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.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Monday, June 20, 2011
Book Feature: Mistaken Identity by K. Dawn Byrd
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'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.
Book BlurbEden 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.)
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 AuthorK. 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.
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Winner of Release Day Contest
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.
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.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
RELEASE DAY!!
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.
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Blog Tour: Duty and Devotion
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.
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!
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Adventures on the Cattle Trail
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/
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/
Friday, June 10, 2011
Hanging with TK Toppin
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
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
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