Bait is up for best cover of a paranormal book on Storyfinds (dot) com. If it wins, they will put up the first chapter and boost my sales. I paid to be in this contest against three other books. If you honestly like another cover better, then don't vote for mine, but I think you will like it. The other three are all blue. Mine really stands out and is winning so far. Here is the link:
http://storyfinds.com/section/cover_poll
Sunday, August 25, 2013
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
Upcoming Event for Halloween
This year I am going to dedicate my blog to the supernatural for the entire month of October. What does this mean? Well, for one thing, I am going to focus on a different creature every week.
Week One: Witches
Week Two: Vampires
Week Three: Werewolves
Week Four: Reapers
I hope you will check us out in October and join us for the fun.
There will be lists of great books dealing with each creature, word games, author spotlights, and a never-before-published short story from me. This tale of horror is titled WOODLOW MANSION, and you won't be able to read it anywhere else. I will NEVER publish it outside of this blog. So if you enjoy stories about creepy mansions, things that go bump in the night, and monsters in the mirror, make sure you stop by each day in October. Don't miss out on the Halloween fun.
Friday, August 2, 2013
Do SPOILERS Spoil Your Day???
I see a lot about spoilers online, people handing them out like candy while others complain they don't want to see that stuff. It ruins the entertainment (book, show, movie, etc) for them. What do you think about spoilers? Are you the type who craves them? Or are you the one who jumps on someone else for ruining the story for you?
Me? It all depends on what we are talking about.
Reality Shows: I must know as soon as possible what is going to happen. This guy who calls himself Reality Steve has been sued over putting up spoilers about The Bachelor. In fact, the lawsuit is what brought this guy to my attention. Now I read his blog all the time. I WANT to know who the bachelor is going to send home before I see it. Before I discovered there were spoilers of my favorite reality shows I was stressed out while watching them. There were times when I refused to watch a show anymore because the people on there had me SO upset I couldn't take another minute of it. But if I go into it already knowing the outcome, I feel much calmer.
Movies: Sometimes I want to know and I will ask a friend who has seen it because I am not sure I want to watch the thing. But then there are other times when I don't want to hear anything. When there is a mystery to be solved or a major twist, I want to figure it out for myself. A friend actually ruined a movie I was really looking forward to seeing. I'd waited for months for the release. Then he saw it first and couldn't keep her mouth shut. She blurted out the big twist and 'SPOILED' it for me. I didn't even want to watch if after that, and I am still mad when I think about it. There are so few movies I get excited about. I feel like she stole what could have been an exciting moment for me, whether I'd figured it out for myself or not.
TV shows: Supernatural is my favorite show, but I don't get the CW channel so I have to wait an extra week and watch it online. Because I cannot wait another single second to find out what happened, I search for and read detailed recap.
Books: Sometimes I want to know, especially if I am on the fence about reading a certain book. I'd heard there was a big twist at the end of The Demon's Lexicon, so I asked what it was before I read the book. It didn't spoil it for me. I enjoyed knowing and looking for the clues.
My books: I hate it when people SPOIL my books for others and possibly cost me sales. This is because I go through a lot of work, agonizing over every little detail to keep people from guessing what the twists are. There have been a few times when people have given away the ending of my book on Goodreads and once on Smashwords, and I had to have the whole review removed. Yes, I know this makes me a bit of a hypocrite since I like to skip to the endings of books sometimes. I can live with that. :)
So what do you think?
Does it bother you when someone puts a spoiler without writing SPOILER ALERT above it?
Do you seek out spoilers on some things?
Me? It all depends on what we are talking about.
Reality Shows: I must know as soon as possible what is going to happen. This guy who calls himself Reality Steve has been sued over putting up spoilers about The Bachelor. In fact, the lawsuit is what brought this guy to my attention. Now I read his blog all the time. I WANT to know who the bachelor is going to send home before I see it. Before I discovered there were spoilers of my favorite reality shows I was stressed out while watching them. There were times when I refused to watch a show anymore because the people on there had me SO upset I couldn't take another minute of it. But if I go into it already knowing the outcome, I feel much calmer.
Movies: Sometimes I want to know and I will ask a friend who has seen it because I am not sure I want to watch the thing. But then there are other times when I don't want to hear anything. When there is a mystery to be solved or a major twist, I want to figure it out for myself. A friend actually ruined a movie I was really looking forward to seeing. I'd waited for months for the release. Then he saw it first and couldn't keep her mouth shut. She blurted out the big twist and 'SPOILED' it for me. I didn't even want to watch if after that, and I am still mad when I think about it. There are so few movies I get excited about. I feel like she stole what could have been an exciting moment for me, whether I'd figured it out for myself or not.
TV shows: Supernatural is my favorite show, but I don't get the CW channel so I have to wait an extra week and watch it online. Because I cannot wait another single second to find out what happened, I search for and read detailed recap.
Books: Sometimes I want to know, especially if I am on the fence about reading a certain book. I'd heard there was a big twist at the end of The Demon's Lexicon, so I asked what it was before I read the book. It didn't spoil it for me. I enjoyed knowing and looking for the clues.
My books: I hate it when people SPOIL my books for others and possibly cost me sales. This is because I go through a lot of work, agonizing over every little detail to keep people from guessing what the twists are. There have been a few times when people have given away the ending of my book on Goodreads and once on Smashwords, and I had to have the whole review removed. Yes, I know this makes me a bit of a hypocrite since I like to skip to the endings of books sometimes. I can live with that. :)
So what do you think?
Does it bother you when someone puts a spoiler without writing SPOILER ALERT above it?
Do you seek out spoilers on some things?
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Supernatural Marathon
We have a group for Supernatural over at Goodreads, and we are going to start watching a season on month. If you own the DVDs, join us. Here we are:
http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/106379-supernatural-the-show-and-the-books
If are a DIEHARD fan and don't have the DVDs but know the show's episodes by heart, join us.
You can still discuss (at length) what you love about Sam and Dean and Castiel, etc.
Here is something I had to share (it made me laugh so hard):
http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/106379-supernatural-the-show-and-the-books
If are a DIEHARD fan and don't have the DVDs but know the show's episodes by heart, join us.
You can still discuss (at length) what you love about Sam and Dean and Castiel, etc.
Here is something I had to share (it made me laugh so hard):
Friday, July 26, 2013
Name a Villain Contest, part 2
Those of you who've been with me from the beginning might remember the first contest. I needed to name a villain. After getting several entries I chose the name Isobel. What did the winner get? They got to read about the character they named in a published book and got bragging rights. It worked so well the first time that I have decided to do it again.
While working on Hunter (Order of the Spirit Realm book 2) I have come up against a brick wall in the name department.
She is a banshee with waves of flaming red hair, flawless skin, sparkling green eyes (because in my books banshees are notorious for their beauty. Banshees are in love with death so they follow the reaper who reaped them instead of moving on to a better place. They stalk him, weeping and wailing as he collects the dead. But reapers are not allowed to look at their banshees. The banshees hide in the shadows or disappear when the reaper looks their way.
So, in this book the banshee has come to this world to talk to her reaper when he wakes up. He doesn't up his eyes because he's curious and he asks her some questions about herself, mainly what is her name. She won't tell him, suspicious, until he says he just wants to know what to call her. So I am not looking for her name when he was alive, but the name she prefers to go by now.
Any suggestions?
If I like the name you suggest, I will use it and credit you in the dedication at the front of the book.
You can list as many names as you want. Just remember I am not looking for a real name. This banshee is jealous, conniving, and suspicious. Does she give him an ironic name to call her? A name that means something to him (as a reaper)? What?
While working on Hunter (Order of the Spirit Realm book 2) I have come up against a brick wall in the name department.
She is a banshee with waves of flaming red hair, flawless skin, sparkling green eyes (because in my books banshees are notorious for their beauty. Banshees are in love with death so they follow the reaper who reaped them instead of moving on to a better place. They stalk him, weeping and wailing as he collects the dead. But reapers are not allowed to look at their banshees. The banshees hide in the shadows or disappear when the reaper looks their way.
So, in this book the banshee has come to this world to talk to her reaper when he wakes up. He doesn't up his eyes because he's curious and he asks her some questions about herself, mainly what is her name. She won't tell him, suspicious, until he says he just wants to know what to call her. So I am not looking for her name when he was alive, but the name she prefers to go by now.
Any suggestions?
If I like the name you suggest, I will use it and credit you in the dedication at the front of the book.
You can list as many names as you want. Just remember I am not looking for a real name. This banshee is jealous, conniving, and suspicious. Does she give him an ironic name to call her? A name that means something to him (as a reaper)? What?
Monday, July 22, 2013
Superman Plus Batman Equals Big Bucks for Hollywood
Did you hear? They are going to make another Superman movie and add Batman to the mix. No doubt the brilliant minds behind his saw how much The Avengers made. Putting together superheroes can be entertaining and rewarding in so many ways. Hearing about this reminded me of a spirited debate going on at Yahoo Answers years ago. Who would win in a fight between Batman and Superman?
There were people on both sides, all of them certain they were right. When I posed the question to my seven-year-old nephew, he shrugged and said, "Superman has powers and Batman is just a guy in cape." Out of the mouths of babes.
It was awesome how quickly he answered the question. I'd given it a lot of thought (I'm embarrassed to say), and here is my conclusion:
Putting my years of experience watching shows and movies on both characters I think this is what would happen.
Superman would beat the snot out of Batman. Then he would fly around the world and make time go back a few minutes like he did in that one movie to save Lois Lane, and he could beat up Batman again. Hahaha
There were people on both sides, all of them certain they were right. When I posed the question to my seven-year-old nephew, he shrugged and said, "Superman has powers and Batman is just a guy in cape." Out of the mouths of babes.
It was awesome how quickly he answered the question. I'd given it a lot of thought (I'm embarrassed to say), and here is my conclusion:
Putting my years of experience watching shows and movies on both characters I think this is what would happen.
Superman would beat the snot out of Batman. Then he would fly around the world and make time go back a few minutes like he did in that one movie to save Lois Lane, and he could beat up Batman again. Hahaha
Friday, July 19, 2013
Summer Book Swap
Birthright Bestowed by Erika Szabo
This is the book I was given to read and review for the swap.
Amazon Link: http://www.amazon.com/Birthright-Bestowed-Erika-M-Szabo/dp/1939217105
Review: First of all, I need to warn you I do not read books about time travel. I don't like Dystopian novels or futuristic books. So I started this books with some prejudices. I also don't like books written in the First Person Point of View. If you don't know what that is, it's when the main character (sometimes other characters as well) tell the story from their point of view. There have been a few books over the years written in first person that I have to admit to enjoying, but they are few and far between.
Also, I can't stand to read books that have diary or journal entries. Personally I think reading someone else's diary is boring. Although I enjoyed Vampire Diaries, I hated reading those journal excerpts.
There are a few things I found very interesting about this novel and its creator. Erika Szabo is a Hungarian born American who admits to being fascinated about the legend of the Huns, and that's where this idea came from. She says there are holes in the legends so she had to use her imagination to fill in the blanks. I'm not a history fan either, but I do enjoy hearing about lost civilizations and strange facts from the past.
Things I thought were interesting about this book:
1. Learning about he Hun culture.
2. The fact Hun women are not considered women until they are 29.
3. Her parents are gone so she didn't have anyone to prepare her for what's going to happen to her.
4. Mystery, romance, and interesting medical information.
Like I said, I do not like books written with a lot of diary excerpts. If it doesn't bother you, you may like this book. The reviews on Amazon seem good. I didn't hate it. It just isn't my type of thing. If it sounds at all interesting to you, give it a try.
This is the book I was given to read and review for the swap.
Amazon Link: http://www.amazon.com/Birthright-Bestowed-Erika-M-Szabo/dp/1939217105
Review: First of all, I need to warn you I do not read books about time travel. I don't like Dystopian novels or futuristic books. So I started this books with some prejudices. I also don't like books written in the First Person Point of View. If you don't know what that is, it's when the main character (sometimes other characters as well) tell the story from their point of view. There have been a few books over the years written in first person that I have to admit to enjoying, but they are few and far between.
Also, I can't stand to read books that have diary or journal entries. Personally I think reading someone else's diary is boring. Although I enjoyed Vampire Diaries, I hated reading those journal excerpts.
There are a few things I found very interesting about this novel and its creator. Erika Szabo is a Hungarian born American who admits to being fascinated about the legend of the Huns, and that's where this idea came from. She says there are holes in the legends so she had to use her imagination to fill in the blanks. I'm not a history fan either, but I do enjoy hearing about lost civilizations and strange facts from the past.
Things I thought were interesting about this book:
1. Learning about he Hun culture.
2. The fact Hun women are not considered women until they are 29.
3. Her parents are gone so she didn't have anyone to prepare her for what's going to happen to her.
4. Mystery, romance, and interesting medical information.
Like I said, I do not like books written with a lot of diary excerpts. If it doesn't bother you, you may like this book. The reviews on Amazon seem good. I didn't hate it. It just isn't my type of thing. If it sounds at all interesting to you, give it a try.
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