Cynthia D'Alba's Blog, page 4
September 14, 2018
Critique by Roxanne St. Claire!
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Two chapter critique and evaluation by New York Times Bestselling Author Roxanne St. Claire AND an autographed copy of her RITA-nominated Dogfather book, A NEW LEASH ON LIFE. Will accept any genre, but she writes contemporary romance and believes the critique will have the most value in that genre.
About Roxanne: Roxanne St. Claire is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than fifty novels. A ten-time RITA Award finalist (and one-time winner!), her books have been published in dozens of languages, have been optioned for film, and have won multiple writing awards, including the Border’s Book of the Year, the National Reader’s Choice Award (four times), the Daphne du Maurier Award, Bookseller’s Best, and many more. She is the creator of the Barefoot Bay World, and currently writes the popular Dogfather Series.
She is married to a man she met in an elevator, resides in Florida, is the mother of two young adults that she still treats like babies, and loves dogs, wine, yoga, and books!
Website/Social Media Link:
www.roxannestclaire.com
www.twitter.com/roxannestclaire
www.facebook.com/roxanestclaire
www.instagram.com/roxannestclaire1
Have a question about this item or auction?Contact Us
Donated By
Roxanne St. Claire
Pickup/Shipping Instructions
Upon completion of the auction, the auction coordinator will contact the winning bidder by 10/5 with information on receiving their item. Physical items such as themed baskets, gift sets and signed books are for US bidders only. The donor will ship the item(s) within two weeks of the close of the auction. Custom-designed items will be shipped upon completion.
Value $400
Open for bids Now! Click HERE
And check out all the other fabulous items while you are there!
Good Luck with your bids!
September 13, 2018
Critique by Hallmark Publishing Editor
30 Page Critique by Rhonda Merwarth
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Hallmark Publishing Editor | Rhonda Merwarth
Item Description
A critique of the first thirty pages or up to 15K of a wholesome, sweet romance or cozy mystery set in the United States. Before bidding on this item, please review the Hallmark Publishing submission guidelines at http://www.hallmarkchannel. com/hallmark-publishing/write- for-us
About Rhonda: Rhonda Merwarth is a professional, experienced manuscript editor who began her career at Siren Publishing and spent over 7 1/2 years acquiring and editing for Harlequin’s digital-first imprint, Carina Press. She currently works as a freelance acquisitions and developmental editor for Hallmark Publishing where she enjoys helping writers see their dreams of being published fulfilled.
Visit Rhonda at http://rhondaedits.com/ or follow her on Twitter at https://twitter.com/RhondaMerwarth
Have a question about this item or auction?Contact Us
Donated By
Rhonda Merwarth
Pickup/Shipping Instructions
Upon completion of the auction, the auction coordinator will contact the winning bidder by 10/5 with information on receiving their item. Physical items such as themed baskets, gift sets and signed books are for US bidders only. The donor will ship the item(s) within two weeks of the close of the auction. Custom-designed items will be shipped upon completion.
Value $300
Open for bids Now! Click HERE
Check out all the critiques and items while you’re bidding on this!
Good Luck with your bids!
100 Page & Full Synopsis Critique
100 Page & Full Synopsis Critique – Women’s Fiction
Erin Niumata | Folio Literary Management Senior Vice President
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Item Description
Erin Niumata, Folio Literary Management’s Senior Vice President, will critique the first 100 pages and the full synopsis of your Women’s Fiction novel.
About Erin: Erin has been in publishing for over twenty-seven years and has worked for Simon and Schuster and Harper Collins as Editor and Avalon Books as Editorial Director. She is now Senior Vice President at Folio Literary Management. She has worked on 28 NY Times Bestsellers by authors including Carolyn Brown, Josh Shipp, Erica Jong, Michael Lee West, Erik Wahl, Leslie Karst, Dana Dratch, Michelle Poler, Leon Uris, and NASA/Discovery Channel.
She represents commercial nonfiction, from prescriptive to practical and narrative, as well as fiction including mysteries, psychological thrillers and commercial women’s fiction.
Learn more at http://foliolit.com/
Have a question about this item or auction?Contact Us
Donated By
Erin Niumata
Pickup/Shipping Instructions
Upon completion of the auction, the auction coordinator will contact the winning bidder by 10/5 with information on receiving their item. Physical items such as themed baskets, gift sets and signed books are for US bidders only. The donor will ship the item(s) within two weeks of the close of the auction. Custom-designed items will be shipped upon completion.
Value: $500
Bid Now! Click HERE
Check out all the marvelous item up for bids!
Good Luck!
September 12, 2018
Business Cards – Designed & Printed
500 Business Cards – Designed & Printed
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Robin Ludwig Design Inc.
Item Description
Receive 500 – 2×3.5 full color, custom-designed business cards printed on heavy 16 pt stock with glossy coating on the front. Cards can be printed on both sides. All 500 must be the same design. Shipping to street address in the continental United States (no PO boxes).
About Robin: Robin’s business, Robin Ludwig Design Inc., has been serving clients with design and print services nationally since 2002. She has been working with authors and book industry clients as a book cover artist and graphic designer worldwide since 2010. Robin works with authors, publishers and industry professionals creating book cover designs and marketing materials.
Robin has contributed her design knowledge to books for new writers, visited various writing groups and has spoken at panels for book cover design, author branding and marketing. In addition to networking at conferences, Robin has worked with several conventions contributing graphic design services and printed swag.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/coversbyrobin/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CoversByRobin
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gobookcoverdesign/
Newsletter: https://bit.ly/2mEWZqL
Website: https://www.gobookcoverdesign.com
Have a question about this item or auction?Contact Us
Donated By
Robin Ludwig Design Inc.
Pickup/Shipping Instructions
Upon completion of the auction, the auction coordinator will contact the winning bidder by 10/5 with information on receiving their item. Physical items such as themed baskets, gift sets and signed books are for US bidders only. The donor will ship the item(s) within two weeks of the close of the auction. Custom-designed items will be shipped upon completion.
Value $100
Open for bids Now! Click HERE
Check out all the FABULOUS items up for bid!
Good Luck with your bids
Gift Cards Up for Bid!
Bed Bath & Beyond, Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, Chic Fil A & Red Lobster
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5 Gift Cards!
Item Description
Five gift cards:
–Bed Bath & Beyond ($25)
–Dunkin Donuts ($10)
–Chick-fil-A ($10)
–Red Lobster ($10 – must be used by 12/31/18
–Starbucks ($5)
Have a question about this item or auction?Contact Us
Donated By
STAR Members
Pickup/Shipping Instructions
Upon completion of the auction, the auction coordinator will contact the winning bidder by 10/5 with information on receiving their item. Physical items such as themed baskets, gift sets and signed books are for US bidders only. The donor will ship the item(s) within two weeks of the close of the auction. Custom-designed items will be shipped upon completion.
Value $60
Open for bids Now! Click HERE
Check out all the FABULOUS items up for bid!
Good Luck with your bids!
Sourcebook Editor Critique
30 Page Critique by Laura Costello
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Laura Costello | Sourcebooks Casablanca
Item Description
Laura Costello is offering a 30-page critique of a romance novel in one of the following subgenres: paranormal, historical, contemporary, or romantic suspense.
About Laura: Laura Costello began her publishing career at Sourcebooks in 2015 after interning at Globe Pequot Press’s FalconGuides imprint and Warscapes, an independent online magazine. She is currently an Assistant Editor for Sourcebooks Casablanca, looking for romance in all subgenres. Sourcebooks publishes 6-8 romance titles per month, in print and ebook formats simultaneously. Sourcebooks is the country’s largest woman-owned independent publishing house, known for its sales and marketing, as well as its focus on building authors’ careers.
Learn more at www.sourcebooks.com
Have a question about this item or auction?Contact Us
Donated By
Laura Costello
Pickup/Shipping Instructions
Upon completion of the auction, the auction coordinator will contact the winning bidder by 10/5 with information on receiving their item. Physical items such as themed baskets, gift sets and signed books are for US bidders only. The donor will ship the item(s) within two weeks of the close of the auction. Custom-designed items will be shipped upon completion.
Value $100
Open for bids Now! Click HERE
Check out all the FABULOUS items up for bid!
Good Luck with your bids!
Manuscript Review!
[image error]To help her small Florida RWA Chapter, Award-winning (and awesome person) Rachel Hauck has offered up a full manuscript review!
Item Description
A skilled book therapist, Rachel will review your synopsis, and first three chapters up to 10k words. She’ll respond with a detailed letter with encouragement and ideas on how to strengthen your story. She will not only tell you what, but tell you how.
Winning bidder will also receive a signed copy of The Love Letter.
About Rachel: New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Rachel Hauck has mentored authors for more than ten years. She is a double RITA finalist, a Christy and Carol Award winner, Mentor of the Year for American Christian Fiction Writers and given the Career Achievement Award from Romantic Times.
Authors she’s mentored have gone on to win acclaim in their publishing careers.
Visit Rachel’s website at www.rachelhauck.com
Pickup/Shipping Instructions
Upon completion of the auction, the auction coordinator will contact the winning bidder by 10/5 with information on receiving their item. Physical items such as themed baskets, gift sets and signed books are for US bidders only. The donor will ship the item(s) within two weeks of the close of the auction. Custom-designed items will be shipped upon completion.
Value $650
Open for bids Now! Click HERE
Good Luck with your bids!
August 10, 2018
Hey There! It’s Yogi Bear!
[image error]Well, maybe not Yogi Bear because after all, he was at Jellystone Park, right? And I’m nowhere near Jellystone!
As you are probably aware, I am in Alaska and on Monday, we flew to Brooks Camp at Katmai National Park. We flew from Anchorage to King Salmon, changed to a seaplane (my first time!) and flew to Brooks Camp, landing on water!
Our room. Yes, we had bunkbeds!! Mine on the left. Hubby is on the right.
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You have probably seen the Brooks Falls on nature shows. The salmon must migrate UP these falls to get to their spawning area.
The bears? They are fattening up for winter.
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Some of the bears got closer than others. The guy below is a subadult.
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A couple of younger bears. Notice that the younger, smaller bears are NOT directly at the falls. The “Big Guys” get those spots!
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If you want to check out the CURRENT action at the falls, there is a live cam!
https://explore.org/livecams/brown-bears/brown-bear-salmon-cam-brooks-falls
So I’ll share a couple of my videos.
One of the bears most popular with the visitors was a Momma and her FOUR cubs!
The last day, while I was waiting to fly out, I walked out the back door of the dining area and came face-to-face with a large Alaskan Black Bear. He looked at me, shrugged, and walked on!! I, on the other hand, might have hidden behind the door! LOL LOL
I’m on a train today, leaving from Anchorage and arriving in Denali National Park this evening.
And I’ll leave you with one final video. This was a momma and her three cubs on 1 South between Anchorage and Girdwood.
Leave a comment to be in the running for an Alaskan Souvenir!
August 4, 2018
I Got So Muddy!!
You cannot believe how much fun we had yesterday! My husband wanted to do an ATV trip while we were in Anchorage. He researched it and chose 49th State Motor Tours. Without a doubt, he picked the best company. We saw other tour companies on our outing and nobody was taking their people over the rough stuff like we did. Through deep water. Through deep mud trenches. Dirt flats (we might have raced through these!) We ended up at the base of the Knik Glacier, where Brian, 49th State Motor Tours owner, cooked fresh salmon quesadillas while we wandered around and took pictures. As a southern, obviously I’ve had quesadillas, but salmon quesadillas? No ma’am and YUM YUM YUM. Worth the ride just for those! He also had hot coffee, tea, apple cider, chocolate, and just about anything else “hot” you wanted! Also a snack box with chips, cookies, fruit rollups, and probably some healthy stuff. I might have grabbed cookies!
The ride to the glacier was awesome. Brian (owner of 49th State Motor Tours) is in the lead ATV with Wheeler, his trusty “assistant.” He’s pulled out a stuck ATV. [image error][image error][image error][image error]
I’m uploading some videos if you want to experience some of the ride!
We made it to the base of Knik Glacier but I admit, it made me sad to see how much it has shrank. My husband at the edge. Look at the flowers!
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When we left, our 4-wheeler was bright, clean blue. (You can see the nice blue color in the videos)
Here is it at the end! HAHAHA
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Let’s just say… that smile on my face was that way ALL day and into the evening. AND there was probably mud and dirt between my teeth too! 
August 3, 2018
North To Alaska!
I’ve been married to Fisherman for thirty-four years (as of Nov. 17, 2018.) For as long as I can remember, he has wanted to go to Alaska…a big item on his bucket list.
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So on Tuesday, we flew out from Memphis and landed in Anchorage at 1 a.m. During that time, we went through three time zones, meaning the current time zone is 3 hours behind the one at time. As I write this, it’s 7:30 pm in Anchorage and 10:30 pm at home. My stomach is SO confused!
We’d opted for a Vacation Rental by Owner (VRBO) condo instead of a hotel during this five-day stay in Anchorage. So far, every VRBO we’ve rented has been better than any hotel…this one included. But Oh My Gosh! No air conditioning! No problem. It’s been a long time since I was in a place where I didn’t NEED a/c. We open the bedroom window, put up a small fan, and the room temp is perfect!
When we woke up on Wednesday, we headed to Matanuska Glacier. Sadly, many of the glaciers have shrunk due to heating. Still, it’s a trip to look up and see these incredible mountains with snow and ice…and in August! (http://www.matanuska-glacier.com/)
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On the drive to the glacier
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Thursday, we hopped on the Alyaska highway and headed down to Girdwood. Hubby wanted to ride the tram up the Chugach Mountains and have lunch. The weather was lousy today. Rainy. Foggy. Didn’t matter. When we vacation, we don’t let anything like the weather slow us down. Throw on a rain jacket and keep on moving. Usually, I don’t like not being thirty (or forty or fifty!) again. But I’ll confess that the senior discounts are freaking awesome to my wallet.
Here are some pictures from our drive up today and pictures from atop the mountain.
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Here’s a link where you can see how beautiful the area really is!
https://www.alyeskaresort.com/
If you follow me on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/cynthia.dalba) you may have seen these pictures today. This is Bird Creek (between Anchorage and Girdwood.) Apparently, a fishing heaven.
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The fish above is a Silver Salmon (coho salmon) . No, That is not me in the picture. I did not fish. (um, I do not fish!) but it was an impressive fish and I wanted to show it to my buddy, Laura Drake, who is a fisherwoman!
While you are reading today’s post, we are out on an ATV tour with 49th State ATV tours (https://49smt.com/.) I suspect it’ll be muddy and sloppy and I’ll be filthy when we get home. (It’s raining tonight.) I can’t wait! Look next Friday for pictures from that trip AND from our trip to Brooks Camp in Katmai National Park.
https://www.nps.gov/katm/planyourvisit/brooks-camp.htm
In the meantime, check out the live bear cam from Brooks Camp
https://explore.org/livecams/brown-bears/brown-bear-salmon-cam-brooks-falls
Because some of my readers aren’t on Facebook or aren’t in Western Romance Café, I’ll be posting here and on my blog every Friday. There will be a prize link to click at both places. In fact, you can enter more than once by visiting the different posts!
Follow this link! http://gvwy.io/x6mi60x
Thanks for reading! Next post will be next Friday (I’ll be at Denali National Park!!)
See you then!
