Charissa Weaks's Blog, page 4
March 18, 2019
Welcome to The Quill
I have had my old website/blog for almost a decade. It was time for a change. I hope you'll visit again to see what's happening in my little writing world. I do plan to re-post my most frequented blog posts as well.
January 3, 2019
The Fit Life: A Guide For Writers
Years ago, I did fitness for a living. I was a certified personal trainer and reflexologist. I lived in the gym 10-14 hours a day. That life helped me rebound from three childbirths, one of which happened 14 months after another. I was strong, flexible, and had tons of endurance.
And I took it for granted.
Eventually, I accepted an office management job at a physical therapy clinic. After that, I came home to care for my busy children, caregive for my aging parents, and tend to my passion: to write fiction full time. For the last couple of years, I’ve found myself sitting more than ever before, glued to my laptop. I’ve also developed terrible lower back/hip problems, struggled with maintaining a healthy weight, and lost most of my flexibility. The thing is, I know so many writers in this same situation. It’s too easy to get so focused on our career that we forget to also care for our physical health and conditioning so that we can keep that career.
It’s been a while, but I’m digging back into the recesses of my knowledge to hopefully help not only myself but others as well. I’ve decided to treat myself like I would’ve treated a former client: with tough love, support, and encouragement.
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Here’s a list of things I would’ve talked about if someone in my situation (a writer or person with a sedentary job) would’ve walked through the gym door 15 years ago.
I would’ve warned that sitting is deadly. It increases your risk of heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, dementia, blood clots, obesity, back problems, muscle loss, and stroke.
I would’ve explained that it’s hard to battle the negative effects of sitting. Even if you exercise 30-60 minutes a day, that work can be undone by sitting all day. The legs and glutes become inactive and receive less blood flow, and important postural and stabilization muscles shorten and tighten. Over time, this has a detrimental effect on hip and pelvic stabilization (something I’m suffering with now), the strength of your core will decrease, and the gluteal muscles will lengthen, which leads to ‘butt amnesia.’ Your glutes simply fail to activate as they should, which causes overcompensation by other muscles. This is not good.
I would’ve pulled out the tough love: You can pay for this lifestyle with pain, misery, and maybe even surgeries, or you can make an effort to interrupt the damage. The choice is yours.
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How to Interrupt the Damaging Effects of Sitting
The best way to interrupt the damage of sitting is to stand and move! This is easier said than done, but here’s a few solutions.
Try a standing desk. I’ve avoided the standing desk like the plague, because who wants to stand for hours? This has been my mentality, and I’m having to adjust that attitude unless I want to end up having hip surgery before I’m 50.
My Fix: I bought an adjustable elevated desk from Amazon to try out. It’s under $50. I wasn’t sure if I’d actually use it, so I didn’t want to invest hundreds of dollars yet. There are so many kinds of standing desks. There are even desks for treadmills–which boggles my mind. I would hurt myself! But, we’re all different. Find what works for you. I’m starting slowly, easing myself into standing for longer periods. Right now, for January, I’m doing two 30 minute to an hour sessions between 9am and 4pm, and I’m so surprised that I LOVE standing. I set a timer on my phone and go. I’m also standing while I eat my lunch. That’s an extra couple hours of standing every day that I didn’t do before. ***I AM going to upgrade my setup. The elevated desk I mention is fine and serves several uses, but I’m 6’1″, so even though my arms are at the right angle, my head is down too far. I’m looking at a larger platform so my iMac can sit in front of me to prevent any neck issues. I’m also ordering the anti-fatigue mat listed further down in this post.
Get moving! Make an effort to not sit for longer than an hour or hour and a half at most at a time. This one is tough for me. I get focused and time flies.
My fix: I have two. 1) I set an alarm on my phone and 2) I’m incorporating two 15-20 minute walks into my day. In the morning, I deal with my planner, my to-do list, replying to emails, breakfast, cleaning, dogs, social media, etc. My writing day typically begins by 9am and ends around 4 or 4:30. I’m bad about cooking dinner at that time, then getting back to work (sitting), but I’m working on making myself honor a quitting time. My alarms are set for: 10am–I drink a bottle of water, march in place, and do some stretches to get the blood flowing. Then I’m standing and working until I feel the need to sit, usually after 45 minutes. Another break happens at 11:30. At this time, I eat lunch and do my first walk, so I’m moving or on my feet for a solid 40 minutes at least. My third break is at 2. I go for walk #2 and get more water or a protein drink. ***I‘m noticing that this helps with productivity in my writing life too, because the structured time prevents me from slacking. After that, I stand and work until I begin to feel it in my back, because I do have SI Joint pain and problems right now. Then I sit with a lumbar pillow behind me for the rest of the work day.
Know what ails you. If you’re having physical problems from sitting, see a doctor. Find out what’s going on and ask for a plan to correct the issue. I know that I have a lot of instability happening in my sacroiliac joints. I know my back–all of it– is weak. I know my hip flexors are shortened and need stretched. I know my glutes and quads need attention and strengthening. Make an effort to get to the root of the problem and get a plan together, because you can exacerbate matters if you do the wrong things.
Take it slowly. There’s no need to go crazy. It takes time to undo years of sitting or bad posture. Don’t commit to more than your body or your commitment can handle. Gradually increasing standing and moving time, and doing it in smaller bouts at first, is best.
Lose weight. If you’ve put on some pounds, getting up more will help with your metabolism. But shedding some pounds will also help. It’s tough work for a body to carry around extra weight.
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Items You Might Find of Use
An ergonomic chair. Ton of options out there. I have this chair from Gaiam. It works, but you can also use a big stability ball. This will help engage your core. My goal in January is to do a variety of things: Using this chair, standing, and possibly a kneeling chair as seen below. Anything to get my butt out of the recliner that has destroyed my back.
[image error]Gaiam Balance Ball Chair
An elevated desk. This is an affordable option in case you’re not quite sold on standing desks.
[image error]Adjustable Laptop Table/Standing Desk
A Kneeling Chair: This would be handy to add to a range of positioning through the day.
[image error]Kneeling Chair
An ergonomic anti-fatigue standing mat: This is on my next Amazon order.
[image error]Anti-Fatigue Standing Mat
A good yoga mat and foam roller set. Once you get the okay from a physician, learn how to use a foam roller. I have a deep tissue roller, and though it’s not the easiest thing to do, it works to loosen tight muscles. I also advise, if your doc sends you to physical therapy for an evaluation, to GO. Learn the exercises and stick with them. Core exercises are everything, and I don’t mean sit-ups and crunches. The core is the basis of our stabilization. Without it, we buckle.
[image error]Foam Roller
If you have any questions or comments, feel free to chat with me! I’ll do my best to point you in the right direction.
Happy New Year, and Happy Health!
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December 21, 2018
Welcome to the Longest Night
I’m so happy this book is out in the world. My story, Silver Heart, a historical fantasy romance, is included. It’s about 60 pages long, so almost a novella. Here’s the book description and individual novelette blurbs.
The longest night. A vampire’s delight.
The winter solstice, a time of birth and rebirth, life and death, waning light and rising darkness. A time when those who flee the sun and crave the taste of blood find their greatest solace.
But one never knows what the longest night might hold.
Once Upon the Longest Night, a collection of adult paranormal romances, features eight novelettes of lovers and their battles against one of the greatest legends of our time: the vampire. A 15th-century seaman and the love of his life come face to face with a vengeful manjasang. In ancient Rome, a hunted priestess captured by a loyal centurion offers her aid to the enemy. With the help of a handsome Royal courier, a reluctant Romanian princess braves the curse flowing within her noble blood. Danger awaits when a vampire in the far reaches of North Dakota must endure the lethal cold to protect the woman she loves. And in a future New York, a broken general returns home for the Longest Night Ball where he meets a young male witch who might change his life forever.
This anthology combines vampire mythos and affairs of the heart with the sacred symbolism and magic of the winter season.
Sit back and let us tell you a tale. Welcome to the Longest Night.
Memories of Stone
by Elizabeth Vaughan:
Ercula is weary, tired of fleeing, considered a monster by the Romans. But the Solstice is sacred to her goddess, and she will worship at the forgotten shrine, whatever the risk. The centurion who captures her has other plans.
Silver Heart by Charissa Weaks:
15th Century Italy.
After a decade at sea and with an inheritance in hand, Cristiano Del Valle returns to his childhood home of Venezia in search of a new beginning. What he finds on the longest night is an ancient enemy who not only threatens the life he’s long desired but the love he thought he’d lost.
The Lobster Trick by Dan Stout:
Jacqueline doesn’t mind her job as an overnight security guard. After all, what’s the worst that could happen at a blood bank? But when an armed group invades the building, Jacqueline is forced into action to save a handsome lab tech… and discovers that his shy smile might hide a shocking secret.
Her Blood to Bind by Alice Black:
To escape the vampire who made her, a former dominatrix takes a job in Costa Rica as an English tutor to the children of a wealthy widower. What she discovers is that her new employer is just as dangerous as her pursuer…and twice as tempting.
Blooded
by Linda Robertson:
Miriana Jorgeta rejoiced when her distant and cruel mother, the Queen, sent her away from Romania to attend a girl’s school in England. For years, she lived a life so perfect she almost forgot about the duties of her heritage. But curses rarely remain hidden, and soon, with the help of her mother’s royal courier, Miriana must face the truth about what really lurks in her blood.
His Last Battle by Sara Dobie Bauer:
Suffering from PTSD, vampire general Devlin Frost returns home from the war on Lycans and attends the historic Longest Night Ball. Here, royal witch Elijah Crow must choose three immortal suitors to compete for his love and power. When Devlin is shockingly chosen as one of the three, his immediate attraction to the young witch coaxes him into entering the fray, but this battle is for more than Elijah’s love. The broken general might also win back his ruined heart and bruised soul–if he survives the night.
A Breath Between by Jodi Henry:
After a century of killing her own kind, Arianna Guerri retired to a place no other vampire dare go. In the deadly cold of North Dakota, she built a life for herself and fell, secretly, in love with her best and only friend, Lila Ward. When someone from her past burns her small town, Arianna must face the mistakes of her past –and her feelings–if she hopes to survive the longest night.
One Night In December by Melinda S. Collins:
NYC artist, Micah Price, never believed in vampires or immortality. But after a year of researching Daniel Savoy, her family’s enigmatic annual houseguest and the only man she’s ever loved, the options surrounding the truth of his past are slim at best. When a bloody Daniel arrives on Micah’s doorstep, she refuses to leave any stone of the mystery unturned. But accepting that vampires exist is the least of her worries. Because sometimes it’s not the monsters we should fear. It’s what hunts them.
Where can you find Once Upon the Longest Night?
Amazon|Barnes and Noble|Kobo
**paperback arrives in February
Thanks!
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September 27, 2018
Once Upon the Longest Night Cover Reveal
Hey all!
A little news! I have a novelette coming soon! It will be published in Once Upon the Longest Night, a collection of romantic paranormal stories put out by Once Upon Anthologies. We were fortunate to have an exclusive cover reveal yesterday (9.26.18) on the USA Today HEA blog. If you’re interested in a free e-ARC, click through to their post. This is the only place you can sign up for the e-ARC’s, which will be delivered to your inbox in November. You can also add us to your Goodreads lists here.
Here’s the back cover copy:
The longest night. A vampire’s delight.
The winter solstice, a time of birth and rebirth, life and death, waning light and rising darkness. A time when those who flee the sun and crave the taste of blood find their greatest solace.
But one never knows what the longest night might hold.
Once Upon the Longest Night, a collection of adult paranormal romances, features nine novelettes of lovers and their battles against one of the greatest legends of our time: the vampire. A 15th-century seaman and the love of his life come face to face with a vengeful manjasang. In ancient Rome, a hunted priestess captured by a loyal centurion offers her aid to the enemy. With the help of a handsome Royal courier, a reluctant Romanian princess braves the curse flowing within her noble blood. Danger awaits when a vampire in the far reaches of North Dakota must endure the lethal cold to protect the woman she loves. And in a future New York, a broken general returns home for the Longest Night Ball where he meets a young male witch who might change his life forever.
This anthology combines vampire mythos and affairs of the heart with the sacred symbolism and magic of the winter season.
Sit back and let us tell you a tale. Welcome to the Longest Night.
And here are the story blurbs:
Memories of Stone by Elizabeth Vaughan: Ercula is weary, tired of fleeing, considered a monster by the Romans. But the Solstice is sacred to her goddess and she will worship at the forgotten shrine, whatever the risk.
The centurion who captures her has other plans.
The Lobster Trick by Dan Stout: Jacqueline doesn’t mind her job as an overnight security guard. After all, what’s the worst that could happen at a blood bank? But when an armed group invades the building, Jacqueline is forced into action to save a handsome lab tech… and discovers that his shy smile might hide a shocking secret.
Blooded by Linda Robertson: Miriana Jorgeta rejoiced when her distant and cruel mother, the Queen, sent her away from Romania to attend a girl’s school in England. For years, she lived a life so perfect she almost forgot about the duties of her heritage. But curses rarely remain hidden, and soon, with the help of her mother’s royal courier, Miriana must face the truth about what really lurks in her blood.
His Last Battle by Sara Dobie Bauer: Suffering from PTSD, vampire general Devlin Frost returns home from the war on Lycans and attends the historic Longest Night Ball. Here, royal witch Elijah Crow must choose three immortal suitors to compete for his love and power. When Devlin is shockingly chosen as one of the three, his immediate attraction to the young witch coaxes him into entering the fray, but this battle is for more than Elijah’s love. The broken general might also win back his ruined heart and bruised soul—if he survives the night.
Silver Heart by Charissa Weaks: 15th Century Italy. After a decade at sea and with an inheritance in hand, Cristiano Del Valle returns to his childhood home of Venezia in search of a new beginning. What he finds on the longest night is an ancient enemy who not only threatens the life he’s long desired but the love he thought he’d lost.
Her Blood to Bind by Alice Black: To escape the vampire who made her, a former dominatrix takes a job in Costa Rica as an English tutor to the children of a wealthy widower. What she discovers is that her new employer is just as dangerous as her pursuer…and twice as tempting.
Walk with Me by Jodi Henry: After a century of killing her own kind, Arianna Guerri retired to a place no other vampire dare go. In the deadly cold of North Dakota, she built a life for herself, and fell, secretly, in love with her best and only friend. When someone burns the small town,
Arianna must face the mistakes of her past—and her feelings—if she hopes to survive the
longest night.
Love on the Longest Night by Sybil Ward: Neenah and Robert are searching for true love in the same place for drastically different reasons. Can they find love together on the longest night when they’re trapped by the century’s worst blizzard and one of them is a 300-year-old vampire?
One Night In December by Melinda S. Collins: NYC artist, Micah Price, never believed in vampires or immortality. But after a year of researching Daniel Savoy, her family’s enigmatic annual houseguest and the only man she’s ever loved, the options surrounding the truth of his past are slim at best. When a bloody Daniel arrives on Micah’s doorstep, she refuses to leave any stone of the mystery unturned. But accepting that vampires exist is the least of her worries. Because sometimes it’s not the monsters we should fear. It’s what hunts them.
COOL, HUH? I’ll be sharing an excerpt from Silver Heart next month, plus some other news!
Thanks for visiting!
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July 30, 2018
Organize Your Life: The Rolling Task Method
Hey all! It’s been a while! First and foremost, I hope everyone is having a great year. Some cool things have happened since I last blogged, so here’s a quick breakdown before we get to the main topic:
I entered a short story contest and won. The story is titled Haven and was published in an anthology by 13Thirty Books in May as a commission by Romantic Times Book Reviews. I plan to flesh out the story since the word limit was 5K, then put it on Amazon for FREE. This is a good way to let readers taste my writing.
I attended the Romance Times Booklover’s Convention in Reno, Nevada and SIGNED BOOKS, y’all. It was a blast.
I am in the process of creating my own publishing company, Ink House Books. Why? (See # 4)
I created an anthology imprint. *dances* It’s called Once Upon Anthologies, a collection of romantic paranormal/urban fantasy short stories and mythological/fairytale retellings. Our first release is planned for December 21, 2018. We’re holding a Kickstarter in October. Exciting!
The novel I’ve been working on (for 100 years), The Traveler, is finally nearing its last days before I send it to Query Land. I need a few more months, but the time is nigh. I’m also planning books two and three in The Traveler trilogy and hoping publishers will want a series because I’m in love with this world and characters. 2019 will be interesting.
The Traveler made the finals in two contests recently: The Golden Rose, held by the Rose City Romance Writers and The Orange Rose, held by the Orange County Chapter of Romance Writers of America.
To keep up with all the writing happenings, join my newsletter. It goes out once a month.
Now to the reason you stopped by!
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For the better part of this year, I didn’t know this method existed. And while I was fairly productive, I now realize how much more I could have achieved had this technique been in my wheelhouse. So what exactly is it?
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I’ve tried multiple planning methods, from a vast collection of planners to wall calendars to the sticker method–and each offers its own benefits and values. For instance, when drafting, the star method works great for me. I can see my progress at a glance.
But my writing life took a turn this year. I finally feel like I’m crossing into the scary world of ‘working author.’ I have a business, and that business is me.
That realization was a little daunting at first, but the fact that many of my friends were in the same boat and handling ‘writer life’ quite well helped me see that I could do it, too. I just needed a foothold, especially before things got any crazier.
*Disclaimer: This won’t work for everyone, as nothing is really one size fits all. But like anything else, trial and error can help you figure out what does work.
It took a hot minute for me to find the rolling task method. First, I tried the ToDoist App, which may work wonderfully for some people, especially those who prefer digital over print. I loved it at first–so much. I am a list maker by nature. Yet I’ve never applied daily list-making to my writing life. It felt like I didn’t need to. Most days were the same–butt in chair, hands on keyboard.
That’s not the case anymore.
While writing and revising will always be a top priority, I’m now seeing all the other responsibilities that come with being a published author. If you’re self-publishing, your job entails some extra craziness, but all in all–writers are business owners. And businesses do not function well without organization.
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Currently, I’m revising a novel, plotting and writing the synopses for two more, drafting a paranormal romance, working on a short story for the OU anthology, learning about running my own imprint and all things self-publishing, planning a launch campaign–including social media ad campaigns and a blog ‘tour’ for the OU anthology, critiquing and editing short stories, planning a Kickstarter, and I manage social media profiles for myself, Once Upon Anthologies, and my local RWA chapter for which I am President-Elect and PRO Liaison. Oh, and I’m a mom, wife, daughter–I still have all my normal life duties–and I have to travel pretty often. It’s a lot to juggle.
But I recently ordered a new planner. RWA set up a demo room where you could look through several planners to see which you might prefer. The last thing I needed was another planner. The ToDoist app had been working decently for me, but it was nothing life-changing. Still, I saw the Plot Your Work planner created by author CJ Ellisson and had to have one. Funny thing: My critique partner texted me about this planner literally hours before I walked into the demo room and saw it laying on the table. Kismet, right?
So, the planner arrived and holy crap–it was intimidating. Still, I sat down and began, determined to get a grip on things before the next six months ate me alive.
And guys, one particular element made something click in my brain. It was a quarterly goal sheet with a project and task breakdown. I dumped every writerly thing in my brain onto these pages. Behold:
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Here’s a fact:
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Upon writing down my goals, projects, deadlines, and tasks, everything changed.
I instantly felt lighter. That might sound ridiculous, but it’s true. Author and planner extraordinaire Sarra Cannon (visit her helpful site, Heart Breathings) taught a workshop at the RWA Conference and mentioned this very thing. It was so relieving to get the crowded cloud of “to-do’s” out of my head and on paper.
I instantly felt less intimidated. I could see my timeline, and while still ambitious, it seemed far more doable. Sarra Cannon also mentioned how she uses a Kanban board to organize her tasks weekly by level of importance. And now I get it. The stirring panic inside me about the next six months subsided simply because I realized I was worried about things that didn’t even fall into the first quarter for me, which spans from August to October. I was worried about doing things I didn’t need to put on my task list until November or December.
I instantly felt motivated. I COULD DO THIS. For a change, my mentality was not poisoned by feelings of destined defeat. My goals now looked like a landscape of small hills versus one gargantuan mountain. Does that make sense? My goals went from intimidating to doable. Simple as that.
I soon felt confidence and pride. When you begin accumulating completed task lists, you also accumulate positive feelings about your goals and yourself. Instead of negative self-talk–I can’t do this, I’ll never make it, I’m not cut out for this, this is just too much–you begin feeding your mind a healthy dose of positive feedback in the form of tangible successes. It’s amazing for the soul. I can’t recommend enough that you try a quarterly plan like the one above FIRST, then move on to your dailies.
But there’s a catch!
You can’t over plan. (Don’t under plan either, though, haha.) It’s best to make goals, deadlines, and tasks reasonable. That seems obvious, but for overachievers, it’s often tough to bring lofty goals down to earth. If someone has never written 5K a day every day for spans of time, they probably won’t do it simply because its suddenly written on a list. We know ourselves. We know what REAL time we have to devote to our goals. The trick is learning how to make that time sacred, how to maximize productivity by prioritizing tasks, and how to be okay with not being superhuman.
What does my rolling task list look like?
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It’s nothing spectacular. Only it is. But it’s not complex. I used an old To-Do List notepad I had. My handwriting isn’t even neat. It doesn’t have to be Washi taped and brush lettered with watercolor pens to be efficient.
I don’t list my daily tasks by priority. I am a full-time writer. This gives me flexibility others may not have. I mentally shuffle things around by importance but I don’t need everything to be in order on the paper every morning. Mainly because my tasks are already prioritized by project deadlines on my quarterly planner. I just need to start knocking them down one at a time. I pull from that quarterly sheet for my daily lists. However, you do you. If you need daily tasks listed by order of importance, do it.
Here’s the biggie! Roll your incompleted tasks to the next day. The first thing I do when I jot down the next day’s list at night is roll anything I didn’t finish to the new list. As you can see, vacuuming (even though I have three dogs) was not at the top of my priorities on the 26th. Neither was researching press release items for the anthology. I know my deadline on that, and while it’s a pressing task on the horizon, it’s still on the horizon. I knew it was something that could wait a few days thanks to that quarterly planner, and I needed some downtime. However, don’t procrastinate just to procrastinate. If you’re rolling several items often, it’s time to re-evaluate. Are you trying to do too much? Are you spending your available time–that sacred time you carved out somewhere in your week–on knocking tasks off your list? Or maybe life just got in the way. It happens. But if you find you’re rolling a lot and often, take a step back and figure out why.
I mix personal with business and writing. I looked on Amazon for To-Do list notepad ideas for this blog post and immediately knew why this particular setup works for me. Several lists have way too much going on. Like this one below. For me, this is too mentally distracting. I just need a simple checklist. I don’t list every single thing I need to do, but make sure to include the main items I don’t need to forget or push aside. Branded social media posts and dedicated posts to writer groups, for example, have become routine, so I don’t include those. They’re on automatic. At the end of the day, I’m left with a sense of accomplishment I otherwise might not have had, because seeing what I’ve done is encouraging. I tear off my completed lists and keep them in a folder.
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Another reason to love the rolling task method:
Rolling task lists are easy to manage. You can add to them, shift things around, and scratch things out that take care of themselves. They also keep you focused on the present rather than stressing about bigger beasts you can’t conquer all at once.
If you have any questions about this organizational technique, feel free to leave a comment and I will give you a shout back. If you try it, let me know!
Thanks for visiting!
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April 3, 2018
And the Winner of the March Giveaway is…
Thanks to everyone who entered! To be the first to hear about book and reader goodie giveaways,
be sure to sign up for my newsletter.
Join The Monthly CourantName *FirstLastEmail *WebsiteSubmit
Thanks Again
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March 21, 2018
Big Spring Giveaway
I’m Giving Away Books!
OKAY. So if there are any books I’ve been dying to get my hands on, it’s these two. Ever since reading Song of Achilles by Miller, I knew I had to have Circe, and from the moment I read the Tin Man blurb, I wanted it, too! I’m a big Litsy fan (if you’re not familiar, check it out. It’s Instagram for books!), and the reviews coming in for these novels have been outstanding. Circe releases April 10th and Tin Man releases May 15th. **These novels will be pre-ordered for the winner! Take your pick of hardcover or ebook.
Circe:
In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. But Circe is a strange child–not powerful, like her father, nor viciously alluring like her mother. Turning to the world of mortals for companionship, she discovers that she does possess power–the power of witchcraft, which can transform rivals into monsters and menace the gods themselves.
Threatened, Zeus banishes her to a deserted island, where she hones her occult craft, tames wild beasts and crosses paths with many of the most famous figures in all mythology, including the Minotaur, Daedalus and his doomed son Icarus, the murderous Medea, and, of course, wily Odysseus.
But there is danger, too, for a woman who stands alone, and Circe unwittingly draws the wrath of both men and gods, ultimately finding herself pitted against one of the most terrifying and vengeful of the Olympians. To protect what she loves most, Circe must summon all her strength and choose, once and for all, whether she belongs with the gods she is born from, or the mortals she has come to love.
With unforgettably vivid characters, mesmerizing language and page-turning suspense, Circe is a triumph of storytelling, an intoxicating epic of family rivalry, palace intrigue, love and loss, as well as a celebration of indomitable female strength in a man’s world.
Tin Man: This is almost a love story.
Ellis and Michael are twelve when they first become friends, and for a long time, it is just the two of them, cycling the streets of Oxford, teaching themselves how to swim, discovering poetry, and dodging the fists of overbearing fathers. And then one day this closest of friendships grows into something more.
But then we fast forward a decade or so, to find that Ellis is married to Annie, and Michael is nowhere in sight. Which leads to the question, what happened in the years between?
This is almost a love story. But it’s not as simple as that.
I hope you’re excited about these stories! Click below to send me your name and email addy in case you win. I will draw a random winner on March 31st and notify them. Thanks for stopping by 
February 14, 2018
Valentine’s Day Giveaway
Hi all!It’s Valentine’s Day! My favorite holiday. That being said, I decided to do a little romance novel giveaway for newsletter subscribers only. Note: This isn’t the book giveaway I mentioned in the last newsletter. That’s still happening next month.
This is me being random, which will probably happen often.
I haven’t read this book, but I’m buying myself a copy to read this year. Here’s the blurb:
A groomsman and his last-min ute guest are about to discover if a fake date can go the distance in a fun and flirty debut novel.
Agreeing to go to a wedding with a guy she gets stuck with in an elevator is something Alexa Monroe wouldn’t normally do. But there’s something about Drew Nichols that’s too hard to resist.
On the eve of his ex’s wedding festivities, Drew is minus a plus one. Until a power outage strands him with the perfect candidate for a fake girlfriend…
After Alexa and Drew have more fun than they ever thought possible, Drew has to fly back to Los Angeles and his job as a pediatric surgeon, and Alexa heads home to Berkeley, where she’s the mayor’s chief of staff. Too bad they can’t stop thinking about the other…
They’re just two high-powered professionals on a collision course toward the long distance dating disaster of the century–or closing the gap between what they think they need and what they truly want…
So how do you enter to win this pretty book?
Subscribe to my newsletter, The Monthly Courant (see sidebar).
Comment on this post about Valentine’s Day
January 13, 2018
Subscribe to my Newsletter!
Hey guys!
I have created a newsletter! I say that with enthusiasm because I am not always the most tech savvy, but I DID IT. The Monthly Courant will contain lots of goodies.
1) An interesting or little known historical tidbit
2) Updates on my writing and publishing journey
3) News about my travels
4) Freebies for writers, like awesome plotting worksheets, etc.
5) Freebies for readers: If you sign up now, you’ll get to read a couple samples of my current works in progress.
6) Book Giveaways. I plan to do the giveaways every quarter, so March will be my first giveaway month.
7) Book recommendations
I promise not to spam you. I’ll send out ONE email per month unless something amazing happens.
You can sign up here:
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Thanks for your support!
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January 1, 2018
Happy New Year!
Hi all!
If you can’t tell, I upgraded my site a bit for the new year. Excuse any blunders while I work out the kinks. My hope is to bring readers a newsletter containing goodies like giveaways and free short stories as well as provide info for writers on the writing/query/publication process. My novel, The Traveler (current title), has been in the works for a few years now. After an obscene amount of hard work and research, I’m *this* close to having a final product to send to agents. Historical fantasy across eight time periods is hard, yo. I’m also writing short stories and submitting them to different publications/contests in 2018, so I’ll definitely update everyone on that endeavor as well.
If you’re still following this blog after my year-long hiatus, I LOVE YOU. If you’re new, I LOVE YOU, TOO. I appreciate you being here.
Stay tuned! Next week I’ll be posting my Top Ten Books for 2018, along with a Top Five from 2017.
Again, thanks for visiting!!
From the bottom of my dark little heart,
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