Authors to Watch

January 30, 2015April 17, 20154 Comments

If you haven’t heard of it already, Authors to Watch is a fantastic blog run by the lovely and talented Tricia Drammeh. She features author interviews, book recommendations, and all sorts of other writerly awesomeness. And today she’s featuring me!

We talk about poetry, writing, and inspirations, and I’d love it if you’d head on over and check it out. But don’t just read my interview – check out the others as well! Tricia’s interviewed loads of brilliant authors, and I’m sure she – and they – would love it if you stopped by. Who knows? You might find a new favorite book or a new favorite author! 🙂

Photo 365 #175

January 29, 2015January 29, 20156 Comments

Last night, the sun set on my thirtieth year. And what a glorious sunset it was!

sunset30

See? Toldja it was pretty. 🙂

It’s been a great birthday today, even if it has left me thinking a lot about my mom. I’m now the same age she was when she died (or at least I will be come August), and it’s got me thoughtful. Luckily, I’ve got some great friends who’ve done a fantastic job of keeping my spirits high today, and I want to share the happy with you all.

So! I’m running a special on Tuesday Daydreams. From now through Monday, you can pick up a copy (if you don’t have one already) for $1.50 (regular price is $2.99). Just go to Smashwords and enter coupon code FE67Z at checkout. You can also pick up a copy at Amazon.

I hope you all have a fabulous Thursday. See ya back here tomorrow! 🙂

Photo 365 #168: Revision time

January 22, 2015January 23, 2015Leave a comment

If you haven’t been following me on Twitter the last couple of days, I’m really ramping up my revision of The Price of Mercy.

revision

This was taken a while ago, but I forgot to snap a newer pic of my revisions this noon, so I went trawling through my archives. Some time after I took this, I gave up on marking up my hard copy and decided to go straight into rewrite mode. What that means is that I am literally recopying my hard draft, adding new things and fixing old things as the need arises.

When I started this revision, I’d chopped my book in half. That left me with a starting page count of ~154. The latest page count is 295, which means that I’ve done a heck of a lot of rewriting since I started this project! I still have a heck of a lot more to do, though, and I’m beginning to wonder if a fourth book won’t end up being necessary. Of course, if that’s the case, then I’ll start worrying that I won’t have enough material to fill a fourth book…

Being a writer is…

Photo 365 #154

January 8, 20158 Comments

Some people complain about working lunch breaks, but really, I don’t mind them. In fact, I think they’re a heck of a lot of fun.

lunchbreak

Maybe that’s only because my idea of a working lunch break involves taking off to parts unknown and spending time with all sorts of crazy characters. 😀

Photo 365 #153

January 7, 20156 Comments

2013-04-29 12.10.19 I’ve been hard at work on a couple of projects this week. It’s nice to feel that I’m being productive again, after an extended bout with the lazy bug.

Oh, who am I kidding? I needed an extended bout with the lazy bug. 🙂

Anyway, I finished rewriting chapter 16 of The Price of Mercy and got a decent start on chapter 17 this noon. I’ve been polishing my query up a little more, too. I’ve finished formatting the e-book version of my new poetry book and have moved on to working on the cover. And have I mentioned the story that Miss Tadpole commissioned? I’ve been working on that, too, and have set it in Lokana, about a thousand years before the events in The Price of Mercy. It rhymes and is rather like a fairy tale, which has been both interesting and challenging because it’s not the sort of thing I normally write.

There’s still lots to be done on all of these projects, but I’m having a lot of fun with them. What are you working on right now?

Queryland revisited

January 4, 201511 Comments

Zandoor
Artwork by Hazel Butler

Hoo boy, am I ever tired! I finally finished reading the Query Shark archives last week and boy, did all that education wear me out. Two hundred and sixty-six queries, plus revisions, plus comments. Talk about a learning experience! That and the comments I received as part of Michelle Hauck’s query critique blog hop have really helped me shine up my query. And further brainstorming led to a name change for my MC.

Behold, my new and improved query:

Dear Super Agent:

Nineteen-year-old Prince Zandoor is expected to follow in his father’s corrupt footsteps. His first task: Marry a wealthy noblewoman and fill the royal coffers to the brim. But the prince has other ideas.

When he falls in love with a peasant…

Strange Portals now available!

December 8, 20144 Comments

Just in time for a much needed holiday break, twenty-two stories about fairies, vampires, werewolves, zombies, and everything in between. Visit a witch’s body swap victims (Samantha’s Day), find what happens when a girl is buried alive (Buried Alive), learn the origin story of Harper (from Night Touched Chronicles) and Verchiel (from the Amaranthine series), and much, much more. So kick up your feet, relax, and indulge in a short story by a new favorite author.

Includes stories by AK Stein, Adan Ramie, B.G. Hope, Barbara G. Tarn, Bonnie Mutchler, CG Copolla, DM Yates, JK Rosaline, Joleene Naylor, Kay Kauffman, Maegan Provan, Rami Ungar, Roger Lawrence, Roxanna Mathews, Russ Towne, Terry Compton and Tricia Drammeh.

What better way to celebrate the holidays than by picking up a free book? The Ink Slingers League is proud to present Strange Portals, a collection of twenty-two short stories to help you fend off the holiday crazies. Take a load off and escape into one of these holiday havens, or kick back for a couple of hours and visit them all. They’re our gift to you this holiday season, so enjoy!

Strange Portals is available for free on Smashwords and Amazon (where it will hopefully be free soon), so pick up your copy today!

Authors to Watch features Tuesday Daydreams!

December 6, 2014February 1, 20156 Comments

TDSW Authors to Watch is a great blog run by my good friend Tricia Drammeh that features books and authors of all stripes. Today, she featured Tuesday Daydreams: A Journal in Verse! You can check out her post here.

But she’s not the only one who’s been talking about Tuesday Daydreams lately – Joleene Naylor and DM Yates have, as well. Joleene’s post is here and Donna’s is here.

All three of these ladies are talented authors in their own right and you should be sure to check out their books as well as mine. Tricia’s books include the Spellbringers series and Better Than Perfect, among others. Joleene writes the Amaranthine books, where vampires and glitter don’t mix. DM Yates writes fantasy novels and poetry, and you can find out more about her books here.

Make sure to spread the love, and check out all of these wonderful books today!

Photo 365 #121

December 6, 20146 Comments

Today was a beautiful day to get started on the next chapter in my rewrite of The Price of Mercy.

It was kind of a long day, but at least I got something done while the boys napped.

What did you do today?

Photo 365 #119: Road trip!

December 4, 20142 Comments

Seymour and I took a little road trip today, which is why this post didn’t happen sooner. But! We got to see some great urban architecture, including this:

bookstore

This is inside a Barnes & Noble in Rochester, Minnesota. It is the coolest bookstore I’ve ever been in. The building used to be a theater, and the bookstore kept the old marquee and ticket booth. It is absolutely amazing.

Also? They had some pretty amazing notebooks, and I’m in need of a new one… 🙂 Sadly, the notebooks stayed behind. But Christmas is coming… 🙂

Hope you all had an awesome day! Excuse me now while I go pass out.