The WOOHOO I'm Finished Grand Giveaway!!!

First of all, HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY! I hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday

And second of all - I FINISHED THE BOOK!!!!!

Well, mostly LOL I did finish all the chapters and major rewrites. I do still have a medium-sized tweak for chapter 5 to do and a few minor tweaks throughout the book. BUT, all chapters, 1-17, the introduction, and the about the author section have been completed and the little stuff left will be done in a couple days.

So.....I'm feeling the need to celebrate :D

This one will be easy - just make sure you are a follower and leave a comment ON THIS POST. And that's it! You are entered! I will take entries until Saturday night at 11:59 pm.

Now for the prizes!!!

When I finish a project, I generally celebrate by diving into a good book, eating some good chocolate, and buying some gorgeous jewelry from my amazingly talented friend Bonny (who is also doing a giveaway on her blog, so click on her name and go check it out!).

So, I thought I'd share my celebration with you :) The glorious grand prize will include:

A beautiful bracelet from Bonny Lass Jewelry:

Yummy mouth-watering gourmet apples from Mrs. Prindables:

And a $10 gift card to the online book dealer of your choice  :)

Extra Entry Opps:

- Be or become a Follower of my other blog (which I promise I'll start posting more on!) Papers, Prose, and Poetry = +1

and

- Tweet, blog, Facebook, or otherwise share the joy = +1 for each (for a total of 4 extra entries)

So everyone has the opportunity for 6 entries - but you MUST leave a comment on this post to enter, so don't forget! Let me know how many points you have in your comment and I will announce the winner next Monday. 

Good luck and thanks for celebrating with me!!!

Another cool post from the awesome Cole Gibsen :D

Had to take another brief moment to tell you that if you haven't read Cole Gibsen's post on Writing Like an X-Man, then you need to run, not walk, over to her blog. Seriously, one of the best posts EVER. :D

We Interrupt This Unplugged Week for a Quick Update...

Just wanted to toss up a quick update - I'M ALMOST FINISHED!!!! I have about 1.5 new chapters to finish and then a few minor tweaks throughout the book and then I'm D.O.N.E. !!

I'm getting a little giddy - and I'm thinking we might need to celebrate with something like, oh, I don't know, a super cool HOLY COW I FINISHED giveaway or something :D

If I can keep this up, I'll be relaxing and reading amidst a stack of to-be-read books by this weekend. So check back Monday! There may just be an awesome celebration to share in! :D

How is everyone else doing out there?

Unplugged Week

I'm signing off for the week! I really want my book done and out the door before my kids are out of school for the summer. Somehow, I don't think I'll be getting a lot of work done when they are running around all day :D

See you all Monday! May everyone have a happy and productive week :) Oh! And if you haven't headed to Elana's blog yet, go go go!! She's doing some awesome giveaways all week to celebrate the sale of her book, Control Issues. Go enter!

Something Better than Friday Funnies

Okay, I know I said we'd do Friday Funnies today, but something happened that needs to be addressed instead.

After months of waiting to celebrate, I can finally share the amazing, wonderful and ultra-exciting news that my sweet and incredibly talented friend, Ms. Awesome Herself, Elana Johnson

HAS A BOOK DEAL!!!!!

Can I get a WOOOOOHOOOOOO!!!!!!!

Here is the announcement from PM:

Elana Johnson's CONTROL ISSUES, set in a brainwashed society where those gifted with mind control best join the powers that be, but one rebel girl tries to beat them at their own game, to Anica Rissi at Simon Pulse, by Michelle Andelman at Lynn Franklin Associates (NA).

Congratulations Elana!!

Last one, I swear :D

Our Friday Funnies will be moved to Saturday as we explore the last of my present issues.

Without further ado - Issue #3:

I get a little intimidated - because I like to read during my down time. And when I'm holding a superbly awesome book in my hands, I'm thinking two things, pretty much simultaneously.

"This book is sooo good, I love it!!!"

and

"I will never write something as good as this, why can't I think of stuff like this, holy cow why do I bother!!?"

So, yeah, not so easy to pick up my own pen when I'm constantly comparing myself to other people.

Solution - lol suck it up, quit being a baby and (as my mother used to say when my siblings and I would be checking out what was going on with the peas and other undesirables in everyone else's dish instead of mind our own bee's wax) - Mind Your Own Plate!

And I found a few bits of awesome to go along with Mama's bit o' wisdom:

(this one comes from the same Richard Rhodes quote from yesterday...I just saved this line for today) ;-)

If you're afraid of what other people will think of your efforts, don't show them until you write your way beyond your fear.

I love this one - LOVE IT. Because I do love what I do, I love what I write. And that generally doesn't change until I send it out for it's first crit and it comes back covered in that lovely shade of red and I realize how much work it really needs :) But when I'm only concerned about what is going on in MY head *sigh* it be grand :)

Another bit o' awesome, from Frank Herbert:

The successful writer listens to himself. You get a writer's block by being aware that you're putting it out there.

He makes a great point. If I focus too much on "putting it out there" and not enough on listening to myself, I will never write anything again. I think listening to yourself, at least in the beginning stages, is essential, and something I need to try a little harder to do.

One last bit of awesome, from P.J. O'Rourke:

Write badly. Bad writing is easier.

LOL This one just made me laugh. It goes along with my own mantra that I'm supposed to be chanting every day "Just suck it up and do it." 

Yeah, so there are books out there that are going to be better than mine. So what? There are books out there that will be worse too. I need to listen to myself and if that proves difficult, suck it up and write anyway, knowing it's crap. Crap is fixable. But you can't fix something that doesn't exist - so just get something down.

Anyone else waiting in line at the Intimidation Station? Climb aboard Michelle's crazy train - we're leaving the station in 5 minutes :D

Welcome to my madness - part 2

Ready for issue #2? Here we go:

I get a little overwhelmed at the thought of all the work ahead. Sure, I get a new idea and I am all gung ho and totally excited to work on it. And then I sit down. And think about what happens after I finish draft one. And after I finish draft 100. And what happens if I can't get even that far because finishing draft 1 is so hard. And (get ready for some more capped one word sentences) it. FREAKS. ME. OUT. I freeze up, I get up, I do something else (see #1 from yesterday) :D

Solution? Awesomeness from Richard Rhodes

If you're afraid you can't write, the answer is to write. Every sentence you construct adds weight to the balance pan...If writing a book is impossible, write a chapter. If writing a chapter is impossible, write a page. If writing a page is impossible, write a paragraph. If writing a paragraph is impossible, write a sentence. If writing even a sentence is impossible, write a word and teach yourself everything there is to know about that word and then write another, connected word and see where their connection leads. A page a day is a book a year.

Anyone ever see What About Bob? (hilarious movie, btw) - Baby Steps. I just need to take baby steps when I get overwhelmed as I tend to do. I need to stop thinking about what's in front of me and focus on what is right in my face, right now. Why worry about the end of a project I haven't yet started? I need to focus on that chapter, that page, that paragraph, that word. 

The rest will come.

And speaking of doing a page a day, there is a Page a Day Challenge going on (I saw it HERE on Christine Fonseca's blog, but there are a ton of people signing up - check it out!)

Does anyone else find themselves overwhelmed by all that lies ahead of a new project? How do you handle it?

Heehee

I Have Issues, Ya'all...

I was talking to a dear friend yesterday about taking breaks in writing - and I realized, with a bit of a shock, how long the breaks between my projects (novels...not counting my NF stuff) actually are. I finished my last book (first draft, not revisions) a year ago, almost exactly. A. YEAR. AGO.

Why on earth haven't I started something new yet? Well, let me rephrase. Why on earth haven't I FINISHED something new yet?

Really, what is my deal? I've got ideas coming out my ears. I have more first chapters than you can shake a stick at. I have playlists and outlines and revision notes and partials and even a query letter or two...but another finished project - nope, not here!

So - I've been doing a bit of thinking about why it's so hard for me to start something new. I've come up with three main issues (and we are going to take these one day at a time so this post doesn't end up a mini novel on its own):

1. I am Queen of excuses - I am Empress of Procrastination - I can talk your EAR off (my ever-loving and beyond sweet crit buddies can attest to this) about why I haven't/can't/shouldn't/won't start something new. And I'm not just pulling crap out of thin air - these are GOOD excuses :D I mean, I really do have stuff going on...just sayin' :D


So, seeing as how I can pull 100 legitimate (and several thousand not so legitimate) reasons for remaining new projectless out of my...er, hat *ahem* at any given time, what am I going to do about it?

Well, in my procrastinating musings and rummaging through awesome book collection, I came across a few handy little quotes that nailed me right on the head :)

Solution to #1: Awesomeness by Nicholson Baker:

Sit in sun. Sun goes behind cloud. Look at watch. Notice that second-hand does not always point directly at little marks on dial. Sometimes it does, though. Then sometimes it doesn't. Why? Feel panic at how quickly life slips by. Get to work.

Life does slip quickly by. All those excuses I dole out are just that - excuses. Excuses, for no real reason at all, for putting off something I love and want to do  - Solution - get off butt and get to work.

Stay tuned tomorrow for reason and solution #2 - in the meantime, how is everyone out there doing? Do you have issues with starting new projects? Do I have any rivals for Empress/Emperor of Procrastination?

Blog Chain: So Many Authors, So Little Time

The topic for this round of the ol’ Blog Chain was chosen by our fabulous Christine Fonseca who wanted to know:

“Which author or authors have most influenced your writing and how?”

At first, I wasn’t quite sure how to answer this question. I guess because I think of it more in terms of authors who inspire me – inspire me to write better, write more, write in different ways. And the list of those incredible people is endless. So, I chose two. These two authors are the ones who inspired me to write in the first place.

Eleanor Alice Burford Hibbert – this incredible woman wrote under eight different pen names, but the ones I read the most were Victoria Holt, Jean Plaidy, and Philippa Carr. In fact, the books of Victoria Holt were the first novels I read. Her books have everything. She was able to blend history and romance and danger and mystery so flawlessly that I would get sucked into a story and read it cover to cover in one day. I am on a mission to own every book she ever wrote and have read the entire series of books under each of these names more times than I can count. I always keep her in mind when I write and try to aspire to include and blend the elements of my stories as seamlessly as she did.

Diana Gabaldon – again, an amazing writer whose storyworld is so expertly created, with historical elements blended so perfectly into her stories you feel like you are running through the 18th century with a bunch of Scottish highlanders. And her characters are so alive and real that I am still in love with Jamie, the Scottish chief that marries her main character, Claire, who feels like she is one of my best friends (which makes the fact that I am in love with her husband a little awkward *snort* Oh, and I swear I’m not insane, these characters just REALLY feel…well, REAL) :D

It’s been 2 years since I’ve reread the Outlander series and I still think about her world and characters on at least a weekly basis. Because of her, I aspire to create characters and settings that stay with my readers long after they’ve read my books.

Other authors who make me want to hang up my pen and inspire me to pick it up and use it better include Suzanne Collins, Charlaine Harris, Scott Westerfield, Orson Scott Card, Laurell K. Hamilton, Stephanie Meyer, J.K. Rowling, and many, many more.

Be sure to check out Shannon's answer from yesterday, and swing by Amanda's blog tomorrow to find out who influences her!

So tell me, who influences and/or inspires you? Why?

Wait...it's not Tuesday?

(Since tomorrow is my turn on the fabulous Blog Chain, we'll have our Ten Word Tuesday today :D )

There's no substitute for persistence...Also, a vow of poverty helps.

~ Phil Mushnick

Friday Funnies Inspired by Cole Gibsen

(LOLcat built from original photo by sutefani in orlando, under a Creative Commons-Attribution license by way of Flickr.)

[Writers] search for rejection. If they don't get it they reject themselves.

~ Charlie Chaplin about actors...but works pretty well for writers too ;-)

The reason 99% of all stories written are not bought by editors is very simple. Editors never buy manuscripts that are left on the closet shelf at home.

- John Campbell

Thank you so much, Cole, for hanging out with us this week! It's been a pleasure having your as our Spotlighted Author :)

Linkage!!

Cole's Blog
Cole's Website
Cole on Facebook
Cole on Twitter
Awesome Cole Youtube Video

Special Quote Day with Cole Gibsen

(Another taste of Katana - enjoy!!)


My heart dug into my chest like a jagged stone. This was crazy! I wasn’t supposed to die this way—diced to pieces by ninjas. It sounded ridiculous just thinking it in my head. “Kim,” I pleaded, “I don’t know what you think is going on, but it’s not true. I’m not a reincarnated warrior. I just got lucky before. I can’t fight. Don’t let them do this!”


His face was an expressionless mask. “There is no other way.” He bowed his head. “Kill her.”

Linkage!!

Cole's Blog
Cole's Website
Cole on Facebook
Cole on Twitter
Awesome Cole Youtube Video

Cole Gibsen - The Day I Learned to Take a Hit

The former step-dad was not a nice person. I spent most of my childhood and teenage years trying to avoid him. When I was a senior in high school, I often fled my house in the middle of the night and met up with my boyfriend who kept a sleeping bag stored in his camper shell because my midnight phone calls became so regular. We’d park in the middle of a cornfield and sleep in the bed of his truck because I had nowhere else to go and his parents wouldn’t let a girl sleep over (understandably). In the morning, I’d dust myself off, comb the tangles out of my hair with my fingers, gargle with Listerine, and go to school. Just another day…

The step-dad was fond of calling me lazy. He’d laughed and told me I was dreaming when I said I wanted to go away to college. He’d bully, taunt, and belittle me with his words and size to the point that I began to believe him. I began to think I was stupid, lazy, and would never amount to anything. That was, at least, until the day I got kicked out of the house.

I was seventeen and sitting at the kitchen table eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. The sun was out and the screen door was open allowing a warm breeze to sweep through the kitchen. My twelve year-old brother had just run in the house after a swim in the pool. He was wrapped in a towel and talking to me – though I can’t remember now what we were talking about.

Enter the step-dad. But this time, instead of attacking me he went for my brother.

“You’re dripping all over the floor!” he had screamed. “Are you stupid?”

My blood began to boil. This had never happened before. Normally I was the target not my kid brother.

“No, you’re not stupid,” the step-dad continued. “Stupid would imply you have a brain. But you don’t, do you? You’re brainless.”

My brother shrunk back as I had so many times before. As if he could will the floor to open and swallow him whole. My own fear was mirrored back at me in his eyes and it made me sick.

No.

I wouldn’t let step-dad to this. Not to my brother. My vision clouded over in a haze of red and I leapt from my chair with enough force to knock it over. “Shut up!”

The step-dad looked over at me, stunned, for I’d never, in the seven years he was married to my mom, spoke to him that way.

“He’s not stupid!” I’d screamed at him. “He’s smarter than you’ll ever be.”

At this point the step-dad’s eyes had dilated and he lunged. With his hands twisted in my shirt he shoved me against a wall with enough force to knock the wind from my chest.

And then, after several gasps for breath, I screamed the words that to this day make me smile every time I think about them, “Do it again! I dare you! Do it again!”

And of course he did and I was roughed up pretty good before being tossed from the house and having my belonging set on fire. But that’s not the point. The point is, I finally found the strength to not only defend my brother but to stand up for myself as well.

If that day never happened, I wouldn’t have gone to college and received my degree. I would have kept dating losers instead of finding my husband, a man who is convinced there is nothing I can’t do, and tells me so daily. If that day never happened, I wouldn’t have survived querying agents, submitting to editors, and wouldn’t have my book deal.

You see, I queried KATANA and another novel for two years before landing my agent. Each rejection (and there were a lot of them) was like the step-dad. “You’re not good enough,” they’d whisper. “You’re never going to make it. You’re writing sucks. Just save yourself the trouble and give up now.”

I could have done just that; given up and spared myself the pain of rejection. But that’s the thing – yeah rejections suck ducks, but they’re just pieces of paper. Take it from someone who takes martial arts – I’m not gonna lie, getting punched in the face hurts like a mother. But an email? A letter? Not so much.

If you believe in yourself, if you can take a hit, nothing and nobody can knock you down.

You got a rejection?

Do it again. I dare you. Do it again.

Linkage!!

Cole's Blog
Cole's Website
Cole on Facebook
Cole on Twitter

Awesome Cole Youtube Video

Special Quote Day with Cole Gibsen

For an extra special treat, today's quote will be a small peek at Cole's YA novel, Katana - enjoy!


“I’m afraid,” he whispered.

“Of what?” I whispered back. I was afraid myself, but I couldn’t think of why I should be.

“I’m afraid that if I touch you, even for a moment, I might not be able to let go.”

Linkage!!

Cole's Blog
Cole's Website
Cole on Facebook
Cole on Twitter
Awesome Cole Youtube Video

And the Winner of Our Spread the Awesome Contest Is....

We briefly interrupt our Author Spotlight Week to announce the winner of my Spread the Awesome contest!

Our handy number generator at random.org picked our winning number which belongs to....(drum roll please).......

Zoe Courtman Smith!!!!

Congrats Zoe!! I'll be sending you an email shortly to get your addy and verify the prize you'd like.

Thanks to everyone who entered and thanks for helping to Spread the Awesome!

Please scroll to the previous post to see the kick off to our Author Spotlight Week - an interview with the fabulous Cole Gibsen!

Author Spotlight Week - Interview with Cole Gibsen

I first had the pleasure of meeting Cole three years ago when I joined the brand new Querytracker site and found the forum. She is one of the most talented and all around awesome people I have ever had the opportunity to meet and I am very proud to call her a friend.

Cole recently had some very good news to share - her novel Katana will be published by Flux in early 2012! I have been privileged to read this book and cannot wait for it to hit the shelves!

To kick off our Author Spotlight Week, I asked Cole to answer a few questions for us about herself and her writing.

MM: When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer? 

CG: Always. Unfortunately, I had a step-dad who was fond of telling me how stupid I was so I didn’t believe I could do it and never tried. Lucky for me, when the economy started to sour four years ago, my small business folded. I know that sounds like a bad thing, but being jobless gave me the opportunity to really think about what I wanted to do with my life. It was the kick in the pants I needed to pick the pen back up.

MM: What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?

CG: How therapeutic it is! My husband says he can always tell when I haven’t written in a few days because I’m on edge. (That’s a nice way of saying I’m a Snarky Von Crankypants.) When this happens, he kicks me out of the house with my laptop and coffee money. (I’m a very lucky girl.)

MM: You recently sold your book, Katana, in a two-book deal with Flux. 
Congratulations!! Can you tell us a little about your book?

CG: Thank you so much. I’d love to! KATANA is the story of Rileigh, a seventeen year-old girl who, after surviving an attack in the mall parking lot, gets possessed by the spirit of a fifteenth century samurai warrior. When a lover from her past life appears along with a mysterious enemy, her problems only increase.

MM: Who is your favorite character in the book, and why?

CG: Oh wow. I don’t know that I have a favorite because I love them all. Even my villain holds a special place in my heart. If I have to choose, I guess I’d say Rileigh because she’s sarcastic, addicted to shoes, and can disarm an attacker wielding nunchaku with a window squeegee.

MM: LOL Sounds like my kind of girl :D What about you? Who is Cole Gibsen ? What do you love to do, besides writing?

CG: Uh, I don’t think there’s enough room on the internet. LOL. But seriously, I’m a hopeless nerd. James Marsters touched my hand at Dragon Con and I almost died. I can talk comics with the best of them and spot all the inaccuracies in any Marvel movie. I love to sew and quilt. And I’m a diehard Harry Potter fan. There’s a group of us that dress up as characters from the movies to attend the HP premiers. This year I’m working on Bellatrix’s dress. It. Will. Be. Epic.

MM: Okay, seriously, I wish I lived closer to you because I would so be right there with you! :D Tell us a little about finding your agent and your road to publication –

CG: I can tell you it was a lesson in patience. It took two novels, two years, and over a hundred rejections before I landed my agent, Chris Richman. From there it took another year and several revisions before we landed our deal with Flux. Totally worth the wait!

MM: What was the hardest part of this journey for you? The easiest, or most fun?

CG: The hardest part, but also the most gratifying, was overcoming my own self-doubt and proving to myself that I could write a novel and get it published.
The most fun has been meeting all these incredible writers online and at conferences. I’m very lucky to now have friends across the country and even around the world. Writers are amazing people and I’m blessed to have so many in my life.

MM: What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

CG: Hmmm…I guess I’m not too quirky in that department. I do, however, always wear my noise reduction headphones and if a caramel frappuccino is within arms-reach, that’s even better!

MM: Thanks so much for the interview and for being our Spotlight Author this week! And congratulations again on your sale!!

Cole will be with us all week, so come back tomorrow for a few words of Gibsen wisdom :D

Linkage!!! If you'd like more information on Cole, please check out her links.

Cole's Blog
Cole's Website
Cole on Facebook
Cole on Twitter
Awesome Cole Youtube Video

Friday Funnies

 Writing is 1 percent inspiration, and 99 percent elimination.

-Louise Brook

When you catch an adjective, kill it...An adjective habit, or a wordy, diffuse, flowery habit, once fastened upon a person, is as hard to get rid of as any other vice.

- Mark Twain, in a Letter to D. W. Bowser, 20 March 1880

Stay tuned next week for our Author Spotlight Week featuring the utterly fabulous Cole Gibsen!!

Thirty-three Word Thursday :) - A Good Reason NOT to Write for a Trend

It is raining. I am tempted to write a poem. But I remember what it said on one rejection slip: After a heavy rainfall, poems titled "Rain" pour in from across the nation.

~ Sylvia Plath

WIP Wednesday

Oops, it's Wednesday. LOL Oye, real life getting busy :)

Well, quick WIP update....I'm loving outlining...but I'm not so sure it works for me. But I want it to - badly. I spend a good 8 months on revisions after the initial 2 or 3 months of writing draft. I do NOT want to spend an entire year on one manuscript anymore. But outlining seems to kill the drive to write the story.

So, I have two options at the moment.

1. Word vomit draft one and then outline during the beginning of the revision process (thanks for that term, Elana LOL). This option is what I'm leaning toward as it will allow me to get the story out but still organizes things in time to be efficient in the revising arena.

2. Continue trying to outline before draft 1. This one I'm not so sure about. However, my fabulous crit partner and agent buddy Christine recommended an outlining book that is on its way to my house as we speak. I will give it a shot, 'cause hey, I'm will to try just about everything once :)

So, for now, no progress on the fiction WIP. The NF book is getting much closer to being done but work stalled out for a week or so as I dealt with some Real Life stuff. IF I can get all my ducks in a row here, I should be done with revisions on that this week and then will just need to finish up the 4 new chapters we are adding (and they are, thank goodness, at least partially finished).

Then, manuscript off to my editor and I can focus the summer on fiction. Woohoo!

How about you all? How are your projects going? Have any of you tried outlining to find it just doesn't work? Do you outline at all, during any stage of the process?

Ten Word Tuesday...Times 3...Plus 3 or 4 More :D

I would recommend the cultivation of extreme indifference to both praise and blame because praise will lead you to vanity, and blame will lead you to self-pity, and both are bad for writers.

~ John Berryman

Spreading the Awesome - P.C. and Kristin Cast

The fabulous Elana Johnson decided to Spread a little Awesome, and invited a few friends along  :) Today is Spread the Awesome Day. Basically, I and many other writers will be singing the praises of one of our favorite books and its author. We will link our posts so you can follow through the most awesome Recommended Reading List ever. Speaking of which, be sure to head to Shelli Johannes-Wells blog for her choice of Awesome.

I cheated a little and chose a series instead of just one book - The House of Night series, by P.C. and Kristin Cast.

My very sweet stepkids got the first three books for me for Christmas 2008. I had them done in a day a piece and immediately ordered the rest of the series. A.W.E.S.O.M.E.

At the time, I was very new to YA and MG writing - the Twilight series was about all I had read of the genre. So opening the first book of the House of Night series was a new YA adventure for me.

I found a fun world where vampires are a part of normal society - still a little feared, mistrusted, "different", but it is a world where the best and brightest actors, artists and scientific minds are vampires - where being a vampire is a genetic trait - where you are marked as a teenager and sent off to a private vampire school where your body may or may not accept the change into adult vampirehood.

The series follows Zoey Redbird, an exceptional fledgling who exhibits powers and abilities (along with wicked awesome tattoos) far beyond her years and experience. Throughout the series, Zoey learns the meaning of true friendship, love and betrayal, sacrifice and service, and fights the forces of pure evil.

She is supported by a seriously awesome cast of secondary characters including several love interests to literally die for, a cowgirl best friend named Stevie Rae who becomes a whole new type of vampire, and the resident witch with a B, Aphrodite, who you can't help but love.

It's a wild ride and an awesome fun read. With incredibly beautiful covers :)

For more information on P.C. and Kristin Cast, visit their website. P.C. has written many other novels in addition to the House of Night series, which she co-authors with her daughter, who also has several solo novels. For more information on the House of Night series, visit the site devoted to it HERE.

And now for some fun stuff....I couldn't very well tell you how awesome this series is without giving you a chance to own part of it for yourself!

GIVEAWAY TIME!!!!!

Just fill out the form below, hit Submit, and you are entered! I'll take entries for the next week, until midnight, Sunday May 9th. Our grand prize winner will be announced bright and early Monday morning, May 10th.

Since some of you may have read all or part of this series and some of you may be newcomers that would like to start it, I'm going to give you a choice of prizes :D Click on the titles for the book summaries.

Prize Choice 1: Book 1 of the House of Night series - Marked

Prize Choice 2: Book 7 of the House of Night series - Burned (just released!)

Prize Choice 3: The Triple Moon necklace, created for the House of Night series

If you have started the series and are somewhere between books 1 and 7 and would like another one instead, just choose either one of the book options in the form below. I'll double check with the winner what book in the series they'd like to have. :)