Christine Rains's Blog, page 31

Friday Five for April 8, 2016

1. My latest WIP is torturing me. I found a huge plot hole last week thanks to a character who pointed it out. So I've been rewriting (the third rewrite for this book) and now I'm finally on track toward the climax again. I had hoped to have it finished today, but now I'm aiming for next Friday.
2. I've been shopping for images this month. A late Christmas gift from my mom. I have the most perfect pictures for my Totem series. I hope I can do them justice when I create the covers. Now I'm picking images that would make awesome covers for other stories. I'm going to try to see if it is easier to write from inspiration from an image rather than trying to find images that fit a completed story.
3. Last night was my little guy's spring concert. He was so excited to sing on stage! Watching all the little kindergarten kids was cute.
4. One moment can change your life. One click can add The Thing That Turned Me to your "to read" list on Goodreads. I can't wait for this anthology!
5. I'll be easing off the blogging this month while sharing in the fun with the participants of the A to Z Challenge. I need more time to give my attention to these stories that are creating such havoc for me! I do have fabulous guest on my blog on Monday, and I'll be at her blog the same day. Stop by and see what we have in store for you!
Have a wonderful weekend!

#IWSG for April 2016

The Insecure Writer's Support Group (IWSG) is the brilliant idea of Alex J. Cavanaugh. The purpose of the group is to share doubts and insecurities and to encourage one another. Please visit the other participants and share your support. A kind word goes a long way.

I'm happy to be co-hosting this month along with these awesome writers: Megan Morgan, Chris Votey, Viola Fury, Madeline Mora-Summonte, L.G. Keltner, and Patricia Lynne!

Many of you are participating in the A to Z Challenge this month. My time is very limited this month, so I had to sadly opt out of doing it. But I'm here cheering you on!

The first time I participated in the Challenge I had no clue what to do. I was scared no one would like anything I did. So feeling that way, I wrote about a little girl who started off frightened and grew into a warrior. The story spanned over the entire month. Some of you might remember the tale of a brave woman who fought the monsters under children's beds with a snarky stuffed hippo as her guide.


Fearless received so much love. I went on to self-publish it and put it up for free. There has been over 70,000 downloads of the story since 2012, and that's a modest estimate as I don't know the number of downloads it has had on Kobo. I still am shocked when I think of that many people having read the book.

Many readers write me to say they read Fearless and it was so good, they bought my other books. It has been one of the best ways to market my work.

All of this because of the A to Z Challenge.

The Challenge might be scary, but you can do it. Slay your monsters and write.

P.S. Come stop over at the Untethered Realms blog. I miss doing the Challenge so much, I posted yesterday with my A to Z of funny paranormal things!

Witch of the Cards Blog Tour - guest post by Catherine Stine

What is it exactly that makes edgy beach towns the perfect setting for sinister fantasy and historical suspense? I’ve always been attracted to the dark side, and particularly to strange beach towns. So far, I’ve set two of my novels in them.
When I first moved to New York City after college and a stint out west, you couldn’t tear me away from the nefarious boardwalks of Coney Island. This was back before the arcade was renovated, back when the sideshow by the sea with its sword swallower and human pincushion were on full display. It was when a hungry, dirty capybara was caged in a box that read: Only $1 To See the Biggest Rat in the World! This poor critter was a plot point in Dorianna, my paranormal twist on Dorian Grey. And no surprise, I set Dorianna in Coney Island, and installed my sexiest villain ever, Wilson Warren, an agent of the devil disguised as a videographer who prowled the beaches, making girls into Internet sensations.
Fast-forward to my new novel Witch of the Cards, set in 1932, about Fiera, a sea witch who has a special talent with Tarot (and not just reading the cards). Of course, I set it in a shady beach town, in this case, Asbury Park, NJ. You see, I’ve been coming to this gentrifying beach town for years and know it well—in its sunny moods but also in its spooky, moody shades.
Around the turn of the century, and up until 1940, Asbury Park used to be the stomping grounds of the glitterati. There were grand concerts in the art deco Convention Center, and people dressed to the nines would stroll on the boardwalk at night. Then came the race riots of the 1960s and the economic crash, and the place fell into major disrepair. Its only remaining claim to fame was The Stone Pony, where Bruce Springsteen rocked into the limelight.
When I discovered first ventured into the convention center, there was a hole in its roof that seagulls flew in and out of, and only one lonely saltwater taffy store on the boardwalk run by an ancient lady who seemed to have stepped out of a Stephen King novel. Of course in Witch of the Cards I made her into a fabulous, dangerous witch, who sold magical taffy. And I turned the paranormal museum on Cookwell Avenue, the main shopping lane, into a place to hold séances that often went horribly wrong. I installed an illegal speakeasy in the taffy store basement. In my novel, Witch of the Cards, even the ocean hides terrible secrets.
There’s something about the scent of saltwater and hotdogs, the splintered, salt-dried boardwalk and the scream of people hurtling down on the arcade rides that gets my blood charging and my imagination firing. What about you?
Here’s a snippet of a scene when Fiera and her date Peter went down to the basement speakeasy in the taffy store:“Perhaps I was far too gone, but I didn’t care. Peter and I danced and danced. The room filled with the overflow from the convention hall dance—young lovers, bootlegger types with wide ties and cigars, older women with twinkling earrings and heavy bosoms, even a prostitute or two. I thought so anyway, because they wore way too much rouge and came alone to sit brazenly up at the bar with the gin rummies.This time I couldn’t say whether or not I stepped on Mr. Dune’s polished wingtips. This time, he probably couldn’t be sure if he knocked his bony legs into mine. We had many more nips of absinthe, and I wolfed down another green-swirl taffy and before I knew it, I was leaning provocatively against Peter and laughing like a wild banshee. I remember gaping up at him to see his black hair all disheveled and him mumbling indistinctly. And I, thinking that he was the most gorgeous human being I’d ever seen. I remember Dulcie grabbing one of my arms, and Peter grasping the other. I remember all of us howling at the crescent moon over the ocean, and the shocked sideways glance of the hotel proprietor as we all stumbled in. I recall pulling out the Tarot he’d given me, and laying them out on the bedroom rug. I recall babbling at him—about a witch and a swindler and a boat—not necessarily in that order. I can still picture his expression of shocked surprise but not at what.And I remember Peter’s lips branding my forehead—how could I ever forget that—while shocks of his lush black hair dangled deliciously on my burning cheeks. The last thing I recall before things went dark was kicking off my shoes.”
Fiera was born a sea witch with no inkling of her power. And now it might be too late. Witch of the Cards is historical, supernatural romantic suspense set in 1932 on the Jersey shore. Twenty-two year-old Fiera has recently left the Brooklyn orphanage where she was raised, and works in Manhattan as a nanny. She gets a lucky break when her boss pays for her short vacation in Asbury Park. One evening, Fiera and her new friend Dulcie wander down the boardwalk and into Peter Dune’s Tarot & Séance, where they attend a card reading.Fiera has always had an unsettling ability to know things before they happen and sense people’s hidden agendas. She longs to either find out the origin of her powers or else banish them because as is, they make her feel crazy. When, during the reading, her energies somehow bond with Peter Dune’s and form an undeniable ethereal force, a chain of revelations and dangerous events begin to unspool. For one, Fiera finds out she is a witch from a powerful sea clan, but that someone is out to stop her blossoming power forever. And though she is falling in love with Peter, he also has a secret side. He’s no card reader, but a private detective working to expose mediums. Despite this terrible betrayal, Fiera must make the choice to save Peter from a tragic Morro Cruise boat fire, or let him perish with his fellow investigators. Told in alternating viewpoints, we hear Fiera and Peter each struggle against their deep attraction. Secrets, lies, even murder, lace this dark fantasy.
WOC Buy links:
Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01COACFVUAmazon UK: http://tinyurl.com/hze9ekhiBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1091149257Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebo...B&N/Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/witch...Inktera: http://www.inktera.com/store/title/f9bcdfce-e947-4cc0-a5e7-d19d681acb49Amazon CA:https://www.amazon.ca/Witch-Cards-Cat...Amazon AU:http://www.amazon.com.au/Witch-Cards-...
  About the Author:Catherine Stine’s novels span the range from futuristic to supernatural to contemporary. Her YA sci-fi thrillers Fireseed One and Ruby’s Fire are Amazon bestsellers and indie award winners. Her YA, Dorianna won Best Horror Book in the Kindle Hub Awards. Heart in a Box, her contemporary YA was an Amazon Hot New Release in Teen and Alternative Family for over eight weeks. She also writes romance as Kitsy Clare. Her Art of Love series includes Model Position and Private Internship. Book three, Girl and the Gamer, launches this summer. She suspects her love of dark fantasy came from her father reading Edgar Allen Poe to her as a child, and her love of contemporary fiction comes from being a jubilant realist. To unwind she loves to watch “bad” reality TV and travel to offbeat places.
Catherine’s website: http://catherinestine.com/wp/ Newsletter: http://goo.gl/V7QltB Blog: http://catherinestine.blogspot.com/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/kitsy84557/ Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1018139.Catherine_Stine Catherine on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorcatherinestine Twitter: https://twitter.com/crossoverwriter  
GIVEAWAY!One $40 gift card, two hand-painted heart-boxes (by Catherine) with secret treasure inside, one signed paperback of Dorianna by Catherine Stine, one signed paperback of Witch of the Cards by Catherine Stine, one brand new collector Tarot deck along with an envelope full of special swag!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Long for it no more! Big Longing is here!

Buy links:Ellora's Cave * Amazon * B&N * Kobo
Add it to read on Goodreads.
Today I'm being interviewed by the wonderfully talented M. Pepper Langlinais. Come find out my inspiration for the Sasquatch Susies series and a few other fun things about me.

The Thing That Turned Me coming soon

One moment...One person...One place...One thing...One idea...
Can change everything.

I'm so excited and honored to be have a story this amazing collection of tales from several talented authors. Cheers to Randi Lee who put it together. There's something here for everyone with science-fiction, fantasy, poetry, and creative non-fiction. This anthology will wow you!

My speculative fiction tale, "George and the Dragon" found the perfect home in this book. It's a twist on the old legend where we're taken to a dark place which makes it even difficult for the brave knight to shine.

Check out the collection's fantastic book trailer!

I Met My Friends Through the #IWSG - guest post by Stephanie Faris

I Met My Friends Through the IWSG
by Stephanie Faris
I’m not even sure how I found the Insecure Writers Support Group (IWSG). I distinctly recall being completely perplexed as to how to get new readers when I first started blogging outside of MySpace. On MySpace, there was a “Top Blogs” section that lists the most popular blogs by category. You simply found your category of interest and started reading. In the general blogosphere, no such ranking exists. 

I believe it started when I started following a few commenters on agent blogs like Janet Reid’s and Nathan Bransford. They were very popular at the time and read by bloggers who were trying to find an agent, as I was. I picked up a few regular readers through doing that, then begin searching their blog comments for great new blogs to read. Somewhere in that process, I stumbled upon the IWSG and its monthly posts. I realized this was the community I was seeking.
What is the IWSG? It’s a group of writers, originally put together by blogger/writer Alex Cavanaugh. On the first Wednesday of each month, we post about our insecurities and give each other a big morale boost. Every April, some members of the same community participate in the A to Z Challenge, where we post every day on a themed topic, starting with the letter A and ending with Z.
The genius of the IWSG is that it gives writers a way to support and inspire each other while also providing a great resource for finding that small community of writers who will support us throughout our careers. We can support them back, as well, which is often even more gratifying.
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Blurb:
Piper helps some four-legged friends find the perfect home in the third book of the brand-new Piper Morgan series.

Piper is super excited to help out at Bark Street, a local animal shelter in town. Who wouldn’t want to be surrounded by adorable puppies and dogs all day? And when Piper sees Taffy, the cutest dog she has ever seen, Piper is determined to find a way to bring Taffy home. But it won’t be easy—especially when she finds out someone else wants to make Taffy a part of their family, too!

Author Photo (click for full resolution):
[image error]Bio:
Stephanie Faris knew she wanted to be an author from a very young age. In fact, her mother often told her to stop reading so much and go outside and play with the other kids. After graduating from Middle Tennessee State University with a Bachelor of Science in broadcast journalism, she somehow found herself working in information technology. But she never stopped writing.
Stephanie is the Simon & Schuster author of 30 Days of No Gossip and 25 Roses, as well as the upcoming Piper Morgan series. When she isn’t crafting fiction, she writes for a variety of online websites on the topics of business, technology, and her favorite subject of all—fashion. She lives in Nashville with her husband, a sales executive. 
Links:
Website Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram

Friday Five for March 25, 2016

1. One week until the release of Big Longing (Sasquatch Susies #2)! I haven't had much time to prep for this release. But I hope when the whole series is out, I can do a big promo.
2. I finished the first big round of edits for Big Burning (Sasquatch Susies #3). Reading it again made me excited, and I remembered why it was my favorite one in the series. I predict it will likely be released in May.
3. I haven't done much else lately. A little critiquing and no writing. I'm aching for time to write. Not having that outlet is starting to affect my mood. My muse gets grumpy when she doesn't get her time!
4. I've been having lots of fun with my little guy during his two week long spring break. Though I think both of us are ready for school to start up again. He loves going to school, and I love that he loves it. Plus, you know, I love having a quiet house to write!
5. It's almost time for the Easter bunny to visit out house again. Tomorrow we'll be having breakfast with the Bunny at a local firehouse. The firefighters make an awesome breakfast and the kids get to do an egg hunt. Then we'll be munching on chocolate all weekend. Have a Happy Easter!

Wicked Wednesday - writing yourself into a corner

You're writing a fantastic story. The characters are complex, the setting unique, and the plot intense. You have that incredible feeling of creating something amazing.
Finally comes the big climax. There's a huge battle. Your heroes have been surrounded by a crafty villain and her minions with no way out. You're on the edge of your seat. And it is at this point you realize you have no idea how your heroes are going to get out of this.
Oh crap.
You might want to bash your head on the keyboard or cry that you'll have to start all over. There isn't enough chocolate in the world for that.
But wait! This is the best thing that can happen to you.
I know it's hard to believe, but writing yourself into a corner will bring out the creative best in you. You must think outside the box to help your heroes save themselves. But, you ask, if you have no ideas, how do you do this?
This happened to me just recently, and it has happened to me before. Every time, I have a moment of panic. Yet do you know what saves me? The story itself.
I go back and read it from the beginning. The answer to save the heroes is always there. The story knows even if the author doesn't right away. Yes, it's as simple as that. At least for this pantser!
Have you ever written yourself into a corner? How do you get out of it?

Review for Summons (Fable Ranger #1)

Blurb: Take care of what you wish for. You just might get it.Twelve-year-old Casey doesn’t think life could get anymore unfair. Plans for her special basketball tournament are tossed aside by her sister’s change in wedding plans. She even has to be a bridesmaid now, with all the lace and silk and - oh the horror! All she wants is an escape, but she never imagined she’d be swept away to a world of Mother Goose rhymes, fairy tales, stories of Arabian Nights, and oh, by the way, all but one fairy godmother is kidnapped.Casey learns she’s been summoned as the Fable Ranger to lead the search and rescue of the missing wish-makers. She also discovers she isn’t the hero they would accept. In the world of fairy tales, damsels aren't meant to swoop in to save the day.Now all Casey wants is to go home, a wish easy to grant if the veil between worlds weren’t on lockdown. Taking fate into her own hands, she embarks on an airship flight to find the phoenix tears that can help open her way home. Her journey would’ve gone as smooth as the perfect layup if it weren’t for that pesky bounty the evil Dovetail placed on her head. Casey refuses to fail knowing it would allow the legends of Arabian Nights to disappear forever and leave her trapped in a world unraveling one fairy tale at a time.My review:There is nothing more horrifying than being a bridesmaid in your big sister's wedding. But then twelve-year-old Casey has to miss her basketball tournament as well! Yet when Casey is sucked into a world of fairy tales and children's rhymes, she wants nothing more than to return home to her family. An evil villain has messed up the stories and kidnapped all but one of the fair godmothers. The Fable Ranger was called on to rescue them, but they got Casey instead. Can she be the hero this world needs her to be or will all the fairy tales disappear forever?

A marvelously written fantasy story for young readers that will take them on a great adventure. This is the first book in the series and it sets it up with fantastic world-building. We have a world of fairy tales and Mother Goose rhymes, and the characters all mingle. It's a neat twist to see how characters we all know interact with one another like Little Bo Beep and the Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe! The plot moves fast and the tension is high.

What stands out the most for me about this book is the characters. Casey is a typical twelve-year-old. Though she has her complaints about her family, she loves them dearly and wants nothing more to be back with them. She's a basketball fanatic and loves fairy tales. What's more is she's kind and brave, even when she's absolutely terrified. Charlie-Boy is her companion on the quest, and I love that though he is a child in a fairy tale world, he has normal problems with family and self doubt. These are two highly relatable figures any reader can sympathize with.

I can't wait for more in the Fable Ranger series! Buy the book here: AmazonFind Angela on her blog!

Friday Five for March 18, 2016

1. I have my release date for Big Longing (Sasquatch Susies #2). April 1st. It's no joke! You can add it to read on Goodreads.
2. My little guy's spring break had a rough start but the week went wonderfully. He was sick on Monday, but then we had a lake day, a park day, and a movie day. Zootopia was darn good! Today my husband has off work. Family day!
3. Tomorrow is my monthly local critique group meeting. I need to finish critiquing the two short stories for it. I wrote a flash piece that is either brilliant or badly odd. We'll see what they think.
4. The only one not enjoying spring break is the cat. He does not like the change in routine and is on my lap any time I sit down since I've not been at home much this week. Even as I type this, he's curled up on my lap!
5. When the Wii tells you to wear the wrist strap, wear it. My poor little guy had a scare and a cry when the controller flew out of his hand and smashed our TV. There is an impact mark and fractures all along the bottom of our screen. This weekend, we'll be shopping for a deal on a new TV. Hopefully wearing green yesterday has brought us some luck!

Have a wonderful weekend!