Maia Sepp's Blog, page 3
June 12, 2014
Goodreads Giveaway for The Migraine Mafia
Hi all and happy Friday the 13th!
I'm running a Goodreads giveaway for my second novel - The Migraine Mafia - for the next two weeks. Hop on over to Goodreads and sign up to get a free print copy!
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Goodreads Book Giveaway
The Migraine Mafia by Maia Sepp Giveaway ends June 28, 2014.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads. Enter to win
I'm running a Goodreads giveaway for my second novel - The Migraine Mafia - for the next two weeks. Hop on over to Goodreads and sign up to get a free print copy!
.goodreadsGiveawayWidget { color: #555; font-family: georgia, serif; font-weight: normal; text-align: left; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; background: white; } .goodreadsGiveawayWidget img { padding: 0 !important; margin: 0 !important; } .goodreadsGiveawayWidget a { padding: 0 !important; margin: 0; color: #660; text-decoration: none; } .goodreadsGiveawayWidget a:visted { color: #660; text-decoration: none; } .goodreadsGiveawayWidget a:hover { color: #660; text-decoration: underline !important; } .goodreadsGiveawayWidget p { margin: 0 0 .5em !important; padding: 0; } .goodreadsGiveawayWidgetEnterLink { display: block; width: 150px; margin: 10px auto 0 !important; padding: 0px 5px !important; text-align: center; line-height: 1.8em; color: #222; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; border: 1px solid #6A6454; border-radius: 5px; font-family:arial,verdana,helvetica,sans-serif; background-image:url(https://www.goodreads.com/images/layo... background-repeat: repeat-x; background-color:#BBB596; outline: 0; white-space: nowrap; } .goodreadsGiveawayWidgetEnterLink:hover { background-image:url(https://www.goodreads.com/images/layo... color: black; text-decoration: none; cursor: pointer; }
Goodreads Book Giveaway
The Migraine Mafia by Maia Sepp Giveaway ends June 28, 2014. See the giveaway details at Goodreads. Enter to win
June 6, 2014
An Etiquette Guide to the End Times - Now Available!
My latest release hits stores today! It’s a little different than my first two books: An Etiquette Guide to the End Timesis a near-future dystopian novella (think global warming instead of zombies, although I do like a good zombie story) set in 2028. If you enjoy my contemporary fiction, you'll like An Etiquette Guide to the End Times, where the sun is hotter, people are crankier, and the bribes are tastier. (Sort of like if I dropped my usual characters fifteen years in the future. And then raised the oceans a bit.)
Read the blurb and excerpt and sign up for a giveaway here – it’s for a $10 Amazon Gift Card.
Or pick up a copy for only .99 today:
Thanks for reading! And please drop me a line in the comments and say hi if you get a sec.Cheers,Maia
Read the blurb and excerpt and sign up for a giveaway here – it’s for a $10 Amazon Gift Card.
Or pick up a copy for only .99 today:
Thanks for reading! And please drop me a line in the comments and say hi if you get a sec.Cheers,Maia
May 30, 2014
My new release - An Etiquette Guide to the End Times
Hi Everyone!
I've been busily working away on my latest book for the past few months, so I've been pretty quiet on the blogging front. Thankfully, I'm finally finished! I did a lot of thinking about pessimism when I was writing my second novel, The Migraine Mafia. I've always found the way people filter the world around them to be fascinating, and after that book was finished, there was still a lot of pessimistic energy bouncing around inside me. Naturally it made sense to whip up a dystopian frenzy.
I love me some zombie/Apocalypse stories (Shaun of the Dead is my absolute favourite, followed by The Walking Dead, the Until the end of the World series and the Deadland Saga). Over the past few years I've made it a habit to ask people what their zombie-preparedness plan is - and I love that most people have one! But Zombie/Apocalypse stories always have that *kablammo* moment where everything was normal, and then suddenly everyone (who doesn't get their face gnawed off) has to exist in the aftermath of a complete societal breakdown.
But what if the Apocalypse sneaks up on us?
This was the story that I wanted to write. How will people behave when the lifestyle we've all worked so hard for starts to disappear? (Mega franchise Chipoltle recently caused a stir when they announced that global warming might impact their ability to supply guacamole. They've subsequently backtracked a little, but it's still a slightly ominous indication that the food we eat will likely be one of the first areas hit). What will the government do to convince the population to get in line behind eco-friendly reforms (and how badly will they botch everything? I'm from Toronto, don't get me started.) Will the rich keep getting richer? (Spoiler: Yes!) How will people just like you and me behave when the world as we know it is disappearing-but-not-quite-gone-yet?
So there you have it - my latest is a zombie-free dystopian novella with delicious bribes, microfarming, and a whole lotta solar panels!
An Etiquette Guide to the End Times
There aren’t any zombies (yet), but the world is still at the brink of destruction: It’s 2028 and global warming has led to rising oceans, crazy weather, and resource scarcity. On top of that, someone just turned the Internet off. Seeing as how it’s humanity’s last chance to turn things around manners are, understandably, a bit frayed.
Bookish etiquette buff Olive O’Malley is busy microfarming her urban property and minding her own business (and her chickens) when the government comes calling. Their goal is to push the populace towards carbon-neutrality while keeping kvetching to a minimum, and they come with a proposal: transition Olive’s popular etiquette column to a radio show for the masses, and they’ll help Olive find her grandfather, who’s gone missing.
Olive doesn’t trust the hipster government officials who try to bribe her with delicious-but-probably-a-little-evil chocolate pastries, and declines their offer. (Politely, of course.) But they won't take no for an answer, and soon Olive is knee-deep in turmoil, eco-terrorism, and missing chickens. Now she has to untangle herself from their demands and figure out how to make sure her family (and her poultry) are safe before it’s too late.
An Etiquette Guide to the End Times is a 28,000 word novella. It's currently available as a pre-order on Kobo, and will be available at all online retailers in a week - Friday, June 6, 2014. Add yourself to my mailing list to get a nudge when it comes out or read the first chapter here.
Happy reading!
Maia
I've been busily working away on my latest book for the past few months, so I've been pretty quiet on the blogging front. Thankfully, I'm finally finished! I did a lot of thinking about pessimism when I was writing my second novel, The Migraine Mafia. I've always found the way people filter the world around them to be fascinating, and after that book was finished, there was still a lot of pessimistic energy bouncing around inside me. Naturally it made sense to whip up a dystopian frenzy.
I love me some zombie/Apocalypse stories (Shaun of the Dead is my absolute favourite, followed by The Walking Dead, the Until the end of the World series and the Deadland Saga). Over the past few years I've made it a habit to ask people what their zombie-preparedness plan is - and I love that most people have one! But Zombie/Apocalypse stories always have that *kablammo* moment where everything was normal, and then suddenly everyone (who doesn't get their face gnawed off) has to exist in the aftermath of a complete societal breakdown.
But what if the Apocalypse sneaks up on us?
This was the story that I wanted to write. How will people behave when the lifestyle we've all worked so hard for starts to disappear? (Mega franchise Chipoltle recently caused a stir when they announced that global warming might impact their ability to supply guacamole. They've subsequently backtracked a little, but it's still a slightly ominous indication that the food we eat will likely be one of the first areas hit). What will the government do to convince the population to get in line behind eco-friendly reforms (and how badly will they botch everything? I'm from Toronto, don't get me started.) Will the rich keep getting richer? (Spoiler: Yes!) How will people just like you and me behave when the world as we know it is disappearing-but-not-quite-gone-yet?
So there you have it - my latest is a zombie-free dystopian novella with delicious bribes, microfarming, and a whole lotta solar panels!
An Etiquette Guide to the End TimesThere aren’t any zombies (yet), but the world is still at the brink of destruction: It’s 2028 and global warming has led to rising oceans, crazy weather, and resource scarcity. On top of that, someone just turned the Internet off. Seeing as how it’s humanity’s last chance to turn things around manners are, understandably, a bit frayed.
Bookish etiquette buff Olive O’Malley is busy microfarming her urban property and minding her own business (and her chickens) when the government comes calling. Their goal is to push the populace towards carbon-neutrality while keeping kvetching to a minimum, and they come with a proposal: transition Olive’s popular etiquette column to a radio show for the masses, and they’ll help Olive find her grandfather, who’s gone missing.
Olive doesn’t trust the hipster government officials who try to bribe her with delicious-but-probably-a-little-evil chocolate pastries, and declines their offer. (Politely, of course.) But they won't take no for an answer, and soon Olive is knee-deep in turmoil, eco-terrorism, and missing chickens. Now she has to untangle herself from their demands and figure out how to make sure her family (and her poultry) are safe before it’s too late.
An Etiquette Guide to the End Times is a 28,000 word novella. It's currently available as a pre-order on Kobo, and will be available at all online retailers in a week - Friday, June 6, 2014. Add yourself to my mailing list to get a nudge when it comes out or read the first chapter here.
Happy reading!
Maia
March 30, 2014
The Sock Wars Breaks the Amazon Top 100
Woo!
I'm also currently #24 on B&N and I came sooooo close to the iTunes top 100...at 101 :)
Hope everyone is enjoying the weather and the weekend. I'm finishing up the latest draft of my latest WIP (more on that soon), sitting in front of a fireplace. Looking forward to some celebrating tonight!!
I'm also currently #24 on B&N and I came sooooo close to the iTunes top 100...at 101 :)
Hope everyone is enjoying the weather and the weekend. I'm finishing up the latest draft of my latest WIP (more on that soon), sitting in front of a fireplace. Looking forward to some celebrating tonight!!
March 5, 2014
Creativity and Chronic Illness
I left a well-paying corporate job a little over a year ago to focus on my writing career, just like that, BAM. It was a supremely risky and out-of-character move, especially since my idea of living on the edge is wearing mismatched socks. I was fully aware that the standard (and sane) advice given to newbie writers was to keep working a full-time job until their books took off, and I was an unknown writer trying to make a living with just one novel and had no business going out on my own. But I had gotten to the point in my life where I couldn’t keep working enormous amounts of overtime in a grueling start-up environment, find time for my writing, and live with a chronic illness (migraine disease) that was getting progressively worse as I got older. It was time to change my focus.
I see a lot of advice around the blogosphere about being an indie writer, and other advice about how to live with chronic illness, but I haven’t seen a lot of advice on how to be chronic and creative, so I’ve put together some thoughts on ways to stay sane as an indie writer, optimize your time, and still hit your word count:
Nuts to ThatHave the smallest nut you can possibly manage, and scale your lifestyle down if you need to. Save as much as you can, chuck the plastic, and get a pre-paid credit card. I’m a big believer in the power of living debt-free. Can’t afford a nice car? Get an old, ugly one; no one will steal it, and you might meet interesting people when you need to give it a jump. Can only afford a tiny home? Congrats, now you have less to clean! I’m currently able to write full-time because my husband and I live in a shack and I’ve been saving my pennies for years. Debt-free can mean less stress and better heath. Debt-free can mean freedom.
Find a CommunityIt’s tough to admit that you’re living (and maybe struggling) with chronic illness. It can be depressing, embarrassing, and difficult to communicate to others*. Don’t spend time with people who say they understand exactly what you’re going through, like the folks who insist that half an Excedrin Migraine tablet will fix you right up, or the ones who try to sell you on trepanning. These are not your people.
Divorce rates for couples with a chronically ill partner hover around the 75% mark. “In sickness and in health,” aren’t just a few mumbled words during a brief ceremony, they’re part of your daily life. Find the most awesome potential mate you can and thencon them into dating you woo them with a romantic poutine dinner. Make sure to make your partner a priority, and get counseling if you’re floundering.
It’s also important to read as much as possible about others living with mental and physical illness, like Kiana Davenport’s moving account of her struggle with depression, posted on Joe Konrath’s site back in 2011. Find online resources for your illness (migraine.com is a great start). Join a support group IRL or online. Know that you are not alone.
Chuck the ChoresProtect your good days. If you can afford it, get a service to take care of household chores that you can’t manage when you’re sick and are not a fulfilling use of your time when you’re well. See if you can barter if you don’t have the cash. Get your groceries delivered, hire a cleaning service, offer your significant other sexual favors in exchange for yard work. Spend your good days writing.
Plunder Like a PirateOne of the most awesome things about the indie writer community is the generosity of spirit that has motivated successful writers to share a huge amount of very helpful and specific information. But that excellent advice needs to be filtered through our own personal circumstances in order to make it useful for us. For example, there’s a lot of focus in the indie community on producing a large body of work in as short a time as possible**. It’s advice that makes a lot of sense, but committing to a large writing output and strict publishing schedule can be challenging if you simply don’t know how many good days you’re going to have this week. It’s easy to get discouraged by this or push yourself into a relapse. Instead, try to turn your focus on plundering the very best advice from the experts in your creative field and then adapting it to your personal capabilities***.
Then, spend the time to build a business plan that’s attainable but flexible ****. (I have a weekly, instead of a daily, word count, for example.) Learn how to make realistic goals, find out how to optimize your writing and business efforts so you can do more with less, build some buffer into your schedule, contract out publishing services that you aren’t proficient in, and push yourself when you can. It might take you a little longer (our family motto is “We get there eventually”), but it can be done.
I’ve had an interesting year. It turns out I actually really enjoy the business part of writing, and my background is in tech, so managing my website and coding my books is a snap. I’ve sold over 7,000 books in 25 countries, hit the Amazon top 100, learned a ton, and have put together an awesome publishing team. But it hasn’t been easy; instead of getting better like I anticipated, my health is still a real struggle. On the bright side, the income from my debut novel is the sweetest money I’ve ever earned, and in a lot of ways this has been one of the best years of my life. I love my job and I still can’t believe that I get to fulfill my lifelong dream to be a writer.
Have any tips on how to be creative and chronic? Drop your idea into the comments!--Maia
This post originally appeared on Joe Konrath's blog in December, 2013.
My latest novel, “The Migraine Mafia”, is a humorous look at a nerdy thirtysomething’s attempt to come to terms with a chronic illness--and a tenacious support group.
______________________________________________________
* If you’re having a hard time explaining your illness to your loved ones, check out the Spoon Theory .**An interesting recent thread on Kboards.com tackled this issue: http://bit.ly/JeF3ha .*** Joe Konrath, Kristine Rusch , David Gaughran , The Passive Guy , Kobo Writing Life’s publishing series , Kindleboard’s Writer’s Cafe , and lots of others are all great resources.****A good example of a business plan for writers is in “ The Naked Truth about Self-Publishing .” Definitely worth picking up a copy.
I see a lot of advice around the blogosphere about being an indie writer, and other advice about how to live with chronic illness, but I haven’t seen a lot of advice on how to be chronic and creative, so I’ve put together some thoughts on ways to stay sane as an indie writer, optimize your time, and still hit your word count:
Nuts to ThatHave the smallest nut you can possibly manage, and scale your lifestyle down if you need to. Save as much as you can, chuck the plastic, and get a pre-paid credit card. I’m a big believer in the power of living debt-free. Can’t afford a nice car? Get an old, ugly one; no one will steal it, and you might meet interesting people when you need to give it a jump. Can only afford a tiny home? Congrats, now you have less to clean! I’m currently able to write full-time because my husband and I live in a shack and I’ve been saving my pennies for years. Debt-free can mean less stress and better heath. Debt-free can mean freedom.
Find a CommunityIt’s tough to admit that you’re living (and maybe struggling) with chronic illness. It can be depressing, embarrassing, and difficult to communicate to others*. Don’t spend time with people who say they understand exactly what you’re going through, like the folks who insist that half an Excedrin Migraine tablet will fix you right up, or the ones who try to sell you on trepanning. These are not your people.
Divorce rates for couples with a chronically ill partner hover around the 75% mark. “In sickness and in health,” aren’t just a few mumbled words during a brief ceremony, they’re part of your daily life. Find the most awesome potential mate you can and then
It’s also important to read as much as possible about others living with mental and physical illness, like Kiana Davenport’s moving account of her struggle with depression, posted on Joe Konrath’s site back in 2011. Find online resources for your illness (migraine.com is a great start). Join a support group IRL or online. Know that you are not alone.
Chuck the ChoresProtect your good days. If you can afford it, get a service to take care of household chores that you can’t manage when you’re sick and are not a fulfilling use of your time when you’re well. See if you can barter if you don’t have the cash. Get your groceries delivered, hire a cleaning service, offer your significant other sexual favors in exchange for yard work. Spend your good days writing.
Plunder Like a PirateOne of the most awesome things about the indie writer community is the generosity of spirit that has motivated successful writers to share a huge amount of very helpful and specific information. But that excellent advice needs to be filtered through our own personal circumstances in order to make it useful for us. For example, there’s a lot of focus in the indie community on producing a large body of work in as short a time as possible**. It’s advice that makes a lot of sense, but committing to a large writing output and strict publishing schedule can be challenging if you simply don’t know how many good days you’re going to have this week. It’s easy to get discouraged by this or push yourself into a relapse. Instead, try to turn your focus on plundering the very best advice from the experts in your creative field and then adapting it to your personal capabilities***.
Then, spend the time to build a business plan that’s attainable but flexible ****. (I have a weekly, instead of a daily, word count, for example.) Learn how to make realistic goals, find out how to optimize your writing and business efforts so you can do more with less, build some buffer into your schedule, contract out publishing services that you aren’t proficient in, and push yourself when you can. It might take you a little longer (our family motto is “We get there eventually”), but it can be done.
I’ve had an interesting year. It turns out I actually really enjoy the business part of writing, and my background is in tech, so managing my website and coding my books is a snap. I’ve sold over 7,000 books in 25 countries, hit the Amazon top 100, learned a ton, and have put together an awesome publishing team. But it hasn’t been easy; instead of getting better like I anticipated, my health is still a real struggle. On the bright side, the income from my debut novel is the sweetest money I’ve ever earned, and in a lot of ways this has been one of the best years of my life. I love my job and I still can’t believe that I get to fulfill my lifelong dream to be a writer.
Have any tips on how to be creative and chronic? Drop your idea into the comments!--Maia
This post originally appeared on Joe Konrath's blog in December, 2013.
My latest novel, “The Migraine Mafia”, is a humorous look at a nerdy thirtysomething’s attempt to come to terms with a chronic illness--and a tenacious support group.
______________________________________________________
* If you’re having a hard time explaining your illness to your loved ones, check out the Spoon Theory .**An interesting recent thread on Kboards.com tackled this issue: http://bit.ly/JeF3ha .*** Joe Konrath, Kristine Rusch , David Gaughran , The Passive Guy , Kobo Writing Life’s publishing series , Kindleboard’s Writer’s Cafe , and lots of others are all great resources.****A good example of a business plan for writers is in “ The Naked Truth about Self-Publishing .” Definitely worth picking up a copy.
December 20, 2013
Giveaways and Cake and Thank Yous, Oh My!
Hi everyone!
Thank Youuuuuuuuuuu's...
My latest, The Migraine Mafia, is now well and truly launched! It's been a year in the making, and I'm thrilled it's finally out. I wanted to say thanks to my awesome beta readers: @shaynakrish, Carolyn Taylor (twice!), Aisha Khan Alam, @skullsandponies, Ella Peters, and @tania2atee. Thank you thank you thank you!
Also many thanks to my awesome publishing team, editors @wordvagabond and tattooed treasure @skolbwilliams, as well as #Bubblecow, and cover artists @luckybatbooks.
Cake!
No book launch would be complete without cake! My better half, John, sneakily had Sugar Temptations whip up a delicious, gluten-free literary cake masterpiece for me. Yummo!
I couldn't have done all this without his support and general awesomeness. The cake is just a nice bonus :)
Tasty Book Tours
Tasty Book Tours is doing a release day book blast today - with a $10 Amazon gift card giveaway. Swing by and sign yourself up!
Goodreads
I have two Goodreads giveaways going on right now, for print copies of all my books. Please enter if you want a copy for yourself or a friend...or even an enemy. Enemies need books too!
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Goodreads Book Giveaway
The Sock Wars by Maia Sepp Giveaway ends January 01, 2014.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads. Enter to win
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Goodreads Book Giveaway
The Migraine Mafia by Maia Sepp Giveaway ends January 01, 2014.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads. Enter to win
Thank Youuuuuuuuuuu's...
My latest, The Migraine Mafia, is now well and truly launched! It's been a year in the making, and I'm thrilled it's finally out. I wanted to say thanks to my awesome beta readers: @shaynakrish, Carolyn Taylor (twice!), Aisha Khan Alam, @skullsandponies, Ella Peters, and @tania2atee. Thank you thank you thank you!
Also many thanks to my awesome publishing team, editors @wordvagabond and tattooed treasure @skolbwilliams, as well as #Bubblecow, and cover artists @luckybatbooks.
Cake!No book launch would be complete without cake! My better half, John, sneakily had Sugar Temptations whip up a delicious, gluten-free literary cake masterpiece for me. Yummo!
I couldn't have done all this without his support and general awesomeness. The cake is just a nice bonus :)
Tasty Book Tours
Tasty Book Tours is doing a release day book blast today - with a $10 Amazon gift card giveaway. Swing by and sign yourself up!
Goodreads
I have two Goodreads giveaways going on right now, for print copies of all my books. Please enter if you want a copy for yourself or a friend...or even an enemy. Enemies need books too!
.goodreadsGiveawayWidget { color: #555; font-family: georgia, serif; font-weight: normal; text-align: left; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; background: white; } .goodreadsGiveawayWidget img { padding: 0 !important; margin: 0 !important; } .goodreadsGiveawayWidget a { padding: 0 !important; margin: 0; color: #660; text-decoration: none; } .goodreadsGiveawayWidget a:visted { color: #660; text-decoration: none; } .goodreadsGiveawayWidget a:hover { color: #660; text-decoration: underline !important; } .goodreadsGiveawayWidget p { margin: 0 0 .5em !important; padding: 0; } .goodreadsGiveawayWidgetEnterLink { display: block; width: 150px; margin: 10px auto 0 !important; padding: 0px 5px !important; text-align: center; line-height: 1.8em; color: #222; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; border: 1px solid #6A6454; border-radius: 5px; font-family:arial,verdana,helvetica,sans-serif; background-image:url(https://www.goodreads.com/images/layo... background-repeat: repeat-x; background-color:#BBB596; outline: 0; white-space: nowrap; } .goodreadsGiveawayWidgetEnterLink:hover { background-image:url(https://www.goodreads.com/images/layo... color: black; text-decoration: none; cursor: pointer; }
Goodreads Book Giveaway
The Sock Wars by Maia Sepp Giveaway ends January 01, 2014. See the giveaway details at Goodreads. Enter to win
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Goodreads Book Giveaway
The Migraine Mafia by Maia Sepp Giveaway ends January 01, 2014. See the giveaway details at Goodreads. Enter to win
December 19, 2013
The View from my Writing Room
My better half, John, has whisked me away for a pre-Christmas ski jaunt this week, and this is the view from our balcony...
Look, Ma, no lines!
It's been a great week of writing, lazing about, occasional skiing, and general debauchery. (See left - this is what happens when you're too lazy to make ice).
I can only hope that my REAL present is waiting when we go back home later this week. If what lunatic Toronto mayor Rob Ford says is true, women want thousands of dollars for Christmas...and I'll have a big stack of cash waiting for me under the tree.
YAY!
On second thought, I'm content with my debauchery and skiing. Hope you guys get a chance to hit the hills this Christmas. It's great out there!
Look, Ma, no lines!
It's been a great week of writing, lazing about, occasional skiing, and general debauchery. (See left - this is what happens when you're too lazy to make ice). I can only hope that my REAL present is waiting when we go back home later this week. If what lunatic Toronto mayor Rob Ford says is true, women want thousands of dollars for Christmas...and I'll have a big stack of cash waiting for me under the tree.
YAY!
On second thought, I'm content with my debauchery and skiing. Hope you guys get a chance to hit the hills this Christmas. It's great out there!
December 12, 2013
The Migraine Mafia is Now Here!
Hi everyone!
The Migraine Mafia is my latest book - the story of a nerdy thirtysomething's quest to come to terms with a chronic illness - and it's now in stores! It's on sale everywhere for .99 until Monday the 16th.
On paper, Viive McBroom lives the perfect life--a key player in a fast-paced, technical field, one promotion away from real success--but that's only if you ignore one little problem.
Sandwiched between one migraine and the next, Viive's life is like those choose-your-own-adventure books you read as a kid, only less fun and with a lot more drugs. And lately, as her bosses politely march her toward a vacation that might never end, even the good days feel like a struggle for survival.
Faced with frustration from her loved ones and the dark machinations of a new colleague, Viive feels herself getting pulled under by guilt, apologies, and workplace shenanigans. But then she meets the Migraine Mafia, a quirky, vibrant support group, and her fragile camouflage begins to crumble. She discovers that a room full of strangers just might be able to change the way she views her illness--and realizes that if she doesn't learn to ask for help, her health isn't the only thing she stands to lose.
Sometimes painful, frequently hilarious, always entertaining, The Migraine Mafia is the story of one woman's life-altering decision to thrive in the face of chronic illness.
Read the first chapter, on Wattpad, or my site, or pick up a copy today:
Beyond Words Book Tours is also hosting a giveaway of some copies of the ebook - as well as a $50 gift card from Amazon. Check it out here.
The Migraine Mafia is my latest book - the story of a nerdy thirtysomething's quest to come to terms with a chronic illness - and it's now in stores! It's on sale everywhere for .99 until Monday the 16th.
On paper, Viive McBroom lives the perfect life--a key player in a fast-paced, technical field, one promotion away from real success--but that's only if you ignore one little problem.Sandwiched between one migraine and the next, Viive's life is like those choose-your-own-adventure books you read as a kid, only less fun and with a lot more drugs. And lately, as her bosses politely march her toward a vacation that might never end, even the good days feel like a struggle for survival.
Faced with frustration from her loved ones and the dark machinations of a new colleague, Viive feels herself getting pulled under by guilt, apologies, and workplace shenanigans. But then she meets the Migraine Mafia, a quirky, vibrant support group, and her fragile camouflage begins to crumble. She discovers that a room full of strangers just might be able to change the way she views her illness--and realizes that if she doesn't learn to ask for help, her health isn't the only thing she stands to lose.
Sometimes painful, frequently hilarious, always entertaining, The Migraine Mafia is the story of one woman's life-altering decision to thrive in the face of chronic illness.
Read the first chapter, on Wattpad, or my site, or pick up a copy today:
Beyond Words Book Tours is also hosting a giveaway of some copies of the ebook - as well as a $50 gift card from Amazon. Check it out here.
November 1, 2013
Finishing the Week up...on the KWL Bestseller List
Just found out I hit the Kobo Writing Life Bestseller List this week. I popped over to take a look, and realized I'm surrounded by Romance novels. Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy!
Happy Friday, y'all!
Happy Friday, y'all!
September 22, 2013
#BannedBooksWeek
This is Banned Books Week in America, a time when the spotlight is focused on books that have been challenged or banned or that might include the word underpants in the title. The ten most challenged books of 2012 can be found here and include the hanky-panky-oriented fanfic work, Fifty Shades of Grey, the intriguingly-titled Captain Underpants, and my all-time favourite banned novel,
And Tango Makes Three
, a charming picture book about a pair of gay penguins and their adopted offspring that I picked up a few years ago, mostly because gay penguins are basically fabulous.
There are a number of events that are going on this week, including one with NYT bestseller Jamie Ford, whose latest, Songs of Willow Frost , I've just finished reading (and you should too!). If you get a chance, swing by www.bannedbooksweek.org and check it out.
There are a number of events that are going on this week, including one with NYT bestseller Jamie Ford, whose latest, Songs of Willow Frost , I've just finished reading (and you should too!). If you get a chance, swing by www.bannedbooksweek.org and check it out.
