Tia Silverthorne Bach's Blog, page 33

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to all my friends in the United States! Actually, to all my friends wherever you are, because I'm sure you are thankful for many things, as am I.
My family, including Ed's mom, are in Lake Tahoe celebrating the holiday. 
My dear daughters in Lake Tahoe
As I posted on my Facebook...

I am so grateful for my many blessings and for my friends and family. In addition, I am grateful for my challenges, because they teach me valuable lessons and make me who I am. However, I realize some are challenged much more than others. Sending hugs and love to anyone who feels their challenges are heavy this holiday season.

This time of year can be really hard on people, and I hope those who need support will reach out for it. Sending all my thoughts and prayers to those with heavy hearts this holiday season.

Community: Tuesday Time Warp #utopYA2015

Janet Wallace, the awesome woman behind UtopYA, has asked past attendees to share why this conference is so special in this Tuesday Time Warp blog hop. If you'd like to check out other entries, peruse the following hashtags today (11/25/14): #utopYA2015, #TuesdayTimeWarp, and #WriteYourOwnFuture.

Recently, I highlighted 14 of the amazing people I met in person for the first time at UtopYA2014. You can find a post with the links to all those interviews here . I asked each one what made UtopYA such a special conference, so please check it out.

As far as my experience...

UtopYA is all about being surrounded by your peers and sharing knowledge. There were people there from all walks of life and various levels of publishing experience. But I never, not for one single moment, felt anything but a sense of belonging. As awesome as I thought the online community was, nothing could have prepared me for the awesomeness of in person contact.

I left the conference recommitted to writing and knowing without a doubt I could make my dreams come true. Even though I wished I had been more outgoing, I still met tons of people.

Matter of fact, I met four amazing women for the first time in UtopYA and just finished writing Fractured Glass, a YA novel anthology, with them. Jo Michaels, Casey L. Bond, Kelly Risser, and NL Greene have become an important part of my life. At that was just the tip of the iceberg. Although I highlighted 14 people I met, there were so many more.

Not the best picture, but one amazing nightAt UtopYA, for the first time in my life, I did karaoke. I know it doesn't seem like such a big achievement at first glance. However, I hate getting up in public. Seriously, I had to take public speaking to graduate college and I waited until my last semester Senior year. No lie. But after one night, I felt so comfortable and at home, I conquered that fear. One night.

Plus, the guest speakers and rocking panels were amazing. I learned so much. June 2015 can't get here soon enough. If you love young adult and new adult, whether an author or a reader, please come join us. I can guarantee you will make lifelong friends and leave with many cherished memories. 

But, if you are still on the fence, either contact me (see Contact/Bio tab above) or check out those posts I mentioned. You won't be on the fence for long.

So, don't delay. Buy your tickets starting Friday, November 28 here . 

Oh, and for a bit of fun, I'll leave you with two Fractured Glass teasers, since this book wouldn't exist without UtopYA 2014.

Fractured Glass: It's Almost Here!

Fractured Glass is a novel anthology written by Jo Michaels, Casey L. Bond, Kelly Risser, N.L. Greene, and me, and it will be available for pre-order November 28, 2014. 

Please keep watch for more details here or on my Facebook page .

I'm so in love with this book and had an amazing experience co-authoring with these awesome ladies. I wish I could write every book this way!
Want to win a copy?
GOODREADS BOOK GIVEAWAY Fractured Glassby Jo MichaelsBeing released December 24 2014This giveaway has not been approved yet.giveaway details »Enter to win Oh, and here is a sneak peek (check back for more shared peeks this week)...


Expected Publication Date: December 24, 2014. 

Tis the Season For Giving: 7 $100 Amazon Gift Cards Up for Grabs

Sorry for my absence. NaNoWriMo is kicking my butt, especially because I have a couple of editing projects as well. I'm a little behind, but I know I can do it!

So, blog posts will be light this month.

Today, however, I have something exciting to share.


Who couldn't use a $100 gift card this holiday season?

All you need to do is join the Facebook event here , and follow these directions (they are also on the page).

Entering is easy! Just follow these directions...

1. JOIN this event. 
2. LIKE each page (You must like EVERY page to qualify to enter). Every contributing author has a page listed in the posts below.3. LIKE each post with the author's link. You DO NOT need to comment.4. COMMENT with "DONE" on the pinned thread after you've finished the above steps.--Random will pick the 7 winners and the names will be posted in this event.
--We will verify the winners have completed every step above before finalizing.
--One entry per person - duplicate names will be deleted from the drawing.
--To keep the contest organized for everyone, please don't add extra comments or posts to this thread or the wall. Feel free to add comments on the posts with the authors' links!
Good luck!!

Crazy Love by Casey L. Bond Cover Reveal

So excited to share the cover for the awesome Casey L. Bond's latest.


About Crazy Love

Shelby Case avoids town and all the people in it. She can't stand the whispers behind covered lips, the judgmental stares. People say she's crazy, that she lost her mind when she lost her husband.
The Second U.S. Civil War has left widows and widowers scattered across the land. Shelby's just learned to cope. She's taught herself the fine art of self-preservation along with the skills to survive.
When the figment of her imagination, the man who's haunted her days and nights for the past two years, shows up on her doorstep, Shelby wonders if all of the whispers are true.
Releasing this Winter. New Adult Dystopian Novel by Casey L. Bond.
Now, Let’s take a look at the cover!



Cover Design by Cassy Roop, owner of Pink Ink Designs. 
Cover Model is Gabrielle Daignault. 
Cover Photography by Timothy Cox.


About the Author


Casey L. Bond resides in Milton, West Virginia with her husband Elton and their two beautiful daughters, Juliet and Eris. When she’s not busy being a domestic goddess and chasing her baby girls, she loves to write young adult and new adult fiction.

Bond graduated from Hurricane High School in 1999. In 2003, she graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Marshall University in the field of Criminal Justice.
You can find more information about Bond’s books via the following links:
Website: www.authorcaseybond.comFacebook:  www.facebook.com/authorcaseybond Twitter: @authorcaseybond        Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...Tumblr:https://www.tumblr.com/blog/authorcas...Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/caseyb007
Available Books:Winter ShadowsPariah, Book 1 in The New Covenant SeriesDevil CreekShady BayReap, Book 1 in The Harvest SagaResist, Book 2 in The Harvest SagaSin (Serial Series)
Coming Soon: Crazy LoveThe ExchangeReclaim, Book 3 in The Harvest SagaParadox, Book 2, The New Covenant Series

When It All Comes Flooding Back: #IWSG

The  Insecure Writer's Support Group  (or IWSG) is a wonderful group put together by the amazing Alex J. Cavanaugh (which now has an equally cool  Facebook group ). 

The first Wednesday of each month is the perfect opportunity to share my insecurities on the #IWSG therapy couch, get encouragement and support about such insecurities, and to read how other writers are faring. 

It's NaNo time again!

This will mark my third year as a participant. Both previous years, I came out a winner and ended up months later publishing the manuscripts (after several rounds of edits).
So, I know I can do it. 
Still, every single time I open up to a blank page, the same worries and insecurities come flooding back. I should be able to push them back, but I find they become more intense the longer I write.
Can I still craft an interesting story readers will be drawn to?
Will the ideas keep coming and the characters continue to speak to me?
What if readers who loved the first two books are disappointed?
Then, the biggest one hits.
What do I do now that I'm finishing this series?
Eek! In part, I appreciate the fears because they remind me how passionate I am about writing. I never want to be on auto-pilot, just pumping stuff out because I can. So, all in all, I think this keeps me on my toes. 
So, maybe insecurities are a good thing. 
Thoughts?

NaNo... Here we go!

For the third year in a row, I'm doing NaNoWriMo. I'm so excited to work on the final book in my Tala Prophecy series! I'd love to have more buddies and support, so add me as a buddy here (TiaBach).

If you want to check my progress, see my sidebar.

I love wrapping up my year with writing. 

Are you doing NaNo this year?

Due to NaNo, I'm going to keep my posts short and sweet this month. I'll be too busy writing and cheerleading!

Cover Reveal of Fractured Glass: A Novel Anthology

I'm so excited to reveal the cover for Fractured Glass, a novel anthology. It was such an amazing experience writing a story with these incredible woman, all of whom I met for the very first time at UtopYA (even though I knew a few online previously).

Writing this book was like nothing I've ever experienced before. I'm so proud of it!

Some information...

Expected Release Date: Late December, 2014
Pre-orders: Late November, 2014
Title: Fractured Glass
Author(s): Tia Silverthorne Bach, Jo Michaels, Casey L. Bond, Kelly Risser, and N. L. Greene
Genre: Young Adult Science Fiction with five sub-genres (paranormal, horror, fantasy, magic, and romance)
Length: ~100k words

About Fractured Glass

What if other worlds existed alongside your own? What if you could travel through them and truly escape reality?

Sloan and Harley Glass were born moments apart; but, despite their differences, the sixteen-year-old twins couldn’t be closer. They’ve held their tongues each and every time their mother has uprooted them—often moving across the country with little notice. They’ve learned to accept change. But what is Mom running from?

They discover they’re travelers—half-descendants of those who can traverse an entire universe of parallel worlds known as fractals. When the past catches up, Harley is kidnapped and taken to one of those distant worlds. Now, Sloan must garner her courage and find a way to rescue her sister. Traversing the worlds isn’t the hard part; it’s surviving the elements and the creatures lying in wait to destroy everything in their path.
Will the Glass sisters be able to save the fractal worlds from the kidnapper, or will everything fracture and crumble around them?


*****

Why is this novel different? Well, because it’s a novel anthology. Each of the authors endeavored to use the same characters and to guide those characters through five sub-genres of 20k words each in the same storyline. You’ve never read anything quite like it, and we do hope you enjoy the Glass sisters’ adventures.

Now we’ll get to the good stuff! First, the digital cover:



And the full wrap...



We can’t wait to release this puppy out into the world for all to read and be entertained. Thanks so much for stopping by to check out our cover. We’ll have some giveaways when the book goes live, so be looking for that post, too!

If you’d like to visit the authors, you may do so via the links below:

Tia Silverthorne Bach
Jo Michaels
Casey L. Bond
Kelly Risser
N. L. Greene

So, I'd love to know. What do you think of the cover and the idea of a novel anthology?

UtopYA Hangover

UtopYA was awesome. It was everything I hoped it would be plus so much more.

Unfortunately, ever since I came home, I've been in a funk. A UtopYA hangover, if you will.

I miss my peeps. 

Funny, a year ago, I lived near DC. It's a hot-bed for authors, but I didn't know it while I lived there. Now, I'm all the way in California (been here just over a year), and I can't find a writing community. The lovely Christina Mercer lives about an hour away--we so need to make plans--but for the most part, I feel all alone.

Before UtopYA, I lived my writer life that way. But now I know how wonderful it is to be around people who share my passion. It inspires me. Now, nothing. It's like that amazing night on the town followed by a hangover--one that lasts for months. 

I'm having a hard time motivating myself. As much as I love connecting with my writer friends on social media, it's not the same as being surrounded by them in person.

Anybody else wanting to beg the powers that be--Janet Wallace, are you listening?--to hold a get-together "fix" sometime around the holidays?

A girl can dream. Until then, June 2015 can't get here soon enough!

For anyone looking for my A Round of Words in 80 Days (ROW80) updates, I think I need to bow out this round. I'm going to be up to my eyeballs in NaNo work, and I can't seem to make my updates very interesting these days.

Meet Some #UtopYA2014 Lovelies (Unofficial): Elizabeth Sharp

Sitting in an early gathering at UtopYA2014, I was still in my do-I-belong-here phase. Then, Donna (Elizabeth Sharp is her pen name) stood up and spoke of her first UtopYA conference experience the year before—how she started off shy but then became wrapped in the beauty of this community. It gave me the courage to not be afraid and put myself out there.

Please welcome the vivacious Elizabeth Sharp. Thanks for spreading such love.
ES: The world would be a better place with a little more love.  :)
Okay, I have to ask. Why did you choose a pen name?
ES: When I decided to publish, I didn't think I could sell a book that said Dull on the cover. While I was in beauty school there were a lot of "Opposite of Dull" jokes, so I decided to turn that into my pen name. I didn't like sound of "Donna Sharp" so I used my grandmother Elizabeth's name instead.
I loved Supernova (see my review here). You do an amazing job writing strong women. Where do you draw your inspiration?
ES: I am the youngest of nine kids, six of which are girls. Add to that my mother and some other role models and I have plenty of strong women to draw inspiration from.
You also do book covers through Sharp Cover Design. I love that your logo is: Sharp Designs, Dull Name. So clever! Do you have a favorite cover you’ve designed, and what do you think makes an amazing cover? 
ES: My favorite right now hasn't been revealed yet. lol. Of the ones that have, I have to say either Jordan Deen's Full Moon or Magan Vernon's My Paper Heart.
As for what makes an interesting cover, I think the biggest thing for me is good use of color and interesting artwork. A big pitfall I see a lot of authors falling into is putting too much on the cover, so it's too busy. The point of the cover is to grab I trest, not tell the story. The stuff inside does that.
I do love a simple, but eye-catching cover. Now, please tell us about your Dark Reflectionsseries. Hidden Depths (book 2) was just released in May.
ES: I did something unique with this series. The story follows a love triangle, two girls after the same guy. Book One, Skin Deep is Bethany's story. She's a full figured girl who is bullied. Though she has strong feelings for her best friend, she's afraid to say anything because she feels unlovable. When she finds out demons are real and after her classmates' souls, she has to rise above her own issues to save everyone's souls.
In book two you meet Chelsie, the beauty queen who wishes someone would look past her pretty face to who she really is. When she meets Anderson, it's the first time she finds that, which captures her intrest. But before she can do anything about this new attraction when she finds out a demon is after her soul.
The final book (which came out September 30th) is Anderson's story, how he became The Guardian, how he deals with his mother's growing depression not tp mention having to save everyone's souls.
The most interesting thing about these books is the stories happen simultaneously,  the storylines completely interwoven. Book two starts a few days before book o e and ends maybe an hour after it.
Sounds amazing! You so inspired me at UtopYA. Would you please share your first UtopYA experience here, and explain why you keep going back?
Erin Danzer, Jennifer Laslie, Elizabeth,
Andrea Heltsley, Jordan Deen, Kristina CircelliES: I wanted to go to the first UtopYA,  but my son was born premature so was still on a heart monitor. So when I realized I could go to the second one, I was over the moon. When I got their, my crippling social anxiety was at an all time high. I couldn't eat all day because I felt sick, and I cried each morning on my way from feeling sp overwhelmed and helpless. Inside the event, I was incredibly quiet, withdrawn and lonely. I spoke with a few friends I knew very well, but felt like I was in their way so would quickly walk away. I sat through keynotes alone, and all the panels. As I was walking to lunch one day, telling myself the tears in my eyes were just the wind, I couldn't help but think. I didn't want to be the girl sitting by herself, and I definitely didn’t want to be going to lunch alone. Then this little voice soke up inside me, saying, “Then don’t.”
When I cam back from lunch, I made myself sit with people I didn’t know, starting conversations. And much to my surprise, they responded really well. So I talked to more people. And more. By the end of the weekend a change had started in my, one on such a large scale that I still haven’t taken it all in.
The greatest compliment I’ve been given is that I’m not the same girl who was at UtopYA before, because I really am not. And everything I have was built on what started those three hot summer days.
Just a few things that we’ve noticed since the event this year. I haven’t had a panic attack from people surrounding me since before my first trip, even though I’ve been to Sea World, Six Flags and a standing room only concert since. Just a month or two before the first event, I had a total breakdown trying to leave a musical…
I keep going back for two reasons. One is for the “booster shot” that helps maintain my forward momentum. The other is simply to give back and help others on that journey.
You certainly inspired me, and I'm grateful. Okay, I have to say... your son is beyond adorable, and I love how honest you are about your motherhood journey. How has becoming a mom inspired your writing journey?
ES: Honestly I don’t know if it’s been a help, other than making me appreciate the time I get to write. He definitely helps me see the world with new eyes though, and has brought some new experiences into my life that have enriched my writing.
Quick Questions…
Favorite Punctuation Mark: !!!!Ocean or Mountains? OceansFavorite Alcoholic Beverage: Rum!Favorite Dessert: CheesecakeShower or bath? Shower, unless it’s a large Jacuzzi style tubSweet or Sour?  Sweet
Thanks so much for hanging out on my blog. I can’t wait to see you at next year’s UtopYA!
ES:  Thanks so much for having me! I’m so ready for next year. Is it June yet?
More about the Author
Elizabeth has a near crippling Facebook addiction, dwarfed only by her need for Dr. Pepper. A self-proclaimed techno geek, she loves cell phones, computers, tablets and all things technological. The internet has to be the greatest invention since the wheel, in her opinion. She lives in a quiet subdivision with her husband, young son, three cats, and far too many electronics. It’s quite possible she has some raccoon in her DNA, because she loves glitter and anything that sparkles. She enjoys making jewelry and costumes. Halloween is her favorite holiday since it’s the one day of the year that you can be whatever you want. But her first love will always be writing. Otherwise, hearing voices in her head would make her feel schizophrenic.
Website: www.elizabethsharpbooks.com
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ElizabethSharpBooksTwitter: https://twitter.com/SomeSharpWordsGoodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/SharpWordsPintrest: http://www.pinterest.com/sharpwords/
Please come back for more #UtopYA2014 Lovelies (Unofficial), and check out the announcement post to see the schedule.