Hart Johnson's Blog, page 35

And the Winner Is!!!

So for my book release blogfest, I promised a randomly chosen winner, eh?



I went to random.org and put in the boundaries of 1 and 23, since there were 23 blogfest participants and it came back with 7. LG Smith , you have won a $25 gift card and the rest of my book in serial as I release it!



Congratulations to you!





And THANK YOU to everyone who participated and helped me spread the word!





I am currently:



Going through copyedits for Book 2: In Short Supply



Awaiting 2nd reader feedback for Book 3: So This is War



And WRITING Book 5: Travel Plans



(Book 4, Fight or Flight is with first readers, but they just got it—FINALLY this schedule is spreading out a bit)





Be sure to stop by tomorrow. It is second Wednesday and is the Indie Life post for the month and now I really have an Indie book so I'm no longer a fraud with that...

Being All Authory...

So most of the time I am sort of an imaginary author. I write books and do my online stuff and the degree of separation from reality is solid enough that it doesn't seem quite real. I am playing at being an author. But then weekends like THIS weekend happen... and it makes me feel both more real and more like a fraud...



Lemme e'splain...







We have a local bookstore owner who is FABULOUS. I think most of you know I am normally fairly awkward—definitely don't have the personality to cold call and invite myself places, but Robin Agnew of Aunt Agatha's Mystery Bookshop  has approached ME and invited me to do book releases and be part of local book events.



So this weekend was the Kerrytown Bookfest . For those of you not familiar with Ann Arbor, Kerrytown is a little downtown shopping square where the farmer's market is on Saturday and the shops are the most Ann Arbory in town (think intellectual hippies), and Ann Arbor is a pretty bookish place—TONS of bookstores, publishers, binders, artists, and peripherally related stuff.



And Robin invited me to moderate a panel... Mysterious Sense of Place...



What this meant for ME was a FABULOUS excuse to read some GREAT books in preparation. The authors were Erin Hart, Cara Black, and Libby Fischer Hellman, ALL of whom I recommend! Man, did I have fun reading!





From Cara Black, I read Murder Below Montparnasse and Murder on the Ile Saint-Louis. Aimee Leduc is the detective and she is SUCH FUN! These books, too, hit exactly the tone I really would like to aim for in my mysteries. The cozies are a blast, but these, while they maintain a bit of zany and humor (in fact quite a lot) has more serious situations and crimes—there is politics and corruption and real life issues—I finally have a series to refer to when I get to selling What Ales Me (which I intend to do very shortly—just one final cleaning needed)





From Libby Fischer Hellmann I read her book that just came out this week, Havana Lost, and thought it was great—it takes place over thirty years and I loved the contrast of pre-Castro Cuba with modern Cuba. It is sort of a Mafia Family saga more than a mystery—suspense. And then I am mid-book on A Bitter Veil , a story about an American girl who falls in love with an Iranian grad student. The two of them marry and go to Iran just as the Shah is deposed... Only half done on that one, but enjoying it.





And then I fell IN LOVE with Erin Hart. Her books take place in the bogs of Ireland and pair an archeologist and a pathologist to find out what they can about these OLD bodies, but there is ALWAYS a parallel modern crime to go with the old 'crime'--I love that—the parallel thing. It is like the James Michener books of locations a bit, only an added layer of modern mystery. They're delicious. I am mid-book for Haunted Ground, which was her first (and was inspired by a true 'finding a perfectly preserved head of a red-haired woman in the bog). The other, the one I read first, is The Book of Killowen and I ADORED it, probably all the more because at the center of the story is a manuscript and the 1000 year old body is a scribe (and it brought me to believe in a past life I was probably a scribe, but that's for another day)--anyway, the writer in me can't resist books about books, and the double mystery, new and old, was fantastic.



[note my buy links are Indiebound—conversation Saturday really got me thinking about what we authors DO around here... promoting indie bookstores is a good thing--more on that later]



So ANYWAY... I moderated the session about sense of place, touching on why they'd chosen the places they did and how they instilled the stories with it to the extent that place was almost a character... these amazing authors were SO nice. Session went well... Dinner party Saturday night went well (I got to talk to Libby and Cara quite a bit there)... so much wisdom and talent...



And then there is me. Always awkward.  Anyone else feel that way when you rub elbows with such talented, amazing people? There are these alternating moments of 'look at the company I earned' and 'I AM UNWORTHY!'



A very cool experience, in any case...

Release Day! And The World Ends HOW? Blogfest

First, I want to throw out a GIANT thank you to those of you participating with me! Today is book release day for A Flock of Ill Omens, the first in my A Shot in the Light serial. And I REALLY REALLY appreciate those of you willing to help me spread the word!





OHMYGOSH!  I'm twitterpated!  At least I think I am. If that word means what I think it does... The book (episode) is UP and LIVE and for SALE!!!



That's a trip to post something all on your own. I will say though, it took about 7 takes before the proof copy looked right--all those things you don't THINK about formatting-wise. But it looks GOOD!



Did I mention it's UP!!! *gasp*



Wanna hear about it?





Deadliest virus in a century, or a social experiment gone awry?



Every year they warned about the flu and more often than not, it amounted to nothing. Sidney Knight, a young freelance reporter had certainly never written on it. But a trip to Lincoln City, Oregon cut short by a beach full of dead seagulls and a panicked warning from her brother, the scientist, catch her attention. This batch is different. Deadlier. And the vaccine doesn't seem to be helping. It almost looks like it's making it worse...



A Flock of Ill Omens: Part I is the first episode of A Shot in the Light, an Apocalypse Conspiracy Tale about what happens when people play God for fun and profit. There will be approximately ten episodes, each the equivalent of about 100 pages.



Good Reads has a sneak peak posted. You can find the purchase link and more information about the book here. And if you want it FOR FREE, I will be offering it free on the release dates of at least the next two in the serial: September 19 and October 10.



And if you want to BUY it, it is HERE. (actually has the whole first chapter, too)



Hart Johnson writes books from here bathtub and can be found at Confessions of a Watery Tart, though be warned. She is likely to lead you into shenanigans.







Now for my bloghop entry!!!



The year is 2069 and Global Warming has increased the average temperature by about 15 degrees. People have finally accepted that nudism is MUCH SMARTER than other fashion statements. It just is breezier that way. And having taken ON nudism, the planet has become a nicer place. People just get along better when everybody is naked. It's really HARD to be a jerk when your business is right out there in the open.



But an Evil Sect of TWEED-WEARERS has deemed that this is INAPPROPRIATE and are trying to instill their will on everybody else! Now once a person has spent some time naked, putting on tweed on a 90-degree day... well you can SEE where the civil war begins... The Tweedists try to cool the world to make the Nudists wear clothes, but their strategy BACKFIRES--everyone knows the energy in the universe is constant, and you can't cool something off without warming something up, if you know what I mean...



There is a devastating battle in which the nudists finally CATCH the Tweedists trying to set off a nuclear bomb (a strategy only understood by a knucklehead who would wear Tweed when it's hot out), and they decide to ship all the Tweedists to Mars where it is known it is cool enough they can be idiot Tweedists up there. The remaining nudists go back to living on a peaceful, if less populated and material planet. (the end of the world as we know it)





So there!



And I have a HUGE Favor, if you wouldn't mind... Could you help me spread the word?



Share the buy link:  A Flock of Ill Omens

Like me on Facebook: Hart Johnson

Mark me as 'to read' on Goodreads: A Flock of Ill Omens



And if you HAVE read, a review would be helpful!!! I won't bug you for it every time, but I think on a serial, a lot of reviews for the FIRST really give it a boost. Honest reviews are perfect! I want to do several of these serials, I think, and I learn from criticism as well as praise!



PLEASE check out the entries of the other participants and how THEY see the world ending!

Insecurity and the Naked Chick

It's first Wednesday and you know what that means! Insecure Writer's Support Network!!! w00t w00t!



Seems strange, doesn't it? That someone who runs around naked, virtually or otherwise is insecure. I mean I am a girl with a policy reading: TMI is par for the course. I am a more is more gal, where over-sharing is the topic and less is more when the topic is attire.





I mean seriously... Naked is FUNNY!

But I want you to consider the class clown. Sometimes the goal of being a goof is to give people a reason to laugh at you so you never have to know if they'd laugh at you in a bad way.



I know. Deep, right? And honestly, when I was really MOST concerned about being laughed at, I was more a 'keep your mouth shut and maybe nobody will notice you don't know what's going on' girl. I was socially inept and kept quiet to hide it.



Now I'm socially inept and take my clothes off to hide it.



Are you spotting a pattern here? Polar extremes to hide the same thing. That is sort of me in a nut shell. (in the middle I tried a 'get so smart nobody will notice you're inept', but that only takes you so far if you are only so smart)



*cough*





But now we come to my CURRENT insecurity.



On my BLOG if you laugh at me that is mostly by design. Ninety percent of the time, even on a somewhat serious topic, I put some goof into the presentation (you know... in case you laugh at me...)



And the cozy mysteries have intentional humor to them. If somebody says to me after reading one “you're a riot!” that's a compliment.





Vaccine killing the country: NOT funny.

Tomorrow I release a book with significantly less humor. They aren't humor-free. Whatever I am, I'm always me, and frankly I like CHARACTERS who have a sense of humor better than those without, but this series has more serious circumstances, more evil villains, more horrible life events. It's meant to be a little horrible and a little sad and a little scary and the humor is really only so you can relate to the characters and LIKE them, and sometimes to give you a breather from the dark stuff.



So NOW if you laugh at me, I'm naked. How's that for irony?





What makes YOU feel figuratively naked? And how do you hide it? Or do you?





Don't forget to visit the other insecure writers today, too!

This is the Week!!!

I can't believe I'm doing this, but here goes nothing, eh?



Want some of what I've learned? And perhaps more importantly what I've failed to learn but know I need to? I know some of you are eagerly watching, as you have serial plans of your own. I think the serial conversion will be MUCH easier for those of you who've self published before and I will just say, if I were a thinking gal... which I apparently am not... I'd self publish a stand-alone and learn the ropes before committing to this level of chaos.



Then again it is the serials that convinced me I wanted to dive in at all. I will keep publishing mysteries traditionally and haven't decided on my YA stuff. May continue trying that traditionally as well. Or not... See how redundant this is making me? *cough*





Formatting.



Okay, can I just die a little now?



See, uploading to CreateSpace isn't hard, but then figuring out what exactly they've done without pushing publish? Yeah, I don't know how to do that.



So I downloaded Calibre to convert for these early distribution things I've done... and it converts to Kindle pretty easily (once I realized I had to save my Word doc as rtf). But the ePub (for Nook) is a little wonky--page breaks don't read and the acknowledgements did weird things with my apostrophes and quotes... and the PDF is a mess on the iPad, or so I hear. I don't HAVE an iPad.



And if you're a writer, you should probably proof your emails before sending *rolls eyes* luckily the 50 copies I sent all went to people who KNOW me and know how I am.





So what I've done in the last few days:



*  Edited book 2 for my copy editor, Leanne

*  Edited book 3 for 2nd readers.

*  Incorprated changes FROM my copy editor to Book 1



*  Figured out how to upload portions of it, along with cover and description to Goodreads.

(here's a hint--even though I actually have no real intentions of selling paper copies of this, I had to upload and push publish and get my ISB and all to do this... not because it's probably necessary, but because I couldn't figure it out otherwise)





*  Formatted for Kindle and ePub (which covers the rest except iTunes--need a Mac to format for iTunes, it will have to wait) and sent it to about 50 early readers (if you want it, you can have it, too--just shout--I need an email)



* Wrote my acknowledgements and cover copy

*  Wrote the email to go with my sent books (this is the one where about half of you got a few typos)

*  Sent my blogfest info out (it is Thursday by the way, and you still have time to enter. Here are details.).



*  And then last night (which is tonight in my world) I hope I finished the first draft of Book 4



Are you tired yet? I know I am. Thank goodness I have an extra day this weekend!!! I will be around, but maybe not until noon or so...

Mark Your Calendar!!!

I have a bunch of buddies with September book releases, so I thought I'd put them in order of release so you can just look HERE and keep track of what's coming...





September 2:  Jade Jamison (one of my reliable sprint buddies and first readers for my Shot in the Light Series) Is releasing Rock Bottom, sequel to the Best-Selling Bullet . Note for the release weekend, Bullet is only 99 cents--these are rock and roll... I want to say love stories... they are, but NOT typical romance... sexy (some erotica level scenes) but REAL... Your inner groupee definitely wants to read these.



Sadly, as an Indie, no pre-orders, so don't forget!!!







September 15: Witch Land: The Cindy Chronicles Book 2 (of 6) by RaShelle Workman



After RaShelle's wildly successful serial Blood and Snow (about Vampires) RaShelle is taking on Witches!



POSSESSING MAGIC DOESN'T GUARANTEE A HAPPILY EVER AFTER. OR DOES IT?



Life sucks. 
Possessing magic sucks. 
What doesn’t suck? Fashion, Cindy's boyfriend Gabe, and her best friend, Snow White. 

Cindy (Cinderella…shhh, don’t tell) was born a witch. It’s part of who she is. But there’s more to her than that. She loves deeply. And has a big heart. She’d do anything for those she cares about, including risk her own life to save theirs. 







September 17:  Alex Cavanaugh (who needs no introduction around here) is releasing CassaStorm.  This is the third in Alex's triology that began with CassaStar and continued with CassaFire . If you want to look in on the CassaStorm blog tour, details are here.



Byron thought he’d put the days of battle behind him. Commanding the Cassan base on Tgren, his only struggles are occasional rogue pirate raids and endless government bureaucracies. As a galaxy-wide war encroaches upon the desert planet, Byron’s ideal life is threatened and he’s caught between the Tgrens and the Cassans. 















October 1: Gwen Gardener  is releasing A Guilty Ghost Surprised. Okay, so not quite September, but very nearly!






An
Angel Among Us





Paranormal
happenings at the Eady household are the norm. Recently, things have
become downright peculiar. Childish giggles at odd hours of the night
lead Indigo Eady to her little cousin, Bryan, a guileless cherub
spirit, complete with Spider Man pajamas and a set of faux angel
wings. The problem is that Bryan died nearly three years ago in a hit
and run that killed him and his mum. The driver was never found.  Now
the gang must solve the mystery of his death in order to send him
back to heaven.  But where to start when the trail is three
years cold?





Indigo
Eady







Indigo
Eady is not clumsy. At
least, that’s what she keeps telling everyone. Can she help that
the overactive spirit community of Sabrina Shores causes her psychic
abilities to short-circuit? It’s unfortunate that her cute friend
Badger is often on the receiving end of her mishaps. At times, she is
positively hazardous to his health. Even so, sparks fly in more than
one direction.





Late September/Early October



Janet Oakley is the award-winning author of Tree Soldier and sets her historic fiction in my favorite locale, the Pacific Northwest. She's carved herself a niche with her books--she is a history expert in this area and most of the books on the time and place seem to lack the heart Janet puts into them. You should read one or both. If you like EITHER historic fiction OR the Pacific Northwest, you will love these.





Timber Rose:  1907. Women climbing mountains in skirts. Loggers fighting for the eight hour day. The forests and mountains of the North Cascades are alive with progress, but not everyone is on board.

Caroline Symington comes from a prominent family in Portland, Oregon. Much to her family’s dismay, she’s more interested in hiking outdoors and exploring the freedoms of a 1907’s New Woman than fancy parties and money. She plans to marry on her own terms, not her parents. When she falls in love with Bob Alford, an enterprising working-class man who loves the outdoors as much as she, little does she know how sorely her theories will be tested. Betrayed by her jealous sister, Caroline elopes, a decision that causes her father to disown her.



The young couple moves to a rugged village in the North Cascade Mountains where Caroline begins a new life as the wife of a forest ranger. Though she loves her life in the mountains as a wife and mother, her isolation and the loss of her family is a challenge. As she searches for meaning among nature, she’s ushered along by a group of like-minded women and a mysterious, mountain man with a tragic past.
Eventually, her relationship with her mother and sister improves and things seem to be taking a turn for the better. That relationship is tested again when her uncle and her sister's ruthless ex-husband muscle their way into the national forest, threatening the nature she loves, and more importantly, the man she loves. Though Caroline desires to reconcile with her family, she knows she must take a stand. 

TIMBER ROSE is about gilded society, thugs and big timber meeting the newly formed Forest Service, mountaineering clubs and a young woman's desire to make her own way in a changing world.

TIMBER ROSE is the prequel to the award-winning TREE SOLDIER.

In Case You Missed It!!!

First:  A Reminder and an Invitation:  Anyone interested in participating in my How The World Ends Blogfest, it is ONE WEEK from today (on the release of A Flock of Ill Omens , first in my Shot in the Light serial.



I will send you ALL you need except for your brief entry as to how the world ends (a paragraph or two).  More information here.



I would LOVE IT if you'd join us!!!





And NOW--I've had a crazy summer and it's nearly at an end, so I thought it would be nice to share with some of you the BOOKS you might have missed!!!



(Sorry to people I missed, I know there are tons of you--I scoured my regular haunts, but the facebook feed only goes back so far)





On Gabriel's Wings by Kathleen Barker



In the fourth and final installment of "The Charm City Chronicles" saga,
Kate finds herself married at 17, and her teen and adult worlds
collide. While husband Michael is away at college, her beloved
grandmother's health goes into serious decline and Kate's graduation is
imperiled. These struggles soon become the least of her worries as
Michael's brother, Gabe, just can't give up the hope of rekindling his
romance with her until he sustains life-threatening injuries. "On
Gabriel's Wings" is a roller-coaster ride of young adult love and
conflict that will keep you reading until the very last page.



Something Taken by Jerrie Brock



Everything changes the night Terry is pulled over by the Denver Police.
Intimidated and frightened, she submits to the cop’s demands. Terry did
not realize that her submission would be used as future consent. As the
cop stalks her, Terry finds her life slipping out of control. With only
her pup to share her guilt and fears, and drugs to hide her shame, all
her dreams are crumbling around her.



Friday Night Alibi by Cassie Mae’s



In the wealthy town of Sundale, Kelli Pinkins has hatched the perfect
plan to capitalize on her sweet reputation. For a generous fee, she will
be every trust-fund baby’s dream: a Friday-night alibi, the
“girlfriend” or “BFF” that parents dream about. With college approaching
in the fall, Kelli’s services are in demand more than ever, which means
that her social life is nonexistent. But Kelli is A-okay with that.
She’s raking in cash for school. Besides, relationships are tricky, and
sometimes very messy. She’d rather be at home on Xbox LIVE, anyway. Then
the unexpected happens: She meets college stud Chase Maroney.



Tombstone - Wyatt Earp, the O.K. Corral, and the Vendetta Ride 1881-82 by Sean McLachlan



The Gunfight at the OK Corral on 26 October 1881 is one of the most enduring stories of the Old West. It led to a series of violent incidents that culminated in the Vendetta Ride, in which Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, and several other gunslingers went after their rivals the Cowboys.

Like most tales of the Wild West, the facts are buried under layers of myth, and the line between good guys and bad guys is blurry. Wyatt Earp, leader of the so-called "good guys", was charged with stealing horses in the Indian Territory in 1870 and jumped bail. Becoming a buffalo hunter and gambler, he got into several scrapes and earned a reputation as a gunfighter. Several times he helped lawmen arrest outlaws, but usually his assistance came more because of a personal grudge against the criminal than any real respect for law and order. He even got fired from a police job in Wichita for beating up a political rival. 



Secrets of the Ash Tree by Siv Ottem



Secrets of the Ash Tree' is the story about Liv, a young woman who discovers her true nature through the unraveling of hidden secrets. Her adventures begin when she digs up a chest that was buried by her father under the old ash tree in her garden. What she finds inside the chest changes her life forever. Liv discovers one secret after another and is thrown into a world full of dangerous and strange creatures, mighty Norse warriors and perils beyond her belief. What started out as a fairy tale in her father’s journal was to become her legacy, a guide line to survival, and a map to the world she was about to enter. Each day, each mystery, each encounter will ultimately reveal her true destiny and behind the edge of a sword awaits a young god who is willing to share that destiny with her.



Men of Foxwick by Cherie Reich 



 A blind teen seeks a place in the
kingdom. A dragon seer journeys to Wintermill to spy on the queen. A
sword master’s worst fear comes true when he fails to protect the royal
family. A king falls in love with an herb witch, but will she feel the
same way? A hunter will rise to the challenge to hunt down a man-eating
monster.



Murder, Madness and Love by Yolanda Renee



Sunlight blazes on an empty canvas.

Arctic winds gather snowflakes on a frosty window ledge as a
statuesqueform appears. She moves past a table littered with papers.
Headlines splash news of murder, but it’s the photo of another young
woman with features mirroring her own that draws her attention.

A different headline peeks from underneath the Anchorage Times.

Wealthy Businessman Dies in Car Crash … BLACK WIDOW SUSPECTED!



Violet Storm  by  Lynn Rush’s



Emma Martin may have severed her mind-scrambling bloodlink by killing the vicious vampire, Seth, but he's left his mark. When she starts to lose time and begins hearing strange voices, Emma fears she's either going crazy, or something much darker has weaseled its way into her mind--and her soul. 



 Ruby’s Fire by Catherine Stine



If everything about you changes, what remains? Seventeen year-old Ruby, long-pledged to the much older Stiles from the Fireseed desert cult, escapes with only a change of clothes, a pouch of Oblivion Powder and her mute little brother, Thorn. Arriving at The Greening, a boarding school for orphaned teens, she can finally stop running. Or can she? The Greening is not what it seems. Students are rampaging out of control and as she cares for the secret Fireseed crop, she experiences frightening physical changes. She’s ashamed of her attraction to burly, hard-talking Blane, the resident bodyguard, and wonders why she can’t be happy with the gentler Armonk. She’s long considered her great beauty a liability, a thing she’s misused in order to survive. And how is she to stop her dependence on Oblivion to find a real beauty within, using her talent as a maker of salves, when she has nightmares of Stiles without it?



 Dreamland by Stephen Swartz 



This looks like it's cheating, but it's not. The SECOND one came out in June, but I am linking the first in case you want to start there (I would).



 High school nerds Sebastian and Gina discover a doorway to a new world.
Adventure-loving Gina falls in love with the world of Ghoupallesz and
wants to stay, but studious Sebastian fears losing touch with Earth, so
he returns alone. Nevertheless, he sneaks back time and time again for
his own adventures before finally giving it up after too many lost
loves, betrayals, and war.

Years later, working night shift at
the IRS, Sebastian feels the cosmic pull once more. Gina is in trouble.
Again. Of course he must return and save her! Perhaps this time, he
hopes, they can remain together. Returning through the interdimensional
doorway, Sebastian must first gather his old comrades from the war,
cross the towering Zet mountains, and free Gina from the evil Zetin
warlord’s castle.



The Soul Flies Free by Roland Yeomans 

(this one is short--31 pages, but also inexpensive)


Create Hope … or rather a clone of the last Sidhe. But when you’re a small fae girl just awakened to find you are the only hope for the world, the chances for a happy ending seem … hopeless.


Pharoah's Son by Diana M Wilder



Again, this one is earlier, but the 2nd in the series came out this summer...



As Prince Khay, fourth son of Ramesses the Great, is marshalling a
procession for a festival,  one of the colossal statues of his
grandfather, Pharaoh Seti, comes crashing down into a throng of
worshippers, bringing the feast day of the good god Ptah to a sudden,
bloody end.



So go get some books and get reading!!! (September releases tomorrow)

Where is the Tart!?

Panicking!!!



You know how I bite off more than I can chew?  Yeah... doing that...



I am madly trying to finish book 4 for first readers.



I have feedback on book 2 from second readers and copy edits on book 1 from Leanne I need to get in there and TODAY should get back edits on book 3 from first readers.



I can't POSSIBLY keep track of all this...



But I DO have two posts planned this week and you can help:



If you know of blogger buddy books released this summer--I want to to give them a shout out THURSDAY.



And if you know of books being released in September (Alex and RaShelle are already on my list) I am doing a calendar Friday.  So PLEASE SHARE!!!

Write, Edit, Publish Bloghop: Vacation Theme

Halo, fine friends and welcome! This if my first run at this Write, Edit, Publish Bloghop and already I find myself needing to cheat. My life has overwhelmed me and writing and editing take TIME, so instead of writing something FRESH, I am going to post my Vacation themed first scene from A Flock of Ill Omens.





Only it’s a workcation… So that is cheating twice, eh?



But first: what this blog hop IS:



Hosted by Denise Covey, it is practice to polishing up our work (and getting feedback):



1. SUBMIT your name to the Inlinkz list below NOW if you wish to participate

2. CREATE your entry according to the monthly theme - August = VACATION. More info here

3. EDIT your entry until it sparkles

4. POST your entry on your blog/facebook on the dates shown - remember to state feedback preferences (full critique to general comments) and whether your work is copyrighted - ©

5. READ other entries, giving feedback as requested



Feedback I am seeking: Does this HOOK you (do you want more? You can have more if you do… offering this free—first in a serial), anything that confuses you? Rub you the wrong way? I have a copy editor with this now, so no need for typo level stuff, but I’d love impressions.







A Flock of Ill Omens (first 2 pages)



1. Sidney Knight: Lincoln City, Oregon: Sea of Birds



Sidney Knight knew some people were freaked out by seagulls. She'd had a college boyfriend she mocked for it. Sure, they were noisy and moved as a mob, chasing anyone who seemed open to sharing a snack. But she didn't mind them. Except these. These were silent, spread across the beach in an unnatural formation, sprawled past a hotel and two cabins before they clogged a small delta that released a stream or storm drain into the Pacific Ocean. These didn't chase anyone. Or move or blink. They were dead. She didn't need to get any closer to know that.



She'd come to Lincoln City for the weekend because she was facing deadlines for three freelance articles she'd pitched and her recently engaged housemates, Sarah and David, had been celebrating loudly for the last week. She couldn't begrudge them their joy; she loved them both. But she needed quiet to get her work done.



Finishing the second article had sent her out of the gale-force-free comfort of her motel room to wander up the beach for some fresh air. She'd always loved the Oregon Coast. It was rock-lined and tragic and the November wind and rains exaggerated the stories in her head, making her yearn for a day she could just sit by a fireplace writing fiction and listening to the wild coastal sounds. Sadly, the freelance articles would be a necessary supplement for decades, but even there, a wind-blown walk usually cleared her head. But not with those seagulls.



She turned and ran back to the hotel, the wind working against her this time. The endless flight of wooden steps seemed even longer than normal as she made her way to the motel office. She had to ring the bell. In fact, she rang it three times before the harassed-looking woman came out, drying her hands.



“Sorry about that,” the woman said, giving off an air that was more annoyed than sorry.



The wait had allowed Sid to catch her breath, or so she thought, until she tried to speak.



“Seagulls. Hundreds of them...”



“Well this is the sea,” the woman said.



“Dead. All of them.”



“Oh.”



“I think it might be that avian flu they've been talking about—the new strain. We're supposed to call the authorities.”



The woman's irritation evaporated, replaced by alarm. She dialed the phone. Yes. Dialed, Sid thought. It was one of the quaint things about the coast. Not much got updated.



“Joyce? This is Milly up at the Sandpiper. We've got a dead bird problem.”



She listened for a while. Sid could hear the higher-pitched voice over the line. She couldn't make out many of the words, but she was unnerved at the long list of instructions Milly seemed to be getting. Finally, Milly said she'd try and hung up, looking a little desperate.



“I hate to ask it, but I need to put some barriers down there on the beach and Jim won't be back for hours. Could you help me drag the barrels down?”



“Um... the authorities aren't coming?”



“Joyce said we're about her tenth call like this, so not for a while. We need to make sure people don't go traipsing through them—the dead birds.”



“I don't think anybody would—it's awful!”



“You'd be amazed what people will do to avoid climbing up those stairs any more often than they have to.”

The World Ends HOW!? Blogfest

Halo, fine friends!



You know how I warned you Monday that I’d be posting for a blogfest? Well today’s the day I post the schtik!









WHY!? I am soon releasing A Shot in the Light, at least the first episode, for serial consumption!



Date: September 5, 2013 (release date for A Flock of Ill Omens, the first part) (the 6th or 7th is fine if that fits your blog schedule better!)



What/How:



1)  Sign up through the linky

2)  I will send a bit of info to you a few days before (blurb, cover, links)

3) You add 50-250 words about how YOU think the world will end (all in fun): is it nuclear war? Aliens? Zombies? Asteroid? [Is it clear yet I think way too much about this?] Giant Spaghetti Monster? Attack of the Interrobang!? Or are you on board with my flu scenario?



PRIZE!!! To sweeten the pot, I will randomly choose one entry for:



A SUBSCRIPTION (the full serial, as it comes out) and a $25 Amazon Gift Certificate



Please Please PLEASE Help me spread the word! I think all your ideas on how the world will end will be thoroughly amusing!



[Also wik: for those of you popping over for Denise Covey’s Write, Edit, Publish blogfest, that entry will be up tomorrow!]



[Also also wik:  Happy Birthday Mom!]