Updates

I hope everyone is staying indoors with the A/C blasting! We are about to hit the triple digits tomorrow, here in my neck of the woods, so stay cool folks!

My upcoming anthology, unDead Dixie Debs (remember when I announced I was doing a collection a couple months back?), well, it's almost done! I had the final short story proofed by the awesome JL Bryan, so as soon as I fix the typos, I'll be ready to have it formatted! Yay! I expect to release it sometime this weekend or early next week.

I know anthologies aren't a huge hit among readers, but I've come across some folks that do enjoy reading short tales (especially during lunch breaks!), so I totally get it if this collection isn't for you, but...there are zombies, evil dolls, vampires, and more...you might just want to check it out!

In other news, I've gotten several emails and FB messages this week from readers on when PARADIGM is going to be released. SOON! As soon as I get this collection out of the way, I'll be focusing my full attention on book 3 (you can already see I've made a sizable dent in my WIP). Still pushing for a late July release date, so bear with me! And THANK YOU for all the kind messages!!!

OH! I finally won something! I've been doing book giveaways left and right it seems and this time, it was my turn to win! Last night, while watching Fast N Loud on Discovery, I tweeted with the cast/guys at Gas Monkey Garage and won a t-shirt!! If you haven't watched this show, you need to start! Richard and Aaron are too cool not to, even if you aren't into car restoration. One day, if I ever make it back to my native Texas and get my hands on a vintage 1950's Ford F100 truck, I'm calling these guys.

Luck Strikes Again

It's Lucky 7 time again! I got a tagged a few times earlier this Spring so I had to make some adjustments to the rules, but since I'm working on something new, I actually can stick to the rules! Thanks to the lovely Stacey Wallace Benefiel for tagging me!

Here are the rules:

Go to page 7 or 77 in your current manuscript
Go to line 7
Copy down the next 7 lines/sentences exactly as they are
Tag 7 other authors

I decided to go with a new short story I'm almost finished with for my upcoming anthology, unDead Dixie Debs (it's what's up on my screen right now). Since it's a short, I don't have seven pages, so I'll go with page one. (Okay, I somehow always manage to break the rules)

"You're just being silly. Every girl dreams of being named Queen. It's tradition. Don't you feel proud that you ere chosen for this year's court?" She twirled Adelaide in front of the mirror again and stood behind her, admiring her daughter. "Not every girl gets this kind of opportunity. It's an honor to be chosen. Think of what it would mean for our family if you actually won." 

Adelaide sighed in resignation. She knew it was useless arguing with her mother. "Yeah, I know."
Every year, Reinemere Parish held it's annual Cotton Festival. And every year, ten lucky young girls made their societal debut, one of the privileges of serving on the royal court.

Tag! You're it!

Red Tash
Martha Bourke
Shauna Granger
Adriana Ryan
Kristin McFarland
Nadja Notariani
Sean Thomas Fisher

On another note, here are some more cool pics taken today as we decided to take advantage of the beautiful day today, as 100 degree weather looms ahead at the end of the week.

I decided to don my bathing suit and take my writing outside.

One of the rare moments when Gus isn't doing something naughty.

My lovable Guapo, content to play with his stuffed monkey.

Yes, I'm having way too much fun with Instragram these past couple of days.

Monday Photo Diary

Just finished another 1,000 words this afternoon and hit a temporary block. Here's what I've been up to today:

Drank a cafe mocha and worked on PARADIGM.

Created a short story board with post-it's on my bulletin board. 

Decided to master the art of the sock bun. 

Look at Guapo's paw!

Gus is the Lex Luthor to my Superman. 

Now that I've had my fun and shared, it's time to get back to the laptop and get in a couple more scenes while the hubby is still at work! Hope everyone had a great Monday!! 

Reviews and Updates

So, yesterday, I woke up, after having a helluva time sleeping due to a pinched nerve in my shoulder, and reached (*ouch*) for my iPhone to check emails, sales, and to press the snooze button just one more time, when I noticed a review of PARALLEL in my inbox. It ranks up as one of the best reviews I've ever received:

Finished reading your book at 5:00 AM this morning.  Excellelent work. It reminded me of a Rossini Overture. He composed the William Tell Overture (Lone Ranger theme). It starts soft, slow, soothing and slowly builts to a frenzy.

Throughly enjoyed it.

It was from my dad! I downloaded a a free copy of PARALLEL on his Kindle Fire when he was in town last week, never expecting him to actually read it! Praise aside, I'm glad he got the chance to read it, as it was dedicated to him after all. And the best part is...he didn't criticize the liberties I took with respect to alternate realities (he does teach physics after all)!

On that note, I am please to finally have some writing updates*! I am almost done with my short story anthology, unDead Dixie Debs. Just a few short tweaks and the new short I wrote for it will be sent for proofing!

I have another few thousand words in on PARADIGM and I plan to spend the next few days working like a mad woman getting at least 10k more in before mid-week. I really want to stick to my mid-July deadline (getting my WIP to my beta's).


*I totally missed my last ROW80 check-in! I did post, but forgot when the end of Round 2 was. Oops!! See ya'll next round! 

More Summer Reads

Yes, I am reading more than I should be writing, but it IS summer, right? Here are a few more books I've managed to get through this week that I wholeheartedly think is worth a read if you're still compiling your book list for the summer.

And just a reminder, I am not a book blogger, nor do I accept requests to read books. The books I mention or write reviews for are those that I have chosen to read. In some cases, I am given ARC copies, but that's because I asked (writers have favorite authors too ya know)...not the other way around. So, my book choices are my own and if I love 'em, I pimp 'em.

I just finished Troll or Derby and all I have to say is, it's been a long time since I felt such a rush from reading a book (it wasn't from the faeth, I swear)! The title itself says it all...you're in for a rocking' good time.

The world of troll and fairies Tash has created is beyond what you've come to expect from other troll/fairy books. In fact, this might be one of the best fairy stories I've had the pleasure of reading. The characters in her world are nitty, gritty, raw and real...very much like Red Tash's writing and storytelling. The fae are neither regal nor beautiful, but rather harsh and sinister. This is what I would imagine the fae world to be like.

A troll overlord, rednecks, a rock band, and the roller derby...this book has it all. You can't beat a fabulous story, creative imagery, and overall brilliance.

Although the protag in the story, Roller Deb, is fifteen, this tale is for the inner child in all of us, for those of us who once had The Sight as children, but can no longer see the magical world of the fae as adults.

Oh!...there's even a unicorn that kicks some serious troll @$$!

Ya'll know that Blake Crouch is one of my favorite authors. I'm a sucker for horror and the macabre. I was very fortunate enough to snag a precious ARC of PINES, provided by Thomas & Mercer.

What can I say? This book spoke to me in volumes. As most of you know, I'm a TV junkie. If you've read my books, you also know that I tend to use my writing as an outlet based on the fact that I'm a TV junkie. A wide screen TV into my own little universe, if you will.

Okay, getting back to the book. PINES was like reading my favorite television shows all at once and I didn't want to turn it off, less I miss something. A copulation of The Outer Limits, The Twilight Zone, Twin Peaks, all came into mind as I read this thriller of a book. What happens when a Secret Service agent finds himself trapped in an all idyllic town?

Crouch set out to write a book they way he saw fit, from conception to execution, and it definitely came across in PINES. His inspiration behind the story became clear and it resonated in every page he wrote...I felt it from page one.

I don't want to give any spoilers, so I won't. PINES comes out August 21, but you can pre-order it on Amazon. And you totally should.

I downloaded Open Minds by Susan Kaye Quinn awhile back when it was free and just got around to reading it. Why do I always feel like such a loser for waiting so long to read a fantastic book?

This is one YA read you don't want to miss out on (like I almost did). Kaye takes us to a world where mind reading is considered normal, but for those without the ability to be considered second class citizens. And for those who can "mindjack," or rather, those with the ability to hack into your mind to manipulate thoughts, it's a whole other story all together.

Open Minds throws out the tired YA formulas, and is rich with originality and great storytelling. If you're a fan of dystopian, sci-fi, and paranormal, this is a must read.

Mid-Week Update

I know, I've been bad about my bi-weekly ROW80 check-in's, but this time I have a very good excuse! My parents were in town this past weekend, so I spent most of last week cleaning and enjoying the weekend with my folks.

My book signing on Sunday went pretty well, I had some interest from those wanting to know if my books were available in ebooks, which was great (yay!). I really didn't expect to sell very many, if at all, as I'm pretty realistic when it comes to signings, but I held it at my favorite coffee shop, so it wasn't a complete wast of time. I was more afraid my parents would be bored just sitting around than not selling any books, but fortunately, they went off and did the tourist thing while I sat, drank my weight in cafe mochas, and wrote (yeah, I used the time to write instead of drawing folks to my table). In those two hours, I pounded out another 1k and ironed out some of the kinks in PARADIGM.

Matt, the owner of Simply Sweet on Main, is one of my biggest supporters and a big thanks goes out to him for encouraging me to do a signing at his shop. 

My mom took this pic right before she and my dad took off sight seeing. Notice my laptop? 

So, while I wasn't expecting much, I did however, clean house at the signing. My uncle stopped by and bought four sets of PARALLEL and PARADIGM (that's 8 books yo!) for my cousins (so they wouldn't fight over signed copies), so all in all it was a successful event...even if it was a family member bought most of my inventory!

Now it's Wednesday and all the beautiful weather we had the last few days is behind us. Welcome heatwave! Just adding a side note on my writing progress...added another 2,500 to PARADIGM yesterday. YAY!!

Lots to Celebrate Today!

Happy Father's Day to all my dad friends! My folks are in town for the weekend, so I haven't gotten much writing done the last couple of days, but I'm happy to be able to spend Father's Day with my dad, which I haven't done in years! (I got him an Amazon gift card for his new Kindle Fire!!)

Today is also the 8th Annual Manassas Wine & Jazz Festival and I'll be doing a book signing, hosted by Simply Sweet on Main (my favorite coffee shop and writing locale) during the event. Hopefully my parent's don't get too bored, waiting for people to show up to meet me, but at least there's wine and food involved to keep them occupied!

On the writing front, I am a few short scenes away from finishing my short story to round up my new anthology, unDead Dixie Debs, which should be out later this month. And I really hope to get back on track this week on PARADIGM.

If you haven't already, don't forget to check out the super sweet ebook giveaway (details below this post). There's still time to enter!

Incredible Indie Ebooks Marathon GIVEAWAY

Want to stock up on some great summer reading? Incredible Indie Ebooks is hosting a massive marathon GIVEAWAY! Three lucky winners will receive a price package with some great books and author swag!

Don't forget to stop by JUNE 15TH to enter to win! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

What's On Your Summer Reading List?

I totally forgot about my Sunday ROW80 check-in yesterday. Oh well... It happens. Instead of doing what I was supposed to do, I decided to finally have a weekend and enjoy the beautiful weather. My best friend came over for some girl time by the pool. Thankfully, in-between margarita's and paloma's (tequila with Fresca), we discussed the storyline for PARADOX...boy did she point out some major flaws! So, today, I gotta go back and edit some stuff. So, in a way, I ended up being productive after all.

On Friday, I went to a meeting for my local authors writing group, Write by the Rails. We have a lot of plans for the year, including an anthology, book signings, workshops... so I'm pretty psyched about what lies ahead for our group.

And don't forget that summer is now upon us, which means summer reading lists! Here are a few that I've read these past couple of weeks.

A few weeks ago, I was given an ARC for Blake Crouch's new book, EERIE. If you follow my blog, you'll know that he's one of my favorite writers out there. I jumped at the chance to read his new book that he co-wrote with his brother Jordan.

I also love horror books, so EERIE was right up my alley. The premise behind the book is a good ol' fashioned ghost story, or at least, it started out that way. It's a definite "why are these things happing" kind of book. No sooner did I start to read it, I was hooked. But I do warn you, if you're afraid of the boogie man, I'd read this one during the day, outside, away from any bedrooms.

Blake and Jordan do a fantastic job of appealing to a reader's emotions through their storytelling. Again, this is why I love horror so much... the adrenaline induced fear goes beyond the written page. I had my moments of "do I really want to finish this?" which ultimately passed as I kept reading and now I'm stuck with the notion that they could have added more, especially towards the end, because really, I didn't want the story to end.

I picked RIPPLER, by Cidney Swanson, during a free promo on Amazon. I had seen great reviews about the series, so I figured, "why not?" I'm glad I did, as RIPPLER was an engaging read. Yes, it's YA paranormal, but it was different somehow. No love triangles, no tired formula, and the female protagonist in the book wasn't flakey or wimpy. After reading the first in the series, I've now decided that if I ever had the change to have a superpower, it'd be invisibility. That's what Samantha Ruiz has...the ability to turn invisible, or ripple. I also loved, what I like to call the extras...the diary entries of a mad Nazi scientist and the general science/genetics explanations. I look forward to reading the rest of the series.

Bombshells, by T. Elliott Brown, was another gem I picked up during a free Amazon promo. I surprised myself at how much I enjoyed it. Set in the early 1960's, we are given a glimpse into the life of three women in Jacksonville, FL, during the height of the Cuban missile crisis and their perspectives on life. It was told in first person from each of the main characters (a twelve year old, her mother, and their maid). While I loved each and every character, I have to say Flossie was my favorite (she needs her own book)! This is a definite must read for the summer and I believe it's currently priced at $2.99...totally worth it!

Updates!

It's Hump Day! Where did the time go?

I don't have much of an update today, so this will be short and sweet. My free promo for PARALLEL on Amazon and iTunes is going great, which has resulted in a spike in sales for PARADOX. As of this morning, PARADOX is #21 in Children's Sci-Fi! I finally figured out how to do a snapshot, so here it is:

On the writing front, I've gotten in another 1,200 words in on PARADIGM. I'm still trying to iron out some of the finer details (alternate universes and time travel requires a little bit of thought), but it's coming along. I'm pretty confident I'll have the first draft completed by the end of June. 

That's it for today folks. Have a great rest of the week! 

Free Promo & SWAG

PARALLEL, the first book in the Travelers Series is now free on Amazon (Kindle version). I don't know how long this promotion will run, but if you thought about picking up a copy, now's your chance! It's still available for free on iTunes, so if you prefer iBooks, you have another reader option. For those Nook readers, I apologize, but Barnes & Noble doesn't price match (you might want to send them an email about that), so PARALLEL is still on sale for $0.99. 

And to celebrate, for the rest of this week, if you send me an email with your address, I will send you a signed bookmark(s).

Book news!

I hope everyone had a great writing (and reading) week! Yesterday's festival was so much fun and I met so many wonderful local authors (we shared a table) and readers. I even managed to sell some books! Of course, I forgot to take pictures, but local blogger managed to create this awesome collage of some us that were there.

No, I wasn't "posing" for the camera. I was actually signing a book for a reader!  Thanks go to Jan Rayl for this great collage! And a shout out to Dan Verner who went out of his way to get me more coffee! 

On the writing front, I was so busy with other things this week, but you can always check my word count meter in the right column for progress on PARADIGM. I managed to write everyday, but not enough to make a huge dent in my WIP. Today, I plan on spending the rest of the day making up for that.

And just a reminder that PARALLEL is currently FREE on iTunes! I've also expanded my iTunes distribution to include more countries! For some reason, I didn't know I could add more territories, but better late than never right? As a result, I am getting a great response from the UK and Australia. Thank you for reading!!

In addition to all that, I've added a PayPal link for those that want to purchase print books directly from me. So, if you want a signed paperback copy, check out the Books section of this site to order to purchase through PayPal.