Sandra Cox's Blog, page 243

Contracts

The topic today, boys and girls is contracts and how they're written. I think we've all gotten contracts that aren't geared in the author's favor. Have you ever gotten one that you just couldn't bring yourself to sign? I was offered a contract by a  solid small press with a great reputation. I would have loved to have signed with them. I felt and still feel, it would have been a good fit.The editor would have been wonderful to work with and was very enthusiastic about the manuscript. But I couldn't get past their breach of contract clause. It was salty. The head of the agency I'm with summed it up in one word: draconian.Being the smart blogsters you are, you probably already know this word means cruel. I blush to admit I had to look it up. But now that I'm aware of it I plan to use it on a regular basis. grin. It's a great word. Anyhoo, back on topic--It was geared to protect them against authors taking the edits then self-publishing but it was ambiguously written and didn't spell that out. I honestly don't think it would have been an issue on my end or the publishers, but if it ever was, it would have cleaned out my piggy bank. So even though it was a publisher I would have liked to have aligned with I walked away. Also, I felt there was a moral dilemma. What if all the presses start adding that type of clause, where does that leave us as authors? Last but not least I prefer the carrot to the stick. What's your thoughts? Have you encountered this? What  did you decide to do? Sign or walk away? 

Werewolves and Chocolate

So what's your werewolf name? I'm Gray Howler....hmm, rather apropos if you look beneath the color job.

I'm Back, Just In Time For Monday

This pic is dedicated to the parents of twin babies everywhere. You have my utmost admiration.
Wow! Between edits and grandbabies its been a  wild and crazy two weeks.
Got my edits done...sorta. Visited with the Grands. The day before I was to come home, I came down with a cold and had to go into quarantine.
While I was gone, the HH had quite a week. I hadn't cleaned before I left because I was working on....that's right, the edits;) He had four showings, both his home and work computer went down and he got a cold. So we had colds together while apart. How romantic, huh. Yeah, I know. Ewww.
Both my bros are dealing with health issues right now. Like I said, wild and crazy:)
We're going to kick Murphy (IE Murphy's Law) out of the house. Lock your doors to make sure he doesn't come and visit you. And speaking of you, what's been going on the past two weeks? Catch me up. I've missed ya.

BB: The Freedman and the Pharaoh's Staff

BLURB:Jeb, a former slave, rescues his brother-in-law Crispus from the Ku Klux Klan, only to be drawn into a world of Creole Voodoo, racism, time travel, and redemption.
Verdiss, the leader of the Ku Klux Klan has gained possession of the Pharaoh's Staff, a magical artifact from ancient Egypt and concocted a diabolical plan far more insidious than himself.
In the end, Jeb and Crispus must stop an entire people from eradication and each find redemption for their own past sins.Small rib bones clattered on the wooden table, where several black and red candles burned, their flames dancing like a company of elegant danseuses. There was a sense of power in the air. The old conjure-woman felt its prick at the back of her throat as she studied the animal bones. La’Rita was a Haitian woman with a cape of dreadlocks. She would have been beautiful were it not for the boils covering her face—and that her eyes were devoid of any color. La’Rita leaned over the table, shifting her weight in the chair. Shelves and desks filled with jars of grotesque, rotten items surrounded her. Foul-smelling roots and herbs filled some. Rancid liquids filled others to preserve the dead animals they held. Leather-bound books occupied some of the shelves, many etched with strange, archaic symbols.
“Ah, yes,” La’Rita whispered as she looked deeper into the bones. Images danced and twirled across the table, outlined by the dim candlelight. Her empty eyes poured over the phantasms, one by one. Stiff metal birds soared through the open sky, dropping massive pipes. La’Rita shuddered, feeling a sinister force was responsible for the contraptions. The form of an ancient staff passed through her vision. It held within it a great power. Metal boxes on wheels and metallic belts rolled across broken and burning landscapes, fire bursting from their elongated snouts.
Her body shook, spasms rushing up from her feet.
Apparitions whirled around La’Rita, changing, appearing, and dissipating into air. The tremors grew. La’Rita’s entire body shook. She struggled to stay in her chair.
A grizzled man wisped by her eyes. Then the fit ceased. He’d gone by fast enough that La’Rita hadn’t a chance to notice his features. Only his dark skin. She squinted her eyes, spotting the faintest aura in the air. A man with a fine mustache. La’Rita’s head throbbed as if a miner were taking a pick to it. The room shook. Was it her moving or the room?
Her gaze met the phantasmal man’s wretched eyes. The ghostly image made La’Rita sick to her stomach. Utter evil oozed out of this simple-looking man. Too much to bear. Her eyes rolled back. Darkness descended.AUTHOR Bio and Links:Lane earned a BA in Liberal Arts with a focus on literature and history. He also holds a double minor in psychology and business. He is a literary assistant with The Seymour Agency, and also has several short stories. He is a member of the Horror Writers Association, Historical Novel Society, and International Thriller Writers.
Links:
Website (www.laneheymont.com) Twitter: @LaneHeymont ( https://twitter.com/LaneHeymont ) Facebook:www.Facebook/Lheymont Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/The-Freedman-Pharaohs-Staff-ebook/dp/B00BH4RDX0 B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-f... Sunbury Press, Inc.: http://www.sunburypressstore.com/The-Freedman-and-the-Pharaohs-Staff-9781620061626.htmLane will be awarding a $25 Amazon Gift Card to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour.
The tour dates can be found here:   http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2013/11/super-book-blast-freedman-and-pharoahs.html

Wake up...It's Monday

How was your weekend? Great I hope. I got to see the Grands.
And Chris Pine.

I thought the movie was great. Did you see it? What did you think?
And...I got an unexpected package from CJ. Thank you, CJ. What a fun surprise. If you haven't been to CJ's blog, I recommend stopping by. Here's the addie:http://ponyexpressgraphics.blogspot.com/
I'm afraid I'm going to be an absentee blogger again. Karma has bitten me on the hinnie. You know those senior jokes I've been posting? The joke's on me. I have to have cataract surgery this week. From here on out, I'm only going to blog about best selling authors and the rich and famous.
I've also got three books that need revised/edited. And hopefully, next week I'll be visiting the Grands, so other than a planned VBT, it will probably be a week or two before I get back.
I'll be thinking about you and return as soon as I can. In the meantime, be productive and have fun:)

It's Friday

Enjoy the weekend, sleep in.

'Blonde' Commercials

So who's really 'blonde'? The girl above or the guy below?

VBT: Soul Slam

BLURB: A sixteen-year-old on her first heist to steal an ancient Egyptian amulet inadvertently receives the soul of King Tut…and the deadly curse that comes with it.             And Olivia is not alone at the museum.             A member of a secret Society, Xander believes it is his place to inherit King Tut’s soul and justly rule. He knows nothing about the society’s evil plan to control the world or the curse. Now, he must deal with the female imposter who stole the amulet.
Xander convinces Olivia they must form a temporary partnership. The two teens develop a connection, and together they must figure out how to end the curse before it turns deadly. On the run, unable to touch because of the curse, and dealing with a male soul inside her female body, Olivia must learn to trust Xander.
As the mystery surrounding the amulet unfolds, Olivia and Xander start to fall for each other. But is love enough to save them and the world from destruction? Crawling ninja-style out of the sarcophagus, my black gym shoes hit the ground without a sound. But inside, a screech built up in my lungs and released on a heavy exhale, the scream so loud it sounded like an alarm. “Aiyeeeeee!”
Xander and the old man froze.
I lunged at the case, swooped in, and grabbed the amulet.
A jolt rocked my body. Pain rocketed up my spine, but I held tight to the prize. Clutching the piece in both hands, I hit the concrete floor like a football player making a catch, and kept rolling.
“A girl.” Xander’s surprised voice rose on a high note. “What the…Tut.”
“Grab her!” The old man spoke in English.
“Touch her?” Xander sounded horrified like I was the slime of the world. “I can’t.”
“She’s got the amulet.”
I tried to get to my feet, but the pulsing inside threw me off balance. I crashed back onto the floor. Pain seared my fingers and heat rushed my veins.
My body jerked. My head spun.
Something slammed into me from the inside, like it was in my body trying to get out. Back and forth I jerked. A powerful energy thumped from my ribcage to my stomach and back again.
I trembled from head to foot. My vision blurred. Images swam before my eyes—a blue river, golden statues, Egyptian pyramids, deceit, and death.
“What’s going on?” The sound coming out of my mouth warbled. “Am I dying?”
This felt worse than the time I had pneumonia with no medicine, or the time I broke my arm and Fitch duct taped it…
Fogginess seeped into my consciousness. If I blacked-out they’d steal the amulet, leave me to be caught, to go to prison, to face Fitch’s wrath.
Whatever was inside me ignited like a nuclear bomb. My skin could no longer contain my insides. I’d explode into tiny pieces and scatter across the museum floor.
“It’s happening… To. Her.” Jeb’s voice was faint as if coming from a distance, but I saw his shoes through squinted eyelids.
“But it’s my right. My inheritance.” Xander stomped his sandaled foot near my head. “My destiny.”
“It’s too late.” Jeb’s voice curled like a sneer with extra hatred. “The transfer has occurred. This stupid girl is now in possession of King Tutankhamun’s soul.” AUTHOR Bio and Links: Allie Burton
Allie didn’t realize having so many jobs would become great research material for the stories she writes. She has been everything from a fitting room attendant to a bike police officer to a professional mascot escort. She has lived on three continents and in four states and has studied art, fashion design, marine biology, and advertising.
When her kids asked, “when are you going to write a story we can read?” she switched from adult novels to Young Adult and Middle Grade and hasn’t looked back.
Allie is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators, Romance Writers of America including the Young Adult, Dallas Area Romance Writers and Heart of the Rockies chapters. She is also a member of Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers. Currently, she lives in Colorado with her husband and two children.
www.allieburton.com www.twitter.com/Allie_Burton www.Facebook.com/AllieBurtonAuthor www.wattpad.com/AllieBurton
One randomly chosen commenter will win a $50 Amazon/BN.com gift card. http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/28e43452/ The tour dates can be found here:  http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2013/11/virtual-book-tour-soul-slam-by-allie.html
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HCQBQUI
Kobo: http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Soul-Slam/book-s_pWl8qAIUuFWSjFaG6mXg/page1.html?s=VzflmJB4FUyO957UxPW_6g&r=1
Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/soul-slam-allie-burton/1117717046?ean=2940149054824

Senior Humor

I feel like my body has gotten totally out of shape,so I got my doctor's
permission to join a fitness club and start exercising.
I decided to take an aerobics class for seniors.
I bent, twisted, gyrated, jumped up and down, and perspired for an hour.
But, by the time I got my leotards on,the class was over.

To Drink Or Not To Drink...Diet Soda

So what's your take on all the hoopla surrounding diet sodas?
Reports are saying:
It may lead to kidney problems
It may put you at risk for heart disease
It may lead to obesity
It may damage DNA
It may rot your teeth
And then there's the can itself. It's coated with endocrine disruptor bisphenol. Whatever the heck that is. It's supposed to be full of all kinds of bad juju, that can cause reproductive problems, obesity and heart issues.

What's your thoughts on this? I drink two cans of diet a day and it would be hard to give up. The only thing I can say with any certainty, if it caused obesity I would have put on the pounds years ago.