Viki Lyn's Blog, page 8
June 20, 2014
Psst. What’s In My Secretus Folder
I have a folder for every story I’ve ever written. What do I keep in it? All the stuff I’ve researched and my characters profiles for starters. Currently I’m writing a m/m romance titled Secretus (subject to change). The story centers around Marc who opened an all exclusive male only resort in Big Sur. So what is in the Secretus file?
1. Aries with Virgo commentary I printed out. Graham is Aries and Marc is a Virgo, and this gives me some insight to their personalities and what type of conflict they might encounter! – “Aries’ enthusiasm, courage, and impulsiveness are fascinating but sometimes off putting to self-contained, controlled Virgo.” I can picture some fun conflict between these two men.
2. Floor plans, brochure and colored pictures of Post Ranch Inn – this is the resort I chose to emulate in Secretus. I’d really love to stay here but the prices aren’t even listed on Inn’s website. Yikes. Yep, out of my price range. The Inn sits atop the cliffs of Big Sur, 1200 feet above the Pacific Ocean. Very romantic.
3. List of hotel positions and titles.
4. Big Sur’s Flora and Fauna
5. Big Sur guide from the Chamber of Commerce
6. Articles on a Big Sur fire, Anxiety Attacks & Anxiety Disorders, Esalen Hot Springs and the Henry Miller Memorial Library.
7. My synopsis with my editor’s suggestions.
8. Pictures of my two main characters. They are usually male models or movie stars that fit the profile.
I’m sure to add more as the story progresses. Each folder is different, depending on the story and if it’s a series. A lot of times I don’t know if a book will turn into a series, so I want to have everything about the world I’ve built in one place, even if it’s a contemporary and not a paranormal or fantasy, I still need research materials.
Viki
June 16, 2014
The Hunt Is On – scavenger hunt that is….
Join in on the fun – a summer scavenger hunt hosted by Night Owl Reviews. Author gift baskets will be given away and gift cards. It’s super easy to enter (rules page): FILL IN A MISSING WORD(S) FROM BOOK BLURBS FOR CHANCES TO WIN AWESOME BOOKLOVER GIFT BASKETS! I’m giving away John’s Addiction basket. Well, you might know of his love of Hershey’s kisses and of course, Vincent, although at times his stubborn heart refuses to acknowledge that fact – at least in Book One! Check it out. It’s way fun! Viki
June 9, 2014
Week Two of Blurb Blitz Tours
Week Two begins today and end on the auspicious Friday the 13th. 
Two chances to win Amazon Gift Cards by leaving a comment on any tour stop. The more times you comment the better your odds of winning!
For The Bite Of It tour stops:
June 9: Sharing Links and Wisdom
June 10: Naughty Edition Reviews
June 11: Long and Short Reviews
June 12: Queentutt’s World of Escapism
June 13: Decadent Delights
June 9: Dori Lavelle
June 10: Susana’s Morning Room
June 11: Words of Wisdom from The Scarf Princess
June 12: Long and Short Reviews
June 12 SECOND STOP: BookSkater
June 13: Sharing Links and Wisdom
June 2, 2014
Day One of Viki’s Blog Tours
I’d love for you to join me on my blog tour. Every stop where you leave a comment, you get a better chance at winning an Amazon GC!
Here are the stops for Day 1:
For The Bite Of It is at Scarf Princess
Formula For Love hosted at Beyond My Writing Space
June 1, 2014
Formula For Love Blurb Blitz Tour starting June 2
Viki will be awarding $15 Amazon GC to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour, and a $15 Amazon GC to a randomly drawn host. June 2: Beyond My Writing Space
June 3: Warrior Princess Romance Writer
June 4: A Book, A Beer, and A Dream
June 5: Books and Other Spells
June 6: Books to Light Your Fire
June 9: Dori Lavelle
June 10: Susana’s Morning Room
June 11: Words of Wisdom from The Scarf Princess
June 12: Long and Short Reviews
June 12 SECOND STOP: BookSkater
June 13: Sharing Links and Wisdom
May 30, 2014
For The Bite Of It Blurb Blitz Tours starting June 2
I have two Blurb Blitz Tours through Goddess Fish Promotions – for my two current books – For The Bite Of It and Formula For Love! Each tour has a grand prize with one commenter receiving an Amazon Gift Certificate.
Here is the schedule for each tour:
Viki and Vina will be awarding a $30 Amazon GC to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour and a $10 Amazon GC to one randomly drawn host.
June 2: Words of Wisdom from The Scarf Princess
June 3: Full Moon Dreaming
June 4: All I Want and More
June 5: Books to Light Your Fire
June 5 SECOND STOP It’s Raining Books
June 6: The Fuzzy, Fluffy World of Chris T. Kat
June 9: Sharing Links and Wisdom
June 10: Naughty Edition Reviews
June 11: Long and Short Reviews
June 12: Queentutt’s World of Escapism
June 13: Decadent Delights
May 27, 2014
Winner of Drawing – HAHAT
Rissa, your name was chosen from the random number generator. I will donate $50.00 in your name to the GSA and also you will receive a digital copy of Out Of Bounds. I have contacted you by email.
Everyone who visited and commented during this last week in support of HAHAT – a big THANK YOU!
Love and Peace,
Viki
May 16, 2014
Hop Against Homophobia and Transphobia
“You don’t need anybody to tell you who you are or what you are. You are what you are!” John Lennon
Cyber bullying is now part of our vocabulary. It’s a disturbing trend that is not going away any time soon. Here are some alarming statistics from the i-SAFE foundation:
1. Over half of adolescents and teens have been bullied online, and about the same number have engaged in cyber bullying.
2. More than 1 in 3 young people have experienced cyber threats online.
3. Over 25 percent of adolescents and teens have been bullied repeatedly through their cell phones or the Internet.
4. Well over half of young people do not tell their parents when cyber bullying occurs.
With the advent of social media, people can take on another identity; connect with thousands without showing their faces to the world. The statistics of face to face bullying has declined, while cyber bullying has increased. It’s terribly easy to bully someone when there is no accountability. Further disturbing is about 9 out of 10 LGBT teens have been the victims of cyber bullying.
I was bullied in grammar school. It was a girl. She taunted me in the halls and threatened to fight with me. I was terrified and too ashamed to say anything, until I developed stomach ulcers and finally confessed what was happening to me in school. The reason this girl bullied me…she liked me and thought I didn’t like her. I don’t know if there was more to the ‘liking me’ or not. I was too naive as a kid, and maybe I had said something to her, or looked at her the wrong way. It lasted a only a few months, but it gave me a taste of how terrifying it is to be bullied. I couldn’t imagine having to go through something like this throughout my school years. And, if it had been today, with Tumblr and social media, I hate to think what she could have posted about me. I was a pretty sensitive kid, and I know cyber bullying would have crushed me at that age.
No child should be subjected to humiliation and fear because of their sexual identity or because they are ‘different’. No child, period.
That’s why I am a believer in the work of the Gay-Straight Alliance Network, a national youth leadership organization. The focus of GSA is providing a safe environment in school for LGBT teens.
Their mission statement:
Gay-Straight Alliance Network is a national youth leadership organization that connects school-based Gay-Straight Alliances (GSAs) to each other and community resources through peer support, leadership development, and training.
GSA Network supports young people in starting, strengthening, and sustaining GSAs and builds the capacity of GSAs to:
1. Create safe environments in schools for students to support each other and learn about homophobia, transphobia, and other oppression.
2. Educate the school community about homophobia, transphobia, gender identity, and sexual orientation issues, and fight discrimination, harassment, and violence in schools.
3. Fight discrimination, harassment, and violence in schools.
To read more about GSA: http://www.gsanetwork.org/about-us
To read more about bullying: http://www.bullyingstatistics.org/content/gay-bullying-statistics.html
**Leave a comment about the disturbing trend of cyber bullying or experiences you might have had related to bullying. I will choose one commenter and donate $50.00 to the GSA Alliance in the commenter’s name, and send the winner one digital copy of Out Of Bounds, a coming-out story that addresses the issue of homophobia.**
May 17 is International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia and the reason why this blog’s start date is May 17 – to read more about this day, here is their link: http://dayagainsthomophobia.org/
Thank you for your support!
Viki Lyn
http://www.vikilyn.com
http://www.twitter.com/vikilynromance
http://www.facebook.com/authorvikilyn
http://www.facebook.com/vikilynromance
Viki Lyn: Award winning author of paranormal and contemporary romances. You can find all of Viki’s books at the following sites: Amazon, All Romance Ebooks and GLBT Bookshelf.
A vampire, a cupcake, plus one sexy cop, is a recipe for trouble.
VINCENT KAMATEROS is an exiled vampire making a routine living as the owner of a cupcake bakery in Arizona. Until a car with a dead driver crashes through the wall of his shop, bringing after it, All-American, closeted cop, JOHN REEDER. Smitten the instant he sees John, but bound to silence by the Vampire High Council, he can never reveal his true self to John.
John Reeder can’t control his attraction to the sexy Italian baker. But as addictive as the sex is, John can’t overcome his fear of rejection for being gay, and open his heart to a man with so many secrets.
Buy at Amazon
May 12, 2014
The Merry Month Of May
SAVE THE DATES!
May is a rather a slow month event wise. I will be participating in the Hop Against Homophobia and Transphobia from May 17-24. So mark it on your calendar. There is a very huge participation this year! I will be donating $50.00 to the Gay Straight Alliance in one commenter’s name.
I’m taking it rather easy this month – gearing up for my two book blurb blitzes from June 2-14: One commenter will win a Amazon Gift Certificate!
AND, June 15 through August 31 is the Night Owl Review Scavenger Hunt! I’m giving away to one lucky winner John’s Addiction gift basket worth over $100.00. Hint: Jewelry and chocolate is involved!
And best of all, Vina and I hope to have A Bite In Time back from all our editors and ready to publish by July 1st –
Peace and Love,
Viki Lyn
May 1, 2014
Musa is celebrating Mom with Giveaway
Celebrate Mom with Musa Publishing
Grand Prize
$10.00 Musa Gift Certificate
6 Paperback Books
Beyond the Third Garden by I.J. Sarfeh
Outlaws by William Wendy
Seducing Kate by Emilia Mancini
Send Off For A Snitch by KM Rockwood
Typical Day by Gary K. Wolf
Unforgettable You by Marci Boudreaux
1st Place Winner
$5.00 Musa Gift Certificate
6 Paperback Books
The Andersen Ancestry by Addie J. King
For His Love by Nya Rayne
Outlaws by William Wendy
Seducing Kate by Emilia Mancini
Send Off For A Snitch by KM Rockwood
Typical Day by Gary K. Wolf
2nd Place Winner
5 Paperback Books
Outlaws by William Wendy
Seducing Kate by Emilia Mancini
Send Off For A Snitch by KM Rockwood
Typical Day by Gary K. Wolf
Wilder Mage by CD Coffelt
Plus
Each day we draw 2 winners who will each receive 3 books.
And
All participants receive a download of Cooking with Musa.
All entrants are eligible for Grand Prize Drawing May 10, 2014
Winners announced May 11, 2014
