Friday, December 20, 2013

Christmas Book Bundle Give-away!!

It's almost Christmas, and one of my favorite things about Christmas
is giving gifts! So I got some of my favorite writers (and critique partners)
 together to do an awesome give away!

One winner will get a bundle of a bunch of amazing ebooks!
 
 
The bundle will include an ebook of
 
 and
 
 
 
 
 
 
and (perfect for the holidays!) The Spirit of Christmas!

which includes short stories by J.A. Bennett,
Jessica Salyer, Kelley Lynn,
and more!

 
 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck! And Happy Holidays!! :)

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

CUTLASS Cover Reveal!!

Ashley Nixon's YA fantasy, CUTLASS, comes out April 23rd, 2014! I am super excited to be sharing her cover with you today, it is super gorgeous! But first, a little about the book:
 
Notorious pirate Barren Reed has one thing on his mind: Revenge against the man who killed his father. So kidnapping his enemy's fiancé seems a perfect plan…until he actually does it. 


 
Larkin Lee is more than a pretty face and fiancé to a powerful man. Her fierce personality is enough to make any pirate want to push her overboard. 


 
But when the King of the Orient comes to Barren with a task—to find the Bloodstone, a powerful gem thought only to exist in legend, Barren sees another opportunity to destroy his enemy. Together, Barren, Larkin and a crew of pirates set off to find the stone, only to discover it caused the death of Barren’s own mother and Larkin’s, too. As his strongest allies turn into his greatest enemies, and the life of the girl he kidnapped becomes more important than he ever dreamed, Barren’s quest for revenge becomes a fight to save the Orient.
 
And now for the cover!!


 
 
Isn't that awesome? I love it!
And here's the full paperback version:


 
 
Don't forget to add CUTLASS to your Goodreads list!

And you can find Ashley on her website, her blog, (where she has illustrated pictures of her characters!), Twitter, Tumblr, and Facebook. Ashley is super awesome, and the characters in this story are great! So go check her out!

And there's a giveaway!
  Rafflecopter giveaway
 
 
 
Ashley was born and raised in Oklahoma, where the wind really does sweep down the plains, and horses and carriages aren't used as much as she'd like. When she's not writing, she's hard at work on her Master's degree in Library Science and Information Technology, working out, or pretending she's Sherlock Holmes. Her obsession with writing began after reading the Lord of the Rings in the eighth grade. Since then, she's loved everything Fantasy--
resulting in an unhealthy obsession with the 'geek' tab on Pinterest, where all things awesome go.

Monday, December 16, 2013

Interview with Crystal Collier!

Today I have Crystal Collier here! Yay! She's answering some fun questions for me, then sharing an excerpt from Moonless! (How much do you love that cover, by the way?) But first, a bit about the book:

Jane Eyre meets Supernatural.

In the English society of 1768 where women are bred to marry, unattractive Alexia, just sixteen, believes she will end up alone. But on the county doorstep of a neighbor’s estate, she meets a man straight out of her nightmares, one whose blue eyes threaten to consume her whole world—especially later when she discovers him standing over her murdered host in the middle of the night.

Among the many things to change for her that evening are: her physical appearance—from ghastly to breathtaking, an epidemic of night terrors predicting the future, and the blue-eyed man’s unexpected infusion into her life. Not only do his appearances precede tragedies, but they’re echoed by the arrival of ravenous, black-robed wraiths on moonless nights.

Unable to decide whether he is one of these monsters or protecting her from them, she uncovers what her father has been concealing: truths about her own identity, about the blue-eyed man, and about love. After an attack close to home, Alexia realizes she cannot keep one foot in her old life and one in this new world. To protect her family she must either be sold into a loveless marriage, or escape with the man of her dreams and risk becoming one of the Soulless.

First of all, thank you so much for having me here to day, Rachel!

Of course! I'm glad you could stop by. :) The excerpt below shows when your character first notices her own transformation. With that theme in mind, here are your questions:

1. What's the biggest transformation you've undergone? Tattoo? Lip ring? Hair dye? Nose job? ;)

Marriage. Or motherhood. Or both. I wasn’t one of those girls who looked forward to having babies or her own house, so it’s been interesting. I fall in love with my kids more each day and have decided motherhood is something you grow into.

Oh, I love that answer!
2. If you were to dye your hair an unnatural color, what would you go for? (Personally, I think I'd go dark blue.)

I think green would be the only color that might go with my naturally olive skin. Dark green. Like a tree nymph.

3. If you could be a were-animal, what would you be?

A were-eagle. Yup. (Spread those wings, ladies!)

4. What is your favorite movie that portrays some sort of major transformation? 

...Zombieland? Okay, I'm not talking about people becoming undead. I LOVE Woodie Allen's character in the movie and not necessarily how he changes, but how your perception of this kick-trash zombie-bashing dude alters as you learn his backstory. 

And speaking of Zombieland, two words friendies: double tap.

5. If you could transform one part of your life, what would it be? (For me, I'd transform my house, add a couple bedrooms and a library.) :)

I’m constantly transforming my life. But seriously, we’re talking dream-stock here, right? I’d either want to duplicate myself so there were two of me to get EVERYTHING done—but in such a way Me 1 and Me 2 could share all the memories. That, or a time-stopper. 

Ha! Good answer! That would certainly come in handy!
Thanks again for coming today, Crystal!
 
Check out the excerpt from Moonless below! And don't forget to add it on Goodreads! :)
Crystal Collier, author of MOONLESS, is a former composer/writer for Black Diamond Productions. She can be found practicing her brother-induced ninja skills while teaching children or madly typing about fantastic and impossible creatures. She has lived from coast to coast and now calls Florida home with her creative husband, three littles, and “friend” (a.k.a. the zombie locked in her closet). Secretly, she dreams of world domination and a bottomless supply of cheese. You can find her on her blog and Facebook, or follow her on Twitter.

Excerpt from Moonless:

A framed portrait hung opposite her. Two brass roses met at the base of its circular surface, and at the center stood a young woman with dark curls, jade eyes, gleaming skin, and pert pink lips.
Very lovely. And then she noticed the candle actively flickering behind the girl.
Alexia turned. The candle’s flame danced behind her.
She looked back at the frame. The enthralling girl studied her with a confused frown. She stepped toward the mirror, trembling. The girl on the other side reached toward her with shaking fingers.
“Am I dreaming?” She watched the double’s lips move, frightened the image would respond. Somewhere beneath the glamorous layers hid the child who turned sixteen a month ago, the young woman whose father hid her away because of an unsightly exterior, the girl who spent the better part of her life in books.
“Impossible!”

Buy Moonless or  Add it today!

Friday, December 13, 2013

Gift Ideas Continued

I personally think men are the hardest people to buy for.
I mean, with women if all else fails you can always get them something
 at Bath and Body Works, right?
 Go to a mall, about 75% of the stores are aimed at women.
 
So, here are some ideas for men:
 
Don't know what to get your obnoxious brother-in-law?
 
Navy Blue Bottle Opener /Cast Iron /Vintage, Retro Feel /Kitchen, Mancave, Game Room, Patio  Hangout /Metal
 
This cool bottle opener (plus a few bottles to test it out with) is sure to please.
 
Or that guy that seriously already has everything he wants (because he buys it for himself as soon as he sees it) how about a cool new wallet?
 
Men's leather wallet,Simple Slim Men's brown leather wallet, leather credit card, postcard sets, handmade
 
 
This one even has a little pocket for a guitar pick. (Which totally made me think of Alex.) :)
 
Guitar Pick Card Cash Coin Pouch marijuana/dragon/initial stamps


And one more idea for women, (because they're more fun.) ;)

Scarf,loop scarf ,infinity scarf

Who couldn't use a nice scarf for winter?


Next week I'll have a couple awesome authors on here,
and some super fun shopping ideas for writers and/or readers. :)
Have a great weekend, everyone!

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

What to Buy the Ones You

Love  Don't Actually Like at All.

We've all had people on our Christmas list who we don't actually want to buy a gift for, right? Someone who you have to associate with, but you secretly think is moronic waste of space?
Or maybe someone who you hate to buy for because they are ridiculously picky
and you KNOW they will fake-smile at whatever you get them,
then roll their eyes when they think you aren't looking. 
Maybe a co-worker, maybe a relative, but we all have them.

So I thought it would be fun to list some gift ideas for these hard-to-buy-for people. All ideas will be under $15, (because seriously, wouldn't you rather spend your money on someone you actually like?)


The first category of ideas (and one of my favorites.)
Fancy Foods:

Octagonal Chocolate Sampler It looks all fancy, and who doesn't like chocolate?

Taste Test of Caramel's from Trader Joe's. Twelve different flavors of caramels,
from Toffee Apple, to Blood Orange Balsamic.

Lady Lavender loose leaf tea Great for persnickety mothers-in-law, or your fussy grandmother, (the one who always liked your sister more than you anyway.)

More of a coffee lover? How about Crème Brulee flavored coffee? (This site had tons of very fun sounding flavored coffees, in case crème brulee doesn't appeal to you. Although, if it doesn't, what's wrong with you?)
 
Or, perhaps a mug to drink that tea or coffee out of?
 
This Life is Awkward mug seemed especially fitting,
because what's more awkward than giving gifts to people you would rather not be around, ever?
 
Life is Awkward Mug
 
 
 
Okay, if it's not quite that bad, how about this one?
 
 
Paper Airplane Sharpie Mug
 
I'll be posting some more gift ideas for hard-to-shop for people later this week.
If you have someone on your list that you need ideas for,
tell me a bit about them and I'll see if I can help! :)
Next week I'll have some fun gift ideas for writers and/or readers.
(Those people we love and are super fun to shop for.) :)

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

IWSG: Shutting Down?

Today is Insecure Writer's Support Group day! I love this group so much. Seriously, when new people ask me for advice in the writing world, "Join the Insecure Writer's Support Group" is always something I tell them. Big, big thank you to Alex J. Cavanaugh, writing ninja, IWSG founder, and all-around awesome guy. Also, big thanks to this month's cohosts:
 
and
 
 
 
Okay, here's the thing, I'm thinking about shutting down my blog.
 
AHHHH!! Berner puppies are the cutest!
I'm so ashamed. :(
I don't want to shut it down, but I feel like I don't have time for it anymore. Not sure why, either. I seriously have no idea where my time goes. (I blame a lot of that on my four kids, though.) ;) I want to keep in touch with everyone, and if I do shut it down I will continue to visit blogs.
 
I don't know. I haven't made the decision for sure yet. Mainly because, while I know I probably should, I just don't want to!
 
How do you find time to balance things? Any tips?
 
To talk about something happier, any big holiday plans? This is my favorite time of year. :)