Mindy Hardwick's Blog, page 24

Winner–September Sequels Bloghop and Giveaway

Congratulations! The winner of the September Sequels Giveaway Blog Hop is Cheryl Rogers!

Thanks so much everyone for stopping by on the blog hop!

September Sequels Giveaway Blog Hop

This week, I’m participating in September Sequels Giveaway Blog Hop sponsored by Lisa Loves Literature and I Am a Reader Not a Writer.

On this blog hop, you’ll find bloggers giving away one book in a sequel or series of books. BUT…the book will not be the first in the series. Tricky, huh?!

I’m really excited to participate with this hop because I love sequels and series. I love reading them and I love writing them. Some of my favorite series and sequels have included: Dicey’s Song and Homecoming by Cynthia Voigt, as well as Susan Wigg’s historical romance, Chicago Fire Series. My own sweet, contemporary romance Elmheart Hotel series was inspired by Susan Wigg’s contemporary romance series, Lakeshore Chronicles.

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Earlier this summer, I won three books in the Harmony Valley series by Harlequin Heartwarming author, Melinda Curtis. I enjoyed all of them, but my favorite was the third one in the series, SEASONS OF CHANGE. Slade Jennings is my favorite type of character, a wounded hero and I loved reading his story as he overcomes and learns to love again.

 

Story Blurb: Christine Alexander needs to prove herself as a top-notch winemaker, and in Harmony Valley she’s got a chance to build something legitimate, quality and lasting. What she doesn’t need is part-owner Slade Jennings poking his nose in her cabernet.

Brooding, buttoned-up Slade Jennings won’t be making things easy for his new hire. Someone has to worry about the bottom line. Forced into an uneasy partnership, the pair faces two challenges: create a spectacular award-winning vintage within months…and figure out if their tenuous friendship can grow into something deeper and lasting.

So…for he September Sequels Giveaway Blog Hop, I’m giving away one ebook, Kindle copy of SEASONS OF CHANGE by Melinda Curtis. This is a sweet, contemporary romance in the Harlequin Heartwarming line of books. Although it is the third in the series, you do not need to have read the other two books as this one works very well as a stand-alone story too.

To be entered to win, leave me a comment and tell me about your biggest season of change! Please leave your email address. One comment per person. (International and US entries). I will select the winner on September 10, 2014.

To find more books in the September Sequels Giveaway hop, go here.

Good luck!

 

Writing Blog Links–Setting and Writing Into the Void

Happy Friday! I’ve been reading some great blog posts lately and wanted to share a few with you.

This morning, I read a great post about setting on the Seekerville Blog and written by Harlequin Love Inspired author, Mindy Obenhaus. One of my favorite parts of her blog post is when she says:

Because Ouray is a real place, I had to get to know it not only as the guest that I usually am, but also through the eyes of the people who live in Ouray. In other words, I had to learn what they might do or where they might go.

One of my biggest pet peeves as a reader is when a story is set in a location I know well and the writer doesn’t do his/her research about where the locals might go. This is particular significant in towns which are heavy tourist towns as the locals will often know other places to go during those tourist seasons which are apart from the tourists. For example, in Cannon Beach, Oregon, most tourists will walk the main beach in front of Haystack rock. But locals will spend their summer time on some of the other beaches, such as those tucked away in the quiet North end, or down at the far South end of town.

You can read the whole setting post here and check out Mindy’s books here

Also, I’ll be presenting: “Map It Out: Plotting Your Way With Story’s Setting” at the Seattle Emerald City RWA Conference the weekend of October 17-19. There are still a few spaces left at the conference if you’d like to attend, details about the conference can be found here.

 

Writing into the Void: Over on the Storyteller’s Inkpot, a blog written by students and faculty of the Hamlin MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults, Jackie Hess wrote a great blog post about falling into the void. She talks about how we procrastinate to avoid our fears with writing and falling into the void.

She says:

When we stare into the void the questions rise and are released: What am I really made of? Really capable of? What if I am less than I believe? What if there’s nothing more than me and this fear?

This month, I have been fast drafting a sweet, contemporary novel and understand this void well! Before I sat down to write the first draft, I wrote a twenty-five page bible for the story’s series. It includes everything from characters to setting details to a detailed plot outline and synopsis. I thought this series bible would help with that anxiety of facing the blank page of a first draft–it did not!

Each day, I set a goal of 1500-2000 words for myself and gear up to get it done. Sometimes it takes all day because I conveniently find “other things” to do–there is a lot of yard work to do! There is something in writing that really bad first draft which seems to produce a lot of anxiety. It’s not that I don’t enjoy this story, or that I think there isn’t enough of a story to write a novel. I love this story and I enjoyed the process of writing the series bible. There is enough material in this series to fill at least three books.

But, everyday, I have to override the part of me that wants to sit down to write. I have to power through the part of me that wants to go back and fix and change the words I just wrote. I know that if I do that, I will never make it past the first thirty pages of the book, and that I must continue on with this fast drafting–overriding my voice that is screaming at me to stop, stop, make it better! The voice that screams, this stuff is horrible. And it is a horrible first draft.  I write fast and capture the scenes as they play out in my head. The writing consists mostly of dialogue and action, and a lot of notes to myself about what I need to add into the scene. I don’t show my first draft to anyone. I just get the words on page, and then when those words are down, then, I go back and mold the clay into a story–and that’s the part I enjoy!

You can read about Falling into the Void here.

Clear Your Shelves Blog Hop Winners

We have winners for the Clear Your Shelves Blog Hop!

Thanks so much to everyone who stopped by my blog! It was a great blog hop with lots of great participation and without further ado…

The winner of The School of Essential Ingredients is…..Jan P!

The winner of The Wild Girls is….Courtney Whisenant!

Congratulations! I will contact both of you for your mailing addresses!

 

 

 

Everett Waterfront Book Festival

I’m participating in the Waterfront Book Festival, sponsored by the Evergreen Chapter of RWA. On Sunday, August 24 from Noon to 2:00 p.m., I’ll be signing copies of all three of my books, ROMANCE FOR ALL THE SEASONS, WEAVING MAGIC, and STAINED GLASS SUMMER.

The Waterfront Book Festival takes place at the Everett Marina, next to the Sunday Farmer’s Market, outside of Lombardi’s. There will be live music fro 2:00-4:00 p.m. It’s a great place to meet many local romance authors who are signing and selling books.

If you’re in the area, stop by and say hello!

Clear Your Shelf Giveaway Hop

This week I’m participating in the Clear Your Shelf Giveaway Hop sponsored by Bookhounds and I Am a Reader Not a Writer.

The hop is all about clearing books from our shelves and giving them away. On each blog participating in the hop, you’ll find giveaways  for books taken from people’s shelves! All the books are physical books, not ebooks. How fun is that!

You can find all the participating blogs in the Clear Your Shelf Giveaway Hop here.

I’m usually pretty good about “clearing my book shelves” on a regular basis.  I made a rule with myself that whenever a book comes into the house, one has to go out. Most of my giveaway books go to the local library which has a Friends of the Library Book Sale every July. This sale supports library programs during the year.  One thing I’ve noticed is with ebooks, I don’t have such a big to read pile sitting on my shelves…..don’t ask me about the list on my tablet! That’s another story!

So….what books am I giving away in the Clear Your Shelf Giveaway Hop?I am giving two books away–one for an adult reader and one for a teen reader.

Book Blurb: Once a month on Monday night, eight students gather in Lillian’s restaurant kitchen for a cooking class. They come to learn the art behind Lillian’s dishes, but it soon becomes clear that each one unknowingly seeks a recipe for something beyond the kitchen. One by one, they are transformed by the aromas, flavors, and textures of what they create. Over time, the paths of the students intermingle and intertwine, and the essence of Lillian’s cooking expands beyond the restaurant and into the secret corners of their lives, with results that are often unexpected and always delicious. The School of Essential Ingredients is an Indie Next Pick book.

I heard Erica Bauermeister speak about her book and writing at Get Lit at the Beach in Cannon Beach. The story is a wonderful literary tale which is told in short vignettes from the point of view of each character.  This is a book for adult readers.

 

And….I am giving away….

 

Story Blurb: It’s 1972. Twelve-year-old Joan is sure that she is going to be miserable when her family moves. Then she meets a most unusual girl. Sarah prefers to be called “Fox,” and lives with her author dad in a rundown house in the middle of the woods. The two girls start writing their own stories together, and when one wins first place in a student contest, they find themselves recruited for a summer writing class taught by the equally unusual Verla Volante. The Wild Girls brilliantly explores friendship, the power of story, and how coming of age means finding your own answers.

This story is for teen readers, or those who enjoy teen books.

Now for the giveaway rules on this blog….Please leave me a comment telling me which book you would like to win along with your email address. I will select two winners (One for each book) on August 28. The giveaway is only open to US addresses due to the cost of shipping. Please one comment per person.

And to continue on the Clear Your Shelves Giveaway Hop, here is the listing of all the blogs participating.

Good luck!

 

 

Free Writing Workshops at the Seattle Public Library

The Seattle Public Library is hosting a series of FREE writing programs/workshops/ panels this fall.  I’m teaching Writing the Picture Book on Monday, September 29 from 5:30-7:30 at the University Branch Library and again on Monday, October 20 from 5:30-7:30 at the Columbia Branch Library.

A few of the workshops for those writing for kids include:

What’s So Funny? Writing Humor for Kids — Kim Baker
Writing for Teens — Jennifer Longo, Kevin Emerson, Karen Finneyfrock

Character Development — Rebecca Agiewich

Voices Up: The Stories of Our Lives (short nonfiction, personal essays) — Ann Teplick

There are also workshops on short stories, poetry, and starting a novel which will help you get ready for National Novel Writing Month held in November.

The workshops are all free, but you need to register by calling: 206-386-4636. The workshops are generating a lot of interest, so if you want to attend, be sure to sign up soon.

You can find the complete list here

 

 

 

Short Romance Markets

Happy Friday!

It’s been a busy summer with teaching. I taught a four-week on-line teen class at the Loft, Write it Short and Real, which was great fun.  The teens were great writers and we had a good time digging into writing about our firsts, lasts and where we come from.

I also teach distance learning educator classes for Seattle Pacific University. I teach these all year, but the summer is the busiest time for student work. This summer, I had a great group of teacher students who really dug into a couple of the writing classes, Writing the Picture Book and Writing the Children’s Short Story. (The classes are five semester credits each and you can find out more about them here).

But, now as we move into August and teachers and teens attention turns back to getting ready for back to school, it’s time to dig back into writing! I’ve had two books out with freelance editors this summer–my upper middle grade, GRANDDAD’s TOYS and my memoir, KIDS IN ORANGE: VOICES FROM JUVENILE DETENTION. Both will be returned shortly, and then the real work begins as I revise and get them ready to start the submission process.

But in the meantime…..

Here are some short markets for romance (all heat levels and genres) have popped onto my radar lately.

SilkWords–Silk words is looking for romance stories of all subgenres and heat levels that are between 15,000-20,000 words. Modeled a bit after the Choose Your Own Adventure stories, SilkWords is looking for stories with multiple choices along the way. They are flexible about the number and type of story branches and want stories the reader becomes invested in. Find out more about SilkWords here. Be sure to check out one or two of their stories and how they work before submitting.

Boroughs Publishing (Lunchbox Romances)–Boroughs is accepting short romance for their Lunchbox Romance line of 6,000-12,000 words. They ask for the full manuscript and accept all heat levels and subgenres. Find out submissions here.

Woman’s World--800-word short, contemporary stories–usually a cute-meet. It’s helpful to read some of these before writing them and most grocery store check-out lines stock the magazine. It’s also helpful to take a few of Kate Willoughby’s classes (these are packets she sends to you), or sign up for one of her critiques, and/or follow her blog where each week she analyzes the current story of the week. You can find the submission guidelines here for Woman’s World.

 

Also, Cindi Myers is currently featuring various publishers who presented panels at the National RWA Conference in July. If you want to know what the current needs are (and there are a lot of N/A and some YA needs), check out her Market News here.

 

Christmas In July Blog Hop Winner

Congratulations to Mai Tran who is the winner of an ebook copy of my sweet contemporary romance, NEW YEAR HEART SONG!

STAINED GLASS SUMMER is on-sale

STAINED GLASS SUMMER is on-sale for 99 cents! This is a perfect opportunity for you to pick up a summer ebook for your tween reader.  You can also gift STAINED GLASS SUMMER as an ebook!

Also, there are lots of exciting things going on at Musa Publishing! First off, the print policy is changing. Super excited about this! Up until this point, authors could buy what was called Promo Print copies and we used those to sell at book signings and to family and friends. This worked great for my local events, but people who couldn’t attend local events wanted a print copy too and couldn’t get them. It was also limiting because I could only buy so many with shipping factored into the cost and I had to limit how many books people could buy from me at a time.

Now…starting in January 2015, books which are contracted will have a one-year print option with Musa Publishing. Musa will be taking a select group of books to print using the Amazon Create-Space model. If Musa does not take the book to print in the first year of the contract, then the print rights will revert back to the author to take to print. I am so excited to see this and as soon as my upper middle grade novel, GRANDDAD’S TOYS comes back from freelance editor Sarah Cloots and I revise, I will be submitting that story to Musa!  So look for some news about that story later this fall!

STAINED GLASS SUMMER is up for a new contract at the end of December and the new contract will now include a print option which moves beyond the promo print books I have been using.

So, so happy to see a home for my tween books which don’t quite fit anywhere but have done well at Musa!