Holiday Sabbatical

Belle and Santa

This will be my last blog for the year. The family will arrive this week and we will be celebrating Christmas and our fortieth anniversary.  Yup, our fortieth. I'm trying to figure out how I can have been married forty years when I'm only twenty-nine.  Heh heh. Any hoo, I'm off to Santa's workshop to wrap presents.  I wish for  you:  good friends, time with family and loved ones, health and happiness and all things wonderful in the new year.
In lieu of a card, I'm giving away a read (beginning Dec 22).  If interested help yourself to a copy.  I'll miss ya and looking forward to hearing all about your holidays in the New Year.

Free

Dec 22-26, 2016

Amazon 

It's The Weekend

Cover Reveal and Writing Advice

I've very excited to welcome the dynamic writing duo Jess Haight and Stephanie Robinson. Welcome ladies! 
They are going to talk about their paperback cover reveal and give us some great writing advice!
Ladies, take it away.....

Happy 1st book birthday to THE SECRET

FILES OF FAIRDAY MORROW

! It's been a year since the

mystery of the Begonia House was revealed to the world, and now the paperback

will be available January 3rd, 2017. The new cover stays true to Fairday's

snazzy style, sprinkling in a few added charms. Can you spot the differences from the hardcover? ;) 

Catch the book trailer to find out about the mystery...

Planning to pick up the

paperback?

Pre-order

a copy

and you could win a $50 VISA card to treat yourself after

the holidays. Contest is open to all! For more details on how to enter,

click

here.

For more information about the book, visit the DMS

at

fairdaysfiles.com

Writing advice from Stephanie & Jess 

Stephanie: Read as much as you can! Reading helps spark your imagination and

allows you to picture stories in your mind. Writing will come much easier if

you already have words swirling around in your mind. Growing up, I kept a

diary. I wrote in it every day from the time I was in 5th grade until I was

about 30. When I want to remember what it was like to be a certain age, I can

go back and reread what I was thinking. Sometimes I am a little embarrassed by

my thoughts, but they help me go back in time.

In school, I never liked editing my work, but now I embrace the

edits. I know that it's impossible to look at your own writing through fresh

eyes and the edits are what makes the writing sparkle. They may be a lot of

work, but they are well worth the effort. 

"You miss 100% of the shots you never take." ~ Wayne Gretzky

Jess: My advice to people who are interested in writing stories is to

develop your unique style. Reading what you like will help improve your craft.

I am a visual person, and I like to to draw. Stephanie and I will discuss a

chapter, and then I’ll come up with an illustration that helps pull the idea

together. 

My most important piece of advice though, is to enjoy yourself! As

a creative being, it’s not about the end goal, but more the process of your

work. The successes and failures are all bunched together with each step, so

relax and let your imagination soar! Creating worlds and characters is magical,

but it takes time. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Vengeance Meow

Thanks, Rye.

IWSG Wednesday

The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Members post about their  doubts and fears, discuss struggles and triumphs, and offer words of encouragement to others who are struggling. 

Group Question:

In terms of your writing career, where do you see yourself five years from now and what's your plan to get there?

This is definitely a thought provoking question.  It would be easier to answer where I'd like to see myself in five years.  I'm sure, like most of my brother and sister writers, my answer would be on the New York Times Bestseller List, with a movie or two under my belt.  In the harsh, cold light of day, the chances are about the same as winning the lottery.  But since I write fantasy, I don't deal with harsh cold reality unless absolutely necessary.  

As far as the five-year plan.  My five years has come and gone. In that time, e books  have exploded on the scene and changed the dynamics of writing and publishing. Both e and print are up against millions of other books. And to repeat my mantra, given the odds any sale is a good sale. Though nothing to cause the royals in the book world to break into a sweat, or even mid-listers, my sales this year were much better than last year. And my goal is that next year will be better than this year.  Baby steps:)

My current issue: My rights have reverted from a former publisher but my books are still up at most retailers (BN has been extremely helpful and the E books are down there)  even after contacting both publisher and retailers.  And we won't even mention royalties or lack thereof. Is anyone else out there having this problem? 

What about you?  What's your five-year plan?  And for the blogger buds out there that don't write but create in other ways, feel free to jump in with YOUR five year plans.

~*~

Looking for new blogs to follow? Try Site Hounds.

Jerry has put a lot of time and effort into letting us know what blogs are out there.  Just go to the category that interests you and click.   If you'd like to add your site to his list, just shoot him an email.

Beauty and The Beast

Can't wait.  Though I wish they'd left off the talking teapot.

PigCasso

Thanks, Rye.

Penalty Box

This is where the kitten or dog go when they need a time out, now dubbed  The Penalty Box.

 We spent Wednesday putting together the grands playhouse.  As you can see, Captain approves.

Saving Kittens with the Help of Seniors

Thanks, Rye.

What's Wrong With This Picture?

Can you see the incongruity in these two pictures? 
Yup, I've got my Christmas decos out and the roses are still blooming.  And the azaleas are trying to bloom too for goodness sake!

Timeless

Another one of our blogger buds, Crystal Collier, (Did someone say cheese?) has a new book out.  Are our authors prolific are what?

TIMELESS

Title: TIMELESS

Author: Crystal Collier

Publisher: Raybourne Publishing

Series: Maiden of Time, #3

Publication: November 1, 2016

Category: Young Adult (YA)

Genre: Paranormal Historical
Pages: 254

TAG LINE: Time is the enemy.

Log Line: Alexia races against her own clock, and the birth of her child, to stop the Soulless from existing.

Description:

TIME IS THE ENEMY

In 1771, Alexia had everything: the man of her dreams, reconciliation with her father, even a child on the way. But she was never meant to stay. It broke her heart, but Alexia heeded destiny and traveled five hundred years back to stop the Soulless from becoming.

In the thirteenth century, the Holy Roman Church has ordered the Knights Templar to exterminate the Passionate, her bloodline. As Alexia fights this new threat—along with an unfathomable evil and her own heart—the Soulless genesis nears. But none of her hard-won battles may matter if she dies in childbirth before completing her mission.

Can Alexia escape her own clock?

Buy/Review links

Buy link: http://crystal-collier.com/buy

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/TIMELESS-Maiden-Time-Book-3-ebook/dp/B01LWCZGCH/

B & N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/timeless-crystal-collier/1124945612?ean=9781629830056
LibraryThing: https://www.librarything.com/work/18426906/reviews

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28963102-timeless

ARC requests: http://crystal-collier.com/help 

Author Bio: Crystal Collier is an eclectic author who pens clean fantasy/sci-fi, historical, and romance stories with the occasional touch of humor, horror or inspiration. She practices her brother-induced ninja skills while teaching children or madly typing about fantastic and impossible creatures. She has lived from coast to coast and now calls Florida home with her creative husband, four littles, and “friend” (a.k.a. the zombie locked in her closet). Secretly, she dreams of world domination and a bottomless supply of cheese. You can find her on her blog and Facebook, or follow her on Twitter.

Author Tag Line: ❀ Unleashing the dream world, one book at a time ❀