Cherie Reich's Blog, page 10

Falling for #SpecFic: 2015 Realms Faire | Wattpad Wednesdays: Reborn Chapter 31 | Writing Update | Awesome Giveaway

The fourth annual Realms Faire is coming up November 9-13, and we have loads of events and prizes for you to participate in. Here are a few of the events coming up during the Faire.


House MPax - The Joust

So what does becoming a knight and jousting entail?1. Spots are limited reserve your slot today! Click HERE and check off 'joining 4th annual joust as a knight. Huzzah!' or email Mary at mpaxuathor@gmail.com.
2. When you get an email from Mary, send her the name you'll joust under and 3-5 book covers. She'll send you the nifty badge and 3 magic words. The magic words are how you'll score points during the joust.
3. Send her 2 excerpts, or 2 stories of your knightly feats, or one excerpt and one story of your feats.
4. Send your friends and followers to this blog Nov. 9-13th and tell them to leave comments using your magic words. You're allowed to post exactly what they copy and paste. You're allowed to bribe. Prizes will be awarded to commenters daily on the site.

House Immortal - Beware the Vortex

Evil is afoot. Chronos has accidentally created a vortex while cleaning his hourglass, plunging a few unfortunate souls into Lucien’s Bar, gateway to the Underworld. Now they are trapped. Lucien wants to keep them but will give each hapless victim one chance to earn their freedom. His condition? Enter a contest of skills with an Immortal opponent of his/her choosing.
Do you think you can survive a swordfight with War? How about wend your way through a carnivorous garden to get to Gaia’s treehouse? Or weave a portion of the Great Tapestry of Life while avoiding Atropos’ giant pair of life-ending scissors? Perhaps you’re brave enough to challenge Death to a peanut-eating contest? Or whip up a batch of punch with Jezebel, the Master Poisoner? Do you have what it takes to win your way out of Lucien’s grasp?

Your mission: on the day you appear in the contest you will post on your own blog or gather together your Facebook and/or Twitter friends and provide a link to this blog, pleading with your loyal supporters to come to your aid at http://riverfairchild.blogspot.com/ and cheer you on to victory. Their comments will decide your fate. River will provide you with a few magic words to bolster the power of your minions. Plead well, for you will need their strength to endure. Others might seek to cast their votes with the Immortals.

Rewards? Yes! Besides winning your freedom (hopefully), each volunteer (that would be you) who is locked in the struggle will receive an Amazon or Barnes & Noble gift card. In addition, a few lucky commenters will be picked at random to receive a gift card at the end of the Faire.

Interested? Sign up at http://mpaxauthor.com/realmsfaire/ or email River at RiverFairchildAuthor@gmail.com.

House Geek - Drench-a-Wench Here at House Geek, Christine is happy to be hosting a marvelous event called Drench-a-wench or Soak-a-bloke, depending on whether our dunkee is a lovely lady or handsome lord.
The rules of this event are simple.
1. Dunkees are chosen by the Untethered Realms council. None of the dunkees know they have been picked. The fun is in the surprise, after all!
2. Christine will announce a new dunkee each day of the Faire and include a link to their blog.
3. Participants will go to the dunkee's blog and soak them with blog love in the comments of their most recent post. Anyone can participate.
4. Everyone who participates is included in the daily giveaway. Oh yes, my fine friends! There will be a new giveaway every day.
5. Visit the other esteemed hosts of Realms Faire and have fun with their games. Enter to win even more prizes.

House Waibel - Stockade Brigade House Waibel is hosting the Stockade Brigade. Warrants of arrest have been issued for select authors accusing them of witchery and wizardry. The pillory has been erected and the trial dates set.
Good people of Realmsdom, Mary calls upon you to bear witness to these trials and offer your testimony for or against the author's crimes.

Points will be awarded for wordsmithing a comment in your best Olde English afore 8 of the clock in the Eastern time on the following scale:

5-Ye speak as one from the days of Queen Bess.
4-Ye could pass muster as a Ren Faire cast member
3-Ye could pass as a Ren Faire attendee
2-Ye wouldn't be foolin' yer mother
1-Ye stand out like the sun in a cloudless sky

An e-book will be given every day to the witness who scores the most points. Fear not, your daily score will be accumulated and the person with the highest score shall receive a special prize at the end of the week. So, brush off your Olde English and prepare to testify.

House of the Hero's Dilemma Hero's beware! Here at the House of Hero's Dilemma, a new cliff-hanging adventure will dangle new heroes above the depths of destiny or despair. In 100 words or less, a hero will face a danger in story form.
Each day, the people of Realsmdom will decide the fate of these heroes in three sentences or less. If fateful endings are giving answer in poetic form, an extra entry for prizes will be awarded.

Daily e-book prizes will be awarded via random name-pulling from the entries. Everyone is invited to participate.

People of Realmsom, you have the power of storytelling might to decide the fate of the would-be heroes. Will they die in glory or shame, live in victory or defeat? It is up to you.

And, after you have decided the fate of the Hero's Dilemma, try your hand at the other Realms Faire Events for more fun and prizes!

House Bookworm - Riddle Me This I am a book so popular they made a movie of me. Within the what if realms I lie. Horror? Fantasy? Or am I Sci-Fi? A riddle every day during the Realms Faire for you to take your best guess and have a chance to win a prize most splendid.

For your guessing pleasure, visit Cherie Reich's blog (here!) every day November 9-13 to make a guess and be entered for a daily prize.
Twitter Hashtag - #RealmsFaire
http://mpaxauthor.com/realmsfaire/
Read Reborn from the  beginning  or  Chapter Thirty-One .
Happy Wednesday! Since I'm taking a few days off next week (August 26-28), I've decided to go ahead and post my writing update and September's goals. My next post after this one will be the #IWSG post on September 2.
Writing is going well. I'm keeping to my primary and secondary goals, even if most days I only get a chance to write the bare minimum (15-20 minutes in Marked and 7-10 minutes in The Mission). I'm over 20,000 words in Marked (The Fate Challenges #1.5) and over 10,000 words in The Mission (The Gaia Project #1.1).
As for editing, I hope to start the final proofread of UR's anthology Mayhem in the Air this week.
Here are my September goals:Primary Goal = write 20-25 minutes a day. Once I finish Marked, Forged (The Fate Challenges #2) will move into the primary spot.Secondary Goal = write 10-12 minutes a day. The Mission is currently in this spot. Once I finish the first draft of The Mission, "On Day 168" will become my secondary goal.Finish final proofread and formatting for Mayhem in the Air.Edit a novel for a friend.

What are your September goals?
2015 Stats (1/1/15-8/18/15): 47,192 words written and 1,176 pages edited
 Each month, T.B. Markinson plans to give away awesome books by wonderful authors and a $5 Amazon Gift Card. It’s her way of saying thank you to all her followers and fans. Some may wonder why she is giving books away that aren’t hers. The answer is simple: She loves to read and she loves to help fellow authors promote their books. The giveaway is easy to enter via Rafflecopter. At the end of the month, one winner will be selected randomly and will receive an e-book copy of all the books below plus a $5 Amazon Gift Card. Good luck! Here are the incredible books for August’s Giveaway. My novel Reborn is one of the awesome books in this month's giveaway!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Bookworm News: Teaser from M. Gerrick's The Vanished Knight | An Awesome Giveaway

PROMO AND TEASER EXCERPT

The entity living inside Callan’s soul orphaned her at age eleven. By the time she’s sixteen, it’s ensured her being shunted from one foster family to another.
Her thirteenth foster assignment should be routine. Except... it's not. A psycho in medieval armor kidnaps her and she ends up in a magical world. There, she accidentally discovers a secret her parents had kept until the day they died.
Both actually came from this magical world, but left before Callan was born. To cover their tracks, they’d lied about everything. Even who they really were.
Driven to find out where she comes from, Callan’s trapped in a race for life and death. Walking away isn’t an option, but if she stays too long, the entity will find its next victim.
In this world where secrets are sacrosanct and grudges are remembered, finding the truth will be near impossible. Especially when Callan has her own homicidal little secret to deal with.
One with a taste for destroying her life.
Goodreads | Amazon | Amazon Universal Link | Apple | Barnes & Noble | Kobo
After discovering her parents had kept a whole world secret, Callan races to discover her past. Not easy to do with an increasingly agitated entity living in her soul.
Going to her long-lost elvish roots should answer all her questions. Instead, she ends up in the middle of a nightmare.
The elves are on the verge of an apocalyptic war. Their enemy, King Aurek of Icaimerith, will only be appeased if Callan marries his heir. It’s either her life getting messed up, or an entire country’s lives lost. Simple enough, right?
Wrong.
Because when the entity wants the elves blotted out of existence, saving them gets taken to a whole new level of complicated.
Goodreads | Amazon | Amazon Universal Link| Apple | Barnes & Noble | Kobo
Misha Gerrick has been creating stories long before she could write and is currently going after her dream of making a living as a writer.
If you’d like to see how that’s going, you can visit her on her blog, where she also discusses all things related to writing and publishing.
Or, if you’d just like to know what she’s reading and get updates on what she’ll be publishing next (Sorry, no newsletter just yet.):
You can follow her TumblrYou can follow her on Twitter: @MGerrick1
And you can circle her on Google Plus: +MGerrick

BOOKS READBlack Magic and Mojitos by A.A. Chamberlynn
The Shadow Cartel by Layton Green
BOOK REVIEWSBlack Magic and Mojitos by A.A. ChamberlynnZyan Star may find Rio too hot to handle in A.A. Chamberlynn's Black Magic and Mojitos. From the very first page, I loved Zyan's voice and was yanked into the story. Zyan is definitely her own woman and is such a strong and spirited female lead with two great best friends/business partners that balance her out well. I enjoyed the verbal sparring between Zyan and the hunky bounty hunter Donovan McGregor. Chamberlynn writes a thrilling and adventure-packed supernatural story. The beautiful and colorful descriptions paint the setting so well I felt like I was in Rio. Black Magic and Mojitos by A.A. Chamberlynn is a refreshing magical sip of what I hope is just a start of a great new series featuring this supernatural bounty hunter.


The Shadow Cartel by Layton GreenDominic Grey delves into the darkness and power of cults and drugs in Layton Green's The Shadow Cartel. As the fourth book in the Dominic Grey series, this novel brings back some familiar characters including Professor Viktor Radek and love interest Nya, although they are more peripheral characters this time. I enjoyed exploring deeper into Grey's psyche and history. The story is well paced and thoroughly researched and brings to life the exotic settings of Miami, Mexico, and South America. Green does not hold back any punches in this one, just like his main character. The reader will see what I mean at those certain gut-wrenching scenes, especially toward the end. I am a fan of this series and am looking forward to the next Dominic Grey novel. For fans of exotic locales, well-written stories and characters, and a glimpse of the dark side of religions and humanity, then I highly recommend not only Layton Green's The Shadow Cartel, but all his Dominic Grey books.
BOOK RELEASES IN AUGUSTDaughter of Dusk by Livia BlackburneEverybody Rise by Stephanie CliffordIrona 700 by Dave DuncanOff and Running by Philip ReedBlind Spot by Tom KakonisDie for Me by Jack LynchClose Quarters by Adrian MagsonA Window Opens by Elisabeth EganGidion’s Blood by Bill BlumeRising Strong by Brené Brown13 Stolen Girls by Gil ReavillBetween a Rock and a Hard Place by Marty WingateHot Pink in the City by Medeia SharifTrust No One by Paul CleaveWe Never Asked for Wings by Vanessa DiffenbaughLair of Dreams by Libba BrayAndersonville by Edward M. ErdelacDark Screams Volume Four by Various AuthorsNightwalker by Jacquelyn FrankHostage Taker by Stefanie PintoffAwake by Natasha PrestonFortune Smiles by Adam JohnsonDays of Awe by Lauren FoxThe Murderer’s Daughter by Jonathan KellermanTrial Run by Thomas LockeThe Congregation by Desirée Bombenon#Poser by Cambria HebertBirthright by Alan Gold and Mike JonesShooting for the Stars by R.G. BelskyPoint of Balance by J.G. JuradoBlackmailed by the Hero by Julie PartickaPlaying for Her Heart by Megan EricksonRecipe for Temptation by Gina GordonBeauty and the Bachelor by Naima SimoneThe Colonel’s Daughter by Amy AndrewsBegun by Time by Morgan O’NeillBeauty and the Werewolf by Kristin MillerThe Wicked Desire by Dawn ChartierPretty Lawless by Jodi LintonA Wife in Every Sense by Joanne WalshDodging Temptation by Avery FlynnBlackmail Boyfriend by Chris CannonBlack Magic and Mojitos by A.A. ChamberlynnFearless by Shae Ross
Own Me by Lexi Scott
Gamma Rift by Kalli Lanford
Driving Her Crazy by Kira Archer
Five Things I Love About You by Sarah Ballance
Unexpectedly His by Maggie Kelley
How to Save a Surgeon by C.M. Stone
Tamed by the Outlaw by Michelle Sharp
 Just One Reason by Brooklyn Skye
Deadly Trouble by J.L. Hammer
Undercover with the Enemy by Sharron McClellan
Blood and Metal by Nina Croft
Set Up by Maxine O'Callaghan
Blanche Passes Go by Barbara Neely
Rouse the Demon by Carolyn Weston
Storme Front by W.L. Ripley
A Cold Quarry by Andy Straka
A Night Falconer by Andy Straka
Beyond Space Opera by Milo James Fowler and other authors
Trouble is a Friend of Mine by Stephanie Tromly
Something Beautiful by Jamie McGuire
Bitter of Tongue by Cassandra Clare
Earth's Guardian by RaShelle Workman
Herculeanby Jeremy Robinson and Sean Ellis
The Banished of Muirwood by Jeff Wheeler
The Reaper's Kiss by Abigail Baker

COVER REVEAL

Forthcoming Fall 2015
Edited by Cherie Reich and Catherine Stine
Cover Design by Erin Dameron-Hill
Authors include Cathrina Constantine, River Fairchild, Julie Flanders, Gwen Gardner, Misha Gerrick, Graeme Ing, M. Pax, Christine Rains, Cherie Reich, and Catherine Stine.
For more information, visit Untethered Realms.

 Each month, T.B. Markinson plans to give away awesome books by wonderful authors and a $5 Amazon Gift Card. It’s her way of saying thank you to all her followers and fans. Some may wonder why she is giving books away that aren’t hers. The answer is simple: She loves to read and she loves to help fellow authors promote their books. The giveaway is easy to enter via Rafflecopter. At the end of the month, one winner will be selected randomly and will receive an e-book copy of all the books below plus a $5 Amazon Gift Card. Good luck! Here are the incredible books for August’s Giveaway. My novel Reborn is one of the awesome books in this month's giveaway!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

#IWSG: Getting into a Routine | Wattpad Wednesday: Reborn Chapter 30 | An Awesome Giveaway

IWSG was created by the Captain Ninja Alex J. Cavanaugh. To visit the IWSG participants, please click here.

I haven't been a person who enjoys exercising. Sure, I was forced to take gym and actually did love playing soccer for nine years while in school, but otherwise, I've led a pretty sedentary lifestyle. But having been diagnosed with mild carpal tunnel, tendinitis, and chronic myofascial pain syndrome has made me realize if I didn't start moving now, I may not be able to move years down the road. This realization scared me. On May 24, 2015, I decided to start exercising, but I had to lay down some ground rules first.

1. Exercise is about movement, not weight loss.
Every time in the past I exercised to lose weight, I got frustrated when the pounds weren't melting off. For me, I can't focus on weight loss but being more active.
2. Start slow and ease myself into exercise.
In the past, I started out walking a mile or riding the stationary bike three miles. It was too much for me. I would get sick or injured. This time, I told myself I would start with 5-10 minutes of exercise a day and slowly increase it by month. I did 5-10 minutes through the end of June and then upped it to 10-15 minutes in July. August has me at 15-20 minutes. I've also been focusing mainly on strength and flexibility (yoga, tai chi, and light free weights) and am slowly adding cardio (a ballet conditioning DVD).
3. Have a reasonable top goal.
My top goal is to exercise at least thirty minutes every single day, which I should achieve in November.

There are days I don't want to exercise. Days I hurt and feel like my ankle or back will snap into two. Days I wish I was still in bed instead of getting up early to exercise. But I know the first day I don't exercise, I will quit. Knowing that has kept me going.

So what does that have to do with writing?

Well, I haven't written much or steadily for a LONG time. So I applied what I did for exercise to writing with a few ground rules.

1. Writing is about time length, not how many words I get.
Some days the words come easily. Others, not so much. So I decided not to set word count goals but how much time I spent writing. In July, it was 10-15 minutes on a main project and 5-7 on a secondary project. I upped it to 15-20 minutes main project and 7-10 minutes secondary project. I can write longer, but I have to write at least the minimum every day.
2. Stop writing when I want to keep writing.
Yeah, it sounds really counterproductive. But if I stop when I want to write more, then it'll make it easier to start writing the next day.
3. Have a reasonable top goal.
Ideally, I'd love to spend an hour on a main project and thirty minutes on a secondary project, but with my wrist, I don't know if I'll be able to maintain that much writing, so my reasonable top goal is thirty minutes a main project and fifteen with a secondary project. I should reach this goal by November too.

I don't believe you have to do things every day, of course, but I do believe a routine is very important. You just have to find what works for you and stick with it.

Do you have a writing routine?


Read Reborn from the  beginning  or  Chapter Thirty .

 Each month, T.B. Markinson plans to give away awesome books by wonderful authors and a $5 Amazon Gift Card. It’s her way of saying thank you to all her followers and fans. Some may wonder why she is giving books away that aren’t hers. The answer is simple: She loves to read and she loves to help fellow authors promote their books. The giveaway is easy to enter via Rafflecopter. At the end of the month, one winner will be selected randomly and will receive an e-book copy of all the books below plus a $5 Amazon Gift Card. Good luck! Here are the incredible books for August’s Giveaway. My novel Reborn is one of the awesome books in this month's giveaway!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Writing Update | Smashwords Summer/Winter Sale July 1-31 #fantasy

Happy Wednesday!
I have to admit July has been a really good goals completion month.
I have updated my social media pages, websites, and blog to their new looks. I have consolidated quite a few of my pages on my blog with pages on my author website. Doing so means I'll have to update in fewer places. I still have a couple more drawings I want to finish, but they're not needed until 2016, so I have plenty of time to draw and color them.
I've also been writing. Every. Single. Day. I wrote more this month than I wrote during the past six months combined. It's been amazing to get back in the swing of things. And I'm working on not one project but two. Yes, you read that right. Two projects.
Marked (The Fate Challenges #1.5) is my main project. So far I've written almost 10,000 words and am a third finished. If I keep this up, then I might be able to finish the first draft of Marked by late August/early September.
My second project is a new one. The series is called The Gaia Project, and the first "episode" is titled The Mission. I figure The Gaia Project will be a serial with episodes and seasons. The premise is what if a colony ship plans to colonize a super-habitable planet where alien dinosaurs live. The first season will focus on six characters and their scouting mission to discover what happened to the first team the space colony sent down to the surface. For The Mission, I have written almost 6,000 words and am on chapter three out of nine. I'll likely finish this first episode by the end of September. Maybe. I don't have a scene by scene outline yet, so I'm winging it a bit for now and will see if I continue writing this project or choose to place it on the back burner and try another one later on.
So my goals for August are:Marked - Continue writing this novella told from Liam's point of view and in The Fate Challenges series (YA Epic Fantasy).The Mission - Continue writing this first episode in the science fiction series The Gaia Project.Mayhem in the Air - The stories in the UR anthology have been written and edited. We're in the proofreading stages, but as I get the final stories from their authors, I'm going to compile the collection and work on a final proofread. My urban fantasy story "Paper Lanterns" is in this anthology.
So what are your goals for August?
2015 Stats (1/1/15-7/21/15): 31,118 words written and 1,176 pages edited
The Smashwords Summer/Winter Sale runs through July 31st. You can purchase Reborn  and People of Foxwick and Their Neighbors  for 50% off and download A to Z Flashes of Foxwick  for free with coupon code SW100. The Untethered Realms group has also placed Fantasy Uprising  on sale for 75% off and our first anthology Twisted Earths  for free with the SW100 code.

Falling for #SpecFic: Summer TV | Wattpad Wednesday: Reborn Chapter 29 | Smashwords Sale

I sometimes wish there weren't new TV shows in the summer. I used to get a lot more reading done during those few months between the season finales and the season premieres, but it's sometimes nice to have something new to watch. Summer has its speculative fiction shows too. I'm only talking about network TV since I don't have cable/satellite or good Internet for Netflix.

Extant - Season 2 - CBSExtant is a great science fiction show. The premise is what if a female astronaut became pregnant by an extraterrestrial. The show is set in the near future with computer-controlled houses, driverless cars, and even androids as children. I wouldn't be opposed to having an android child. Ethan is awesome. Smart, sweet, caring, and more humane than the majority of humans. Season Two has started out with a bang, and I'm excited to see what will happen next.
Under the Dome - Season 3 - CBSStephen King's Under the Dome was the first long book I read on my Kindle (2nd generation), so I was looking forward to seeing the TV show. It has completely gone off script from the book, which isn't necessarily a bad thing as it keeps me guessing. At times I think the show would have been better as a mini-series. The premise is what if a dome cut off a small town from the rest of the world. Even though I feel like the series has drawn out too much, I keep watching for the characters and the mystery of the Dome.
Zoo - Season 1 - CBSZoo is a book by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge and has now been turned into a TV show. The premise is what if the animals woke up and realized they outnumbered us. The idea has hooked me. In the commercials, they say there are 7 billion of us and 700 billion animals. That sounds like a whole lot of animals. I enjoyed the couple episodes and plan to see what Zoo has in store for us viewers. And I think we all need to be even nicer to animals because you never know when they will wise up and realize they outnumber us.
Wayward Pines - 10-episode event - FOXWayward Pines is a series of books by Blake Crouch and has been turned into a 10-episode event on Fox. The premise is what if a FBI agent woke up in a strange town with no way out. The twists are amazing and have kept me guessing. Although the premise of such a strange town isn't new, the reason why they are that way is mind-blowing. If you pick up any spec fic show this summer season, I would suggest Wayward Pines first. I'm looking forward to reading the books too.

What speculative fiction TV shows are you watching this summer?
Read Reborn from the  beginning  or  Chapter Twenty-Nine .
The Summer/Winter sale is still going on at Smashwords. So if you're looking for some spec fic reads, look no further!

Bookworm News: Reviews, Promo, Excerpt, and New Releases | Smashwords Sale July 1-31

BOOKS READPirate Hunters: Treasure, Obsession, and the Search for a Legendary Pirate Ship by Robert KursonMasked Kiss by Christine Rains
BOOK REVIEWSPirate Hunters by Robert KursonJohn Chatterton and John Mattera stop their quest in finding a treasure ship and seek out the legendary Golden Fleece, the pirate ship of Joseph Bannister, in Robert Kurson's Pirate Hunters: Treasure, Obsession, and the Search for a Legendary Pirate Ship. This nonfiction book focuses on deep sea divers John Chatterton and John Mattera. The glimpses of their pasts was interesting and helped show why they were so obsessed in discovering the Golden Fleece. I loved learning more about the pirate Joseph Bannister and the history of the Golden Age of Piracy. Kurson takes the reader on an adventure. I felt Chatterton and Mattera's frustrations as they searched for the ship and kept coming up empty. A few places the pace was a little slow and tedious, but thankfully, those parts are few and far between. I would recommend Pirate Hunters by Robert Kurson to anyone who loves learning about pirates, the Golden Age of Piracy (1600s-1700s), and the fascinating lives of deep sea treasure hunters.
Masked Kiss by Christine RainsA weekend of video games, hanging out with his Steampunk Quest friends, and enjoying the convention are all Josh Hanson had planned for, but when a dark-haired masked vixen captures his attention, he finds it hard to focus on anything but her in Christine Rains' Masked Kiss. I enjoyed reading this erotica story from a male point of view. Josh is geeky, sweet, and knows his video games. I liked how he wanted more than a con fling with Nat. The growth between the characters combined with all the hot and steamy scenes come together to make a satisfying story. Rains does an excellent job with the pacing, and I loved all the geeky fun. This novella can be read as a standalone or along with the other books in the Dice and Debauchery series, which takes place at the same gaming convention. If you're ready to get your geek on, then read Masked Kiss by Christine Rains.
PROMO FOR MASKED KISSMasked Kiss (Dice & Debauchery #3)By Christine RainsPublisher: Ellora's CaveRelease date: June 26, 2015Genre: Modern erotic romance
Video game geek Josh Hanson never gets noticed by women until a gorgeous booth babe drags him into a dark room for a quickie.
She doesn't give him her name, and her face is covered by a silver mask. Josh is determined to find the dark-haired beauty again, but communication isn't easy in a huge hall filled with nerds. When they end up playing in a tournament later, the games extend into her hotel room. Josh wants more than just a con fling, but she's not easy to catch. Can he figure out how to beat her games and become her champion?
Buy links:Ellora's Cave * Amazon* Nook* Kobo
Add it to read on Goodreads!
Get Loose Corset, the first book in the Dice & Debauchery series:Ellora's Cave * Amazon * Nook * Kobo
Buy Layers of Lace, Dice & Debauchery #2:Ellora's Cave * Amazon * Nook * Kobo  About the author: Christine Rains is a writer, blogger, and geek mom. Please visit her websiteand blog. You can also find Christine on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and Goodreads.


EXCERPT FROM THE MIRACLE GIRLMaybe it was best to make a clean break. College was over. Like she said, time to grow up.
I wiped my eyes, determined to be strong. A small object by the door caught my attention. It took me a second or two to finally figure out what it was. Claire’s matching friendship bracelet, the one we made our first summer together when we were co-counselors for a day camp. Since the day we had made them, neither one of us had taken them off. That was her parting gift: a clean break.
I snatched her bracelet from the floor and then yanked mine off. While rolling both of them in my fingers, I made a decision.
Yes, it was time for me to grow up. Leave my college love behind. Move on with my life.
The next morning I boarded a plane and never intended to see Claire again. It wasn’t until the plane took off that I realized I had made a terrible mistake, but it was too late. Or so I thought.
Running was easier.
Newspaper publisher and world traveler JJ Cavendish continually feels pressured to live up to her Miracle Girl nickname. Not many people know she’s living a carefully crafted lie. She may not hide ties to the LGBT community, but she does hide past struggles with addiction.

When the Colorado native is handpicked to take the helm at a dying Denver newspaper, she ends up reconnecting with her long lost love in this contemporary lesbian romance. Only there’s a catch. If JJ fires the most belligerent editor at the paper, she risks losing the love of her life.
Mid-afternoon office romps abound in this romantic comedy while also focusing on what it takes for a newspaper to remain relevant in this age of social media.
Must JJ lose everything in order to gain a life more fully her own?
Praise for The Miracle Girl“The Miracle Girl is phenomenal!” Christine“The best one yet.” Shellie“I don't often give 5 stars to books, but I loved this book.” Heidi“Impossible to put down.” Windowwasher“I was hooked by the first sentence.” Cheryll
Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon Canada 
Author bio: T. B. Markinson is an American writer, living in England. When she isn’t writing, she’s traveling the world, watching sports on the telly, visiting pubs, or taking the dog for a walk. Not necessarily in that order.

Mailing List: To sign up to TB’s New Release Mailing List here. Your email will never be shared and you will only be contacted when a new book is out.

Where to find T. B. Markinson: Twitter | Facebook | Blog | Goodreads | Amazon Author Page
BOOKS RELEASED IN JULYClownFellas by Carlton MellickAmong the Ten Thousand Things by Julia PierpontBombs Away by Harry TurtledoveAgents of the Internet Apocalypse by Wayne GladstoneBroken Promise by Linwood BarclaySpeaking in Bones by Kathy ReichsBlack-Eyed Susans by Julie HeaberlinFrom Bruges with Love by Pieter AspeDouble Mint by Gretchen ArcherThe Vanished Knight by M. GerrickThe Heir’s Choice by M. GerrickCircling the Sun by Paula McLainDoes This Beach Make Me Look Fat? By Lisa Scottoline and Francesca SerritellaIf I Could Turn Back Time by Beth HarbisonWeavers by Aric DavisFor Love or Money: Crafting an Indie Author Career by Susan Kaye QuinnKilling Secrets by Dianne EmleyWings in the Dark by Michael MurphyThe Widow’s Son by Thomas ShawverGo Away Home by Carol BodensteinerTrollhunters by Guillermo del Toro and Daniel KrausStormbringer by Alis FranklinSomebody I Used to Know by David BellGabriel by Patricia JosephineKilling Maine by Mike BondThe Miracle Girl by T.B. MarkinsonNot So Lucky by RaShelle Workman
The Viper and the Urchin by Celine Jeanjean
Everything You and I Could Have Been If We Weren't You and I by Albert Espinosa
Scents and Sensibility by Spencer Quinn
The Rhythm of the August Rain by Gillian Royes
Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee
Pale Kings and Princes by Cassandra Clare
The Fixer by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
The Spaniard's Kiss by Nina Croft
Storm in the Sky by Libbie Hawker
Even the Score by Kate Meader
Over the Top by Rebecca Zanetti
Untouchable by Cindy Skaggs
If You Dare by Jessica Lemmon
The Player Next Door by Kathy Lyons
A Haunting Desire by Julie Mulhern
A Touch of Chardonnay by Pamela Gibson
Opposing the Cowboy by Margo Bond Collins
Risk Me by Lexi Scott
Traitor by Jody Wallace
Malibu Betrayals by MK Meredith
No Kissing Allowed by Melissa West
Written on My Heart by Cole Gibsen
Crazy Over You by Wendy Sparrow

#IWSG: The Blank Page and Infinity Dream Blog Award | Wattpad Wednesdays: Reborn Chapter 28

IWSG was created by the Captain Ninja Alex J. Cavanaugh. To visit the IWSG participants, please click here. Our co-hosts are Charity Bradford, S.A. Larsen, AJ, Tamara Narayan, Allison Gammons, and Tanya Miranda.

Last week, Chrys Fey nominated me for the Infinity Dream Blog Award. Thank you, Chrys! Isn't it a pretty award! One of the rules to accepting this award is to write eleven facts about me as well as to answer Chrys's questions. For my eleven facts, I've decided to use them to display my insecurities of the blank page.

1. The last time I wrote any story from beginning to end (first draft) was in August 2014.
2. That short story was "Paper Lanterns," which is coming out in the Untethered Realms' anthology Mayhem in the Air in Fall 2015.
3. The last time I wrote a novella-length story from start to finish (first draft) was in September 2012.
4. That novella was Nightmare Ever After, which is in the collection Once upon a Nightmare.
5. The last novel-length work I wrote from beginning to the end was in November 2011 (NaNoWriMo).
6. That novel was a YA Contemporary manuscript titled Starred.
7. I wrote Starred in twelve days.
8. Starred was shy about 7,000 words from the 50,000 total I needed for NaNoWriMo.
9. I spent November 12-15, 2011 writing another 8,000 words to reach 51,000 words in Starred.
10. I've spent most of the latter part of 2012 to now either rewriting old work or editing it for publication.
11. Now it's actually time to write new work from scratch (just me, the computer/keyboard, an outline, and the blank page), and I'm nervous I've forgotten how to write.

Now, these are the three questions Chrys has asked the people she'd given the award to and my answers.
1. What is something you’d do tomorrow if money wasn’t an object? That's a really good question. My first thought was to buy all the books, but it might be nice to travel somewhere. Maybe visit some of my online friends.2. What is your biggest, wildest dream? I'd love to have a book/series turned into a movie or TV show, and I still want to win a Tony Award. I used to think I'd get one from acting, but now I think it's more likely I could get one from writing a musical/play.3. What are your goals for your blog for the next year? My blogging goal for next year is to blog at least two times a month and to continue to visit blogs and comment upon them.
I'm supposed to nominate people too, but I feel guilty leaving people out, so if you want the award and questions, let me know.
Read Reborn from the  beginning  or  Chapter Twenty-Eight .
And I want to extend a special thank you to everyone who helped out with the Once upon a Nightmare Blog Tour (June 22-26 and bonus post June 29). Whether you hosted me or just visited those bloggers who did and commented on the posts, it means a world to me. I had 142 individual bloggers who took the time to comment on the posts and 280 comments between the 14 host blogs. I spent the majority of last week and some this week returning said comments on their blogs. I even sold a few books too and received a couple new five star reviews, which is always nice. Thank you! As mentioned, I also had a bonus tour stop. The wonderful Shah Wharton has a small excerpt from Once upon a Nightmare: A Collection and a fantastic review of the collection up on her blog.

Writing Update | Once upon a Nightmare Blog Tour Schedule | Countdown Deal #99c

Happy Monday!
Since I'm on tour this week with Once upon a Nightmare, I decided to post my writing update along with the book tour schedule here.
June has been a busy month. I finished editing the short stories for Untethered Realms' anthology Mayhem in the Air as well as implementing the changes to my own story "Paper Lanterns" as I received feedback from our proofreaders. I also have been updating my websites and blog to their new looks.
As for the websites and such, so far I've only finished my publishing website. I use wix.com for it, but webs.com for my author site (both free). I must admit I really love wix.com since it has so many more features I can use for free and have decided to move my author site to there. So the transition might take awhile. I'm still working on the bookworm drawings too for the blog/author website, but I really hope to finish them soon—like before the end of June, if possible. *crosses fingers*
My July goals are:Marked - Outline and write this novella told from Liam's point of view.Author website and blog - If not finished by the end of June, then I want to finish updating my sites in July.Update ebook files - Since I have a few changes, including a publishing logo, new website links, and the like, I need to go through my ebook files, update them, and upload them to retailers.
Yep. That's it. I may actually get back into writing next month, especially since I plan to work on the other things a little bit at a time.
What are your July goals?
2015 Stats (1/1/15-6/21/15): 15,438 Words Written and 1,176 Pages Edited

Once upon a Nightmare: A Collection and I are on tour this week. During this time, you can purchase the collection for $0.99 on Amazon as a Countdown Deal (US/UK only). Here is a list of my wonderful hosts on the blog tour.

Monday, June 22
5 Favorite Horror Monsters/Villains at Alex J. Cavanaugh's blog5 Favorite Horror Movies at Heather Holden's blogA 200-word Excerpt at Patricia Lynne's blog
A Love for Horror Began with "The Green Ribbon" on Stephanie Faris' blog
Tuesday, June 23Loosely Based on a True Story on Jess Haight's blogAn Interview on Murees Dupé's blog5 Favorite Horror Heroes on Untethered Realms' blog
Wednesday, June 24Mini Excerpts from the Characters at M. Pax's blog7 Ways to Survive a Horror Story on Christine Rains' blog

Thursday, June 25Crafting an Urban Legend on M.J. Fifield's blogAn Interview on Tyrean Martinson's blog
Friday, June 26A 350-word Excerpt on Cathy Keaton's blog5 Horror Books to Read after Once upon a Nightmare on TB Markinson's blog

Falling for #SpecFic: Jurassic World | A Faerie's Secret by Rachel Morgan | Wattpad Wednesdays: Reborn Chapter 27

I'm a huge fan of the Jurassic Park series from the books to the movies, so when I heard they were making Jurassic World, I knew I had to see it. To prepare myself for all the dinosaur goodness, I re-read Michael Crichton's Jurassic Park and The Lost World. The weekend before Jurassic World debuted, I re-watched Jurassic Park, The Lost World, and Jurassic Park III. Last Friday, I went to see Jurassic World with high hopes the movie would be as awesome as the trailers made it out to be, and it didn't disappoint. I loved it. And if they ever do make a real park with genetically engineered dinosaurs, I would be saving my dollars for it. Let's just hope they start out with the herbivores first, though. *winks*

Michael Crichton may have secured my love for dinosaurs, but Rachel Morgan has made me love faeries, particularly her kick-butt fae in her Creepy Hollow series. Rachel introduced us to Creepy Hollow with Violet Fairdale's story told in The Faerie Guardian, The Faerie Prince, and The Faerie War. Now ten year's has passed in Creepy Hollow, and we're introduced to Calla Larkenwood's story in A Faerie's Secret.


Calla Larkenwood wants nothing more than to be a guardian, but her overprotective mother has never allowed it. When circumstances change and Calla finally gets to join a Guild, she discovers guardian trainee life isn’t all she hoped it would be. Her classmates are distant, her mentor hates her, and keeping her Griffin Ability a secret is harder than she thought. Then an initiation game goes wrong, landing Calla with a magical ability she can’t control. She needs help—and the only way she can get it is by bargaining with the guy who just discovered her biggest secret.

Purchase at Amazon | Nook | Kobo | iBooks | SmashwordsAdd on Goodreads!
Rachel Morgan is the author of the bestselling Creepy Hollow series and contemporary romance Trouble series. Find her books on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, iBooks, Kobo, and other online retailers.

Haven't read books 1-3 of Rachel's Creepy Hollow series? Then pick up the boxed set now at Amazon | iBooks | Nook | Kobo | Smashwords.

Read Reborn from the  beginning  or  Chapter Twenty-Seven .

Since I'm on a book blog tour June 22-26, I've decided to post my writing update on Monday next week along with all the tour activities.

Bookworm News

BOOKS READA Faerie's Secret by Rachel MorganLayers of Lace by Christine Rains
BOOK REVIEWSA Faerie's Secret by Rachel MorganCalla Larkenwood thought she only had to keep her Griffin Ability a secret, but other secrets threaten to turn her life upside down in Rachel Morgan's A Faerie's Secret. Although not quite as kick-butt as her brother's wife Vi, Calla has her moments and will do anything in her power to help, even use her special gift when she's not supposed to. I found it refreshing to have a main character be naive and positive, even to a fault. It says a lot about Calla, especially since her past was not all sunshine and roses. Morgan carries the theme of secrets and their destructive powers throughout the novel. This fast-paced story quickly gripped me in its clutches, and I had to find out what would happen to Calla and even more importantly the secrets of the hot tattoo artist she has befriended. The betrayals and secrets revealed spiral to a whirlwind of an ending that will leave readers breathless and craving the next book in the Creepy Hollow series. If you're a fan of the previous Creepy Hollow books, then you need to read A Faerie's Secret by Rachel Morgan. If you haven't read them yet, then what are you waiting for?
Layers of Lace by Christine RainsEmily Solis has found the perfect man for her, but her fellow convention goer only thinks they're having a con fling in Christine Rains' Layers of Lace. Emily would be the energy ball to neutralize sexy Russell Morrison's lust for anyone besides herself. This erotic tale is full of steamy entanglements and delicious fun. Rains turns up the heat in the second of her Dice and Debauchery series. If you're looking for sexy romps with a lot of geeky heart, then Layers of Lace by Christine Rains is for you.
PROMO Amateur cosplayer Emily Solis is determined to win the costume contest and the heart of her biggest competition.
It isn't the first time Emily has shed her costume with the gorgeous Russell Morrison. Not even her best friend knows she's been having wild convention sex with him for over a year. It was supposed to remain physical, but Emily couldn't help falling for him and his kinky ways. In a moment of passion, she rolls the dice and tells Russell she loves him. He doesn't say it back. Can she convince him they're perfect together or will she roll another critical failure?

Buy the book:Ellora's Cave * Amazon * Nook * Kobo
Add it to read on Goodreads.
Get Loose Corset, the first book in the Dice & Debauchery series: Ellora's Cave * Amazon * Nook * Kobo
Christine Rains is a writer, blogger, and geek mom. Please visit her website and blog.
EXCERPT FROM VANESSA MORGAN'S AVALONAround three o’clock that night, Avalon was fed up with the strange man in his bed. He plonked his rear down on Gilles’ pillow, complaining fretfully in his ear while tapping him on the face.
After nearly an hour of incessant wailing and poking, more drastic measures were required. The new solution: pushing Gilles out of bed.
Avalon succeeded.
Climbing back under the covers wasn’t an option. Unable to sleep, Gilles got up. "I guess I didn't pass the test."
"Give Avalon some time. Maybe he was just irked because you took his side of the bed."
But Gilles had already understood that this wasn't going to be a one-time event.
For several minutes, Gilles and Avalon sized each other up. Then Gilles said, "I’d better leave the two of you alone now. It’s clearly what the little guy wants."
I swear I could see Avalon smirking when Gilles put on his jacket and left.
Instantly, Avalon leapt onto me, and compensated for the evening before. He entered a kiss-induced trance. This cat was all about exclusivity, and when granted that exclusivity, his love was immense.
"Are you really that happy that Gilles is gone?"
In reply, Avalon looked at me with swoony eyes and purred loudly, then swatted out his paw to urge me to continue to pet him, which I did.
A phone call interrupted our tender moment. It was Gilles.
"There won't be any train to Brussels for hours," he said. "Is it okay if I come back to your place for a while?"
"Of course." His return would offend Avalon, but I couldn’t possibly leave Gilles outside in the rain for several hours.
As soon as Gilles appeared at the front door, Avalon’s pupils widened to a pitch black.
Let's see who's the boss here, he seemed to be thinking.
Being a cat of action, Avalon went through his usual attention-seeking routine: making a selection of irritating noises, scratching the wallpaper, and pushing objects to the ground.
When that didn't work, Avalon opened Gilles' overnight bag and threw out a piece of clothing. His eyes so dark and evil they could be gateways to hell, Avalon stared at his adversary and waited for a reaction. He then pulled out a box of gel wax. Again, he looked up at Gilles to make sure he understood that all this bungling was meant to get a message across. A third object followed, then a fourth, a fifth, a sixth, until there was nothing.
Hell-bent on winning the game, Avalon took Gilles' coat in his mouth and towed it toward the front door. There, he used his right paw to tap the keys hanging from the wooden doorframe.
Avalon’s message couldn’t be any clearer: there was room for only one man in my life. A feline one.
Some cats need nine lives to make a difference. Avalon only needed one.
From Amazon bestselling author Vanessa Morgan, Avalon is the heartwarming and once-in-a-lifetime love story of a girl and her neurotic Turkish Van cat.
With humor, the author details how Avalon made other creatures cringe in distress whenever he was around, how he threw her dates out by means of special techniques, and how he rendered it almost impossible for her to leave the house. Avalon was so incorrigible that even her landlord ordered her to get rid of him. But beneath Avalon's demonic boisterousness, Vanessa recognized her own flaws and insecurities, and she understood that abandoning Avalon would be the worst she could do to him. Thanks to her unswerving loyalty, Avalon transformed into a tender feline, and even landed a major role in a horror movie. In turn, Avalon made it his mission to be there for his human companion.
By turns jubilant and deeply moving, Avalon is a memoir for anyone who has ever been obsessively in love with a pet.
Purchase on Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon FR
Vanessa Morgan is an author, screenwriter, and blogger. Two of her works, The Strangers Outside and A Good Man, have been turned into films. Her short film script Next to Her is currently in pre-production. When she's not working on her latest book, you can find her reading, watching horror movies, digging through flea markets, or photographing felines for her blog Traveling Cats . Avalon has appeared in several of her books and films.
Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Google+ | Bloglovin | Amazon | Goodreads | Blog


BOOKS RELEASING IN JUNE
Scorched by Jennifer L. Armentrout
What Doesn’t Kill Her by Carla Norton
Don’t Lose Her by Jonathon King
The Temple of Light by Daniela Piazza
Mercy House by Adam Cesare
The Rhyme of the Magpie by Marty Wingate
Trust by Jodi Baker
Pirate Hunters by Robert Kurson
Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone
Charlie, Presumed Dead by Anne Heltzel
A Girl Undone by Catherine Linka
Sweet by Emmy Laybourne
Holy War by Mike Bond
A Faerie’s Secret by Rachel Morgan
Alive by Scott Sigler
Secret Worlds by Various Authors
Ghost Fleet by P.W. Singer and August Cole
As Night Falls by Jenny Milchman
Tin Men by Christopher Golden
Death in Brittany by Jean-Luc Bannalec
Manhattan Mayhem edited by Mary Higgins Clark
The Lovers’ Tango by Mark Rubinstein
The Superyogi Scenario by James Connor
The Bones of You by Debbie Howells
Kill Again by Neal Baer and Jonathan Greene
The Witch Hunter by Virginia Boecker
Ever After by Jude Deveraux
The Truth and Other Lies by Sascha Arango
The Truth According to Us by Annie Barrows
Stir by Jessica Fechtor
Those Secrets We Keep by Emily Liebert
Avalon: a Heartwarming True Cat Story by Vanessa Morgan
Masked Kiss by Christine Rains
Ruthless by John Rector
The Devil’s Game by Sean Chercover
Queen of the Trailer Park by Alice Quinn
Those Girls by Lauren Saft
The Book of Speculation by Erika Swyler
The Master Magician by Charlie N. Holmberg
Fixed in Blood by T.E. Woods
Duke City Desperado by Max Austin
F Train by Richard Hilary Weber
Finders Keepers by Stephen King
The Evil We Love by Cassandra Clare
Get Dirty by Gretchen McNeil
Protector for Hire by Tawna Fenske
Pixelated by L.S. Murphy
Dark Rising by Monica McGurk