Denise Alicea's Blog, page 12
June 4, 2013
Consoling Angel is a finalist for Wise Bear Digital Book Awards!
I’m excited to announce that Consoling Angel is a finalist for the Wise Bear Digital Book Awards!
Thank you to Wise Bear Books!
“Congratulations. Your book’s initial evaluation scores have qualified you as a finalist in the Wise Bear Digital Book Awards.”
Writers Workshop: Daily Life in the Middle Ages with Merry Farmer
Daily Life in the Middle Ages
with Merry Farmer
Registration Deadline: June 07, 2013
Class Start Date: 06/03/13
Class End Date: 06/28/13
Instructor: Merry Farmer
Fee: $10 for HHRW members / $20 for non-members
REGISTER HERE: http://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/register-for-a-class/
Class Description:
So you want to write a novel set in the Middle Ages. What details are essential for creating an authentic world? What aspects of daily medieval life might make for interesting plot points or character development? What would your characters do all day and what sorts of challenges might they face that would intrigue your readers?
In this part class we will survey everyday life in the Middle Ages with the intent of finding inspiration for characters and situations to populate a medieval novel. We will examine:
What medieval people ate, what they wore, and where they lived. We’ll look at what the upper class did all day as well as how the peasant class and tradesman classes kept themselves busy and how life differed for men and women. We’ll examine common-sense basics like hygiene, inheritance, and the yearly calendar. And of course we’ll talk about sex in the Middle Ages.
June 3, 2013
BookExpo America: The Good, Bad, and Ugly..
So this is my second year going to Book Expo America, and I was so happy to go.
Well, what I didn’t expect the level of disorganization.
About three days before the expo I made sure to send my doctors note for my lower
back problem. I am not to carry a backpack, so I sent it off to the
person in command at ReedExpo. I immediately got an email back stating
that the person was not present and to email another person. So I did
that and of course never got a response back.
Being positive, I said I’d bring the letter with me. I packed my bags and was ready to go!
When I first arrived at the Javits for BEA Bloggers. It was packed. I
quickly got in line with a friend and got our passes. We found where we
needed to go, talked to some other bloggers and had some fun listening
to the opening keynote. As the day went on, things started to go well, or
so I thought. When it came time for lunch, we were supposed to get a
voucher for lunch and a drink ticket. Well, as I found out, my friend and
I were not given this ticket. Along with many others, frustrated we
walked all the way back up to registration to be given tickets. Now on
to the horrendous lunch line, boy did I feel like I was in High school
again! The checkout lines were long, not enough food on time, and sub
par food. Half the stuff wasn’t even ready! Imagine waiting in line for a
lunch that’s over priced and then not having a drink. I had to settle
for something I had to fight a crowd to get through to get.
Did I let that get me? NO!
I continued to try to have a good time with a friend I had met last year. By the end of it I was so tired and had some great learning material with books that I went home.
Well, that’s when the misfortunes started…
The next day I went back to expo with a friend to check out the
exhibitions. I went around the registration desk to talk about my wheeled
backpack. I was then told to go through security. I got to security and of
course people are busy talking to each other. I wait on a minute or two and
spoke to the security person in responsible. I told him about my situation and handed
over my letter. Apparently, after all that emailing I never made it to
the list. Thank goodness I had my letter, they gave me a band to wear
and then off I was to check out the exhibits.
My Friend and I had a great time walking around and talking to authors and
publishers alike. We met a lot of interesting people. My friend and I
then decided to check out the Editors Buzz on Middle-Grade editors. We
loved the talk and had some great books to take home. Now both starving,
we went over to the lunchroom again that was packed, but not as bad as
the first day. We sat and ate lunch after trying to find a spot to eat.
Deciding we were both tired, we headed home on separate trains back to
Connecticut. On the way back home, I was happy. I
was excited to come back for Upublish and Power Readers (something I
hadn’t done before).
Suddenly, while about thirty minutes away from home I
had this horrible pain at my side. I couldn’t figure out what it was. I
thought at first it was my back. I was in miserable pain and didn’t
know anyone on the train. I took deep breaths trying to hold it in and
was relieved when I got to my station. Calling earlier, my dad was waiting for me at the station. Unfortunately, the pain was so horrible that I ended up vomiting and going to
the hospital. Five hours and many tests later, I found out that I had
passed a kidney stone and gotten sick from the food I ate. At this point, I’m losing work time and now have to be in bed.
The next day I tried calling someone at BEA and at the Javits to let
them know I wasn’t able to attend. Well of course there is no one to
answer the phones. I even had my friend go up to the registration desk
and was told, ” We don’t make phone calls. ” (Lovely). I tweeted figuring
maybe someone would see it. A day later of course they do, only to
be emailed back saying, ” We received your inquiry regarding receiving a
refund or credit for you BEA passes. Unfortunately, there is a no refund
policy for the show. We apologize for any inconvenience and hope you
are feeling better. Regards, Client Services. ”
Now I totally understand there is no refund, now after all I went through,
a credit for next year would be nice. I’d use it. I work in customer service myself and wouldn’t want
someone feeling like I couldn’t help them. Many bloggers spend their hard earned money to go these events.
So those of you going to BEA for the first time: be aware and vigilant.
Make sure not to get sick otherwise you’re stuck losing your hard-earned money. In
the end, my health is more important to me than some expo, but the
sheer lack of customer service. The website was
poorly run, It took me forever to get signed up. I also had to call in
for a ticket, which I now found out that anyone could have gotten into, really
made me angry. BEA was fun when I was there, but there are some things
that need to be worked on.
Below are some images of the fun I did have at Book Expo.
May 31, 2013
Catch me at #BEA with Autograph Live
I’m sure everyone’s heard about Autograph, its a popular website that allows you to autograph your ebook and send it off instantly!
I’m proud to say I use the service and will be at #BEA. I’ll be one of the many authors there signing right from my iPad.
To check out the other authors attending, check out the list here!
April 27, 2013
31 Things You can Do to Improve Your Life in 31 Days…
31 Things You can Do to Improve Your Life in 31 Days from Nicole Elmore
Just thought we needed to liven things up a bit.
April 21, 2013
Cover Reveal: Fireworks, Fourth of July Anthology for DCL, Publications!
Hey All, I know I did a cover reveal last time for this short story, but we had a cover snafu!
We got a new cover and are ready to rock and roll. Ready for Fireworks?
Fireworks is featured in The 4th of July Anthology
PG – English -Short Story – Time Travel/Romance
Published by Dark Castle Lords
Date: July 2013
Book Blurb-
After the death of her beloved grandfather, Sarah is left alone to take away his things when she finds an interesting picture of a friend of her grandfathers. Sarah’s never met the man of her dreams no matter what she has tried. One magical night will change everything, literally. What’s a girl from New York going to do with a man from the 1940′s?
April 20, 2013
Missed the show.. Watch me on Wise Bear Book Media Podcast!
Come and take a listen to the podcast with Wisebear Books!
Thank you to both Wise Bear Books, Quinn and TJ for having me on the show. It was a lot of fun.
April 18, 2013
Join me at Wise Bear Books Digital Media Podcast on Friday!
Join the women of Wise Bear Books as we discuss the latest Digital Media News. Today’s Guest: Denise Alicea, author of Consoling Angel Got a question about publishing, e-readers or the latest digital technology?
Come listen to the chat on Friday the 19th at 1pm est/ 10am pst. Click here to listen.
April 3, 2013
Consoling Angel is featured on The Young Adult Festival on Freedo!
Be sure to join The Young Adult Festival on Freedo. Consoling Angel will be apart of it.
To check it out, go here.
Purchase on Amazon, Nook, All Romance
Book Blurb-
Mira did not know what she had in store the day she fell asleep while wanting to escape her current situation. Overcoming a death from someone so close and burying herself in school and an internship has kept her somewhat awake and alive. An admiration for the actor, James Dean was all that kept the memory of her father alive. If she couldn’t be with her father, she could at least remember what they shared an admiration for together. She always wanted to meet James Dean… she didn’t know it would come true. Be careful what you wish for. It may just come true.
Praise for Consoling Angel
“More fable than mystery, readers will find here a charming story that is perfect for anyone going through loss. ” Melissa Felton
“It is sweet and nostalgic and offers wonderful feelings of hope and love. ” N22v
“He is weaved into the story in such a way that it is not only believable, but works well for this plot and its characters. ” Selena Robins
March 29, 2013
Free Ebook Resources
Ebooks are so popular these days. Most of us are trying to find great deals and great reads at the same time. So I’ve decided to put a small list together to share with all of you. Enjoy it!
Free Ebooks via Nook (May have some paid books in this list.)
Free Ebooks via Amazon (May have some paid books in this list.)
In iTunes or the iBooks store, you can go to Apple’s free section for ebooks.
