#atozchallenge #roadtrip #lifeisgood - Road Trip Detour

A slight detour on today's Road Trip post.

I'm sure you've seen the news by now, that we have lost a very influential and inspiring woman from the blogging world, Tina Downey.

Tina and Nicole Ayers were kind enough to ask Stormy the Weather Gnome and I to join them in the Post A-to-Z Road Trip this year.

I was truly flattered and honored that they asked. Tina was very supportive and understanding when the newbie and her gnome asked the dumb questions.

I'll never forget her funny emails, her always relevant movie quotes, and just her general positive attitude, even when things weren't going well for her.

The Road Trip won't be the same without her.

Check out this POST to find out about the Sunflower for Tina tribute taking place soon.

#lifeisgood Sunflowers for Tina - September 8, 2014

In memory of Tina Downey, the A to Z Team is hosting a sunflower tribute on September 8, 2014 – Remembering Tina Downey.


Prior to that date, purchase or plant a sunflower in her honor. (If you have to resort to plastic, that’s cool.) Take a photo of your sunflower and post in in her memory on Monday, September 8. Tina loved her sunflowers, and we want to splash the blogging world with sunflowers that day and honor a truly amazing woman who was friend and family to so many.

You can sign up now or add your link when you post your sunflower.

Please help us spread the word! Let’s brighten the Internet with sunflowers the way Tina brightened the lives of so many.

One quiet moment and two Hops.

We lost a blogging friend this weekend.

Tina Downey.

 
I'm unable to articulate how I feel.
Tina was beautiful and inspiring and will be dearly missed.
Let's keep her in our thoughts, shall we?

***

Today, I've got TWO very exciting things to share with you!

FIRST:

Author, Melissa Keir has nominated me for the Meet My Character Blog Tour! 

Melissa Keir

As a writer, Melissa likes to keep current on topics of interest in the world of writing. She’s a member of the Romance Writers of America, Mid-Michigan RWA chapter, and EPIC. Melissa is always interested in improving her writing through classes and seminars. She also believes in helping other authors and features authors and their books on her blog.

 Melissa doesn’t believe in down time. She’s always keeping busy. Melissa is a wife and mother, an elementary school teacher, a book reviewer, co-owner of a publishing company as well as an author. Her home blends two families and is a lot like the Brady Bunch, without Alice- a large grocery bill, tons of dirty dishes and a mound of laundry. She loves to write stories that feature “happy endings” and is often found plotting her next story.

 Website: http://www.melissakeir.com
 Blog: http://www.melissakeir.com/blog.html
 Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/melisssaakeir

Thank you, Melissa!


This tour highlights a main character from your WIP by answering these questions:
 
1) What is the name of your character? Is he/she fictional or a historic person? -- Rhys 'Mac' MacGrath. He's fictional, but I wish he wasn't. :)

2) When and where is the story set? -- One Good Catch is a contemporary romance set in the fictional town of Maguire's Corner.

3) What should we know about him/her? -- Former resident of Maguire's Corner. Professional football player. All kinds of gorgeous. Rhys is one of those amazing friends that even though you haven't seen them in years, when you do, nothing has changed and you pick right back up where you left off.

4) What is the main conflict? What messes up his/her life? -- An injury during football practice keeps Rhys off the field and sends him to physical rehabilitation.

5) What is the personal goal of the character? -- To get back to his career quickly and without any further complications.
He never counted on Kate Maguire.

6) Is there a working title for this novel, and can we read more about it? -- One Good Catch is the second book in the Maguire's Corner series. Check the tab at the top of the blog for more information.

7) When can we expect the book to be published? -- SPRING 2015, baby!


And now... I nominate...

Sarah Foster

Sarah Foster is a writer and blogger who has been scribbling down stories since the age of eight. Nearly twenty years later, she’s still writing whatever the voices in her head tell her to. She’s dabbled in fiction, poetry, and playwriting, and hopes in the near future to publish the novel she’s been obsessively working on for the past three years. Besides writing, she enjoys Broadway musicals, cupcakes, and generally being a hermit. Her obsession with the color gray is slowly taking over her life—from every sweater she owns down to her toothbrush. She is currently crammed into a studio apartment above an old-fashioned movie theater with her cat and stand-up comedian fiancé, just south of Boston, MA.

Blog: thefauxfountainpen.blogspot.com
Twitter: @Sarah_A_Foster
And...

M.J. Fifield

Armed with a long and lasting love of chocolate, purple pens, and medieval weaponry, M.J. Fifield is nothing if not a uniquely supplied insomniac. When she isn't writing, she's on the hunt for oversized baked goods, or shiny new daggers. M.J. lives with a variety of furry creatures—mostly pets—in New Hampshire.

Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/MJ-Fifield/283392701681234

Website: http://www.mjfifield.com/

Blog: http://mjfifield.blogspot.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/mjsayswhat

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8326764.M_J_Fifield

 
Can't wait to read about your characters! Thanks for joining me! Sarah and M.J. will be posting about their character a week from today, September 1, 2014.


SECOND: 

The beginning of a wonderful, blog hop with a silly, trendy twist - THE SHELFIE BLOG HOP!

Dates: Now thru Monday, Oct 6, 2014

Entries: Take a picture of you and your book(s) - your favorites or your own novels. Or, you can just arrange the books in a special way and take the picture - but you do get extra points for being in the photo.

Formats: Post on Twitter, Facebook, Blog - just make sure to include a link(s) to each.

The woman behind it all:Tara Tyler and the lovely co-hosts, co-conspirators and contributors: Christine Rains, Vikki Biram, CD Coffelt, M.J. Fifield, Elizabeth Seckman, and Rena Rocford!

But that's not all - check out the fabulous prizes! 

It's too easy not to join us. Please, spread the word!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

#amwriting -- It's a fact! AND some Monday highlights!

I'm happy to announce that I've been writing.

I know!

It's awesome, right?

Why does my brain make me wait so long?

It's torture.

I've been jotting down stuff for a while, but not actual words.

I finally put together some of those words into paragraphs the other day in my notebook at football practice and last night I was able to type them into the ever-present blank pages of my computer to make them non-blank pages!

Progress.

Real progress.

Now, I just have to keep that going.

On that note, see ya! :)


Reminder, if you want to volunteer for the Meet My Character Blog Tour  leave me a note in the comments and I'll send you an email!

Come back Monday to see my entry and get a special sneak peek at gorgeous football player Rhys MacGrath from One Good Catch, a Maguire's Corner Novel.

AND ... BIG announcement news about a brand new BLOG HOP that you're not gonna want to miss!

I'm sharing a book release AND looking for hapless victims!

It's Monday.

That's all I've got to say about that.

***

What's up for today?

A former FPR author had a book release yesterday and I'm sharing it with you!

Ironically, it all starts with a popular book about BDSM. When Angelina Jameson steps into her boss's office armed with an acid article about 'Billionaires, BDSM and Blah-blah-blah', she thinks her career will take off. But her career aspirations drop into second place when she finds herself face to face with her nemesis.
Blade Spencer is the new editor-in-chief of Unabridged—the literary magazine where his ex-lover Angelina works. For three years, since she fled small town Jamestown without a word of explanation, they haven't heard from one another. Now, when they meet again, the past and all the feelings they once had between them come rushing back, making them realize their love has never died. But can they reconcile their new circumstances and the changes that have occurred during the three years they were apart? Neither is the person the other used to know.
Then there is the faceless shadow who hunts them from the dark, driven by obsession and greed...

*This book contains strong language and explicit descriptions of sex.

Melinda De Ross

AMAZON 

SMASHWORDS

BOOK TRAILER

BLOG

***

Melissa Keir has nominated me for the Meet My Character Blog Tour!

 
This tour highlights a main character from your WIP by answering these questions:

1) What is the name of your character? Is he/she fictional or a historic person?

2) When and where is the story set?

3) What should we know about him/her?

4) What is the main conflict? What messes up his/her life?

5) What is the personal goal of the character?

6) Is there a working title for this novel, and can we read more about it?

7) When can we expect the book to be published?
 
Melissa posted her answers today and I will post mine next Monday (AUG 25).

I need some victims, I mean volunteers, to nominate on Monday's post and then you would post your answers the Monday after that (SEP 1).

Who wants to share? Come on. You know you do.

Let's keep this Blog Tour going!

Leave me a note in the comments, or email me (hgardner28@gmail.com) and I'll be more than happy to include you.

And when I say 'happy', I mean 'eternally grateful'.

And when I say 'include you', I mean 'throw you under the bus'.

:)

Must. Make. People. Smile. :)

Sharing some Facebook humor!

Stolen from Stephen Tremp!

Here's some new beach/shore pictures too!

I'm hoping to take the BOYS to see Guardians of the Galaxy tomorrow night at our local drive-in. 

What are you doing this weekend?

When good advice just smacks you in the face.

"Staying down over-thinking about the reason why you fell is wasted time. Just get up and keep moving forwards. If it hurts too much, breath and keep moving forwards. If you want to cry, cry but keep moving forwards. If you need to rest, rest and immediately after, keep moving forwards. The world is not stopping because you do."

Al Diaz -- Father Dragon Al

***

I read this advice this morning after the wonderful Alex J. Cavanaugh pointed me in the direction of this blog post.

There is a wonderfully funny cartoon drawn by Father Dragon Al and its definitely worth going to check it out. 

What really struck a chord with me, was the the above 'life lesson' he shared for his birthday.

I'm always telling you guys to keep moving forward. I'm always dishing out advice, but never taking my own.

I've been crushed under my own disappointment in not getting that job I really wanted, and for the reasons I didn't get it, that I haven't moved on.

I really need to.

I really have to.

So, Mr. Cavanaugh and Mr. Diaz ... thanks. :)

***

Speaking of the Ninja Captain, he has a BRAND SPANKING, SHINY, NEW BLOGFEST for you to join!

Go HERE to read all about it and SIGN UP!

Feet in sand, drink in hand ... I'm ready.

Heading out of town for a day or two.

Depending on where your from, I'm either heading to the shore or to the beach.

I'm lucky enough to have a family member that has a family member that graciously lets us all use their house near the ocean.

We all get together and eat bad food and drink large amounts of alcohol and play fun games like 99.

Here's the view.

Yeah. 

But, I'll be back.

I'm hoping a few days away will be good for the Muse.

Enjoy your weekend!

Don't forget ... if you're looking for great book recommendations ... make sure you check out the Pay It Forward Book List!

We haven't added any books in a while so feel free to leave me some names and I'll add them on next week!

#IWSG -- A good kind of problem to have.

Howdy. Howdy. Howdy.

Happy Wednesday!

It's also ...... Insecure Writer's Support Group Day!

The day when we share our insecurities with our fellow bloggers in hopes that they won't laugh and snicker at us too much!

If you're not in this group...why not?


Here's a great insecurity to have.

I'm having SO much trouble figuring out what covers I want to have for my books!

I know. Tough sh*t, right?

Honestly, I'm at a loss.

I write romance with a touch of suspense. My first cover was all about the suspense. I'm pretty sure most people didn't know it was a romance.

But, I'm also not the type of person to just throw two half naked people on the cover.

Believe me, I don't mind looking at half naked people. Do it all the time!

But, I want the covers to be a little more classy than that. Something that ties the books together as a series and also shows their own unique personalities.

Does any of this make sense?

I've been scouring book cover websites and image sites and Amazon and publisher sites trying to find something that appeals to me.

This is me. All. Day. Long.

I know I'll figure something out and I have a date set for brainstorming with the cover artist from the new publisher. I know it will all come together.

It's just one of those things that make you feel like you can't do it all.

What about you guys? Have trouble with your cover concepts? Too many ideas? Not enough?

Dinner with a view.

One of our volunteer fire companies was celebrating their 125th anniversary and my husband and I were invited to go on the dinner cruise down the Hudson River.

I took a few pictures.

Don't forget the Insecure Writer's Support Group post will be this Wednesday!