Tina Christopher's Blog, page 23

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you have a lovely time, no matter where you are and who you are with.

Be safe and have fun! Oh, and lots of presents;).

Emma and I are enjoying a couple of days off before I have to be back at work at 6am on Boxing Day. Ah, the world of retail;).

Time Out from Reality!

I’ve been off the internet a lot recently, my spare time has become rather limited this close to Christmas. Work has taken over and currently dominates my day. Hopefully once Christmas is over that will ebb away and I will have more time again.

I also have a number of decisions to make about a few things in my work and private life. I don’t do that well with change, even change I initiate, but part of me is kicking me in the bum to get out of the rut I have sunk into. But another part of me doesn’t want to think about all the things that could happen and all the consequences that could follow, keeping me frozen in indecision. So I have taken yesterday and today as a time out from reality.

A couple of days ago I didn’t have anything new I wanted to read on my kobo and re-read Celebrity in Death by J.D. Robb. I LOVE the Eve Dallas series, but it has been some time since I’ve re-read the whole thing. That is what I’ve been doing for the last two days. I thoroughly enjoyed going back to the beginning and re-discovering Eve’s relationships with her fellow characters. Ms Robb aka Nora Roberts is a master storyteller. Even knowing who the bad guy is I still have to read the whole book, want to know how Eve put together her cases and the obstacles she encounters on the way.

And sinking into Eve’s 2058 New York has done a bang up job at keeping reality at bay. Tomorrow I have to get up around 4am to get to work for 6am. No escape!;) Once I’m back home I will have to sit down and make pro and con lists for some things, work on making up my mind on others.

But it has been nice to step away, to disappear and take some time away. If you face difficult decisions or overwhelming tasks, I can definitely recommend to take a day or two where you find a way to get away from it all. Disappear into the world of a favourite book or watch a season of a favourite TV show. Once you’ve taken a breather you can sit down with a clearer head. It’ll still be scary, but a little bit of distance may make it easier;).

Good Luck!

 

A Year Ago Today Give-Away

A year ago today I became a published author:).

Tangled Shadows, book 1 in the Celestial Surrender series, released from Ellora’s Cave December 7th 2011. Wohoo!

It has been an exciting year with two more stories published and another with my editor. I am working on my second steampunk story as well as the outline for the final book in the Celestial Surrender series.

To celebrate the anniversary I am giving one lucky commenter the chance to choose a copy of Tangled Shadows, Tangled Hunger or Rescue by Ruin. Tell me what you are celebrating this month.

 

The Carrot and the Stick

After a hellish 6 day week at work I have today and tomorrow off. The plan was to revise Tangled Indulgence and finish “City of Bones” by Cassandra Clare. I am running a book club tomorrow night and am 3/4 through the book.

But then this arrived at work yesterday

I LOVE Maria V Snyder’s fantasy and have been waiting for “Scent of Magic” since finishing the first book in the Healer series.

Now what? I have two deadlines and only limited time off!

Nothing for it. Work comes first, so today I deleted 3k from Tangled Indulgence, making the story much tighter and more focused on the heroine. Tomorrow I will polish and ensure that all this deleting hasn’t left behind any issues. Tonight (after a new episode of Elementary) I will plough through “City of Bones”.

And my reward for working this hard? Saturday afternoon after work I will take the time for myself and read “Scent of Magic” without guilt or other pressures nagging at me. Talk about an awesome carrot:).

How do you reward yourself for hard work?

Hawke Snow – Favourite Dark Hero

I am over at Darker Temptations talking about why Hawke Snow from Nalini Singh’s Psy/Changeling series is one of my favourite dark heroes.

Naughty November Event

I am sharing a sexy excerpt of “Tangled Shadows” over at ScorchingBookReviews. Stop by and comment for an Ellora’s Cave gift card.

Rescue by Ruin on USA Today Website

The lovely and amazing Karla Doyle shared the link on twitter, otherwise I wouldn’t have seen it. With the cold still weighing me down I’m not spending a lot of time on the internet.

Rescue by Ruin has a mention on the USA Today website, together with a number of other sizzling Ellora’s Cave authors.

I am so very excited. This is a first for me;).

Hope you have a great weekend!

Rescue by Ruin Now Available on Amazon

Wohoo! Rescue by Ruin has finally made it to the kindle store. Very exciting, even if I am as sick as a dog and just want to drop into bed and sleep for a week;).

Great First dates

I’m chatting about a dream first date with a dragon shifter over at Darker Temptations. Come by and share your perfect first date with a paranormal being.

Winner Announcement

Random.org has spoken and the winner of the copy of “Rescue by Ruin” is

Yadira Alonzo

Congratulations!