We've all heard it, but sometimes He smacks us right up side the head with it! Those are the fun times... well if you count oral surgery 'fun', but I guess you need to know the beginning of the story.
Yesterday, I had surgery to remove my 4 wisdom teeth. Now, I only got 2 out because one of them was worse than the doctor thought and I only had 20% left on my knock out meds so I have to go back and do it all again... oh joy. Naw... it worked out for the best. I won't be as scared the next time, and I'll have time for this one side to heal before I have to have it done again. AND I can chew on that side of my mouth which is awesome since I'm STARVING...
BUT, that has nothing to do with my Brag on God Friday. I know... you are wanting me to get to it.
I had the surgery Wednesday... TUESDAY I WASN'T going to! I had talked myself out if it. I sent my sister (my poor sister) lots of texts explaining all of this too her. I was too busy to be 'out of commission' for as long as I thought I was going to be (that's my 3rd out of 3 posts about what I learned in the dentists chair... stay tuned... dun... dun... dun!). I told her I should wait until my kids got older... I told her lots of things. I was a bit freaked.
And my sister... my poor sister... gave me this advice, "Do what you always say do. Pray about it."
WELL, whollop ole Kelly upside the head!
To be fair, I HAD prayed about it. I had prayed about it in great length, but it was all about how *I* didn't *WANT* to have it done and all the reasons why. I was trying to make Him see things MY way (and yeah, we all know how well THAT goes!).
So, finally, right before I went to bed, I had this thought. My alarm clock doens't work all the time. I have to set my phone alarm as a back up during the school year because my alarm clock isn't reliable (can you see where my wheels were rolling??) In my great wisdom, I DIDN'T set my phone alarm... only my unreliable alarm clock.
Before I shut my eyes for the night, I prayed, "God, I'm leaving this all up to you. If you wake me up in time tomorrow, I'll go get the surgery. If not, I won't." And I went to sleep.
Now, I know you aren't supposed to test God, but it was all I could think to do at the time. I was giving God the choice...because if it was up to me, I was running for the hills!
I have 3 small kids (the reasons, I kept telling myself, as to WHY I shouldn't have the surgery). My kids are 5, 4 and 11 months. They are VERY good sleepers. They go to bed at 7 pm and wake no earlier than 6:30 am. EVERY DAY...
5:45 am... Me, sleeping peacefully because I KNOW I'm not going to have to go have surgery...
Yeap, the baby woke up 1 hr and 15 minutes earlier than she usually does. I went in, got her, and asked her if an angel had kissed her awake (she just laughed and smiled and gooed lol). So I fixed her a bottle and, defeatedly, went to take a shower to get ready for my surgery.
God works in mysterious ways.
The baby slept until 7 am today. She hasn't woken up earlier than 6:45 all summer.. yet 'somehow' (yeah I know how) she woke up on the exact same day I needed her too... I prayed for it.
Of course, I had to laugh. I thanked God for the 'sign' and I had my surgery.
That's not the only thing I have to 'brag on God' on this week!
God has answered so many of my prayers! More than I could ever even dream of for one week. He answered some of them I had for my husband, my sisters, and my daughter. My 5 year old told me today that she asked Jesus to come live in her heart :) I'm not entirely sure she knows what that means, but I DO know that her and her sister were playing today and she was telling her sister how to get Jesus into HER heart. Some kids play Barbies.. my kids play church. I'm ok with that :) (they play restaurant too lol).
It has been a really big week of blessings at my house. I learned that the spot that the doctor was 'pretty sure' was cancer... wasn't. I braved oral surgery. The hubs and I had a big, long, awesome heart to heart. My kids know about Jesus.
And I'm not saying all of this to brag about MY family. We are nothing special (well, we are special to ME, but we aren't special in any big sense... we blend really well). But God has just been right with us this week (as every week, but I guess I'm just seeing it more now). I truly, truly thank him for all he's done!
I have another blog. It's called http://www.365daysofbiblicalencouragement.blogspot.com/. Its only been up for 5 days. God has blessed me so much writing that. If it was only *me* reading it, it would be a blessing, but I'm so grateful that others are reading it and being blessed.
So, yesterday I had my wisdom teeth cut out. I was going in to get all 4 cut out, but due to some unforseen complications, I only got 2 out and have to go back in 2 weeks for another surgery (ye-haw). But that's not the point of this post.
The point is that I was scared of the surgery.
I wasn't scared per sa OF the surgery. I was glad to get my teeth that had hurt me for years out. What I was worried about was the being put under, the not being able to take care of my kids, the possibility of doing something stupid while 'doped up'. Basically, it was the fear of 'not' being in control.
Being in control of situations is really important to me. It helps me as a teacher, a wife, and a mama. If I wasn't in control of my classroom, my kids would run amuck. If I wasn't in control of paying the bills, my family would suffer. If I wasn't in control of raising my kids, they would suffer in the long run (and my husband helps too... I'm not in control of EVERYTHING, but the need to at least know what is going on is strong in me). The thought of being put to sleep (it was my first time ever) scared me because things would be going on with me that I wasn't in control of... that I wouldn't know about.
And I knew I wasn't going to feel good today either (which I don't, but I'm making it... so far lol).
All that weighed heavily on my mind and I 'might' have had a come apart in the operating table to the nurse for feeling 'selfish' for having the surgery (I'm saving that train of thought for another post). The nurse reassured me that I was doing the right thing and that my kids would be fine.
And then I took a much needed nap (that nap was awesome).
***And now... the POINT of this post***
The hubs drove me home, of course. But I felt fine. I was just a bit sleepy. Nothing major. We came home. I laid in the bed (when I wasn't on the internet). I took my pain pills. I put gauze in my mouth. I called my mother to check on the ladies. And I bared my soul to the husband... APPARENTLY pain pills and whatever they give you to knock you out, makes me very talky! I think I told him my deepest dreams, biggest goals, plans for our family... wow. Things I didn't want to necessarily 'hide' from him, but that I really wasn't ready to talk to him about.
He was good. He laid with me and listened. I wondered at the time why he wasn't saying much, but it was probably because it was all coming out so fast and jumbled up, that it probably sounded like a rant of a crazy person!
Then around 6, he went to get the girls and when they got home, I decided to show the hubs my other blog. I had never showed him it before and I wanted him to see what I'd been working on.
So I sat down to show it to him... and he said, "Um, Kelly. You already showed me this today... you don't remember it, do you?"
Annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd, I didn't!
Here I thought I was SO in control yesterday. I *thought* that the pain meds and other drugs hadn't affected me that much. I *thought* I was in control of my own actions when if that was the case, I wouldn't have spilled my guts (not that it was a bad thing), and I would have remembered showing him my blogs.
When thinking back on it, it made me realize why some people drink and drive. I don't drink... well, I very VERY rarely drink. I haven't had a drink in a restaurant in over 2 years. At home, its few and VERY far between. But, it made me realize how you can 'think' you are in control... you THINK you are perfectly fine to drive.BUT YOU'RE NOT. Heck, I *thought* I felt fine enough to drive home yesterday... BUT if I had, I might have wound up in Little Rock--- dancing on tables before I came back to my senses (there is visual image for you!)
To sum up, sometimes we think we are in control, when we really are not. If we think about it, we are never 'truly' in control because that 'job' is God's (even if we don't like to admit it sometimes). We need to be careful of the 'control' we *think* we have. Its good to be on top of things (bills, child raising, homemaking), but it's silly to think that we are actually 'in control' of it... *I'm* silly for thinking that.
The things you learn from Oral Surgery... (I think I have gotten 3 blog posts I want to write from it!)
Much love! Remember you still have time to finish Quest #5 by Saturday. It's a pretty easy one this week. I finished in a little over an hour.
(photo courtesy of my 7 year old and my cellphone... ) One thing a lot of author's dream about is holding a copy of their book. After nearly 9 months as an ebook, I'm finally getting to hold mine! CROSSING THE DEEP and SAINT SLOAN are NOW IN PAPERBACK!!!! (( My kids are so excited! They keep jumping up and down and kissing me :) They think it's neat to see ole Mama's name on a book cover. I'm with them on that...)) You can buy them from Amazon as a paperback or anywhere ebooks are sold as... well... an ebook. Couldn't wait to share this with you guys!
Enter to win a free advanced review copy of my newest book, THE DECEPTION OF DEVIN MILLER, releasing July 23rd!!
Enter to win a free ARC of THE DECEPTION OF DEVIN MILLER coming July 23rd, 2013. CLICK HERE...
Can he show her the world like she’d never seen it before?
Melinda ‘Mindy’ Caldwell had everything she could want. Nice house, high-end clothes. The only thing she doesn’t have is a life…outside her house that is. An incident when she was four left her an agoraphobic-a prisoner within the sanctuary of her home. Besides her sister, she finds companionship in the form of handsome delivery man Jack Eberley. Jack Eberley’s woman of his dreams won’t even leave her house. That does little to tamper his feelings toward her. He finds himself wanting to deliver more packages to her house and help her breakdown the walls she’s built around herself. One night will change each of their lives. Will they find love in the first blooms of spring or will they let their love slip away? “You have a... ” he paused for a moment as if searching for the right word, “liking for the man.” "No. Yes. Maybe,” she replied reluctantly. “Which is it?” His gentle tone did little to ease the churning in her stomach. If she wasn’t careful, she’d give herself an ulcer. Mindy curled a leg underneath her on the buttery soft leather loveseat, tucked long strands of hair behind her ears, and then nervously wrung her fingers together. No sense in hiding what was so obvious. Dr. Stamko’s face reflected infinite patience. He wouldn’t rush Mindy and would give her time to think the question through. “Yes,” she finally stated. Once the word left her mouth, a torrent followed. “I don’t know what to do. He’s so vibrant, so full of life. Jack deserves a woman who is equally spirited as himself. What am I?” She forged on, not giving Dr. Stamko time to answer. “I’ll tell you what I am. I’m broken.” Her hands lifted into the air and dropped again. “I’m defeated.” “No, you aren’t. One can’t be defeated before they’ve even tried. This gentleman might be what you need to draw you out. You need to give him the chance.” “What could I offer?” Pain etched her voice, making it break slightly. Tears burned and stung the back of her eyes. She fought valiantly against the torrent threatening to unleash itself. “Why are you fighting it?” His still gentle tone broke the dam. The first streams of wetness fell from her eyes. With hands covering her face, she shook with body racking sobs. After what seemed like an eternity later, she wiped the last of the tears away and raised her head. Dr. Stamko was smiling. “Feel better?” he asked. “I’m... I’m not sure. I just had a near nervous breakdown and you’re smiling.” “You didn’t break, Melinda. You merely chipped. You see your tears as a form of weakness?” “Why yes. Don’t you?” "No. Trapped emotions eat away at you. They can make you physically ill. Everybody has a different way of releasing those pent up feelings. Some can go through their whole life without shedding an emotional tear. Others find tears are their only course of action. You’re good at holding in the tenseness and stress. But you aren’t totally immune. Honestly, do you feel better?” The question gave Mindy pause. Never would she have guessed bawling her eyes out would leave her feeling cleansed, renewed, and invigorated. She smiled because she indeed did feel better. “I do. It feels like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I’m no closer to solving my dilemma but I feel lighter.” “Good. Now we need to figure out what you intend to do about Jack.” Dr. Stamko sat back in the wing chair and crossed one leg over the other.
Author Bio: I live in South Central Pennsylvania with my wonderful, loving husband and my beautiful daughter. I also have a son who is currently serving in the U.S. Navy. I have a cat named Kolzig and a dog named Cede who allow us to live with them. I love to write and read. I also make jewelry when the mood strikes. I'm a huge sports fan. I love football, NASCAR, and hockey. I'm also a bit of a game show freak. I love old game shows from the 70's and 80's like Match Game and $25,000 Pyramid. Television shows like Criminal Minds and The Voice are also favorites of mine.
First, I’d like to give a big thank you to Kelly for allowing me to host her blog! I truly appreciate her sharing her readers with me as I celebrate the release of my debut novel. Along the Way Home. How a Stinging Rejection Led to a Book Contract Signing with Astraea Press wasn't a decision I took lightly. At the time the contract was offered (on my birthday!!!!!) I had six agents and three editors (Medallion Press, Tor/Forge, and a small press) reviewing requested partials/fulls, an R&R offer from an agent, and an offer pending from another small press.
I happily walked away from all of the above because I believe so strongly in Astraea Press, and the niche they’ve carved out for themselves in an increasingly crowded marketplace.
What does that mean? Let me backtrack a bit and reveal something that happened in January of 2013 that perfectly illustrates why I chose to go with Astraea.
I was rejected by an agent who called my book lovely and sweet, raved about my writing and the storyline, but ended with the statement, “…let your characters engage in sex and describe the sex. As it stands, I’ll pass. Put the sex in and I’ll take another look.”
I assure you, I have thick skin when it comes to rejections. I’ve racked up my fair share since I began querying, and normally take them with a grain of salt (and chocolate—lots of chocolate), but this one really bothered me. I understand if a rejection is based upon my writing style, the likability of my characters, or a flaw in the storyline—but to be rejected solely on the basis that I choose NOT to include sex? That one didn't go over well.
So much so that I finally decided it was time to query the one publisher I’d had my eye on for months. A publisher that cares not only for the authors, but for the kind of work they attach their name to. I'd discovered Astraea Press before I started querying in September and really liked the stance the owner, Stephanie Taylor, took against unnecessary sex.
Bottom line, I’m proud to have my book published with Astraea Press!
I’d love to hear from you. What is a dream you never gave up on?
They lost everything but their dreams on the Oregon Trail… Kate Davis is intrigued when her father reveals his dream of starting a horse ranch in Oregon Territory. Settlers out west value a strong woman, and though she manages the financials of her father’s mercantile her competence earns her ridicule, not respect, from Virginia’s elite society. Jake Fitzpatrick, an experienced trail guide, wants land out west to raise cattle and crops. But dreams require money and he’s eating dandelion greens for dinner. So when a wealthy businessman offers double wages to guide his family across the Oregon Trail, Jake accepts with one stipulation—he is in complete control. Departure day finds Kate clinging to her possessions as Jake demands she abandon all he deems frivolous, including her deceased mother’s heirlooms. Jake stands firm, refusing to let the whims of a headstrong woman jeopardize the wages he so desperately needs—even a beautiful one with fiery green eyes and a temper to match. Trail life is a battle of wills between them until tragedy strikes, leaving Jake with an honor-bound promise to protect her from harm and Kate with a monumental choice—go back to everything she’s ever known or toward everything she’s ever wanted? Advance Praise for Along the Way Home …author Christi Corbett unfurls an unforgettable epic romance inside of an epic Western adventure. Beautifully crafted, this debut novel is a tender journey of the heart as well as a treacherous journey of many miles. Eve Paludan, author of Taking Back Tara (Ranch Lovers Romance series) A breathtaking account of courage and adventure along the Oregon Trail. Jillian Kent, author of The Ravensmoore Chronicles. A dash of action! A touch of intrigue! Loads of sweet, clean romantic promise… Reid Lance Rosenthal, Winner of 15 National Awards, #1 Best Selling Author of the Threads West, An American Sagaseries.
BUY LINKS: AMAZON
BARNES AND NOBLE
ASTRAEA PRESS About Christi
I’m addicted to coffee, sticky notes, and the Oxford Comma. I live in a small town in Oregon with my husband and our twins. Our home’s location is especially inspiring because the view from the back door is a hill travelers looked upon years ago as they explored the Oregon Territoryand beyond. Along the Way Home is a Sweet Historical Romance. It released in ebook format on June 11, 2013 and will be available in print July of 2013. It is available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Astraea Press (my publisher) and several other retailers. When I’m not writing I love chatting with readers and writers alike. You can find me in one of the following locations: Email: christicorbett@gmail.com Blog: http://christicorbett.wordpress.com Twitter: @ChristiCorbett Facebook: Christi Corbett—Author
If you have read this blog in the past, you know that I absolutely LOVE my homemaking binder. (Mine looks a bit different now. I guess I need to do a new photoshoot with it in its current glory lol).
I had never heard of a "homemaking binder" until one day I was watching youtube for coupon binders and this video showed up under suggestions. I watched. I loved. I made myself one lol. It really is a handy little thing. I keep my daily chores, daily to do, weekly to do, monthly to do (because I have to write something down at least 3 times to remember it lol), my meal planning, my bills, school stuff, and some personal things I've added. I use the Bills section, daily section, and calendar section the most. If you don't have one, you really should make one :) They are really handy (I have made 2 pages you can use for yours.. look under the Free Printables at the top of this page.)
Other binder templates I love are at http://www.moneysavingmom.com/ actually there isn't much at moneysavingmom that I don't like!!!
http://clutterbug.me/ has some really cute organizational pages too.
Anyway, I saw this next tip on youtube and I can't for the life of me remember which video I saw it on (sorry). However, I've started using it and love it.
I usually get Parenting magazines every month and sometimes some recipe books... ALWAYS the "All You" Magazine from Wal-mart (coupons!! :) ). Anyway, the point is what you can do to make your binder more "You" and more inspirational is to tear out magazine pages that either inspire you, have recipes you love/want to try, have parenting ideas that you want to remember, etc. I have several pages in my binder now. I have a few parenting ones, one or two relationship pages... one page I have is my dream kitchen lol You tear them out of your favorite magazines, place them in sheet protectors, and throw them in your binder. It really does add a very nice personal touch.
You get the idea. I've also seen inspirational notebooks used alongside homemaking binders if you don't want to put them together. It 'can' start looking cluttered after awhile (I don't care. I like all of my things together in one notebook.)
It also cuts down on magazine piles when you tear out what you find important and throw the rest away. I've went through this week and purged lots of old magazines (yes, I had Life & Style s from 2007 lol.).
Anyway, that is your tip today. Make your binder something you WANT to look at... not something you HAVE to look out. Just like cleaning.. make it something you WANT to do... not something you HAVE to do. WHO wants to HAVE to do something?... I *have* to go to the dentist tomorrow... what fun is that??? I CHOOSE to clean up tonight because I quite enjoy a non-cluttered house (well I assume I do.. I haven't completely decluttered yet lol)
So, there is your tip. I hope it helps you out. Remember... tomorrow is Friday. The big Korraling Kitchen Klutter reveal... I hope some of you have joined me on this Quest. It took me all of an hour and a half (of course.. I made my kids help ;) ) and I really like the results... you be the judge tomorrow.
Much love... Happy cleaning... and Cheerful Chores.
Today is the LAST DAY to enter to win a $25 Amazon Gift Card to celebrate the release of my second book, SAINT SLOAN. CLICK HERE TO ENTER!!!
First of all, look at that cover!!! Isn't it amazing?!? I think it's very pretty. 'The Pied Piper' is the 3rd book in the Super Spies series (haven't read them? Well, the first two are only.99 right now!!! What a deal!)
BACK COVER BLURB from THE SUPER SPIES AND THE PIED PIPER: Sarah Cole and her sister Lacey are at it once again when they learn their missing parents’ cell phone has been traced to Alden, Michigan. When the FBI declines to continue the investigation, Sarah takes matters into her own hands. She calls upon the Super Spies and they delve into the situation. Suddenly, the teens find themselves immersed in small town intrigue and mystery involving a menacing stranger, who Sarah dubs “The Stalker." But when Sarah learns he’s connected to her parents’ disappearance, she’s determined to find out what that connection is. The Super Spies embark on a journey that leads them into a web of corporate corruption at its highest level that leaves innocent victims in its wake. Can they find the proof they need to stop the greedy corporation before it’s too late? BUY LINKS: AMAZON: http://www.amazon.com/Super-Spies-Pied-Piper-ebook/dp/B00D25G7ZM/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1369830473&sr=1-1&keywords=Super+spies+and+the+pied+piper Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-super-spies-and-the-pied-piper-lisa-orchard/1115437908?ean=2940016589701 ASTRAEA PRESS: http://www.astraeapress.com/#!/~/product/category=662245&id=24157242
ABOUT LISA ORCHARD:
Lisa Orchard grew up loving books. She was hooked on mysteries by the fifth grade and even wrote a few of her own. She knew she wanted to be a writer even then. “The Super Spies and the High School Bomber” is the second book in the “Super Spies” series. Her first book was published in March of 2012 and it has received rave reviews. After graduating from Central Michigan University with a Marketing Degree she spent many years in the insurance industry, pining to express her creative side. The decision to stay home with her children gave her the opportunity to follow her dream and become a writer. She currently resides in Rockford Michigan with her husband, Steve, and two wonderful boys. Currently, she’s working on the third novel that stars the same quirky teens. When she’s not writing she enjoys spending time with her family, running, hiking, and reading.
I remember as a little girl dreaming of my perfect wedding. I’d slink into my mother’s old dress and stick my feet into her way-too-big pumps and tromp around the back patio singing, “Here Comes the Bride!” Fast forward a few years: I have my own beautiful wedding dress my mom made for me; a real-live groom; and a massive upset stomach from a bout with the flu. Not a good combination. I wondered whether I’d make it through the ceremony. Wow, writing brought it all back in living color. On that fateful day, everyone told me that someday I’d laugh about it. Hmmm. Well, I did crack a smile the other day…
Here’s the blurb forSomeday You’ll Laugh: Stunned when her boyfriend announces they should be free to see others when he leaves for college, Brenda pastes a smile on her face and walks away. Far away. Only to find herself irresistibly drawn into the arms of another guy. Brenda’s previous boyfriend finds out, claims he made a huge mistake, and wants her back. She willreceive a marriage proposal, but from which one? Later, on her wedding day, Brenda awakens knowing something is wrong. Will she make it through the ceremony? Buy Link: http://tinyurl.com/c3nrzok
Intrigued? Here's an excerpt: Don’t vomit in the middle of your wedding. Good advice all around. Too bad I ignored it. My story didn’t start with vomiting, but it did begin with a good gut wrench… The low sun flamed from the sky even though the time was edging toward nine-thirty at night. I squinted into the glowing horizon and my heart squeezed. I held back the tears. “Just ten months,” Greg whispered to me. “It’s not so long.” “Only forever,” I answered. I hadn’t let go of his arm for the past thirty minutes. He shifted his weight and settled onto the park bench. “We need to talk.” “We are talking.” I joined him, stretched my legs, and dipped the toes of my shoes into the loose gravel at my feet. His face had gone serious, and I knew I wasn’t going to like what he had to say. He gazed over my shoulder toward the playground equipment as if observing interesting twists of fine sculpture. I still held his arm, but now I released my death grip. My fingers remained bent, stuck in a clutched position. “What is it?” “I think we should see other people.” His words dropped like bricks, gaining speed as they crashed on my ears. My mouth fell open and I jolted to my feet, tripping over a stone which protruded from the loose rock circling the bench. I skittered a bit, and regained my balance. “See other people? What do you mean?” “Sit back down.” Greg pulled on my arm and coaxed me onto the bench again. “California’s a long way from here, and I think it’d be a good idea to keep our options open.” I sat like a wooden toy, stiff and unmoving. I knew I was staring at him, I knew my face was revealing too much, and I knew I wanted to deck him. “I take it you’ve given this a lot of thought.” My voice sounded so pinched, I hardly recognized it. “Not a lot. Some, though.” Was it my imagination or did he look like he wanted to crawl under the rock I’d just tripped over? Our ten months together during my senior year of 1973 evaporated into a depressing mist. I stood. “Fine. If that’s the way you want it, sounds good to me.” I coughed to try and cover up the bitterness in my tone. He rose beside me and his blond hair fell over his eyes. He pushed the strands aside with an absent-minded flick of his hand. “Don’t be that way. It’s a good idea, and it’ll be much easier on us. Long distance relationships are hard.” “How would you know?” “Everyone says so.” “Fine,” I repeated. “Now to make sure I have it straight — we’re both free to see other people, right?” He nodded, but I thought I detected a kernel of doubt beginning to grow. His brows crinkled and his blue eyes narrowed. I went on. “Okay. I guess we’re both on the same page then. You leave in a couple hours for college in California while I stay here in Washington. And we’re both free to date other people. Are we going to communicate at all, or are we stopping that too?” I deserved a medal. My voice poured out words as if reciting the latest cookie recipe, not closing down a relationship that had cruised along for the better part of a year. Greg’s eyes stayed focused on mine. “We can write. I think it only takes a couple of days for a letter to get here from California. You’ll write me, won’t you?” I raised my chin. I could keep up the ruse for another few minutes. “Of course. We’ll both write. It’s a plan.” I leaned over and kissed him. I didn’t give him time to kiss me back. “Safe travels,” I said and smiled with warmth I didn’t feel. If he was dumping me, I was going out with class. I made certain the look in my eyes matched my smile, then turned and walked away, swaying my hips as if there were no tomorrow. Eat your heart out, Greg Johnson. Eat your heart out, but good. There was sadness inside me somewhere, but the anger and growing nausea were doing a masterful job of covering it up. Keep our options open, indeed. So be it. The creep. *****************
About the Author, Brenda Maxfield: My passion is writing! What could be more delicious than inventing new characters and seeing where they take you? I'm a teacher so I spend most of my waking hours with young people. I love chatting with them and hearing their views on love and life. My students are magical, and I am honored to be part of their lives.
I've lived in Honduras, Grand Cayman, and Costa Rica. Presently, I live in Indiana with my husband, Paul. We have two grown children and a precious grandbaby, special delivery from Africa.
When not teaching, I love to hole up in our lake cabin and write — often with a batch of popcorn nearby. (Oh, and did I mention dark chocolate?)
I enjoy getting to know my readers, so feel free to write me. Visit me to learn about all my books and some good, clean teen reads. Happy Reading! Buy Someday You’ll Laugh
You still have time to enter to win a $25 Amazon Gift Card to celebrate the release of my new book, SAINT SLOAN. CLICK here to enter!
First of all... I chose this dress--- >
You know... from my 'What if the Grace Awards were like the Oscars' post? CLICK HERE for a Refresher...
Well, they were announced a little late, but CROSSING THE DEEP WON!!!!
Here's the link if you don't believe me... I know, it's hard to believe... So... *IF* this was like the Academy Awards, I'd get to make a speech right about now. Since this *is* my Oscars, here we go... " I want to thank, first and foremost, God because He put me on this wild ride. To Charlotte Kaufman for filling me in on what 'Nanowrimo' was. To the July '10 Mamas for all the encouragement! You kept me going. To the Feb. '07 Mamas for being so supportive. To Stephanie Taylor and Astraea Press. Thanks for taking a chance on me. To my family for putting up with my writing and the time it takes. I know it's not easy on you. To my sister Karen and my Mama for loving Crossing the Deep and being so excited for me. To my daddy... I wish he could have been here to see it. To K. Victoria Chase for being such a good friend to me all through this. To Megan Wille for pushing me. To Jan Christiansen for giving me priceless advice (both in writing and in life). To Wendy Knight for being such an awesome, pick me up when I'm feeling down, friend. And to my sister, Kathy, who has read every draft of Crossing the Deep and was my biggest supporter and encourager. If it wasn't for her saying I could do it, I never would have.Thank you all!" Cue the orchestra. I have other things on my mind besides winning the Grace Award (I still think it's pretty cool to say that... ) In no particular order, here are the top 3 things I'm wondering about right this second... 1. Contemporary 'Civil War' Zombies (See my facebook page for more information on what the heck that is about... https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kelly-Martin-Author/136506059763138 ) 2. If I really can get 2,000 Twitter followers (See my twitter account to help out... https://twitter.com/martieKay ) and... 3. How cool it is that I 'know' Rachel Van Dyken!Ok... I don't know her, know her. When I signed with Astraea Press, Rachel was one of the people who wrote 'welcome' on my 'official' first thread. I was star struck, let me tell you. I knew who she was and most of all, how successful she was as a writer. I was all like, "Rachel Van Dyken talked to me... "BUT, once you get to know her, you realize, that's her. She talks to everyone... and has never once acted like she was higher on the hog (Southern reference for ya... ) than the rest of us. Plus, she's an awesome writer! My mother loves her regencies, and I very much like her New Adult line. A few days ago, Rachel signed a big ole contract with a big publishing company-- livin' the dream as it were... and she's still just as sweet as ever.Here are a few of her books if you are one of the two or three people in the world who haven't bought a copy ;)
... just to name a few. I'm so proud of Rachel and am very honored to be able to help her celebrate her success :) SO... to celebrate Rachel's contract and CROSSING THE DEEP winning Best Young Adult Christian Novel at the Grace Awards, I've decided to do a giveaway. Two (2) random people will be chosen from the comments of this blog. One (1) will receive one of Rachel's books (you choose) via Nook or Kindle... And one (1) will receive either of my books (Crossing the Deep or Saint Sloan) via Nook or Kindle... your choice What should you comment? Doesn't matter. All comments are eligible to win, just please put your email address in your reply. Ready? Let the games begin :) Linked with: Rachel Got The Contract Blog Hop
The final installment of 'How I Find Time to Write' is written by the wonderful Zanna Mackenzie! I'm so excited to have her tell you the tricks she uses to write her novels. She also has some excerpts from her new book How Do You Spell Love?
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Finding the time to escape into whatever book you’re currently writing can be a tricky business for an author. I’m fortunate in being self-employed, though contracted to work a set amount of hours per week I have plenty of flexibility re when I do work those hours. My day job is also writing related – another plus – as I’m the editor of some business publications for a chamber of commerce. I work from home too, which I love and which saves me having to spend time doing lengthy commutes each day – another positive! I’ve recently had two novels published by different publishers within the space of a month and have quickly discovered that all of the required promotional activity and social media ‘presence’ is very time consuming, far more than I had anticipated. All of which means finding the time to edit my next book (I’ve recently completed the first draft of it) and working on the scenes/plot/characters of the book I have outlined for after that is becoming more and more of a challenge. Don’t get me wrong, I’m delighted to have my work published and relish learning all about the promotional aspects of being an author, but as my writing time has now been squeezed considerably I’m having to be more creative about finding time to write and my solution is – write in bed!! My husband is one of those people who is always awake at about 5am and gets up to do the ‘early morning shift’ in our household - so I have a notebook by the bed and let my mind start working on scenes and dialogue as soon as I wake up and then I start writing them all up ready to be typed onto the computer in the appropriate slot in the working manuscript document whenever I get chance. I’ve found that I prefer writing in this way rather than sitting in front of the computer and writing straight onto it whilst in ‘the creative zone’. As the ‘boss’ at my day job doesn’t work on Fridays I try as much as I can to make Fridays my writing day – providing I don’t have design or proof reading deadlines for the business publications – and aim to keep promotion and social media to a minimum then as well so that I can get typing up all those scene notes. I currently have about 50 pages of notes to type up though – so this plan doesn’t always work!
Many thanks for hosting me on your blog today Kelly! My latest novel, published by Crooked Cat, is called How Do You Spell Love? Here’s the details:
Make A Wish… Kat can’t help wishing there was more to life than this. What happened to her dream job? What happened with Nathan? Summer is wondering where her life is going too… battling the developers of a controversial housing estate and working out why boyfriend Rob is increasingly distant. When the developers win the battle and move into town everyone’s life is turned upside down. Kat meets building site project manager Alex. She enjoys his company far too much, even though he’s on the town’s most hated list. Summer meets Tom who has plenty of relationship troubles of his own, so things could get really complicated. Soon everyone is keeping secrets, lives change and hearts are broken. Is everything falling apart, or does life just work in mysterious ways…
There’s a sneak peak of the book below and it can be purchased in paperback and ebook formats now on: *Crooked Cat Publishing http://www.crookedcatbooks.com/ *Amazon UK http://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Do-You-Spell-Love/dp/1908910771/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1361800360&sr=8-2 *Amazon USA http://www.amazon.com/How-Do-You-Spell-Love/dp/1908910771/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1361800417&sr=1-3&keywords=zanna+mackenzie
Extract from How Do You Spell Love? Kat pushed the last of the cottage cheese and shrimp sandwiches into the cool box and slammed the van door shut. As if her life wasn’t enough of a disaster zone as it was – no money, lousy job, losing Nathan, having to move back home to live with her parents – now this had to go and happen. Plus, of course, it didn’t help that today she was feeling shattered after spending half the night chanting some ridiculous protection spell in the middle of the allotments with Summer. Cringing as a van full of builders stopped at the nearby traffic lights, Kat braced herself for the inevitable. After the standard-issue wolf whistles had drifted across from their van, next came the leered, “Wouldn’t argue with that, love!” as one of them nodded towards her sparkling clean van, parked neatly at the curb. The words “A Bit of Crumpet on the Road” emblazoned down the side in deep purple, glittery lettering. Not for the first time Kat cursed her boss Janice for calling her bakery-cum-deli that name. Kat sighed, well it certainly drew comments from the public and from their customers, not always welcome ones, but as Janice was always keen to point out, any kind of publicity and attention was, in her eyes, good publicity and attention. Pulling her navy and white striped apron more tightly around her T-shirt and shorts, Kat ignored the builders and climbed into her van to begin that morning’s deliveries. As she indicated to pull out into the busy street in Luisborough, she mulled over the bad news – that she was to add the controversial Netherton Meadows housing development to her daily sandwich round. Netherton Meadows. Yippee. If Summer found out, she’d surely be ostracised for fraternising with the environmental enemy. This was a development that pretty much everyone in Luisborough had fought against for getting on towards a year. It had been the focus of STW campaigns. It went against everything that Kat believed in environmental-wise. Everyone hated the Netherton Meadows developers. Except, it seemed, Janice, who was perfectly happy to, in her words, ‘supply yummy builders with yummy sandwiches.’ Lost in thought, Kat just managed to spot the approaching traffic lights had turned to red and hastily slammed a foot on the brake. The van lurched to a halt and several boxes of crisps and one of the cool boxes in the back tipped over. Damn. It was shaping up to be one of those days. Ten minutes later she pulled into the car park of Printing Phenomenon, hauled some baskets and a box from the van and headed for the reception area. It was getting towards late July and was another one of those blazing hot days that made every little thing feel as though it required a huge amount of effort. The kind of day the people of the UK are so unaccustomed to, where all you want to do is get a large, cool drink and collapse into a deckchair for a long snooze. Two hours later Kat had visited all her usual drops, was extremely hot and bothered, and could put off going to Netherton Meadows no longer. Driving through the assorted vans, machinery and portacabins Kat parked next to a building marked as being the Site Office and hit the button on the dashboard. Tinkling chimes filled the air as Kat climbed from the driver’s seat and made to open the back doors of the vehicle. It was embarrassing enough that the van had the company name in large lettering along its side but, just to make sure that it received maximum exposure – and achieved maximum embarrassment – Janice had had some irritating chimes fitted to the vehicle too. Kat was under strict instructions to sound the chimes when she called at all of the sites where people came out to the van; such as they were about to at Netherton Meadows. A man came down the steps of the office with a grin on his face and walked towards her. “Hi, you must be Kat.” He wedged a clipboard under his left arm and offered a hand to shake. “I’m Alex. Project manager for the site.” “Hi,” mumbled Kat, spotting a group of hard-hat-clad builders advancing towards her with hungry expressions on their faces. “Right, lads,” Alex turned towards the men. “This is Kat and she’s very kindly agreed to venture onto this site to bring you all your lunch. Don’t give her any hassle, OK?” The men laughed and then nodded. “Sure, Alex. You’re the boss.” Fifteen minutes later it seemed that all of the team at the development had made their sandwich, crisp and drink selections and sloped off to devour them in the sunshine. Only one of the builders, a portly man who must have been twenty years Kat’s senior, had pushed the boundaries a little, despite Alex’s earlier warning. As he’d selected a smoked salmon and cream cheese roll – a choice that had surprised Kat somewhat, having pegged him as a ham and cheese kind of guy – he’d asked Kat if she’d fancy joining him for a drink sometime. She’d politely declined his offer, saying that she had a boyfriend. No need to tell him that, technically, she and Nathan were no longer an item. No need to tell him why either. Just as Kat slammed the van doors shut, Alex re-appeared from his office. “Thanks, Kat. I hope none of them caused any trouble?” he asked, taking off his yellow hard hat and running a hand through cropped dark brown hair in an agitated fashion. “No, they were all fine.” Kat forced a smile, struggling to tuck an escaped tendril of curly blond hair back into her ponytail. God, it was hot today. “Thanks for being so gentlemanly about their behaviour.” He grinned back at her. “No problem. I know what they can be like and as soon as I saw you getting out of the van I thought I’d better intervene. I’ve had enough problems getting a company to even contemplate coming to this site without them scaring you off on the first day.” “Problems? Why do you think that is?” asked Kat, sensing an opportunity to make sure this man was fully aware just how much the people of Luisborough were still against the development. “Because they hate us around here,” he said, shrugging matter-of-factly. “And that doesn’t bother you?” Kat was now leaning against the van, noting that Alex seemed, somehow, a bit different to the rest of the team on the site. He had a jaded air about him despite the fact that he was clearly much younger than most of the others. Kat couldn’t help noticing that he was also extremely good looking. “Yes, it bothers me but what can you do?” He sighed. “A job’s a job in this day and age. We all have to make a living, don’t we?” Softening a little towards him, Kat nodded and rolled her eyes. “Tell me about it.” He moved to stand next to her, propping himself against the van. Kat hadn’t realised until that moment just how tall he was. “Take you, for instance. I can’t imagine it was your lifelong ambition to drive around in a van with that name on the side of it. You must get no end of grief.” “I do but I need to earn some money to get my life back on track, so here I am.” “Is this your first job?” he asked, setting his hat and clipboard on the roof of the van and looking at her intently. “Pretty much. I recently finished a degree in environmental science and geography at university.” She added, trying to sound optimistic, “I’m waiting for my dream job to come along. In the meantime I work at the deli for a pittance and spend the rest of my time volunteering in a charity shop in town.” “Dream job, eh?” He turned towards her, brown eyes looking at her in a genuinely interested way. “What would your dream job be, then?” Kat smiled. “That’s easy. I’d love to work on a project like a nature reserve. Helping to preserve the environment, look after the wildlife. The charity shop where I volunteer is the Save the World one. My boss there, Summer, is a good friend and a great campaigner against developments like this.” Aware that she was telling him things that she hadn’t really spoken to anyone about since Nathan, she quickly turned away. He was a complete stranger. A stranger who stood for everything she was against. He was the enemy, supervising the building of a development that she, and many others, had fought to try to prevent. Reaching onto the van roof to hand the hat and clipboard back to Alex, she said, “I’d better be going.” “Sure. Thanks for coming out here.” He started to walk away but then paused, turned back towards her and added, “See you tomorrow, then?” Kat nodded. As she drove off, she felt more flustered than when she’d arrived. Unfortunately she had a growing suspicion that it had nothing to do with the hot weather or having to bring food to the development against her will. Rather, she suspected, it had much more to do with meeting Alex the site manager. Not a good sign at all.
Author Bio and links Author bio Zanna Mackenzie lives in the East Midlands in the UK with her husband, 4 dogs, a vegetable patch that’s home to far too many weeds and an ever expanding library of books waiting to be read. Being a freelance writer and editor of business publications is her ‘day job’ but, at every opportunity, she can be found scribbling down notes on scenes for whatever novel she’s working on. She loves it when the characters in her novels take on minds of their own and start deviating from the original plot! Formerly a travel agent and therapist (she has qualifications in clinical aromatherapy, crystal healing, naturopathic nutrition and herbalism) she loves walking the dogs and gardening – that’s when she’s not writing or reading! Zanna has written two novels, The Love Programme and How Do You Spell Love?
Find out more about Zanna at: www.zannamackenzie.blogspot.co.uk www.zannamackenzie.co.uk Twitter: @ZannaMacKenzie Facebook: www.facebook.com/zanna. mackenzie Goodreads - http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/10703273-zanna-mackenzie
Ok, so that's more illusion that imagination-- but you get the idea. I love using my imagination to make up stories and-- well- daydream. I'm not great at it. I can do more realistic stories, but when it come to fantasy world where you have to come up with a whole system of goverments, rules, people, animals, my imagination is limited.
A little imagination can go a long way: Seriously, you don't think the guys that invented Apple lacked imagination? Some people say that television sucks imagination out of our kids-- I say depends on the program. My kids love PBS and Nick Jr. They watch the shows, act them out, and then add their own little spin. They are always-- always-- doing some sort of skit ("Mama, watch this!" is a common phrase at my house.) Do you fancy yourself someone with a lot of imagination? What types of things do you like to do (paint, draw, write, make up plays with your kids/church, etc)? Much Love, Kelly
Continuing on the 'How I find time to write' is the best selling author of FEUDLINGS, Wendy Knight.
How I find time to write... There’s this dream I think most writers have – staying home, writing full time. I have that dream, too, and I’ve got part of it down. I stay home. But I have three kids, and they’re absolutely adorable and I love them to bits, but writing full-time isn’t happening. They have this ability to know when I’m opening a document, and that is the exact moment they will scream, cry, fight, or throw a toy at my head (on accident, of course). So. Somehow I have to find time for writing, and it’s tricky, because my brain? It doesn’t like writing if someone is going to interrupt it. Editing is fine. It likes to be interrupted when it’s editing. But writing, not so much. Luckily, I have a rock star husband (not an actual rock star. That would suck. He’s an electrician), and we worked out a system. He watches the kids for a couple hours when he gets home from work, AND he cooks dinner, but that’s mostly because I start fires when I try. I write for that hour or hour-and-a-half or however long I get. Next, my kids go to bed pretty early, because they’re still tiny. So 7:30 p.m., I’m writing until I can’t stay awake any more. I don’t watch TV hardly ever because it cuts into writing time, and I’ll be honest, I miss it! I keep thinking I won’t, but I do. And I don’t sleep as much as I’d like because, well, 1) I’d like to sleep twenty hours a day and 2) It cuts into writing time. I also spend most of my weekends writing, but I make specific time for family activities. Do I sacrifice some things to write? Yes. But I love writing, and I think chasing my dreams is important, too. That way, I can look my kids in the eyes and tell them that Yes! If they work hard, any dream can come true!
Back Cover Blurb for FEUDLINGS Nothing makes a new school suck worse than discovering the guy you’re in love with is your prophesied nemesis.
Ari is the most powerful flame-throwing sorceress ever, and her people’s last hope in an ancient war. But she’s also a seventeen-year-old girl, and in her free, not-hunting-nemesis times, she jumps from school to school, trying to figure out regular people her own age and pretending she’ll get the chance to graduate. Shane lives a double life. He goes to school and masters the art of popularity, hiding the fact that he has a fate with a slim chance of his survival. He’s destined to end a 300 year-old war by killing or being killed. He knows he’s hunted by a powerful enemy who’s not afraid to die. Only problem? He has no idea who that enemy is. When Ari shows up at Shane’s school, angry and sullen and determined to keep him at arm’s reach, neither of them realize they are supposed to be killing each other, not falling in love. Until Ari does realize it, and she almost dies – by Shane’s hand. Author Bio Wendy Knight was born and raised in Utah by a wonderful family who spoiled her rotten because she was the baby. Now she spends her time driving her husband crazy with her many eccentricities (no water after five, terror when faced with a live phone call, etcetera, etcetera). She also enjoys chasing her three adorable kids, playing tennis, watching football, reading, and hiking. Camping is also big: her family is slowly working toward a goal of seeing all the National Parks in the U.S. You can usually find her with at least one Pepsi nearby, wearing ridiculously high heels for whatever the occasion may be. And if everything works out just right, she will also be writing. Links: Twitter: @wjk8099 Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorWendyKnight Blog: www.writethroughthenoise.blogspot.com Buy Links: Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Feudlings-ebook/dp/B00BWH9UHY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1363714780&sr=8-1&keywords=Feudlings Astraea Press: http://www.astraeapress.com/#!/~/product/category=662245&id=21444479 Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/feudlings-wendy-knight/1046265853?ean=2940016387277
Today is letter D in the a-z challenge... D is for daughters.
(My daughters and their awesome Daddy last year before my nephew's wedding.. they are a bit bigger now... especially the baby!)
I'm kind of an expert on daughters (well if one can be an expert... I still haven't figured them out completely). My little girls are 6, 5, and 20 months. The 20 month old had shots yesterday and is up in my lap today (so if you see typos you know why) Anyway, what makes a daughter special? I dare say it is the same things that make a son special: the fact that they are a gift from God. My girls have me wrapped around their finger (even if they do think I say no too often). When they get in trouble, I picture my pregnancy test with them and how happy I was (anyone else have that trouble? lol... I'm just a sap.) What do I want for my daughters? *For them to follow their dreams *For them to marry men who love, respect, realize how special they are. *For them to know God and work (in some way) for him *For me to live to a ripe old age so I can see the important events in their lives *For them to be happy with little pain (wishful thinking maybe, but I'm a Mommy---) If you are a woman, you are some one's daughter: even if your parents are gone or you never knew,m them, you are still a daughter of God. Like any parent, He loves and wants whats best for you. Don't forget how much he loves you.
What do you want for your kids as they grow-up, or now that they have? Have you accepted that you are a daughter of God? Much Love, Kelly Linked with: a-to-z challenge, Winsome Wednesday, Women Living Well Wednesday
BTW, I found a blog post on commenting that said things much better than I ever could have: http://7daystime.com/2012/04/04/some-comments-on-commenting/
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.
I'm so excited! Today is the release day for my second novel, SAINT SLOAN. I can't believe I'm a multi-published author!!! (are you kidding me?!?!?!)
I'll be at work today (late because we are having a long faculty meeting) and I won't be home to add the buy links to this post. When I DO get home, I will. If you are interested in finding it for yourself, please do... IF you do, please put them in the comments so others can see them :)
Also, on facebook Friday night from 7:30-9:30 pm central time, I'm having a SAINT SLOAN release party. There will be games, prizes, and me... YOU ARE ALL INVITED :) https://www.facebook.com/events/501488796581760/
Tomorrow, I'll have my 'how I got published' story up on this blog. Next week, I'm having a blog tour :) Busy, Busy.
And here's the moment I've been waiting months for... I can now show you the cover of SAINT SLOAN (eep!).
When Sloan Bridges is seventeen years and three hundred, sixty-four days old, her dream of having a perfect birthday is shattered. Home alone after spending the afternoon working on a science project at the new boy’s house, Sloan is brutally attacked in her kitchen by a man she can’t recognize. The only clue she has to go on is what he whispers in her ear, “You deserve this.” The police have one suspect—Aaron Hunter, older brother of ‘the new boy’, who picked Sloan up a few nights before as she ran from a party. Adamant that he didn’t do it, Aaron begs Sloan to believe him. For her part, Sloan doesn’t know who to trust. She never saw her attacker’s face, and when she does picture it, it’s Aaron’s face she sees standing over her. Trying to move on is impossible with a former best friend who taunts her and gives her the moniker, “Saint Sloan”, an ex-boyfriend who doesn’t understand why she changed a few months before her attack, and Aaron’s brother, Ray, who makes Sloan smile but has a side she doesn’t understand. With her attacker ready to strike again, Sloan has to figure out who would hurt her and stop him before he finishes what he started. Happy birthday to her… BUY LINKS: AMAZON: COMING SOON-- PLEASE CHECK THROUGHOUT THE DAY BARNES AND NOBLE: COMING SOON-- PLEASE CHECK THROUGHOUT THE DAY ASTRAEA PRESS-- http://www.astraeapress.com/#!/~/product/category=662245&id=20839143 Kelly's Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Kelly-Martin/e/B009O5CZL4/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1 Find me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/martieKay And facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kelly-Martin-Author/136506059763138
TWO days until SAINT SLOAN, my second novel, is released! EEEK! To celebrate, I've asked a lot of awesome authors to come over and share how they got published. I hope you are finding them informative, insightful, and encouraging. Don't EVER give up on your dreams!!!Sherry Gloag is here to talk about how she got published. She faced what we all face: r-e-j-e-c-t-i-o-n. I saw a sign today that said, you don't lose when you come in last, you lose when you quit. So don't quit, and you'll never lose... Here's Sherry...
As I worked on my manuscript, I knew exactly which publisher I hoped would accept it. I spent hours, weeks; months studying their submission requirements. Not only for the line I was targeting but for some of the others too to highlight possible traps I might fall into. And the story took almost a year to write. It wasn’t my first full-length novel manuscript but it became my first published one. After my target publisher rejected my offering with some comments that hurt, I dug a hole and disappeared with my tattered pride, battered self-belief and the overwhelming need to indulge in the mother-and-father of a pity-party. Soon I began to feel angry. Not because of the rejection, well not entirely, but because I wondered how I could have got my research and efforts so wrong. And if that happened with this publisher what chance did I have of convincing another in the future? Then I got mad all over again. I would show everyone I could do this, including myself. For the next few months I cut and tweaked, wrote and rewrote, and then spent hours online looking for e-publishers. (Astraea Press didn’t exist at this time.) I chose The Wild Rose Press and submitted my story. It came back. But this time the wonderful editor included such an encouraging email, I contacted her directly and she gave me some fabulous advice, and a couple of recommendations of where to try next. I followed her advice, tried another line of The Wild Rose Press and was accepted. In October 2010 The Wild Rose Press published my first book, The Brat.
http://www.amazon.com/The-Brat-ebook/dp/B0044XV850/ref=la_B0042QD6S6_1_1_title_1_kin?ie=UTF8&qid=1361629610&sr=1-1 And http://www.amazon.com/Brat-Sherry-Gloag/dp/1601548257/ref=la_B0042QD6S6_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1361629610&sr=1-1 ~~~ I submitted my next book to the same publisher but it didn’t quite fit their remit, so I looked and was accepted elsewhere. During that time I had heard of and followed the launch and growth of Astraea Press, but was already involved in writing a novella for a Valentine anthology which was followed by a short story for yet another anthology. This was rejected, so I rewrote it and asked a friend if she would read it for me. I didn’t know at the time she was and still is an editor with Astraea Press. She liked it enough to suggest I extend the story, and let her see it. So I did, and then using her advice I submitted it to Astraea Press and From Now Until Forever was accepted. Since then Astraea Press has published another novella, His Chosen Bride, the 2nd in my Gasquet Princes series, and my current full-length Regency romantic suspense novel, Vidal’s Honor.
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?”
Today, we have the first of a series on how some of your favorite authors got book contracts. Our first wonderful lady is Liz Botts, author of IN THE SPOTLIGHT, CURTAIN CALL, BELIEVE, and THE HIDDEN DOOR.
As a child I played with Barbies to an absurd degree. My friends and I spent hours creating elaborate stories with these dolls. I attribute this to my love of storytelling. We had a game called “Grandma Insane,” which revolved around a family whose matriarch was a crazy woman with a propensity for disappearing. In eighth grade I wrote down the story of Grandma Insane as a musical during our free writing period. It was truly horrific.
However, my teacher was impressed with the effort, so started my writing journey. In high school I spent much of math class scribbling in my journal, inventing characters, and writing snippets of stories. (Maybe that’s why my math grades were never that good.) A stint on the school newspaper proved that journalistic writing was not for me, and I enrolled in a creative writing class. Here I had the best writing teacher ever. After taking that class, my writing improved significantly.
During college my writing consisted entirely of papers for classes. Characters still filled my head, especially during summer breaks, but I did nothing with them.
After college I got married and started working with high school students. I had always been a reader, but for the first time I started reading young adult books. I started writing again. Little things. Nothing major.
Then I discovered NaNoWriMo. Writing a novel in a month? Cool. My first attempt was ugly. A few years later I made another attempt. A decent one. A year later I made another attempt. In the meantime my husband and I had two boys. I kept insisting that I wanted to be a real published writer. And doing nothing about this dream.
When I got pregnant with our third child I decided that before the baby came I was going to at least submit a story to a publisher or agent. I chose one of my old NaNoWriMo stories, edited it, and submitted it. I got rejected several times, but I listened to what the rejection letters said and made changes to the manuscript. Finally, I resubmitted it, and within 24 hours I had a contract. Persistence is key to getting published, but also a humble heart and the willingness to check your ego at the door. LIZ'S AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE: http://www.amazon.com/Liz-Botts/e/B005860EHU/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1361361501&sr=1-2-ent
Thanks for being here and taking the time to tell us how you got published, Liz :) Look for other author stories daily from now until Feb. 28th! ~Kelly
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
