A. R. Norris

First Fun Friday at Seeing is Believing

2012-01-13T07:11:00.000-08:00

First Fun Friday...try saying that three times fast.

Any-who. My first Fun Friday post at Sandi Sookoo's blog, Seeing is Believing. Stop by and learn why I wanted to participate in this Fun Friday business.

http://sandrasookoo.wordpress.com/2012/01/13/fun-friday-me-funny-no-not-really-by-a-r-norris

2012 Great SFR Pitch Tournament

2012-01-07T14:54:00.000-08:00

Yay! The SFR Pitch contest has started on SFR Bridage. Stop by and vote for 3 pitches in 3 heats. My new release, Revelations of Tomorrow, is up in Heat 3 if you want to vote for it.

Here's the link: http://www.sfrcontests.blogspot.com/2012/01/its-sfr-pitch-tournament-weekend.html

And here's the official contest details:
"We have three Tournament heats of eight pitches each. Readers can vote for three pitches per heat through Sunday at 6 PM Pacific Time. The two pitches receiving the most votes in each heat will advance to the final round (which we hope to kick off Monday).
Readers who leave comments with feedback about what they liked will be entered in a drawing for an Amazon e-Gift Card. I hope this results in some valuable feedback as well as interest in all the stories!"

2012: Crystal Ball or Maybe 8 Ball

2012-01-02T10:11:00.000-08:00

Hmm...crystal ball or 8 ball? That is the question.

I'm scanning over my blogger buddies and seeing everyone listing their 2012 goals. I wasn't going to, but you know, what the hell.

2011 had me outlining tons of ambitious goals. Reality (at least as we perceive it) and medical issues put a damper on most of them.

I did not take over the world, but I did edit the second Telomere book and get it to my publisher. I did outline the first two books of a new series and start the first one. I almost finished the third Telomere book. All the other goals went to the crapper. (Shh...if you press your ear to the speakers, you can hear the faint sound of flushing.)

Okay, so I'm not really going to make "goals". I have a lot of deadlines that aren't goals, but expectations and commitments. I don't think I'll have time for goals above them.

So, here are a couple exciting things I am for sure doing in 2012. I'm participating in a couple blogs. The second "Fun Friday" of the month, I'll be hanging over at author Sandra Sookoo's blog, Seeing is Believing. Once a week I'll be posting on the new blog endeavor, The Writer Limits (actual day still TBD).

There's also the SFR Brigade Pitch Tournament coming up, I believe it officially kicks off on the 7th, but you can read author-submitted pitches HERE. I'll keep you posted on this once it gets started.

*Rubs hands* Let's see...what else is there?

Oh, yeah, I've got some books releasing this year: ECHOES OF REGRET (April) and ENDING OF ETERNITY (October), Books 2 and 3 of the Telomere Trilogy. I also have the first Interstellar Intelligence Agency book, CASE OF THE SENSHI PEARL coming out in December.

I'm flirting with the idea of self-publishing a short novella I've had tucked away in the electronic "closet". It's not romance, so wouldn't fit with my awesome publisher, Desert Breeze. Yet, it also wouldn't really fit in straight SF. The story is a SF Mystery with a 1940s type feel. Right now me and self-publishing are just making oogle eyes at each other. I'll let you know when I make up my mind. There's a lot of work to self-publishing and I'm not sure if I'll have the time to properly dedicate to it all.

What do you all have planned for 2012?

The Writer Limits

2011-12-30T06:00:00.000-08:00

I am so super duper, uber, freakin' excited to announce the kick off of a group blog that I get to hang out at! (I resisted the multiple exclamation points...it was an effort, but I did it.)

"Say hello to my little friend..." Okay, technically not little and not a friend. It's the new blog:

These are some pretty groovy contributing authors. Here, let me lay it down for you all. We got Gail Delaney, J. Morgan, Jennifer Hartz, PI Barrington, Stephanie Burkhart, Tami Dee -- and yours truly.

Our genres cover everything SF, paranormal, fantasy and time travel... and of course everything has a spice of romance. 'Cause, let's face it, what fun would human existence be without romance? No fun, that's what.

Stop by for J. Morgan's intro post today breaking down further who we are and what we'll be showcasing over there and when/how often. http://thewriterlimitsauthors.blogspot.com/

Some Girls Love Diamonds

2011-12-28T09:29:00.000-08:00

I'm over at SFR Brigade talking about diamonds versus SF.

http://sfrcontests.blogspot.com/2011/12/some-girls-love-diamonds.html

Rude is Still Rude No Matter the Dressing

2011-12-21T21:52:00.000-08:00

*AR pulls soapbox from closet, dusts it off, and stands on it -- pretending she didn’t just almost fall over*

I’ve been seeing, and having to deal with, a lot of rudeness in the disguise of “honest” and “candid”. It drives me crazy. I'm pretty thick-skinned, but even I’m taken aback by the acute case of rudeness going around.

Just because you start the sentence with “I’m just being honest...”, “I’m your friend...”, or “In my opinion...” doesn’t change a rude comment into a candid or honest one. It’s still rude, just with a false qualifier. They almost always are the start of the “I’m about to say a jerk comment and because I start with this stupid phrase you can’t tell me I’m being a jackass” sentence.

Let’s quickly go over the differences:

Candid: Frank, outspoken, open and sincere, free from reservation, disguise, or subterfuge, straightforward, unposed, honest, impartial.

Rude: Discourteous, impolite in a deliberate way, without culture/learning/refinement, rough in manners or behavior, unmannerly, uncouth, harsh, ungentle, crude, unkind

Both approaches are used to say what you think or feel, but the difference boils down to intent and delivery.

Is the intent of what you’re about to say in the right place? Is it being said for the right reasons and purposes? Is what you're going to say well thought out, will be helpful to the person or in the discussion, and is it necessary?

Most often I see rude behavior in situations where one person doesn’t take the other person’s opinion into full consideration before replying. You can tell because their 4-paragraph response was posted only minutes later. Or they wait forever and then lash out like a poisonous snake.

When you reply to the email or talk with the receiver, are you forming the response in the way the he/she will best appreciate it? Is your word selection matching the tone of your intent? Or are you finding the most arrogant word phrases to use and putting in a lot of bolding, italics and IMO’s?

In the end, though, there is nothing you can do about rude people under the disguise of honest/candid. Truthfully, those who need to “hear” this most will not understand it’s about them. Those who do have a tingling bit of self-recognition will claw back with the “I can’t help it if you’re too sensitive...” responses.

All one can control is their own reaction to rudeness, and the best response is none at all. Replying is only feeding the drama and who has time for that? Me personally, I use up all my drama hours with my family and in my fictional world.

The only people they'll ultimately hurt is themselves, when they run out of people who stick around to hear/read their "honesty".

Guest Blogger: Krista Talks Space Stations

2011-12-19T06:00:00.000-08:00

I'm super excited to have blogger buddy, Krista D. Ball on today to talk about one of my favorite aspects of SF and the possibilities of the future... space stations.

When I was a little girl, I wanted to go into space. I didn’t want to be an astronaut, though. I wanted to move to a space port, or an asteroid drilling complex, or a planetary research facility. (Thank the spirits my parents were too poor to send me into therapy and instead just let me watch Twilight Zone reruns.)

A significant portion of science fiction cannon is set on space ships, soaring through the black. Reading about aliens, scary space nebulas, and weird and wondrous space fungi is rather cool, I admit. But for me, I like to also read about how people working together get on; how they live their lives, interact with each other – and how they get their supplies!

In Road to Hell, I imagined my military space port to be somewhere between an airport and a hospital. Lots of businesses, offices, people coming and going. I did let people live there; I want the future to solve the daily commute issue, not make it worse by shuttling people to and from a planet!

Perhaps it’s my distaste for big box stores, but I want my future space ports to be filled with specialized shops – homemade candies, non-chain restaurants, hat stores. I don’t want a giant DIY store taking up half of my space port’s strip mall. I want specialty items and goodies.

Also, in space I think we’ll be falling back to the mail order catalogue. Sure, we’ll always have the general items available, but sometimes you’ll just want to order jeans from Earth and no local brand will do. And what about food? A girl can only eat reconstituted protein powder before she snaps. Imported Jiffy-brand peanut butter might become the cure for deep space dementia.

When you think about the future, what do you want to see on your space stations? Do you want austere décor, a place fit for battle. Or, do you want a local mall? Or, do you want it turned into a nudist colony?

About Road to Hell:

Captain Katherine Francis is about to disobey every Ethics Law the Union of Planets throws at her. After the Union's enemy destroys her home planet and murders her family, she makes the decision to bring an end to the war--whatever it takes.

When an opportunity arises to ally with the neutral Alliance and turn the tide of war, Katherine throws aside her moral code, partners with a known spy, and risks sacrificing the very core of who she is.

And when faced with choosing between her conscience and stopping the bloodshed, she realizes that, either way, she'll lose.

Excerpt

Chapters 1-3

Purchase Links: Mundania Press, Amazon, Barnes & Nobles,

About the Author:

Krista D. Ball is a Canadian speculative fiction author who is currently hiding from necromancers. Better safe than undead.

My Plan...

2011-12-17T09:47:00.001-08:00

To take over the world, of course.

If that fails, my plan is to "write like a demon". LOL! Cliche enough for you?? I mean, really, how does a demon write? Who is to say demons are fast writers? They could be slow. They do have to contend with claws and the risk of Hell's fire catching the paper they're writing on.

Just sayin'

Well, however the hell demons write, I plan to write a lot. I have started my holiday vacation. Two weeks of no work... that's a lie. Not an outright lie, but a delusion sort of lie that makes me feel better. I work in the business world folks. Even though I am technically on vacation the next two weeks I have to go in two days already for presentations and meetings.

Totally derailing right now. The point is...I'm not clocking in for the next two weeks and I'm going to write.

I got my distraction out of the way by spewing a page or two of everything this nameless character has relayed to me and can set her aside for now. I want to continue work on The Telomere Trilogy's third book, Ending of Eternity. Luna and Damani need their story finished and polished. I am excited to have Captain Bonney reach some closure.

Plus, I have some really cool quasi SF in mind for this one. We're going kinetic people. Kinetic! I want to explore this unique concept of Luna's people to its fullest extent. I'll probably bounce some ideas off the group here over the next couple months.

I'm also contemplating some new ventures for 2012. They're not at a point I can talk about right now, but soon, buddies, soon.

Distraction

2011-12-12T06:00:00.000-08:00

Yes, I has it.

Almost a week now.

It's a she. It almost always is. She's developing before my eyes and it's driving me crazy.

Her eyes are those of someone deeply and emotionally wounded. Pain, loss, and guilt weigh her down. Every step she takes is a reminder of steps others can no longer take. Because of her. What she's done, and what she's not done.

Running away from that place wasn't enough. Every waking moment, every breath, every movement. She has no path to redemption. Doesn't even feel she deserves it if it did come knocking.

This woman started out as a blur in a dream. Only her eyes were clear and it made me sad on a certain level all day long. Each fractional revelation has brought her misery and agony more into perspective. A glimpse walking to the kitchen. A snapshot waiting for data at work. A second at the stop sign.

This woman is not real. Fictional. An imaginary figure my mind is creating. Yet I feel sorry for her. Sympathize with her. Wish to make a world where she gets peace, if not happiness. Truthfully, I don't think this woman could ever be really happy again.

Isn't it silly, how we authors connect with our characters? Often, this causes people to think we are disconnected from the real world.

But I don't think that's true. I think it's because we're too connected to the world.

I think its the core emotions behind our characters that we really connect with. We understand there are real people who are suffering the way our characters do. We connect with that real, human emotion behind it all and need to express it, so others can understand and connect to.

That's my take anyways...for what it's worth.

Home Away from Home (Maybe)

2011-12-06T09:40:00.000-08:00

(My blogger friend, Kaye Manro, beat me to the punch and has a great post about this up at her blog HERE.)

We've found an Earth-like planet...okay, "we" haven't found anything. Technically, NASA's Kepler mission team found it. (Does being a NASA cheerleader/supporter/groupie count as part of the overall NASA team? Yes/No?)

In what I call the Obvious Statement of the Year, Geoff Marcy of UC Berkeley stated, "This discovery shows that we Homo sapiens are straining our reach into the universe to find planets that remind us of home. We are almost there."

I guess I shouldn't take the statement for granted, though. Truthfully, I'm not sure how much the general population is wondering or straining to find other homes like Earth. It's the geekdom population that is cheering on the scientists. But I'd like to think that 4 geek-groupies equates to 1 normal person, so maybe it equals out somehow. (LOL. That right there, folks, is AR math...Live it. Learn it.)

Say hello to Kepler-22B. (Top right image.) Can I just say, these NASA folks need to get creative with their planet naming... it's like an apartment building. Geez.

"That's correct. I live in Kepler-22B, right next door to 22A. Yeah, the one right across from 7-11 and the Chinese restaurant. Hang a left at Alpha Centauri... no, no. A LEFT."

Okay, okay. Focus. Let's learn a little about this new planet find, Kepler-22B... or as I'd like to call it, Planet Awesome.

Kepler-22B aka "Planet Awesome":

Is located in the Kepler-22 Star System

It's 600 light years away (or 3,540 trillion miles)

It circles the star (Sun like star may I add) at about the same distance as Earth to the Sun

Its year is 290 days

Probably has water and rock, but probably mostly ocean

It's 2 and a half times bigger than Earth

Average temperature about 72 degrees (most likely, if it doesn't turn out to be a gas planet)

Keppler-22B makes a tally count of 2,326 planet candidates. Hee hee, you like that term the NASA team has designated for potentials? It's like a political race or something... better yet, a planetary race. Which will be the first one we decide to visit? You think there'll be a poll or official vote by the general public? (Wouldn't that be groovy?)

Any-who, of these, 207 are approximately Earth-size, 680 are super Earth-size, 1,181 are Neptune-size, 203 are Jupiter-size and 55 are larger than Jupiter.

Source material:
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/kepler/news/kepscicon-briefing.html

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/life-unbounded/2011/12/05/kepler-22-b-another-step-closer-to-finding-earth-like-worlds/

http://news.yahoo.com/planet-sweet-spot-goldilocks-zone-life-223007926.html

Holiday Free Read

2011-12-01T05:00:00.000-08:00

Yay! Holiday season is in full swing. To celebrate, I have a free eRead from Desert Breeze Publishing available for download.

Lasting Bonds, a sequel to Duty and Devotion.

Blurb:

Can Nettie Matterville and her husband, James Northman close the final door of war? Or will the consequences of that tragedy follow them…stopping them from getting what they most want?

Nettie and James have rearranged their whole world, all for the hopes of finding a child to call their own. Discovering Addie -- an orphan from war -- hiding in her cargo hold was unexpected luck on Nettie's part, but Addie is more than what she seems. Can Nettie and James handle the twists of fate and take on the added bonus Addie brings with her?

Excerpt:

James peeked over at Nettie, who slept next to him. Their lives had totally turned upside down and he hoped for the better. After the war, things seemed like they'd work out. The reality was a lot different. A relationship was hard work. Normal life was also hard work. A lot harder, in fact, than battle in some ways. Mostly it was living with the after effects of war. Wounds that never quite left, injuries that never fully recovered. Nightmares that never completely went away.

Naturally, they'd evolved their love and partnership to a desire for children. That's when life hit a brick wall. First, she'd denied it. Then she'd insisted on using a surrogate to have their genetics pass on to the next generation. Whatever that meant. When that hadn't worked out she'd almost broke.

Rinny's visit to Earth was a godsend. She'd spoken about the lost children who had no home. Nettie latched on to it as if it were a life line. Admitting the amazing timing, James knew it was the right decision for them. What made it easier was the fact Rinny and Danny lived on Dover. Rinny as the head of security and Danny as the dock port master.

He hoped everything would turn out well. They needed a break.

At least the first meeting with the agency on site was done. They'd walked by the child center several times. Nettie had been too nervous to actually go in, not without the final receipt from the agency anyway. James kept telling her it was only formality, and she knew that, but she couldn't. He finally let it rest.

She stirred, opened her eyes and caught his gaze. Need sparked. He bent over and lightly kissed her lips. The passion and love for her washed over him again. Like a drug -- a very alluring and beautiful drug. Still a secret from her, he'd fallen in love the moment he'd spotted her across the assembly when they had first arrived at Callisto for training all those years ago.

There'd always been someone or something else, though, it seemed. First the Captain. Then Edaris. When she'd finally become free, her sister had been taken by the enemy. There was nothing he could do after that but be a friend. What else could he have done? He'd loved her too much. Yeah, he might've gotten a night of passion, but that would've been it. He'd wanted forever.

The day she'd told him she loved him he'd just come off a long mission, been dead tired and only looking for a bed to crash in. He chuckled at the memory of her tossing the "I love you" over her shoulder as she'd strolled into the woman's locker room. Like hell he was going to wait for her to come back out. He'd gone straight in after her.

The wish for forever... so far, so good.

*****

Link to download: HERE

Don't forget to check out the other holiday free reads they released in December. Happy Holidays folks!

Argh! Time Constraints

2011-11-10T15:03:00.000-08:00

Why, oh why can't there be several more hours in a day? 24 hours...seriously? And 6-8 of those we're sleeping, unless we're insomniacs. I often only sleep 4-5 hours myself, but not consistently enough to consider thinking I'm an official insomniac...it's just Mommiac. Depending on the number of kids the acute Mommiac symptoms can last 18-25 years and then to some lesser extent forever.

Any-who.

I've hit a fork in the road. I know which path I have to take -- due to deadlines -- but it's frustrating. I have to sit NaNoWriMo aside for a week or so for manuscript edits.

I received the last response from my friends and beta readers on November 2. They were awesome to take the time out of their own busy 24 hours to read through and give feedback. I always do a quick look-see at the responses and then set it all aside for about a week or so. This gives me time to mentally prepare for the changes that need to be made.

So, starting tomorrow I will be diving into the final edits for Echoes of Regret. This time will be a bit harder. I'm coming into this a changed woman. There are disabilities I'm still trying to recover from as a result of the brain surgery in April. This edit will help me determine the extent of recovery I will have to do, which in turn might affect my publishing goals for the next year.

But enough of that depressing bit.

There's not too many changes I need to make to Echoes of Regret. Mostly it's weird grammar mistakes my brain doesn't compute these days (using he/she intermittently as one example). There are some subplots and gaps in my antagonist storyline that I need to beef up. And then some facts/story points I took for granted and carried over from book 1, Revelations of Tomorrow, that I didn't clarify enough.

Oh, and I have to finish my cover art input sheet so Desert Breeze's groovy artist can make yet another fantastic cover. She does a really great job tying the look and feel of series and trilogies so I'm excited to see how Revelations of Tomorrow compares to Echoes of Regret.

I knew this would happen at the same time as NaNoWriMo and prepared for it. It still sucks, but it is what it is. I'll be picking up my NaNoWriMo and catching up during the week of Thanksgiving, which I have off.

So wish me luck folks. (Don't worry, I have band aids and antiseptic on hand in case Captain Noah Bonney gets pissed off at the changes I'm making.)

NaNoWriMo Ready

2011-10-29T11:13:00.000-07:00

Story Idea...check
Character Summaries...check
Outline...check
Updated Novel Info...check
Added Writing Buddies...check
Committed...check, check

I did NaNoWriMo last year. I won. More importantly I discovered that I could push my daily/weekly writing goals more than I was doing pre-November 2010. It also reminded me the pure joy of writing without editing thoughts or concerns.

Just let the story pour out onto paper. Don't worry about spelling mistakes. Don't worry about awkward sentences. Don't worry about anything other than getting the image in your mind into some kind of written form.

The worries of spelling, awkwardness, and pacing can come later. I mean you have the months of post draft to revise and rewrite and perfect the story.

Any of you participating this year? You can look me up here: http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/participants/a-r-norris

Captain Bonney's Out

2011-10-15T07:42:00.001-07:00

Revelations of Tomorrow, The first book in The Telomere Trilogy is now available.

Blurb

The crew of Daring Star salvages a load capsule and finds the beaten body of Jetta McCree. Turns out Jetta's discovered her employer has developed a biochemical droplet and is contracted with terrorists to manufacture on a large scale. Captain Noah Bonney fights off corporate security forces, her ex-husband's pirate fleets, and carnivorous beasts to keep the young woman safe and transport her to the safety of the Imperial Home Port.

But the adventure brings to surface demons Noah's been suppressing and secrets from her people's history she's tried to forget. Now, she must face them if she's to reconcile with her daughter and keep the love of her life from leaving. With 450 years under her belt and nothing but eternity ahead of her, she's built a thick shell… one she's not sure she can break.

Excerpt
"I haven't been that innocent for many rotations." Noah placed her holster and weapon next to the hat, closed the drawer, and unbuttoned her jacket.

"Yeah, but being 450 years old, that's a long time ago. How can you possibly remember?" Lieutenant Matthew Amherst smiled at her through the mirror from across the room where he set the last piece of silverware on the small table.

Noah scowled at him with a warning finger point. He only winked at her, slipped his hands in his trousers and strolled over. Part of her wondered how she remembered so far back. Sometimes it was easy, and other days the distance of it smacked her in the face. Matthew stepped up, wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his chin on her shoulder. He peered at her through the mirror, gave her a lopsided grin, and wiggled his eyebrows. She laughed again and reached back to rest her hand on his cheek. The worrisome thought slipped from her mind.

She grinned at him. "You younglings don't realize Telomere rotations are nothing in my circle."

"That is true." He pinched her sides and released her. "That is true," Matthew said again as he guided her to the table.

They sat to eat. Noah and Matthew usually ate in the mess hall with the crew, and usually separate. Occasionally, though, Matthew called a private evening. She couldn't resist, and in this instance she had a feeling it would be the last in a while.

"Have you given any thought to our arrival strategy?" Matthew asked in between bites.

"Yes. It's too late to feign ignorance, or hide her. I'm not sure how we can avoid altercation with space port security."

Matthew scowled over his food and mumbled, "Damn, pompous security. Love pestering Imperial vessels."

Noah suppressed a chuckle. As lead officer for the hangar and cargo areas, he had to deal with port security more than most. Catching her humorous look, he flashed a grin and shrugged.

"You're not going to give her over, are you?" he asked once his mouth was clear.

"Hell, no. That girl is too young to know what she's gotten into, but I'm not. We're Merchants." She stabbed at her food a little too vigorously, the fork clanked against the plate, and she glanced up.

Matthew stared at her, his eyes intense and smoldering. He reached over and ran a thumb down her cheek, causing her heart to race and her skin tingled. Sea green eyes twinkled against the tan of his skin. He'd showered so his black hair lay disheveled and curly. Her hand itched to run through the wet locks.

"You're such a wonderful person, Noah," he whispered. "Be with me, always."

Sadness pressed down on her and pushed away the lust. Noah searched for her voice, trying to find the right words. "I am, Matthew." But always is such a subjective term.

Though his eyes dimmed, he tapped her nose good-naturedly. It hurt Noah more knowing she was the cause of it. There was nothing to do about it, though. "Your eyes give you away, love. You're worried. The differences between us, I don't care about them."

Noah pursed her lips. Sharp pain of emotions ached in her heart, intensifying. She pressed her hand to her chest and turned to stare out the window for a moment. How could he ever understand? Only in his thirties, he had barely scratched the surface of life. Guilt pulled at her conscience. She shouldn't be with him, if she were honest with herself. But the happiness and affection she felt toward him took control when she saw him. It wouldn't end well, that she knew for certain.

"You don't understand. I can promise you your always. You can't promise me my always. I just can't do that to myself, or to you, Matthew."

Purchase Links
Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Sony, Kobo, Desert Breeze Website All Romance Books

Last Stretch

2011-10-10T21:11:00.001-07:00

Captain Noah Bonney and her friends are off to the beta readers. Somehow I managed to navigate my way through solar systems, explosions, battles, and the personal demons of my characters to get the final draft done.

So close.

Almost there.

Last stretch.

This is where the muscles start to cramp and the sharp pain hits the abdomen. Breathing loses stride with the pace maintained over the last twenty miles.

I don't look pretty when exhausted and ready to collapse people... Do. Not. Look. Pretty.

Don't get me wrong. I run. I run when someone is chasing me. Okay, I won't run if someone is chasing me unless they have a weapon. A really sharp or metal weapon.

Anything other than that and I am the fight of the Flight or Fight equation. What's the use. I wouldn't get far and would just tire myself out and make a perfect victim.

Okay... not sure exactly where this post derailed, but it did. I'm sure there's meaning and purpose somewhere... really deep in between the lines, or dots.

I guess everyone gets derailed sometimes, and that's okay. Just ride it out and usually you'll find yourself back in the direction you were going. Or, you've put yourself in the direction you were supposed to go in the first place.

The Lesson of Humility

2011-10-06T05:00:00.000-07:00

Hubby and I were watching an older episode of Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations the other night. If you haven't watched this show, it's a great series on the Travel Channel... but, I digress (surprise, surprise).

The episode found Anthony cruising around and exploring the true Boston, beyond the fancy hotels and sites. (One of the reasons I like Anthony is because he goes beyond the travel brochure.)

Any-who.

Anthony stopped by a boxing club and discussed boxing and its importance to South Boston. Afterwards, him and the owner of the boxing club went to a famous local deli for subs. As they talked, the owner brought up a great point.

He said boxing wasn't about learning how to beat the opponent. At least not all about beating the opponent. No, he said the bigger purpose is to learn how to "take it in the chin" and respect the opponent, and your own limitations.

It is not only about victory, but also humility.

Wow. Isn't that a lot like the publishing world?

Writing is like your boxing moves. Publishing the ring. You learn your basic steps on the sidelines, around the outer edges. With safe equipment such as the punching bag and jump ropes. Then, you start testing your capabilities in the ring with safe competitors and slow movements.

At some point, you have to sign up for your first real fight. It's bloody, and for the most part you're going to walk away rejected and lost. Stumbling out of the ring, you sit dazed, wondering what just happened.

It's awkward, embarrassing, and eye opening. But it's an important lesson. It teaches you that you are not as great as you'd hoped. It teaches you that the world is not just waiting for your entrance. And it teaches you that there are other, more capable and talented people out there.

It teaches you that success has to be earned. From hard work, practice, and getting up and jumping back in.

Directions from the Constantly Lost

2011-10-04T09:03:00.001-07:00

I'm at the final point of my manuscript for Telomere Book 2 and the whole thing seems absurd to me.

Why?

Because this is the point where I follow my galaxy map and reference where the vessels are and where they are heading.

Again, why is this absurd to me?

Because I can't even drive from Napa to San Francisco without getting lost. Hell, I can't even drive around Napa without getting mixed up. And here I am, with my 2 angle view map of the galaxy making point references about vessel locations and figuring out the next stops in their journey. Solar System to Solar System and the space leaps in between.

Can AR read a map? Nooooo. Remember the episode of Friends where they're in London for Ross's wedding? Joey places the map on the ground and positions himself where he's at to figure out where he needs to go?...Yeah, that's me. Except I rarely know where I am to figure out where I need to go.

But, Captain Noah Bonney and Captain Makai Yourimoc know where they're at and where they heading, how long it'll take to get there, and what dangers they'll most likely run into on the way.

So, I'm fighting through the stinkin' 2 angle view map and plotting points, cross plotting, cursing a bit, and figuring it out.

...Man, what we writers do for our characters...

It's All Love Hate with Writing

2011-09-23T20:30:00.000-07:00

Okay... I've gone from love to hate to love to hate with this stinkin' manuscript. Now I'm bending around the curve back to love. It's not total infatuation yet, people, but definitely back up to lukewarm now.

I'd like to say it's not the characters, that it's just me. But no... I really feel like it's the characters. They were the ones who came to me in my sleep (my sleep, let me emphasize) and told me their story. Got me all excited about writing their journey.

With this excitement I spent all this time outlining their story. I thought I knew them. I thought I knew where they were going. I thought I... well, I could go on and on with all the crap I thought I knew.

The truth is, they tricked me. They always trick me.

The characters are always like, "Oh yeah, AR. Really this is my journey. It's not difficult, not complex. Just a straight story."

And I'm always like, "Really? That's great!"

Then weeks later the truth hits and the characters snicker evilly in my head, "Sucker!"

With this, I grumble, "Yeah. I know."

But by this time I'm all in. The story is driving my brain. Multiple people (fictional people, not other AR personalities... I'm not crazy, really) are yelling at me to "get it right". I fight to understand the true meanings and themes. I struggle to know the villain beyond just a corny vague monologue.

I quest to know their world.

I get so frustrated I want to scream... and then I veg out on the couch with a Star Trek marathon. The characters, nervous at the prospect of being tossed into the permanent "draft" folder, give me a piece of the puzzle.

Admittedly, at this tiny act of peace offering I ignore and continue with my vegging... maybe moving over to Star Wars (4, 5, 6, then 1, 2, 3, thank you very much). Hey, don't blame me. These fictional folks know I have a stubborn streak. I mean, they live in my head and have first hand visual of this characteristic and all.

Now my characters are panicking and release another piece and another until my juices are up again and I'm typing away.

This could be it, but no. This cycle lasts a good 4-6 months until a draft is complete.

And then the whole revision and editing hell - er - phase begins.

Out of This World Blog Tour: Diane Dooley Visits

2011-09-17T05:00:00.000-07:00

Please welcome guest blogger, Diane Dooley!

I love the sight of a man falling in love. That slightly panicked and disbelieving look in his eyes is beautiful to me. It’s even better when they don’t see it coming. They walk into a restaurant, they find their seat on the plane, they meet their new customer and BAM – that ole devil called love smacks them right between the eyes.

It’s not always like that, of course. Sometimes love grows slowly over time. Sometimes it happens quickly over the course of a sweetly intense affair. But sometimes? BAM! You can chalk it up to sexual attraction, instant chemistry, a meeting of the minds, but still – BAM happens. I speak from experience.

I think that’s why I wrote Blue Galaxy entirely from the point of view of the male character, Javan Rhodes. The poor guy falls hard, instantly, irrevocably, and then spends an awful lot of time trying to talk himself out of feeling the way he does. He knows this can’t be love; he knows there’s no such thing as love at first sight. Nevertheless, the dude is totally bammed. Totally.

It’s a touchy subject, I’ve found. Early readers of the manuscript were almost equally split in their passionate belief or disbelief in love at first sight. I found this fascinating and would love to hear more opinions on this. So, what do you think? Do you believe in love at first sight?

Please mention in your comment if you’d like to be entered in a drawing for a free copy of Blue Galaxy and don’t forget to leave contact info if you do.

Bio: Diane Dooley was born in the Channel Islands and grew up in Scotland. After many years of moving and travelling she finally settled down in Upstate New York, where the summers are short and the winters just might just kill you. She lives with her best friend/husband, who can’t fix a damn thing, and two obstreperous boy children in a falling-down farmhouse in the sticks. She is very happy.

You can find her on her blog, on Facebook , on Goodreads and on her group blog, Contact Infinite Futures. She is a regular contributor at The Galaxy Express as her alter-ego, Agent Z. and also writes dark and twisted short stories.

Blue Galaxy is available from: Carina Press, Amazon Kindle Store, Barnes and Noble, Audible.com and other online retailers.

Make sure to stop by Melisse Aires' blog tomorrow, where Gary Starta visits

http://melisseaires.blogspot.com

Second Annual Out of This World Blog Tour

2011-09-12T09:24:00.000-07:00

"They're coming! They're coming!" Oh, wait...I'm part of them, so, I guess it's, "We're coming! We're coming!"

Doesn't sound as good does it? Any-who.

The Second Annual Out of This World Blog Tour is kicking off on September 16th. Everybody's visiting everybody else and we'd love for you to join us bloggy swingers in our blog-o-party. We have a great group of authors who will talk about SF stuff and show off their upcoming and/or recently released books. Below is the line-up. I'll keep you posted if anything changes.

September 17

Diane Dooley at Amber Norris’ blog

http://sci-fiadventures.blogspot.com/

September 18

Gary Starta at Melisse Aires’ blog

http://melisseaires.blogspot.com

September 19

Frances Pauli at Diane Dooley’s blog

http://dianedooley.wordpress.com/

September 20

Amber Norris at Greta van der Rol’sblog

http://gretavanderrol.com/

September 21

Lilly Cain at Anne Kane’s blog

http://www.annekane.wordpress.com/

September 22

Greta van der Rol at Frances Pauli’s blog

http://francespauli.blogspot.com/

September 23

Lisa Lane at Gary Starta’s blog

http://praisegods.blogspot.com/

September 24

Melisse Aires at Lilly Cain’s blog

http://www.annekane.wordpress.com/

September 25

Anne Kane at Lisa Lane’s blog

http://newsensuality.blogspot.com

You Remember...Remember?

2011-08-23T20:24:00.000-07:00

Most of us writerly folks started at young ages. For me, I've loved writing since I learned how to write. But writing is more than just laying the words, isn't it?

You crazy buddies know what I'm talking about. Before I could write the stories, my mind played them in my head, over and over again. I would tell the stories to my family, any who would listen to crazy daydreaming AR, that is.

Oh man! Those stories in my head. Filled to the brim and boiling over. By second grade I'd learned to write well enough to transfer those stories onto paper and have them make some semblance of sense...well, as much as a seven year old could anyways. I wrote with reckless abandon. There were no barriers, no rules. Nothing but what popped into my mind.

In sixth grade, I'd already decided I would grow up to be the next Stephen King or Isaac Asimov when I had a great lesson from my art teacher. Yeah, not sure either why it was my art teacher and not my English teacher... go figure. Any-who, we were working on a project where we sketched one of those collage things. (You know, the ones where you threw a bunch of stuff together and drew it?) The five minute warning beeped and everyone started wrapping up. My teacher came by and saw my binder filled with story thoughts.

I thought I would get in trouble for writing my story ideas during art class, but instead she picked it up and read through some. I was very nervous, not many outside my friends had read any of my work at this point.

"This is interesting, but what purpose does this have?"

I thought she'd dismissed my work and I was crestfallen. How could it be that she didn't see the coolness of the ideas? The awesomeness of it? With my face burning a dark red, I'm sure, I mumbled something along the line of "they're just ideas that came" or some such thing. (My side of this story is not so important, and it was a LONG time ago, so don't shoot me.)

"The idea came, so the purpose must be there somewhere." She handed it back to me and smiled. "All forms of art need to give meaning to the recipient."

A humongous light-bulb went off and I stared at my notebook with new eyes. "Okay. Thank you."

"No problem... and don't write during my art class."

I don't remember my art teachers name. In fact, she's more a blurry face at this point, but I remember the statement... and that the art room was in the basement of my middle school and could only be accessed by weird stairwells that were a bit creepy if you were ascending or descending them by yourself.

I digress (which is often for you new blogger buddies).

Writing, for most, is a life long journey. It starts with the imagination with that spark of creativity. Moves to paper (or, really computer these days) in a basic rudimentary form. If the writer is lucky, at some point it transcends just the story and brings depth and meaning to both the writer and the reader.

Writing -- even the most commercial -- needs to give a message. It doesn't need to be overwhelming or profound. Just present and accessible to the reader.

The Winners Are.....

2011-08-15T18:34:00.000-07:00

Oh, I'm so excited...it's like being frickin' Vanna White! *looks around for the letter board*

Okay, okay, so last week (the 10th to be exact), I posted a contest to celebrate the 2 month anniversary of Duty and Devotion. The responses were awesome and I had so much fun reading the dozen or so entries. But alas, only a few can win. This was my first time using the random.org site to select the winners.

All right...here we go...the winners are...(drum roll please)

Pauline B. Jones

Liana Brooks

Colette Duke

Email me at ambernorris2000@yahoo.com to let me know what e-format you would like Duty ad Devotion in and of course CONGRATULATIONS!

2 Months? Wow!

2011-08-10T19:28:00.001-07:00

I can't believe it!

On Monday Duty and Devotion will have been out two months. "Happy R-day Nettie and Rinny!" (R-day instead of B-day, for release day.)

Duty and Devotion has received many compliments, a couple ratings, and a super great review. To celebrate, I'm going to hold a contest and will give away a couple copies of Duty and Devotion... in whatever format you wish.

What do you have to do?

Well, just contact me and let me know your favorite SF scene of all time, ever. (Ever, ever.) You can contact me either by leaving a comment here or emailing me at ambernorris2000@yahoo.com. I will select the winners on the official R-Day of course, which is Monday, August 15th.

Editing Abyss

2011-08-04T09:58:00.000-07:00

AR grabs the ledge and pulls. The rain pelts down, drenching and chilling her, but she perseveres. Some of the dirt layering -- now turned to mud by the torrential weather -- slips. She grips harder, her ice cold fingers digging to the rocky underlying. She risks a look down into the abyss of editing hell...

Oh, hey... didn't see you there.

Yes, I am still alive and well. I didn't fall into the abyss, though it was close. The whole month of July was pretty much dedicated to manuscript editing. My final publisher edits for the first book in the Telomere Trilogy, Revelations of Tomorrow, and final edits of the holiday free read short story, Lasting Bonds, were due to the editor.

Remind me never to do a free read again. A couple reasons, but first, let me say that I love the final book and am excited to close some open loops for Nettie and Rinny. HOWEVER, I realized something about myself during the adventure of writing the Telomere Trilogy, which I overlooked when I signed up to do a free read for Desert Breeze Publishing.

I am not a monogamous author.

I can't keep characters going over several books. And truthfully, the characters aren't monogamous either. The characters slip into my mind, we flirt, and we all get excited and explore the journey. Once that journey is complete, I'm done and they're done. They drift off into the world I created for them and I never hear from them again. For me, the flirting process has started with a new story and characters. I'm too distracted with the new adventure.

So, any-who, August 1st came around and I sent Lasting Bonds to my editor and let out a huge sigh of relief. Then, within five minutes (could've been sooner, I wasn't watching the clock) the characters from my new novel started beckoning me. I went straight into it and spewed out over 8,000 words. Yes, 8K in 3 days... needless to say, my creativity was pent up.

My new heroine is amazing. I'm so impressed by her resilience and saddened by her past. I hope I can do her justice... plus she's got some really cool genetic make-up that is almost superhuman. I'm still working out my hero and I'm not sure if I like him much, but I think that's the point. He's got some serious jerk issues and shoulder chips, and he's going to change/evolve through the storyline into someone worthy of my heroine's love. The problems with the hero I think will benefit my heroine, and help her realize her own hang up and issues she needs to let go of if she's to find her own peace and happiness.

Author Interview: T. K. Toppin

2011-07-18T05:00:00.000-07:00

I had the wonderful privilege of interviewing author T. K. Toppin and learned more about her latest release, The Lancaster Trilogy Book Two, The Master Key.

Tell us a little about yourself.
Well, I live in Barbados, a teeny island in the Caribbean surrounded by sea and sand. It’s a fairly laid back place to live, (if you don’t mind the heat) and I’m thoroughly Bajan, the term used for people born here or who’ve gone native. I’m the former. I’m married, no kids (phew), two geriatric dogs, and a black cat that thinks he’s human.

Initially, I started out as a graphic artist, something I’ve been doing for over twenty years. But, I’ve always wanted to write (something, anything!). So a couple years ago, I just did it. I haven’t stopped writing since.

Before we get into your specific story, tell us a little about The Lancaster Trilogy.
The Lancaster story is about a young woman who finds herself in a stasis pod and awakes 300 years into the future. From there, she has to learn how to live in this future and cope with the sudden realization that she has lost everything. She also finds love, a reason to stay in the future she’s found herself in, and also uncovers all the truths about her life and why she really ends up in the future. Each book is like a beginning, a middle, and an end – from her discovery of where she is and the foundation of the entire trilogy, to where she uncovers the truths about her past and having to deal with it, to finally, where she takes a stand and ends the madness that was her past, and makes a conscious effort to put it all behind her and really live in the future she’s been catapulted into. Does that make any sense?

Tell us a little about The Master Key
In this, the second book in the trilogy, my protagonist, Josie is settling into married life with John. Pretty soon, she discovers that a relation of hers holds the secrets of her past, and from there, the story leaps forth into action. It takes her way out into space to a space station where a battle begins to save the world from her villainous nephew. With her husband at her side, Josie fights to regain all the truths about her past.

What was your inspiration for the story?
I love reading books with adventure and action and unforgettable characters that make the story worth reading. I always seek out books of that nature. And if I ever wanted to write, that was the sort of book I’d write.

The basic outline of the Lancaster Trilogy pretty much came about along the lines of an adventure. I knew it would happen in the future, and I knew I wanted to have unforgettable characters. The general story just sort of developed in my head first, and a lot of it was the concept of “what if this where to happen” (in the future, and if someone from the past where to end up in it). And it just sort of built up on that idea.

What kind of research did you do for the book?
Mostly, I Googled stuff or Wikipedia’d things I wanted to know about, like the sciences and technology, and stasis pods, machines, weapons, fighting techniques. Quite a bit was made up…why not, right?

What do you enjoy most about writing Science Fiction Romance?
The ability to have characters that can interact and humanize the story, so it’s not so tech-oriented and gives it an even balance. While my romance bits are very mild and tame, the interaction is there, or the relationship. For me, that’s the key foundation that builds the story and takes it into the other bits of tech-stuff and action and adventure. I tried a contemporary story, but it lacked something…the SF aspect. So I trashed the story altogether. Then the idea for the Lancaster stories came about, so I dragged out the old story, mixed it up, stirred in some elements, and incorporated it into the Lancaster books. It worked. I’m not saying I’ll never write a contemporary story, but for now, I’m having too much fun creating worlds and living in the future.

Can you tell us more about your other published works?
My only other published work is The Lancaster Rule, which is the beginning of the trilogy. In this book, Josie wakes up and has to learn how to live in the future. She meets many obstacles, finds love, uncovers a plot to take over the world, and helps to stop this from happening. One reviewer called it a high-octane ride into the future.

Any upcoming projects?
I’ve just completed a work in progress, another SFR, which is in the hands of a few beta readers. I’ve two more ideas, half-completed, and set in the Lancaster world. Eventually I’ll get around to finishing them.

Where can we find you on the web?
My blogsite: http://www.thelancasterrule.blogspot.com/
Facebook: The Lancaster Rule or Written by T.K. Toppin
Twitter: TKToppin

Buy Link for The Lancaster Trilogy Book Two: The Master Key:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Master-key-Lancaster-ebook/dp/B005A90BT6/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1310780795&sr=1-3

Women in Fantasy

2011-07-16T05:00:00.000-07:00

Today I'm excited to have a writer buddy,

Marion Sipe, on to talk about Women in Fantasy. She has a new release, A Sign in Blood, that contains some strong female characters. (More about this awesome new book and how you can win a copy below.)

All right...here we go!

*****

I've sat down to write this guest post no less than three times and each time my brain boggles. It's a huge topic to cover. There have been so many women in fantasy, and I tend to read fantasy with female leads. You probably haven't heard of at least some of my favorites. While that's often true because fantasy is really a huge genre, it's also true because I mostly read female writers. I just find they more often write female MCs that I love.

And maybe that's the problem. I've heard it said that, while women are willing to read stories with male MCs, men are less willing to read stories with female MCs. Now, that's "common wisdom" which means it may or may not be true. I haven't done any surveys.

But it's funny how many times I'll be wandering about in the SFF online community and come across some guy who is more than willing to explain to me why women never fought on a historical battlefield (untrue), why women shouldn't be portrayed as warriors (ridiculous), and why women are incapable of defending themselves if the opponent is male (somebody get me a clue bat, please?). And I have run into this attitude even up into this year. And it doesn't matter how you respond (your response probably won't be read, and your links won't change anyone's mind even if they are read) so there's little else to do but sigh and move on. Unless you're in a bad mood and then, well, go to town.

And then, of course, there are the people who will tell you, "Well, women don't play much part in the story." Maybe it's because the women are oppressed (makes them even better characters) or because the story is about knights (Joan of Arc, anyone?) or because the story's in a somewhat historical setting and women didn't play much of a role in history (Umm, excuse me, have you read any?). There are numerous excuses, but the point here is that, in writing worlds without any real female characters, you're cutting out half of a population.

I'm not saying every book has to have a female POV (after all, some books only have one), although I certainly wouldn't mind, or that there should be a 50/50 split and if there isn't you're sexist. But if you can't think of a single thing for the women of your world to do in a story, you're probably not really thinking about it. This is only more true if your culture treats men and women differently. That only gives the women more new and interesting things to say/think/experience, things their male contemporaries can't.

Now, some of you may say that we've come a long way from the days of the damsel in distress, that's not always true. If every woman needs to be saved by the hero, I'm not going to like your book. Because seriously, where are the rest of the women? Most the women I know would a) beat off the villain with a chair, but also b) freak the hell out after the villain was dead (or impaired enough to make running an option). And while that's not always the proper response for a battle-hardened what-have-you killer, it is human. Because humans are flawed, and I'm willing to bet that any other SFF race you want to name? Probably flawed, too. In different ways, perhaps, but flawed nonetheless.

Damsels in distress are boring, but you know what else is boring? Flawless women warriors who can kick six kinds of ass without breaking a nail (or a bone) or ruining their clothes, and usually wind up getting saved by the hero anyway. Now, don't get me wrong, I have a huge soft-spot for ass-kicking women, but too often that's all these characters are. They're shown to be top-notch at everything, from swordplay to drinking, gambling, sex, computers, languages... Whatever the plot calls for and whatever will turn the hero on.

These are not strong female characters; these are a different brand of cardboard. I want to read women who are characters. Cardboard doesn't always mean "damsel in distress," it can also mean "too 'perfect' to be real." So ask yourself, does So-and-so ever just plain mess up? Does she ever trust the wrong person? Does she ever turn her back on someone who's dangerous? Does she ever mistake a situation, or let pride drive her to the wrong actions? Does she ever get too caught up in the world inside her head to understand the world outside it? And does she pull herself up (or get help, I don't mind as long as she's an actual character) and keep going in spite of that?

If she does, point me toward her, because that's the woman I totally want to read! Hell, that's the character I want to read, regardless of their gender (or potential "lack" thereof).

With A Sign in Blood, I have three main female characters, all of whom have a POV. I liked how each one viewed their world differently, how each of them saw things through their own filter, and how each of them interpreted what they saw. I liked writing each of them for different reasons, and I hope that each of them holds their own.

Liral is a far cry from a kick-ass heroine, but that doesn't mean she won't take a stand and make it stick. Chadri gets knocked down time and again, but always stands back up. Nathias' pays a hefty price for her choices, but she doesn't let that kill her even when it would have been so easy to do so. They're all characters, and they all handle things in their own ways, and they all keep moving forward.

*****

Thank you so much, Marion! I loved your post and can't wait to read your book. (Added to TBR as we speak, uh, write, uh, type...well, you get what I mean.)

Okay, blogger buddies...leave a comment and enter in the chance to win a free copy of A Sign in Blood. If Marion's post hasn't excited you enough, well, besides being crazy bananas, here's more about the book:

Blurb:
While investigating her father's murder, Chadri never meant to get involved in politics. She arrives in Mesaceal with her mentor Nathias and a wild talent for blood magic, but soon finds it won't be enough to stop a brutal attack on her family home. After befriending a queen who is forced to fight to win her crown, and learning of rumors about the theft of a sleeping god, Chadri is caught up in a web of conflict spanning two nations. Trapped within the tightening threads, she must unravel the secrets surrounding her father's death, or die the same way he did.

Buy Links:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0059HBT5O
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/70743

Marion's Blog: http://marionsipe.blogspot.com/ (also part of my Blog Roll)

Seduction

2011-07-15T19:49:00.000-07:00

Yes, I am being seduced.

It's clever, underhanded, and, and, and sneaky.

Here I am with several deadlines looming and my main character in the new manuscript is teasing me. Luring me in to her story web if you will. I keep telling her she has to wait, but she doesn't wanna. She wants attention now and is purposefully giving tidbits of the story that are irresistible.

I think I'm losing the battle, which will mean late nights to ensure I get everything done on time. I'm trying to be more upset about this, but I'm just too darn excited to be really mad.

The Road Back to Walking

2011-07-06T12:10:00.000-07:00

I'm so psyched. Today I was finally able to walk to work again and it felt great.

As you may or may not know I had a "fun" little stint with some medical problems the beginning of the year (yeah, nice welcome from 2011 to yours truly)... mysterious head pain that lasted months, then after diagnosed as a brain tumor chose to still cause pain. Yeah, yeah, I know. I assumed that when you figured out what it was you could fix it. Which, technically was true. They said I could either take medication until it worsened or I could have it cut out.

Nervous me decided the procrastination route via loads of medication until I could get the courage for surgery. Hey, I may play a hero in my own mind but in real life I'm a complete chicken. The idea of robot navigated "weapons" (they call them surgical devices but I'm skeptical) slicing anything let alone my skull and brain was enough to cause me to nearly pee my pants. But, my "problem" decided to take a life of its own and wigged out on me -- evilly turned on me without provocation -- sending me to the ER and then into surgery.

This was about two months ago now. After that wonderful event I had to heal. No big outer wounds, most was internal. My sensory system would overload. Walking along a busy road near schools and shopping centers was too much. (I barely handled business meetings that included more than 5 people there for a while.)

Today was a big feat...and a surprising boost for my writing. I realized most of my creative time happened during my walks to and from work. By the time I got to the office I had several plot hang ups worked out and I couldn't wait to get home and work on them.

US Independence Day!

2011-07-04T12:42:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th of July my fellow Americans!

As you all know, I am super patriotic. All American. Whoot USA! So, if you're not, you might want to not read this post.

Fair warning...okay, moving on.

There's an adventurous, competitive side in every American that some people confuse for cocky...LOL, okay, we're also very cocky too. We can't help it. I mean come on, taking on the big 'ole ocean we moved to a whole other continent, far away from our homeland. We struggled to make a home and then took on the great British government to keep our freedom.

Yeah, there's a lot wrong with the US of A...but there's a lot right too. I wouldn't live anywhere else in the world. Any complaining Americans...thank goodness you live here, where you have a right to be unhappy with you own government.

Okay, there's my patriotic rant. Now I'm going to go celebrate with food and fireworks. Have a great day all!

And the World Kept Turning

2011-06-26T14:13:00.001-07:00

I woke up on June 15th expecting, oh, I don't know, something fantastical. No, no. That's not entirely true...the realist inside me said things would be the same. But the imaginative side just thought the whole world would be different. Like I'd wake up with a tell-tale sign that I was now an official novelist. Ooh, maybe an awesome and mysterious tattoo materializing on my forehead, "Novelist Here".

I don't know...something. But the realist won out (and of course was smug about it as realist personalities are when they're right). I got up, dressed, and went to my day job. I worked 8 hours and then went home. My husband and kids were actually gone camping so it was just me. (I know...didn't time that out all too well.)

So, why am I telling you all this almost two weeks later? Well, because now I'm antsy. Are my sales numbers good? Are my readers enjoying the book? Are reviewers interested?

I don't know yet. It's still too soon. But, as a business woman in a corporate role, I feel like I should know these things. I'm going cookoo banana's wanting....something tangible to analyze, fret over and try to fix if needed. I don't remember this being an aspect I'd realize having to face before it published. And it's a discovered characteristic I'm not very proud of.

I'm a control freak.

I was busy fretting about all of this Friday and babbling about it to my husband. He finally sighed, looked at me in that "Ash way" and asked, "What was your goal?"

"To have a book published," I answered. "But--"

He interrupted. "Did you want a book published and it to become an immediate bestseller?"

"No, but--"

"Did you want a book published and be immediately praised?"

"No, but--"

"Then you accomplished your goal. Congratulations." He smiled and went back to his movie.

I sat stunned, trying to decide if I should be pissed when it hit me. I did accomplish my goal. I have a book published. There was a publisher who felt my work was good enough to have their name and talent behind it. There are people reading my story. That's was my dream.

Everything else is icing on the cake.

Book Feature: Mistaken Identity by K. Dawn Byrd

2011-06-20T05:00:00.000-07:00

I have a Desert Breeze buddy on today, K. Dawn Byrd, to talk about her newest release, Mistaken Identity. So, take it away K. Dawn!

Book Blurb
Eden Morgan longs for a boyfriend of her own, an impossible goal when her best friend, Lexi Branson, gets all the attention and all the guys. When they fall in love with the same guy, Eden believes she doesn't have a chance. She can only hope that sometimes the good girl gets the guy.

Q) How did this story come to you?
A) Sometimes I get the strangest ideas! I wondered what would happen if a not-as-pretty good Christian girl and her gorgeous non-Christian best friend fell in love with the same guy. Who would get the guy?

Q) Tell us about the journey to getting this book published.
I had already published several book with Desert Breeze Publishing when they opened a young adult line. I'd been writing romantic suspense and thought it would fun to try my hand at a young adult novel. It was so much fun that I'm signing a contract for a young adult mystery series that will debut in January.

Q) Tell me three things about yourself that would surprise your readers.

I own two hairless Chinese Crested dogs.

I love sour things....pickles, lemons, sour candy.

I used to ride a Harley, but gave it up in order to have more time to write. (My husband always wanted to stay out way too long and take the scenic route home. He still has his bike, but I don't miss mine at all.)

Q) What are you working on now and what's next for you?
I'm editing my October release with Desert Breeze. This Time for Keeps is an inspirational romance.

Q) Parting comments?
Thank you for hosting me! For those of you who love Christian fiction, please check my blog for weekly book giveaways. I interview 3-5 authors a week who give away their books. www.kdawnbyrd.blogspot.com

Q) Where can fans find you on the Internet?

Links:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=geWeGQ6Ueu4
http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-178/K-Dawn-Byrd-Mistaken/Detail.bok
http://www.kdawnbyrd.com/
http://www.kdawnbyrd.blogspot.com/

I'm also on Twitter (kdawnbyrd) and facebook (K Dawn Byrd.) I am the moderator of the Christian Fiction Gathering facebook group (http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=128209963444) If you join this group, you'll get reminders about the weekly book giveaways.

About the Author
K. Dawn Byrd has been an avid reader for as long as she can remember. Her mother once said that she 'never knew she was on the place' as a child because she was always off somewhere reading quietly in a corner. She's a book collector and had over 2,000 titles at last count and even though she loves print books, she's fallen head over heels for ebooks, downloading several at a time into her Blackberry to read on the go.

When not reading, she enjoys spending time with her husband of 14 years, walking her dogs beside a gorgeous lake near her home, and plotting the next story waiting to be told. Writing everything she's plotted will take decades, leading her well into retirement. her retirement dream is to live on a golf course near Myrtle Beach and write novels while her husband plays golf.

Winner of Release Day Contest

2011-06-19T09:07:00.000-07:00

Yippee!

Okay, so I put all the names from Wednesday's blog post contest into a hat and had one of my sons pull one out. The winner of an electronic copy of Duty and Devotion and cool swag is....

Marion Sipe!

Marion, email me at ambernorris2000 @ yahoo.com and we'll get you all set up.

RELEASE DAY!!

2011-06-15T05:00:00.000-07:00

It's here! It's here!

OMG, Duty and Devotion is released. I'm relieved. Excited! Elated!

*wiggle dance*

Okay, okay. Grow up time AR. Be a professional. Be a mature adult....Oh! Screw that! Duty and Devotion is out there in the open!

Go get a copy you goofy goofs! It's available at All Romance Books, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Sony, Kobo, and the Apple iBookstore. Heck, you can even visit Desert Breeze's website and buy directly from them, here!

Check out the book trailer silly heads!

In celebration one commenter is going to get a special gift package. I'm not saying exactly what it will be. I'm not saying it would be a cool gift, swag, and a free copy of the book. I'm not saying that at all. *wink, wink*

Blurb:
Sisters Nettie and Rinny Matterville head off to war, discovering true love can be found even in a time of conflict. Nettie learns true love isn’t always obvious; sometimes it’s right in front of your face. Rinny learns that love at first site can and does happen, but the real challenge is keeping it.

Older sister Nettie wasn’t sure what the militia thought she was, but she knew and it wasn’t a space fighter pilot on the front line. But Dad always pressed the importance of duty to your territory. Now she has to figure out how to survive in a place she never imagined ending up. Keeping things interesting is a very overconfident competitor, James. Through it all, she’s got her younger sister Rinny. Or so she believed until the moment she lost her.

As for Rinny, the Mars facility gives her chance to break family expectation and she thrives in ground combat training. She also learns life off the concert stage can be just as rewarding when she makes her first real friends and meets Daniel, who could just be “the one”. He’s a little more reluctant and it turns out he has a reason, a secret involving Rinny. After the enemy attacks her facility and kills her best friend, Daniel disappears. Now captured, Rinny must fight behind enemy lines to help her people remain free, and live to return home.

Blog Tour: Duty and Devotion

2011-06-12T05:00:00.000-07:00

Okaley, dokaley folks!

It's starting. (OMG!) Duty and Devotion releases on Wednesday and my blog tour for it is kicking off. I wanted to let you all where I'll be and what I'll be chatting about from tomorrow until July 1st.

Mon - 6/13 - Kaye Manro - Regeneration: The Nano Way

Tue - 6/14 - Liana Brooks - Altering Human Beings through Gene Manipulation

Wed - 6/15 - HERE - Release Day Yay!

Thu - 6/16 - Melisse Aires - The fine line of Science fiction and Science fantasy

Fri - 6/17 - Marva Dasef - Interview

Sat - 6/18 - Vijaya Schartz - Sisterhood

Sun - 6/19 - Spacefreighter's Lounge - Overcoming the Ice Age

Mon - 6/20 - HERE -Progress Report and a Little Breather

Tue - 6/21 - Ciara Gold - The Real Space Pilot Life

Wed - 6/22 - Jennifer Hartz - Family/Community Role in the Future

Thu - 6/23 - Sandra Sookoo - Interview

Fri - 6/24 - Stephanie Burkhart - True Love the First Time?

Sat - 6/25 - Chrystalla Thoma - Using History to Predict the Future

Sun - 6/26 - HERE - Progress Report and a Little Breather

Mon - 6/27 - DBP Blog - Interview

Tue - 6/28 - DBP Blog - Why I Like SFR

Tue- 6/28 - Galaxy Express - Future Wars: Will There Be a Front Line?

Wed - 6/29 - DBP Blog - Favorite Movie

Thu - 6/30 - DBP Blog - Favorite Authors

Fri - 7/1 - DBP Blog - Excerpt and Prize Announcement

I hope you all are able to stop by!

Adventures on the Cattle Trail

2011-06-11T05:00:00.000-07:00

Okay...I know that I am a sci-fi writer. You know that I'm a sci-fi writer. But guess what? I have always (ALWAYS) had a soft spot for westerns. As a kid I remember Saturdays at my Grandpa's house spending the day with John Wayne in the background.

I love the idea of the western setting. The rodeo, the cattle drives, the dust...okay, maybe not so much the dust. You get the idea. Today I brought author Barbara Scott on to talk about her latest western romance, West of Heaven.

How do you say it? Oh yeah! "Ya-hoo! Take it away, Barbara!"

*****

The cattle trail has been the setting for a number of entertaining books, though not usually stories that involve women in important ways. In my historical romance, Somewhere West of Heaven, Marcella McGovern, a gently-raised heiress, and her crew of soiled doves turned cow-girls take to the trail led by disgraced trail boss, Jean Luc Desloge.

Marcella McGovern arrives in Onion Creek, Texas for the reading of the will of her unknown benefactress which will change her life forever. Accompanied by the ancient attorney who has managed her education but kept the secret of her parenthood, she soon discovers more shocks than her prim upbringing has prepared her to face. The late proprietress of the local house of ill repute, Miss Sophie Castleman, and Clint Harte, wealthy cattle baron of the Heart O’ Gold Ranch, were murdered in each others arms, leaving behind the will that names Marcella as their secret daughter and the inheritor of Sophie’s bawdy house and all Harte’s marketable cattle.

Complicating the inheritance is Jean Luc Desloge, Sophie’s disreputable but all too-tempting majordomo, a prime suspect in the murders, and all Sophie’s working girls who are in hiding in her boarded-up house. Then Clint Harte’s angry widow issues Marcella an ultimatum, get the cattle off the Heart O’ Gold or pay the price. Could Sophie's girls be trained to take the place of the cowboys who are forbidden to sign on with Marcella?

Excerpt:
Tom brought up a hardy mousey brown horse that should suit her. He had a sleekness to him and a wise look. He stood solid while Jean Luc saddled him. Marcella came up to take his reins, stroking the horse's nose and talking to him in soft reassuring tones.

"Does this one have a name, Tom?" Marcella asked.

"Redemption they called him."

"Redemption." From her mouth, the name whispered through the morning air like a word of endearment. The critter ate it up like sugar lumps.

"You got a way with horses." Jean Luc pulled the cinches tight. "Sweet-talking might be all you need to keep you seated. Maybe he won't buck at all. He ain't puttin' up a fight now, but, just in case, try to sit back and catch his rhythm and ride with it."

"Until I land in the dirt with the best of them." She whispered something else to the horse as Jean Luc came around to give her a leg up.

"Have a good ride." He stepped back to clear the way.

Marcella steered Redemption toward the center of the corral, taking an easy pace, show-ing a confidence that let the horse know he was in good hands. He responded with a cooperation that thrilled Jean Luc. They walked the boundary of the corral without a bump or a bother. A mumble of appreciation rippled through the townsfolk who'd been attracted by the unusual Sun-day morning goings-on.

When she looked up, Jean Luc signaled his encouragement by snatching off his hat and waving it in the air. Ezra and Tom nodded enthusiastically. She urged Redemption into a post trot, raising herself in her stirrups so she was half-sitting and half standing, her body bobbing up and down in perfect rhythm to the horse's gait. On this go round she beamed at Polly's barely contained excitement and at Glory with her hands on her hips, no doubt puzzling out why she hadn't drawn Marcella's horse instead of the one she'd chosen.

In truth, Jean Luc suspected it was Tom's horse sense that had reserved this mount for her. Not too shy to show off, Marcella directed Redemption into some quick turns and stops be-fore taking him one more time around. She brought him to a smooth stop in front of Jean Luc and dismounted.

Tilting back her hat, Marcella took off her bandana and used it to dab at the sweat on her brow. "I don't know, Jean Luc, do you really think I had to change clothes for that ride?"

Jean Luc rubbed his chin. "Well, how else do you think that horse knew you meant busi-ness? Now, ready for some breakfast? Or should we start right in on ropin' and tyin'?"

*****

Available at Amazon for Kindle, Barnes & Noble for the Nook, Sony, Kobo and Apple's iBookstore or direct from DBP http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-150/Barbara-Scott-West-of/Detail.bok

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Barbara Scott believes the Blarney Stone is in Ireland for good reason and thanks her strong Irish roots for her own story telling abilities.

Her first two books, Golden Heart Winner, TUG OF WAR and HAUNTS OF THE HEART are in the collection of the State Historical Society Library in Columbia, Missouri.

As a special education teacher, Scott found that teaching and writing were compatible careers except on those days when both students and characters refused to cooperate. She shares a house in the Midwest with her sister and three rambunctious terriers.

For more about Barbara, visit
http://www.barbarascottink.com/
http://barbarascottink.blogspot.com/

http://scotwriter.blogspot.com/

Hanging with TK Toppin

2011-06-10T05:00:00.000-07:00

I'm super excited to be hanging out at TK's blog today. TK is grilling -- er -- interviewing me.

Learn my deep dark secrets...muahahahaha...okay, so they're not so deep but...well...oh, just go over if you have a chance!

http://thelancasterrule.blogspot.com/2011/06/my-guest-ar-norris.html

Panic, No Exhilaration...No, Definitely Panic

2011-06-08T08:12:00.000-07:00

Woke up this morning to a Yahoo calendar reminder, Duty and Devotion releases in exactly one week. I think my heart's going to explode. I think I'm going to faint. I think...I think I'm going to flee to a nice, warm Mexico beach.

No, no. I won't do that. I've waited too long for this.

I'm ready. I know I'm ready. Easy-peasy. This isn't panic...this is what exhilaration feels like. Like...like you're in the back part of a roller coaster. You're slowly moving up towards the top of the first big hill and you're giggling with your friend next to you.

Oh, wait...

Then you look forward and the cars in front of you start dropping off. Disappearing as they reach the down slope. Your hands tighten on the grips, fingers actually ache and knuckles turn white from the super grip. You know you're ready. You're safety harness is locked in and you've made several notes to scream so you don't pass out.

More cars drop in front of you. Now you're on the verge of tears, but fight them off. You don't want that to show on the stupid punk camera they have set up on these stinking rides. What made you think you could do this? It's insanity. How many accidents happen every year? Hundreds...okay, maybe only a hand few, but still. This one could be the accident in waiting.

It's absurd. Must get off. You look over the side, wondering if it's worth the broken leg. Two cars in front of you drop off and you know it's too late.

You go over.

The next few minutes you're caught in the midst of chaos. With your heart pounding there's screaming and losing your breath. Zipping through the twists and turns you're not sure where's up and down.

Then you reach the last bit where things slow down and come to a rest. You're laughing like a loon and can't wait to do it again.

That, my friends, is the crazy world of publishing.

It's both panic and exhilaration. I guess if something is worth it, you can't have one without the other.

Throw Open The Library Doors

2011-06-06T05:00:00.001-07:00

Welcome fellow Desert Breeze author and friend, Toni Noel as she talks about her love of libraries and her newest release Temp to Permanent, available now.

Take it away, Toni!!!!

*****

When my mother read to me as a child I'd beg her to turn the page long before she finished reading from the one she was on. Even though the book had no pictures, I couldn't wait to find out what happened next.

Books still affect me this way. Owning a few books makes me want more. I no longer buys as many as I'd like, but luckily I discovered lending libraries at an early age. Our neighborhood drug store had a bookcase in the corner filled with paperback books written by Zane Grey customers were allowed to check out. Summers I'd stop in on my way home from Bible School, check out my limit and pedal the three miles home with my bicycle basket loaded with books for my father and me to read over the coming week.

To my eternal joy the school I attended in eighth grade had a library. Once a week we were allowed to go and check out books. How I treasured those books in their shinny covers. I had a thirst for knowledge nothing satisfied, and sometimes tried absorb the contents of those books simply by hugging them. Later I'd open one and slowly turn the page. I've never been a speedy reader. I wish I were, but I still love to read.

Author Judith Dupre wrote, "When I was the kid, Saturday was the very best day – the day I could go to the library and stock up on books for the week! Books were my magical passports to the whole wide world. To this day, libraries thrill me, and yet feel as familiar as home."

The main library downtown is closed on Saturdays.

In Animal Dreams Author Barbara Kingsolver wrote, "Libraries are the one American institution you shouldn't rip off."

The fall I entered eleventh grade the newly built high school opened. For the first few months while construction was completed the glass-enclosed library sat a rounded peninsula in a sea of red mud, but nothing keep me away. Inside, every book was new and the room hushed while I reverently removed books and checked them out.

In high school, I couldn't wait for spring when the English teachers gave out term paper assignments. I always earned A's on them. I'd make several trips by City bus to the main library to do my research, laboriously keeping notes for the bibliography on index cards, spending long hours late at night bent over our portable typewriter writing my paper and loving every minute of it. That's how I learned I had a flair for words.

My first week on the campus of George Peabody College for Teachers I discovered the library stacks, overflowing bookshelves placed on see thru floors. I gladly joined the other bookworms visible on floors below and above me browsing through the stacks.

I've always entertained the need to read. Early in my marriage we moved to a small Tennessee town without a library. I talked the church pastor into setting aside some unused space, organized a bake sale, and started a church library. In the next town, I repeated the process, this time securing a large room devoted entirely to books, with a volunteer librarian to check them out and in.

After moving to a growing California subdivision serviced weekly by a Bookmobile, and it appeared all available land would go to build service stations instead of a promised library, I appeared before the City Council and the City Planning Commission to urge the prompt purchase of a suitable site. I pestered City officials so much the City Councilman for our District invited me to turn the second shovel of dirt at the groundbreaking service for our branch library.
Opened over thirty years ago, our branch library is hopelessly overcrowded, with no available funding for the foreseeable future, so the promised expansion is on hold. Because of the City's budget crisis the branch library is closed two day a week and most mornings. In the fall it will be open even fewer hours, thanks to deeper cuts in service.

Cicero wrote, "If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need." In our two story home surrounded by flowers there are fourteen tall bookcases, and every shelf is jammed.

The inscription over the door of the Library at Thebes reads, "The medicine chest of the soul."

It's up to all of us to keep the library doors open.

My fondest wish is for our branch to someday offer one of my novels for checkout. By the time I publish a print book those doors may very well be closed for good, but you can download my romantic suspense eBooks, Temp to Permanent and Law Breakers and Love Makers, from Desert Breeze Publishing, Inc, Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, and All Romance eBooks.

http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-template/Toni%20Noel/Page.bok

And visit my website: http://www.toninoelauthor.com/blog to read more about the fate of libraries across the country in the coming months.

EXCERPT:
Temp to Permanent excerpt 1

Carina Carrington's fingers flew across the computer keyboard.

Not fast enough.

She'd never meet her schedule without another pair of hands. Of all possible days, why did Rachael pick today to call in sick?

And what happened to her replacement? The temp agency had promised to send a secretary an hour ago. What was keeping her?

At the scrape of a leather shoe sole, Carina's concentration cracked. "There's no one at the desk out front," a husky male voice rasped.

Startled, Carina hit a wrong key. Unless his face matches that heart-stopping voice, I'll kill this salesman. She abandoned the keyboard and swiveled around in her chair. Six feet of tanned muscles crossed her carpet. No death warrant for this hunk.

Surrounded by masculine scent, Carina riveted her gaze on his business card, then glanced up. Devilish blue eyes locked with hers. She looked away to conceal her unprofessional, very unladylike reaction.

"I'm Gregory Lawless from Data Services. Pat Kilpatrick said to see Mrs. Carrington. Your receptionist--"

"Has the flu."

This perfect example of centerfold material could not possibly type.

With all the work still to turn out, I'll kill Pat, instead.

Reluctantly Carina pushed back her chair and stood to shake his hand. Good grip, self-confident. "That's why you're here, Mr. Lawless. I'm short handed today. And it's Miss Carrington."

She indicated a chair and waited for him to sit. "The agency didn't say they were sending a man." Oops. Maybe employers weren't supposed to say things like that anymore.

"Is that a problem?"

She wasn't about to acknowledge how difficult he made the simple act of speech. "Only if you can't do the job."

He folded his lanky frame into the visitor's chair she'd indicated and placed a folder on her desk. "Ms. Kilpatrick asked me to give you this copy of my resume."

A deep cleft creased his chin. How could she work with that distraction? With her weakness for cleft chins she couldn't hope to actually work around this distraction. His devastating smile belonged in a bedroom. In a bar. Anywhere but in her office ruining her concentration.

Carina sank into her own chair and opened his file to study the brief list of qualifications while steadying her heart beat. San Diego Data Services normally provided exceptional help, but Pat had explained this flu epidemic had also left her short handed. Gregory must be the last healthy soul available.

Healthy? He was that, all right. From what she could see, far healthier than a man had any need to look.

He'd indicated a willingness to work. Any warm body could man the phones in her secretary's absence. Surely she could control her body's response for the next few hours.

What about this unexpected heat? Maybe Mom was right and she was sex-deprived.

Perhaps tomorrow Pat would have a real secretary available, or not such an attractive man. Her mind pictured a prim woman. Someone wearing a skirt whose very presence wouldn't launch her pulse into orbit.

She glanced up from the resume to study Gregory. Information in the agency's file was scant, little more than name, address and social security number. He looked about her age. Why would a man approaching thirty-five resign himself to temporary work?

Carina drew a steadying breath. "Have you been with Data Services long?"

He tilted his head as if mulling over a reply. "This is my first assignment."

Great. Disgruntled by his admission, she looked away. Few skills and even less experience. Carina stole a glance. The smile hovering about his mouth prevented objective reasoning. "With a busy week ahead of me, there won't be much time for training."

He peered at the scribbled notes on her calendar and lifted one cocky eyebrow, giving him a rakish appearance that almost brought her out of her chair. "Tell you what. Let's not waste any more time. Give me a chance to help and if I don't meet your requirements, you don't owe me a cent."

Desperation evident in his voice caused her to give him a sharp look. "So you're a gambler, too."

He straightened his back against the chair, then leaned forward and gazed at her. "I've nothing to lose," he admitted with admirable honesty.

Carina thought about everything she would gain if Gregory could fill Rachael's shoes. She wouldn't need to postpone tomorrow's meeting and might still land that contract. Provided she somehow kept her mind on her business and off this man. Could she do it?

Quick decisions were her trademark. "I'll only expect you to answer the phone. On Mondays it rings constantly."

He grinned, nodding. "How shall I answer?"

Criminey. Would she need to hold his hand and walk him through the office as well? "Carrington Graphics will do."

"I'll manage. What is the nature of your business? Ms. Kilpatrick said you needed someone in a hurry and didn't take time to fill me in."

"Advertising." From the bookcase behind her desk Carina selected two brochures and unfolded them for Gregory to examine. "This is a terrible time to come up short handed. I've two important presentations scheduled, one tomorrow, and another on Friday. Rachael always handles my prepress. Without her, I'll never be ready."

After a moment, Gregory leaned across her desk to return the brochures. Fragrance, spicy-clean and fresh, teased her nostrils. Aftershave and a recent shower, a masculine scent she adored.

"I've had some experience with--"

"It's likely the phones will occupy all your time." She couldn't picture his neatly trimmed fingertips flying over a keyboard.

Imagining his hands in her hair though...

Easy, far too easy.

Cut that out. "Why don't I get you settled at the front desk, Gregory."

He followed her into the outer office. "Call me Greg."

She ignored the thump of her heart his seductive tone induced. His voice ranked among her all time favorites, too. "Greg it is."

*****

About Me

Since the day my mother started reading The Five Little Peppers and How They Grew to the four of us books have been an important part of my life. As a small child I couldn't wait to learn to read, and in school I devoured every printed page I could get my hands on. Summers in Birmingham I rode my bicycle three miles to the local drug store to check out Zane Grey novels which I shared with my father, a tireless breadwinner and avid reader. As a young wife and mother I started church libraries in two small Tennessee towns. Later, when the Bookmobile no longer satisfied the needs of my growing daughters, with the encouragement of my husband, I appeared before the San Diego City Council and City Planning Commission, urging them to purchase property for a library in our fast-growing subdivision before the preferred sites were snapped up by service stations. I bugged city officials so much I was later invited to assist the Mayor at the ground-breaking ceremony for the promised library. Although that library now needs expansion, it is my fondest dream that they'll save room on those crowded shelves for the romance novels I write.

Truckin' Along

2011-06-05T12:55:00.000-07:00

Engines are revved and I'm trying to keep up. Thought I'd pause to lay out my progress.

Duty and Devotion (D&D)
All the prep work is done with this one. It only has to release on the 15th. My blog tour kicks off this Friday at TK Toppins blog. Submissions to review sites are in...that'll take at least a month of waiting.

The Telomere Trilogy Book One: Revelations of Tomorrow
Just got word from my editor and she's begun reading through and marking it up. I should receive first round edits by end of week. It was a relief to find out it's the same editor as with my last book. I'm used to her editing style and she's refreshing and honest to work with...so yay!!! I probably won't see my cover art for a couple more months yet, it's still early. I'm curious because this trilogy has a very different feel than D&D.

The Telomere Trilogy Book Two: Echoes of Regret
I just finished my editing rounds with this one. I've tucked it away for a couple weeks before I start checking and cleaning up for DB house style.

Duty and Devotion Sequel: Lasting Bonds
First draft of this short story is completed. I fell in love with these sisters all over again and can't wait to release this for the holiday free reads. It's now put away for a week, to stew, before I pick it back up and tear through the revision and editing phase.

So, what should I work on now?

I've got a few things in the wings. I've got the third installment of the Telomere trilogy, Ending Eternity, to finish. I also still have my pet novella, Lilly's Journey, I want to finish drafting up.

Hmmm...what to do? What to do?

Magical Mystery Tour in June

2011-05-31T05:00:00.000-07:00

On June 1st my friend and fellow writer, Marva Dasef, is holding an awesome month long even on her blog and I get to be part of it for my new release Duty and Devotion.

Here's the line up:

6/1 Roseanne Dowell - Double the Trouble

6/3 Ginger Simpson - Beside Myself

6/5 Larriane/Larion Wills - It's Still Tomorrow

6/7 Lisabet Sarai - Exposure

6/9 Arlene Webb - Ashes

6/11 Lorrie Struiff - Gypsy Crystal

6/14 Anna MacLean - Louisa and the Missing Heiress

6/15 A.R. Norris - Duty and Devotion

6/17 A.M. Roelke - The Space Station Murders

6/19 Pat Dale - Crossed Lines

6/21 J.Q. Rose - Sunshine Boulevard

6/23 John Roseman - Dark Wizard

6/24 Ellie Burmeister - How to Get an Agent in Two Murders or Less (*NEW)

6/26 Frank Scully - Dead Man's Gambit

6/28 Heather Haven - Wedding to Die For

6/30 L.J. Sellers - Dying for Justice

So make sure to stop by throughout the month to see all the cool TBR ideas.

http://mgddasef.blogspot.com

Sale! Sale! Sale!

2011-05-30T11:02:00.000-07:00

*Pats chest*

Where are my virtual sale signs???

Any-who.

I'm uber excited to let everyone know that Desert Breeze is having a one day sale.

Just hop on over, choose a book, and you'll get 25% off the purchase...when you use the code REMEMBER at check out.

So stop by goofy heads and see what awesome books my DB buddies have out!

Here's the link: http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/StoreFront.bok

Plotter or Pantser...is There Really a Difference?

2011-05-27T05:00:00.000-07:00

Okay, okay...I know I'm going to crack the hornets nest with this post, but something hit me earlier in the week and I've been brewing on it since.

Is there really a difference between a plotter and a pantser...at the core of it?

The biggest thing I hear about pantsers is they say they fly by the seat of their pants and knock out a story one scene at a time with no idea where the story's going to end.

I'm a plotter.

I know I'm a plotter and am okay with it. Not just a plotter but also layerer (it's a word, an AR word). In reality, I fly by the seat of my pants, knock out a story one scene at a time and I never have an idea where the story's going to end.

The difference is I sit down and get to know my characters and their motivation a little first before I start writing. I imagine the story in my head and note the scenes as I'm thinking through it. I lay out each scene the characters go through on their journey and then in my head think about where the characters would go next based on their personalities.

Jane just got smacked in the face by Renaldo. She's a tough little nut. Would she cry and walk away or would she plant explosives in his car, then cackle when he started the engine and it blew sky high? -- She'd go with B. In my scene box I'd write, "Jane plants bomb in car, sits at bistro with a tall mocha and waits."

Really, the outline for me is a very raw first draft that's about 95% telling. The next few "layers" add depth and sensory to the scenes.

And, I get surprises all the time along the way during the journey.

Jane laughed while the car blew...but in her heart she knew she'd killed the only man she'd ever love...

What? Are you crazy? Is she crazy? Someone's crazy! (Eek...maybe it's me! You know what they say, if you can't pinpoint the one in the group it means it's you.)

From outlining through the final draft I'm smacked with "What the Wisconsins!" moments all the time. People live or die I didn't think or want to live or die and characters react in unexpected ways.

I don't know, maybe it's the fact that plotters mentally detail the story a little longer and court their characters a bit more than Pantsers. Whereas Pantser get a really cool idea and the general theme of the story and start writing right away and learn about their characters as the story unfolds on the paper.

Or maybe plotters just note down their ideas beforehand, whereas pantser don't. But as a plotter, let me tell you...I have millions of ideas throughout the day, and about 15-20 different in-progress or future story ideas. That's a lot of thinking! If I didn't jot them down somewhere most of those ideas would be lost.

Okay, that's my rant. I'll go hide behind the couch and wait for the cabbage throwing to begin.

Writing Frenzy Just Kicked Off

2011-05-25T05:00:00.000-07:00

I just completed and submitted the final manuscript of Telomere Trilogy Book 1: Revelations of Tomorrow to my publisher. You know, the ones with the house style edits complete. I'm so happy with the final product, though I know my editor will tear it to shreds here in a couple weeks.

But hey, I'll worry about those tears later. Right now it's celebration time!

I'm relishing in a job well done...and looking forward to the next project. I'd been in this editing nightmare with several novels in the editing phase at the same time...now the genie's (that's Her Highness the Muse) is out of the bottle and refuses to be put back in. So much so that I woke up at 3:15 Monday morning with my brain revved to get going.

I've got the Duty and Devotion's prequel. Or so I thought, until I had a dream and it actually flipped around to a sequel. I'd been working on that in between the Revelations of Tomorrow edits, so it's about halfway done. I've decided to title it Lasting Bonds. When you read it you'll understand why. I just couldn't get into the life before the war for these girls. They'd moved on. I'd moved on. No looking back to what they were, right?

In this dream I saw a couple loose ends wrapped up from the main story and felt compelled to write it out. So, we'll see how it turns out when the Free Read comes out. Let's just say both girls get something they wish for, for the holidays.

Oh! And I have my pet novella project, Lilly's Journey. I've been sneaking in time to work on it so that's going well. I don't know what I'm going to do with this manuscript when it's completed. I've fallen in love with the innocence of Lilly and her adventure, but I just don't know where it would fit in anything. I guess time will tell.

I know I'll have to reign my Muse in eventually, I mean Revelations of Tomorrow's editing rounds will start here shortly. But, I mine as well let her -- and me -- enjoy the freedom while it lasts.

So, what are all you up to right now?

Taking the Journey – What's it like to be a Witch?

2011-05-23T05:00:00.000-07:00

I've got the groovy author Stephanie Burkhart back on today. She has a new paranormal release she wants to chit chat about. Take it away Steph!

*****

I'd just like to thank Amber for having me here today. My latest release is "The Wolf's Torment," a paranormal romance set in Romania in the 1860's. Prince Mihai has a secret – he's a witch. Can his love for Theresa give him the courage he needs to save his family from the werewolf that haunts them?

The challenge in writing paranormal characters is to bring out the humanity in them. Mihai Sigmaringen is the Crown Prince of Moldavia. He's young – 18 – but he has the world on his shoulders. He has to learn Moldavian politics, build a railroad, unite the principalities, and get married. On top of that, he's a witch – and an untrained one at that.

Mihai realizes early on that he needs to understand the power of the witch so he goes poking around his mother's old things. He discovers a book that talks about the origins of witchcraft and his mother's athame. It's the ferons in Mihai's blood that allows him to channel energy, but he has no real direction until his fiancée's sisters, Beatrice, reveals to him she's a witch and can train him.

Beatrice shows Mihai how to focus his energy, how to use plants and herbs medicinally and how to see auras. She teaches him tarot and how to read the stars. Mihai had best learn his lessons well because when Viktor threatens to destroy his family, Mihai will need to call on all his powers to keep those he loves safe.

REVIEWS FOR THE WOLF'S TORMENT
From The Pen & Muse:
A complete werewolf story through and through, Burkhart does it again with an amazing cast of characters, entertaining dialogue and plot. Lovers of historical paranormal romance will enjoy this read, the first in the Moldavian Moon series.

Link: http://thepenmuse.net/archives/2720

From Reader's Favorites
5 Stars - The Wolf’s Torment has it all, witches, werewolves, a vampire, a princess and a prince. This is paranormal romance at its finest.

Link: http://readersfavorite.com/cat-71.htm?review=4120

Enjoy this Excerpt:
Beatrice avoided the flowers on the floor and walked to the desk. She placed her fingertips gently on Mihai's leather-bound book.

"What I'm about to tell you must be kept from Theresa."

He raised an eyebrow. "I do not intend on keeping secrets from my fiancée."

"You must. I can help you with Viktor -- and Sonia, but you first must promise to keep certain things from my sister."

Mihai narrowed his eyes, suspecting Beatrice had kept secrets from Theresa for years. And the thought of it appalled him. Didn't Beatrice feel disgust with herself? Or were her displays of affection all for appearances' sake? Was he even being fair to her?

"Do you want my help with Viktor and Sonia or not? Certainly you have the power to keep him in check, but not the knowledge."

Mihai glowered at her. "Do not attempt to pit me against my family."

"You will fail miserably if you go it alone. I can help, but you must keep secrets. It is your choice to make."

Mihai's jaw clenched with tension. Neither choice suited him. He was trying to prove to Theresa that his deep feelings meant something to him. How could he do it if he had to keep secrets from her? And yes, he was a witch, and he was growing more practiced at channeling energy, but he did not know what he needed to keep Viktor and Sonia safe.

"Fine, I will keep your secrets, Beatrice."

She looked at him with all seriousness. "Good. The first thing you need to know is that I'm a witch."

Mihai drew in a small breath. He thought she was going to tell him that, but the tone of her voice took him off guard.

"The von Krackens are a royal witching family. Our family business, as we refer to it in front of Theresa, includes establishing covens, teaching new witches, and disciplining any that violates our code."

"Is Theresa a witch?" The thought of it thrilled him and scared him as well.

Beatrice pursed her lips and put her hands on her hips, trapping his gaze with hers. "Yes, she is, but she doesn't know it and she's not to know it. She wasn't raised a witch and she does not think I am. It must be like that."

"Why?"

"My father possesses divination and saw this future for her. You must respect his wishes. He's the Duke of our witching realm."

Mihai nodded. "Fine. I'll respect his wishes, but only because he's the father of my intended. How about Sonia? Is she a witch?"

"I believe she might be, but I can't sense her as well as I sense you -- or Theresa. I need to check the ferons in her blood."

He drew in a deep breath, knowing this wouldn't be easy for his sister. "How can I use my powers to help Viktor?"

"That is much more complicated. He's tasted human blood, so his eyes have become a golden yellow."

She withdrew a small bag from the pocket of her dress and placed it on the desk. Then she took a vial from the bag and shook it, whispering a chant. A spell, perhaps? The liquid contents turned blue.

"He must use this dye. Every morning when he wakes, have him put this in his eyes. It will make them blue again. His yellow wolf eyes will attract attention."

"You'll show me how to make it?"

"Yes."

"How dangerous is he?" Concern for his sister and family settled into his heart.

"Very. A wolf must have human blood and have intercourse during the full moon. If these needs are met, then he can act human during the rest of the month, but it is not easy. The feral nature takes much to control."

Visit the Book Trailer on You Tube and give it a 'like' at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzHE2spBeeU

The Wolf's Torment is available as an ebook only on Kindle, Nook, Kobo, and Sony Ereader. Formats include: PDF, html, and epub which can be found on the Publisher's Website at: http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-163/Stephanie-Burkhart-Moldavian-Moon/Detail.bok

Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/Moldavian-Moon-Book-One-ebook/dp/B004YTI3FM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=digital-text&qid=1305222473&sr=1-1

Nook: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Moldavian-Moon-Book-One/Stephanie-Burkhart/e/2940012459787/?itm=2&USRI=stephanie+burkhart

All Romance ebooks: http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-moldavianmoonbookonethewolf039storment-544310-139.html

About the Author:
Stephanie Burkhart is a 911 dispatcher for LAPD. She also served as an MP in the US Army. Multi-published, she has a children's book, "The Giving Meadow" with 4RV Publishing. She's an avid reader , loves coffee in the morning, and her favorite movie "werewolf" is David Thewlis, Lupin from Harry Potter.

You can find me at:
Website: http://www.stephanieburkhart.com/
Blog: http://sgcardin.blogspot.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Stephanie-Burkhart-Author/149938795021166

Hanging out over at LASR

2011-05-09T08:24:00.000-07:00

Hi all!

I'm guest blogging over at Long and Short Review today, talking about if true love really exists. Stop by if you have a chance!

lasrguest.blogspot.com/2011/05/guest-blog-ar-norris.html

Picking Up Where You Left Off

2011-05-06T08:45:00.000-07:00

Hey all, there's something difficult about picking up pieces to your life after you've dropped them. (Total "duh" statement, I know.) This happened to me a couple weeks ago, when my medical issue decided to take over my life. I was rushed to the hospital and then transferred to another, bigger hospital and went into surgery.

It was awkward timing to say the least. I had a contest going on that Saturday (my first ever) on my blog. My ARC for Duty and Devotion was nearing it's last rounds. And, I was in the middle of a large project at my day job (several actually).

But all that flew out the window as I drove in an ambulance across the Golden Gate Bridge. Truthfully, it was the last thing on my mind at the time. Of course after, when everything turned out fine, I had a whole lot of balls to put back into the air. It was a daunting task to say the least. As a mother, wife, writer, and project manager there are a lot of balls floating around.

So, today I'm going to take it easy and just give a writing progress update. To get back into the swing of blogging again.

Duty and Devotion editing rounds are complete.

The Telomere Trilogy Book One: Revelations of Tomorrow is almost done for its June 1st submission to my publisher.

The Telomere Trilogy Book Two: Echoes of Regret is waiting in the wings to start editing phase.

The Telomere Trilogy Book Three: Ending Eternity is almost finished.

Lilly's Journey is still in progress.

I'm also going to start a holiday Free Read that follows the sisters in Duty and Devotion, title still to be determined.

So that's that. I've got to reorganize my blog stuff and reschedule some guests so I'll get back to you on all that.

Bloggy Brain Freezes

2011-04-21T05:00:00.000-07:00

I read a lot about bloggers struggling for post ideas often. I'll admit there were a few times when I started mine that the ideas wouldn't come. When this happened the project manager in me reared its ugly head and dove in to figure out why.

(I know, I know…sickness, opposing polar of the writer's heart…it's just who I am, sorry folks.)

For me, the root cause of this stemmed from 2 main things:

1. Wanting the "perfect" post topic

2. Waiting until the night before post day to think and write up a post

I haven't gone all project manager Nazi on my blog writing…there is some free spirit aspects I like about the whole blogging thing that I do protect from my rigid side. I have come to a compromise, however, that seems to work for me.

Whenever I have a question, thought, idea, inspiration, or just general rambling day dream I note it down. Either I do a quick email, jot it on a post it, scribble it on my hand, or note it on a bill statement…whatever is handy quite frankly. Then, when the mood hits me or it's Saturday and I'm not all into a writing or editing timeline I'll pull one of these and make it a blog post.

How are you bloggers keeping inspired with topic ideas? What works or doesn't work for you?

How I Met Desert Breeze

2011-04-16T05:00:00.000-07:00

In celebration of Desert Breeze Publishing's 2nd Birthday...the DB authors are doing a huge blogfest. One author a day will be posting the story of how they found Desert Breeze from April 15 - April 30. Commenters will when daily prizes, but that's not all.

*Enter Bob Hope soundtrack*

The commenters from all the days and all the posts will be entered to win a grand prize on May 1st. Diane Craver kicked this off yesterday with me taking the torch today.

So here we go...stay tuned for the daily prize at the end of the post.

How I met Desert Breeze:

I'd been in limbo with Duty and Devotion for months, focusing on publishing my short stories while it went through the never ending submission and querying ride. It was during a search for a place to submit a short story that I spotted Desert Breeze on Duotrope as a featured publisher listing on the search page.

I went to their site and read about how they began. I loved the friendship and passion for books that drove the start up. It called to me. Of course, then I fell in love with the quality of book covers. I don't care what anyone says, the quality and time put into a book cover really is an indication of the quality and time put into selecting and publishing a book.

By that time I was determined to get Duty and Devotion onto the Desert Breeze roster. I sweated over the cover letter, the synopsis, and raked through the manuscript a hundred times. Then I panicked, calmed down, freaked out, lost my nerve, and finally created an email message. From there I sat on the email message for about two weeks, trying to find fault with the wording, went through the cover letter, synopsis and manuscript yet another half dozen times.

In a moment of complete madness, I hit send.

After I regained consciousness I forced myself to start working on my next project while obsessing over the email box. After a couple months I opened my email and found a message from Gail Delaney, Chief Editor and Co-Owner of Desert Breeze. I readied myself for the rejection letter and sat in stunned silence as my brain digested an acceptance letter instead.

I couldn't believe it. I'd gotten in. They'd believed I was good enough to have their name on my book. My book. It was crazy, insane...and TOTALLY FREAKIN' AWESOME!

...and that's how I met and fell in love with Desert Breeze...

Now if you comment on my blog today you'll be able to win my first ever prize giveaway. (Up until now only my guest posters have given prizes away.) Hmmm...what to give away, what to give away? Ah! I know!

If you win today I will send you a collection of things:

5x7 signed poster of my latests free read To the Meadow's Edge

Advanced Readers Copy of my June 2011 debut novel Duty and Devotion

You'll be the first non Desert Breeze to read it!

Now, to continue learning about Desert Breeze AND the chance to win more prizes, visit NIKE CHILEMI's blog, http://crimefictionandfaith.blogspot.com/ tomorrow and learn how she found Desert Breeze.

Another Step Done

2011-04-13T10:59:00.001-07:00

And a few more to go, but I'm going to celebrate the completion of this one a little. The editing rounds are for Duty and Devotion are complete and my editor is moving it to the line editing phase!

*does an excite yet awkward wiggle dance*

Okay, okay. Calm down AR, calm down. The final version turned out soooo great. My editor was fab-u-loso! A rock star if you will. The story is to the pin tip a portrayal of my vision for it. She knew when to push me and when to ease me back and most important, when to celebrate what was just right. I kept all her notes and comments so I can apply the common editing/revision themes for my next work.

Also coming soon should be the kick off of cover art development. I don't know who'll be my official cover artist. Desert Breeze has hired a couple more on board but all their website portfolios look awesome. I do have a likeness for one of the portfolios in particular but I'm keeping quiet as really, any of them would do an excellent job.

I've started daydreaming about all the different ways they can go with the cover. I'm hoping for a nice balance between science fiction and romance. Not too harsh but not too soft either...

LOL! Geez, you know what? Just call me Goldie Locks!

Any-who just thought I'd share this milestone with my Blogger Buddies!

Melisse Aires' Confessions of a Speculative Writer

2011-04-11T05:00:00.000-07:00

So uber excited right now, folks! I've got a fellow SFR Brigader, author Melisse Aires, on the blog today to -- *gasp* -- give us some confessions. I didn't even have to play good cop/bad cop with her either. (Though, I always felt like I would be a really awesome bad cop...unless I started laughing that is.) So give some time to my friend Melissa.

****

Sometimes you hear about authors who start writing a nice romance and all of a sudden their characters are stumbling over dead bodies. They end up writing a romantic suspense.

I'm kind of like that. My settings tend to morph into something not at all Earthlike--a water world planet with dome cities, or a fantasy Northpole cabin in the woods, or a cozy tree root home, or a nearly deserted space station. Now I have written a couple stories set in a bar in southern California, but in those cases the setting was detailed for me by the Aspen Mountain Press Del Fantasma bible. And then my characters morphed into otherworldly beings--a white tiger shifter and his love interest who sees ghosts and turns into a yeti shifter, or the half human daughter of an ancient god.

I have tried to write a straight contemporary romance story but no matter what I do either sci fi, fantasy or paranormal elements seep in there. I am, at heart, a speculative romance writer. I feel very fortunate that I am writing in the ebook age, when publishers will take chances on unusual speculative elements. Yay e-publishing!

Sometimes I am asked where my ideas come from, and I am not sure. I'm one of those weirdo global-abstract type thinkers and I read a lot. I like paranormal/fantasy/scifi tv and movies, also. I have three teenagers who keep life interesting. My mind is like Jiffy pop, a million things happening at once and then it's done. And often the best ideas come to me when my hands are busy with a visual task that takes no thought like washing dishes by hand, crocheting a known pattern or folding clothes. My solution for writer's block--read a good book or two and clean house.

I like to write stories of good and decent people in extraordinary circumstances-- people who don't deserve to be stranded in space, or born with the need to suck soul life from others to live.

And I have to write romance. I want everyone to find their true love, to find passion.

My latest release involves and magic weight loss spell, a gorgeous guardian angel and a devious famine demon. Also an angelic realm and a tropical pool. Her Accidental Angel is now for sale at: http://www.aspenmountainpress.com/new-releases/her-accidental-angel/prod_306.html

Check out my blog (http://melisseaires.blogspot.com/) for my contest! Thanks for having me, Amber.

****

No problemo, Melissa! Good luck on your newest release. Keep us posted!

Coming to Terms with Boundaries

2011-04-10T05:00:00.000-07:00

As you all have seen, I don't have a Six Sentence Sunday up today. Let me explain. I've loved participating in the weekly event and getting to know so many new writers. But, probably as you've noticed, I've barely had time to read all the SSS writers and comment on very few of them. The main reason is that Sunday's are my biggest writing days, along with Saturdays. Having a regular 9-5 job, I only get to write about 1500 words a day throughout the week. The weekends are where I can have time to write 6-7K words a day. With my looming deadlines (which keeps growing) I've had to look at all my activities and prioritize them. Here are some of the biggies:

Involved with publisher edit rounds for Duty and Devotion in preparation for June release

Going through manuscript preparation on Telomere Trilogy Book 1: Revelations of Tomorrow for deadline submission to publisher in less than eight weeks

Working on first draft revisions/edits to Telomere Trilogy Book 2: Echoes of Regret

Finishing the rough draft of Telomere Trilogy Book 3: Ending Eternity

After all of this cool stuff, I've got to finish the first draft of my 1930s mystery-inspired SFR, Lilly's Journey, and complete the outline for my coming female-driven SF investigative series, title TBD. It's both exciting and unnerving to see my dream of being an actively published author is coming true. Exciting because, well, it's my dream. Unnerving because, it's a lot of work and I've got so many things to accomplish. It's also a little sad, because it means I have to let go of some of the fun extra things I'm used to being able to chill out and do. I'll still check in the SSS crew, but most likely throughout the week. The site is listed on my Blog Roll for those of you who want to keep up with all the awesome tidbits.

Stalked by Horror

2011-04-05T05:00:00.000-07:00

I'll admit it with a "No Duh" response from my hubby and kids…I'm a chicken. Huge, loud clucking chicken of the worst sorts. I haven't been able to watch a real scary movie in decades. I can only read my favorite authors like Stephen King in the day light, starting in the morning and stopping well before sundown. Thereafter, I must watch something like Bill and Ted's Bogus Adventure or Weekend at Bernie's to push out any remaining horror thoughts before sleepy time. Yes, Gigantore of the Scaredy Cat Club.

Go ahead. Laugh, hoot, and holler. Get it out of your system and then you'll have the normal question I get all the time. "Why are almost all of your short stories and flashes horror or darker speculative fiction?"

Gather around and let me tell you…because they're my nightmares, and, I'll keep having them repeatedly until I write them down.

My flash fiction, Night Visitor, haunted me for weeks. "It" came every night. My blood curdling screams woke my family every night. I remained awake from that point on every night.

Every. Night. For. Weeks.

It wasn't until I wrote the darn thing out and tucked it in my laptop folder titled "Flash Stories" did I get a nights rest. It took several months before I could gather the courage to pull it back up, edit it, and send it off to Pill Hill for their 365 Days of Flash Fiction anthology.

Want to know an even deeper secret? I never read them again once they're completed and published.

Ever.

I've bought all the anthologies my stories are contributed in. I've even read my fellow contributor's stories (during the day light of course)…but I've never read my stories in them again.

Pfft!!!

They might come back out of the recesses of my mind and haunt me. Then what would I do? I've already written them, so can't rewrite them. I'd be stuck with them….forever.

*shakes off chill*

Six Sentence Sunday is....Back!

2011-04-03T05:00:00.000-07:00

Well, of course it's back. It's Sunday and Six Sentence Sunday happens on this day every week. (Come on, let me have my drama moment!)

Okay, okay. Any-who...this week I thought I'd do a few sentences from my latest free read, To the Meadow's Edge. It's sort of an adult fairy tale.

Several feet away, across the creek, an otter chattered at a turtle. The furry arms gestured in a conversing manner. The turtle tilt his head to the side, as if intently understanding the other.

“Is that turtle over there listening to the otter?”

Peter shrugged and stopped to watch along with me. “I would assume so, that’s what one does when spoken to.”

Don't forget to check out the other cool participants here.

Sweeter with Age?

2011-04-01T05:00:00.000-07:00

There's something to be said about time and yes, some things grow sweeter with its passage. Perhaps I'm in one of those infamous "AR nostalgia" moods or perhaps it's this editing frenzy thing I'm in, but that little phrase about time being sweater with age keeps repeating in my head.

Where the heckola are you going with this, AR?

Hang in there…I'm getting to it. You have to remember, any case of nostalgia is only lived through and cured at a slow pace.

Quite a while ago, documented in this very blog in fact, I finally tucked away Duty and Devotion from my main writing focus, and in a weird way from my life. It was a huge move. This story concept has been with me since…well, the first time I really attempted a novel length manuscript. Let's just say a long, long...long time ago.

Any-who.

In a way, Nettie and Rinny grew up with me. Their experiences of joy, loss, confusion, and adventure mirrored my own life experiences. (Mine without the awesome space battles and trips around Jupiter of course). And just like real friends, there were times in my life where I gave them tons of attention and energy and times when we drifted apart.

Face it, life does get in the way. There was college, marriage, kids, car payments, work schedules, and commutes to contend with.

However, whenever I meandered back into writing, they were always first and foremost in my thoughts. Even as I dedicated myself to my publication dream and during the period where I wrote my shorts and flashes, Duty and Devotion was my one and only novel length work.

The original story would be unrecognizable today. It goes to show you probably shouldn't try to publish your first manuscript. I would've died with embarrassment today had the original been accepted by some dimwitted publishing house back then.

Thankful, I took a winding road in my writing journey. I needed that exploratory pace to grow as a person and mature into the world around me. Not only that, my vision for Nettie and Rinny's story needed that pace to grow and mature into the world around them. What's there now is what I hope readers will see as two freaked out young woman stepping into an unknown future and trying to survive and come out with some semblance of self.

This concept of "self", for both women, are tested, challenged, threatened, and exposed. Some of what they learn about themselves gives them pride and the drive to hold on to it. Some of what they learn shames them and forces them to change for the better. In both scenarios they learn to become the best they are able to be at any given moment…of course, that is my hope in the execution of the story. The reality of it is up to interpretation by the readers.

Yes, Duty and Devotion has come full circle, back into my top priorities as we prepare it for its release day. This time however, I'm able to review it with an objective eye and without as much of my self worth dependent on its reception by the reading audience. Nettie and Rinny will always be dear to my heart.

Just like a first kiss, is holds a piece of my innocence and unguarded passion. But, also just like a first kiss, I've experienced more memorable moments after and grown to understand more memorable moments await me.

What was your first story? How did you feel about it than compared to today? Tell me a little about its and yours journey.

Oh Yeah...We're There

2011-03-29T19:13:00.001-07:00

Oh boy! My brain (and eye balls) are ready to explode. It's the major editing saga of March, which will drone on into April. I'm just coming off of first round edits with my publishing editor on Duty and Devotion. Now I'm wading through the sluggish zone of "Editing Land" for Revelations of Tomorrow. It has to be done, and yeah, it's bad timing...but those are the breaks when you have deadlines to meet.

I'd wanted to get the first draft of Ending Eternity done so I could revise and edit all the Telomere Trilogy books together before having to submit the first to my publisher. However, my "Muse" decided to strike on me with the last 8K of Ending Eternity first draft. The reason? A conflict on the direction of the story. I feel someone needs to die, she feels I chose the wrong character to kill off, yet won't tell give me an alternative option.

I have mixed feelings about Muses. I know in reality they don't exist...not in the harps playing mirror looking human representation kind of way. I call my creative thought process my Muse. It's the little part of my brain that is always on imagination overload.

So, what do I do when my "Muse" and I are at odds? Well, it really means that two parts of my thought processes are at opposite ends of the spectrum. This usually means I'm not seeing the whole picture of the vision for my story. One or the other needs to share their little secrets so I can re-imagine what needs to be done.

With all the editing deadlines mentioned above, I know I have time to wait out this OK Corral moment and let it unwind itself in its own pace. It'll come to me...of course, at the most inconvenient time. But hey, don't look a gift muse in the mouth. Right?

What are you all working on right now? Mostly editing or mostly writing or some mix of both? (Of course, you could also be world building or outlining...don't mean to leave those two out.)

Author Interview: Stephanie Burkhart

2011-03-28T05:00:00.000-07:00

Hey all! Today I have the wonderful author Stephanie Burkhart back. She's here to talk about her latest story release, A Polish Heart, which is a contributed story in the Spring Easter Anthology by Victory Tales Press.

And with a really snazzy drum roll. Hey, you can't hear it...so I can call it snazzy, even though in actuality it may sound more like a seizure of finger tapping on my table...you'll never know...any-who, here is Steph!

*****

Amber, thanks so much for having me here today. Let me just share a little about me: I was born in Manchester, New Hampshire. After graduating from Central High, I joined the US Army. I spent 11 years in the military, 7 in Germany. I left the Army in 1997 and settled in California, but my favorite football team is still the New England Patriots. I work for LAPD as a 911 dispatcher. I've been married for 19 years. I have two boys, Andrew, 8, and Joseph, 4. Little Odd fact: I went to High School with Adam Sandler. He was the class of 84. I was the class of 86.

Thanks for popping in. What is "A Polish Heart" about?
A Polish Heart' is a short story in the Victory Tales Press Spring/Easter Anthology. It is a "sweet" family/inspirational. Darrin Riverton is an architect that is hired by a Polish construction company to help work on the National Stadium. (Warsaw's Soccer Stadium") There he meets Sophia Buraczynski, his interpreter. As they work together, Darrin realizes he's attracted to Sophia. Will her faith give him his heart back?

Why did you choose Poland for the setting of the story?
I enjoy writing international contemporaries, so I knew I wanted an international setting. Since I'm part Polish, I knew from my own experience that Easter is an important holiday, that draws the family together so I tapped into my heritage and my knowledge of Polish customs to set the story in Warsaw.

Did you do a lot of research?
I did online research. I wanted the story set in Warsaw and did a Wikipedia search. From there I discovered the National Stadium and that's how I decided Darrin had to be an architect. I also researched the Easter basket, Polish customs, and a little about the language.

Have you been to Poland?
Once in 1997. I went to a Polish border town and visited a pottery factory there. It was like stepping back in time to the 1950's. The buildings were older, coal was used more frequently, and I saw a man delivering coal using a horse and buggy. Gas was delivered in above ground pipes.

Do you have an ebook reader?
I have a Kindle. I love the text to speech feature because then I can listen to books going to work.

Tell us a little about your day job.
I work as a 911 dispatcher for LAPD. It's a very stressful job. I hear a lot of stuff on the phones from a shooting in progress to a loud party. It's very rewarding work knowing I've been able to help people, but it also has an "unsung" quality to it because dispatchers usually don't get recognized for a job well done.

What's the last movie you saw?
The King's Speech! I absolutely loved it. It's a very inspirational story. George VI was a very courageous man.

Can you share an excerpt with us?
Steph. Sure. After this quick goodie time...Leave a comment and I'll pick one lucky poster to win an autographed print copy of the anthology. I'll be back tomorrow to announce the winner.

Excerpt:
Sofia smiled and spoke to Dracek. Their conversation seemed to last forever and Darrin was impatient to talk to her. Finally, she gestured toward the door and they walked out.

He kept quiet, not quite sure what he should say to her. He had known her for less than twenty-four hours, but he wanted to discover everything about her.

As soon as they were in her little car, Darrin looked directly at her.

"Have dinner with me tonight."

It was bold, yes, but this might be his only chance to get to know her.

She raised an eyebrow. Perhaps that didn't sound right. It sounded too demanding – something his father would say – and he was not his father.

"I'm sorry. Will you have dinner with me tonight?" His voice was soft and gentle.

Sofia paused. "I'm quite tempted, but what about your work?"

"I'll stay up half the night slaving over these. I promise."

She pursed her lips, her expression softening. "We should maintain a professional relationship."

He held up two fingers in the boy scout's salute. "I promise to be on my best behavior."

"What time?"

"What time is best for you?"

"Six. Do you want me to pick you up?"

"Well…"

A sly smile graced her lips. "I bet you want me to pick the restaurant, too?"

"I promise to pay."

"I—"

Afraid she might decline, Darrin reached out and placed his hand over hers. Her warmth traveled up his arm and he liked it. "Show me Warsaw through your eyes."

A sunny cheerfulness shined in her face. "Meet me in the hotel lobby at six."

Darrin's heart tripped with sweet anticipation. Sofia was sincere, honest, and had a smile that heated his blood. He couldn't wait for dinner to see her again.

"A Polish Heart" is a sweet inspirational/family romance in the Victory Tales Press Spring/Easter Anthology.

Book Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lC6_397PerU

Blurb

When Darrin falls for his beautiful Polish interpreter, will Sophia's faith give him his heart back?

Buy Links
Print Book: Create Space: https://www.createspace.com/3579108
Ebook: Lulu: (PDF) http://www.lulu.com/product/ebook/a-springeaster-collection-sweet/15166166
Smashwords: (multiple formats) http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/48682

The Anthology is also avail on Amazon as a Print & Ebook for Kindle.

Find me on the Web at:
BLOG: http://sgcardin.blogspot.com/
WEBSITE: http://www.stephanieburkhart.com/
FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1357922219
GOODREADS: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4031660.Stephanie_Burkhart

Six Sentence Sunday

2011-03-27T05:00:00.000-07:00

Lovin' this Six Sentence Sunday gig. It's super fun to read all the other snippets from participating authors. So, make sure you stop by the main site and check them out.

This week I thought I'd share a little from my currently halted SF-Mystery manuscript, Lilly's Journey. I started this one around the same time as Ending Eternity, to help break up the monotonous state of the series. It's also where I found out a trilogy will be about as long as I'll hang with the same characters. Though, I think I could do a series that swirls around a world, but just not a fixed set of characters.

So, here we go:

It should be raining, Lilly felt as she glanced up at the sky. The world should be raining to match her mood. Of course, as with everything else, the world defied her. Sun shone down from clear blue-green skies and basked them all with warmth that couldn’t reach past her skin to heat her aching heart.

Able Abe rested his big iron-like hand on her shoulder in a gentle manner. “It’s time, Lilly Girl," he mumbled.

I'll be finishing this up after I complete my current WIP and am looking forward to delving back into it.

Hope you enjoyed it!

Master or Mentor

2011-03-25T09:53:00.001-07:00

What is it about us humans where we boil down the alien existence, purpose, or motivation to two things, Master or Mentor? For some reason these guys travel all these gazillions of miles to either control and hold power over us or guide us into a higher plane.

Don't get me wrong, when the subject of aliens come up my little conspiratorial mind always freaks out because I think they'll be coming in with their ray guns blazing in one hand and a "Human Pickling Jar" in the other. I have to scold myself and then vent about the box we have put ourselves in.

Because by assuming they will be either the Master or the Mentor, we are assuming they are in some way superior. Why do we so often and readily put ourselves in the inferior, victim role? Is there a lack of confidence in ourselves, our society, and our human race which is so overwhelming? Is the reaction of distrust so deeply seeded in our neuro make up?

...Well, what if these aliens are just average Joes and Janes? They could be another race just trying to understand and grow, both individually and as a civilization. Who knows, we could end up being the ones who are more advanced, break out of the Earth's hold, and venture out to explore...

Ah, there is a thought. Is our natural inclination of aliens coming in as Master or Mentor really an imposing of our very nature? Is it because if we were the firsts out of the gate we would take the superior role with anything or race we found out there?

It has some validity through history. Wars, distrust, and the need to "win" (whatever that constitutes) is prevalent in us. Of course, that doesn't mean we as a people are confident. I often find that those with the drive to always win, react in war, and be suspicious are those with the most self doubt. They assume the others are thinking they're inferior and have to prove themselves as superior.

I don't know the answer, and in actuality have only scratched the surface of the discussion here. What are your thoughts on this?

Six Sentence Sunday

2011-03-20T05:00:00.000-07:00

Okaley dokaley...it's Six Sentence Sunday time. Let's see. Let's see...Oh! I know!

I'll pull something from my current WIP, Book 3 of the Telomere Trilogy, Ending Eternity. This'll be out next year. The first in the series will be out this October though, which is exiting. 'Kay, here we go...

"I'm not paying you all to be frightened, Rafferty."

He leaned forward, waiting for Reith to break eye contact. "It ain't fright that keeps people away from the demon planet…it's common sense." He sneered. "Ain't no one going to go near Asatru. I was lucky enough to get a couple vessels once they heard Bonney's made 'em allies."

I know, I know. You're wondering why our favorite gruff old cowboy's image is used for a space story...I can't help it. My Muse kept planting his face and voice in my mind whenever a scene involving Rafferty came up. And, really, what will our civilization come to if gruff old men like this died out?

Make sure to check out the other authors participating in Six Sentence Sunday. Some pretty cool quick reads.

Reason and Motive

2011-03-18T05:00:00.000-07:00

Reason and Motive. Both are important to a successful story, if not the most important things. You may think they are the same as they are often used interchangeably, but they're not. Reason, by definition, is a justification or explanation for a belief or action of a person. Motive is the driving goal/objective that causes a person to act in a certain way and/or do a certain thing. EXAMPLE:

The King of Mars declares war on Venus to set fear [MOTIVE-"GOAL"] into the hearts of the Venusians because the residents of Venus tease them too much [REASON-"BELIEF"] .

See? The reason gives justification to the action which gives purpose to the motive. People can have all kinds of reasons for believe things and never develop a motive to do something about it. But, most of the time, people working for something have a reason why they're motivated towards it.

"So, where am I going with this?" you're probably asking.

Well, I took this "ah-ha" moment and reviewed my antagonists to see if I clearly developed accurate reasons and motives for their involvement in the story. I found a couple antagonists with motives that don't tie to any clearly defined reason.

ACK! How do I fix this in a way that will both strengthen my story, yet also strengthen my storytelling ability for future works? Well, I had to ask myself a couple questions, which boiled down to this…What are the key roots of reason and motive for an antagonist? Or in another way, what things does reason and motive stem off from?

I came up with two main things. Temptation and Delusion.

I created this little visual for myself. Now, remember, it's not perfect and I am no expert. Don't assume I'm correct in this in any way…'cause you all know what assuming can lead to. (No? Just add a couple dashes and a few connecting words…it can make an ASS-of-U-and-ME).

Yes, the smiley face is Evil Joe Smoe the pre-evil mastermind, because face it, no one is born evil. He is an average human and somewhere along the line he experiences something(s) that trigger(s) his brain to turn against someone/a group. It's delusion in the sense that it becomes him against "him/her/them". For either minutes or years he goes along believing this and evolving it further into his favor.

Then the temptation arrives, either through an internal making of his own or an external opportunity to "prove himself right and the world wrong". The motive now becomes clear from tying his reason to his temptation…and of course the reward is the "enemy" (from a single person to the whole galaxy) either needs to suffer, be under his control, or be destroyed all together.

And, if you don't believe me that a regular guy can become a monster of his own making…just look at Charlie Sheen. Whether he was troubled from childhood or just developed from adult experiences, he went from "Well Meaning Bad Boy" to a "Him against The Man" mentality.

It's Sadistic Really

2011-03-15T12:21:00.000-07:00

Yes, it is. I don't know what it is about writers (or maybe it's just me) but we are a sadistic and weird bunch.

...Let me explain before any odd ball notions get planted here. Too late you say? Oh, well...(heehee)

I sat down at lunch break and checked my personal mail.

What did I find?

The first round edits from my editor. I read through the email that contained overall pros and cons of the story and my writing. Then I peeked into the document and found all the red marks of the change tracker throughout the file.

What did I do?

I stood and did a little gleeful booty dance. That's what I did.

Now, why would I dance at the mark ups of my work? My precious piece of art that took a little sliver of my soul? There's a couple reasons. The first is my day job. It's a business setting where I work with management to come up with ideas that will keep the organization solvent. Then I build proposal and try to "sell" my executive team on them.

By its very nature this comes with a lot of technical review, political mumbo jumbo, and praise or criticism. They'll either love it or hate it. Rarely does the project fall into the middle "okay" ground. I've had to learn to accept this, and respond in a professional and non personal level. Sometimes that's standing my ground, sometimes it's compromising, and sometimes it's knowing when to let it go.

Writing is more personal. Yes, yes. I know you're thinking that. And you're right. Several years ago, I probably would've cried if this came back to me from an editor or critique partner. Okay...I did cry the first time this happened to me. It is personal. I poured out my creativity and tapped into emotions to make this story how I envisioned it.

But at the end of the day, I want this book in the hands of a reader, preferably lots of readers. To do that, like in my day job, means a couple specific things:

Checking my ego at the door
Putting my work into the hands and review of others
Accepting those professionals have my work in their best interest
Understanding the revisions of my work will result in a better portrayal of my vision

So far, these key points have not failed me. The end result of editing rounds has always been a better story.

Let's face it, I've read through Duty and Devotion hundreds of times. My eye is not catching another mistake or weird sentence. It's just not. The fresh eyes of my editor spotted things that, if published as is, would've been embarrassing or confusing (which leads back to embarrassing).

So, yes, I did shake a little excited booty and am ready to find out all the errors of my ways with Duty and Devotion. It's going to be exciting and challenging...and ultimately rewarding.

How do you all take criticism of your work? Are there specific points you follow to keep the experience positive?

Six Sentence Sunday

2011-03-13T05:00:00.000-07:00

I thought with this Six Sentence Sunday I'd revisit my upcoming release, Duty and Devotion, that'll be out in June. Publisher edits started and a cover should be coming in the next month or two. Weeeee! So remember this isn't the final version, these sentences my be different in the final product.

Okay, here we go.

None of it sent her emotions into giddy delight and wonder as it had always done before. Tears streaked her face, and fear chilled her spine. Grief and guilt weighed on her heart.
Journey was dead.
Danny was missing.
I’m alone...

Make sure to check out the other participating Six Sentence Sunday writers.

Feelin’ the Squeeze…And it Ain’t Resulting in Juice

2011-03-07T08:18:00.000-08:00

A writer friend just posted an entry about her backlog of stories and understanding her feeling of stress last week. Her post was well thought out and got me thinking. Yes, that is the smoke you are seeing out here in Northern California. Any-who. I started thinking about my overall workload right now and how I’ve organized my life.

As I think most of you know, in my “day life” (which bleeds into evenings and weekends sometimes….okay, often) I’m a project manager. So, for the most part, I have organization, time schedules, productivity ratios, and all sorts of tips and tricks in my toolbox of life that keep me well balanced. (And, my brain is just kind of wired this way - It’s a sickness really.)

But lately, I’ve been feeling the squeeze.

I won’t go too much into here - in the public eye of the World Wide Web - but a lot is happening on the personal front which has impacted my ability to manage the workload. In turn, a lot of the peripheral activities and tasks are getting dropped. It sucks really, but it is the way it is for now. For the most part, everyone is very understanding and I have a super duper supportive circle which makes the slips easier to clean up and repair.

And that’s the core of it really, don’t you think?

As writers, sometimes we can become so zoned into the fiction inside our heads, we forget the real life stuff happening around us. And a lot of times writers don’t take the time to build on the core of their circle that is family, friends, and community. So, when the hard times hit, a lot of writers can end up in a very difficult spot…all alone.

My question for today is…Are you spending enough time in the real world? Are you making time for you or is it all going to the characters of your imagination?

If not, will the characters be there to help you when you need a helping hand?

Six Sentence Sunday

2011-03-06T05:00:00.000-08:00

This weeks Six Sentence Sunday is brought to you by the letter "S" and my long ago published short story, Butterfly Cocoon. Butterfly Cocoon is now a Free Read. Here's a little summary of the story: To Marie Hadner it's a regular shift in the boondock space colony of Pluto C. That's until people started to disappear and a comet decided to defy all logic.

Okay, here they are:

Well, to be fair, stuff had happened -- just not the kind of stuff she thought was important. Hank and Todd's community garden feud, a long standing part of the colony's history, had yet again boiled over. This time over how many rows each vegetable should receive. The disagreement resulted in a sword fight of sorts, hoe versus shovel, with two concussions, a cut ear, and severely bashed up knees.

Oh, her old patrol unit was surely laughing at her now, Marie thought miserably. Of course, it was her own fault.

To find out more about Marie's coming mysterious adventure, click on the Free Reads link. The cover is my first attempt at my doing my own cover. I'm always telling myself to update it now that I have a little more practice with them...but, well, obviously I haven't done it yet.

Also, don't forget to check out the other Six Sentence Sunday participants for some samples of great reads.

Theresa Stillwagon on Rejections

2011-03-01T05:00:00.000-08:00

I met Theresa through my current publisher, Desert Breeze Publishing. She's on today to talk about something all us writers are familiar with...rejections. The big "OUCH" moment when you click on the email and get the dreaded no on a piece you put part of your soul into.

I checked my e-mails and found another one.

Another rejection.

Of course it’s not my first, yet this one really hurt. It was a rejection for one of the books I’d previously contracted for with an electronic publisher. That particular publisher closed up shop for new releases and I regained the rights to the book. I guess I let myself believe the story was so wonderful no one could possibly pass it up. I was wrong. I actually cried after reading the e-mail. I literally cried. In fact as soon as I saw the editor’s name, I sensed I didn’t want to read it. I just knew it wasn’t going to be good news.

I got tired of it all. I’d been writing for over twenty years and I still had nothing to show for it. I felt like just giving up. Never before had I allowed another person’s words so much control over my emotions. Why bother writing anymore at all? Why put myself through the millions of downs for one tiny up? Why not just say ‘I tried’ and let it all go? Why waste the next twenty years of my life trying to fulfill a dream I should've let go of a long time ago?

Then I'd realized something important–I love writing. I could no more stop writing than stop breathing. It’s in my blood, in my heart and soul. I need to write.

And I’d realized something else–I’m not a bad writer because yet another person didn’t like my story. I’m not a bad writer because I’ve gotten yet another rejection. I’m not a bad writer. Even I realize now this particular book is not one of my best. I lost the last half of the book when my hard drive died on me so I had to rewrite it. While rewriting it, I decided to change a bunch of things around to make it shorter. My writing is so much better now because of all the extra work I did on this book.

And that rejection wasn’t all bad either. The editor had left me with some nice comments and articles on how I can fix the problems she found in the manuscript. The majority of which, thanks to a bunch of wonderful ladies who'd critique my work, I was already aware of.

No, I didn’t plan on giving up.

And I didn't.

That happened five years ago, and now I write for three different publishers. I have three books out and a fourth coming out in April. This book happens to be book one in a series of five.

So no matter what happens, never give up on your dreams. It may take a while to achieve them, but you never will if you give up trying.

About the Author:
Theresa Stillwagon has been writing most of her life. Since one of her teachers praised a poem she wrote for a class assignment, she's been putting words together in the hopes of seeing them in print. Not caring if anyone other than herself ever read them. Her dreams came to reality in 2008 when she signed her first writing contract. She's now just signed her fourth one and isn't looking back.

A former resident of the state of Ohio, Theresa now lives in her RV in the sunny city of Savannah, Georgia with her husband of twenty-seven years, Mike, and her two cats, Fred and Barney. She's currently seeking for a job while still hard at work on her next romance

Find out more about her journey at
http://theresastillwagon.webs.com/
http://tstillwagon.wordpress.com/

What about your journey? Have you ever wanted to give up?

Chrystalla Thoma: Satyrs, Silenes and Other Forces of Nature

2011-02-28T05:00:00.000-08:00

Today I am SUPER excited to have Chrystalla Thoma on to talk about Greek mythology. I met her on Critique Circle and was quickly charmed by her spunk and constant positive energy. For those who don't know her, she lives in Greece and is a wonderful writer. I hope you all enjoy her post today.

Hi dear Amber! Thank you for hosting me today.

Greeks have a love-and-hate relation with their history and mythology. Lucky for me, I am a lover of such things, so I had a happy time at school learning about ancient history and Homer.

Therefore it shouldn’t come as a surprise that I like writing about Greek myths and legends. My upcoming novella, to be released by MuseItUp Publishing next month, is called Dioscuri. It is a retelling of the ancient myth of the twin brothers Kastor and Polydeukes, Zeus’ sons with Leda, one of whom is mortal and the other immortal. The story is set in modern-day Athens where the ancient gods have woken again, and there is war. The two brothers fight against the monsters. When the mortal brother, Kastor, dies in battle, his immortal sibling Polydeukes takes things in his own hands and makes a dark deal with the Underworld. A deal Zeus will sooner or later discover and all hell will break loose.

In this war against the monsters crawling out of the underground passages and the construction sites, and the complicated games of the higher gods of Olympus, certain lesser immortals take the mortals’ side: nature sprites, the satyrs, silenes, nymphs and the griffins, aid Kastor and Polydeukes not only in hand to hand battle, but also in figuring out the mystery of Kastor’s return to life and the deal his brother made with Hades.

In my post for Six Sentence Sunday (a project where each Sunday authors post on their blogs six sentence from a published or unpublished story they wrote), I have an excerpt with the Satyr of the Temple. He is an authoritative figure in the story, and demands to know of Kastor what the heck is going on:

“Listen, Satyr, I appreciate the time you’re taking for me, but I’ve got to meet
someone, I—”

“Because it cannot be someone playing games with the Underworld, can it?” The Satyr leaned closer, his long, flat face driving fear like a dagger into Kast, nailing him to his seat, driving his breath out. “That would cause the wrath of the higher immortals; call them down to punish us all. One doesn’t toy with the boundaries between the dead and the living.”

Kast drew back, the hairs on the back of his neck rising.

Much has been said about the Greek gods’ anthropomorphism, which simply means that their gods look and behave just like us mere mortals. Oh they do have powers, but their human appearance and petty quarrels don’t differ much from ours. This is taken to be an advance on, say, the grotesque gods of other ancient cultures like the Babylonian and the Egyptian, composites of men and animals. The Greek gods left behind their animalistic side.

But did they, really?

Among ancient Greek findings, we encounter statuettes of bird-headed goddesses and horse-bodied men (perhaps centaurs, i.e. impressions of the first appearance of men riding horses in Greece). But then what happened?

The concept seems to start with the taboo and the totem: the animals either needed for food or labor, and the animals feared, would be worshipped and with sympathetic magic made benevolent to the hunters. These animals evolved into the early gods, and probably merged with the worship of the spirits of the ancestors – an adoration born perhaps of the fear of the unknown beyond the grave.

The animals associated with a god or goddess were at first merged with human parts to represent the divine nature: an owl goddess would have the head of an owl, a stag god would have the head of a stag, maybe also its antlers and tail. The shamans and priests who worshipped these divinities could imitate them, wearing masks and pelts and using musical instruments to imitate their voices – even dancing steps that reminded their mode of movement. The priest became the animal, became the god, and through this ritual propitiated the higher powers.

In later times, with the societies more organized, less fear and more knowledge, man tried for more rationality. Of course, the gods were not animals – gods were the perfect mirror images of man. So the animal parts were mostly separated from them. But they didn’t disappear, because ritual and religion is strong. The animals were relegated either to the gods’ offspring, to symbols they carried about or animals that followed them, or even certain gods, older gods tightly connected to nature, were made into monsters to be feared and hated (but still in some cases worshipped as gods – like the dragons, monstrous snakes whose temples were often taken over by the new gods, like Apollo).

A case in point is the famous Minotaur, who is in fact nothing else but one of the forms of god Poseidon or Zeus – a bull but also a sea god, a god of fertility and also a god of the dead (eating humans inside the Labyrinth, the maze of death). In his more advanced form, Zeus transforms into a bull to abduct Europa, but then turns back into his handsome human form. Yet in other stories Zeus becomes a swan (which is how he had Beautiful Helen and the Dioscuri with Leda), or an eagle (which is how he kidnaps Ganymedes). Zeus is the bull, and the eagle, and the swan – but also the lightning, the storm, and the sky.

The Satyrs survived as composite gods – but they were pushed into the realm of lesser divinities or spirits of the forest. Yet the one Satyr’s real name is “Pan” – god of everything, perhaps, surely an older god of beer and wine, mischievous and a trickster, a god of fertility and the wilderness. The silenes are similar to the satyrs, and like the satyrs were later made followers of Dionysus who took on their real role of reveler god, god of drinking and divine madness and reproduction. The nymphs, goddesses of springs and forests and valleys, all but disappeared from mythology.

The older gods are dead. Long live the older gods! Thanks again for having me here.

About the Author:

Chrystalla Thoma is permanent resident of fantasy land, complete with angels and demons, elves, vampires and werewolves. A Greek Cypriot, she lives in Cyprus with her husband and her vast herd of books. When not reading or writing, she works as a linguistics lecturer at a private university and as a freelance translator.

You can find Chrystalla’s novella Dioscuri at MuseItUp Publishing, here:

http://museituppublishing.com/bookstore2/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=57&category_id=6&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=1&vmcchk=1&Itemid=1

Visit Chrystalla’s blog to read more about her writing and ramblings about mythology:

http://chrystallathoma.wordpress.com/

The Techie Monologue

2011-02-25T14:07:00.000-08:00

Hi Blogger Buddies!

I'm over at fellow SFRer Stephanie Burkhart's blog talking about my opinions of the technie monologue in SF works.

Please stop by if you have a chance and tell me how you really feel... http://sgcardin.blogspot.com/2011/02/welcome-guest-author-ar-norris.html

Author Interview: Sandra Sookoo

2011-02-21T09:50:00.000-08:00

Hi Bloggie Friends! Today I have Sandra Sookoo on to talk about herself and her book Remembering Andy.

Welcome Sandra, first tell us a little about yourself, including one thing people might not know about you.
I’ve been a writer since the age of 10. Nothing makes me happier than telling stories in a unique and different way, but I’ve only been an author for the past 3 years.

Something people might not know about me? Hmm. I like to brew coffee for the smell but don’t like to drink it. Really don’t care for the taste.

Really? That's so weird, I love the smell of coffee but not the taste too! What or who inspires you to write?
First of all, life inspires me. There’s so much to take in, from Nature, people’s interactions with each other, places, sounds, sights, but second, there is my husband. If I’m stuck on a plot, he’s there to bounce ideas off or he’ll help me with other problems. He’s one of my biggest supporters. Lastly, I write because it’s what I do. I write for me because it’s fun.

Great inspirations. So, why do you write romance specifically then?
For the promise of a happily ever after, of course! Well, I’m good with a happily for now scenario, too. I also like writing romance because the dynamics between two people in love change the conflict in a story so much.

That's an excellent reason. Tell us a little about your upcoming release, "Remembering Andy".
Remembering Andy came about for an open call for a funny April Fool’s anthology with one of my publishers. As time went on, it became readily apparent this story would only have humorous elements instead of being overtly slap-stick funny. It actually became a very poignant love story. Here’s the blurb:

Devastated after her fiancé dies in Iraq, Claudia Foster packed up her life and moved to the city of Indianapolis. She wants to lose herself in the noise, sights and sounds of a place so foreign from her upbringing, nothing could possibly remind her of her guilt surrounding Andy’s death. But fate has other plans.

Daniel Sorenson has put all thoughts of his brother Andy’s death from his mind just to get through the day yet running into Claudia again stirs up all the hidden feelings he has struggled so hard to hide. How can you love the girl who was supposed to marry your dead brother?

As the two share their grief, they also share something deeper: laughter. But is it enough? Or will they spend their whole lives simply remembering Andy and never embrace the love that could be theirs if only they could have the courage to reach for it.

Heat level—2 (sensual)

Sounds interesting. How did you come up with it?
I knew I wanted a military element in it, but I also knew that one of the principal players would be dead. This is a straight up contemporary romance, no paranormal elements or anything. It’s the story of two people, remembering a very dear person in their lives, as they rediscover the most important thing of life—love.

What did you discover about one or more of your characters you didn't expect while writing Remembering Andy?

That they were interesting people in their own right and that it is possible to get that second chance so many of us want.

Can you tell us more about your other published works?
Oh, it seems like I’m a jack of all trades when it comes to writing. I create stories across all genres and in all heat levels. So, if you’re looking for something from sweet romance to really spicy, I’ve got it. This year, I’m writing in the historical and sci-fi genres—at least for the 1st half of the year. In June, there are a couple of projects which will probably land in the contemporary and paranormal categories. I think it’s important to mix it up as a writer so the brain doesn’t get worn out and it gives your readers a wide variety to choose from.

I agree. So, with all your mixed interested, any upcoming projects?
There’s always an upcoming project! Right now I’m trying to finish a contemporary/paranormal novella. After that, I’ll work on a spicy historical then write a sequel to a sci-fi piece I did last year. Busy, busy!

Where can we find you on the web?
You can pop over to my website http://www.sandrasookoo.com/ . From there you can connect with me on Twitter, Facebook or my Believing is Seeing blog. I often run contests and giveaways so I hope to see you on one of these social networking sites!

Please enjoy an excerpt from "Remembering Andy":
Claudia sighed, glad to let go of the fake chipper attitude. What was so wrong with wanting to stay wrapped in the grief and loneliness for awhile longer? Yes, she’d moved to Indianapolis shortly after Andy was buried in an effort to distance herself from the life she’d had with him, but the sad fact was she couldn’t shake the memories and that bothered her more than anything else.

I don’t want to remember. I don’t want to get involved with someone else and open myself up to more pain and hurt. Because trapped within the memories was the specter of the life she’d always thought she’d have. A perfect marriage like her parents. Two perfect kids—a boy and a girl. A perfect dog and cat. The perfect house and environmentally friendly cars. A perfect husband who loved to laugh and never took anything too seriously.

Now, thanks to one stupid incident of terror, she would have none of those things, and that saddened her more than merely missing Andy.

She mourned for her dreams, too.

By the time Claudia had reached the backside of the crowd, the mayor’s speech had begun. Muffled, and at times garbled, she followed the gist of it by the crowd’s reaction. Patriotism still ran high, but it had dimmed since the ‘so-called’ war began years ago. Quite possibly, these people were here because they had family members overseas and not because they supported the decisions in Washington. When it came down to brass tacks, family was more important than policy.

The crowd shifted, pushing backward. She stumbled a few steps, jolting slightly as the backs of her calves connected with the concrete lip of a fountain. A green garden-type hose ran from the fountain across the grass and vanished under a bunch of landscaping equipment. Inside the fountain, a shallow amount of water glistened in the morning sun. Obviously, the workers were getting a jump on beautifying the city.

An excited murmur rippled through the attendees. Claudia stepped on the fountain’s ledge to get a glimpse of what the mayor held up. Gleaming in the sunshine, a huge key was presented to a woman who had three small children clustered around her. Ah, the wife of a recently killed serviceman was getting the ‘key to the city’ for the day and she could park anywhere she wanted while the city picked up the tab.

Yeah, because saving twelve bucks would make up for not having the man back home.

Coming out here was a dumb idea. It’s too soon, too much. As she glanced around, she couldn’t exactly climb down from her perch without crashing into at least three people, one of whom had a tattoo of a snake on the back of his neck. Taking a few steps away from him, her feet seemed to freeze, preventing her escape as a very familiar scent assailed her.

Fresh and clean like a recent snowfall with a tiny hint of pine, her stomach clenched in sudden panic while her heartbeat accelerated. That was what Andy had smelled like. Sure, probably dozens of other men in the city used the same cologne but to her it would forever call up memories of him. Quiet summer nights on the porch swing at his farmhouse or bundled under quilts watching movies in the dead of winter.

Even though she knew it was impossible, she craned her neck, searching for a glimpse of Andy. The crowd shifted once more, pressing in on her vantage point. Claudia lost her balance and clutched at the first set of shoulders she came to—the guy who stood next to the tattooed man.

As he jerked and turned around, an apology sprang to her lips. Sapphire blue eyes sparkled in the sun. Andy’s eyes! With a surprised squeak, she released him as if he was on fire. She lost her balance, arms wind milling before finally half-stumbling, half-falling into the fountain’s pool.

It couldn’t be… As the few inches of cold water seeped through her jeans, she stared up at all six-feet of broad shoulders, fit body hidden by a designer suit and dark, sandy-blond hair cut trendy short. Stunned when he reached out a hand, a small smile lifting one corner of his mouth, she gawked even more. There was only one person with a grin like that. “Daniel?” She had no idea he’d be at the rally let alone in this part of the city.

Warmth invaded her body, centering low in her belly as she stared into the face of the man who’d been the first guy to kiss her, the first guy to break her heart, the first guy she’d ever loved—her dead fiancé’s brother.

Remembering Andy will release the 2nd week of March from Eirelander Publishing. Keep an eye on my website for an exact date and other information!

We will Sandra! Thank you so much for stopping by!

Six Sentence Sunday

2011-02-20T05:00:00.000-08:00

Hi all! I had to miss last Sunday do to some unforeseen events. But I'm back! Something new I've started with my sentences this week is putting up an image that represents them.

This week, I was working on my current WIP, the last book in the Telomere Trilogy, Ending Eternity, and this fragment caught my attention as maybe a good one for this week.

"No, you just died emotionally to be rebirthed anew. Embrace your resurrection and allow your evolution to embrace you."
Luna looked back at the pool again, and the fish still playing with bubbles. The waterfall rumbled in the background and the wind whispered kisses along her skin. She could not thrive away from this, from them, from her way of life. She was heading to her end.

Hope you liked this week's sentences. Make sure to stop by the Six Sentence Sunday site and check out the other participating author's sentences. It's always a good bit of weekend fun.

New Free Read

2011-02-16T05:00:00.000-08:00

Hi all!

I've got a new free read up. To the Meadow's Edge was originally published in Bewildering Stories. Here's the link of that publication notice back in the day. But now that the rights have reverted back to me I thought I'd slap it up at Smashwords for easy access.

For those of you who don't remember, or who are new friends, To the Meadow's Edge started life as a dream and follows Georgia through a surreal walk. The original version of it appeared in a long ago contest on a writing forum no longer in existence.

And feel free to check out my Free Read section for a couple other stories I got up there.

Krista Ball on Aboriginal Natives in Writing - Not Just in America

2011-02-14T05:00:00.000-08:00

Hello blogger friends! As you all know, I love Native American stories. I grew up in Colorado and was raised with a healthy learning of their history. I've even written based on the oral stories passed down. My friend and fellow author, Krista Ball, brought up a great point about a big gap in the United State's understanding of the WHOLE story. So, today's she's stopped by to teach us about the Aboriginal people above the lower 48. I know it was a big eye opener for me, as I'd truthfully never thought about them outside the US.

Take it away, Krista!

****

I love reading. I’m not loyal to any genre; I just want a good story and ever better characters. I love to read stories from space and from imaginary worlds.

When I wrote Harvest Moon, a couple of my beta readers were confused that I wrote an aboriginal tale that wasn’t set in the US. It really made me aware that the vast majority of “Native American” stories are American-setting, i.e. United States.

For those of us outside the US, we want to see our culture, history, and attitudes also shared in literature. The First Nations people that I worked with at my previous job loved the idea that I was incorporating their history into literature, when they are so often ignored. Add to that I included a bisexual character and it suddenly the story has a different twist to things.

I’ve encountered a lot of resistance to the terms “aboriginal”, “Inuit,” and “First Nations” I used to describe the novella. In Canada, that’s what our first peoples call themselves. I admit that it frustrated me at first, though I came to realize that it was simply a product of having only ever been exposed to one version of the story of our lives and history – and not the many other versions of the same story. This conflict gave me the courage to continue adding my own perspective of the world into my fiction.

Road to Hell is my upcoming science fiction military thriller that has a Canadian feel to it. I based the skin colours and cultures of the characters based on my own office at work. My office is multicultural; why shouldn’t my novel? The main character is a female commander of a major space port who has a wife, because I come from a country that officially allowed gays in the military nearly two decades with little debate or fanfare and where gay couples use terms like “wife” and “husband” and “married” to describe each other.

Sometimes, I admit it isn't easy writing off the grid and doing different things, but I also think it's important that I share my perspective of the world. I enjoy it when others share their different perspectives, too. After all, literature would be pretty boring if it was all the same.

About the Author:

Krista D. Ball was born and raised in Deer Lake, Newfoundland, where she learned how to use a chainsaw, chop wood, and make raspberry jam. After obtaining a B.A. in British History from Mount Allison University, Krista moved to Edmonton, AB where she currently lives with her partner, two crazy but likable step-boys, seven cats, and a very understanding corgi.

Like any good writer, Krista has had an eclectic array of jobs throughout her life, including strawberry picker, pub bathroom cleaner, oil spill cleaner-upper and soup kitchen coordinator. These days, when Krista isn’t software testing, she writes full-time in her messy office.

****

You can find out more about Krista by stopping by her website, http://www.kristadball.com/ or you can Tweet Her!

Thank you so much, Krista, for stopping by!

Hangin' with a Friend

2011-02-10T07:37:00.000-08:00

Hi all!

I'm over at JoAnn Carter's blog, just hanging out and revealing all my little secrets (heehee). COme by if you have a chance!

http://home.comcast.net/~jo.glenncarter/site/?/blog/view/188/

I Have a Dream

2011-02-09T05:30:00.000-08:00

I have a dream. It's not a complicated dream that involves revolution, changing society, or any such world altering thing. It's simple. So simple. But it's those simple ones that get you. Because they're uncomplicated, they're more tangible. Your brain can envision the success of them easier and it makes the want much much more.

So, back to this simple dream. Want to hear it? Really? Okay, I'll tell you...

I would love to wake up every morning, drink a cup of coffee in my backyard (or inside if it's raining or windy), then walk into my office and sit at the computer. From there, I want to fill up a white screen with words. Lots of words. But not just any words. Words that make people laugh. And make them cry. And maybe, sometimes, make them look at things a little bit differently.

I don't mind if some people wouldn't like my work. Like I said, it's not a big hairy audacious dream. I just want enough people to like my work that all I have to do it sit and fill words on my white screen all day.

Well, there it is. My dream. Nothing glamorous or sexy. Just. One. Simple. Dream.

Unlike some though, I can't just sit and dream. Ask my husband. When I decide I want something I go for it. It's what I call the "Want, Plan, Achieve" method. I find out or discover what I want. I lay it out on paper. List the end point and what it'll take to get there. Oh, and then there's the spreadsheets! Those wonderful, loving spreadsheets where I track my progress. Then I go and reach the milestones one by one. Oh, don't get me wrong, I've fallen. There's physical, mental, and spiritual scars to prove it. But I get up, wipe off the blood, tears, and disappointment and get back to getting what I want.

I've met a lot of goals by this method of "Want, Plan, Achieve". I just can't dream. Dreams are no fun if you're not working to make them real. And the victory of success is not worthy if you have no scars to show for it.

I'm getting there...to this dream of writing my days away. Several milestones are past and more are in the near future and just beyond lays the goal. So close. So tangible.

So what are your dreams? What paths have you taken to get there and what bumps have you overcome to keep going?

Book Feature: "Daniella" by JoAnn Carter

2011-02-07T05:00:00.000-08:00

Hello by bloggie friends!

Today I have author friend JoAnn Carter stopping by to chit chat about her release from White Rose Publishing, titled "Daniella". Thanks so much JoAnn for coming by and sharing this book with us.

This is definitely on my TBR list. Read on and see why...

Blurb:

When Harrison Beckman meets his father’s secretary, Daniella Duncan, she’s shy and self-conscious. Harrison, however, is determined to get to know her better. Before he gets to do that a rival comes along to steal Dani’s heart as quickly and thoroughly as the company’s contracts, which have been disappearing.

As the mystery unfolds, Harrison has to fight for the woman he loves, even though this means crossing swords with his father and his determined adversary. Will Harrison be able to find the love that could await them or will it be too late?

Tidbit about this story:
While in the middle of writing this story, I heard the song MIRROR MIRROR by Barlow Girl on the radio. As I listened to the lyrics, it hit me how many women like Dani, (the heroine in DANIELLA) struggles with self-image.

As the plot develops, and Dani comes to the realization God loves her the way he made her. I had to be honest and ask myself, "Do I believe that?" It’s easy for me to nod my head while I’m writing this, but it’s another story when I’m standing in one of those dinky changing rooms try to find a bathing suit for the summer!

Accepting myself is sometimes is a daily struggle. In the same way this story has challenged me, as you experience Dani growth reading this book, it’s my prayer that it will draw you closer to God as well. (If you’d like to hear Mirror Mirror, click onto this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZgq8pA-ipY&feature=related)

Excerpt:
Harrison took the folder from her extended hand. Her hand seemed so small, and he had the strangest desire to protect her from whatever inner battle she was fighting. "I’m sorry. I know you’ve been with our advertising firm for quite a while now, but until today, I’ve never met you." He added with a smile, "Forgive me, I’m horrible with names. What’s yours again?"

Her eyes grew wide. With a nervous catch, she said, "Daniella Duncan."

"I like that name. May I call you Daniella?"

She shrugged. "Everybody calls me Dani."

"I think I prefer Daniella." Still studying her face, Harrison added, "Somehow, Dani doesn’t seem to fit you."

"Oh, Dani fits me all right. It sounds short and fat." Her hand clamped over her mouth, and her eyes grew even wider. Harrison’s heart nearly broke when she asked, "Did I really say that out loud?"

It had been drilled into his head since he was a boy never to talk to women about two things: their age and their weight. Now, what should he do with this hanging hot potato? Ignore it. "I didn’t hear anything if you didn’t." He tried to continue with the previous introductions. "Everyone calls my father Mr. Beckman, so I go by Harrison."

"Okay. I’ll try to remember that." Daniella seemed to have reached her limit; she looked like a cat being chased by a mouse, desperate for escape.
"Um, I really need to get back now, so..."

"Sure. Thanks again." Harrison didn’t even know if she heard him as she turned and left with quick steps.

He stood quietly by his door and listened to the clickety-clack sound Daniella’s shoes made on the linoleum fade into a soft pitter-patter as she retreated down the hallway. He shut his door while contemplating the strange woman who was just in his office. Pretty but strange...yes, definitely strange. Finally, he shrugged his shoulders and went back to the tasks at hand.

Free discussion questions here: http://www.whiterosepublishing.com/discussion_Q/DQ_Daniella.pdf

Price: $3.50 (Special sale for 25% off of this price if you purchase Smuggler of the Heart. See purchase link below for details.)
Purchase link: http://www.whiterosepublishing.com/Daniella

A little bit about JoAnn...
JoAnn Carter lives in Vermont with her wonderful husband of 18 years, four children and Ginger, the best dog in the world. She enjoys being with her family & friends, writing, reading, and cooking.

In the past JoAnn has worked as a Licensed Practical Nurse, an apple orchard guide and as a substitute teacher. She is available for speaking engagements to book clubs, reader groups, library groups, women's ministry events, school events and church retreats.

Her next book, The Floating Palace, will be released July 15th through Desert Breeze Publishing. You can access the book trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDcuTF8v9bg

Contact JoAnn here:
Visit JoAnn's Web site
Connect with JoAnn on Facebook

Going' Old School this Six Sentence Sunday

2011-02-06T05:30:00.000-08:00

Yup, the title says it all. This tidbit is from Sorcerer's Carnival, published as one of the contributed stories in the Bloody Carnival Anthology published by Pill Hill Press September 2010. Okay, here it goes...
"Barabin heard the chitter of shadows. Unable to control himself, he looked into the vanity mirror. Behind his reflection they stood. Staring with empty eyes and pained faces. All of them. How they fit, he didn’t know."

Bloody Carnival Anthology: Sorcerer's Carnival

Sorcerer Barabin, trapped for centuries, is working to gain the power to free himself from his dimensional prison...and he's only got two more souls to go. A fun evening at the carnival turns dark and dangerous for Lilia and James when they find out they're Barabin's final selections.

If you'd like to find out more about participating in Six Sentence Sunday or to check out the other participating authors, go to Six Sentence Sunday's blog, here.

Stephanie Burkhart on Location, Location, Location

2011-02-04T06:00:00.000-08:00

Today I have a very wonderful guest stopping by, fellow Desert Breeze author Stephanie Burkhart. I read an advanced copy of her book The Count's Lair, Book 2 in the Budapest Moon series and fell in love with the settings she described and how they fit with the mood of the story. So, I asked if she'd come by and talk about the importance of setting and location. I hope you all give her a wonderful welcome and stay tuned to the end because there's an opportunity to win a prize.
Steph, take it away!

****

I'm excited to be here at Amber's blog. Thanks so much for having me here today.

Just a little about me: I was born in Manchester, New Hampshire. After graduating from Central High, I joined the US Army. I spent 11 years in the military, 7 in Germany. While in the military, I earned a BS in Political Science from California Baptist University in Riverside, CA in 1995. I left the Army in 1997 and settled in California, but my favorite football team is still the New England Patriots. I work for LAPD as a 911 dispatcher. I've been married for 19 years. I have two boys, Andrew, 8, and Joseph, 4.

Location, Location, Location

The Count's Lair, Book 2 in the Budapest Moon series is set in Budapest, Hungary during Christmas time in 1901.

So just how important is setting?

Location establishes a mood, a feel, an ambiance, a tone for a novel. It provides the stage for the play your characters are going to perform on. For me, as a writer, location is everything.

The Count's Lair is a paranormal romance. It's set in Budapest for a very deliberate reason – because in Hungary you just might believe a paranormal being like a vampire or a werewolf still exists. Hungary is in Central Europe, the cross roads where East meets West on the continent.

Budapest itself invokes mystery – dark mystery – just by the name. The architecture which grew out of Budapest starting in the 1840's with the Széchenyi Bridge, encompassing the Parliament building, and Fisherman's Bastian also helps to establish a more "haunting," "moodier" setting.

Amelia and Anton's story shines in the light and hope of Christmas, but still, there will always be an element of haunting melancholy to the challenges they face and Budapest captures that mood and wraps the couple in its embrace.

Here's a blurb:

Count Anton Varga is haunted by the curse of the moon. It tugs on his emotions, ravishing his soul. Anton abhors the beast he must learn to tame if he is to find peace. Lady Amelia Andrássy is an accomplished pianist, but her life in Budapest had been filled with heartache. When Amelia faints in the Duma's bookstore, it's Anton's strong arms that cradle her fall. His unusual indigo eyes spark with hers, replacing their individual loneliness with the promise of feral passion.   After a two month separation, Anton is ready to walk into Amelia's life again, but is Amelia ready to fan the spark they shared into a flame?  

Enjoy this excerpt:

Anton stepped aside so the man could pass. "Amelia, to be honest about my intentions, I want to court you."

"Court me?" She stepped back.

He grabbed her wrist, as if desperate to keep her near him. His eyes impaled her, making her breathless. Was it too soon to think of always and forever with him? Had he really changed? Her heart believed so. Now, she just had to convince her head.

"I have no one to ask for permission, but you. Search your heart. I care for you deeply. I want to explore this, Amelia, but only if you do. I swear I'm ready for this."

Her lips trembled as she stepped forward, moved by the conviction in his voice. Dare she fall in love again? The chance was worth it. "Yes."

"Thank you." He wrapped his arms around her, infusing her with his warmth.

She melted against the length of his body, savoring the contact. It felt right.

He parted from her, placed his hands on her upper arms, and looked at her. "The feelings I have when I'm near you are nothing like I've had before, but--"

"Go on." She prompted when he delayed too long.

"But I have a secret, too -- a secret that chokes me when I think of telling you."

"Anton--" A secret?

He held up his hand. "Let me finish. I promise to tell you, but I can't right now. I can only give you clues."

"Really?"

"You must accept this, Amelia. I know it may be unusual, but it's the only way I can think of to be honest with you."

Taken off guard, she faced him. Anton's full lips and smoldering eyes riveted her to him. In fact, his looks were everything she was attracted to in a man, but it all came down to trust. Could she trust him? If she said yes to him right now, then she was giving him her trust, which included his secret.

"How many clues do you have?"

"Three. Once you know my secret, if you want to break our courtship, you can. I'll understand."

Her body shivered. Was his secret dangerous? Even if it was, did she care? A part of her just wanted to throw herself into his arms and let come what may. Another part of her told her to keep her feet firmly on the ground.

YOU TUBE BOOK TRAILER: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DaiYNNpETok

The Count's Lair is avail as ebook for Kindle, B&N Nook, Sony Ereader, and Kobo. You can also download a copy from the Publisher's Website at:

http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-142/Stephanie-Burkhart-Budapest-Moon/Detail.bok

Goodie time: Leave a comment and you'll be entered to win a coffee mug stuffed with goodies of "The Count's Lair" cover. I'll be back later to announce the winner.

You can find me on the web at:

BLOG: http://sgcardin.blogspot.com/

WEBSITE: http://sgcardin.tripod.com/

FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1357922219

Smiles
Steph

Guest Blogging

2011-02-01T08:42:00.001-08:00

Hi all!

I'm over at Jillian Chantel's talking about romantic off world settings. Stop by and let me know what you think.

http://jillianchantal.wordpress.com/2011/02/01/the-fantastic-other-worldly-amber-norris/

Author Interview: Marva Dasef

2011-01-31T07:58:00.000-08:00

Heehee! I get to twirl my Hercule mustache and start the interrogation of the wonderful author Marva Dasef. In particular, I'm going to being asking her about her SFR release, ULTIMATE DUTY.

So, my friends, let's work our little grey cells. Shall we?

****

ULTIMATE DUTY
Marva Dasef
Eternal Press PDF
Amazon Kindle
Amazon Print
Book Trailer

Thank you for joining us today. Why don't you tell everyone a bit about your book?

ULTIMATE DUTY is space opera with a bit of romance. From the cover:

Remy Belieux, a woman born into a life of servitude on a repressive factory planet, is desperate for a different life. When she's accepted into the Space Service Academy, run by the organization that enslaves her planet, she discovers the truth behind generations of rebellion. Now, she must decide what to believe, where her ultimate duty lies, and fight for more than her life against impossible odds.

Where did the concept for the book come about?
I wrote a short story titled "Pressure Drill" years ago. I got a good response from my critique group, but back then, submitting was entirely by snail mail. I didn't pursue publication. When I retired from real work, I hauled out the story, along with a few others and gave them a fresh look and rewrite. That first story, plus one more with the same main character were published. From that I expanded the story and it eventually became a novel.

How long did it take you to finish, from concept to final product?
Only thirty years in the making, but I was busy doing other things most of those years.

Are there any authors that have influenced your own writing?
Mark Twain, Robert Heinlein, Isaac Asimov. Plain, simple stories well told.

Do you have any favourite place where you feel your Muse is more apt to come and play while you write? Or perhaps you listen to music? If so, what do you listen to?
I always write at home. I have a great setup in the family room, right next to the kitchen for quick snacking. I'm one of the few non-listeners. When I write, I find any music distracting. I've become used to the sound of the dishwasher, hubs running power equipment, and my cat vocally worrying about what's going on outside.

As a writer, what is your greatest fear?
That I actually suck, and I'm wasting my time.

What normally occupies your desk while writing?
A stack of scratch paper, two pens, a ruler, a calendar, a calculator, my cell phone, stack files...Okay, this is boring. Just the usual desk stuff.

Do you have any new projects that you are working on? If so, what are they?
Mostly, I'm wrapping up a lot of projects. I have a mystery/suspense, "Missing, Assumed Dead," coming out in July 2011 from MuseItUp, a tween fantasy titled "Bad Spelling" scheduled for October 2011. I'm also waiting on a response from MuseItUp to the two sequels of "Bad Spelling." I sure hope they take the whole series. Having books 2 and 3 without a publisher is worrisome. I'm in the note-taking stage of a sequel to Ultimate Duty.

What tip would you offer to a new writer who is just beginning their submission journey?
Get your web presence set up RIGHT AWAY. Start with a blog, but I strongly encourage you to snag a website with your name as soon as possible. Get on Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter, but don't make enemies by expressing strong political or religious views. If you want to do that, use a pseudonym. You want to be prepared to jump out of the gate running when you sell your work.
I spent a twenty-five year dryspell without writing fiction. Since I wrote technical documentation for a living, I could hardly face a computer after work. But I'm sorry that I let it go for so long. Don't wait to write!

Please tell our readers where they can find you.
All over creation and beyond.
My website: http://marvadasef.com/
My blog: http://mgddasef.blogspot.com/
I'm a member of SCBWI and maintain pages on Facebook, Twitter, Jacketflap, MySpace, and a variety pack of writerly websites.

How about an excerpt? Since your blog is for adults, here's the sexy one.
A tender hand with rough calluses stroked Remy’s side from shoulder to hip. Her eyes fluttered open as she rolled to face her lover. She purred deep in her throat when Kiru pulled her close and kissed her neck. She felt her carotid artery pulsing under his touch. He whispered, “The smallest pressure here, if held a few seconds, will render your opponent unconscious.”

“Yes, Sensei, but I hope that’s not your intent,” Remy replied with a wink.

He smoothed her still-damp red hair. “Not at all, chan. It is difficult to leave my teaching self outside the bedroom door.”

Remy inhaled his scent, musky with a hint of cinnamon. “My student self appreciates all the education you are willing to give.” Remy touched her forehead to his. “Whether the art be battle or love.”

Kiru enfolded Remy in his arms, pulled her close, then lifted her in one smooth motion on top of his body. He entered her, and she snapped upright, throwing her head back with a gasp. She reveled in his delicate touch, as he caressed her breasts, belly, thighs. Sighing, she leaned down to kiss him.

An hour later, Kiru kissed her nose and moved to disentangle himself from sheets and girl. “I’ll miss you, but I have taught you everything I can. It is up to you to hone your skills.”

Remy pulled him back. “Perhaps one more lesson?”

Her Sensei settled back on the bed. “I suppose there’s one more move I can teach you before we say good-bye.”

Six Sentence Sunday

2011-01-30T08:00:00.000-08:00

Another Sunday, another 6 sentences. For more information on this weekly event, stop by the Six Sentence Sunday blog. It's a lot of fun. Basically, it's posting six sentences of any writing you have. WIP, unpublished, published...whatever.

Okay, okay, okay. Which 6 sentences this week...hmmmm. All right! I got it. This is from Duty and Devotion, where little sis Rinny is training to fight:

"The Lieutenant’s training assistant, Sergeant Nowell, followed his chin tap with a quick kick to Rinny’s gut, then a side jab into her ribs. Rinny folded like a rag doll, landing hard on the fighting mat. Lying rumpled, her side and jaw throbbing, she heaved for breath. The room swirled like a roller coaster ride. Sweat dripped into her eyes, stung them.

The Lieutenant continued to instruct from the side."

Good writing all!

Talkin' Kindle

2011-01-29T08:13:00.000-08:00

Hi Blogger Buddies!

I'm doing my first guest gig over at author Stephanie Burkhart's blog, Romance Under the Moonlight, and talking Kindle.

Stop by if you have a chance and good writing all!

Stylish Blogger

2011-01-25T08:00:00.000-08:00

Now, those of you who know and see me in the physical form everyday are not allowed to laugh...don't. Don't. I can still hear you.

Whatever.

I'm going to ignore it because I'm so excited and honored to be given this award by a couple awesome groovy friends of mine, Jillian Chantel and Marva Dasef. Now, they appreciate the geeky chic I'm going for here...okay, it's a stretch. I know it. You know it...but I'm going with it until you have proof otherwise (heehee).

Now, I must list 7 things you might not know about me (it's the rules...no Las Vegas reveals to be included...as if). Another rule is to link back to these rockin' chickies (see links above). Sooooo not a prob because they're AWESOME. The last rule is to nominate 10 other great bloggers. *rubs hands anxiously*

Okay, now be prepared for the unreal, unimaginable reveal of the Infamous A.R...watch out, prepare yourself, have your pacers ready...

I can't eat crab because I found out they are sea spiders
I have at least one accident a day that involves me, myself, and I (i.e. I trip going up stairs)
I rock out to music in the car
I secretly love watching Housewives of Orange County (I guess not so much a secret anymore....huh?)
I still daydream about becoming a Kung Fu Master (in these dreams I kick butt like Bruce Lee...in real life it'd be more like Kung Fu Panda)
After 17 years in the Bay Area, I still can't ride down the steep hills of San Francisco without whimpering like a baby and gripping the seat handle
I played 4 band instruments in high school (trumpet, baritone, french horn, and....tuba)

'Kay, those are the dust bunnies from my secret squirrel closet. Now I get the fun of awarding this to 10 other awesome bloggers.

Michelle Davidson Argyle The Innocent Flower
Liana Brooks http://lianabrooks.blogspot.com/
Krista D. Ball http://kristadball.com/blog/
Celia Yeary http://celiayeary.blogspot.com/
Sue Perkins http://sueperkinsauthor.blogspot.com/
Stephanie Burkhart Romance Under the Moonlight
Nike Chillemi Crime Fictionista
Melanie Atkins Writing Cops...It's What I Do
Samantha Dean Mama's Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to be Cowboys
Madrona Grove http://splawssji.blogspot.com/

Now, I just have to notify them all...but I'll save that for tomorrow because I'm pooped.

Good writing all!

Jillian Chantel on Writing Soundtracks

2011-01-24T08:00:00.000-08:00

I got another groovy author coming by to visit and talk about writing and the process. When I spoke with Jillian she told me about her writing process and I was so intrigued by it that I wanted to learn more and share it with my buddies.

(Now pay attention because she's got some prizes at stake here folks!)

Without further delay...Jillian Chantel!

****

First, I want to thank Amber for letting me be here today to talk a bit about my writing process as well as my book release with Desert Breeze Publishing coming out in July 2011. Yes, it’s early for me to talk about that and yes, it’s not a science fiction story and yes, Amber is brave for letting me on her Sci-fi blog to talk about a historical novel that occurs in 1920. Please don’t throw tomatoes at her. I’m sure she’ll be back to her normal self soon.

As to my writing process, I told Amber about the habit I have when I start a book and she thought it was an intriguing thing, so here we are, going to tell you about it. The first thing I do when I get the idea for a new story in my head is brainstorm songs for a soundtrack. I like to get songs in my head that may play into the story I plan to write. Not so much be in the story but have some lyric or something in it that relates to what I think the plot will be. I’m a panster as it’s known in the industry so I start with a vague idea and build on it. Sometimes, the songs fit and sometimes they don’t. Take Stardust by Hoagy Carmichael, for example. I have it on this soundtrack as it seemed to fit the era and was going to be sung by the heroine, but when I actually did the detail research, I found out that it wasn’t written until 1927 so I couldn’t use it. Wanted to, but I knew the historical police would come and haul me off if I did such a thing. So, it was tossed.

For my book coming out in July, Redemption for the Devil, I woke up with the male character, Liam Cormac, in my head. He’s a member of the Irish Republican Army and was involved in the Easter Uprising in 1916. I also thought about the fact that the hero was estranged from his own family. Then the heroine came to me, an Irish lass that lost her father, sings, and is looking for a new life in America. So, from that, I thought of 1920s songs for her to sing as well as others that may relate to her life. These characters are also of opposing religions, so I thought of that in choosing some of the songs. The hero, being a member of the IRA, has done some bad things in his life. This also factored into my choices.

Once I had all those facts in my head, I picked the following songs and burned them to a disk and also as a play list on my I-POD. That way, I can listen at work, home, and on the road. Once I have the soundtrack, I immerse myself in these songs. Day and night. I play the songs over and over. It helps me with the scene development.

Here are the songs I picked for Redemption for the Devil:

Three Dog Night: One; Paul Anka: Lonely Boy; Nat King Cole: Stardust (and yeah- I was gonna have her sing it but it was written after my time period- dang!); Harry Connick, Jr.: Danny Boy; John McCormack: Wild Irish Rose; Chris Isaak: Yellow Bird; Tom Jones: She’s a lady; Billy Joel: Always a Woman, The Stranger, and Only the Good Die Young; Back Street Boys: Bad Boy and Don’t Wanna Lose you; George Michael: Kissing a Fool and One More Try; Soundtrack from Poseidon Adventure: Morning After; and Pink: Stop Falling.

I’m sure you can guess why some of the songs were on the soundtrack. Others may be harder. Just for fun, I’d like some guesses on these. I’ll give away a magnet with a Cunard ship on it to one commenter. Leave me a comment on why you think I chose a certain song for this soundtrack and I’ll have http://www.random.org/ pick a number from the comments. I’ll start: The Poseidon Adventure song, Morning After, was on there just because a lot of the action takes place on an ocean liner- The RMS Mauretania. I just couldn’t have a soundtrack related to a cruise ship in peril without this song.

If you want to learn more about me, you can visit me here on the web: http://jillianchantal.wordpress.com/ Or email me at JillianChantal@gmail.com

Thanks again, Amber, for letting me come by. It was fun!!

****

Thank you, Jillian, for stopping by. I'm totally going to try this method. Usually my soundtrack is four kids going loop crazy in the background.

'Kay, blogger buddies...get the competition going!

Six Sentence Sunday

2011-01-23T08:00:00.000-08:00

I've been hearing this whisper, which has been slowly growing louder...."Six Sentence Sunday". After looking into it and seeing the fun some of my blogging friends have been having, I decided to join in. For those of you who don't know, in a nut shell it's posting six sentences of any writing you have. WIP, unpublished, published...whatever.

I thought it might be fun to mix things up a bit and put six sentences of the first book in my Telomere Trilogy, Revelations of Tomorrow. (Remember, this is contracted with DB so things might be revised during the formal editing phase.)

This is it:

"Jetta McCree opened her eyes to blackness streaked by white. Panic set in on the first cold-seared breath fogging the surface in front of her. She fought to control it. Tentatively, she touched the clear glass and cringed at the burning cold. She slid her hands to eye level. The black silhouette of them contrasted with the whir of stars in the background."

Well, not too painful and...yes...quite fun. I think I'll definitely make this a weekly thing.

Good writing all!

This Scene is for You!

2011-01-18T08:00:00.000-08:00

Hey my blogger friends! I got some cool news to announce. Drum Roll (rock n' roll style baby)...Desert Breeze authors would like to invite you to join Desert Breeze Connections Yahoo loop!

To entice (aka tempt, tease, convert...bring to the dark side) you we have an awesome event. Between January 23 – January 29, 2011, we'll be posting a scene from each of our published books and scenes from books nearing their release date.

Now, so it doesn't get all loopy crazy, we're breaking it down and assigning authors on certain days. To make this event even awesomer (its a word, an AR word) one member of Desert Breeze Connections who joins in the fun and posts what their favorite scene is, will win a free download!

Yeah, I know! One winner every day! Books to readers...it's like moth to flame!

Become a part of the Desert Breeze family and join our Desert Breeze Connections Yahoo loop today. Here's the link, make sure you're signed up ahead of time so you're not missing any of the fun. http://dir.groups.yahoo.com/group/Desert_Breeze_Publishing_Connections/?yguid=275061970

Good writing and reading all!

Lindsay Buroker on E-publishing--Is It Right for You?

2011-01-17T08:00:00.000-08:00

Hello all! There are many paths and expectations to publishing success. One of the first things I will always stress is for every new author to research the industry and identify the best path for their writing. As such, today I have Lindsay Buroker to the blog to talk about e-publishing and particularly self-publishing in this route. I was pretty impressed with the thorough research she did in this journey.

Lindsay...take it away!

****

If you write in genres that aren’t on most agents’ wishlists, or--worse--you write those cross-genre stories that defy categorization, then you might have grown disgruntled by the agent hunt. I know I felt disheartened before I even started. My novel Encrypted is one that doesn’t fall into any neat categories, though I’m going with science fantasy romance (I’m probably the first to use that).

When I browsed QueryTracker, there was a dearth of agents requesting science fiction and high fantasy. And there wasn’t anybody saying, “please send us your science fantasy romances because we know they’ll be huge as soon as this vampire craze dies down...” In fact, most agents had notes that said, “We’d rather cough up hair balls than represent SF/F” (that’s not a direct quote, but it’s the vibe I got from many!). Urban fantasy and paranormal romances were an acceptation, but I grew up reading Eddings, Tolkien, and RA Salvatore, so I don’t even think of those genres as fantasy.

About the time I was debating whether to try querying those few agents who did want SF/F, I stumbled across blog posts about JA Konrath, Brian S. Pratt, and Karen McQuestion, indie authors making a good living publishing their work for the growing ebook-reader demographic.

Online booksellers such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble make it easy to upload your novels or short story collections as ebooks (you don’t even need an ISBN for those two outfits), and they pay nice royalties too (in the 70% range). This means you can list your ebook at an ultra affordable $2.99 and still take home $2 with each sale.

The more I read about e-publishing, the more excited I got. I even started a blog called Ebook Endeavors to talk about what I was learning and my own results. In December, I listed The Emperor’s Edge, a high fantasy adventure with steampunk elements (all my novels have Categorization Crisis Syndrome) for $2.99. As I write this, it’s been three weeks since the novel went live, and it’s sold about a hundred copies. That’s not exactly enough to live on (it’ll be a while before I recoup my cover art and editing expenses), but I think it’s a promising start for a no-name author. I’ve set aside the agent hunt for the time being.

E-publishing isn’t going to be everybody’s cup of tea, but in case it’s something you’re considering, I’ll break down some of the pros and cons here.

Advantages of E-publishing:

It’s a speedy process.

With traditional publishing, it’ll take months--maybe years--from the time you start looking for an agent until you see your book on a shelf (if it ever gets there at all). It took me about a month from first deciding to publish an ebook to having it go live. In that time, an editor proofread it, an artist created a cover, and an ebook formatter turned my Mac Pages file into something readable on the kindle, nook, ipad, etc. When I uploaded the files at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords (a distributor that gets your ebooks into the stores that require ISBNs), it took a maximum of two days for them to go live.

There’s a potential to make good money without being a blockbuster hit.

I’m sure very few people will get rich as indie ebook authors, but some who have great books and who have worked hard at promotion are doing quite well. Some are even in the six-figures-a-year range solely from their ebook earnings. That’s money in the bank account, not gross sales.

The 70% royalty makes it very attractive to be an indie--if you can make sales. Traditionally published authors get an advance, but their royalties are significantly lower--even for ebook sales. Go look them up. Ouch.

You have full control over all aspects of your book.

As I mentioned, I get to set the prices of my ebooks, and I can change them on a whim. This means I can experiment to figure out if I sell ten times as many books at $0.99 as I do at $2.99, or if I can raise my price to $3.99 and see if people will still buy. I’d never price my ebook at $8 or $9 (just look at all the angry reviewers on Amazon giving one star because traditionally published ebooks cost more than paperbacks), even if I was a big name author. That’s not a choice authors who publish with big houses or even small e-presses get to make.

I can also see novel sales as they’re happening, which gives me some insight into what marketing tactics are paying off and which are flopping.

As far as writing goes, there are no deadlines, and you can publish your books at your own pace. The only people you have to please are the readers. You do lose out on the editorial input of an agent/editor, so this could be a con, depending on how much you value that.

The time could be now.

I’m no Nostradamus, but with ebook readers taking off, this feels like the time to jump on this bandwagon. Actually, I wish I’d jumped on a year ago, because some of those people are the ones making a living as indie authors now! Still, with more and more people grabbing kindles, nooks, ipads, etc. the market should only grow.

Downsides of E-Publishing

I don’t want to sell you guys on anything here, nor do I want to say this is wonderful for everyone and you should ditch your agent right now, thank you very much. There are certainly downsides. Here are a couple:

Upfront Costs

Unless you’re artistically inclined, you’ll have to pay for cover art. You’ll also want to hire someone to edit your work (reviewers will pick on you if they find a lot of typos). The actual ebook formatting is something you can learn to do yourself if you want to save a few bucks.

I paid $600-$800 to put together each of my novels, and I’ve seen people pay more if they had heavy line editing done. I’m selling my novels at $2.99, so with a 70% royalty, that means I have to sell 400 copies of each to break even. Actually, it’s probably closer to 500, since I’m spending a little here and there, trying out advertising methods. I believe I will make that money back, but before you make the plunge, make sure you have faith in your story and your ability to market online. Speaking of which...

You’re on Your Own for Marketing

My guess is most of you published authors are snorting because you’re pretty much on your own, too, but with e-publishing nobody’s going to stumble across your title on a bookstore shelf. If you’re not willing to start a blog, push your novel, and network online, this is not for you.

That said, I’m a hardcore introvert who isn’t that comfortable with selling either, and I’m doing all right so far.

In the end, I’m not swearing off the idea of ever seeking an agent or a traditional print deal, but I want to see where this road can take me first. Everything I’m learning about book promotion can only help down the line.

You can find my ebooks at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords. Thanks for taking a look!

The Scene is in the Details

2011-01-15T08:00:00.000-08:00

What makes an awesome scene? I was thinking about that the other day while reading a very boring scene. It technically had all the components we talk about all the time...you know, the 5 senses. It wasn't too much of the senses or too little.

Yet it was still boring. I laid in bed that night really thinking why the scene wasn't jiving with me and right before I went to bed realized...the details of the scene had no connection to the moment. We've all groaned over the millionth raining scene during heartbreak or mourning and bright blue skies during happy and love. Yeah, not so much talking about that.

What I am talking about is pointing out things in the details that somehow emphasize or contrast with the character(s) moment. Say someone visits a new country. First layer is the experience itself. First Timers...well time is going to seem to rush by and they'll notice the differences in clothes, speech, body language, weather. The taste and preparation of food, the games children play. All this will be in constant comparison to where they're from. It will either be in the extreme of exhilaration or misery (depending on the type of traveler they are and whether they're there by choice or not.)

Now, for the person who's been there before. They might notice some of this, but not all of this anymore. Whatever mood or frame of mind they're in will depict what detail they pick out to compare to their predicament or emotion. Time will not mentally move as fast because their brain won't be as busy logging new experiences. (There's a scientific test proving this...I'll look it up sometime and maybe do an article on just that.)

Then there is the next layer and making sure the character responds to those details based on the plot and the emotions he/she are feeling in the story. Say you have a first time who's just experienced the death of her parents and is now on a new planet to live with her extended family. Yes, she'll notice all the details, but her reaction will not be the same as a first time tourist. Everything she sees will be a painful reminder of her loss and the new/unknown future she's facing.

For fun -- not so much an example of right because, well how do I know if it's right? I wrote it, I'm not the reader -- here's an excerpt example from Duty and Devotion with the new comer scenario. (Just remember, still in line to be edited so might change a little in the final draft.)

Afterwards, let me know your favorite connective scene in a book or poem. One of my favorite is Edgar Allen Poe's Anabel Lee. Man, that guy knew how to draw the emotions of both the character and the reader by highlighting nature and surroundings.

* * * * * * *

Kaitlin and Jenny dragged her to the ground hangar where they joined up with another crew to go to surface cruising. Nettie trained in simulation and gone out a couple times, but the fear of real surface, open space, still unnerved her. Kaitlin once concluded it was because Nettie had been raised in a bubble.

When their surface cruisers rolled out of the hanger decompression area, bile threatened to undo her. Since it would have taken too long to take off the suit, she forced it back. These vehicle models were not enclosed, but had an exposed frame the other crew called a ‘roll cage’. Nettie decided not to ask why they called it that. They might have answered her, and she would have had to de-suit.

She just stayed silent while Kaitlin and Jenny fought over steering privileges, repeating to herself that people had been surface exploring for several hundred years. It was a perfectly sound method of fun and adventure. Yeah, she thought bitterly, fun and adventure. Nettie clung to the vehicle’s handles as they covered ground, heading away from the facility.

"Relax, Nettie. At least we’re not somewhere like Mars…though crater jumping would be fun.” Having lost, Kaitlin sat in the back seat while Jenny steered. The other crew drove ahead of them.

Nettie took a relaxing breath and decided to approach the situation as a soldier would during a mission. She mentally recorded the scene. Behind her loomed the structure of the facility. Several stories of metal and pressurized diamond glass lit up by bright lights. Beyond it, encompassing two-thirds of that part of the sky was Jupiter. The orange and white bands twisted slowly.

Facing forward, she took in Callisto’s open frontier rolling out to caress the horizon. It was a flat surface of eroded and dusty glacier-type ice several hundred miles deep. Beneath that was water that had never seen the light of day.

It wasn’t to say the waters are dark. Hundreds of years ago when man first landed on this moon, they drilled through the glacier to look for little green mermen. Instead, they found small to medium size life forms of the fish variety…and they found brightness. Aptly named the Under Ocean, the core of the moon kept it warmed and lit. The magnetic balance between the core and Jupiter prevented the glacier surface from cracking. The surface’s coldness and the core’s warmth kept the glacier surface from melting, or Under Ocean getting too warm.

Nettie drew her thoughts from under the surface back to the Callisto sky. Without the dampening of the facility lights, Galileo’s constellations shown like diamonds, sapphires, and rubies. Her fears calmed and she forgot the fear of open terrain. She recognized the beauty of it. This was the definition of wonder, of awe. Majestic had no true meaning for her until now. The brightness started where the sky kissed the surface in the distance and went across the whole heavens.

Fuzzbucket!

2011-01-12T08:00:00.000-08:00

Yes, fuzzbucket. It's the "frustration" word I use when I've realized a case of stupidity in myself.

I figured it out. It clicked, of course, during a moment when I couldn't jump in and make repairs. I had to wait the WHOLE work day. WHOLE work day...that's like 8 hours and then the walk home!

What am I talking about?

The reason I've been fighting with Telomere's third book, Ending Eternity. I started in the wrong place. I forgot the cardinal rule. Never, ever, ever, snever (yes, it's a word, an AR word) start in the beginning of the journey.

I started in the "we debarked and headed out" part. That left weeks -- space travel people, which SMPVH (Solar Meter Per Vessel Hour) or not takes a while. All the characters did were fret, worry, and think about their problems. No action...just..."duh, look at me sitting here thinking and worrying about what's going to happen" instead of "look at what the heck is happening!"

How did I come to this smack me in the face moment? I was waiting for a report to run and thought about the book as a whole. The beginning of the mental reel started about 2 chapters in. I couldn't even discern what the first couple of chapters were telling the reader.

So, now that it's figured out I'm feverishly backpeddling to fix the beginning of the story. Thankfully, most of the beginning's emotional introspection can be infused later in the story, in more reactive settings where it's natural. I don't think I've lost that many thousand's of words. Maybe, like, 2k at the most.

Well, good writing all! (And hope you don't have too many fuzzbucket moments like this...)

Character Interview: Michael from Phoenix Rebellion Series

2011-01-10T08:00:00.000-08:00

Today is pretty exciting. Author Gail Delaney was nice enough to put me in touch with one of her main characters from the Phoenix Rebellion Series, Michael. I love this series and as Gail knows, have fallen in love with the Michael character. Let's get started!

Michael, tell us a little bit about yourself:
"I don't know who I am quite yet, so it's difficult for me to answer that question. I know the titles I wear, or that have been placed on me -- son, father, friend, lover, doctor -- but until I believe I've earned them, I don't want to claim them. For the first twenty-five years of my life, I was nothing. Fuel for insurmountable hatred, I was tortured and tormented and prayed for death. Things are different now. None of that answers your question, I apologize."

How did it make you feel when after finally meeting your father he had to leave?
"I was afraid. As much as I wanted to embrace the freedom and new life he had given me, I knew nothing of the world or the people around me. I feared I would do something wrong, or cause anger unintentionally. And I was sad, an emotion I had yet to grasp. Anger, I knew. Fear... I lived that. Confusion. Acceptance and resolution. But never sadness. I believe to experience sadness, you must understand happiness, and happiness was foreign to me until the night my father came for me and took me home."

What kind of emotions are you dealing with in regards to your birth mother's actions?
"I once confused Jacqueline when I told her Caitlin Montgomery was my mother, but for any reason that counts, she is the woman I now give that honor. As for Kathleen, I have long since moved past hatred for the woman who birthed me with her stolen body.

Once, I thought anger and hatred were one in the same but I know now they are very different. So, I can say that while I no longer harbor hatred for her, I am enraged by the things she did. Not just to me, but to so many others. I'm angry at what she left behind. And I'm angry to be left behind to deal with the ramifications."

After being raised in containment, how do you feel about all these new experiences in the world? What is your favorite discovery?
"For a brief time in what I believe they call my 'teens', my captors allowed me books and through them I created a shallow and two-dimensional imagery of the world. Once I lived it, experienced it, nothing else could ever compare.

The taste of snow on my tongue. The realization that I may come and go as I please, that I may learn and study and become something more. But, by far my favorite discovery is pancakes. With maple syrup and butter. And bacon.

No, I correct that. My favorite discovery is the sweet taste when I'm kissing the woman I love."

How is your outlook changing with the new experiences in life?
"I have been given a chance at a whole and beautiful life. I have my father, and I have a mother in Caitlin I never could have dreamed. I have Jacqueline's love, though I can't understand it. I have my daughter. I have a career, a home, and a people. I have a purpose. Once, my greatest hope was for death. Now, I seek life."

What is your biggest hope for the future of you and your people?
"As my father said in his speech to the planet, we are as the Phoenix rising from the ashes. We are only a fraction of the people we once were. Our planet is in ruins, but our eyes now see past the horizon to the universe beyond. My hope is that mankind can find unification and strength together, and for myself, I hope to make myself worthy of all I've been given."

Who is your favorite friend in the rebellion?
* small laugh and blush *

"Friend... a word that can mean many things. A friend can be a confidant. A friend can be your strength. A friend can be a lover. A friend can be the one person you'd lay down your life to save. I have many friend, many people I hold dear. But the one I hold dearest is so much more than my friend... Jacqueline."

Anything else you would like to tell us about yourself?
"I know my answers are wholly inadequate, but in truth, I don't know what else I might say. I am a mystery, even to myself, so how can I tell you what I don't know."

Thank you, Gail, for giving us a little insight into Michael. For those of you who haven't had a chance to meet Michael here's an excerpt that truly shows the introverted vulnerability he starts out with...you'll have to read the series to see his personal growth *wink*:
"Hungry?"

Michael had been so lost in his thoughts, he hadn't seen Nick Tanner walk into the infirmary or approach his bedside. Or, apparently, drop a pile of clothing on the bed near his feet. He looked up, still processing how he should regard the man. Father? Colonel? Nick? In answer to the question, his stomach rumbled.

"Yes," he answered simply.

Nick, which would do for now, checked his watch. "I think they're still serving breakfast in the mess hall."

Michael stared at him, waiting.

"Do you want to go eat?" Nick asked after several moments of silence.

Understanding then, Michael nodded and shifted to lower his bare feet to the floor. "I apologize. I didn't realize I needed to go elsewhere to obtain my own food."

"Didn't they feed you yet?"

The sharp edge to Nick's voice drew Michael's immediate attention, and he tried to gauge the situation. He had spent the majority of the morning studying the other people of the 'base' as they moved about their work, and found each of them fascinating. Already, he knew Colonel Nick Tanner was a different person than any of them, with a force of character that seemed to drown out others around him. He was powerful and respected, a leader among all of them. Among the Areth, personalities weren't widely varied except for the extremesand Victor. Whom, he supposed, some might consider an extreme.

"Never mind. Let's just get breakfast. I'm starving," Nick said before Michael could try to form an answer. "I brought you some clothes. Figured you'd want to get out of the stuff they had you in there."

Michael looked at the clothing on the bed, picking up the first garment. It was a shirt much like the one Nick himself wore, with short sleeves and a round neck in a deep blue color. The fabric was soft and carried a clean, soapy scent in the weave. Also in the pile was a long sleeved shirt in a rich burgundy color that buttoned down the front. A pair of heavy pants, faded to white in spots like the pair Nick wore, was at the bottom of the pile. Michael ran his hands over the shirts, enjoying the soft feel. They were nothing like any clothing ever provided for him.

"I'll get you some new things when I can. I just figured we're about the same size and we can share for now."

Michael looked up. "These are yours?"

Nick shrugged. "Yeah. If you don't like them--"

"No," Michael said quickly, but tamped down his eagerness before he said more than he should. "These are fine. May I wear them now?"

About the Author
Gail R. Delaney has been actively writing 'for publication' since 1996. The first novel she ever wrote is still sitting on her computer, waiting for the major rewrite that will make it acceptable. She says she has learned a great deal since writing that book, and it shows when she looks back at that rough draft.

Gail has had several novels published in the genres of contemporary romance, romantic suspense and futuristic romance. Her novels have received several nominations and awards since she was first published in 2005.

Gail and her family recently moved from the cold and blustry east coast to Southern California, and is loving every moment of sunshine she can soak in.

Get In Touch and/or Get the Book
If you're interested in more information on either Gail or the Rebellion Series, check out the links below. I strongly suggest reading The Pheonix Rebellion. It's great SF and great Romance.

http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-template/GailDelaneyBio/Page.bok

facebook.com/gail.r.delaney

Procrastinating My Procrastination

2011-01-08T21:14:00.000-08:00

Oh Boy! Muse has gone and done it. And we'd been working soooo well together. Now I know the looks you group of writer friends who don't believe in Muses are giving me...This is what I title my creativity.

There's really not a little Warrior Chick in a short skirt, long jacket, and high heeled boots with a whip in my head. No matter how much my Hubby wished there were...of course there was that one time, in Lake Tahoe...oops TMI, TMI! (Heehee)

Here's what it comes down too.

She's all excited about this new series I dreamed about a couple month ago. She's been all excited and still geared about the Telomere Trilogy, but her flaky interest shifted fully today. It's been constantly on her mind and hence, she's pushed it into my mind.

Needless to say, I've been battling with her to focus all day on the current WIP. I'm losing the battle. I need to write a waterfall scene, just a simple waterfall scene...and what do I get? Nothing.

N-O-T-H-I-N-G.

ARGH!!!!

Now we're at a stand off. It's dry and hot. There's Clint Eastwood western stand off music in the background. I swear, a tumbleweed crossed my path...I think I'll have a toothpick sticking out the corner of my mouth too as I toss out a heavily crowfeet squint. There'll be the long dust jacket....AND SPURS! I've got to have silver spurs! I want a ivory handled gun resting in a holster riding low on my hip....

Dang it! I've gone and got distracted again. Now I'm procrastinating my procrastination!

Good writing all (or as in my case procrastination daydreaming)...

Writing Progress

2011-01-06T08:00:00.000-08:00

Wow...haven't done one of these progress posts in a while. Okay, well, truthfully all my focus has been on my trilogy writing, which you can see the progress in the bars (top right part of blog). What prompted this crazy, spontaneous progress report?

I got short listed for a short story of mine. I know! I submitted Poseidon's Cube almost a year ago now and with the craziness of the last few months, forgot all about it. To my defense, the deadline is far away. It's not closed until May of this year.

Okay, what else we got?

Ah yes, Duty and Devotion is about to gear up for its release date in June. Publisher edits and cover art should be kicking off in the next couple of months. I've got to start planning blog tours, review submission preps, excerpts and the book trailer. (Lions, tigers, and bears OH MY!)

Current project, Telomere Trilogy, is chugging along well. I'll be starting house style edits and the cover input sheet for Book 1: Revelations of Tomorrow. I'm in final draft edits with Book 2: Echoes of Regret. And of course, I'm laying out the rough draft of Book 3: Ending Eternity.

My muse is already dreaming about my future projects...for after Telomere Trilogy. I'm holding her back with a whip and can of hairspray (couldn't find my mace). We'll see how long it works.

OH! A little odd ball news. I'm not sure what it means because I haven't really given it much time or thought but I ran across my Free Reads on Barnes and Nobles. I forgot Smashwords will publish to all the various sites. Any-who, I found them and was surprised at the rankings. Out of all the books on that huge site, Maka's Quest has a Sales Rank of 11,364 and Butterfly Cocoon a sales rank of 12,714. This prompted me to check my dashboard on Smashwords and found that several hundreds people have downloaded my Free Reads . At an average of 6 people per day! That was pretty exciting to me...hence the exclamation mark in the previous sentence. Now I just wish a couple of those readers would leave a comment or a review. I love to hear from people how they like or dislike my work.

So, those are my updates. What are you all working on?

Good writing and reading all!

Interpreters of Humankind

2011-01-04T14:58:00.000-08:00

Life experiences shape my writing, as it probably does you other writers out there. Looking back on my journey to publication and looking ahead at (what I hope) is the start of a successful career, I find myself nostalgic over the journey to this point. I wonder periodically what would have happened had I been a success at the start of my adult life.

Truthfully? I don’t think that I would’ve gained the life experience to create the characters and stories I have now. Looking back at my writing from those long ago days, I see what I couldn’t see before…a lack of depth and understanding of the world around me.

During this case of nostalgia I’m thinking back on some of the key life moments that shaped me and my outlook the most. As you can imagine, as a married mother of 4 there have been quite a few. However, a few key ones stand out for me:

There was the first homeless person I recognized as being homeless when I was a child. Seeing the markings and emotional scars from a life struggling to survive and the embarrassment and shame etched into his eyes.

There was seeing my husband for the first time and knowing love at first sight did exist…and no matter how corny and cliche, someone could have their breath taken away.

There was the moment I looked down at my first born. I saw for the first time the perfection one could be blessed with and the truth behind humankind’s otherness from all other species in this world.

And without a doubt, there was the pain in that wife’s eyes as I stood by her side in intensive care many years ago as she watched her husband pass on. Comforting during this woman’s experience of loss not only of her loved one but a shared life they had together and the confusion of what she would do the rest of her own days without him.

Yes, there’s something to be said for the trials and tribulations to authorship. Writers must struggle because they are one of the groups of interpreters for humankind. By that definition they have to see the world in all its levels to truly interpret it. I have to say, I’ve loved the side journey’s my life has taken and the wealth of moments it has put into my life jar.

For my writer buddies, what life experiences affected your writing the most?

For my reader buddies, what passage in a book most affected your outlook on life?

Good writing and reading all!

Wow, Writing for 2011

2010-12-31T11:14:00.001-08:00

This is crazy. It's so hard to imagine tomorrow is a whole new year. When I was a kid in the 80s I imagined 2010 being a lot different than it turned out to be. No flying car. No space colony. No exploration beyond our system.

But there is one thing I imagined as a kid in the 80s. There in my color striped socks, cuffed and ripped jeans, mousy brown hair and big blue rimmed glasses. I'd just come off the disappointment of not being able to become an astronaut due to my eyesight. I was just over the dream of becoming Optimus Prime or Bruce Lee.

What was left was FBI Agent and writing. Writing was something I just did. It's cliche, I know. I won my first writing contest in 2nd grade and knew I wanted people to read my imaginations on paper.

And now look. Here I am all grown up. Not an FBI Agent though my interrogation skills are excellent due to parenting, but I am an author. People have read my work. Some have hated it and some have liked it, but they've read my imaginations on paper.

So what's my plan for 2011? "We're going to take over the world, Pinkie."...heehee. Okay, not really (not yet). There are a couple writerly things I want to do in 2011.

I just finished the rough draft of my second book in the Telomere Trilogy so I have to gussy that up.
I have completed the outline and done a few thousand words of the last book in the Telomere Trilogy and have to complete that manuscript this year.
I want to complete Damarion's Voyage. It's about 60% done, but I put it on hold to complete this series.
I have two short stories, one in rough draft form and the other almost complete. I'd like to finish those up and get them out into some magazines. One I think is going to be an Asimov submission. (One of my life goals is to get something printed in the Asimov magazine.)
I have a new series idea that I've been formulating. I'd like to outline the series and then start breaking down the books.
And of course, I've got ideas I'd like to brainstorm and dozen of brainstorms I'd like to outline.

Overall, like any other writer, I have too many things I want to do and probably won't get it all done. But there's always 2012 and beyond.

What are some of your 2011 goals?

Happy New Year and good writing all!

Science Update

2010-12-28T13:36:00.000-08:00

I've got some pretty cool stuff up today. Well, I think they're cool.

First up, bandages that change color to let you know your wound is becoming infected. How cool is this futuristic medical treatment? Expand this and you'll have patches, gauze, and medical tape that indicates...whatever. Maybe even blood pressure, heart rate, healing progress...It goes on. I've used some things similar in my current trilogy manuscripts. I've got the Med Patch that monitors a patients standard health points. I have a spray that sterilizes and preps torn skin for nano repair. And closest to this article, I've got liquid gauze used in the field that sprays on clear then whitens and tightens hold over a wound and changes color if the wound starts to go South during transport.

Next, the sad news that chocolate is going the way of the dinosaurs. Don't fret, it's not anytime soon but still, it gives pause for thought. When you're writing, what of today's commodities will not be around, in proximity, or evolved into something else? To tell the truth, I haven't really explored this concept in many of my works but it has intrigued by the ideas and will definitely infuse some of this in my next works. Thinking beyond just the fact that a yummy treat will be going away, we need to think of the full implications. Cocoa beans are a commodity that hold up several small countries, makes a living for thousands of business owners and workers. Anything going away can cause an infrastructure meltdown at many levels. This concept could be the basic setting for a story, backgrounds for characters, and drivers for conflict between antagonist and protagonist. OH! It could also be the barrier between love interests and/or friends. The ideas are limitless!

Okay, I'm starting to get too excited so I better hurry and get to the most exciting find. What we Sci-Fi geeks have been waiting for...Light bending camouflage. 'Nuff said. Check it out. I'm struck speechless and typeless yet again at this news. There's been work on military flight camouflage but this new metamaterial research is going to open up doors for all kinds of smaller scale ideas and more field battle uses. I imagine a futurist Patton play. Not just creating a false military site, but hiding our military posts, our men in the field, our ground vehicles, and our small reconnaissance flyers. My debut novel is set primarily is space and in military outpost planets, so my military concepts did not include the need to hide. It's just so easy in the vastness of space without camouflage technology. However, my current trilogy might benefit from this. I will have to explore it and see if it would fit without being one of those SF tech overkills. I like to make sure my SF tech blends into the background like one puzzle piece in the whole picture.

So that's my quick science update. I hope you enjoyed them. What have you all seen in the new lately that would impact the future and the way we SFRers write?

Good writing all!