A Writer's Eventuality

Lipstick & Bolsheviks: A Teaser

2012-02-28T08:42:00.009-08:00

I know I ask a lot of my readers: writing in my unorthodox way, switching things up on you, asking you to accept that the story isn't just about Rocky but the mystery that ties the three families together and all that.

So...to reassure you (read: to tease you), I give you this.

Lipstick & Bolsheviks

The von Strassenberg Saga

~book three~

ONE

“Miss von Strassenberg, I am sorry, but as I have stated several times now, Mr. Drexler is not available to meet with you today.”

Mrs. Sampson, formidable in her pink and pearls, stepped in front of Raquel. She was a good six inches shorter than the young woman who had been waiting for nearly an hour to see intern William Drexler II but no less imposing. Raquel tried not to falter beneath the stony glare that had surely been honed during Mrs. Sampson’s fifty some odd years of employment with Drexler, Drexler and Westhoeler. “I would leave, ma’am, if you would just tell me if you know where William is. William the third.” Obviously, because who besides corporate criminals would care where the first and second were?

Mrs. Sampson’s birdlike eyes flicked away and back, peering noncommittally at Raquel through her precariously perched reading glasses. “The younger Mr. Drexler, as I have already stated, has been sent to assist his grandfather with some business in Los Angeles. Now,” she placed her bony fingers around Raquel’s arm. “I’m asking you to leave. If you don’t I’m calling security.”

Allowing herself to be propelled toward the door, Raquel protested, “I know he’s supposed to be in LA but that doesn’t explain why he isn’t answering his phone.”

They reached the door. Mrs. Sampson released her grip. “I am the senior administrative assistant for this firm. I am not,” she stressed, her tiny, perfectly straight teeth showing like a feral cat’s, “The younger Mr. Drexler’s personal romance coordinator.” She pointed at the door and strode away, the lush carpet muting the purposeful stride of her kitten heels. Groaning and with a final sneer at Mrs. Sampson’s rigid back, Raquel pushed the door open.

“Oh!”
Raquel stumbled out as she hurried to help stop the avalanche of coffees and pastries she had inadvertently caused. “I’m so sorry!” she exclaimed, helping to right the cups. The carrier tray was soaked with coffee and her hands stung where the hot liquid had splashed out onto her skin. “I’m so sorry,” she said again and looked up into the green eyes of the youngest of the administrative assistants at Drexler, Drexler and Westhoeler.

“No worries,” Abbie smiled, shifting the cups and bags of pastries to a more secure position. “I think we saved them all.”

“I should have been paying attention,” Raquel looked down at Abbie’s white skirt. Coffee spills formed an abstract pattern on the ruffle near her knee. “It’s all over your skirt,” she moaned.

“Don’t worry, it’ll come out. I spill on myself all the time. You just beat me to it.” Her tone was so unbothered and honest that Raquel caught herself feeling instantly put off. She couldn’t tell if it was jealousy toward the girl who got to spend time with William everyday or if it was just her general lack of trust and understanding for people who smile too much. “Was there anything I could help you with,” Abbie asked as though she were comfortably sitting in her chair in the air conditioning and not standing in the early morning humidity with the sun already beating harshly down on her while she struggled with coffees and pastries.

“Uh no,” Raquel shrugged and nearly walked away when it occurred to her that perhaps Abbie would know more about William’s whereabouts than the older woman had. “Actually, have you seen William at all this week?”

The bright smile faltered and worry crept into the sparkling eyes. Several different emotions washed through Raquel as she watched the transformation. The concern that made itself so evident on Abbie’s face showed a connection to William that Mrs. Sampson had not shared. Jealousy surged through Raquel followed quickly by fear; fear for William and fear that maybe Abbie and William were more than just first year law intern and newbie administrative assistant. She was desperate to know the truth of why William wasn’t answering his phone and just as desperate to run from whatever truth there might be concerning his relationship with the petite and curvy Abbie.

Abbie tried to put her game face back on but it was transparent as glass. “He was supposed to go to LA on Saturday to assist his grandfather with a case.”

“So I heard. But I’ve been trying to call him and it just goes straight to voicemail. I’ve been calling every day,” she looked away. “Several times a day. It always goes to voicemail.” Putting it that way made her feel a little desperate and a bit like a stalker. “I was just concerned because it isn’t normal for his phone to be off all the time. I mean,” she admitted. “He always ignores my calls, I’m used to that, but it’s not normal for his phone to be off. Not for five days.”

The game face was gone. Abbie was beyond just a little concerned. She looked scared. “I know.” Her eyes darted toward the glass door and back. She whispered quickly, “Sampson’s coming. I’ll call you later.”

The door swung open and Mrs. Sampson stepped out into the sunlight. “Miss McClellan,” she snapped. “We have been waiting for our coffees and I have already dealt with Miss von Strassenberg.” She pointed through the door she held open, silently demanding Abbie go in at once.

“Yes ma’am. So sorry, I didn’t beat the rush today.”

Mrs. Sampson hmmphed.

With one quick furtive glance that said, “I’ll call you. I’m worried too,” Abbie hurried through the door.

“Come here again without an appointment and I will immediately call security.”

Raquel turned her back on Mrs. Sampson and walked toward her Audi, wondering how Sampson had not burst into flame when exposed to the daylight and if she could break into William’s loft without drawing attention. ©2012 Gwenn Wright
Enjoy the teaser? Discuss with other fans on The von Strassenberg Facebook page!
Don't know what's going on?

Read Filter: Book One and The BlueStocking Girl: Book 2 to find out! Available for Nook, Kindle and in paperback!

In Defense of a Character

2012-02-15T07:06:00.005-08:00

Today's post is written in defense of a character who is quite a lot more non-fiction than she is fiction.
Among all the criticisms of my books this is the one point I feel must be argued. I will ignore the people who question my knowledge of history (why do the books take so long to write??? R-E-S-E-A-R-C-H. I even researched the blasted toilets. Before going into Communications I took that fun and exciting class called "History and Historiography." And besides that, studying journalism does teach one the necessity of research, but I digress.) These slights against my intelligence and my competency can be brushed aside. And, when worded the way they are, that is exactly what they are.
One reader, however, criticized the character of someone very dear to me. Calling her "too perfect." The character in question stands alone as the only non-fiction person of my personal acquaintances to ever become fictionalized in my stories.
It started off as a joke and as a thank you.
I started writing Filter while still attending university. The first 80 pages were trash and I junked them and started over. The beginning was written and rewritten and altered and scrapped numerous times. Finally, the true story began to emerge. A friend of mine who I had met in the broadcast studio at the university read the first several chapters for me. And demanded more. So by the time I came around to assigning a secretary to William Drexler III it seemed only right to give Abbie her own character. And, actually, when I designed the first cover of Filter (which was horrible, I know) I used her face. With permission of course.

The Real Abbie

She was only supposed to be a minor character but Abbie, the real Abbie, is too full of life to be contained in a small box.

A real beauty

I have never really met anyone quite like the real Abbie and can see why some might think she is too perfect to be real. She has a beautiful spirit but at the same time is totally quirky and bit sultry in her quiet way. Her wide eyes are beautiful and smoky, just like fictional Abbie's. And her brows are ridiculously perfect, her smile is bright and engaging. Honestly sometimes I just want to slap her, but she's so much fun and so sweet and compassionate I just hug her instead.

The Real Abbie and I, 2010

(You see, I am more like Rocky in personality...so someone like Abbie throws me off guard a bit.)

Taken by the real Abbie's boyfriend. That look I'm
giving is just for him. And, being self-conscious, I must
point out: this is twenty pounds ago.

She is so wonderful, in fact, that my youngest son is pretty certain he wants to marry her. Unfortunately for him, she already has a boyfriend who may not look like William (he has long, reddish hair, but he is tall with blue eyes) but is very much like him in character.

The Frog and I, 2010.
The Real Abbie's William III-esque boyfriend.
His name really isn't "The Frog." He has a French
last name...actually his full nickname I gave him is
The Brawny Frog, because he is known for wearing plaid.
This picture was taken under duress.

What is my point?
People like the fictional Abbie and William do exist. They are just few and far between. When people like this come into your life it is truly a blessing and the defense of their existence is worth a little bit of mouthing off at the critics.
....as an aside, it seems that personality profile I had to take for a business class was spot on. I will indeed come to the defense of those I love before defending myself. Creepy. As an extra aside, I'm an INTJ. Tangents, I know.

WHEREIN WE FIRST MEET ABBIE
excerpt from Filter: Book One of The von Strassenberg Saga, available in paperback and for your Nook or kindle!

Mr. Drexler III leads me down a short corridor that turns and opens up to a lavish waiting area where, I assume, no one is ever kept waiting long. A well-dressed assistant hops up to take Mr. Drexler’s coat and dripping umbrella.

“Any calls, Abbie?”

“No sir,” the young woman replies, already moving toward a coatroom. “I set out refreshments in conference room three. Your father...” she stops herself, they’ve obviously had this conversation before. “The other attorneys are there already.” For the first time she pauses to look at me. Her expression tells me that this is not how she had imagined the infamous Miss von Strassenberg.

Mr. Drexler motions to me and nods to his assistant, “Thank you Abbie.”

“Yes sir.”

The Passing of Legend

2012-02-11T21:57:00.000-08:00

It is not something to expect from me...a blog post about a celebrity death. But for me Whitney Houston is more than just some distant celebrity who I never met. So many of my memories from childhood on through adulthood have her voice singing the background music...from talent shows with little girls trying to belt out "I believe the children are our future...." and "I wanna dance with somebody..." to being teenagers swooning over the Body Guard and proclaiming, "I'm Every Woman...." to her "I Believe in You and Me" being attempted by a worthy singer at my sister's wedding.

Just kind of stuns a girl.

My Grandfather served in three wars. He was not easily impressed, especially with contemporary music. But he had to have the single of Whitney Houston belting out the Star Spangled Banner. He would cry when he listened to, every time, he was so moved by the power of her deliver.

May God give her rest.

Dream Casting Round Up

2012-02-09T08:34:00.005-08:00

Granted, we are millenia away from a von Strassenberg movie.
BUT to help readers see what I see (and there has been a lot of healthy debate on this issue), I have compiled a tentative dream cast for the movie which, in my dreams, is produced by Summit Entertainment.

It only seemed appropriate to use a shirtless pic of Alex Pettyfer as Peter Strauss spends a good deal of time without his. I know Daveigh Chase is only 5'7" and Pettyfer is only 5'10" but that's why they have Hollywood magic. And Abbie will just have to do a cameo, because the character is her, she is the character. It helps that she has plenty of stage experience. And remember, there's an 18 year spread between the past part of Filter and the past part of Bluestocking Girl. So Viktor is nearly forty in Bluestocking. While he's scrumptious in Filter, I think he's dangerously and tragically sexy in Bluestocking Girl and would swoon to see Tom Welling play Viktor in Bluestocking Girl. So, you want a movie? Tweet them and let them know!

And remember, both books are available in paperback and for Nook and Kindle!

Filter is currently undergoing a makeover now that book 2 is out...the paperback should be available for sale again by then end of the week. posted: 2/28/2012

The Williams - Dream Casting

2012-02-08T17:09:00.000-08:00

So, in the excitement of having found our perfect visual of William Drexler III and Katherine, I decided to put up a whole new post just for these sparkly dreams which also involve Summit Entertainment. Sigh.

Gary Oldman as the Second and Brant Daugherty as the Third! Swooooon!

Janelle Froehlich as Katherine Demure

Calling for Self-Published Christian Authors

2012-02-05T14:57:00.000-08:00

This will be difficult to explain because I am not yet in a position to fully divulge my intentions.
I am looking for self-published authors of young adult Christian fiction. Specifically I am looking for fiction that is written from a Christ-centered world view that will appeal to readers between the ages of 16-23.
The work need not try to preach the Gospel but rather should offer a realistic story with believable dialogue without offensive language or other inappropriate content.
If you feel your work fits into this category please post the title of your book in a comment and where it is available for sale.
Forgive me for being cryptic at the moment but there is still a lot of work to be done and I just thought it would be best to put a call out now so that I can get to reading.
And no: I am not looking into starting my own publishing company, I have no promise of increased sales for you or anything else of that nature.
I'm just feeling out an idea at this moment.
I look forward to hearing from you.

I'm Not Dead

2012-02-03T22:36:00.000-08:00

It has been my intent to sit down and blog.
But my beautiful No. 5 calls to me and I want to hear it's sweet clickety clack. It drowns out everything but the story in my head.
What is my No. 5? It is my working 1920 Underwood Typewriter.
Yes. I actually do use it for work.
There is something about the very organic process of striking the key to the ribbon that makes the words flow out of me. Sure it will all have to be transferred to digital format at some point.
That point is not now.

How can you not love that?

The beauty of using a typewriter is exactly what some would consider its weakness: No Autocorrect and you can't save it digitally.

Why is this good?

My brain is not interrupted by the need for perfection that I always have to try to overcome while using my Mac. Editing while writing inhibits the process. Yes. You can turn Autocorrect off but you know it's still there. Without the option even existing, there is complete abandon.

Also, I am not tempted to keep the ugly "darlings." Sometimes it just seems easier to keep things than it is to rewrite them. Writing them on the No. 5 first ensures that I will not be keeping anything anyway.

I have written the Prologue to Lipstick & Bolsheviks: Book Three of The von Strassenberg Saga at least a dozen times. Same goes for the first chapter. The characters are being unruly again, trying to divulge too much too soon, which I know some of you would be ecstatic about.

So lovely readers, be happy and know I am not dead and I have been hard at work clickety clacking away so that soon you may discover whatever becomes of poor William III.

Me, being alive and in need of a haircut

It's about that time...

2012-01-11T19:44:00.000-08:00

...to break forth the rhythm and the rhyme.
Sorry.
I am a child of the 80's/90's. And a bit of a dork.
Anyway.
It is about that time to have a Bluestocking Girl Giveaway!
The proofs should arrive this week and the book is SOOOOO beautiful, designed by my new efriend and artist/photographer extraordinaire Dani Snell. She is beyond awesome. One day we shall meet face to face and have tea, Dani and I.
So be on the look out for the giveaway! I'll post about it again when it's actually running.
But YES! Bluestocking Girl: Book Two of The von Strassenberg Saga is almost here in paperback form (the digital version has been available since Christmas.)

Lipstick and Stockings

2012-01-02T17:27:00.000-08:00

It seems that most of the kinks are worked out and so at the present moment I am working on re-reformatting Bluestocking Girl for paperback. It can be a bit time consuming because I like to make it look pretty. It's something you lose in the digital versions, with their inability to support the more spectacular fonts. Speaking of fonts..I believe I have found the perfect font for Book Three of The von Strassenberg Saga: Lipstick & Bolsheviks. What do you think?...Also, FYI, Book 3 is going to be a bit of a departure from what you may have become accustomed to with the von Strassenberg girls. Just sayin'. This one is completely uncooperative.

Bluestocking is FINALLY available! (in Beta Mode)

2011-12-22T04:38:00.000-08:00

The Bluestocking Girl: Book 2 of The von Strassenberg Saga is finally available.

Warts and all.

The core of my readers just want the story NOW! So I have posted it for sale while I comb through making my final edits (a process I have found can take weeks because it makes your eyes cross after all ready having gone through the manuscript a couple dozen times before).

I tell you, editing is like trying to get all the stones out of the garden: you think you have them all and then pop! Another wheelbarrow load shows up in the spring.

At any rate, Bluestocking is now available for NOOK and KINDLE. For everyone else, you can get Bluestocking from Smashwords.

I'm still in the paperback formatting process. But if you have an iPhone or Android you can download the Nook or Kindle App and start reading today!

SQUEEEE!
....I will be posting updated versions as I go through the manuscript five hundred more times. So be sure to check back!

Take heart young ladies

2011-12-21T07:25:00.000-08:00

Several young ladies have told me they are in love with William the Third from The von Strassenberg Saga. They wish they could find a man like him.
They doubt he really exists.
Take heart.
Somewhere he does exist.
William the Third wasn't just pulled out of my imagination, he was subconsciously modeled after my husband.
Like a lot of things with the saga it wasn't something I intended to do.

When my husband and I started kind of dating again he was drinking, smoking, cussing...typical construction worker behavior. I say that because, at the time, he was working in home construction.
I, on the other hand, was on fire for Jesus, a Bible thumper walkin' the walk and talkin' the talk.
We fortunately had a mutual agreement: I would not try to change him and he would not try to change me. He would put up with my God-speak and I would put up with his construction workerness.
Even during that time, out of respect for me, he acted the gentleman and would not cuss or be crude around me.
And even though we were both divorced and I was the single mom of three kids, we withheld from certain activities until our wedding night. This was never something I had to argue with him about. He was actually the one who brought it up, "I don't want to do anything to interfere with your relationship with your God." And he didn't. And he wouldn't let me. Lol.
Just this week he was offered a big promotion at his place of work (he's now a chef). When he started there in June of this year he negotiated to have Sundays off (because you see, my husband did accept Christ and without any preaching from me). This promotion to sous chef would involve Sundays and he would have to go back to nights. Meaning: he would rarely have time with the our boys.
He turned the promotion down.
In his words, "I took this job with the stipulation that I would have Sundays off. I'm not going to waffle on that just because I'm offered a promotion. And I just got my time with my family back, I'm not giving that up."
I tell you this not to just toot my own horn but to let you know that there are men like that out there.
You just have to be patient and trusting.
And patient.
I went through a lot of heartache for many years because I was impatient.
And I didn't trust.
Two points I am still working on.

All that being said, I never intended to incorporate any Christian elements into The von Strassenberg Saga. All I wanted to do was write something other than another bandwagon book because readers deserve more than the overabundance of recycled plots that are out there. It wasn't until nearly the end of Filter that William III revealed to me that he is a Christian. I actually fought him on this point because I didn't want to write an ambush book.
That's what some non-Christian readers call books wherein the author sneaks in Christian theology.
But then I got to thinking about it.
I am a Christian.
And I write to you out of my own experience.
And most Christians are misrepresented in fiction. Even Christian fiction. We are often portrayed as two dimensional and overly sentimental. Fluffy characters. The requirements for a book to be considered as "Christian fiction" only perpetuate this. And, let me tell you, going by Harlequin's Love Inspired Romance guidelines, Filter is too racy. Yup.
This is why I am reluctant to list The von Strassenberg Saga as Christian fiction. It is dark and riddled with sinful behavior and it isn't all tied up with a pretty bow at the end. God doesn't always deal in happy endings. But He does always work things out....eventually.
The other reason that I do not list the saga as Christian fiction is that it is not written to teach or preach. William is a character who happens to be a Christian. It is unrealistic to assume that everyone walking around in a story is an atheist or agnostic. It is unrealistic to pretend as though religion is not a factor in the lives of some of the people around you. At least William is written honestly, with all his flaws (you'll see more of that in Bluestocking). He doesn't always do the right thing. He doesn't always think the right thing. He struggles just as any Christian struggles.
Just like my husband. Who is a real man. Not a two dimensional cut out.
So take heart ladies, men like William III do exist.
I promise you.

What Christmas is Supposed to Sound Like

2011-12-20T08:25:00.000-08:00

Nothing gives me chills like the sound of voices raised together in worship and praise.
Wow.
And, yea, it made me cry.

BlueStocking Girl, I'm thinking Christmas Eve

2011-12-18T20:25:00.000-08:00

I know.
It's a cruel, unfair world.
But not if you have an eReader of some sort.
If you have a kindle or nook or you like a little smashwords actions, get ready!

I'm thinking Bluestocking Girl could be up on Christmas Eve!
This is barring any major editing or formatting issues.
Maybe we should have everyone come do a laying on of hands on my MacBook!
There are three scenes left to write. And then it's editing and formatting.
And then it's just a simple click!
The paperback process takes a little longer....like a week longer. I'm sorry. It's actually not my doing. (And honestly, I prefer the physical copy. It's prettier. In the digital copy you miss out on the beautiful fonts by Jellyka at CuttyFruty.com. I use her font for all chapter headings in Filter and The BlueStocking Girl because they're too gorgeous to only use on the cover. But the digital copies don't support fancy fonts. Yea, I know, there's a way to make it work, but haven't you heard? I hate formatting. And even if I didn't the font would be impossible to read on some devices. )
Stayed tuned here or, better yet, on Facebook
I wonder, if everyone bought it on the same day if we could get it into the Amazon and Barnes and Noble Top 100s?
Wouldn't that be awesome?
Stay tuned!
....If you don't even know what I'm talking about, check out Refracted Light Review's blurb: http://refractedlightreviews.com/?p=3912

New Hubs in Support of the Indie Revolution

2011-12-14T08:59:00.000-08:00

In the last few days it has come to my attention that there is a pretty significant effort to push independently published Kindle books, but not so much for independently published Nook books (or pubit books). To rectify the situation I began a little hub on Facebook to help you connect with independent authors. This site will include reviews, Goodreads links, interviews and just about anything else we can think of. Please, come join us. I bet you like what you see!

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Indie-Nook/310868128934662?sk=wall

Also, for those of you with a particular penchant for Young Adult fiction we have the brand-spankin' new YA Indie Carnival Page on Facebook! Please come join in for giveaways, release dates, and the opportunity to chat with your favorite indie YA authors!

https://www.facebook.com/pages/YA-Indie-Carnival/323960347633247

Bad bad Carnie

2011-12-13T08:17:00.000-08:00

Yea, yea. Late as ever.
Listen, I have pushy readers who want Bluestocking Girl in their hands before Christmas. They're killin' me. So pretty much I have no clue what's going on with the carnival at this point but, I know some ladies in the know who run some pretty awesome blogs.

Check them out for Cover Love (beautiful, beautiful cover art) and various and sundry other hot indie topics!

Below, the Ladies in the Know

1.	Laura A. H. Elliott author of Winnemucca & 13 on Halloween, Book 1 in the Teen Halloween Series	2.	Bryna Butler, author Midnight Guardian series
3.	Heather Self	4.	T. R. Graves, Author of The Warrior Series
5.	Suzy Turner, author of The Raven Saga	6.	Darby Karchut, author of GRIFFIN RISING
7.	Lexus Luke	8.	PJ Hoover, Author of SOLSTICE, Blogging at ROOTS IN MYTH
9.	Cheri Schmidt, author of the Fateful Trilogy	10.	Rachel Coles, author of Into The Ruins, geek mom blog
11.	K. C. Blake, author of Vampires Rule and Crushed	12.	Patti Larsen, The Hunted series and The Hayle Coven series
13.	Courtney Cole, author of The Bloodstone Saga	14.	Amy Maurer Jones, Author of The Soul Quest Trilogy
15.	Dani Snell’s Refracted Light Reviews	16.	Fisher Amelie, author of The Understorey
17.	M. Leighton, Blood Like Poison Series, Madly, The Reaping	18.	Abbi Glines, author of Breathe and The Vincent Boys
19.	Kimberly Kinrade, Bits of You & Pieces of Me, Forbidden Mind	20.	Madeline Smoot, Missing, Summer Shorts, and The Girls
21.	Cidney Swanson, author of Rippler	22.
23.	TG Ayer	24.	Melissa Pearl, author of Golden Blood

Test Kitchen at the YA Indie Carnival

2011-12-02T07:07:00.001-08:00

Here's the truth of the matter: I am not a good cook.
That's why I married a chef
It's this problem I have with following directions and paying attention to physical details.
This is also why people don't ask me for driving directions.
As I have stated earlier, I took one class on fiction writing in college and it bored the snot out of me.
Talk of character development and plot arc, or whatever....those, in my mind, constitute directions.
This is not how my brain works.
You see, I was the flighty child, the dreamer, the girl curled up in the tiger grass with a book and the blank stare. My first written stories, think the childish scrawl of an 8 year-old, were only my daydreams written down.
And that's still pretty much how it goes.
It's like watching a movie play out in my head and I write it down for you, but only after making sure the dialogue clicks and the plot makes sense forward and back. You see most of my work takes place with me sitting at my desk, staring off into space. Once everything makes sense and sounds good and sweeps me away, then I write it down.
That's pretty much it.
I'm just a storyteller from a long line of storytellers, those backwoods boys who knew how to spin a good yarn, pace their story just right, pick the right words, to get the full impact. I craft my words very deliberately, pace my story to bring you high and then make you cry and rage. It isn't something I learned in a book or in a class, I learned it sitting around the dinner table, listening to the old men trade stories about growing up without shoes and watching a knife fight at an election booth during the Depression.
I cannot give you a recipe. Just as my grandmothers could never give a recipe for the fluffy biscuits or amazing beans and ham, it's just something you learn by observing and doing. And doing it again and again until you get it right and all the components come together to give you just the taste you were looking for.

For actual recipes from more helpful literary chefs check out the other YA carnies http://yaauthorclub.blogspot.com/

A Little Help at Christmas

2011-11-30T19:22:00.000-08:00

So a friend of mine is trying to meet a goal for her Mary Kay sales.
Usually, I don't talk make-up, but I absolutely adore Heather. She is phenomenal and just cute as a button.
If you have any make-up needs you can trust her. She is passionate about helping you enhance the beauty God gave you, because honestly, we all have those days when we just look dog tired and our eyes need a little help with the liner and the mascara. Heather will help you and most likely, if you get a chance to chat with her, she will make you laugh as well.
Says Heather of the goal she is trying to reach:
Has to be completed by midnight tonight! Free shipping! www.marykay.com/hmpotts724

Thanksgiving with the YA Indie Carnival

2011-11-22T17:46:00.000-08:00

There isn't any single Thanksgiving memory that stands out in my life.
They all run pretty much the same, as do all family gatherings.
Maybe this sounds boring, but for me it's absolutely wonderful. There is so much comfort to be found in the simple gathering of family. Food and family, that's all I need.
Our dinners have grown, to be sure and, at the same time have become more segmented. That is perhaps the only sadness I find at this time of year. As my cousins have started their own families and our extended family has grown larger and larger, it is rare that we ALL get together anymore.
As it is, my sisters and brother and and their families, along with my parents and my husband and our three boys, makes for a party of twenty. Add into that my aunt and her daughter who usually come to our shindig and you'll find us dragging up not one but two folding tables from the basement. There would be nearly fifty of us, if not more, if we all got together and I wish we would.
We often daydream of building a gathering place for holidays, a neutral roomy territory for us all to be together again. I can't imagine how loud it would be! We are a family of talkers and we were brought up being able to participate in one conversation while eavesdropping on at least a dozen more. The kids are loud and there are usually numerous minor injuries suffered in the playroom. We gather around my cousin's cheeseball and my aunt's bread bowl and anxiously wait for my sister's gourmet salad and excellent cheesecake. And in the end we all find a spot in the living room, watching A Christmas Story or playing board games and just basking in the blessing of being together. O, sure, we have our fights and squabbles throughout the night and inevitably more than one child gets sent to the corner and something usually gets broken, but it's my favorite thing in life; gathering with the people I love most in this world.

Maybe your Thanksgiving be loud and wild and filled with blessings this year.

For more Thanksgiving stories visit the other authors under the big top at the YA Indie Carnival

1.	Laura A. H. Elliott author of Winnemucca & 13 on Halloween, Book 1 in the Teen Halloween Series	2.	Bryna Butler, author Midnight Guardian series
3.	Heather Self	4.	T. R. Graves, Author of The Warrior Series
5.	Suzy Turner, author of The Raven Saga	6.	Darby Karchut, author of GRIFFIN RISING
7.	Lexus Luke	8.	PJ Hoover, Author of SOLSTICE, Blogging at ROOTS IN MYTH
9.	Cheri Schmidt, author of the Fateful Trilogy	10.	Rachel Coles, author of Into The Ruins, geek mom blog
11.	K. C. Blake, author of Vampires Rule and Crushed	12.	Patti Larsen, The Hunted series and The Hayle Coven series
13.	Courtney Cole, author of The Bloodstone Saga	14.	Amy Maurer Jones, Author of The Soul Quest Trilogy
15.	Dani Snell’s Refracted Light Reviews	16.	Fisher Amelie, author of The Understorey
17.	M. Leighton, Blood Like Poison Series, Madly, The Reaping	18.	Abbi Glines, author of Breathe and The Vincent Boys
19.	Kimberly Kinrade, Bits of You & Pieces of Me, Forbidden Mind	20.	Madeline Smoot, Missing, Summer Shorts, and The Girls
21.	Cidney Swanson, author of Rippler	22.	Nicole Williams, author of Eternal Eden, Falling Eden

The Next Big Thing

2011-11-14T11:23:00.000-08:00

Move over Twilight, your reign has ended. I CANNOT wait to see this.

11-11-11

2011-11-12T13:49:00.000-08:00

So yesterday was 11-11-11.
For me, however, the only important thing about yesterday was the celebration of Veteran's Day.

In the picture above, are most of the men in my family who have served in the United States Army. The guy with the beard? That's my great-great grandfather, Moses, who served with the Union Army during the Civil War. The third guy from the right, the really pale one next to the bald guy? That's my great-grandfather in his World War I uniform. My husband is the cutie all the way on the right. That picture was taken in 1996, our first Christmas together.
If I have to drag the number eleven into this for a more specific reason I guess it should be that I was eleven when my brother left for war for the first time. He served in the first Gulf War. It was a difficult time for me. I revered my brother and thought he was the coolest thing ever. He was a paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne and I took great pride in telling everyone this. While he was gone to war, however, I was terrified. Whenever the phone rang, I would jump and my stomach would knot up. I couldn't bear the thought of him being killed.
He blessedly made it home and is still serving his nation today.
Looking back, that small space in my life makes me realize what a powerhouse of strength my maternal grandmother must have been. I was just a little girl worried about her brother in what was, relatively speaking, a rather subdued war. My grandmother had to endure waiting for her husband through two wars, Korea and Vietnam, while she was raising their children. And then, she little rest during the Vietnam years as my Uncle and my grandfather both served during those turbulent years.
During the last decade, it has been a rare occurrence for our family to not have at least one soldier in harm's way at any given point in time. So, while yesterday may have been cool because it was 11-11-11, it was infinitely more awesome because it is a day dedicated to the remembrance of those who have served and those who continue to serve.

....Side note, I do apologize for my absence for the last few weeks. My health has been subpar and it has taken everything in me just to get through my every day routine. I'm on antibiotics now (which is a pretty big deal for me as we don't have insurance and I only go to the doctor maybe once a year) and hopefully everything will even out soon. My ear is already doing better, the pain is subsiding. Yay! I hope to be back to "normal" soon! As it is, I'm still not quite 100% awake at the moment. lol Now, back to murdering fictional people....

1.	Laura A. H. Elliott author of Winnemucca & 13 on Halloween, Book 1 in the Teen Halloween Series	2.	Bryna Butler, author Midnight Guardian series
3.	Heather Self	4.	T. R. Graves, Author of The Warrior Series
5.	Suzy Turner, author of The Raven Saga	6.	Darby Karchut, author of GRIFFIN RISING
7.	Lexus Luke	8.	PJ Hoover, Author of SOLSTICE, Blogging at ROOTS IN MYTH
9.	Cheri Schmidt, author of the Fateful Trilogy	10.	Rachel Coles, author of Into The Ruins, geek mom blog
11.	K. C. Blake, author of Vampires Rule and Crushed	12.	Patti Larsen, The Hunted series and The Hayle Coven series
13.	Courtney Cole, author of The Bloodstone Saga	14.	Amy Maurer Jones, Author of The Soul Quest Trilogy
15.	Dani Snell’s Refracted Light Reviews	16.	Fisher Amelie, author of The Understorey
17.	M. Leighton, Blood Like Poison Series, Madly, The Reaping	18.	Abbi Glines, author of Breathe and The Vincent Boys
19.	Kimberly Kinrade, Bits of You & Pieces of Me, Forbidden Mind	20.	Madeline Smoot, Missing, Summer Shorts, and The Girls
21.	Cidney Swanson, author of Rippler	22.	Nicole Williams, author of Eternal Eden, Falling Eden

Short & Sweet: The Reason for my "Dan Brown" Chapters

2011-10-26T11:18:00.000-07:00

Dan Brown, author of the Da Vinci Code, Angels and Demons, and The Lost Symbol, among others, is known for his very, very short chapters. Sometimes a Dan Brown chapter can last all of two paragraphs.

When I first set out to write The von Strassenberg Saga it wasn't my intent to copy the style of Dan Brown. I didn't even realize I was writing "Dan Brown chapters" until someone else (my sister), pointed it out.

As with everything in my writing, I let the story dictate the telling. If that makes sense. Yes. Conventional chapters are at least ten pages long, usually longer. Do I care? Not at all. I'm not going to drag out a scene and slow things down just to meet the standard idea of what a chapter should be. For me, it is all about the pacing, about the natural break in a story, about leaving the reader with just enough to drive them through the next chapter so they can find out what happens next. (You have to keep in mind, Filter follows two storylines. Chapters often switch between the historical and the contemporary heroines, each fighting their own battles.)

The structure of Filter probably has a lot to do with my training in college. I studied video (filming and editing) and we are trained to never let a scene or a shot go on for too long. Otherwise you will diminish the emotional impact. It probably also has something to do with the fact that for the ten years I wasn't writing novels I was writing screenplays. Mostly just for fun but also because it was the only way my creative brain would function for a long time. I wrote Filter as I saw played out in my head. It wasn't about the words, necessarily, it was about how the scene played out in my head (it was often like a music video in my head! lol Fire and swooshing skirts and the flash of firelight on the muzzle of a revolver, that kind of thing). I am a very visual writer and don't see the necessity of getting bogged down in words just because they sound cool.

It's all about the pacing, the action, the hills and the valleys. When I make a video, even if it's only two minutes long, I want to warm people's hearts and then move them to tears and fits of anger.

So yes. As my cousin and her friends have said, I write chapters perfect for the ADHD crowd. It wasn't really planned that way, it was just the natural progression of the story.

UPDATE!
So. I just spent an insane amount of money that I don't have so that I could have my ear infection confirmed and get some antibiotics for it. This is not a good time of year for such things. The holidays are tough as it is. For this reason, I have lowered the price of Filter: Book One of The von Strassenberg, for Kindle and Nook (and Amazon lowered the paperback price to $11.11 to match B&N's price!). Through December 31st you can buy the Nook or Kindle version for only 99 cents! So get it cheap while you can!

Spookie Memories at the YA Indie Carnival

2011-10-25T08:25:00.000-07:00

Yes. My post is late. Once again. Between the world series, the birthday, the toothache and the dead ducks...it happens.

When I was a kid we didn't have the pre-fab costumes like they have today. Or maybe they did and mom just kept us away from the section of the store because we couldn't afford them. Most of my childhood costumes were hand-me-downs. But there was one year, ONE YEAR, when I had a costume all my own. My mom sewed it for me and it was pink. Pinker than pink and it glowed in the dark. I was a butterfly princess. Looking back, this seems stranger. Other years I was a witch, a gypsy, and some other dark spooky things...but never anything so girly as a butterfly princess. But that costume stands out as my favorite because it was mine and mine alone. Neither of my sisters ever wore it.

Halloween 1994

It is now in the possession of my beautiful, little niece. If I can wrangle it from her grasp I will eventually post a pic of it. (We have some pics of Halloween costumes from when I was a kid, but not many. We were poor folk.) I do have this pic tho:

For more Happy Halloween memories visit:

1.	Laura A. H. Elliott author of Winnemucca & 13 on Halloween, Book 1 in the Teen Halloween Series	2.	Bryna Butler, author Midnight Guardian series
3.	Heather Self	4.	T. R. Graves, Author of The Warrior Series
5.	Suzy Turner, author of The Raven Saga	6.	Darby Karchut, author of GRIFFIN RISING
7.	Lexus Luke	8.	PJ Hoover, Author of SOLSTICE, Blogging at ROOTS IN MYTH
9.	Cheri Schmidt, author of the Fateful Trilogy	10.	Rachel Coles, author of Into The Ruins, geek mom blog
11.	K. C. Blake, author of Vampires Rule and Crushed	12.	Patti Larsen, The Hunted series and The Hayle Coven series
13.	Courtney Cole, author of The Bloodstone Saga	14.	Amy Maurer Jones, Author of The Soul Quest Trilogy
15.	Dani Snell’s Refracted Light Reviews	16.	Fisher Amelie, author of The Understorey
17.	M. Leighton, Blood Like Poison Series, Madly, The Reaping	18.	Abbi Glines, author of Breathe and The Vincent Boys
19.	Kimberly Kinrade, Bits of You & Pieces of Me, Forbidden Mind	20.	Madeline Smoot, Missing, Summer Shorts, and The Girls
21.	Cidney Swanson, author of Rippler	22.	Nicole Williams, author of Eternal Eden, Falling Eden

99 For a Limited Time!

2011-10-18T08:03:00.000-07:00

Times are tough.
I know this all too well.
The holidays are coming but we still have our obsessive reading habits to feed.
So. Now through the holidays I have lowered the price of Filter: Book One of The von Strassenberg Saga to 99 cents (smashwords only, due to global marketing I cannot lower the price below $2.99 on Amazon.)
All I ask in exchange is that you drop a rating or review on smashwords and/or goodreads.
A review kind of like this one from Goodreads:

Holy wow. Like seriously. I loved this book. No doubt about it. It was perfection. Perfectly combining two stories into one with romance, mystery, and enough suspense to kill me. This is definitely one of my favorites now, and I can barley contain my eagerness waiting for the second book, because I MUST know what happens next.

I have never read a book that switches between two different people that was pulled off flawlessly before. It was always choppy and never meshed well and I ended up not even wanting to finish the book, but that was not the case for this book. I wanted to read more if I could have, it was perfect. And the chapters....what chapters?! It flowed perfectly between the two stories and times. It relieved enough to keep you informed with both sides and help piece things together as it got more and more interesting.

The best part about this book, well I must say, I have two. First, the fact that I was reading these two different stories and throughout the whole book, I never got to fully piece everything together until the ending. Usually, if there is some kind of mystery in a book you find out what it is about half way in, but not with this. It was great, and it kept me reading for more. Wanting to know what the heck was going on.

The second thing I loved about this book was the romance. Between the past romance and the current day, I was swooning every chapter. And I caught myself catching my own breath at some things, reminding myself, hey you should probably breathe or your going to pass out. Gwenn Wright has written a beautiful love story and a beautiful love story in the making. But with love, there is betrayal, and there is also plenty of that.

This book was amazing. I did not want to put it down, I really didn't. I even tried to read slower so I could enjoy everything that was going on, but I couldn't it was just too good. This book is well worth the money, I would have even paid more for it if I had to. Pick this up, I promise you won't want to put it down.

(see original post on goodreads here: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/191441064)

Purchase from Smashwords and download to just about any eReader you have (Kobo, Kindle, Nook):
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/20957 AND FYI, you can also download 50% before you actually purchase the book (which is also available in a beautyful paperback).

YA Indie Carnival: The Reader who Saved the von Strassenbergs

2011-10-14T06:54:00.000-07:00

Filter was originally published first on Smashwords and then on Amazon in August of 2010. After a few months of floundering in the sea of self-published ebooks, I was convinced writing was not for me. My book was not meant to be successful. I was not meant to write. So Filter was yanked and I went back to doing my homework and trying to imagine myself in a regular 9-5.
In early 2011, with graduation looming, it occurred to me that Filter should get another chance. So it went up for sale again and I launched an aggressive marketing campaign....without any financial backing for ads or such. Still sales were slow but better than they had been. Reviews slowly rolled in.
Months went by and I had sold fewer than fifty books.
I was ready to throw the towel in again.
One night, after a particularly lackluster review which misrepresented Filter, I raged against the whole idea of me being a writer. Well....a novelist. I would have to stick to journalism. In a fit of tears and prayers I swore the existence of Filter and any subsequent books would all hinge on the next review. If it was bad. I would give up writing.
A few hours later, two five star reviews rolled in.
The first was from Dani Snell of Refracted Light Reviews.
It wasn't just that she gave Filter five stars, it was that she actually got it. From her review it was obvious to me that she saw the story as I did...a sweeping, gothic romance heavy with suspense and laced with hints of horror. That was the review that saved me and Filter and that still encourages me to carry on even when times are tough.
Even more importantly than the review, Dani has become a good friend of mine and she is such a blessing. It is doubtful that without her and Heather and Angie and the others that BlueStocking Girl would ever have gotten started.
See Dani's review of Filter here: http://refractedlightreviews.com/?p=41

Don't forget! When I reach 100 blog followers some lucky friend will win a signed copy of Filter and some von Strassenberg swag! Follow for a chance to win! (scroll all the way down to see the swag in my Zazzle panel!)

ALL RIGHT! Through the holidays you can download Filter from Barnes and Noble, Amazon, or Smashwords for 99 cents. Times are tough and I want to help spread the Christmas cheer! And, shouts of joy!, Amazon lowered the price of the paperback to match Barnes and Noble! Now it's only $11.11!

MORE YA INDIE CARNIVAL NEWS!!!!

Courtney Cole released her Bloodstone Saga finale, My Tattered Bonds. It is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Get your scare on at The Paranormal Plumes Haunted Book Tour in Savannah Halloween Weekend! www.theplumessociety.com

For a limited time, Kimberly Kinrade is selling signed copies of her YA paranormal thriller/romance Forbidden Mind. As an All Hallow’s Read bonus, she is also including some awesome gifts with each purchase… including a very special bonus to the first 5 lucky people who place an order. Get a copy for yourself and buy one for a friend in celebration of All Hallow’s Read. For more details, CLICK HERE.

30% of the royalties of Lexus Luke’s Manitou The Sky People Saga go to the ASPCA. It is available on Barnes & Noble & Amazon

FOR MORE FAVORITE FAN MOMENTS CHECK OUT THESE OTHER CARNIES

Fisher Amelie (Author of The Understorey)

K. C. Blake (Author of Vampire Rules)

J.L. Bryan (Author of the Paranormals series)

Courtney Cole (Author of The Bloodstone Saga, Princess & Guardian)

Rachel Coles (Author of Diary of a Duct Tape Zombie and other stories)

Laura Elliott (Author of Winnemucca)

T. R. Graves (Author of The Warrior series)

P.J. Hoover (Author of Solstice)

Kimberly Kinrade (Author of Bits of You, Pieces of Me and Forbidden Mind)

Patti Larsen (Author of the short story, Henry and the newly released Run)

Michelle Leighton (Author of the Blood Like Poison series, The Reaping, Wiccan,Caterpillar, and the upcoming Madly series)

Lexus Luke (Author of Manitou and The Sky People Saga)

Amy Maurer Jones (Author of The Soul Quest Trilogy)

Alicia McCalla (Author of the upcoming debut novel Breaking Free)

Cheri Schmidt (Author of the Fateful series and Fair Maiden)

Heather Self (Author & Book Blogger)

Madeline Smoot (Author of Missing)

Dani Snell (You are here. Book Blogger)

Cidney Swanson (Author of Rippler)

Suzy Turner (Author of December Moon and Raven)

Nicole Williams (Author of Eternal Eden and the much anticipated sequel, Fallen Eden)

Favorite Characters at the YA Indie Carnival

2011-10-07T10:53:00.000-07:00

Geez.
Who was my favorite character in Filter?
It's really difficult to answer that.
They were all so different.
Peter is so sexy and naughty. William so sexy and tormented by his morals. Rocky wants to be so tough but really discovers she's just a mess like the rest of us. Katherine is so physically weak and hemmed in by the rules of society at the time but she fights against it and even in the midst of her fears she only grows in strength.

And then there is Viktor....Dashing, cryptic, infuriating. Hmmm. Given one of the scenes toward the end, I have to say it was Viktor. Viktor brought the romance and I don't mean the Hallmark kind of romance. I mean the Mr. Darcy/Wesley the Pirate kind of romance, swoooooon! I was swooning as I wrote Viktor. Especially in that one scene, you know, where he is particularly dangerous, and in the scenes that followed. I could see him...and I'm trying to avoid spoilers here and it's difficult....I could see him doing his dashing deeds and, as we return in BlueStocking, it is Viktor that thrills me most as a writer. Viktor with his fiercely protective nature and his righteous indignation. Tom Welling is firmly rooted in my imagination as Viktor now. And when I play out the scenes from BlueStocking in my head I see Tom Welling with distinguished streaks of gray in his hair, in his three piece suit, being dangerous and dashing as Viktor.
Yup.
It must be Viktor. William the Third is a close second but he isn't yet quite the man that Viktor has grown to be. I suppose he'll get his chance, if I don't kill him first. Mwahahahahahahaha!
Although I absolutely HATE with a passion, Klaus von Strassenberg and William the Second, I do enjoy writing them because they're just so wicked.
But Viktor.....le sigh.

Looking for a Halloween Read? Beyond The Veil: A Ghost Story Anthology by Rachel Coles is out on Kindle! And at Smashwordshttp://www.smashwords.com/books/view/94161

Griffin Rising by Darby Karchut is a nominee for the 2011 Cybils Awards (YA fantasy)!

Our own amazing Dani Snell has fellow carnie Kimberly Kinrade on the blog today with a giveaway for her first book in the Forbidden series, Forbidden Mind.

Can't get enough? Hope on the merry-go-round with my fellow carnies!

Dani Snell’s Refracted Light Reviews
Patti Larsen Author of The Ghost Boy of MacKenzie House, The Hunted Series and the Hayle Coven Novels
Courtney Cole Author of Every Last Kiss, Fated, Princess, and Guardian. Also a contributing author in The Glassheart Chronicles
Nicole Williams Author of Eternal Eden, and Fallen Eden. She is also a contributing author in the Glassheart ChroniclesFisher Amelie Author of The Understorey, as well as a contributing author in The Glassheart Chronicles
Amy Maurer Jones Author of The Soul Quest Trilogy as well as a contributing author in The Glassheart Chronicles
Rachel Coles. Geek Mom. Book Reviewer Author of Diary of a Duct Tape Zombie, Whistles, Beergarden, Plagues, Bees of St. John, and Mushrooms
T. R. Graves T.R. Graves: Author of Warriors of the Cross
P.J. Hoover Author of Solstice, The Emerald Tablet, The Navel of the World, The Necropolis
Alicia McCalla Author of the upcoming science-fiction novel Breaking Free

Heather Cashman Author of Perception

Abbi Glines Author of Breathe, and the upcoming Existence and Vincent Boys
Cheri Schmidt Author of Fateful, Fractured, and Fair Maiden
Lexus Luke Author of Manitou, The Sky People Saga
Suzy Turner Author of December Moon and Raven
K. C. Blake Author of Vampire Rules
Kimberly Kinrade Author of Bits of You, Pieces of Me and Forbidden Mind
Darby Karchut Author of Griffin Rising and the upcoming Griffin’s Fire
Madeline Smoot Author of Missing, Summer Shorts, and The Girls
M. Leighton Author of the Blood Like Poison Series, Wiccan, Caterpillar, Madly & Wolfhardt & The Reaping
Cidney Swanson Author of Rippler

Totally Off Topic

2011-10-07T08:14:00.000-07:00

This is completely off topic, but I can't help it. My friend from university was always sending me multi-media messages (constantly) of his cat, Lexie. So he decided to create a shutterfly page so I could look at them whenever. Wow. This cat is not only cross-eyed (as a parent blinded by love, he refuses to accept this fact) she is also psychotic and fancies herself to be a panther. You have to look at these photos. Especially if you need a laugh.

look at the claws! She hates that thing!

For more pics http://pawsonpause.shutterfly.com/

What You Should Know About BlueStocking

2011-10-04T19:52:00.000-07:00

All right. Consider yourself warned.
When I first set out to write after a decade of not writing, my only goal was to construct a story that was truly original and didn't involve a girl being all suicidal over a boy. I HATE reading about girls being suicidal over boys. You know why? Because at one point in my life I was like that and now, looking back, I wonder why I ever wasted my time worrying about those schmucks. Even though at the time they looked like demigods.
So I wrote my original story with it's carefully twisted and tangled plot. I built a tree on Ancestry.com just for the von Strassenbergs. Yes I did.
NOW, now, I am not so afraid of the process and I've figured a bit more of it out and it's going to make a BIG difference in BlueStocking Girl.
I am not big into the paranormal...vampires, werewolves...it doesn't scare me. What truly scares me is the evil lurking inside every human heart. The books I read and enjoy the most, tend to be gritty crime novels, medical thrillers, murder mysteries, where the danger within could actually happen to me. That's scary. But at the same time, I like me some romance. Real romance. Not this dramatic, "O my life is pointless without you," crap.
In BlueStocking Girl, expect more of who I am, as a writer.
Expect more thrills, more twists and more sweeping romance.
You'll get mad at me and then you'll love me and get mad at me again. Such is the nature of our relationship. But I'm okay with that.
So prepare yourselves.