Cate Masters's Blog, page 82

November madness in full swing!

Blog posts (mostly) set ahead - check!
Outline (somewhat) prepared - check!Family forewarned - check!
Yep, it's November, and you know what that means. NaNoWriMo! This is my third year at it. I missed last year, but have participated twice before. In 2008, I finished a draft of a novel that would eventually become Angels, Sinners and Madmen. In 2009, I got some good writing time in, lol. 
This year, it remains to be seen. I have way too much other stuff going on, but I'm hoping to get a good jump on book two of The Goddess Connection series, another paranormal to follow up on The Magic of Lavender.
So send me good wishes. In fact, send me chocolate! (Dark is delish...) I'll need the energy. :)

Insecure Writers Support Group

Love this idea! Thanks to Alex Cavanaugh for organizing the Insecure Writers Support Group. And you should follow Alex's blog, which always has something interesting.
Hm, where to start? :)  I've been epublished for a little more than two years, but every year I think I feel more like a newbie than ever. I suppose because the industry's in such a flux, and a writer never knows what's coming next.
My biggest insecurity, I suppose, is marketing. How much is too much? I'm not inclined to share every occurrence in my life, so I tend to ignore the advice that the writer is the brand. Do you buy into that? 
I also avoid Amazon reader threads, which can lean toward the vicious at times. I've also heard the threads hate hate hate authors who promote there, so how can an author introduce him/herself without getting slashed?
I guess the main question is, how much marketing is too much?
Thanks for any feedback, insights and tips! And check all the participating authors here.

More winners!

The season of giving started early here. :)
Congrats to these winners, all of whom I've notified. If I don't hear back by the end of the week, I'll have to select another winner:
D.B. Moon - won a PDF of my short Halloween-themed story, Reflections. Thanks for your participation in Sharon Donovan's Halloween event!
Jane Thompson - won a PDF of my dark paranormal, Dead to Rights. Thanks for participating in Spookapalooza!
Belinda Stone - won a print copy of my Native American historical romance, Follow the Stars Home. Thanks for entering at the TRS Giveaway A Day.
Sue - won an ebook of my paranormal romance novel, The Magic of Lavender, Book One in The Goddess Connection series. Thanks for entering at Love Romances Cafe's Halloween event!

And the Spooktacular Giveaway Hop winner is...

Thanks to everyone who stopped by and entered the giveaway for a print copy of my paranormal, One Soul for Sale. I've tossed all the entries into a bowl, and my daughter drew out....

drumroll please...

loves to dive


Congrats, loves to dive. I'll contact you for your mailing address so I can send this on its merry way to your mailbox. Hope you enjoy reading it!

And for everyone else, see the post below for information on how you can enter yet another giveaway - of my upcoming fantasy with The Wild Rose Press, a Christmas tale called Ground Rules. :)

YES! It's TRR's Year End Splash

Yikes, it's November! How did that happen, lol. Before you know it, we'll be decking the halls, delicious scents of turkey and cookies and goodies will waft through the air, teasing our senses. 
I'm going to tease your senses a little more! With my upcoming Christmas fantasy, Ground Rules. I'm part of The Romance Review's Year-End Splash - YES! for short. I love the positivity on that. Might as well end the year on a high note, right? And who doesn't love a party? Especially one that lasts all month!
So come over and visit. There are lots of great giveaways. More than 200, in fact. And the grand prize is a $100 gift card. Pretty handy for the holidays! See you there. :)

You can check out more about Ground Rules here.

Also, thanks to everyone who voted in the Halloween poll at right. I have to say, I was surprised that spiders won out by such a large margin, with snakes second. My fear factor for both dropped after moving out to the boonies, where the wood spiders dance on the log pile to match my every step, and the snakes regularly slither around the yard and up the trees, leaving their skins hanging like voodoo tokens. I know, yuck. But they're snakes. They want to get rid of those itchy old skins. :) So I've adopted a live-and-let-live attitude, so long as they stay in the yard. If they venture into the house, it's every creature for itself, lol. Ghosts, I wouldn't mind meeting one. Suffice to say, I was one of the two who voted for bad movie remakes. Hollywood really needs a shot of inspiration. I'd gladly let them produce one of my stories!

Happy Halloween!

It's my favorite time of the year! Normally. Mother Nature threw us a curve ball this weekend! She sure knows how to keep us on our toes. Hm, or maybe it was her impression of a Halloween witch!
The scariest thing about this weekend was the constant crash of trees falling under the weight of the snow.I posted more pics on Facebook, but here are a few: [image error]
However you celebrate, I hope you have a spooktacular Halloween!

Six from my new release, Romancing the Hero

Thanks so much for checking out my Six Sentence Sunday post! And thanks especially for your comments, which always cheer me.

To celebrate its release, here's a snippet from Romancing the Hero, my fantasy out now with The Wild Rose Press *throws confetti and opens some bubbly*




[image error] "Jody Feather?" The deep voice rushed at her like a hot breeze, reverberated through her, and stopped her where she stood.
"Ye—" Her gaze climbed the long legs clad in well-fitting jeans, pumped torso outlined through his tight tee, to the gorgeous model face. Someone might have stolen a cardboard cutout of the perfect hero and breathed life into it, and that's who stood on her doorstep.
"Yowsa," she said on an exhale.

Be sure to check out the amazing Six Sentence Sunday authors! Have a great week. 

Part of TRS's giveaway

Tomorrow, visit The Romance Studio's Book a Day Giveaway page to enter. I'm giving away a print copy of my Native American historical romance, Follow the Stars Home. 


Follow the Stars Home came together after meticulous research. Based on the 1879 founding of the Carlisle Indian Industrial School, Follow the Stars Home weaves true accounts with fictional characters.


Reviewers have described it as: "an insightful and entertaining novel that's bound to teach you a few things about history.  Kudos to Cate Masters for another winning novel. You won't be able to put Follow the Stars Home down until you turn the last page." 
And "Quiet Thunder and Black Bear love each other. But can their love survive them being uprooted from their people, betrayed and lied to by the white man? Will they ever find their way back to their own people? You will have to read this story to find out. But it is a fabulous journey, and you will enjoy it every step of the way." And "The love story between Black Bear and Quiet Thunder is tenderly told, and well-written."


I hope you'll check out the book video, reviews and more.


Blurb
What's left for the Lakota when everything around them is changing? Quiet Thunder and Black Bear fear for their tribe's welfare when buffalo and other game become scarce. A military captain named Pratt promises to teach them white man's ways so they can become successful. Quiet Thunder follows Black Bear to Carlisle, Pennsylvania, to the Indian Industrial School. The school's rigid schedule allows little time together, and Black Bear grows more distant as his confusion over his identity grows. Can Quiet Thunder make him believe her love is as eternal as the stars?
Here's an excerpt:

Black Bear stared at her, the fullness in her gaze made his breath flutter like the fireflies. "The moonlight lit your face. You're more beautiful than ever." Warmth coursed through his face. He must have enchanted himself with the song. Though he'd thought it many times, he'd never before called her beautiful.Unable to hold back any longer, he knelt in front of her, and she lifted up to kneel before him. Entwining his fingers through hers, he held them against the scar on his chest where the bone tore through two summers ago. With a voice soft as a trickling stream, he spoke. "I welcomed the pain of becoming a man. Do you know why?""Because you wanted to be a great warrior?"His thumbs caressed the back of her hands. "No. The time of great Sioux warriors is ending. I must learn to be a better hunter. To provide for my family." A family he wished with all his heart to have with her. His insides lurched when she glanced down."Black Bear—"She tried to slide her hand away, but he held it fast."Please let me speak."His seriousness silenced her. With a nod, she lifted her gaze to his scar, the mark of his love for her. It spoke of his hopes for their future. From now on, he wanted it to be a reminder of this night.Soft urgency gave fire to his words, and the fire sparked in his blood. "I know now why you are called Quiet Thunder. I didn't know I could feel such thunder inside. It overtakes me every night while I try to sleep. In everything I do, I feel your spirit with me. I need to know if you feel the same." He pressed her hand against his scar so she might feel his heart thudding through his skin. It pulsed with his life's blood as if to mingle with her own.When she raised her chin, moonlight illuminated her face, her dark eyes ablaze. "Yes."

Mwahaha! More Halloween fun

I love Halloween parties! I'm part of LASR's Halloween Blogfest celebration on the LASR blog and the Goddess Fish Party Pavilion. I hope you'll pop over and join me for some spooky fun, stories and legends. Oh, and food! No party is complete without goodies. :)

Don't forget - the more comments you leave, the better your chances at winning gift cards and other giveaways.
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Spookapalooza!

I'm part of The Romance Studio's Spookapalooza today - it should be a blast, so I hope you'll pop on over and say hi!
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The word Spookapalooza reminds me of another fun word from my favorite movie for this time of year, Young Frankenstein - Blucher!