Thursday, February 27, 2014

WIP: The Movie

It's time for the WIP: The Movie bloghop!! Yay! I loved this hop the last time Kyra and I hosted it and I can't wait to see everyone's casts and soundtracks this time.
The idea is to cast the characters from one of your works-in-progress,
and pick one (or more) song(s) that would be on the soundtrack.
I'm casting my NA novella, OVER THE OCEAN,
(which I'll be self-publishing next month! Ah! I'm so nervous!)

When Bree meets Logan, and hears his oh-so-sexy British accent, it's lust at first sight.
Bree thinks Logan feels the same way, especially when they're snuggled up on her couch with his tongue down her throat. But when Logan decides that getting into a relationship when he only has a few months left in the States is a bad idea, Bree agrees to be "just friends."
But every time he flashes his swoon-worthy smile, complete with dimples, Bree has a hard time keeping her thoughts in the "friend zone."


Bree
I don't know who this girl is, but she is totally Bree. :)
 
:)
And Hugh Dancy would be my Logan. Isn't he cute?
And he's even British, which is perfect!

Hugh Dancy
 
 
 
"I Want Crazy"
Bree is a little crazy, and nothing comes too easy for these two,
so I love this song for them.
 
 
Thanks to everyone who is participating in the hop! I can't wait to read everyone's posts. If I am slow getting around to everyone, I apologize, I'm hosting our speech meet tomorrow and have a million things left to do! But I will get to everyone!
 
And big, big thanks to Kyra Lennon for hosting with me!
Kyra is made of awesome. :)
 
Speaking of awesome, (and changing gears) today is also Cassie Mae's cover reveal day!
 
 
How cute are those? I love them! Congratulations, Cassie!
 
And speaking of covers. . . I'm planning to reveal the cover for OVER THE OCEAN
on March 12th! If you are interested on helping out (which I would love you for!)
leave me your email address here, or message it to me on Facebook.

Friday, February 14, 2014

Winners!

Thank you to everyone who entered the Valentine's Give away! We'll be in touch with the winners.
Happy Valentine's Day!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Elizabeth Seckman Interview!

I am thrilled to have the lovely Elizabeth Seckman here today. Elizabeth is so hilarious and fun, and always so supportive of her fellow writers.
 
We're talking a little about her newest book, Fate Intended.
 
Fate Intended


This is the third Coulter man you've written, do you have a favorite? 
No offense to Tres and Trip, Craig is my favorite, probably because he is full of attitude...just like my husband ;)

What are your writing essentials? Coffee, a cozy chair, a Pinterest board full of hot guys? 
I cannot do anything bigger than a blog post with people around me. I guess because the blog is just me dumping my thoughts on the world; I can do that and cook dinner. But to write the stories, I need to be in the zone... I can't be there and constantly be asked, "Mom, what's for eats?" 
An awesome meme!
I am as bad with Pinterest as I am Twitter. I go there to make story boards (because people tell me they're cool), and I get distracted by funny memes. I'm a meme junkie!  I do like a hot beverage, though there's an Arcticly chilled vortex on the left hand side of my desk that cools it in the blink of an eye. And the chair can't be too cozy...I'm liable to nap!


Is it bitter sweet to see the series come to an end? 


When I was done with Fate Intended, I was ready to start something fresh, but story lovers started asking for more before it was out a week. I kept telling them, "I'm out of Coulter men." A few suggested an illegitimate brother, maybe an adoption. Then one wise lady sent me an email and asked, "What about Tanner?"
Well, Jenna's son, Tanner, was in his teens in Past Due and his early twenties in Fate Intended and since I've never written outside the adult genre, I said not likely. Then while vacationing at the beach, Tanner started to whisper his story in my ear, so looks like there will be another Coulter man looking for love.



 

Oh, that's so exciting! I didn't know there'd be another one!

What do you plan to write next?

I am polishing up a historical I wrote several years ago. And I am currently working on the rough draft of Tanner's story and collaborating with Tammy Theriault on a YA about a group of friends challenging each other to remain "cherry". The story idea has been bouncing in my head for years, but I wanted distinctive voices for the characters. Enter the witty, one of a kind Tammy, and the book is ready to be written! 

Fate Intended is the third book in the Coulter Men Series.  Trip is the last of the Coulter sons to find love. He’s a handsome man with all the skills a young spy needs to succeed. But when it comes to love, he misses the target. Jane is a sweet beauty who may or may not be wanted for murder. She’s hiding out as a cleaning lady when chance brings her and Trip together. It looks like a happily ever after is in the cross hairs until reality tries to destroy what fate has intended.



Elizabeth Seckman is a simple chick with a simple dream…to write stories people want to read.

Amazon Page


Thanks for sharing today, Elizabeth! Always happy to have you here!

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monday, February 10, 2014

Moonless bloghop!

Today is the Moonless Blog Hop, to celebrate the paperback release of
Crystal Collier's book, Moonless!




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.



Her nightmares become reality: a dead baron, red-eyed wraiths, and forbidden love with a man hunted by these creatures. 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 her beloved and risk becoming one of the Soulless.
 
Sounds good, right?
So Crystal wanted to know:
 
If you lived in a society where arranged marriages were the norm, who would you beg your parents to set you up with? (Literary characters and celebrities welcomed.) Who and why?
 
This is tough, (especially as I'm about to celebrate my ten year anniversary, and it seems odd to say someone other than my husband!)
But. . . if I have to pick, I'll pick someone fictional.
 
One of the best books I've read recently was Eleanor and Park.
Reading it I remembered what it's like to fall in love for the first time.
The love story in the book was so sweet and so innocent.
It shows the thrill of just holding someone's hand.
Remember what a big deal that was?
So I'll pick Park. :)
 
 
 
Congratulations to Crystal! Moonless sounds fantastic, and it must be such a thrill to get to hold the paperback in your hands. :)
 
And now I want to know about you. Who would you want to be paired with?
 
 
  

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Valentine's Give Away, and IWSG!

When I scheduled to post today about the Valetine's give-away, I had totally forgotten that
it's IWSG Wednesday!

IWSG is very important to me. It's been so helpful, so uplifting.
And there have definitely been times when I've really needed it.
You guys have totally pulled me back up when I've been down.
So for today's IWSG I'm just going to share a few words of advice I have.

Every writer thinks they suck from time to time.
Every writer has thought they'll never get there.
'There' continues to change, and we continue to fear we'll never get to the next 'there.'
Writers are insecure. (Hence the support group.)
In other words, this is totally normal.
We've all gone through, and continue to go through,
rejection,
fear,
impatience,
helplessness,
hopelessness.
But we also get to feel
creative,
productive,
and inspired
from time to time, too.
And those things are so worth the bad things.
So continue to feel hopeful, because you can get 'there,'
wherever your next 'there' is.

Huge, huge thanks to this month's cohosts:
Sheena-kay Graham, Julie Musil, Jamie Ayres, and Mike Swift!
And the biggest thanks to Alex J. Cavanaugh, without whom there would be no IWSG.

And now for the give-away!

Valentine's Day is just around the corner! This Valentines is an extra special one for me, my husband and I will be celebrating our ten year anniversary! I don't know what we're doing yet to celebrate, but celebrating will be done. :)
 
In honor of the day of love, some of my writing buddies and I have a pretty awesome give away going on. We'll be giving away two ebook bundles, one YA and one NA/adult.

 
Effortless with You by Lizzy Charles
King Sized Beds and Happy Trails by Becca Ann and Tessa Marie
The Funeral Singer by Linda Budzinski
Fraction of Stone by Kelley Lynn
Until we End by Frankie Brown

 
(Never)Again by Theresa Paolo
Love and Cupcakes by Susan Bishop Crispell
Switched by Cassie Mae
The Secret of Isobel Key by Jen McConnel
Full Measures by Rebecca Yarros
Playing Pretend by Juliana Haygert (Which isn't even out yet, by the way! Lucky winner!)
 
You can find out more about each book by clicking the links above.
Good luck!
 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sunday, February 2, 2014

Cover Contest Announcement!!

I am so excited to tell you guys this news!
Swoon Romance is having a cover contest for my upcoming YA novel, DON'T FALL!
Here's the deal:
You create a cover for DON'T FALL
and email it to me by March 5th. You can enter as many designs as you want.
The covers will be posted during a blog blitz
and people can vote for their favorites!
Voting will be open for two weeks,
at the end of which Swoon will choose a winner.
Winner will have their design used for DON'T FALL,
and will receive and ecopy of the book AND
a $100 Amazon gif card!

And here's what you need to know about the book:

Seventeen-year-old Anya leads a very secluded life in a house on the edge of town with her adopted mother. She doesn't go to school, but instead has a private tutor. Her over-protective mom keeps her so sheltered she doesn't even have a best friend.
 
But Anya doesn't seem to mind. She has her books, her photography, and her daydreams, and would do anything to please her mom. Until one day at the library, the only place she's allowed to go, she takes a picture of a beautiful boy.
 
Before long she's lying to her mom, and sneaking out late at night to meet Zander. But Zander wants more than a secret romance. If Anya wants to be with the boy of her dreams, she will have to risk her relationship with the only other person she's ever cared about.


 
Character descriptions:

Anya: She has long blonde hair which she normally wears in braids, either hanging down her back or wrapped around her head. She has blue eyes and fair skin. She's sweet, perhaps a bit naïve, and a romantic. She loves vintage clothes, especially dresses, and the color yellow, which she always incorporates into her outfit one way or another.
 
Anya

 
Zander:  He's nineteen, tall, and well-dressed. He's got messy dark hair, dark eyes, olive skin.
He's a bit serious, but has a sweet smile.
I made up some pretty great excitement for me and Zander that afternoon in my head, staring at his photograph. I dreamed up a whole relationship, filled with passion, until my mother called me downstairs to eat.
Their hang-outs include: The library, a cupcake shop,
and their own secret spot out in the woods.

What I'd like in a cover:

DON'T FALL is a contemporary retelling of Rapunzel.
While it is set in modern times, I hoped to still capture a fairy tale feeling with it.
I'd love that in the cover as well. Something beautiful and romantic.

You can check out more of my inspiration for this story on my Pinterest board.
There may also be some snippets on my Facebook page. :)
You can also message me via FB if you have any questions.

So get designing! I can't wait to see what people come up with. :)

Email the covers to me at: rachelmarybean(at)yahoo.com
Put DF cover contest in the subject line.
(Make sure any images you use are either your own, or ones you have the rights to.)

And watch my Twitter feed (@RMSchieffelbein) because
I might just share some hints about my favorites as they come in!