C. Lee McKenzie's Blog, page 13

La Fin et Le Tigre

So this is the last week of February and the last week I’ll be posting the WORDS FOR WEDNESDAY. This has been fun, and I hope some of you have enjoyed the stories–reading them or writing them. These are my last two lists for the month of love. Have at it.

In case you’re new, here’s what Elephant’s Child writes to explain the meme: “Essentially the aim is to encourage us to write.  Each week we are given a choice of prompts: which can be words, phrases, music, or an image.  What we do with those prompts is up to us:  a short story, prose, a song, or a poem… We can use some or all of the prompts, and mixing and matching are encouraged.”

enchantedchampagnelavishcaviarscurryingcandlelightbouquetheartshapedsmashfleeanywayexcitement Image credit  Ian-Robinson  on  Wunderstock  (license)

It seems that not only is February my birthday month, but 2022 is my year as well. Yes, I am a Tiger…Whoopty do! I thought that was just wonderful, but when I looked into the characteristics of people born in this year, I discovered there may be some drawbacks. While we all love to hear how great we are if we’re Aquarians or Capricorns–Tigers or Pigs, we should heed what our other, perhaps more objective, characteristics are. Since I’m into creating tables this month, I thought I’d list my positive and negative personality features, so if we ever meet, you’ll know how to deal with me.

The Great TigerThe Not So Great Tigercompetitive impetuousindependentirritableconfidentoverindulgentbravegiven to depression

Quote of the Week: “The good news is that she is one of the nicest people in the universe. The bad news is, that’s because she always does exactly what she pleases. An Aquarius female is rebellious, headstrong, and contrary. She can be selfishly independent and exasperating, especially when she is running through the house screaming, “freedom!”
― Hazel Dixon-Cooper, Born on a Rotten Day

Another Wordy Wednesday

This month I wanted to do something a little different, so I offered to come up with Words For Wednesday, and I’ve enjoyed the new visitors and their creative stories. I hope my regulars will find this a fun departure. Some have already jumped in and written some short, shorts using the prompts. They’ve all been fun to read. So here we go again.

Here’s what Elephant’s Child writes to explain the meme: “Essentially the aim is to encourage us to write.  Each week we are given a choice of prompts: which can be words, phrases, music, or an image.  What we do with those prompts is up to us:  a short story, prose, a song, or a poem… We can use some or all of the prompts, and mixing and matching is encouraged.” Ready. Set. Go!

SweetheartMarriedSuccotashLatelySemi-stableDietSolaceDeniedSingularlySquashSolutionUrban AMAZON . B&N . SMASHWORDS . EVERNIGHT TEEN

I’ve been watching the Olympics, and as usual, am in awe of what athletes from around the world have achieved. When I came up with the idea for Shattered, it was during a winter Olympic season, and I started with a question. What if you’d trained most of your life for a chance to compete for the Gold, and then something happened that denied you your one opportunity?

There are so many ways this story could have played out, but I chose to write about a girl who must not only deal with a plan-altering event but also with a life-altering one. Fortunately for my heroine, she turned out to be one tough and resilient woman.

EXCERPT: Libby’s mom delivers the tragic news.

Mom swiped at both cheeks, then between tight lips, whispered, “Libby, you can’t ski in the games.”

I knew hearts didn’t stop beating until you died, yet I was certain mine had just stuttered to a halt. I couldn’t breathe. My lungs refused to expand. My throat went dry. I’d planned most of my life for this one year. I’d worked out, built my strength, gone to ski camps, kept at it until I’d made it through the selection process—until I’d almost made the US Olympic slalom team. I had my passport. I’d packed my bags weeks ago. Now, my mother was telling me I couldn’t do what I’d lived for all these years?

EXCERPT: Libby’s first lesson on an adaptive ski.

Mack stood behind me and pushed me across to where instructors were giving new skiers lessons on Franklin Hill.

The upside was that I wasn’t staring down a steep slope. The downside was that I wasn’t staring down a steep slope. I’d stopped skiing on Franklin Hill when I was eight.

“We start here, Libby, but I have a feeling we’re going to be moving on real quick all the way to Stover’s Mountain. You’ve got the skills, so I know you’re going to be one fast learner on this new equipment.”
I wished I felt as confident as he did.

Mack held onto the back of the ski and shoved off, skiing behind me. Panic fluttered inside my chest when I started down the gentle white hill. I’d done this before, but on two skis when I’d been a kid. My dad used to stand me between his knees and zig-zag all the way to the bottom. Now here I was back starting at stage one with someone showing me how to ski. I had to learn a whole new way of doing this. I was a beginner again.

Quote of the Week: “A writer gets to live yet another life every time he or she creates a new story.”
― Pawan Mishra

A Salute To The Short Story & Words for Wednesday!

What is my favorite short story?

While it was a hard choice, The Lottery won with A Rose For Emily a very close second. I suppose they both fall in “the best” short story category for me because they both employ one of my favorite strategies–a dawning sense of horror. Instead of clubbing you over the head with brutality, Shirley Jackson leads you like a lamb to the slaughter.

She sets the scene in the village with a description of a sunny June day–flowers, children, and their families gathering in the town square. There’s an anticipation of what’s to come, a celebration–a tradition the people inherited from so long again that the “box”– a central piece of the ceremony–was terribly shabby. The townsfolk couldn’t be folksier: Bobby Martin, Harry Jones, and Dickie Delacroix, Mr. Summers, “a round-faced, jovial man…” They all have a chance to win, and that’s what electrifies the entire village.

In about three thousand words, the fundamental irony and the subtle use of symbol create a story that you’ll never forget.

If you like short stories, you’ll find The Lottery a gripping one. If you’re thinking about writing them, then take a look at this help-filled book by Shannon Lawerence.

There’s never been a better time to get into short stories!
$3.99 for e-book | $13.99 for paperback
Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble  |  Smashwords

Blurb: Whether you’re looking to add short stories to your repertoire as a solo pursuit or in addition to novel writing, The Business of Short Stories covers every aspect from writing to marketing. Learn the dynamics of short story writing, where to focus your editing efforts, how and where to submit, how to handle acceptances and rejections, what to do with reprints, and how to market yourself and your stories online and in person. The information in The Business of Short Stories has been distilled from over a decade of short story publishing experience so you don’t have to learn the hard way. You’ll find information on submission formatting, cover letters, querying a collection, sending proposals to writing events, how to create a website, SEO, social media, and so much more. This is an invaluable resource for short story writers.

Shannon Lawrence has made a career of short stories, with over a decade of experience and more than fifty short stories published in magazines and anthologies. In addition, she’s released three horror short story collections with a mix of new and previously published stories. Her true-crime podcast Mysteries, Monsters, & Mayhem is going into its third season. 

My Website and Social Media

Website . Facebook . Twitter . Instagram . Book Bub . Goodreads . Amazon . Podcast Website

Here’s Words For Wednesday, Week Two!

I’m providing the prompts for this long-lived meme for February’s WORDS FOR WEDNESDAY. All the prompts will have something to do with LOVE, so I hope this will get and keep you into the spirit of St. Valentine’s month and that you’ll leave your story in a comment. If you don’t want to play, enjoy what others leave. It’s fun no matter how you play.

Here’s what Elephant’s Child writes to explain the meme: “Essentially the aim is to encourage us to write.  Each week we are given a choice of prompts: which can be words, phrases, music, or an image.  What we do with those prompts is up to us:  a short story, prose, a song, or a poem… We can use some or all of the prompts, and mixing and matching is encouraged.”

Choose either column one or column two, or if you’re really into this, write something using the words from both columns. Ready. Set. Write!

GiftYesterdaySurpriseLovelyStubbornSprinkledLaughterFebruaryGenerousHusband FlowersMarriage

Quote of the Week: “Write a short story every week. It’s not possible to write 52 bad short stories in a row.” Ray Bradbury

It’s Time To Write About Love On This First Wednesday

Elephant Child

This month is special to me for a lot of reasons: I met my husband in February. My birthday’s in February, and chocolate eating is encouraged in February. So to celebrate…I’m posting the prompts for February’s WORDS FOR WEDNESDAY. Of course, all the prompts will have something to do with LOVE, so I hope you’ll get into the spirit of St. Valentine’s month and leave your story in a comment. If you don’t want to play, enjoy what others leave. It’s fun no matter how you play.
Here’s what Elephant’s Child writes to explain the meme:

“Essentially the aim is to encourage us to write.  Each week we are given a choice of prompts: which can be words, phrases, music, or an image.  What we do with those prompts is up to us:  a short story, prose, a song, or a poem… We can use some or all of the prompts, and mixing and matching are encouraged.”

Choose either column one or column two, or if you’re really into this, write something using the words from both columns. Ready. Set. Go!

RealizeFlummoxed StickyDietChocolate-coveredStuffedWrappedInspectedDoorbellHeart-shapedDelightBox

Let me do a quick segue into another love-related topic–FOOD! But What Are They Eating? is hosting The Sign of the Green Dragon today with my post From Quesadillas to Bok Choi. Come see what my kids munch on during their adventure to find hidden treasure.

Join Us Now

Every month, we announce a question that members can answer in their IWSG posts. These questions may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experience, or a story. Include your answer to the question in your IWSG post or let it inspire your post if you are struggling with something to say. 

Remember, the question is optional!

Is there someone who supported or influenced you that perhaps isn’t around anymore? Anyone you miss?

The awesome co-hosts for the February 2 posting of the IWSG are Joylene Nowell Butler,Jacqui Murray,
Sandra Cox, and Lee Lowery!

My husband was my staunch supporter. He read what I wrote, and that alone was a huge deal because he was a non-fiction–technical manual–financial report kind of reader. When I needed to get to a book event anywhere in the world, he helped me with the details: flights, packing, presentations. Yes, he even listened to what I planned to deliver at conferences.

If I was up in one of my MOODS–“I can’t write…Why do I even think I’m a writer…”Nobody’s going to read this!–he was there to talk me down. I guess I don’t need to state it more clearly. I miss him and all that he did for me every day.

Quote of the Week: “You know you’re in love when you can’t fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams.”  Dr. Seuss

Did You Know This?

I love to read history, so when I came across a book that covered a lot of history about libraries–one of my favorite haunts–I had a few weeks of great reading. It was quite fittingly called The Library Book.

Librarians are as diverse as any population, and Charles Lummis (librarian of the early 1900s) brought some interesting ideas into the profession. They didn’t stick, so interesting can be read as unacceptable. He decided he would make sure the library patrons read only “healthy” material and created the “Literary Pure Food Act” to warn readers about certain books with dangerous content.

He despised pseudoscience books which I suppose we classify as Sci-Fi today, so they in particular were the target for his warning system. To his credit, he didn’t take these books off the shelves, but he had a blacksmith make a branding iron with a skull and crossbones, then branded the “distasteful” books on each frontispiece.

Ah, the good old days!

So who was Charles Lummis besides someone who thought it was his duty to protect the reading public from their own bad choices in books?

He was born in 1859, in Lynn, Massachusetts, and became a journalist, and used his pen to advocate for Indian rights and historic preservation. As a young man, he traveled throughout the Southwest, finally settling in Los Angeles. By the end of his life, he had been a historian, photographer, ethnographer, archaeologist, poet, and librarian.

And speaking of books…there’s a new one out February 1 from Dancing Lemur Press!

My Magic Summer
With the Moon Maidens
By Brian Carmody 
Print 9781939844804 $17.95
EBook 9781939844811 $4.99
Young Adult – Contemporary Fantasy/Coming of Age/Boys & Men

Who are these moon maidens?

Summer of ’94 and Connor Whelan is excited to spend the last three months before his senior year with his uncle in Texas. Aware this trip is due to his mom’s cancer treatments, he still hopes this will be a season of magic.

He gets his wish when he encounters three magical women one night. Claiming to be from the moon itself, bewitching Iluna, flighty Eiru, and motherly Cassiopeia are about to make Connor’s last summer of childhood one to remember.

However, his interest in local girl Laura puts him in hot water with her tough boyfriend. His fascination with Iluna also confuses him. Will the moon maidens’ lessons about joy, wonder, and hope get him through this crazy summer?

An award-winning screenwriter and author, Brian Carmody is a dreamer, a wisher, a hoper, a prayer, a pretender, and a magic bean buyer. He’s had moondreams from Texas to Virginia, and now California, where he has plenty of other flax-golden tales to spin by his fire. www.brianzwriter.com/

Links:
Dancing Lemur Press – http://www.dancinglemurpressllc.com/new-adult-young-adult 
Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0965XBJ7Y 
Barnes & Noble – https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/my-magic-summer-brian-carmody/1139629159?ean=9781939844804 
iTunes – https://books.apple.com/us/book/x/id1573280572 
Kobo – https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/Search?Query=9781939844811
Scribed – https://www.scribd.com/search?query=9781939844811&language=0 
Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58346132-my-magic-summer-with-the-moon-maidens 

Quote of the Week: “Censorship is to art as lynching is to justice.” Henry Louis Gates, Critic and Scholar

Secret Tributes

I love writing and sharing that experience with other people. And I love creating and receiving secret tributes from fellow writers when they publish. Unlike dedications, only the writer and the person being mentioned know about these gifts of gratitude.

So what am I talking about?

In my book, Not Guilty, I had a lot of favorite characters, but there was one named Buddy that was special. He was special because not only was he a fabulous dog, but a real one. Buddy had his own website with tales about his adventures with his favorite human, Mike. Mike posted from Buddy’s point of view a lot of the time, and his take on the world was heartwarming and funny.

I was so sad when Buddy died. I felt as if he and Mike were good friends of mine. I asked Mike if he would mind if I paid my own tribute to his beloved Canine Couch Potato, and he not only didn’t mind, he loved the idea.

The Real Buddy

Here’s a scene about Buddy from Not Guilty.

By nature, Buddy was a people-loving retriever-mix who had come to him by some unknown chain of dog owners. He had a long history of being in and out of the pound. On their first day at the beach together, Devon found out why. Buddy hated water. He even hated wet sand under his paws. It took a lot of convincing to get Buddy on the sand that first day. Then they’d no sooner settled on the blanket when Buddy let out a yelp and hightailed it back to the asphalt. His leash whipped behind. People jumped out of the frantic dog’s way. Devon didn’t catch him until they’d run the length of Sugar Cove. Over the next few years, Buddy finally agreed to walk on the dry sand, but he never became the beach buddy Devon had imagined. And Frisbees could sail overhead all day without a single blink. He was a failed retriever, but he wasn’t a failed friend.

AMAZON . SMASHWORDS . EVERNIGHT TEEN . KOBO . APPLE

As every writer knows, books come into the world in different ways, but one thing is for sure, they need early readers with keen editorial talent to help get through those drafts. I’ve been so lucky to have great critique partners over the years. A few have been with me since before publication. They’ve suffered through a lot of my bad writing. They’ve pushed me to do better each time I’ve crafted something, and they’ve always been there for me when I finally launched a book. They’ve also said “Thank You” by tucking me into their stories.

In Black Flowers White Lies, by Yvonne Ventresca, I’m Lee, the flower seller. I loved this walk-on role, and I loved the secrecy–kind of a Members Only exclusivity. Yvonne and I have been writing friends for years. I’ve always valued her help with my manuscripts.

Weekly Quote: “I think if I’ve learned anything about friendship, it’s to hang in, stay connected, fight for them, and let them fight for you. Don’t walk away, don’t be distracted, don’t be too busy or tired, don’t take them for granted. Friends are part of the glue that holds life and faith together. Powerful stuff.” Jon Katz, Author

Good News For Superman

One thing about taking a break from what you usually do daily is that your mind likes to take mini excursions into places it doesn’t often have time to visit. So while I was lolling around the house in December, it strangely and suddenly occurred to me that Superman was in deep trouble. He might still be leaping buildings in a single bound and peering through the walls of the bank vault with his electromagnetic spectrum vision, but where is he changing from Clark Kent into the super flying hero?

I haven’t seen a phonebooth outside of period movies in a decade.

Image credit:  tom_bullock  on  Wunderstock  (license)

I know. This sounds like the lead into a Jerry Seinfeld joke, but I couldn’t stop wondering. And then just last week, I discovered the answer. It’s what I call a Zoom Booth. Yes. It’s about the size of a phonebooth, but it’s soundproof and kind of sIeek with its metal and glass design. It appeared in my newly refurbished gym just when I was about to give up finding an answer to my question. What do you think? Is this the perfect 2022 replacement for Superman’s old changing room, or what?

Now, I admit that I haven’t seen the Superman & Lois series, so maybe the changing room issue has already been solved by the writers for that show. You can let me know, but if the writers haven’t come up with something as clever as the Zoom Booth, I feel I should let them know.

Now moving on to something totally unrelated, but important to me…

For those of you who follow me on Facebook, you’ll know that for two years I’ve been setting “virtual” destinations and walking to them. Walking every day for 3 or 4 miles (sometimes more on good days), was a substitute for not having access to my gym due to Covid.

Summit Loop, 2020

My first challenge in 2020 was from the San Jose area to LA and back. That was a total of 696 miles. When I started, it was more of a joke than anything because I really didn’t expect to even get out of the town limits, but I was surprised how daily walks (almost daily…I wasn’t that strict) added up.

John Nicoles Trail, Santa Cruz Mountains, 2020

In 2021 I did a couple of challenges one was to Yosemite and the next was to Lake Tahoe, which meant I had to include a lot of steep trails if I was going to be “semi-accurate” in my virtual journey. The total miles were only 330, so I added deadlines to each trek to make the challenge more exciting. I didn’t make my first deadline, but I did just make my second one.

Carmel Village Walk-2021

The benefits? I saw things on foot that I never saw from the window of my car. My calves became ready to take on just about any trail, and I gathered a rooting section along the way. One follower kept track of my mileage and my deadlines. That was really sweet.

Stanford University Walk, 2021

So now I’m back at my gym. Back at a full schedule of Yoga and cardio. I still want to walk, but I’m going to have to create a different walking schedule. I just can’t do those daily miles. I need a new destination, and I’m excited about my walks in 2022!

I rambled on today, but sometimes it’s nice to set down what’s on my mind which might seem to have little to do with writing, but actually, it does. In December between thoughts about Superman’s predicament, I finished the first draft of a new book. And on all of those walks, I came up with ideas for stories or ways to fix ones I was working on.

Quote of the Week: “In the first place, you can’t see anything from a car.”
― ed abbey, author & essayist

First Wednesday of 2022!

I’ve been on a break, and how much I needed that! 2021 was a long and very challenging year for me as it was for so many people. It was good to take time out and focus on my family and friends who aren’t online with me, but who sit across the table and chat over a cup of coffee. Since we have three stair-step boys (5, 4, and 3) in our family who are eager to see what Santa has delivered–not to mention two new Queensland Heeler puppies, there’s a lot of action all through December up to the big day. I wouldn’t say it was a restful month, but it was chock-full of fun and excitement. I look forward to 2022 with hope for good health among all my family and close friends, and some productive writing/reading experiences here with all of you.

Now it’s time–as Alex says–to rock the neurotic writing world! Join Us Now

Our Twitter handle is @TheIWSG and hashtag is #IWSG.

Every month, we announce a question that members can answer in their IWSG post. These questions may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experience or story. Include your answer to the question in your IWSG post or let it inspire your post if you are struggling with something to say. 

Remember, the question is optional!

What’s the one thing about your writing career you regret the most? Were you able to overcome it?

I’m sorry I published early. I thought I was ready to jump into the fray, but looking back, I wish I’d waited and scoped out the business side of writing more carefully. However, when is it a good time to take that leap and send your manuscript out into the world? If I’d waited, I might never have found a publisher who thought well enough about my work to take it on. As it was, I had two books out in two years with a third in the wings. I received good advances and good reviews, so I was launched, and I just had to learn as I went.

While I still have regrets, I think I’ve overcome that choice, and during these years I believe I’ve become a better writer for having made a lot of those new writer mistakes. I’m curious to read what others are writing in response to this month’s question.

Be sure to visit the awesome co-hosts for today’s post!

 Erika Beebe,Olga Godim,Sandra Cox,Sarah Foster, and Chemist Ken!

The Seventh Annual IWSG Anthology Contest Winners!

The genre is sweet romance and the theme is first love.

Thanks to all who entered. We had a record number of entries this year.

Now we present the authors of 

First Love: The Art of Making Doughnuts

The Art of Making Doughnuts – Linda Budzinski
Paper Faces – Sylvia Ney
The Real Thing – Sammi Spizziri
My Heart Approves – Melissa Maygrove
Oliver’s Girl – Michael Di Gesu
Clyde and Coalesce – Kim Chan
My First Love(s) – Templeton Moss
How to Save a Princess – Katie Klein
The Castle of Ohno – SE White
Marmalade Sunset – Denise Covey

A special thanks to our official judges:

Author Nancy Gideon
Nancy Gideon is the award-winning bestseller of over 70 romances ranging from historical, Regency, and series contemporary suspense to dark paranormal and horror, with a couple of produced screenplays and non-fiction writing books tossed into the mix. She’s also written under the pseudonyms Dana Ransom, Rosalyn West, and Lauren Giddings.

Agent Caitlin Blasdell, Liza Dawson Associates
Caitlin Blasdell has been a literary agent with Liza Dawson Associates since 2002 with a focus on commercial fiction. Before becoming an agent, she was a senior editor at HarperCollins Publishers.

Author Susan Gourley
Susan Gourley is traditionally published in fantasy and science fiction romance using the name Susan Kelley. She is currently serving as the President of the Pennwriters writing group renowned for the annual conference.

Author Jennifer Lane
Jennifer Lane writes sports romance and romantic suspense with a psychological twist. She has published nine novels and two short stories, including Behind the Catcher’s Mask as part of the IWSG Masquerade Anthology.

Author Meka James
Meka James is a writer of adult contemporary and erotic romance. A born and raised Georgia Peach, she still resides in the southern state with her hubby of 16 years and counting. Mom to four kids of the two legged variety, she also has four fur-babies of the canine variety. When not writing or reading, Meka can be found playing The Sims 3, sometimes Sims 4, and making up fun stories to go with the pixelated people whose world she controls.

Author Loni Townsend
By day, she writes code. By predawn darkness, she writes fantasies. All other times, she writes in her head. People call her peculiar with a twisted sense of fashion, but don’t let those understatements fool you. Her behavior is perfectly normal for a squirrel disguised as a human.

First Love: The Art of Making Doughnuts will be published by Dancing Lemur Press’ imprint, Freedom Fox Press, later this year.

This is our seventh anthology! Previous titles include Dark Matter: Artificial, Voyagers: The Third Ghost, Masquerade: Oddly Suited, Tick Tock: A Stitch in Crime, Hero Lost, The Mysteries of Death and Life, and Parallels: Felix Was Here.

Quote of the Week: “There’s nothing I value more than the closeness of friends and family, a smile as I pass someone on the street.” Willie Stargell, baseball Hall of Fame

Last Post of 2021

Wishing all of you a wonderful December as you get ready to usher in a new year. I’m taking a break from now until after the first of January to reset and to do one heck of a lot of baking. I’ve promised cookies to just about everyone I’m sharing time with this season.

Thank you for being a great group of writers, bloggers, and friends.

See you in 2022!

A First Wednesday Thought: Life Is Sufficiency

I visited One Woman’s Quest last month. I’m not sure how I found the site, but since I wrote Shattered, I’m navigating to a lot of different places in this internet sea that I might not have otherwise. I’m so glad I found it because this poem touched me deeply, and I knew I wanted to share it with my readers. V.J. graciously gave me permission to re-post it here. Thank you, V.J. Your thoughts are couched in such beautiful language.

Sufficiency

Disability corners me
twixt two directions –
the hurried rush
of ambition’s call
and the gentle nudge
of wisdom settling

Confined to four rooms
I am distanced from –
invisible to –
the weekend warriors
whose self-satisfied grimaces
race by my window

I remember that push –
not enough hours to the day
not enough money to succeed
never thin enough, fit enough
always grasping for more…

Legless and exhausted,
I am disqualified
from competing,
immersed in retrospection,
luxuriating in perspective –

I’ve always had, indeed,
continue to have
everything I need:
a home I can navigate,
the endless beauty of nature
and the care of loved ones.

Abundance, I’ve discovered, is attitude:
recognition and acceptance
that life is sufficiency

by

v.j. knutson

“I’ve derived this poem from a post by the same name, dated October 2014.
At the time, I was five months into the losses that were Myalgic Encephalomyelitis…”

Join Us Now

And now for our monthly question. Remember, the question is optional!

In your writing, what stresses you the most? What delights you?

The awesome co-hosts for the December 1 posting of the IWSG are PJ Colando,Diane Burton,Louise – Fundy Blue,Natalie Aguirre, and Jacqui Murray!

Since I’m going through the most stressful part of this writing business right now, this question is easy to answer. Releasing a book into the world shoots my stress level to “explosive”. Picture that emoji of the guy with the top of his head erupting like a volcano, and you get some of how I feel. The publicity deadlines, the obligation to winners of prizes, the delays in getting books for special promotions, the uncertainty of public response. All of these combine to make me vow never to do it again. So far this has been a vow I haven’t kept, and I’ve repeated it 10 times with 10 books. I always think, “This time will be easier because I’ve had practice.” Ha! That is not the case.

Maybe I don’t stop because I know I’m always ready to enter the delightful period, and that will diminish the stress, and I’ll be sane again. When I’m at the re-writing stage of a book, I’m in heaven. The characters are there to “play” with, the plot is laid out to twist for more interest or smooth out for more plausibility, the narrative and description are ready for those final touches. Ahh. Now that is heaven.

Shattered’s Blog Tour

Shattered is featured in a few blogs from Nov 29 to Dec 3. If you have a moment, I hope you’ll stop by some of these great sites. I so appreciate bloggers who help get the word out about books, and I like to encourage them for their efforts.

November 29:
1: Momma Says: To Read or Not to Read
2: Write. Read. Live.
3: Mythical Books
4: Gold Dust Editing & Book Reviews
5: Literary Gold
6: The Avid Reader
7: Straight from the Library

November 30:
1: Aubrey Wynne: Timeless Love
2: Long and Short Reviews
3: Readers Roost
4: Splashes of Joy 
5: Kit ‘N Kabookle
6: The Pen and Muse Book Reviews
7: Westveil Publishing

December 1:
1:Books in the Hall 
2: Fabulous and Brunette
3: https://andisyoungadult.blogspot.com
4: Stormy Nights Reviewing & Bloggin’
5: Sapphyria’s Books
6: Triquetra Reviews
7: Author C.A.Milson

December 2:
1: Eye-Rolling Demigod’s Book Blog
2: Welcome to My World of Dreams
3: The Faerie Review
4: Don’t Judge, Read
5: Coffee and Wander Book Reviews
6: Jazzy Book Reviews
7: Let me tell you a story

December 3:
1: Locks, Hooks and Books
2: Novels Alive
3: Hope. Dreams. Life… Love
4: Sandra’s Book Club
5: Girl with Pen
6: It’s Raining Books

Quote of the Week: “Sometimes your destiny is wrapped up in a veil of fear to check if you really have the courage to face it.” Marcus Hades, Poet