Wednesday updates and Stormy meets Echo!

What's with this once a week posting thing, Heather? Such a diva!

Sorry.

This month is pretty busy, but that's no excuse for ignoring my blog buds!

***

So, what's up?

I've been working on my newsletter. It shouldn't be this hard to come up with things to tell you, but it feels like I'm being incredibly narcissistic. Which, I guess, I am by writing a newsletter about myself.

My Aunt has been sending a Christmas newsletter forever, but she mostly talks about her family and pets. It's always very entertaining and informative.

So, I'm trying to put more of that kind of flair on the page.

We shall see.

***

Not much on the book front. Still editing/writing when I'm home to do it. I swear, I'm barely in the house lately.

Which isn't always a bad thing. I forget how much data I collect when I'm out. People watching and overhearing conversations makes great fodder for writing.

***

We haven't gone to see Jurassic World yet, but there was a display of plush dinos in the supermarket. The BOY, who loves dinos, talked me into purchasing one such animal.

This is how the conversation should have gone.

But, it didn't.

Here is Stormy the Weather Gnome meeting Echo the Dino!

 

***

 

79 days until college football kickoff!!!

***

So. I'll leave you for today with a note about a cool site called Book Candy Studios. We agreed to help each other with a little free advertising. They make some pretty impressive book trailers. They use Facebook to help promote authors as well.

What the Heck Wednesday?

Hello, Blog Peeps!

I feel like I've been hungover for days. Although that's true for this past Saturday, (wedding), it's not true for the rest.

PSA: When the groom's father offers you a drink at the after-wedding party, just say no. Cause, if you're polite and say yes, you get a solo cup full of flavored vodka on ice and you can't function as a human being the next day.

I think I'm just rundown and need some time to recoup. Oh wait, I'm a mom. Scratch that.

***

I want to thank all of you that helped me spread the word about Already Home being back out in the world.

I really appreciate it.

I saw this on Twitter the other day and I know most of us can appreciate it. It said, How authors should handle bad reviews.

***

Anyone see this?

Gillian Anderson tweeted it on June 8th with the words: And so it begins...

***

Vincent Bugliosi passed away. He wrote a few of my favorite true-crime books including Till Death Us Do Part, And the Sea Will Tell, and of course, Helter Skelter. If you haven't read his work, head to the library!

***

I'm kinda working on two projects.

Working a bit on editing my original manuscript. The one that started it all because I actually finished it. The Riley and Colin story. I thought I would spruce it up and send it back out to the world. Worth a shot, right?


And, working a bit on book 3. I think I know what one of the problems are. My hero needs to be much more Alpha. I think I was writing him as the good guy because he's former military and a cop, but good guys are boring. :)

***

I'll leave you with some funnies from FB.

***

#IWSG: Newsletters & Susanne Matthews Blog Tour Stop for All for Love!

From Alex J. Cavanaugh: 
It’s time for another group posting of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group! Time to release our fears to the world – or offer encouragement to those who are feeling neurotic. If you’d like to join us, click on the tab above and sign up. We post the first Wednesday of every month. I encourage everyone to visit at least a dozen new blogs and leave a comment. Your words might be the encouragement someone needs.

My awesome co-hosts today are M. Pax, Tracy Jo, Patricia Lynne, Rachna Chhabria, Feather Stone, and Randi Lee!

We are also adding new things to the site. The Publications page now includes conferences, conventions, workshops, festivals, retreats, and seminars, broken down by month. Plus we announced some upcoming stuff, so check it out today.

***

Alex! I love hearing that the IWSG is only getting better and doing even more for writers! We can't thank you enough for all your support!

During a recent coffee date with a few local romance authors, we discussed social media and all of its perks and suckages.

One such suckage was the FB Author Page.

There are over 600 'likes' on my FB Author Page, but only a handful of these people get to see my posts.

Even if they make sure to 'follow' the page, there is no guarantee they will see the new information I put up.

The idea of a newsletter was then discussed. I felt that my blog was already kinda like a newsletter and they both said... no. :)

So, I'm thinking of starting one!

My insecurity is pretty obvious. Would anyone sign-up? Does anyone want to read it? Do I have enough time and energy to commit to yet one more time suck?

But, I'll never know if I don't try.

Starting this blog was exactly the same. No one was listening in the beginning, but you have to start somewhere. If three people sign-up, then I'll send it to three people.

I have to make it work. So...

Over on the right side bar you will find a Join The Mailing List widget that I will be using to collect email addresses for said newsletter.

 ------------>

If you're interested, please add your email and I will do the rest!

I promise not to send a million of these things, just a few a year with important stuff.

Like what? Hopefully with author news, maybe a few Maguire's Corner recipes, book info, fun facts, giveaways...stuff like that.

How are you guys handling the strong-arm tactics of FB? I know some authors have moved to a 'group' page for their fans instead of a 'like' page. Any other suggestions?

***

This is my stop during the blog tour for All for Love by Susanne Matthews. This blog tour is organized by Lola's Blog Tours. The blog tour runs from 26 may till 8 June, you can view the complete tour schedule on the website of Lola’s Blog Tours.

All for Love
By Susanne Matthews
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Age category: Adult
Publisher: Anaiah Press
Release Date: May 26, 2015

Blurb:
To overcome your fear, you must first face it.

Someone is out to destroy Greg Simmons and everyone he has ever loved. After an accident leaves his teenage daughter depressed and distraught, Greg will do anything to make her happy again.
Olivia Marshall lost both her fiancé and her cousin in a deadly avalanche. She has vowed never to set foot on a ski hill again. But now, working as a bodyguard with Anderson Security, Olivia must face her greatest fears to save Greg and his daughter.

Something about Olivia’s determination strikes a chord in Greg, but will she be the salvation he needs, or will he be her destruction?

You can find All for Love on Goodreads
You can buy All for Love here:
- Amazon
- Barnes & Noble
- Kobo
- Smashwords

About the Author:
Susanne Matthews grew up as an avid reader of all types of books, but always with a penchant for happily ever after romances. In her imagination, she travelled to foreign lands, past and present, and soared into the future. Today, she has made her dreams come true. A retired educator, she now gets to spend her time writing, so she can share her adventures with her readers. She loves the ins and outs of romance, and the complex journey it takes to get from the first word to the last period of a novel. As she writes, her characters take on a life of their own, and she shares their fears and agonies on the road to self-discovery and love.

Susanne lives in Cornwall, Ontario with her husband. She has three adult children and five grandchildren. When she isn’t writing, she enjoys reading, chatting on the Internet with her writer friends, and hearing from her readers.

You can find and contact Susanne here:
- Website
- Facebook
- Twitter
- Goodreads
- Amazon
- Google+

There is a tour wide giveaway for the blog tour of All for Love. These are the prizes you can win:
- 2 $10 gift cards (US Only)

For a chance to win, enter the rafflecopter below:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

BIG NEWS for Already Home and Cover Reveal for Stepping Stones by Kacey Vanderkarr!

I wasn't sure if all my plans would pan out or not, so I haven't said much lately, but.....
Already Home will officially be out this Friday, June 5, 2015!!!

YAY!!!

Technically, Already Home is available right now on AMAZON and Kobo.

Some of you may not know the story.
Already Home, was my first published book, through a now defunct publisher. It came out in May of 2013 under the title Maguire's Corner.

The day I had to pull it off the internet was one of my saddest days ever.

But, I refused to give up on one of my favorite stories.

Jack and Maggie pushed me to get it back out there and now its here.

I'm officially a two-book author. :)

Thank you, InkSpell Publishing.

Thank you guys for all your support and patience. This was not an easy journey and I learned a lot along the way. I hope I keep learning and producing great stories to share.

***

Stepping Stones (The Stone Series, #1)

Author: Kacey Vanderkarr

Available: August 25, 2015

Genre: Young Adult 

Goodreads

Onnaleigh Moore is part of a plan—and it isn’t hers. When her brother dies in a car accident, Onna is desperate to preserve the tatters of her family. Any hope of finding normalcy vanishes when her mother runs off and her dad turns to booze to numb his pain. Onna’s grief is crippling, but the boy who showed up just when she needed him is helping her cope.

Everett’s presence is comforting, though he knows things—Onna’s name just before they met, where she lives, and sometimes he comments on thoughts she doesn’t say aloud. She pegs him for a stalker, or maybe psychic, but the truth is deadlier than she imagines. As their feelings for one another deepen, Everett confesses a horrifying secret: Onna’s brother is only the beginning of the plan, and some fates are worse than death.

Author Bio:

KACEY VANDERKARR has a penchant for fantasy and frequently listens to the voices in her head—most of whom are teenagers. Her favorite place to write is an old salon chair in her kitchen, with coffee in one hand and adoring cats sprawled across her arms. She prefers her music loud and her skeptics quiet. When she’s not writing, Kacey coaches winterguard, works as a sonographer, and hangs out with other weirdos like her at the Flint Area Writer’s club. In addition to her novels, The Reflection Pond Series, Antithesis, and The Stone Series, Kacey’s short fiction is featured in Sucker Literary Vol III, Ember: A Journal of Luminous Things, and Out of the Green: Tales from Fairyland.

Links:

Amazon

Twitter

Blog

Facebook

Christine Rains - Dice & Debauchery's New Release!

Happy Friday!

Today is all about Christine Rains!

This series is really heating up and I can't wait to read book 2 and 3!

Best of luck, Christine!

RELEASED TODAY!!!

Layers of Lace (Dice & Debauchery #2)

By Christine Rains

Publisher: Ellora's Cave

Release date: May 29^th, 2015

Genre: Modern erotic romance

Amateur cosplayer Emily Solis is determined to win the costume contest and the heart of her biggest competition.

It isn't the first time Emily has shed her costume with the gorgeous Russell Morrison. Not even her best friend knows she's been having wild convention sex with him for over a year. It was supposed to remain physical, but Emily couldn't help falling for him and his kinky ways. In a moment of passion, she rolls the dice and tells Russell she loves him. He doesn't say it back. Can she convince him they're perfect together or will she roll another critical failure?

Buy the book:

Ellora's Cave * Amazon * B&N * Kobo

Add it to read on Goodreads.

 AVAILABLE NOW!!!

Get Loose Corset, the first book in the Dice & Debauchery series:

Ellora's Cave * Amazon * B&N * Kobo 

COMING SOON!!!

Masked Kiss (Dice & Debauchery #3)

By Christine Rains

Release date: June 26, 2015.

Video game geek Josh Hanson never gets noticed by women until a gorgeous booth babe drags him into a dark room for a quickie.

She doesn't give him her name, and her face is covered by a silver mask. Josh is determined to find the dark-haired beauty again, but communication isn't easy in a huge hall filled with nerds. When they end up playing in a tournament later, the games extend into her hotel room. Josh wants more than just a con fling, but she's not easy to catch. Can he figure out how to beat her games and become her champion?

Purchase links:
Amazon * B&N * Kobo

Add to Goodreads.

About the author:

Christine Rains is a writer, blogger, and geek mom. She's married to her best friend and fellow geek living in south-central Indiana. They have one son who is too smart for his parents' own good and loves to pretend he's Batman. Christine has four degrees which help nothing with motherhood, but make her a great Jeopardy player. When she's not reading or writing, she's going on adventures with her son or watching cheesy movies on Syfy Channel. She's a member of Untethered Realms and S.C.I.F.I. (South Central Indiana Fiction Interface). She has several short stories and novellas published. The Dice & Debauchery series is her first contemporary erotic romance.

Please visit her website ( http://christinerains.net ) 

and blog ( http://christinerains-writer.blogspot.com )

You can also find Christine on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and Goodreads.