring/inaugural issue of Woman to Woman Magazine.
So... here is the giveaway... To Celebrate my one year anniversary... One winner will receive a free copy of the Spring 2012 issue of Woman to Woman Magazine!!!! (I'm so excited about this!) Here are the rules: *You DON'T HAVE to be a blog follower (but it is appreciated) *You DON'T HAVE to 'like' the facebook page (but is is nice if you do) *You DO have to leave a comment in the comment section of this post. BUT I don't just want any comment. In order to be eligible to win, you need to finish this sentence... Sometimes I get aggravated. When that happens I...
You don't have to write a big, long reply-- but I'm a writer-- and I'd love to hear what you creative people can come up with. YOUR ANSWER WILL NOT DETERMINE THE WINNER OF THE GIVEAWAY. IT IS JUST FOR FUN. THE WINNER WILL BE CHOSEN AT RANDOM USING THE PEOPLE WHO LEFT A COMMENT. Did you get all of that? To sum up: *Giveaway (YAY!) *To qualify, leave a comment below answering the prompt: Sometimes I get aggravated. When that happens I... *Your answer will not be judged. Simply leaving the comment qualifies you to win. *One (1) winner will be chosen at random to receive a free copy of the Spring 2012 issue of Woman to Woman Magazine *CONTEST ENDS on WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14th @ 11:59 Central Time *Winner will be chosen and announced on Thursday, March 15th. I'm looking forward to reading your answers to the prompt (make them as silly or as serious as you wish). A HUGE thank you for participating in this... and for reading this blog this year. It means a lot to me! Much Love (and happy writing!) ~Kelly Linked with: Faith Filled Friday
SAINT SLOAN COMES OUT TOMORROW!!!!! (EEEEPPPP!) I'm so excited... so nervous (SO nervous!)... very thrilled about it! I hope you are as excited about it and love it as much as I do.
Tomorrow, I'll post my publishing story and FINALLY the cover for Saint Sloan :) :) I'll give you just a little hint today---
(I LOVE HER EYES!)
Today, though, I have an amazing author on the blog, talking about how she got published. I find this story inspiring because sometimes I wonder how contests can go for authors-- and now I know :)
I first got published by Astraea Press through a pitch contest they held before launch. I saw an advertisement for it on Twitter, got my submission in, and then a week or two later was given an acceptance letter. It was absolutely crazy, let me tell you. I know my story isn't long and complicated, but let me just say to encourage you all: if you see those contests, go for it! Because even if you get rejected, at least you tried. And I had been rejected before, let me tell you. But so long as you believe in yourself, chances are you can get another to believe in you too!
Today, Wendy Knight, author of the upcoming FEUDLINGS, is here talking about how she got published! I hope her story (as well as the others in this series) inspires you :)
Here's Wendy...
So, my debut novel, Feudlings, doesn’t come out til March 19, so I guess technically I’m not published yet. But close enough, right? And I do love my story.
I spent two years writing Feudlings. First I just wanted to see if I could actually finish a novel. Then when I did, my husband talked me into trying to get it published. I didn’t want to – it’s a scary thing! So we made a deal. I would try for a year. If I hadn’t gotten it published before my birthday the next year, I could quit. So I queried and submitted and stalked Twitter watching for contests for almost an entire year. I had some requests, but nothing major. Stalking Twitter was one of the smartest things I could do. I found out about a website that was hosting a pitch session with several romance publishers. I signed up, scoured them all, and chose three to pitch to. One was Astraea Press. So I pitched online, and it was way scary, but pitching to Stephanie at Astraea Press was so much fun. I felt like I was talking to a friend. My favorite part – I told her about my story and she said, “Great, when can I get my hands on it?” I immediately loved her. Two weeks later, and my birthday and self-imposed deadline was only seven days away. My hubs was sick and I was up in the middle of the night playing games on Facebook. Everyone else was asleep. I saw that I had an email, so I checked it and it was from Stephanie. “My editor loved your book and we’d like to offer you a contract.” Hmm, I thought, and went back to the game I was playing on Facebook. About ten minutes later, I realized what I’d just read and fell off my chair. I picked myself up and re-read the email, shaking like a small dog the entire time. And I had NO ONE to tell! Luckily, I have the best writer friends on the planet (all of whom also don’t sleep, apparently) and I wrote them and told them. They were all very excited for me and held my hand while I tried to figure out what I was supposed to do. First thing – write the other publishers that had my full MS and let them know. So I did. Next step, let Astraea know that I needed some time. I was nervous about that – what if she changed her mind? But she was totally fine and understanding. After that, ask questions. Lots of questions. I’m BIG on questions, so much that I drive everyone nuts with them. But Stephanie was totally patient. Two days later, I got another contract offered from another press, and two agents asked to see my full. I had waited a YEAR, and suddenly everything was happening at once! So I did TONS of research and praying and asking questions, but all the way through I just felt like Astraea was the right choice. So I signed the contract and threw a party and have loved my decision ever since! If you would like, you can follow me on Twitter! @wjk8099 And my blog is http://writethroughthenoise.blogspot.com/
Zanna Mackenzie is on my blog today, talking about her new book, THE LOVE PROGRAMME! I'm so excited to have her (I just love her book cover! Seriously, it's gorgeous!)
Here's Zanna...
Many thanks for hosting me on your blog today! My novel, published by Astraea Press, is called The Love Programme, here’s more details:
Thanks to an embarrassing incident involving a wedding and her ex-boyfriend Marcus, Lucy has to leave her home town in a hurry and needs a place to escape to for a while. Best friend Fiona is convinced now would be a good time for Lucy to get herself a new life with some potential for romance thrown in. Fate seems to agree when Lucy is given the once-in-a-lifetime chance to star in a TV show and be a contestant on The Love Programme - two weeks of luxury living on a grand Highland estate coupled with, she hopes, fun and romance in wildest Scotland. When Lucy meets Paul - the young, handsome owner of the Highland estate - she thinks she may have found the love of her life but who is the mysterious Hannah and what part does she play in his life? When she discovers that Marcus is planning to follow her to Scotland to win her back Lucy has some serious soul searching to do. Does she have a future with Paul, with Marcus or is she yet to find the man of her dreams?
There’s a sneak peak at chapter one below and the book can be downloaded now on Amazon Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=zanna+mackenzie
Chapter One “I’m so glad he’s marrying someone else,” whispered Lucy, watching the groom shuffle nerv-ously from one foot to the other at the top of the aisle. “It could have been you up there,” replied Fiona. “How many times did Marcus ask you to marry him?” “Three,” Lucy replied, shifting position for the fourth time in as many minutes. Why did church pews have to be so uncomfortable? “The first time when we were five, then again at twenty and finally,” she paused, reliving the moment in her head, “eight months ago.” “Well,” Fiona said, as the organ struck up, filling the cold but pretty church with overly loud mu-sic, “it looks as though you’re safe from any more proposals, because I think the bride has just arrived.” Amelie Marchant made her way slowly down the aisle, blonde hair in an elegant chignon, de-signer dress looking a million dollars. Beneath her thin veil it was clear she was smiling, no doubt savouring each precious second of being the focus of everyone’s attention, yet keeping her own attention firmly fixed on Marcus, who was awaiting her arrival at the altar. Fiona nodded in approval. “She looks gorgeous. Her dress is exquisite.” She nudged Lucy. “Doesn’t the little bridesmaid look sweet in deep pink?” “Yes, she’s Amelie’s niece apparently.” Lucy let a small sigh of contentment slip from her lips as Amelie reached the altar and stood close to Marcus. Finally she, Lucy Stokes, was going to be free of Marcus Brandon. He was marrying someone else, hallelujah! She would, at long last, be able to live her life exactly the way she wanted to. The whole reason she was here today was to witness the ceremony for herself. To know it was for real. Okay, so she and Marcus had been childhood sweethearts. They’d played at the whole boy-friend-girlfriend thing on and off, sometimes quite successfully, for well over fifteen years. When she’d reached her twenties Lucy had sensed they didn’t have a future together, and she’d been trying to get Marcus to realise the fact ever since. When she’d broken it off with him for the last time, to say he hadn’t taken kindly to the idea they were no longer an item was a major understatement. Over time she’d grown used to his persistent phone calls, the fact he often just popped round to see her and casually suggested, if they were both at a loose end, they might go for a drink or to the pictures. Even when she’d plucked up the courage to attempt to date other people, it had been a complete disaster. Friadon was a small town and Marcus seemed to know every detail of where she went, when and with whom. On more than one occasion he’d tried to talk her out of going on a date, and she suspected, but couldn’t prove, he’d persuaded at least one of her dates to stay well away from her, causing her to be stood up, all alone in the heavy rain, outside the local cinema. Six months after they’d split up, in a completely misguided attempt to woo her back, he’d gotten down on one knee and proposed to her for the third time at the travel agency where she worked. Armed with a huge bouquet of red roses and a bottle of champagne he’d asked her to marry him one last time. It had been in front of several customers too; Lucy had been pink with embarrass-ment. When, riddled with guilt, she’d gently declined his offer yet again, he’d gone off and met Amelie. Eight months later here the two of them were standing at the altar about to become man and wife. Realising the ceremony was already well under way and she’d missed the first bit through not paying attention, Lucy tried to focus on what was being said, forcing the memories of Marcus from her mind. Yes, they’d enjoyed some fun times over the years, and she had to admit there had been occasions when they’d been completely great together, but it was all in the past now. His future lay with Amelie. Clearing his throat the vicar glanced nervously towards the congregation and asked, “Does any-one here object to the marriage of Amelie Marchant and Marcus Brandon? If so, speak now or forever hold... ” “I object.” The words were barely audible but Lucy heard them and fear shivered up her spine. The vicar, looking as though his worse fears were being realised, glanced around anxiously, un-sure what to do or say next. “I object!” This time the voice was louder. The vicar grew red-faced and flustered. “I’m sorry, sir, did you say you object?” The bridegroom nodded solemnly. “Yes, I’m afraid I did.” Those in the first few rows of the church heard the faintest of whimpers escape from beneath the bride’s veil and her knees appeared to buckle just a little. Fixing a stern gaze upon the unwilling groom the vicar muttered, “Why exactly do you object, Mr. Brandon?” Marcus addressed the packed congregation, his eyes scanning the rows, seeming to search for someone. Then in a loud, clear voice he announced, “I object because I’m still in love with an-other woman!” Raising his right hand he pointed to an area, three pews back on the right, just in front of a stone pillar. “Lucy, my love, will you ever take me back?” There was collective gasp from the congregation; the bride fainted on the spot, sinking to the floor to be quickly swallowed up in a cloud of ivory silk and lace. Lucy, covered in embarrass-ment from head to foot, used her generously proportioned purple feather hat to try to hide her face, clasped her matching purple purse to her chest and ran from the church as fast as her kitten heels would carry her. **** “Poor woman. Imagine being left at the altar.” Fiona licked her lips and placed her fork back on the now empty plate, having demolished a generous portion of blueberry cheesecake. “It’s the kind of thing you never recover from, surely.” “I know, I know, and I’m mortified everybody thinks I was in some way to blame.” Lucy sighed and searched in her handbag for a tissue. “I tried to call Amelie afterwards to explain there was nothing going on between me and Marcus, but her mum slammed the phone down on me. Eve-ryone hates me and I haven’t even done anything wrong.” “So, where is Marcus now then?” “He flew out to Portugal yesterday after the wedding to stay with his sister and her family. He rang me from the airport and asked if I’d fly out to join him, can you believe it?” Lucy shook her head in despair. “What do I have to do for him to get the message?” “Well, he’s obviously still crazy about you.” Fiona sighed and then pinched the uneaten biscotti from the side of Lucy’s cup and saucer. “In some ways it’s rather romantic.” “Fi! It’s not and you know it! You’ve known me since school, and you know how he’s been driving me crazy for years! You, of all people, should understand!” Lucy replied, trying to re-trieve the stolen biscotti from Fiona. “I want some freedom from him. I want a life. I want to be able to try to find my Mr. Perfect.” Fiona shook her head despairingly. “Not Mr. Perfect again. Don’t tell me — the man of your dreams needs to be,” she started to count on her fingers, “One, he needs to be fabulously wealthy. Two, he needs to be drop dead gorgeous. Three, kind and loving, attentive and thought-ful. Four, intelligent and successful. Five…” Lucy held her hand up in protest. “Well, a girl needs to aim high.” “I understand about you and Marcus. He’s not the man for you, but I’m afraid you’re not being realistic in the male wish list department. Firstly, you swap and change your mind about things all the while, and secondly, you know Mr. Perfect doesn’t even exist,” Fiona said, with a regretful smile. “I’m sure we all wish he did, but he doesn’t. Never has.” Looking like a child who’d just been told Santa Claus wasn’t real, Lucy replied, “Okay for you to say. You’ve found your soulmate and are heading for the Friadon wedding of the year in a couple of weeks.” “Yes, this is true.” Fiona nodded, a blissful smile appearing on her face. “But don’t forget I was realistic. I know Luke’s the one for me. I accept he’s not Mr. Perfect. He doesn’t shower me with roses or gifts, he goes down to the pub with his mates to watch the football far too often, and he’s not made of money. Oh, and he hates shopping!” Lucy shook her head, pretending to disapprove. “And yet you still love him!” “Yes, I do.” Fiona snapped the biscotti in half and handed one piece to Lucy. “Didn’t you ever love Marcus?” “No. Well, maybe I thought I did when I was younger. We were great together for a while.” She sighed, stirring her coffee absentmindedly. “I suppose I’ve never had much chance to date other guys, to experience life. That’s part of the problem. Marcus always wanted us to go absolutely everywhere together when we were dating.” “I don’t know how you’ve managed. To reach the ripe old age of twenty three, and you can probably count the number of boyfriends you’ve had on three fingers.” Lucy buried her head in her hands, a curtain of straight blonde hair falling forward to hide her face. “I know. It’s crazy. And now I’m hated by pretty much every female within a ten mile ra-dius because they think I’m a trollop and I’ve been carrying on with Marcus whilst he’s been en-gaged. I’m completely innocent in all of this, yet I’m the one getting bad-mouthed.” “They’ll get over it.” Pausing for dramatic effect, Fiona added, “It’ll just probably take a long while. In the meantime you’ll have to get used to being thought of as a wanton woman.” Patting her hand reassuringly, she said, “Anyway, I’m still your friend.” “Great, thanks,” muttered Lucy, head still in her hands. “Sometimes I just feel this overwhelming desire to move away from here, to get myself a new life.” “Well, do it then. For goodness sake you’ve been whinging on about it enough for the last few years.” Fiona popped the biscotti into her mouth. “Think about it. What’s stopping you from leaving Friadon anyway? Well, apart from my impending wedding of course.” Warming to her topic she said, “It would do you good to get away from this small town mentali-ty. You should have done it years ago. Go off and explore, find out what you want from your life. You’ve never had a chance to date properly without Marcus peering over your shoulder. It must have been awkward.” “It was.” Lucy shrugged, staring at a large crumb of biscotti on the table. As she had a good idea how infrequently the table tops were cleaned in this café, she resisted the strong urge to scoop the crumb up and lick it from her finger. “Anyway, at my age, shouldn’t I have my life all mapped out by now? You know, what I want from men, work, the whole caboodle.” Shaking her head Fiona reached for the last of her coffee. “Nah, it’s just a popular myth. Gener-ally things just happen, and they’re probably not what you were planning but they usually kind of work out for the best in the end.” Looking at Lucy, she said, “Remember how you used to complain about how boring Marcus was? Saying how you’d never been in a relationship where you’d been totally swept off your feet, how you wanted to find a man you could be completely crazy about for the rest of your life? Always going on about how you wanted to find your Mr. Perfect, the love of your life?” Lucy pushed a lock of hair behind her right ear, frowning. “And your point is?” “Go find the man for you, have your adventure, enjoy yourself,” Fiona added encouragingly. “All of the hearts and roses stuff, the handsome looks and pots of money business we all, at some point, crave. Doesn’t matter. They’re not the real recipe for happiness in a relationship.” As Lucy’s face took on a not-this-lecture-again look, Fiona said, “You’ll see, I know you will. You just need to find the right man first.” **** Business had been slower than usual at the Price Right Travel Agency where Lucy worked. “Isn’t it boring when nobody comes into the agency?” She sighed as she deftly slid a pair of scis-sors through some plastic wrapping on a pile of holiday brochures proclaiming Turkey to be ‘paradise in the sun’. Her boss Melanie glanced up from her computer with an irritated expression on her pixie-like face. “I imagine we’re being boycotted thanks to your little shenanigans with Marcus.” Trying to wedge some brochures with a picture of a gorgeous sun-drenched Turkish beach on the front onto the shelving, Lucy said, “For the tenth time, Mel, I didn’t do anything. What do I have to say for people to believe me?” Mel shook her head. “I’m not here to judge your love life but when it starts to affect my busi-ness…” she paused, choosing her words carefully. “For starters Marcus was one of our best cus-tomers. He even booked his honeymoon here. Goodness knows what will happen there. Nobody has asked about the chance of a refund yet. What with Marcus paying for it and then jetting off to Portugal straight after the non-wedding, he hasn’t had a chance. I expect he’ll be in to try to sort it all out when he gets back.” “He’ll lose his money. I’m pretty sure walking out on your wedding isn’t covered under his in-surance,” said Lucy with a grimace, feeling guilty about how Marcus and Amelie wouldn’t get to enjoy the five star hotel he’d chosen on a gorgeous stretch of beach on Cyprus. If she remem-bered rightly the place had three restaurants, five swimming pools, a spa and a gym. Everything you could wish for. She’d helped him to choose the place. Now she was the reason he wouldn’t be going there. “Perhaps it would be best if you took a bit of a sabbatical. Have you thought about it at all?” Mel asked with more than a hint of encouragement in her voice. “Sabbatical?” Lucy queried, the brochures in her hand slipping to the floor. “Not a polite way of saying I’m fired is it?” “Of course not. I’ll hold your job open for you. Just consider it an opportunity to take a few weeks off to go and have yourself a bit of fun. Hopefully by the time you return, all the gossips will have moved on to someone else and the next Friadon scandal.” “You’re serious aren’t you?” Lucy asked, sitting down on several bundles of as-yet unopened brochures. “Definitely. I have this friend who works for a small TV production company. They’re doing some sort of programme about love and one of the girls has had to pull out at the last moment for family reasons. They need a replacement right away and the filming is supposed to start in two days. Craig, my friend, doesn’t want to have to go through all the audition info again to choose someone else. I bet you’d be ideal.” Sceptically Lucy asked, “What sort of love programme? It’s not something tacky is it?” “No, no,” Mel answered, tapping away at her computer keyboard. “I think the idea is for three girls and one boy to spend two weeks together at some glam location. It’s properly organised and supervised. Each of you would get to go on your dream type of dates. It’s all about the psycholo-gy of finding the love of your life.” Lucy got to her feet, then swayed unsteadily as her sandals slipped across several of the glossy holiday brochures scattered about the floor where she’d dropped them minutes earlier. Stooping to gather up the brochures before a customer (should one of them ever appear) broke their ankle on them and sued the agency, Lucy contemplated Mel’s suggestion. “So it would all be quite tasteful then?” “I should imagine so. I think they’ll be having a psychologist on hand too, so after each date you can talk about how you think things went. There’s a complete relationship analysis service avail-able so you can learn about yourself, men, and your attitude towards dating. Sounds ideal for you.” Realising she’d been holding her breath for a few seconds, Lucy let it out in a long sigh. “Okay, I might be interested. Shall I call this Craig or will you?”
I'm so excited to have Jennifer Comeaux here today and learn about the second in her Edge novels, Edge of the Past (Astraea Press, Nov. 2012) Edge of the Past is the sequel to Life on the Edge-- I'll give you the book covers to see if you can figure out what these books are about...
BUY LINKS FOR EDGE OF THE PAST: AMAZON BARNES AND NOBLE SMASHWORDS
Hmmm... do you sense the theme?
(And aren't these AWESOME book covers! Seriously, gorgeous!)
Life on the Edge and Edge of the Past are New Adult novels, a very big upcoming genre in literature between young adult (12ish-18ish) and adult (over college age... ish).
And do you have to like skating to like these books? Well, did you have to know how to do surgery to watch ER or drink blood to watch the Vampire Diaries (ewwww)?
So, what is Edge of the Past about...
Emily’s skating career and personal life have never been more golden. She and her partner Chris have won every competition they’ve entered this season, and she’s found the man of her dreams in her coach Sergei. But when one of the biggest competitions of the year takes Emily and Sergei to Russia, Sergei’s past explodes into the present and makes Emily doubt everything in their future.
And what's reading the second book before you read the first one? It's like watching The Bourne Legacy without seeing the Bourne Identity or Return of the Jedi before they ever went away... FREE BOOK ALERT!!!! Jennifer wants to help you with that. She has agreed to give away 1 ebook copy of LIFE ON THE EDGE (Edge, #1) to a reader of this blog (You my friends... you! And is there anything better than free??????) All you have to do to win is leave a blog comment telling me which book cover you like the best: Life on the the Edge or Edge of the Past.
Personally, I'm all about the second one because purple is my favorite color... I need to make this blog purple (but I digress)
THE WINNER WILL BE RANDOMLY CHOSEN FROM THE BLOG COMMENT PARTICIPANTS. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. CONTEST ENDS AT 7 AM MONDAY, FEB. 18th.
GOOD LUCK!!! This is definitely a book you want to win!
Wanna know what book 1 is about????
Nineteen-year-old Emily is new to pairs skating, but she and her partner Chris have a big dream–to be the first American team to win Olympic gold. Their young coach Sergei, who left Russia after a mysterious end to his skating career, believes they can break through and make history. Emily and Chris are on track to be top contenders at the 2002 Winter Games. But when forbidden feelings spark between Emily and Sergei, broken trust and an unexpected enemy threaten to derail Emily’s dreams of gold.
And here is an excerpt from EDGE OF THE PAST...
Excerpt Sergei pressed me up into the star lift, and I noticed some of the other skaters idling and watching us. We sped past them, and Sergei set me down, preparing for the closing seconds of the program. In time with the final piano notes, I edged away from Sergei, and he rushed toward me, trapping me in his arms for the ending pose. I gasped at the passion with which he grabbed me. His eyes held my gaze then slowly drifted down to my mouth, and my body hummed from the fiery energy between us. I leaned into his chest and squeezed my fingers harder around his biceps. A few of my training mates erupted with applause and whistles, and Sergei jerked backward. He didn’t say anything as he took off to cool down, leaving me alone in the middle of the ice with more than my muscles burning.
About the Author Jennifer Comeaux earned a Master of Accounting from Tulane University and is a Certified Public Accountant in south Louisiana. While working in the corporate world, she sought a creative outlet and decided to put on paper a story that had played in her head for years. That story became Life on the Edge, her first published novel. When not working or writing, she is an avid follower of the sport of figure skating, travelling to competitions around the country. Those experiences allow her to see a different side of the sport and serve as an inspiration for her writing. Jennifer is blessed with a wonderful family and friends who have encouraged her to pursue her dream of being a published author. Author social media links: Website Twitter Facebook Goodreads
One of my favorite things is writing short fiction, as in VERY short: 100 word stories and twitterfiction (you know who stories you can fit on twitter... 140 characters. It's not as easy as it sounds)
My favorite contest is a weekly 100 word one from glitterword.wordpress.com. Stevie McCoy posts a picture and a weird word, and we write short stories about it. There is a contest and a few winners chosen each week (I won Honorable Mention last week :) )
SO... I wanted my Sweet Saturday Sample to be this little story. The word was birl: to To spin or cause to rotate.
I don't have the copyright to the picture, so I can't post it here, but you can go HERE: http://glitterword.wordpress.com/2013/01/15/tuesdaytales-73-birl/ and see it (it really is a pretty picture). I didn't win this time, but I really liked the story and thought I'd share with you guys...
The music made her head birl. Laughter from men who had too many drinks filled the air. Women swung their full skirts outward as tuxedo-clad “gentlemen” spun them around the ornate, circular room. Someone grabbed her by the waist and pulled her into a waltz. The face she recognized, but couldn’t recall the owner’s name. So familiar. So far away. “We’ll be together again someday. I promise.” He smiled before twirling her into the arms of another. A hard object jabbed into her stomach. A shot rang out. Blood splattered her perfect white corset. She rose from her bed with sweat beading her brow. The bright light from the television lit his sleeping face. The man. The dancer. He’d found her again.
123 words@martieKay If you love writing, Tuesday Tales is a great exercise. :)
This time of year can be very stressful, I know it is for me. I have three kids, my husbands work shuts down for 13 days, and there are places to go, things to buy, and people to see. In short, it's stressful. In fact, our Christmas play at church deals with the stresses of the season and how much we forget that it's not about the 'perfect' Christmas... it's about the baby boy born that morning. So, how can we make Christmas less stressful this year?
Don't worry if everything's not perfect. It'll be what it is :)
Take time to laugh
Have small kids and a not so clean house, don't stress. At least your kids are happy and playing (I have to remind myself of this a lot lol)
Take time for yourself! I have a hard time with this one, but everyone needs time to recharge their batteries.
Find fun. When I get stressed, I snap at people. If I was having fun, I wouldn't snap lol. Play games with your kids, even if it's silly ones.
Pray. Giving your stresses to God and knowing it's going to be okay is a great way to deal with stress. Also, praying lets you know that He's right there with you... even in that long line at Target...
Find time to read your Bible every day. Don't have the TV or loud music on. Just spend time with your Bible and God. It is relaxing and lets you know He's right there with you.
Christmas time, one of the most joyous times of year, can quickly turn into a pull-out-my-hair, if- someone-gives-me-one-more-fruitcake-I’m-going-to-throw-it, when-will-this-holiday-finally-be-overseason. When we should be celebrating the birth of the One who came to save us, we are stressing over piles of wrapping paper, baked goods and party invitations. The busyness steals our peace and robs us of joy. So how can this holiday season peaceful? How can we remain joyful?
Woman to Woman Ministries presents the Christmas Blessing Giveaway! Join thirty-two bloggers for ideas and advice on how to remain peaceful in a stressful season. In addition to sweet encouragement on keeping the peace in your home and heart, we are giving away a blessing of $320 in PayPal cash. The winner will have the money transferred to their PayPal account where they can use it for Christmas celebrations, groceries, bills, whatever they need. To enter to win simply complete all of the tasks in the rafflecopter below. a Rafflecopter giveaway Christmas Blessing Giveaway Rules: No purchase necessary. Must be 18 to enter. Void where prohibited by law. This giveaway is in no way sponsored, endorsed, or associated by Facebook. By entering this giveaway, you agree to release Facebook, Woman to Woman Ministries and all participating blogs of all liability. Contest ends at 12:01am EST on Tuesday, December 11, 2012. Winner is randomly chosen by Rafflecopter and will be emailed on December 11, 2012, then funds will be transferred to winner's PayPal account. Participating Blogs…Please help support these wonderful bloggers! 1. Woman to Woman Ministries http://www.w2wministries.org/ 2. Sweet Blessings http://www.jenifermetzger.org/ 3. Treasures Found in Him http://www.debibaker.org/ 4. Leaving a Legacy http://www.leavingalegacyblog.net/ 5. Kelly Martin Stories http://www.kellymartinstories.com/ 6. Happy Little Homemaker http://www.happylittlehomemaker.com/ 7. The Encouraging Home http://www.theencouraginghome.com/ 8. Christian Women's Voice http://christianwomensvoice.org/ 9. Beautiful in Him http://www.allisonjonmorrison.blogspot.com/ 10. A Simple Life, Really?! http://asimplelifereally.blogspot.com/ 11. Managing Your Blessings http://www.managingyourblessings.com/ 12. Thankful Homemaker http://thankful-homemaker.blogspot.com/ 13. For Unmarried Christian Women http://www.for-unmarried-christian-women.com/ 14. The Chuppies http://thechuppies.com/ 15. Homemaker by Choice http://www.homemakerbychoice.net/ 16. Leaving a Legacy http://angietolpin.com/ 17. Love, Friendship, & All Things Girly http://www.bethanyjett.com/ 18. Simply Audra Marie http://www.audrasilva.com/ 19. Young Wife's Guide http://youngwifesguide.com/ 20. A Biblical Marriage http://abiblicalmarriage.com/ 21. Becoming a Strong Woman of God http://www.becomingastrongwomanofgod.com/ 22. Unmarried http://www.unmarriedmovie.com/ 23. CSAHM http://csahm.com/ 24. Renewing Housewives http://www.renewinghousewives.com/ 25. Mothers on Mission http://mothersonmission.org/ 26. Awakened Anew http://awakenedanew.com/ 27. The Father Knows Best http://www.thefatherknowsbest.com/ 28. Our Simple Farm http://www.oursimplefarm.com/ 29. So You Call Yourself a Homeschooler http://www.soyoucallyourselfahomeschooler.com/ 30. Getting It Right - Occasionally http://www.gettingitright-occasionally.blogspot.com/ 31. Only A Breath http://www.onlyabreath.com/ 32. Kove's Blog http://www.kovesblog.blogspot.com/
Okay, so yeah, I know this blog has gone though a lot of changes and a lot of names in the past few years. It started as a:
*mommy blog
*cleaning blog
*Christian blog
*homemaking blog
Now it's an *author blog... with everything else thrown in too.*
I've never wanted this blog to just be one thing. I always wanted to have it change (and it has :) ). The original name of the blog was "oh that mom again" (I still love that name... but it didn't fit the blog any more... booooo).
Tuesday, I held a contest on my fb author page (you should 'like' it if you'd like to be 'in the know'. It is easier for me to write a short blurb than a post lol... anyway). The contest was for someone to pick out a new name for the blog... the winner would get a character named after them in one of my new books (attitude their choice).
There were SO many good choices. It was very hard to choose because they could have all fit. In the end, I chose INKspiration. Because it combined writing (ink) and God (inspiration for the writing).
There you have it... INKspiration! I love it.
Big thanks to contest winner ANGELA A. who will have a character named after her in a new book :)
~Kelly "Went into this book with a preconceived notion that it would be ho-hum as I'm not a fan of many books that involve religion or prayer. But I was so pleasantly surprised and quickly fell in love with Rachel and Asher and Rachel's faith gave me something to think about. Wonderfully written and so enjoyable and NOT predictable. Hoping there is going to be a follow up and it becomes a series. Well done!"--- REVIEW from goodreads about CROSSING THE DEEP Have you picked up your copy? I'd love to hear what you think.
Wanna 'TREAT' this Halloween? I'm participating with Lisa Orchard, author of THE SUPER SPIES and the HIGH SCHOOL BOMBER (and lots of other authors) for a Spooky Good Giveaway! One winner will win a Kindle Fire ! We are playing a game called 'bobbing for books'. Here’s how to play and enter the contest via Lisa Orchard’s blog 1. TWEET about the giveaway and then FB share. (Each time you do this, comment on Lisa's blog with the tweet/facebook status URL, HERE) 2. Buy a participating author’s book(s) and post the confirmation code of purchase/book title in a comment on Lisa Orchard’s blog. 3. Enter as many times as you want! There is no limit. 4. Winner will be chosen on OCTOBER 30th. Tweet/share = one entry. Book bought = two entries so enter often... BUT don't forget to leave a comment on Lisa's Blog for each book bought and tweet/fb post to get credit for the giveaway.**All books are clean reads. NO purchase necessary. The amount of chances to win depends on how many entries you have.HERE ARE THE BOOKS... “The Super Spies and the Cat Lady Killer” By: Lisa Orchard
An innocent game of Truth or Dare spins out of control when Sarah Cole discovers the dead body of the Cat Lady and what’s worse? The lead detective believes they’re responsible for the old woman’s death. Sarah realizes it’s up to The Super Spies to snare the Cat Lady Killer…or die trying.. A great Halloween read! BUY LINKS: Amazon Barnes and Noble
“Crossing the Deep” By: Kelly Martin
Sixteen year old Rachel Harker expects the hiking trip in the mountains to be short and painless. Four days later, injured and scared, she just prays to make it home alive. BUY LINKS: Amazon Barnes and Noble
“Hauntings of the Heart” By Joselyn Vaughn
When lost love shows up on your doorstep, what do you do? Minnie Schultz slams the door in his face. With the help of some paranormal investigators, an Elvis impersonator and a couple of nosey friends, can Minnie and Gordon find the future they were meant to have? BUY LINKS: Amazon Barnes and Noble Find more of Joselyn’s books here: http://joselynvaughn.com
“Abiding Echoes” By: Kay Springsteen
Love is family… Love is endless… Love is timeless… Love is abiding… BUY LINKS: Amazon Barnes and Noble Find more of Kay’s books here: http://kayspringsteen.wordpress.com/
“Vala Appointed” By: J. F. Jenkins
Identical twins Anj and Zes Willam have always been considered odd, even in a world where myth is real. Their magic is powerful and intense, as well as their secrets. None more so than Anj, who has the biggest secret of them all. BUY LINKS: Amazon Barnes and Noble
“Double Crossing” By: Meg Mims
August, 1869: Lily Granville is stunned by her father’s murder. Only one other person knows about a valuable California gold mine deed — both are now missing. Lily heads west on the newly opened transcontinental railroad, determined to track the killer. She soon realizes she is no longer the hunter but the prey. As things progress from bad to worse, Lily is uncertain who to trust—the China-bound missionary who wants to marry her, or the wandering Texan who offers to protect her … for a price. Will Lily survive the journey and unexpected betrayal? BUY LINKS: Amazon Barnes and Noble “Cruel Justice” By: Mel Comley
The headless body of a wealthy widow is discovered decomposing in Chelling Forest. Detective Inspector Lorne Simpkins and her partner, DS Pete Childs are assigned to the case. A few days later another victim, this time a young girl, is discovered. Who could the killer be and what’s the connection between the two victims? BUY LINKS: Amazon/ US Amazon/UK Find more of Mel’s books here: http://melcomley.blogspot.fr/
“Moonlight on the Palms” By: Lisa Greer
When professor Astrid Kent’s estranged mother dies, she returns to her childhood home of La Casa De La Luz to set things right. But secrets, murder, and her mother’s ex-husband—Astrid’s former fiance before she fled Texas in shame—threaten to entangle her at every turn, even as another man vies for her heart. BUY LINKS: Amazon Barnes and Noble: Find more of Lisa’s books here: http://www.lisalgreer.com/
“Prepare to Receive More” By: Benecia Ponder
A Step-by-Step Guide to Forming Your Prosperity Partnership with God. BUY LINKS: Amazon:
“The Trouble with Charlie” By: Catherine Bennett
Love. Desire. A psycho bent on revenge. But can Charlie Reynolds recognize the most dangerous of the three? BUY LINKS: Amazon Barnes and Noble
“At What Cost” By: J. Andersen
When sixteen year old Maggie Reynolds discovers she’s pregnant at the beginning of Junior year, she’s scared to death to tell her parents for fear of what they’ll do. Luckily, her boyfriend suggests another alternative: abortion, but will it really solve all her problems like she hopes it will? BUY LINKS: Amazon Barnes and Noble
“The Legacy” By: Patricia Kiyono
A family finds and embraces its samurai heritage. The Legacy introduces the Tanaka family, whose story begins in The Samurai’s Garden, available beginning November 6 from your favorite ebook distributor! BUY LINKS: AMAZON
“The Last Time Keepers” By: Sharon Ledwith
When Amanda Sault and her four classmates are caught in a major food fight at school, they are given the choice of suspension or yard duty. It was a no-brainer. A two-week crash course in landscaping leads the kids to discover a weathered stone arch buried in an overgrown backyard. Instead of a forgotten lawn ornament, it turns out to be an ancient time portal from the lost continent of Atlantis. BUY LINKS: Musa Publishing Amazon Barnes and Noble “There your Heart will be Also” By: Felicia Rogers
The Renaissance Hearts Series – Begin the adventure with Sarra and Cedric. BUY LINKS: Amazon Barnes and Noble Find more of Felicia’s books here: http://feliciarogersauthor.weebly.com/
“A Collie Rescue” By: Lindsay Downs
Former Army Sergeant Sandi Charleston, diagnosed with PTSD and homeless barely survives day to day. By a miracle of fate she meets Taz, a uniquely special collie, who helps turn her life around. BUY LINKS: Amazon Barnes and Noble Find more of Lindsay Downs books here: www.murdersandmysteries.wordpress.com
“A New Dream” By: Elaine Cantrell
Former NFL player Matt McCallum and baker Violet Emerson find a common dream for their lives, but a loose end from Matt’s past returns to jeopardize their future. Will love be enough to save their new dream before it turns into a nightmare? BUY LINKS: Amazon Barnes and Noble
“Psychic” By: John Warnock
What if you awoke one day and discovered you had ESP? Would you feel blessed? Or would you feel cursed? BUY LINKS: Amazon Barnes and Noble: Find more of John’s books here:http://www.johnwarnock.info/
“Secrets of Catalpa Hall” By: Lori Lapekes
BUY LINKS: Amazon Barnes and Noble Find more of Lori’s books here: http://lorilapekes.com/
“No Job for a Woman” By: Sherry Gloag
Circumstances demand Julian and Deborah learn to work together and Julian dares to dream that he might gain the love of the only person he’s ever given his heart to. But will Deborah live long enough to discover that by releasing everything she values, she will gain everything her heart desires? BUY LINKS: Amazon Barnes and Noble Find more of Sherry’s books here: http://www.sherrygloag.com/
****Please be aware that the KINDLE FIRE will be gifted from Amazon and sent directly from there. Therefore, if the winner receives a damaged prize, myself and the participating authors are not held liable for any damages. The winner must work with Amazon to get a replacement. WINNER WILL BE ANNOUNCED on OCTOBER 30th.
Sigh... We all know how querying is. It's like putting yourself through torture. First, you write a query (after the manuscript of course) and it may or may not be good. You pray that it is. Then you send said query to the top agents on your list. And you wait... And not patiently. Oh sure, you try to work on something else, but your fingers (and your eyes) always seem to go back to that email box 'just to check'. Of course, you only sent the query five minutes ago-- but what should that matter??? ;) After that, you wait. Every time you see a email notification you get all excited. When you read the rejection, you try not to be defeated. But then, by some miracle, you get a request for a full... a FULL!!! You are elated! Surely they will read it and love it! Contract and bookshelves here you come!! Then a week goes by. Then two. And maybe even months before you hear back. If you're lucky, you get a contract... if you are like a lot of people, you get the dreaded, "UNFORTUNATELY" (I very much dislike that word now lol) In my case, it took two weeks... and I won't tell you how long she read my novel for-- because it's embarrassing and I'd probably never write anything ever again if you knew-- I probably need to do some revisions. Putting your book in the hands of an agent/publisher is like entering your kid into a beauty contest. You know he/she is the prettiest person there, but if someone else doesn't think so, it hurts. It also makes you insecure. What is your query/partial/full experience? How do you deal with the rejections (or the word unfortunately)? Do you/will you have a happy dance all set up when you do sign a book contract (I did :) It was awesome ;) ) ~Kelly Linked with: Insecure Writer's Support Group
I found out I'm in the second round at the Create Romance Short Story contest at www.familyfiction.com. I VERY MUCH want to be in the top 200!
The only way to get there is with YOUR help! Please, click the link HERE!!!!! and 'vote up' my story. I'd be forever grateful!
Also, if you could spread the word, via blog or twitter or facebook, I'd appreciate it. I have until August 31st (so you'll probably see weekly posts about this... I'm sorry about that).
By the way, it's not a typical romance... I was watching a lot of soap operas when I wrote it ;)
As if querying isn’t torture enough, many writers like to put themselves through the nightmare of contests. Several types exist, each with benefits. The most popular ones include:
1. Those held by writing organizations such Romance Writers of America (e.g. The Golden Heart and RWA chapter contests).
2. Blog contests where feedback is given on your entry (e.g. MissSnark’s First Victim Secret Agent contests (MSFV)).
3. Blog contests where agents bid on entries. No feedback is given. (e.g. MSFV Baker Dozen contests, Brenda Drake’s Pitch Contests)
4. Pitch fests on Twitter. (e.g. Carina Press on April 4th #carinapitch)
Each of these contests have their own pros and cons, the #1 con being they are SUBJECTIVE, like everything else in publishing. With the RWA contests, you have to pay to enter. I participated in one last year, and I won’t do that again. I finaled, but the scores were ridiculously high. Sure my entry was good, but I knew it didn’t deserve the 99 out of 100 one judge gave it (more like the 87 the published author gave it). I wanted feedback. That’s not what I received.
MSFV Secret Agent contests require thick skin (just like querying), but you can get some amazing feedback from agents and fellow writers that will help make your first page stronger.
Contests like those held by Brenda Drake are great for getting your pitch seen by agents who aren’t currently accepting queries. Since demand to get into these contests is high, and only a few entries make it in, your entry has to be strong to begin with.
Contests are a great way to be seen by agents, but beware submitting the same piece again and again, as agent Sarah Lapolla pointed out on Twitter:
The lack of variety is why I stopped saying yes to contests for a while. When I started doing them again, the same pitches were still there.
Do you participate in writing contests? How do you feel about them?
When Justine Dell announced the release of her book, Recaptured Dreams, I asked if she could write about her experience working with a publicist. Something we all hope to get to do one day. Thanks, Justine, for sharing your insights with us.
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Right after my book was accepted at Omnific, before I even got my editorial letter, I was thrown into the waiting arms of my publicist, who I would learn would be my guide through the publishing process and would direct me into the world of getting the word out about my book.
Phew, I thought. No big deal. But then came the lists. I mean like LONG lists about things I needed to do--accounts I needed to set up (Shelfari, Feedburner, Goodreads, Library things, Twitter, Facebook author page, book page, a book website, a blog just to name a few). Because I had most of them, I flew through them. I was pretty well prepared in the social networking department, but I would feel sorry for anyone who wasn't. Thank goodness I was prepared for that!
Traci (that's my publicist!) also guided me through the process of developing my book trailer and cover. Omnific did all the hard work, mind you, but I did get the chance to put my two cents in! It was Traci who keep the communication between them and me open and happy! Traci also helped with my official book blurb, my author bio, my press release, etc. She's also helping with my online and on-sight book launch party.
As we got closer and closer to the publishing date, Traci and I started to work out the details for a blog tour. Now again, because I had such a strong social networking presence, I was able to set up over a month's worth of stops on my own with my own blogger friends. Traci set up book reviews by romance bloggers. Together, Traci and I decided to give away a free ebook at each stop (22 in all), and I designed the bookmarks and offered them up as another prize. Basically, it was a lot of brainstorming between Traci and I. I would have an idea, she would have one, and we'd put it together so it would work for *me*. Together we set up the blog tour, the reviews, the month long giveaway on my blog, Goodreads giveaway, etc. She's great. If I need something or have a question, she's right there.
The main idea is to get word out the about your book. And your publicist helps you arrange that. (And bloggers rules...remember that!)
What you need to expect from your publicist is someone who will help you organize yourself (if you're not organized, which thankfully I am!) and bounce around ideas that would work to market your book. In the beginning it's a lot of leg work, setting up those accounts and stuff, getting YOU, the author out into the world, and then it's time to get your book out there, too. The main thing you need to have ready is an open mind. No one formula works for every person, so you have to be thinking about things you would like to see. Did you write a book about aliens? Maybe you would have a twitter twitpic contest of the reader who comes up with the best costume #aliensrule. You see? Your imagination has just as much in this as your publisher. You work together.
Now even though I had a lot of connections and did some stuff on my own, it's important to point out that my publisher, Ominific can do a variety of things. It depends on the author. Sometimes they exclusively use book bloggers to get the word out. Sometimes the word gets out early and then people approach them. My publicist is a big proponent of giving the book away because for all the marketing, the best thing IS the book. Once people read it, you'll get fans. And word of mouth is a powerful thing. Omnific can set up twitter chats, twitter contest, conference appearances and all sorts of stuff. It really depends on your book...and you.
Working with a publicist is the most amazing thing there is. But it's also a lot of hard work :-)
Has anyone else worked with a publicist? Any words of wisdom you would like to share with us?
