#IWSG for July 2017: Excited

Once again, it's the first Wednesday in the month and time for a post for the Insecure Writer's Support Group.

The last two months have been hectic but I finally got my cataract surgery done on both eyes and now am looking forward to getting my permanent glasses. I can see distance very well since my nearsightedness was corrected with the lens implants, but now I'm very farsighted. I am using +2.50 reading glasses to even see what is in front of me to eat. LOL!

This month I'm going to use the prompt shared by our hosts at the Insecure Writer's Support Group because it fits what has been at the back of my thoughts these past few months.

Last month we talked about quitting.
This month, the excitement of writing has set back in.

I managed to get my middle grade fantasy short story compilation, 7 Days of Seven, loaded up to Amazon. Phew! Although I had no deadline for this, I am glad to finally get it done.

This sets me up to start back on my WIP, Paradise Dead, novella two in my Lei Crime trilogy. I have a personal deadline of August 1st and a hard deadline (final publication date) of August 15th. I feel confident (and excited) that I will make it this time. I hated missing the last deadline.

I would love to be working on the edits for book three in my Klondike Mystery series, Almost a Touch, in August with September as my target publication date. Fingers crossed!

Once that is done, I'll tackle the finally novella in my Lei Crime trilogy, Paradise Drift. November first is my target date. Phew!!

I'm full of excitement!!! What's got you excited?

NEW RELEASE: Moonrising Series by KS Haigwood & Anne Conley

Here's a special little treat for you Urban Fantasy Romance lovers out there! The first TWO books in the Moonrising series are FREE June 22nd, 23rd and 24th!

There is a new Alpha Wolf in town, and she is about to change everything.

Mena had all she wanted in life: a nice house, money, a successful husband who treated her like a queen. That was, until she found out her marriage was all a lie, and things she never thought could exist, did.

Vampires are real.

Werewolves are real.

And Mena is not human anymore.

Accepting the Moon - Prequel - FREE

Amazon US ~ Amazon UK ~ Amazon CA 

Midnight Moonrising - Book 1 - FREE

Amazon US ~ Amazon UK ~ Amazon CA

Andromeda's Reign - Book 2 - $3.99

Amazon US ~ Amazon UK ~ Amazon CA

ME? I already got my copies...better grab yours!

#IWSG for June 2017: Quitting

Once again, it's the first Wednesday in the month and time for a post for the Insecure Writer's Support Group.

If I thought April was crazy, May was just as bad. Full of medical appointments, a family wedding, catching up with family and friends here in Maryland, lots of rainy weather to keep us housebound and more.

This month I'm going to use the prompt shared by our hosts at the Insecure Writer's Support Group because it fits what has been at the back of my thoughts these past few months.

Did you ever say “I quit”?
If so, what happened to make you come back to writing?

I haven't quit writing - yet. But I have been considering it. I turn 70 this year and I find myself treasuring my time with my husband as well as pure "me" time. When we first got together back in 2008 and on through 2012, I wasn't writing (other than a blog or two). We spent a lot of time doing things, seeing things, riding through beautiful scenery and more.

Since I took up writing, other than our two years in Ecuador, I find I have to schedule time off. And at 70, time is getting shorter. I am finding it harder and harder to choose between family time and writing time. So I hibernate, getting/giving too little to each.

I am committed to finishing and publishing two novellas in the Lei Crime Kindle World series, the third book in my Klondike Mystery series and one children's short story compilation of fantasy stories.

Once that is done, I think I am going to quit....

What about you?

Old News & New News

Just a short update - really no new news. Sorry! Due to my impending eye surgery, I haven't been writing or editing.  Yes, I'm falling way behind but once July hits and both eyes are healed, I will be able to really tackle my backlog.

Here's my current WIP list, in order of projected completion and publication:

• Paradise Dead, novella two in my Lei Crime Kindle World trilogy - writing first draft
• 7 Days of Seven, compilation of middle grade fantasy stories - final edits
• Almost a Touch, book three in my Klondike - starting edits

My goal is to have all the above live on Amazon by early fall. Keep your fingers crossed for me. Once these are done, I will be tackling the third Lei Crime Kindle World novella, Paradise Drift, which I hope to have out by early November.

At that point it will be holiday season as well as the time of year when we move our rolling home from our house in TN to our RV lot in Florida. At that point, I will be deciding if I will continue writing (other than my blogs) for publication. So I guess that's the new news, I may retire from writing after this year. Not definite, but under consideration.

2017 - HaPpY NeW YeAr!

First, I'd like to wish you all a HAPPY NEW YEAR! Whether last year was good or bad for you personally, it's always fun to look forward to a new beginning.

I've been very busy personally - cruising and then spending Christmas at Disney World here in Florida. We also are in the process of buying a house in Tennessee and next week we will drive up to close and get the house set up. Yes, a new adventure!

I also wanted to pass along a nice author interview at Book Goodies, it's a fun way to learn a little more about me.

Writing? Well, I am over half way through the first draft of Almost a Touch. I got sick for the entire  two weeks of our Hawaii cruise so didn't get as far as I'd hoped. I have gone through two edits on my compilation of children's fantasy short stories, 7 Days of Seven. I hope to have that published by the end of January.

Curious - do you make new year resolutions? Are they ever successful? I try to set goals and manage maybe a 50% success rate. Here's to 2017!

Busy, busy, oh yeah, and BUSY!

Why does personal life have to get in the way? It's all good (eventually) but it sure takes a toll on writing time. I can't even remember the last book I read...I think it was last winter on one of our cruises. Sigh....

But I did manage to get first/second draft edits done on my middle school fantasy book. Seven short stories, full of fun, fantasy and fiction. I hope to have it published next month.

Here is the tentative cover image - what do you think?

Rolling along....

Yes, life has been busy. Just how busy? Take a peek at my personal blog post about the last month!

While I am on the cruise, I am trying to edit my middle grade fantasy short story series. I've decided to put them all in one book. Hoping to get that done in the next week or so. Watch for the announcement about "7 of Seven".

Done and Over With!

[cue cheering audience]

It's true, I finally finished the first draft of my 8-12 year old fantasy short stories in my "7 of Seven" series. A few quick edits and they should be uploaded to Amazon in the next couple of weeks.

And that means [cue dramatic drum roll] that I will be working on book three in my Klondike Mystery series, "Almost a Touch". I know my readers have been waiting way too long for this and I am looking forward to telling the story of how the police chief dies.

Book three takes place in Kalispell, MT but I will keep you updated on what is happening back in Klondike as well. Expect a few surprises, some new characters, more "whodunit" and hopefully a dash of humor.

Be sure to sign up for my free newsletter to stay informed of updates, new releases, sales and so forth. I promise to never spam you and will never share your email address with third parties.

GUEST POST: Allegories of the Tarot

First of all, I'd like to thank Donna for generously hosting me here.

My name is Annetta Ribken, and I am a professional editor of over eighty indie novels.

That means I might be slightly crazy, but I love my job.

For a long time, I had an idea of putting together an anthology of stories based on the Major Arcana of the Tarot. I know and work with so many amazing writers, I just knew if I could get them all together we could create something fabulous. I'm happy to say I was right.

The stories are incredible. Many different genres are represented, and it was fascinating to see the direction in which each writer took their chosen card. Their talent just blew me away. You'll find a cross section of new and established award winning talent in this table of contents, along with some stellar fiction. Fiction you won't find anywhere else.

I am so proud and ecstatic to introduce these writers to you.

Treat yourself this Halloween and see what lurks around the corner. You won't be disappointed.

Twenty-two cards…
…each an individual splinter of the human psyche.

Twenty-two writers…
…honing each splinter into a story of triumph and decay, arrogance and humility.

Stories of the brightest lights and the darkest corners of the weirdest minds.

Twenty-two cross-genre worlds.

Twenty-two portals into the Universal.

Only one way to get there.

ALLEGORIES OF THE TAROT…

An Anthology of Symbols and the Human Experience.

Available now at Amazon, Smashwords, and all e-book retailers.

Annetta's Bio: A professional editor of over eighty novels, Annetta Ribken has also been writing since a tender young age, when letters were chiseled on stone tablets. A precocious student, Annetta earned her Ph.D in the School of Hard Knocks, with honors, in the early Age of Disco. She lives and works just outside of St. Louis with her evil feline overlord, a rescued shelter cat named Athena

FEATURED AUTHOR: V.J. Chisholm

Hi everyone, well I’m V.J. Chisholm indie author from bonnie wee Scotland.

I have to thank Donna for having me on her blog today

I’ve been a scribbler all my life and my passion for writing was most defiantly passed onto me by my nana (who could always make up the most amazing stories on the spot).

I write for an indie publishing company called Vamptasy which is an imprint of Crushing hearts and Black Butterfly’s aka CHBB - I love working with them , it’s such a great family feeling there.

Magick Weaved on a Samhain eve is my debut novella, this was my first shot at writing anything along the sizzling line – (It really come out as more of a sweet but sassy paranormal romance at the end of the day- guess my shyness got the better of me yet again , lol) so it took a while before me & my muse to get it together on this one and come up with the idea of Alexia with her wicked witchy ways. Lance took a bit more time to come to life. Despite knowing right away how I wanted him to be, I was lack any idea of what to make him look like.  Until a friend of mine was making us gals laugh (and there was a fair amount of drooling too, lol) one evening over a certain picture she had posted on her blog of a lovely tasty male treat.

From that photo the looks and movements of Lance were born and so was Magick Weaved on Samhain Eve

Magick Weaved on a Samhain eve is about Alexia who is a lively, single, sassy and sexy coven witch yet she finds herself and her sex life (or lack of it) the hot topic of her fellow coven sisters after one of the coven's full moon meetings. Add to the mix the discovery of an old spell and Alexia’s life starts to change very quickly as a spirit named Lance appears. Combine the heat of the full moon and a hint of destiny, life will never be the same again for Alexia.

I love the team Alexia and Lance make when they clash and get together – so much so I’m currently working on the follow up to Magick Weaved.

I’ve been very lucky with this book as it just got voted to #1 on Goodreads for best short romance fiction and has been climbing in the Amazon.com paid kindle bestseller in the top 100 for drama British and Irish.

Here a little teaser for you all from Magick Weaved on a Samhain eve

She didn’t need to open her eyes to know that the spell had worked, as the air within the room had taken on an amazing tingling electric feeling. If that was not enough of a clue for her know that she was no longer in the room, the sudden appearance of a breath touching the back of her neck, and the feeling of a hand running over her bare shoulder sweeping her hair over to one side sure as hell did the trick.

Alexia felt like she had been burned by the touch. (There was no longer any doubt in her mind as to whether she would be able to feel her lover’s touch.) The lick and strength of heat the simple touch caused within her body shocked her so much that she would have jumped right off the bed had it not been for the arm that slipped like a snake around her waist, pinning her effectively against a well-defined and toned chest. She pushed back a little, and rubbed herself against it, reacting out of nothing more than pure instinct. 
“Stop that now, Alexia, or this first round will before over far too quickly!” a deep male voice growled and purred into her ear.

There was more than a hint of an accent in his lusty voice. It was as sexy as hell, but there were not enough of the little grey cells in Alexia’s head that were still working to work out where it was from. Goddess, what was up with her? She never melted from the barest of touches, and a few whispered words like this. This was an all consuming rush and need, and not normal for Alexia by any means. Hellfire! She didn’t even know this guy’s name yet. She was not allowed to dwell on that small fact for long.

Book available on Amazon - US and UK

Follow the author:

• Blog
• Website
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Amazon Author Page - US
• Amazon Author Page - UK 
• Google+
• Youtube
• tumbler

FEATURED BOOK ~ Passions's Sacred Dance

Passions Sacred Dance
by Juli D. Revezzo [learn more]

Battling mounting debt, Stacy Macken is determined not to lose her historic art gallery. When Aaron Fielding appears and offers to help, she fights to keep the attraction sizzling between them from clouding her judgment. He may be her savior in disguise--but can she trust him?

Aaron intrigues her with tales of the Tuatha dé Danann, sworn warriors who protect humanity from the monsters seeking their destruction. If Aaron can prove what he claims, she would give up anything to help--even the gallery he claims is sacred ground. But with her property set to stage the next epic battle, she needs answers. An old family diary will confirm the ancient legend is true, if only they can find it in time.

If the battle is lost, the enemy will take control of Earth for the next five hundred years. Stacy and Aaron's budding love might only complicate things.

This book is only available at Amazon right now, and will be free September 24-28.

Juli's stories and novels:

Passion's Sacred Dance-- from The Wild Rose Press, Available at Amazon.

The Artist's Inheritance--Available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords

Caitlin's Book of Shadows--Available at Amazon, Barnes and NobleHouse of Cards (Reign of Tarot #1)--Available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords

FEATURED BOOK ~ Arena Games: Legend of Petrova

Arena Games: Legend of Petrova
by Tabitha Short [read more]

Genre: High Fantasy, young adult

Arena Games: Legend of Petrova is a story about friendship, love, revenge, and betrayal.

Petrova the Pummeler is the warrior of all warriors, the master of the mystical orbs, until a fateful match leaves her damaged and unable to continue fighting as a warrior. Now she must take her place as a master in the Arena Games and train her own students to become Arena Warriors.

Along the way there are obstacles: A band of thieves and murderers, a journey through the gypsy magicked Wood of Gibbald, a little girl with many life-altering secrets, and dozens of competing warriors.

Paperback & Ebook
 Amazon
Ebook Only:
 Barnes & Noble
 E-Diesel
 Kobo
 iTunes

#IWSG: My first year back as a fiction writer

 

I am closing in on my first year of fiction writing. I had set no goals for the year and wasn't sure how much actual writing I would do. Looking back, I consider it a fairly productive year.

I wrote and eventually published as compilations, sixty flash fictions. These ranged from micro-stories to contest entries to five sentence fictions and the A-Z Challenge in April. "A to Z in 10 by 10", "A Flash of Fantasy" and "Ten Tales of Five".

I had one piece of flash fiction published in a print book, an anthology. "I am Woman: Vol I"

I won second place in a fantasy blog hop with another piece of flash fiction.

I wrote and published two short stories, "Lost and Found" and "Tagged".

I participated in my first ever NaNoWriMo challenges - Camp NaNo in August and NaNo in November. I won both events and was fortunate to be able to complete the books and publish them at both Amazon and Smashwords. "Home Again": Amazon  Smashwords   and   "Not a Whisper": Amazon  Smashwords

What does this all have to do with my monthly Insecure Writer's Support Group post? Well, now I wonder if I can continue at this pace or if I need to slow down. Since August I have had to slow down on all my social media sites (Twitter, LinkedIn, Triberr, Goodreads, Pinterest, Facebook and more).That's not good since marketing is important to the success of my books. If people don't hear about them, they can't buy them.

I also have quit reading books. I've found that I can't read when I am writing and have a hard time devoting time to writing if I'm reading. Strange...

I do have plans for several more books. I have a romance trilogy that is barely started and two more mysteries for my Klondike series.

Then factor in the many (too many) blogs I maintain, travel time, vacation time (going on a 7 day cruise next week), motorcycle time (SUPER important), hubby time, etc.

I thought I was retired and would have so much free time. What happened?

My ebook 'Flash of Fantasy" - FREE today

I almost forgot to post this...sorry! Please share as you can. FREE today on Amazon

A Flash of Fantasy is a compilation of flash fiction stories I have written during the first six months of 2012. Some were written with a word count limit, some on starter prompts, some on photographs and some on a phrase. Not all stories will incorporate the chosen word(s) and not all use the photograph(s) directly. These were used to inspire, not dictate.

One story won second place in a competition, another was chosen to be displayed worldwide on The Flash Flood blog during National Flash Fiction Day.

I hope you enjoy reading these as much as I enjoyed writing them.

Flash fiction is a style of fictional literature or fiction of extreme brevity. There is no widely accepted definition of the length of the category. Some self-described markets for flash fiction impose caps as low as three hundred words, while others consider stories as long as a thousand words to be flash fiction. [source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flash_fiction]

Science Fiction and TV Shows

[photo credit: Barabeke via photo pin cc]

I enjoy Sci-Fi shows, both the good and the bad. On the bad/funny side were "My Favorite Martian", "Lost in Space", "Mork and Mindy" and

For some reason I was thinking about Sci-Fi shows that I really loved, ones that got canceled before their time (in my opinion). Some were allowed to wrap up the series, others just dropped off the schedule, to never be seen again.

• Strange Luck
• Quantum Leap
• Firefly
• Three Moons over Milford
• Jericho (more post-Apocalyptic than sci-fi)
• Caprica
• Sanctuary [don't know if it has been renewed yet]

Some of these might not be traditional Science Fiction but because they dealt outside the norm, I consider them so...some might deem them Fantasy. That's okay, I like both genres. LOL! There are many other good shows (and even not so good shows) that came and went. How many generations of Star Trek have their been? I only watched the first two iterations (and enjoyed them both).

If you watched any of my cancelled shows, I think you'll see my love of all things quirky. I also never take things too seriously...television, movies and reading are escapism for me. I partake for relaxation and escape. If that makes me "trite", so be it. I am what I am.

Got any favorite shows you're missing?

Faery Pink [#Faerypin]

I couldn't resist a second tale for Anna Meade's #faerypin contest. Consider this my Saturday post. [snicker]

"Mother, I'm not a little girl anymore. No pink dresses! I want to wear RED to the ball." Princess Sarina stood, hands on dainty little hips, sparks flying around her pretty little head, and frowned mightily at her mother, Queen Soretha. When that got no response, she crossed her arms and tapped her foot.

Soretha tried hard not to laugh at her daughter. If forced into a dress, Sarina would ruin the Summer Faery Ball for everyone. But she was too young to wear red; that right would be granted when she...

To read the full story, please check out the Amazon e-book
"A Flash of Fantasy"
It's only 99 cents!

.

Firefly Glitter [#Faerypin]

Once again I find myself dabbling in fantasy. My first foray earned no comments so I suspect I have a long way to go, but here is another stab. The fantastic Anna Meade at Yearning for Wonderland is hosting a contest, Faerytaleish Pinterest Contest, based upon photos that have been uploaded to her Pinterest board: Faerytaleish. The contest closes on June 1 and all entries must be 300 words or less and include the photo that inspired the story.

{source}

Running around the back yard with her Mason jar, Stacie paused as her mom shouted from the back porch, "Ten more minutes, then it's time to come in."

She started to holler back but heard, "...and leave those creepy bugs outside!"

With a shrug of her shoulders Stacie continued chasing the fireflies. She loved them, so glittery and bright. They made her laugh and turned her insides all giggly.

Enchanted by a new group of fireflies, she darted towards them, chasing the dancing lights through the tall grass colored by a tapestry of wildflowers. She was too entranced to notice they were drawing her closer and closer to the forest at the edge of the property.

To read the full story, please check out the Amazon e-book
"A Flash of Fantasy"
It's only 99 cents!

Lightning Flashed [flash fiction]

Lightning flashed, lighting the night sky for a brief moment. The searchers froze, wary of being seen. Wind rushed through the forest, rustling the leaves and masking their sounds. Led by their seer and The Chosen One, they continued forward, a silent choreography weaving through the forest.

The Mountain of the Sacred Cave rose up out of the mist now surrounding them. Soon they would recover the amulet stolen by The Evil Ones, regaining their honor and reclaiming their lands. Too long their clan had lived like mice, hiding in burrows, venturing out only for food.

To read the full story, please check out the Amazon e-book
"A Flash of Fantasy"
It's only 99 cents!

---

This is an entry in Cherie Reich's 2nd Annual Flash Fiction Blog Hop, May 21-23. This year the theme is "Lightning flashed...".

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The Darkening [National Flash Fiction Day]

[http://www.facebook.com/nationalflashfictionday and http://www.nationalflashfictionday.co.uk/] 

I am honored to be taking part in National Flash Fiction day. At 3 PM [ET] or 8 PM [BT] my flash fiction story, The Taxi Ride, will be displayed in the Flash Flood. 

From their page, "Over the past 7 days we have gathered flash-fictions from over a hundred writers from around the globe and brought them here to let them loose on you, our beloved readers! There is everything here: happiness, despair, love, life, death, and cake . You name it, we probably have a story about it."

I now present you with my first "fantasy" flash fiction story.

 

[photo: ArmandoH2O/photo pin cc]

The sun sprinkled little golden flecks into the air where the breeze drifted them everywhere, some settling on her nose. She sneezed but they settled back into place making her laugh. The flecks matched the color of her hair and made her feel warm, safe and happy. Dandelions danced amongst the blades of grass in synch with the musical sighs of the trees. She stretched her arms out to catch more of the flecks and soak up the sunlight. She joined in the dance, whirling around in the field without a care in the world.

A sudden chill settled upon her shoulders. Something ominous seemed to hover in the air as the sun was obscured. She looked upward but the sky was filled with black specks, the golden ones gone. The breeze escalated into a strong wind but still the particles started to cover her. They felt evil to her and seemed to chill her to the bone. She started to run but her feet seemed frozen to the ground.

"What's happening? I need to get out of here," she screamed as she struggled. "C'mon feet, MOVE!"

"You have sinned and must be punished."

Startled, she looked around. "What? Where are you? Who are you? What do you mean?"

To read the full story, please check out the Amazon e-book
"A Flash of Fantasy"
It's only 99 cents!