Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Odds, ends, thanks and Shaun!

Would you believe that I have some more thanking to do?

I do!
 
I must say that I've been all around lucky recently.

I don't normally win things. I like to throw my hat in the ring but usually I call it a donation and move on.

Recently, I won a few things and was given a few things, that are all awesome.

(Alas, the winning streak did not help with the last PowerBall.)


Mr. Milo James Fowler had a contest to win these great graphic novels behind Stormy! I was the lucky winner and he mailed them to me last month! So, SHINY! Thank you!

Ms. Andrea from Maybe it's Just Me... was kind enough to send me mix-tapes, except on CD, of her entire  Andrea's Angsty 80's A-Z posts from the 2013 Blogging from A to Z Challenge! I'm the proud owner of some awesome 80's angsty songs! Thank you!

 Mr. Milo James Fowler had another contest during Alex J. Cavanaugh's Best/Worst Movie Remake Blogfest! I guessed correctly and won a copy of his short story, Beneath the Surface, which is included in Arcane II: Twenty-One Weird and Unsettling Stories. Thank you!
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What else? Lots of good stuff coming up in June. Interviews, Blogfests, Book Reviews and more! It's gonna be a good month.

***

Will you be joining Tara, and me, for The Thrill of it All Blogfest? It's gonna be fun! You can share one of your own thrills, of any kind. Or, if you're shy, share one of your main character's thrills! Short and sweet! Did I mention there's prizes? Sign up!


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Here's a few things I never imagined would actually happen to me.
 
- Become a published author (check!)
- Be considered a best-selling author (it was brief on Amazon but it happened)
- Have 5-star reviews (that's a proud moment)
 
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This week: Apocalyptic Films
 
Shaun of the Dead
 
 
Ed: Who died and made you fucking king of the zombies? 

Next week: Dragon movies!
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Friday, May 24, 2013

Two BIG Thanks and some other awesome stuff to tell you!

And...breathe.

Holy crap on a cracker.

I have the best friends and family. Ever.

You guys have made me feel ... fantastic!

Maguire's Corner is doing really well and I'm starting to get some great feedback from readers.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
***

And, Alex J. Cavanaugh, you're amazing.

 He gave out 6 'Ninja Captain Alex says, YOU ROCK!' awards today and I'm amazed, proud and thankful that I am one of them.

Check it out on his blog!

***

So, what else?

One of my co-finalists in the So You Think You Can Write contest, and fellow FSU fan, has published her book, too! I had a quick and dirty interview with her that I'd like to share with you!

Welcome, Alexis Anne!

1. What's your beauty salon / grocery store / dry cleaners / school parking lot "Oh. You're an author? What's your book about?" pitch for Filters.
Imagine if all your Facebook messages went public and there was nothing you could do about it.  Everything from cheating, to lying, to espionage, to secrets, or even a profession of love you'd never tell someone in public.  It's all out there for anyone to see.  All of that chaos... that's what Filters is. 

2. Do you have a favorite sci-fi / super hero? Why?
I have always, always, always wished I was Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan.  She's smart, sassy, and a lot smart-assy.  I mean, she's a princess AND a badass leader.  Plus she and Han are perfect foils. And that hair... seriously?

3. If you could have one super power?
Even though I have vertigo, I would want to be able to fly.  I think I could get used to it, plus it would really help with travel and saving people.

4. What's your favorite beverage/food to write with?
Coffee and a glass of water.  If I drink too much coffee I start to shake, and that really throws off my spelling.

5. Do you share any traits with your main characters?
Yes.  
Oh, did you want a longer answer?  There is something of me in every character, but probably not the ones you'd think!  I tend to reverse rolls and put myself in my male characters more than my female characters.
6. Is the pen name because you're in Witness Protection?

Shhhhhhh......  you are going to get me in so much trouble!  No, I ran a business for several years and learned I like to keep my personal life segregated from my professional life... which was a huge inspiration for Filters, actually. Social media has a tendency to blur the lines of privacy.


Thanks for stopping in today, Alexis, and best of luck with Filters which is available on Amazon! Need a little taste? Alexis put an excerpt on her webpage!
***

Have you signed up for our (Tara & Heather's) The Thrill of it All Blogfest yet? There's some awesome prizes! And, all you have to do is share a thrill of yours, or of your main characters, on June 24th! How easy is that?


***

I would like to take a moment to acknowledge the men and women in our United States Armed Services, past, present, and future, and say thank you for your service.

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Thursday, May 23, 2013

The wait...is over. **Maguire's Corner is out!**

It's been a long road but I'm proud to say that my first book has been published.

Maguire's Corner


Coffee shop owner Maggie Maguire doesn’t trust the new police chief her father hired to protect Maguire’s Corner. He’s a stranger, cold, bossy and annoyingly handsome. But, Maggie’s witnessed a serious crime and now someone’s trying to kill her. The man that aggravates her most might be the only one that can help her.
 
Police Chief Jack Munro likes his new job and his new town, and unfortunately he also likes the stubborn but beautiful town sweetheart. His self-imposed hands-off Maggie policy is about to be put to the ultimate test when he must keep her close to protect her while he tracks down a ruthless killer.

Determined to ignore Jack’s charms, Maggie attempts to help him unravel the mystery but when their lives hang in the balance she must decide how much she’s willing to risk to save the man she suddenly can’t resist.


Thank you to everyone who had a hand in getting me here today.

Maguire's Corner is currently available as an e-book.

Fingers crossed that it will be available in paperback this fall!

Where can you get it?

Amazon  

Front Porch Romance 

All Romance Ebooks

Smashwords

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Did you sign up for The Thrill of it All Blogfest? It's hosted by Tara Tyler of Tara Tyler Talks and yours truly!


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Wednesday, May 22, 2013

The Thrill of it All!


We all need some thrills and chills in our lives.

Well, if not us then certainly our main characters do.

Tara Tyler from Tara Tyler Talks and I are having our own thrilling blogfest to celebrate our upcoming publishing thrills!
Love and Sci Fi 

The Thrill of it All blogfest!

So many thrills...so little time!

***

In Maguire’s Corner, Town Sweetheart, Maggie Maguire, and Police Chief Jack Munro, must work together to catch a killer before they become his next victims. Being so close to each other, has its own dangers.


In POP TRAVEL, everyone loves to pop. Not Cooper. Though he won't admit it, Cooper was afraid of it even before he found evidence of a disintegrated traveler. Now he's terrified and he must face his fear, popping all over the world to escape those trying to keep him from exposing pop travel's deadly flaw.
 
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On June 24th, share a big thrill with us to be entered into The Thrill of it All blogfest contest! We will judge the biggest thrills and give out some thrilling prizes.

Entries may be real or fiction. All we ask is that you keep them to a paragraph or so. 

AND...we are giving out some REALLY great prizes!

1) A copy of MAGUIRE'S CORNER, ebook
2) An ARC copy of POP TRAVEL
3) A $20 Amazon GC
4) A banner or caricature by Tara (or substitute if the winner has another need)

So mark us on your calendar, sign up on the linky list below, and grab our button... THRILL US!

I dare you!
 
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***
 Sport Movies!

The Replacements: Shane Falco

"I wish I could say something classy and inspirational, but that just wouldn't be our style. Pain heals, chicks dig scars, glory lasts forever. It's been an honor sharing the field of battle with you."


Next week: Apocalyptic films!
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Friday, May 17, 2013

Best and Worst Movie Remakes Blogfest!



 
Hosted by Alex J. Cavanaugh, Stephen Tremp, Livia Peterson, and Al Diaz.

When Hollywood runs out of ideas, they remake older films. Sometimes this works, and sometimes it fails miserably.

On May 17, list the best remake you’ve ever seen and the worst.

Added bonus – list the worst and/or best song remake you’ve ever heard!

Note: What I learned while trying to come up with movies for this blogfest.

1. I don’t watch as many movies as I used to. Or as I think I do.

2. I don’t watch a lot of remakes. I’m sure it’s the principle of the thing and not just because of reason #1. (yeah, right)

Best. 

Ocean’s 11: Both of these movies had a long list of talented actors. But, when you put Clooney, Pitt and Damon in the same movie, magic. 

Worst. 

Clash of the Titans: What were they thinking? The original is so bad we still make fun of it to this day. But, it was cheesy and that’s what the eighties were all about. The remake? They should have left well enough alone. 

On the fence. 

Red Dawn: There was a raw feeling to the original that they couldn’t capture and duplicate in the remake. 

But, the remake has Chris Hemsworth.



Nuff said.


Added bonus: Best/Worst song remake. 

Here are a few of the remakes I love...

Simple Man
Original: Lynyrd Skynyrd
Remake: Shinedown

Smooth Criminal
Original: Michael Jackson
Remake: Alien Ant Farm

Bad Company
Original: Bad Company
Remake: Five Finger Death Punch

In the air tonight
Original: Phil Collins
Remake: NONPOINT

Turn the Page
Original: Bob Seger
Remake: Metallica


What's on your list?
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Wednesday, May 15, 2013

The waiting is almost over - Maguire's Corner Cover Reveal!

Here's a funny thing...

I missed my blogversary back on May 12th.

YEAH ME!

3 years.
448 posts.
Hundreds of comments.
Thousands of page views.

It's more than I ever expected.

When I started this blog, I had just finished my first novel, Setting the Record Straight, which is now the proverbial manuscript in the drawer.

One day, I will pull that bad boy out of the dark, dusty abyss and make him shine again.

Three years later my whole world is about Maguire's Corner and the people who live there.
Book one is complete and about to be published.
Book two is in the process of being written.
Book three is stewing somewhere in my brain.

Whodathunkit?

I'm completely aware that without my family and friends I never would have pursued this crazy dream to fruition.

So, thank you.

And now, without further ado...

Maguire's Corner



Coffee shop owner Maggie Maguire doesn’t trust the new police chief her father hired to protect Maguire’s Corner. He’s a stranger, cold, bossy and annoyingly handsome. But, Maggie’s witnessed a serious crime and now someone’s trying to kill her. The man that aggravates her most might be the only one that can help her.


Police Chief Jack Munro likes his new job and his new town, and unfortunately he also likes the stubborn but beautiful town sweetheart. His self-imposed hands-off Maggie policy is about to be put to the ultimate test when he must keep her close to protect her while he tracks down a ruthless killer.

Determined to ignore Jack’s charms, Maggie attempts to help him unravel the mystery but when their lives hang in the balance she must decide how much she’s willing to risk to save the man she suddenly can’t resist.
And...

There we have it.

 The Maguire's Corner e-book will be available in a week. Hopefully, a paper copy will be available in the fall of 2013.

That's my spiel!



Today's genre: Monster Movies!

Monsters vs. Aliens

Dr. Cockroach: Might we ask for your name, madam?
Susan: Susan.
B.O.B.: No, no, no, we mean your monster name. What do people scream when they see you coming? You know, like "Look out! Here comes..."?
[Silence]
Susan: Susan.
Dr. Cockroach: Really?
B.O.B.: [spookily] "Suuuusaaan!" Ooh, I just scared myself! That is scary!

 Next week's genre: Sports Movies!
I'll leave you with this!

 
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