Darcia Helle's Blog, page 303

Editor & Friend

Recently, I had the absolutely amazing luck of "meeting" (in the virtual sense) Lisa Fisk. She is one of those rare, truly giving people we all wish we had in our lives. Lisa lent me her editing talent for my upcoming book, Beyond Salvation. I freely admit, editing is not my forte. Lisa, I am forever in your debt!

September Book Giveaway!

For September's contest, I will be giving away a signed copy of my novel Hit List. The contest is open to anyone 16 and older in the U.S. and Canada. Click here to enter!

Congratulations to Susan from Ohio, the winner of my August Book Giveaway Contest!

Children's Stories

Svetlana Kovalkova-McKenna is an newly emerging, gifted author of a children's stories. So far I have had the pleasure of reading two of her books and I was captivated by them both! If you have children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, friends with kids, or you just want to escape into a wonderful fantasy for a little while, you should definitely check out Svetlana's books. They are all available on Amazon.

Guilty As Charged: September Issue

The September Issue of my newsletter – Guilty As Charged – is now posted on my site! This issue covers the history of burning at the stake. Check it out, tell me what you think.

Do you have ideas for future newsletters? Topics you'd like covered? I'd love to hear from you!

Win No Justice!

Only 4 days left to enter my August contest to win a signed copy of No Justice! Just fill out the form on my contest page.

Beyond Salvation, the sequel to No Justice will be available soon!

Cover Design

I'm currently working on the cover design for my upcoming novel Beyond Salvation. I've already decided against the cover design I thought I wanted. I didn't like the way it looked once I actually had it done. So much for that! It may take awhile but eventually I'll come up with something eye-catching that goes with the plot. (I hope!)

Making Memories

I read another short story by emerging author Lisa Fisk. This one is called Making Memories and is a touching, beautifully written account of her experiences with her brother and his bipolar disorder. Lisa tells me that Making Memories is due to be published in Voices of Bipolar. If you've been touched in some way by bipolar (or any mental illness), are curious about how mental illness effects family members, or would simply like to read a thought-provoking story, I highly suggest this one.

Coked Up Money?

I just read in Time magazine that 90-percent of U.S. $1 bills have trace amounts of cocaine. According the the study, bills from Washington D.C. carry the most. I'm not sure what this says about our country's cocaine addiction or the way we use our money. But it might be a good reason to wash your hands more often.

Another way of looking at it: If you're into coke highs and you're hard up, you can always go around licking $1 bills.

Dress On Craig's List

I have had the pleasure of being in contact with an emerging author. Her name is Lisa Fisk and she has kindly shared some of her work with me. I just finished reading one piece, a short story called Dress On Craig's List. I loved her voice in writing this. The story both made me chuckle and feel a sense of sadness… perhaps because her situation was one I (and many women) can relate to.

You can find Lisa's story online at www.softwhispersmag.com in the August issue. Check out the online magazine.

Language Woes

I've mentioned in prior posts that I do not like the editing process. I truly have the ultimate respect for anyone who manages this as a full-time career.

In editing my upcoming book, Beyond Salvation, I find my mind drifting off and the words become just words and I forget to watch for the silly little mistakes. Of course, this wouldn't be necessary if our language wasn't so ridiculously complicated. I mean, seriously… is it who or whom, effect or affect. And break is not the same as brake, yet