Mari Miniatt's Blog, page 13
April 17, 2011
#SampleSunday
A little bit of Patriarch. Still being edited. This has been censored for swears. Story so far, Steopa and Rebecka took a new vampire out to show him the ropes. They run into vampire hunters. Gene is one of the hunters.
Steopa saw Rebecka start.
Gene's head snapped up. He scanned the alcoves with his eyes. Steopa faded deeper into shadows. Gene picked up a flashlight. It had two lights on it. A normal white light and on top of it, a blue one. Gene turned it on and shined it over the alcoves. It passed over the alcove that Rebecka stood in. Then over Steopa. The blue light blinded and burned him. Steopa bit his lip and stood still.
The light moved off him. The burning sensation ended. Gene moved the light over to the alcove that Jimmy hid in. The light stayed on the alcove for a few moments. Then Jimmy cried out.
Gene kept the light on Jimmy. Jimmy screamed. Randy grabbed an ax. He ran to the alcove while lifting the ax. Steopa stepped out and grabbed the ax out of Randy's hand. He swung it around and brought it back into Randy's chest. Randy's body lifted up and slid further down on the ax head.
Gene dropped the light and grabbed the crossbow. Steopa pulled the ax out of Randy's body. He tossed it into his other hand and advanced on Gene. Behind him, he heard Rebecka run out of the alcove and over to Jimmy. Steopa felt another vampire coming closer. He paused.
Gene shot the bolt. It hit Steopa in the shoulder. The silver tip burned. The pain started cold then heated until it felt like he was getting branded. Lowering the ax, Steopa reached for the bolt to pull it out. As his fingers curled around it, it exploded.
He dropped to his knees and felt his shoulder. His hand covered the gaping hole where his flesh had been. He heard Rebecka scream. It could have shattered glass. Gene turned his head away, to try to block the sound and load another bolt at the same time. Steopa saw her grab her shoulder, as if she had been hit.
Gene spoke into a small mouthpiece that hung off his ear. "Tell her we found the giant."
Steopa slammed the ax into the ground, using the handle to push himself up. Exploding stakes, that is new, he thought. Jimmy jumped over him. He raised his claws. Gene pressed the crossbow against Jimmy's chest. Jimmy looked down, surprised.
Rebecka came to Steopa's side. Her face had lost any color it had. She favored the same shoulder that had been injured on Steopa. She tore off her jacket and tied it around Steopa's wound. The other vampire felt closer. Steopa could almost name who it was. "Help Jimmy." He whispered to Rebecka.
Jimmy did not move. Gene pulled back the trigger. Behind him the shadows dissipated. A shotgun barrel came out of the fading shadows and rested against Gene's head. The chubby vampire holding the gun, shoved the end into Gene's cheek.
"Okay mxxxxxxxxxxx, are you faster than my shotgun?" The vampire asked.
Gene's finger twitched. Both barrels exploded. Gene's body, now headless, fell with a thud on the ground. The chubby vampire wiped the blood and brains out of this cropped hair. His eyes rested on Steopa.
"Steopa," he said. "Oh sxxx."
He ran over to Steopa, pushing Jimmy aside. Jimmy stared at the headless body. The bolt in the crossbow exploded, destroying most the crossbow. Steopa reached out with his good arm.
"Jeremiah?"
"Shit, you're gonna need a lot of blood to heal that," Jeremiah said, putting the gun down.," Jeremiah said, putting the gun down.
Rebecka lifted her head. Her face streaked with bloody tears. "Blood?"
Jeremiah knelt down to help pick Steopa up, "Yeah, damn, I don't know if we could get enough." Jeremiah pulled Steopa to a standing position. "I don't know any blood banks."
Rebecka looked back at the memorial. "I have a better idea."
Jimmy snapped out of his daze. "That head just evaporated," he said. "Fxxxxxx awesome."
Steopa saw Rebecka start.
Gene's head snapped up. He scanned the alcoves with his eyes. Steopa faded deeper into shadows. Gene picked up a flashlight. It had two lights on it. A normal white light and on top of it, a blue one. Gene turned it on and shined it over the alcoves. It passed over the alcove that Rebecka stood in. Then over Steopa. The blue light blinded and burned him. Steopa bit his lip and stood still.
The light moved off him. The burning sensation ended. Gene moved the light over to the alcove that Jimmy hid in. The light stayed on the alcove for a few moments. Then Jimmy cried out.
Gene kept the light on Jimmy. Jimmy screamed. Randy grabbed an ax. He ran to the alcove while lifting the ax. Steopa stepped out and grabbed the ax out of Randy's hand. He swung it around and brought it back into Randy's chest. Randy's body lifted up and slid further down on the ax head.
Gene dropped the light and grabbed the crossbow. Steopa pulled the ax out of Randy's body. He tossed it into his other hand and advanced on Gene. Behind him, he heard Rebecka run out of the alcove and over to Jimmy. Steopa felt another vampire coming closer. He paused.
Gene shot the bolt. It hit Steopa in the shoulder. The silver tip burned. The pain started cold then heated until it felt like he was getting branded. Lowering the ax, Steopa reached for the bolt to pull it out. As his fingers curled around it, it exploded.
He dropped to his knees and felt his shoulder. His hand covered the gaping hole where his flesh had been. He heard Rebecka scream. It could have shattered glass. Gene turned his head away, to try to block the sound and load another bolt at the same time. Steopa saw her grab her shoulder, as if she had been hit.
Gene spoke into a small mouthpiece that hung off his ear. "Tell her we found the giant."
Steopa slammed the ax into the ground, using the handle to push himself up. Exploding stakes, that is new, he thought. Jimmy jumped over him. He raised his claws. Gene pressed the crossbow against Jimmy's chest. Jimmy looked down, surprised.
Rebecka came to Steopa's side. Her face had lost any color it had. She favored the same shoulder that had been injured on Steopa. She tore off her jacket and tied it around Steopa's wound. The other vampire felt closer. Steopa could almost name who it was. "Help Jimmy." He whispered to Rebecka.
Jimmy did not move. Gene pulled back the trigger. Behind him the shadows dissipated. A shotgun barrel came out of the fading shadows and rested against Gene's head. The chubby vampire holding the gun, shoved the end into Gene's cheek.
"Okay mxxxxxxxxxxx, are you faster than my shotgun?" The vampire asked.
Gene's finger twitched. Both barrels exploded. Gene's body, now headless, fell with a thud on the ground. The chubby vampire wiped the blood and brains out of this cropped hair. His eyes rested on Steopa.
"Steopa," he said. "Oh sxxx."
He ran over to Steopa, pushing Jimmy aside. Jimmy stared at the headless body. The bolt in the crossbow exploded, destroying most the crossbow. Steopa reached out with his good arm.
"Jeremiah?"
"Shit, you're gonna need a lot of blood to heal that," Jeremiah said, putting the gun down.," Jeremiah said, putting the gun down.
Rebecka lifted her head. Her face streaked with bloody tears. "Blood?"
Jeremiah knelt down to help pick Steopa up, "Yeah, damn, I don't know if we could get enough." Jeremiah pulled Steopa to a standing position. "I don't know any blood banks."
Rebecka looked back at the memorial. "I have a better idea."
Jimmy snapped out of his daze. "That head just evaporated," he said. "Fxxxxxx awesome."
April 15, 2011
Contest Update!
One contest it over!
Contest 1. $25.00 Amazon gift card. The winner has been contacted. I will be putting their name up as soon as everything is in order.
One contest begins!
Contest 4
4/15 to 4/30
Point contest:
You accrue winning points by doing any of the following. The more points, the better your chances.
You will win The Guardian Poster before it's available at the Zazzle store.
Honor system:
Leave a comment on this post: 5 points
Link your blog to mine: 5 points
Blog about these contests, or give me an interview*, or post your review: 15 points. (yes, if you do all three, you can earn 45 points)
The next ones can tally up points fast. But I have put a limit of once per day / per site, I don't want anyone to accidently becoming a spammer.
Mention Fledgling on social network site: 1 point
Mention this blog on social network site: 1 point
Mention my facebook page (http://facebook.com/mariminiatt) on social network site: 1 point
Email me – mariminiatt (at) Gmail dot com Subject: Point Contest
Tally up what you have done. If you have linked your blog to mine, make sure to give me the url or your blog, so I can return the favor.
In the event of a tie, winner will be chosen by random drawing.
*The interview does not have to be done in April. But can be sceduled for a later date and still count.
We still have two other contests going on!
Contest 2:
Enter until 4/30
If you have read the book: Send me a link to your review of Fledgling. This review can be on your blog, Amazon, Goodreads, etc. If you haven't reviewed it yet, please do. Yes, even a "bad" review will count.
Winner get to have their name as a character, that gets killed off in Patriarch.
Email me – mariminiatt (at) Gmail dot com Subject: Review Entry. A link to your review, and if you would allow me to put a copy on this blog.
Contest 3
Photo contest!
until 4/22
Take a photo of you, or have someone take a photo of you reading Fledgling in PUBLIC. If using an Ebook reader, please show the title page. Send me an email with the photo: mariminiatt (at) Gmail dot com Subject: Photo Entry. I will upload the photos here. One random person will be chosen to win a Fledgling Book Bag.
Now for some of the nitty gritty.
Contests 3 and 4 is for people in the United States.The poster is a digital copy of original piece of art work, done by Matt Miniatt, illustrator for the Coiree Guardians.The poster and the book bag will be shipped only in the US.Odds of winning, depends on the entries.The winners will be announced, only after I have contacted them and they have sent me their contact information (depending on the prize)How I determine the random draws. Each entry is assigned a number. I will go to Random.org to generate the random number.
Contest 1. $25.00 Amazon gift card. The winner has been contacted. I will be putting their name up as soon as everything is in order.
One contest begins!
Contest 4
4/15 to 4/30
Point contest:
You accrue winning points by doing any of the following. The more points, the better your chances.
You will win The Guardian Poster before it's available at the Zazzle store.
Honor system:
Leave a comment on this post: 5 points
Link your blog to mine: 5 points
Blog about these contests, or give me an interview*, or post your review: 15 points. (yes, if you do all three, you can earn 45 points)
The next ones can tally up points fast. But I have put a limit of once per day / per site, I don't want anyone to accidently becoming a spammer.
Mention Fledgling on social network site: 1 point
Mention this blog on social network site: 1 point
Mention my facebook page (http://facebook.com/mariminiatt) on social network site: 1 point
Email me – mariminiatt (at) Gmail dot com Subject: Point Contest
Tally up what you have done. If you have linked your blog to mine, make sure to give me the url or your blog, so I can return the favor.
In the event of a tie, winner will be chosen by random drawing.
*The interview does not have to be done in April. But can be sceduled for a later date and still count.
We still have two other contests going on!
Contest 2:
Enter until 4/30
If you have read the book: Send me a link to your review of Fledgling. This review can be on your blog, Amazon, Goodreads, etc. If you haven't reviewed it yet, please do. Yes, even a "bad" review will count.
Winner get to have their name as a character, that gets killed off in Patriarch.
Email me – mariminiatt (at) Gmail dot com Subject: Review Entry. A link to your review, and if you would allow me to put a copy on this blog.
Contest 3
Photo contest!
until 4/22
Take a photo of you, or have someone take a photo of you reading Fledgling in PUBLIC. If using an Ebook reader, please show the title page. Send me an email with the photo: mariminiatt (at) Gmail dot com Subject: Photo Entry. I will upload the photos here. One random person will be chosen to win a Fledgling Book Bag.
Now for some of the nitty gritty.
Contests 3 and 4 is for people in the United States.The poster is a digital copy of original piece of art work, done by Matt Miniatt, illustrator for the Coiree Guardians.The poster and the book bag will be shipped only in the US.Odds of winning, depends on the entries.The winners will be announced, only after I have contacted them and they have sent me their contact information (depending on the prize)How I determine the random draws. Each entry is assigned a number. I will go to Random.org to generate the random number.
April 14, 2011
Still Missing the Greenman
A year ago, one of my favorite musicians passed away. Peter Steele.
I left rambling post on this blog that night. His death had a surprising affect on me. I cried. I have never cried for anyone famous before. Micheal Jackson dies, I don't react. Dio passes, and I am grateful he was no longer in pain. But Peter Steele's death struck home.
Why?
His age was one reason. 48. My husband is 45. I just turned 40.
What he died of. Heart Attack. That is a killer in my family. I may have lost a 100 pounds, but I am no where near my goal. So that hangs over my head.
And his music.
Type O Negative was a gloom metal band. Most of their songs dealt with death, and the lost of love. I found their music when I needed to find it. I was at a point in my life were I could not listen to pop music. It did not hit the emotions I was feeling. Most bands songs were too happy for me. I could not listen to country. I needed something that spoke to me. And Type O Negative did.
He was an influence on me. It was Type O Negative I was listening to, while I tried to sleep during the day, when I had that dream of Steopa. I used Peter Steele as the physical basis of Steopa (to be fair, almost all my characters physical traits are influenced by musicians and/or actors). Among their fans, I made friends that have lasted for a long time. When he died, some of us that had not talked for a for years, found each other.
We will miss him. He did inspire a lot of musicians, artists, and writers. For someone that was not a pop star, or in the public eye at large, his reach was further than you would have expected. He's gone, the rest of the members have gone on to other bands; Seventh Void, A Pale Horse Named Death. Time moves on. A giant is gone and we will miss him.
I left rambling post on this blog that night. His death had a surprising affect on me. I cried. I have never cried for anyone famous before. Micheal Jackson dies, I don't react. Dio passes, and I am grateful he was no longer in pain. But Peter Steele's death struck home.
Why?
His age was one reason. 48. My husband is 45. I just turned 40.
What he died of. Heart Attack. That is a killer in my family. I may have lost a 100 pounds, but I am no where near my goal. So that hangs over my head.
And his music.
Type O Negative was a gloom metal band. Most of their songs dealt with death, and the lost of love. I found their music when I needed to find it. I was at a point in my life were I could not listen to pop music. It did not hit the emotions I was feeling. Most bands songs were too happy for me. I could not listen to country. I needed something that spoke to me. And Type O Negative did.
He was an influence on me. It was Type O Negative I was listening to, while I tried to sleep during the day, when I had that dream of Steopa. I used Peter Steele as the physical basis of Steopa (to be fair, almost all my characters physical traits are influenced by musicians and/or actors). Among their fans, I made friends that have lasted for a long time. When he died, some of us that had not talked for a for years, found each other.
We will miss him. He did inspire a lot of musicians, artists, and writers. For someone that was not a pop star, or in the public eye at large, his reach was further than you would have expected. He's gone, the rest of the members have gone on to other bands; Seventh Void, A Pale Horse Named Death. Time moves on. A giant is gone and we will miss him.
April 8, 2011
Another fan art based on my books. This is the front of the T... on Twitpic
Another fan art based on my books. This is the front of the T... on Twitpic
I can't show you the back because it's NSFW.
I can't show you the back because it's NSFW.
April 7, 2011
Flegdling Birthday continues
Another contest begins and two are still going.
Contest 3
Photo contest!
4/07 to 4/22
Take a photo of you, or have someone take a photo of you reading Fledgling in PUBLIC. If using an Ebook reader, please show the title page. Send me an email with the photo: mariminiatt (at) Gmail dot com Subject: Photo Entry. I will upload the photos here. One random person will be chosen to win a Fledgling Book Bag.
Until 4/14
Contest 1:
Enter your email into the feedburner box on my blog. A random person will be chosen to win a $25.00 gift card to Amazon.
Until 4/30
Contest 2:
If you have read the book: Send me a link to your review of Fledgling. This review can be on your blog, Amazon, Goodreads, etc. If you haven't reviewed it yet, please do. Yes, even a "bad" review will count.
Winner get to have their name as a character, that gets killed off in Patriarch.
Email me – mariminiatt (at) Gmail dot com Subject: Review Entry. A link to your review, and if you would allow me to put a copy on this blog.
The winner will be chosen at random.
Now for some of the nitty gritty:
Contest 1 is for only people in the United States.
The book bag will be shipped from the US.
Odds of winning, depends on the entries.
How I determine the random draws. Each entry is assigned a number. I will go to Random.org to generate the random number.
The winners will be announced, only after I have contacted them and they have sent me their contact information (depending on the prize).
Contest 3
Photo contest!
4/07 to 4/22
Take a photo of you, or have someone take a photo of you reading Fledgling in PUBLIC. If using an Ebook reader, please show the title page. Send me an email with the photo: mariminiatt (at) Gmail dot com Subject: Photo Entry. I will upload the photos here. One random person will be chosen to win a Fledgling Book Bag.
Until 4/14
Contest 1:
Enter your email into the feedburner box on my blog. A random person will be chosen to win a $25.00 gift card to Amazon.
Until 4/30
Contest 2:
If you have read the book: Send me a link to your review of Fledgling. This review can be on your blog, Amazon, Goodreads, etc. If you haven't reviewed it yet, please do. Yes, even a "bad" review will count.
Winner get to have their name as a character, that gets killed off in Patriarch.
Email me – mariminiatt (at) Gmail dot com Subject: Review Entry. A link to your review, and if you would allow me to put a copy on this blog.
The winner will be chosen at random.
Now for some of the nitty gritty:
Contest 1 is for only people in the United States.
The book bag will be shipped from the US.
Odds of winning, depends on the entries.
How I determine the random draws. Each entry is assigned a number. I will go to Random.org to generate the random number.
The winners will be announced, only after I have contacted them and they have sent me their contact information (depending on the prize).
April 6, 2011
Writing about the Opposite Sex.
I put my trolls aside for a few weeks. I got hit with editing fever, so I am editing and doing minor rewrites on Patriarch. When you take 4 minor characters out, the others have to take up the slack. And I am also in the middle of celebrating the one year anniversary of the the release of Fledgling.
The rewriting has been interesting. I have been writing about things from a man's perspective. That has never bothered me before. I never have gotten hung up on gender when I write. But there are a couple of scenes I had to ask my husband to look over, because I needed to have a man verify what I was writing made sense.
How do you write for the other gender? The same way you write for any character. You get in their heads.
For the most part, writing for a the opposite gender should not cause hang ups. If you keep the some things in mind. If you are writing a modern story set in the United States, there should not be a big "gender gap". But if you are writing a Victorian romance, you should have researched the roles expected at that time and planned your characters accordingly.
But what if you get into an area, that it is gender defined; like childbirth or erectile dysfunction? You could ask really close friend or significant other to give you their views. Talk to someone that has gone through it. Or, and this one is a little tough, imagine yourself going through the same thing. You may not have had a child, but have you passes a kidney stone?
But those particular issues are sex defined, not gender defined. There is a difference.
I think some writers get hung up on the difference between gender roles and sex. Having a child, has nothing to do with the gender role. All females are capable of giving birth, barring medical issues. Some chose not to have children, some cannot due to life choices, and some are happy having as many kids as they can.
How is that different from gender roles? Depending on the time period, and culture you are writing, how a woman is expected to have and raise those children is a gender role. A real quick example: Farm families in parts of the United States, in the last century, would have a lot of children. One reason, especially earlier, child mortality. Another reason, on hand labor. But also it was a show of pride. The more children you had, the more well off you were. Now most people can't afford to have too many kids. Where a family of eight children would not have batted an eye seventy years ago. Now they get a reality TV program.
Think about the role of women at the time too. It was expected that the husband make enough to support the family, so the wife could stay home and watch all the kids. Now, very hard to do. Physically, those are the same women. But their place in society, the expectations, and economics all shaped what was their role.
When you get hung up on writing for the opposite gender. Look at what is really hanging you up. Is is something physical, that only a man or woman could experience. Or is it trying to understand the role your male or female character has to fit.
I have heard male authors say, I don't know how my female character would react to this. Or female authors say, but do men talk about such things?
Stop thinking like that.
Think about your character individually first. How would your character react? What would they talk about? Each character is different, so even if the gender roles are the same, they could react in different ways, than are typical.
If you are still not sure, have a good friend or significant other read it. They can tell you if it sounds right.
The rewriting has been interesting. I have been writing about things from a man's perspective. That has never bothered me before. I never have gotten hung up on gender when I write. But there are a couple of scenes I had to ask my husband to look over, because I needed to have a man verify what I was writing made sense.
How do you write for the other gender? The same way you write for any character. You get in their heads.
For the most part, writing for a the opposite gender should not cause hang ups. If you keep the some things in mind. If you are writing a modern story set in the United States, there should not be a big "gender gap". But if you are writing a Victorian romance, you should have researched the roles expected at that time and planned your characters accordingly.
But what if you get into an area, that it is gender defined; like childbirth or erectile dysfunction? You could ask really close friend or significant other to give you their views. Talk to someone that has gone through it. Or, and this one is a little tough, imagine yourself going through the same thing. You may not have had a child, but have you passes a kidney stone?
But those particular issues are sex defined, not gender defined. There is a difference.
I think some writers get hung up on the difference between gender roles and sex. Having a child, has nothing to do with the gender role. All females are capable of giving birth, barring medical issues. Some chose not to have children, some cannot due to life choices, and some are happy having as many kids as they can.
How is that different from gender roles? Depending on the time period, and culture you are writing, how a woman is expected to have and raise those children is a gender role. A real quick example: Farm families in parts of the United States, in the last century, would have a lot of children. One reason, especially earlier, child mortality. Another reason, on hand labor. But also it was a show of pride. The more children you had, the more well off you were. Now most people can't afford to have too many kids. Where a family of eight children would not have batted an eye seventy years ago. Now they get a reality TV program.
Think about the role of women at the time too. It was expected that the husband make enough to support the family, so the wife could stay home and watch all the kids. Now, very hard to do. Physically, those are the same women. But their place in society, the expectations, and economics all shaped what was their role.
When you get hung up on writing for the opposite gender. Look at what is really hanging you up. Is is something physical, that only a man or woman could experience. Or is it trying to understand the role your male or female character has to fit.
I have heard male authors say, I don't know how my female character would react to this. Or female authors say, but do men talk about such things?
Stop thinking like that.
Think about your character individually first. How would your character react? What would they talk about? Each character is different, so even if the gender roles are the same, they could react in different ways, than are typical.
If you are still not sure, have a good friend or significant other read it. They can tell you if it sounds right.
April 1, 2011
Rant: Frustrated!!!
I have decided to give up. Not give up on writing, no I have decided that maybe I will sell more if I don't try to perfect my novels. It seems that what is selling, is quickly put together tripe. I can't compete with that.
People now want something they can make fun of. Rebecka Black makes an okay attempt at a first song, with horrible auto-tune, and has a million downloads. Jacqueline Howett gets into a fight with a person that gave her a 2 star review, and her sales increase! Is that what you want? Seriously? Ok I will give it a go.
So here is an example of what I will write from now on. It is a YA/Steampunk/vampire/chik-lit type of thing.
Across the blue sky, the airship Orion roared through the dark storm clouds. It was large and spherical, with a small cabin on the bottom that held the crew. The ship cut through the clouds like a sharp knife through butter.
Pretty stood on the deck. She ran her manicured fingers through her strawberry blond hair. She was the youngest captain in the Royal Navy. The older sailors at first did not like taking orders from a young woman, but she learned how to earn their respect.
Rain splashed on the cabin. It came down the sides of zeppelin in heavy torrents, drenching Pretty as she tried to walk to the boson.
I really don't need this, Pretty thought mournfully. Why do things like this always happen to me just before an inspection.
"Lord Hartman will be here soon," the boson reminded Pretty.
Five o' clock, she thought to herself. I don't have time to change.
Orange lights flashed on the control panel. Lt. Blackheart slapped the wooden and brass counter. She swore.
"Once, just once, I would like to be able to get through a storm cloud with out the turbines frying." Pretty shouted, stamping her feet in frustration.
Lighting strikes made the boson jump. Lt. Blackheart rolled her eyes.
"So, you have reached the end. Look at the letters at the beginning of each paragraph," Pretty ordered.
People now want something they can make fun of. Rebecka Black makes an okay attempt at a first song, with horrible auto-tune, and has a million downloads. Jacqueline Howett gets into a fight with a person that gave her a 2 star review, and her sales increase! Is that what you want? Seriously? Ok I will give it a go.
So here is an example of what I will write from now on. It is a YA/Steampunk/vampire/chik-lit type of thing.
Across the blue sky, the airship Orion roared through the dark storm clouds. It was large and spherical, with a small cabin on the bottom that held the crew. The ship cut through the clouds like a sharp knife through butter.
Pretty stood on the deck. She ran her manicured fingers through her strawberry blond hair. She was the youngest captain in the Royal Navy. The older sailors at first did not like taking orders from a young woman, but she learned how to earn their respect.
Rain splashed on the cabin. It came down the sides of zeppelin in heavy torrents, drenching Pretty as she tried to walk to the boson.
I really don't need this, Pretty thought mournfully. Why do things like this always happen to me just before an inspection.
"Lord Hartman will be here soon," the boson reminded Pretty.
Five o' clock, she thought to herself. I don't have time to change.
Orange lights flashed on the control panel. Lt. Blackheart slapped the wooden and brass counter. She swore.
"Once, just once, I would like to be able to get through a storm cloud with out the turbines frying." Pretty shouted, stamping her feet in frustration.
Lighting strikes made the boson jump. Lt. Blackheart rolled her eyes.
"So, you have reached the end. Look at the letters at the beginning of each paragraph," Pretty ordered.
March 31, 2011
Fledgling Birthday Party starts Tomorrow!
Tomorrow is April 1st. April Fools Day, but this is no joke.
The month long celebration of Fledgling Birthday begins!
Two of the contests start tomorrow:
Contest 1: Gift Card
Runs from 4/01 to 4/14
Simple, enter your email into the feedburner box on my blog. A random person will be chosen to win a $25.00 gift card to Amazon. US residents only, please.
04/01 to 4/30
Contest 2: The Naming
Special one for those of you that have read the book: Send me a link to your review or rating of Fledgling. This review can be on your blog, Amazon, Goodreads, etc. It does not have to be a long review. A rating of x out of stars works just as well. If you haven't reviewed it yet, please do. Yes, even a "bad" review will count.*
What will you win?
Your name as a character, that gets killed off in Patriarch.
Email me – mariminiatt (at) Gmail dot com Subject: Review Entry. A link to your review, and if you would allow me to put a copy on this blog.
The winner will be chosen at random.
Now for some of the nitty gritty:
Contest 1 is only for United States residents, sorry.Odds of winning, depends on the entries.How I determine the random draws. Each entry is assigned a number. I will go to Random.org to generate the random wining number.The winners will be announced, only after I have contacted them and they have sent me their contact information (depending on the prize).* "Bad" reviews count because bad is a subjective term. Not everyone is going to like the book, and I understand that.
The month long celebration of Fledgling Birthday begins!
Two of the contests start tomorrow:
Contest 1: Gift Card
Runs from 4/01 to 4/14
Simple, enter your email into the feedburner box on my blog. A random person will be chosen to win a $25.00 gift card to Amazon. US residents only, please.
04/01 to 4/30
Contest 2: The Naming
Special one for those of you that have read the book: Send me a link to your review or rating of Fledgling. This review can be on your blog, Amazon, Goodreads, etc. It does not have to be a long review. A rating of x out of stars works just as well. If you haven't reviewed it yet, please do. Yes, even a "bad" review will count.*
What will you win?
Your name as a character, that gets killed off in Patriarch.
Email me – mariminiatt (at) Gmail dot com Subject: Review Entry. A link to your review, and if you would allow me to put a copy on this blog.
The winner will be chosen at random.
Now for some of the nitty gritty:
Contest 1 is only for United States residents, sorry.Odds of winning, depends on the entries.How I determine the random draws. Each entry is assigned a number. I will go to Random.org to generate the random wining number.The winners will be announced, only after I have contacted them and they have sent me their contact information (depending on the prize).* "Bad" reviews count because bad is a subjective term. Not everyone is going to like the book, and I understand that.
March 29, 2011
Heads UP: Major contests coming to this blog soon!
Starting April 1st. I will start a month long "birthday" party for Fledgling.
There will be 4 different contests; 4 different prizes
Here are the prizes:
1. $25.00 gift card to Amazon
2. The Guardian Poster: A new piece of artwork, done by Matt. With all the vampire characters on it. The poster will be available in the zazzle store in May, but the winner gets it first!
3. Fledgling Book Bag
4. Your name as a character, that gets killed off in Patriarch.
As the month progresses, I will post all the contests as they start. Come back to check the rules, how long they run, and who won!
At the top of my blog, you see the page Fledgling Party. That is for anyone that can make it to Syracuse, NY at the end of April. Why have a normal, quiet book signing, when we can have a birthday party?. There will be music, food, and door prizes. If you are in the area, stop by. It will be a blast..
There will be 4 different contests; 4 different prizes
Here are the prizes:
1. $25.00 gift card to Amazon
2. The Guardian Poster: A new piece of artwork, done by Matt. With all the vampire characters on it. The poster will be available in the zazzle store in May, but the winner gets it first!
3. Fledgling Book Bag
4. Your name as a character, that gets killed off in Patriarch.
As the month progresses, I will post all the contests as they start. Come back to check the rules, how long they run, and who won!
At the top of my blog, you see the page Fledgling Party. That is for anyone that can make it to Syracuse, NY at the end of April. Why have a normal, quiet book signing, when we can have a birthday party?. There will be music, food, and door prizes. If you are in the area, stop by. It will be a blast..
